7th Special Forces Group

Rucking in Standing Water…Got to Be Smarter Than a Rock

In yesterday’s Special Operations PT Prep workout we scheduled an 8-mile rucksack march which is pretty standard for things here as on our Sunday Ruck we like to put some miles under the pain pill to begin the week off right, long before the sun comes up.

And yesterday was no exception, getting up to let the dog do her business at 4:00 a.m. it seemed like as good a time as any to hit the trail. What the heck, I was up anyway and very tired as I stayed up watching college football and then a film (The Dark Knight) in bed until around 12:30.

So right around the time that the Joker transformed Harvey Dent into grinning caricature thanks to the wonders of CGI, I drifted off into slumberland unaware that in just a couple of hours that a Bulldog will wake me up with a loud snort in the ear (PFFFT!) to warn me that it is time to go outside.

We got up to a soft, steady, drenching rain, which has been the weather the entire fall season in the Northeast. This has been one of if the not the wettest fall seasons I can remember. The ponds are consistently flooding up onto and over the roads. The ground is saturated and each step brings out the water underfoot as it makes the going much slower in most places.

I grabbed my rain jacket, which it isn’t any longer. I’ve had that for so long, I’ve reapplied the water repellency gunk to it so many times it just doesn’t work anymore…Note to self, time for a new Gore-Tex jacket. I put the dog on the leash and grabbed my ruck figuring to just stay out and hit the trail.

The dog wasn’t having any of that so as soon as she deposited some fertilizer for the power company along the power lines she beat feet back for the door. I was on my own. So be it and after about a ½ mile or so, I realized I, in my lack of sleep induced stupor, made a colossal mistake.

Thru force of habit lately I grabbed my waterproof boots and not my Gore-Tex pair. Shit! As I said, we’ve had a very wet fall and my waterproof boots I have worn most of the fall working for my other job which is to cover sports for a local newspaper. It seemed like every weekend was a monsoon and standing on natural grass football fields with my camera, those boots were perfect. There isn’t a lot of walking involved and your feet stay dry and toasty. I also use those for shoveling snow in the driveway as they work quite well for that too.

Rucking, however, is a totally different animal.

You know how we always spout off here about how A.) the cadre at Selection are looking for candidates who can think and make good decisions when they are under stress, tired and hungry? And B.) always have a “good” pair of boots broken in for rucking during the course? Well, even us FOGs are not immune to having a brain cramp of the brain housing group …of epic proportions.

It was a poor decision on both accounts. And a good teaching point, to always have your wits about you. Why? The uninitiated may ask? Well, your feet need to breathe, most especially when you are rucking and even more so when slogging thru wet conditions. Because invariably, some water from puddles etc. or even just the rain hitting your legs and running downhill is going to find its way inside your boots. And guess what? They are just as waterproof from the inside as they are from the outside.

Worse, once you begin to heat up while rucking, your feet, as hard as it is to believe will be generating a tremendous amount of heat, even in these wet conditions. Rucking in a waterproof boot is akin to wrapping your feet in Saran Wrap, submerging them in water for just long enough for the water to totally absorb thru the wrap like wearing a pair of water socks and then holding your feet to a fire and generating a ton of steam.

Right about the ½ mile mark, the haze of sleeplessness wore off in the rain and I felt a wet squishiness in my feet. Double MF. “You idiot,” I thought to myself. “Your feet will not be happy after this.”

After about a mile in, my feet were soaked with sweat and eventually the rain and puddle splashes began to work their way in. After about 4 miles it felt like I was lugging around fish tanks on my feet. Then the inevitable hot spots began to creep in. It was not a pleasant feeling as anyone who has rucked and had hotspots or blisters can attest to.

I walked in the door around 6:30 or so my not-so-rain jacket and boots making this experience a miserable one (but only myself to blame). My wife woke up and padded thru the kitchen to get a bottle of water, still more asleep than awake. “How’d it go?” she asked. I shook my head, “I wore my waterproof boots,” I answered. “Oh that’s good, you should be good and dry.” GRRRRR. With that, she went back off to bed. The Bulldog opened one eye as if to say, “glad I didn’t go.” My feet were pruned like I’d been in the Atlantic Ocean for a week. And they were burning in several spots.

So the moral of the story is, no one is immune to stepping on their crank when they’re tired. Even old SFAS cadre members… I’d say no more late night television, but I know that would be a lie. But I still blame Batman.

Oh, here are those Gore-Tex boots…Live and learn. Everyone makes mistakes, right? I tend to be much more forgiving of others’ mistakes than my own. So, how was your rucking day yesterday?

