Quote:
Originally Posted by howardjd1
[U][B]IThe reason I ask is because I aspire to become an SF Officer and now is the time I want to begin building a strong base to go that direction with my career. It’s easy for me to assume what would make the best and most well rounded 18A but we all know how much assumptions are worth.
Also, I know this is a very complex question which is really subjective to each person’s experiences but for me the answers will be invaluable!
-Jason
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Jason,
You have a couple of hurdles that you have to get through before even worrying about a future as an 18A. As you noted, this is a very complex question that will vary with each individuals experiences and the settings in which they found themselves. Often, success is a two edged sword. Those for whom the 18A served (the troops) and those under whom he served (the bosses) will each have a different perspective. While that is true for any unit, there is a third dimension and that has to do with the perceptions and realities of those outside of the unit that he may have been advising, training, leading from other countries or other agencies. There are different approaches and "rules" for each with a level of complexity that his way beyond the scope of this thread.
As far as preparing yourself to become an 18A, there is no magic formula because everyone is different: different strengths and weaknesses; different innate and learned abilities; different moral, physchological and physiological
characteristics. I think your first step is to define in very clear and unambiguous terms why you want to become an 18A and evaluate yourself in terms of what it is going to take for you to make a total commitment to meeting and maintaining the core values and standards that make up a special forces soldier-not the MOS specific stuff, not just the physical requirements, but the basic attributes that epitomize Special Forces.