Introduction
 

First, I would like to thank all the Quiet Professionals on this site for allowing me to be a guest here.

I am currently gaining a second MOS in satellite communications, and have been away from home for the last seven months. I feel I've got the head knowledge to go to SFAS, now I just have to choose a path. My goals are: Make E-6 (1Jan08!?), and go to jumpmaster school before I deploy again. After that I'm going to drop a Direct Commission packet at my unit. I would love to build SigO experience at 20th SFG, and eventually get on a training team until I go to SFAS.

As an infantry guy at Ft. Bragg for four years, we were envious of what kinds of things were happening "on the other side of the street". However it wasn't until Ranger School (Graduated #01-05) that my Ranger buddy, an 18A from 1st group showed me what being a professional was all about. I KNEW from watching the example he set that I WOULD go to selection. I would've followed that guy anywhere. I am going , 'cast or tab'.

The collective experience on this site is overwhelming. If ANYONE has a word of advice, I'd be glad to hear it.

How's it goin everyone,

My name is Sean I'm in the Army currently in AIT at ft huachuca for 97e or 35m whatever the army wants to call us now. Im trying to get into the quick start program they have for us so I thought I would get the most info about SF I can to be better qualified and prepared if I can get selected, if not hopefully sometime in the future I'll get the chance to be attached with yall. I came across the site and looks like the best site to get the info im looking for.

Appericate all the things you guys do, hooah


Dont use the F word or hooah for that matter... Crip

Welcome, now clean up your post a little, i.e. the word F**k. Not a bad post, just not the best way to start.

V/R
SSG B
(Potentially your future boss!)

Hey, gentlemen.

I'm currently in ROTC (yes, I'm lowly and sub-human at present), and plan to either go Infantry, MI, or Aviation. Were I to go in either of the first 2, and have all things work out, I'd like to go Ranger. From there, after garnering a decent amount of experience and getting a feel for the army, I will work towards becoming an operator if I feel that the army is a good personal fit. This website is fantastic. I really love the emphasis on intelligence, empirical evidence, not acting like an asshat, etc.

If anyone could PM me with some info telling me what an officer in MI or Aviation should expect (OPSEC obligations aside, obviously), I'd be greatly in your debt. I feel I have a secure grasp on what is expected and will probably occur as an infantry officer, but I would definitely not turn down any free info.

Having passed through this site, originally by a Google search on Dragonskin, I remember reading the words of one of the head bigwigs here. From what he wrote, I learned to take Dragonskin with a grain of salt, just as I instinctively do towards most new military systems (F-22, combat automated robots, etc.). However, I'm curious to know what the general opinion on sites such as SFTT.org and Defensetech are, as I frequent them often. I don't take everything said on those sites as gospel, but I believe they often raise valid points and are working for the betterment of our military.

I doubt it would mean much to men such as yourselves, but given that I am still a civilian, I wish to say that I appreciate your unparalleled service to your nation.

My best buddy has (pretty much) devoted her life to helping those who are unable to help themselves, ie the "mentally ill"...She is arguably the leading expert in the world on Schizophrenia. I do not believe she would not support the theory that most who are diagnosed as mentally ill are in fact, not! Do a search for Nancy Andreasen.

Other than that, welcome aboard! Good luck!

Welcome gents.

Don't forget to fill out your profiles.

Deus Ex, I really do not believe that the Army is going to want to send you through the aviator pipeline just to turn around and send you to SF training within a few months.

The other two options are possible, though you will not become an operator as an officer. That is an enlisted signal MOS. You will probably get Ranger School if you are selected as an Infantry Officer. As an MI officer, it will be more difficult. Assignment to a Ranger battalion as a LT will be much more difficult.

