USMC Sniper shortfall?
- Thread starter blue_ridge
- Start date
The Marine Corps is facing a “critical gap” of scout snipers due to the high washout rates during training, so the Corps is looking at changes to how the elite snipers are trained.
Lowering the bar never raises the standards. See American education system for more on that.
Lowering the bar never raises the standards. See American education system for more on that.
Hi,
I think the "washout" rate vs lowering standards applies throughout the entire Military spectrum. There are just too many "entitlement" children these days and they join the Military too. Pair that with the concept that the backwoods, farm raised, hard working, outdoor style families seem to be not only reducing the number of children they have but are talking their children OUT of joining the Military...So that leaves a less qualified pool to even recruit from.
It is going to take a major world conflict for us to resurface from this downward spiral.
Sincerely,
Theis
I think the "washout" rate vs lowering standards applies throughout the entire Military spectrum. There are just too many "entitlement" children these days and they join the Military too. Pair that with the concept that the backwoods, farm raised, hard working, outdoor style families seem to be not only reducing the number of children they have but are talking their children OUT of joining the Military...So that leaves a less qualified pool to even recruit from.
It is going to take a major world conflict for us to resurface from this downward spiral.
Sincerely,
Theis
Im not a big fan of Neller, too political and though politics come with that job, based on who appointed him thats a problem.
Couple years ago at a USMC birthday luncheon he actually admonished a room heavily attended by WWII, Korea, VN and GWOT vets for shouting out some OhhhRahhs and "You'll be Sorees" to poolee Marines taking the oath of enlistment.
Monday I was at the same luncheon he spoke of Gens Kelly and Mattis saying in essence "Think of them, They have a tough job" and I took the drift that Trump was what made the job tough not the obvious or the current coup condition.
So SS school is tough as it should be. What these guys are training for is not easy.
Any Marine that attends and washes out should pick up skills to make him a better Marine. The issue comes in missing man power from the unit the candidate was originally assigned to. A Battalion is better able to absorb the loss of one man than a Sniper Platoon can.
How many roles are these stupid IAR H&K miracle rifles expected to fill?
I dont think they come close to replacing a belt fed in the Automatic Rifleman roll, they are not even the heavy gun the BAR was when it was the designated AR weapon, nor are they going to replace a trained sniper.
Sounds like Neller thinks all you do is give an indian a bow and he becomes Crazy Horse.
He said this will be his last USMC Birthday in uniform.....I hope Trump pulls out someone in the mold of Al Gray for next Commandant.
Couple years ago at a USMC birthday luncheon he actually admonished a room heavily attended by WWII, Korea, VN and GWOT vets for shouting out some OhhhRahhs and "You'll be Sorees" to poolee Marines taking the oath of enlistment.
Monday I was at the same luncheon he spoke of Gens Kelly and Mattis saying in essence "Think of them, They have a tough job" and I took the drift that Trump was what made the job tough not the obvious or the current coup condition.
So SS school is tough as it should be. What these guys are training for is not easy.
Any Marine that attends and washes out should pick up skills to make him a better Marine. The issue comes in missing man power from the unit the candidate was originally assigned to. A Battalion is better able to absorb the loss of one man than a Sniper Platoon can.
How many roles are these stupid IAR H&K miracle rifles expected to fill?
I dont think they come close to replacing a belt fed in the Automatic Rifleman roll, they are not even the heavy gun the BAR was when it was the designated AR weapon, nor are they going to replace a trained sniper.
Sounds like Neller thinks all you do is give an indian a bow and he becomes Crazy Horse.
He said this will be his last USMC Birthday in uniform.....I hope Trump pulls out someone in the mold of Al Gray for next Commandant.
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Stand by for the glowing report of the first female to make it through the storied USMC Scout Sniper program.
It will happen before Neller leaves.
I attended the USMC Birthday with my friend a Guadalcanal vet, birth date January 1922.
They gave the first piece of cake to a "younger" WM because this year is the 100th anniversary of the Women Marines......Fuck you Old Breed Marine we need to celebrate diversity.
