Old 07-22-2020, 11:10   #2581
JJ_BPK
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Originally Posted by glebo View Post
Not to bust ya out,
Good luck

What he said,,

I would also encourage you to find a solution to this massive debt you speak of.
The brotherhood of Snake Eaters (nee: Secrete Squirrels) may be intelligent, burly, handsome, linguistically multifaceted, smooth operating, politically astute, World travelers,,

We aren't at the top of the pay scale..
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Old 07-23-2020, 09:13   #2582
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Originally Posted by glebo View Post
Not to bust ya out, but after trying 10 yrs to pursue something, then switch gears, and dragging along as you say "massive student loan"...

I would take a good hard look inward. I wish you the best of luck, but I don't really think you know what you want to do....ya just don't go to SF as a "whim"..

Read, a lot, and see if you have what it takes to put forth effort 110% of the time. Not just in TRAINING to become SF, but BEING SF...

Good luck
Hey, I appreciate the honesty and I hear you, right now I don’t know what I want to do.

There is a longer story to it (there always is) and feel free to pm me if you are curious.

Currently, I have no definitive plan to pursue SF, lots of research, consulting and reflection needs to take place before anything like that is set in motion. There are also other things on the table to consider. Regardless, for the time being I’m just here to learn so when a decision is made it will be an educated one.
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Old 07-23-2020, 13:27   #2583
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/\ /\ /\ Well, when ya hang out with this crowd, you're gonna get honesty whether you like it or not...

No, I don't want to know your business.

Good luck in your endeavors
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Old 07-27-2020, 14:25   #2584
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I left the Marine Corps for college after making Sergeant in 19 months. I came home to folks saying, "Wow! Sergeant in the Marine Corps! I guess about the only thing badder than that is a Green Beret." Well that certainly put a chip on my shoulder. I worked for a doc who was an SF doc in Vietnam and between his sage advice and Robin Moore's book, I decided I had to know. So I came into the Army with the intention of going to SF and seeing Europe but was quickly talked out of it by guys saying the first think I'd need to do was dx my wife as they would issue me a new one. So I just went ahead and went to Europe as an 11C, but it didn't take many years before I realized the regular, mechanized Army was just what the Marine Corps told me it was. An SF CSM did a rotation through my unit while waiting on a Bad Toelz position to open up and when one of their teams visited Bamberg, I decided they had two eyes, two ears, a mouth and an nose right in the middle of their faces just like me. I spoke to a Captain (Major?) who had been a Team Leader in SF (it wasn't a branch yet). He told me the long separations would either make my marriage stronger or do what should have been done to it a long time ago. I just couldn't let go so I made a deal with the wife to try out Special Forces for four years and then we would revisit the issue of what I was doing. I was one of the oldest guys in the Q course, not too many of us over 30 in my class. Heck, maybe I was the only one or one of two. But I'd rather have died than quit so I just kept on pushing. Even after we had a classmate die of exposure, compounded by the lack of a spleen to fight off major infections. None of us were going to withdraw and go through that again so it was head down, butt up and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Four years later, I came home to my wife saying, "Guess what day it is?" Needless to say I was panicked, but she let me know that she'd rather have me gone all the time and happy than home all the time and miserable like I was before.

I eventually was 10th SFG(A) NCO of the Year and runner up to a 7th SFG(A) guy who took the (first?) SOCOM NCO of the year prize, before he was booted out less than a year later. So in my mind, I did what I had to do.

I learned multiple languages and went all over the world from Africa to South America and ALL over Europe. I loved learning from other cultures but probably the best thing I learned was from my Senior Medic on my first team, Al, who along with my Chief, taught me not to get a big head. There will always be somebody better or faster than you, so you have continue to improve ALL the time, or you will be overcome at some point. It was funny because when we went to a special, gun-fighting school, we were talking and realized that all of us on that team had finished first in every Army school we ever attended. Well, needless to say, we knew that was about to come to an end.

