Look at yourself. You’re old. You smell of Old Spice. Not the cologne, actual spice, like the 15-year-old oregano and parsley in your spice cabinet. No one is judging except for the people standing behind you at the Walmart pharmacy as you get your prescription ointment for hemorrhoids. Thankfully, they are not US Army recruiters who will welcome you with open arms, pet your hair, and tell you, “You’re not too old for a Special Forces contract.” In most cases, they are right.
The Myth of Young Operators
The common myth is that Special Forces (SF) are young men, right out of high school, who are genetic anomalies. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Army recruiters love to sign these young bucks to guaranteed Special Forces contracts, which specify that the new recruit has the opportunity to try out for SF. Try out, not succeed. Many a young man enters the Army thinking they are going to be barrel-chested freedom fighters in SF, fail at selection, and end up being infantry grunts. Why? Because they lack the mental fortitude to be SF, a quality that is largely gained with age and experience.
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I don’t pretend to know you, but I know me, and at the ripe age of 20, I was more concerned with figuring out how to get ahold of alcohol and trying out pick up lines like “You have nice boobies.” My success rate was the same as my chances of completing SF selection at that age;near zero. That’s because special operations look for mature, intelligent, and lethal men to go out, close with, and kill the enemy. There aren’t many of those coming out of high school.
The Special Forces Mission
Traditionally, Special Forces are men (sorry ladies) who travel to places most people refuse to vacation and teach local forces how to fight. It’s only recently that they have been used for direct action in combat zones. This is a huge bone of contention in the SF community, according to Nicholas Allen, a former Special Forces operator and the host of the Lesser Known Operators podcast. The infantry and Army Rangers are used for kicking doors and asses, whereas SF trains and leads guerrilla forces in denied areas to fight against the enemy. They travel in the shadows – silent professionals – which is why they rarely get book deals after their service.
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The average age of an SF soldier is 29 for enlisted and 34 for officers. These are people with families, educations, and kids who have risen through the ranks in the US Army infantry and decided they want to wear an adorable green beret while proclaiming they aren’t French. The point is that they must be mature enough to train others to fight but physically strong enough to lead them in battle. It’s a rare mix of humans who can do both.
Why Older Candidates Can Excel
Older candidates excel because they’ve “been there.” The natural pipeline is to start in the infantry or Rangers and promote to SF. This is where you learn the basics of small unit tactics, lead men, and grow up. Learning the techniques gives you a baseline for being a leader, but the real challenge is learning the dynamics of the people you’re tasked with leading, which is an art. It’s akin to becoming a teacher; you learn which people you want to invest in, like the shy student who is smart, as opposed to the kid in the back eating boogers. This will come in handy when you’re in Cambodia teaching the locals how to set up an ambush – maybe give the detonator to the smart one instead of the guy playing with the venomous snake.
Suffer in Silence
Leadership is lonely, and you have to be comfortable with it. During selection, you’ll be spending a lot of time alone. If you are the person who needs attention, it’s going to suck. Older people tend to be content being alone. I assume it’s because they have a family with a couple of children who want to bicker all the time. They take comfort in the bathroom’s calm confines, pretending to poop, knowing it can change at any moment when their son decides to take their daughter’s toy. The ability to focus on the calm while planning for chaos is a key component of being selected into Special Forces.
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Finally, you can’t be a dick. No one wants to work with an asshole. This is why peer evaluations are part of the SF selection process. Do you have the ability to work with others but also lead when in charge? In this regard, it’s no different than any other job; you can get hired for your skills (physical attributes) but fired for being an asshole.
Old Man Stamina
Like your girlfriend, Special Forces prioritizes stamina over strength. A surprisingly high number of candidates will fail due to injury. Being older allows a person to understand what their body can and cannot physically endure because they’ve done it before and understand the difference between an ouchy (my knee hurts) and an injury (the bone is sticking out of my leg). This is mental toughness, but it’s no reason to avoid training.
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To train, buy a rucksack and walk…alone…for miles. Repeat. It’s that simple. The standard 12-mile ruck with 35 pounds in your bag, where you get to the finish line, scream out in pain, and collapse, isn’t going to cut it. You also don’t get to spend five days on the couch with Swedish women who massage your feet to recover. You’ll be asked to do it again…and again, so you want to train as you fight. Sack up, walk at a 14-mile-per-hour pace, and do this on repeat regardless of the weather.
Next, learn to sleep anywhere. Your new motto is “no reason to stand when you can sit, sit when you can lie down, and, since you’re lying down, grab a nap.” Also, learn to sleep sitting up. Your body needs to recover. If you can’t catch a nap, FIDO (F it, drive on).
Finally, eat on the run. Special Forces don’t pride themselves on being jacked and tan (that’s the SEALs). They like to stay a little husky because fat stores energy. It’s not a beer belly, it’s a gas tank for a sex machine.
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It’s Not About Age – It’s About Capability
Prior service, combat arms soldiers have a distinct advantage when applying for Special Forces because they’ve experienced misery and lived to tell others at the bar about it. They’ve got a bit of seasoning and understand what their mind can make their body do. That said, there is nothing stopping you from becoming an SF BAMF, especially not your birthday.
Age is a force multiplier. Experience is a value add. If you can meet the standard, not be an asshole, and want to wear a fancy green beret, give it a shot.
Note: Nick Allen collaborated on this article. He is a former Special Forces soldier and the host of the podcast Lesser Known Operators. You can check him out on Instagram @lesserknownoperators
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