Navy SEALS, NROTC???

[Bullet]

Tower: "Bravo-one-9er, bear to the left, disabled aircraft on the right."
Pilot: "Bravo-one-9er, Roger, have the disabled aircraft in sight, but I don't see the bear yet."

Well, if we're going go off the beaten track, might as well go all out. Funny story time!.....

Working in the Tower one day at Elemendorf AFB (next to Anchorage Alaska) as the Ops Supervisor of Flying (SOF, shared duty amongst the Wing's experienced ops guys, works in the tower directing daily flight ops; sort of like the Air Boss on a carrier)

At the time, Elmendorf had one of the AF's most aggressive Anti-Bird operations being enforced (it was only a few months earlier that an AWACS crashed after take-off when it ingested a couple of dozen of Canadian snow geese). Air cannons, guys on ATVs shooting at the birds, THE WORKS. We also placed stuffed wolves and other animals all around the runway. Real wolves and moose and things like that, acting as "scarecrows".

Well, I'm up in the tower when I get this call from a guy taxing back to the chocks by his squadron:

Callsign Hidden To Protect Their Dignity (CHTPTD): "SOF, we're stopping here on Taxiway F. We got a wolf right next to the taxiway"

Me (knowing EXACTLY what they are talking about, and trying my best NOT to laugh as I answer their call): "Copy. Hold position. What's the wolf doing now?"

CHTPTD: "Well, it's just standing there, staring at us. You'd think the noise would have spooked it away by now"

ME, shedding tears from laughing so hard, but keeping up the game because I know it will make a GREAT story for Friday at the bar: "Copy that. Hold your position, we'll send out a truck to scare it away"

So he stays put. The tower crew is HOWLING by now. They're calling their friends on the phone, passing "You Can't BELIEVE what is going on out here now!". I get a call from the Ops Group CC (an O-6), who heard a rumor there was an "issue" on the flightline. Between giggles, I explain what is going on. He starts howling in laughter as well, and immediately runs to his truck so he can get to the jet so he can see this fiasco for himself.
ng
About 5 minutes pass. Meanwhile, all the other aircraft have taxied up behind the "scared of a stuffed wolf" crew and hold position, enjoying the show. A crew chief van finally pulls up. The NCO in charge JUMPS out of the truck, and starts doing a low-crawl towards the stuffed wolf, giving the crew a "I'm gonna Git 'im" thumbs up when he's half-way there. Finally, when he gets about 10 feet from the "dangerous animal", he jumps up and TACKLES the stuffed wolf, wrestling it to the ground. He then PICKS UP the stuffed wolf, places it under his arm, and walks back to the van. Before he gets there, he salutes the Now-Totally-Embarrassed crew of CHTPTD.

Friday at the bar passing THAT story was a HOOT, and won me the coveted "Best Story of the Week" award.

No S@#t, true story (at least 10% true....)

 

[jakeUSNA9]

Very good perspective. Thank you very muchi still want to be a SEAL but this is a perspective i have never seen.

 

[jakeUSNA9]

I play multiple sports and am in many leadership postions. I am most at home in the outdoors and love challenges. I hate quiting and always set goals for myself. I want to lead SEALs and join a brotherhood of the best.

 

[Pima]

You sound like a great candidate, and to put this back on track for you specifically, would you feel uncomfortable expounding on multiple sports and leadership positions, by expounding these issues you will give more insight into you, the candidate, thus, allowing people to give you more concise advice.

For example:

Sports ~~~ Which ones? Are you just a Football and LAC player? Or do you play Football, Swim and Baseball?

Football and LaCross are similiar. Football, Swim and Baseball have very little in common. The people I know who played all three of these sports had the body frame to support the unique aspects of each.

Leadership positions:
Team Captain or Class President? Both are equally important, but have different mission/goals.

Lastly, has your brother created his own moniker yet, or are you two still sharing? If it is the latter can you pleas say this is jake 1 or A and the other say jake 2 or B. Something so we can decipher the 2 of you.

 

[jakeUSNA9]

I play football where i play both ways. I swim both sprint events and long distance and i play basketball. I am class president, and swim team captain. I am the president of all high school boys in my youth grtoup i was nominated for boys state. I have various leadership camps i have been accepted into. I also am the oldest of six kids. I am 6'3 and 185. Im workin on my weight it is a little low.

