US SOCOM

A Funny Blackmail Moment in Special Forces Courtesy of AFSOC

Most of what we write here at SpecialOperations.com deals with the training side of the house. What you’ll need to do to pass the Selection and Assessment courses and the follow-on training in the qualification courses, with a fair bit of history thrown in. Today isn’t any of that. Although in the past, the history part of this is debatable. It is just a story that hopefully will break up the day a bit and show, no matter what, as a member of Special Operations, you’ll always be on the clock and to be prepared. And most importantly, there is always some funny stuff going on around you.

A little background on this story, in the early 1990s our team from 3/7 SFG was tasked to go down to Paraguay to train the Special Forces unit there. The unit was “officially” tasked to be the premiere counter-narcotics strike force that had zero levels of the chain of command between the captain in command of this unit and the Chief of Staff for the National Anti-Drug Secretariat, (SENAD).

Paraguay wasn’t a drug producing country but it became a big way station in the flow of cocaine from Colombia to points east to Europe and some to the US. The DEA increased its presence there during this time and that’s what we were originally tasked to do.

But the unit we were to train was much more than a Counter-Narcotic (CN) force. Due to the very fluctuating political climate in Paraguay, they were getting training in a variety of methods in what would be more of a Counter-Terrorist (CT) mission. After our completion, their follow-on training would be taken up by a Tier 1 unit.

We weren’t even sure we would be going, due to the constant changing of the command structure in Paraguay. But we got orders to go down to do a site survey. We were briefed by USASOC Commander General Wayne Downing to find out what exactly was going on and brief the staff immediately upon return.

My Team Sergeant (Art M.) and I flew down. We were met by the MILGRP guys and brought over to meet the Captain in charge of the unit. He was a great guy, a hard charger and had a definite, clear vision of what his boys lacked, and where they wanted to go.

Art had a great training outline which he liked and said, “This is exactly what we’re looking for.” He told us we had to sell the idea to the commander of the SENAD, who he reported directly to. Excellent…we thought now we find out who “HE” is.

We’re led into a huge meeting room and seated at the end of a long mahogany conference table. This general walks in and we’re introduced…after the requisite glad-handing and “con mucho gusto” BS, this general in perfect unaccented English asks us, “Why didn’t Wayne come?” Art and I looked at one another and asked, “Wayne who?”

“Downing,”…the general says. “We went to West Point together.” Art and I shared a look and each of us had the look of a ‘no $hit’ on our face. Mystery #1 Solved. We told him that knowing that he’s in charge, we were sure that he’d be down to visit. The general, Marcial Sanmiego was indeed a graduate of West Point and told us to stop back in two days and he’d have some gifts for us to bring back to “Wayne”. He signed off on the training and we were due back there in six weeks (July 4) to start.

On our return to Bragg and the briefing to the USASOC Staff, the very first question was what was going on and who exactly was in charge. Downing was floored and promptly booted the staff out. It was just he, his aide, Art, and I. We spoke for a few moments. Downing told his aide to try to schedule some time for him to visit us during our training. “It is going to be crazy down there, while you’re there,” General Downing said. Indeed, it would.

We left Ft. Bragg on the 4^th of July on a C-141 and it was over 100 degrees. When we arrived in Asuncion, (winter in Paraguay) it was a balmy 32. The unit asked if we could condense the training by two days. In the middle of the schedule, the Paraguayans had their national fair in Asuncion and their SF guys skydive into it each year. They arranged for us to stay at the nicest hotel in the capital.

Also in Paraguay was a team of Air Force Combat Controllers who were working with the Airborne Brigade there and they had numerous C-130s at their disposal. They were some great dudes and we immediately made plans to do some joint parachute training that we had scheduled with our unit and them. Instead of Paraguayan C-47s, we’d jump from 130s.

There was also a Brigade staff from the 9^th Infantry Division there to do a big map exercise with the host nation officers. In other words, a total cluster**ck.

