SOTA?

Freefalling said:
Hey, if you don't ask then you won't know. Better to find out now than when you've already committed. I went to OCS with a guy that hadn't thought out the schools he needed and time away from his family and work for them. When he did, he dropped it and went back to being an NCO, something I totally support. I'd rather he make the decision early rather than too late.
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Yes I agree, It is just really hard to sit back and say “ no more fun stuff” I have a family…

I remember when I was forced to join the NG b/c It was the only branch that would fit me. I felt so happy just be a part of the military, and then I get back from Benning, and all I could say was “ ranger, ranger, ranger” lol those days are long gone now… Some times that is hard to come to terms with. :(
 
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Low end....

SOWT said:
I won't chime in on the SOT-A questions, but will on the Guard piece. My unit has had three mob cycles since 2002. 9-12 month on, 18-24 off. Are you willing to mob every couple of year for 9-12 months?

My Mob medal has the number 5 on it, do the math.

Our mobs don't takes us away as long, but there is ALOT of work getting ready for that mob. I averaged 100 days a year (UTA's AT's Schools, other), will your wife support that?

RC SOF is as engaged as the active guys.
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Keep in mind the deployment cycles will change by Grp assignment. This '100 days' is on the very low end of deployment days depending on the 'activity' of the SF Grp....:cool:
 
Not to undermine whats been said, just another perspective

JAB:

I went thru a similar decision a lil over some 4 years ago when I decided to enlist in NG SF. At that time I had been a firefighter/paramedic for almost 12 years was married and had a 2 year old little girl, who to this day is the most precious thing in my life. I did alot of research, talked to many SF soldiers, both AD and NG and then sat down with the recruiter to talk it all over. After some soul searching and many conversations with HH6 I signed the paperwork and a couple months later off to 'Ft Benning School for Misguided Boys' I went.

Between OSUT, BAC and the SFQC I was gone from home starting 26 May '04 and graduated the SFQC on 24 August '07 (had a lil parachute accident which derailed my training for 9 months; shit happens.) I saw my family at best every other weekend, once I got to Bragg and wasnt in the field, because HH6 and I decided to keep our home back in SC instead of moving them to Bragg (that decision I would probably do over.) After graduating I had 3 weeks to get my shit together for this deployment. I will be here til the end of May when we redeploy. As well, I am looking at another deployment spinning up somewhere between Jan and May '09 going someplace hot and sandy.

Long time away from my family, no? It is a long time, but honestly it has been a journey that I will never forget nor would I undo. It has been stressful and very demanding, but what is life without a lil pressure.

I said all of that to say this; if its what you want and you are well informed about the demands (you have been briefed well here) and your family supports you then go for it. However if you have ANY reservations at all then stand fast where you are and enjoy your time in the Infantry for the sake of you, your family and my Brothers.

I wish you all the best of luck and if you are ever in need of a NGSF recruiter who will give it to you straight send me a PM.

Crip
 
Did some thinking...

Okay I have done some thinking on the advice given, and I really appreciate all of it. I think to get a better idea of what I am wanting to become a part of, I need to rather get the info clear.

I was misinformed and under the impression that SOT-A was more of a support “commo” element to SF. I had no idea how involved they are in the SF mission. It is clear that I was completely wrong :doh:

Like I have said before I am married and having a child, so my ideas are based on attempting to not go off to 2 years of school, and then deploy all of the time. I do not want to miss the entire child hood thing. However, I am 100% completely fed up with the conventional “NG” Infantry and leadership. Now as silly as it is, I have volunteered to deploy to Iraq again with a NG Infantry unit. I guess for some reason I do miss Iraq a little bit. :doh: (Don’t ask, b/c I really don’t know why)

My goals were always to go into a SOF type unit, but it just never happened. Now that I am reaching the point of extreme fed up ness, I feel it is time to make a change. I wanted to get into a more supporting role, not to get away from deployments, but to not spend an enlistment in school. I would rather, wait for my daughter to grow up a little before I made that kind of choice. That way I could include them in the choice.