 

[jakeUSNA9]

i love to hunt and am at home when improvising is needed and i am very comfortable around firearms

 

[jakeUSNA9]

This isnt jakes brother it is the real jake my brother created his own account.

 

[gojack]

jakeUSNA9

jakeUSNA9

You sound like a highly motivated young man,
and you will do well at what ever you put your mind too.


>>>Just a little tip, even SEALS have to write reports.<<<

If you want to be treated seriously...

Check your grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation before you post something.

If you have trouble with spelling try using a browser like Firefox,
that has a built in spell check.

 

[jakeUSNA9]

That is the goal. I have to accomlish this

 

[Mongo]

I also want them SMART. Smart people know that the course of events can and most likely will alter, and make back up plans for it. An even better attribute for a young military person. And I really can't stand those who simply stare dumbfounded out into space when the plans they made fail to work out and cry, "What do I do now! I didn't plan for this!" I prefer those who dust themselves off and move right away onto Plan B.

The very American Dream is based on one being able to achieve whatever one sets his mind to. It is inbred in our very being. From Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, to Horatio Alger’s novels, to The Little Engine That Could, not only a dream and optimism, but followed up with perseverance and hard work will pay off in the long run.

The “que sera sera“ approach to life did not develop until the sixties. It was an excuse to drop out of society.

It is not only the goal, but the recognition of what one needs to do to succeed to achieve that goal which causes one to succeed. Pima mentioned flight training. Go to the club on Friday night. See who is there. Then go back to the squadron and see who is there, sitting in the cockpit simulators going over procedures until they can do them in their sleep. Yes, a few of these might fail, but very few. The AQT/FARs predict ability. They cannot predict drive and perseverance.

Also, the greater the drive, the greater the likelihood that, in the event of failure, one will pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and move forward, accepting the responsibility of their failure and not blaming RIFs, needs of the Navy, or some other cause had they only been one number higher in the pecking order. It is often those who have rationalized that a five year non-flying commitment is almost as preferable as a ten year flying commitment or that living in a BOQ flying P-3s out of Iceland is almost as preferable as living on a carrier who self-select into failure.

Having a goal and doing nothing to prepare oneself to meet that goal is not really the subject of discussion here. We need first to realistically help them self assess to ascertain whether or not the goal is realistic, then help them to prepare to meet that goal. For those unable or unwilling to make these steps, perhaps they are on the wrong forum.

 

[scoutpilot]

The very American Dream is based on one being able to achieve whatever one sets his mind to. It is inbred in our very being. From Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, to Horatio Alger’s novels, to The Little Engine That Could, not only a dream and optimism, but followed up with perseverance and hard work will pay off in the long run.

The “que sera sera“ approach to life did not develop until the sixties. It was an excuse to drop out of society.

It is not only the goal, but the recognition of what one needs to do to succeed to achieve that goal which causes one to succeed. Pima mentioned flight training. Go to the club on Friday night. See who is there. Then go back to the squadron and see who is there, sitting in the cockpit simulators going over procedures until they can do them in their sleep. Yes, a few of these might fail, but very few. The AQT/FARs predict ability. They cannot predict drive and perseverance.

Also, the greater the drive, the greater the likelihood that, in the event of failure, one will pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and move forward, accepting the responsibility of their failure and not blaming RIFs, needs of the Navy, or some other cause had they only been one number higher in the pecking order. It is often those who have rationalized that a five year non-flying commitment is almost as preferable as a ten year flying commitment or that living in a BOQ flying P-3s out of Iceland is almost as preferable as living on a carrier who self-select into failure.

Having a goal and doing nothing to prepare oneself to meet that goal is not really the subject of discussion here. We need first to realistically help them self assess to ascertain whether or not the goal is realistic, then help them to prepare to meet that goal. For those unable or unwilling to make these steps, perhaps they are on the wrong forum.

Yeah, well, those guys have to be careful or they'll be "forced" into rotary wing. God forbid

 

[Mongo]

Yeah, well, those guys have to be careful or they'll be "forced" into rotary wing. God forbid

LOL. And not to have someone in the back seat to do their 'flying' for them.

