What is the most difficult US military school?

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 19:56:18 -0400

What US military school is the most absolutely challenging ever, in your humble opinion?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2015 8:18 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:18:04 -0400

Guys I gotta go with Special Forces Q Course. IMHO!

Response by CPO Joseph Grant made Jul 11 at 2015 8:19 PM

CPO Joseph Grant — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:19:09 -0400

Physically Navy SEAL, mentally probably Nuclear Power School

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jul 11 at 2015 8:19 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:19:47 -0400

Ranger School, SFQ, SEAL/BUDS. Airborne, Pathfinder - nah.

25U AIT. There isn't an O-3 or above in the Army who can get by without a PV2 25U to load, decode and operate their radio! The mightiest GOs shake in their boots at the thought of performing anything beyond PTT. God forbid they turn the wrong knob on their radio w/o the say so of their qualified RTO to make sure their hop sets, COMSEC and freqs are set in order for them to control the violence on the battlefield. There is no other job that has as many repercussions for zero fault tolerance than that of the RTO!!

Just my humbly and humorous opinion :-)

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2015 8:28 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:28:47 -0400

My guess would be Navy SEAL School or Delta, not to take anything away from Ranger School. The attrition rate in SEAL/Delta makes be believe they might be tougher. Kudo's to any of these spec-op graduates. It's easy for me to "judge" from the sofa.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2015 8:35 PM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:35:37 -0400

From what I have read and heard, I don't think BUDS has an equal.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 11 at 2015 8:37 PM

PO1 John Miller — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 20:37:20 -0400

Physically and mentally BUD/S. Academically Navy Nuclear Power Prototype School. I think those 2 schools are also the longest in length for the entire military. BUD/S is 6 months and Prototype school is something like 2 years.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jul 11 at 2015 9:06 PM

LTC Bink Romanick — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 21:06:29 -0400

Operations Research/Systems Anaysis for mental tougnnes.

Probably BUDS for physical toughness.

Response by Sgt Packy Flickinger made Jul 11 at 2015 10:07 PM

Sgt Packy Flickinger — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 22:07:42 -0400

BUDS.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2015 10:14 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 22:14:27 -0400

It has to be NAVSCOLEOD. There's a reason there's fewer EOD techs in the Army than SF or Rangers

Response by Capt Richard I P. made Jul 11 at 2015 10:22 PM

Capt Richard I P. — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 22:22:09 -0400

Not many people have the experience to compare them accurately.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jul 11 at 2015 10:24 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 22:24:26 -0400

I was going to make a joke here but maybe not now.

Response by CPO Greg Frazho made Jul 11 at 2015 10:24 PM

CPO Greg Frazho — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 22:24:28 -0400

Physically/mentally: BUD/S or the Q Course. Academically: Nuclear Power School/Prototype School. Honorarily: Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun).

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 11 at 2015 10:44 PM

COL Charles Williams — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 22:44:22 -0400

CH (MAJ) William Beaver I would say it would depend on who you ask, and what is the measure of difficulty? Mental, Physical, or other skills. I would say Ranger School, BUDS-SEAL, or SFAS... but, I think to get the best answer you need to find a pragmatic SEAL, who has attended Ranger School; There were several in my class, and they were sucking like the rest of us, as were the Marine Recon guys, and all the other special ops folks. Those require physical and mental toughness that is not found in everyone, a never quit attitude, a desire (real desire) to be there and see it tough, and some luck.

I also know Jump Master, Rappel Master are tough on a different level. Sniper school is another that requires a unique set of skills and abilities; the standards are very tough.

Then for brainiacs, it would the USN Nuclear program...

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2015 1:25 AM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 01:25:28 -0400

Warrant Officer Candidate School has been the most challenging school that I've been to for two reasons. First off all, everyone in my class was a SSG to SGM and no one wanted to work as a team, so that made the 5 weeks worse than it should have been. Second of all, it was at Fort Rucker in July and those of you that have been to Rucker during the summer months know how that weather can be a little bothersome, other than that, school was great. I know this school can compare to Ranger school, Navy Seal training or Special Forces training but I've never been to any of those course to compare. I'll leave that stuff to the young and the bold.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Jul 12 at 2015 1:37 AM

SN Greg Wright — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 01:37:49 -0400

SEALS without a doubt. Remember, BUD/s is only a few months -- SQT takes much longer, and it's after that that they get their tridents -- roughly 1.5-2 years, all told. Academically, probably Nuke school (also a 2 year program iirc), or maybe fighter pilots.