On a side note, I’m trying to get a pair of those new MACV-1 boots from the GoRuck guys and we’ll test them out and do a product review. Currently, they’re on back order. They are based on the old Vietnam era Jungle Boot. Back in our day, those were our go-to boots for nearly everything. I had tons of them thru the years and with good insoles, they were great field boots.

Whenever we had a road march on the pavement (or several, back to back during certification), I would wear the old Addidas GSG-9 boot or a pair of Jungle boots that I had the hard Panama lug sole taken off and replaced with a softer, thicker walking sole. It looks remarkably like what the guys over at GoRuck are making. Stay tuned.

Photo: The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers

American and Czech SOF Under Investigation For Afghan Detainee Death

Opinion: American Green Berets and Czech forces are under investigation for the death of an Afghan commando who was beaten unconscious and later died while in coalition custody in western Afghanistan. The Afghan commando, Wahidullah Khan was accused of killing a Czech soldier in another deadly insider attack by Afghan troops on the coalition.

While the investigation is ongoing, a team from the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (7th SFG) who helped transfer Wahidullah Khan to the custody of the Czech soldiers was withdrawn from Afghanistan. No one from the U.S. has been charged in the beating of Khan or even if any Americans were involved in it.

The American military “will investigate to determine whether any potential misconduct occurred, and we will hold individuals accountable, as appropriate,’’ Colonel Dave Butler, the spokesman for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan said in a statement.

The Czechs have also denied any wrongdoing. Spokesman Jan Pejsek released an email from the Czech Ministry of Defense, stating that “we strongly deny any such accusations” that Czech troops were involved in Mr. Khan’s death. “There is an ongoing standard investigation regarding the insider attack incident. All respective parties are involved in the procedures,” he added.

According to the preliminary reports, Khan, 19, opened fire on Oct. 22 on a group of Czech soldiers at Shindand air base, in Herat Province in western Afghanistan. This latest insider attack killed Czech Cpl. Tomáš Procházka and wounded two other soldiers.

The Czech Republic has been a frequent target of insider attacks despite the fact that they have only about 400 soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. This was the third insider attack on Czech troops in just the past 90 days. A week prior to the shooting of Cpl. Tomáš Procházka in Herat, several Czech soldiers were wounded when a roadside bomb was detonated near their military vehicle. In August, three Czechs were killed in a suicide bombing outside of Bagram Airfield.

In response to demands from Washington, Europeans, despite their weak support for the war in Afghanistan have increased troops in recent months. Many Europeans were outraged at the way the U.S. detained and interrogated Afghan and Taliban detainees after the 9/11 attacks.

Khan had been a commando for 13 months, joining the Afghan security forces after ISIS had nearly captured the entire province and was selected for commando training, the elite force that is trained by and advised by U.S. and coalition Special Operations Forces.

Wahidullah Khan the Afghan commando who was arrested for an insider attack and beaten to death by coalition forces.

Shortly afterward, Khan was arrested by Afghan troops and was transferred into the Western coalition custody. When he was returned to the Afghans around midnight, he was unconscious, beaten severely about his face and upper body and died a short time later. The NY Times was given a photo of Khan after his death by his family members and it reportedly shows extensive blunt force trauma to his head and face.

Khan’s father reported that his son’s entire body was bruised. His brother said that the family is searching for answers, why he did what he did and what happened afterward.

“Nobody told us what happened,” Hayaturahman Khan said. “Nobody has told us who arrested him, who gave him to the foreigners.” Afghan officials, in a quick attempt at closure and sweeping it under the rug, accused Khan of being a Taliban infiltrator. That, his family has stated is completely false, claiming that he’s never even talked to a Taliban, let alone join their cause.

Other witnesses, including Americans, are reporting that there was some kind of verbal confrontation with the Czech troops prior to the attack.

Insider attacks are an enduring yet horrible fact of the war in Afghanistan. These attacks peaked in 2012, accounting for the casualties of 15 percent of all coalition troops who were killed or wounded in Afghanistan that year. However, this year alone, there have been two insider attacks on Americans killing three and wounding seven. The U.S. in September 2017 introduced a screening process that has since led to the removal of some 300 Afghan commandos from the force. But it hasn’t stopped.

This latest insider attack came just a few days after an Afghan soldier killed police Gen. Abdul Raziq, an American ally, and a national hero in the country. That attack nearly killed the senior American officer in the country, Gen. Austin Miller.