Does not help that in a smoking hot economy... and a generation of kids after 911, the services are competing against STEM jobs and law school and bond trading for the best and brightest.
For a bunch of years the services had the pick of the litter.
Another 911 or big downturn will change things. But we don’t want that either.
All things go in cycles.
Cheers, Sirhr
For a bunch of years the services had the pick of the litter.
Another 911 or big downturn will change things. But we don’t want that either.
All things go in cycles.
Cheers, Sirhr
cock suckers shouldnt make it so hard to re enlist after theater.
we loose so many seasoned Marines, it is only their fault...
perfumed princes...
we shouldnt act surprised, i got out in the early 90s because of the bullshit, eat the apple fuck the corps is what most were saying...they were unfaithful, no semper that i could see...
for a corps of people who proclaim all kinds of faithfulness they sure know how to fuck over seasoned mens careers, i dont know why i have a burr up my ass but i do...
woman as sniper, yes...
woman as scout sniper, no...
woman as sniper w Rangers, no...
we loose so many seasoned Marines, it is only their fault...
perfumed princes...
we shouldnt act surprised, i got out in the early 90s because of the bullshit, eat the apple fuck the corps is what most were saying...they were unfaithful, no semper that i could see...
for a corps of people who proclaim all kinds of faithfulness they sure know how to fuck over seasoned mens careers, i dont know why i have a burr up my ass but i do...
woman as sniper, yes...
woman as scout sniper, no...
woman as sniper w Rangers, no...
I will weight in on this, as I am an infantry instructor right now, as well as a sniper (Army).
The problem we are seeing is that the raw material coming into our courses (E1-E5 attempting to earn the infantry MOS) is getting worse. Even rural kids often don't really grow up in the woods; they spend much of their free time on a screen of some sort. They are mentally fragile, and not resilient. Physically, the kids are just weak. I'm a beat up old vet and I can run circles around the majority of them. Our pass rate is roughly 50%. They fail pedestrian events like PT test, basic land navigation, etc. This is not a course where we are trying to weed people out. There is no hazing. No "Cole Range," "Team Week," "Hell Week," or anything of the sort. They are just that weak and unprepared.
I knew how to stalk and shoot before going to Sniper school. Many students did. Those skills are being developed less and less in the civilian population. The replacement is the ubiquitous smartphone. Mom, Dad, siblings, and friends are all entranced, leaving nobody to teach the kids how to shoot, wrestle, camp, etc.
Bottom line? If the military wants to fill these billets, the curriculum is going to have to change. If they want to keep the same standards, they need to tack on extra weeks to work the kids up from a lower level. It's just the simple reality of the current civilian population. What will likely happen is a lowering of standards.
The problem we are seeing is that the raw material coming into our courses (E1-E5 attempting to earn the infantry MOS) is getting worse. Even rural kids often don't really grow up in the woods; they spend much of their free time on a screen of some sort. They are mentally fragile, and not resilient. Physically, the kids are just weak. I'm a beat up old vet and I can run circles around the majority of them. Our pass rate is roughly 50%. They fail pedestrian events like PT test, basic land navigation, etc. This is not a course where we are trying to weed people out. There is no hazing. No "Cole Range," "Team Week," "Hell Week," or anything of the sort. They are just that weak and unprepared.
I knew how to stalk and shoot before going to Sniper school. Many students did. Those skills are being developed less and less in the civilian population. The replacement is the ubiquitous smartphone. Mom, Dad, siblings, and friends are all entranced, leaving nobody to teach the kids how to shoot, wrestle, camp, etc.
Bottom line? If the military wants to fill these billets, the curriculum is going to have to change. If they want to keep the same standards, they need to tack on extra weeks to work the kids up from a lower level. It's just the simple reality of the current civilian population. What will likely happen is a lowering of standards.
My son is on a Fortnite kick.
Ive offered to take him shooting real guns he would rather Fortnite.
I ought to invest in the robot sex doll trade. I have a feeling it will be taking off big time.
I think that there may be room for alternative thinking in this, and that it could provide a suitable response to the criticism at the start of this topic.