After some good training time in our assigned area down on the border, the time for our national fair break was upon us. General Sanmiego made sure the guests on the top floor of the hotel were booted. It was the 9^th ID staff and they were pissed because they were moved to a fleabag dump to make room for us. Or as the Brigade Commander said, “we have to leave for a bunch of snake eater NCOs?” Life is grand at times.

One night after dinner, the night manager of the hotel stopped us and said we had a message from the Air Force guys. They left a note but he couldn’t find it. But he told us he thought we had to send two guys in the morning to the airport to pick someone up.

Thinking it is General Downing, myself and one of my commo guys Bill set off in civilian clothes to the airport. We get there to see a couple of planeloads of paratroopers loading C-130s for a combat equipment jump. The CCTs (Combat Controllers) were like “Chief WTF! Didn’t you get our message?”

We didn’t need to pick anyone up, the guys needed a couple of jumpmasters because the Air National Guard pilots didn’t trust host nation jumpmasters and wanted an SF guy on each bird since it would a jumpmaster release instead of CARP (Computed Air Release Point) which the CCTs used.

“Where’s the pilot?” I asked? The Air Force 0-6 from the WV ANG was a great guy. “Can I jumpmaster dressed like this” I asked? I was clad in stonewashed jeans (hey it was the 90s), cowboy boots and a black leather jacket. “I don’t know, can you?” he said with a grin. “Son, I don’t care if you do it in a jockstrap, as long as we’re safe and if any of those Paraguayan kids freeze, we do not throw him out, we bring him back in. I don’t want any towed jumpers today.”

So, here are two C-130s loaded with combat-equipped paratroopers and the primary jumpmaster is in cowboy boots and a leather jacket. I donned an air force parachute in case one of the kids knocked me out of the plane and off we go. As we’re taxiing down the runway, I asked the crew chief, “This is probably the absolute height of folly but does anyone have a spare helmet I can wear.

The CCT guys are all laughing their ass off, and I soon found out why. They produced the biggest, ugliest puke-colored gold metallic flecked painted motorcycle helmet. It looked like they got it from the bad guys in the old a-ha video “Take on Me”. To top it off, it would fit over a beachball. It came down to my eyes. Shaking my head, I said, “I can’t wear this…” A resourceful CCT guy produced a few cravats which we stuffed in there so it could be cinched down and was actually almost comfortable.

But one look from the crew chief told me how ridiculous it looked. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Once they opened the door, he couldn’t even look at me in the eye. As I’m going thru my jump commands, one of the CCT guys in the second stick is standing up behind the safety with….a video camera in his hand.

He gives me a big thumbs up and says, “This shit is a classic, you’re buying the beer for the next year after this!” The air force guys are all laughing and a second small video camera appears. It just so happened that the pilot handed his camera off to another CCT operator to film this as well. The subliminal message being that this film was blackmail material forever and ever amen.

Thankfully, our airborne operation went off very well, we had to make four passes over the drop zone as it wasn’t very long. It was at the edge of the base right past the skyscrapers of downtown Asuncion. Needless to say, I’ve never had to wait for the aircraft to pass over six-seven story buildings before putting the jumpers out of a plane before.

Later during an airborne operation that we did with our guys, the CCTs were jumping too and we rigged up General Sanmiego to sit across from the door to film his troops making an airborne op. During the taxi ride out to the end of the runway, the air force cameras appeared again and my Air Force “friends” are showing General Sanmiego the tape of the earlier jump.

“Hey Chief, you looked ridiculous,” the general said. UGH. Indeed.

So if any ex-AF CCT guys ever tells you he has film of an SF guy dressed like James Dean, wearing a friggin’ ridiculous motorcycle helmet while doing jumpmaster duties in a C-130, he may be telling the truth. Because sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. And I witnessed it first-hand.

While my jumpmaster instructors from way back may not have been meaning this particular event when they told us to always be prepared, it served us well I don’t know of many guys who can say they put jumpers out of a C-130 dressed in cowboy boots and a leather jacket. Just another great day to be in 3/7.

