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Social Media – Where the First Amendment Takes a Back Seat

Opinion: Sorry to get back on the soapbox again but sometimes events occur that are out of our control. Recently there have been lots of groups and individuals who have been getting their accounts deleted on social media.

Recently our parent site, NEWSREP had their Instagram account deleted. While at times some social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et al. will delete certain posts which they feel were offensive but in the case of this, the entire account was deleted. It wasn’t a suspension. It was a deletion…permanently.

The only explanation given was the usual drivel that they included in an email. “Your account has been deleted for not following our terms,’ said the email. ‘You won’t be able to log into this account and no one else will be able to see it. We’re unable to restore accounts that are deleted for these types of violations.’”

Supporters of NEWSREP were screaming about the First Amendment being violated while some of the site’s detractors rejoiced over it. And NEWSREP has plenty of both because unlike the vast majority of news sites today there is no inherent bias.

Jack Murphy, who is a lightning rod for criticism from individuals from some of the same units he served in, will never “take the party line” in stories that won’t paint his old units in the best of light. He’ll write about what he sees, good, bad or indifferent. But that is a story for another time. But the same people cheering for NEWSREP’s ban would have a cow over some site that they enjoy being banned. Notice I never used the word hypocrisy there…

While Instagram, like other social media sites, is picking in choosing who they decide to act against, is it a true First Amendment issue? Granted a vast majority of banned sites are conservative or military-related but in reality, this censorship isn’t a First Amendment issue. Why is that, you ask?

Calling it true censorship is a misnomer because there is no such thing First Amendment speech while using sites owned by private companies. However much we don’t like it, it is true. Just like at work, you have the right to exercise your right to free speech about any political cause or issue outside the doors, but inside your place of work that doesn’t always hold true. And in the case of these social media sites, their censorship and skewed sense of fairness is simply the price of admission.

We live in the Age of the Internet and these social media giants have no compulsion, legal or otherwise to stop them from deleting or blocking what they deem as “not following their guidelines.” Your freedom of expression is limited to being allowed to say what they say you can. Does that sound like censorship? Of course, it does. But there is a big difference between the government shutting down a person’s right to expression and a company not willing to put up with your version of the truth.

For people who work in the media, this is extremely problematic. Because if you want your message out there, the vast majority of people are watching and reading on social media. Facebook has 2.7 billion users worldwide. Instagram users top 1 billion today. While arguably the worst social media platform, Twitter has about 326 million people who frequent it.

So if you want your message heard, you have to use these and other social media sites. To cut yourself off from them or to have them cut you off of their platforms is basically the kiss of death for your business.

So are social media platforms allowing an equal and fair expression of thoughts and ideas? That’s laughable. But it is a double-edged sword because you can’t live without them today. Imagine trying to release a breaking news story without using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram et.al.

The companies make all of the right noise about claiming to protect everyone’s right to free speech but in reality, there are no real guidelines, other than the biased views of the owners of each site.

Social media platforms have banned people like Alex Jones and Louis Farrakhan for their extremist views and most people rejoiced at seeing them go. But while the social media companies have the right to ban them, but banning isn’t the answer. And while many Progressives were rejoicing at Jones’ banning, they’re losing sight of the simple fact that this can come back to bite them.

What if some very conservative media types invent a new social media platform that becomes all the rage. And they begin to ban or censor more liberal trains of thought? Banning people and thoughts can be a slippery slope. Of course, there are and always will be exceptions to the rule. If someone is advocating the murder or killing of anyone, regardless of their stance on any political or social issue has no argument for remaining.

First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me

Personally, I can’t stand a lot of what I hear and read on the internet these days. But I choose to click somewhere else. Banning people isn’t the answer. And while Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can be an absolute sewer at times, they are a necessary evil and yes, we’ll be posting the links on them as soon as we publish.

Am I mad over this unwinnable situation? Of course. But is there another way to survive in the media? Right now no. So you log on and slog on and “do the best you can.”

“Hey did you the crap that ____ just posted on Twitter? There ought to be a law.”

Photo: NEWSREP

Getting Back to the A-B-Cs of Land Navigation – Resection

For the benefit of some of the aspiring members of the Special Operations community, we’ve been going back to the basics of passing Land Navigation. This was after a recent article that stated the Army has noticed a lack of expertise at junior NCOs with a map and compass.

Waiting until one gets to Selection isn’t the time to learn that your Land Navigation skills are not up to snuff and will result in a very long face especially in SFAS once you experience the loveliness of Hoffman. As we mentioned in our piece last week three of the biggest issues that stop candidates from being selected are Physical Fitness Preparation, Rucking, and Land Navigation.

