Posted on Mar 2, 2016
Hello Ive been thinking of reclassing to 37F and would like to know what everyday life is like? Both garrison and deployed.
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Reclass
37F: Psychological Operations Specialist
Psychological Operations Qualification Course (PSYOPQC)
PSYOP Specialist
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 3
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It depends on where you end up (tactical / regional). Tactical trains a lot more tactics and how to perform more face to face engagements, while learning to work your way into your supported elements mission set (Rangers / SF / Conventional Forces). Tactical is exactly as it sounds... you are on the ground with the supported element, doing what they do while you perform your Psyop mission in conjunction. Regional also has differences within its self depending on your region. Typically you will deploy to an embassy or to assist with another special operations mission already going on in the area. The MOS does offer a lot of opportunity for personal growth, tons of training opportunities if you have the ambition to chase them down, and a lot of room to set yourself up for future goals. You can get language training and see a lot of things / locations that you would not see in the regular Army. The last sentence would also apply to CA and SF obviously.
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SPC Valdez- I understand your need to know what our life is like day to day, considering our mission set as SOF is different than those in the conventional Army. As an example (stress on the word example) here is what a typical day deployed can look like (keep in mind the whole 'individual experiences may vary' applies here):
-Wake up, go hit the gym at the embassy
-Embassy opens at 9, thats when "work" typically starts
-Meeting with USG Agency representative
-Work on reports over SIPR
-Lunch with other DoD teams
-Meeting with host nation rep from the radio station
-Meet with host nation Military
-Head back to Embassy, work on more reports
-Send up daily report
-Tackle anything personal (Amazon orders, homework, etc)
-Call interpreter to verify meetings the next day
-Head back to the team house
Again, this is very broad and general. But hopefully this gives you somewhat of an idea of what your day can look like while deployed. Again not everyday will look like this, some days will be longer than others, some days will be shorter. Bear in mind while deployed (to an embassy) you also adhere to DoS rules and standards set forth by the Ambassador (DoS equivalent of a 4 Star General), so depending on what his/her view is of DoD and your particular mission, you may get a lot of freedom to be proactive, or you may get restricted on what can and cannot do. This isn't just a "go into country and do-whatever-you-want" job, there are certain authorities you must adhere to, and if you screw up bad enough, you can get the entire DoD kicked out of country. But let me get back on track as I seem to have been rambling. Now I know you're going to ask "well what about garrison life" so I'll just beat you to it:
-Wake up/PT on your own
-Work call at 0900, meeting with team/DET CDR
-Fulfill RFI (request for info) for the rest of your detachment that is down range
-Lunch 11:30-1300
-Take care of company assigned work: SHARP, online training, etc
-Take care of personal stuff (MEDPROS, vehicle inspection, etc)
-Hit the gym again
-Wait for Det CDR to give you green light
-Get out of dodge around 16-1700
Hopefully this clears the air for you. Both of these examples are meant to be BROAD because like I said; it will depend upon any number of variables. You could be doing more, or you could be doing less. No two company's are the same and no two missions are the same. Be flexible; that's what being SOF is about, it's not about being the "cool guy" its about being able to adapt to any mission or situation thats thrown at you. One day you could be showing up to the company in a suit briefing the BC on your mission set, the very next day you could be out at the range working on advanced marksmanship. Same goes for down range; you could be in a suit and tie one day briefing the Ambassador and the next day you're out with the ODA for a week in the middle of nowhere, talking to the local populace gathering information about whatever. Ok, now I'm done; rant over.
