SOF

Remembering Charles Q. Williams Medal of Honor Recipient June 9-10, 1965

In a battle for the district capital of Phuc Long Province in the III Corps area about 60 miles northeast of Saigon in the country of Viet Nam, Special Forces 2LT Charles Q. Williams would distinguish himself in the battle of the Dong Xoai CIDG camp and later be awarded the Medal of Honor.

In the same action, CM3 Marvin Shields, Navy Seabee would posthumously be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Dong Xoai was home to 400 Montagnard CIDG strikers and 24 US troops including Special Forces and Navy Seabees. On the dates of 9-10 June, the Viet Cong, with North Vietnamese Support attacked the base with 1500 guerrillas armed with AK-47s, grenades, rocket-propelled grenades, rocket launchers and flamethrowers.

The 14-hour battle would leave 20 of the Americans either killed or wounded along with 200 Vietnamese strikers and civilians. Vietcong dead numbered between 500-700.

Williams was the XO (Executive Officer) of the Special Forces A-Camp when the Vietcong began massing for an attack on the camp late on June 9. The Americans were aware of the buildup outside the camp and placed their troops on full alert.

This caused the Vietcong to begin their attack over an hour early, and at 2330 they began to mortar the camp, hitting both Vietnamese and US positions before an infantry assault by the 272^nd Regiment.

Buildings at the Dong Xoai Special Forces camp at Dong Xoai. (US Navy photo)

It was during the initial artillery fire that the Special Forces commander of the camp was hit and seriously wounded which would place Williams in command of the camp. He wasn’t the typical 2LT. Williams had been an NCO in the 82^nd Airborne Division before going to Special Forces and Officer Candidate School.

Williams organized his defenses in his compound and determined the source of the insurgents’ main effort and led the troops to their defensive positions on the south and west walls. The Vietcong initially took heavy casualties by failing to negotiate and recognizing the barbed wire and minefields that the team had laid out. Williams attempted to establish communications at the District Headquarters, found that there was no operational radio with which to communicate with his commanding officer in another compound.

Attempting to reach the other compound and establish communications, the heavy assault by the Vietcong drove him back and he was wounded by shrapnel in his right leg. He returned to District Headquarters and directed the defense against the Vietcong’s first attempted assault on the camp.

The Vietcong had succeeded in scaling the walls and as some of the strikers began to panic and retreat, Williams ran thru a hail of gunfire, and rallied the Montagnards, and led them back to their positions. He was wounded two more times in the left leg and thigh.

Told that communications were restored, he raced back to the communications bunker, where he sustained two more additional wounds in the stomach and right arm from grenade fragments. Then he was told that the detachment commander was seriously wounded and he was in overall command of the camp’s defenses.

The Vietcong stepped up the pressure and the camp defenses began to crumble. At 0130 two helicopter gunships from the Bien Hoa airbase expended all of their ammunition on the communist troops inside the wire.

With casualties mounting, Williams ordered the consolidation of the American personnel from both compounds to establish a defense in the district building. The Special Forces and Seabees from the SF compound would withdraw to the district headquarters and consolidate with the remaining CIDG troops.

Williams, despite his many wounds, grabbed a radio and was directing airstrikes thru a forward air controller all while directing the defense from the District building. Firing flares as reference points to adjust the air strikes with deadly precision. Williams’ defense force was now besieged and they were throwing grenades out the windows of the district HQs at the charging Vietcong.

By dawn, the Vietcong had the upper hand and were firing a machine gun directly south of the district building, pinning the Americans and strikers down in a murderous fire. The machine gun had to be taken out. Williams didn’t hesitate and led the mission himself.

He grabbed a 3.5-inch rocket launcher and asked for a volunteer to help him go after the gun. CM3 Marvin G. Shields, a member of the camp’s Seabees detachment stepped forward despite already having been wounded three times. Under heavy fire and completely ignoring their own safety, the two attacked, with Shields loading and Williams firing as they assaulted the enemy position. And despite a faulty sight, they destroyed the enemy gun from a distance of 150 meters.

While trying to return to the district HQs, both men were hit again, and Shields was seriously wounded where he would later die of his wounds the next day. Williams was unable to carry Shields back to the district building, he pulled him to a covered position and then made his way back to the HQs where he sought more volunteers who went out and successfully brought Shields back.