We do not get into a lot of internet food fights here, but my personal opinion is that SFTT and the like are sites where dissatisfied people go to look for a fight or to speculate about how the Army is screwed up. If they spent as much time supporting soldiers as they do tilting at windmills, they would be much more beneficial. DS is a good example. Ignore the evidence, buy the snake oil, blame the evil government. I believe that the government GENERALLY tries to equip our troops as best they can. Could things be better? Certainly. Are soldiers and government employees looking to deliberately sabotage the procurement system? I don't think so. Do people try to foist crappy products or not yet ready for prime time items on the military? Absolutely.

Just my .02, YMMV.

TR

Howdy y'all.

I'm in the process of retiring from 1st SFG (A) and have already picked up a civilian job to go back to the box. I look forward to learning a lot here and contributing when it might be value added.

Welcome All!
Nice to have you here.
MM

Greetings, all
 

I'm a former Soldier (Army, ARNG), Iraq Vet, 96B. ETS'ed in 2005 after coming home.

Am particularly interested in helping chase phonies (see Haberman in Hall of Shame). I'm following that case particularly assiduously as Haberman was briefly in my unit (1-120IN) in Iraq before he was sent packing for, uh, 'medical' reasons.

Am looking forward to reading this site extensively.

Thank you for your service.

I generally do not post in this thread, but I find your particular interest in "chasing phonies" as your primary reason for registering here interesting.

I believe you'll find that the search button will reveal that those in the past that have had an interest in "outing phonies" has already been answered.

But, if you haven't read the board instructions, ignored your PS email sent to you upon registration and are still not able to find the "SEARCH" button, then by all means start a thread asking about any individual that you suspect is a phony SF Soldier. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Welcome to Professional Soldiers.

Intro
 

I spent 12 years AD as a Navy linguist (Russian, Serb, and Ukrainian) but got out in Oct 2001 to take a job with the USG. Soon after starting my new gig, I learned a low-density GWOT language. I joined a USNR unit in Maryland in 2002 and picked up SCPO but had to go IRR a few years later when I PCS'd overseas. At some training courses in CONUS, I met several QPs who suggested that I look into the 20th SFG upon return to the US.
I've found that the civilian sector has a "different" work ethic than the military and I'm looking forward to affiliating with a unit that is actually making a difference.

Hello everyone,

My name is Jake and I'm a 21 year old 4th year university student studying public administration, international relations, and rhetoric. I was in the ROTC department here at my university but after careful consideration I came to the conclusion that should I join the Army, I'd prefer to go enlisted first, and then perhaps attend OCS down the road...the logic behind this being that I figure I would be a better, more experienced Officer. I speak Polish and English fluently, and my German is pretty solid seeing as how I spent a year abroad over there.

I was directed here from ArmyRanger.com and told that this would be the place for any SF-related questions. I'm seriously considering enlisting with either an 18X or an 11X + Option 40 contract when I graduate, and so I'm hoping to utilize both AR.com and this page as a source of learning.

Thank you for your service and dedication to this country.

Good afternoon
 

I am an E4(p) MI Reserve Soldier currently serving in an Adjutant General Corps unit. I am looking to return to MI as I realize I made a mistake transferring from MI. I am relocating to South Florida and looked into transferring from the Reserve to the 20th SFG but it seems like it will be a lot of trouble if not impossible to pull off a release. I am currently exploring my options. I have no interest in getting 18 series-qualified but since I am studying Intelligence/Special Operations & Low intensity Warfare I have an interest in serving the remaining 5 years of my re enlistment contract with a MID. I have been a "lurker" on this site for a little over a year and finally decided to register so that I could ask questions,etc...
The Quiet Professionals here always give straight shooting advice and good answers. I appreciate the opportunity to be a member.

Introductions & Greetings
 

Gentlemen

Greetings, first I want to express what an honor it is to be in the company of such men as yourselves. After reviewing some post and profiles I can see there a lot of dedicated men who truly are "quite professionals". To those of you who have served our great nation so honorably let me say thank you for your service and sacrifice. Now for an introduction and something about myself.

