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.
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.