- Sep 15, 2014
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OT: Former Navy SEAL walk-on DL at Nebraska
- Thread starter BMF
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- Oct 15, 2014
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- Jun 19, 2014
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Founding Member
I think you mean SOF...
- Jun 9, 2014
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Founding Member
Net is Air Force right? Special Operations Personnel?
Btw, no one but Air Force thinks anyone in the Air Force is special operations.
JSOC thinks rangers are special ops.
Btw, no one but Air Force thinks anyone in the Air Force is special operations.
JSOC thinks rangers are special ops.
- Oct 15, 2018
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21 year retired Army CW3. SOP, SOF ... whatever ... same same and used interchangeably. SOF is meant more for multibranch operations. SOP is special operations ... spec ops ... whatever. I have supported many different types and understand their roles. I love them all ... even the Rangers ... and respect the heck out of them. Any time I got to support them I jumped at the opportunity. I aint nothing special nor do I pretend to be. Those guys do amazing stuff and I really dont want to come off as a been there done that type because compared to them I aint.
But I also loved being around regular infantry units too. My favorite deployment was in 2nd Brigade Combat Team 10th Mountain Division. It was also my toughest deployment and spent more time outside the wire dodging lead than anytime I spent supporting SOP. I love them all equally.
JSOC is a bunch of fobbits.
But I also loved being around regular infantry units too. My favorite deployment was in 2nd Brigade Combat Team 10th Mountain Division. It was also my toughest deployment and spent more time outside the wire dodging lead than anytime I spent supporting SOP. I love them all equally.
JSOC is a bunch of fobbits.
- Jun 9, 2014
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Founding Member
Knew a bunch of guys in 10th MTN. Good troops it seemed.
What were you, Chief? MOS?
What were you, Chief? MOS?
- Jun 9, 2014
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Founding Member
Branch smack. I appreciate what each of you did for our country. I was 60 days shy of 18 when a truce was reached in Viet Nam. My draft number was 238. Didn't matter. I ended up in a dorm room instead of a rice paddy.
- Aug 25, 2014
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Cool story.
- Nov 16, 2017
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This is true. I used to live and work near Columbus, Georgia. Had some drinking buddies who looked like they played linebacker in the NFL and when asked what they did said they were logistics or communications. I do have to say however that the baddest dude I ever met in my life was a 5'9 (maybe) 170 (maybe) former SEAL. At least two feet of his height was comprised of a two foot tall chip permanently affixed on his shoulder. I took a 3-day practical shooting class with the guy and when he started shredding he made John Wick look like a school girl.
- Oct 15, 2018
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250N ... the net tech at the brigade level and net eng at the division level. Traditional fobbit MOS that normally resides at the HQ command post, but with more modern off the shelf comm solutions that basically go all the way down to every door kicker, it meant going out to all the small patrol bases and command posts to get 'everyone' connected. The 'surge' put me permanently on the road since we got off the FOBs and set up shop in all the villes. Also, as land owners, you were kinda tasked to provide support to other units who happened to be in your area of responsibilities, and there were normally some special peeps on the fringes who normally didn't need or want our help but when they did I was johnny on the spot.
- Jun 9, 2014
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Founding Member
Thanks for serving. I always appreciated those smart dudes who could have been living large in the AF but joined big green and slept in shytty quarters and ate army food instead.
I also REALLY appreciated the ones that didnt get us killed, ie properly grounded power etc. Blue Force doesnt work without computers, and it kept many soldiers alive.
I also REALLY appreciated the ones that didnt get us killed, ie properly grounded power etc. Blue Force doesnt work without computers, and it kept many soldiers alive.
- Oct 15, 2018
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I dont know when you served, but it is a lot different now. A Brigade TOC is bigger than what a Division TOC was 10 years ago. A Battalion TOC is bigger than a Brigade TOC 10 years ago. And a Company CP is now like a Battalion TOC. Nobody makes any sort of tactical decision anymore if they can't see a clear video feed of whatever it is they are doing. When I first deployed as a 250N, I would spend my time on the TOC floor advising the BCT commander on the comms whenever there was a mission going on. It then became norm for me (or one of my trusted soldiers) to have a seat on the aircraft or vehicle in order to fix anything on ground. It is a different Army now. More precise and way more lethal because of it ... but also a bit more constrained because of the optics. You know who else is now off the FOB and dodging lead with the doorkickers? That lawyer in S1. Commanders have that guy/gal on the ground in harms way or on their right arm helping with certain decisions.
BTW ... I aint biting on that "could have joined the AF" bait. ;)
- Jun 9, 2014
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Founding Member
No, Im serious. One of my buddies was talking about sleeping under a five ton while AF slept in airconditioned tents with power strips everywhere, and complaining that their building wasnt ready. :)
I told my son to join the AF if he goes in. He wants to be a computer geek or EE.
I told my son to join the AF if he goes in. He wants to be a computer geek or EE.
- Oct 15, 2018
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I dont think there is such a thing as 'Army Food' at the moment. We are coming off years of 'occupational warfare' so Army food for me was either MRE's if I was outside the wire, elaborate chowhalls contracted out that had great food (one of my deployments, there was a waffle bar, taco station and other stuff like that ... oh, a desert bar!!!) or fast food joints from taco bell to TGIFs run by 3rd world nationals flown in.
Oh ... and on subject, whenever I spent some time at the SOP compounds ... I ate good. They have chefs feeding them. Your tax dollars :)
- Feb 15, 2016
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Donkey may be right about other services evaluation of Air Force Special Ops. However, the training and operational environment the PJs work in is every bit as demanding as Rangers, Delta, and the SEALs. Combat SAR crews never have to buy drinks in any O Club Bar. "That others might live" is more than a motto, its the job. Combat controllers train and go where the SpecOPs train and go. Just sayin'.
- Oct 15, 2014
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Things have really changed these days. I operated this 56 ton tank recovery vehicle and would spend 70 days at a time in the field while my tank company would do maneuvers and spent many of nights at the tank firing range about 100 feet behind the firing line with no hearing protection ever issued and on nice nights I would put my sleeping bag on the front blade and sleep under the stars. In the winter (Germany) we froze our asses off and seldom took showers. We would find cow watering troughs in farmers pastures and bathe in those. Ahh, the good ole days...
- Oct 15, 2018
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That is about how it was for my first 5 years in the Army. As a signal weenie, we would go to the field for 1-2 months and set up our network with no customers. We would jump every 1-2 days for the entire 1-2 months. Went to NTC or JRTC 2-3 times per year. One time I went 48 days with no shower and even though I went on a couple shower runs I didn't get a shower because it was just to much of a mental pain in the arse to get dirty again. I only went because it normally meant we went back into garrison to the barracks to get the shower which always meant a quick run through the food court on the way back out to the field. Many nights spent sleeping under the stars and so many fun memories of the pranks pulled and good times with some great people while we 'suffered'.
- Oct 15, 2014
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When we finally got to a base with showers, they weren't heated and always out of hot water and the drains would be clogged and they would have about 6-8 inches of filthy soapy nasty water in them with disposable razors floating everywhere. No thanks. Cow troughs were much better. We only had C rations then, not these fancy MREs they have today. Had to scrape nasty grease off the top of the meals to get to the wonderful food inside. One good thing though was in the belly of my M-88 recovery vehicle there was a huge empty space under the floor with access panels. We mounted a few Jerry can brackets under there and would strap in half gallons of Jim Beam in the brackets and stack cases of beer in there too. We had to rail load the tanks to the field and back and we drove our company thru several little German towns while drinking beer and raising hell. Could have gotten in a lot of trouble but I guess we really didn't care much. Had some good times.