Vietcong attempts to take the district HQs building increased and were firing recoilless rifle fire directly into the American positions. Williams continued to direct air strikes on the communists and they were creeping increasingly closer almost on top of their position.

By early afternoon, and the situation deteriorating, he moved the seriously wounded to communications bunker. Informed that helicopters would be landing to exfil the Americans from the area, Williams led the team to the camp’s artillery positions. And finally, after evacuating all other wounded personnel, he boarded a helicopter and took the last Americans out.

The Vietnamese Rangers entered the battle but were ambushed by the Vietcong and broke. This prompted General Westmoreland to send a battalion of the 173^rd Airborne Brigade into action. This was the first major involvement of large numbers of US troops in Vietnam.

Williams would receive his Medal of Honor from President Lyndon Johnson at the White House a year later in June 1966. Shields widow would receive his two months later in the Oval Office. In his remarks Johnson would say of Williams:

1LT Charles Q. Williams, receives the Medal of Honor from President Johnson in the Oval Office.

“We have come here this morning to honor a very brave American soldier.

The acts of extraordinary courage to which we pay tribute were not performed with any hope of reward. They began with a soldier doing his duty–but they went so far beyond the call of duty that they became a patriot’s gift to his country.

Lieutenant Williams and a very small band of Americans and Vietnamese fought for 14 long hours against an enemy that outnumbered them more than five to one.

During those long hours, Lieutenant Williams was wounded five times. Any single one of those wounds might have caused another man to completely abandon the fight. Yet Lieutenant Williams continued to rally his men, to protect his wounded, to hold off the enemy until help could come.

Few men understand what it really means to draw deep from the wellsprings of such bravery. Few have ever made that kind of journey–and far fewer have ever returned.”

“Lieutenant Williams, it is hard for your President to find words to tell you of the deep gratitude and admiration that your fellow Americans have for you.

But I do rejoice that I may present to you, in the name of the Congress of the United States and of the grateful people of America, the Medal of Honor–for the bravery and the gallantry that you displayed at the risk of your life, far above and beyond the call of duty.”

Williams retired as a Major and died in 1982 at the age of 49. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Photos courtesy, US Army, US Navy, YouTube

SOF Selection PT Preparation 6.9.2017

It is Friday so it is also Leg Day at the gym. Starting with Squats – (front, dumbbell goblet, and barbell), then some lunges and the weighted sled push. And then finish the workout with a five-mile run. Mark your progress down in your workout log book and stretch well after the session.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

3 x Front Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x Goblet Dumbbell Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight)

3 x 10 Barbell Squats

3 x 10 Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 10 Romanian Lunges

3 x Weighted Sled Push

5-mile run

Stretch well after completion

North Korea Launches Several Land-to-Ship Missiles, South Korea Delays THAAD

The rogue nation of Kim Jong Un in North Korea continues to up the ante in the never-ending weapons program tit-for-tat. The North launched a series of missiles that were characterized as land-to-ship and defensive in nature off of its coast.

While the UN continues to impose more economic sanctions on the North, Jong’s military continues their dangerous game of cat and mouse and have been rattling their saber and tweaking the US and the South.

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in who took office on May 10 has pledged to work for a peaceful solution with the North and has delayed the installation of the controversial US missile defense program THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) that China, North Korea’s chief ally particularly have issues with.

South Korea on Wednesday said it will hold off on installing remaining components of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system that has angered North Korea’s main ally, China, amid early signs of easing tensions between the two countries.
The missiles were launched Thursday morning from the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan and flew about 200 km (124 miles), South Korea’s Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.
Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been conducting missile tests at an unprecedented pace in an effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the mainland United States.
Compared to the different types of ballistic missiles Pyongyang has recently tested, the missiles launched on Thursday are considered to be more defensive in nature, designed to defend against threats such as enemy warships.
North Korea unveiled a number of new weapons at a massive military parade on April 15 to mark the birth anniversary of the state’s founding leader and has since tested some of them.
“What appeared to be a new type of land-to-ship missile equipped with four launching canisters was unveiled at the parade,” said Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University’s Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. “I think this might be what was used today.”
“Obviously, the pressure China puts on South Korea has taken effect. Seoul’s will has been shaken,” the paper said. “However, attitude is not everything. Without solving the problem of THAAD, the pain it has brought to bilateral relations will not disappear, and South Korea must swallow some of the bitter results.”
China should work with Russia on counter-measures to THAAD, the Global Times added.
Asked about the latest missile test, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called for all parties to exercise restraint.
“The UN Security Council resolution has clear rules on (North Korea’s) use of ballistic missiles technologies,” she said. “All sides should work together to de-escalate tensions and take active steps to stabilize the region.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing China aggressively to rein in North Korea, warning that all options, including a pre-emptive military strike, are on the table if Pyongyang persists with its nuclear and missile development.

