Posted on Nov 23, 2020
Details below. Does the following list of schools and courses make sense in the context of this fictional career?
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This is research for a novel, so please bear with me.
The character starts out commissioning through OCS after college. This is the list of courses and such that he takes throughout his career, in order:
Edited to reflect outstanding input from RP:
OCS
IBOLC
Airborne School
Ranger School
Air Assault School (on deployment)
EIB
Jumpmaster School
As an 11A 1LT(P) he goes to SFAS and succeeds.
18A Special Forces Qualification Course
Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification Course (CDQC)
Advanced Special Operations Techniques Course (ASOT) (Classified course with fabricated description for this fiction): CQB/Urban SUT
At this point in his career, he resigns his commission and becomes an E5.
12B AIT
Advanced Situational Awareness (Basic)
Modern Army Combatives Program I, II, III
Advanced Leader Course
RASP 1 -- assigned to 3rd Ranger Battalion
Sapper School
Senior Leader Course
Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course
Special Operations Combatives Program I, II
Delta Selection/OTC (Last day nongraduate)
RRC Selection/OTC -- assigned to Regimental Special Troops Battalion, Regimental Reconnaissance Company
Military Free Fall Parachutist Course (MFFPC)
Military Free Fall Advanced Tactical Infiltration Course (ATIC)
Special Operations Forces Technical Surveillance (SOFTS)
Special Operations Forces Surveillance Course (SOFSURV)
Special Forces Sniper Course (SFSC)
SOF Tracking Course?
Special Warfare Brighton Course (Classified course with fabricated description for this fiction): straight up an assassination course including improvised weapons in nonpermissive environments
Special Warfare Touchstone Course (Classified course with fabricated description for this fiction): teaches how to create identities within the system but compartmentalized so only the Operator knows about them.
Does the order make sense?
Does the list of courses make sense for his career? Are any courses out of place?
Would he realistically have time for these courses in a fifteen-year career? How much time would he need?
Is there anything you see that you would suggest changing?
Are there any SOF tracking courses? I couldn't find any, but I want the character to have some such courses.
Which schools could have been done on deployments? I think Air Assault and Combatives, but I'm not sure about those or others.
Any other thoughts? Anything else I should know?
The character starts out commissioning through OCS after college. This is the list of courses and such that he takes throughout his career, in order:
Edited to reflect outstanding input from RP:
OCS
IBOLC
Airborne School
Ranger School
Air Assault School (on deployment)
EIB
Jumpmaster School
As an 11A 1LT(P) he goes to SFAS and succeeds.
18A Special Forces Qualification Course
Special Forces Combat Diver Qualification Course (CDQC)
Advanced Special Operations Techniques Course (ASOT) (Classified course with fabricated description for this fiction): CQB/Urban SUT
At this point in his career, he resigns his commission and becomes an E5.
12B AIT
Advanced Situational Awareness (Basic)
Modern Army Combatives Program I, II, III
Advanced Leader Course
RASP 1 -- assigned to 3rd Ranger Battalion
Sapper School
Senior Leader Course
Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course
Special Operations Combatives Program I, II
Delta Selection/OTC (Last day nongraduate)
RRC Selection/OTC -- assigned to Regimental Special Troops Battalion, Regimental Reconnaissance Company
Military Free Fall Parachutist Course (MFFPC)
Military Free Fall Advanced Tactical Infiltration Course (ATIC)
Special Operations Forces Technical Surveillance (SOFTS)
Special Operations Forces Surveillance Course (SOFSURV)
Special Forces Sniper Course (SFSC)
SOF Tracking Course?
Special Warfare Brighton Course (Classified course with fabricated description for this fiction): straight up an assassination course including improvised weapons in nonpermissive environments
Special Warfare Touchstone Course (Classified course with fabricated description for this fiction): teaches how to create identities within the system but compartmentalized so only the Operator knows about them.
Does the order make sense?
Does the list of courses make sense for his career? Are any courses out of place?
Would he realistically have time for these courses in a fifteen-year career? How much time would he need?
Is there anything you see that you would suggest changing?
Are there any SOF tracking courses? I couldn't find any, but I want the character to have some such courses.
Which schools could have been done on deployments? I think Air Assault and Combatives, but I'm not sure about those or others.
Any other thoughts? Anything else I should know?
