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SNA or SEAL???????
- Thread starter tomoast
- Start date
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Tomoast,
I've remotely entertained the idea of becoming a SEAL, but there are certain things that you have to ask yourself before you realistically consider it. First of all, keep in mind that of all the enlisted guys that enter BUDS, roughly 30% are going to make it through on the first pass. For Officers, that figure jumps up to around 70%. At least this is what I read in an interview with the CO of the Special Warefare School in Coranado. Secondly, the idea of being a SEAL is really sexy and cool to anyone who things about it casually, but if you're really serious about it, you should go fill your bathtub up with Ice Water and sit in it for about an hour a couple of times per day until you hallucinate real good. If you think that you can stand doing that for 6 months on top of all the other hell that they will make you do, then I would say go for it. I just think that most people don't realize how cold they really make those guys get. Another good taste of life at BUDS might be to stay up for four or five days, once again, until you start halucinating from exhaustion. Furthermore, a lot of people tend to think that BUDS is the end to all of a SEAL's gruelling pain, suffering, and fatigue but the reality is that making it to one of the teams is just the beginning. If you really want to break it down hardcore, you might also want to think about what condition you would like your joints to be in when you reach retirement age. I'm sure you can find plenty of ex-SEALS who made it through the hell of BUDS only to have to leave a few years later on a medical. And Finally, from the people that I've spoken with, DORing out of BUDS and falling back on your original "A" school would be less than ideal because most people who came out of the Navy who were enlisted have told me that if given the option, go Officer no matter what. The euphamisms about rust-picking and all that other jazz are not just figures of speech. And if you still can't decide after all that, just think about whether you would prefer to get shot at while in a cockpit or while diving in coldwater, or on a sandy beach head. It's really all up to you. If you become a SEAL, you're gonna be one bad mamma jamma who will know how to seriously mess someone up just with your bare hands. The question is, do you want to actively place yourself in a situation where you might actually be engaging the enemy with your bare hands? I've said enough. I think I've given ya plenty to chew on for now.
Double out.
I've remotely entertained the idea of becoming a SEAL, but there are certain things that you have to ask yourself before you realistically consider it. First of all, keep in mind that of all the enlisted guys that enter BUDS, roughly 30% are going to make it through on the first pass. For Officers, that figure jumps up to around 70%. At least this is what I read in an interview with the CO of the Special Warefare School in Coranado. Secondly, the idea of being a SEAL is really sexy and cool to anyone who things about it casually, but if you're really serious about it, you should go fill your bathtub up with Ice Water and sit in it for about an hour a couple of times per day until you hallucinate real good. If you think that you can stand doing that for 6 months on top of all the other hell that they will make you do, then I would say go for it. I just think that most people don't realize how cold they really make those guys get. Another good taste of life at BUDS might be to stay up for four or five days, once again, until you start halucinating from exhaustion. Furthermore, a lot of people tend to think that BUDS is the end to all of a SEAL's gruelling pain, suffering, and fatigue but the reality is that making it to one of the teams is just the beginning. If you really want to break it down hardcore, you might also want to think about what condition you would like your joints to be in when you reach retirement age. I'm sure you can find plenty of ex-SEALS who made it through the hell of BUDS only to have to leave a few years later on a medical. And Finally, from the people that I've spoken with, DORing out of BUDS and falling back on your original "A" school would be less than ideal because most people who came out of the Navy who were enlisted have told me that if given the option, go Officer no matter what. The euphamisms about rust-picking and all that other jazz are not just figures of speech. And if you still can't decide after all that, just think about whether you would prefer to get shot at while in a cockpit or while diving in coldwater, or on a sandy beach head. It's really all up to you. If you become a SEAL, you're gonna be one bad mamma jamma who will know how to seriously mess someone up just with your bare hands. The question is, do you want to actively place yourself in a situation where you might actually be engaging the enemy with your bare hands? I've said enough. I think I've given ya plenty to chew on for now.
Double out.
To Double.... The cool, sexy thing about SEALS is the last reason I would want to join. I've played team sports all my life... played lacrosse in college in a very serious program that sacraficed most of my free time 3 months in the fall and about 5 months in the spring. The best friends i made from school are the guys i played lacrosse with. I couldn't imagine what kind of friends you would have after making a sacrafice like BUD/S. When I think about the SEALS I don't think about how fun it would be to shoot guns and blow things up. I'm sure that's fun but what interests me is the way they believe in being a TEAM and pushing yourself further than you could imagine. I do agree with you about the percentages and risks and that is a major concern and I weigh it heavily in my head. I believe I could mentally make it through.. i'm just worried about rolling an ankle or my tendonitis flaring up again.
Valion 310..... my thought about not making jets comes from hearing stories where guys finish in the top of there class and the navy simply doesn't need what they want. As far as the H-60 I don't think the navy helo pilots do too much with SEALS....i'm not positive on this but i think the SEAL I spoke to said that if they're getting into somewhere tight that they call on the Air Force Night Stalkers. Again, not positive but think i remember hearing that.
Everyone that's replied.......... Thank you very much.... I've been debating this for 7 months and every piece of advice helps. Just last week I was saying that if I had to make a decision that day i would go in enlisted SEALS... but this week I'm not so sure. As you can tell I'm torn between 2 serious choices. So..... again.... thanks for all your help.
Tom
Valion 310..... my thought about not making jets comes from hearing stories where guys finish in the top of there class and the navy simply doesn't need what they want. As far as the H-60 I don't think the navy helo pilots do too much with SEALS....i'm not positive on this but i think the SEAL I spoke to said that if they're getting into somewhere tight that they call on the Air Force Night Stalkers. Again, not positive but think i remember hearing that.
