View Full Version : Observations from Phase III SFQC
Here are some of my observations after my first month as the CSM for 4/1 SWTG(A).
1. We are selecting the right guys.....period!
2. The 18X's are highly motivated and willing to learn...just lacking some basic Army skills, but they are doing GREAT!!!!!!
3. The 18B course is the toughest MOS to pass...I don't train the 18D's but I believe their 1st time GO rate is higher than an 18B.
4. The 18C's learn some very cool stuff..."P" for plenty still applies but these guys can build some stuff! BUT...BUT...if you detonate your charge BEFORE the instructor tells you to...well, you will find out how tough it is to become an 18B! The 18C course will be history to you.
5. The 18E's still do things that don't make any sense to me. The 18E's are under-appreciated and sometimes commo ain't sexy, but when you need them, those guys are like Platinum.
The cadre are dedicated and spend untold numbers of hours training these young men to become their team mates some day. They are very serious about their jobs and I'm amazed at the work ethic and concern for their students' training.
The civilian instructors are also amazing. We couldn't do this without them. I have the pleasure of now being the CSM to my old CSM..Henry Ramirez. Henry, Earnie Tabata, Pappy, and all the rest of these old Soldiers are the link to our past, and yet still, they shape our future. SWC is fortunate to have them.
Overall I would say that my first month has been a very educational one. For all of you who wonder where the future of our Regiment is going...well, I can say it's going in the right direction. We can all feel safe in our beds at night...there are still men out there willing to step up and be the best. We owe these guys nothing but our best because someday, they will return the favor to us!
Daver sends.....
The Reaper
04-29-2007, 19:13
CSM:
Thanks for the update. Keep up the great work!
TR
Jack Moroney (RIP)
04-29-2007, 19:36
CSM, thanks for the post. I can appreciate your job and value your observations. Makes an old guy feel pretty good.
Ambush Master
04-29-2007, 20:06
This is VERY refreshing news!!!
Thank You CSM!! Keep up the good work!!
Take care.
Martin
NousDefionsDoc
04-29-2007, 20:22
3. The 18B course is the toughest MOS to pass...I don't train the 18D's but I believe their 1st time GO rate is higher than an 18B.
Uh...Sergeant Major...blasphe...heres...uh...wron...pre-selected....uh.;)
Thanks for the feedback. Numbah one is great news.
The Reaper
04-29-2007, 20:27
3. The 18B course is the toughest MOS to pass...I don't train the 18D's but I believe their 1st time GO rate is higher than an 18B.
Daver sends.....
Since NDD brought it up, maybe it is more of a reflection on the intellect of the students than the difficulty of the course.:D
TR
5. The 18E's still do things that don't make any sense to me. The 18E's are under-appreciated and sometimes commo ain't sexy, but when you need them, those guys are like Platinum.
Sometimes things don't make sense to us either, but thanks for the compliment SGM.
Team Sergeant
04-30-2007, 09:32
Great post and great news! Thanks for keeping us in the loop CSM!
TS
(If I had but one wish that would be to do it all over again.;) )
incommin
04-30-2007, 10:44
CSM, nice to know things are going well. Nicer to know that someone cares enough to share the news with the new and old folks.
Thanks,
Jim
The great thing about being the CSM here is that I am seeing the guys I selected who are now going through the SFQC. I recognize many of them and these young men are doing very well. They are getting more confident and competent every day and my hope is that when they become Green Berets down on a team, the team sergeant will continue to keep them pointed straight. We need to look at these young Soldiers as the future leaders of our Regiment. They aren't always going to be 18X's, 18B's, and so on. They will be MSG's, SGM's, and CSM's eventually. We owe them the leadership and motivation so that when time comes, they will raise their hands again and "Defend The United States Against All Enemies, Foreign, and Domestic".
Daver.....
NousDefionsDoc
04-30-2007, 21:31
Well said Sergeant Major.
