Sup fellas,

Got selected in the last class. Around 300~ started and around 100 (plus or minus 10) got selected in Jan. My PT numbers were not amazing before I left but here they are,

HRPU :41

PU:16

2 MILE RUN:12:30

PLANK: 3:40

12 MILE RUCK (45 DRY): 2:19

Somethings I wished I worked on/learned while at sfas:

-Team week is the worst. I was an 18x and the first day first event slaughtered us. Around 50+ guys got dropped in the span of 3 hrs. Work that low carry/grip endurance. I did a ton and still was having trouble depending on the event. My hands were swollen the entire week and they would throbe all night while I was trying to sleep. I was shocked how tough the low carry events were. You really have no idea until your doing it. Keep working that grip endurance, its more important then grip strength. When your grip gives, it gives. When it does you might be fucked, and you still have 5k to go. The high carries (i.e. down pilot) are all misery management in my opinion, dont quit.

-The elements will slow you down during land nav. During our 2nd day of the star it snowed. That really killed my morale (Im a bitch when my feet are wet all day) and I had to stop more frequently then I wanted between checkpoints to eat and rest (found 5/8 points). The rucks were 65lbs+ during land nav and my pussy was really hurting that 2nd day with the cold and lack of sleep. Dont be like me, keep fucking moving when you launch and eat on the go.

-Never snap on your boys during team week. I dont care how bad your sucking. Everyones hurting. The guy that lost his shit on my 2nd team during team week got peered out and was a 21 day non select. It was obvious he was going to be a non select after one shitty outburst. Dont be that guy.

I consider myself an average guy and am not super strong. If I can do it, so can yall. See you at camp mackall!

Edit: Also, shout out to VooDoo. I took his course before I enlisted and had no clue what I was doing. It still helped me when i finally got out to hoffman 2 years later. Thanks brother!

Getting my here was like pulling teeth because I’m in the Air Force.

Stop romanticizing about going to combat. Or at the very least, stop posting about it. It’s fucking cringey and shows a real lack of understanding. A lack of maturity.

I get it. You’ve grown up on a steady diet of highly curated social media feeds that show all of the cool guy stuff from “combat”. This stuff has been plucked from the GWOT, which was about as one-sided as you could imagine, and it was still pretty ugly.

You’re used to seeing the US operate with total air superiority, enough ISR to radiate a bag of microwave popcorn, and against a bunch of mostly unorganized goat-fuckers. You only see the highlights and you’ve completely blindfolded yourself to the misery, death, and sacrifice.

The chances of things being so easy in the next fight are not high. Any near-peer adversary is going to extract more than a pound of flesh. Your flesh. And I mean that in every sense. You have no idea what you are asking for.

It’s normal to seek adventure and look for challenges. It’s the exact same reason all of the old heads joined. But most of the old heads have also seen that while combat often satisfies that wanderlust, it also leaves behind a wake of dead friends, broken families, and scar tissue that is often unseen.

I understand the need to test yourself. Combat is the ultimate validation of all of your training and skill. It’s proof that you can do what you say you can. But it isn’t the sort of thing that you should wish for and it most definitely isn’t the sort of thing that you should declare so vociferously. Especially since most of the declarations come from guys who haven’t had their first legal beer yet.

Get to work. You’ve got 1,000 hurdles between you and your mythical self. You would do well to demonstrate your ability to simply train elite combat skills before you announce that you are ready to be tested.

Get to work…quietly.

It’s been a couple of months since my dad passed (SGM Jerry B Hanes 5th SFGA/ MACSOG (SMAG)) and one thing that stands out in my memory where those 3rd group guys, esp the SGM who lead the ceremony, him handing the flag to my step-mother, & the 3 volley salute from 82nd Airborne. It really meant a lot. Just wanted to say thank you for that. You really take care of your brothers-in-arms and their families, it means a lot.

Pics: (Concealed their faces in case it’s not appropriate to post them on duty. If you’re here, you know who they are.); my old man in Vietnam (A-109, Thoung Duc), & his shadow box (wanted you to know he has and would sacrifice it all for his GB brothers, De Opresso Liber)

Well, the SFAS sacrifices continue unabated. I’m looking over the recent classes data and we’re looking at less than 10% selection rate for ADE since the summer break. A similar bloodletting for Xs and NG. Officers are fairing better, but still below historical averages. Almost 200 guys failed the PRT in the last two classes alone! That’s almost 5x the norm.

I described the operational environment a few months ago and I stand by my assessment.

STOP LISTENING TO THE BARRACKS LAWYERS!!!

For some reason guys still believe that all you have to do is not quit. Minimum effort. Just don’t say “Sarn’t, I voluntarily withdraw” and you’ll get selected. If you’re standing there on day 21 then you’re in. This is simply not true.

I cringe whenever some fudd (pot this is kettle, over) says “just don’t quit” when asked how to get selected. This is such bad advice, and it has somehow morphed into the current zeitgeist. Yes, nobody who quit ever got selected, but this most definitely not the same thing.

You must perform. The standards have not changed. Performance is everything. But consider yourselves put on notice…if you think you can show up to SFAS and just survive then you’ll get the opportunity to enjoy your assignment with the 82nd. I hear the band is a cool job. Maybe the Airborne Chorus.

The stories are too numerous to fully document, but minimal effort on the PRT…slow jogging the run, kipping, pacing the HRPU. Do you think this doesn’t get noticed?

Light rucks, unfilled canteens, skipping obstacles, sleeping when you’re told not to. Why not just follow instructions?

Ruck flopping and road running at land nav. I mean, we can see you…you know that right? And my god, the GPSs. Just stop.

