If there are any boats in the Air Force special warfare training pipeline, you can bet David Goggins will be carrying them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goggins, who retired from active duty in the Navy SEALs in 2016 and has gone on to build a brand as a bestselling author and motivational speaker, has reenlisted at age 51. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He is now assigned to the Special Warfare Training Wing, Air Force officials confirmed to Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Goggins did not publicly announce his return to active duty, the military-focused Instagram page \u201cCome.Sit.And.Relax\u201d set veteran communities abuzz March 13 when it posted a photo of Goggins in an Air Force uniform with a group of trainees in black berets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKept quiet on this for months until it inevitably went public,\u201d the page\u2019s author wrote. \u201cDavid Goggins trying again for Pararescue at 51 after quitting so many years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the service, in accordance with policy, could not discuss the status, progression, or details of current trainees. While Goggins required an age waiver to reenlist, the Air Force did not provide additional details about the waiver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGiven MSgt Goggins\u2019 background, it\u2019s worth noting that the Air Force has welcomed special operators from other services to cross train into Special Warfare for decades,\u201d Stefanek said in a statement. \u201cAirmen entering the pipeline from sister services must meet the same standards and complete the same rigorous training as all other candidates. We value the experience gained from former Special Forces, Rangers, Marine Special Operations and SEALS that have joined our Air Force Special Warfare units once they have completed their training.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goggins, who according to the U.S. military is the only individual to have ever completed Basic Underwater Demolition\/SEAL training, Army Ranger School and Air Force Tactical Air Controller training, famously missed out on his dream of becoming an Air Force pararescue jumper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goggins, then 19, said he struggled with the training more than he expected, particularly the swimming portion. During that time he was diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia, and when offered the option to drop from training for medical reasons, he took it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Goggins would go on to become a tactical air controller, his perception of failure depressed him, and he finished his initial military contract in 1999 overweight and depressed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His second military career began in 2001 after he saw a documentary about Navy SEAL training and decided to try to hack it, even though he weighed 297 pounds and was out of regs at the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI saw this show on the Discovery Channel, and it was just guys going through Hell Week. They were freezing, there was a lot of water, and it brought back memories of me going through Pararescue training,\u201d Goggins said in a 2018 military interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He lost 106 pounds in three months to ship out to BUD\/S and would serve 15 years in the SEALs, going on to become a fitness enthusiast and ultramarathon runner whose accomplishments include completing the infamous Badwater 135-mile race in Death Valley. Goggins also invented his own challenge: the 4x4x48, in which participants run four miles every four hours for 48 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goggins\u2019 2018 memoir \u201cCan\u2019t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds,\u201d popularized his \u201cForty Percent Rule\u201d: the theory that when the mind communicates a person is at their endurance limit, the body is truly only 40% depleted. He\u2019s also famous for asking \u201cWho\u2019s going to carry the boats?\u201d in reference to his SEAL training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On social media and chat threads, response to Goggins\u2019 new attempt to become a pararescueman has been mixed. Some commenters have hailed his toughness, while others have expressed concern that he may be taking one of a limited number of training spots from a younger candidate looking to build a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original Instagram poster, who did not immediately respond to a Military Times request for comment, voiced worry that Goggins\u2019 notoriety would change the reputation of the elite PJs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo Dave\u2019s credit, him quitting the first time was a boon to Indoc as a tough selection course and gave Pararescue credibility and renown when the quietest of professionals couldn\u2019t,\u201d the author said. \u201cLetting Goggins through invalidates that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n