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Adam Brown: A SEAL’s Life of Courage and Redemption

An Odd Question

A while back, I was asked a somewhat unusual question on Quora, the quasi-social media question-and-answer site. It was, “Have any former crack addicts ever been on SEAL Team Six?” There was just one that I’m aware of, and his story is nothing short of amazing. When you hear this man’s story, at some points, you are proud of him, and at other times you are in disbelief at how self-destructive he once was and how much it hurt those who loved him. You’re in awe of the enormous obstacles he overcame to be one of the most elite warriors in the world when 99.9999% of others would have quit and felt sorry for themselves. You hear his story, and you laugh because he was a funny man, a big goofy kid at heart who wasn’t afraid to be himself in front of anyone. But, on the other hand, you feel pathos mixed with anger when you learn what happened when his demons would get the better part of him. Waves of sentimentality sweep over you as you read the heartfelt journal he wrote to his young children during his deployment to war zones.

Had I not known that he was a true story, I never would have believed it. I probably would have laughed at the implausibility of all of it. But the story is accurate, and so is the pain and pride people feel when they remember the life of a man named Adam Brown.

Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Adam Brown. Image courtesy of Facebook

I never had the honor of meeting Adam Brown, but after learning about what kind of a man he was, I feel that this photograph conveys a good image of what he was like. There were many images to choose from, but I kept returning to this one. Adam Brown was a walking contradiction: an incredibly loving husband and father who used to help teach his kids Sunday school class by pretending to be animals from Noah’s Ark, a battle-hardened Navy DEVGRU (aka SEAL Team Six) warrior and veteran of multiple deployments…and he was also a recovering crack cocaine addict.

It was Adam’s wish that someone would share his story with the world if he were killed in action. He wanted to be sure that his story would include (along with his heroic actions and successes) his multiple failures and his battle with addiction.

Adam was a pleasant young man who always respected his elders and would go out of his way to help other kids his age who were being bullied, even though he was on the small side. He was a nearly straight-A student in high school and a star player on his Hot Springs, Arkansas, champion football team. As one of his coaches said, “Brown wasn’t the biggest player, but he always had the most heart.”

He was a “please and thank you, yes sir, no sir” kind of adolescent that his parents could trust not to get too out of control while others his age were out doing stupid things that could have gotten them hurt or in trouble the law. That’s not to say Adam was quiet and reserved. His peers said he could be a “madman.” The climax of his daredevil days as a youth in Hot Springs was when he jumped out of the back of a moving truck as it sped across a bridge. Adam fell about 50 feet until he hit the dark river below. He mimicked a scene from the Charlie Sheen movie, “Navy SEALs.” Adam Brown, much unlike the rest of us, had no fear.

Down the Wrong Path

Sometime after beginning college, he became re-acquainted with an old girlfriend, Cindy, who had since gone on to develop an unfortunate drug habit. Adam, who up until that time counted southern whiskey as his strongest inebriant, through the prodding of his girlfriend, agreed to try crack cocaine. He later recounted that one time was all it took to get him hooked. Before long, it was all he wanted and all he could think about. He dropped out of college and spent all his time hanging out in crack houses with his newfound loves.

After a while of being high all day, every day, he switched from smoking the drug to injecting it directly into his veins. He began to add meth to the mix. When he attempted to quit, he would tell those trying to help him that the drug “called to him.” For the longest time, he could not, or would not, resist the call.

Rock Bottom

Then, as all addicts eventually do, he hits bottom. Cindy, his constant companion, left him. He became so discouraged that one New Year’s Eve, high out of his mind on crack, he began repeatedly stabbing himself in the neck with a knife. Finally, a friend found him passed out in a pool of his own blood and called 911. The police arrived along with emergency personnel and discovered that Adam had active felony warrants for his arrest due to drug-related charges. Before long, he was in jail, facing 11 felony charges. One was for the theft of a handgun.

Previously his father would bail him out and pay hefty fines when Adam wound up in jail. Not this time. He was left to face up to what he had become. During his hearing, the judge must have seen something positive in young Adam because he let him choose between a jail sentence or a year-long stint in drug rehab at a highly regimented Christian-based drug treatment program by the name of Teen Challenge. Adam decided against going to jail. At the program, he had a spiritual awakening that would last the remainder of his days. He turned his life over to God and asked Him to point to the path he was supposed to take.

After he finished his year at Teen Challenge (despite the name Adam was now in his early 20s), he met a beautiful young woman who would eventually become his wife. Her name was Kelley Trippy. Kelley shared Adam’s strong Christian beliefs, and their time together was bliss for a while. However, she had known about his past and always kept it in the back of her mind. One day it was moved to the front when Adam didn’t show up for a date. Adam had never been late before. Kelley began looking for Adam and found him, foul smelling and disheveled, sitting on the floor in a local crack house.

Adam and Kelley. Image courtesy of Pinterest.

