Concur.

The funny thing is that they're all thinking right now, "He can't mean me. He must be talking about those OTHER guys..." :rolleyes:

The same idiots do that on the Ranger School videos. First, some of them think SF and the Rangers are the same thing and then there are wannabe Marines who keep posting about how Marine basic is just as hard as Ranger School....

Instant communication and anonymity breed stupidity.

Buyer beware, these are the cats who are trying to make it to "your team".

Where are you in the pipeline?

Cadre in question? Wait for it, ready....

SFC Gallant.

He lived in the boat house at MacKall. Fact vs. Fiction. SFC Gallant caught me crossing the road at a diagonal, I heard tires on dirt, he arriving by motorcyle. He was known to coasting in on neutral, lights out only to kick students in the back for running the roads. I ditched in the bushes, this was before reflective vests, chem lights or any surveillance/tracking sytems. Land nav was a extension of patroling, and not being seen by cadre was a bonus. We had more students fail land nav for leaving weapons behind.

When SFC Gallant asked for my roster number, all I said was, "I wont lie, but if you can catch me, I'm yours, but I'm ready to fight". All SFC Gallant said was, "Move out".

Months later, he shook my hand crossing the stage.

Who needs roads?
As I recall, there were pretty nice trails running parallel to the roads about 25 meter into the woods. The herd instinct . . . like wildebeest heading to water.

Those "trails" are now mined or over grown with the dead bodies of "SF Candidates" used for fertilizer.

TS

Flashbacks
 

Seems like the course has not changed much since it first started.

It gave me a flashback to my younger days. For those of you still trying to make it through SFAS, this might be an example of what it takes to make it through:

I went through SFAS in April 89, which I believe was the first SFAS class after the name change from SFOT. I was, for the most part, a young kid at age 23 compared to the average candidate. It seems most of the guys I was there with had been in a few years, several had been in a Ranger BAT or with division (82nd) and had been in Grenada.

I was not a Rep 63 having spent three years in the Marine Corps infantry, but I sometimes felt like one since I knew little about the Army or SF at the time. So I tried to keep my mouth shut and learn and give everything I had.

I had made it through the individual gateways with no problems. Luckily I was in good shape and was good at reading a map. I survived the team events, and I look back over the last 25 years and I can say those were some of the toughest 8-10 days of my career.

On the morning of the last day (did not know it was the last day then,) we started out on an individual road march in the very early morning long before the sun came up. As always we never knew how far or how fast we needed to go-"This is a timed event candidate. Do your best."

I was walking inclines and jogging the declines and flat ground and was a couple hours into it when I came to a steep decline. I was trying to be careful, but in the dark, I hit a deep rut from the recent rain and turned my ankle. I ended up in the ditch, but knew I needed to get up and walk it off or I was done. Somehow I got to my feet and tried to walk it off. I never really did. I sucked it up for the next several hours and I would say at least 10 miles. I never stopped moving after that because I knew I was in danger of never getting back up. I thought about stopping and taking my boot off to look at it, but I could feel the swelling and knew that was a bad idea and I would never get my boot back on.

Finally after several miles and I don't know how many hours, I made it to the end point. By the time I got there I was barely moving and dragging my foot. A couple of guys helped me get my ruck and my tired ass in the back of the truck and all I could think of was that I had came so far only to not make it because of bad luck. I had convinced myself that I was not going to try again.

We got back to Bragg to the SWC area (it was over by the Joel dental clinic then) and a medic took one look at my foot and they took me to Womack (the old one.) I still remember the face of the female doc who came in to check me out-lol. I think all the broken blisters on my shredded feet scared her more than my ankle. And I am sure I did not smell that great either. She was kind of hot though after spending three weeks at Mackall.

They took x-rays and found that my ankle was fractured. They put me in a temporary cast to immobilize it until the swelling went down and I could get in to see an ortho specialist.

I got a ride back to the SWC area and was told to move out (on crutches and a cast) to the "code room." When I got there one of the cadre stopped me and asked me what I was doing. I told him I had just got back from Womack and had broken my ankle on the road march. He said "No shit-what is your Roster number" and looked at the white tape on my cargo pocket before I could reply. He pulled out a green notebook and said "Congratulations-you have been selected" and shook my hand and told me to get my ass inside.

