View Full Version : Clarification
I have always wanted to make a career out of the military so last may i joined the national guard and joined rotc at my college. Since then i decided that being an officer was not for me and i am in the process of switching over to active service. My new recruiter has told me he can basically guarantee i'll get an 18x enlistment, i've been doing some research on the matter and i keep finding conflicting information on the internet on various sites. I was just wondering if there was anyone who has gone through the 18x pipeline, or anyone else who is knowledgable on the matter, would be able to clarify some things for me.
My recruiter told me that if at the end of SFAS i am not selected to continue on to SFQC i will be given a second chance at SFAS before reassignment to an airborne unit. He also told me that if i get reassigned to an airborne unit as soon as i am a specialist i will be able to return to SFAS whenever i feel ready.
I heard from other sources that people who enlist as an 18x are only given one chance at SFAS.
I have also been told that if i for some reason I do not succeed in SFAS i will become ineligable to come to the course again and that people are given one chance at succeeding in SFAS.
I have an extremely strong desire to one day be Special Forces and i do not want to jump into SFAS too early if i am only going to have one chance at it. I am willing to spend time in an infantry unit to better prepare myself if that is the case.
If there is the possibility of having another chance at SFAS at a later date if something goes wrong then i will happily take the 18x enlistment. But if i am only going to have one chance at SFAS i am willing to enlist into an infantry unit and spend a few years making sure i am properly prepared.
I am confident in my ability to make it through the course but i don't want to take any chances that could stop me from eventually making it into Special Forces. If anyone could confirm what is true i would greatly appreciate it. Also i would like to say sorry if this question has been addressed before and i missed the thread while looking through the forums.
Roguish Lawyer
01-28-2005, 14:00
Brendon:
Please immediately fill out your profile, read the stickies at the top of the various forums, and use the search button. You are going to incur the wrath of the admins if you do not comply.
Thank you.
CPTAUSRET
01-28-2005, 14:01
Brendon:
Please immediately fill out your profile, read the stickies at the top of the various forums, and use the search button. You are going to incur the wrath of the admins if you do not comply.
Thank you.
Real good advice, please comply with RL's request!!
Terry
Leozinho
01-28-2005, 18:30
My recruiter told me that if at the end of SFAS i am not selected to continue on to SFQC i will be given a second chance at SFAS before reassignment to an airborne unit. He also told me that if i get reassigned to an airborne unit as soon as i am a specialist i will be able to return to SFAS whenever i feel ready.
I heard from other sources that people who enlist as an 18x are only given one chance at SFAS.
I'm going to assume you are familiar with the different phases of the pipeline for 18x-rays.
With one exception, everyone in my class that didn't pass SOPC 1 the first time was given one chance to go through SOPC 1 again. Usually land navigation was the problem, though a few times it was PT scores. The one exception that didn't get a retry was an extremely incompetent individual.
Notice I said SOPC 1, not Selection (SFAS). Once you complete SOPC 1, you'll likely only receive one chance at SFAS at that time.
I have also been told that if i for some reason I do not succeed in SFAS i will become ineligable to come to the course again and that people are given one chance at succeeding in SFAS.
I have an extremely strong desire to one day be Special Forces and i do not want to jump into SFAS too early if i am only going to have one chance at it. I am willing to spend time in an infantry unit to better prepare myself if that is the case.
If there is the possibility of having another chance at SFAS at a later date if something goes wrong then i will happily take the 18x enlistment. But if i am only going to have one chance at SFAS i am willing to enlist into an infantry unit and spend a few years making sure i am properly prepared.
You can normally go back to SFAS. There might be cases of people that left SFAS with Never to Return marked on their records, but I don't know of them.
Chances are you'd have to go the 82nd for a while before going back to Selection. You'd have to be an E-4, and you might have to wait until the timing is right. (You won't likely be brought back form a deployment for Selection, for example.)
One of my pet peeves was watching 18x-rays fail SOPC 1 or Selection and then do everything possible to avoid going to the 82nd. Often they try to go EOD or PsyOps. I never understood. They signed up to be "shooters," and after the Ranger Battalion, the 82nd is in my opinion the next closest thing to SF. These guys always say they are coming back to SFAS, but the best option would be go to the 82nd, go to Ranger School and then come back. I think they are more interested in the status of SF, rather than soldiering.
But it might not be a coincidence that the guys that don't have what it takes to make it at SOPC 1 are also scared of being in the regular infantry.
Full disclosure: I've never been in the 82nd, though, and you do here a lot of guys from there complaining about it.
Archangel
01-29-2005, 10:29
I'm going to assume you are familiar with the different phases of the pipeline for 18x-rays.
With one exception, everyone in my class that didn't pass SOPC 1 the first time was given one chance to go through SOPC 1 again. Usually land navigation was the problem, though a few times it was PT scores. The one exception that didn't get a retry was an extremely incompetent individual.
Notice I said SOPC 1, not Selection (SFAS). Once you complete SOPC 1, you'll likely only receive one chance at SFAS at that time.
You can normally go back to SFAS. There might be cases of people that left SFAS with Never to Return marked on their records, but I don't know of them.
Chances are you'd have to go the 82nd for a while before going back to Selection. You'd have to be an E-4, and you might have to wait until the timing is right. (You won't likely be brought back form a deployment for Selection, for example.)
One of my pet peeves was watching 18x-rays fail SOPC 1 or Selection and then do everything possible to avoid going to the 82nd. Often they try to go EOD or PsyOps. I never understood. They signed up to be "shooters," and after the Ranger Battalion, the 82nd is in my opinion the next closest thing to SF. These guys always say they are coming back to SFAS, but the best option would be go to the 82nd, go to Ranger School and then come back. I think they are more interested in the status of SF, rather than soldiering.
But it might not be a coincidence that the guys that don't have what it takes to make it at SOPC 1 are also scared of being in the regular infantry.
Full disclosure: I've never been in the 82nd, though, and you do here a lot of guys from there complaining about it.
Good sound advice there Leo. The 82nd has a lot of history & a lot of great people. Though they are not SpecOps, they are one of the best units in the military (in the world).
CPTAUSRET
01-29-2005, 13:06
I have always wanted to make a career out of the military so last may i joined the national guard and joined rotc at my college. Since then i decided that being an officer was not for me and i am in the process of switching over to active service.
Brendon:
Some friendly advice, if you were my son I would strongly suggest you stay in college until you get your degree (irregardless of what it's in). If you do in fact decide to make the military a career, you will be far better served with that degree in your back pocket.
It is much easier completing it now than when you are on active duty, and must put a great many things ahead of degree completion.
Terry
Thank you all very much for the advice, it has given me some things to think about.
CPTAUSRET
01-29-2005, 13:40
Thank you all very much for the advice, it has given me some things to think about.
The Army definitely appreciates/rewards education.
Besides, the Huskers will be back. Have one at Critters on me. Tell Koz I sent ya.
CPTAUSRET
01-29-2005, 15:57
Besides, the Huskers will be back. Have one at Critters on me. Tell Koz I sent ya.
My wife gave the commencement speech at Nebraska a couple of years ago. We had a great time.
Besides, the Huskers will be back. Have one at Critters on me. Tell Koz I sent ya.
Gawd, I hope not! :D
Leozinho
01-30-2005, 10:28
One of my pet peeves was watching 18x-rays fail SOPC 1 or Selection and then do everything possible to avoid going to the 82nd. Often they try to go EOD or PsyOps.
Let me add that you shouldn't count on being able to change your MOS if you fail at SOPC. Some have been able to, but others tried and still went down the road to the 82nd.