Adam promised never to do it again….but he did…over and over. Finally, Brown needed direction, and it was fast, or Kelley vowed to leave him for good. His search for direction led him to a US Navy recruiting office. The father of one of Brown’s very best friends growing up was a high-ranking Naval officer. His buddy was going into the Navy as an aviator, so Adam thought he might also give the Navy a shot.

A Fortunate Navy Connection

Everything at the recruiter’s office went well until they got to the part of the interview where Adam was asked if he ever did drugs and if he had ever been arrested. Brown was very candid with the recruiter, who was taken aback and asked him if this was some joke. Surely a recovering crack addict who had been arrested on 11 felony charges didn’t think the Navy would accept him.

The story would have ended there, but Adam noticed a photo of his childhood friend’s father hanging in the office. It turns out he was the highest-ranking officer in that recruiting district. Brown pointed to the picture, “Give him a call; he’ll vouch for me.” After a lot of convincing, the recruiter grudgingly made the call. The officer, remembering the well-mannered, level-headed Brown of his youth, said he would vouch for him. “Treat him as if he were my own son,” he said. The required waivers were signed, and Adam Brown was in the Navy.

Adam and Kelley were secretly married in a civil ceremony before he left for boot camp. He was allowed to report with only the clothes on his back and five dollars cash. Kelley wouldn’t let him take the cash because she felt he might be tempted to look for drugs if he had money.

Not being the kind to want to be stuck on a ship out to sea for months at a time, Brown looked for a more adventurous assignment. He thought about a movie he watched in high school, Navy SEALs, and said, “I’ll do that.” From then on, Adam Brown achieved almost everything he put his mind to. He was one of the few to remain in the SEAL candidate training that ran concurrently with his boot camp.

He was accepted into BUD/S and completed the tortuous training and Hell Week with no trouble. In the dive phase of his SEAL training, he found problems he couldn’t immediately overcome, so he was recycled into the next class. He made it past the dive phase with no issues on the second go around.

Always Cut Away From Yourself

He was assigned to SEAL Team FOUR at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, right outside Virginia Beach. This is where he earned the nickname “Blade.” Immediately before a training mission, he used his knife to cut away a zip tie binding some gear together. He pulled towards himself with all his might; the zip tie gave way, and the blade stuck him right between the eyes. Bleeding profusely and most definitely in need of medical attention, the new SEAL covered his wound with a cloth and insisted he was fine and that there was no need to hold up the mission. Hours later, after participating fully in the successful training mission, Brown was taken to the Emergency Room due to his lost blood volume. He received a few stitches. Adam Brown never was one to put his own needs before that of the mission. Ever. His superiors realized this, and he was always considered to be at the top of the heap when evaluations of new SEALs were performed.

Brown certainly had his share of obstacles to overcome. One of them was just plain bad luck. During a room-clearing exercise when his Team was using simulation rounds tipped with red paint, one of the rounds impacted Adam’s face and caught him right in the corner of the eye just as he turned his head. Unfortunately, it completely missed his safety glasses. Despite numerous surgeries, his mangled eye eventually had to be removed.

This might be tough for some of you to look at, but buck up; it wasn’t you that was shot in the eye. Look closely, and you’ll see that on the prosthetic is the mascot of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Adam’s favorite football team. The man even handled the loss of an eye with a smile on his face—an image courtesy of Twitter.

With this type of injury, he could have chosen to ask for a medical discharge, where he would have received money from the government for the rest of his life. Did he choose that road? Hell no, Adam Brown instead applied to SEAL sniper school. Keep in mind this was his dominant eye that he lost. He now had to retrain himself to shoot left-handed using his off-eye. In a school where everyone else has two eyes and half still washed out, one-eyed Adam Brown not only passed but ended up second in his class.

Some of the instructors for the East coast based SEAL Teams were members of DEVGRU, better known as SEAL Team Six (or just STS). One of these elite Operators was to become Adam’s mentor. Always wanting to push himself further, Adam decided that he too wanted to be a DEVGRU Operator. Why? Because they are the best of the best, joining their ranks would be a huge challenge.

Adam applied for and was eventually granted a training spot at Green Team (the DEVGRU selection process). However, there was one issue; at this point, Brown was still undergoing procedures on his eye to regain some vision. Because of this, his superiors wanted him to wait a year before joining Green Team. In the meantime, Adam was deployed to Afghanistan.

While in Afghanistan, he was involved in a freak accident when two US military convoys, traveling in different directions at a high rate of speed on a narrow road, collided with one another. There was a ton of dust being kicked up in both directions. This disoriented one of the drivers who accidentally clipped the front end of the Humvee in which Adam was riding. Brown had his right hand on the window frame at the time, and as his vehicle rolled over three times, it smashed his fingers, leaving them hanging on by only a few tendons. Ignoring his injuries, he helped tend to others injured more seriously than he was. His fingers, now wrapped in a lump of bloody gauze, insisted on pulling security until every other man was aboard the CASEVAC helicopter.

He called Kelley and casually told her he had an accident and would be coming home a bit early. After a flight to Germany for emergency surgery, he was on his way back to Little Creek. When it came time for more surgery, Adam insisted on a local anesthetic so he could remain awake and watch the entire procedure.