I don't remember his name, but there was a SEAL who transitioned to fighters. Talk about a glutton for punishment.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2015 5:56 AM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 05:56:47 -0400

I would go with either SEAL Team 6 (DEVGRU) or 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force).

Response by Sgt David Hesser made Jul 12 at 2015 7:37 AM

Sgt David Hesser — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 07:37:38 -0400

to be honest I have no idea but do know that para rescue in the Air force has a wash out rate of 150 to 1.

Response by Cpl Jonathan Taylor made Jul 12 at 2015 10:11 AM

Cpl Jonathan Taylor — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 10:11:05 -0400

The toughest school I attended was in 2513 school @ Sheppard Air Force base building 204' towers, the life of a lineman

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2015 10:30 AM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 10:30:19 -0400

Well, I may not be on the right wavelength here, Padre, but I did fail Typing "A" School three times!!!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2015 10:42 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 10:42:10 -0400

You would really have to ask someone that has been through both. I wouldn't say that Seal is default more difficult than Ranger. I have never been through Seal Training. It is like saying a degree in Applied physics is more difficult than a degree in Nuclear Energy. I don't have a clue. They both sound hard. We had SF guys in my Ranger class. They were sucking just as much as the rest of us. They did well overall. But I am caution to say this is better than that just by word of mouth or youtube videos.

But for me, I would say the most difficult school I have attained is Ranger. The only way to sum it up is that you are going to get kicked in the balls everyday. Sometimes you may get kicked once and some times you may get kicked there 20 times. You just know that tomorrow you are going to get kicked again.

Response by LCDR Jeffery Dixon made Jul 12 at 2015 4:38 PM

LCDR Jeffery Dixon — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 16:38:28 -0400

SEALS!!

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Jul 12 at 2015 4:45 PM

SrA Edward Vong — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 16:45:00 -0400

I have always been told that the Air Force's PJ training is harder than the Navy Seal training. This of course was based off of the failure rate by comparison.

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Jul 12 at 2015 6:07 PM

Capt Jeff S. — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 18:07:23 -0400

My guess would be SEALS, or Delta Force training. Seeing as I have never participated in either, I can't render an expert opinion.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jul 12 at 2015 6:33 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 18:33:32 -0400

I had a tough class once. Its called college, beer, pizza, and hot ladies in Manhattan, KS.

Response by Cpl Christopher Bishop made Jul 12 at 2015 8:14 PM

Cpl Christopher Bishop — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 20:14:47 -0400

I believe a big part of this measurement should be inclusive of the requirement for a person to be an Instructor at each school. This could help some with getting around how we will all have our biases based on our own paths, given none of us have ever attended ALL of them.

That said, I'm going to throw you all a nice curve ball.

Marine Security Guard (Embassy) School. Their instructors are where the REAL Bad-asses are. Minimums to be an Instructor" E7, Prior Drill Instructor, Prior Recruiter, AND (yeah that's right, not OR, not And/Or, but AND) Prior MSG (Embassy Duty) both as a Detachment Member, and as a (E6-Billet) Detachment Commander.

And add this little tidbit...given Benghazi, now students know they will not necessarily get all the proper backup they need once assigned to an Embassy.

Response by SSG John Jensen made Jul 13 at 2015 2:11 AM

SSG John Jensen — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 02:11:32 -0400

I was disqualified for SFQ course 'cause the optometrist said that if I jumped without my glasses that I would miss the ground, watching the guys come back from that, being a medic in the 82d was just fine for me.
There was an NBC course for non-mos people (mainly supply sgts) and the instructors at Ft Bragg had voices that were sooo monnnooootooonnnne, that it was impossible to stay awake during the class. But during nuclear week, it sure was fun nuking Fayetteville everyday.

Response by SSG Richard Reilly made Jul 13 at 2015 9:32 AM

SSG Richard Reilly — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 09:32:00 -0400

ASAP...lol

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2015 10:19 AM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 10:19:48 -0400

I would say CCT/PJ pipeline. I haven't attened either but I felt like they should get a vote somewhere.

Hardest school I've attended has been UPT.