In reading through some of the post here-I think this post was about me:

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...&postcount=679


If not, some other unlucky bastard went through the same crap.

All I can say for you guys who are going to the course is to NEVER QUIT-no matter what. That advice goes even after you make it and have completed the Q course.

Good. did it yourself, I bet.
Not that I ever used 'em. Heard about 'em from the Nigeria guy.;)

Some very interesting things happen in SFAS, that's no doubt. One of the funniest things I ever saw in my life was on the last day orienteering course.

I was cruising down one of the tank trails (Feb '91 roads were okay...STAR was in Phase 1 [13]) about 45 minutes into the course headed to my 2nd point and feeling good. I see a dude sitting beside the road ahead of me with his road guard vest over his ruck, boots off, shirt off, feet propped up on rucksack, grubbing on an MRE.

No talking or encouraging was allowed back then, but I asked if he needed medical attention so I could tell cadre at my next point and he didn't reply, so I kept truckin.

A couple of seconds later a silver Dodge D-50 rolls up and I hear one of the cadre roll up and ask, "You ok candidate?"

To which the candidate responded, "F*** you, this is bull****. I quit."

Enos told the dude, "Throw your s*** in the truck then."

The dude got into the back of the truck and said , "It's your s***, you throw it in the truck" and that's about all I heard.

I've used those words, "F*** you, this is bulls***. I quit," many times since then in various situations, but have never been able to get the same effect he did. It was at the time the funniest thing I could have possibly heard and boosted my morale greatly.

The course looks about the same as it was but a week shorter, with the STAR instead of orienteering forEVER, and the yelling thing...meh could do without that. ALL the cadre used to say was "Do your best."

It was fun seeing that stuff, especially the clowns with the hanging sandman. I remember a team in my class did that too and they didn't come in until after midnight that night...of course we carried 2 then, not 1 and a box.

Man, I was a tool in SFAS. It's a wonder I got selected from some of the stupid stuff I did. I must have gave all the right answers at the interview.

It's a good thing, because if I had not gotten selected on the first run I was definitely NOT doing it again. Definitely the hardest thing I ever did outside of combat operations.

I think we started with 280ish and finished with 80ish. I think all but a few got selected. It snowed and sleeted the whole freaking time...terrible experience for me. I finished the final longrange movement on a broken foot that bothered me daily from then until the day it got chopped off.

Merry Christmas & be safe,
Randy

I really wish I could find this online. I missed its initial showing and I'll be at WLC for the next.

Amen to That one!!

Yes he did, he was in my old battalion. Reported into the Q a few months after me. Relieved while still in student company for being late and lying to the cadre.

:confused:

This time and date is now listed on the discovery site for the next airing. It will also air at 11pm. I personally am glad I will miss seeing it. Have fun for all that will watch.

Read his profile dude.

If you have a question ask it. However if that smiley is all you can muster for a response I suggest you not respond in the future.

Go do PT...

Crip

Common sense tells us the reason why "BUD's" and now "Two Weeks of Hell" aired was because recruiting numbers are down and Uncle Sam needed something tasty to draw candidates. Leave it to commercialism to dramatize the experience and give armchair critics our reality T.V.

I don’t want to sound rude but I’m a little disappointed to see DOD commercializing another of the U.S. military’s ‘elite’ secret societies (It was truly entertaining and I will watch it again on January 14). IMHO all spec ops and selection processes need always remain secret. The story of the families and members who've earned their respected rites of passage should be shrouded in secrecy and received from outsiders as rumor or legend.

I’d prefer to be spoken of and compared to mystic creatures (like Bigfoot) of which fanatical people are in search of but never see.

Sodalitas, professionals.

Dr. M

I don't think that's the case. My understanding is that recruiting numbers are at an all time high - thanks to a crappy economy....

Yep, one of my guys in the Guard was trying to go Active, they had no real interest, they said their numbers are good..kind of odd they would not want some experience?

Also the latest Army Times stated numbers are high..

The Army as a whole should be good on numbers, thanks to the economy. I have seen that the retention rate was over 300% of stated goals, also the number of age 30 plus new Soldiers is growing dramaticaly. One of the guys on my team is 40 years old and has a J.D.

A future public servant or politician maybe? Clocking time in the Army for experience will curtainly put him above his peers later when he runs for office.

