Truth be told I understand the thoughts of the Hoo-Ah career choice. As an enlisted Air Force Reservist I used to ponder joining a Reserve or Guard Special Tactics or Tac-P unit (I just realized that my fear of heights, then pack-a day habit, and overall p*ssy-ness probably made me not such a good candidate for the job
). I also agree with those that pointed out that any commitment to a service for medical school funding (ie HPSP) would preclude release from ADSC (service obligation) to pursue SEAL training. As it stands though you have no such commitment, so that is not an issue. From what I understand what you would desire to do is complete medical school (which I assume, right or wrong, has placed you or family at some level of debt) then not enter residency, but rather enter the Navy and attempt to train as a SEAL. I'll throw out a couple of things that have not been mentioned. In this career track there is no transfer to line status, you just start there. Also, everyone here has presumed that you would enter as an officer (I think there was some assumptions that you would be commissioned into the MC first, then leave to try BUD/s. But since you have no commitment to the military via Service Academy, ROTC, HPSP, or USUHS you would have to complete civilian residency first and then apply for active duty [or do the equivalent of the AF FAP during your civ. residency] in the medical corps). To enter as a line officer you would have to apply for, and be accepted for, OCS first. Then you would do Officer training (I do not know if you can apply for SEAL training at the same time as applying for OCS, or during OCS). You may not be accepted for officer training. Alternatively you can enlist, and apply for SEAL. Either way, minimum commitment to the military is 8 years for non-prior service (active duty time and the rest at least in the IRR). As other people have stated, if you are accepted for training as a SEAL and are unable to complete it, you will still be obligated to the NAVY and will do what they need you to do (outside of SPECWAR). I think there are other avenues to scratch your itch, but they all carry some type of risk (but what choices in life don't?); I provide them as food for thought (please realize I am an Air Force guy, and despite training at a Navy hospital, my knowledge is only based on my life experience, who I've met, and what I can glean from the internet. I.E. I do NOT represent myself as an expert in things Navy or Special Warfare). One option to think about is enlisting in the Navy Reserve and applying for a job that works closely with the SEALs and affords the opportunity to attend BUD/s (such as SWCC [
http://www.sealchallenge.navy.mil/swcc/ ]) I know there are Reserve SEALs, but to my knowledge that are all people who were prior active duty (this is from my wife who was a Yeoman at a SPECWAR unit), but on the website provided they do say Reservists are eligible for SWCC. The advantage (aside from scratching the Hoo-Ah itch) is that if you do not complete training, you are obligated only to the Reserves and that would not preclude residency training, obviously after the delay incurred by your basic and specialty training. A delay in starting residency (assuming that you would eventually) that would not be as debilitating as the 4+ year delay you might experience if you had gone active duty. Likewise if you did pass training you could start a residency and get your Hoo yah-yahs out with your reserve duty. Obviously there is a risk of deployment interrupting residency training and future practice, but the risk/benefit seems comparatively better than the AD route. A similar route to think about would be, instead of pursuing Navy Reserve SpecOps looking at AF (or Army SpecOps for that matter) Reserve/Air Guard Special Tactics (
www.specialtactics.com). There are Reserve and Guard Special Tactics squadrons and I do know that they will accession qualified civilians into the training pipeline for Pararescue or Combat Control (since you are college educated you could look into if they will accession a non-prior service person as a Reserve Combat Rescue Officer; again entailing applying for officer training. I would doubt this, though.) As someone trained in medicine the Pararescue career field would probably be interesting to you (basically elite forces trained as experts in combat search and rescue and at paramedic+ level (like your Independent Duty Medical Technician/Corpman)). Training pipeline after AF Basic Military Training is 1 1/2-2 years. Obviously all the attendant what-if-you-fail and deployments (pass or fail) risks as well as being on the Reserve side benefits. Again, I assume the Army has some Reserve/Guard opportunities to consider as well. Just broaden your thought process, and maybe there are some things out there that will give you the adventure you want and let you have a medical career as well (to not carry that afore mentioned debt and not get a return from it).
