Whats your backup plan?

Since I've closed most doors in the Marine Corps SOF or SOF-Capable to me, I'm starting to consider 18X as an option once I've hit my 2016 EAS. Don't get me wrong: I'm definitely concentrating on my 25m targets, which are Squad Leader's Course and this upcoming deployment. But, I decided to pick up "Chosen Soldier" and check out what Green Beret selection is all about. It pretty much jives with what sort of professional atmosphere I sought when going after MARSOC and Recon.

My failures, bad circumstances, and poor decisions have taught me a lot. If I'm still interested in an SOF lifestyle (and it is a lifestyle,) in 2016 and MARSOC is still closed to Sergeants with my TIG, it looks like the Berets is the route most viable to me.

We'll see where my head is at when I get back from deployment. I might just be satisfied with having given SOF two honest shots and getting a couple more pumps in as a grunt. MARSOC may also open back up to me, depending on the landscape.

One of the things that appeals most to me about the SOF community, be it MARSOC or Berets, is that teacher-warrior mentality. I love being a teacher as a leader and Marine, be it martial arts/nutrition/personal training/PME. FID, for that reason, seems like it would be an incredibly rewarding and satisfying endeavor for me personally. Furthermore, I think I'm a solid teacher and enjoy improving my craft so that I have more to impart to my students. (I always learn so much from my students, too. One of the most satisfying parts of being a leader to me is learning from a junior Marine.)

Looking back at myself when I first started this "journey" of seeking more and "wanting to do cool stuff" has completely changed what sort of man I am. I would hate to portray myself as a more "spiritual" man now, but I think I am that. I am an eternal student.

So yeah, if I stay in the Armed Forces, it'll likely be for another shot at SOF. That's my "back up plan" for right now.
 
Is Friday, that was a great, honest assessment of your endeavor.

I believe it is spot on. In the 80's, Force Recon wouldn't even look at you unless you had a couple of pumps and experience. They were looking for mature and hard-core, sort of like the joke about "old and bold" heroes.

I realize that things today are different, with pipelines and all, but one thing common in SOF is that not only are they are do-ers, but also great thinkers and teachers. Maturity is the seasoning.

Good luck. We've all had set-backs (mine was a ruptured ear drum at 120ft during dive school). The successful use failure as an opportunity, not an excuse.
 
If I fail to make it through Indoc due to the inability to keep up with the physical/mental stress of the course. I will first evaluate, realize, and accept my failure(s) and be clear on where my breakdown points were. Secondly I will adjust my training and focus on weaknesses/breakdown points both mentally and physically, making them my strengths while improving the strengths I have. In the mean time while waiting for my next shot at the course, my duty is to stay focused what I have to do to make it through Indoc but also to give my 110% in whatever career field the Air Force chooses for me.

If I cannot get another chance to go back and try again, whether it be because of injury or I realize I'm not cut out for SOF. I will work on getting my degree, finding a career path that fits me and be the best there is at what I do.
 
RQA21 said:
If I fail to make it through Indoc due to the inability to keep up with the physical/mental stress of the course. I will first evaluate, realize, and accept my failure(s) and be clear on where my breakdown points were. Secondly I will adjust my training and focus on weaknesses/breakdown points both mentally and physically, making them my strengths while improving the strengths I have. In the mean time while waiting for my next shot at the course, my duty is to stay focused what I have to do to make it through Indoc but also to give my 110% in whatever career field the Air Force chooses for me.

If I cannot get another chance to go back and try again, whether it be because of injury or I realize I'm not cut out for SOF. I will work on getting my degree, finding a career path that fits me and be the best there is at what I do.
Click to expand...
As to the bold, that can be more difficult than you might imagine...from someone who's been there.
Nice plan B overall, though. :thumbsup:
 
I'm an active duty Marine with 2 1/2 years in on a four year contract. I finished my first deployment to Afghanistan about 5 months ago with the VMGR. I'm an Ordnance Tech in the air wing. While I was in Afghanistan my Sgt went through the selection process for MARSOC and got accepted and is currently in the training pipeline. When I returned he highly recommended that I try out for it, and assured me that I would be a good candidate. About a month later he leaves the unit and continues on with his training. A few weeks after that I began and completed a MSG package. The more I thought about what I was doing the less fulfilled I felt. I decided to get some more information on MARSOC and get some answers. Long story short I admin closed my MSG orders and drove to Camp Pendelton to the MARSOC office to start my package. I'm attempting to get this Jan ANS class date. I have no intention whats so ever of failing out or not getting accepted. I'm doing everything I can to prepare and make myself as competitive as possible.

However, if I'm not the type of Marine that MARSOC is looking for then I'll probably try again. If I get denied a second time I'll more than likely re-submit my MSG package and go that route.
 