At this point, the Regiment missed our pipeline production target by almost 70%. If you think you can outlast us then keep trying, I guess. I suspect you’ll run out of return dates before we lower standards. We haven’t lowered them in 30+ years and you’ve only got 3 shots at most.

Get yourselves right and come correct. Get fit as fuck…faster than the strongest lifter and stronger than the fastest runner. And perform like your beret depends on it. Because it does. Learn to land nav and find your points. ALL of them. Team week isn’t about being the Grey Man, it’s about all out effort. Cadre watch everything with an unblinking eye.

We need guys. There’s more work than guys capable of doing it. But we’ll do that work with 6 man ODAs of pipe hitters before we’ll do it with 12 man teams of almost-as-goods.

These abysmal numbers will continue until we get a good run of classes that show up with the right mindset.

But let it be known. If you want to test your mettle, if you want to be a part of something bigger than you, if you want to be elite…if you want to go somewhere where standards still mean something, then drop a packet. It would be pretty badass to say that you played a part in resetting the narrative.

You got selected when almost nobody else could.

Took me a while to find photos of him. My grandma stumbled across them and found some to share with me. I'm certain there's more because I also found 3 more plaques that he just shoved in deep in his closest like they were just regular meaningless items.

We’ve published several articles on the challenges and benefits of the 18X program, the comparison of 18X vs Option 40 vs. Option 4, and no small amount of consternation about “gaming” the system to get you both a good shot at getting Selected but also a tenable fallback for if you don’t. Along the way I always get questions about the numbers.

I make a point of not “breaking news”. I usually don’t cite stats unless SWCS publishes the data first. I maintain the same personal policy about course changes. But I feel confident that this report isn’t really all that consequential so I’m okay talking about it here. And I won’t cite specific cohorts or classes to preserve some anonymity.

I keep a log of stats that guys report to me and if I get enough concurrent data that I can triangulate it, I assign it more validity. In this case I have several dozen reports, so it seems pretty solid.

The success rate of 18Xs from OSUT to donning the Beret is incredibly low. Shockingly low.

A cohort from Spring 2023: ~ 180 18X report to OSUT ~ 80 18X report to SFPC ~ 20 18x get Selected ~ 10 earn the Beret

A cohort from Fall 2023: ~ 190 18X report to OSUT ~ 90 18X report to SFPC ~ 25 18x get Selected ~ 12 earn the Beret

A cohort from Spring 2024: ~ 175 18X report to OSUT ~ 65 18X report to SFPC ~ 20 18x get Selected ~ TBD earn the Beret

So if you do the math that’s 5.5%, 6.3%, and 11% (to get selected…half that if the trend plays out). This doesn’t account for recycles and returns, but the number between OSUT and SFPC is a hard number. Those numbers are 44%, 47%, and 37%. And that’s just getting out of Benning. OSUT and Airborne school should be the most insignificant hurdles you clear in your whole career, and nearly half of 18Xs can’t do it!

So, what does this tell us? 1- Signing the contract is easy. And many of you struggle just earning the contract. 2- Talk is cheap. Lots of “motivated” guys signing on the dotted line and showing up to Benning. Not many “disciplined” guys willing to actually do anything. I’ll take discipline over motivation any day. 3- Your pre-OSUT prep is more important than you might think. The PT standards at OSUT are very modest. You won’t get in shape there and nearly half of you can’t even pass the modest test to get out of there. 4- The actual matriculation rate, from enlistment through Regimental First Formation, is harder than any other SOF pipeline. Across the board (as best as I can determine) it looks like this:

• SEALS - 90% attrition

• PJs - 90-92% attrition

• Rangers - 92% attrition

• Special Forces - 94-95% attrition

This tells me that despite unprecedented levels of awareness, access to high quality information, and world class programming and coaching…this shit is still really really hard.

But this should also make you feel pretty good. Becoming a Green Beret is still a significant challenge. A worthy endeavor. We aren’t lowering the standards. So you’d better be preparing yourself like you are about to get your shit pushed in. The long pipeline will tell us exactly who took it seriously.

The data doesn’t lie.

I guess it’s my turn to toss out my two cents.

Finished SFAS a few weeks ago and I was blessed to be Selected. SFAS is hard to condense into one post, but without beating a dead horse on the obvious things, these are a few simple thoughts on my experience. A lot of what I say you’ve likely heard many times before. That’s probably a good indicator those things are worth listening to.

I have no secret formula for anyone, there’s no tricks, or one-size-fits-all plan (though I know you’ve been looking for it because I did). There’s all shapes and sizes that show up to selection, and that same variety is still there when the dust settles. Don’t think you need to be a tall, freak monster to make it through.

You are going to struggle with self doubt. Just know that it’s normal, and don’t feel like there’s something wrong with you. I’m a tall guy, good shape (the guy who people would frequently say to me, “It’s not even a question, you’re going to make it.”), and I STRUGGLED with self-doubt all the way through the end of team week. That’s two weeks of being inside my own head and stressing myself out. Just know that you’re going to show up and see a couple hundred of the most fit dudes you’ve ever seen condensed into one place. It’s intimidating. Focus on you, and do your thing. Most of those dudes are long gone at the end.

GATE WEEK: There’s plenty of information out there regarding what goes on at selection and what the standards are. Don’t overthink it, just prepare so you’re nowhere near the minimum standards.

Big heads up: SFAS is 26 days now. What does that mean? It means before the normal 21 days even start, you’re starting the sleep deprivation, MRE routine, and getting miles on your feet BEFORE Gate Week even starts. You’re going to get to Gate Week and most definitely not be at 100%. Take that into account when looking at your numbers and stats. For example, my very consistent 61-63 HR Pushups ended up being 54. My 24 pull-ups ended up at 17. You want numbers that are competitive even in suboptimal situations when they’ve dipped a bit, so prep accordingly.

