Former SF (18 series)/current Fed LEO - ask me almost anything

[Tirofijo]

So it sounds like you're doing far less E type training after the switch to LE. How has that impacted your overall health, energy levels, strength-- what are the positives and negatives going from high volume E to (I'm assuming) much less?

I find it hard to compare my endurance junkie self and with where I am now. I'm in my 40s now and have had three surgeries and a couple of other injuries. I also have two toddlers, a wife, mortgage and a different type of stress at work - all of that will effect your energy levels.

It's much different than when I decided to enlist as a single guy and pretty much devoted everything in the next 6 years to being the best soldier I could be.

(Though I was NG, I spent over three years on AD for training, and then was a Guard Bum just going to different schools and training opportunities until I deployed. I didn't have a job outside of the military for those years.)

I definitely like being stronger, though.

[Tym87]

What were some of the big differences in the hiring process for the FED LEO jobs? DId they value enlisted vs officer military experience more than others? What about education level?

[DocOctagon]

What kind of diet or eating style did you find most beneficial back when you did ultras?

[Tirofijo]

But I wish I had more muscle when I was in Phase 2, which was our Small Unit Tactics phase and was similar to a mini-Ranger school, except with longer movements and heavier rucks. (But we had more food than you get in Ranger School.) (The Q course has changed in the last ten years, so the names I use may not match up with the current names.)

We started out with 14 on our team, and by the end of the six weeks we were down to 8 due to guys being pulled for not performing. But we still had to carry the same equipment and ammo as if we had 14 people. My ruck weighed 130 lbs. That's when being a wiry 160lbs wasn't ideal. Being 200lbs with a 400lb deadlift - but still being able to run - would have been better.

I think TB would get you there. Operator + Green would have been perfect.

I quoting myself just to emphasize those paragraphs.

I was thinking what I wrote last night in some of the other posts, and decided that all the talk about Selection and my endurance background might have given the wrong impression. Selection is just 24 days, and the rucks are just 45lbs (plus 6 quarts of water and a rubber ducky). Passing SFAS just earns you to the right to continue training. We had a lot of guys that passed SFAS that tapped out later - when the rucks were heavier, there was sleep deprivation, and the cadre were ratcheting up the stress levels. It got harder, and it would have helped tremendously if I had been stronger. Being a skinny triathlete wasn't ideal.

[Chief_1776]

You said you came straight in with no prior service if I underatood you correctly. Were you enlisted or an officer? Getting into Special Operations like SF or SEALs has been a life long dream that I'm preparing to make happen after I finish my degree. Do you have any other advise for someone just heading into this preperation or otherwise?

[Tirofijo]

What were some of the big differences in the hiring process for the FED LEO jobs? DId they value enlisted vs officer military experience more than others? What about education level?

A couple were pretty straightforward interviews with a few simple hypothetical situations to test your judgement. Another is a behavioral interview (Tell about a time you face a conflict while working as part of a team, and how you handled it.) Another had a timed essay, follow by a test and interview to talk about your experience, and then a third part with a hypothetical situation that developed depending on how you answered (and invariably the situation deteriorated and there were no clear right answers.)

There's lots of info out there on the hiring process. 911jobforums.com used to have a lot of info on different Fed agencies and their hiring process. Not sure if it's still active.

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Enlisted vs Officer - we have a lot of prior enlisted in my agency, so I'd like to say it doesn't matter. But I don't know how many enlisted apply vs how many officers apply, so I can't be sure if the officers have an advantage.

Where the officer might have an edge is when they talk about their experience. If you get the question "Tell us about your experience as a leader." Well, an officer that did five years and got out as a O-3 can say that he commanded a company of 160 men in XYZ, with X number of officers reporting directly to him, etc.

Most enlisted could say they were Squad leaders that were responsible for two fire teams, etc. You just have to sell yourself a bit. It can be done. I wouldn't let the prospect of a future job interview determine whether I enlisted or was commissioned.

Meanwhile, I was the most junior guy on my ODA when we deployed, and I supervised no one. I had to get creative and talk about Afghan National Army soldiers that I 'trained', the training program I ran to get guys ready for SFAS, etc.

[Tirofijo]

What kind of diet or eating style did you find most beneficial back when you did ultras?

Correction - Not ultraS. Just one ultra, and that was enough. You wouldn't want dieting advice from me. I threw up my GUs and therefore bonked hard during my ultra.

I was not elite. I was an age-group triathlete that finished in the middle of the pack. Or I raced as a CAT 4, which is nothing serious.

[DocOctagon]

What kind of diet or eating style did you find most beneficial back when you did ultras?

Correction - Not ultraS. Just one ultra, and that was enough. You wouldn't want dieting advice from me. I threw up my GUs and therefore bonked hard during my ultra.

I was not elite. I was an age-group triathlete that finished in the middle of the pack. Or I raced as a CAT 4, which is nothing serious.

I dunno man, just finishing an ultra is pretty damn remarkable in my books!

[Tirofijo]

You said you came straight in with no prior service if I underatood you correctly. Were you enlisted or an officer? Getting into Special Operations like SF or SEALs has been a life long dream that I'm preparing to make happen after I finish my degree. Do you have any other advise for someone just heading into this preperation or otherwise?

I was enlisted.

I was not prior service, and basic training/AIT were the closest I ever came to the conventional army.

The Army has the 18x enlistment option, which sends you to Basic Training, Infantry AIT, Jump School and then gives you a shot at SOPC (name may have changed) and perhaps after that to SFAS. If you are selected, you go to the Q Course, then language, then SERE, and then to an SF Group. (The order of language, SERE and the rest of the Q Course may have changed. I haven't kept up with exactly how they are doing it now.)

https://www.thebalance.com/army-enliste ... rs-3345943

That's basically what I did, but through a National Guard SF company. When I finished, I went back to my NG company, went to a lot of schools (the money was flowing back then) and then deployed.

SF and SEALs both have a direct enlistment option, which really only guarantees you a try-out to enter the pipeline. I believe Air Force Pararescue and CCT have an enlistment option that guarantees you a shot, but don't quote me on that.

[surfnj101]

Hi, im not sure if youre still answering questions but if you are, I have a few.

1) Can you talk a little about the federal law enforcement side of things? What (do you think) were the reasons you got the job? How does life as a federal agent compare to life as a SF soldier? How did you find the federal law enforcement training?

2) What was the running like at SFAS?

3) What would you say are some good fitness standards (aside from maxing out the APFT) someone should strive to hit before attending SFAS?

4) Did bootcamp, AIT, and airborne prepare you well for the rigors of SFAS?