SOF

Special Operation Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 1, Day 1

How did everyone do on their UBRR Test from yesterday? If you passed but have some weak points, you now know what needs to be worked on. If you failed any portion of it, then you have a lot of work to do. Happy Veterans Day. Now it is time for our Sunday Ruckmarch.

What we’re going to do now is start back from the basics and get everyone back on the same sheet of music. Stick with us and we’ll get thru this.

Training:

Preparation for the UBRR:

Ruck 3 miles (record your time, 45lbs minimum w/o food or water) “Do the best you can.” Get used to hearing that.

Then, head to the gym:

3 x Front Squat 10 reps (heavy but doable weight)

3 x Goblet Squats 10 reps (heavy dumbbell)

3 x 10 Pull-ups

3 x 10 reps Standing Arnold Press

25 x Push Ups

30 x “V” ups

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 16, Day 7

Today we’re going to see where our fitness level is at by using a test using the new Special Operations Upper Body Round Robin (UBRR) Fitness Test. It measures functional fitness for the Special Operators much better than the traditional PT test.

This will mark the end of our 16-week Preparation PT Program. Judge where your fitness is at after the test and identify weaknesses that need to be addressed. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin a new Preparation fitness program and start from Day 1.

Pushups: (1min) 40 minimum +2 points for each additional rep.

Sit-ups: (1min) 40 Minimum +3 points for each additional rep.

Pull-ups: (not timed) 6 minimum +3 points for each additional rep.

Dips: (not timed) 6 minimum +2 points for each additional rep.

Bench Press: (80% body weight) 6 minimum +3 points for each additional rep.

20ft. Rope Climb: with a weighted vest or body armor, Pass/Fail

Kick-ups: (1minute) 6 minimum, +2 points for each additional rep.

25 Meter Shuttle Run: x 4, 24 seconds maximum. +2 points for each 1/10 sec. under

5 Mile Run: 40 minutes maximum +2 points for every full 15 seconds under max.
or 5 Mile Ruck March: w/45 lbs +2 points for every full 15 seconds under max.

To pass the UBRR, participants must achieve a PASS in all events with at least the minimum score, and Receive at least 1100 total points from all the events combined.

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 16, Day 6

With a physical fitness test on Saturday (tomorrow), today is kind of a day off, with just some light stretching and nice easy run just to stretch your legs and to keep loose.

Mark your progress down in your workout log book and stretch well both before and after the run.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

1-mile run (slow easy pace)

Stretch well after completion

Rucking For a Cause on Veterans Day

Yesterday in a post we spoke about giving back to our people and community by getting involved in many of our Veterans Day events locally. Here is a way everyone regardless of whether they served or not can give to some great and needy veterans organizations. While searching for local events on Veterans Day, I came across several events across the nation where veterans and citizens are combining rucking and fundraising.

The will not only help out for vet causes but will also play into our Selection prep work which will serve our readers who are aspiring to become members of the best fraternity in the world, our Special Operations Forces.

As we’ve stated here many times, rucking is the basis for virtually all of the missions that you’ll be tasked with accomplishing in the Special Operations community. It is an activity that we push here in both our preparation workouts and while conducting any other kind of training like Land Navigation as it can, and will be easily incorporated with. It is also one of the harder parts of the various Selection courses as well as the Qualification courses.

It is great to see so many people, civilians, as well as veterans, take to rucking. It is becoming increasingly popular with the masses as they like to challenge themselves in different ways, more and more outside of the gym and this is different and a challenge.

Here are just a few that jumped off the screen where you can combine rucking for preparation as well as donating to a veteran cause this weekend.

The guys at GORUCK have Veterans Day events all over the country, including two here in Massachusetts. You can check out their webpage for events near yourself.

Veterans Overcoming Obstacles Veterans Day Ruck will take place in Pueblo, CO. on Sunday, November 11. They are conducting a 10-mile weighted ruck, a ½ mile walk, and a 5K Walk Run. All proceeds raised will go to the non-profit organization Veterans Overcoming Obstacles to help aid in their fight to battle Veteran substance abuse and PTSD related suicide.

Carry the Fallen- Ruck March: Teams ruck-march for 3, 6, 12 or 22 hours while carrying a weight that symbolizes the burden that many veterans carry post-war or post-trauma. The ultimate purpose of “Carry The Fallen” is to reduce veteran suicide and assist Military Families.

BICENTENNIAL VETERANS DAY 5K RUN/RUCK: Takes place in Bloomington, Indiana this weekend. The Ruck challenge will be completed as a group, with obstacles and challenges placed throughout the trail. The ruck will be led by local members of various branches of the military.

The run and ruck are for adults ages 18 yrs. and up, but there are family-friendly games and entertainment at RCA Community Park throughout the event. Bloomington-area veterans services will be on site to connect with military members and their families.

Hope for the Warriors: Is a ruck march that will take place at Southern
Illinois University Carbondale. They are conducting a 24-mile ruck march from the Murphysboro, Illinois VFW to the Marion Illinois VFW in attempt to raise money for the
Student Veterans Organization.

This money will be used for small emergency needs such as electric bills, social events, and assistance for students to attend the 2014 Student Veterans of America National Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Saluki Veterans Organization will be assisting the organizers and participants during the ruck march. Another organization called Team Red, White, & Blue will also be in attendance and assisting.

United War Veterans Council 2018 Honor Ruck: will be conducting a walk/ruck (at the participant’s discretion) in New York City and visiting several memorials, including East Coast (WWII), Korean War, Vietnam War, America’s Response and end at the 9/11 Memorial, where there will be a short closing ceremony. As part of the 9/11 Memorial’s Salute to Service, participants in the ruck will receive complimentary admission to the 9/11 Memorial Museum during the next available timeslot.

Ruck and Food Drive will be conducted at the University of Washington campus by the Student Veteran Life organization. The participants will be rucking canned food from one location to another and they are turning it into an adventure.

It’s like a ruck march and scavenger hunt combined for an awesome race. The prize goes to the person who can cross the finish line with the most food for donation.

Annual Veteran’s Day Family Fun Run and 10K Ruck Challenge are to be held in Birmingham, Alabama where all of the proceeds from the Fun Run and Team Ruck Challenge are distributed to local charities that support veterans, as chosen by the winning teams.

Team Ruck participants are required to individually complete the 5k/10k course carrying a set amount of weight in a military rucksack (a ‘ruck”), a commercial backpack or a weighted vest. Participants are required to provide their own ruck & weights.

Veterans Day 10K Ruck/Walk & Run is being conducted in S.Hamilton, AL where the proceeds will go to Team RWB that helps veterans. Ruck participants will be required to carry 55lbs dry for males and 35lbs dry for females. Dry weight means ruck without water, electrolytes or snacks. Rucks will be weighed prior to and after ruck challenge to verify weight.

There will be race day event activities to include: Live music, Vendor booths, Food, a Rock Climbing wall, a Gladiator pit, and other family activities. More information can be gleaned from their website.

In this day and age, we have to put forth the disclaimer that we don’t personally vouch for the validity of any of the organizations involved but they all appear to be first class organizations at first glance but you know how that is today.

But this is a great way to get out and get your rucking in over the Veterans Day weekend while promoting some great causes and having fun with your friends, workout partners, family, and pets even.

As I pointed out in yesterday’s column, we’ll be visiting our area schools and old age homes on Thursday and Friday and we have a Veterans Breakfast at the community center for one of the new developments in town. So, to keep in the spirit of the weekend’s events, I’ll volunteer to do a 12-miler on my own, since I didn’t register for any events. And I’ll donate some money to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which supports SOF warriors and their families from all of the services.

I hope to see you all out on the rucking trail this weekend.

Don’t be Light, Don’t be Late, and Don’t be out of uniform. DOL.

Photo: US Army/Author

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 16, Day 5

Thursday is a Chest and Triceps workout in the gym and then hit the road for a 4-mile run. Remember to stretch well before and after and to stay hydrated. Mark your progress down in your workout log book.

UBRR 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 ‘V’ Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

4-mile run

Stretch well after completion

Giving Back on Veterans Day, Why it is So Important

As we get ready to recognize Veterans Day this year, it always is a very busy time for us in my little hometown in Massachusetts. The small bucolic town of Millbury has a rich tradition of military history and the town’s schools put a lot of thought and preparation for their programs during both Veterans Day and Memorial Day in the spring where veterans are invited guests and take an active role in the events there.

Our little town was the home of Peter Willard of the American Revolution. Willard was a free African-American and was part of the militia that fought at Lexington and Concord. Therefore, he’s probably the first African-American soldier in our history. He’s buried in our West Millbury Cemetery. His portrait hung in our town hall for many years until a fire destroyed the building completely in 1971.

Millbury was once home of the Asa Waters Amory, one of six at that time in the United States, where Waters, a gunsmith, produced arms for the U.S. Army from 1808 until the Civil War.

As the Commander of our Local Veterans Council, we coordinate with the town and schools for veterans that belong to the local chapters of the American Legion and the VFW and our council to help make the programs a success.

Most of our vets on the council are aging. Many are from World War II, and we’ve lost two just since September, Korea, and Vietnam eras. Very few veterans from the modern era are getting involved. Which is a shame because not only are the children from the town not hearing their stories and experiences, but they are walling themselves off from helping the young understand not only the daily sacrifices that a military life entails but what is going on in the far-flung corners of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and 100 other places that most adults don’t understand let alone children.

Many have done their time, and are content with stepping back into their lives and don’t want to get involved. I get that, I was the same way when I got out. But then I met Joe Bianculli. Joe was a WWII/Korean War NCO who developed an eye disease later in life that robbed him of his eyesight, but he was far from blind. Joe heard more than the rest of the town ever saw and was involved in local politics, veterans’ affairs and everything else under the sun.

He wanted to more than anything else to be a paratrooper. He lied about his age to get into WWII to join the airborne. But the Army didn’t need them at the time, so he was an infantryman on occupation duty as he didn’t make it in time. He re-enlisted for airborne but Korea kicked off and his orders were diverted and he ended up as an infantryman fighting in Korea. He found out I was a veteran when I moved into town and he came to my house to tell me when the Veterans’ Council next meeting was. No invitation needed, be there and on time…

Joe was a character and I miss him terribly. Although blind, he marched every year in the Memorial Day Parade. He would place flags in the spring on the veterans’ graves in the cemetery with the help of his wife. I went to his house one fall afternoon to find him on his roof, cleaning the leaves out of his gutters. I stopped and stared, not saying a word. He said, “I can tell by the look on your face you think I’m crazy.”

So I went and got involved and two or three years later, Joe nominates me to be the next commander for the Vets council. At the time I remember thinking “what the heck just happened and how did I get myself into this.” But several years later, I am glad I did.

As I mentioned above, before going off on another tangent, (sign of old age), our town puts a lot of thought and preparation into their programs. And it involves a lot of interaction between the veterans and the students. And the reaction that we get from our educators and principals is that the kids get so much more out of these type of programs than the old standard ones.

At one of our elementary schools, the veterans are split up and sent to each of the classrooms where each will just a very brief bio on their military service and then the kids who have spent time researching different subjects will ask questions. And the way the educators split us up, you may have a veteran from World War II or Korea with a younger guy from the modern era. Their experiences are pretty different and make it much more interesting when it came to question and answer time. All of them were well thought out and a few were hilarious.

One kid said to me that his dad fought in the first Gulf War before he was born. He asked his dad about his war service and he won’t say much about it. He asked his dad if he was afraid there. He then told me, “my dad said he was more afraid of eating MREs than the enemy. He calls them ‘Meals rejected by Ethiopia’. Is this true or is he pulling my leg?”

One young man would tell me every year, that as soon as he graduated, he was enlisting to try to be an Army Ranger. He said it for four straight years. He graduated this spring and is currently at Ft. Benning finishing up his infantry training before awaiting to go to RASP.

Our high school does much the same thing where the vets will go to the Media Center and the students and vets have a question and answer session. Both sides get a lot of out of these school visits. We look forward to these every year as do the students.

We all give back because on Veterans Day is the time to recognize everyone who served regardless of their MOS, service or duty station. Everyone’s story is important and it is vitally important to our young people to recognize and realize how important everyone’s sacrifices are.

If you haven’t gotten involved with your local veterans group when they plan for Veterans and Memorial Day events, you really should. With so many families continuing on with military tradition, too many of our young people don’t understand what it entails to be an active service military member. And these people will someday be voting or serving in our governments that will determine your veterans benefits.

Photo: Millbury-Sutton Chronicle

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 16, Day 4

Wednesday is a back and shoulder day at the gym followed by a 6-mile rucksack march. Look to better the time that is the standard (90 minutes) and remember to hydrate throughout the march. Don’t forget to mark your progress in the workout log book

UBRR 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 Seated Rows

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, 90 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

On This Day in 1891, the Only Survivor of Custer’s Last Stand Died

On June 25, 1876, LTC George Armstrong Custer led the U.S. 7th Cavalry into an action against a vastly superior force of Native American tribes consisting of combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes at the Little Big Horn in the Montana Territory. Custer’s Cavalry consisted of 12 companies with 45 officers and 718 enlisted men.

Custer vastly underestimated the strength of the Native American tribes and his immediate thoughts were on how to stop them from fleeing. He split his command into three columns and he took five companies to attack the Indian village, completely unaware that his 212 men were facing thousands of battle-hardened Native American warriors.

The Native Americans were given the land as a reservation after signing a treaty with the United States. But gold was found in the Black Hills and the government, with no true legal standing was going to take it by force. The Indian tribes weren’t going to go quietly.

It was a slaughter. In less than 30 minutes, his entire command of the five companies was wiped out. Among the dead were his two brothers, a nephew and dozens of horses. After Custer and his men were killed the Indian warriors attacked the other two split units where hard fighting between the two sides raged until the Cavalrymen got reinforcements and the Indians withdrew.

There was, however, one survivor, from the carnage of the “Last Stand”. Comanche, the horse of Captain Myles Keough, who was killed along with Custer, survived the battle with no less than seven bullet wounds. Although it is believed that many other horses survived the battle including a yellow bulldog, the Native American warriors took them for their own use and perhaps believed that Comanche would perish due to the wounds he suffered during the battle.

Comanche was found by U.S.troops on the battlefield and transported back to Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory where he was treated for his wounds and nursed back to health.

Comanche was officially retired from the United States Army and active service in April of 1878. During his retirement ceremony, the unit generated special orders for him.

Headquarters Seventh United States Cavalry, Ft A. Lincoln, D. T., April 10th, 1878. General Orders No. 7.

(1.) The horse known as ‘Comanche,’ being the only living representative of the bloody tragedy of the Little Big Horn, June 25th, 1876, his kind treatment and comfort shall be a matter of special pride and solicitude on the part of every member of the Seventh Cavalry to the end that his life be preserved to the utmost limit. Wounded and scarred as he is, his very existence speaks in terms more eloquent than words, of the desperate struggle against overwhelming numbers of the hopeless conflict and the heroic manner in which all went down on that fatal day.

(2.) The commanding officer of Company I will see that a special and comfortable stable is fitted up for him, and he will not be ridden by any person whatsoever, under any circumstances, nor will he be put to any kind of work.

(3.) Hereafter, upon all occasions of ceremony of mounted regimental formation, ‘Comanche,’ saddled, bridled, and draped in mourning, and led by a mounted trooper of Company I, will be paraded with the regiment.

By command of Col. Sturgis, E. A. Garlington, First Lieutenant and Adjutant, Seventh Cavalry.”

Comanche was then bestowed with the honorary title of “second-in-command” of the 7th Cavalry, and he lived out the rest of his days as the unit’s mascot. He reportedly developed a taste for beer like any good trooper. His keeper and farrier wrote this about him:

Comanche was a veteran, 21 years old, and had been with the 7th Cavalry since its Organization in ’66…. He was found by Sergeant [Milton J.] DeLacey [Co. I] in a ravine where he had crawled, there to die and feed the Crows. He was raised up and tenderly cared for. His wounds were serious, but not necessarily fatal if properly looked after…He carries seven scars from as many bullet wounds. There are four back of the foreshoulder, one through a hoof, and one on either hind leg. On the Custer battlefield (actually Fort Abraham Lincoln) three of the balls were extracted from his body and the last one was not taken out until April ’77…Comanche is not a great horse, physically talking; he is of medium size, neatly put up, but quite noble looking. He is very gentle. His color is ‘claybank’ He would make a handsome carriage horse…

Comanche lived a full life until 1891 when he passed away from colic. He was believed to be about 29 years old. He was given a funeral with full military honors. He is one of only four horses in the United States to be granted that honor. The others being Sgt Reckless who fought with the Marines in Korea, Chief, from Ft. Riley, KS and the Army’s last horse-mounted cavalry regiment and Black Jack. Black Jack was a member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard). He took part in thousands of funerals for veterans and dignitaries in Arlington National Cemetery. Black Jack was always the riderless horse, with boots turned backward in the stirrups to signify a fallen leader. Black Jack took part in the funerals for JFK, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson, and Douglas MacArthur among others.

But Comanche wasn’t buried. He was brought to the University of Kansas to be stuffed by a taxidermist. He now resides permanently there in the Natural History Museum.

So in essence, Comanche is indeed, the sole survivor of Custer’s Last Stand. Everyone else is long gone and buried. But he still stands in the museum in Kansas, a reminder of a sorry part of our history for our nation.

Photos: US Archives

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 16, Day 3

Tuesday means Leg Day at the gym followed by sprints to build up speed and explosion. Begin with pull-ups and then squats, lunges and the sled followed by some sprint work.

Sprints will help with the times of your distance runs and your rucking.

UBRR Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Towel pull-ups 10 reps

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

3 x Body Weight Wall Squats with a stability ball, 20-15-12 reps

4 x Sled push heavier weight or Fire Man’s Carry

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Caterpillar Planks

40-yard sprint

50-yard sprint

60-yard sprint

80-yard sprint

100-yard sprint (after each sprint, walk back to the starting point and go again)

Stretch well after completion

Chasing Your Passion Is Seldom the Easy Path But Worth It

The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why

“The Equalizer”

Before I begin here, I first have to say, that although I love the film by Antoine Fuqua, starring Denzel Washington, the quote that they attribute to Mark Twain, was one he never actually said, but it frequently credited to him. Washington’s character in the film has much of the wisdom Twain had, all while being a total badass. And part of it was filmed in my hometown, so it was even better. Twain had so many great quotes…what’s one more …right?

The meaning of that quote, whoever wrote it, is that we are born and we don’t truly live until we find our purpose in life. We have to find out what we were born to do. And that is what is ultimately what makes us a person and if we’re doing what we love, we are going to the most effective we can be.

But one of the other great quotes of our time is “Do Something You Love and You’ll Never Work a Day in Your Life”. And to some degree that is very true. For those of you who are hoping to chase a dream for a career in our Special Operations Forces, it is hardly a career without hard work. In fact quite the opposite.

There are numerous sacrifices that must be made just to get your feet in the door. You’ll have to train extremely hard on your own, just to become a candidate for Selection. Next comes the actual Selection courses which are designed to crush an average troop into the dust. The physical and mental side of the Selection courses are extremely difficult and the ratio between successful candidates and unsuccessful ones are very high. That doesn’t even take into account the qualification courses which depending on your MOS could take over a year.

That just gets your foot in the door. Once you are a member of the operational units, the training, missions and operational tempo become even harder. Getting into Special Operations is very hard. Remaining there for a career is even harder.