-Wake up, go hit the gym at the embassy
-Embassy opens at 9, thats when "work" typically starts
-Meeting with USG Agency representative
-Work on reports over SIPR
-Lunch with other DoD teams
-Meeting with host nation rep from the radio station
-Meet with host nation Military
-Head back to Embassy, work on more reports
-Send up daily report
-Tackle anything personal (Amazon orders, homework, etc)
-Call interpreter to verify meetings the next day
-Head back to the team house
Again, this is very broad and general. But hopefully this gives you somewhat of an idea of what your day can look like while deployed. Again not everyday will look like this, some days will be longer than others, some days will be shorter. Bear in mind while deployed (to an embassy) you also adhere to DoS rules and standards set forth by the Ambassador (DoS equivalent of a 4 Star General), so depending on what his/her view is of DoD and your particular mission, you may get a lot of freedom to be proactive, or you may get restricted on what can and cannot do. This isn't just a "go into country and do-whatever-you-want" job, there are certain authorities you must adhere to, and if you screw up bad enough, you can get the entire DoD kicked out of country. But let me get back on track as I seem to have been rambling. Now I know you're going to ask "well what about garrison life" so I'll just beat you to it:
-Wake up/PT on your own
-Work call at 0900, meeting with team/DET CDR
-Fulfill RFI (request for info) for the rest of your detachment that is down range
-Lunch 11:30-1300
-Take care of company assigned work: SHARP, online training, etc
-Take care of personal stuff (MEDPROS, vehicle inspection, etc)
-Hit the gym again
-Wait for Det CDR to give you green light
-Get out of dodge around 16-1700
Hopefully this clears the air for you. Both of these examples are meant to be BROAD because like I said; it will depend upon any number of variables. You could be doing more, or you could be doing less. No two company's are the same and no two missions are the same. Be flexible; that's what being SOF is about, it's not about being the "cool guy" its about being able to adapt to any mission or situation thats thrown at you. One day you could be showing up to the company in a suit briefing the BC on your mission set, the very next day you could be out at the range working on advanced marksmanship. Same goes for down range; you could be in a suit and tie one day briefing the Ambassador and the next day you're out with the ODA for a week in the middle of nowhere, talking to the local populace gathering information about whatever. Ok, now I'm done; rant over.
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SPC (Join to see)
SGT Stingle, I am also very interested in joining the Psyop Community. What are some of the opportunities that have been presented to you or others you work with because of your skills/experience gained as a 37F? In the military and civilian side.
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CW2 (Join to see)
SPC (Join to see) The PSYOP regiment is perhaps one of the most unique and dynamic communities in SOF. Opportunities are abundant in the regiment, that is, if you're willing to go the distance and put in the hard work. Nothing will ever just be handed to you, most of the time you will have to "sell" why you need a particular school or course that is outside of the normal school requests (Ranger, Air Assault, Gryphon Group, SERE, etc). I would say one of the biggest skills I've developed since becoming a 37, is being able to coherently brief a complex plan or operation to very high ranking individuals such as Generals, Ambassadors, and other Government representatives. This job allows you to understand the human domain and how people operate on the most basic of levels. Also, this job forces you to learn how to be flexible and adapt quickly. Like stated in some of my previous posts, we deploy on very small teams. You need to be able to work alone and work with teams/entities you've never met. If you can establish some sort of common ground with a particular organization or team, things tend to go smoothly. On the civilian side, one of the pros is being able to network like crazy. A lot of people have developed lasting friendships with other government officials, and typically they tend to be a small-ish group. We've had a few people leave our regiment and work at a number of government agencies/departments. I hope this answered your question on some basic level.
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CW2 (Join to see) -
Sgt, Thank you very much for your help. Your answer is exactly the kind of Info I was looking for. I'll be submitting my packet soon and look forward to joining the Psyop community.
Sgt, Thank you very much for your help. Your answer is exactly the kind of Info I was looking for. I'll be submitting my packet soon and look forward to joining the Psyop community.
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Honestly, it's like every other unit in the Army other than perhaps Special Forces and the Rangers. The only difference that you might see is between how Tactical and Regional companies train and deploy
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Thank you for the comment. I was hoping if you could be elaborate a little more? What do you do every day while not deployed and are you always very busy? And when deployed what is it that you do? I hope thats not asking to much. Thank you for your time!
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CW2 (Join to see)
SPC (Join to see) - It depends on the mission set your particular team is assigned. You could be doing anything from supporting the rest of your detachment that is downrange, or you could be going to a school of some sort. Busy is a relative term, like others have stated, it depends on the Battalion, it's mission, and the particular mission you are assigned to. Also while deployed it depends again on the mission. Currently I'm deployed to an Embassy working by/with/through other USG agencies as well as other DoD elements in country to achieve our goals and objectives. Each country/mission set is different, and honestly some days are busier than others, it all depends on how proactive your team is.
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CW2 (Join to see) - Thank you for the response sgt! What is it that you exactly do? I guess thats really what I'm confused about. Ive read the army description but I would like to hear from some one who actually does the job.
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