What does anyone know about The Air Force's Special Tactics Teams?

 

But the effort you put into trying speaks MASSIVE volumes about you brother.

There are ways that you can still serve my friend. There are a lot of veterans organizations that would kill to have a guy like you.

The highlighted part is gospel.
Do not pay attention to Hollywood, or internet rambo's. There are enough resources on this board who can connect you with pretty much anyone you would want to speak with.

Know that the culture is unlike anything you will get out of a conversation. The men are plain spoken, ability to think and reason under the most extreme physical and mental duress are paramount. Robots and rambo's are not wanted, and that is across all of the branches. You have life experience, that means something in the special operations community.

Also bear in mind that the recruiting video's are for that purpose. They show the high speed low drag stuff that gives alpha males a woodrow. The reality is that in selection training you will be in constant pain, always uncomfortable, getting treated like you are pond scum; and then you get to the unit and the real fun begins. Nothing can prepare you for the experience. The only reason you would not succeed is because you quit. If you get hurt, or sick, you can recycle and try again.

Now tell me...
What is it that is holding you back?

 

I know quite a bit about it. I have several friends that are PJ's and Combat Controllers.

What do you want to know?

VERY cool dudes that do not get the due that they deserve.

If you got lost in hell, the PJ's would fight their way in, fix you, and fight their way out with you on their backs.

The Combat Controllers may as well be called the fist of God. They bring it down. And they are typically embedded with the other SOF units so that they can bring that hammer down.

 

You are talking about Pararescue (PJ) or Combat Controller. There is tons of info about both online. Last word I got is they are still taking volunteers for both when you report to basic, regardless of what you signed up for. If you pass their PFT, you are given the option to switch AFSCs. Definitely something worth considering as you can opt for it going in, versus Army where you pick an MOS, then do Airborne, then do Ranger, then apply for the Q course, etc. Not bashing the Army by any means, just saying the Air Force choice is a more direct route. You are looking at approx. 2 years of training for either PJ or CCT, IIRC before getting assigned to your unit.

 

Except you'll probably end up flying Hans and Fritz on their package holiday to Corfu, not banging Kelly McGillis.

 

Noel,

One of my best, lifelong friends is a Marine. He joined for many of the same reasons that Brian has mentioned, and it has literally transformed his life and elevated him in every way. Currently, he is serving in Jordan, as a part of the elite individuals that make up the Embassy Security Detail, working for the Department of State. He is 21 years old; is serving our country; traveling and experiencing things 99% of us will never know; and has the world at his fingertips. In 2011, he will end his career as a Marine (but will always be one at heart), and pursue private contract work (where he'll be highly sought after) and get paid to go to college as well. Until then, the opportunities he has as a Marine are endless, and his trajectory will continue to be vertical.

I share this with you because I was extremely touched by both what the military has provided Joe, and by what he has made of himself. I think it's a great example of what is possible when pursuing this avenue. I wish you luck with your endeavor, wherever it takes you.

Here is Joe and I at my parents place on the 4th of July, on our way out to party. It's guys like you, and Joe that let guys like me enjoy such nights.



Cheers Noel.

 

Fortunately, the Army has learned from the AF on this!
At the moment, you can choose to enlist with an 18x (say xray...) contract for a direct pipeline into the Special Forces selection pipeline. Or, you can choose an option 40 contract which guarantees you Airborne school and a short bus ride ( I say that with humor and truth) to the Ranger selection program, called RIP (Ranger Indoc Program).

Cool thing is that if you should drop from those programs, you would probably end up in the 82nd Airborne, simply because you showed that you were attempting something harder and would probably drive hard.

Certainly not down playing any of the options you have at hand, you have amazing options. The stuff that you would see would totally amaze you. It is truly the way to go adventuring.

You could even enlist for particular units. One VERY cool option is for the US Army's 2nd Infantry Division. These are the guys that you see at the Tomb of the Unknown Solder in DC. They are the real protection detail for the President, and our nations capital. One totally bad ass infantry unit. You need to be at least 6 foot tall however...

Every one of the branches has something amazing to offer. You just need to figure out which mission most interests you.

The Air Force has the hottest women, and the nicest bases in the coolest places... Air Force fighter pilots got nothin on their PJ's and Combat Controllers.

 

Not to threadjack to much here, but I also have a question about joining the service, however going in a much tamer direction. During my last semester in school, I began thinking more about what I wanted to do with my automotive engineering degree and how it could be used. One of my buddies said he was thinking about joining the Army Core of Engineers but I don't think he ever followed through with it. When he told me he was considering it though, a little lightbulb went off in my head that said "this could be a really cool experience if I pursued it".

I haven't done a whole lot of research about the core of engineers yet but I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with any engineers in the service and if you'd be willing to share some thoughts on going down that route. Like the OP, I'm in my 20's and single with nothing really tying me down to any place in particular.

 

With a degree like your's, you could end up in some seriously cool places bro. The Corp of Engineers are cool, but they have as much to do with environmental issues as anything else. I cannot remember the branch name, but a degreed person like you could end up working one experimental vehicles, or at some of the arsenals guiding training and vehicle development.

Just like what Noel is talking about, your options are wide open. There are so many opportunities to do some very cool things. The military just isn't that great at getting the word out. A good portion of the cool tech that we see in our lives, starts in the military.

I've got a buddy that came off recruiting duty, I'll hit him up and see what he can tell me.

 

Thanks Brian. Here's the thing: I'm all for serving my country in whatever way I can but I'm just not as much for the fighting. I absolutely respect all the badass dudes that are out there kicking ass for the US but it's just not for me. That's why the engineering route seems to be the way to go since that plays much more towards my passions.

I brought the idea up to my father about meeting with a recruiter and he seemed pretty adamant about not going down that route for fear that they'll rope me into something I don't want and I'll immediately get deployed to the ME. I realize that is not at all the case but I would like to know how the recruiting/training process for the Corp of Engineers differs from other branches. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

To be perfectly honest, one of the biggest reasons I've been considering making the move to the military is that there just doesn't seem to be many job opportunities for fresh college grads with my particular skill set. The other main reason is that I love to be working on the most cutting edge stuff possible and if I can't go straight to working on a Formula 1 team (I'll keep dreaming for now!) then maybe the military will quench my thirst to be working with leading edge tech and seeing all that cool stuff.