During the healing process. Image courtesy of Quora.

This was in December 2006, and Green Team was scheduled to begin in June. Now both his dominant eye and his dominant hand were messed up. A month after surgery, Adam started to retrain himself to fire both his carbine and his pistol with his left hand. Adam’s biggest concern at this point was how he would handle CQB (Close Quarters Battle) drills, where lightning-fast reactions are needed to successfully clear rooms and react to threats.

The Green Team instructors understandably had great skepticism about whether a man with one eye and recently surgically reattached fingers (on his dominant hand, no less) could pass a course where only the top 2% of SEALs were accepted and half of them failed. In addition, there was concern that Brown might pose a safety hazard because so much live ammunition was used in training. Still, after reviewing his exemplary record once more, the leaders of DEVGRU decided to give him a chance.

To compensate for his diminished peripheral vision due to his missing right eye, Adam had to “keep his head on a swivel” and constantly move it from side to side. Even though his right hand had been crushed and his fingers reattached only months earlier, Brown shot flawlessly.

Adam Brown had accomplished what nearly everyone thought was impossible; he passed Green Team and became a DEVGRU Operator. He was shortly after that assigned to the Gold Squadron (one of DEVGRU’s four assault squadrons), nicknamed the Knights.

Members of the Gold Squadron display their unit flag. Their military working dog, front and center, also made it to the top of the mountain—an image courtesy of Quora.

On February 5th, 2010, Chief Special Warfare Operator Adam Brown celebrated his 36th birthday at home with his wife and two elementary school-aged kids (Nathan and Savannah), enjoying his favorite birthday cake flavor, cookies and cream. The children were excited to give their daddy his present, and Adam unwrapped it carefully. He smiled broadly when he opened the box to see an adult-sized pair of Batman underwear. Their dad was their superhero, and this was their way of proving that to him. “I love them!” he exclaimed. Then, he took a knee so he could get down to their level, and he made a promise to his children.

“I promise these are going to be my undercover underwear. I’m going to wear them on every op I go on”.

He lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper and continued, “Nobody will ever know of my superhero capabilities.” Overhearing this, Kelley called him a dork, and the kids cracked up laughing.

February 26th was Adam’s day to report for his deployment to Afghanistan. Early that evening, the family shared dinner at Chili’s. Immediately after dinner, it was off to the base, where they would say their goodbyes. Leaving your wife and children, knowing there is a fair chance you will never see them again, is an unspeakable mixture of sadness and pain. The kids tried to be brave, but inevitably the tears started streaming down their little faces. Finally, Adam turned to his 10-year-old son and told him, “This is the last time, buddy, last time.” He picked up his daughter, gave her a big hug, and told her, “Bye, little baby; it’s all fine.” Then, putting Savannah down, he turned to Kelley, “You come home,” she said. “I promise,” Adam replied. They shared a final kiss, and Kelley felt strongly compelled to have the gate guard snap a quick family photo. It is shown below.

The final Brown family photo. Image from Pinterest

Late in the afternoon of March 17th, Chief Brown attended that evening’s mission briefing. It was a typical DEVGRU mission, a high-value target in an extremely dangerous remote environment. The mission aimed to kill or capture a high-ranking Taliban leader code-named Objective Lake James. James and his men had been responsible for the deaths of several American soldiers who manned a nearby Forward Operating Base.

While in the meeting, Kelley tried to contact Adam via Skype. “Hi, Sweetie,” she wrote. She waited for a while for a reply, but there was none. Unfortunately, this was not uncommon, as Adam and his Team remained quite busy. So Kelley went about her business.

When night fell, Adam and his fellow SEALs boarded MH-47 Chinook helicopters operated by the Army’s 160th SOAR for their commute to work. The mountains of the Hindu Kush can be pretty treacherous, and it wasn’t a surprise to the Operators when they heard the choppers would not be able to land. Instead, the SEALs would have to fast rope in and walk a few kilometers to their accurate intel told them they were holed up in a small village.

After reaching the village, everything went according to the book until a Taliban sentry must have heard a noise that caused him to raise his weapon and place his finger on the trigger. Feeling he was about to be fired upon, a SEAL only thirty feet away from the enemy soldier took him out with a suppressed weapon. Then, seeing the man next to him suddenly drop dead, another Taliban sentry began spraying bullets into the darkness. The fight was on.

Before long, the SEALs found the building that recent intel told them housed Objective Lake James. Shots were coming from one of the structure’s windows, but no one could tell immediately precisely where they were coming from. Adam caught a glimpse of the shooter and relayed that info back to his Team. Wanting to eliminate the threat as soon as possible, a fellow SEAL asked over the radio, “Can anyone get a grenade in there?”. “I got it,” came the reply from Adam Brown. Adam could always be counted on to step up and take care of business. The window was beyond throwing distance, so Adam decided a 40 mm grenade launcher was in order.