The Russians see snipers as a broader sword than we have traditionally done. Their sniper employment has historically been of more snipers, with less refined implements, and less complex tactics. IMHO, their view of snipers has been more analogous to that which we term as the DMR. Their client analogues, serving against currently deployed US forces, have been far from ineffective.
So I ask, does the American sniper response need to be as sophisticated, in all instances, as it has more recently become?
I think the DMR role has not been implemented to its ultimate extent, and could, with more attention, allow a staged response in the sniper's role.
Greg
The Russians see snipers as a broader sword than we have traditionally done. Their sniper employment has historically been of more snipers, with less refined implements, and less complex tactics. IMHO, their view of snipers has been more analogous to that which we term as the DMR. Their client analogues, serving against currently deployed US forces, have been far from ineffective.
So I ask, does the American sniper response need to be as sophisticated, in all instances, as it has more recently become?
I think the DMR role has not been implemented to its ultimate extent, and could, with more attention, allow a staged response in the sniper's role.
Greg
Everyone should be a DMR.
The problem in my mind is stupidity and softness from top to bottom.
We are living in 1938.
The wars in the middle east have been no picnic for the very few that have gone but our country has grown so stupidly soft in 50 years of peace that we have no sense of the reality of war.
Its this "clean" small unit action drone affair fought with us having total technological superiority - very little actual horrific brute force battle involved.
I was talking to a historian/reserve BG on Monday and my point about this shit is that our country is soft on the idea of war with rules. We have confined our military around the idea of "rules" in war.
Yes we need rules to protect noncombatants and proper treatment of wounded and prisoners. We should not look into the abyss and become that which we fight against but if our civilian leadership is sending some kid to war that his life is not worth saving over taking the fall out over blowing up a herd of goats than we have not reached the existential threat necessary to require we go to war.
Its criminal to half step in war.
If we were serious about this shit we would want more guys that can shoot the enemy in the face.
The problem in my mind is stupidity and softness from top to bottom.
We are living in 1938.
The wars in the middle east have been no picnic for the very few that have gone but our country has grown so stupidly soft in 50 years of peace that we have no sense of the reality of war.
Its this "clean" small unit action drone affair fought with us having total technological superiority - very little actual horrific brute force battle involved.
I was talking to a historian/reserve BG on Monday and my point about this shit is that our country is soft on the idea of war with rules. We have confined our military around the idea of "rules" in war.
Yes we need rules to protect noncombatants and proper treatment of wounded and prisoners. We should not look into the abyss and become that which we fight against but if our civilian leadership is sending some kid to war that his life is not worth saving over taking the fall out over blowing up a herd of goats than we have not reached the existential threat necessary to require we go to war.
Its criminal to half step in war.
If we were serious about this shit we would want more guys that can shoot the enemy in the face.
If the ones that made it through have the prone form of the guy in the pictures firing the 107...well, I dont know what to tell you.
Looks like he had his spit can next to the gun and didnt want to risk spilling his dippins.
Add to that, a generation of kids that have been conditioned not to fight, not to be aggressive, not to "play war", or have been medicated to be docile, and this is what you get. Society is weeding out all the little warrior shits at an early age, and tagging them as "social misfits" that need to be "counselled" (conditioned) to be well behaved drones instead of testosterone laden, bringers of hate.
This is extremely troubling for me personally. My kid is going to ground and pound some bully and make my life miserable dealing with these progressive fucks at his school.
There is a lot to that...
Back when we were in school... you tried to get away with stuff. You pranked people, including teachers. You pushed limits... to find out what you could do or not do... get away with.
Today, non-conformity of that sort is utterly stomped upon. But if you start wearing a man-bun, pretend to be another race, decide that you are a peter puffer or start uulating in class... you are encouraged for being diverse and creative.
Teachers, administrators and even parents are guiding a generation into behavior that is not only harmful, but downright degenerate... in the name of being trendy and socially conscious.
