Introductions I I- Your first post on this board goes here. (CLOSED) - Page 29

NBC-Guy · 03-10-2006, 12:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Moroney

Welcome aboard. You realize,don't you, that SFAS for you is a lot more than 2 years down the road? Not only do you have to get a commission but you also have to be considered branch qualified before you even apply for program. Sounds like, considering your present situation, that you are talking more like 4-5 years down the road.

oh i havent had a chance to talk to a lot of 18A's yet but the major i tlaked to here that is ROTC cadre told me that the guard let a few 2LT's in his class go because it takes so long to get promoted up to captain. I am going to be callin a CPT that he told me went into SFAS thru the guard and went in as a 2LT. like I said earlier I am still in the really researching process and I really appreciate you brining that to my attention so that I can look further into the situation. Thanks Sir

**The Reaper** · 03-10-2006, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by rb.blackshear

oh i havent had a chance to talk to a lot of 18A's yet but the major i tlaked to here that is ROTC cadre told me that the guard let a few 2LT's in his class go because it takes so long to get promoted up to captain. I am going to be callin a CPT that he told me went into SFAS thru the guard and went in as a 2LT. like I said earlier I am still in the really researching process and I really appreciate you brining that to my attention so that I can look further into the situation. Thanks Sir

You need to quit listening to rumors. Everybody wants to be SF these days, including my grandmother. Not very many are willing to pay the price to try out. Fewer still are selected. Fewer than that make it to the other end.

I do not recall seeing a Guard 2LT in four years of SFAS classes. Not saying that it can't happen, just saying that it would be very rare. Unlike a fraternity, having friends or relatives in SF counts for very little in getting in.

The Colonel is trying to tell you that there are a lot of slips 'tween the cup and the lip. If you fail to make it through OCS, if you do not succeed as a commissioned officer, if you fail to be selected to attend SFAS, if you are not selected for the SFQC, you better have a fall back plan.

If you do some reading here, you will see that we tell people to focus on the 25 meter target. For you, that would be surviving your upcoming deployment, making it through OCS, and getting a degree and a commission in a branch that will set you up for an SF attempt. I would worry a lot less about prepping for SFAS at this point. That will be a long time from now.

Good luck.

TR

NBC-Guy · 03-10-2006, 12:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

You need to quit listening to rumors. Everybody wants to be SF these days, including my grandmother. Not very many are willing to pay the price to try out. Fewer still are selected. Fewer than that make it to the other end.

I do not recall seeing a Guard 2LT in four years of SFAS classes. Not saying that it can't happen, just saying that it would be very rare. Unlike a fraternity, having friends or relatives in SF counts for very little in getting in.

The Colonel is trying to tell you that there are a lot of slips 'tween the cup and the lip. If you fail to make it through OCS, if you do not succeed as a commissioned officer, if you fail to be selected to attend SFAS, if you are not selected for the SFQC, you better have a fall back plan.

If you do some reading here, you will see that we tell people to focus on the 25 meter target. For you, that would be surviving your upcoming deployment, making it through OCS, and getting a degree and a commission in a branch that will set you up for an SF attempt. I would worry a lot less about prepping for SFAS at this point. That will be a long time from now.

Good luck.

TR

Thanks TR. I know that knowing people that are SF won't help me but it doesnt hurt to have mentors and more views, a main reason for me joining this site. It is true that I am looking a bit past my 25M target, and I will remedy that habit of mine. I am constantly well since last nite, digging thru old posts and threads just trying to gather information. The main reason I want to start training now is I want to make this an everyday part of my life or for lack of better words a habit to run, train, and ruck. But I look forward to more advice from you guys and if any is here from 1st Grp and ruck or do PT I would love to come work out with you, I know a few guys from 1st Grp left out to Iraq but if any are still here just shoot me a PM. Thanks again TR and JM .. im off to search more

NBC-Guy · 03-10-2006, 12:58

i apologize the 18a that went thru went as a 1LT my mistake. and JM your are right it is a ways~ down the road. so ill be around here quite a bit . thanks a lot

ANIMAL · 03-11-2006, 20:08

Hey, I am an 18x that just recently got selected and got 18c with Arabic as my language, this is my first post and had this site referred and it looks like good things will come from this site, you all did a great job or organzing a site for the SF community to use

CPTAUSRET · 03-11-2006, 20:23

Welcome aboard, everyone!

Terry

Five-O · 03-12-2006, 09:13

To the QP's, wanna-be's and gonna-be's,
It's with respect and admiration I join this site.
Not real familiar or practiced in website house's, I'm a fast learner, but I may make an error or two.. not the same type of error twice. Thanks Crip for squaring me away. I have been toying with the idea of SF for a while and now I have come to a place in my life where the timing is right to apply. I am an avid athlete and PT guy (mostly weights) and made the decision a few moths ago to get into SF shape. (Its freaking tough). I was doing Mixed Martial Arts (10 yrs)when it was not a fad and still find time to roll 2-3x's a week. I just ordered "Get Selected" and look forward to reading it and using it as a guide for the kick in the nuts called SFAS. Having a buddy or two in SF and a very good Force Recon buddy, I am impressed by the work ethic and mentality of SOCOM types and admire them greatly...its all about the mission and the brotherhood. It would be an honor and extreme privlidge to lead guys like the QP's. Keeping my eyes on the 7 meter target will get me to where I belong. Thanks.

**Jack Moroney (RIP)** · 03-12-2006, 11:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Five-O

It would be an honor and extreme privlidge to lead guys like the QP's. .

