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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:01:00 PM EDT
[#1]
I'm trying for the first class in '06 |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:01:24 PM EDT
[#2]
You're gonna leave Mrs. Bama home alone for 2 years??? I'm moving to your town.  
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:03:03 PM EDT
[#3]
You won't be accepted. They require a minimum of 20,000 posts. 
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:03:37 PM EDT
[#4]
We have people making that much just sitting at an office staring at a computer screen. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:05:34 PM EDT
[#5]
Without 20K posts you will not be considered "tactical" enough. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:05:50 PM EDT
[#6]
I find it interesting how some of you whine and lement about how you wish you could be back in the military over there fighting Haji, for military pay. But when it comes to doing the same thing for 120k a year for a private contractor it's not worth the money......
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:06:39 PM EDT
[#7]
I'd go if I wasn't tied down in school right now.
120K is a lot of money and would be worth the risk. Ben |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:07:06 PM EDT
[#8]
[RedLeader]Almost there...... [/RedLeader] 
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:07:20 PM EDT
[#9]
I'll pad my resume with troll accounts!!! 
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:08:07 PM EDT
[#10]
Shit, if it weren't for my national guard contract, I'd be over there right now with my company making 150k + to run a satellite terminal. Gimme a little less than two years and I am all over it.
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:09:57 PM EDT
[#11]
Well, I DO have an MBA! I wonder if their eyeshades are tactical?
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:11:19 PM EDT
[#12]
Same here. And the pullups. And the pushups. And the..... Well, I reckon I better get started!
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:19:13 PM EDT
[#13]
How much does the dummy weigh? |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:24:44 PM EDT
[#14]
I weigh 240! Wait a minute! 
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:28:22 PM EDT
[#15]
I retired from the Ohio ArNG in 2001 and I seem to recall that you would be released from your obligation if you moved OConUS. Check your admin type. You could ask for a year of ING as well. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:32:48 PM EDT
[#16]
I seem to recall they use the fire academy standards. So probably 150-185 (or near that). |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:40:44 PM EDT
[#17]
If you really want it they will give you the out. Friend I know got into the Guard from AD, decided to go Blackwater, turned around and went ING inside of THREE MONTHS of his enlistment in the KYARNG. He said that he would be getting paid $500 a DAY, plus get two weeks off every 6 months with a plane ticket anywhere in the world he wanted to fly. He also had 15 yrs AD and had just gotten back from Iraq less than 6 months earlier, so YMMV. 
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:49:28 PM EDT
[#18]
That whole standard is a fucking joke, it doesn't account for a specific mass, such as muscle vs. fat. They need to revamp that system at least with a caliper fat test to get something even logical for a human that lifts weights. Joke, just a joke that our federal medical standards follow. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 1:56:04 PM EDT
[#19]
The initial run would be manageable as I run a couple times a week now, in addition to lifting weights 3 times a week. Don't think the dummy drag would be a major issue. The entry test I think I could pass.
HOWEVER, it's the final test that would be grueling. The run would suck but MAYBE I could make it after 8 weeks. 12 pullups (palms away so no biceps help) would be difficult for me to obtain at 230 lbs, even the fairly solid 230 that I am. And those 75 pushups and 75 situps in 2 minutes each, well......even when I was in the Army (20 years ago) my best was 70 pushups and maybe 60 situps in 2 minutes. No, I think the final PT test would get me. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 2:03:20 PM EDT
[#20]
I can do the initial timed run but the final run would kill me. A 700 mile is not a problem. I think LOTS of pre-academy physical conditioning would be a good idea for anyone looking to join Blackwater. Ben |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 2:09:42 PM EDT
[#21]
You can spot those with no military experience that say those standards don't look too bad......You have to be in dang good shape to pass that final PT test. I was never a PT luvin' fool and my PT test scores were usually in the low 200's. I couldn't max it, so I never saw the need to get tired for no reason  . I think my best was 240 or so, but I had a Navy 0-5 as a grader and he counted freakin' everything as a good push up or sit up |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 2:20:52 PM EDT
[#22]
i was in the coat guard for 6 years as a office attendant , so i can go for it right ,i have the time? i only have one eye though some asshole shot me in it with a paper clip.
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Posted: 8/5/2005 2:23:28 PM EDT
[#23]
Amen brother!!! When I looked at those final PT standards I was amazed at how many were saying "It doesn't look too bad". Granted, I'm not trying out for the Olympics or anything but I'm in decent shape for a guy pushing 40. And having met PT standards once before in my life I realize that those final ones are a bitch. ETA: in the Army you don't do pullups for the APFT but we had to do 10 for Airborne school. HOOOAAAHHH!!! |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 3:11:14 PM EDT
[#24]
I've thought about trying to go with Blackwater when I get out of the Army. But thats still two years away... who knows how bad they'll need guys then. It is something I'd love to do... same job I do now with less BS and more money.