Everyone that's replied.......... Thank you very much.... I've been debating this for 7 months and every piece of advice helps. Just last week I was saying that if I had to make a decision that day i would go in enlisted SEALS... but this week I'm not so sure. As you can tell I'm torn between 2 serious choices. So..... again.... thanks for all your help.
Tom
Okay, first up, after some pimping from John, I've come to the boards, and thank goodness!
quote:
Valion 310..... my thought about not making jets comes from hearing stories where guys finish in the top of there class and the navy simply doesn't need what they want. As far as the H-60 I don't think the navy helo pilots do too much with SEALS....i'm not positive on this but i think the SEAL I spoke to said that if they're getting into somewhere tight that they call on the Air Force Night Stalkers. Again, not positive but think i remember hearing that.
Lies...LIES!!! Well, sort of. As far as SEALS using -60's, they do it all the time in the NAG. It's called VBSS, and a sniper will sit in the helo covering the team as they board a ship. Sometimes this done w/ -60H's and sometimes w/ -60B's, but it is done. Obviously what type of aircraft is used depends on the assets available and what the team needs/wants. Maybe a -46 would be better suited for something else. Also, just FYI, the Night Stalkers are the squadron made famous in Black Hawk Down. That's not to say that there aren't SEALS on Air Force birds as well, just wanted to make the clarification.
Okay, enough w/ the nitpickiness. I wish you well on your delemma (sp?). If you have the desire, and think you have the stamina (both mental and physical), I say go for SEALS. But that's something only you know. Personally, I don't think I could make it through BUDS, even if I was in perfect shape, but that's just me. How you do that (officer vs enlisted) is best left to someone more knowledgable...Just keep in mind what was said earlier; if for some reason (even by no fault of your own) you're dropped, it's back to the original A school if you go the enlisted route. That said, you'll definately be operational longer as a blue shirt.
Now you've made some comments about the helo (and aviation as a whole) community that I'm afraid just aren't accurate. First up, if you're number one out of Primary, you'll get your first choice. The chances of that NOT happening are slim. Personally, I never saw anything that contradicts that statement. What people do bitch about is coming out of Advanced and not getting the platform/location they wanted, but that's just the Navy. Not everyone can be a <fill in most desirable position>. The class that got winged before me all pretty much went to Mayport to fly -60B's, no matter what. In my class, I got my first choice. It is hit and miss to a point, but not as much as some would have you believe.
And one last thing before I step down from the soap box...Don't make a judgement on a specific platform. If you do decide to go aviation, you're going to love flying whatever the hardware is. I could have gone jets (thank god I didn't), but I chose Helo's. I absolutely love flying helo's. P-3's was certainly not my first choice either, but if I were flying them, I'm sure I'd be having fun doing that as well. Regardless, you're being paid to go turn JP-5 into noise and work w/ a fantastic group of professionals.
Good luck, and keep asking those questions. Finally, follow your gut. There aren't really any bad choices on the aviation side (well, mostly
), but if SEALs is what you want, give it a go!
quote:
Valion 310..... my thought about not making jets comes from hearing stories where guys finish in the top of there class and the navy simply doesn't need what they want. As far as the H-60 I don't think the navy helo pilots do too much with SEALS....i'm not positive on this but i think the SEAL I spoke to said that if they're getting into somewhere tight that they call on the Air Force Night Stalkers. Again, not positive but think i remember hearing that.
Lies...LIES!!! Well, sort of. As far as SEALS using -60's, they do it all the time in the NAG. It's called VBSS, and a sniper will sit in the helo covering the team as they board a ship. Sometimes this done w/ -60H's and sometimes w/ -60B's, but it is done. Obviously what type of aircraft is used depends on the assets available and what the team needs/wants. Maybe a -46 would be better suited for something else. Also, just FYI, the Night Stalkers are the squadron made famous in Black Hawk Down. That's not to say that there aren't SEALS on Air Force birds as well, just wanted to make the clarification.
Okay, enough w/ the nitpickiness. I wish you well on your delemma (sp?). If you have the desire, and think you have the stamina (both mental and physical), I say go for SEALS. But that's something only you know. Personally, I don't think I could make it through BUDS, even if I was in perfect shape, but that's just me. How you do that (officer vs enlisted) is best left to someone more knowledgable...Just keep in mind what was said earlier; if for some reason (even by no fault of your own) you're dropped, it's back to the original A school if you go the enlisted route. That said, you'll definately be operational longer as a blue shirt.
Now you've made some comments about the helo (and aviation as a whole) community that I'm afraid just aren't accurate. First up, if you're number one out of Primary, you'll get your first choice. The chances of that NOT happening are slim. Personally, I never saw anything that contradicts that statement. What people do bitch about is coming out of Advanced and not getting the platform/location they wanted, but that's just the Navy. Not everyone can be a <fill in most desirable position>. The class that got winged before me all pretty much went to Mayport to fly -60B's, no matter what. In my class, I got my first choice. It is hit and miss to a point, but not as much as some would have you believe.
And one last thing before I step down from the soap box...Don't make a judgement on a specific platform. If you do decide to go aviation, you're going to love flying whatever the hardware is. I could have gone jets (thank god I didn't), but I chose Helo's. I absolutely love flying helo's. P-3's was certainly not my first choice either, but if I were flying them, I'm sure I'd be having fun doing that as well. Regardless, you're being paid to go turn JP-5 into noise and work w/ a fantastic group of professionals.
Good luck, and keep asking those questions. Finally, follow your gut. There aren't really any bad choices on the aviation side (well, mostly
), but if SEALs is what you want, give it a go!- Status