Anyone interested in being interviewed?
 

Hello All,

My name is Andrew and I am a student at Rancho Buena Vista High School. I am in my junior year and this semester all juniors are required to participate in a career research project. One aspect of this research project is a research paper. We are required to have at least 5 sources, at least one of these sources being and interview with someone in the career field that we are researching. I have always been fascinated with Special Forces and I wish to enter the selection process after finishing school. I am writing my paper on Army Special Forces and I don't know anyone to interview. NousDefionsDoc recommended that I come here and talk to you guys. Thanks in advance for any help and I look forward to talking to everyone.

Ask away. But think before you do. Nothing that violates OPSEC and nothing frivolous.

Since you mentioned me by name, I am now responsible for you. I take that responsibility seriously in my Brothers' House.

wilco

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo?

Here goes:
 

What does a "typical" day consist of? I have never really been able to figure that one out. What kind of PT do you guys do? What kind of training to you partake in and how often? I've read lots of books about the stuff that happens overseas, but I have never really been able to figure out what a typical day at work consists of.

For me, there was no such thing as a "typical day". There was deployed and Not.

Not
0600 - PT consisted of PT - Cals, run or ruck, etc. Work call 0900. Work depended on what needed to be done and how pissed off SGM Pete was. Sick call at the TMC. Team training, work details, etc.

Deployed - PT, then busting that ass most all day to get the training done.

Most days included a 2nd PT session, usually weights- either at lunch or in the evening.

C 3/7 was better, but we won't go into details.

Then we had fun days. Testing for the Airborne Board. Robin Sage Support, things like that.

There is no typical day for SF as it depends on the unit, unit mission or training cycle at any particular time, and the individual. My day usually started at 0330 with PT starting at 0400 to 0500 so I could be on site with the troops by 0600. PT alternated between run days and weight training days with selected days doing PT with the troops. Activities during the day in garrison consisted of giving training, participating in training, inspecting training, checking on various issues and functions, preparing training, counselling, planning, giving quidance, receiving information, setting out goals and tasks, personnel issues and'or dealing with higher headquarters. The day ended whenever the training cycle for the unit and or the last troop left the AO for the day plus an hour of so to set up things for the next day.

no typical days...when in garrison, if we were on detail or training support, PT for an hour and a half, then tending to what ever chores the SGM saw fit for us to do...if we weren't tapped out with details, language refresher or area studies...if we were in a training cycle, it was usually oriented toward the next deployment/exercise...if we were deployed, we did what we did...

i spent a good deal of time in 10th Group, so we had rather predictable annual training cycles...Spring was JCRX Flintlock and Fall was Reforger...Winter was Winter Warfare Training, consisting of Ski Training for everyone but the medics (they were involved in mass casualty training exercises directly related to a battalion's worth of knuckle draggers skiing on the same mountain equipped with Hanwag boots, rucksacks and rubber rifles...), Summer was mountaineering training...of course, when i was at Fort Devens, we spent a good deal of time swimming around off the Atlantic coast...

Thanks for the responses. I guess they keep you guys really busy with training and stuff.
:cool:

Another question, what is, in your opinion, the most difficult part of the selection process? Care to share any anecdotes?

Convincing my wife that this was a good deal for us:D

Bwaaaa! I was a No Go - had to DX her....

mastering the muscle group between my ears...convincing my wife was not so problematic...i think she like having me gone...:D

I am fortunate that after almost 30 years of this stuff she didn't DX me. Of course, we have known each other since first grade so I guess it would be like throwing away an old broken in set of very comfortable shoes and no lady likes to throw away a pair of shoes of which she has grown fond-even if they get a little worn down and scuffed up a bit:D

Nice avatar, Colonel!

Mr. Moroney,

I see that you are an officer. What route did you take to become an officer? (ROTC, OCS, ect) What kind of extra responsibilities and roles did you have as an officer? I am being pressured heavily by my family to go to college before I join so I am interested in what route you recommend for anyone who goes to college before joining.

I was received a regular Army commission through ROTC in 1965 from the University of Maine.

You have to understand that I did not fit the mold of the typical officer as I considered myself to be a soldier who just happened to be an officer. Officers have several significant roles, but none more significant than using the power of their position to enable their subordinates (and I mean that in rank only) to succeed. That means that your job is to accomplish the mission (which you do not do on your own but by the effort of all the soldiers you focus on the tasks required) and take care of your troops (which means that you provide them with the leadership, training, resources,etc. required to successfully perform those tasks and well as stand for them, with them, and always in front of them).

