svt cobra
04-07-2008, 01:10 PM
Hey, here is the situation, and I really need some help. This one is a little long, and since I am new here (but not to internet message boards) I hope this is in the right section and you guys can help me.
So basically I have always been interested in the military, okay obsessed actually, all things military, especially Special Forces, and I have read a lot about them and read a lot of books written by former SF's vets.
Anyway I am now 18 and finishing High School. Here is where it begins. I of course wanted to go to the Naval Academy, and I began the process of applying. Unfortunately my mother has always been against me joining the military in any service and in any occupation (she said she would send me to Canada if there was ever a draft, she is that extreme.) So naturally I hid everything from her and had all the papers in my trunk. She found them one night before I had applied or had an interview with my congressman, and burned them all, including calling my blue and gold officer and telling him I was no longer interested in applying.
Fast forward. I applied also to Rutgers (I live in Southern Jersey), Lehigh University, and Georgetown university. I thought I might be happy going to Georgetown and joining the Navy after, but I got rejected from there, but I did get into Rutgers and Lehigh. My SAT scores are 1390/1600 and My Culm GPA in HS is 3.8 with all Honors and AP courses. My rank is 22/626. I believe I would have definitely got into Annapolis no problem with my congressman's sponsorship (one kid from my school did get in with worse grades, SAT scores, and extra curricular activities).
So I do not want to go to Rutgers or Lehigh as even though I am getting a lot of financial aide and scholarships I never really wanted to go there, nor would I be happy in life doing something non-military even if I went to say Harvard. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a Navy SEAL, I am aware of the dedication, commitment, professionalism and everything and the long process of BUD/S, SQT, and such that it takes.
What this whole post about is basically asking for advice on my options.
I could be completely off here but what I wanted to do was enlist in the navy as a Marine. I would then try to reapply to the Naval Academy after one year, (active duty candidates do not need a sponsorship). Or, I would do my enlistment fully, and then go to college (I would assume pretty much anyone I would want to because of my grades and SAT scores and then military experience). But, like I said I definitely want to become a Navy SEAL. I know now (yes I tested myself, and I live a life of fitness, I wake up at 4AM every morning and run before school, and lift three times a week) that I could pass the BUD/S Contract test at the beginning of boot camp. If I got into BUD/S I would not even care about going to college anytime soon. But, eventually I want to be an officer and at least go through OCS. I want to enlist as a Marine because if for some reason I cannot go to BUD/S (I know I will not fail, I'd rather die than quit), I do not want to be haze gray and underway stuck on some ship, I would rather get combat experience in Iraq as a marine. I am aware of the sacrifices (including the ultimate one for this country), and I have thought about this for the past 6 months. I also however do not know if I am physically prepared to go through BUD/S and I need to do more work in that area to know for sure, like setting up a program recommended by one of the fine SEALs on here or in a book (Dennis Chalker's comes to mind). So also enlisting as a Marine would help me get through BUD/S eventually I would think.
My questions (and obviously I need to go see a recruiter, but I thought you guys could get me some basic information first):
1. Am I crazy? Should I just go to Lehigh and then join the military? (I really do not want to though, but I do not know how someone in the military would view what I am doing).
2. How long is the enlistment? 2 or 4 years? (I know I should know this, but I do not. I can tell you an M4 fires a 5.56mm round and Delta Force's CQB room clearing procedure, but not this).
3. Can I apply to the Naval Academy while I still have my enlistment duty, as in, let's say I have 2 years to serve, but get in after 1, does the Naval Academy count towards those years, or would I have to wait to go?
4. I assume I need to talk to a SEAL recruiter specifically, how can I find one?
5. Am I making sense about enlisting as a Marine?
6. Is it extremely hard to get into the academy as an enlisted man?
7. What should I do next?
8. Any recommendations
I know I am forgetting stuff, but this is all I can think of for now, but this is definitely something I WANT to do. If I remember to add more info or need to ask more questions I'll post again.
