As a few of you know, I'm heading off to the Army next year... Hopefully to serve under President Bush

Anyways, the recruiter told me that the SF is finally allowing civilians to sign contracts for recruitment straight to SF training.

What are your guys thoughts on this? Of course I am jumping on it (Almost finished up with all the medical/ASVAB/Psych stuff). Think its because all the new security positions they've been pulling?

Thanks

Curtis

Was the recruiter's lips moving? Red flag right there, man.

Must be a new policy because you had to be an E-5 to be accepted to SF school in the past. A lot of guys started in a Ranger Battalion, then when making E-4 they head off to the Qualification Course to get their Ranger Tab. Then when making sergeant they apply for SF.

Could be they are opening it up to increase the size of the black ops units for more intensive covert operations in search of terrorists. Younger operatives may blend in easier with the local population. Just a thought.

If you're really interested in doing black ops you better do it while you're young and single. You'll spend quite a bit of time away from home. Everyone I know that's in it loves it. I've known guys from Bragg that do all the South American gigs, and the ones here in First Group on Lewis do mostly SE Asia stuff. But actual locations are all classified.

You'll get to learn a foreign language or two. See some really cool places, meet interesting people, and kill them. Seriously though, the primary mission is training the local militia, rebels, or guerillas to defend, or overthrow the country; whichever one meets the goals of US policy. All the other cool stuff you see in the movies is secondary, but it happens. Plus you get to wear your hair longer in SF units.

Even if you don't get to the Q Course right away, you can still be assigned to a SF unit if you're airborne and have a MOS they need, like signal, or demolitions, or something. I had a couple of kids that worked for me transfered over there.

Those are some pretty high goals you've set for yourself, Curtis, and I wish you all the luck in the world. They're good realistic goals, and if you remain focused and motivated you'll reach them.

Nice 'Full Metal Jacket' reference.

Full Metal Jacket rocked as a movie

BBVD Stay safe and have fun

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I caught that too.

One of the best war movies of all time!

"First you'll have to eat the peanuts out of my $#*T!"

When I was in you never had to be an e-5. There are a lot of MOS's that take longer to gain rank than some of the shorter schools. Hell if made 5 in 5 in my MOS you were doing good. So, If you weren't a 5 upon graduation your were promoted to the grade of e-5, per Army regs. But, apparently now it's true you go go right in after boot . You WILL want a 300 on your PT for sure. For me the hardest was always the sit-ups. I USED to run the 2mi in about 11 min and did 127 pu in 2 min but my best sit ups was 90. Still got the PT score card graded by a drill(SGL) for PLDC. Anyways a whole different story now. If you haven't yet you can start warming up by doing 200 of each a day and a 3 to 5 mi run a day. You might as well start that now just to make boot a little easier. Hell if you can do it and got the motivation go for it. There was a time I started the paperwork. I was a PFC then and had just got accepted to AB. Meet a woman and a lot of things changed... Another story needing a lot of beer... It is recommended that you know at least one other language fluently and you can work on another. They have a completely different mission than Rangers, and no you wont get to wear your hair longer. Especially while in uniform.

If you got the brass go for it! Whoora!!

Better be a good swimmer to.

Just looking through the site I linked and saw something about the road marches. get used to having no skin on the bottom of your feet and the blood drying your socks to your feet. I my unit, 159 AVN REGT. 82nd AB, we had 12 mile hump once a month with a 50lb pack... What good memories that was..

Well my recruiter has told me flat out that he wont be having me sign anything... the Guidance Counselors at the MEPS will. But I'll be taking a copy to my Criminal Justice teacher and going over it with him before any signing (I figure hes seen enough legal documents to know the loopholes).

Scored a 90 on my ASVAB, and everything else was a 115 or higher.

Physical went fine, for some reason I was the only person in the group who got any specified qualifications... Not sure why, but they put "Qualified for Airborne Training" on mine. Cool.

The only problem is when I was 12 I was negatively tested for ADD. With that in my history, I have to present a document showing I have no ADD, which I did... I'll have to probably take a 6hour psych-eval as well. Oh well, SF looks like its worth it.

Curtis

Yeah, other than the application there's noting binding a recruiter can have you sign. That's a good plan concerning your CJ teacher, but that Guidance Counselor may not like that depending on the day of the recruiting month and where the battalion stands on their quota. He'll tell you that the job may not be availabe if you wait. He'll want you to sign right then and there to "lock it in."

But, dude, you gotta do what's right by you. If you don't have the warm and fuzzy, don't sign. If it's meant to be, it'll be. That's faith, right?

That job or vacancy that he'll try to convince you you'll miss if you wait is nothing more than a training seat for a particular start date. There'll be more. Be patient if you have to. This is the biggest step you'll make in life other than marriage and having kids. Actually, sometimes combat seems better than being married with kids.

And that qualified for airborne thing - that means when they had you do the "duck walk" they checked to make sure your spincter closed all the way so you wouldn't whistle on the way down.

goharley,

that was probably the FUNNIEST thing I've heard in awhile.

Curtis