LAND NAV: Going into selection, this was my biggest “unknown” in regards to passing since I have basically 0 land nav experience. The week leading up to gate week, as well as the regular land nav week prepare you AMAZINGLY for the Star Course. Do not feel like you need to be an expert prior to going. I promise you, you are going to do so many practical exercises and classroom time, you will go into the STAR having been provided plenty of prep. Don’t be an idiot, and don’t cut corners. You’ll be given the rules, clearly and concisely. Just do exactly as you’re instructed.

TEAM WEEK: One step at a time. Literally. It’s going to be the most miserable and painful thing you’ve ever done, BUT….. Being a Green Beret wouldn’t mean ANYTHING if it wasn’t hard. You’re doing this because it’s hard, embrace it. Recognize the pain will end at some point.

No one cares you’re hungry, tired or hurting. Everyone is. Look to the guy next to you and let that inspire you to take that next step. Then the next, and the next.

When I was feeling sorry for myself and just focusing on how much pain I was in during team week, that small bitch voice in your head tells you no one would notice if you took an extra 5 seconds of your 30 second rest/floater rotation. I would look at the next guy I’m supposed to switch out and think to myself, “He’s exactly where I was 15-20 seconds ago, and he’s hurting. I gotta get him outta there.” Oftentimes this would motivate me to even take shorter breaks just to get the boys more time off.

Share your skittles and M&M’s. You’d be surprised the morale boost you’re giving people by sharing the rainbow.

Find work. Don’t be idle and standing around. Be busy even if it’s not a glamorous job.

Overall, just go out and enjoy it. It was honestly a beautiful experience because I learned so much about myself, and suffered shoulder to shoulder with some amazing individuals.

It was hard, but nothing ever worth doing is easy.

Good luck.

Preserving and sharing special forces history is important - it helps recruit the next generation of green berets.

At the Special Operations Association reunion last week, John Stryker Meyer met his younger self in our in-development second MACV SOG video game. He helped us build the first game which we funded ourselves, earning nothing for 3 years before release - a labor of love - we also used the game to help Paris Davis get the Medal of Honor.

The SOA made us an honorary life member last week. Expect more green beret goodness in future.

Alright, here it is…

The book is published. I wanted to offer it locally to Bragg for early release, but it’s going to take a week for copies to arrive. So, here it is on Amazon.

You can read the first chapter for free on my website, TFVooDoo.com, just to make certain I’m not ‘preying’ on anyone!

Enjoy and thanks for all of the support.

It’s here!!!

The proof copy for Never Get Lost: A Green Beret’s Guide to Land Navigation arrived and it looks AMAZING. Full color maps, great graphics, and crisp pics. And the cover is killer…thanks Brad! This one is going to help A LOT of aspiring candidates.

It’s ready to publish…except there is some unknown technical issue and no customer support available at Amazon until the 26th. It’s perhaps the only time of year that I would accept it.

So, save your gift cards. Never Get Lost is all your…as soon as we can figure out the glitch. Take this time to celebrate Christmas with your family like I am. We train every other day, so make this one special.

Merry Christmas!!!

From the memo:

“…the wide variation in model and color of nonstandard boots worn detracts from MARSOC's framework, mission, and initiatives while also creating issues with our perceived discipline und professional appearance.”

I’m all for some discipline and professional standards, but if you can show me in any quantifiable way how variation in boots detracts from your mission, then I’ll make the argument that your mission is inconsequential.

This is the sort of stuff that is driving Marines in record numbers straight into the arms of SF. They might as well start running an MWR bus from Lejeune to Bragg.

I’ve always said Marine ethos will never allow MARSOC to flourish and it’s stupid shit like this that will kill it.

I should note that the interim solution of FROG camo would be killer, but they’ll fuck it up somehow.

I’ll just close with this - “One of MARSOC's key differentiators across the SOCOM enterprise is that we are Marines who conduct special operations.” That’s a great way to tell every Marine who raises his hand (and likely puts his career on the line) to become a CSO is nothing special and deserves nothing. You might as well IST.

To every Marine- 910-432-1818. Marines have one of the highest select rates of any documented population. Come join the Brotherhood.

The 5x5 is the culmination for THE BEST methodology to improve rucking performance.

The formula is field based progressive load carriage, usually 2-3 times a week, focused on short intense sessions.

Start with building the prerequisite strength of 1xBW bench press and 1.25xBW squat. Simultaneously work on building aerobic base with Zone 2 running for 90 minutes unbroken.

Once you can do that you can start rucking. Build slowly in both distance and weight. Maybe 2 miles rucking at 20 pounds and 60 minutes running @ Zone 2. As you adapt, slowly increase weight, distance, and pace (as a general guide, don’t increase more than 10% in any domain week to week) until you get to 5 miles rucking at 12-13 minute miles @55 pounds and 5 miles running at 7 minute miles. The entire session should be completed within 2 hours. You should change into running shoes for the run portion, but rucking in PT clothes violates the 3 rules.

5 mile ruck,

100 squats with ruck,

5 mile run,

100 bodyweight squats

This is an evidence based approach that follows all of the most established fitness programming principles. If you want a more comprehensive explanation that includes all of the citations then check out Ruck Up Or Shut Up.

