Marine unit recruiting 'warrior poets'

JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF

When people picture military special operations, many think of Rambo-type men kicking in doors and shooting up bad guys.

But Marine Corps Special Operations Command is not quite like the movies or the video games.

While MARSOC Marines must pass rigorous physical tests to be accepted, they also must prove their intelligence, maturity and determination, officials say.

"We're trying to find those who can operate on either end of the spectrum; the warrior poet," said Capt. Jon Hayes, officer in charge of recruiting, screening, assessment and selection.

Not just someone who can "kick the door down and kill the bad guy," he said, but someone who can also feed the village's children and secure the water supply.

MARSOC is now seeking dynamic thinkers, combat-arms Marines who can meet the physical demands but also "stay true to themselves in an environment where everything is different," said spokesman Maj. Cliff Gilmore.

The active recruiting process has begun. Signs have popped up around base asking Marines whether they have what it takes - then sending them to the command's recruiting Web site: www.marsoc.usmc.mil/recruiting.

It's part of the process of growing the command that was activated in February 2006 and is slated to reach full operational capability in October 2008.

Because the unit is growing as it is building, MARSOC currently is recruiting only Marines who are infantrymen, field radio operators or reconnaissance men for deployable jobs. The goal is to eventually be able to accept any "imminently qualified" Marines, and train them in basic special operations skills at the Individual Training Course, scheduled to open in October 2008, Hayes said.

The Marines will perform specialized missions, he said, so they need specialized skills.

One of the missions they may face: traveling to a country that has asked for help and training that country's military on infantry skills, marksmanship, land navigation and other skills. The groups of 11 to 14 Marines who deploy on those typically one- to three-month missions go through cultural and language training before leaving the U.S., and may continue to return to the same area to build good relations with the country.

The idea is to help countries with fledgling governments or who may have no control over parts of their country take control, so terrorists can't use the area to their advantage, said Lt. Col. Sean Conley, assistant officer in charge of Marine Special Operations School.

"We look at it as winning the war before it ever begins," said Master Sgt. Casey Pfortmiller, staff noncommissioned officer in charge of recruiting and screening for MARSOC.

Of MARSOC's 18 special operations forces deployments in the past year, 15 were Marine Special Operations Advisory Groups on those types of foreign internal defense missions, Gilmore said.

Because the Marines may be deployed in small groups, far away from large support battalions, it is crucial they possess the skills to make the correct moral and ethical decisions in a split second, Conley said.

Critical decision-making skills and the ability to adapt and work with other cultures are vital, Pfortmiller said, because special operations units are under a microscope.

"The slightest mistake is magnified tenfold," he said.

One example of that these men did not mention but that has made headlines recently is a March incident in Afghanistan that will go before a court of inquiry at Camp Lejeune. A team of Marines from the 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion opened fire on a road, killing as many as 19 civilians, according to Associated Press reports. Witnesses told Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission the Marines fired indiscriminately, the AP reported.

Marines also must realize that, unlike in Iraq or other theaters of operation, the closest help or support may be hours or days away, Conley said.

To find the right Marines for the job, MARSOC hosts walk-in information sessions each Friday at 11 a.m., and encourages all interested Marines to apply.

Applicants who meet the requirements must pass a physical fitness test and swim test, then psychological and intelligence tests. Next, they go for two to three weeks for assessment and selection in an undisclosed, out-of-state location, Pfortmiller said.

"Assessment begins once they get on the bus," he said.

Right now, about two-thirds of the applicants who begin the assessment process leave without reaching the end, Conley said.

"We haven't seen a lot of character flaws," he said, but many applicants are simply not mature enough to be MARSOC Marines.

The course is designed to challenge all levels, he said, and to look at character and determination. Just because someone can perform well on the physical fitness test does not mean they will be successful in selection, he said.

Still, the biggest physical disqualifier, Hayes said, is mental - telling themselves they can't do it.

Marines who quit or are disqualified can apply again, and those who pass the selection process can come back to the unit at a later date - such as after they've fulfilled a prior unit commitment.

The Marines who accept MARSOC's unique conditions and standards, greater degree of risk and other differences will be exposed to many opportunities he may not have had in another unit - and will see some good fringe benefits, Pfortmiller said.

But Conley urged Marines to research the unit before signing up. Many may see it as a "cool" unit, but they don't actually know anything about what they'd be doing.

Just as the Marine Corps is the 911 force for the United States, MARSOC commander Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik envisions MARSOC as the force of choice in the special operations community, Pfortmiller said.

To join, Marines must volunteer and meet a variety of requirements - including being eligible to receive orders and having a minimum of 36 months of obligated service when they would report to MARSOC.

"We not necessarily looking for a guy who is 6-foot-5, 285 pounds of solid muscle," Pfortmiller said.

"But we'll take him," Conley said.



Contact military reporter Jennifer Hlad at jhlad@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 8449. To comment on this story, visit www.jdnews.com.

Ellie