Combat Medic
Combat Medic
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Im a 68w, and I know my career is non existent, if you could even call it a career yet. Ive always dreamt of being a medic and being sniper qualified. I always thought it was literally impossible, until I found out that some of my 68w NCOs have gone to sniper. Are there any medics on here that have completed sniper? How did you convince your command to send you? I am currently assigned to the 1-5th infantry in Alaska if that makes any difference whatsoever.
Basic Sniper Course (USASC)
Combat Medic
Schools
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 6
5
5
0
You're in a Stryker BDE and OCONUS, your unit is not going to send you to Sniper School. The price of travel alone makes that prohibitive.
There's about two or three ways of getting into sniper school as a medic, and they require the stars to align, because there are no positions that call for a Sniper qualified 68W.
1. The Infantry unit you are in his having Sniper tryouts AND your PSG is OK with losing a medic AND the Sniper section NCOIC is willing to accept you AND the BN and BDE schools and leadership is willing to pay to send you to school.
2. You work at Sniper school.
3. You work at Ranger School AND you ask the ARTB CSM to allow you to go, you'll need to be Ranger Qualified before you even ask.
There's about two or three ways of getting into sniper school as a medic, and they require the stars to align, because there are no positions that call for a Sniper qualified 68W.
1. The Infantry unit you are in his having Sniper tryouts AND your PSG is OK with losing a medic AND the Sniper section NCOIC is willing to accept you AND the BN and BDE schools and leadership is willing to pay to send you to school.
2. You work at Sniper school.
3. You work at Ranger School AND you ask the ARTB CSM to allow you to go, you'll need to be Ranger Qualified before you even ask.
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PV2 (Join to see)
Understood sgt. Thank you for the reply. Ill continue my search and ask my NCOs how they themselves got in. I know its a huge long shot but I've made it a career goal for me. A dumb and useless goal, but a goal nonetheless.
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SSG Bill McCoy
PV2 (Join to see) - Sorry this is long-winded; but it will illustrate that nothing is impossible.
The only firm advice I can give you is that, NOTHING is impossible. As an ex-Navy Corpsman, I entered the Army, "MOS Undesignated;" but at BCT, I was assigned a 91U (ENT Specialist) and got orders to Walter Reed (in D.C.). My goal going Army was the MP Corps. From day one at Walter Reed, I was told, "ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to transfer." I did get my MOS changed from 91U to 91B after convincing a Major who assigned medics to whatever job. 91B at that time was the Basic Medic. I was burned out on medical after Nam, and the Major was astute enough that she had me go to Radar Clinic at Ft. Myer, VA as an Ambulance Driver - the clinic was Walter Reeds. She suggested I bust my butt and then try for the MP's.
Again, EVERYONE in my chain of command told me, NO WAY - Medic had a reenlistment bonus code of R4; the MP's only had an R1. After 4 months, my 1SG was kind enough to edit my DF requesting the MP's - he cut three pages to one, very well-done DF. I took it to Personnel at Walter Reed - the SFC said, "NO WAY ... NEVER happen!" Still, I convinced him to put it through the chain. Ambulance drivers rotated driving a shuttle run back and forth to Reed with patients - Active, Retired and some Veterans. I was on my week of the shuttle.
On one run, a LTC tried to get into the front seat where a retiree was sitting. I was driving one of those old Checker station wagons - six doors & 9 Passengers. I respectfully told the LTC that I was unable/uncomfortable with anyone RIGHT BESIDE me and asked him to squeeze into the back. Believe it or not, he complied - this was before mandatory seatbelt use.
Driving back to Ft. Myer, the aged retiree gasped and keeled over onto my lap - good thing the LTC didn't insist on riding up front. I pulled into a side street - ordered everyone to GET OUT. The retiree was breathing but unconscious. The LTC was the only one in uniform and everyone else were dependents. I LITERALLY ordered the LTC to get in the back seat! He complied!!! WOW! I told him to reach over the seat, and hold the retiree against the back, and monitor his breathing. Leaving everyone on the sidewalk, I sped back to Walter Reed ... flashing headlights, blowing horn, etc and crawling through red lights. Sped through the gat, ignoring the MP and got to the Emergency Room. I told the LTC to go get a gurney (stretcher) and while he did, I checked the guy and carried him in as the LTC brought the gurney.
Back in the Checker, the LTC pulls out a notebook and as we drive to pick everyone up,, I get the full, "What's your name, serial number and Army goals." I told him I wanted to be an MP and had a request in. He asked that I drop him off at the Ft. Myer "O-Club," so I did.
The LTC's branch insignia was for a General Staff officer, and he was at the Forrestal Building in D.C.
A few days went by - I had told my 1SG about the incident and he told me I "might" be looking at a FG Art 15, but suggested I "wait and see." A week or so later, he told my NCOIC to have me report to MILPER at Walter Reed, so I was put on the shuttle. When I got there, the same SFC who told me, "NO WAY ... NEVER happen," was obviously not happy. He said, "Who the F*** do you know?" I was puzzled & told him so. He slid orders across his desk and said, "Tomorrow you are to report to the 236th MP Detachment Commander at 0800! I 'know' that you KNOW someone at the Forrestal Building, now get out of here!" After 90 Days of OJT, my request to make MP 95B my PRIMARY MOS, and 91B my Secondary, it was approved and I was a full-fledged MP with HOURS of MP Correspondence Courses under my belt.