Posted in these groups: 
Special Operations
Ranger75th Ranger RGT
Special Forces
18A: Special Forces Officer
Special Operations Ranger75th Ranger RGT Special Forces 18A: Special Forces Officer
Edited 4 y ago
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 13
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IMHO, a little heavy on the courses. If he did all those, in order, he wouldn't have much time left for anything else. OCS - 13 weeks, IBOLC - 28 weeks. all of the others are anywhere from 3-7 weeks at least. so you're talking ballpark anywhere from 3-6 years doing nothing but schooling. add in the lag time between applying and getting a class date, I just think it's a tad unlikely.
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MAJ Javier Rivera
LTC (Join to see)
Not only that, Big Army won’t let him do that nor any organization like badge/school hunters!
Not only that, Big Army won’t let him do that nor any organization like badge/school hunters!
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA - I wish you the best of luck in your writing! As others have pointed out, technically, the timeline is VERY tight. Realistically... it's highly improbable. Even if you just factor in travel time, school start time, holding days, etc... it feels like he'd never have the actual operational experience to be able to use any of the schools in any practical environment.
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LTC Jason Mackay
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA recommend just writing the character and only inject the plot plant or exposition as is required to keep the storyline going. Otherwise it’s totally unbelievable
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
LTC Jason Mackay - indeed, the course list and timeline is more for my reference as I develop the character throughout the novel. The story begins after his separation.
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You've got WAYYYY too much going on there. This guy is supposed to be a SSG with a few years in.
For the first part, the only way to go to JM is in an Airborne unit after you've been on status for a year, minimum. Ranger and Airborne are reasonable. EIB, yes. Pathfinder and Air Assault in an Airborne unit are going to go to enlisted folks.
For the SF time, you have three different areas of specialization. Officers only have a limited amount as a team leader before being sent to staff. MFF and CDQC are separate teams, so that's not likely to happen. It's not impossible but no BN CDR is letting their team leader go to a school they don't need and be away from the team unnecessarily. Also, the Dive Sup is usually an NCO. Then there's the assaulter and recon courses. MFF would make sense with surveillance courses. Assaulters are usually the CRF which are shut down now.
Resigning a commission as a senior CPT would be more likely a SSG who would be required to complete ALC at a later date. That would mean RASP2 for this guy.
I would suggest removing everything assaulter oriented. A 12B is an odd selection in that your average 12B is not going to be used on a sniper team. While any unit can put anyone they want onto a team, a SSG 12B isn't going to be joining a team as a junior and will be needed more in their MOS role in the battalion in a leadership position.
Timeline: promotable LT about 4 years. 5-6 years to graduate QC. 2 more years on a team and 2 more for staff and you're 9 or 10 years before making Major, so he resigned his commission at 10 as a CPT.
For the first part, the only way to go to JM is in an Airborne unit after you've been on status for a year, minimum. Ranger and Airborne are reasonable. EIB, yes. Pathfinder and Air Assault in an Airborne unit are going to go to enlisted folks.
For the SF time, you have three different areas of specialization. Officers only have a limited amount as a team leader before being sent to staff. MFF and CDQC are separate teams, so that's not likely to happen. It's not impossible but no BN CDR is letting their team leader go to a school they don't need and be away from the team unnecessarily. Also, the Dive Sup is usually an NCO. Then there's the assaulter and recon courses. MFF would make sense with surveillance courses. Assaulters are usually the CRF which are shut down now.
Resigning a commission as a senior CPT would be more likely a SSG who would be required to complete ALC at a later date. That would mean RASP2 for this guy.
I would suggest removing everything assaulter oriented. A 12B is an odd selection in that your average 12B is not going to be used on a sniper team. While any unit can put anyone they want onto a team, a SSG 12B isn't going to be joining a team as a junior and will be needed more in their MOS role in the battalion in a leadership position.
Timeline: promotable LT about 4 years. 5-6 years to graduate QC. 2 more years on a team and 2 more for staff and you're 9 or 10 years before making Major, so he resigned his commission at 10 as a CPT.
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SFC (Join to see)
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA there's a whole lot of "could" in there. A person "could" get about 75% of those course in their life, but it's not likely. If your guy is at an Airborne unit, which is the only place he's going to Jumpmaster, then he's going to JM first before AA. There are very few AA courses run at airborne locations. While a LT could take a spot, in the 82d, 173rd, and 4/25 as an Infantry PL that would be extremely frowned upon.
MFF is not part of the SFQC. It's a separate course in Yuma. There have been efforts in recent years to finish off graduates of the QC with MFF, there just aren't enough slots and that's a recent attempt. If a team leader was already MFF qualified they would usually go the the MFF team and not the dive team. Not that it's impossible, just there is limited time and class seats. A BM CDR doesn't have time to have a perfectly qualified MFF team leader sit around waiting for a dive seat so they can be qualified in that team instead. Also, officers don't really have as much time to just go get schools as enlisted personnel do. They have congressional mandated promotion gates and timeliness they have to meet. So, unless it's necessary to be qualified for that team, there are a lot of courses they won't get. For instance, if this person is on an MFF team they are not going to a CQB school.