I was digging thru the site, it looks like to join them as a contractor without going thru the academy, you have to be a qualified SF/Seal/recon/etc type. But more regular people with time in the military can join thru the academy. Makes sense. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 3:44:40 PM EDT
[#25]
At the police academy it was 165lbs |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 3:46:32 PM EDT
[#26]
So where do you live while you're there (aside from in the field)?
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Posted: 8/5/2005 3:59:59 PM EDT
[#27]
In the field!! This ain't no girls finishin' school, swabbie!! 
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Posted: 8/5/2005 4:01:44 PM EDT
[#28]
Man I wonder what they issue you in the field. Is it JUST security, or do they have you do other things? Plumbing? Electrician?
Ben |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 4:06:01 PM EDT
[#29]
Lol it looks exciting and extremely dangerous. I guess if you live it is something you will have a hard time forgetting.
I wonder if they would take a civilian like myself with no military experience. I have watched lots of Rambo movies. Ive seen the Iraq war videos. I think I could hang. Someone PM if you think they will take civvies like me, because this post is going to drop into the abyss. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 4:15:21 PM EDT
[#30]
lol thats a lot of class 3's |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 4:28:10 PM EDT
[#31]
[disclaimer]This is all based on my admittedly poor memory and rumor.[/disclaimer]
When the VA gang was doing their carbine/pistol course there I seem to recall the academy is $20K. They deduct it from your first contract. The contracts run 2 months at a time. Or so I'm told. The sit-ups is easy. I could mangage the run. Push-ups, I think I could do. The drag, OK. The pull-ups and body-index standards would kill me. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:13:52 PM EDT
[#32]
This information is all approximate most the numbers will be +/-10% based on changing circumstances and the fact I already have a job and am not going to do the homework on what the latest gig is.
Having said that this should be fairly accurate. the academy is for people that don't qualify to be hired right on. They charge $20,000 which is taken out of your pay. First contract is usually six months. expect about $12-15,000 a month. Bonus for holidays. work is 24/7 but does not exceed 60-70 hours most times. Living conditions are better than peace-time army in most places. Food is good, gyms, etc. You only get your first $85,000 tax free is you are gone for 330 days. So you could do 6 take a month of in europe and do 6 and get $85,000 tax free and pay tax on another 100,000 (the other 6 plus holidays) Which means after taxes you'd probably have 145,000 or more depending on write-offs. This assumes 15,000 a month. IMO it's not that dangerous and it's a lot of fun. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:14:14 PM EDT
[#33]
BW has a high profile operation in Baghdad. Armored cars, armored vehicles, APC's, helicopters.
They lost 6 guys a few months ago when their helo got shot down. They've lost others, also. I think one thing that keeps a lot of guys away from doing the work is that you are perceived to be hanging out there all alone, while in the military you have a huge support system backing you up. Of course, a s a contractor you can tell them to shove it if the mission is fooked up, while Joe Snuffy doesn't have that option. Guy I used to work with is supposedly doing weapons training with them now-he's a retired Special Forces Team Sergeant |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:17:21 PM EDT
[#34]
Edit: not sure of exact requirement. I looked into it once and although I wans't in the USA for 16 months I still didn;t qualify. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:18:54 PM EDT
[#35]
You would risk your life to buy some m16's? Shit I would hope you would have a better reason than that for the money, like a family to support of a home to buy or something. Having money for guns doesnt mean shit when your dead. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:19:04 PM EDT
[#36]
Don't have to. My BIL has been working overseas 100% tax-free. Even I can get a break down here because while I live in Texas, I commute to Mexico every day. There some weird formula for it. Is there some detail I've missed? |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:20:25 PM EDT
[#37]
Yeah. I'm sure they spend eight weeks living in a swamp with their families.  It was an honest question. Anyone know the answer? |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:20:47 PM EDT
[#38]
Sorry, you are prob right. I think this is one of those things wherethe DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS and DETAILS MATTER. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:25:41 PM EDT
[#39]
Hey, man. I could be wrong, too. Someone posted a more detailed description above, which sounds like the kind of BS the IRS would pull. One thing I have to wonder, though..... If one of us idiots actually applied, got in, passed the academy, and got "deployed", I wonder how "accepted" they would be by the REAL guys (former SEALs, etc.). Eight weeks is nothing compared to the real deal, no matter how much "regular" military you have. In my case, I'd be one shut-the-fuck-up-and-learn-from-the-experts son of a bitch. While I'd never pretend to be one of them (i.e. - a SPECOPS veteran), I'd be proud to be working WITH them and learning FROM them. Any ideas on how this dynamic might work? |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:27:26 PM EDT
[#40]
The Bunkhouse? IIRC they're building a bigger one. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:28:43 PM EDT
[#41]
I figured. I wasn't expecting the Ritz-Carlton, you know!