Unfortunately, positioning himself to get the grenade to its intended target meant he would have to leave his cover position. Only 10 minutes had passed since the assault began. As he moved forward to get a good angle, shots rang out from his left flank. Adam cried out in pain. He had been shot through both legs. Adam gestured to where he heard the images and told his teammates, “They’re over there.” Again, he winced in pain, pointing towards a barn. “In there.” Realizing they were spotted, the men in the barn rained down bullets in Adam’s direction. He was hit several times on his left side. Some rounds made their way between the plates of Adam’s body armor. Only then he conveyed to his Team the code word signifying that an American was down. Two of Adam’s brothers rushed to his aid, one being shot through the wrist. Once they got to his position, they lifted their badly wounded Teammate, all 250 pounds of him, including his gear and weapons, and dragged him to safety.

A Corpsman was summoned, and he found Adam bleeding profusely. He had been shot multiple times under his left arm and through his abdomen. Surveying him for other possible wounds, the Corpsman cut off Adam’s pants. His Teammates stopped in their tracks for a second; there they were, the Batman underwear his kids had bought him for his birthday, in place just as promised. By this time, two fellow SEALs were keeping pressure on Adam’s wounds the best they could. “Hang in there, buddy!” they implored. “I’m okay, I’m okay,” Adam replied as he closed his eyes. Adam Brown had died.

Chief Special Warfare Operator Adam Lee Brown was buried in Cunningham Cemetery in Garland County in his beloved Arkansas. Kelley and the children moved back to Hot Springs, and the kids were enrolled in Lake Hamilton Elementary School, walking the same hallways Adam did when he was a child, according to his final wishes.

A few weeks after settling into their new home in Hot Springs, Kelley was up at night unable to sleep. So she began looking through a box of old papers when she spotted something she had never seen before. It had been handwritten by Adam at least nine years earlier.

He wrote:

I’m lying here about to sleep, and all I can think about is how awesome my life is with you and Nathan, and I was thinking, what if something happened to me this week and you never really knew how much I love you, and how I love being married to you, how much I love my life and how awesome it is to be NaNa’s father. You are the greatest, purest, sweetest, and most beautiful woman I have ever met, much less I get to be your husband…Nathan holds a place in my heart that is unexplainable and that I did not know existed until he came into our lives…May he always know that the greatest man on Earth is Jesus Christ, may we always show him that. I am so blessed; it makes my blood burn with a completeness and happiness I have never had. You are so precious. Although I miss you so deeply, the Word says, ‘This is the day the Lord made; let us rejoice and be glad’…

With Love Through Eternity,

Adam

A final farewell to an American hero. Image courtesy of Quora.

Postscript

This is Adam and Kelley’s daughter, Savannah, at her 2020 graduation. With the help of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, she’s attending the University of Arkansas. He would be so proud.

Savannah Brown in 2020. Image courtesy of Twitter and Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

In other news, Jason Hall, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of American Sniper, has signed on to write the screenplay for a film based on Adam Brown’s life. It will be an adaptation of Eric Blehm’s bestselling book, Fearless. Andrew Erwin is set to direct.

Naval Special Warfare Community Mourns Loss of SEAL Team One Commander

SEAL Team 1 commanding officer Robert “Bobby” Ramirez was found dead in his San Diego area home on December nineteenth at the age of forty-seven. He is survived by his wife, Anne, and their four children. Naval Special Warfare Command officials have announced in a statement that there is no suspicion of foul play in the high-profile SEAL’s death. However, an investigation by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department remains ongoing. His cause of death has not been immediately disclosed.

Ramirez is pictured here with his wife, Anne. Image courtesy of Facebook/Anne Ramirez

Accolades & Rememberance

Captain David Abernathy, Commander of Naval Special Warfare Group 1 (who oversees all four Coronado-based SEAL Teams), said in a statement to Navy Times, “Bobby was an outstanding leader, devoted husband, and father, and a good friend to us all. This is a devastating loss to our community and all who knew him. We will remain in support of Bobby’s family, friends and teammates during this extremely difficult time.”

Ramirez enlisted in the Navy in 1996 and was commissioned as an officer in 2004. In 2019 he was promoted to the rank of Commander. He had only been in command of Team 1 for one month at the time of his death, having arrived at the unit in June from his last assignment with the Seventh Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan. In his 27-year career, Ramirez was awarded three Combat Action Ribbons and five Bronze Stars, two with “V” devices for valor.

The late Commander attended recruit training in Great Lakes, Illinois, shortly after his enlistment, followed by Combat Systems school in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His next move was to Coronado, California, where he went through Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in 1997.