Look at all the parents who are so proud of having a 'tard or a medicated kid or someone in the spectrum... because they are now the parents of a 'special' child. Look at me. My child is special. I am therefore special. I get to paste a puzzle piece on the back of the Hybrid!
Fortunately, it only takes 3 percent of kids to keep the ranks filled in all kinds of uniforms.... Because IMHO, the other 97 percent won't just sit it out... they couldn't play war if they wanted to. Much less fight one.
On that front, I am cheerful... in terms of the rest... disgusted.
Sirhr
Scout Snipers don't win or lose battles for the Corps. They increase unit lethality, but Marines have been smoking cities long before Snipers were a serious thing. The drama queen headline is typical for a trash rag like the Times.
As for those grad numbers, well, I'm glad I'm long since removed from my active duty days. I know the instructors there are still tough as nails and damn fine teachers as well, but they only have ten weeks to get their job done. I'll just say during my time as Chief Scout and Platoon Sergeant, it was very rare I sent a candidate to school that I wouldn't have bet a paycheck they would graduate, and we had nearly a 90% first time grad rate and deployed with 17 school trained one pump and over 20 the next (making 2/3 to 3/4 of the platoon school trained). Us as a team of HOGs in our platoon busted our asses to spin up PIGs for school. "Pre-Sniper" wasn't even a thing back then, we had to do it on our own through unit training. It worked for us and the situation we had before us then, wonder if they're facing different than I did with op tempo, facility and resources access, etc.
I have no idea what's happening present day, won't even speculate about my brothers still serving at this point about it, just hope they unfuck the situation because with those grad numbers are not good.
Side note, why in the fuck are SSBC grad numbers public information?
As for those grad numbers, well, I'm glad I'm long since removed from my active duty days. I know the instructors there are still tough as nails and damn fine teachers as well, but they only have ten weeks to get their job done. I'll just say during my time as Chief Scout and Platoon Sergeant, it was very rare I sent a candidate to school that I wouldn't have bet a paycheck they would graduate, and we had nearly a 90% first time grad rate and deployed with 17 school trained one pump and over 20 the next (making 2/3 to 3/4 of the platoon school trained). Us as a team of HOGs in our platoon busted our asses to spin up PIGs for school. "Pre-Sniper" wasn't even a thing back then, we had to do it on our own through unit training. It worked for us and the situation we had before us then, wonder if they're facing different than I did with op tempo, facility and resources access, etc.
I have no idea what's happening present day, won't even speculate about my brothers still serving at this point about it, just hope they unfuck the situation because with those grad numbers are not good.
Side note, why in the fuck are SSBC grad numbers public information?
I already know how to fix it, BTDT, but hey, fuck me, what do I know, right?
It's actually pretty simple. There's lots of guys that wanna go to the school and for every one that can't shoot or hide but that sucked someone's dick to get a slot, there's probably five others or more that didn't get to go. BTDT too.
So what fixed it was implementing a unit level school. We started pre-sniper, pre-ranger and also ran the only SDM course in the country at the time. We also ran combatives (the main combatives instructor literally lived with the Gracie's in Brazil half the time I was there). Instead of learning from the model, they knew better and shut it down when the unit deployed and moved SDM to Benning (where they just straight ripped us off for most of their shit, then cut the class in half and had civilians run it --whatever gay shit they teach down there isn't what we taught).
Anyway, you had to go through one of the pre courses first. This would measure a few things, how bad do you want it, can you do it, are you the best to do it, etc. Some wanted to be rangers but washed out of the pre course's first day of torment. Then it was two weeks of ranger school there in the back yard. They slept outside the whole two weeks, farted around in the swamp at night, 1 MRE, etc., as close as they could get it. The ones that did best and liked it got recommended to their 1SG to go to the school. Same with pre-sniper. SDM course was a stand alone school, that's what I did.
Our dropout rates were the best in the army IIRC, and they more than doubled the number of guys that graduated. And most that went through the pre courses said that it was what helped them succeed because they knew what to expect and had already done it to some degree. Our SDM's could hit targets to 600m with an issue M4 and ACOG or irons, AND call their shots. They left with confidence.