These elite Afghan commando troops conduct the vast majority of the country’s offensive operations against the Taliban, terrorists, and insurgent groups. They are often side-by-side on the battlefield with U.S. Special Operations troops that train them and then accompany them into battle.

Of the 15,000 or so American troops in Afghanistan, most of them relegated to advisory roles out of harm’s way for the most part. But Special Operations units, as they have been since the opening days of the war, which began more than 17 years ago are right in the thick of things.

That is how this latest incident spotlights an issue that ultimately happens in every long, drawn-out conflict. The killing has gone on far too long and when that happens the soldiers become immune and callous toward it and military discipline can break down.

No one is saying that any American or Czech soldier has done wrong here, there isn’t any evidence to support that, yet. However, Khan was beaten into unconsciousness by someone and these incidents are seeming to be reported with much more frequency lately.

The Australian SAS is fighting claims that their operators have committed war crimes. Reports have surfaced from SOF insiders who claim that “unsanctioned and illegal application of violence on operations” by Australian special forces soldiers which extend to a “disregard for human life and dignity”.

Recently decorated Navy SEAL Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher is being charged with war crimes when he allegedly stabbed to death a wounded Islamic State prisoner of war, gunned down unwitting and unarmed civilians with his sniper rifle, bragged about racking up his kill count and threatened to intimidate and publicly out SEAL unit members who complained to superiors and investigators about him.

Allegations have also been made against British Royal Marine Commandos, the French, the Polish as well as other United States troops. Sometimes, mistakes do happen and there was no clear intent on the troops part to murder any innocent civilians. The fog of war can be a devastating and dangerous place, but what happened to Khan, can’t be attributed to the fog of war or a mistake. Someone will have to be held accountable.

This is what also happens when we demonize and dehumanize our enemies. And it is far from a recent phenomenon. The United States has done that in every conflict but it has really taken off in print form since the Spanish American war.

During World War II, American propaganda portrayed the Japanese and Germans as animals so that it wouldn’t be as hard for American troops to kill the enemy. Often the racist stereotypes of the Japanese with thick glasses, buck teeth, and sometimes apelike features would be shown. One particular poster had a Japanese soldier with crossed eyes carrying a limp, naked white woman over his shoulder and was emblazoned with, “This Is the Enemy.”

While our propaganda isn’t doing this to the troops, they’re entirely capable of doing it to themselves after a long, difficult war. Which was why the photo that went viral of U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of the dead Taliban were so shocking to most Americans.

This endless war with constant deployments by our Special Operations troops are fracturing the force. The toll it takes on them physically is well known. But it beginning to affect their professionalism and core values. There are too many of these stories out there to discount them at this point.

When the strain begins to affect the best, most professional soldiers in our military, the time comes for us as a nation to take a long look in the mirror and decide and quickly how to disengage ourselves from this quagmire.

Photos: US Army, Khan family, US Army archives.

On This Day, President Reagan Gives CIA Authority To Create the Contras

Anti-Sandinista Nicaraguan Rebels Would Become a Thorny Issue

President Ronald Reagan did little to hide his disdain for the Marxist Nicaraguan leaders who seized power after the dictator Somoza was ousted. The Somoza family ruled the country with an iron hand for 46 years. Then the Sandinista National Liberation Front, Spanish Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN), overthrew Somoza and ruled the country between 1979-1990.

Reagan was convinced that the USSR (the former Soviet Union) and Cuba were helping in the arming of Communist guerrillas in neighboring El Salvador thru the Sandinista regime of Daniel Ortega. And he was going to turn up the heat on them. Reagan during his administration never shied away from calling out Ortega and the regime for being little Soviet stooges.

At various times Reagan called Ortega a “dictator in designer glasses,” after he learned that he had gone on a shopping spree while visiting the United Nations in New York City.

“Nicaragua today is an imprisoned nation; it is a nation condemned to unrelenting cruelty by a clique of very cruel men; by a dictator in designer glasses and his comrades, drunk with power and all its brutal implications,” Reagan said. He also dismissed the Marxist leader Ortega as “the little dictator who went to Moscow in his green fatigues.”

So, it was no surprise that his administration put a priority on creating an anti-Sandinista force to oust the Marxists from power. On November 23, 1981, the President signed National Security Decision Directive 17 (NSDD-17), a top secret document that gave CIA the authority to identify, recruit, train and support a 500-man Nicaraguan rebel force that would rise against and ultimately oust the leftist, Marxist Sandinista regime.