SOF Selection PT Preparation 5.18.2017

Thursday is Chest and Triceps day at the gym today to build upper body strength. Then a 4-mile ruck march with 45-pounds minimum. Remember to stay hydrated and 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

4-mile rucksack march (45-pound minimum) over varied terrain, note your time

Stretch well after completion

Iraq Has Islamic State Srrounded, on the Ropes in Mosul

The Iraqi military has turned the tide on the Islamic state in the battle of Mosul. According to their military sources, they have completely surrounded the Islamic State terrorists, who control only about 10 percent of the area in the western part of the city.

Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for the joint operations in Iraq, said Tuesday the militants now control only about 12 square kilometers of land in the Old City following a seven-month U.S.-backed campaign to remove the terrorists from Mosul.
“We reassure everyone that, in a very short time, God willing, we will declare the liberation and clearing of west Mosul and raise the Iraqi flag over the Old City,” he said.
U.S. military spokesman John Dorrian said the IS group is completely surrounded in Mosul and “on the brink of total defeat.”
Dorrian said U.S.-backed military strikes have taken out more than 200 tunnels and more than 1,000 fighting positions used by the IS group.
The battle in Mosul has displaced more than 500,000 people, and it is estimated that 250,000 people are still trapped inside the city by IS militants.

Since the Islamic State takeover in 2014, the terrorists have claimed this area as their caliphate. But the Iraqi army has rebounded and now is beginning to take back their territory.

As their fortunes have taken a step backward, the Islamic State (IS) fighters have begun using civilians as human shields and killing any civilians that attempt to leave the area.

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

Photo courtesy Reuters

Special Operations Forces and Performance Enhancing Drugs: A Slippery Slope

Tampa Bay is hosting the Special Operation Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) this week and the floor of the marketplace is an impressive place to see. Some of the best manufacturers of weapons and equipment are there with their latest wares and it is a maze of cool gear for the cool guys and a ton of other must-have items. Walking around the market place I was searching for a pitchman that looked like Ivan Drago.

In an interview with Defense News, Ben Chitty, Senior Project Manager for Biomedical, Human Performance and Canine Portfolios in the Science and Technology office at USSOCOM said that the command is looking for ways to increase Special Operations troops performance with diet, nutritional supplements and even performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

“If there are … different ways of training, different ways of acquiring performance that are non-material, that’s preferred but in a lot of cases we’ve exhausted those areas,” said Chitty.

SOCOM is looking for ways to enhance performance for troops who’ll be operating in extremes. Those at high altitude or under the water for extended periods of time with no food.

It is a very understandable approach, who wouldn’t want SOF troops that can run faster, and longer distances, carry heavier loads on their backs and perform at peak performance at all times? However, it opens a kind of Pandora’s box. When the command is talking about having nutritionists and athletic trainers on hand akin to what the NFL that is great. But what SOCOM needs to remember is the problems the NFL had/has with performance enhancing drugs.

While those will boost the performance of an athlete/operator today, we’ve seen what the effects are long-term on NFL players. And then, where does it stop?

Chitty’s comments about pushing operators thru pain tolerance, injury recovery and peak performance are fine but there is a fine line that will invariably be crossed. “For performance enhancing drugs, we’ll have to look at the makeup and safety in consultation with our surgeon and the medical folks before making any decisions on it,” he said.

“If there are things in the nutraceutical realm that are available, those are good in the sense that its not a new drug that’s being developed. If the best thing for our folks is a pharmaceutical then we’re interested in understanding what’s the space that industry and academia can provide for us.”

For those who don’t recall, Ivan Drago was the Russian (then Soviet), boxer who took on Rocky Balboa in “Rocky IV”. Filmed at the height of the Cold War in the mid-1980s, it pitted the American underdog Rocky Balboa against a bio-mechanically engineered boxer, one scary looking Ivan Drago.

The temptation is always there and no one is faulting Chitty for trying to do the best for the SOF operators. That’s his job and he’s doing it to the best of his abilities and to the limits of what his office can do. Training at a peak performance thru diet and supplements is fine. But one must hope that they leave the performance enhancing drugs alone.

Our SOF operators already face a tough road, with a tough OpTempo, and a physically challenging job. It takes its toll on their bodies, that many don’t see tomorrow, but years down the line long after their careers are over. Don’t compound it with the long-term effects of using performance enhancing drugs.

