As a "current" AWF Aircrew "man," I'd like to address a couple concerns with your thoughts on being a Naval Aircrewman. You state you don't think you "have the mental capacity" to complete Rescue Swimmer school. Perhaps you are not familiar with the training pipeline for a "dry" Aircrewman. All Aircrew start out their training at Naval Aircrewman Candidate School, which is about five weeks. At this school, you will be required to be able to swim a mile in a flight suit and boots in addition to other water survival tests. The school is centered around physical fitness-both in and out of the water. IF you finish this school, you are NOT a Naval Aircrewman. You will have to complete an academically centered "A" school depending on your rate, AWF, AWO, AWS, etc (2-6 months). IF you finish this school, you will receive orders to a Fleet Replacement Squadron for the aircraft you are assigned to. This training will be 6-12 months depending on the platform consisting of a combination of classroom instruction and flight/sim events. IF you complete this training, you will generally receive orders to SERE school in route to your first operational squadron; however, you will not yet be a designated Naval Aircrewman. You will have generally have from 12-18 months to fully qualify in your job at which point you will finally be designated a Naval Aircrewman (after you complete the PQS for the warfare device). That being said, having the "mental capacity" to stay engaged for the first three years of your Naval career will determine whether or not you MAY be cut out for the job. So when you say "I don't think I can deal with all that training," and "I wanna be an Aircrewman but just don't feel like going through all that extensive training...," red flags go up all over the place-it doesn't matter the job you are referring to. Even if you decide to just enlist in the Navy in a non-special program rate, you will be training constantly throughout your career.
On another subject, let me ask you a question. Did you walk into the fire department off the street and start calling the veterans "brother" and using terms like, "I don't mean to sound like an a-hole but xyz?" I doubt it. Everyone chiming in to answer your questions has "been there, done that" and are trying to get you on the right page in your decision making process. When someone who is likely a prior Rescue Swimmer and/or current Naval Officer tells you rescue swimmers are not SPECWAR, they may know what they are talking about (even more than the RECRUITING website you referenced). Humility, even in the face of harsh correction, will serve you well.
Finally, I want you to know that you are likely selling yourself short. At 22, you are not old. When placed in a precarious situation, we are often able to accomplish things we never thought possible. Rescue swimmer school does not look for reasons to kick people out. Conversely, the instructor's job is to bring out people's strengths mentally and physically. They don't hold your hand, but the course progresses at a pace reasonably obtainable by the majority of candidates. The Navy has billets that need to be filled; effective training programs keep our special programs communities manned. The choice is yours; either man up and join an exclusive community with an "all in" mindset, or regret not trying (in 10-15 years).
