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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/Special Forces
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Question
Dear Mr. Powers,
I am about to enter West Point this year and have been thinking greatly about what I might do afterwards, I realize that I have 4 years to learn but I would just like to have a heads up on what I would want to do. My question involes becoming a member of the special forces. Would it be possible for me to branch Engineers, become a sapper, and then become a member of a Special Forces unit once completing the appropriate Special Forces courses or do I have to join a particular branch? Thank you for your time and hopefully I will hear from you soon.
Tyler
Hi Tyler,
Congratulations on your selection to the U.S. Military Academy! I hope you realize how selective the selection process is for acceptance! Several thousands apply each year, and only a few hundred are accepted. Great job!
You have more time to think about it than you might realize.
Army commissioned officers cannot apply for Special Forces until they reach the rank of Captain (O-3), or 1LT (promotable). This won't happen (at least) until (around) four years after you receive your commission.
Your chances of selection for Special Forces are best if you branch to a Combat Arms Branch (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/officerjob1/l/blsf.htm), which consist of Infantry, Armor, Field Artillery, Air Defense Artillery, Aviation, or Corps of Engineers.
For more information about the United States Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military Information Site at: http://usmilitary.about.com
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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