Hmmmm...does anyone else smell fish...or manure perhaps?

Originally Posted by Hook160th

Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Helen Keller all saw that one coming. It`s an old dodge, but used all the time by those being less than truthful.

Agreed!

If you really can't mention, you won't even hint at it in the first place.

Originally Posted by Matthew

Hello guys, i'm new to the forum and this is my first post.

if any of u are in SF or know a lot about it i'd really like to ask something

What are the guys like in SF? put it another way, how would you describe them? big huge guys or smaller more skinny guys. Are they badass or not. Are they more well behaved than normal army? and is it true that in SF Brains is more important than Brawn?

Thanks for all who reply
Matt

I guess I should also reply to the initial question rather than just stir the trouble pot.

I am not in Special Ops, I am an infantry officer. But I have done some liaison work with the Special Operations Task Group and spent a fair bit of time hanging around the SFTC/drinking in the combined School of Infantry Special Forces Training Centre officers mess. Further more, I've now had a total of 3 ex-commandos in platoons I've commanded, and a fellow subaltern in the battalion is ex-British Pathfinders.

Once again I qualify the following with this. I am not a member of SOCOMD, nor have I ever been, nor do I claim the aforementioned. I have, in my role as a non-SF infantry officer come into contact and had reason to work alongside AUSTRALIAN SF only.

So I feel I can answer some of your questions.

To all of your questions I have this answer. They are just normal guys. They aren't 'Super Soldiers', they are just guys who are good at their jobs. Same goes for their behavior. They're just normal. Maybe a little better behaved I think. But maybe it's just the crowd I've been around.

They don't look different (except for their hair cuts and the daily shave... or wearing of uniforms unless they are forced to). They are just fitter than your average bear and they are more motivated self starters. For example I'd run the BFA track at Singo begrudgingly, and some of these guys would come belting past in boots and trousers and give you a cheerful "hello" while they're at it. They just look at life a bit differently I think.

As for are they 'bad-ass'. Well, no. Non of the guys I've met or worked with are your Hollywood SF guru kung-fu master of death types. Once again, they're just soldiers who are good at their jobs.

Finally, are brains more important than brawn? Yes, definitely. The same goes for non-SF types. If you have motivation, intelligence and will power it's amazing what the body can do, and how far you can push yourself. Being big doesn't help if you haven't got self starting personal motivation and the brains to use it.

Originally Posted by AussieNick

I guess I should also reply to the initial question rather than just stir the trouble pot.

I am not in Special Ops, I am an infantry officer. But I have done some liaison work with the Special Operations Task Group and spent a fair bit of time hanging around the SFTC/drinking in the combined School of Infantry Special Forces Training Centre officers mess. Further more, I've now had a total of 3 ex-commandos in platoons I've commanded, and a fellow subaltern in the battalion is ex-British Pathfinders.

Once again I qualify the following with this. I am not a member of SOCOMD, nor have I ever been, nor do I claim the aforementioned. I have, in my role as a non-SF infantry officer come into contact and had reason to work alongside AUSTRALIAN SF only.

So I feel I can answer some of your questions.

To all of your questions I have this answer. They are just normal guys. They aren't 'Super Soldiers', they are just guys who are good at their jobs. Same goes for their behavior. They're just normal. Maybe a little better behaved I think. But maybe it's just the crowd I've been around.

They don't look different (except for their hair cuts and the daily shave... or wearing of uniforms unless they are forced to). They are just fitter than your average bear and they are more motivated self starters. For example I'd run the BFA track at Singo begrudgingly, and some of these guys would come belting past in boots and trousers and give you a cheerful "hello" while they're at it. They just look at life a bit differently I think.

As for are they 'bad-ass'. Well, no. Non of the guys I've met or worked with are your Hollywood SF guru kung-fu master of death types. Once again, they're just soldiers who are good at their jobs.

Finally, are brains more important than brawn? Yes, definitely. The same goes for non-SF types. If you have motivation, intelligence and will power it's amazing what the body can do, and how far you can push yourself. Being big doesn't help if you haven't got self starting personal motivation and the brains to use it.

I'm only a Chocko, but I have the advantage of being a Chocko in a reasonably well organised (and well regarded) unit lucky enough to have conducted various support tasks with SF soldiers - the only thing I need to add here (or can add) is that AussieNick's observations (again the caveats on his response are the same as mine) are spot on.

