This may be a dumb question, BUT....

[Sapper!]

Sapper, the Army has six Airborne BCTs (1-4/82, 4/25, 173), and that number will likely decrease.

Don't know how this discussion continues. If Cajun's desire is to go to jump school look at the ground combat forces, rather than the Navy reserve.

DIRCOM folks going to jump school ir kicking in doors are definitely the exception.

Yes I didn't say anything about brigade sized elements, just making the point that large level echelons that are not made entirely of combat arms specialties have jump school at their disposal. The 173 etc etc are the actual high speed door kickers. Bottom line is, he was looking to get into the school, he can definitely give it a shot because the openings are there, albeit probably just hard to get one in USNR. I know in any enlistment on the Army side you can probably land a jump school slot if you ask for it enough. Being part of ground forces has nothing to do with jump school if you want to go, remember the parent unit pays for it so if the army approves, you go.

 

[lmnop]

Bottom line is, he was looking to get into the school, he can definitely give it a shot because the openings are there, albeit probably just hard to get one in USNR. I know in any enlistment on the Army side you can probably land a jump school slot if you ask for it enough. Being part of ground forces has nothing to do with jump school if you want to go, remember the parent unit pays for it so if the army approves, you go.

You're comparing the Army and the Navy processes for getting a jump school billet, which is sort of an apples and footballs comparison. On the Navy side of things you generally need to be assigned to a unit with a jump mission in order to score a slot at school. If you are assigned to a unit which has a jump mission, your priority for a slot will be generally be based on your billet. Guys with jump coded billets will get slots ahead of those that will just be getting a 'good deal'. Shrinking budgets and limited TADTAR dollars are going to make it less and less likely that guys and gals without a valid need for the qual are going to get it.

 

[vxc961]

Ragin- pretty much impossible from my experience, but there are some good suggestions here and you should keep trying. I was on a carrier with orders to a Special Boat Unit, and got the Engineer to say "sure, we'll pay for orders for you...figure it out". He helped, but it was foreign and bizarre to everyone in the big Navy that it never went anywhere. When I got to the SBU, they were starting to send lots of guys to jump school, but as a SWO you just don't have the time, you're not at the top of the list, and it seemed like there was a pretty good backlog. I looked around in the reserves for any way possible too, called the Navy POC at Benning (nice guy, but zero help). I finally started contacting USMCR units--to be clear, I didn't call them up and say "hi! Will you send me to jump school?" I was pretty disappointed with the professionalism of the USNR, and thought a Marine unit might be more to my liking. The Force Recon unit in Alameda had vacant slots for Navy LDOs, but wasn't interested in putting a URL in them (or filling the billets, it seemed like). The ANGLICO unit seemed promising, but at that point my dreams of parachuting into a Central American jungle and killing communists had subsided to the point that I wasn't willing to travel that far for a billet. So... I'd say that maybe if you can get to a joint unit or something, you *might* have a chance? Good luck!

 

[phrogdriver]

Just stay on the correct side of the line as far as "taking advantage of an opportunity" and "being the pain in the ass guy who keeps asking to go to an unnecessary school."

There's no legitimate need for you to go, if I'm reading your story correctly. So, the avenue is going to be--excess TAD dollars at your unit + a vacant slot at the school. See if there's a vacant slot and then start working the dollars. If it's the end of the FY, maybe things will go your way. Just don't be a pain in the ass about it.

You want adventure training, I'm sure you could swing a slot at SERE school!

 

[vxc961]

I'm with Phrogdriver--SERE is a great, great school. You don't get a pin to put on your hat as old man, but it's an experience.

 

[phrogdriver]

There was a Marine Cpl in my class who worked in DFAS Kansas City. SERE school was her reenlistment incentive. Odd choice, to my mind.

 

[gotta_fly]

There was a Marine Cpl in my class who worked in DFAS Kansas City. SERE school was her reenlistment incentive. Odd choice, to my mind.

Weird, I would've thought NOT going to SERE would be a much better incentive.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

 

[Becks]

On a related note, I hold foreign jump wings from an appoved country in AR 670-1. I wonder if I could swing that into qualifying for the Navy wear of the parachute badge.

"MILPERSMAN 1220-030"
U.S. Army Basic Airborne Course,
U.S. Army Basic Military Free-Fall Parachutist Course, or
other training certified by Chief of Naval Education and Training
(CNET) or approved by the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO).

Any ideas?