Commander Ramirez and his family with the children’s faces not shown for the sake of privacy. Image from Facebook/Anne Ramirez

Following BUD/S, Ramirez was assigned to an East Coast SEAL Team, where he stayed until 2001 when he became a student in the Seaman to Admiral Program at Old Dominion University in his native Virginia. After his 2004 commissioning, he saw combat in multiple theaters across the globe, including Iraq (where he was deployed four times) and Afghanistan (where he was deployed twice). He worked his way up the SEAL ranks and attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

In addition to the awards noted above, Ramirez was also a recipient of the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, two Good Conduct Medals, and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

Other Recent Command Losses

Ramirez was the second SEAL team commander to die in just over the span of one year. Commander Brian Bourgeois, who led SEAL Team 8, fell to his death during a fast rope training evolution on December fourth, 2021. He was forty-three years old and had spent almost half of his young life (20 years) in the Navy. The decorated combat veteran fell approximately 40 feet from an Army Black Hawk helicopter on the 4th, was taken to a local hospital, and succumbed to his injuries on the 7th with his family by his side.

Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) took charge of the accident investigation because the aircraft involved in the mishap belonged to and was being operated by the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), also known as the Night Stalkers. Factors involved in Commander Bourgeois’s death included communications issues with the aircraft, an early release of the rope that the SEAL was using to descend into the target area, and, according to special operation officials, “a lack of adequate communication between the aircrew and the partner ground force.”

In a review of the accident, USASOC spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Michael Burns said, “USASOC has taken several steps to prevent future events of this nature, including rewriting multiple procedures to ensure both aircrew and partner ground force take appropriate steps to ensure communication is clear and safety remains an utmost concern for all.”

A 2001 graduate of the US Naval Academy, Bourgeois was selected as a Surface Warfare Officer before he attended BUD/S and became a graduate of class 253. He went on to earn his master’s degree in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School. He left behind a wife and five children.

Navy SEAL Training Pipeline Pathways

Special operations forces attract a special breed of soldier. The true SOF hopeful is precisely focused, tirelessly motivated, and fully committed to their goal. Whether trying to secure Navy SEAL Hell Week, make it through Army Q Course, or push through the lengthy Air Force “Superman School,” the SOF candidate is defined by an urge to join the ranks of America’s most elite fighting forces. The relatively small number of officer billets in these communities makes the pool of applicants vying for them all the more competitive. Especially for special operations communities that can be directly entered without years of military service, like the Navy SEALS, the melee for an officer spot is fierce. This accessibility makes their selection all the more ruthless and raises concerns about which qualified SEAL candidates get the nod for a shot at BUD/s. Excluding the unicorn lateral transfer, SEAL officer candidates come from three main pools: the US Naval Academy, Officer Candidate School (OCS), and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs at conventional colleges.

The Academy is expectedly to be a powerhouse for producing qualified candidates. It’s no secret that most of the Navy water polo team has their sights set on becoming SEALS, or they very often reach that goal. At an institution organized around creating model naval officers, it’s not a surprise that the students (especially the student-athletes) at the Academy are strong contenders for limited SEAL officer spots at BUDS. USNA gives them all the support they can, from SEAL-specific workout groups to special warfare-specific mentorship. When the Academy guys show up at SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection (SOAS), the final two-week “boot camp” filter before officially entering the SEAL training program, they often excel among their peers from other commissioning pathways.

A high school wrestler challenges a member of the special warfare community to a race up the cargo net at the Navy SEAL Accelerator during the National High School Wrestling Championships at the Virginia Beach Convention center. The accelerator offered high school wrestlers from around the country the opportunity to see some of the career choices the Navy has to offer. (Source: US Navy)

That’s not to say that becoming a SEAL officer is hopeless if you’re not coming from the Academy. Pathways to the commission, like OCS or ROTC, offer advantages and a unique group of qualified candidates. For one, not everyone can get into the Academy. The application process is complicated, requiring high school applicants to earn an elusive congressional nomination, sit for an interview, and complete a lengthy online form. For another, only some people who hope to be a SEAL want to attend the Academy. Four years at a military school is not for everyone. The intense 12-week OCS course attracts candidates with college degrees who want to enter the NSW pipeline as soon as possible. ROTC provides the option for a traditional college education and experience as a candidate prepares to join the Navy. The flexibility of OCS or ROTC appeals to those unable to attend the Academy or those uninterested in attending a service academy (think of the Ivy League rower-turned-SEAL trope). There’s a case to be made for the diverse perspectives developed in experiences outside of the structured USNA system, be they from a “normal” college experience or civilian OCS candidates. SOF prides itself on creativity and adaptive problem-solving. The Academy produces qualified, even overqualified, candidates but can impress upon them a rigid, uniform approach to being a naval officer.

San Diego-area high school students participate in log physical training during the third annual Navy SEAL Invitational hosted by the Navy SEAL & SWCC Scout Team. The Scout Team provides mental and physical training for different athletic teams with the goal of creating awareness for careers in Naval Special Warfare. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Conor Minto/Released)

Regardless of the commissioning pathway, all future SEAL officers must make it through SOAS and, more importantly, BUDS. Anecdotally, a similar number of Naval Academy, ROTC, and OCS prospects are invited to SOAS to earn their spot in a future BUDS class. Naval Academy candidates, however, are usually the largest group. This makes sense if you acknowledge that these individuals have spent four years with a singular focus on becoming the best naval officer, and SEAL candidate, as possible at an institution designed to help them fulfill this vision. But it risks underemphasizing the advantages of the other candidate pools. ROTC candidates, if they lack quite as scrupulous a military bearing as their Academy peers, benefit from the creativity of a diversely spread education, especially those candidates from our country’s prestigious universities. An applicant motivated and competitive enough to gain admission to an ROTC program at a top university clearly has the ambition and talent needed in NSW. OCS candidates come from countlessly varied backgrounds, with professional expertise and real-world experience that can improve their decision-making as naval officers. Think of the Olympic athlete who turns to the military. Candidates commissioning from sources outside the Naval Academy should, of course, be assessed relative to their qualified Academy peers, but not in a way that dismisses or marginalizes their mismatched makeup.