As for resigning the commission, it's called an Unqualified Resignation. If an officer requests a UQR and they were never enlisted before then they do not have Statutory Entitlement that would allow them to convert to enlisted. That means they have to request for an exception, which is usually granted, but never granted for any type of misconduct. You can however, resign your commission and become enlisted if you are a two time non select for promotion. At that point you have to separate, join the RC, or request to stay on till retirement. The last one would only apply to Majors because you have to have 15 years in.
I don't know what 12Bs do in Batt, that was definitely a long time after I left. But I do know there is no reasonable scenario for a 12B to go to Sniper school. Also, the Army would almost certainly designate the person as an 11B to bring them into the enlisted side, especially if they're Ranger qualified because that automatically qualifies as 11B qualified. That would require no training and the Army would be happy because they can start working immediately
MFF is not part of the SFQC. It's a separate course in Yuma. There have been efforts in recent years to finish off graduates of the QC with MFF, there just aren't enough slots and that's a recent attempt. If a team leader was already MFF qualified they would usually go the the MFF team and not the dive team. Not that it's impossible, just there is limited time and class seats. A BM CDR doesn't have time to have a perfectly qualified MFF team leader sit around waiting for a dive seat so they can be qualified in that team instead. Also, officers don't really have as much time to just go get schools as enlisted personnel do. They have congressional mandated promotion gates and timeliness they have to meet. So, unless it's necessary to be qualified for that team, there are a lot of courses they won't get. For instance, if this person is on an MFF team they are not going to a CQB school.
As for resigning the commission, it's called an Unqualified Resignation. If an officer requests a UQR and they were never enlisted before then they do not have Statutory Entitlement that would allow them to convert to enlisted. That means they have to request for an exception, which is usually granted, but never granted for any type of misconduct. You can however, resign your commission and become enlisted if you are a two time non select for promotion. At that point you have to separate, join the RC, or request to stay on till retirement. The last one would only apply to Majors because you have to have 15 years in.
I don't know what 12Bs do in Batt, that was definitely a long time after I left. But I do know there is no reasonable scenario for a 12B to go to Sniper school. Also, the Army would almost certainly designate the person as an 11B to bring them into the enlisted side, especially if they're Ranger qualified because that automatically qualifies as 11B qualified. That would require no training and the Army would be happy because they can start working immediately
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
SFC (Join to see) - you've been extremely helpful, thank you. Lots of good information. I had been under the impression that 12Bs could go to Sniper School, but I see that is not the case.
I'm moving the MFF stuff to his time in RRC and dropping the Dive Supervisor school as well as the first Sniper School. I'm also dropping Pathfinder and SOFTSDC.
I've also edited the conversation where his transition to Enlisted is discussed to deal with the implausibilities.
I'm moving the MFF stuff to his time in RRC and dropping the Dive Supervisor school as well as the first Sniper School. I'm also dropping Pathfinder and SOFTSDC.
I've also edited the conversation where his transition to Enlisted is discussed to deal with the implausibilities.
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SFC (Join to see)
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA that sounds more believable. Any good Soldier in the Army is going to get one or two out of the way schools like AA or Sniper they wouldn't usually get. We have a Career Counselor who managed to get into MFF. But the original list you had was so much it strained belief. I would also remove the MFF JM just because it takes a long time to get that course. Years for most people, just because it's so small and so rare. I haven't met a lot of people who got that with less than 3-4 years on MFF. Later down the road in an RRC that would be an expectation for an MFF leader to attend as an NCO
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Always more than one path to the objective. There are plenty of former experienced Warriors here of all kinds, that could weigh in. The "cookie cutter" approach doesn't work universally. Many that plan their route have to divert. Some find they are on the wrong one and adapt.
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CWO3 (Join to see)
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA - Maybe a crazy Great Uncle at Camp X. Kept an abacus under his rack. GGF was FFL.
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SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA
CWO3 (Join to see) - funny you should mention the FFL. My character got kicked out of the FFL before joining the US Army.
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CWO3 (Join to see)
SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA - It happens. He didn't get booted, but "Manilla" John Basilone boxed in US Army before joining Marines. WEB Griffin could stretch a theme well, without getting technical like Tom Clancy. Good luck with your novel.
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