The Reagan administration was heavily involved with the civil war in El Salvador, however, Congress had strict limitations on the U.S. involvement and to aid to the country. Therefore, the administration was hoping to cut the flow of arms to the FMLN guerrillas in El Salvador, most of which they opined flowed thru Ortega’s borders.

Who Were the Contras?

The forces that CIA would array against Ortega were divided into three main groups.

Right Wing Followers of Somoza- These men traditionally tended to be either from the National Guard forces of the former dictator or his close allies.
Disgruntled Sandinistas- Many of the early Contras were men who fought against Somoza and banded together with Ortega. But after they saw the direction the government was taking after seizing power, they left and joined the resistance. One of these was Edgar Chamorro who would become a key Contra leader.
Ordinary citizens- Many of these didn’t like Somoza and took no direct involvement with the overthrow, but disliked the Sandinistas and joined the forces trying to oust them.

CIA and the Argentine intelligence services worked together on this venture and they first went to Honduras to secure bases for the Contras to train, equip and refit and then the Argentines went about trying to recruit another 1000 rebels in addition to the original 500.

Officially the Contras were not allowed to be in Honduras as an armed force, but the government, worried about their own latent and incipient insurgency, turned a blind eye to the goings on and housed a tent city in at least one location that would easily hold a battalion of troops.

The Contras manning the base had a large base station radio that could communicate with deployed elements inside the country. And twice a day, runners would bring fresh intel reports to the Honduran 6th Infantry Battalion, located in Ojo de Agua.

CIA also covertly brought several hundred fighters to the U.S. and trained them with Special Forces troops of the 7th SFG at Eglin Air Force Base.

The Contras militarily were broken up into three main groups:

The FDN, Nicaraguan Democratic Force (Fuerza Democrática Nicaragüense, FDN) which was composed of mostly National Guard Somoza men. However, the political directorate was comprised of businessmen and anti-Somoza activists. Led by former National Guard Colonel Enrique Bermúdez, the FDN was the most active of the Contra groups and was stationed in Honduras. They received the bulk of American support.
Democratic Revolutionary Alliance (ARDE), commanded by former Sandinista Edén Pastora (Comandante Cero), who fought for the Ortega regime but grew disgruntled over the course of the revolution. His group operated in the southern part of the country until a bomb plot against him forced him to withdraw.
The third group, Misurasata, was comprised of Miskito, Sumo and Rama native peoples of Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast. In December 1981 the Sandinistas, following the Communist playbook, decided to nationalize Indian land. This drove over 10,000 native Indians to relocation centers and several into armed conflict.

Money Cut, Iran-Contra Begins:

Congress never fully embraced the Contras, their aid began at a paltry $19 million dollars. CIA Deputy Director Admiral Bobby R. Inman argued that the $19 million allocations provided little buying power for arms and other materials, saying that “Nineteen million or $29 million isn’t going to buy you much of any kind these days, and certainly not against that kind of military force.” That amount would grow only to about $24 million.

Congress cut aid to the Contras with Boland Amendment, the lifeline for Contra activity was cut, but the Reagan Administration quickly worked around that. Using funding and support from third countries and private individuals, Reagan’s National Security Council raised $36.7 million dollars between 1984-1986. This effort was headed up by Marine LTC Oliver North.

North created an organization called The Enterprise, which was the NSC’s covert operation for the Contras. Enterprise had its own airplanes, pilots, airfield, ship, operatives, and secret Swiss bank accounts. It received extensive support from CIA personnel in Latin America. This operation would have its cover blown and culminated in the Iran–Contra Affair, where the funding of the Contras was done through the proceeds of arms sales to Iran.

The Contras were never a large military force and charges of corruption were rampant inside the organization. They, for years, produced little militarily and were reduced to isolated acts of terrorism. But in late 1987, they clashed with Sandinista forces in large battles in La Bonanza, La Siuna, and La Rosita in Zelaya province that resulted in heavy casualties on both sides.

International pressure to end the conflict resulted in the meeting of five Central American presidents (including Ortega) in 1989. They voted to disband the Contras in return for free elections in February 1990.

During that election, Ortega was roundly defeated by UDN candidate Violetta Chamorro and the Sandinistas were removed from power. The Nicaraguan people were fed up with years of war and were ready for a change. And it began with the directive from President Reagan.

Photos: Wikipedia

“Why Do You Put Such A Premium On Rucking In SOF?”

We frequently get a lot of questions here at SpecialOperations.com about the Selection part of the pipeline, what the candidates for the various Special Operations units in the SOF umbrella must pass. Selection, as we say is just the first step but it is a continuous process and never really ends.