But you gotta have a group of guys that know their shit and give 'em what they want and leave 'em alone. COC went from us to Bde. CSM and CO. That cut out all of the bullshit, we had free reign. All the instructors there were unique and the best we had. All of us loved that job. Plus we got free shit from all the companies to show off --KAC FF rails (new then) AA Beowulf upper, etc., etc. So in that respect, it even paid well!
Then Iraq happened and it's like it never existed at all.
It wouldn't be hard for the marines to adapt this to their uses and it can be used for other classes that have a high washout rate. It's highly effective and it can be useful for other classes with high washout rates, or even their own specialized class like SDM was at that time. Plus it can be used to help other units, they can do other training like qualifying all the officers with their pistols, or run a machinegun class for their gunners, etc. And it's nice to have your own local advanced infantry skills center so you can tap the wisdom and knowledge they have.
Really, when you think about it and get your head around the idea, it's actually stupid to NOT have one.
It's actually pretty simple. There's lots of guys that wanna go to the school and for every one that can't shoot or hide but that sucked someone's dick to get a slot, there's probably five others or more that didn't get to go. BTDT too.
So what fixed it was implementing a unit level school. We started pre-sniper, pre-ranger and also ran the only SDM course in the country at the time. We also ran combatives (the main combatives instructor literally lived with the Gracie's in Brazil half the time I was there). Instead of learning from the model, they knew better and shut it down when the unit deployed and moved SDM to Benning (where they just straight ripped us off for most of their shit, then cut the class in half and had civilians run it --whatever gay shit they teach down there isn't what we taught).
Anyway, you had to go through one of the pre courses first. This would measure a few things, how bad do you want it, can you do it, are you the best to do it, etc. Some wanted to be rangers but washed out of the pre course's first day of torment. Then it was two weeks of ranger school there in the back yard. They slept outside the whole two weeks, farted around in the swamp at night, 1 MRE, etc., as close as they could get it. The ones that did best and liked it got recommended to their 1SG to go to the school. Same with pre-sniper. SDM course was a stand alone school, that's what I did.
Our dropout rates were the best in the army IIRC, and they more than doubled the number of guys that graduated. And most that went through the pre courses said that it was what helped them succeed because they knew what to expect and had already done it to some degree. Our SDM's could hit targets to 600m with an issue M4 and ACOG or irons, AND call their shots. They left with confidence.
But you gotta have a group of guys that know their shit and give 'em what they want and leave 'em alone. COC went from us to Bde. CSM and CO. That cut out all of the bullshit, we had free reign. All the instructors there were unique and the best we had. All of us loved that job. Plus we got free shit from all the companies to show off --KAC FF rails (new then) AA Beowulf upper, etc., etc. So in that respect, it even paid well!
Then Iraq happened and it's like it never existed at all.
It wouldn't be hard for the marines to adapt this to their uses and it can be used for other classes that have a high washout rate. It's highly effective and it can be useful for other classes with high washout rates, or even their own specialized class like SDM was at that time. Plus it can be used to help other units, they can do other training like qualifying all the officers with their pistols, or run a machinegun class for their gunners, etc. And it's nice to have your own local advanced infantry skills center so you can tap the wisdom and knowledge they have.
Really, when you think about it and get your head around the idea, it's actually stupid to NOT have one.
Not to demean your work or trivialize it, but the Corps used to run pre-courses (not SSBC, but Jump school, dive school, etc ) and had internal pre-courses to ensure standards were exceeded, so that the actual school was almost a sure pass. I think GWOT and the high deployment rates quashed them. They just need to reconstitute them again.
We don't have archery contests anymore. Are the schools teaching the right things.
Novel writing...story telling.... Publicity whoring...
Novel writing...story telling.... Publicity whoring...
I come from and live in a rural farming community. Shit tons of hunters and shooters. And when you ask the high schoolers what they plan to do after high school, 9/10 say college, or just find a job. And the 1 kid who does say military, is on the fence.
A lot of it has to do with fighting useless wars. Wars that do not benefit the US one bit. Who wants to go fight and possibly die for that? Nobody. As the military is finding out.