There will be the inevitable reaction of some operators…and candidates once this practice becomes the norm. If a little works, then a lot would work more…right? Don’t say it can’t happen because it does, all the time in the NFL. I’ve stood in NFL locker rooms and interviewed players. Are all of them “natural athletes” that have built their bodies that hard work, nutrition with a strict diet and approved supplements? I don’t think anyone believes that.

Then the eventual trickle-down effect will be felt in the Selection and Qualification courses. If a marginal candidate feels that he can’t meet the physical standards, then it won’t be long at all for some to justify using PEDs in order to make the cut.

We tell the candidates right here prior to attending Selection, don’t bring any supplements that aren’t approved by the training staff. The training cadre shouldn’t have to test candidates for PEDs before, during or after the courses begin.

There is no way to gauge what the long-term effects of taking certain PEDs will be to SOF operators down the road. We owe them enough already without having to put another undue strain on them later in life.

Develop better and more effective training methods. Most definitely hire dieticians and nutritional experts to improve the operators’ peak function…naturally. But let’s leave the PEDs alone.

For the young troops gearing up for the Selection courses…don’t get tempted by looking for the easy way to get prepared. Like many things, the devil is in the details. And the price is too high.

Photo courtesy DOD

SOF Selection PT Preparation 5.17.2017

Shoulders and back day in the gym before heading off to do the classic SOF (Special Operations Forces) Triathlon. A run, a rucksack march, and a swim with fatigues and boots. If you can do all three of these things well, you will have the physical aspect for most of the selection courses checked.

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

3-mile Run

3-mile Rucksack march (45lb minimum)

300-meter swim in fatigues and boots

Stretch well after completion

Syrian Forces Claim to Have Taken Damascus Suburb

The forces of the Syrian Army have claimed to have taken parts of a Damascus suburb away from Syrian rebels.

Syrian state-run television has reported the Army has taken a major suburb on the east side of the city, driving out the rebels.

The opposition Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says rebels remain in control of parts of the Qaboun neighborhood, which along with Barzeh and Jobar, formed an arc from the northern to the eastern edge of Damascus.
The Syrian media report says the military recaptured Qaboun Saturday, as the evacuation of adjacent besieged rebel-held neighborhoods was underway.
If confirmed, this increases the government’s security belt around the capital and strips the opposition of another prized territory in the area. Rebels had held onto a number of neighborhoods on the edge of Damascus since the early days of the uprising, representing the most threatening opposition presence near the government’s seat of power.
The evacuation of hundreds of residents of the Barzeh and Tishreen neighborhoods began last week. They were bused out to a rebel-held province in the north following an agreement with the government, emulating previous successful evacuations in other besieged areas that were also criticized as forced displacement.

Meanwhile, Syrian Kurdish rebels have reportedly moved on the de-facto capital of the Islamic state, in Raqqa, capturing a cotton factory that is 2.5 miles, (4 kilometers) north of the city. Kurdish forces say that their plan is to move on Raqqa this summer.

They earlier had captured a strategic dam 25 miles, (40 kilometers) west of the city. There are reports that the markets in Raqqa have closed, giving speculation that the fighting is getting increasingly close to the city.

President Trump has vowed to aid the Kurdish rebels by furnishing them heavy weapons, which has angered the Turks who consider the Kurds terrorists.

To read the entire article on Fox News: click here

Rangers’ Raid on Cabanatuan a Classic Joint Special Operation

Tampa Bay is playing host to the Special Operations community this week as SOFIC is the hub of all things for the SOF world. And the area of operations for the for SOF is the globe these days. One organization being highlighted this week in the US Army Rangers who will celebrate their 75^th anniversary next month. One of their operations from World War II was a classic example of a joint special operations mission that was incredibly planned and executed, the rescue of POWs at Cabanatuan.

The raid on Cabanatuan conducted on January 30, 1945, involved troops from the US Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and the Filipino guerrillas. All would play key roles in the operation.

After the fall of the Philippines and Bataan in the early day of World War II, Cabanatuan was the largest POW camp in the country. At its peak, it held over 5000 prisoners but by the time of the raid, also known as the “Great Raid”, it held just a bit more than 500. The prisoners had survived the Bataan Death March, brutal conditions in the camp as well as disease and malnutrition.

General Douglas MacArthur authorized the rescue attempt when it was feared that the Japanese were planning on murdering the prisoners before the US forces would liberate them. The Japanese had already done so at the Puerto Princesa Prison Camp on the island of Palawan. They herded 150 prisoners into an air raid shelter where they were doused with gasoline and burned alive.

The Plan:
The initial plan set up by LTC Henry Mucci, commander of the 6^th Ranger Bn. had two teams of Alamo Scouts, 14 in all and they would set up a reconnaissance and surveillance detachment on the camp.

Mucci had 120 Rangers from Company C and Company F. They had to march 30 miles behind the Japanese lines to reach the camp undetected to do the assault. The plan was to set up around the camp, put fire on the Japanese guards, eliminating them, rescue the prisoners and get them all back to friendly lines.

The assault was to be led by Captain Robert Prince with 90 Rangers. The support element of 30 Rangers was led by Lt. John Murphy.

The Rangers were bolstered with 200 Filipino guerrillas under the command of CPT Juan Pajota who would serve as guides and support the assault. Pajota’s men set up a roadblock on a bridge spanning the Cabu River to stop Japanese reinforcements from reaching the camp.

The Rangers would have to crawl across open terrain where the Japanese had cleared, to cut down on prisoner escape attempts. To distract the guards, an Army Air Corps P-61 Black Widow buzzed the camp, performing aerobatics and backfiring his engine in an attempt to allow Prince’s men to get in position. During this time, Filipino guerrillas cut the telephone lines to Cabanatuan where the other Japanese forces were.

The Assault:
At 1940 hours Murphy’s men put devastating fire on the Japanese positions and within 15 seconds had neutralized every guard tower and pillbox. One Ranger blew the lock of the gate with a .45 pistol.

The Rangers at the main gate shifted fire in the Japanese guard barracks and the officer’s quarters. Bazooka teams targeted a shed that was thought to have tanks but Japanese soldiers attempting to flee in two trucks were targeted and destroyed.

Prince’s Rangers rushed the compound where the prisoners, fearing that the raid was a Japanese ruse to lure them out to be killed, hid from their American rescuers. But eventually, the prisoners, led by the Rangers made their way to the main gate. Many had to be carried due to their weakened condition.

A Japanese mortar fired three rounds injuring several Rangers and Filipino guerrillas, mortally wounding Ranger Bn. surgeon CPT James Fisher. Murphy’s men from Company F quickly killed the soldier on the mortar.

At the sound of the attack on the camp, CPT Pajota’s guerrillas fired on the Japanese forces from across the river, detonating explosives on the bridge that didn’t destroy it, but blew a hole large enough where tanks or other vehicles couldn’t cross. One guerrilla destroyed four Japanese tanks with a bazooka, having just been trained on its use by the Rangers earlier.

A Japanese flanking force trying the cross the river behind Pajota’s guerrillas was spotted and annihilated.

Prince’s men cleared the camp and he fired a red star cluster to indicate that the last men had left the camp. The Rangers carried and led the POWs to the Pampanga River, where a caravan of 26 carabao carts waited to transport them to Plateros, driven by local villagers organized by CPT Pajota.

Once all of the carts and Rangers had crossed the river, Prince fired a second red star cluster to signal Pajota’s men to withdraw. Mucci radioed the Sixth Army HQs that the mission was a success and that they had all of the POWs safely out of the camp.

The Americans reached their lines at Talavera on January 31, the amount of carts had swelled from 26 to 102 as many of the prisoners found it increasingly difficult to walk. The raid freed 489 POWs and 33 civilians.

General MacArthur wrote about the raid stating, “No incident of the campaign in the Pacific has given me such satisfaction as the release of the POWs at Cabanatuan. The mission was brilliantly successful.” Mucci and Prince were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for their actions. All the other officers and several Rangers received Silver Stars. The rest of the force received Bronze Stars. The fourteen Alamo Scouts received Presidential Unit Citations.