Response by SA Harold Hansmann made Jul 13 at 2015 11:09 AM

SA Harold Hansmann — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:09:54 -0400

Are you going for academically or physically challenging?

Response by SFC Joey Parton made Jul 13 at 2015 2:04 PM

SFC Joey Parton — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 14:04:39 -0400

Army Ranger School

Response by TSgt David L. made Jul 17 at 2015 9:44 AM

TSgt David L. — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 09:44:06 -0400

I see some pretty good schools listed here. I think 1SG David Lopez has the most inclusive list. We need to separate the answers into two separate categories; Physical, and Mental. I will throw a vote in for NAVSCOLEOD, or EOD School. Joint Service, Navy owned. Its about 8 months and you have to know every type of ordnance in the world. From M-2 hand grenades to B-61 nukes. Then you need to observe and thus know the safety precautions while you keep it from going boom and neutralize or destroy it. All simulated or pretend of course. Combine that with an attrition rate averaging 50% and it is in the DoD top ACADEMICLY tough schools. Just my 2 cents.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 17 at 2015 10:37 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 10:37:02 -0400

Depends on a lot of things. One what is your definition of "school?" We use the term loosely. If it covers all training courses and programs that's one thing, if not, another.

In the long run military training in general is excellent and there are several VERY difficult (in a good way) courses that we go through. Obviously special ops training can't be compared straight across with technical training, flight school, service academies, or war college. They all have their merits and all are difficult in different ways.

as CW5 Charlie Poulton mentioned, the one you are attending will always seem the hardest.

Response by PO2 Skip Kirkwood made Jul 18 at 2015 6:22 PM

PO2 Skip Kirkwood — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 18:22:06 -0400

I guess it depends on what you mean by "difficult." Physically? Mentally?

If you want to talk about both, I'd take a serious look at the Air Force Pararescue "pipeline." Physical and mental.

Response by Nick Ocampo made Aug 26 at 2016 6:05 PM

Nick Ocampo — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 18:05:30 -0400

BUDS because they have to go through hell week

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 28 at 2016 2:38 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 02:38:20 -0400

And when we finally answer this one, please tell me if God can make a rock so big that he can't lift it? ;)

Response by MAJ Raymond Haynes made Mar 22 at 2017 4:28 PM

MAJ Raymond Haynes — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 16:28:45 -0400

Safety Brief Friday afternoon of a 3 day weekend

Response by SPC Richard Stengline made Mar 22 at 2017 5:05 PM

SPC Richard Stengline — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 17:05:15 -0400

This was in the eighties but Recondo school at Bragg kicked ass in a short time there.

Response by CPT Michael Murphy made Mar 22 at 2017 5:12 PM

CPT Michael Murphy — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 17:12:16 -0400

The "Rat Line" at the Virginia Military Institute back in the day when beating Rats by upperclassmen was as common as fleas on an outside dog in the deep south in summer.

Mike Murphy
VMI, Class of 1964.

Response by SGT William Harding made Mar 22 at 2017 6:16 PM

SGT William Harding — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 18:16:06 -0400

Well considering I went through RIP back in August 1995. Starting class was 256 and 13 of us walked away with our beret and went into Ranger battalion. That does it for me.

Response by SGT Luke Wooster made Mar 22 at 2017 7:05 PM

SGT Luke Wooster — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:05:31 -0400

Hardest school is not pairing up with your learning skill set. Even though I had solid ASVAB scores I doubt I could pass DLI. Launch a TLAM no problem with accuracy, break foreign code and nuclear naval school I would pass the schools. 50/50 on being a mechanic. SOTA friend who read Buddhist texts aced SF Dive School. Skin and bones and all! Funny how MEPS figures out our skills and weaknesses.

Response by Capt Kevin Kinkade made Mar 22 at 2017 7:12 PM

Capt Kevin Kinkade — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:12:53 -0400

Each school tests different skills. The hardest one is the one you fail.

