seal/wings

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mdsu

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has anyone heard of an enlisted seal, getting his commision, then going to flight school in pensacola?
 
If you are talking about SEALs coming to the academy, the unofficial policy is to not let them in if they successfully went through BUD/S and got their Trident. And it's because there are other ways of getting them commissioned that don't involve the Naval Academy. And thats because if you went through BUD/S, there is nothing the Academy can throw at you that you won't be able to handle, USNA cannot break a SEAL down in order to build them up, and there were numerous cases in the past of upperclassmen trying to mess with a SEAL and there being some very nasty results.
 
Over the past 13 years, I have known a handful of enlisted SEALs come through USNA on the same basis as other prior enlisted personnel offered a place in the Brigade. It's not that big a community, so they are not as visible among thousands unless you see that silver SEAL warfare pin up close and personal. One was the Brigade XO a few years ago, a superb leader. There are many ECP (enlisted commissioning programs) out there. Quite often SEALs will choose to go to college in one of the major SEAL homeports such as San Diego or Norfolk and then be commissioned, to stay closer to the community. Many enlisted personnel, because they already have family or have an age limit problem for USNA, choose other paths to degrees and commissions.
I can't recall what those prior enlisted SEALs service selected. Nothing is written in stone, so what might be permitted one year is not the next.
 
Capt MJ said:
Over the past 13 years, I have known a handful of enlisted SEALs come through USNA on the same basis as other prior enlisted personnel offered a place in the Brigade. It's not that big a community, so they are not as visible among thousands unless you see that silver SEAL warfare pin up close and personal. One was the Brigade XO a few years ago, a superb leader. There are many ECP (enlisted commissioning programs) out there. Quite often SEALs will choose to go to college in one of the major SEAL homeports such as San Diego or Norfolk and then be commissioned, to stay closer to the community. Many enlisted personnel, because they already have family or have an age limit problem for USNA, choose other paths to degrees and commissions.
I can't recall what those prior enlisted SEALs service selected. Nothing is written in stone, so what might be permitted one year is not the next.
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so is NYCUSNA inaccuate on the post were the policy is to not accept seals because theres nothing they can throw at them that will break them down?
 
so is NYCUSNA inaccuate on the post were the policy is to not accept seals
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sounds like it.

because theres nothing they can throw at them that will break them down?
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dont bet on this. The thing is - the academies are very good at exploiting weaknesses in an individual. True some seem to sail through but most don't.
e.g., I don't think diff eq is a required course for Seals.
 
mdsu said:
so is NYCUSNA inaccurate on the post were the policy is to not accept SEALs because theres nothing they can throw at them that will break them down?
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As Capt MJ points out, the number of SEALS in the Navy is extremely small, thus the number of SEALs that come to USNA as prior enlisted will be very small as well. There is no policy that would out-of-hand reject SEALs.
 
This past year several Active Duty Marines entered the Academy, several with combat experience and Purple Hearts.

Like the SEAL question, Enlisted Personnel can be admitted into the Academy. And I don't think the Academy is going to deny someone based on them having already been through tough training.

In fact, it improves their chances of making it through Plebe Summer and the Academy significantly. I think the Academy would look at that favorably.

On the other hand. Enlisted sailors and Marines have several options available to them to become commissioned, whether they are SEALS or not, and that in itself is likely to reduce the percentage of SEALS who actually apply.

Just my 2 cents.
 
I never said it was official policy to not let them in. I said unoffical policy. Yea sure the classes may be hard and all that stuff, but the actual breaking down of a person to build them back up into the type of leader that the academy wants them to be is much harder to do to someone who is a SEAL than anything else. If a SEAL actually wanted to come here, and had his mind set on it, I don't think there is anything that anyone could do to stop him if he was qualified. What does happen is he would be encouraged to get comissioned in another way other than the academy. He would not be flat out denied, he would be encouraged to try to find another way to be comissioned.
 
jbrown said:
This past year several Active Duty Marines entered the Academy, several with combat experience and Purple Hearts.

Like the SEAL question, Enlisted Personnel can be admitted into the Academy. And I don't think the Academy is going to deny someone based on them having already been through tough training.

In fact, it improves their chances of making it through Plebe Summer and the Academy significantly. I think the Academy would look at that favorably.

On the other hand. Enlisted sailors and Marines have several options available to them to become commissioned, whether they are SEALS or not, and that in itself is likely to reduce the percentage of SEALS who actually apply.

Just my 2 cents.
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i assume that if a marine comes in to the academy with combat experience and maybe a purple heart, that the upperclassmen leave these guys alone. I wonder how these people would react if a firstie tried to break these guys with combat experience down on plebe summer
 
I said unoffical policy
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sounds like an oxymoron to me.

I am not much of a story teller (esp about my kid) but here goes. As some of you know my daughter is a plebe at West Point. A good friend's roommate is prior enlisted with two combat tours. Ranger tab. Combat medic badge etc etc.
he looks amazing in his dress grays...
Anyway - first semester they traveled the same direction to class on some days - there is a walkway that plebes are technically not allowed to walk on they must use the sidewalk. He could use the walkway - no one bothered him. She would walk with him and no one bothered either of them.
 