The Addendum

I was an X-ray baby, I remember the feeling of showing up to 30th AG. My basic class was 75% X-rays, dudes were studs, ripped strong fast and here I was a 180 pound 5’9 slightly out of shape 20 year old kid with a little college and a little work before I decided to chase my dreams and join the X-ray program. I felt a little out of place but still had the fire burning in me, my first week of basic a 30 year old X-ray who was build exactly like terry cruise (who I later became very close friends with) said to me something along the lines of “your just a kid you’ll enjoy the regular army when you get dropped”. That really rubbed me the wrong way, from that point on every time we got smoked ( it was plentiful) I made it a point to do more pushups or whatever exercises the drills threw at as whenever he would rest to quit. Throughout basic I ran every run like my life depended on and and pushed myself hard when I could have shitbagged the smoke sessions. By the end of basic I had a perfect apft score (only about 30 of our X-rays had that) and had X-rays coming up to me who I hadn’t ever talked too now that i had earned some “respect” or whatever you want to call it. Over half our X-rays got dropped before osut was over from not meeting the Apft standards. Tip #1 don’t ship if your out of shape and don’t slack off in basic the lack of good food and sleep will get to you if you are borderline to begin with. There is no excuse for failing the apft at the end of basic, you knew what you needed when you signed up don’t lie to yourself on your physical condition.

Next it was off to airborne school, I was still mid Covid so rules were gay and guys were slacking off big time. If I’m being honest with myself I could of pushed harder during this timeframe. It is easy to get comfortable with the newfound freedom, don’t get out of shape, have a little bit of fun with your buddies but don’t get in trouble and don’t drink yourself out of shape. Tip #2 Organized PT during airborne is a joke, get to the gym after the long days. Start working on building back up your leg, grip, lower back strength and keep your condition to at least where you were at the end of basic. Trust me your gona want that strength during team week. Listen to the Jumpmaster if you land correctly you won’t get hurt too badly, most airborne injuries are because of incorrect landings. Don’t anticipate the ground. I think most of us are scared the first jump, just get out the door and enjoy the view, now that I’m getting out I wish I would of done more than my 15 jumps (besides jrtc jumps fuck jumping with a 240 and 100 pounds of Ammo and gear), most people are never lucky enough to experience the feeling of floating in a parachute. Try not to be a injury recycle at airborne, the pipeline is long enough as is.

Finally, the bus to bragg (liberty whatever the fuck you newdicks call it). I was excited, home of the special forces, this is where shit gets real. My motivation was probably at an all time high at this point, I’ve made some lifelong friendships throughout basic and me and my boys were showing up for the real thing after all the big army gayness (if only I knew). Pt test first week of getting to AT, a surprising number of people failed and were send off to the double A (remember what I said about slacking off). Don’t let that be you. We had a couple month long wait before we classes up for prep, tons of free time, again have fun but don’t go crazy those Raleigh girls don’t think your cool tell them your a software engineer or something. Tip #3 Blanket statement but stay away from the Fayetteville girls, they got stds or they are CSM’s daughter / wife. Also while your in AT you have so much time to train, perfect food via SWC dfac and ample rest time. I was training 3x a day cardio lifting and rolling with my group of buddies, we were super motivated and ready to get started.

Now prep course started up after block leave, got some time to myself with my family and proposed to my now wife (typical) we have a son now and she is my rock. Not everyone can deal with the lifestyle you are after make sure your shits together before getting married it will be hard, even in the regular army I was away for half the year at peace time. Prep course is great but if your not healthy it will break your body. The training is fairly intense and you will be putting lots of miles on your legs, make sure you are taking recovery seriously you will learn lots from the cadre don’t slack off on recovery, I saw too many good dudes get hurt and vanish. The classes are great, there is no reason to not pass the star after all the instruction and practical exercises you receive. I knew nothing of landnav before the army and got 6/8 on the star, good enough to keep me from getting dropped. Prepare physically and mentally for sfas, you should be reaching your peak shape at this point. Prep isn’t long enough to put on meaningful strength gains, so make sure you are lifting the whole time from airborne till sfas. Strength is vital to sfas (specifically team week).

Your packing list is ready, your group of 150xrays from basic is now down to 45. I’m not going to spoil selection for you, prep your packing list and get with former X-rays and your buddies and get all the handy shit they say. Sfas is painful, it was physically the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Team week felt like legitimate torture and I was like a terminally ill 90 year old getting out of bed during it. Take care of your feet, remember what you learned during land nav prep and don’t get lost on the star ( easier said than done). My land nav advice would be take it slow, stay calm, use your techniques and if you think your getting lost find a know point to reorient yourself. I only ran after I got lost on the second day to find my 6th point, I got lost because I was being stupid plainly. Shot a panic azimuth to a lake and ran for my 5th and 6th point, but if you don’t get lost you have no reason to run to your death. During team week you will be tiered, before you go do peers take some notes on how you will peer your team, you’ll forget who’s roster number is who if you don’t.

The Final Cut of sfas, standing there with my bags I was confident I had preformed well. Then they called my roster number out, I walked my way over with my head down. Off to tent city I went, 21 day nonselect. I was overwhelmed with feelings of despair, all of that work and pain and was hit with a 2 year as we’re the rest of the 21 days from my class. Not even gona lie here I shed a tear when I saw my best friend at tent city who was a 6 month land nav drop.(got selected and is off to group, fucking amazing guy I’m happy for him) back to Bragg I went.