Response by 1SG Ray Dyer made Mar 22 at 2017 8:39 PM

1SG Ray Dyer — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 20:39:00 -0400

Seems Ranger school standards have lowered after that has woman graduate

Response by PO3 Chris Wright, MBA made Mar 23 at 2017 1:34 PM

PO3 Chris Wright, MBA — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 13:34:35 -0400

Army SF, Ranger, BUD/S, CG rescue swimmer, Air Force special ops. I don't think one is harder than the other as long as you are mentally and physically prepared the endure the suck. Then you academically challenging like the Navy Nuclear program. It really depends on the person and their determination to make it through.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 23 at 2017 1:45 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 13:45:05 -0400

SAPPER Leader Course

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 24 at 2017 12:09 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 00:09:28 -0400

Marine Recon was hard (75 started 21 passed). USMC Scout sniper was hard (23 started 6 passed).
But the marine corps' Urban Sniper course ran by the Special Operations Training Group has some of the hardest shooting quals out of any precision fires course in the DoD.

Response by CPO Gary Hamm made Apr 19 at 2017 12:49 PM

CPO Gary Hamm — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 12:49:00 -0400

US Navy EOD overall. Second academically to Navy Nuke School and physically to BUDS. HooYah!

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 28 at 2017 8:15 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 08:15:21 -0400

SERE-C. That is all.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2017 11:12 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 11:12:29 -0400

I've talked to a few Army pilots who've said that their SERE school experience was much tougher than their ranger school experience. I haven't been to either, so I wouldn't really know.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Sep 1 at 2017 11:30 AM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 11:30:55 -0400

Depends on what you mean by "difficult." Some courses are very physically demanding such as SEAL, Ranger, or Army Special Forces training. Others may stress one's intellectual capability such as language school. Of course, people with talents and abilities to soak up languages may not view language school as all that bad. Pilot training takes a unique set of physical capabilities (hand-foot-eye coordination) and intellectual capabilities, but average people with the right mix of abilities can complete the course. Some folks find computer software user training difficult. I heard lots of complaints about DTS training. The hardest course for me was the Army's Civilian Supervisor's Course. I struggled to stay awake through what seemed line endless hours of computer-based training.

Response by SGT Roger Scott made Sep 1 at 2017 2:58 PM

SGT Roger Scott — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 14:58:19 -0400

Academically? When I was in DLI Russian, 70% flunked out. This was back in the 1980s. At the time, Arabic was 18 months, with an 85% flunk out rate

Response by PFC Randy Stennes made Sep 1 at 2017 2:58 PM

PFC Randy Stennes — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 14:58:52 -0400

That's like asking if you'd rather be kicked in the nuts or poked in the eye with a sharp stick, they all suck in thier own unique way, pass/fail depends on the candidate.

Response by MSG Loren Tomblin made Sep 1 at 2017 3:00 PM

MSG Loren Tomblin — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 15:00:50 -0400

Fr me it was surviving the jungle with my hair on fire in Viet Nam as and Infantryman and interpreter attached to a bunch of crazy mercs. No special training just a hillbilly sense of survival.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2017 3:38 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 15:38:29 -0400

Based on my experience with the army, I would have to say that bus driver is the hardest. Every single soldier I send to it fails.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2017 3:41 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 15:41:39 -0400

If you want to add acedemics, EOD would be near the top. 75% failure rate. It's gone up since they put on restrictions for the students so it's probably sitting at around 80-85% now. So 4 out of the 5 people that start the class won't make it.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2017 4:51 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 16:51:19 -0400

Academically I'd say the hard course ive done is tank master gunner school. You get an asi for a reason. Some tests 100 percent everything else 90 percent or above

Response by SFC David Clements made Sep 1 at 2017 5:32 PM

SFC David Clements — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 17:32:13 -0400

With much love to the physical and stressful demand of Ranger/ SF/ SEAL training. My own experience was the stresses of EOD school back in the day. Attrition ran around 70%.

Response by TSgt Robert Busby made Sep 1 at 2017 7:00 PM

TSgt Robert Busby — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 19:00:09 -0400

The process of becoming a "PJ" is known informally as "Superman School". Almost two years long, it's among the longest special operations training courses in the world. It also has one of the highest training attrition rates in the entire U.S. special operations community, at around 80%.[9]

Pararescue trainees are first required to pass the Pararescue Indoctrination Course at Lackland AFB, commonly referred to as "indoc". Following that is a long string of courses including Combat Dive School, Army Airborne, National Registry for Paramedic, Survival (SERE), and Military Free-fall Parachutist. Upon completing the aforementioned, a pararescue trainee is required to then complete the Pararescue Apprentice Course, which combines all the prior skills and adds a few more. Once a Pararescueman has completed the pipeline, he is assigned to a Rescue or Special Tactics team where he will receive informal on-the-job training. Additionally if a pararescueman is assigned to a special tactics team he will receive additional training along with Air Force Combat Controllers in what is known as Advanced Skills Training.