If I can't cut it and don't make it through the CCT selection course for whatever reason I'll select the best MOS available to me and see how much I enjoy life in the military. If I do enjoy life in the military I'll get a MOS that isn't needs of the Air Force and do something I'll enjoy, if I don't I'll find a career in the civilian world.
 
SkrewzLoose said:
As to the bold, that can be more difficult than you might imagine...from someone who's been there.
Nice plan B overall, though. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Thanks for the input Skrewz,

I believe it, I can only guess as to how difficult of task it really is. Hopefully I won't have to use plan B, considering I've yet to even get to the 25m target of plan A (Basic). :-)

What did you do differently to prepare and be successful the time through?
 
I already love being an Infantryman, I simply want to serve with the best Infantry Unit out there which IMHO is the 75th Ranger Regiment. Step 1 is just getting an option 40 contract or a chance to go to RASP from Airborne School, If I dont make it through RASP, I would be perfectly happy to Serve in the 82nd or 101st until I get another shot at RASP, but honestly if I served my whole career as an 11B in a RA unit I would be satisfied, I just dont want to be in the Guard anymore. Im not sure how the saying goes exactly but I think it applies to this whole thread: "shoot for the moon and if you miss youll end up among the stars."
 
Talked to the Wing Commander of a WA ANG TACP squadron today. Would take a waiver but he sounded interested. Meet with the Reserve CA Battalion on Saturday. I think these are my plan B's if A) SFAS never works out, or I get a chance and do not get selected and B) my current sniper section continues to be a non-training focused unit.
Reed
 
is friday said:
Since I've closed most doors in the Marine Corps SOF or SOF-Capable to me, I'm starting to consider 18X as an option once I've hit my 2016 EAS. Don't get me wrong: I'm definitely concentrating on my 25m targets, which are Squad Leader's Course and this upcoming deployment. But, I decided to pick up "Chosen Soldier" and check out what Green Beret selection is all about. It pretty much jives with what sort of professional atmosphere I sought when going after MARSOC and Recon.

My failures, bad circumstances, and poor decisions have taught me a lot. If I'm still interested in an SOF lifestyle (and it is a lifestyle,) in 2016 and MARSOC is still closed to Sergeants with my TIG, it looks like the Berets is the route most viable to me.

We'll see where my head is at when I get back from deployment. I might just be satisfied with having given SOF two honest shots and getting a couple more pumps in as a grunt. MARSOC may also open back up to me, depending on the landscape.

One of the things that appeals most to me about the SOF community, be it MARSOC or Berets, is that teacher-warrior mentality. I love being a teacher as a leader and Marine, be it martial arts/nutrition/personal training/PME. FID, for that reason, seems like it would be an incredibly rewarding and satisfying endeavor for me personally. Furthermore, I think I'm a solid teacher and enjoy improving my craft so that I have more to impart to my students. (I always learn so much from my students, too. One of the most satisfying parts of being a leader to me is learning from a junior Marine.)

Looking back at myself when I first started this "journey" of seeking more and "wanting to do cool stuff" has completely changed what sort of man I am. I would hate to portray myself as a more "spiritual" man now, but I think I am that. I am an eternal student.

So yeah, if I stay in the Armed Forces, it'll likely be for another shot at SOF. That's my "back up plan" for right now.
Click to expand...

Just a heads up, most Special Forces guys do not really refer to themselves as Green Berets, and especially not "Berets".
 
If I don't make the cut I will request to go to corpsman and depending on if it was a DOR or injury related drop I would opt to go back and try again or try for MARSOC.
 
Damn all the Delta A&S guys who didn't get selected must have had some kind of quit in their plans, you know those top performers from other SOF units... I guess they just didn't refuse to quit enough.

Crazy quitters...
 
Pharaoh19XX said:
If I don't make the cut I will request to go to corpsman and depending on if it was a DOR or injury related drop I would opt to go back and try again or try for MARSOC.
Click to expand...
Pharaoh19XX said:
My goal is to become a SEAL.
Click to expand...
Do you have any idea what in the bloody hell you're talking about?

ETA: IF you get an SO contract and make it to the point where quitting is an option and if you decide to DOR, you WILL NOT be "requesting to go" anything. You'll be given a list of available rates and you'll be choosing from that list.
However, based on your postings here, none of this will be a real issue for you.
 
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The hard part for me is that there isn't really anything else that I want to do in the Air Force other than AFSOF. If I fail I'll probably try and find another MOS, possibly Security Forces and just keep training until I feel like I can attempt the pipeline again. If AFSOF just won't happen, then I'll try to transfer to the Army and go airborne.
 

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