The decision to delay THAAD has been seen as a sign of weakness by South Korea. The Global Times, published by China’s official People’s Daily has said “Obviously, the pressure China puts on South Korea has taken effect. Seoul’s will has been shaken,” the paper said.

“However, attitude is not everything. Without solving the problem of THAAD, the pain it has brought to bilateral relations will not disappear, and South Korea must swallow some of the bitter results.”

To read the entire article from Reuters, click here:

Photo courtesy Reuters

Syrian Forces Closing on Special Operations Base Hit with US Air Strikes

Syrian military forces loyal to embattled President Assad ignored warnings about approaching a small US base that houses its Special Operations Forces this week and was hit by a US-led airstrike.

This was the second attack in just the past month against Assad’s forces by US airstrikes in what the Defense Department characterized as self-defense measures.

“Despite previous warnings, pro-regime forces entered the agreed-upon de-confliction zone with a tank, artillery, anti-aircraft weapons, armed technical vehicles and more than 60 soldiers posing a threat to Coalition and partner forces based at the at Tanf Garrison,” the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement.
The statement said the U.S.-led coalition communicated with the advancing forces through an existing hotline set up to ensure that Russian and U.S. aircraft can operate safely in Syrian airspace. Despite the warnings, the Syrian forces continued to advance, prompting the U.S.-led coalition to destroy two artillery pieces and an anti-aircraft weapon, according to the statement. A tank was also damaged.
It is unclear how many troops were killed or wounded in the bombing run and what legal rationale might cover the U.S.-led forces continued strikes on Syrian government forces operating within their borders.
On May 18, U.S. forces struck a convoy of pro-Syrian-government forces that were driving in the direction of the U.S.-base at Tanf. After warnings, both through the hotline and overhead passes, U.S. aircraft struck a number of their vehicles. That convoy, roughly 18 miles from the U.S. outpost, came to halt. In response, the U.S.-led coalition added additional “combat power” to help defend the Tanf base and dropped more than 90,000 leaflets telling the Syrian forces to leave.
“We are not increasing our role in the Syrian civil war, but we will defend our troops,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters after the May strike. “And that is a coalition element made up of more than just U.S. troops, and so we will defend ourselves [if] people take aggressive steps against us.”

The Tanf base, which houses British as well as American Special Operators, is located on a key highway in an area where the borders of Iraq, Jordan, and Syria meet and is considered of vital importance.

To read the entire article from Washington Post, click here:

Photo courtesy Associated Press

Teaching is the Art of a Special Forces Operator/A-team

We have been getting a lot of mail and tweets here at SpecialOperations.com and as we pointed out in our earlier post a day ago, many have questions about the Selection courses and what can be expected when candidates begin their quest to become part of the Special Operations fraternity and become part of the Regiment.

And included in many of the queries we get are the legitimate questions as to what life is like in a Special Operations unit with most centering around the Direct Action (DA) side of the house. Don’t get me wrong here, Special Forces guys are very good at and all love to do DA operations but where they’re best at and where they stand above all others is in their ability to teach.

While DA missions are linear and much easier to judge the success or failure at, the true art of a Special Forces A-team lies in their ability to teach an allied soldier or guerrilla fighter to do those same Direct Action missions. Setting up intelligence early warning networks or leading a dedicated guerrilla force to success in the Unconventional Warfare (UW) environment isn’t as tangible, nor as sexy. There won’t be those “must-see” YouTube moments in most of those type of missions but they are essential for successful mission accomplishment.

Being able to reach and teach a foreigner in his own language and teach them is a tremendous boost to building rapport, earning the trust, and creating a successful joint team with our foreign allies. That’s where the cultural awareness and language training become so important.

As an example, Special Forces weapons sergeants (light and heavy) can break down and assemble any weapon that you’ll find on the modern battlefield as well as teach light infantry tactics. But what makes them so valuable is that they can immediately pick up a weapon of an allied host nation’s soldier and teach him, in his own language, how to zero the weapon, qualify with it, fix his flaws and then teach the same tactics to make the allied soldiers more effective.

