Build and SF
 

Hey guys i'm new to the forum and can't tell you how glad I am to have found a community such as this. Anyhow I have searched the forum extensively and haven't been able to find any topics or information regarding height and weight. I am a smaller guy at 5'7" 135 lbs. I can tell you that when it comes to ruck marches and carrying gear my size won't be a problem as I am an avid hiker (I did 300 miles on the Appalachian trail this summer) I can easily move at a 4-5 mph pace with a 45lb pack on my back atm and i'm positive that with more training I can carry more. However, I am wondering if when it comes to being selected I would be looked down upon as a candidate simply due to my size. I would like to think that when it comes to SF selection its like the old saying "its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog." However I do realize that at a certain point it boils down to practicality.

My fingers are crossed that I don't get blasted by The Reaper.

Chuck

As a sophomore, you need to concentrate on the 25 yd target for the next several yrs. It looks like you have a full plate, if you are the Chuckarthy that has registered on so many internet sites.

Do well in school and after your other school activities, read and absorb here.

As to size of the applicants trying to get into SFAS and Special Forces??

While physical strengths carry the body thru the process,, the mind is the key to a successful completion of the course.

Good Luck & Welcome to PS.com..

:lifter

Some of the toughest guys I had the pleasure of knowing are small guys. As JJ said, it's a mind set.

I will say, get used to carrying far more weight than 45lbs, even as an 11B you'll carry heavier loads than that..

5'7" and 135 lbs is small...I know...that's five pounds lighter than I was when I went through SFQC...4-5 mph with a 45 lbs rucksack isn't quite the standard...

When I went through the training, the cadre was indifferent to my size...it never came up...

The average load of an 82nd Airborne infantryman in theater is in excess of 130 pounds.

I do not recommend training with that weight, but it is reality.

How much of your share of the team gear do you think your fellow team members should have to carry for you?

If you are in good shape at 135 pounds, you had best be the strongest 135 pound man on the planet, and be able to buddy carry the heaviest guy on your team when you have to.

TR

I do not completely agree with TR...but at 135, you'd better be strong, you'd better be tough and you'd better be the best guy on the team at something crucial...

That said, I could buddy carry Tiny Young (RIP) and my Ranger buddy had been a linebacker at a Division II school...you have to carry your share of the load...

Roger that.

Didn't say the individual's weight would be a show stopper in and of itself. His ability to carry his share of the load would be.

We had a guy on one of my teams who weighed 135-145 pounds, but he had proven himself in the 82nd and brought a ton of resources with him when he came to the team. He could hump his share and then some, and had a heart the size of Texas. But if he had been 180 pounds in the same condition, it would have been a lot easier for him.

TR

We had an 18D go through the Q with me, St Augustine or something like that who was all of 5'4" on a good day. A sight to see him with an M5 bag on top of his ALICE, from the back all you could see were a pair of jungle boots. He had no problem and as far as I know had a good hitch in 2/10. Oh ya he only had one nut, car accident, don't even ask how that came up in conversation.

No argument there...and the truth be known, I was an engineer sergeant on a detachment at 145 or so and a detachment commander at 165...165 was better...

I'm either 5'7" or 5'8" depending on who's doing the measuring and weighed about 140 while going through the course. One of the other Captains in my class was about 5'4" on a good day. Are there things you have to overcome? Sure. Is it doable? Sure.

*first off I realize that the rules are only QP's can post in this part of the forum however I am unsure if this counts for my own thread. So ill post this and if it breaks the rules let me know and ill be sure not to do it again.

Haha yeah those registrations are a combination of both my brother and me, however the college app stuff is me. Anyhow I am in college now and can tell you that I quite honestly am flat out bored with school. I am literally thinking about taking the next semester studying 2 languages intensely to the point where I can become fluent and then enlisting (much to the displeasure of my parents I might add). I appreciate your answers and will continue training like a maniac. You can imagine the looks i've been getting running around an upper class suburb with a log suspended above my head.

Two things you should probably do:
1. Go buy "Get Selected" and follow the training model in the book. Also there's a whole section on this board that talks about PT. The thing you want to do is train smart - be effective but also not trash your body. You'll get plenty of time to do that in the Infantry and (if you make it) SF.

2. If you're bored, get FM7-8 and a Ranger handbook. Know small unit tactics. It will help you in any combat unit.


Good luck. Now do some push ups... :lifter

Sometimes it's better to blend in on target then stick out. You don't want to be that tall guy standing among a bunch of Jundies. We had a WO get shot in the back of his helmet on target.

Being "to" tall is one way of standing out in the crowd,,

Being "to" loud and overly boisterous is another way...

Being "to" anything can get you "to" much exposure...

Perfecting a low profile in all things is good...

:munchin:cool:

PS: Do you use para cord to suspend that LOG over your head??

From what is this log suspended?:rolleyes:

Ability to communicate clearly and correctly in written form is another valuable skill you'll need.