I have a space bar and everyone is invited! :D

[Deroth]

If you do go Airborne, start practicing your pull-ups and chin-ups now, ten at a time, three to nine times a day.

When I went through the two most common reasons for cadets getting dropped were:
1) Loss of Motivation (quit)
2) Pull-up failure

 

[Wolfy]

If you do go Airborne, start practicing your pull-ups and chin-ups now, ten at a time, three to nine times a day.

When I went through the two most common reasons for cadets getting dropped were:
1) Loss of Motivation (quit)
2) Pull-up failure

Good to know, I will add it to my morning PT routines.

 

[Deroth]

If you ever have questions about that let me know.

I was a Commo guy in 3rd Bn for several years.

 

[Wolfy]

If you ever have questions about that let me know.

I was a Commo guy in 3rd Bn for several years.

Sounds great, thanks for the help.

 

[GinjaNinja]

Welcome fellow 890J’er, we can have a fleet of 890J’s partying hard :metal:

 

[Wolfy]

Welcome fellow 890J’er, we can have a fleet of 890J’s partying hard :metal:

Hell yeah, may we blot out the sun with our luxury and top hats. :tophat:

 

[Ezz]

Welcome to the Squad Wolfy!

 

[Wolfy]

Welcome to the Squad Wolfy!

Thanks!

 

[StdDev]

Welcome to TEST Squadron Wolfy :beers::banana::spoon:

 

[Wolfy]

Welcome to TEST Squadron Wolfy :beers::banana::spoon:

Thanks mate! Cya in the Verse.

 

[DarthMunkee]

Someone else from NC, there are literally dozens of us in TEST. Welcome!

 

[Wolfy]

Someone else from NC, there are literally dozens of us in TEST. Welcome!

Great to hear! Gotta get a Bar Citizen setup in the Raleigh area at some point. Alas if only I could drink ):

 

[TOXYK]

Welcome, where is the space bar? This is important!

Finding a space bar isn't too hard... finding where I parked after is. Usually the solution is "First floor to the left and pass-out 'til morning"

 

[Talonsbane]

If you haven't already started trying to get an Airborne school slot you should.
While there are aspects that suck about it, it is probably the most fun DoD school ever. Plus it can aid in your career if you decide to make the military your career.

If you are looking into getting into special forces, it also wouldn't hurt to work on gathering connections which might assist you in getting a pair of letters of recommendation from people in the US congress. Sometimes things like that take time to achieve.

 

[Wolfy]

If you are looking into getting into special forces, it also wouldn't hurt to work on gathering connections which might assist you in getting a pair of letters of recommendation from people in the US congress. Sometimes things like that take time to achieve.

SF isn't a particular goal of mine to be honest, I have always felt more comfortable with technology and with my major being Computer Engineering, I want to serve my country as a Cyber Operations Officer and put those skills to good use.

 

[Deroth]

If you are looking into getting into special forces, it also wouldn't hurt to work on gathering connections which might assist you in getting a pair of letters of recommendation from people in the US congress. Sometimes things like that take time to achieve.

This is not an approach I would recommend for getting into any Special Operations units.

You have to keep in mind that all of them are a volunteer meritocracy, which means if you used outside (such as political) influence to force your way in everybody knows, does not trust you, and it becomes a very unpleasant situation until you leave. I saw it happen, it is ugly.

For Enlisted getting into the Rangers can be problematic if they didn't enlist with an Option 40 contract.

For Officers it is a completely different process as they must serve in a conventional unit for a certain duration (which varies with rank) before they can submit their packet to the respective Special Operations unit they wish to join. In this case, Airborne is required, Ranger tab is strongly encourage, and you're completely against your direct peers that're also interested in attending the exact same selection as you are.

For Infantry Officers this is extremely competitive, but for Intel and Signal officers there are frequently so few eligible candidates that it is rare for them not to be given a slot...then they have to prove they belong there.

 

[Talonsbane]

SF isn't a particular goal of mine to be honest, I have always felt more comfortable with technology and with my major being Computer Engineering, I want to serve my country as a Cyber Operations Officer and put those skills to good use.

Fair enough, but it still never hurts to have good references in high places to help your career advance more smoothly into areas that you want it to go. In your case I would aim for those who are currently serving within: "The House Committee on Armed Services", "The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation", "The House Committee on Energy and Commerce", "The House Financial Services Committee", "The House Committee on Foreign Affairs", "The House Committee on Homeland Security", "The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI)", "The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affair", "The Senate Committee on Intelligence", "The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology" & "The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee".

 

[Talonsbane]

This is not an approach I would recommend for getting into any Special Operations units.

You have to keep in mind that all of them are a volunteer meritocracy, which means if you used outside (such as political) influence to force your way in everybody knows, does not trust you, and it becomes a very unpleasant situation until you leave. I saw it happen, it is ugly.

For Enlisted getting into the Rangers can be problematic if they didn't enlist with an Option 40 contract.

For Officers it is a completely different process as they must serve in a conventional unit for a certain duration (which varies with rank) before they can submit their packet to the respective Special Operations unit they wish to join. In this case, Airborne is required, Ranger tab is strongly encourage, and you're completely against your direct peers that're also interested in attending the exact same selection as you are.

For Infantry Officers this is extremely competitive, but for Intel and Signal officers there are frequently so few eligible candidates that it is rare for them not to be given a slot...then they have to prove they belong there.

Sounds like things have changed a lot since I left high school JROTC & was looking to enlist with the possibility to advance into OCS & then any of the various Spec Ops areas. Despite my qualifications at that time, I was disqualified at that point due to severe damages to my knees. That was in 1996 though, so things were quite different then.

 

[Deroth]

Sounds like things have changed a lot since I left high school JROTC & was looking to enlist with the possibility to advance into OCS & then any of the various Spec Ops areas. Despite my qualifications at that time, I was disqualified at that point due to severe damages to my knees. That was in 1996 though, so things were quite different then.

Around 98 the Special Operations community started changing how it treated the injured. While a current injury that prevents you from doing any required tasks from the respective selection will still cause you to be denied, it is now a soft denial in that if you can it addressed sufficiently they'll still let you try if you meet all other requirements.

Additionally, they stopped kicking people out just because they got injured. Now they allow for evaluation, surgery, physical therapy, and rehabilitation if there is even a slim chance of a good member being able to recover sufficiently and is willing to put in the necessary effort.

 

[Talonsbane]

Around 98 the Special Operations community started changing how it treated the injured. While a current injury that prevents you from doing any required tasks from the respective selection will still cause you to be denied, it is now a soft denial in that if you can it addressed sufficiently they'll still let you try if you meet all other requirements.

Additionally, they stopped kicking people out just because they got injured. Now they allow for evaluation, surgery, physical therapy, and rehabilitation if there is even a slim chance of a good member being able to recover sufficiently and is willing to put in the necessary effort.

I'm glad to know that they have improved their stance on being in near perfect physical condition to allow those who truly desire to serve their country to do so within abilities.