06-04-2012, 11:29
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#1
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Guest
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An SF Soldier's skillset
Quiet Professionals,
I've been reading the forum as well as SOCnet in order to learn about SF and have encountered a bit of a puzzle.
An SF Soldier has a clearly varied skill set allowing them to undertake a wide variety of operations ranging from DA to FID.
Many posts will indicate, though, that an SF soldier on an ODA is a "shooter" first and foremost before they are anything else (not unlike other SOF units). Their MOS will indicate what skills they possess in addition to that.
Another post indicated the opposite and stated that an SF soldier has a variety of skills and that shooting is an important of it but they are much more skilled at teaching.
Another QP stated that SF soldiers can do what members of any other SOF unit can do and that this may lead to people believing that they are a "Jack of All Trades, Master of None" and that this is not necessarily true but did not elaborate further.
So, which one of these statements is correct? Maybe I'm looking at it from the wrong viewpoint and all of them could be correct as I have seen a QP note that each ODA is different from the other and so each of these statements is correct in a way as the QPs had a different set of experiences.
Regards,
P
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06-04-2012, 12:04
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#2
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NorCal
Posts: 15,370
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Yes.
And so it goes...
Richard 
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“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)… There are just some kind of men who – who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” - To Kill A Mockingbird (Atticus Finch)
“Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” - Robert Heinlein
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Richard is offline
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06-04-2012, 13:04
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#3
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 568
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard
Yes.
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I concur.
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Every man has three characters: that which he shows, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has.
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head is offline
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06-04-2012, 13:06
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#4
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Ft. Bragg
Posts: 2,942
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I was going to say "usually," but "yes" suffices.
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"Somebody should put that quote on a T-shirt:
Muslim phrase: "Aloha Snackbar!"
English translation: "Draw, Mother-F*cker!""
-TOMAHAWK9521
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1stindoor is offline
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06-04-2012, 13:06
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#5
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BANNED USER
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,751
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I like the "teacher" part but you better be able to shoot if you want to teach later. And I've always felt pretty comfortable around the various SF MOS's doing thier jobs, expertly.
I never liked that "Jack of All Trades; Master of None" crap. Seemed like I heard it mostly from people who didn't want to take the time/exert the effort to become a Master.
Quiet Professionals don't let a little thing like ignorance get in the way.
Battalion Commander gave a team a mission in a far away place with a short lead time. Someone ventured the assessment of "ah Sir, I don't think we actually know how to work those things . . .
LTC pointed out, "Ya'll can READ, right? Ya'll gonna be on a plane for 16 hours." As a matter of fact everyone could read and 16 hours is plenty of time to figure out how to operate something and rehearse and rehearse and rehearse. . .
When it's needed now, it doesn't have to be perfect it has to be right. And that is NOT being a Jack of All Trades, Master of None"
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Dozer523 is offline
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06-04-2012, 13:11
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#6
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Quiet Professional (RIP)
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Carriere,Ms.
Posts: 6,922
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dozer523
I like the "teacher" part but you better be able to shoot if you want to teach later. And I've always felt pretty comfortable around the various SF MOS's doing thier jobs, expertly.
I never liked that "Jack of All Trades; Master of None" crap. Seemed like I heard it mostly from people who didn't want to take the time/exert the effort to become a Master.
Quiet Professionals don't let a little thing like ignorance get in the way.
Battalion Commander gave a team a mission in a far away place with a short lead time. Someone ventured the assessment of "ah Sir, I don't think we actually know how to work those things . . .
LTC pointed out, "Ya'll can READ, right? Ya'll gonna be on a plane for 16 hours." As a matter of fact everyone could read and 16 hours is plenty of time to figure out how to operate something and rehearse and rehearse and rehearse. . .
When it's needed now, it doesn't have to be perfect it has to be right. And that is NOT being a Jack of All Trades, Master of None"
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"Yes".......  
Big Teddy
__________________
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
SFA M-2527, Chapter XXXVII
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greenberetTFS is offline
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06-04-2012, 14:50
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#7
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Up in a Mountain Patrol Base, away-away / provides-provides and defendable for a short period of time
Posts: 532
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An ODA is 12 guys that can (and often do) any damn thing!
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“Use teamwork and control. A squad without teamwork and control is nothing more than a small mob with weapons. Success depends on a high level of teamwork and control within the squad.” — pg. 3-596 STP 7-11BCHM-SM-TG
“Let’s go Brandon!” — Kelli Stavast
"...I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere.” — Thomas Jefferson
When the Revolution goes “live”, the People I’m worried about, are NOT the People I worry about. — Me
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bubba is offline
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06-04-2012, 15:25
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#8
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 4,083
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SFOD-A
A deliberate set of highly trained individuals capable of working together as a team in remote, varied, and austere environments with or without other forces to accomplish missions of national and strategic import.
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The two most powerful warriors are patience and time - Leo Tolstoy
It's Never Crowded Along the Extra Mile - Wayne Dyer
WOKE = Willfully Overlooking Known Evil
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MR2 is offline
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06-04-2012, 15:32
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#9
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: NorCal
Posts: 15,370
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dozer523
I never liked that "Jack of All Trades; Master of None" crap.
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We used to claim "A Jack of all trades; a master of some."
Richard
__________________
“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)… There are just some kind of men who – who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” - To Kill A Mockingbird (Atticus Finch)
“Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” - Robert Heinlein
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Richard is offline
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06-04-2012, 15:47
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#10
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 568
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Masters of whatever trade is needed at the time.
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Every man has three characters: that which he shows, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has.
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head is offline
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06-04-2012, 16:40
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#11
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RIP Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: The Ozarks
Posts: 10,072
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Quote:
Originally Posted by head
Masters of whatever trade is needed at the time.
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That's it right there.
Adaptable to any environment, situation or skill required as a team alone, with a trained ancillary force or one that must be trained to accomplish a given mission.
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"There you go, again." Ronald Reagan
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Dusty is offline
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06-04-2012, 16:53
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#12
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Western New York State
Posts: 318
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The kinda skill-set / mind-set possessed by Rowan. Yes.
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Enlightenment comes with age. In SF we cannot wait for aged enlightenment to be successful. We need to be successful now. This means hunt out education, seek advice from experts, become an expert, and never stop learning. Never let your ego keep you from asking questions! Pass on your knowledge! (Pistol Pete)
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Destrier is offline
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06-04-2012, 18:16
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#13
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Occupied America....
Posts: 4,740
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Given your three possible choices, which we will call options A, B and C....
We choose "D"
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Ret10Echo is offline
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06-04-2012, 18:22
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#14
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Fayetteville NC
Posts: 3,533
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The problem here is that no individual is a master of all, thus we have team. Of which, all the skill sets come together in a cohesive group of motivated individuals with the mind set to do just about anything. The team can be broken into 2 six man, 3 four man, or even 4 three man. Each division slightly diminishes the whole but with proper planning by team daddy and leader the objective will easily be met.
If the mission requires a shooter skill set then the team can do it. If the mission is UW/FID then the team can do it through the ability to teach. While each individual in the team cannot do it all the team as a whole can do most if not all.
Too much emphasis on individual, SF is based on the team, the ODA, the A Team, not the individual.
MOO, and my 2 cents on this one.
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Hold Hard guys
Rick B.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing it is great on a hamburger but not so great sticking one up your ass.
Author - Richard.
Experience is what you get right after you need it.
Author unknown. 
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longrange1947 is offline
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06-05-2012, 03:57
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#15
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 554
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Don’t Let the Perfect be the Enemy of the Good – Voltaire
DB
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