SFAS will combine all three of those issues in the very early days of the course, as candidates will be running for time, rucking and then join the three into the Land Navigation course, known as the Star Course in Hoffman.

Today, we are going to look at the way to find your location if you are unsure of your exact map placement. And before you say “I’ll never get lost that way!” I’ll say this, ‘wait until you get there first.’ There is going to be times in the course that you won’t be certain of your exact location. If you are unsure of your exact location, you can find your location easily if you can pick out some distant landmarks. It is called Resection.

Resection is defined as the method for finding your exact location on a map by determining the grid azimuth to two or more well-defined locations that can be pinpointed on the map. For greater accuracy, the desired method of resection would be to use three or more well-defined locations.

For the purposes of our practical application, we used only two however, obviously, three or more is ideal. There are three methods of using resection, using the map and compass method, the straightedge method and the modified method. In this exercise, we used the map and compass method, but we’ll go over the other methods as well.

Map and Compass Method

Orient the map using the compass and terrain association
Identify two or three known distant locations on the ground and mark them on the map.
Measure the magnetic azimuth to one of the known positions from your location using a compass.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth. If the magnetic azimuth is less than 180 degrees add 180. If the azimuth is more than 180 degrees subtract 180.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.
Repeat the same steps for a second position and a third position if desired.

The intersection of the lines is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, an eight-digit grid being the preferred accuracy for our purposes.

Straightedge Method:

To accurately find your position, the successful navigator must:

Orient his map using his compass and/or terrain association
Locate at least two known distant locations or prominent features on the ground and mark them on the map.
Lay a straightedge on the map, in this case using the compass and a known position as a pivot point.
Rotate the straightedge until the known position on the map is aligned with the known position on the ground.
Draw a line along the straightedge away from the known position on the ground toward your position.
Repeat the same process using a second known position that you can see from your location.

Where the intersection of the lines meets on the map is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy. You then should be able to get an eight-digit grid coordinate and find your way to your point.

Modified Method:

The modified method is the least preferred method but is useful in certain situations. If you’re not certain of your exact location but are located on a linear terrain feature such as a road, creek or similar body of water, this can pinpoint your position.

Orient the map using a compass and/or by terrain association.
Locate a point in the distance that can be easily identified on the ground and on the map.
Determine the magnetic azimuth from your location to the distant known point.
Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth.
Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth, using the add or subtract 180 accordingly depending on the degrees.
Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position.

Your location is where the line on the map crosses the linear feature. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy, for our purposes an eight-digit grid coordinate.

For our video demonstration, practical exercise, we were moving along our azimuth and came across a railroad track. Just barely visible in the far distance is a wind turbine that sits high upon a hilltop. Once we are able to locate the wind turbine on the map, we take an azimuth, using our compass, and determine the grid azimuth.

Then we draw a back azimuth using the “more than 180 degrees subtract 180 or less than 180 degrees add 180” rule and draw a line on our map. Where the line intersects the railroad line is our exact location.

If this were close to our point during a Land Navigation course, this would be a prime attack point as you’d have a very good place to search for the point. However, if you’re still far from your point, it is a great place to check your exact location and ensure that you’re heading on the correct azimuth.

Check out the short video from two years ago and see how it works out. If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me [email protected] or at my Twitter account @SteveB7SFG

Photos courtesy of DOD, Video: Author

Will the Surfaced Video Evidence Clear Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher?

Opinion: In a stunning turn of events, the defense in the upcoming court-martial case of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher is preparing to release helmet cam footage they say will exonerate their client.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) who has been a very vocal supporter of Gallagher is planning to show members of Congress a video later this week from a Navy SEAL’s helmet camera. Hunter believes the footage will clear Gallagher on war crime charges he faces when his trial begins later this month.

Once again, Kristina Wong, from Breitbart News was the first on the story. On Sunday she spoke with Michael Harrison a spokesman for Hunter and he said, “When other members of Congress see the video as he has seen it, that it’s going to shed light on the situation as a whole and the case that the Navy is presenting against Chief Gallagher.”

The video has been placed under a protective order by the judge as to guarantee Gallagher the right to a fair trial. No one is allowed to see the footage until it is released during the court-martial.

However, Gallagher’s attorney Tim Parlatore was granted an exception to this rule for the purpose of showing the contents to Hunter and any other member of Congress who are taking an interest in this case. Parlatore successfully argued that both the prosecution and NCIS have been suspected of leaking damaging material to Gallagher’s case to the media.