Originally Posted by Hook160th

Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Helen Keller all saw that one coming. It`s an old dodge, but used all the time by those being less than truthful.

Ok let me see, your saying that I am a liar just because I don't post my service record on here for you to see, or because I don't give the exact adderess of every place I have been. heres a hint for ya, I don't give a good God Dam weather or not you or anybody else believes me. I did what I was told to do and did it with pride. I went where I was told with pride, I fixed what I was told to fix with pride, and I defended what and who I was told to defend, with and without a weapon...with pride.
So if you want to call me a liar, go for it, if I gave a rats ass what other people thought of me I'd have killed myself back in school like all these kids now days do.

Originally Posted by Botak

I'm only a Chocko, but I have the advantage of being a Chocko in a reasonably well organised (and well regarded) unit lucky enough to have conducted various support tasks with SF soldiers - the only thing I need to add here (or can add) is that AussieNick's observations (again the caveats on his response are the same as mine) are spot on.

Are you a trooper in XLH?

Originally Posted by wolfen

Ok let me see, your saying that I am a liar just because I don't post my service record on here for you to see, or because I don't give the exact adderess of every place I have been. heres a hint for ya, I don't give a good God Dam weather or not you or anybody else believes me. I did what I was told to do and did it with pride. I went where I was told with pride, I fixed what I was told to fix with pride, and I defended what and who I was told to defend, with and without a weapon...with pride.
So if you want to call me a liar, go for it, if I gave a rats ass what other people thought of me I'd have killed myself back in school like all these kids now days do.

(your quote) Your right PJI fixed special ops boats and special ops helos, we weer called SO in the Navy the Army and Air Force called them SF, but either way a Spec is a spec.
I wasn't trying to sound like a butthead, sorry if I came off that way, but now days I get told all the time by kids that the Navy has no body except Seals that do any thing besides float, which is bull, if you fix their stuff, you go with them, train with them, and live with them, you wouldn't believe some of the places I've been, and helped secure so that the Army SF could land there.


I`ll be kind, and say that you`re embellishing your accomplishments. Saying things like you secured landing zones for SF troops so that they could land, is ludicrous.


(your quote) Ok let me be exactly specific just in cas eyou did misunderstand, yea I have gone in with a helo of SEALS, and other SF before, but I DID NOT go out of teh helo unless it was to fix something so we could leave. Yea I've got out with a weapon and fired at the enemy before, but that was just so I could see if the helo was hit in the engines or rotor systems, As a former member of the Night Stalkers, you wouldn't have seen me we did only Navy and Marine Aircraft, and our variant in teh Navy was the CH46, you guys had the **it hook, not that a 46 is any better, MAG 42 had some that only got off teh ground when they were placed on jacks for landing gear checks


So, you`re taking fire, and while doing so, get out to see where you`re hit? This is another rediculous statement, made by someone who has never been in the situation. Read the other responses to your posts. I`m certainly not the only one who doesn`t believe you.

And yet again you misunderstand me, if you thuink for one minute that I get out of a aircraft fire at somebody and stand there looking while people sre shooting either (1) misunderstood me (2) are reading into it thinking I make it up ( 3) are so dam stupid you think navy people stay on ships. But liek I said I don;t give a rats flying ass weather or not you or anybody else believes m. I know where, when, and what I did. I need your, or anybody else, approval and acceptance like I need God Dam hemorrhoid.

Quote

"I`ll be kind, and say that you`re embellishing your accomplishments. Saying things like you secured landing zones for SF troops so that they could land, is ludicrous."

Didn't you know? Army SF regularly has non grunts secure LZs for them. I mean, they're only SF, they wouldn't know the first thing about going into a hot LZ. It's a wonder they've managed to survive in SOCOM this long, oh those silly Greeny Beannies!


Hey 160th, In your experience working in the Specops community, how often would you say an ODA is inserted hot with someone OTHER than the 160th?

And yet again you misunderstand me, if you thuink for one minute that I get out of a aircraft fire at somebody and stand there looking while people sre shooting either (1) misunderstood me (2) are reading into it thinking I make it up ( 3) are so dam stupid you think navy people stay on ships. But liek I said I don;t give a rats flying ass weather or not you or anybody else believes m. I know where, when, and what I did. I need your, or anybody else, approval and acceptance like I need God Dam hemorrhoid.

Why didn't you just check the chopper? I'm sure there were enough other shooters there and they wouldn't of let you get out of the chopper without cover.