Thinking of trying to be a seal

[Calistar 0]

Hi, Im new here. I dont have Operation Flashpoint because my computer cant handle it, but Im getting a new computer soon and plan on getting it. A friend of mine told me to come here because a lot of members are/were in some branch of the military so I could come here and ask some questions.

See, I want to either be a Navy SEAL(which I know is very hard) or be in Delta force. So I got a few questions to ask you guys.

1. If I choose to be in Delta force, how would I go about doing that at my recruiter? What kind of job would I pick? etc.

2. Is it possible to be in Delta force for a while, then later on in my life join the SEALs?

3. Im 15 and I want to really train myself before I make any decisions. What type of exercises should I do? How many sets of how many reps aswell?

4. What type of things should I know before I enlist?

Thats all the questions I have for now. Thanks.

[dayglow 2]

no experience, but if you want to try I'd read some books writen by guys that have done it. Their stories of the selection process would give you an idea of what you need to do. It's not so much if you are a super athlete because they will push you beyond any training will do, but instead it's how tough mentaly you are. Are you willing to keep going 24+ hours after your body says stop? Basically get the most cardo you can. Be able to run forever then do it again.

COLINMAN

[Jester983 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">1. If I choose to be in Delta force, how would I go about doing that at my recruiter? What kind of job would I pick? etc.

<span id='postcolor'>

From what i hear. You cant go into delta force just by saying to a recruiter that you want to be in it. I hear that they watch you. And if they see you might be a canidate then they call you up. Im not totally sure. DF is one of the toughest special ops to get into. Not sure how much a recruiter could tell you. And as far as i know i dont think anyone here was in DF. Maybe im wrong. Id read up on them.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">2. Is it possible to be in Delta force for a while, then later on in my life join the SEALs?

<span id='postcolor'>

Probably, (again not totally sure). Hope that helps some. Im not in the military but would like to be one day.

Also, Just to help your markmanship go out and have your parents get you a gun (after taking safety courses) and start shooting. Great hobby and fun. If you have been doing that keep it up. Itll be good for you when you get on the rifle range.

[Mister Frag 0]

In particular, get a copy of "The Warrior Elite : The Forging of Seal Class 228" by Dick Couch and Cliff Hollenbeck. Dick Couch was a SEAL himself, and was granted unprecedented access to Class 228 during their journey to becoming SEALS.

Even if you get into the SEAL training program, making it all the way through Hell Week will be incredibly tough. If you have a problem with pain or discomfort, don't bother.

[FSPilot 0]

When you're exercising make sure you don't just focus on pushups or situps. you should try to balance your muscle. its hard for me to explain, ask someone who works at your gym about it. i just know it's bad to have a weak back but good abs.

and run, good for a lot of things.

[IceFire 0]

Actually I'm not sure since I am not military, but I think you can get into Delta Force after you are a SEAL.

It's not true that Delta is just US Army. Members of any US Armed service can go Delta and retain their Service membership I believe. But then again I'm not sure.

As for excercise, I think pretty much running is the main thing. You should be able to do ALOT of pushups and situps and pullups too.

But running is the main excercise and endurance test of miltary organizations around the globe. Gradually develop the ability to run as far and as long as possible.

And as for taking pain and discomfort. You should be mentally prepared for that later on. The only main thing you should be prepared about after being physically fit is being willing to KEEP ON GOING NO MATTER WHAT. Will power and determination is the only real thing that will get you through. That's what they say. No matter what happens, NEVER QUIT.

If you do that you will probably LEARN to get used to pain and discomfort during training. Don't worry about that now, the instructors should have that in mind for you and will make sure you learn it their way.

Again, I'm not military. So take me with a grain of salt. Just saying what I heard from military folks.

[hellfish6 7]

You can't just sign up to be Delta Force. One of the better courses of action you can take is that when you go in to your recruiter, demand (yes, demand) to have infantry, airborne school and the Ranger Indoc Program (RIP) written into your contract. Make sure you have it in writing!