What most on the outside do not realize is that one's platform is normally totally self-selecting. Different platforms require different attributes. One of the advantages of a SA is the constant exposure for four years to those who have been successful, and thusly, the ability to make an informed decision early and plan for it. There are those who have told their friends and family, one and all, that they intended to fly jets, where, if it were suddenly to come to fruitation, would DOR the next day.

Back in the day of true attack and true fighters, as a VERTREP pilot I was often forced to RON on carriers. I could walk into the dirty shirt mess and usually almost instantly, without knowing anyone personally, before the days of walking I-love-me walls, pick out the platforms of the various tables. Fighters totally different than attack, Tacair totally different than ASW and VAW, fixed totally different than rotary. Maybe a little of 'which came first the chicken or the egg', but nevertheless a gravitation from day one to the platform for which they were best suited. And consequently the effort in flight school necessary to achieve that particular goal.

When the strike-fighter came into the inventory, I asked a good friend, a F-14 pilot, the first CAG to go take the F/A-18s to sea, what it was like. He said they were lost, did not know how to act. I was going to write a book about it but some AF jock beat me to it. OBTW, attack pilots are the helo drivers of the jet community. And I never figured out what made an NFO tick.

 

[scoutpilot]

LOL. And not to have someone in the back seat to do their 'flying' for them.

What most on the outside do not realize is that one's platform is normally totally self-selecting. Different platforms require different attributes. One of the advantages of a SA is the constant exposure for four years to those who have been successful, and thusly, the ability to make an informed decision early and plan for it. There are those who have told their friends and family, one and all, that they intended to fly jets, where, if it were suddenly to come to fruitation, would DOR the next day.

Back in the day of true attack and true fighters, as a VERTREP pilot I was often forced to RON on carriers. I could walk into the dirty shirt mess and usually almost instantly, without knowing anyone personally, before the days of walking I-love-me walls, pick out the platforms of the various tables. Fighters totally different than attack, Tacair totally different than ASW and VAW, fixed totally different than rotary. Maybe a little of 'which came first the chicken or the egg', but nevertheless a gravitation from day one to the platform for which they were best suited. And consequently the effort in flight school necessary to achieve that particular goal.

When the strike-fighter came into the inventory, I asked a good friend, a F-14 pilot, the first CAG to go take the F/A-18s to sea, what it was like. He said they were lost, did not know how to act. I was going to write a book about it but some AF jock beat me to it. OBTW, attack pilots are the helo drivers of the jet community. And I never figured out what made an NFO tick.

Haha, very true. Some Army folk call it the carnivore/herbivore schism. Our fixed-wing folks are just plain odd.

 

[gojack]

jakeUSNA9

That is the goal. I have to accomlish this

jakeUSNA9

The best route to become a Navy Seal Officer is be in the top 20 of your class at the Naval Academy.

If you are dead serious, that should be your goal.
If you can't cut it, pick a different goal.

Spell Check: accomlish = accomplish

 

[scoutpilot]

jakeUSNA9


Spell Check: accomlish = accomplish

 

[basilrathbone]

I live with and am otherwise surrounded by men who were initially discouraged from all corners when they first mentioned they wanted to become SEALs. It's too hard, what's your backup plan, it's a bad officer career path, etc. The question is, Jake, when you are told this does it make you more determined than ever? If not then start your backup plan now and make it a good one. If you're still interested then call 1-888-usn-seal and ask to speak to a SEAL officer. Get their advice and perspective. While you're at it ask to speak to an enlisted SEAL and see what they have to say.

I am a huge proponent of USNA and NROTC as I am a parent of both. However, as a SEAL prosective candidate it limits your options. While it's true that BUD/S students from USNA have the best percentage for making it through, they are very hard spots to get. You are not guaranteed a spot even if you are in the top 20 of your class. If you are not selected at USNA you must choose another warfare specialty and try for a lateral transfer which are very hard to come by nowadays. The same goes for NROTC. If you want max flexibility in becoming a SEAL officer, go to college on your own dime. Make yourself a stellar SEAL candidate while there and put in a package for OCS. If you don't get picked up by the SEAL board, you have another couple of tries. You don't go to OCS and join the Navy until you have a guaranteed spot in a BUD/S class that way. If you don't get picked up, enlist and go to BUD/S. If you drop or have an injury, you get two more tries as an enlisted member. Yes, you will probably go chip paint for two years on a ship. That is also an honorable way to serve your country. It will also likely make you even more determined the next time through BUD/S. When you are at Tuesday morning of Hell Week and you are more tired & miserable than you thought possible, the lack of a good back up plan can be a great motivator.