Response by MSG Dan Castaneda made Sep 1 at 2017 7:38 PM

MSG Dan Castaneda — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 19:38:31 -0400

Air Assault School. 10 hardest days in the Army.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 1 at 2017 8:10 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 20:10:18 -0400

Air Force PJs, without a doubt; the washout rate is in the 90% range....

Response by SGT Jim Davis made Sep 1 at 2017 8:54 PM

SGT Jim Davis — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 20:54:15 -0400

I don't know about the other schools, but I can tell you that SFQC, Camp MacKall is no joke!

Response by SPC Todd Hanson made Sep 1 at 2017 8:57 PM

SPC Todd Hanson — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 20:57:20 -0400

Dealing with angery spouses about their messed up pay. lol I had a spouse come in and say "her" Pay was messed up. This was at the fort wainwright defense military pay office

Response by CW4 Doug Absher made Sep 1 at 2017 9:45 PM

CW4 Doug Absher — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 21:45:13 -0400

Physical and mental SUCK factor would be SEAL, Ranger and Scuba, with end to end - EOD.

Response by PO3 Garry Reed made Sep 1 at 2017 9:49 PM

PO3 Garry Reed — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 21:49:00 -0400

Navy Nuclear power School. The old Submarine ET A school. But the hardest would be BRD/7 School.

Response by SN Albert Thakur made Sep 1 at 2017 10:05 PM

SN Albert Thakur — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 22:05:58 -0400

Not gonna sugar coat it - Nuke school was hard.

Response by SFC Carlos Rentas made Sep 1 at 2017 10:23 PM

SFC Carlos Rentas — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 22:23:11 -0400

Ranger School

Response by LTJG Richard Bruce made Sep 1 at 2017 11:19 PM

LTJG Richard Bruce — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 23:19:20 -0400

Any of the four federal military academies. It's four years of high mental and physical stress, plus all the BS one has to live through.

Response by 1SG Robert Wempe made Sep 2 at 2017 12:11 AM

1SG Robert Wempe — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 00:11:45 -0400

This all depends who you ask. Sapper School is not easy at all and I seen Rangers and SF guys not make it through, but then the opposite could be said. It really depends all on the Soldier/Sailor/Marine/Airman that is going through the school

Response by CPT Andrew Wright made Sep 2 at 2017 2:40 AM

CPT Andrew Wright — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 02:40:51 -0400

From my time at Harmony Church and Camp Rudder I would have to say Army Ranger School. However, I have never been to SFAS or Seal School so I can.t make a comparison.

Response by LCpl Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 2 at 2017 9:38 AM

LCpl Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 09:38:18 -0400

Usmc martial arts instructor course.

Response by CPT Jim Schwebach made Sep 2 at 2017 10:27 AM

CPT Jim Schwebach — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 10:27:34 -0400

The key word here is challenging. Physically challenging, mentally challenging or a combination of both? And what's the standard for "challenging?" Some one who completes a physically challenging course may not be able to complete a mentally challenging course and vice versa. With no basis for comparison(other than a couple of visits to San Diego) to other service schools, I'd have to pick Ranger course as the most physically challenging. From observation, I'd choose the entire curriculum for qualification as an SF medic probably as the toughest combination of physical and mental challenge. Mentally, the most challenging course I attended was the Prefix 5 course. We even had a couple of Rangers and a Recon Marine fail that one.

Response by CPT Jim Schwebach made Sep 2 at 2017 10:36 AM

CPT Jim Schwebach — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 10:36:55 -0400

Is that a picture of morning prayers at a Jesuit seminary?

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Sep 2 at 2017 10:40 AM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 10:40:00 -0400

Of the schools I attended. NATO LRRP school in Germany was probably the toughest. There was only one test, no retest, you passed or failed. Next was 12B BNCOC. I was never good at math, but by the time they got done with me I could do demo formulas with a pen and paper. 11B ANCOC was a tough one as well.

