I plan on going into the military when I graduated, or should I say if I ever graduate. Just wondering if any former military men (especially SF) read this forum. If so, could you give some suggestions on what I should expect and some possible things I should concentrate on, training wise. The way things are going this semester I should have plenty of time to train next semester.
endurance (big time) and don’t worry about size because all you do in SF or in any grunt unit is hump (hike) and run. Keep on lifting but start running 5-8 miles 4-5 days a week. Get youself an A.L.I.C.E. pack with(civilians call it a ruck sack) at any surplas store, put about 65 lbs and build up to about 90, start “humpin” 8-20 miles when you can. Oh keep on eatin as well
mdog is right, endurance is #1, funtional strength is #2. head over to dragondoor and read some articles on combat conditioning.
also, if you plan on going sf mental toughness is the single most important attribute you can have. good luck in whatever you choose.
Again, as is usuall with this board, DITTO on what was said above. Years back I did PJ school and the key was mental. I recently did Colorado’s DOC SORT school (11 days of heavy physical/mental work on a average of 2 hours sleep/day) and again it is the mental that gets you through. Do a search on spec ops training. There is lots of stuff out there, some good, some bad. But endurance is the key. Lots of it. Till you cry lots of it. With the alice, load it up and learn to do 5-8 miles at a quick time/slow jog, push-ups with it, chins with it, what ever with it…best of luck and stay strong–
#1 Mental focus, #2 Mental focus, #3 Mental Focus
Good 4 U. All of the sugguestions so far are great. What is you timeline (how long before you graduate)? Are you entering as an officer (ROTC/OCS) or enlisting? How fit are you currently (two mile run, push-ups, sit-up and twelve mile road march)? Best of Luck.
Planned on graduating in May, but looks like its going to be December of next year before I finally get that damned degree. And Im debating whether I should go in as an officer or enlisted. I found out that officers dont get student loans paid-off, but they do make considerably more and have increased chance for promotion. Im currently very fit strength wise, and better than your average Joe in the mile to two mile range. However, I definitely need to start hitting the pavement and get to the point where I can hit 5-8 miles, no problem. Thanks for the info guys look forward to kicking ass and taking names.
Hey I am glad you are planning on joining the military. First look at all your options. Rangers, Forest Recon, PJ’s, SEALS, or SF. Then pick the specialty that you most like. I spent 5 years in the ARMY. Started out as a E-1 11B which is infantry. Went to Basic, AIT, Airborne, RIP(Prep Ranger Course) to Ranger Batt. Then off to Ranger School. Got Tabed. Then off to Sniper School all in about 2 years E-5. Then I went to Air Assault School. Got EIB (Expert Infantry Badge) Signed up for SFAS (Special Forces Assessment School) Passed and got ready for the Q course! Passed the Q Got tabed and spent last 1 1/2 in a SF group. 5 long years. Best years of my life. I would have reuped but my wife would have divorced me! It is 90% Mental but you have to get passed the physical part. Endurance Endurance Endurance You should be able to do over 90 correct pushups in under 2 min. 100 correct situps in under 2min. Run 3 miles in under 18min. Do 20 correct chinups under 1min. And that is just the basic phyical test. You should start run no less than 3-5 miles everyday (weekends off) Twice a week 5-10 mile rack runs (65lbs Alice) Atleast 1 hour of jumping jacks/pushups/situps etc. It is a very tough lifesytle. You have to really want it. I is not as easy as seen on TV or the Movies. Its too easy to quit or get hurt and recycled. Let me know you are looking into. And again, you have to REALLY want it…
If money allows, try doing a session at SCARS in AZ. It’s special forces training for civilians. Mostly hand to hand combat stuff but VERY intense and VERY hardcore. Good clue as to what you will be dealing with one on one.
I want to join ROTC, for marines, when I get out of high school. Then once i get my degree, I want to join combat engineers. But, I would like to eventually join force recon, or at minimum, airborne. But I havew heard force recon is a LOT of swimming. Rangers sounds good, but marines are the big boy badasses to begin with.
To: Chief,
You have a good basis to start from. If you read Rhinonutz, you will see that going enlisted will let you do more of the fun stuff. So at this point you have to ask yourself what you want to do for the next few years. If I had to do what I did over again I would have gone enlisted firsted. Best of Luck.
First of all Rhinonutz its not “Forest Recon” it’s “Force Recon” and Andrew, Combat Engineering (1371) is a whole different ballgame than (0321) recon. By the way, if swimming is gonna hold you back then don’t even join the corps because we are the “warriors from the sea”. Every marine especially the grunts have to swim and in recon you have to be a 1st class swim qual.
Great going. You did it the way I wish I had done it. I never got to serve in a Ranger Bn or Command a team. I am one of the few Officers who is a certified Sniper Instructor and as such I got to be the OIC of an Marksmanship Training Unit and got to take part in several Mobile Training Team Missions in the eighties. You could consider going back in as an Officer (but that is a mighty hard road(BS Factor 12)). I hope you are on a good career path. Best of Luck.
Some of my best friends are marines.
If you go the ROTC route you can mostly likely go to airborne school while in ROTC, this will put you ahead of those that did not. Best of Luck.
Well. I can doggy paddle longer than you will live, and uhh. ?Thats it lol. BUT, if i join, then they MAKE me become a dman good swimmer, right?
I am sorry to be the one to tell your this. But in an effort to save money basic training has been reduced to 33% Training, 33% Familiarization ("This is a rifle. You shoot it. Got that? Good. Now this is a …). So if you expect the military to real teach you basic skills like swimming and shooting. You are wrong!!! they will test you and label you. If you do not meet the standard, well you are just out of luck. So learn to swim. Learn to shoot, run, march and as many military skills as you can before you get there. Best of Luck.
I CAN swim, but not well. I can shoot, but only a hunting rifle. I can march, and I can run. I can do push ups well, and things liek that. I do realize that combat engineering and force recon are worlds apart. But, I want F R most, but if I can;t do that, then I want to be a combat engineer, not a vanilla soldier. Do marines have paratroopers?
Okay Andrew get an attitude like a civilian would, i’m just telling you like it is. And you can’t “doggy paddle” longer than i can live. Yes they will teach you to swim and they teach you the right way to shoot (The Marine Corps) way. By the way andrew what are “vanilla soldiers” ??? and no we don’t have paratroopers. We don’t need em.Marine grunt units train to go to the MEU and is assigned to BOATS, HELOS, or AMTRACKS. I didn’t forget about the Weapons platoons either
Andrew, you want to be an officer in the corps??
take my advice become a Mustang. (mustang’s are prior enlistment Marines that there time as enlisted marines , usually NCO’s and Staff NCO’s). In my opinion they make the best O’s because they get the feel of what it really is to be a Marine. (going threw boot, going in rank as an e-1 to e-4 etc.) as an actual enlistedmen. And dealing with all the politics that officers play.
Im currently in the US Marines Forword Deployed overseas in Japan.
Marines Concentrate on long distance running, being able to do 20 pullups and 100 cruches in 2 minutes. we have martial arts training as well. i have 8 months left and im looking forword to getting out. im 6’1 214lbs and still tryiong to grow. i find i only grow on the weekends and when ever we come back from being in the field for a month or so i feel as if i have to start all over again