The 18 X-ray program is a way to go directly from the street to the Special Forces course. You first would attend basic and advanced individual training and then airborne school. Upon successful conclusion of those you head to Bragg for some prep training and the Special Forces Assessment and Selection course. If you pass all of those, then and only then do you start Special Forces training.
Mr. Snowden wasn't even eligible for this program as he didn't even graduate from High School. So the claim that he broke his legs in Special Forces training is BS and that makes him a poseur. Well actually not even a poseur, he claimed to be training to be SF, so that makes him a poseur wannabe, or a wannabe poseur. I'm not real sure how the semantics of that work out. But either way, not really a great way to build credibility. He also made this claim that never rang true when I first read it.
He recounted how his beliefs about the war's purpose were quickly dispelled. "Most of the people training us seemed pumped up about killing Arabs, not helping anyone," he said.
Right, so the people who weren't training you for Special Forces also happened to be knuckle-dragging troglodytes who were simply looking for a chance to go smoke some A-Rabs. Well I'm not buying it Eddie. I ran into plenty of your types in the military, disaffected losers who never actually finish anything but always have a bucket-load of excuses and who were always whining about how the system sucks. They were never responsible for their own failures, it was always oppression by the man. They were just too smart for the fools running things to recognize their brilliance. Sound familiar? They were also all varying flavors of bats**t as well.
- See more at: http://www.blackfive.net/main/2013/06/first-verified-lie-from-ed-snowden.html#sthash.FBclJwh0.dpuf
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in a 2008 SOCNET post, a forum member using the pseudonym Cincinatus said that he was the military officer "tasked with reestablishing the 18X program in Apr 2001, well before 11 Sep." http://www.socnet.com/showthread.php?t=81210 After a detailed description of the program's enlistment requirements, Cincinatus reports that the "[P]rogram is not supposed to accept GEDs, but some have slipped in. We wanted actual HSDG, since that demonstrates commitment." An Army spokesman told a reporter for Politico that Snowden's enlistment records are coded "18x" and "indicate he enlisted in the Army Reserve as a Special Forces Recruit (18X) on 7 May 2004." http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/edward-snowden-army-discharge-92486.html#ixzz2W4ytBrUN
The 18X program is an "enlistment option" only available to recruits who sign an enlistment contract that guarantees them the opportunity to "try out" for Special Forces. "A recruit who enlists in the 18X Special Forces enlistment program will attend Infantry OSUT (One Station Unit Training), which combines Army Basic Training and Infantry AIT (Advanced Individual Training), all in one 17-week course." http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedjobs/a/18x.htm
The claim by Janice Burton, that "his intent was to enter the X-ray program – but that never happened" doesn't ring true. A basic training recruit is not eligible to apply for or be selected into 18X. As an enlistment option, recruits are inducted directly into 18X's advanced training program. The fact that he received a legitimate medical discharge before graduating from OSUT training - and therefore never had the opportunity to attend Airborne Training, the Special Operations Preparation Course (SOPC) and participate in the Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) program - does not support the claim that his characterization of his military service is a "verified lie." if he was inducted into the 18X program, than he can legitimately claim to have been in "a training program to join the Special Forces."
When such a serious intelligence breach occurs it is easy to just shoot the messenger in an effort to get past the public relations nightmare as quickly as possible. That is what is happening now with an orchestrated, misguided effort to smear Edward Snowden in the mass media. The pear-shaped Karl Rove - who has never served in the armed forces and was once investigated for leaking classified information - appeared on Fox News yesterday and called Snowden a loser who "washed out" of basic training. A medical discharge based on such a severe injury does not constitute being "washed out"of the military, and it doesn't mean that he wasn't in a training program that would have given him the opportunity to join the armed forces. Snowden's characterization of his military service was 100% correct. His effort and the injuries he suffered trying to join the Special Forces deserves everyone's respect.
- See more at: http://www.blackfive.net/main/2013/06/first-verified-lie-from-ed-snowden.html#comment-6a00d8341bfadb53ef01901d55d6af970b
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