Not Horsesoldier (he provided excellent information, as always), but you have plenty of time to do research. I am 16, and I plan on going to college. I would recommend you going to college aswell. You can't be a Operator forever, eventually you will probably decide to settle down and get into the civilian world. I may see you at BUD/S or down range in the future, good luck.

GOP, Where are you going to school? And thats true we can only be operaters for so long but whatever branch of the military we go into will pay for our schooling? Dont you just want to get on with it and go to boot camp? I cant wait to depart. Are you thinking SEALs then or FORCE RECON or what?

I hope to get into the University of Alabama (I live in Alabama). Yes, they will pay for our schooling, but I believe that we have to fulfill our duty before they will give our money for college (I could be wrong on this, though). I really want to 'get on with it', but I also want to be smart and get a degree...I will also be able to use the time to get in phenomenal shape. I definitely want to be a SEAL, but USMC Recon is awesome. I am not trying to come across as a 'know-it-all', as I still have a good bit to learn myself, but if I was you, I would look into all US SOCOM units and see which one fits you best. Don't go by reputation, don't go by 'cool factor', and don't go into training if you are not positive on what you want to do. I would guess that you already know this, but be prepared physically (as I said in my previous post). Be prepared to work your butt off in your PT sessions...it won't make life easy in training, but it will make life alot better if you arrive fit. One last thing...know what you are getting into. The fact is that as a Operator, we will most likely be called on to kill another human being. This is a fact. Alot of guys talk tough about killing the enemy, but the fact is that it will change your life forever. If you aren't prepared to work extremely hard every day (Life in the Teams are as hard or harder than in training), kill, or give up basic freedoms (you will basically be owned for a few years), then don't sign up. If you decide this is the lifestyle you want, then just remember that the only person who can stop you from achieving your dream is yourself. You seem to be knowledgable and dedicated, so we will probably be down range in the next few years.

GOP, Thanks man and feel free to tell me anything else, you arent comming across all "know it all" but you do know quite a bit on this subject and I want to know all I can, so listening to you and others is great. And I know what I am getting into, I really want that life in the military. And as far as working my ass off, thats what I do, I love to work out, run, lift I am in great shape. (Im 6'5" and 220lbs.) I can do hundreds of push ups, sit ups, and many pull ups, I can run forever. Being inshape is what I am about, I bench 315, squat 400+ and clean about 275. But I am not the strongest swimmer, but I am working on that and I have time, Im not enlisting right now. I have heard that to be an officer in the SEAL program means that you wouldnt be able to go on more than to Opps, do you know why this is?

and good luck with getting into Alabama, your a junior right? I think I remember you sayin you were 16...

>>I have heard that to be an officer in the SEAL program means that you wouldnt be able to go on more than to Opps, do you know why this is? << First, happy to help and hope any information I provide helps. Like I said earlier, anything I say is not intended to discourage you, just trying to make sure you're aware of quirks and such in the system. Second, in regards to the particular question above, bear in mind that officers only spend a relatively small portion (usually towards the beginning) of their career in shooter positions. After that they tend to promote into jobs where they are looking at bigger issues than personally kicking in doors and such. After about the rank of captain (army/marines sense, not the navy rank) you're likely pretty much out of the shooting business under normal circumstances and into the business of doing staff work, commanding large(r) units and such. Which is not to say you're not making a vital contribution doing those jobs, but it's a different sort of contribution. Which leads to the officer versus enlisted debate as far as SOF units, which is a whole other topic that time prevents me from going into at the moment. As for education, if your college is paid for, I would say get as much as you can. Officer or enlisted, special operations or conventional or not in the military at all, it opens doors and helps you get through them. With the way things are going, SOF units are not going to get any less busy in the next decade or so . . .

Thanks alot, colts. I am a Sophmore, a junior next year (11th grade). You must be a Senior?