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U.S. Army parachutists from the 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) perform a static line jump out of an Australian DHC-4 Caribou troop transport aircraft over Royal Australian Air Force Base Townsville, Australia, in 1997. (DoD photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Efrain Gonzalez)

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Fighting The SF Myth

Special Forces Myths Cast A Long Shadow Over Recruiting Efforts

By Ken Swarner
Special to Military.com

With an elite beret, "hoo-ah" mystique, and a signature John Wayne film, you�d think the lines at the Army Special Forces recruiting offices would stretch a mile long.

They don�t.

"A lot of soldiers think it�s too high a mountain to climb," says Sgt. 1st Class Jim Adcock, a recruiter with 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis, Wash. "They don�t think they can do it. They think the goal is unattainable."

Across the Army, SF recruiters hold weekly meetings on Army posts to attract potential candidates. Recruiters want 1,800 soldiers to enter the Special Forces selection process each year, but rarely get them, Adcock says. Less than 1 percent of soldiers are even interested -- and SF needs them early, he says.

For officers, a senior captain is considered too old, while an E-7 is pushing the enlisted age cap. "On average, we need soldiers in their fourth year of service," Adcock explains.

Dispelling the Myths

Special Forces folklore is often the first hurdle. Recruiters put lots of time and effort into dispelling myths about Herculean physical requirements and snakes on the food pyramid. Capt. Jim Keating, a detachment commander for the recruiting detachment that oversees Fort Lewis, Fort Carson and Korea, lists a few ways the popular conceptions are exaggerated.

-- Myth: SF soldiers must be Olympic swimmers. Reality: Candidates must swim 50 meters in BDUs and boots.

-- Myth: SF soldiers are PT Gods. Reality: a 17- to 20-year-old soldier needs to score a 229 on the Army Physical Fitness Test -- tough, but acheivable.

-- Myth: SF soldiers would win "Survivor" hands down. Reality: They learn to survive behind enemy lines, and the rest is exaggerated.

The myth that SF kills an officer�s career also hurts, Keating adds. He admits it�s nearly impossible for an officer to leave Special Forces and rejoin a previous branch, but with five groups worldwide, upward movement to O-6 is attainable.

He says promotions run faster for enlisted soldiers in SF as well.

Family concerns also work against SF's recruiting goals. Typically, Green Berets spend 120 to 180 days per year away from home.

"Soldiers are worried they will never see their families again," Adcock says.

The Real SF

Working under the watchful eyes of a John Wayne poster in an SF compound office at Fort Lewis, Adcock assures soldiers they can make it in Special Forces. He admits that combat arms and military intelligence soldiers may have an easier time, but he also has seen Army cooks earn the Green Beret.

"Sure, it�s a gut check, but it�s attainable," he says. "If a soldier wants it, there is nothing in the selection process that a person can�t do."

Soldiers who sign up with a recruiter are guaranteed only a look-over. Those who pass that test earn a place at the qualifications course, where they can earn the Special Forces tab and an SF assignment. The Q Course consists of advanced infantry tactics training, a mini Ranger school, followed by specialty training in a school environment. Then, it�s on to Phase 3, or Robin Sage, where soldiers learn unconventional warfare and survival training.

"Emphasis is on learning," Keating says. "The cadre aren�t there to test, but rather to teach. It�s very low pressure."

In fact, SF has redesigned the process. Before, Keating says, candidates were thrown to the wolves in a sink-or-swim fashion. Now, a soldier isn�t assessed on a skill until he has been taught how to do it.

"No matter what now, everyone is equal," Keating says.

Sixty percent who start the Q Course successfully enter the Special Forces.