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Old 08-24-2007, 13:08   #1
Jason17
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I would like a little advice.

I am currenly trying to get into the Army and have run into some trouble. A couple medical issues with eyesight ( I can't see the giant "E" at the top of the eye chart ), and headaches when I was young may prevent me from getting 18x, option 40, or any other airborne contract for my initial enlistment.

My most likely plan is to sign up for a different MOS and put in a packet for SFAS sometime in the future after my vision has been fixed and I prove that the headaches are not a problem. This is where my question comes in. From the SF team perspective, what would be the most helpful or applicable skill set to come in with?

I believe I still have the option of going regular 11x or 19d, ( not sure why they will allow a blind scout )or choosing a support job. More specifically, I was considering 98G. This would allow me to learn a language and get some other training that may or may not be valuable to an ODA. I will do my best either way and feel I have a solid chance regardless of MOS, but was curious as to which would make me more of an asset.

I posted an intro many months ago but to give a quick background: I graduate with a Business Finance/ International business degree in March, did well on the ASVAB, and am in pretty good shape ( although not in SF shape as of yet ).

Thanks.
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Old 08-24-2007, 13:30   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason17
I am currenly trying to get into the Army and have run into some trouble. A couple medical issues with eyesight ( I can't see the giant "E" at the top of the eye chart ), and headaches when I was young may prevent me from getting 18x, option 40, or any other airborne contract for my initial enlistment.

My most likely plan is to sign up for a different MOS and put in a packet for SFAS sometime in the future after my vision has been fixed and I prove that the headaches are not a problem. This is where my question comes in. From the SF team perspective, what would be the most helpful or applicable skill set to come in with?

I believe I still have the option of going regular 11x or 19d, ( not sure why they will allow a blind scout )or choosing a support job. More specifically, I was considering 98G. This would allow me to learn a language and get some other training that may or may not be valuable to an ODA. I will do my best either way and feel I have a solid chance regardless of MOS, but was curious as to which would make me more of an asset.

I posted an intro many months ago but to give a quick background: I graduate with a Business Finance/ International business degree in March, did well on the ASVAB, and am in pretty good shape ( although not in SF shape as of yet ).

Thanks.
Am I reading this correctly?

Stay safe.
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Old 08-24-2007, 13:53   #3
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I can't tell if you are seeing that correctly or not . I have my vision corrected to 20/15 with contacts and am a candidate for eye surgery, but I don't have the money to get it now. I can see why they are putting a temporary ban on certain things because I would become useless without glasses or contacts.
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Old 08-24-2007, 14:02   #4
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If you...

If you drop your glasses I don't know if I want you behind me or in front of me.

They have standards for a reason. A very good reason.
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Old 08-24-2007, 14:07   #5
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Originally Posted by Jason17
This is where my question comes in. From the SF team perspective, what would be the most helpful or applicable skill set to come in with?
I have seen a lot of young soldiers, and some not so young, think that they can develop a special packet of skills that will make them more acceptable to SF only to have to be broken from sucking eggs. You will be trained with those appropriate levels of skills required. Things that cannot be trained that would make you a valuable asset to SF, and any other organization, are things like integrity, ethics, self-discipline to maintain or achieve physical and psychological fitness, intelligence, ability to work as a member of a team, ability to lead and be led, and the complete and utter commitment to serving your country by fullfilling the duties and responsibilities expected of you without having to have someone look over your shoulder and doing so selflessly without looking for professional or personal gratification as a motivator to keep going.
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Old 08-24-2007, 16:22   #6
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Originally Posted by Guy
Am I reading this correctly?

Stay safe.
The 'giant E" thing concerns me as well. If glasses correct your vision to 20/20, then you may qualify for Army service. Eye surgery now will disqualify you from anything that you want to do; sorry.

Can you get into 98G? That would be your "in". Come in as a 98G with PT (Pashtu), PF (Persian Farsi), or AD (Arabic Dialect) and you have a good shot at getting into a Special Forces Group as a Special Operations Team - Alpha operator. SOT-A slots are 'Victor' (Ranger) coded. That would be a good starting point for you.

It all depends on YOU, though. Nothing will be handed to you on a plate, and you'll have to be ready to bust your ass every day.
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Old 08-24-2007, 18:18   #7
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Things that cannot be trained that would make you a valuable asset to SF, and any other organization, are things like integrity, ethics, self-discipline to maintain or achieve physical and psychological fitness, intelligence, ability to work as a member of a team, ability to lead and be led, and the complete and utter commitment to serving your country by fullfilling the duties and responsibilities expected of you without having to have someone look over your shoulder and doing so selflessly without looking for professional or personal gratification as a motivator to keep going.
Yes sir I see what you mean as SF is not a school for moral improvement and these qualities need to be developed before hand. I believe I have a good moral and ethical quality and try to uphold that in my civilian life and will hopefully be able to do the same in the Army.

Assuming someone has the necessary qualities such as the integrity, ehtics, self-discipline, intelligence, etc. what are some things that can be learned that would make the team more effective? I am sure SF does a great job training people to maximize a teams effectiveness, but one of the qualities that seems to make Special Forces "special" seems to be the variety and expertise of the backgrounds of each member. Maybe if I bring in a certain trainable skill that the team lacks or needs reinforced, I could step in and fill the void ( this of course in addition to my SF MOS and other assigned duties ).