Peregrino
04-30-2007, 22:25
I'm glad to read an "up close and personal" professional assessment of the current SF Candidates. I'm very glad to read such a positive report. FWIW I'm part of the generation that included the first peacetime experiment with "SF Babies" and personally, I don't think we did as well as the kids (I use the term loosely and affectionately) today must just to meet the demands of the times.
Despite a few misgivings in the details, I think history will judge the 18X program a success. A lot of effort has gone into correcting some of the mistakes of the past; certainly into meeting the evolved requirements of the GWOT. The rigorous selection and training pipeline these guys are going through and the attempt/pass ratios speak for themselves.
Today's SF soldier leaves the "Q" Course better prepared to meet the challenges facing them than at any time in the past. Many go straight to combat deployments. They don't get the years of post detail, questionable exercises, unit training, and hanging out in the team room learning to "get along" that I and my peers had. Almost all of our "polish" came at the hands of team sergeants and/or the "tender mercies" of team mates. It showed in retention rates, discipline problems, and how well we integrated into the teams.
There will always be the ocassional problem child. The greater the pressure to make numbers and meet the needs of the force, the greater the odds of one "slipping through the cracks". This time I don't think they (the problem children) will define the program. As long as the community remembers that it's everybody's job to (attempt to) integrate the new guys, and mentor them when required, the future is assured - and from here it looks pretty good.
(Now if we can just get leadership to focus on UW and winning the current mess. :p ) Peregrino
NousDefionsDoc
04-30-2007, 22:37
I have to say, from everything I've heard the Q Course is right.
On another note, I would be careful about comments regarding the Bravo course being more difficult than the Delta course. That kind of thing has been known to result in massive numbers of shot records "lost" in some type of catastrophic tragedy...;)
CPTAUSRET
05-01-2007, 09:16
The great thing about being the CSM here is that I am seeing the guys I selected who are now going through the SFQC. I recognize many of them and these young men are doing very well. They are getting more confident and competent every day and my hope is that when they become Green Berets down on a team, the team sergeant will continue to keep them pointed straight. We need to look at these young Soldiers as the future leaders of our Regiment. They aren't always going to be 18X's, 18B's, and so on. They will be MSG's, SGM's, and CSM's eventually. We owe them the leadership and motivation so that when time comes, they will raise their hands again and "Defend The United States Against All Enemies, Foreign, and Domestic".
Daver.....
DAMN WELL SAID!!
Thank you!
jrm_canine
10-02-2007, 20:49
CSM.....I hope I'm not out of place speaking on this thread, but I wanted to express a "civies" point of view for a second. I was a DOD civilian police officer at AP Hill for the last few years until I medically retired last year. I must say, that I spent a LOT of my "patrol time" in the AO for your guys while they were completing the phase of training there, and the time I spent with the SF instructors and cadre, and the role players such as Pappy...was one of the greatest honors of my life. The cadre always treated me like family (one Capt. callsign "Meatchild" always offered his polish sausages off the campfire...lol) and took a lot of time to answer my questions about tactics, gear, etc. as if it were the only thing they had to do. I was medically prohibited from joining the military and chose a long and pretty happy career in law enforcement instead. Although I did not have much interaction with the candidates themselves, I can say that we NEVER...NEVER had an issue with any of them on base. Being a "professional observer" of sorts, I can speak of the quiet professionalism and respect that these young men exhibited while on base there and it was always a pleasure to see the convoy from the "Pines" pulling into the gate upon their arrival!!--John
x SF med
10-02-2007, 21:33
I have to say, from everything I've heard the Q Course is right.
On another note, I would be careful about comments regarding the Bravo course being more difficult than the Delta course. That kind of thing has been known to result in massive numbers of shot records "lost" in some type of catastrophic tragedy...;)
Having gone through both (18B first, then a reclass to 18D) -- I will agree with the large medic from SOTB.