This is the quickest way to get into Special Ops. Right after boot camp, you will go to Airborne school and then into RIP - which is what you have to pass through to get into the Rangers. In my platoon at basic, nearly all of the 30 11Bs I was with took this course. Only one actually made it into a Ranger battalion. Most of them quit during RIP. Luckily, the ones that quit RIP got sent to Italy with the airborne unit there. Most people that quit end up in the 82nd Airborne - which is not nearly as much fun as you think it might be.

I will say this about the guy that actually made it into the Rangers - he was a very close friend of mine at basic and one of the best people I've ever met. I probably would have quit and gone home if it wasn't for him. I've never met anybody so selfless, so intelligent and so fit. He got extremely high marks in everything he did and consistently maxed out his PT test.

That's the kind of person you have to be to become a Ranger. Last I heard he was in on the Ranger assault on Objective Rhino in Afghanistan.

Once you become a promotable specialist or corporal, or, more likely, a straight up buck sergeant, you can qualify for SF training. You'll have to pass through SFAS. Good luck with that. Read any book about the SF or SpecOps to find out what that is like.

Oddly enough, you may notice in the base newspaper of wherever you are, that once or twice a year Delta Force will take out ads to say that they are looking for new bodies. They'll usually have a time and date for the meetings. You might want to check that out. From what I hear, mostly in archives from Mark Bowden's research into BHD, most of the Delta guys come out of the SF and Ranger communities, with a handful more coming out of the 82nd.

You should also note that the average age for Delta and Green Berets is about 33. Don't expect to be some super-charged 21 year old and get in. They definately look for traits that come with maturity. If you look at any picture of SF guys (see here, especially in the Afghanistan section) you'll notice that a lot of Green Berets look just like your dad, maybe 5 or 10 years ago.

When I was in Kuwait, my unit once did some OPFOR for an A Team from the 5th SFG at an abandoned military base. They SF guys were all fairly older guys, some didn't look like they were in great shape, but they were all really cool, really, really nice and they slaughtered us. I'm not kidding - they didn't even get touched in a broad daylight battle, and my entire platoon got waxed.

That's the kind of person the SF guys are looking for.

EDIT: I don't know why, but when you click on the link above, it tells you that it's forbidden to access the site. Just delete the " / " and it'll work - it should read </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">http://www.militaryphotos.net<span id='postcolor'> and not </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">http://www.militaryphotos.net/<span id='postcolor'>

[Mister Frag 0]

Actually, IceFire, I think it's the other way around.

The training program covers physical conditioning and development, but what it cannot do is make you want to endure the punishment they dish out if you didn't want to be a SEAL bad enough before you ever entered the program.

Physical ability is not a reliable predictor in determining who will make it to Hell Week and beyond, but it certainly helps. But that doesn't necessarily mean big muscles, most SEALs are quite lean.

[Badgerboy 0]

Don't you have to put in a certain amount of time in first? I know for the SAS, you must have at least 4 years in the military, pass 'test week, where they kick out 95% of applicants, and then months, and months of training.

[Othin 0]

If you're joining the Navy with the intention of being a SEAL then you have to pick from certain source ratings (jobs).  You can find a list of the ratings here

What will happen is you'll go through regular boot camp with everyone else, though you do have additional training in the pool.  Then you'll go to the "A" school for whichever rating you enlisted as.  

The thing to keep in mind is that if you don't make it through the BUDS process, this is going to be your job for the rest of your Naval career.  Here are a few I'd reccommend.

HM - Medic.  If you don't make it as a SEAL you can still serve with the Marines since they don't have their own medics.

MA - Master at Arms.  The "police" and small arms force of the Navy.  This rating is WIDE open right now as they've just enlarged it so you'll be able to pick up promotions quickly.