In order to do the oversimplified explanation provided in the paragraph above you have to be totally committed to the goals and missions/functions for which SF stands. It will task you to go beyond whatever physical and mental limits you think were possible understanding that you are going to pay a price physiologically and personally in the years after you leave the service. This profession is not for the faint of heart or one weak in personal/professional discipline to always to the right thing vice things right. It will require you to professionally develop skill sets that are both general and specific in nature to any of those expected of a solider, an officer and most importantly a leader. It will also require you to develop many unique skill sets specific to being both a special forces soldier and a special forces officer.

Unlike many jobs, this is a profession that requires commitment and unlike all the guidance you hear being given to young folks like yourself today this is not something you can just do if you put your mind to it. Some folks are just not cut out to be a special forces soldier and willing yourself to be one will not make it so. I do not really know you or much about you, but if you have the ability to go to college and the means to do so I would listen to your parents. Education is a good start for any profession and the additional years you will gain in maturing and understanding just who you are can never hurt you and may well point you in the direction that is best for you. The broader your background, capabilities and potential the better off you will be because when life hands you a bad break or two you have the ability to adapt and move on.

Gentlemen:

I would like to thank everyone for the responses that they provided. I think I have gathered all the needed information. Thanks for taking the time to help me out. I will now resume reading, learning and not posting.

-Andrew Hunter

Good luck. Come back and let us know how you did.

Alright Gentlemen, I just got back the results from my research paper and the oral report (based on the research paper). For the research paper I got 190 out of the possible 200 points. The oral presentation was given in front a panel of 3 people and I talked for roughly 15 minutes and recieved 60 out of 60 possible points. Thanks again for helping me out, I appreciate the information that was given to me. Back to read-only mode.

Did you have the highest grade in the class?

What did they ding us 10 points on? WHAT DID YOU DO?

The missing 10 points was the result of a couple of typos I made (I waited until the last minute so I was finishing up around 3am:boohoo ). But I did get the highest grade in the class.:lifter

Well, since we got the highest grade I won't relegate you to "read only" status for the next year. But typos? On a computer? The time is no excuse. If you ever come into our house you will be required to many tasks at 03:00 after being up two or three days.

I want to know how we are going to get our 10 points back.

Tell you what, I'll bust my ass in the half-marathon this weekend and I'll try and break 1:20. Will that suffice? (If its any comfort, I'll be hobbling around for the next week)

Is that fast? Seems kind of slow to me. How much weight in the ruck?
We'll put it to a vote.

I'll vote Si.

It's sub-6:10 pace (I know that sounds slow but to put it in perspective I usually do my 12 miler training runs at 6:25 pace so it will be significantly faster than my training runs). Sub-1:20 is probably fast enough to get me in the top 3 for my age division. Even if the race doesn't kill me, the following week will, I'm looking at doing +65 miles next week.

Ok, accepted.

You know, Doc, you really do have a way with people.

Well done, hermano.

TR

Bedside manner, in spades!;)

Hermano, are you getting more amenable to compromise in your old age? Oh, the horror, Brother Medic, the horror..... You should have offered him a full SF/Flight physical - administered by you. :D

You know, I always wondered if you guys enjoyed doing that to other men, and I guess you just answered that.

Were you the kind of 18D who always volunteered when they asked for medics to go to the TMC on Physical exam day?

Man, I am really worried about you.

TR

Sir, I dreaded both giving and receiving SF/Flight Physicals. Never volunteered for PE days at TMC, they dragged me kicking and screaming, it was much more fun to practice IVs on the support guys as part of the Group cross training initiative..... Hell, full D-gear tactical infil practice in the snow was better than the TMC on PE days. :D

RAOTFLMMFAO! :D

support guys? we used to practice on each other...practicing on support guys provided no fear of payback...

The weekend is over, and where are the results?

I ran a 1:24:10. It was quite a learning experience because I overestimated my fitness and went out too hard (and boy did I regret that!:boohoo ). Next year I'll do better because I won't go out too hard and I (hopefully) won't have shinsplints. To give you an idea of where I was in terms of other highschoolers, the fastest highschooler ran around 1:17 (he is one of the top 10 sophmores in the nation) and most of the other highschoolers were in the 1:20-1:40 range.

Hmm, just under 6:30 miles for 13 miles is not too shabby for a youth.

How many rest and foot care breaks did you take?:D

TR

Well, I took a quick bathroom break (in one of the porta-johns that lined the course). Speaking of feet, as of this moment I have three black toenails, but that's just part of running.