Eligible for SEALs?

[forpath]

These questions are posted for anyone that can help me. I am currently in medical school, but I am interested in putting off my medical training following medical school to pursue trying out for the SEALs. I will be 27 by the time I finish medical school, but at this time I do not know if I have to complete a year of internship following school or else risk losing my license. In that case, I would be 28 before I could join the Navy and that leaves me little time before I am too old to try out for BUD/S. I have read that an enlisted man has the opportunity to go to BUD/S sooner than an officer. If this is true, then I would need to enlist due to my age. Question 1: Will the Navy allow someone with a professional degree (in this case an MD) to try out for BUD/S if he enlisted or will the Navy say that the education disqualifies the person for BUD/S? Question 2: Does the age limit mean that the student must be under the age of 29 when he takes the qualifying exam for BUD/S, or does it mean that the student must be under 29 at the time he begins BUD/S? Question 3: How long does it normally take for a student to begin BUD/S following completion of "A" school?

[Mike]

Highly unlikely. Why not put your medical training in use like being assigned as a command surgeon to NSWC? Or to any MEU medical unit?

[pn]

Why not put in your papers for a SEAL officer slot? OCS is only three months long; you could be at BUD/S as little as 13 weeks after you finish your internship.

I would at least try to go officer if I were you: if you get rejected, you can always walk into the enlisted recruiting office, say "Sign me up for SEAL Challenge", and leave for boot the next day.

A recruiter really is the best person to contact for all this info.

-pn



[This message has been edited by pn (edited 03-21-2000).]

[Fred]

Since you already have career options after your navy stint, I would go enlisted. No enlisted guys who meet the entrance quals are turned away from BUD/S, while the slots for officers are much more limited and competition is pretty fierce. You always have the option of going "O" later through several programs. Being enlisted, you have the opportunity to attend more schools, do more deployments, and generally have more fun. This is my personal opinion, as I have done both. Your advanced degree does not disqualify you from enlisted service. The navy grants waivers on a case by case basis for age.

[This message has been edited by Fred (edited 03-21-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Fred (edited 03-21-2000).]

[Mike]

to Fred
How many officers slots are there? It used to be 70/30 (officers/enlisted) at the beginning of each SEAL class.

[Fred]

It varies as the needsa of the Teams vary. The numbers you posted are erroneous.

[Mike]

to Fred, as I am not a SEAL, do you think you can give a figure of the ratio between officers and enlisted? Capt. Larry Bailey wrote an article in SOF about SEAL training and he mentioned the 70/30 ratio or something like that.

[Frog]

Forpath, I have to question your motivation. After serving with many talented individuals and seeing many of them leave the Teams after their platoon CDR tour to do just what you are doing - med schol or law school or MBA or what ever the next challenge is, why do you want to be a SEAL? If it's a check in the block, please don't waste my time. If you had some sort of come to Jesus decision to become a SEAL vice a doctor then I'm ready to spend some time with you. If being a SEAL is just another thing that you want to do before you settle down and make a buck, please go away. 1. Your degree doesn't matter, your attitude does. 2. You are old, and BUD/S is hard. You won't heal as fast as the 18 year olds. (I went though at 27 and still have the scars at 43). Are you ready for the pain and just how bad do you want it? 3. What do you have to offer the Teams over a guy right out of HS or college? If you were in a line up, why should I pick you?
This isn't cheerleader tryouts, it's a commitment. Each individual counts, it's very personal and we watch our community closely.

[Jims]

Mike,
I don't know about BUD/S, but there are about 400 officers to 2,100 enlisted.

[Fred]

Mike, the ratio is not a constant , or even much of a considration. My class had the same (roughly ) # of each, others have barely any O's. It is all according to manning needs. I'm sure they try to equitably distribute the O's thruout the year though.

[Mike]

Jims, you posted the statistics from my 1/14/00 message.
Fred, thanks. Smart idea to balance the O's to give them experiences as class leaders.

[Jims]

Mike,
I actually got those numbers from the January 2000 AFJI interview with R.Adm. Olson.

[Mike]

Jims, no offense. Good thing more people are reading AFJI.

[forpath]

Frog,
I appreciate the time you took to respond to my query. I understand that the decision to try out for the SEALs is not one to be made lightly, as it requires a life-long commitment if one makes it through training. I don't really know what to tell you about my motivations except that I have wanted to be a SEAL for a long time, it's just that there for a while I thought I wanted to be a doctor even more. I enjoy medicine, but there are some things about it and the society we live in that have made it somewhat unappealing. I do not want to quit school, however, because I am not into quitting things I have started. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the people that serve in the Armed Forces, especially the SEALs. The things you all do and the places you go seem to be the end-all-be-all of what I would consider a completely fulfilled life. I do not want to spend every day of the rest of my life regretting that I did not go for it, for I know that is exactly what I would do. Avoiding regret is not my only motivation. However, I imagine pretty much everyone else who has wanted to be SEAL has close to the same reasons for their aspiration that I do: to be part of the best of the best, to give something back to their country and to be pushed to their limits and beyond, to name a few. I know that sounds like a recruiting poster, but it's true. I also don't know what to tell you about what I have to offer over another candidate right out of HS or college that would amount to any more than empty words between two people that have never met. All I can tell you is that I would give everything I had to the training, and I have a sense that that is all anyone can realistically ask of a prospective trainee. I'm not going to insult you and say that nothing would make me quit, because how easy is it to say that while sitting here typing? The only way to know is to just do it, but I don't think I need to tell you that. You're right, I can feel myself getting older, and I get sore a little faster than before, but if you and the countless other people who have successfully completed BUD/S at 27 or older could do it, then I don't think my age should be an obstacle. Any other comments you have for me would be greatly appreciated. Also, about how long does it take the average enlisted man to get to BUD/S from the time he finishes boot camp? How far in advance are the classes filled? Thanks for your time,
Forpath

[This message has been edited by forpath (edited 04-03-2000).]