“So many other members of Congress have expressed an interest in this case that they needed to see the full evidence at hand, and Congressman Hunter strongly believes that the video evidence is to Gallagher’s benefit, and not to his detriment,” Harrison added.

Parlatore in describing the video contents to the court says the two-minute clip from the helmet cam shows the wounded ISIS fighter being dragged off the hood of a military vehicle by Iraqi soldiers. Gallagher asks the Iraqis if the fighter is ISIS. When told that the wounded man in indeed ISIS, Gallagher then says, “OK, I got him.” He then cleared away the crowd, gots out his medical kit, and began to treat the wounded man’s leg.

After watching the video, Rep. Hunter was convinced of Gallagher’s innocence.

“Gallagher provided medical attention to an ISIS terrorist,” Hunter said in his Instagram post. “He tried to save his life — that’s what it shows. Eddie Gallagher’s going to be exonerated.”

This is where the story gets interesting. Does the two-minute video go all the way thru the act of Gallagher treating the wounded ISIS fighter until he dies from his wounds?

Because the fact that Gallagher initially began treating the wounded fighter has never been in doubt. Navy Times detailed the events according to eyewitnesses:

Later, another SO1 who was trained in battlefield medicine told NCIS that he remembered watching the other SEAL corpsman treating the detainee, who appeared to have suffered a leg injury and struggled to breathe, possibly from “blast lung,” a condition that often affects those who survive explosions.
He watched as the SO1 inserted a chest tube while Gallagher, using a special kit, performed a cricothyroidotomy — or “cric” — a simple and rapid surgical method for opening up a blocked airway by inserting a tube through an incision in the cricothyroid ligament, according to records provided to Navy Times.
Gallagher also was present when the prisoner received a trachea tube, two chest tubes and a Sternal Intraosseous Infusion, which bores through bone to reach veins when other IVs won’t work, records indicate.
That SO1 told NCIS he left as the other two SEALs continued working on the prisoner, although other interviews and the prosecution’s own legal filings in the case portray a chaotic scene, with memories about the incident often jumbled by all the witnesses.
In his statements to NCIS, the LPO said he later returned to the area, rounded a parked Humvee and spotted Gallagher kneeling on the right side of the wounded teen.
He insisted that he then saw the chief “stab the ISIS fighter multiple times in the right side of the neck” in a manner that “was in no way a medical procedure,” according to an NCIS report.
He described Gallagher’s knife as the same weapon the chief always carried in a leather sheath. He told NCIS it had a blade a few inches long, although photographs of the weapon make it look stubbier.
The LPO told the agent that an SO1 who remained to assist Gallagher with the medical care was “freaking out a little bit over what Eddie just did” but there was nothing anyone could do “because the subject was dead.”

Was the act of what one witness saw the act of inserting a trach or chest tube? Or did Gallagher suddenly go from potential lifesaver to murderer in a split second? His supporters point out that it is inconceivable that Gallagher would go from trying to save the man’s life to kill him with his knife just seconds later. And that much is true. But sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.

The message that Gallagher sent to another SEAL where he allegedly said that he killed the ISIS fighter with his knife was either just braggadocio on his behalf or an admission of guilt. But another SEAL testified that Gallagher did stab the ISIS fighter, but after he was already dead.

A Marine who was there but declined to assist in the NCIS investigation stated that he saw no stabbings in the neck and chest area and that the ISIS fighter died from his wounds and not anything that Gallagher did.

However, another SEAL said that he was only about a foot away from the prisoner when Gallagher pulled out his knife and stabbed the boy two or three times in the neck.

The truth lies in between there somewhere. Gallagher, his defense team as well as his family believe that these allegations are nothing more than the results of “bad blood” between the senior chief and the younger SEALs who chafed under his leadership style.

Which is why this two-minute video is extremely important to both sides in this case. If it shows everything up to and including the ISIS fighter’s death, then the manner in which he dies will determine Gallagher’s guilt or innocence. And without this conviction, the charges that he shot unarmed civilians will quickly seem like a witchhunt. If it only shows the initial treatment of the wounded fighter, then both sides are back to square one.

“The truth will set you free” or maybe not.

Photo: US Navy

Train Out of Your Comfort Zone When Prepping for Selection

One of the hardest things to do for all of us is to break out of our comfort zone. And that not only goes for training, which we’re talking about today but in everyday life situations. However, that same comfort zone can and will lead to stagnation both personally and professionally. And we have to fight that to reach our goals.

Look, we all have our favorite watering hole, restaurant or diner etc. the list can go on and on. And we stick with those things, why? Because we’re comfortable there and like what we’re going to encounter in those situations…for the most part. In truth, it isn’t really a comfort zone we fall into but a “comfort rut” which isn’t a good thing.