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Eye surgery now will disqualify you from anything that you want to do; sorry.
Another good point, I don't want to degrade my resume` any further.

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Can you get into 98G? That would be your "in". Come in as a 98G with PT (Pashtu), PF (Persian Farsi), or AD (Arabic Dialect) and you have a good shot at getting into a Special Forces Group as a Special Operations Team - Alpha operator. SOT-A slots are 'Victor' (Ranger) coded. That would be a good starting point for you.
This is similar to what I had in mind when I was researching this particular MOS.

I appreciate the responses.
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Old 08-24-2007, 18:37   #8
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This is similar to what I had in mind when I was researching this particular MOS.

I appreciate the responses.
So, what are you going to do?
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Old 08-24-2007, 19:12   #9
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Originally Posted by Jason17
but one of the qualities that seems to make Special Forces "special" seems to be the variety and expertise of the backgrounds of each member. .
The thing, IMHO, that makes SF "special" are those folks that make a total commitment to the core values, physical and psychological demands, and mission driven tasks required of the Special Forces soldier. You cannot make a commitment to anything unless the core values that drive you overlap the core values of that to which you are committed. The fact that individuals within Special Forces are diverse in background and experience adds luster to the sword but the edge of the sword is honed by years of training and experience within the force.
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Old 08-24-2007, 22:03   #10
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The thing, IMHO, that makes SF "special" are those folks that make a total commitment to the core values, physical and psychological demands, and mission driven tasks required of the Special Forces soldier. You cannot make a commitment to anything unless the core values that drive you overlap the core values of that to which you are committed. The fact that individuals within Special Forces are diverse in background and experience adds luster to the sword but the edge of the sword is honed by years of training and experience within the force.
I see, so it doesn't really matter what I choose, so long as my commitment to the ultimate goal is in order.

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So, what are you going to do?
Radar Rider,

The 98G path is something I need to research a bit more to see if it is really something I want to start out with. I would like to ask you some specific questions on this job and your other experiences in the MI field if you wouldn't mind.
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Old 08-25-2007, 11:17   #11
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Originally Posted by Jason17
The 98G path is something I need to research a bit more to see if it is really something I want to start out with. I would like to ask you some specific questions on this job and your other experiences in the MI field if you wouldn't mind.
Unless they are too personal, you might consider asking your (well-framed) questions in the open. The SOT-A path is an interesting but seldom-discussed option that other recruits will also be interested in.
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Old 08-25-2007, 13:14   #12
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Unless things have changed, MOS 98G is unique among Army MOSs in one critical respect for this plan of yours. That is, it is not possible to attend SFAS as a 98G. (Again, unless things have changed!) Forever and ever there was a moratorium on MOS qualified 98Gs from attending SFAS because they are always in critically short supply (or so I was told). It was very difficult to change your MOS for any reason, even as a re-enlistment option. Lots and lots of SOT-A guys would have loved to go to SFAS, and some did, but branch would not release us to change our MOS to anything at all - not even 18 series. I know first hand, having been through it myself. I tried three different times to "slip through the cracks", but to no avail.
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Old 08-25-2007, 17:32   #13
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Unless things have changed, MOS 98G is unique among Army MOSs in one critical respect for this plan of yours. That is, it is not possible to attend SFAS as a 98G. (Again, unless things have changed!) Forever and ever there was a moratorium on MOS qualified 98Gs from attending SFAS because they are always in critically short supply (or so I was told). It was very difficult to change your MOS for any reason, even as a re-enlistment option. Lots and lots of SOT-A guys would have loved to go to SFAS, and some did, but branch would not release us to change our MOS to anything at all - not even 18 series. I know first hand, having been through it myself. I tried three different times to "slip through the cracks", but to no avail.
That is definitely cause for concern. Why is 98G always undermanned? I would imagine that given the choice of having someone walk away from the Army at reenlistment time or choose what they want to do, the Army would choose the latter. Then again, I have had no prior experiences with the Army other than recruiting, and I can say I have seen more efficient processes.

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Unless they are too personal, you might consider asking your (well-framed) questions in the open. The SOT-A path is an interesting but seldom-discussed option that other recruits will also be interested in.
I would have no problem asking the questions out in the open. My concern is in causing any OPSEC problems on an open forum, but I suppose anyone with truthful information regarding this type of thing would know what not to divulge. I am doing some searching to see if I can find information on my own, but I can tell there is not too much available.
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Old 08-25-2007, 17:51   #14
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Originally Posted by Jason17
I would have no problem asking the questions out in the open. My concern is in causing any OPSEC problems on an open forum
A question does not constitute an OPSEC hazard, and the individuals providing the answers know how to edit themselves.
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Old 08-25-2007, 19:03   #15
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Originally Posted by Jason17
That is definitely cause for concern. Why is 98G always undermanned?
I would have no problem asking the questions out in the open. My concern is in causing any OPSEC problems on an open forum, but I suppose anyone with truthful information regarding this type of thing would know what not to divulge. I am doing some searching to see if I can find information on my own, but I can tell there is not too much available.
98G is undermanned for two reasons. One, it's a tough course, especially for the Arabic/Pharsi speakers. Two, experienced 98Gs with high DLAB scores can make a nice chunk of change in the private sector. (An ex-girl friend of mine was a 98G Arabic speaker).

As far as the OPSEC worries, well, don't worry. You don't know anything that can be an OPSEC concern. The rest of us, well, we'll answer what we can, but we'll tell you when we can't
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