Some cultures and languages are much harder to learn the nuances of than others. Many of the customs and dialects of the Middle East are extremely difficult to master and are very different from what operators may find in South America, where Spanish is mainly spoken and their culture, more closely aligned to our own. But even there, problems in teaching would always crop up.

While teaching some soldiers from the Andean Ridge countries in counter-narcotics training, we learned that many of the local soldiers from the mountains, speak Spanish as a second language and had issues both reading and writing it. Many spoke their native Indian tongue first, Quechua is the language of the Incas and still spoken by around 8 million people. Amayar and many offshoots of it are still spoken by 2 million people in the region.

A few questions we received asked about the “high speed” training done with our foreign allies. In reality, much of what Special Operations Forces teach are the basics. And that is why they’re so successful. The operators know and train on the basics backward and forward. The basic fundamentals are the keystone to everything else that will follow.

And it all begins in the training. If the instructors for the Special Operations Forces in their respective qualifications courses aren’t doing a great job of doing their jobs, then they won’t be putting out high-quality operators. The instructors are the first people you will see upon arriving at a Special Operations training course.

The process of learning to teach and doing it effectively begins at the home station. A few years ago, the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School, (JFKSWC) revamped the old Instructor Training Course (ITC) and created the Special Operations Instructor Course (SOIC).

There was an old saying in Special Forces that stated, “Those who can, do (operate), those who can’t, teach and those who can do neither administrate.” That’s not really true, but it used to be a way to rib the guys who were levied to teach at the schools of the JFKSWC, many of whom didn’t want to go there because they preferred to stay operational.

But ask any operator today and they’ll tell you who the best instructors of their courses were, not only did they teach what was in the curriculum but went above and beyond what was required and taught them the things that they’d need to know in the real world once graduation was behind them. And conversely, most will remember the instructors who weren’t so great either. Nobody wants to be remembered as such and thankfully few of them are.

I remember my primary instructor at Robin Sage, he knew his subject matter extremely well as well as his operational area and we learned a ton while out doing the exercise. He would always answer questions framed around a question of his own and said frequently that “this is a thinking man’s game.” At the time, we didn’t completely get it but he was right.

So, for the young candidates out there, don’t just give lip service to the teaching side of Special Operations. Embrace it, learn it and become the best at it, because that is the life blood of what is done when working with our overseas allies.

Photo Courtesy of DOD

SOF Selection PT Preparation 6.8.2017

Back to the gym this morning and start with a Chest and Triceps workout today before a 5-mile run. Remember to stretch well before and after and to stay hydrated. Mark your progress down in your workout log book.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline Press

3 x 20 Pushups (alternate sets with wide, narrow and shoulder width)

3 x 10 Kip Ups

3 x 20 Sit ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

5-mile run

Stretch well after completion

Turkey Readies For “Aggression” From US-Backed SDF in Raqqa

The US-backed coalition of Kurds and Arabs of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have begun their long-awaited assault on the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate in Raqqa. The forecast for the battle has it that it will be long and costly as the IS fighters are cut off from any support.

But the government of Turkey released an ominous warning that they’ll be watching the SDF for any aggression to their own interests. Turkey considers the Kurds terrorists in their country which makes the entire alliance against the IS on shaky ground.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Binali Yildrim said Turkey would act immediately should any perceived threats arise from the Syrian Democratic Forces’ operations to recapture the city of Raqqa from the so-called “Islamic State” (IS).
Yildrim made his remarks in Ankara to deputies from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Law and Justice Party on the same day that the SDF launched an attack on the IS stronghold from the east, north and west.
Yildrim said Turkey was taking precautions in case its interests were threatened
The SDF, a roughly 50,000-member alliance backed by the United States, largely consists of Arabs and fighters from the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia formed in 2011 that Turkish officials consider a terrorist organization. The Turkish government has been facing a Kurdish insurgency, primarily from the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), in areas of southeast Turkey since 1984. Officials in Ankara have expressed concern that a YPG takeover of Raqqa, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of Turkey’s border, could embolden Kurds in their fight for autonomy.
But the United States views the SDF as key partners in the fight against IS in Syria and has provided the alliance with air support, training and weapons.
The United States also began arming the YPG directly to help them battle the approximately 3,000-4,000 IS fighters believed to still be in Raqqa.
IS seized Raqqa in 2014 and made the city the Syrian capital of the group’s self-declared caliphate – the counterpart to the group’s besieged former stronghold of Mosul in Iraq. The SDF’s launch of its operation to retake Raqqa on Tuesday comes after months of violent back-and-forth fighting aimed at eventually expelling the militants from the city.
Read: Civilian casualties surge as anti-IS coalition moves towards Raqqa
Using a common Arabic acronym for IS, SDF spokesman Talal Silo said late Monday that the battle to retake Raqqa would be “fierce because Daesh will die to defend their so-called capital.”
But “morale is high and military readiness to implement the military plan is complete, in coordination with the US-led coalition,” Silo added.
The offensive would be “long and difficult,” but that retaking the city would be a “decisive blow to the idea of ISIS as a physical caliphate,” said Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the commanding US military leader, using a common English-language acronym for IS, Reuters reported.