But, when we fall into that trap in training, especially preparing for Selection, you can not only get stagnant but risk failure as well. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and when working out we all have our favorite exercises which we do religiously. Why? Because we’re good at them.

The biggest fear we all have as Special Operations Forces is failing. Failing is not an option and no one anywhere ever wants to fail at anything. It is why we’re as competitive playing trivia games as we are strapping on a rucksack and knowing we have to beat the clock.

Perhaps the second biggest fear is looking foolish doing something, especially among our peers. And very, very few people are good at things the first time that they try something. That’s why we must ensure to break thru that wall of uncertainty and leave our comfort zone when prepping for Selection.

Are you an excellent runner but not a very good rucker? Chances are that you probably don’t like rucksack marching as a result and avoid it if the opportunity avails itself. It happens to all of us and we’ve all been there.

When I was young, I had a phobia for speaking in public. It wasn’t until college that I finally got over that. How? I had a professor that broke it down what exactly I was afraid of (and those fears were truly nothing to fear) and allowed me to break thru that wall. While no one will ever confuse me with say a Winston Churchill as an orator, now I actually do enjoy it and as anyone on the line when we do a writer’s call will tell you; getting me to talk isn’t the problem, but they’ll probably be wondering when that guy will shut the hell up.

When training for SF, I was a good but not great runner. I could easily run for distance but was never one of the faster guys. I also sucked at climbing ropes, and again, the truth be told, I’m still not great at it. But my training partner was a deer in the running department and as he used to say, “a rope-climbing MFer”. He wasn’t a great rucker so we decided to work out together. Because I liked to ruck, he was forced to do that more than he probably would have on his own. And we incorporated much more rope climbing than I would have done otherwise. We pushed each other out of our comfort rut and both ended up successful in the end.

I never enjoyed leg training back then, but after working together, it ended up being one of our more fun days of the week as we’d push each other to where we could barely walk down the stairs after some of those workouts. Hardly a leg day at the gym now doesn’t come by without my thinking of my buddy back in the day.

It wasn’t until years later, with my running that I was able to get more speed out of these old bones. I met a football coach working out at a local track, he was running some laps and then was doing a series of sprints. We spoke and I told him I had tons of endurance but no speed. “Then do something about it,” he said. By foregoing the normal distance run, we worked on sprint work which not only improved my endurance but my speed as well. Just that little extra push helps.

Today I employ a personal trainer three times a week to push my butt into doing things that I know I wouldn’t choose to do, yes even us FOGs still fall into that trap.

Remember, you won’t be able to truly challenge yourself until you reach a stage that is uncomfortable for you. Don’t let the fear of initial failure stop you from trying. Visualize success and take pleasure in the small victories of progress. Then enjoy the process and push yourself into success.

One last thing, getting out of your “comfort zone” is the path to what professional athletes refer to being “in the zone” which is when you are operating at peak performance.

So today is Leg Day at the gym right? Most of you hate Leg Day… time for that to change. Get you some! DOL.

Photo: US Army

Release of Film Combat Obscura Draws Marine Corps’ Ire

Over at NEWSREP in a report written by Stavros Atlamazoglou, he’s saying the Marine Corps is not happy with the way that the Marines were depicted in the film Combat Obscura by former Marine and current Columbia University film student Jacob Lagoze.

In the film, where Lagoze and several other combat cameramen were attached to the Marine infantry battalion during a deployment in Afghanistan, they filmed the troops in the act of some very questionable activities. So much so that the Corps tried to block the release of the film.

U.S. Marines filling their cigarettes with Afghan hash or smoking marijuana while on guard duty. Profound language and unprofessional behavior. Extreme violence. “Combat Obscura” is certainly not your average recruiting film. And that’s the reason why the United States Marine Corps (USMC) doesn’t want you to watch it.
This war documentary was filmed and directed by Lance Cpl. Jacob Miles Lagoze, a former combat videographer and current film student of Columbia University School of the Arts. Lagoze and his fellow combat cameramen were attached to the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines and followed their infantry brethren during an arduous 2011 deployment in Helmand Province. Helmand, situated in southern Afghanistan, is considered one of the toughest places in country because it’s the spiritual home of the Taliban movement. It also contains vast poppy fields used to produce drugs, which complicates the situation on the ground and makes it that much harder for coalition troops to operate. Two huge bases were constructed in Helmand: the U.K.’s Camp Shorabak (formerly Bastion); and the U.S.’s Camp Leatherneck.
“Combat Obscura” triggered an angry response from the USMC. For months, it tried to block the film’s release, citing that it utilizes unauthorized U.S. Department of Defense footage. “The actions depicted in the film of these few betrayed the trust and safety of their fellow Marines; they selfishly put their own self-interests over their unit, and by doing so put their entire team at risk,” said Major Brian Block, a USMC spokesperson, as interviewed by Task & Purpose.
“While we contend that at least some of the content of the film — produced with Marine Corps equipment, during a Marine Corps deployment, and not cleared for public release by any official release authority — is rightly the property of the U.S. Government, we do not plan to pursue any legal action against Mr. Lagoze at this time,” added Major Block, implying to the potential public-relations backlash that would stem from such an action.