We counsel all our prior enlisted sponsor sons and daughters to have a good sense of humor, including those who are combat decorated, especially when, as a 22 year old, they have a 19 year old a few years out of high school yelling at them about what it's like "in the Fleet." The smart ones go along with the game, become a part of the team unit and contribute a great deal of leadership -- as well as all the Fleet and Corps-savvy tricks on making leathers gleam and squaring away racks. Just get through plebe year, we tell them, don't do the "I'm too cool for this school" routine, because they'll embarrass themselves in front of the senior enlisted leaders who know very well who they are, and they have a great shot at rising to leadership positions precisely because they have that headstart on enlisted knowledge.

No doubt many things are discussed at Admissions Boards when evaluating a candidate from the enlisted ranks. It's very healthy to "seed" each plebe class with some superb talent from the enlisted ranks.

Didn't mean to meander off-topic... I'm not aware of any policy, official or unofficial, about admission of enlisted SEALs. I would be surprised if there were. But then again, I'm not on the Admissions Board, the Superintendent's staff or the author of whatever SECNAVINST is currently regulating admissions from the enlisted ranks...so I'm not qualified to make any authentic statements about official or unofficial policy.
 
mdsu said:
i assume that if a marine comes in to the academy with combat experience and maybe a purple heart, that the upperclassmen leave these guys alone. I wonder how these people would react if a firstie tried to break these guys with combat experience down on plebe summer
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I would say that the Marine (please capitalize it) came into the Academy with combat and fleet experience and a Purple Heart, that sure the Upper Classmen would respect his service, but they would not "leave him alone". He is still a Plebe, with lots to learn. And of course lots to offer. So like Capt. MJ said, they would be known and they would be respected.

But they would be expected to learn, to lead, to follow those leading them, to respect their Upper Classmen and their rank, etc.

If they were to do otherwise, I think they would have issues succeeding based on "honor issues".

Inother words, combat experience is not a free pass, you are still expected to honor the uniform and the service, and the Academy and your superiors, if they are not commissioned yet.

JB
 
hey everyone, thanks for all the input and sorry for the miss capitilization of the USMC
 
NYCUSNA2012 said:
If you are talking about SEALs coming to the academy, the unofficial policy is to not let them in if they successfully went through BUD/S and got their Trident. And it's because there are other ways of getting them commissioned that don't involve the Naval Academy. And thats because if you went through BUD/S, there is nothing the Academy can throw at you that you won't be able to handle, USNA cannot break a SEAL down in order to build them up, and there were numerous cases in the past of upperclassmen trying to mess with a SEAL and there being some very nasty results.
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I think you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. There have been a few enlisted SEALS on the yard just in the last few years. Also some Marine Spec War. There are several Highly Decorated Midshipman prior enlisted studying in Bancroft as I type this. All you have to do is sit outside the Midstore and pay attention. You can see a lot if you take the time to observe.

Unrelated .... sort of ,,,, I was at Quantico for Marine OCS graduation this month and many of the newly minted 2Lts'. had major awards from Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
mdsu, I'm seeing lots of good questions and a desire to learn from you on a couple of threads here... keep reading and searching other threads. As for capitalizing the "M" in Marine, good going to learn it here rather than at receiving end of a "recalibration discussion" with a Devil Dawg up close...
 
This is also a little off topic, but how does the Marine Corps service selection work?
I mean, when you graduate from USNA, do you go straight into OCS? Or do you go through Basic or something and then they tell you if you're officer material?

Let me know if this is too far off, I'll start a thread for service selection q's.
 
bmorris244 said:
This is also a little off topic, but how does the Marine Corps service selection work?
I mean, when you graduate from USNA, do you go straight into OCS? Or do you go through Basic or something and then they tell you if you're officer material?

Let me know if this is too far off, I'll start a thread for service selection q's.
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OCS is another route to a commision and i believe Basic is for enlisted recruits. Once you graduate USNA you will automatically go straight into the Fleet as a Marine Corps or Navy officer.
 
To answer the original question, a former enlisted special warfare petty officer has graduated from the Naval Academy and became a commissioned officer. A decorated Marine involved in the Beirut bombings has graduated from the Naval Academy and became a commissioned officer. In addition enlisted personnel from a multitude of backgrounds have entered the Naval Academy and have become commissioned officers.

As for the discussion for the upperclassmen and leaving plebes alone...ok? Not sure where this comes from. Upperclassmen have stared in the eyes of combat veterans and high school kids alike expecting the same out of both. They don't leave either plebe alone. As a newly commissioned Ensign I did not "leave my CPO alone" even though he was a Viet Nam brown water navy veteran who could kick my a$$ on any given Sunday. The salty bastard did not wear his Purple Hearts because he said it told the world "he screwed up!!!"

Finally, if detailers had an unofficial policy how could there have been numerous occasions with nasty results?

Hmmm, stay out of Ho Chi Minh trail, Kornhead may get you.
 
bmorris,

Midshipmen commissioned 2nd LTs on Commissioning Day are officers from that day forward. They then attend TBS, not OCS. Start here to learn more about the path to become an officer of marines.
 
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