specialoperations.military.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Forces

MY FINAL PRODUCT

Living Special

As a ROTC cadet at the University of Kentucky, I wonder where my career will begin when I graduate in four years. I already know that I owe the army eight years, because they are paying my way through college. Along with my eight years, I have the decision to make it a long term career and put in the full enlistment amount of twenty years, which is what I have been wanting to do. The only problem is, what do I want to do in the army? I have always tried doing the best I could, in everything I attempted, and I wanted to know what is the best I can do in the army? Many of whom I have talked to in the army tell me that the Special Forces is the best of the best in the army, and I immediately became interested in the Special Forces and wanted to learn more about the men who chose this career path, and how I could become a Special Forces soldier.
The Special Forces began back during the Vietnam war, under president Kennedy. Michael O’Brien explains, “If the communist were going to lead guerilla uprisings, then the West would have to learn to fight back. Unconventional warfare became the rage among New Frontiersman: Special Forces, wearing rakish green berets, were trained to fight a ‘people’s war’ ” (O’Brien 618). The Vietnamese were using guerilla warfare tactics on the U.S., and the way president John F. Kennedy saw it, he was going to fight fire with fire. The Special Forces were created to use guerilla warfare, hit and run tactics, such as attacking an enemy base and getting out without the enemy even knowing what had just happened. These tactics would require the best soldiers, and the best training possible, so that these men could move throughout the battlefield without being noticed, as if they were ghosts.
Since the best of the best is required for the Special Forces, a soldier must go through a lot of training and tests to become Special Forces. There are certain qualifications that must be met, just to be considered for the Special Forces. “To become part of the Army’s Green Berets, you need to be mentally and physically tough, endure difficult training and face all challenges head-on. In addition to that, you must: Be a male, age 20-30 (Special Forces positions are not open to women), be a U.S. citizen, be a high school diploma graduate, achieve a General Technical score of 107 or higher and a combat operation score of 98 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)” (www.goarmy.com). The ASVAB tests your knowledge like the ACT, but it also includes electronics, mechanics, and putting things together. A lot of high schools throughout the country give the ASVAB.  There are prep classes, and practice tests for the ASVAB just like the ACT. The ASVAB is a written timed test given in parts just like the ACT. “Qualify for a secret security clearance” (www.goarmy.com). To qualify for the security clearance you have to have a clean criminal record. There is a huge packet you have to fill out, and they do background checks on all of your immediate family, to see if they have criminal backgrounds and if they have any outstanding warrants or crimes. “Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training” (www.goarmy.com). Airborne school as I have been told is one of the easiest schools and the most fun. It is only three weeks long and there is hardly any physical training involved, and the best part is on the third week you get to take five jumps out of a plane. “Achieve a minimum of 60 points on each event and overall minimum score of 229 on the Army Physical Fitness Test” (www.goarmy.com). The physical fitness test is composed of three events, push-ups, sit-ups, and the two mile run. We do this in ROTC, and it is really easy. “and must successfully complete the Pre-Basic Task list” (www.goarmy.com ). The Pre- Basic task list is basic training, which is required for enlisted soldiers anyway. According to my father, Kenneth Mitchell, who is a ten year veteran of the Special Forces, “These standards are really simple to meet. The tests are easy to score well on, they’re a lot of basic knowledge, and the PT test is easy to score a 229 on” ( Mitchell Interview). So obviously whether or not you meet the qualifications is not the hard part. Qualifying for the green berets is the easy part, actually becoming one gets a little more difficult.
After qualifying to become a green beret, the next task is to attend the Special Operations Preparation Course (SOPC). “It focuses on physical training, and one of the most important skills a Special Forces soldier can have – land navigation” (www.goarmy.com). Land navigation is when you take a map and compass and find a certain point on the map just using your compass. I asked another Special Forces veteran, Chaz Anderson, about the course, he told me “It sucks if you go there and you’re not in shape. They do a lot of training to get you in the physical shape for the next phases of becoming a green beret. But the good thing is, if you’re not in shape when you get there, you will be when you leave. The land navigation wasn’t hard because I already had experience when I got there, they just perfected it.” (Anderson interview). As an ROTC cadet at the University of Kentucky, we do land navigation and I find it pretty difficult, but I think that the physical stuff is easy. So I think that whether or not one of these tasks is difficult just depends on the soldier, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. After SOPC if the soldier makes it and passes, they move on and continue their training.
The soldier’s next challenge to becoming a Special Forces soldier lies in the 24 day Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS). “This is 24 days of training like you’ve never experienced. And it’s all about survival. Your intelligence, agility and resourcefulness will all be tested. If you make it, you can continue on to the Special Forces Qualification Course.” (www.goarmy.com). When asked what took place during the Assessment and Selection course, Mitchell told me, “Its where the fun begins. The training starts off with a PT test, then a Combat water survival test. The 24 days focuses a lot on land navigation, Team events, and small unit tactics” (Mitchell Interview). Out of curiosity I asked him what kind of team events they had to do, to compare it to the events we do in ROTC. He replied, “We did events like the Sandman. The challenge was to carry a duffle bag filled with wet sand 25 miles. We had to use a Polish litter (a piece of cloth bound tight between two sticks). The duffle bag with wet sand in it was suppose to simulate carrying a wounded comrade. Another event was the Pails Of Pain. This event you had to carry two five pound buckets filled with water up hill one mile to a water buffalo ( a large reservoir). We had to run up hill and down hill from river to water buffalo until it was full” (Mitchell Interview). The challenges we do in ROTC, can’t even hold a candle to the challenges these men have accomplished. We do challenges to work on communication skills within a unit, and we try to focus more on the mental aspect, such as thinking outside of the box, rather than the physical test that these men are put through. Our challenges in ROTC are things like how to cross a river using a couple wooden planks and some rope. Our challenges are 99 percent mental, and 1 percent physical. After these rough twenty four days the men that make it and pass head on to the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC). Or as the Special Forces men refer to it “The Q course”.