Also, the age cutoff for enlisting. There are plenty of able bodied adults that cannot enlist because they are "too old". There are currently elite athletes that could not enlist in the military if they wanted too because theyre "too old." That is stupid.
A lot of it has to do with fighting useless wars. Wars that do not benefit the US one bit. Who wants to go fight and possibly die for that? Nobody. As the military is finding out.
Also, the age cutoff for enlisting. There are plenty of able bodied adults that cannot enlist because they are "too old". There are currently elite athletes that could not enlist in the military if they wanted too because theyre "too old." That is stupid.
At 47 I can still run circles around most of these kids. I'd go if I could, even knowing what I know now.
Not so much "useless wars" but fighting for a political party that looks at contracts and pandering as worth more than the lives of those that go.
Im not sure anyone should go in the military until the civilian leadership is forced to read Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Smedley D. Butler and they can truly show they understand the definition of words such as Strategy, Tactics, Existential Threat.
They must also divest from the idea that the military is for nation building and put that task back with the State Dept where it belongs.
The war in Afghanistan was as just as any war ever fought. It should have been swift, extremely punitive and decapitating - the military was perfectly capable of that. The fact it is 2018 and Afghanistan is still an operation is criminal.
Unless things have changed drastically, the age cut offs are there for a reason. Marine boot camp would crush someone over 26 yrs old, even in good condition. At that age, you're ability to recover begins to diminish; and boot camp is all about recovery, since they have you constantly moving and taxing yourself. Maybe the other services aren't as bad, but USMC boot camp is pretty physically demanding. Not in a strength sense, but a prolonged endurance sense. By the time you hit the crucible (or BWT/ICT as it was called when I went through) you're stronger, but the four days of minimal sleep and food really push you past the point of recovery, and you're just running on sheer will power and intestinal fortitude. I still remember people falling asleep while standing in formation to turn our weapons in after that phase (post 12 mile forced march with full pack); quite few face plants that day.
As they say, this is a young man's game.
The military is wasted on the young but its tasks require the young to accomplish them.
Sadly much of what is required in a true all out brutal war requires the somewhat under developed minds of the young, people less than 25 years old that haven't totally developed certain areas of the brain that make us better able to understand risk and contemplate our own existence.
Id be a better Marine now as far as living in the field and perhaps performing the tasks at least in a training/garrison environment (no idea how I would do if shit is hitting the fan and I dont want to find out).
Id also take way more advantage of the incidental opportunities provided rather than just have hung around bars and shit.
I think at just about the time anyone EAS's their first enlistment that is just about the time that individual truly has enough knowledge to do the job correctly.
But over 25 recruits on a first enlistment in the most important area they would likely fail. When some Lt comes up to them and says "Assault Sugar Loaf Hill" after watching a number of platoons ahead of them get decimated a fully developed, unrigorously trained and unexperienced brain, would likely go "Now lets discuss this" as opposed to an 18 year old or second enlistment vet that will go over the top without thinking.
Ive had two boot camp experiences one at 18 years old one at 37.
Both pretty much followed the Parris Island model of full schedule, physically demanding, 16 hour days with a required 8 hours of sleep except when training requires otherwise. The young one was Parris Island.
The only relief we got was that in the second experience we went home on weekends which I tell you was not relief. Weekends were filled with as much work getting ready for Monday that it wasnt a break. "Dread of Monday" began on Saturday morning. Id have rather worked through the weekend and compressed the 6 month academy time.
I was in better shape at 37 than 18 and the PT aspect was a piece of cake. Sure I ran a faster 3 mile at 18 on Parris Island but I dreaded the whole idea of PT as some sort of a chore rather than being beneficial. Any kid I see today asking for advice going through either of the boot camps I tell them first off - get in shape. If you go to bed dreading Reveille because you know it is followed by PT you have one foot in the grave. PT should be "your time", time when the DI does not fuck with you and you are improving yourself.
Anyway having done two demanding boot camps almost twenty years apart I give the intensity and toughness edge to the latter one even though I was better physically prepared.