Candidates during Selection will be assessed on their ability to pass the qualification courses and give an idea on how well they’ll fit in the various SOF units. It isn’t an exact science, never was, never will be. Some candidates make it thru the entire pipeline only to fail in the units. That is because the level of training the operators must possess is far above what is required in the courses. Those are just to get your foot in the door. You’ll be assessed all thru your career in every new job, regardless of rank or position.

And one of the biggest discriminators as we’ve said here countless times centers around rucking. And I’ll repeat it here just to refresh everyone’s memory. Rucking is the basis of nearly every training scenario that you’ll encounter in Special Operations. In almost every case, an operator will have some rucking built into a mission.

Which is why I was intrigued by one two-part question I received last week. The person wanted to know “Why do you put such a premium on rucking in your SOF training prep articles?” And the second part which was, “do you believe that all of the SOF units place such a premium on such an exercise?”

I answered with a question of my own which I didn’t get a response but I’ll have to assume it was asked by a person who wasn’t an aspiring candidate of SOF but just a reader who was under some misconceptions.

So, I’ll throw this out there again. It doesn’t matter how good of a shot you are, how fast of a runner you are, how many pull-ups you can do etc. if you can’t handle a rucksack with a ton of “light-weight” gear, then you won’t last long in any Special Operations unit.

I believe some people who read the news or watch videos get caught up in the video game type of action they believe SOF only takes part in. It isn’t just fast-roping on top of a building and taking it down in a matter of seconds before being picked up by helicopters to do it all over again.

There are frequently long bounding movements associated even with direct action missions. And the kit that you see on the pictures and videos on social media, is hardly anything to sneeze at. Compound that with the operators who’ve been operating in the mountains of Afghanistan and you normally operating at above 7500 feet and facing steep terrain.

In Special Forces, back in the day, we used to do regular “certification” for SF ODAs before deployments to ensure that teams could accomplish their mission. It would consist of a couple of days jam-packed with basic SF skill tasks that we’d have to do and then each night doing a long-range movement with rucksacks consisting of 12-18 miles, with the final one being over 20.

If a team member couldn’t make the grade, then he was soon moved out. There just isn’t a gray area there, you can do it or you can’t. It is just that simple and ruthless in its intent.

The Selection courses are dealt with exactly the same, but the added stress is the unknown. You’re going to be tasked with rucking along a prescribed route, but the cadre won’t tell you how far it is or what your time is. Which is why no watches are allowed. The added stress of the unknown is a mind game that is designed to make it even more difficult.

As candidates and as members of the unit, we’d occasionally have the guy turn an ankle here or twist a knee there, and we’d offer a hand up and maybe take their weapon for a short stint. But, and this was especially true in the course if it happened time and again, other candidates would stop lending a hand to the same guy. Why? This is a guy that you may eventually serve on an A-Team with. Is this guy going to be able to do the job on a team? Or will you consistently have to carry his as well as your own weight? Again it is ruthless, but that is how the herd gets culled.

The Selection for Delta Force is exactly the same, the candidates are given map sheets and a point far in the distance and aren’t given a time window in which they’re supposed to arrive. To get a great look at how to pass the Delta Selection, read NEWSREP’s own George Hand who wrote a tremendous series of articles on just that. The first one is right here:

As to the second part of the question, yes other services do the exact same thing. As I’ve written in the past, I was there early in the process (3rd class) when Special Forces began Selection. Back then it wasn’t yet called SFAS, but SFOT which the candidates thought stood for “Special Form of Torture.”

And the truth of the matter is, we stole the entire Selection playbook from the SAS. Nearly all of our SF training today was based on the SAS model. Yes, I know, my Brit friends will never let me forget that little tidbit.

And the SAS really puts a high priority on rucking. The Breeland Beacons in Wales to include the infamous Pen Y Fan and the forced long-range rucksack march which the Brits call “Endurance” shows that they too use that as a prime Selection tool. I can’t speak for our potential adversaries in the case of the Russians or the Chinese, but I’d bet the house that they do things much the same way.

In the 7th SFG, we would normally ruck 2X and run 3X a week during a regular PT week. But that would change on occasion depending on the situation. Most times, just like our runs, we’d start off as a group and then about halfway thru it would an individual movement to the finish.

Rucking is of paramount importance, that is why so many SOF guys in their later years have so many back, knee and shoulder issues…it comes with the territory.