I would also like to respectfully put out a different perspective from Pima from one of his earlier posts. As far as the money issues go, enlisted SEALs get huge bonuses in addition to demo pay, dive pay, etc. I know of no enlisted SEAL families that are anywhere near needing food stamps. An E4 SEAL makes a lot more than an E4 elsewhere. Clearly officers make more money than enlisted but the gap is not as huge in the Teams.
There is no "push paper" route, officer or enlisted in the SEAL Teams. All SEALs will be operational during their career. As an officer you will have many tours at a SEAL Team and at other NSW commands. IF there is a desk job at the Pentagon, it is for a tour in between NSW commands. Both officer and enlisted will have opportunity for shore tours in between operational tours. They are a welcome respite. While there is no question that an enlisted SEAL will be able to get more platoons than officers, that does not translate to continuous desk jobs stateside for officers past the first few years. Trust me, I wish that were the case. Senior officers will deploy in leadership positions to frightful places.
SEALs, enlisted and officer, have no problems getting jobs in the civilian sector. The qualities that it takes to persevere in this environment translate well outside, in the eyes of many high paying employers.
Don't take my word for it, though. Call a SEAL and ask for his advice.

 

[gojack]

basilrathbone,

<<<With no disrespect intended towards anyone>>>

There is a growing suspicion that someone is either
yanking our collective chain or is not a mature individual.

This is a ROTC forum - And when someone writes about wanting to joining ROTC,
but all of their posts contain obvious grammar, punctuation and spelling errors,
this does raise the question; Is this individual ROTC material?

When polity asked to spell check his posts,
he responds with more spelling errors...

This individual has written a few short and poorly written posts,
To which he has received many lengthy, well written and thoughtful posts, like yours.
His responses so far have shown no inclination to involve himself in intelligent discourse.

I suspect someone is having a little fun...

On the upside, this thread has a very high view count.
The advice and knowledge, contained in posts like yours, is being widely disseminated.

 

[Pima]

Gojack,

I hope they are true and not a poser. If they are a poser I hope they understand that this site has lurkers and they are hurting people.

Now with the assumption that they are true, I am going to go to bat for them regarding their grammar, while I also defend your position.

Studies have recently been released that show the internet, IMing, PMing has had a great impact on the "typical hs teenager". They spend their lives texting OMG, OBTW, IMHO. They do not realize when they are in an adult forum, especially a site like this, that i not capitalized is bad form.

I get your point, but he is a kid. Now, if he submitted his app with i not capitalized you would be right.

Jake,

You want us to take you seriously, yet by not taking the suggestion of correcting your grammar you make us question your motives.

You want to be a SEAL here is your training...Posters have given orders to post grammatically correct, you have not snapped to attention and followed their orders. Instead, you say "I know I should", that crap doesn't fly in the AD world!

I get it, you maybe a fast typist, but you don't need to use spell check for accomlish, there is a wavy red line underneath the word to highlight that it is incorrect spelling. The fact that you ignore just that wavy red line makes posters wonder about your intentions as a military member. You can either step up to the table and be cognizant of your postings, OR you can continue to ignore them. Military won't accept the BS, your future career will be based on your past! A bad OER/OPR will be a make or break for your career!

Lastly, you want to be a SEAL, EVERY THING you do will impact the team and the mission. You are not irreplaceable. You are a member of a unique group. If they said DON'T DO THIS, I am willing to bet you WOULDN'T. The same should be for this site.

 

[Mongo]

- And when someone writes about wanting to joining ROTC,
but all of their posts contain obvious grammar, punctuation and spelling errors,
this does raise the question; Is this individual ROTC material?

When polity asked to spell check his posts,
he responds with more spelling errors...

People do make mistakes.

 

[gojack]

True, everyone makes mistakes.
(I am a bifocal-ed two fingered, dyslectic typist with A.D.D.)

It's the pattern that concerns me.