P
pv1xray
Guest
OK guys, I have some serious questions and not a lot of time, so anyone who's served in- or even simply tried out for- the Special Forces hit me with as straight an answer as you can. First up, the situation:
I just enlisted in the Army (active duty), and I'm fresh from MEPS with an 18X enlistment option contract. I'm damn proud of it, and I'm eager to see how far I can go, but I'm also wondering if I've bit off more than I can chew at this point.
Next, my strengths. I maxed the ASVAB and I'm probably going to do great on the DLAB (going back for that one later this week), which is my prime selling point and what got me the 18X enlistment option. I actually got one of the highest scores our recruiting station has seen in over a decade or so, and I have a habit of latching on to things with the tenacity of a pitbull. If I want something, I'll get it, one way or another, no matter what gets in my way. But I don't want to let these things go to my head, or make you fine gentlemen think I'm one of those swaggering wet-ears just aching to be kicked down a notch, because I have some big problems too.
I'll be frank: I'm out of shape. Way out of shape. I just turned 25 years old, and I've spent the past six years taking college classes, doing office work for local hospitals and (liberal university) bookstores, and not so much avoiding exercise as having no pressing need for it. Give me an Army PT test today, and I'd go down in a blaze of glory- not from lack of dedication, but from sheer muscle atrophy and years of comfortable, bookish living. I failed the duckwalk at MEPS due to very poor quad strength, and the one and a half mile run I did this morning resulted in me vomiting. I finished it, half walked and half runned, but simply finishing isn't good enough if I'm looking to be the best of the best.
So, my question is simple: will I have a shot at passing selection first time through? Given 6 weeks of hard daily training prior to BCT (I'm moving back in with my folks in order to make use of the university gym and cross-country course right across the street), 17 weeks of Infantry OSUT, jump school, and SF Prep, is it possible to build myself up to the point where I'll be able to smoke the other candidates at assessment? Or should I renegotiate my contract and shoot for the Forces after, say, a year or two of active military service, when I'll have plenty of time to bring my physical conditioning to a competitive level? I don't want to pass up a golden opportunity to nail the best job in the entire world, but I also don't want to run inexorably into a brick wall and wind up stuck as a rifleman for five years. Not that I have anything against the infantry, but if I can't pass assessment first time I'd much rather land a job as a Cav Scout, MP-Sniper, Counter-Intel Agent, or Human Intel Collector, then use those as a springboard for going Airborne and Forces once I've reached the level I need to be at.
My recruiters think I have a chance, but that could be because they've never seen me try and do a pull-up before. My parents think I have a chance, but they'd never even heard of the Special Forces until two days ago. I think I have a chance, too, more than a chance actually, but the question is when will I be physically capable of meeting the requirements.
I know, this is probably a bad idea. I'm over-thinking things, and that could be disastrous. Doubts become self-fulfilling prophecies, and I don't want to shoot myself in the foot before I start. But I also don't want to shoot myself in the foot by taking the plunge before I'm ready and winding up in a worse position than I otherwise would have been in. And not just for me... I know guys in the service who are fighting, hard, to get a tryout spot with the Forces, and I feel almost guilty in a way for getting this opportunity. If I'm not ready for it, and I washout, it would be disrespectful to all the other guys out there who are ready but aren't being given the chance for one reason or another.
So, thoughts? Questions? Comments? Can I go from the Army's weakest recruit to Green Beret material in a matter of months? Or should I pace my rise to the top and give myself a better career trajectory? One way or another, I'm going to try for the Forces, that much I'm certain of. But I'd like a more experienced take on it, too! Also, any suggestions on workouts, nutrition, "extra curricular skills" (e.g. should I start learning Arabic/Korean in my free time to give me a leg up?), and workout pacing (till I drop each day?) would be good, too.
Hooah!
~Private XRay
I just enlisted in the Army (active duty), and I'm fresh from MEPS with an 18X enlistment option contract. I'm damn proud of it, and I'm eager to see how far I can go, but I'm also wondering if I've bit off more than I can chew at this point.
Next, my strengths. I maxed the ASVAB and I'm probably going to do great on the DLAB (going back for that one later this week), which is my prime selling point and what got me the 18X enlistment option. I actually got one of the highest scores our recruiting station has seen in over a decade or so, and I have a habit of latching on to things with the tenacity of a pitbull. If I want something, I'll get it, one way or another, no matter what gets in my way. But I don't want to let these things go to my head, or make you fine gentlemen think I'm one of those swaggering wet-ears just aching to be kicked down a notch, because I have some big problems too.
I'll be frank: I'm out of shape. Way out of shape. I just turned 25 years old, and I've spent the past six years taking college classes, doing office work for local hospitals and (liberal university) bookstores, and not so much avoiding exercise as having no pressing need for it. Give me an Army PT test today, and I'd go down in a blaze of glory- not from lack of dedication, but from sheer muscle atrophy and years of comfortable, bookish living. I failed the duckwalk at MEPS due to very poor quad strength, and the one and a half mile run I did this morning resulted in me vomiting. I finished it, half walked and half runned, but simply finishing isn't good enough if I'm looking to be the best of the best.
So, my question is simple: will I have a shot at passing selection first time through? Given 6 weeks of hard daily training prior to BCT (I'm moving back in with my folks in order to make use of the university gym and cross-country course right across the street), 17 weeks of Infantry OSUT, jump school, and SF Prep, is it possible to build myself up to the point where I'll be able to smoke the other candidates at assessment? Or should I renegotiate my contract and shoot for the Forces after, say, a year or two of active military service, when I'll have plenty of time to bring my physical conditioning to a competitive level? I don't want to pass up a golden opportunity to nail the best job in the entire world, but I also don't want to run inexorably into a brick wall and wind up stuck as a rifleman for five years. Not that I have anything against the infantry, but if I can't pass assessment first time I'd much rather land a job as a Cav Scout, MP-Sniper, Counter-Intel Agent, or Human Intel Collector, then use those as a springboard for going Airborne and Forces once I've reached the level I need to be at.
My recruiters think I have a chance, but that could be because they've never seen me try and do a pull-up before. My parents think I have a chance, but they'd never even heard of the Special Forces until two days ago. I think I have a chance, too, more than a chance actually, but the question is when will I be physically capable of meeting the requirements.
I know, this is probably a bad idea. I'm over-thinking things, and that could be disastrous. Doubts become self-fulfilling prophecies, and I don't want to shoot myself in the foot before I start. But I also don't want to shoot myself in the foot by taking the plunge before I'm ready and winding up in a worse position than I otherwise would have been in. And not just for me... I know guys in the service who are fighting, hard, to get a tryout spot with the Forces, and I feel almost guilty in a way for getting this opportunity. If I'm not ready for it, and I washout, it would be disrespectful to all the other guys out there who are ready but aren't being given the chance for one reason or another.
So, thoughts? Questions? Comments? Can I go from the Army's weakest recruit to Green Beret material in a matter of months? Or should I pace my rise to the top and give myself a better career trajectory? One way or another, I'm going to try for the Forces, that much I'm certain of. But I'd like a more experienced take on it, too! Also, any suggestions on workouts, nutrition, "extra curricular skills" (e.g. should I start learning Arabic/Korean in my free time to give me a leg up?), and workout pacing (till I drop each day?) would be good, too.
Hooah!
~Private XRay