To read the entire article click here:

Photo: YouTube

Get Out And Ruck For a Cause While Prepping for Selection

We have frequently in the past advocated for many of the fine organizations that support our Veteran community here at SpecialOperations.com, especially those who care for our Special Operations Forces and/or are conducting a fundraiser thru rucking.

During the past weekend, the 30th annual Bataan Memorial Death March drew its largest field of ruckers and runners yet with 8,631 registered to run or march through the desert in the area of White Sands Missile Range.

People could register for the full 26.2-mile marathon march/run or a shorter 14.2-mile course. The Bataan Memorial Death March course was started by students from New Mexico State University back in 1989. Just three years later in 1992, the Army got involved and began holding the event on the military installation.

Sunday’s event was a huge success, besides the nearly 9000 event participants, there were 1500 volunteers supporting the course, thousands of spectators to cheer on the participants as well as four of the surviving Bataan Death March soldiers. One of the survivors, Ben Skardon who is 101 years old, led “Ben’s Brigade” on a three-mile course back to the base.

Skardon is a retired Colonel from the U.S. Army and a professor emeritus from Clemson University. This is the 12th time, that he’s attended and walked in the memorial event. He’s an inspiration to many for his “Never Quit” attitude. Way to go Ben.

In preparing for your own Selection courses, these fundraisers are a great way to give back to your own community and to get out and break up the normal Selection prep routine. Many of the rucksack marchers in the “heavy” category, with a minimum of 35-pounds or more, filled their rucksacks with canned goods to donate to local food pantries at the conclusion of the event. That is even more civic-minded.

Our own Selection prep on Sunday consisted of our own weekly Sunday rucksack march. Since I couldn’t attend out there at the White Sands Missile Range in person, I decided that I’d be there in spirit. I got out in the cold a bit earlier than normal and extended my own Sunday ruck march out. I was finishing up about the time, the people in the desert were forming up, due to the time difference. But that event is on my own personal bucket list of events to attend.

This coming weekend is an event being held in places across the United States to bring the public to light on the plight of veteran’s suicides and to reduce the number while assisting military families.

The event called “Carry the Fallen” is not one I had personally heard of prior, however, it is a particularly noble cause and definitely one we can all get behind. According to their website, they hope to accomplish their goal by:

Establishing camaraderie to cope with Post Traumatic Stress (anger, depression, loneliness, substance abuse, and suicidal tendencies). Uniting veterans, families, and supporters to care for each other in times of need.
Training Team Leaders how to interact with suicidal veterans and the steps to assist them.
Developing a Peer Mentor and Ambassador community of veterans, military families and civilians who support struggling families and/or veterans.
Supporting Active Heroes programs including the retreat, community center, home repairs, and active challenges from donations raised by the Carry The Fallen events that will help reduce veteran suicide with outdoor activity programs and educational programs.

Teams form to ruck-march for 3, 6, 12 or 22 hours while carrying the weight that symbolizes the burden that many veterans carry post-war or post-trauma. This weekend the two events scheduled are Carry the Fallen-Boston, MA, March 23 @ 5:30 am – 7:30 p.m. and Roswell’s Salute To The Troops-Carry The Fallen, March 24 @ 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Another big fundraiser coming up is the “Tough Ruck 2019” which honors military, police, firefighters, EMTs and first responders who have fallen in the line of duty. The walk a 26.2-mile course in either the Heavy (35-lb) or Light (15-lb) category. This event is coming up on April 14, 2019, at the Old Manse, 269 Monument Street, Concord, MA (start/finish line), where the participants will raise money for the charity and if they finish the course, will be awarded a Boston Marathon medal.

So break up your training routine and support a good cause, there are plenty out there and take place nearly every weekend, especially since rucking has become the new cool thing for civilians to emulate the military.

It will not only help out those in need, but it will also break up your training regimen a bit and give yourself a chance to push your training a bit. There’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition to get the blood flowing.