The raid was one of the most successful POW rescue attempts in US military history and serves as a beacon with what would be the joint special operations of today. The Rangers have a history rich in tradition. The raid at Cabanatuan is among their finest moments.

Photo courtesy US Army

SOF Selection PT Preparation 5.16.2017

Tuesday is Leg Day, our favorite, but we’ll begin with pull-ups and towel pullups for those who don’t have access to ropes for climbing. Then a four-mile run

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Towel pullups 10 reps

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

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

4 x Sled push heavier weight

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell lunges

3 x 20 Side planks

4-Mile run

Stretch well after completion

Russian Special Operations Forces Using the US as a Model

The Russian military has been paying attention to the United States use of and training of their Special Operations forces. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Russians are giving the US Special Operations Forces a big compliment.

The Russian are tailoring the use of their Special Operations Forces as well as their equipment after the US model. In many instances, the Russian soldiers are nearly indistinguishable from the US operators.

Like the U.S., the Russian military clearly sees how a small number of these specially-trained and equipped troops can have an outsized influence on the battlefield — particularly against poorly organized, commanded and equipped terrorist forces like ISIS.
On May 10, the Russian military bestowed high honors on 13 members of a special forces unit that reportedly killed 300 ISIS fighters in Syria — that’s an average of 23 EKIA per man.
And by the looks of this video from the Russian Special Operations Forces, Moscow’s commandos have taken a few pages out of Washington’s playbook. From their thumb-over-bore rifle handling, to their Multicam uniforms to their OpsCore helmets and red-dot optics, the Russian special operators have clearly learned the lessons of America’s anti-terrorism experience and applied it to their best trained troops.
“We had a good advantage in terms of armament and equipment, including thermal imaging sights,” one Russian commander said of his troops’ experience in Syria. “All this added to our success.”

The Russian Bear has been paying attention to the US’ involvement in the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. They are convinced of the value of smaller, more versatile, Special Operations teams. And they’re becoming very adept at using their Special Operations troops in Syria. Their level of training and professionalism is rapidly improving. As a potential foe in a conflict down the road, they’ll be a very worthy adversary for any enemy.

To read the Business Insider entire article click here:

Photo courtesy of the Russian Defense Ministry

Airborne & Special Operations Museum to Honor K-9 Warriors

The Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM) in Fayetteville, NC will be honoring a very important part of the Special Operations success in recent years by honoring the K-9 heroes of the military.

On May 29, the ASOM will pay tribute to the canine members of the Special Operations community with a Memorial Day service held in partnership with the Special Operations Forces K9 Memorial Foundation at noon.

“These truly daring and brave dogs often lead their soldier team-members in the most dire conditions to save lives and complete the mission,” said Paul Galloway, executive director of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation. “They’ve given their lives for their country, and we are grateful to be able to honor them on this special day.”
The special guest speaker for the event will be Laura Miller, who served as a veteran technician in the Army for 26 years. Miller is vice president of the SOF K9 Memorial Foundation, which she co-founded in 2010, and is the author of a children’s book, “How I Became a K-9 Commando.”
Following the ceremony, Miller will read from the book in the museum’s video theater. The book tells the story of a Dutch-born pup who becomes a special operations military working dog.

The military began the “K-9 Corps” 75 years ago, but after Vietnam, the use of dogs was curtailed for the mainly law enforcement type of operations. Dogs were used for bomb sniffing, drug detection and for the quelling of riots and/or protests.

Marine Corps Special Operations dog tries on his handler’s helmet prior to an operation. (Photo courtesy US Marine Corps)

But the rise of the use of dogs by Special Operations troops has made them a common sight on the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. There are currently more than 2500 working dogs on duty with the military. Over 700 at any given time are deployed overseas.

These dogs are fiercely loyal, courageous and have saved many operators’ lives during the wars ongoing. Cry havoc…and let slip, the dogs of war.

To read the Fayetteville Observer’s entire article click here:

Photo courtesy of the Fayetteville Observer