Fighting has begun at the eastern and northern edges of the town and officials believe that it will take several weeks to clear the IS fighters. Clearing the town’s narrow streets will prove difficult and the IS fighters have forced the civilian men in the town to wear the traditional garb that they favor, something that will make it difficult to differentiate between IS fighters and civilians.

To read the entire article from Deutsche Welles, click here:

Photo courtesy Reuters

US Wants UN Inquiry in Killed Investigators in the Congo

The United States is urging the United Nations to investigate the disappearance and murder of two U.N. sanction monitors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DNC).

The US is among many others casting doubt on the credibility of the quick and shoddy investigation that was done by Congolese officials. In March, American Michael Sharp and Swede Zaida Catalan and their interpreter Betu Tshintela disappeared in the Congo’s Kasai region, where hundreds have died since last July in an insurrection against the government.

Two weeks later their bodies were found in a shallow grave not far away. The fate of their driver and two other motorcycle drivers also abducted remains unknown.

The U.N. workers traveled to the village of Bunkonde, south of the provincial capital, Kananga in Kasai Central to investigate human rights abuses. The next day, they were kidnapped by what the DNC referred to as “unidentified negative forces.”

Sweden has opened a police investigation and U.N. diplomats said U.S. authorities had also been looking into the case.
Congo’s foreign minister, Leonard She Okitundu, last month opposed the creation of an international inquiry.
Congolese military prosecutors announced last month that two suspected militiamen would soon face trial for the killings, but rights groups say they suspect Congolese forces could have been involved in the deaths.
A U.N. spokesman last month cast doubt on the credibility of the Congolese investigation, saying the world body was “taken aback at the rapidity at which it was done.”
Haley said the United States would also support the Geneva-based Human Rights Council establishing a Commission of Inquiry into the ongoing human rights violation in the Kasai region, where Sharp and Catalan went missing.
The remote, heavily forested region in central Congo has been riven by clashes between security forces and a local tribal militia called the Kamuina Nsapu since July.
At least 400 people have been killed and 200,000 displaced since fighting broke out when police killed the militia’s leader last August, the U.N. has said. The top U.N. rights official said in March that three mass graves had been discovered.

Sharpe’s father in a separate interview said that he hopes the work his son was doing would continue and that he hoped to have the Congolese government release his body so that he can be buried at home. Sharpe’s body was intact, Catalan was beheaded.

To read the entire article from Voice of America, click here:

Photo courtesy Facebook

Rucking Tips Refresher, Practice, Practice, Practice

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately again about passing the selection course and many of them have to do carrying a rucksack and many of the candidates are worrying about being able to tote the pain pill to the standards in the course.

The first piece of advice I’ll give is to step back and take a deep breath. It really sounds like some of the candidates are psyching themselves out and are hearing the horror stories of many of those (who don’t get selected) and are thinking that the standards are impossible to obtain. Nonsense. Thousands of guys have gone before you and been selected. Is it easy? No, of course not. It is very challenging, but if it was easy than anybody could do it.

You’ll have to work hard and truly push yourself, but if you do that and put the time in, then there’s no reason to believe that you won’t be able to meet the standards. We publish a PT program daily here at SpecialOperations.com and if you follow that, you really shouldn’t have any problems.

I’ve posted some tips previously on here based on my experience that I feel will be of good value to you. I don’t claim to know it all, nor be a personal trainer but after many years in SF, these tips and techniques worked for me and hopefully they’ll work for you as well.