Diverse thought benefits NSW and SOF in general. Reevaluating NSW’s criteria for selection and what candidates these criteria favor ensures NSW keeps talent on the table when developing its leaders. The Naval Academy can and should be relied upon for model NSW candidates, but not at the expense of alternative commissioning routes.

***

Author Bio

Cole Black grew up in San Diego, CA, and is currently attending Yale University. He is a sophomore pursuing a History major with a focus on War and Society. Cole grew up with three brothers. His father is a former Navy SEAL. Cole hopes to pursue a commission as a naval officer after college.

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Medal of Honor Recipient Home Safe and Sound

Red Wings

By now, most people know the story of “Lone Survivor.” The tale of a SEAL mission in Afghanistan gone wrong has been told in a bestselling book, a well-known movie starring Mark Wahlberg, and in countless interviews with the Lone Survivor himself, Marcus Luttrell. At the time it happened 17 years ago (hard to believe it’s been that long), it was the greatest loss of life in one day in the special operations community. We lost 11 SEALs and 8 Night Stalkers.

This piece isn’t to rehash the actions of that day back in June of 2005 but to tell the story of another day a few weeks later. It’s a much more private and seldom told story, although it did appear in the book SEAL of Honor: Operations Red Wings and the life of LT Michael P. Murphy as told by Murph’s parents, Dan and Maureen.

Medal of Honor recipient (posthumously) Michael P. Murphy. US Navy photo (RELEASED)

A Little Background

LT Micheal P. Murphy led the four-person SEAL recon element of Operation Red Wings. Murph was an honors graduate of Penn State University and had been accepted to law school when he decided to become a SEAL. At first, his father, Dan, a Navy veteran wounded in Vietnam, was against his oldest son’s decision to join the military. He did not want to see him go through the pain and suffering that he did due to combat. But, in time, the elder Murphy came around when Michael explained how it would be far worse for him to spend years behind a desk wondering, “what if? “.

After a lengthy firefight, and when every team member had been wounded and needed care, Murphy left his cover and concealment in favor of an area where he could get a clear satellite signal to call in a quick reaction force. Ever the gentleman, even while taking rounds, Murphy was sure to say “thank you” as he ended his last call.

Memorial Service and Burial

On the fourth of July, 2005, a US military recovery team found LT Murphy’s remains. He was returned to the United States. Nine days later, on the thirteenth of July, Murph was buried with full military honors at Calverton National Cemetary, Calverton, New York, Section 67, grave number 3710. This is fewer than 20 miles from his childhood home.

Murphy’s fiance Heather holds a folded American flag presented to her during Michael’s service as she is comforted by her mother (left) and his parents, Dan and Maureen (right). Screenshot from New York Daily News.

A Memorable Phone Call

It had been a long, trying day. At the end of their son’s graveside service, Dan and Maureen were walking back to their car when Maureen’s phone rang. Understandably, she wasn’t inclined to take a call just then, but something motivated her to check her phone. She picked it up and saw that she had just received a text message.

Maureen read the text: “Momma, home safe and sound. Mike”

Her hands began to tremble, and she dropped the phone. She let out an audible gasp. After composing herself, she bent over, picked up the phone, and stared at the message. She summoned her ex-husband Dan to come over and have a look. They turned to each other and managed a smile through their tears.

Over the years, Michael had gotten into the habit of calling or texting his parents whenever he arrived at a new destination after leaving a visit with them in New York. It was his way of letting them know he had arrived safely and he was OK. So Dan and Maureen chatted a little and recalled that they had not received word from Michael after he arrived at his duty station in Hawaii following his visit to New York about three months prior.

It seems that the message has just now arrived. His parents, devout Catholics, took this final message to mean that their son had arrived at his eternal home safe and sound.

Navy SEAL Foundation Recognizes American Aero FTW For $170,000 in Total Donations

By Sara Berry at the Navy SEAL Foundation

The Navy SEAL Foundation presented American Aero FTW with a commemorative plaque “in appreciation and recognition of exemplary leadership and steadfast support for U.S. Navy SEALS and their families.” For the ninth consecutive year, the Fort Worth fixed-base operator (FBO) serving private aviation travelers at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport has made a sizeable donation to the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF) and continues to fund a popular scholarship it helped establish in 2017, which supports pilot certification for active duty and veteran SEALs and Special Warfare Combat Crewmen (SWCC).