The fuck fuck games were the same quarterdecking, hurricaning your personal possessions, hospital corner racks, wall locker displays, standing in weather improperly clothed to test discipline, mental mind fucks on Friday evenings before dismissal, harder academics, the most physically demanding thing - 200/300 yard runs in Corcorans with arms loaded with academic gear - it just pounded the knees - Id have preferred a five mile run in PT gear.
But the physicality wasnt the problem it was the 37 year old brain and the fact there was no "contract". On Parris Island I knew I wasnt done for at least 4 years while at my other experience my truck keys hung in my wall locker and by pulling the plug the DIs would have immediately become friendly and even carried my stuff out to my truck for me, shaking my hand and wishing me a good life the experience never to be thought of again except as a failure in life that would nag you to the grave wondering "What would it have been like?". I hated what I was doing at that academy and truly thought "Fuck this job" and my idea was to quit upon graduating with the thought being I had to show I could do the academy but my contempt was for them and I had the power to quit after succeeding as a sort of "Fuck you".
Luckily I stuck with it and life is good because things that are hard and earned usually tend to be worth it.
From kids to illegal aliens that last fact is never understood or taught these days.
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I think a lot has to do with a young mans mind. A 20 yr olds mind is a lot easier to shape and control than that of a 40 yr old.
Example. The local police for age cutoff is 35. But there are officers on the force who are 55 and overweight. Theyve been there for 25 years. A lot has to do with implanting "just do your job.." mindset. They have that.
I personally know a lot of super in shape boxers/mma/hockey guys that can shoot, run circles around these officers, while also beating them to a pulp. But, theyre not allowed to be on the force. Theyre "too old".
I dont think there is a magic number that says youre too old. If you can still compete, so be it. If you fail, youre out. How hard is that?
I'm 72, and I'm way too old.
But back in 2004, just pre-heart attack, I was forty years into Boy Scout Adult Leadership, and I made a point of being able to do anything I was telling the youngsters to do.
I have absolutely no business even daydreaming about what it might be like to be back. It would be like my presence is a genuine threat to anyone I attached myself to, more of a burden than of a resource.
It's a young man's profession. Folks can dicker about what's young and what's not young; I'll not go there. But whatever it is, it's not been me for decades.
The thing is, though; my kids are still in and doing it right.
Greg
But back in 2004, just pre-heart attack, I was forty years into Boy Scout Adult Leadership, and I made a point of being able to do anything I was telling the youngsters to do.
I have absolutely no business even daydreaming about what it might be like to be back. It would be like my presence is a genuine threat to anyone I attached myself to, more of a burden than of a resource.
It's a young man's profession. Folks can dicker about what's young and what's not young; I'll not go there. But whatever it is, it's not been me for decades.
The thing is, though; my kids are still in and doing it right.
Greg
Sadly, the makeup of the modern day enlisted recruits is a product of our "leave no child behind" public schools. The idea of no child left behind means that the standards were lowered to the point that the smarter kids never find their true academic potential. Not only is the sniper trade physically demanding, but being able to do math in your head under stress is paramount. Common core math is ruining our youth.
On top of this headwind, forcing our troops to fight with one hand behind their backs against barbarians with no regard for civilian life is the main seed of modern day PTSD. To hell with rules in war. To win against barbarians, you have to fight at the ruthlessness of the lowest common denominator between the two sides. Yet our troops are told to fight in a PC manner even if it means them dying, knowing full well they were capable of surviving outside of the PC envelope. All this for unjust wars that only enrich a few puppet masters behind the scenes.
On top of this headwind, forcing our troops to fight with one hand behind their backs against barbarians with no regard for civilian life is the main seed of modern day PTSD. To hell with rules in war. To win against barbarians, you have to fight at the ruthlessness of the lowest common denominator between the two sides. Yet our troops are told to fight in a PC manner even if it means them dying, knowing full well they were capable of surviving outside of the PC envelope. All this for unjust wars that only enrich a few puppet masters behind the scenes.