Happy Rucking…DOL

Photo of Ben Skardon: DVIDS:

Mismanagement Plagues Air Force F-22 Raptor Program

Another excellent article from Alex Hollings over on our parent site NEWSREP was posted the other day on the trials and tribulations of the most lethal superiority fighter in the world, the F-22 Raptor. Hollings wrote that the biggest issues with the fighter have to do from within the U.S., not its enemies.

U.S. congressmen, not thinking forward, stopped funding the program, thinking that the U.S. didn’t need the fighter ten years ago. Now, with a renewed emphasis on a possible conflict with Russia or China on the horizon, those decisions could come back to haunt them. Read on…

America’s first fifth-generation fighter, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, is widely considered to be the best air superiority fighter on the planet. The combination of its low observability and high performance makes it America’s heavyweight contender in the battle for air supremacy, even in the era of the data-fusing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. While the F-35 was intended to serve as a jack-of-most-trades, with a heavy emphasis on air-to-ground power, the F-22 was built with one primary purpose in mind: to hunt down, close with, and destroy enemy fighters.
However, the pricey F-22 program soon saw retreating support among lawmakers that sought to reduce the cost of America’s defense apparatus without reducing the nation’s ongoing obligations in combat. With just 186 F-22s delivered to the U.S. Air Force, the program was cut short in 2009, a decision that has since been criticized as short-sighted. While the United States had no pressing need for an advanced air superiority fighter at the time, the nation now knows it was less than ten years away from a resurgence of concerns about nation-level threats posed by diplomatic competitors like China and Russia.
The Air Force, which also relies heavily on the F-15 for air superiority missions, has since tried its best to make do with its limited quantity of F-22s, which, it’s important to note, are notoriously difficult to maintain. The high cost and level of labor required to keep America’s Raptors operating tends to result in reduced availability for the airframe, but those problems, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), are seriously exacerbated by the branch’s poor management of F-22s and related assets.
According to the GAO report, it was the Air Force’s decision to organize its fleet of F-22s into smaller units than seen in traditional air wings. F-22s are flown out of 18-to-21-aircraft squadrons with only two squadrons per wing. Conversely, other fighters operate out of wings comprised of three squadrons with 24 aircraft in each. These units, the GAO contends, are able to field more fighters, more consistently, thanks to efficiencies created by sharing more equipment and resources in the larger wings.
Those issues are made worse by the Air Force’s habit of deploying F-22 Unit Type Codes (UTCs), or small contingents of jets, with only six or so of a squadron’s aircraft. These UTCs, however, deploy with around half of the squadron’s maintenance personnel and equipment, leaving the remaining jets understaffed and under-equipped when it comes time for maintenance operations. All of this results in drastically reduced aircraft availability rates, which are also worsened by the branch’s reliance on F-22s for domestic air defense missions, operations the GAO contends could easily be conducted using fourth-generation fighters like the F-15.
All of these issues combine for a perfect storm of reduced F-22 availability for combat operations, but potentially worse, reduced availability of these jets for essential training operations.

To read the entire article, click here:

Photo: US Air Force

Air Force Special Operators To Ruck 830 Miles to Honor Comrades

In an endurance event that will surely garner some attention, 20 Air Force Special Operators will conduct a rucksack march from Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas all the way to Hurlburt Field, Florida. They’ll cover a distance of an astounding 830 miles. And they’re conducting this to honor their brothers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror since 2001.

The 20-man group will consist of ten two-man teams. They will all start and finish together but after the first five miles, then each team will ruck 12 miles until they finish the event.

Two summers ago, we ran the story in SpecialOperations.com about a group of retired Green Berets who hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, 2200 miles in total to raise money for the Green Beret Foundation. We documented at the time former 7th SFG operator Wil Melton, who rucked over 579 miles on the trail, most of it alone, a fantastic feat of rucking endurance. And all for our brothers in arms.

In a feat of extreme endurance, 20 operators from throughout the Air Force Special Operation Command (AFSOC) Special Tactics community will ruck an astounding 830 miles to honor their 20 Special Tactics brothers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the War on Terror began in September 2001. The airmen will march from the Medina Annex, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, to Hurlburt Field, Florida.

Extreme physical toughness and stamina make up the core of all special operations forces (SOF). They provide the base upon which every other specialized capability is built.

The inspiration for the undertaking came after Staff Sergeant Dylan J. Elchin, a combat controller (CCT) assigned to the 26th Special Tactics Squadron, was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan in November 2018. Alongside Sergeant Elchin, two Special Forces operators—Captain Andrew Ross and Sergeant First Class Eric Emond from the 3rd Special Forces Group—and an infantryman, Sergeant Jason McClary, were killed by the blast.