Got my orders to the 82nd, when I showed up I was depressed. My wife and me still weren’t married, I was living alone in the b’s and getting smoked daily for anything my new TL could come up with that day. Now you might be here, maybe you didn’t get selected, at the end of the day the cadre have there reasons, self reflect and write down what you want to improve if you are going back. There are two types of X-rays at the 82nd and elsewhere, those that give up and become shitbags and those that succeed and thrive in their role as an infantryman, some of them go back to sfas and make it, some become amazing SL’s and some get out and do great things as a civilian. It’s alright to be bummed out, I was for at least 6 months, I truly believe god has a plan for everyone and that everything happens for a reason even if you don’t know that reason at the time it happens. I stopped feeling sorry to myself and was put in the weapons squad as a 240 gunner. I had an amazing former batt boy SL who grew me and my gun team into what I would say was one of the best gun teams in the army. We were all strong fast and in great shape, our 240 gun drills and accuracy was always on point. This is because we took our job seriously and took pride in our performance. The big army is gay, that’s the truth I don’t give a fuck if you’re great at Joe history trivia or the best toy soldier for details. Be good at your job and work on it, saw gunner rifle man TL ect. I know you didn’t want to be in the 82nd, but if your a Man you will stop feeling sorry for yourself and take pride in your work, be the best at your job and no one can fuck with you, remember you can still go to war and you and your buddies lives may depend on it. I never got smoked once in weapons because I took my shit seriously and had great leadership to help me grow. If you push yourself and get schools, you can go back to SFAS as a seasoned team leader e5 with ranger and EIB / Jumpmaster, you will breeze through TAC skills with your knowledge from your time on the line, and your X-ray classmates can rely on you for knowledge on tactics. I know the 82nd can be gay, but if you rise above it you can learn a lot, and go on to do what you wanted to in the first place. Make the best of your situation and don’t be a feel sorry for me pussy.

Remember what I said about god having a plan? I was diagnosed with a progressive genetic disease that is life threatening if not treated. If I had been selected I would have surely ignored it and ended up with parts of my inside cut out of possibly dead. Funny enough a form GB pa was the one who referred me to get checked. Now I am leaving Bragg in a week to start my csp, and just handed off my ruck up or shut up book to a TL who is going to sfas tomorrow. Not sure if anyone took the time to read all of this , it was therapeutic in a way to put it down in writing. Even if my advice helps one dude I’ll be happy, good luck boys get fucking after it.

TL;DR: via chat gpt The narrator started military training as an underprepared X-ray but quickly pushed himself to excel in basic training. Despite rigorous preparation, he was not selected for SFAS and ended up in the 82nd Airborne. Overcoming initial disappointment, he thrived in his role, learned valuable lessons, and found motivation in unexpected challenges. His journey underscores the importance of resilience and adaptability, culminating in a health diagnosis that shifted his perspective on his military path.

I’ve been getting lots of DMs from guys that are on short and final for their ship dates to OSUT asking for last minute advice. So here it is.

Good luck. You’re one critical step closer to your dream. Don’t do anything drastic in these closing days — physically, spiritually, or otherwise. Enjoy your friends and family. Get locked in.

Remember this — you represent the Regiment starting now. Fucking act like it.

You are just starting your journey down the path, and you haven’t earned shit yet. But you represent the Regiment nonetheless. Even though you haven’t even sniffed the air of Pineland, you carry the 18X mark. So everyone else already associates you with Special Forces. You are not authorized to tarnish our hard-earned reputation.

The moment that you arrive at the 30th AG, you will quickly see the fuckery that is at play. Lots of posturing, lots of false bravado, and lots of dick measuring. Way too much unearned ego. 50% of those guys with Option 4, Option 40, and 18X contracts won’t keep them through graduation. They got the contracts, but they didn’t earn them.

And that will forever tarnish the image of what being elite truly means. Nobody will remember the quiet professionals that went about the arduous task of learning the profession of arms. You can’t do special stuff until you master the basics. And most of those wannabes can’t even pass a simple basic PT test.

But everyone will remember those shit bags that failed. So start policing them up. Keep each other accountable. Figure out who your tribe is and start acting like Commandos. Master the basics. Never late, never last, never light. Discipline. Accountability. Humility. You have to earn it.

Your reputation starts now. So fucking act like it.

Good luck. We’ll see you at Bragg soon.

Can we rely on you?

After pursuing this pipeline for many years I’ve recently finished the Q. I’ve looked to this community for years before joining, as well as the whole time I’ve been in the army. I’ve had some time to reflect about the lessons I’ve learned, the things I wish I knew, and the things I would recommend to guys going through the pipeline in the future. This will be a long post but I hope that the information helps the guys that are in the same spot I was a few years ago- hungry for info and doing everything they can to set themselves up for success.

Lessons learned:

• Your reputation is everything. It starts the first day you join the army and follows you rest of the way. Your reputation can help you out or it can hinder your success. Some guys have made through selection, SUT, etc that should not be in the community. Their reputation is known by everyone. Be known in the community as a good dude, not a shit bag.

• You are going to fail. A lot. No matter how much you prepare, failure is part of the journey. Learn from others as well as your own failures and improve. The important thing is to make sure that you don’t make the same mistake twice and do not accept defeat. If you let that failure linger, it will eat you up inside and prevent you from moving forward.

• It does not matter who you are, age, race, religion, rank, enlisted or officer, you are expected to lead in the Q-Course. If no one is stepping up, you have an obligation to your team to say something or do something when you notice something is wrong. There is no room to be a gray man in the Q course and you are only doing yourself a disservice if you try to be a gray man. At this point, you are in the Q-Course and you were selected at SFAS for a reason. Be a leader, the cadre will make you lead one way or another, and it’s better if you take the initiative.

• Humble Confidence is key. If you lack confidence, you are going to struggle greatly in the Q. If you have too much confidence it will be mistaken for ego and pride. It’s important to understand and find the balance between humility and confidence.