So, who’s going rucking today???? DOL

Photo: US Army

Unleash The Hounds! First Woman Passes SFAS

In a move that is bound to upset the applecart, the first woman has passed Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) at the Special Warfare Center and School it has been announced. Both the Army Times and the Fayetteville Observer have posted articles stating such and the PAO of USASOC LTC Loren Bymer has posted that security concerns for the soldiers in the command preclude any names of the individuals in the course.

“It is our policy to not release the names of our service members because Special Forces soldiers perform discrete missions upon graduation,” said Bymer.

“Recently, a female successfully completed Special Forces Assessment and Selection and was selected to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course, We’re proud of all the candidates who attended and were selected to continue into the qualification course in hopes of earning their Green Beret,” Bymer added.

This groundbreaking development won’t be looked upon as good news with the Special Forces veterans. When it was announced that all Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) were now open to women, the reaction of SF troops both active and retired was decidedly against women joining the ranks. If anything, this will further push the men farther against the idea of women becoming members of the Regiment.

When the news broke around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, we immediately began to scan social media to gauge the reaction and it was about what we expected. Most of the comments centered around that this case was probably more about the lowering of the standards to allow a woman in, in a move of being meeting a quota, than the fact that she actually earned a spot in Selection.

We don’t know any details of the course nor any of the particulars and to rush to judgment at this point isn’t fair to the cadre at SFAS or SWC. And especially to the candidate herself.

Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) is the first step for a prospective candidate to earn the Green Beret and become a member of the Special Forces Regiment. It is considered one of the most grueling selection processes in the U.S. military. Upon successful completion of the Selection course, a candidate is then given a class date for the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC).

Bymer said the selection process involves a continual assessment of each candidate by professional cadre throughout a 24-day rigorous test of mental and physical stamina.

Since SFAS was opened to women several have attempted it but haven’t advanced very far. Also among the rumor mills but as of yet have not been confirmed was that the woman attempted SFAS a year ago and was a non-select but came back to try it again.

Special Forces is the military’s premier unconventional warfare force. Founded in 1952 by Colonel Aaron Bank, he was an OSS (Office of Strategic Services) operative from World War II. OSS was the forerunner of both SF and CIA.

Unconventional Warfare is a very difficult one to master and it takes intense training as both a warrior with the abilities of a diplomat. The founder of OSS General William “Wild Bill” Donovan when asked about the perfect OSS candidate stated, he wanted “PhDs who could win a bar fight.”

We don’t know if the woman who passed SFAS is an officer or an enlisted woman. Regardless, if and when she passes the SFQC things will be very tough for her. Special Forces is a tough place for anyone to break into. New team members will be welcomed on a team but under a microscope. SF guys are a discriminating lot…for weakness.

Guys on A-Teams don’t care what color an operator is, what he calls God or if he even believes in one, what political denomination he is. What they care about is getting the job done and done right. But SF is a Type-A personality-driven place. The vast majority don’t believe women can do the job and a female operator, especially if she is an NCO is going to have a really tough time winning over the room.

If she’s an officer, it will open up other issues. In many of the places that Special Forces operate in the world are the traditional male-dominated societies. Women, especially in the Middle East are not considered equals with men and a woman detachment commander will have a hard time making rapport with our host nation allies in some of these places.

I’ve received a couple of texts already today asking me if I like the idea of women in Special Forces and my answers didn’t exactly fit any of the answers they were looking for. I always ask how many women did the Romans have in their Legions? (Sorry, my forefathers were the ultimate male chauvinists) While I personally don’t care for the idea of women in Special Operations units for the reasons listed above and others, I really don’t have a problem with them serving as long as the standards are kept the same. But the bottom line is this; it is a moot point now. Women are allowed in any branch and any MOS, so all the hand-wringing is a waste of time. That part is over.

As to the standards, every effort has to be made to maintain the same standards that Special Forces has always had. Let the SJWs go find another cause to beat their drum for. Putting someone in a position to get people possibly killed for the point of being “stylish” is ridiculous. And if the SWC has a different set of standards for one group of candidates than another is a way to ruin the Regiment.

Again we haven’t seen anything that says that the standards were altered, despite what the rumor mill is already reporting. We’ll have to wait and see. One thing is for sure…things certainly changed over the past 20 hours.

“May you live in interesting times…”

Photo: US Army

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

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

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

Train For the Long Haul in Special Operations

We have mentioned this not too long ago but it probably bears repeating, especially now that the Selection courses are running and the next batch of candidates are gearing up to attend. You don’t have to be a marathon runner, a professional weight lifter or a bodybuilder to pass Selection. Not every Special Operations trooper is built like an NFL linebacker. That’s not what you’re training for, train for the mission at hand, not the beach.

