Do you have what it takes?

Do you have what it takes?




"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat." Theodore Roosevelt (Paris Sorbonne,1910)

What is Special Operations? Special Operations or Spec Ops is the Special Operations Force made up of an unspecified number. It is an elite Special Force which deals with situations such as hostage-taking, counter-terrorism and its war-time role of reconnaissance and strategic special operations. There are many types of special operations, Air force Pararescue, Marine Recon, Navy Seals, Army Ranger, Green Beret, British SAS, OSS, FBI, DEA, and Delta Force.

I have always wanted to be in the Air force Pararescue since I watched my first documentary on them. Their uniforms were so cool and when they jumped out of the planes in their scuba gear made me get so excited and want to be there. Since 6 yrs old I have been shooting guns and hunting. Many of the things that the PJ’s do is what I love to do. They sneak around the woods with full gear and guns. They rescue people and help them and I would love to have the opportunity to do that and serve my country. I have recently got disqualified from the military due to scoliosis which is curvature of the spine. they told me that i cant join because i don't meet the requirements. that was very hard to hear but i haven't given up and I'm still trying to get in.

Air force Pararescue lives by the motto “These things we do so that others may live”. They have a 2 year training program called the pipeline. This will test all aspects of the people trying to become a PJ. It is one of the most physical training that the military can offer. The PJ’s are qualified in skydiving, scuba diving, rock climbing, and they are certified paramedics. They do all search and rescue missions whether it is a downed pilot that needs to be rescued to a squad of Marines that have been run down. They also do many rescue missions in the United States.

Marine recon plays a special roll in our military. They are the first ones into the fight. They have the most weaponry that is used to take out and capture the insurgents. Their training involves a seven-month course which centers on all the skills necessary to develop a Marine special operator, which include direct action, close quarters battle, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, fire support, tactical casualty care, irregular warfare, survival evasion resistance and escape, and infantry weapons and tactics.

The Green Beret do inside work. They work closely with hostage taking and going behind enemy lines to infiltrate. They get in with the enemy and pretend to be part of the enemy. When a person or soldier has been captured the Green Beret infiltrate and get the hostage out with out being detected. The Green Beret work closely with the CIA. The CIA gives the Green Beret inside infofrmation for missions so that the soldiers on the ground can get the mission done and come back safe.
It takes certain skills to become a special operations team member. You need to be in the best physical and mental shape. Many Spec Ops units make sure that you have been Airborne qualified and have spent an estimated time of 12 months in your MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). They require that you speak a foreign languag. Many test need to have been taken in order to become a spec op.
Mental awareness is very important in a Spec Ops team. When one is over seas in a secret mission your performance ways heavy on your mental capacity. You could be up for days with only 2-4 hours of sleep and possibly no food. Killing people messes with your head and can hurt your performance which could also hurt your team. Mentally preparing your self before missions will help you get through the hard times, You need to know how to work well with others and cope as a team. Know what another is thinking by just looking at them is a good skill to have.

To become Air born qualified you must go to Fort Bennings Georgia. They are the largest Airborne school. “At Jump School, you'll be introduced to your best friend - your parachute. You'll get to know everything about it. How to wear it, adjust it, use it, the works. You'll also learn all the techniques needed to accomplish your mission with absolute confidence. How to stay loose; get ready for impact; let your legs absorb the shock; roll and collapse your chute quickly; release your harness; unsling your weapon; and deploy into position”. (Army Airborne School)
To have what it takaes to be in the Special Operations of the United States military is honor, duty,commitement. direct action, close quarters battle, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense, fire support, tactical casualty care, irregular warfare, survival evasion resistance and escape, and infantry weapons and tactics are all what the spec ops team members need to have.
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms.