What do most SF's do before they are SF's???

cheeselets

Active member
Hello all,

Please feed my curiousity here . . . .

Does anyone know what most special forces/ops soldiers do before they are special forces/ops? (specifically mos's)
 
Whatever they want to do. SOF members come from all walks of military life, I've seen former admin clerks to mechanics to food specialists. Most probably do come from combat arms, but certainly not all.


Flyingfrog, I do not see what your post has to do with this topic. It does not say where it says to promote your country's Special Operations Forces unit in the title. Stay on topic.
 
The Special Forces are usually from the Army infantry... trained soldiers that want to try or volunteer for this branch of service. The SF is actually another vocation within the Army.

:rambo:



"A great nation is one that helps the lesser ones''
 
HERO said:
The Special Forces are usually from the Army infantry... trained soldiers that want to try or volunteer for this branch of service. The SF is actually another vocation within the Army.

Some are, some aren't .. as I said. Most will come from the infantry ranks, or various other combat arms MOSes, though not all. I served and still serve alongside men that have been in support MOSes prior to going SF or with any SOF unit.

Army SF takes recruits from the street now, so we can also add that some have no prior military experience at all. Various other SOF units do this as well.
 
Taking recruits from the streets... can they take the tough training required for SF? Even infantry soldiers may fail in the SF training.. I wonder whether it's good to take in raw recruits from the streets? What's the rationale for the change? :?:

:rambo:



"War is the path to peace"
 
HERO said:
Taking recruits from the streets... can they take the tough training required for SF? Even infantry soldiers may fail in the SF training.. I wonder whether it's good to take in raw recruits from the streets? What's the rationale for the change? :?:

This isn't new. The Navy does it, the Air Force does it, the Army does it, and the Marine Corps did it for a bit. Now remember, these people are not given spots and titles within SOF units, they are given the opportunity to prove themselves capable.

The US Army, specifically, brought back the "SF Baby" (18X) contracts most recently largely because of a shortage of man power and an increased demand in "services." Thus far, it is working well, and quite a few of the 18Xers have already gone on to their groups. Having prior military experience is not always helpful, SF is a different world than say the 101st Abn, or even another SOF unit, the 75th Ranger Regt.

These recruits are being screened and gated, and if they make it past the recruiter, they still have to get through several steps before even reaching the SFQC (Special Forces Qualifcation Course). Most won't make it to the Q course, and even less will actually graduate. (that goes for prior service as well)

I've seen some of the most hardened infantrymen fall out and quit, while a couple of years ago, watched a 19 year old graduate from the SFQC. One is not born once they reach the team, and one certainly doesn't stop learning nor proving themselves simply because they finished the intial training.

Prior military experience is nice, and helpful, as long as it is the right experience, with the right attitude. The same can be said for many civilian experiences.

Many come in for the wrong reasons, and over 15% fail the just the APFT upon arrival.
 
RNDERSAFE . . . .

Are there any documentaries or videos that you've seen or heard about that follow up on this subject well? I'm not speaking of history . . . moreless a video that covers what really goes on. I've searched on the historychannel.com and A&E but I don't wanna spend the money if it's something I can already read about. I'm not really planning on even doing SF when I join the army I'm just hungry for all knowledge and too often I see posts from young men wanting to be like or do what they see in the movies and I'm guessing that's really not what goes on behind the scenes. If I'm wrong please correct me.

I feel as if THIS forum is a really great recruiting tool and less so like a salesman/ recruiter. I don't like to be sold like insurance people usually do when they go door to door.

SOrry for the long post!!!

Any help is appreciated
 
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