The Special Forces Qualifications Course is divided into five phases. Individual training, MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). A MOS is just what the soldier’s job is, whether it be infantry, aviation, or armor, just to name a couple, Collective training, Language training, and last but certainly not least SERE course (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape). “The term ‘Collective training’ typically refers to training that is conducted within a unit and is focused on preparing the unit to perform its assigned missions…” (Collective Training). Language training is a crash course on whatever language is most spoke in the area of the world the soldier will be going to. SERE training is to prepare you for if you ever become a POW (Prisoner of War). Passing all five of these phases makes you a green beret, “an expert in unconventional warfare” (www.goarmy.com). Talking to a green beret, he told me “SERE training was brutal. It was to train you to survive if you were ever captured as a POW (Prisoner of War). It was the most physical and mentally demanding of all the phases. Graduating and becoming Special Forces was the biggest accomplishment of my career” (Anderson Interview). Although these men that made it through all these phases were now Special Forces, it doesn’t stop there. In fact their lives as a soldier have just changed tremendously.
As a Special Forces soldier, these men are no longer just some soldier trained in a MOS (Military Occupational Specialty). They are trained in a MOS and they are the best of the best in that MOS. When something like September 11th happens these men don’t sit back and wonder if they are going to be deployed, they already know they’re going. It’s a matter of when and where. These soldiers may be the best in war and fighting, but their lives contain much more than just war.
A Special Forces soldier has a life outside of that in the army. Many of them have families. I know that Kenneth, my father, has two kids of his own, and a girlfriend who has one kid herself. I noticed that Kenneth is able to separate his personal life from his army life, which is extraordinary to me. A Special Forces soldier is the best of the best and I know from talking to my father that he has experienced many things in battle that could have effected his personal life if he would have let it. Such things as losing a fellow comrade who you have grown close to, and allowed into your family, or becoming injured yourself. I know of occasions where I have talked to my dad about these situations, and he himself has been injured overseas, but he doesn’t show the pain of the loss of his comrades publicly, and doesn’t show pain, which he still experiences. I asked him how he does it, he told me, “ It’s very hard. But I Know that if I don’t hold my head high then it will effect my family, and could possibly jeopardize the life I have now. And even though I may have lost my friends, they died doing what they do best, and have no shame in what they have done. I respect all of my fellow comrades, and all soldiers who have lost their lives in the field of battle” (Mitchell Interview). He just goes on with life with his family as nothing had happened, and still shows the love and affection he has always had towards them. I asked my dad, Kenneth, why he sacrifices so much when he has a family, he told me “ Andrew, I can’t explain it with words, the things we SF soldier’s experience are rough, and they are very dangerous. I know that your goal is to become a SF soldier, or at least you have talked about it before, but when and if you become one you will realize why you are doing it, and why the man next to you is doing it” (Mitchell Interview). These words of wisdom, don’t really help me with my question, but hopefully one day they will actually make sense to me.
Chaz’s life is very similar. He too has two kids and a wife. He experiences all the same things that Kenneth does. The only difference is, Chaz’s kids are a lot younger than Kenneth’s. Chaz says, “ Its hard being a green beret and having kids this small. Sometimes I feel like I’m missing their childhood, and I hate to leave their mother to raise them alone. Luckily my in-laws are kind enough to lend a hand, and understand my job” (Anderson Interview). So even though these men appear to be fearless, they still have their own problems and fears.
Chaz also mentioned,  “Vacations are hard too because we have more restrictions”. (Anderson Interview). As a regular enlisted soldier, they know when they are leaving and how long they will be gone for. Therefore they are able to make plans accordingly, such as vacations with families. As a Special Forces soldier, they have to be ready at all times. They never know when something may come up and they will have to deploy. Besides the fact of being ready at all times, a Special Forces soldier must stay within enough distance of their home to be able to deploy in short notice. My father told me, “It was hard at first, but I learned to adapt. There is a lake nearby, and the ocean is only 3 hours away, so I bought a boat. I’m on it every weekend when it’s warm enough, and the family seems to love it too” (Mitchell Interview). When I spoke to Chaz about this situation, he had said “It’s rough. I have two little boys who would love to go to Disney world, but I’m not able to take them, because it is to far away and I won’t be able to get home fast enough to deploy.” (Anderson Interview). So as you can see, the sweet life of being special, isn’t always so special.
When I spend time with my dad, I notice things about him that are out of the norm. Such as, actions and reactions. He reacts to things and does things in ways that most people wouldn’t normally do them. A Special Forces soldier goes through a lot. They spend a lot of time behind enemy lines, and in danger’s path. They see things we can’t even dream off, and Hollywood can’t even portray. When talking to a green beret about these things, they show no emotion, as if it doesn’t bother them. At least when I spoke with my dad about such things he responded this way. He told me stories about missions he was on, and friends he had lost, and the things that actually happen that the news and government don’t show us. I’m not able to share them publicly, because of confidentiality and security of himself and the men he serves with, but the stories are sad, yet honorable and courageous and he was able to talk about them with a straight face and not show emotion at all. Well at least that is he doesn’t show how it affects him when he can control it, but things do happen that show it actually does affect him.