IS - Intelligence Specialist.  I'm a bit biased, as this is my job in the Navy.    But you collect and interpret intelligence data, work extensively with imagery, brief officers, and work with data at the Top Secret level and above.  You'll have to pass some pretty extensive background checks for this one though.

After you finish "A" school you'll head off to Coronado for your BUDS training.  If you pass then you're off to more extensive training.  If you don't, then you're off to fleet to work in whichever field you chose.

If you're a SEAL why would you want to go DELTA?  There is more to just changing jobs in that, you're changing branches of the military.  It would be more trouble then it's worth, you would have to go through alot of training to learn the "quirks" of the new branch.

Badgerboy.  No, you can apply for BUDS during your initial application process to the Navy.  You can also apply after you've been in the Navy for a few years.  If you watch the videos you'll see 1st and 2nd classes mixed in with the Seamen and Ensigns.

[ran 0]

enlist in the french foreign legion ...

[Badgerboy 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Badgerboy. No, you can apply for BUDS during your initial application process to the Navy. You can also apply after you've been in the Navy for a few years. If you watch the videos you'll see 1st and 2nd classes mixed in with the Seamen and Ensigns. <span id='postcolor'>

Bah, its all bloody grunt work anyway!

[Harnu 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">1. If I choose to be in Delta force, how would I go about doing that at my recruiter? What kind of job would I pick? etc.

2. Is it possible to be in Delta force for a while, then later on in my life join the SEALs?

3. Im 15 and I want to really train myself before I make any decisions. What type of exercises should I do? How many sets of how many reps aswell?

4. What type of things should I know before I enlist? <span id='postcolor'>

1. Go to your recruiter and tell him that is your goal. He may tell you what to do when you join up.

2. Yes you can. It would take long enough to get into Delta Force, but to then go into the seals... I'd rather just choose a branch and stick with it. That's why I want to join the Marines. I'd have the chance to be Recon and train with and do everything the Delta's and Seals do.

3. Woohoo! Another 15 year old. Personally, getting myself ready for the service (And next year's football season) include every lift you can do. Bench, Squat, Deadlifts (These gave me a hernia which I currently have and am getting fixed, oddly enough on "Good Friday"... not so good this year ), Powercleans, every curl, pushups, situps, reverse pushups, running, situps, yaddi yaddi yadda.

4. Know as much as you can. Learn about what you want to do, see if it is really for you. Talk to Ex-Delta/Seals and see what they think as well.

[hellfish6 7]

I didn't think that you could have a hernia and get in the service. I remember them checking this at MEPS (turn your head and cough! - I might be wrong, though. And maybe it's OK if you've got it fixed.

I got a hernia in Kuwait and it didn't cause a problem. I just went into surgery and was back doing five mile runs a week later.

[Calistar 0]

Thanks for the replies guys. I could use all the help I could possibly get.

Now Im wondering about some of these exercises. What exactly are deadlifts and reverse pushups? I know the rest but Im just not too sure about these two.

Also Othin, I would be in Delta before I become a SEAL. Im probably going to end up choosing just one, but the decision is hard. Im still not too sure which I should do.

Also, what exactly is Recon?

Sorry, but I dont know much about the military. The stuff I know is basically just what I learn from video games and movies. Ive always wanted to learn more though.

[IceFire 0]

Then do some serious research on what you want to do.

Movies and video games have a tendancy to make kids want to be Special Forces and then they join up and try and wash out real fast because they had no IDEA what it was really all about.

There are probably alot of books on SEAL selection and what it's really like. Read as many of these types of books as you possibly can.

The internet is a much less reliable source of informations for these kinds of things.

Go down to your nearest Barnes and Nobles book store and go to the "military" section or in "miltary history".

There will be ALOT of books on Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces, Delta, Rangers or any Special Operations Unit imaginable.

Read as much of them as you can. Learn what happens in Special Ops selection. Find out if military is something you really want to do.

LOTS of people wind up joining and realising that it was not what they thought it would be like.

There are also several programs on the Discovery channel about miltary things such as these.

As for Delta. There is much less information out on this unit as they are the most secretive.

Basically learn as much as you possibly can about all of this.

Talk to current and ex military men. Especially men from combat units such as the ones you are looking to join.

In the end it will be up to you to do the research necessary.

There is alot of information out there. All you have to do is go through it.

[Jester983 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Calistar @ April 03 2003,09:24)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Sorry, but I dont know much about the military. The stuff I know is basically just what I learn from video games and movies. Ive always wanted to learn more though.  <span id='postcolor'>

Another suggestion would be to watch "The History Channel"

They usually have alot on the military.

Example: Mail Call (where an ex marine Sgt answers viewer's questions) very good show. Itll show you alot about the marines and a some stuff in other branches.

[iNeo 0]

http://www.soldf.com/books_usnavyseals.html

Here are books about US Navy SEALs, site is in Swedish but some descriptions are in English, and you can see the titles and check in your bookstore or whatever

[-iCeMaN- 0]

If your gonna pick up any books, try some non-fiction Tom Clancy books, they're great.  Check out the Special Forces book by Clancy.  It's great, I read it myself, it explains the training, equipment, gear, history, an interview with a veteran Ranger I think it was, and a short mini-story at the end about the DF.

After all, wasn't Tom Clancy an ex-marine?  I know he was in some branch of the military.  And there are some great games based on his books too.

-iCe-

[Jinef 2]

You're fifteen and you want to be in Delta Force?

Look mate i saw lot's of the young boys buggering off over to Northern Ireland with their crosshairs set on becoming big heroes and then they see their friends being shot in the neck and dying or get plastered in blood as someone pulls the wrong door handle etc. And that's just being enlisted.

If you are satisfied with your own workd and just want to push yourself then go for it but 99% of people don't want it just for themselves, they need to share it. Putting aside all the glorifying shit about Special forces and having films made afer them which is fuck all about what the job is about. You are expected to kill on orders, that's your life and you cannot share it. I've met SAS guys, unofficially of course because even though i'm in the RAF they still deny it and they seem like ordinary blokes but their lives revolve around killing, the next mission, or task. You could find yourself in an obscure country training a corrupt goverment's army to kill people who are opposing an oil company's building plans, then you're sent back to kill the people you've just trained with your country playing both sides.

It ain't nice and it's also quite frickin dangerous, now that's probably okay cause lot's of people in the forces or who are prepared to join know that death is part of the job and you should be glad to put your life on the line for the objective.

I hope this has given you some perspective and it's basically my speech for the stupid British teenagers who i talk to when the RAF visits their schools and they say things like " I wish i could be an SAS trooper! "

Talking of the SAS, i was in town (Cardiff) last saturday and i met a Norwegian girl called Ina i know from the Scandinavian mafiosa down here and she was talking to this completely pissed up Welshie who kept bragging about his car when he said that he was part of the SAS. Well i laughed for about ten minutes when i heard her answer!

"Oh! You're from Scandinavian Air Service? That's nice, i need to go make a call."

Heh. Jinef

[ran 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Jinef @ April 05 2003,00:02)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">You're fifteen and you want to be in Delta Force?

Look mate i saw lot's of the young boys buggering off over to Northern Ireland with their crosshairs set on becoming big heroes and then they see their friends being shot in the neck and dying or get plastered in blood as someone pulls the wrong door handle etc. And that's just being enlisted.

If you are satisfied with your own workd and just want to push yourself then go for it but 99% of people don't want it just for themselves, they need to share it. Putting aside all the glorifying shit about Special forces and having films made afer them which is fuck all about what the job is about. You are expected to kill on orders, that's your life and you cannot share it. I've met SAS guys, unofficially of course because even though i'm in the RAF they still deny it and they seem like ordinary blokes but their lives revolve around killing, the next mission, or task. You could find yourself in an obscure country training a corrupt goverment's army to kill people who are opposing an oil company's building plans, then you're sent back to kill the people you've just trained with your country playing both sides.