Welcome aboard Five-O. Let me give you a little insight if I may. While you are absolutely right in your above quote, you may command an A-team but it is going to be your Team Sergeant that will lead it. You see, you are going to come out of the Q-course full of good ideas and painted with doctrine that addresses they way things are supposed to work in a perfect environment where everything works according to "the book". In reality you are going to be a "guest" on your first SFOD-A for a while and while you will truly be "in command" by the legitimacy of your rank your ability to actually lead will depend on deeper and broader professional knowledge which is gained over time as well as the amount of referrent power to effectively lead that you gain from your team members by virtue as how they see you which will also take some time. So, the "Q" is only the beginning and completion is not a measure of success but a validation to step through the door. What happens after that depends a lot on you and how you are perceived.

**The Reaper** · 03-12-2006, 11:21

I was waiting for someone to point that out to our new guest, 5-0.

Steel on target, Sir.

TR

Warrior-Mentor · 03-12-2006, 13:47

Welcome aboard.

CPTAUSRET · 03-12-2006, 14:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Moroney

Welcome aboard Five-O. Let me give you a little insight if I may. While you are absolutely right in your above quote, you may command an A-team but it is going to be your Team Sergeant that will lead it. You see, you are going to come out of the Q-course full of good ideas and painted with doctrine that addresses they way things are supposed to work in a perfect environment where everything works according to "the book". In reality you are going to be a "guest" on your first SFOD-A for a while and while you will truly be "in command" by the legitimacy of your rank your ability to actually lead will depend on deeper and broader professional knowledge which is gained over time as well as the amount of referrent power to effectively lead that you gain from your team members by virtue as how they see you which will also take some time. So, the "Q" is only the beginning and completion is not a measure of success but a validation to step through the door. What happens after that depends a lot on you and how you are perceived.

I am obviously out of my league on this one!

Merely quoting it, as it speaks volumes.

Well said!

Terry

MU06 · 03-12-2006, 22:04

MU06 here. I graduate with my bachelors in finance this may. still debating on going in 18x or going through national guard as an MI officer and picking up an MBA while i remember some of this stuff, then going to sfas later as an officer.

Five-O · 03-12-2006, 22:26

Sir,
My intent is to approach ODA Command (inshallah) in a similar manner as I approached platoon leadership. That is to say, sit back and learn from the NCO's, offer input as necessary and filter all the crap that comes from higher so the Team can perform. I'll also study the group dynamic to see who the formal and informal leaders are and how they inneract. I believe God gave me two ears and one mouth for a reason. Yeah all the book stuff is good to know, yeah I'm a CPT and ranking soldier, yeah the Team SGT is my subordinate. I buy in on the Q being just a portal to futher enlightenment and that my education will never cease and true SF competence will come slowly. My initial main effort is look, listen and learn and provide the Team with all possible resources to get the job done and RTB. I know that in reality respect is earned not given. I feel for you NCO's who have had officers come in like they wanted to prove something and make a big change or shake up in an organization already functioning well. That ain't me gentlemen. Anyone who has worked with me knows I am a soldier first and officer second. My reference to leading the ODA is almost in a generic sense in that officers are made to lead.
Thanks.
...having said that...the 7 meter target just got fuzzy...ahh there it is again...ruck, ruck, ruck

**Jack Moroney (RIP)** · 03-13-2006, 06:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Five-O

Sir,
My intent is to approach ODA Command (inshallah) in a similar manner as I approached platoon leadership. That is sit back and learn from the NCO's, offer input as necessary and filter all the crap that comes from higher so the Team can perform.

You have pointed out one of the significant differences between SF and the conventional army. Where the conventional army is all about making corn flakes where one platoon ldr/troop looks and acts like another, SF is more about making trail mix where each handful is unique and portions can be modified to fit the situation. While a conventional officer who is new has the time and often the need to be more of a passive observer you are going to have to hit the ground running. We used to have an officer on the A-Team that could sit there and take it all in, they were LTs and were the team XO and bascially were an extra mule to carry commo gear and extra ammo. The basic philosophy was that we understood that we really needed to grow our own team leaders because,in most cases, it took a long time to produce a good one that actually complimented the effort. That is still a problem and the Q has gone to great lengths to rectify it. Part of the problem that remains is that officers coming into SF bring with them all the baggage (good and bad) they picked up along the way. You see, you, as a CPT, will actually be expected to perform more as a BN cdr when it comes to UW/FID and in some cases coalition/combined operations. That role is yours and yours alone. You are kind of like those teflon backed sponges where you are absorbing stuff with one side and abraided stuff with the other always doing what is necessary to enable your team to succeed. That might in fact be "filtering crap that comes from higher" but more often-when you are working for host nationals/attached or OPCON to conventional folks or in some other capacity where you are working away from the "flagpole" with mission type orders and no supervision- you will be managing "higher" from the bottom to shape the battlespace/operational area to bring things into alignment necessary for your team to accomplish its mission. You see you just don't "think outside the box" but you build the box into which you want to place those whose comfort zone works well only within the box that you are going to build and then you squeeze or expand the box as necessary. So while your philosophy of leadership and being a soldier first is a step in the right direction, the day you walk into that team you also have a very active role to play as the commander right from the start and not necessarily at the echelon of an 03, but more of that as an 05. Now if I may use your example of why you have two ears and one mouth, I am not at all stating that your philosopy of observing/learning/and contributing is off base but I am saying that you are going to be wearing a head set with each side working off distinct nets. One will be the net from your team from which you will listen/learn/absorb and contribute and the other will be from all the other demands that will require immediate action with your Team Sergeant performing the role of the NCS.

QuietObserver · 03-13-2006, 15:07

Thanks for allowing me to be a guest here. I am an 18X recruit, I ship June 8 2006 to Fort Benning to begin Basic. I am here to listen and learn as much as possible before leaving. To all those who have gone before me I salute and thank you for your words of wisdom. They will not fall upon deaf ears!