Response by SFC Ken Blackmer made Sep 2 at 2017 12:44 PM

SFC Ken Blackmer — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 12:44:12 -0400

Armed Forces School of Music

Response by MAJ R. Andrew Hoskinson made Sep 2 at 2017 2:08 PM

MAJ R. Andrew Hoskinson — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 14:08:46 -0400

Air Assault School - "10 toughest days in the US Army"

Response by CPT Tom Fawls made Sep 2 at 2017 4:46 PM

CPT Tom Fawls — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 16:46:10 -0400

Flight school.

Response by SFC Ryan Berg made Sep 2 at 2017 6:23 PM

SFC Ryan Berg — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 18:23:33 -0400

Bradley Master Gunner school. Mentally exhausting...

Response by 1st Lt Andre Austin made Sep 2 at 2017 9:32 PM

1st Lt Andre Austin — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 21:32:26 -0400

USAF. PARARESCUE school, seen rangers and a few other SOG personnel wash out

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Sep 2 at 2017 10:49 PM

CAPT Kevin B. — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 22:49:13 -0400

Hard Knocks. They're the hardest ones to get over.

Response by SGT Jim Larens made Sep 3 at 2017 5:23 AM

SGT Jim Larens — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 05:23:31 -0400

Language Facilitator, after hard nights of drinking past our per diem, crawl back to the hotel room....!

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2017 5:38 AM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 05:38:00 -0400

USMC Scout Sniper and MCIWS schools, maybe not ths toughest on their own, but combined with their prereqs they both suck is the best way possible... I really cannot imagine anything shittier than running around Quantico in a damn shaggy bear costume in the summer, no wait I can Mountain Warfare Scout Sniper school In Bridgeport, yeah that one sucked...

Response by PO1 Don Hand made Sep 3 at 2017 7:40 AM

PO1 Don Hand — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 07:40:52 -0400

Air Intercept Controller... Not physically hard at all, I started day one in a room of 20 by taking a written exam. Pass with a minimum score or go home. 8 of us got in the class, 4 of us graduated.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2017 8:38 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 08:38:26 -0400

Cls

Response by Sgt Mike Deck made Sep 3 at 2017 9:59 AM

Sgt Mike Deck — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 09:59:42 -0400

Military Police school

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Sep 3 at 2017 1:08 PM

Sgt Wayne Wood — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 13:08:07 -0400

Ultimately... it depends on the individual. Some folks would say SERE... then there's the myriad of courses for the SpecOps Warriors... then there are the schools that require skull sweat.

For some, boot camp is an insurmountable challenge.

It's an individual challenge, only the induvidual can say what was toughest FOR THEM.

Response by SPC Roger Reager made Sep 3 at 2017 1:51 PM

SPC Roger Reager — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 13:51:21 -0400

I'm going to take a different approach to this. The Medic can be more demanding than some other schools. Think about it. They have to be willing to run to someone hurt bad, maintain their cool, treat life-threating injuries while being shot at. I'm sorry but when you get to the end of school and you realize what is going to happen......

Response by SGT Tim Summers made Sep 3 at 2017 2:01 PM

SGT Tim Summers — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 14:01:21 -0400

I would say you can't really compare. Seal/Buds had hell week, but the feed you 11000 calories a day, Ranger the starve you and run you to death. Each has its challenge

No matter what your opinion.. just be glad there are men who take the challenge and test themselves. You want to see super human. Members of the military redefine it every day

Response by 1SG Alex Larson made Sep 3 at 2017 2:25 PM

1SG Alex Larson — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 14:25:21 -0400

18D Special Forced Medical Training in the SFQC Pipeline. I saw the best and brightest fail- SEALs, Rangers, Force Recon, PJs, Airborne, etc.
mentally and physically challenging, years long course, language qualification as well.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2017 2:37 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 14:37:52 -0400

Some of the foreign schools rival the obvious choices in US. British Commando, Spetsnaz, FFL etc. I knew a few USMC Infantry types that went through Ranger Course, and none said it was easy. I've read about SF and it sounds tough. Seems there was one for SFOD-D that entailed a very lengthy hump with heavy pack in mountains of W Va. Training for many of those Tier 1 assets is classified.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2017 3:05 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 15:05:15 -0400

For Woman SERE, for men I would say Nay Seals. My brother went through Navy Seals until he got to what he called the drown tanks and said F that! Lol... and decided to stay an airman.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2017 4:34 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 16:34:52 -0400