We were in his backyard walking from the barn to the house, when a loud noise sounded in the distance. Kenneth immediately hit the ground. It was kind of scary. I just kind of looked at him and smiled, I didn’t know what to say or how to react. Kenneth looked at me and saw the smirk on my face and responded “ Shut up, when you have had as many RPGs (Rocket Propelled Grenades) and bullets blaze past your head like I have, you would hit the ground too” (Mitchell Interview). All I could think was wow. My dad has been shot at so many times, that hitting the ground after hearing a loud noise is second nature for him. He has been in so many firefights, and so many attacks that he has had enough bullets come at him to imbed this in his mind.
Another time, we were sitting in the living room one night watching a movie. Kenneth had fallen asleep in his recliner, and I noticed him snoring really loud, I looked over at him and noticed him twitching also. He wasn’t twitching a lot but his arms, and feet twitched. Later he jumped out of his recliner, ready to brawl with who ever, but nobody was there. He was clearly having a bad dream, maybe even a flash back. He is like that all the time. He can’t sleep at all. He later fell asleep again in his recliner, and I started getting tired and was going to bed. I walked over to him to wake him up, to tell him to go to bed. I walked over there and wiggled him and said his name. He immediately grabbed me by the throat, as if I was an enemy trying to kill him. I was very scared. Some may know of these types of reactions as “Shellshock”, or PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). “Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you think that your life or others’ lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening” (What is PTSD). Seeing these kinds of reactions out of this man, is sad. Especially since he is my father and I see them happen on a daily basis, yet he still continues to be a Special Forces soldier and stay strong as if nothing bothers him, but these types of things just go to show that they do. I don’t understand it at all. Why does he try to hide it so much? That’s one question I couldn’t bring myself to ask.
Another flaw Special Forces soldiers experience is relationship problems. They are deployed so long, and so often that they hardly have any time to spend with their wives. They miss holidays all the time, and miss their kids growing up. Kenneth told me that “ The Special Forces has more divorces that any other part of the military” (Mitchell Interview). To see a Special Forces soldier that is able to keep his marriage together is amazing. I think it shows great devotion from husband and wife, but unfortunately this is a rare sight for a green beret. My dad has been divorced multiple times. It’s just hard for a wife to have a husband that is deployed all the time, and knowing that there is that chance that when he leaves, he may never come back. It is hard for a wife to live like that, and it takes a lot for a wife to stay with a husband knowing these kind of things.
The main reason I  think Special Forces wives choose to leave is because their scared, and it’s just easier to leave and forget about them rather than receive that letter saying their husband was killed in action. Luckily, Special Operations Command, recognizes these issues, and has set up support groups to help wives make the situation of their husbands deployments a little easier. The support groups are groups of wives that can communicate with each other, and help each other out, so that one person doesn’t have to take on all the responsibilities alone. “Some wives report that they’ve had to adjust to the realization that their husbands truly love their jobs, and are committed to their teams and their missions. Some wives find it disconcerting that their husband spends so much time with his team, even when the team is not deployed. On the other hand, many wives spend a great deal socializing with the other wives on the team, so that the team’s closeness is a positive factor on everyone in the family” (Special Forces). Living with my dad, I have noticed that these men do spend a lot of time together. I think it is awesome that the wives are able to become close to each other, and make it easier on themselves and their families. The ones who have problems with this, I feel are the ones that end up divorced.
Missing their children’s childhood is another problem for a Special Forces soldier. My parents have been divorced since I was real little. I have no memories of them ever being together. Growing up I spent every other Christmas with my father, and every summer with him, well at least it was suppose to work that way. I remember a few times when it was time to go see my father, and my mom would have to explain that I wasn’t able to go because my dad have to leave, and I used to get so upset. Now that I’m older, I realize that it wasn’t my dad’s choice, it was his job. The army told him he was deploying, and that was that. I thought I had it rough, but this man had very select times when he was able to see his kids, and if he deployed he had to wait even longer to see them, and he is not the one in these kind of situations. There are a lot of Special Forces soldiers who are in the same boat, and have the same problems of seeing their kids grow up because they are deployed or because they are divorced. It is definitely a hard time for the soldiers.
The life of a Special Forces soldier is rough, and is filled with lots of troubles and sacrifices. These men are a rare breed, and sometimes I still wonder why they do it. After speaking with my dad, and Chaz about their lives a little more, I understand that they are not able to describe the reasons of why they do it, or why the choose to volunteer for such a career. I do know now that they choose a hard career path, and that it seems that the “cons” out weigh the “pros”.  I also, know that these men don’t regret choosing this path, even though it may seem a little selfish for them to put their family at risk of losing them, or breaking apart. There is no doubt in my mind that these man have it a little rough, but they still volunteer for it anyway. So clearly the reason they do this, that they cannot explain, must be worth it, and one day I too plan on becoming a Special Forces soldier.