Or maybe having a degree, is just that, a degree. One must live life to enjoy it.

Wrong, try again.

By the way, this is on right now for anyone that missed it the first time.

I won't miss it this time. :munchin

I watched it. Looks like fun in a challenging sense.

They mentioned during the show that the city dwellers tend to have a difficult time with night navigation and I was curious as to what causes them the problems and why.

Because they are afraid of the dark and afraid of water.

You have got to be joshing me...

QP's don't kid! ;)

You'd be surprised how many people are afraid of the dark - which is, I think, a very inate response of we humans. There are SO many people afraid of water, as I find often in my scuba diving instructions.

Why does this fact surprise you????

Ever see the panic when the lights go off in a city??

Those boys are never without lights. It is a basic part of their makeup.

Water is for drinking and not walking. Walking in water drowns people.

These are not my made up answers, they were expressed by more than one city folk. :munchin

Hey hey.... easy now.
I happen to be from a "city" and I love the water. I just don't like wet boots.

As for the dark... well, there are more critters here than in the Ft. Bragg immediate area. Florida panthers (rare but still there), hogs, lots of snakes, and lots of fire-ants fill the "woods" around here.

If I've done my research correctly, the most dangerous things around Ft. Bragg (besides the obvious) are bears, and about 5 different kinds of snakes. Assorted rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouths, and coral snakes. Anything else I'm missing?

A quick search will turn up a whole bevy of critters. :munchin :D

Don't forget fauna's sister flora while you are at it.

Roger that.

I can semi-understand the dark, if you've never been outside or an outdoorsy kind of person and are unfamiliar with "sounds". I think most of it hinges on people letting their minds get the better of them though. At least that's what I found when people freaked out in the water.

You should see people on their first night dive in open water - far from land! The "Jaws" theme music is playing in their head, and I have had them drip nervous sweat on me as I waited in the dark water for their giant stride off the swim platform.

Me... I've always kind of liked the dark. We ugly guys look better! :D

You're missing the draw monster... so I hear.

The young adult raising Pot on federal property and eager to take your issued weapon knowing you have no ammo.

Pay attention during all safety briefings, good luck.

I understood failure for sleeping, physical inability......

But the Night Navigation my reaction/dismay was it is one thing to be out in the woods with nothing and have no idea who, what or where....they have a map, a compass and a head lamp to read the map which is like GOLD!!! They have an abundance of sticks to test for water depth and maybe logs to use for floats if need be. If you make enough noise in the brush most critters will steer clear of you.

So my surprise....I took for granted that those that made it to SFAS were beyond that fear and/or would have been aware of what they had available to them. But I forget that every City Kid doesn't have the opportunity to play in the woods, or parents that promote such activity.

But I am still a bit perplexed that one would apply for a job/function that they know requires such activities, when they have a extreme fear of such activities.

Made it to SFAS? Doesn't take much to make it "to" SFAS.

It's the same with the guys on the show who thought they could overcome their fear of heights on Nasty Nick. SFAS is designed to identify these type of weaknesses.

Also, the ability of honest self-critique in order to identify your possible weaknesses beforehand goes a long way, but most men will never even come close to replicating what SFAS will present. Yeah, they might think their fear is not that big an issue... but combine that with all the other factors, and the fear that would ordinarily just raise your BP a couple points, now makes you unable to function.

But, take it from me, city boys can do just fine out there, but they still hate ticks attaching themselves on body parts they have no business being near. Not cool.

It must be in our blood or something in the water.

Before I has fallen asleep, one night my youngst (at the time, aged 6.5 yrs.) came into my room and slowly moved onto the bed covering my mouth with a gloved hand. He asked in a whisper, "Am I getting better at sneaking up on you?"

"Your doing fine son, now go back to bed".

All the snakes and other assorted animals didn't bother me one bit...but I had the misfortune of running into a spider web in the middle of the night...with my face...I'm pretty certain that monster is still in my hair or on my back somewhere.

Somewhere out there is about 500 meters of a pace count that got lost when I hit the web.

Even on the boob tube Nasty Nick got me puckering a bit. I respect height and ladders...mild fear ;) add some sleep deprivation and physical fatigue it could become a bigger obstacle than it would normally be.

Pass or fail, the amount of self knowledge one can gain is huge.