I am current attending college and trying to complete a degree in management. While I do not possess a military background beyond JROTC/ROTC I have always had a life long interest in the military. If I was asked I would say a lot of that was because of my fathers brother who served two tours of duty in Vietnam (65-66) (68-69). He was a helicopter pilot with the 6th Airlift Plt. and 281st AHC (65-66), A/159th ASHB, HQ/159th ASHB (68-69). I admired him a lot growing up and I suppose every kid has his heroes mine were John Wayne and my uncle. Maybe that makes me a wannabee or maybe not. I have always believed that trying and failing are much better than never trying or quiting. I had a friend of mine whose father was stationed at Ft. Polk once say "god helps those who helps themselves and could care less about quitters". Maybe that stuck. I am also looking to find a local instructor who can teach me to fly fixed wing and maybe rotor wing also. It seems harder to find rotor wing IP's than fixed wing IP's so I will keep looking.

MardiGras

Thanks, sir, glad to be apart of this great thing!

While there are definitely valid cases, I was (a little to vaguely) alluding to the areas of personality or social disorders and the quickness with which diagnoses are made and medications prescribed, such as ADD and depression. I've seen quite a few times in friends that were complete screw ups with such diagnoses make overwhelming changes practically overnight when they finally found, discovered or chose a path that they believed in down to the core. Especially these days when there are so many lucrative options so easily attainable, sometimes it's necessary to go through several levels of graduating purposes to find your one unique contribution. I mentioned this in my profile because there cannot be a better example of unique purpose than the Quiet Professional.

I read up on Ms. Andreasen and have just ordered a few of her books from Amazon. Thanks for the great reference and sorry if I exceeded the existentialism limit...

Actually we would both agree with you, re over-diagnosing ADD.

I was going to list a couple of threads I started about Nancy's work, however my computer is not co-operating. So, if you are interested, click on my user-name and search out threads started by me.

Clinton story, Editorial on PTSD, Induction remarks to the American Academy of Arts, and Sciences, you get the drift.

You will find we have some sharp people on-board, I'm sure someone will let you know when you have exceeded your existentialism limit!

Introduction
 

My service record includes seven years active duty with the USAF followed by three years with the California Air National Guard. My last assignment was with Security Forces on the law enforcement side of things; however, I’ve spent the past sixteen years working in civilian law enforcement in Southern California.

I enjoy reading history, especially military history, as I feel it aids significantly in leadership development. The information found on this site is some of the best concentrated knowledge and wisdom I have ever come across. The medical posts have also provided me with information I cannot find anywhere else on the net. (I am EMT-B qualified and conduct first aid/CPR training within my department). Thank you all for your service and for sharing your knowledge on these posts.

Into
 

I’ve been a Civil Affairs Officer for 10 years and prior to that was an 11A for 16 years.

Deployments include Panama, Ecuador, Peru, El Salvador, and OIF. All as a 38A, some as an augmentee to the 96th CA, where I worked with Bill Cockfield, Scott Winters and “Hamchuc” Menor.

Interests in this site are Counter-insurgency, Counterterrorism, and the recent spate of fake veterans.

Hello from Texas
 

Hell All;

My name is John, or just JD. I was in the US Army from 1987-1992 as a 91B10 back then, but I believe the MOS's have changed a bit. Proud "five-jump-chump" as they say...and had a great time while in service. After Operation Just Cause, I finished up my service at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and I’ve been in Texas since then.

I am a 16 year Texas Master Peace Officer and I’m currently assigned to my agencies Special Operations Division (SOD), where we focus primarily on fugitive apprehension and high-risk warrant operations. I am a team-leader and assaulter for my unit, as well as a trainer. Prior to this, I have had assignments in just about all LE positions imaginable.

I appreciate the add to PS.com and look forward to good, intelligent conversation with professional people. I enjoy sharing my experiences in LE, so if anyone wants to ask any questions from a LE perspective, I’ll be glad to chat about it.

Until next time, be safe and God bless.

