How to Become a Green Beret

President Kennedy called the Green Beret "a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom." The U.S. Army's Special Forces work in A-Teams, 12-member units, in the spirit of the Green Beret motto, "De Oppresso Liber" - to free the oppressed

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Memory Improvement Books
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• College Guides
• Academic Counselings
• College Catalogs
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• Foreign Language Tape
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• College Applications
• Online Career Search
• U.S. Army In Action Videos
• Special Forces Videos
• "Tae-Bo Workout" video

1. Prepare yourself physically and mentally, and keep yourself in top condition.
2. Remember Special Forces team members generally are closely involved with allied forces. Familiarize yourself with military history, politics and international relations.
3. Remember also that Special Forces troopers are fluent in at least one of 11 languages other than English. Take a foreign language in school.
4. Develop your body - run for endurance, train with weights, become a proficient swimmer.
5. Join the U.S. Army.
6. Choose a suitable military occupation specialty. Army journalists, clerk-typists, chaplain assistants and soliders performing similar duties, while valuable, don't receive the training necessary to become a Green Beret.
7. Apply for paratrooper training.
8. Apply for Army Ranger training.
9. Become a dedicated professional soldier - strive to exceed the expectations of your leaders, and apply for advanced training.
10. Reach the rank of E-4 (Specialist or Corporal).
11. Contact the Special Operations Recruiting Company at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
12. Prepare yourself for the Special Forces application requirements. For example, a candidate must make a 12-mile road march carrying a 55-lb rucksack and a weapon in 4.5 hours.
13. Remember that the application process will evaluate your physical ability, duty performance, psychological stability and security clearance.
14. Appear before the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Assessment and Review Board.
15. Attend the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course.
16. Attend the Special Forces Qualification Course.

Tips & Warnings

• Special Forces can trace their history back to Rogers' Rangers of the American Revolution.
• Special Forces duty can be as much intellectual and diplomatic as it is war fighting. Many of the enlisted personnel are college graduates.
• Special Forces units are designed to operate either unilaterally or in support of and combined with indigenous military and paramilitary forces.
• Enlisted personnel are trained as weapons, communications, engineering, or medical specialists.
• The 19th and 20th Special Forces Groups are National Guard units.
• Officers and enlisted personnel must pass the same tests.
• A Special Forces candidate must be a U.S. citizen; be an active-duty, male soldier; be airborne-qualified or volunteer for airborne training; be able to swim 50 meters wearing boots and battle-dress uniform; score a minimum of 206 points on the Army physical fitness test; meet medical fitness standards; and be eligible for a "secret" security clearance.

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