Thank you all very much for your time and I appreciate any help or guidance you can give me.
I am also currently reading the stickies and searching
So basically I have always been interested in the military, okay obsessed actually, all things military, especially Special Forces, and I have read a lot about them and read a lot of books written by former SF's vets.
Anyway I am now 18 and finishing High School. Here is where it begins. I of course wanted to go to the Naval Academy, and I began the process of applying. Unfortunately my mother has always been against me joining the military in any service and in any occupation (she said she would send me to Canada if there was ever a draft, she is that extreme.) So naturally I hid everything from her and had all the papers in my trunk. She found them one night before I had applied or had an interview with my congressman, and burned them all, including calling my blue and gold officer and telling him I was no longer interested in applying.
Fast forward. I applied also to Rutgers (I live in Southern Jersey), Lehigh University, and Georgetown university. I thought I might be happy going to Georgetown and joining the Navy after, but I got rejected from there, but I did get into Rutgers and Lehigh. My SAT scores are 1390/1600 and My Culm GPA in HS is 3.8 with all Honors and AP courses. My rank is 22/626. I believe I would have definitely got into Annapolis no problem with my congressman's sponsorship (one kid from my school did get in with worse grades, SAT scores, and extra curricular activities).
So I do not want to go to Rutgers or Lehigh as even though I am getting a lot of financial aide and scholarships I never really wanted to go there, nor would I be happy in life doing something non-military even if I went to say Harvard. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a Navy SEAL, I am aware of the dedication, commitment, professionalism and everything and the long process of BUD/S, SQT, and such that it takes.
What this whole post about is basically asking for advice on my options.
I could be completely off here but what I wanted to do was enlist in the navy as a Marine. I would then try to reapply to the Naval Academy after one year, (active duty candidates do not need a sponsorship). Or, I would do my enlistment fully, and then go to college (I would assume pretty much anyone I would want to because of my grades and SAT scores and then military experience). But, like I said I definitely want to become a Navy SEAL. I know now (yes I tested myself, and I live a life of fitness, I wake up at 4AM every morning and run before school, and lift three times a week) that I could pass the BUD/S Contract test at the beginning of boot camp. If I got into BUD/S I would not even care about going to college anytime soon. But, eventually I want to be an officer and at least go through OCS. I want to enlist as a Marine because if for some reason I cannot go to BUD/S (I know I will not fail, I'd rather die than quit), I do not want to be haze gray and underway stuck on some ship, I would rather get combat experience in Iraq as a marine. I am aware of the sacrifices (including the ultimate one for this country), and I have thought about this for the past 6 months. I also however do not know if I am physically prepared to go through BUD/S and I need to do more work in that area to know for sure, like setting up a program recommended by one of the fine SEALs on here or in a book (Dennis Chalker's comes to mind). So also enlisting as a Marine would help me get through BUD/S eventually I would think.
My questions (and obviously I need to go see a recruiter, but I thought you guys could get me some basic information first):
1. Am I crazy? Should I just go to Lehigh and then join the military? (I really do not want to though, but I do not know how someone in the military would view what I am doing).
2. How long is the enlistment? 2 or 4 years? (I know I should know this, but I do not. I can tell you an M4 fires a 5.56mm round and Delta Force's CQB room clearing procedure, but not this).
3. Can I apply to the Naval Academy while I still have my enlistment duty, as in, let's say I have 2 years to serve, but get in after 1, does the Naval Academy count towards those years, or would I have to wait to go?
4. I assume I need to talk to a SEAL recruiter specifically, how can I find one?
5. Am I making sense about enlisting as a Marine?
6. Is it extremely hard to get into the academy as an enlisted man?
7. What should I do next?
8. Any recommendations
I know I am forgetting stuff, but this is all I can think of for now, but this is definitely something I WANT to do. If I remember to add more info or need to ask more questions I'll post again.
Thank you all very much for your time and I appreciate any help or guidance you can give me.
I am also currently reading the stickies and searching