-JD

Introduction
 

Hello everyone,
My name is Peter. I am a senior at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and will graduate in December of '07 with a bachelor of business in computer information systems. I come from a military family and always thought that I would end up with some time in the service. I had always thought I would follow the path that my father and grandfather took and go in aviation but after reading about the quiet professionals I have changed my thoughts on what I would like to do. I am checking into both the active and national guard options and have been reading as much information as I can to help myself for what will be a lifelong commitment if I am one of those lucky few that have the honor of earning the right to wear their "tab". I plan on lurking and learning for many months to come. Thank you for letting me come into your house and having the chance to learn what you have to offer.

the_goat
Tab or slab.

Intro
 

hello everyone my name is joshua ive always wanted to be in the military ever since i was a lil runt and after i took my asvab i got that chance and i enlisted as an 11B right b4 my senior year in high school into the national guard i spent the year going to RSP drills (boring as hell at the time) after school was out i shipped off to benning for osut then got assigned to A. Co. 1-182 Infantry spent about six months drilling with them then our unit changed over to become a cavalry unit (1-182 Cavalry) just b4 our deployment as part of KFOR 8 (Kosovo Force Rotation 8) and towards the end of this deployment we got the chance to change our MOS' over to be 19D while deployed in theater now im wrapping these final days up here in country to return once again to the great old USA you know people say they join up to travel the world and what not and in my travels so far i have come to appreciate all the luxuries we have in the states people normally overlook and take for granted now i have to go do some detail right now so in the meantime take it easy everyone stay safe im out

Joshua,

Thank you for your service.

I recommend going back through your post and use some proper grammar and punctuation. This isn't your normal internet forum.

Introduction
 

I am the father of a soldier. I come here to listen and learn. I apologize, I made my first post without posting here first, so this is probably my last post since I am a little embarassed, but I will continue to listen and learn

Just peeking out to say Welcome! ;)

And please thank your son for his service to Our Country!

Holly

Leo's Monster Hunter & Phalanx Warrior, Welcome Here..........Thanks for Your Service.

Bengal Raider, Welcome.........Thanks For Your Service.

Dad, Thank Your Son, Welcome and thanks for your support and desire to learn.

Goat, Welcome Good Luck in your Endeavors, and Thanks for Your Desire to Serve.



JD11B, Do as Kyobanim intsructed and Read. You just walked into the Mans Club and Your BFF Ain't Here!!!!!! This IS NOT MYSPACE!!!!!.........Thanks for Your Service

Hey man. You may want to proofread your post before you turn into a baby seal here... just a friendly warning man...others won't. I smell blood now...

Good afternoon,
I found out about this place through a buddy at work. Just a little about myself: I enlisted as an 11B in the NC National Guard as a junior in high school and completed basic training over the summer before my senior year. I spent 04-05 in Iraq where I trained during down time for SFAS. Due to injuries sustained from the tour I was forced to put off my SF goal until I could fully recover. I have recently started my training once again, only to learn of a new tour coming up, so my SF goal will have to wait another two years. Thank you gents for this site and the information that you provide for young hard chargers like me.
Will B.

Well let me start off by saying thank you for accepting me to this forum. My name is casey but people call me CornFed. I am 25 and i was born and raised in Southern California and moved to Arkansas in june of this year, i moved here to take care of my son and girlfriend. I work at a motorcycle shop and im very tired of the same ol' same ol'. When i was 23 i decided to research all the info that i could on which branch to join. I did not grow up in a military family per se, my father was in the Air Force and all my uncles were either in the Marines or Army. I guess that you could say that i grew up in a Police family, Both my mother and father were police officers. So i kinda come from a well rounded family.
I am currently in the process of losing the weight to join the army.
I am 6'2" and 319, but i am eating correctly now and running and working out every day. It has been a long road but screw it rub some dirt on it and keep moving right?
Well i think that is all so thank you once agian and i shall keep the post's low and the observation's high.

Introduction
 

My name is James D Elliott. I joined in mar05 and was sent to FT. Wainwright Alaska (FWA) 1-25 SBCT (used to be 172nd SBCT) I am with 1-5INF C co (used to be 1-17INF) I am a SAW gunner and love my job. I recently got divorced and have become more focused on my career. Because of the problems my ex-wife and I had I almost was discharged, so I hold on to what I have left, My job and my SAW. I have always wanted to go SF and am currently in the process of conditioning my body further to become more prepaired for the road ahead.

