How To Become A Green Beret

4 Pages 885 Words

The two crossed arrows, was worn during World War II by the best soldiers, the Special Service Force. All together they operate in about130 countries, speak about 15 different languages and hold higher-level positions than soldiers of the same rank. And unlike most soldiers, their mission is not as warriors but as teachers to soldiers and civilians in Third-World nations around the world.
They are the Green Berets, soldiers who make up the Army's elite special forces.
Becoming one of them takes fortitude and guts, said Capt. Todd Wilcox, recruiting detachment commander for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
In order to become a green beret soldiers must be specialists and above, and officers must be First Lieutenants and above, before they can volunteer for the Special Forces. Also, a 23-day exercise in mental and physical endurance and one of several training courses for the Special Forces is required.
Before a soldier attends SFAS, (Special Forces Asosiation) he's briefed about what to expect. Recruiters at Fort Bragg, and other select Army installations that recruit Special Forces soldiers explain what they'll do as members of a 12-man Special Forces Operational Detachment, or A-team, if they make it through Special forces association with three grueling phases then they will have a chance to become a Green Beret.
The first week includes a variety of psychological and physical evaluations. A psychologist interviews each soldier to see if he's stable and whether he has problems from the past.
The soldier must also meet the Army Physical Fitness Test standard for 17- to 21-year-olds, scoring at least 206 points, completing a 50-meter swim in boots and marching about 150 miles carrying a 50-pound backpack and a weapon.
Week two includes more walking and marching but adds a 1.5-mile-long obstacle course with vertical obstacles 85 percent of which test upper body strength and a land...