hi all:

this is my first post so i will tell you a little about myself.

i am 20 years old, going on 21... i am in good physical condition ... i do 50 pushups, 60 situps, 8 chinups every night before i go to bed. i run every other night for at least 2 miles, in the snow ... last week i went for a run @ 1am in 7 degreeF weather.

by may of 2006, i will have graduated from my university with a diploma in anthropology. i have no felonies on my criminal record.

recently, i have been considering joining the military. i figured some of you guys might be able to give me some advice as to how i should go about doing this.

i know the army offers the 18x enlistment option, which would guarantee me the opportunity to attempt special forces training. i actually talked to a recruiter about this but he gave me precious little useful information, and i am not much farther along than i was before i went to him.

what i really need to know is whether or not my heart murmur will disqualify me. it is an innocuous heart murmur, so it has absolutely no negative effects on my health or physical performance. in fact, it may have went away entirely; i have not checked on it since i was a child. i also had a past surgery on an undescended right testicle (very painful); they also widened my urethra during this procedure (also very painful).

my vision is 20/20 when corrected. i am somewhat near-sighted, but my vision is not bad enough that i have to wear my glasses every day. i usually only wear them while driving.

i know that the navy has the SEAL challenge program which would send me to seal training after navy boot camp. a good friend of mine from high school became a seal, and he had bolts in his leg from a past surgery. so are the seals not as picky when it comes to past surgeries in their applicant selection process? i have been told that the seals are the most elite fighting unit within the U.S. military and that they are actually more picky than the army SF when it comes to choosing troops.

i am somewhat hesitant to sign for the navy seal challenge. my thinking is that, if i break my leg during training, they will just assign me to duty on a ship, and i will be stuck being a sailor for the next four years of my life. if something happens to me during army SF training, at least i would be airborne infantry, assuming i pass airborne school.

i have also heard that marine recon troops are very hardcore, and tough to get into. so i would consider this as an option, but i have not found a lot of info on it yet.

if for whatever reason i can not be in one of these elite units, i think i would want to be involved in combat somehow. so army and marines seem like a better option for me than navy seals, where, if i flunk out, i would be stuck on a boat, not seeing any action really.

also, is there any way that a recruiter could schedule me for a physical and eye exam BEFORE i sign my contract? to me, it would not make sense to sign an 18x enlistment contract for the army only to find out later (after having signed) that i do not meet physical requirements to attempt special forces training. i really don't want this to happen.

if any can give me advice, i would appreciate it greatly. cheers to all our troops fighting abroad.

thanks,
- p h

I can only speak about the Marine Corps. Recon is selective and there is tons of info on this board about Recon.

This website has info about Recon, and how to get into Recon, as well.
http://www.forcerecon.com/reconfaq.htm

While I am not yet in the military, the advice I have recieved is make sure that one, you double, maybe even triple check EVERYTHING that the recruiters tell you as their opinion is extremely skewed, and research your options incredibly thoroughly!

18x is a really, really bad idea. I thought about it, but after finding out the facts I decided that it would be a waste of my time. First off, you have to sign a long contract of 6 years. Also the 5-6 18x'ers i know all failed out of SFAS. Think about it if you are part of the cadre... Who would you pick, a kid fresh out of INF. OSUT + the Pre-SFAS program, or a guy that has been in, got some quals, and is more used to the military ideals for leadership? I am bilingual which helps my chances, but I still do not think it is worth it to attempt this. I am doing 11B contract with Abn. Then hopefully after 6-12 months in go to RIP and then Ranger School. I want to then go to SFAS. Hopefully by then I will have been able to complete atleast some of these, Mountain warfare + the winter course in Mountain warfare, Air assault, or sniper. As for the other options, I do not know because I am doing Army.

Also go to Borders or Library for reading. A buddy of mine is doing the same thing I have stated is shipping out on Aug. 16 and has a vast library of books on the subject from which I got my info. Also I take weekly visits to my recruiting office for more info, for DEP, and for PT.

------------------------------

By the way,
I am 16. Using http://www.apft.net/ and a partner assisted APFT, I got 273. I have a 93 percentile Asvab score. I am 100 percent fluent in Russian and I still don't have the balls for an 18x contract. I am going to play it safe and this way I will have a higher chance of passing SFAS which has been a life goal for the majority of my life.

mod edit: Do not post back to back. Use the edit button to add to an existing post.

thanks a lot guys...

lots of level headed advice and some good information on the recon site...

i think you may be right about the SF idea ... although i still believe i make SEALs if i trained my swimming skills throughout the next year or so.

lately, i have been thinking about the marines as more of an option, they seem (to me) more professional than the army. that is just my perception, not based on experience of course, and i realize that we have an excellent and capable army.

i have also thought about rangers, i will keep that in my head as a possibility. i have been told that they are one of the u.s. military's most hardcore fighting forces.

If you are looking for a ground combat position, woory about getting past basic and SOI before worrying about "going" recon or ranger. It may be harsh, but for recon, 8 pullups and 60 situps is pathetic, it will not even get you respect in a line company. Get there first, then think about the special operations units.

Pseudo,
You are not in good enough physical shape to realistically hope to join any of the US military's SOF units.

There is no such thing as a "most elite" fighting unit within the United States military - each have a mission, each have different assests and strengths.

You need to focus on which branch you wish to join, like it or not, the odds are not in your favour at this time for ever serving in any SOF unit. This is the reality. My suggestion is to choose a branch where you will be comfortable regardless.

I would also suggest you not comment on the professionalism of any military branch as you have no experience nor service to base such a blind assumption on.

Talk to some recruiters - find out your options.

Originally Posted by Vitaly

First off, you have to sign a long contract of 6 years. Also the 5-6 18x'ers i know all failed out of SFAS. Think about it if you are part of the cadre... Who would you pick, a kid fresh out of INF. OSUT + the Pre-SFAS program, or a guy that has been in, got some quals, and is more used to the military ideals for leadership? I am bilingual which helps my chances, but I still do not think it is worth it to attempt this.

It is good that you recognise you don't have the drive to be in SF, however, do not attempt to slight the 18X program simply because you need to make excuses as to why you aren't signing. Many 18Xers have in fact passed SFAS, gone on to graduate SFQC, receive their tabs and are now operational on various ODAs. Qualifications and TIS do not mean much if you can't handle the physical and mental rigors of SF. It's up to the soldier whether or not he passes.

Then hopefully after 6-12 months in go to RIP and then Ranger School. I want to then go to SFAS. Hopefully by then I will have been able to complete atleast some of these, Mountain warfare + the winter course in Mountain warfare, Air assault, or sniper. As for the other options, I do not know because I am doing Army.

If you are able to attempt RIP and pass, you will not see Ranger School for at least a year or more, and you will not see SFAS for three to four years after. If your main goal is to attend Ranger school and not be a Ranger, then you have no reason to try RIP - all conventional infantry units have slots for Ranger school. I would also advise you to get rid of this star struck attitude concerning military schools. Schools aren't for shiney badges to show off, they're to train you.

never mind going into any SF unit. You have to focus on getting in, period.
DO NOT disclose any of those surguries at MEPS, they have no way of finding out unless you have scars. and dont tell em about that heart murmur. trust me I've been there before.

Originally Posted by mrmillerusmc

never mind going into any SF unit. You have to focus on getting in, period.
DO NOT disclose any of those surguries at MEPS, they have no way of finding out unless you have scars. and dont tell em about that heart murmur. trust me I've been there before.

Yeah thats Good Advice. That would never come back to bite ya in yer six