JRM,
Sorry I didn't see your comments sooner. Thanks for the comments about the A Co cadre in my Bn. They are true great American's and they do great things with the new Officer's who will become our next generation of Team leaders. Unfortunately, we have been prevented from going to Ap Hill anymore and we conduct that training in Pineland now...AKA, Camp MacKall and the surrounding area. Thanks for you support and I hope the guys gave you something as a thank you before they pulled stakes up there and came back down here. Maybe in the future we can figure out a way to get back up there and enjoy the outstanding facilities AP Hill always had for us.
V/R
Daver
jrm_canine
11-10-2007, 22:29
Daver...thanks for the reply. I was unaware that your guys were not going to AP Hill any more. I was forced to medically retire in June 2006 and moved back to the mountains in Southwest Virginia. The guys did take good care of me before I retired and hooked me up with a set of the nice hat and t-shirt like they all wore....two of my prized possesions and a daily reminder of my friends in harms way and I keep you all in my thoughts and prayers every day. As I said in my original post above, knowing and working with these guys was the highest honor of my life and I will never forget!! I hope that you all have a safe and peaceful Veteran's Day tomorrow....THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!
It's been a while since I've posted but I wanted to send an update of the Phase III portion of the SFQC.
Since my last posting on this subject, we have taken on the Warrant Officer basic and advanced course. The MOS phases continue to amaze me with all the "STUFF" we teach here now. Nearly 20 years ago when I attended to Q course, the only guys who pulled a trigger were the 18B's...now every MOS spends at least 3 days (18B much more) executing the first several blocks of CMMS from the SFAUC program. Every student leaves here now with the basic shooting skills to attend a group SFAUC and not need any train up. The cadre are motivated to teach these guys how to shoot and how to shoot properly!
I can safely say that standards are very high and if anyone says different...I will let them know they are mistaken...sorely mistaken! The SFQC is harder then when most of us went through....it's certainly harder then when I went through The 18B MOS is still the toughest course to pass but we have modified some teaching methodologies and we are seeing higher pass rates...this is directly due to cadre efforts and how we present the material.
The cadre are the linchpin to what we do and our success is due directly to their efforts. There is no "Downtime" anymore for cadre in SWC. Those days ARE LONNGGG GONE!
During the last USASOC CSM conference in September, every BN and Group CSM said the guys we are sending them are doing a great job and are very well trained and the CSM's have no problems with them. As long as the force is happy with the warriors we send them, I know I am doing my job but more importantly, they are well trained to keep taking the fight to the enemy..no matter what cave, mosque, or innocent civilan home they hide their sorry asses in!
Thanks...
Daver sends..........
The SFQC is harder then when most of us went through....it's certainly harder then when I went through The 18B MOS is still the toughest course to pass but we have modified some teaching methodologies and we are seeing higher pass rates...this is directly due to cadre efforts and how we present the material.
Well everyone know's the people who go Bravo aren't the sharpest tool's. That's why it's the hardest one. :D
Well everyone know's the people who go Bravo aren't the sharpest tool's. That's why it's the hardest one. :DStay safe.
mffjm8509
11-11-2007, 10:47
The cadre are the linchpin to what we do and our success is due directly to their efforts. There is no "Downtime" anymore for cadre in SWC. Those days ARE LONNGGG GONE!
This is unfortunate and consistent with what I've been hearing. When I worked at SWCS we had the benefit of good cycle breaks to keep us focused during sometimes long and stressful cycles.
With our guys deploying on annual 7-8 month combat rotations in Group indefinitely, I wonder if we are doing a disservice to them by not allowing somewhere they can get some "downtime".
It is already a challenge to find quality guys to WANT to work at SWCS. What do we have to offer them in return if it isn't quality family time and a chance to get some college?
mp
x SF med
11-11-2007, 16:31
Well everyone know's the people who go Bravo aren't the sharpest tool's. That's why it's the hardest one. :D
Damn, Bro. Hope you never need covering fire.
Oh, yeah, my 18D reclass was all Bravos... and we graduated 75% - the difference between DHG, and HG was 1 point, DHG and last in class was 15 points. A lot of the guys in that reclass went on to become WOs...
Weapons and bodies both need mechanics.