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:31:50 PM EDT
[#42]
I think, if you live in the area, you could stay out in town. I'm pretty sure room and board is included in the academy fee. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:37:12 PM EDT
[#43]
Nonsense, your life is really only being "gambled" perhaps 30% pecent of the time, so it works out to at least $60 per hour, which is damn good for people who are risk takers anyway. I would love to do it if I wasn't short on experiance and fitness, and long on family responsibilities It seems dangerous, but if you do the math, I bet its comperable to Taxidrivers, and Alaska Fisherman, Pilots and, Loggers. Just last night another MU2 freightdog bought it out at the local airport. Second one this year, same company. RIP. He was making about 30,000 per year. There will always be people willing to risk their life...Not so much for the money, but for the chance to escape the slow death of the 9-5 grind. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:44:04 PM EDT
[#44]
That's my thing. The family responsibilities are not as long anymore, but the experiene and fitness? Not good. So, let's say you get in shape and pass the academy and get a contract. What will the guys with more experience in the bush than you have on the range think of you? It's not a matter of wanting to be popular. You can rely on them to save your ass, but they need to rely on you. How will they feel about that? Will they be watching you in combat rather than doing their thing? I'm seriously curious as to how they handle this, because I won't lie and say I'm not interested. Thing is, I'm not going to allow myself to get into a situation where I'm going to potentially endanger the lives of real professionals due to my being the newbie. If the training is that good, then the story changes. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:53:42 PM EDT
[#45]
Isn't that how many military folks in Iraq feel when meeting someone from a different unit? Ya, you know they were told "how to" but can they actually do it when the time comes? Seems like the only way to answer a question like this is to "get in the chit" and do all you can. If after that they still think you're lacking ask them to put you somewhere that doesn't require the higher levels of skills and experiance and continue learning. "No one knows how they'll react when the real bullets start going buy thier head." Atleast that's what a NG vet fresh back from Iraq told me. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:56:28 PM EDT
[#46]
I have a feeling the review board would accept 2 years on a combat tour as enough. Provided you could pass their physical. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:57:47 PM EDT
[#47]
They are expanding quickly. They are now providing Anti-pirate forces to ship owners in SE asia in addition to everything else they are doing. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 5:57:50 PM EDT
[#48]
Yeah. I suppose that's exactly how they handle it. Makes sense, I suppose. Hmmmm..... Alright. Reality check. Am I the only wanna-be sick and tired of sitting on his ass watching the war on TV and not being able to do anything to help, or is it just delusions of grandeur?
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Posted: 8/5/2005 6:01:02 PM EDT
[#49]
GWB, who is considered in excellent shape, is "fat" based upon BMI. It's not a good measure. Can't tell the difference between muscle and fat. |
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Posted: 8/5/2005 6:44:14 PM EDT
[#50]
The tax thing is not "IRS BS" or even difficult to understand, it is very simple and 5 minutes of searching on the net will turn up the answers.
Last time I looked you need to be gone 330 days out of 365 to get a good year, that gets you your first 85,000 tax free. The numbers change slightly (the amount you get tax free keeps going up) There are special things which take more looking into, like you can come home for some amount "training" and still get a good year. I don't know how that part works. If you where out of country for 16 months and paid all your taxes think about getting an accountant that knows what they are doing. The BW academy is a very good gig for those who otherwise would not be employable. How will you be looked upon when you get in country? Like any new guy that no one knows. Once you have your feet on the ground and been there a month you'll be fine unless you are actually stupid, or an asshole then no matter what your background you won't get along. Be nice, learn your job, be first to help, help everyone, learn another job, and keep your mouth shut for at least 30 days. Any good solid infantryman can learn to be a junior member of a PSD team. You will be partnered with a experienced person who will teach you every minute of every day while you work. As a new guy you don't need to know everything, just your little slice. If you have no broader background than the academy don't expect to be anything but a junior team member. You may have to work a less glamourus job for 10,000-12,000 for yur first six. Do good, learn everything, be motivated, make people like you and you'll move on to bigger and better things. At the acedemy expect to live army barracks style. |
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.....after watching the Blackwater videos here on AR15......I think you would earn your pay........