Im looking to join the military to get into the special ops,?

Question

I have no idea which I want. I love the marines but not sure if I want force recon. I want to be used for small raids, capturing or eliminating specific enemies, that sort of thing.
I have no problem doing all the other things they do its just I think id be best at that. So does force recon do that, or should I get into something else?

P.S. Im a great swimmer, in great shape, and have bin successful in full contact fighting for years now. How much help would all that be in pursuing a career along that line.

spoken like a true marine gyrene5811. But basically I want to know if force recon does those types of missions.

Answer 1

I've known a few Recon Marines (worked with two personally, one a former squad leader of mine) and must say they are exceptional people.

Yes, Force Recon does Direct Action. You won't get straight into it - the only SOCOM unit that handles Direct Action you're really eligible for straight off the street is the Army's Ranger Regiment - but request 0311 as your MOS in your enlistment contract with the Marines, and then do the selection process after you're assigned to an infantry unit.

Whatever you do, get away from the Security Battalions. Great job, but definitely kiss of death when it comes to becoming a Recon Marine, from what I understand. There should be some career Marines on this board who have hopefully spent some time in a Force Reconnaissance Company that can detail the selection process in full. In the meantime, I recommend some light reading here:

http://parafrog.com/index2.shtml

And a visit to your local recruiting office. Try to get hold of an infantry Marine or one with Force Recon experience, so you can mine for some decent information that is relatively up-to-date from someone within the system.

Good luck.

Answer 2

You should know all of your options before you make a decision about the Military. There are a few good answers down there. The Army does have a program for Special Forces right from the recruiting office, or they did have one. The catch was if you didnt make it through to become a Special Forces operator, you were at the needs of the Army...meaning they used you where they needed you, and most likely it was in the infantry ranks. Do some research. Whatever Armed Forces elite group you want to be a part of requires a lot of mental and physical toughness. Bottom line is talk to a few recruiters, and I am sure from some of the answers on here, you can find one here. Good luck!

Answer 3

i dont know how it is now but when i went in the first thing you had to do was complete basic training. then you could go right to airborn school. this helps. or you could go to basic and ait. after a certain amount of time you can apply for air assault school. if you get through all that try ranger school. its alot of physical training but if you want special ops thats what youll be looking at. in basic you might run 2 miles a day. air assault is more like ten. if i remember correctly air assault school was a 10 or 12 day course. 3 jumps out of choppers. the rest was pt. if you cant make it through that you'll never get through the others.

Answer 4

Son, there are two types of people in this world. Marines and those that wish they were Marines. Force Recon is the ticket.

Answer 5

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 110 or higher and a combat operation score of 98 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.
Qualify for a secret security clearance.
Qualify and volunteer for Airborne training
Take Defense Language Aptitude Battery or Defense Language Proficiency Test
Achieve a minimum of 60 points on each event and overall minimum score of 229 on the Army Physical Fitness Test

Special Forces are often deployed to preclude, preempt and resolve terrorist incidents abroad. They prevent, deter and respond to terrorist activities and train other nations' military in the basics of fighting terrorism. One of the current main goals of the Counter Terrorism exercise is to thwart terrorist uprisings or cells from forming.


Special Forces Soldiers are now more important than ever in the fight against global terrorism. Since the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Special Forces Soldiers, working with our allies, have captured numerous al-Qaeda members, disassembled terrorists cells and cut off funding to those groups in countries like Pakistan and Indonesia.

Special Forces Soldiers continue to work with local governments and police forces to watch and hunt down growing terror networks around the globe.


Direct Action missions are short duration strikes that are used when Special Forces want to seize, capture, recover or destroy enemy weapons and information or recover designated personnel or material.

In many instances, Green Berets are in and out before the enemy has time to know what hit them. Many of these actions are quick-strike missions, usually involving a raid or ambush of an enemy camp.

Often, Special Forces use Direct Action to remove an enemy who is gaining power and influence in another nation. Other times it is used to protect American nationals or Soldiers being held in foreign countries.


The raid at Son Tay during the Vietnam War typifies a Special Forces Direct Action mission. In November of 1970, a team of Special Forces Soldiers assaulted a North Vietnamese Prisoner of War camp to free 70 American Soldiers who were reportedly being held in inhumane conditions.

Within moments of arriving, U.S. Soldiers discovered the POWs had subsequently been moved to another camp; Son Tay’s water well had run dry and a rising river threatened to flood the camp.

While the rescue attempt didn’t retrieve the Soldiers, it was still viewed as a success as it sent a clear message to the North Vietnamese that the U.S. Army was coming for its men.

Answer 6

they don't look at your grades, they just want you to have a high school diploma. You have to score high enough on the ASVAB to make special forces and pass the training. Poor grades won't matter if you pass the physical fitness test and ASVAB. study hard in high school though because you need that to be able to get a good score on the ASVAB.

Answer 7

Definetly agree serve first then see those guys everydaylife and make your decision on joining them. Military life isnt for everyone be horrible to sign up for some certain section and then you get in it and hate it.

Answer 8

YOU MIGHT WANT TO TALK TO A NAVY RECURTER AFTER BASIC TRAINING YOU CAN APPLY FOR THE SEALS. OR TALK TO AN ARMY RECURTER AND ASK ABOUT DELTA FORCE. NO MATTER LARGE OR SMALL GROUPES WAR IS NOT A PLESANT PLACE TO BE.

Answer 9

MOS INFANTRY

Take nothing away from regular infantry some cant even handle that rather than special ops

Answer 10

What you need to do is serve in the military and see if you like it. Then you and them can decide if you want to go further.