Now I guess what I am looking for, is a job in more of a supporting role in 19th SFG “TX”. Something that I would not have to spend 2 years in training to be qualified in. My reasons for wanting this type of job, is if you are around motivated people you stay motivated. If you work with shitbags you deploy with shitbags. I want to work for good leadership, and with good people. I have every desire to become SF in the future, but I currently do not feel it would be the best time at this point.


Now with that bunch of blah, blah, blah, would there be a job of this form in 19th SFG “TX”? Or am I twisted in my ideas? I do not want to run around wondering lost and delusional thinking that something of this nature is even possible!:uhh:
 
I think the unit in TX is a Company only, meaning there will be a supply and...I want to say an NBC NCO slot. The rest are all 18 series.

If you want to drive there is a Bn Support Company at Camp Shelby, MS.
 
LRS is indeed back in TX. Maybe one of our Indiana LRS members has a POC.

Camp Shelby will have in no particular order and I have no idea what slots are currently unfilled: Riggers, cooks, supply, vehicle maint., MI jobs (SOT-A, SOT-B, CI, analysts), various commo slots including radios, telecom, and computers, plus electronic repair. All airborne coded slots.
 
The second Guardsman killed in Afghanistan was a SOTA guy, Gene Vance. There aren't many of them running around to begin with, but they have taken their share of casualties. The deployments have already been spoken for on the thread. Properly utilized + squared away SOTA guys = dead bad guys.
 
moobob said:
The second Guardsman killed in Afghanistan was a SOTA guy, Gene Vance. There aren't many of them running around to begin with, but they have taken their share of casualties. The deployments have already been spoken for on the thread. Properly utilized + squared away SOTA guys = dead bad guys.
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Gene Vance also had the "distinction" of being the first West Virginian killed in the war. He was a Persian-Farsi linguist, and bled out while directing the locals they were working with, to get everyone back to the base safely after an ambush. I was trying to get the football field at DLI named after him when I PCS'd to Germany. Don't know if it ever happened, but I know the "memorialization" committee was working it. All they needed when I left was good photo to use to put his likeness on a the bronze plaque. I left them with Gene's wife's email address.

Camp Vance at Bagram AB is named after him.

http://www.goodfellow.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123050296

http://www-dli.army.mil/staff/PAO/globe.pdf
 
Car,
I am currently at DLI, my best friend here is went to school in WV and is in the Farsi course here. If we can do anything to help you out in your effort to help memorialize Mr. Vance, let me know. Thanks.
 
RadioSpook said:
Car,
I am currently at DLI, my best friend here is went to school in WV and is in the Farsi course here. If we can do anything to help you out in your effort to help memorialize Mr. Vance, let me know. Thanks.
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Thanks, but they named the new (when I left in '05) barracks on the other side of the hill, near F Co., after him.
 
All of the SOTAs in 5th Group worked for me when I was the MID commander for 5th Group. I understand that they have subsequently been pushed back down to the battalions.

We had 98Gs and 98Cs (not sure what that translates into now). IIRC, all of the 98G positions were "V" coded. None of them were Ranger qualified.
 
Marauder06 said:
All of the SOTAs in 5th Group worked for me when I was the MID commander for 5th Group. I understand that they have subsequently been pushed back down to the battalions.

We had 98Gs and 98Cs (not sure what that translates into now). IIRC, all of the 98G positions were "V" coded. None of them were Ranger qualified.
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35P and 35N. Don't worry, old dude. DIRNSA made the (almost) same statement to us this week. :evil:
 
SOT-A'S have a high op-tempo too bro. Think about it: there's less of you to go around and you're supporting ODA missions. Might have more time off on an ODA, might not. I wouldn't do anything that involves putting any patch with an arrowhead on your shoulder if you're trying to stay home....unless you want to work in the USASOC historian's office.

I'm going to call you sonny boy because it sounds like a chink your armor.
xoxo.
 
i was on a SOT-A from 90-96. Just to echo what the other guys have said. Training takes an incredible amount of time and the skill set needed combines linguistic skills, intel skills, comms skills, and a very solid background in soldiering skills. SF hires SOTA guys for their intel capability but requires them to be just as capable in the field. It is the only non-18 series MOS that is required to meet the same certification standards as tabbed guys. If you ever end up on a SOTA you will find yourself working directly with SF down to the ODA level.
 

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