We frequently get a lot of emails, Twitter DMs and the like asking questions about Selection and how is the best way to prepare. And a lot of guys, too many in fact begin with the fact that they are freaking themselves out by going on social media and seeing pics of stud Special Operations guys, working out in the gym and all tatted up. We get the messages, “I don’t look like that!” or “Do we have to look like this to pass?” etc. Newsflash folks, 99 percent of the guys I went thru the SFQC didn’t look like that and of the small percentage of ones who did, their failure rate was rather high. And the short answer is no, you don’t need to look like a bodybuilder, in fact, you shouldn’t.

We preach the old but tried and true method of training to do the job here. If you are fit to do your job, not only will you succeed in passing Selection but you will be primed for a long, successful career in Special Operations. We publish a daily workout program on SpecialOperations.com that will help our prospective candidates get ready for the rigors and physicality of Selection. And we start with the basics.

But first, I want to clear up some misconceptions about the current Selection Course for several candidates. We received several questions about the Log PT/Rifle PT smoke session that is on video from the Discovery Channel documentary. Many were asking for tips about surviving that little exercise.

Well, first, I’ve heard that the Log PT part of SFAS has been removed or at least curtailed. I heard that the number of injuries that were occurring was too high to justify in the training and assessment. But like anything else, if it is indeed still there, there’s no secret formula, you just have to gut it out.

Functional Fitness is the Goal:

Once again, we need to train as we will fight and have to prepare ourselves accordingly. I recently had an email from a non-combat arms officer who had some questions about getting into the pipeline and of course the course itself. But for his questions on the paperwork required, I reached out to an old friend who I went thru the SF Detachment Officers Course with when he was a Captain, later he commanded a Battalion in combat and later was the SF Training Group Commander. He helped steer the way for this officer to get his paperwork straight and for his preparation, his advice was very simple and clear. “He needs to be a rope climbing, pull-up doing MFer in Selection.” He added that the upper body, shoulder strength, and body core exercises are what get guys thru.

Too many candidates spend too much time on one aspect of preparation and neglect others. As I wrote not long ago, “Remember to keep your eye on the prize. What is your goal here? It isn’t looking like an Adonis strutting on the beach. It is to be a member of the Special Operations Forces. So what does a member of SOF have to accomplish? Learn what the mission entails, which for now all you have to do is know what the physical standards are.”

That’s why we are always testing ourselves with a practice UBRR test in our daily PT prep pieces. You can identify where you’re weak and adjust your training accordingly.

Long Range Durability:

Look, if you work out and become functionally fit for Special Operations, you are going to naturally become overall bigger and stronger..it is the nature of the beast. But will it make you a cover model for Muscle and Fitness? Doubtful. And that isn’t your goal.

Some guys are naturally big and most of the bigger dudes that you’re seeing on those social media pages are guys who are longer termed members of the units and they are still maintaining the core functional fitness but have dedicated the extra time to buff up. But it is in no means a prerequisite.

Longterm durability for SOF is built from building up lower body and core strength, endurance, and pliability. Your lower body is the catalyst where everything you do springs from. That is why we always push Squats, Deadlifts, and the Weighted Sled Push. This builds up the strength and explosion your body needs to carry that rucksack, and constantly hump the mountains of Afghanistan in operations, frequently over 8000-9000 feet.

Pliability is the lengthening of the muscle so it works more effectively and is much less prone to injuries. From a noted sports clinic here up north they preach that “Pliability work turns short, dense muscles into long, soft, and resilient muscles. It gets your body to 100 percent muscle pump function, and keeps it there over time — which is a huge part of achieving sustained peak performance.”

So remember, you are training and have to use all of your focus on the training that you are doing with one specific goal in mind. To accomplish your unit’s mission. Knowing that mission, what it will entail physically is what you’ll need to know on how to tailor that prep work. Your training for Selection will be a bit different, but not radically so from what you’ll do in the units. Train for those and your success will be a much surer thing. Don’t worry about things that don’t have anything to do with mission success or failure.

Keep your eyes on the prize guys, not the mirror. Don’t Quit and Embrace the Suck.

Photos: DOD

Speed Up Your Recovery After the 12-Mile Rucksack March

Our Sunday daily workout piece to help our prospective candidates prepare for Selection featured a 12-mile rucksack march. And hopefully for those that followed it and conducted it, (it was a cold 40 degree, rainy morning here), followed our normal rucksack marching tips. Wearing the correct boots and socks, having the correct and comfortable clothes on with anti-chafing powder, packing your rucksack correctly and having the weight up high where it belongs. Now we’ll talk a bit about recovery.