Almost 20 years in SF, but that was a poor second to one of my team leaders, Jimmy Spoo, who spent 20 years on an A-Team!

Spending my time now helping and supporting those still under the rucksack, riding motorcycles and keeping my shooting skills up.

Boomer Green is how my last team remembered me.

Let's settle this the old-fashioned Navy way, first guy to die; loses.

Motorcycle Adventure Addict
Former Action Guy
Leatherneck/Devil Dog
Motorcycle Officer
Firefighter
Paramedic

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, then got too fat to wear it.
Motorcycled to the Arctic Ocean North of Prudhoe Bay.
Stood on the Artic ice, said, "Been there, done that."
Turned around and drove straight to Key West, Southernmost Point in the US.
I didn't have any room for t-shirts on that little 13,500 mile journey.
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Old 07-27-2020, 15:23   #2585
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dannyleo - PM a mod (Green Guys) with your info and we'll see if anybody knows you.
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Old 07-27-2020, 20:00   #2586
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I've sent the mod a LOT of names, but most are old guys who 'used' to be active, but no longer frequent this site.
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Old 09-20-2020, 09:05   #2587
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Hello from North Carolina

Thank you to the originators of this site and to all of you who have served, or are serving, in our country’s military forces.

I have a respect and admiration for the men that served in our Special Forces, the sacrifices they have made for our country, and an interest in the history of their missions and deployments. I’m not a wannabe or a groupie.

I’ve always been interested in our country’s military history. Although I never served, someone in my ancestry had served in every major conflict since the Revolutionary War, most recently my brother having retired after 25 years in the Army. Sometime in the early-mid 1990’s I read the book “Green Berets at War”, and soon afterwards ran across a Vietnam War-era Special Forces recon team patch for sale, which I purchased. That got me started with collecting Army Special Operations items.

30 years later I have accumulated a fairly large collection of US Army Special Operations units insignia World War II to the present. My wife thinks I’m a fruitcake for accumulating all of this stuff.

I collect items pertaining to our US Army Special Operations units (Special Forces, Civil Affairs, PSYOPS, 160th SOAR, Rangers, UNPIK, SWCS, Merrill’s Marauders, FSSF, etc.) World War II to the present. I’m primarily interested in ODA team patches, metal insignia, yearbooks, guidons/flags/banners etc. I also collect US Army Parachute/Skydiving club patches.
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Old 10-12-2020, 09:50   #2588
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Introduction

First of all thank you guys for what you do and your service.

Here because I have the upmost respect for you guys, and like hearing what you guys think about current events.

Have the privilege of being friends with a couple guys “that work for the government” and I’ve learned to appreciate the SF mindset and try to apply it to my everyday life.

Thanks for letting me join.

M
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Old 11-02-2020, 06:44   #2589
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Average American citizen without any military service. Minor assistance with LE in the past in helping drug enforcement. Just as a concerned citizen that happened to be in a position to help.

I have joined to be able to ask questions for purposes of expanding my own knowledge and curiosity, as well as to input on non-military topics where I have knowledge on.

I do manufacturing of all kinds (metal, plastics, woods, chemicals). Hobbies involving cracking ("hacking") and "social engineering", but not anywhere good at it. I just like learning about it given the increased threats we face in the digital age. I enjoy the talks and competitions at DEF CON when I can make it to Vegas. I also participate in activities like running and exploring abandoned urban territory, playing airsoft, and target shooting. I like volunteering in my home town whenever possible, which I believe is a healthier outlet than only complaining that things are going down the drain. (Although things are going down here in CA as you might imagine) If guys are risking their lives overseas to defend the country, then the least us civilians can do is to make sure the country doesn't collapse inward while they are gone.

I despise socialism/communism/globalism and any other kind of new age societal ideology. A large chunk of my family was executed by communists in Asia. While I didn't know them personally, the surviving members of my family did, and have clearly outlined the horror that happened and what they saw before escaping. Thank you to all who served, doing what needs to be done to preserve our way of life from those who threaten it, foreign or domestic. Keep up the good work.

