I've been reading on here for a few months and I would first off like to thank everyone for the Workouts, tips and advice. But are there really that many people who don't prepare prior to going to INDOC and just quit within the first few days. Like MC said on another one of my topic that he had 3 waves of 50 go into the water and 15% would drop out every 100M, and that was just for the PAST. Do people really think that no preparation is needed and that they can just coast threw the training? I've been running, swimming and working out for almost a year just for CCT. I am a former college football player and I have been in good shape but in much better shape now. So I just find it amazing that some people just don't prepare at all and just think that this is a cake walk. I have much respect for TE, and Guard and everyone else that has already been through this and continue to defend our country. Thank You for that!!

I wonder the same thing. We will find out.

I would rather assume that I am going to be classed with a bunch of studs and train accordingly than to prepare as though I will simply be the last one standing among a bunch of folks who can't swim.

I prepared, new what i was getting into, was in the best shape of my life and still quit. Guys that have not prepared that go in with minimum and sometimes lower standards still make it through. You can prepare all you want and that definitely will not determine the outcome. Dont determine your own capabilities on preparations before you go in. That will most likely make you fail. You will think you are great and when you get there cadre will definitely let you know you are not. That will beat you mentally. We have the luxary to prepare but keep it as that do not think you are better than anyone else or the pipeline.

Everyone of you has constantly shown me that a humble heart goes a long way. I know it will be the thing that keeps me going...

Thank you all.

I think that there is quite a few people who quit for the following reason: Take the PAST in basic are able to pass and say "i'll give it a shot" and then quit a few days later when they are not ready for what they got into.

This is just my opinion. But when i went through basic training STS did a presentation to all the male "trainee's" and offered them a shot at the PAST. A lot of people i know went and passed it. But never made it through indoc.

I'm sure there are others that prepare and quit due to lack of mental courage that it takes to keep going when the going gets tough.

You really shouldn't worry about everyone else. You may be the only one left. But rely on your own confidence you don't need someone to help carry you through. If your confident it will rub off on the others and may help others stick it out as well. But no matter what if someone wants to quit they are going to quit they could be the best runner,swimmer,cal person in the world but if they don't got it up stairs they will drop from the stress.

just keep that in mind!

Someone once told me that the course was made not to test your breaking point, but to test what happens when you get there. Its designed for trainees that have never been pushed past there comfort zone(ie football, cross country, swim team...etc) because one of the activaties will break you, if not running then pull ups. You just have to push on no matter what, and dont let your buddy down...no matter what.

Pararescue and Combat Control are now filled by GTEP but years back (right after the Ice Age and Pangea drifted apart into something like the current continents), over half of PJ and CCT Trainees were drawn from BMT. They saw the briefing and thought they'd give it a shot. Sure, most of them failed the intitial PAST but enough passed that they consituted about half of every Selection School class. And their washout rate wasn't any higher than the GTEPS or Cross Trainees.

It doesn't matter what everybody else is doing. It doesn't matter if you are setting world records in every event or hitting the minimums; passing is passing. JUST DON'T QUIT!!!

You want to be as fit as possible because the Pipeline is hard enough as it is, but mental toughness is the key. And you can train as hard as you want to and try to psych yourself up but none of that matters once you are there. Leaving the comfort zone in footbal or cross country is nothing like the discomfort zone found in water Confidence for most people, but some guys never have any trouble in the water even though they have no experience there. The only thing all successful Graduates and CCT, PJ and SOWT have in common is when they were under pressure and had to perform, they DIDN'T QUIT. So, all I can say is, "DON'T QUIT!"

Functional fitness to do the job encompasses cognitive, emotional, physical and physiological functioning. Put another way, functional fitness to do PJ/CCT duties is more than running and swimming distances (laps) fast and doing lots of pushup, pull-ups, and sit-ups.

I entered USAF with a 6-year GTEP enlistment for a no longer existing electronic equipment diagnostic repair AFSC (now everything is pull and replace circuit board) back in July 1973.

During the 1970s the BMT squadrons where putting through a lot more in numbers of recruits (85K-100K per year vs 27K-30K per year) to give the briefings to and stir an interest to volunteer to do PJ/CCT duties. Most had no clue of Pararescue/CCT in those days and even less of a clue of PAST and the idoc/selection screening process. This drop in BMT production numbers combined with: (1) GTEP being desired by those enlisting in Air Force to avoid jobs like Security Forces; and (2) level of functional fitness needed to enter selection process to get to level needed to make it through training resulted in the need to prescreen those wanting to be PJ/CCT before they enlisted.

During BMT (July 1973 at age 17) I sat in one of those male recruits sitting in special project AFSC briefings for 93330 Pararescue and CC27230 Combat Control (AFSCs taken from Lackland TC Form 276 July 1970) not having any previous knowledge of either AFSC. I expressed interest in taking the PJ PAST primarily because it got me a pass out of BMT to walk to the pool take the test and report back to BMT.

For whatever reason becoming a PJ for me began with nothing more than a whim to get out of BMT for a Saturday with silly thought I’d be able to goof off. I got a pretty good clue during the PAST screening I wasn’t close to meeting the swim standard. On reporting to Indoc it quickly became apparent everybody else seemed in better shape than me.

There was no formal selection/Indoc production requirement back then either as BMTs were producing new Airmen two and maybe three times a week and the new volunteer and indoc graduates got pumped out in different pipeline schedules in a way that there would be two or three pipeline classes merged into one class at the PJ school. It was common to see twenty people showup at the Indoc barracks on any one day of the week and find all had SIEed three to four days later.

There were lettered high school athletes of football, baseball, wrestling, swimming, gymnastics. I don’t know how I made it through, but the ones that seemed in the better physical condition and ability to make it through Indoc/Selection were the first to SIE. I remember every day doubting myself and looking at the strong swimmers and PT studs wishing I could put out the repetitions and times they were and then feeling the shock of hearing them SIE and me then wondering why I was sticking around.

Moral of the story is functional fitness to do the job is more than being a PT stud.

FYI: I came in during the Ice Age, 1964-1988. Before the Ice Age one had to be in second enlistment to volunteer to be screened and selected to become a PJ.

FYI2: The melt down demarcation is identified by the appearance of Dagger and Lighting Bolt with the Green Feet.

I was pretty amazed at seeing how many people failed out when I went to the ST brief on Hurlburt. One guy failed on the first underwater, several more failed the swim. Seems like it's just typical male instinct to look at something like the PAST and say "a PT test? I can smoke a PT test." Just like fighting - every guy thinks he can fight until he gets into one and gets his ***** handed to him. I don't think they're trying to skate by, I think it's just inexperience.
A lot of things seem easy until you're neck deep in the manure.