The interview with Chaz Anderson made it able for me to compare the lives of two special forces soldiers. He gave me information on the special forces like some problems they have that I was able to include in my paper.

Mitchell, Kenneth. Personal Interview. 10 October 2008.

Interviewing Kenneth, was very helpful. I got a lot of my information from him, and I was able to to live with him and expierence firsthand what being a special forces soldier does to you, how it affects you, and what a special forces soldier is like outside of the battlefield.

This was a website I used. It is about the history of the green berets and led me to the book by Michael O’Brien. They both helped with giving my audience a better understanding, and a better background of the Special Forces.

O’Brien, Michael. John F. Kennedy: A Biography. Macmillan, 2005.

This book is an autobiography about JFK. I learned from it that JFK started the Special Forces. This is helpful in my essay because it helped me give my audience a background on the Special Forces, and give the origin, and the intent behind starting the Special Forces.

www.goarmy.com (I’m still working on the citation)

This website is the official website of the army. It gave me more of an insight of the Special Forces and what these men have to go through to earn the title of a “Green Beret”. It was helpful in my essay because I was able to share the training that these men have to go through with my audience.

The Special Forces Creed

I am an American Special Forces soldier. A professional!

I will do all that my nation requires of me.

I am a volunteer, knowing well the hazards of my profession.

I serve with the memory of those who have gone before me:

Roger’s Rangers, Francis Marion, Mosby’s Rangers,

the first Special Service Forces and Ranger Battalions

of World War II, the Airborne Ranger Companies of Korea.

I pledge to uphold the honor and integrity

of all I am – in all I do.

I am a professional soldier.

I will teach and fight wherever my nation requires.

I will strive always, to excel in every art and artifice of war.

I know that I will be called upon to perform tasks

in isolation, far from familiar faces and voices,

with the help and guidance of my God.

I will keep my mind and body clean, alert and strong,

for this is my debt to those who depend upon me.

I will not fail those with whom I serve.

I will not bring shame upon myself or the forces.

I will maintain myself, my arms, and my equipment

in an immaculate state as befits a Special Forces soldier.

I will never surrender though I be the last.

If I am taken, I pray that I may have the strength

to spit upon my enemy.

My goal is to succeed in any mission

- and live to succeed again.

I am a member of my nation’s chosen soldiery.

God grant that I may not be found wanting,

that I will not fail this sacred trust.

“De Oppresso Liber”

“De Oppresso Liber” is latin for, Liberate The Oppressed. “De Oppresso Liber” is the special forces motto.