It ain't nice and it's also quite frickin dangerous, now that's probably okay cause lot's of people in the forces or who are prepared to join know that death is part of the job and you should be glad to put your life on the line for the objective.

I hope this has given you some perspective and it's basically my speech for the stupid British teenagers who i talk to when the RAF visits their schools and they say things like " I wish i could be an SAS trooper! "

Talking of the SAS, i was in town (Cardiff) last saturday and i met a Norwegian girl called Ina i know from the Scandinavian mafiosa down here and she was talking to this completely pissed up Welshie who kept bragging about his car when he said that he was part of the SAS. Well i laughed for about ten minutes when i heard her answer!

"Oh! You're from Scandinavian Air Service? That's nice, i need to go make a call."

Heh. Jinef  <span id='postcolor'>

*applauses*

[NavyEEL 0]

good luck on whatever you decide to do, but make sure you're well-informed and make sure it's what you really want to do. i also advise you to pick one or the other--either Navy or Army. Branch changing is very difficult, and you'll have to play "catchup." And, should you actually get into Delta Force, you wouldn't leave to become a SEAL. By the time you get into Delta Force you'll be old and experienced in your field, and too valuable to just leave and go become a SEAL. If you want Delta, go Army. If you want SEAL, go Navy. Pick one and run with it.

as for what it takes to get in... determination and persistence. anyone in decent physical shape can make it through the physical aspect of it. the workouts aren't that hard if you sit down and look at them one at a time. it's everything combined that wears trainees down and causes them to quit. you are the only one that can determine either your success or failure.

to get in shape, do lots of running and swimming. also, do lots of pushups, pullups, flutter kicks, and situps. lifting weights helps as well, but dont try to show off by lifting 50000 pounds one time and calling it a workout. do medium weights with extremely high repetitions. lastly, make sure you build up your confidence and convince yourself that you will succeed. remember, thousands of guys have made it before you. some were better than you are, some were worse, but they all succeeded because of their motivation and desire to become a SEAL/Delta operator.

feel free to PM me, ICQ me (146028413), or email me (navyeel@hotmail.com) if you have any specific questions regarding SEALs/Delta or specific ways to train. good luck and remember, the only easy day was yesterday!!

[Schoeler 0]

Most of the SEALs I met in the Navy were smaller wiry built guys. Its all about endurance. Endurance running, endurance swimming, endurance taking environmentally harsh conditions (cold water immersion, heat, wind and rain), endurance of pain and endurance of stress (going without sleep and on very little food for a week, getting screamed at, shot at, intimidated). If you can outlast the next guy, you will make it. Condition your mind to be mentally tough first. When your mind starts to tell your body, "its time to quit now", you have to press on. The mind always gives out a long time before the body actually will. This is the toughest obstacle to overcome. You can train for this by doing distance running (sign up for your school cross-country team and start running yourself silly) open water swimming (which will be a great asset in SEAL training) or traithalons. This is probably the best way to get the mental and physical skill sets you will need to make it through the training. You can actually order the SEALs B.U.D.S. workout videotape and workout along with the SEAL candidates. Strong abdominals, shoulders and back muscles are a must. Do some reading as has been suggested, and find out if this is really for you.

[E6Hotel 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (|iCeMaN| @ April 04 2003,22:52)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">After all, wasn't Tom Clancy an ex-marine?  I know he was in some branch of the military.  And there are some great games based on his books too. <span id='postcolor'>

Clancy is an ex-insurance salesman.  I don't think he served.  Entertaining writer, though.

Semper Fi

[SKULLS_Viper 0]

Discovery channel had a show on the Navy seals.It looked extremly hard, and I think they said that 70-90%(I can't remeber, but somewhere in that area) fail, or dropout.