As part of its commitment to veterans and military service members, American Aero presented the Navy SEAL Foundation with its 2022 donation, a check for $18,875 funded by a portion of fuel sales. That brings the FBO’s total contributions to $170,000.

Over the years, the Navy SEAL Foundation pilot certification scholarship has gained popularity among active duty and veteran SEALs. The offering has been expanded by the foundation, and this year alone, more than $61,000 in aviation-related scholarships have been awarded.

“The aviation industry is facing a severe pilot shortage, and who better to step into those roles than the unique breed of men and women who have served our country as SEAL team members,” said Bob Agostino, American Aero vice president. “American Aero’s annual contribution to the Navy SEAL Foundation is just one way we support those willing to make whatever sacrifice necessary to preserve our freedom and safety; therefore, we are honored to create opportunities for our best and brightest to join the aviation community.”

The scholarship program allows SEAL recipients to pursue educational programs for certifications such as FAA Rotary Wing Pilot Commercial Add-on, Rotorcraft-Helicopter Private Pilot, and Commercial Pilot Aviation Instrument Rating certifications.
“I was over the moon when I checked my email and saw I was awarded $4,000 for the NSF scholarship!” said one recipient (name withheld for confidentiality).

“Since medically retiring, I have been utilizing VA benefits to go to college and attend flight school as I work toward a new aviation career. The catch is, getting a job in aviation is all about how much flight time you have, and flight school only provides about a third of the time needed before I can apply for a good job,” he said. “The funds provided will cover a significant amount of flight time and training, which will get me that much closer to getting paid for flying bigger, faster airplanes.

“Thank you to American Aero, and especially American Aero’s loyal patrons, for supporting our transitioning warriors with this incredible aviation scholarship initiative,” said Robin King, NSF’s chief executive officer. “By helping transitioning NSW members as they work to enter the aviation industry, American Aero’s investment benefits not only the individual but the family, community, and our nation at large. We look forward to continuing our programmatic partnership and assisting more transitioning SEALs as they continue their careers in the civilian sector.”

American Aero is a long supporter of the U.S. military and holds the exclusive Defense Logistics Agency contract to serve all military and government flights into and out of Meacham International Airport.

American Aero also supports service members through employee recruitment and hiring. At any given time, nearly one-third of the FBO’s line service team comprises reservists or retired military personnel.

“American Aero is proud to support the Navy SEAL Foundation and employ men and women who serve or have served our country,” said Angela Thurmond, American Aero general manager. “The same attributes that contribute to a successful military career align well with American Aero’s stringent safety and service culture.”

American Aero consistently ranks as the best FBO in Texas and one of the top FBOs in the world in the Aviation International News FBO Reader Survey.

About American Aero FTW

American Aero FTW, founded in 2012 by Anne T. and Robert M. Bass, is a fixed-base operator (FBO) located at Meacham International Airport (KFTW) in Fort Worth, Texas. The business is focused on refueling, ground handling, servicing, and storing of business and private aviation aircraft and provides extensive crew and passenger amenities. American Aero consistently ranks as one of the best FBOs in the world in the Aviation International News FBO Reader Survey. It is also one of only a handful of FBOs in the world to earn the International Standard of Business Aircraft Handling’s highest safety accreditation from the International Business Aviation Council. American Aero is an AvFuel branded and Signature Select™ affiliated FBO. It is the primary tenant and only FBO in the airport’s administration building and offers 280,000 square feet of leasable hangar and office space. More information can be found at http://www.AmericanAero.com.

About the Navy SEAL Foundation

The Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF) provides critical support for the warriors, veterans, and families of Naval Special Warfare (NSW) through a comprehensive set of over thirty programs under five Pillars of Support: Strength, Resilience, Health, Education, and Community.

NSF is a high-performing organization committed to excellence. Charity Navigator has awarded it a 4-star rating since 2009 and a perfect score of “100” since 2014 for financial health, accountability, and transparency. The Foundation ranks higher than 99.9% of over 195,000 charities nationwide, with ninety-three cents of every dollar donated directly funding its programs or being retained for future mission use.

NSF is a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit charitable organization with TAX ID 31-1728910. It is not a part of the Department of Defense or any of its components and has no official affiliation with any federal entities. To learn more, visit http://www.navysealfoundation.org.

The Changing Role of Special Operations Forces

Current National Defense Strategy

Back in April 2022, General Richard Clark, commander of US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), and Christopher Maier, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, announced the release of a sixteen-page document outlining the “Vision and Strategy” of US Special Operations Forces (SOF). This came on the heels of the Department of Defense (DOD) release of the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS); a factsheet outlining the highlights can be found here.

To fully understand the role SOF plays in national defense, we must first understand the broader picture of the National Defense Strategy. According to the factsheet, the US has four defense priorities, these are:

Defending the homeland, paced to the growing multi-domain threat posed by the PRC (People’s Republic of China)
Deterring strategic attacks against the United States, allies, and partners
Deterring aggression while being prepared to prevail in conflict when necessary, prioritizing the PRC challenge in the Indo-Pacific, then the Russia challenge in Europe.
Building a resident Joint Force and defense ecosystem.