Hands down. They all are, but one that stands in my mind is BUDS/UDT

Response by LCDR Rich Mahone made Sep 3 at 2017 4:47 PM

LCDR Rich Mahone — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 16:47:03 -0400

I served with two men who went through Ranger and BUD/S. Both served multiple combat tours and retired as SEALs. Both said BUD/S was harder.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2017 6:46 PM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 18:46:45 -0400

Back in the day (mid-80's), Navy Rescue Swimmer School was pretty tough!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 3 at 2017 7:57 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 19:57:06 -0400

Army dive school was tough. 21d when I went in now 12d.

Response by SSG Dave Weider made Sep 3 at 2017 8:03 PM

SSG Dave Weider — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 20:03:57 -0400

On the aptitude side DLI manderine. On the physical/mental toughness side Ranger.

Response by MAJ Kevin Casas` made Sep 3 at 2017 11:03 PM

MAJ Kevin Casas` — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 23:03:43 -0400

SF Q Course

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 4 at 2017 12:34 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 00:34:07 -0400

For the individual who said 25u, 25b is way harder not becuase of the school Perse but becuase we always end up doing the 25u job every where we go.

Response by SGT Christopher Hayden made Sep 4 at 2017 3:05 AM

SGT Christopher Hayden — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 03:05:45 -0400

Field Sanitation. But only that one part about identifying STDs.

Response by LT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 4 at 2017 5:15 PM

LT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 17:15:30 -0400

I'd say Arabic or Chinese language at DLI. Haven't heard that batted around yet. I did both the Arabic DLI program and the Navy's nuclear power/prototype for officers--26% of my Arabic class passed; well over 85% of my nuke class passed.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 4 at 2017 6:27 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 18:27:31 -0400

Master gunner school

Response by 1SG Alex Larson made Sep 4 at 2017 10:17 PM

1SG Alex Larson — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 22:17:39 -0400

Special Forces Medical Sergeant. Hardest course I ever completed.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 4 at 2017 11:13 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 23:13:43 -0400

Let me tell you guys, physically you guys had the jobs right. BUDS, Ranger, Marine Recon, all of them are pretty hard. Mentally though, for nearly two years of training that we had to do, little sleep, many hours in study hall, Nuclear field "A", "B", and "C" schools are the hardest. The qualifications you must meet prior to getting accepted is so stringent that back in the early 2000's, the dropout rate was the highest in the military. You didn't get second chances either. You either passed, or go home. I've heard the 25D school is becoming an extremely hard school to go through now. Not being biased since I'm a 25Q in the Army now, but back then, I had nightmares

Response by SSG Bradley Peterson made Sep 5 at 2017 12:47 PM

SSG Bradley Peterson — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 12:47:53 -0400

Well I've made many a Grown Ranger cry in the pool so I would say CDQC, tho certainly a different suck than Ranger school, the water is an unforgiving Bitch!

Response by SSG Stephen E. Murphy made Sep 5 at 2017 6:48 PM

SSG Stephen E. Murphy — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 18:48:45 -0400

During my service, I was given the opportunity to attend many of the schools that were available. They are hard, and they are hard for a reason. It takes a mental and physical commitment to pass these types of schools. Teamwork, fast thinking, are the best skills to traverse these schools by anyone. So stop complaining.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 8 at 2017 10:57 AM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 10:57:10 -0500

SERE-C... I'm going to leave it at that

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 14 at 2018 9:30 AM

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 09:30:43 -0500

I don't believe that anyone can truly say that their school is the toughest when it comes to certain ones. BUD/S, Rangers, sniper school are all physically and mentally demanding in their own rights. I personally went through the Navy Nuclear Power pipeline. Going from an A student in high school, ASVAB of over 90, I still struggled to make it through, graduating almost dead last in my class. I spent nearly 20 hours a day in the classroom between courses, studying and homework. Then add to it the prototype phase in which you actually get hands on training in an operating plant along with classroom instruction and studying. It all depends on your capabilities and the drive you have. There is a reason the Navy doesn't allow nuclear operators to try and go seals. I would never be able to become a seal just based on the training, but how many seals would be able to complete nuclear power school?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 14 at 2018 11:32 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 11:32:07 -0500

It depends on what you're doing. Difficult is relative. What may be difficlut for one person may not be difficult for the other. Based on knowledge, the Navy's Basic Underwater Demolition School, or BUDs, which produces Navy SEALs, is considered the toughest selection process. However, the toughest, say, leadership school, is the Army's Ranger School, which is designed to simulate harsh conditions in combat and teach you to lead people despite overwhelming odds.