So, the moral of this long-winded story is:
1. BUST your butt & make your NCO and officer supervisors see that you're a TEAM player. (An Army nurse, and a doctor, AND my 1SG gave me formal "Letters of Appreciation" to submit with my DF request.)
2. Never take "No" for a final answer.
The only firm advice I can give you is that, NOTHING is impossible. As an ex-Navy Corpsman, I entered the Army, "MOS Undesignated;" but at BCT, I was assigned a 91U (ENT Specialist) and got orders to Walter Reed (in D.C.). My goal going Army was the MP Corps. From day one at Walter Reed, I was told, "ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to transfer." I did get my MOS changed from 91U to 91B after convincing a Major who assigned medics to whatever job. 91B at that time was the Basic Medic. I was burned out on medical after Nam, and the Major was astute enough that she had me go to Radar Clinic at Ft. Myer, VA as an Ambulance Driver - the clinic was Walter Reeds. She suggested I bust my butt and then try for the MP's.
Again, EVERYONE in my chain of command told me, NO WAY - Medic had a reenlistment bonus code of R4; the MP's only had an R1. After 4 months, my 1SG was kind enough to edit my DF requesting the MP's - he cut three pages to one, very well-done DF. I took it to Personnel at Walter Reed - the SFC said, "NO WAY ... NEVER happen!" Still, I convinced him to put it through the chain. Ambulance drivers rotated driving a shuttle run back and forth to Reed with patients - Active, Retired and some Veterans. I was on my week of the shuttle.
On one run, a LTC tried to get into the front seat where a retiree was sitting. I was driving one of those old Checker station wagons - six doors & 9 Passengers. I respectfully told the LTC that I was unable/uncomfortable with anyone RIGHT BESIDE me and asked him to squeeze into the back. Believe it or not, he complied - this was before mandatory seatbelt use.
Driving back to Ft. Myer, the aged retiree gasped and keeled over onto my lap - good thing the LTC didn't insist on riding up front. I pulled into a side street - ordered everyone to GET OUT. The retiree was breathing but unconscious. The LTC was the only one in uniform and everyone else were dependents. I LITERALLY ordered the LTC to get in the back seat! He complied!!! WOW! I told him to reach over the seat, and hold the retiree against the back, and monitor his breathing. Leaving everyone on the sidewalk, I sped back to Walter Reed ... flashing headlights, blowing horn, etc and crawling through red lights. Sped through the gat, ignoring the MP and got to the Emergency Room. I told the LTC to go get a gurney (stretcher) and while he did, I checked the guy and carried him in as the LTC brought the gurney.
Back in the Checker, the LTC pulls out a notebook and as we drive to pick everyone up,, I get the full, "What's your name, serial number and Army goals." I told him I wanted to be an MP and had a request in. He asked that I drop him off at the Ft. Myer "O-Club," so I did.
The LTC's branch insignia was for a General Staff officer, and he was at the Forrestal Building in D.C.
A few days went by - I had told my 1SG about the incident and he told me I "might" be looking at a FG Art 15, but suggested I "wait and see." A week or so later, he told my NCOIC to have me report to MILPER at Walter Reed, so I was put on the shuttle. When I got there, the same SFC who told me, "NO WAY ... NEVER happen," was obviously not happy. He said, "Who the F*** do you know?" I was puzzled & told him so. He slid orders across his desk and said, "Tomorrow you are to report to the 236th MP Detachment Commander at 0800! I 'know' that you KNOW someone at the Forrestal Building, now get out of here!" After 90 Days of OJT, my request to make MP 95B my PRIMARY MOS, and 91B my Secondary, it was approved and I was a full-fledged MP with HOURS of MP Correspondence Courses under my belt.
So, the moral of this long-winded story is:
1. BUST your butt & make your NCO and officer supervisors see that you're a TEAM player. (An Army nurse, and a doctor, AND my 1SG gave me formal "Letters of Appreciation" to submit with my DF request.)
2. Never take "No" for a final answer.
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1. Your unit will have to pay for the slot- nothing is free. 2. I doubt you're unit has any slots in its MTOE for snipers. 3. You would have to show your unit the value of having a qualified sniper. 4. It's a bitch of a course ( personally thinks only the Scout/Sniper- USMC is harder) and graduation is low and there are very few slots for the school.
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It's not easy, as it's seen as a pretty big waste of all the training you've already gotten for a unit to stick you in a Sniper position. And they aren't just going to send you to the school to get the qualification and then have you still just being a Line Medic, because that's a waste of a spot that could have gone to someone who would actually be a Sniper in a Recon Platoon. As SFC Boyd said, it's possible but very unlikely, but maybe you'd be able to swing it down the road.
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