Quote:
Originally Posted by DropTheGloves
It's totally different for rescue swimmers though. That's why they have one of the highest DOR/failure rates for military boot camps.
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DTG,
I'd do a little more research if I were you...
All I can say is you don't have all you facts straight.
I'm a 9 year Navy rescue swimmer and was a Fleet Replacement Aircrew Instructor. (Trained new Helo Aircrewman/rescue swimmers) Basically when you graduated from our school you got your wings then went to the fleet. So we trained all aspects of being a Helo crewman SAR, CSAR, ASW, and so on. My guess is the recruiter you are talking to is over selling what a rescue swimmer really is. But we are not comparable to SEALS or any true SOF unit.
I'd say we are close to Rangers but only because we spend so much time in the water. But they have real combat training the you will never get as a rescue swimmer/ helo crewman. Even if you become Combat SAR (overland) qualified. Now a forward controller or combat controller... They are more SOF oriented and closer to a SEAL than a Ranger IMHO.
Now as far as the coast guard is concerned.... Those puddle pirates
live and breathe SAR, it's all they do and they are very very good at it. So much so they try to take rescues from the Navy whenever they can... I'll tell you the story of a Coast guard helo dumping gas to beat a Navy helo to a rescue someday... Every now and then they will send rescue swimmers to Navy rescue swimmer school. But they have their own training pipeline that is every bit as tough and in some ways tougher than Navy RSS. Granted Navy helo crewman have more areas we are trained in as we do more than overwater SAR... But make no mistake those guys are very good in the water. They deserve our respect and I hate them on general purpose so it's hard for me to admit it.....
Yes there is an extremely high drop out rate for SAR in the Navy. Mostly because recruiters convince young kids that they can get through it and they just have no business being in the water. My RSS class started with 25 and we graduated 9. Ten dropped in the first week. Those were the ones that should have never been there in the first place. The others got hurt or couldn't keep their heads cool during multiple survivor training (multies).
Yes it's tough, yes I'm very proud to have been a Swimmer and even more proud to have been an instructor. But what you've been told is incorrect.
We are not on the same level as SEALS. Not even close.
Now in fairness I've been out now for almost 7 years, during which the community has gone through some major changes. But the Job of a crewman hasn't changed much at all. I have Many Many close friends who are Chiefs and Senior Chiefs now and I can easily get you in touch with someone who can give you the No Shyt truth on what being a fleet rescue swimmer is all about. Just say the word.