The 20 operators will be divided into 10 teams of two Special Tactics airmen. The whole team will depart from the Medina Annex in the early morning hours of February 22 and plan to arrive at Hurlburt Field on the afternoon of March 4. Consequently, they have planned for a joint-aching 75-mile pace for the duration of the 11 days. However, after the first five miles, teams will rotate, each rucking 12 miles.

Such commemorative events are becoming a tradition in the Special Tactics community. This will be the fifth march; the first Special Tactics Memorial March occurred in 2009 in memory of Staff Sergeant Timothy Davis. The men will carry a memorial baton, which will be engraved with the names of fallen Special Tactics Airmen.

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Photo: US Air Force

Two Ex-SEALs Among Eight Contractors Arrested in Haitian Flap

In a bizarre case, three Americans and five foreign nationals were arrested in Haiti as they sat in an unmarked and untagged SUV about a block from Haiti’s Central Bank. The arrested included two ex-Navy SEALs and a former Marine as well as five other foreign nationals.

As they were approached by police officers, the police were told that the men were on a security mission. The men refused to further identify themselves and further digging from the police uncovered that the men were heavily armed and that the license plates were removed as well.

When the police discovered that the contractors were heavily armed and unwilling to identify themselves, they were taken into custody. In the vehicles police discovered, “six automatic rifles, six pistols, two professional drones and three satellite phones. They also found a telescope, backpacks, gun vests, professional tapes and documents” to include a list with names on it the Miami Herald reports.

One of the contractors allegedly claimed that they were working for the central bank, but the bank’s governor claims to have had no knowledge of them. Interestingly, their passports were not stamped with entry visas into the country. All eight contractors are currently being detained by Haitian authorities and the US consulate has been made aware of their arrest.

McKinley previously served on SEAL Team 8 before working as a security contractor. He is known for making media appearances to comment on national security issues. In 2014, McKinley took to social media to recount a story about how he had been shot in a parking lot, ostensibly by gang members before trying to chase them down but eventually deciding to seek medical attention. The local police doubted the story which they claimed did not match McKinley’s cell phone records, surveillance camera footage from a nearby fire department, or the recollections of two police officers who were parked about 65 feet away from where the alleged shooting took place.

The police charged McKinley with lying about the attack, alleging that he shot himself and was simply seeking media attention. At trial, McKinley was found not guilty. Soon after, the former SEAL changed his name from Chris Heben to Chris McKinley.

Chris Osman previously served in the Marine Corps and then on SEAL Team 3. Osman founded a tactical gear company called TAG and currently sells motorcycle equipment through his website. In 2017, Osman was sentenced to two days incarceration for an assault that took place during a road rage incident in San Diego.

Regarding the nature of the security contractor’s work in Haiti, the Miami Herald reported that one of the two vehicles they were using was, “was purchased by a former government official and sent to the care of Fritz Jean-Louis, an adviser of President Jovenel Moïse. Jean-Louis has since fled the country.”

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Photo: Wikipedia

OSS Operative Roderick Stephen Hall, Executed by the Nazis Feb. 20, 1945

Roderick Stephen Hall was an OSS (Office of Strategic Services) agent during World War II and conducted one of the most daring behind-the-lines operations of the war. His mission, which he himself proposed, dropped him and other OSS operatives deep inside Italy where they conducted sabotage missions against the German military in the Brenner Pass region.

They were to attack bridges to disrupt the Nazi’s supply route to their troops farther south in Italy as well as organize and resupply bands of Italian partisans. He lived on his wits and mountain skills for six months. But in late January 1945, Hall was betrayed by a partisan and he was arrested by the German SS (Schutzstaffel). He was sent to a concentration camp at Bolzano where he was tortured and then hanged on Feb. 20, 1945. His murderers were caught after the war, three were executed and one of them was given a life sentence in prison.

Privileged Beginnings:

Hall was born in China in 1915 to an international businessman father and a doctor mother. He attended the prestigious Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass, graduating in 1934. After graduation, Hall traveled and spent many months in the Brenner Pass area of Italy, hiking, mountain climbing, and skiing. As a result, he was intimately familiar with the area.

Returning to the United States, he enrolled at Yale University but eschewed academics for the war effort once the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He left school and enlisted in the Army as a private.

