Current US Military

[Smitty-48]

Personally, as I said, I think the Navy may simply be out competing the Army in this cutthroat environment, the Navy has done a much better job of promoting the SEAL's, particularly in Hollywood, in the beginning, there was only two SEAL teams, now there are ten SEAL teams, and the superfit super gung-ho kids who used to join the Army to be Green Berets, are more likely to the join the Navy to be SEAL's instead, because all they see in the media these days is SEALs as the archetypal super commandos, whereas the Green Berets barely get any mention at all.

[DrYouth]

The fact that Hollywood plays this big a role in the reality of the military is mind bending.
Fiction dictates reality...
How meta is that?

[Smitty-48]

There's just not enough super fit super gung-ho kids to go around, so if you add 2500 more SEALs, that ends up being 2500 fewer Green Berets, and that's one third of the number SF needs to crew its battalions, and the Navy is well aware, so they promote the SEAL's relentlessly, American Sniper, Lone Survivor, SEAL Team, SIx, you name it, every special commando movie and tv show out there, is showcasing the SEAL's, and the Navy is making that happen, they make themselves available to Hollywood, in order to promote the force, whereas Army SF is much more insular and secretive.

[Smitty-48]

I mean, Okie is not wrong, the reputation of the Army is not good these days, when you say Army these days, it's like a joke, the poster child for the Army is Relaxin' Jackson, the Army is considered to be slack, whereas when you say Navy these days, all these kids really know is BUD/S, the Navy image is SEALs, whereas the Army image is money for college.

When you're trying to recruit commandos, they are looking for a crucible, they don't want Relaxin Jackson, they want Hell Week.

[DBTrek]

So Smitty has finally come around to admitting that the SEALs are fucking awesome.

I knew he couldn’t hold up the indifferent facade for long. Only about two years or so.

[Smitty-48]

I don't have a dog in this fight, Dick Marcinko, Charlie Beckwith, either one is fine by me, when I was young I was probably more of a DIck Marcinko guy, but as I get older I am becoming more Charlie Beckwith all the time.

[DBTrek]

You ever check out Jocko Willink’s stuff?
I read his Extreme Ownership book.
Good stuff.

[Speaker to Animals]

There's just not enough super fit super gung-ho kids to go around, so if you add 2500 more SEALs, that ends up being 2500 fewer Green Berets, and that's one third of the number SF needs to crew its battalions, and the Navy is well aware, so they promote the SEAL's relentlessly, American Sniper, Lone Survivor, SEAL Team, SIx, you name it, every special commando movie and tv show out there, is showcasing the SEAL's, and the Navy is making that happen, they make themselves available to Hollywood, in order to promote the force, whereas Army SF is much more insular and secretive.

I think it's changing. The younger men today are far more into fitness than our generation ever was. They have access to so much knowledge too. Right there on their phones and on youtube. I think Gen Z is going to be pretty fit compared to any living generation.

[C-Mag]

You ever check out Jocko Willink’s stuff?
I read his Extreme Ownership book.
Good stuff.

+1

[Smitty-48]

You ever check out Jocko Willink’s stuff?
I read his Extreme Ownership book.
Good stuff.

Meh, I was never an Operator, I'm not that hardcore and never was, we were soldiers once, and young, that's true, but I was just run o' the mill soldier, that super soldier shit is out of my league.