I am a reglar Army medic from "THE CAV". I personally don't like the military but I joined to fight for my country. I am going to attend selection when I redeploy in a few months. I am disapointed in the structure and culture of the regular Army, I wanted to come in as an X-ray but couldn't due to airborne disqualification, coming in with a medical waiver. Well they sure got their time out of me, I'm on my second deployment. I came to this site to ask a bunch of questions that basically violate opsec. Maybe I can think of something that doesn't. I have read a lot of the open source information out there already, and multiple books. Anyway I think Army SF is the most powerful organization in the world Thanks.

Welcome, and thank you for your service.

Not sure what you mean by the above.

Tread lightly on the OPSEC questions.

How are you going to selection if you did not meet med requirements? Did you get a waiver?

Best of luck.

TR

Hello,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the owners, operators, and denizens of this site and forum for making yourselves and your experiences available to those outside of your usually closed circles.

Having said that, I am a Marine in the Reserves. My MOS is 0311 Infantry, if that makes a difference to anyone here. I was delighted to find a place where people with real world experience were discussing relevant topics on an open forum. So often all of the experience in a particular field is not recorded, much less shared with those in other areas.

Obviously, there is valuable mindset and craft to be learned here, and I am interested learning more of both. Mainly to ensure that I do my best to aid my Marines in accomplishing our goals during training and deployment, and seeing them home safely to their loved ones. I look forward very much to listening, as well as contributing what little experience I have.

If anyone finds this introduction lacking and wants to know more about me, feel free to PM me.

Thank you,
William Shears

new member intro
 

Greetings, allow me to post my intro info:

graduated Q course (18D) in 1993, did 4 years in 1-10, then to SWC for a year and a half (SFUWO). Got off active duty for college and joined an outstanding bunch of guys in 3-20 while doing the pre-med thing.

Then to medical school, now graduated and doing a residency in general surgery.

Due to time constraints most of my activity here will be lurking, but I hope to be able to participate from time to time.

Hello everyone,

I'm an 18 year old college student pursuing a bachelor's degree in Criminology, and hopefully a career in the Special Forces once my formal education is complete.

Joining the Special Forces has been a serious goal of mine ever since my early high school years, and following this goal is not something I take lightly. As I see it, college presents an environment where I can challenge myself as never before, both mentally and physically, and prepare myself for selection.

Introductions aside, I would like to extend a hearty thank you to the PS team. This forum is an excellent source of information that should not go overlooked by anyone interested in the SF field.

Respectfully,
Phil France

Hi, from Canada .

I am married with 3 kids. I live out in the country in western Canada. I enjoy hunting, survival,camping plus alot of outdoor activities. Had spent some time in the past with militia groups, private organizations and military personal . Also in the past enjoyed ww2 reenacting and living history organizations . I have three things that I cherrish most - my God/church, my family/freinds , and my country . I take them all seriously .

Hope to get some good info from this forum and maybe even provide some good info for others. Look forward to spending some time here on the forum.

New guy from BSC 1/20
 

Gentlemen,
My name is Joe, and I want to thank you for allowing me to join your forum.
I hope to learn from the experience of the members, while (hopefully) providing my own insight and knowledge where appropriate.

I am a career Infantryman, first joining in 1988, with duty assignments ranging from Rifleman to First Sergeant. I have served in light, wheeled, and mechanized units.
Except for a two year stint where I was the Senior NCO Instructor in a large Universities' ROTC program, I have absolutely loved my time in the Army, and feel honored and blessed that I have been given the opportunity to serve my country.

Following those two very frustrating years working in ROTC, I was ready to hang up my BDUs for the last time and ETS short of my 20 years.
Thankfully, I ran into a 20th Group recruiter (SSG J. Thompson) and he helped me get into the BSC down in Huntsville. I am currently sitting in the 18E4 SigDet NCOIC slot as an 11B4S.