Military Service:

It didn’t take long for Hall to make an impression on his superiors and before long he was a second lieutenant. While assigned to an Engineer unit, Hall wrote a letter to the OSS in 1943, outlying the importance of the Brenner Pass to the Germans and offering a plan to attack the strategic bridges and volunteering to lead it. CIA has copies of not only this letter but several others he wrote during his wartime service to his family. It provides amazing detail on what was transpiring in Italy.

Hall didn’t believe anyone would read, let alone pay attention to his letter. But the Special Operations Branch of OSS read it and they were sold. He received orders to report to OSS Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

When looking at the kind of eclectic group that General William “Wild Bill” Donovan was putting together for OSS operatives, Hall, known as Steve to his friends fit the bill exactly. Born overseas to well-to-do parents, he was an Ivy Leaguer who traveled the world extensively and was an above-average athlete, who excelled at hiking, skiing, and climbing. And the fact that he was intimately familiar with the proposed target area made him a no-brainer to bring on-board.

After going thru training for hand-to-hand combat, sabotage techniques, demolitions, and guerrilla warfare tactics, he was sent to North Africa to teach demolitions. But soon after, he was pulled from there and reassigned to Caserta, Italy where Company D, 2677th OSS Regiment awaited. His proposed mission was going to be a reality. He returned to Algiers for parachute training and then it was back to Italy for quick language immersion and survival training course.

The Mission of a Lifetime:

Hall and the rest of the team parachuted into at Monte Pala in the foothills of the Alps of northern Italy. However, they were 85 miles from the Brenner Pass, so the men would be walking a long way to their target area.

The 5-man team consisted of Captain Lloyd G. Smith, the commander, 1LT Joseph Lukitsch, Hall, radio operator Stanley Sbeig, a Navy specialist, and Technician third grade Victor Malaspino.

Their first target was the bridge at Tolmezzo, that was unguarded due to how far behind the lines it was. Their explosives didn’t destroy the bridge but damaged it enough so that no heavy loads would be able to cross it. The team kept moving farther north, on the way, targeting several smaller bridges that could be used to ferry supplies and maintain their communications. The team also made contact with local partisan forces and arranged some supply drops and gathering whatever intelligence they could glean about the German troop dispositions.

As the weather turned to winter, the snow and frigid cold hampered their operations. Hall’s feet froze with frostbite and he went into the small town of Todesch di Vallada where Hall had hoped to recover and lay low until the war was over.

After six months, the bodies of the team in the extreme elements of the mountains began to break down. Hall, however, was determined to keep going. On January 25, 1945, he set out in blizzard conditions to attempt to blow the hydroelectric plant at Cortina d’ Ampezzo. It wasn’t long before his feet became so frostbitten and swollen, he couldn’t continue.

Hall was found by a game warden who promised to send help. Hiding out with a local priest, Hall was arrested when the game warden, instead turned him over to the Fascist police. One of the local partisans then identified Hall as a member of OSS.

The Fascist police then turned Hall over to the SS. Soon after that, Hall was sent to the nearby Bolzano concentration camp. Here, Hall was tortured brutally for two weeks and then despite being captured in uniform was hung in Bolzano’s torture chamber on Feb. 20, 1945. The Nazis tried to cover their blatant disregard for their war crime under the Geneva Convention by having the doctor on-hand say that Hall’s death was a suicide.

The doctor was an inmate himself at Bolzano and wasn’t allowed to even examine the body. The doctor knew that if he didn’t sign the death certificate, the Nazis would bury Hall in an unmarked grave. So, this camp physician wrote the cause of death was “paralisi cardiaca” (cardiac paralysis), even though that condition doesn’t exist.

After the war was over, Hall’s burial place was found and he was exhumed and reburied with full military honors in Florence American Cemetery and Memorial in Florence, Italy. He was posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit.

War Crime Trial:

Four SS officers were tried for war crimes, relating to Hall’s death. Untersturmführer Heinrich Andergassen, and three others, Sturmbannführer August Schiffer, Oberscharführer Albert Storz, and Gendarmerie officer Hans Butz were all tried in Naples in 1946 for war crimes.

Andergassen admitted his role during interrogation and quickly implicated the others. They were all found guilty and sentenced to death on July, 19,1946. Andergassen, Storz, and Schiffer were hanged. Butz was sentenced to life in prison.

A book was written about the entire operation titled “The Brenner Assignment” by Patrick K. O’Donnell and can be ordered here:

As we mentioned above, CIA has a treasure trove of Hall’s letters, some of which were hidden by Italian citizens to send to Hall’s family after the war. They contain in exquisite detail, what Hall and the team were doing in Italy. Those can be read here:

Photos: OSS/Wikipedia