Response by SSG K Johnson made Dec 5 at 2018 11:54 PM

SSG K Johnson — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 23:54:38 -0500

Death by power point schools. Boredom is worse than physical any day.

Response by SPC Richard Stengline made Feb 17 at 2020 7:33 PM

SPC Richard Stengline — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:33:54 -0500

82nd/xviii airborne recondo school for me and a lot of others no longer in existence. Huge washout rate people gone 4 hours in.

Response by TSgt Jose R. Garcia made Feb 17 at 2020 7:44 PM

TSgt Jose R. Garcia — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:44:39 -0500

Navy Seals.

Response by Cpl Mark A. Morris made Feb 21 at 2020 3:31 PM

Cpl Mark A. Morris — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 15:31:14 -0500

When I was in my early twenties, I was informed becoming a United States Marine would be about as hard as it could get joining the US military.
I found that was not true. Standing in Blizzards in northern Scotland as a United States Marine was ****ing hard. 2yrs4mo of that pleasantness changed my disposition into one of the meanest enlisted Devil Dogs that has ever existed.
Now, put your pretty little head back on your little pink pillow and know real men make sure you can sleep in peace.

Response by 1SG Ed Bernas made Jun 14 at 2020 5:26 PM

1SG Ed Bernas — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 17:26:50 -0400

The Advanced land navigation course.

Response by SSG Timothy Stevenson made Jun 14 at 2020 9:27 PM

SSG Timothy Stevenson — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 21:27:30 -0400

I’ve only been through Ranger school and it did kick my ass but I passed.

Response by MAJ Haris Balcinovic made Jun 14 at 2020 10:20 PM

MAJ Haris Balcinovic — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 22:20:07 -0400

I'd agree with most comments about the measure of difficulty (mental, physical, skill? Etc).
I do want to point out that there's a tendency to focus on the SOF world (Ranger, BUDS, Marine Recon, Ar.y SF Q course) but like mention like COL Charles Williams said there are others out there that are extremely tough.
Both Army and Navy dive schools are extremely challenging (had a privilege to work with Army dive detachment). Army dive school has 90% dropout rate within first 14 days.
Also folks have a tendency to forget about Air Force PJs (had the privilege to work with these badasses as well). Oh and Air Force CCT.
Army, Navy and Marine Corps have a tendency to look at our brethren in Air Force in a different light sometimes

Response by Sgt Dale Briggs made Feb 20 at 2021 9:58 PM

Sgt Dale Briggs — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 21:58:00 -0500

I read somewhere together the Coast Guard Rescue Divers have the highest washout rate. True or not? I also read where there have been some Buds classes with no ones made it thru, I thought maybe that was mentioned in BUDS 252 or whatever on tv.

Response by Sgt Dale Briggs made Oct 19 at 2021 6:54 PM

Sgt Dale Briggs — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 18:54:15 -0400

Gotta be Seals, the training is forever even after BUDS you can wash out at any time.

Response by Cpl Christopher Bishop made Oct 20 at 2021 1:20 AM

Cpl Christopher Bishop — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 01:20:58 -0400

I consider requirements to be an instructor at a given school. Therefore I nominate Marine Security Guard (MSG). E7, prior DI, Recruiter, AND Embassy Duty member, and Detatchment Commander.

Not “or”. All of that.

Response by Sgt Dale Briggs made Feb 26 at 2022 12:59 PM

Sgt Dale Briggs — Sat, 26 Feb 2022 12:59:19 -0500

Has to be SEAL training, based on the difficulty and the length it’s a grind most will not pass. And BUDS is only the beginning of your training you can still wash out at a time. No doubt it was well beyond my abilities, the water sports would kill me as I don’t swim close to well enough to even think about it. Airborne school is kind of a joke, you run a bit , do push-ups, it’s 3 weeks of training learning how to fall out of an airplane, you can go to a civilian school and 4 hours later your jumping. Static line is nothing more than stepping out into the wind.