But the job satisfaction and feeling of doing something worthwhile and important outweigh any monetary rewards you could get. The fact of the matter is that if you decide to embark on a military you won’t get rich, don’t expect to be living next door to a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Some researchers have stated that happy employees and those that have totally “bought in” to what they are doing are at least 12 percent more effective than just the ones working to get a paycheck. We’ll get to this more below.

So, you are considering Special Operations as a career, something many troops have in every service…how do you get yourself standing in the formation at Selection?

Research As Much As Possible:

This is a MUST. Read everything you can get your hands on about whatever unit you are targeting as your choice. Be intimately familiar with the unit’s history, their makeup, what makes them so special, and how they operate.

Then do more research. Are the skills and intangibles that the unit is looking for actual strengths of yours? You have to be very self-critical and realistic here. And if they are not strengths, are there ways to make them so?

Obviously, if you are a person that doesn’t enjoy working at night or even has a fear of the dark, then this life probably isn’t for you. So, do the homework first and do a detailed job on whether this job appears to be a fit both personally and professionally.

Map Out a Timeline:

Like anything else, once you’ve decided to try this, you can’t just submit your paperwork and expect to walk in the door on Day 1 of Selection and expect the cadre to hand you the key to the city. Your preparation should begin before you ever submit your paperwork.

Then map out a timeline. If you plan on attending Selection next spring, make a reverse timeline and start the backward planning process (something you’ll be expected to know in SOF). And your preparation is all on you. No one is going to hold your hand either in your prep or in the course. You must be self-reliant and a true self-starter.

A young man spoke with me recently about making such a big leap and asked me what if after all that, how do you know you will excel in Special Operations. Most of that comes with doing the research and homework ahead of time. But in reality, you won’t really know if you fit in SOF or it is for you until you get your feet on the ground there.

Many, the majority of the people that try out fail. It isn’t an indictment on the person, there are many outstanding soldiers that have attempted Special Operations and aren’t a fit. There is no shame in that. It isn’t for everyone, life in Special Operations especially isn’t for everyone. The only shame is, once in, not giving 100 percent of your time, effort and enthusiasm.

Never be afraid of pushing the envelope and reaching high. Of course, the possibility of failure is always there but that is what makes it all worthwhile. As Tom Hanks said in “A League of Their Own”, the hard is what makes it great. If it was easy, everyone would do it. And then, it wouldn’t be “special” at all.

On a personal level, I knew what I wanted to be from the time I was about eight years old. My Grandmother lived nearby and she subscribed to National Geographic. There was an issue about Special Forces in Vietnam and the pictures and story about CPT Vern Gillespie were enthralling. How this shadowy, unit, lived with and fought alongside these hill tribesmen in Vietnam was fascinating.

I then read everything I could get my hands on about this “new” unit. Which in those days wasn’t very much. Making a trip down to the town library, I signed out Robin Moore’s book, “The Green Berets” and was hooked. It wasn’t long after that when the book came to the silver screen and none other than “the Duke”, John Wayne brought the Green Berets in a flawed but memorable film. To the 10-year old in the theater, it made a lasting impression.

So there was never a doubt where my “passion” was going. But making it happen is always a different path, the same for everyone else. But once there, I was the happiest I ever was at any time in my life.

I couldn’t believe they paid me to go to work there every day. I got to meet a ton of tremendous NCOs, the backbone of SF, where excellence is a given. On a podcast on SOFREP Radio, I once told the host, Ian, when on the show that I felt like a member of the ‘27 Yankees, where everyone was a star at what they did. My battalion had a plethora of our officers make General, far exceeding the normal ratio. And the amazing thing was, there were a few more who should have made it.

I was fortunate and consider myself lucky to be able to do what I loved, despite the injuries which came down the road and I have to live with today. I hope that all of you find that niche in life as well. There is no feeling like it. And if it brings you into the Special Operations brotherhood, that is the best feeling of all. Don’t quit. DOL

Photo: DOD