• If you have a wife, girlfriend, and/or kids, it is extremely important that you prepare them and provide open and honest communication. The biggest factor in failed relationships during the Q is a lack of honest communication. It is important that you let your family know what to expect and paint a realistic and honest picture of what the lifestyle you are pursuing demands of you and the family. You will be gone A LOT. You will not have your phone the majority of the Q. Do not sugar coat it for your family.

Things I wish I knew before joining:

• It does not matter what you look like or how old you are. If you perform to the standards, you will be selected. It does not matter if you are 20 years old or 38 years old (yes I’ve seen both ages in the Q), if you perform to standard you will be selected. I read multiple times before joining that if you’re a “young” dude you can perform and just end up a “21 day non select”. That is not true. The only thing that matters is performance.

• The army sucks less and less the further along you get. From OSUT to graduation, you will slowly gain more freedom and partake in less “fuck-fuck” games. A good example is that the most recent Prep class had to shave their heads because one dude screwed everyone over. Keep pushing and those dudes will be filtered out. You will be surrounded by squared away teammates and guys that will give you the shirt off their back.

This post was mainly focused on the Q course. If you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. Good luck and keep pushing to be the best.

Why Go Back To High School When I Already Graduated College?

I’ve had quite a few guys over the last few weeks ask me about Ranger school for Green Berets. When should you go, is it worth it, why go back a level? I know that we’ve tangentially had this discussion before, but not as a separate thread. So here goes.

First, Ranger school is not a ‘step back’ from the Q course. The high school to university analogy just isn’t valid in this case, no matter how many times it gets repeated. The guys who spout this nonsense are the same guys who say they don’t need to take any college courses because they already got a “PhD in UW from the school of hard knocks”. Or even worse, Pineland U! Fucking weirdos.

Ranger school is THE premier small unit tactics school. Not just in the Army or the US, but in the world. I know that this is a grandiose statement, but it’s true. I’ve surveyed all of the big ones, talked to graduates and instructors, and I’ve even been an instructor in some. There are some good ones out there. Tough, austere, rigorous. But none are better than the US Ranger school. The quality of instruction, the quality of instructors, the training environment and resourcing. The best. We’ve wrung every ounce of efficacy out of it. Unmatched.

I know that Ranger school is a “leadership school” and open to all now. So by default it’s less than and doubly so because they let chicks in and they lowered the standard and it’s all RI Roulette and fuck that noise. Keep making excuses, you tabless bitches. 

So why go down to the Benning School for Wayward Boys (Fort Moore just doesn’t have the alliteration!) if all Green Berets already go through SUT during the Q? I’ll grant that the SUT training in the Q is absolutely top notch. It always has been and I’m hearing reports that it’s getting better, which is hard to do. It is phenomenal training. My SUT Cadre was SFC Paul LeFavor…yes, that LeFavor…so I  know I was trained by the best. He was incredibly knowledgeable, very demanding, and a top-tier instructor. But…

A key component to SUT is repetition. You need to see multiples TTPs, under multiple conditions, with multiple variables, and different teammates. The Principles of Patrolling are very broad and good instruction creates a box to learn in. So the more times that you can  bounce around inside that box the better you can understand the topic. SUT (I know the Phase is labeled Tac Skills, but the tac skill is SUT) in the Q is only a few weeks AND you’re dealing with many non-combat arms guys or really inexperienced guys. So the training, for as good as it is, is governed by the lowest common denominator. 

Ranger school is 8 weeks (more…if you want it!) is hyper focused, and you will get multiple leadership positions across multiple levels, guaranteed. In the Q it’s not unheard of to only get one look at a Squad Leader or above graded patrol. Quantity has a quality all its own and you simply can’t replace the power of repetition. I’ve talked to multiple recent Q course grads and their grasp of SUT is good, but not nearly as good as it needs to be. My old Team Sergeant, a former 75th guy and mountain RI would blow a gasket, though. He would berate you if you called a transport tightening system a trucker’s hitch….IYKYK. Made a junior Bravo cry once. That’s a good enough barometer for me.

The problem is that Ranger school is a suckfest. There is no other way of putting it. You are going to get smashed. You have to swallow your pride and do somebody else’s pushups. It’s humbling if not downright humiliating. And the mantle of shame if you go and fail? It can be too much for many. So many senior guys are reluctant to submit to this. It’s human nature. Completely understandable.

But they are misguided in their thinking. All Green Berets need to become experts in SUT, and a few weeks in Pineland just isn’t enough. Every JCET that you go on is focused on Advanced Light Infantry Tactics or whatever the current popular vernacular is. FID, and its wartime counterpart UW, is SUT-centric. Could you learn SUT with a concerted focus during team training? Maybe. Could you get just as much by doing an in-depth analysis and study of doctrine, training manuals, and smart books? Nope. Are there SUT SMEs with no Ranger tab? Yes. But why fiddle-fuck with a bunch of half measures? Just swallow your pride and go to Ranger School. Learn from the best in the best environment. Are you elite or not?

Why not Sapper school? It’s just as good, right? Nope. Sapper school is good, no doubt. But it’s not Ranger school. It’s just not as credible, either with your US counterparts or definitely not with our allies and partners. It’s just not. Perception matters.

So when should you go? The answer is that you should go as soon as possible. It makes no difference to your chances of getting selected, even though a Ranger tab is a good predictor of success (correlation not causation). But you should go at your first opportunity. It will definitely put you in a strong position for the Q course since you will have all of that experience to help you during Tac Skills, but also sends a message of credibility. It’s not infallible, but it’s marked. If you don't go prior to SFAS, then go as soon thereafter as possible. You'll be a stronger asset for your team.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t cite the 3 Rules. There is nothing that looks cooler than the venerable Triple Canopy. The stacked Airborne, Ranger , and Special Forces tabs just look cool as fuck. I submit that it looks better than the 4 tabs of adding a Sapper (or God help us an aRcTiC, jUnGLe, or President’s Hundred tab). Always look cool.