One of the questions I got asked was why was the majority of the days running days instead of rucking days. And it is a good one. If you get into some distance running, especially in soft sand or dirt trails, it will help your rucksack carrying ability extremely well.

Our PT preparation work focuses a lot on shoulder work and for a good reason. That is one spot that you’ll find as a novice that will be really sore, perhaps even sorer than your feet. You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to pass selection but if your shoulders are strong, it will take a lot of the stress and strain off when carrying a rucksack, not to mention it is invaluable when climbing ropes or toting the really heavy stuff during Team Week. But I digress… back to talking about rucking.

The easiest way to get better at it is to practice. Many emails and Twitter messages had the same concern, the candidate has trouble speeding up without taking off in a jog. Nobody does at first, that’s why you must practice, practice, practice. Just like a musician has to practice long and hard before getting to Carnegie Hall, the Special Operations trooper has to learn to handle the rucksack like it is an extension of his own body.

I personally found rucking a bit easier for me, being over 6 feet tall, I learned quickly to lengthen my stride and it allowed me to set a good, fast pace that I could maintain over a long distance. But that didn’t come overnight, it took practice. So, my advice is to increase your speed and distance with running and it will definitely help carrying the rucksack.

But with anything else, if carrying a ruck is your weak area, practice with it until it is a strength. There is no magic formula to it, just ensure that you’re stretched out and then just strap it on and go. I will repeat what said in an earlier post about running with a ruck in training.

When it comes to increasing speed, I don’t recommend that you run with a rucksack on your back while in training. It puts way too much stress on your knees. There will be times on steep downhill, you can pick up a shuffle for a few steps but as for running a distance with a rucksack while prepping for selection…DON’T.
From our last article on rucking, “They’ll be times in your selection course or the qualification course that you’ll have to make up time or want to pick your pace, especially on the downhill slopes. At those times, you’re going to have to do what you must,” Learn to increase your speed without running. Running with a ruck will hurt your knees and back…take it from the guy with two arthritic knees and an arthritic back to boot.

You’ll have to learn to lengthen out your stride naturally and generate power with your legs and then your speed will come without having to resort to running. But in the course…do what you must do to pass.

Adjust your load in the rucksack so that the weight is higher, up between your shoulder blades, the waist strap is buckled and nothing is rubbing either on your back or shoulders. Have a couple of pair of boots broken in and ready to go and get out and hit the trails.

Vary the terrain if you can, and hit the soft sand if there is any in your training area. If you’re attempting SFAS, you become intimately familiar with the soft sand of the trails and it is best to get used to it now.

Don’t get caught up in trying to go too heavy either. The standards will be 45 pounds in selection or the training courses. Yes, once you get to an operational unit, the weight will be much higher. But don’t worry about that right now. Don’t go more than 5-10 pounds more than the standard in your training program. Save your knees and back for down the road…trust me, you’ll need them later.

If you get to where you can easily make the time limits (and you should aim to be well under them) with a 45-pound ruck, then you should have no problems. Don’t let your mind play tricks on you and don’t listen to the all the rumors out there, most of them are totally wrong. The biggest obstacle facing you in the Selection courses is your own head. It sounds too simple but it is so simple that it becomes hard for people to understand.

I got an email from one candidate who was told the horror stories of the first few days of Selection. I encouraged him to bring a good book. And when the cadre didn’t have him doing anything, to read and disregard the murmurs of the “rumor mill”. To quote my favorite coach, “ignore the noise and do your job.”

As always, hydrate well while out training. It is a habit that you should carry over in the course. With the warm weather months here, becoming a heat injury can happen quickly. Don’t let that happen to you.

If anyone else has any questions, feel free to send them along to [email protected] or at my Twitter page @SteveB7SFG and I’ll be glad to answer them.

Photo courtesy of US Army

SOF Selection PT Preparation 6.7.2017

Time to head over to the gym for some shoulder and back work. As we mention in a post shortly, these shoulder workouts help in rucking and once in Selection. Be sure to log the progress down in your workout log book.

And because Wednesday is rucking day, get the rucksack with 45-pound minimum weight ready for a 6-miler over varied terrain. Wear your second pair of boots to ensure that they’re well broken-in for the course as well. Strive to better the time that is the standard and remember to hydrate throughout the march.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

6-mile Rucksack march (45-pound minimum)

Stretch well after completion