yes

Now I understand it now is that an SF soldier and, more importantly, an ODA will adapt to any given situation and pick up the needed skills accordingly. Allowing them to do whatever they need to to complete an objective.

Thus, the question of shooting vs. teaching is moot as an ODA will complete the objective, regardless.

Thank you for the replies, everybody.

How can you teach a topic, if you are not proficient in it yourself, grasshopper?

TR

Our 'mindset' was "I read the book and saw the movie...I can do it!" ;)

Richard :munchin

Now a days Richard wrote the book and produced the movie.

I was asking myself the same question earlier, but it has since been cleared up for me as a result of this thread.

It is interesting to note, though, that it was a QP that said SF soldiers are better at teaching something than they are at doing it themselves. That's really what puzzled me the most.

The only sense I can make of that is-since it's a given that the SF Instructor has to be an expert in whatever subject he teaches in order to do so-the instruction itself generates an exponential increase in force for the host. In that aspect, the bloc of instruction is actually better than just having one Green Beret around.

That's not what he seemed to be saying but it may have been what he meant to say but simply didn't necessarily word it correctly.

I've been trying to find the post but its quite difficult to pinpoint one post with keywords such as "teaching" and "Special Forces" on a SOCnet.

If I find it, I'll post it here.

None the less, I received the answer to my question. :)

Young Tiger

I believe that SF is a 'calling' - not too different from the calling missionaries I know received. I knew instantly that it was for me, and that I would do all I could to achieve it. Most others I know in SF experienced something similar. If, as you say, you HAVE searched and read, and you do not KNOW if this is the path for you --- it is not....
Zonie Diver

SF is a calling and it requires commitment and dedication that the uninitiated will never understand......
Jack Moroney

Words of wisdom from the best of the best.......;) :D :cool:

Big Teddy :munchin

A trip
 

Our team went on a trip one time and we were required to do some construction that required heavy earth moving equipment.

We found some heavy equipment at the local SeeBee Detachment - but they didn't have any operators - dang, there's that operators word again. The Navy would drop the equipment off, give a short class on how they worked and pick them up when we were done.

Both 18C's informed me they didn't have any heavy equipment experience.

I told them I was the Team Sergeant not the 18C and they best get to it. They did - and did a right passable job of it.

One of the medics on my A team in Thailand got pissed off watching a local national trying to use a bulldozer to clear the forest around Nam Pung Dam. He was a lumber jack in a previous life. He took over the machine and proceeded to do twice the work in about half the time. It caused a big stink because the local machine operator(sorry Pete) lost face and filed a complaint...

I know it wasn't Strange Ed - he wasn't ever a lumberjack - he was a moron in his previous life, too. ;)

And how many chickens did that one cost Uncle Sam...

Richard :munchin

Try reading "A Message to Garcia".......;)

Big Teddy :munchin

As has been pointed out, we come from varied backgrounds and experiences. If you looked at the list of schools a "Green Beret" attends you might be very surprised, few schools are closed to us.
We are also selected from all services, ethnic backgrounds and nationalities, just about anyone can attempt to become one of us but few make mental and physical cut.
We are highly selective in who earns the right to wear the Green Beret and for good reason, there's only one unit in the entire US military trained to , live behind enemy lines, and overthrow governments, just one. ;)

And I would agree there's very little an A-Team cannot accomplish if given the task.;)