At age 38, I figure I have a few more good years left in me, so my current plan is to stay with the 20th until I turn 45, and then finally retire.

I live in Winchester, TN. and own Hero-Gear which is a Public Safety supply company/Tactical Gear shop that features the area's largest Class III firearms store.
We focus on tactical and defensive firearms, and feature the area's (if not State's) largest selection of 1911s and AR/M4 rifles.
We carry Machine Guns, Suppressors, Short Barreled Rifles/Shotguns, and AOWs.
In other words, myself and my staff LOVE coming to work!

Thanks for allowing me to participate, and I hope to give as much as I take from this site.

Welcome aboard Joe, thanks for your service.

I recommend that you read the rules again ASAP.

Best of luck.

TR

Done and corrected. :D

Old Soldier Reporting
 

Hello All,

My name is Mike and I served a total of seven years, seven months and 16 days on active duty in the U. S. Army and almost a year in the Army Reserve.

I joined the Army in 1964 with a guarantee of going to Europe. I did Basic Training at Fort Ord, AIT (Infantry) at Fort Polk, LA and Basic Parachute School at Fort Benning. Instead of orders to Europe as I had been guaranteed, I received orders to the 173rd Airborne Bde. I got as far as Okinawa when some admin officer decided that the Army would be breaching their contract with me if I didn't go to Europe.

I was held at a Repo Depot on the Rock for several weeks until I interviewed with Colonel John Phillips who took me on as his driver and off to RVN we went. The Colonel and I drove out of Saigon each day doing sight surveys for locations that the regular divisions would use for base camps later on.

After six months of TDY, I was promoted to Corporal and received orders to the 24th Infantry Division in Augsburg, Germany.

My Battalion SGM, Ishmael Rangel, decided that if I was going to keep my corporal stripes, I would have to graduate from an NCO Academy. A week later, I reported to the 24th Infantry Division NCO Academy. Probably because I was the only student in the school wearing a CIB, I graduated as Honor Graduate. General Andrew Goodpasteur, CINCEUR, attended the ceremony and meritoriously promoted me to E-5.

I later met a SGM from the 10th SFGA who convinced me to take a short discharge for an assignment to SF. I ended up at Flint Kaserne in Bad Toelz for less than a month when I received orders to return to Vietnam.

My plane was diverted from Cam Rahn Bay to Ton Sohn Nuht and I ended up with orders to B 1/27th Infantry (Wolfhounds), 25th Infantry Division. I spent five months with the 'Hounds, was promoted to Staff Sergeant.

An opportunity to be a charter member of Company F, 50th Infantry (LRRP) presented itself and I became a team leader (1-0) of team Cobra 1-5. I attended Recondo School and upon my return to the Lurps, they were asking for volunteers to augment the Special Forces' 3rd Mobile Strike Force (B-36).

Another SSG (John Chaney) and I moved to Long Hai and were TL's (1-0s) for the next 6 months. Upon return to Cu Chi and the 25th Division, I learned that the old LRRP company was now Company F, 75th Infantry (Ranger).

So now I had an SF Combat patch on my right sleeve and a Ranger Patch on my left shoulder. Oddly, I had never been to Fort Bragg and I had never attended Ranger School.

In 1969, I had the opportunity, to finally be assigned to Fort Bragg, but only to attend the MATA Senior NCO Course on my way to a MACV assignment as an advisor to the Biet Dong Quan (BDQ).

In 1971, I was assigned as an operations (11F4SVS MOS) NCO for the DCSOPS, Contingency Operations Branch of HQ TASCOMEUR. This was the only enlisted jump slot in the HQ and I was named as a member of the Special Operations Task Force, Europe (SOTFE).

I discharged in 1972 and became a police officer in Central California. I retired 22 years later as a Police Chief.

Thank you for letting me join your board.

Fox 50; Welcome aboard and thank you for your service.