Also to the moderator(s), people may not be finding the intro thread because the thread organization often sets to "last 10 days" rather than "beginning of time". They can see the sticky, but not the actual intro thread. If it can be set to "beginning of time" by default, that might reduce instance of people starting new threads.
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Old 11-02-2020, 07:57   #2590
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Greetings from Australia.

My name is Wade Krawczyk and I am in my late (very late!) 50s. I was a television news cameraman, and was accredited as a military press correspondent in the 1980s. I saw a bit of two way range in Lebanon in the 1980s, and have filmed on many joint exercises with US, Australian and Allied forces. Everything from SF and Seals, to air to air refueling, aircraft carrier operations, marine beach assaults, and submarines.

I have also been a military historian and collector since the mid 1970s. I wrote five reference books on German uniforms but have now returned to studying and collecting Vietnam items. My specialities are SF (of course), Advisors, ARVN and vietnamese made berets.

At present I am lucky to own and are studying three 5th SFG groups. In case anyone has any information or knowledge of:

SFC Larry Mills (A-241 (Polei Kleng) from January, 1967 - June, 1968
dec 1971-dec 1972 Long Hai USARV training Fank

Major Robert Biddle B-32 Tay Ninh 1967 & district advisor Huong Hoa district 1971

Captain later major Simon Ecklund.
B-51 Dong Ba then Nah Trang 1964-64
1968-69 Phoenix program training centre Vung Tau.

I now work on motion pictures and television as a specialist researcher, props man & armourer. I tried to make as realistic as possible films like Hacksaw Ridge, Unbroken and the recent Australian Vietnam film 'Danger Close' the battle of Long Tan.

Thanks for your time.
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Old 11-06-2020, 08:15   #2591
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Good Morning QP’s and Lurkers,

I am a prior service guy (11B, OEF) who did a lot of ‘ISR’ type work overseas. Since getting out I’ve been doing research for NASA while progressing my education.

I have a lot of space-related projects I’ve been working on that I think have relevancy and opportunities for ARSOF and the SF Regiment in general. I would be very interested in talking with any dudes who have friends with SWCS (or other players) who would be interested in studying how space technologies can assist the SF mission set.

As for myself, I want to be an ODA Team Leader. Badly. I am considering which commissioning option makes the most sense for continuing my education with grad school and what I can do productively until my ‘year group’ would be eligible for SFAS.

I really would love to spend sometime talking to QPs who are commissioned officers to see what options make the most sense. (AD vs NG, Aviation as a branch prior to SFAS/Captains Career Course, what I can bring to teams)

If anyone ever wants to talk Space, I’m your guy.
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Old 11-09-2020, 16:52   #2592
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Introduction

My name's Durf. 19 years old, from Mississippi, big family. I'm a Yearling at West Point, majoring in physical geography. Hoping to branch infantry and looking to learn as much as I can between now and graduation.
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Old 11-09-2020, 17:49   #2593
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My name's Durf. 19 years old, from Mississippi, big family. I'm a Yearling at West Point, majoring in physical geography. Hoping to branch infantry and looking to learn as much as I can between now and graduation.
Best of luck. Study hard and graduate. Welcome.
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Old 11-10-2020, 17:01   #2594
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Former infantryman and air defense artilleryman, currently teaching.
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Old 12-08-2020, 13:05   #2595
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FAO in PACOM

Hey guys. Glad to be here and looking forward to jumping in.

I started may career in Submarines. God did that suck. However, after serving my first tour on a boomer, I then switched out of the community and became a PACOM FAO specializing in China. However, like most military assignments, I never was sent to China Much good my fluency did me in South Asia.

As a FAO, I've been an ODC Chief, Foreign Liaison, and Attaché. While stationed in Maldives and Sri Lanka, I've spent a lot of time working with Special Forces due to the location and the country requirements. I'd have to say that Maldives was my favorite, but you probably don't need convincing of that. I look forward to bringing an international perspective and hoping to learn as well.

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