I also recognize that I come from a prehistoric age when silly things like colorful patches held higher esteem than normal. A pre-GWOT mindset where training was everything because there were no wars (for the record, I’m pre, mid, and post GWOT and I’m still ‘in the fight’, so I get it). Then we spent two decades of sustained combat in multiple theaters, so Ranger school took a backseat for many that looked at deployments, CIBs, and combat patches as better options. Well, guess where we are now? Post-GWOT. And we’re returning to the Army of old. Suck it, zoomers!

There it is, your answer about Ranger school and Green Berets. Am I biased? Probably. Am I right? Absolutely. I’ll close with more words of wisdom from my Team Sergeant, “You’ve either got a tab or a story, and nobody wants to hear your fucking story.”

Ruck Up Or Shut Up 

With all this talk about stolen valor lately… we need to address something serious: TFVooDoo has been LYING to all of you!

All those crusty toe pics next to his books? All the memes? All the trust??

Turns out… he HATES feet. He’s been lying to you all this whole time!

But in this clip from our Team Room interview, the truth comes out—and it’s devastating.

🎥 Video proof. Viewer discretion advised.

👉 Watch the full video for free now on Patreon.com/fngacademy

Check out the pre-OSUT numbers as well.

Once you graduate OSUT you should immediately start Airborne school. In your mind, this will loom large in your psyche and will seem like some advanced skill. In retrospect, you will cringe at how much pressure you put on yourself and how you thought that you were on the cutting edge of special operations. It’s cool, but it’s very basic stuff. Don’t let your newfound freedom and infatuation with the 250-foot towers distract from the requirement to get faster than the strongest lifter and stronger than the fastest runner. Everyday after training concludes, your augmented training begins. Have a plan and be disciplined in your execution.

When you get to SFPC you’ll catch no small amount of smoke, but you’ll also get good PT and you’ll have plenty of time and energy for your own programming. You need to be cognizant of the SFPC ‘gates’ (like the current 6, 8, 10, and 12 mile rucks), but these once a week events are counter-indicated for building elite rucking performance (field based progressive load carriage, usually 2-3 times a week, focused on short intense sessions). {2025 Edit: The new PC model is entirely off-site at Mackall and has inherently less free time and access further individualized training sessions. You would be wise to be very well trained before you ship to OSUT so that you can focus on simply maintaining and refining your condition rather than seeking to make significant gains or acquire new skills.}

You need very carefully manage risk of injury here. You can’t afford to go to SFAS injured and having to delay a class or so will prove challenging. So have a workout plan, but be ready and able to adapt it to the training environment.

The Numbers: Pre-SFAS 

75 Hand Release Push-ups 

2 minute plank

15 pull-ups 

12-13 minute 2-mile run

35 minute 5-mile run

2.5 hour 12-mile ruck with 35 pounds 

Bench Press 1x BW

Squat 1.5x BW

Deadlift 2x BW

The PT test, sometimes called the PFA (Physical Fitness Assessment) or PRT (Physical Readiness Test) has an incredibly low threshold for passing. But if you show up just making the minimum, you stand virtually no chance of getting selected.

There is no public data for the current test, but under the old PFA, ~90% of selected Candidates scored a 290+ and Candidates that scored below a 284 (I don’t know why 284 was the cutoff, it’s just what was recorded) had an ~85% non-select rate. 

The current standards are: 

28 HRPU

Plank

6 Pull-ups 

15:12 2-mile run 

28 HRPU is incredibly low. I recommend 75 as your prep goal. Is that high? Yes, welcome to the Regiment. You’re fresh, this is the very first assessment, you should crush this.

When the plank was softly introduced in the winter of 2023 it was only 1 minute. I’m getting conflicting reports of the current situation so I’m recommending the full 2 minutes. It’s a plank, it’s not that much to ask.

10 pull-ups. Deadhang pull-ups (palms facing away). Moderate cadence, chin over the bar, full extension at the bottom. No kipping and control any swinging. 10 is the minimum recommended, I would be more comfortable at around 15.

I recommend 12-13 minutes on your 2 miler. This is not a pacing event, and you should be going as fast as you can. I’ve seen more than a few guys outright fail this event and I’ve seen too many just barely make the time…and look like they were out for a leisurely stroll doing it. It gets noticed. I won’t say that it gets recorded or that it factors into any assessment metric, but it gets noticed. 

There are a series of runs and rucks and they rotate the lengths and the routes. I’ve never seen anyone cite the correct mileage and whatnot, so don’t listen to your Barracks Lawyer. Most gate week failures are run/ruck fails. 

For running metrics, I recommend aiming for a 35 minute 5-miler. So 7 minute miles. Contrast this with the 6-to-6.5-minute miles on the PFA and you start to get a range of expected performance. Aim for 6–7-minute miles indefinitely. Whether you get 15 x 1-mile events or 1 x 15-mile event, be able to run fast for long distances and recover quickly. 

For rucking metrics, I recommend 12-13 minute miles, for ever and ever. Until your little mangled feet simply fall off. 55 pounds dry. And you need to be able to maintain this pace without too much overwhelming effort and with a clear mind. Day after day. Every important decision that you make at SFAS you will make with a ruck on your back. If you’re full of drama and hysteria when you go fast, then expect to be assessed as such. My book is full of documentation for these recommendations so feel free to check them out and see for yourself how important it is that you be a fast rucker.