Back in the day, when I was a young buck and going thru Special Forces training, recovery wasn’t something that we paid any attention to. At best, we’d drink water, eat and take a nap. As we got a little bit older, and our recovery time increased, we got a bit smarter about recovery, but the troops today have much better trainers and training staffs on hand and they’ll help the troops out in what is a very important part of fitness.

We preach here that there are “no days off” and we have to be ready to go back at it first thing in the morning. So now recovery is even more important… and then the nap will feel even better. As we mentioned above, it was cold and rainy here, and that cold and damp plays hell on arthritic joints, but it will put a damper on just about everyone as it tends to take a bit longer to get your speed and pace going. However, it does help with not overheating. Although wearing a lightweight rain jacket this morning, it was almost halfway unzipped allowing plenty of that cool air to stop overheating from occurring.

Rucking, in general, will put some strain on your joints, your knees, back, ankles. But rucking over a longer distance like a 12 or 20 miler increases that stress on your joints and these techniques will help speed your recovery time.

Feed the Beast:

While you should be drinking water throughout the ruck march, and with our Camelbak system we were doing just that, you need to eat soon after finishing. Everyone is different and your body may not react well to food or different things going into it so soon after exercise.

As soon as possible, preferably less than 30 minutes from completion of the ruck, down a protein shake. My trainer tells me that your body is depleted and hungry for nutrients to replace what was burned up during the three hours or less of the ruck march. By introducing a protein shake it stops your body from introducing cortisol into your system.

After that, eating a meal, if your body allows it is preferred. I’m always ravenous after a long ruck march. But everyone is different.

Ice Bath or Cold Tub:

While some recommend that you jump right into a cold tub as soon as the ruck march is over if you are like me, you have to shower first. I hate getting into a tub, hot or cold without having a shower. On Saturday, I bought three bags of ice from the liquor store and as soon as the shower was done, I filled the tub with cold water and dumped the bags of ice in there.

My bulldog has been conditioned to know that when the bathtub is getting filled it is HER bath time. So, with all the subtlety that bullies are known for, she burst into the bathroom using her head to push open the door and was contemplating diving in on top of me until she noticed the ice. Sticking her snout in for a second, with a quick shake of her head, she nixed that idea and promptly padded out…Bitch didn’t even close the door.

However, all it takes is about 10-20 minutes of the ice bath to reduce any inflammation in your muscles and helps ease those sore shoulders, hips, and knees from rucking. I did save two cubes for a medicinal glass of Single Barrel Jack …although that part isn’t what the docs would call smart. Ah well.

Foam Roller and Lacrosse Ball Time:

One of the best things my trainer ever introduced me to was the foam roller and a lacrosse ball. I was never a believer in either until I tried them and they help immensely. They help to get everything back in line after the strain of the rucksack compressing your lower back, hips, and shoulders.

I start with the lacrosse ball under my lower back and do some slow crunches and sit-ups. Eventually, I move the lacrosse ball up between my shoulder blades and during the sit-up motion, I extend my arms out, that will stretch out the shoulders.

The foam roller works wonders at getting your lower back, rib cage area and upper back/shoulders stretched back out and feeling like everything is back to where it needs to be. All of the compression of the ruck march is erased in just a few short minutes.

Stretching It All Out:

The last thing we do is a nice, slow stretch which really helps out after a long-range movement. Most people, myself included, feel shoulder fatigue, or sagging after a ruck. That is completely normal and once you get in Special Operations and begin carrying those ridiculous amounts of “light-weight” gear, you will too.

I begin with a shoulder shrug/stretch. Stand up straight pull your shoulders back and rotate them up and down. That will help loosen them up after being pulled down with the weight of the rucksack. And then open your arms wide, almost like a Predator pose and stretch your shoulders out wide. Keep your chest up and pull your shoulders back.

I then do some standing calf stretches and then finish it off with glute and hip stretches that always feel like they get everything back in line.

These are the things I wished I did back in the day, it may have helped many of the aches and pains I suffer from today. But they will definitely aid in speeding your recovery times. Remember that while in the Selection course, your recovery/downtime is liable to be much shorter if not almost non-existent.

But this will help you in your quest to get prepared for the rigors of the Selection course that will follow. And soon after the long ruck marches, you’ll be ready to go do it all over again. Now, I’ll finish this and head over to the easy chair and ice my aching knees. Whoever said, aging gracefully is a given? DOL, Happy Rucking.

Photo: US Army