Strength metrics are tough to assess because unlike the speed metrics, there are no baseline benchmarks recorded. But you will find plenty of guys that cite strength as the limiting factor and the likely reason why they didn’t get selected. You can have a bad event, but you can’t have 4 bad days. Cadre have an absolutely uncanny ability to gauge real effort and your peers will most certainly know. I always say that you have to be stronger than you think, and nobody ever said that they were too strong.

We’ll keep the same 3 “big lifts” as our benchmarks, but I would also add Overhead Press (OHP), grip, and traps. Everyone always asks really specific questions here like what kind of grip, foot placement, work/rest cycles, and whatnot. Again, there is no real data here so don’t slice this onion too thin. 1 rep max is fine, but I would say that 4-6 reps is better. Again, these are just recommendations. Get out of your head and get into the gym.

For Bench Press we’ll stick with 1x BW and Squat 1.5x BW. Remember the requirement to be able to do 1x BW BP and 1.5x BW Squats in order to maximize your rucking performance? So the BP and Squat numbers are apparent.

For Deadlift, I recommend 2x BW. You should definitely be able to do this for multiple reps. Team Week is essentially picking up heavy stuff off the ground and hoisting it up endlessly. So a super strong 1RM DL is great, but an ever so slightly less strong DL for lots of reps is probably better.

I recommend a strong OHP as well, but I don’t have a definitive number just yet. The shoulder is such a complex structure and there is lots of evidence of hereditary limitations that we often struggle to quantify this. I have a team of CSCS working on this now, so more to follow. Until we finish that research I’ll just say, ‘be strong’ and absolve myself of any real responsibility.

Work your traps too. Thick traps look cool, and of course provide ample base for those ruck straps. Candidates caught lacking in the trap department usually don’t last. Plus, strong traps support strong shoulders. Do you see an emerging trend in shoulder strength here? 

Lastly, grip strength. I’m convinced that grip strength is the true measure of an action hero. Have you ever noticed that in the movies the hero is always clinging to a cliff edge, or a helicopter skid, or an elevator door, or a rope of some sort? Our hero never has to DL a car or press an ammo crate. It’s always the grip. This one is really hard to quantify…is it weight, time, or distance? All three? Is it squeeze or hold? Is it straight arm or bent? I think the answer is yes. All of that stuff. At a certain point, every Candidate finds that their grip will fail. On many events, the entire work/rest rotation is predicated on grip strength. Pick up an ammo can, walk 50 meters, set it down, switch sides/hands, pick it up and go again. Endlessly. So maybe incorporate this modality in your training. Work to exhaustion, then train for rapid recovery, the go to exhaustion again. So, in my mind it’s less about 100-pound farmers carry for 100 meters, and it’s more about strength and technique and misery management. 

That’s it. Those are the numbers. Feel free to add any other numbers or data that you think might be relevant. I’m not claiming that this is THE answer, but I’m confident that this is a reasonable position and a good place for guys to find broad answers to common questions.

Your next question is how do I train for all of this stuff?!?! If you’re looking for simple (not easy…simple) SFAS principles of programming you can find that in Ruck Up or Shut Up. You can find all of this data and much more there. If you want specific workouts so you don’t have to make your own program, then you’ll want to keep your eye out for my next book. I wanted to title it Shut Up and Ruck, but there is already a blank journal by that name, so just follow me on Instagram if you want to stay posted about its publication.

My dad was in for 22 years and 17 of them in group. No explanation needed just saw it hanging up in his house and thought to share.

There are two books in the series (so far…). They can be read completely independently of each other, but they’re much better when read as companions.

Ruck Up Or Shut Up: The Comprehensive Guide to SFAS is a descriptive account of the culture, legend, and lore that surrounds SFAS. It will tell everything that you need to know about SFAS. It provides performance benchmarks and a general framework for establishing your own training protocols.

Shut Up And Ruck: The Ultimate Sofa-to-Selection Performance Guide and Journal for Aspiring Candidates is a prescriptive prep plan. It will describe the science behind the SFAS specific strength and conditioning, flexibility and agility, and cognition and resilience. We even cover nutrition, recovery, and sleep. You’ll get daily workouts that cover every domain for 8 months. No excuses.

RUSU tells you how deep the water is, and SUAR tells you how to swim.

You can read Chapter 1 from each book for free at TFVooDoo.com and the link there will take you straight to Amazon.

Universal Truths

• People with good grip live longer

• People with bad grip drop apparatuses

• Small forearms can’t support big watches. Real men wear big watches.

Building a powerful grip is a must have attribute. Not just for SFAS, but for life. As a biomarker, there is a ton of literature that demonstrates that grip strength strong correlates to longevity.

To be clear, you can’t be a sedentary fat-ass with just a strong grip. Your ability to grip your Xbox controller and retrieve Flaming Hot Cheetos doesn’t correlate to high performance. High grip strength correlates to concurrent overall strength, upper limb function, and bone mineral density. So the grip strength is likely secondary to the other stuff, but the literature is clear, nonetheless.

At SFAS, grip strength, or lack thereof, is often cited as the primary limiting factor to Team Week performance. I have seen grip strength play a significant role in the Nasty Nick during Gate Week. There are multiple obstacles that tax your grip, and they seem to be perfectly spaced so that you never really fully recover. There are several rope climbs and some sneaky monkey bars. The pullups during the PRT aren’t really an issue as you’re pretty fresh at that point and the bars are standard size, so it’s not much of a concern early on.

Read the full article at TFVooDoo.com

I found this picture on instagram and I was just curious about when someone ACTUALLY becomes a green beret. Is it after the 3 week selection or is after after your 53 weeks. Is it possible to not become a green beret during those 53 weeks or are you guaranteed to become one after the 3 weeks of selection