A joint special forces team moves together out of an Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft during Emerald Warrior, our largest joint and combined special operations exercise. Photo by Air Force Senior Airman Clayton Cupit.

Take note that counterterrorism activities are no longer listed as a top defense priority. As a matter of fact, the word “terrorism” does not appear once on the non-classified NDS fact sheet.

The document continues:

“The Department will act urgently to sustain and strengthen deterrence, with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as our most consequential strategic competitor and the pacing challenge for the Department.”

They keep spelling it out for us; China is our biggest threat. That is something we must keep in mind and not get too bogged down with involvement in the war in Ukraine. It’s a primary tenet of special operations training; never take your eyes off the bad guy.

Russia is mentioned next:

“Russia poses acute threats, as illustrated by its brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. We will collaborate with our NATO Allies and partners to reinforce robust deterrence in the face of Russian aggression.”

This further puts matters into perspective. Russia is the number two bad guy. So we need to keep a close eye on them, but the PRC is our number one concern.

Tertiary threats are addressed:

“The Department will remain capable of managing other persistent threats, including those from NorthKorea, Iran, and violent extremist organizations.”

These are the “also-rans.” Important to keep an eye on, but not the main focus at this time. That said, in the special operations community, focus can shift instantly, and we must be prepared to address any threat anytime, anywhere. I misled you earlier; while it is true that the word “terrorism” does not appear in the NDS fact sheet, it does mention “violent extremist organizations” as a persistent threat. If you want to learn more about what the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has to say about violent extremism, click here for access to the 2021 edition of US Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators. It’s your tax dollars at work.

If you want to track the activities of current terrorist groups, click here and check out the Counter Terrorism Guide webpage maintained by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. As you’ll quickly see, terrorism is still alive and well worldwide. However, it steals a line from Tom Clancy; it does not present the same “clear and present danger” to our nation as it once did.

The Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahidin—commonly known as al-Shabaab, is still alive and well in the region. Image from the National Counterterrorism Center

The Future of SOF

The cover page of the SOCOM document outlines the future of the American SOF. Image from the United States Special Operations command

Starting with the attacks of 9/11 over two decades ago, US special operations forces have concentrated primarily on counterterrorism efforts. While this mission remains on their radar, the focus of the national defense of the United States has shifted to keeping tabs on the activities of the People’s Republic of China and, to a lesser extent, Russia. As a result, operators who may have spent their entire careers fighting the war on terror may wonder how they fit in.

Assistant Secretary Maier spoke at the National Defense Industrial Association Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict Symposium last Friday, November 18th. Speaking of the future of SOF, he said,

“Where I think there is going to be tremendous transition and change — and I would say we’re already along that path — is really applying the capabilities and the thinking — and in many respects the talent that is unique to SOF — to the rest of the National Defense Strategy challenges.”

I read that and thought, “Ok, great. The only constant in change, but how are we going to change?”

Fortunately, Mr. Maeir addressed that issue a bit. He continued,

“There’s not a lot of institutional knowledge that goes back, frankly, to the pre-2001 era,” Maier said. “So there’s a significant amount of … education but also advocacy required in these conversations, in some cases just to get a seat at the table. And then being able to apply in those conversations … whether it’s planning or policy discussions the role SOF can play and where there’s key roles SOF can help to provide options for senior decision makers.”

Here, he is being quite frank and realistic. Times have changed, areas of interest have changed, and SOF has to change along with it. If not, they might not get what he calls “a seat at the table.” So they need to define their role in a changing global environment. And that is what the Special Operations Forces Vision and Strategy document does.

I’ll cover the document’s highlights in an attempt to bring you up to speed on the future of American SOF in 2022 and beyond.

Who We Are

If I had to sum it up in three words, I’d say that SOF is an innovative problem solver. These extraordinarily dedicated and talented individuals devote their lives to taking on the most complex of challenges. The more challenging, the better. As the SEALs say, “The only easy day was yesterday.” SOF is a community, and you don’t have to wear a tab or a trident to be part of that community. There are several other SOF professionals for every operator: military support personnel, contractors, DOD civilians, and family members pulling together to ensure operational readiness. It takes a village and a fairly big one at that.

What We Do

The document explains that SOF “respond swiftly to crises worldwide and accomplish high-risk, politically-sensitive missions with a low signature and small footprint.” In addition, they “cultivate strong relationships with our global network -allies, partners, joint, interagency, multinational, industry, and academia.” Like it or not, SOF troops are ambassadors for the US and the rest of our armed forces. They are widely looked up to and emulated.

I love the next bullet point in the document. Part of it reads that SOF “…create dilemmas for our adversaries”. Classic. If the Rangers, SEALs, or Delta are coming for you, it will not be your best day.

Where We Are Going

SOF remains balanced and ready to take on any conflict asked of them. The vision and strategy document mentions that they will utilize “sustainable counterterrorism to safeguard the Nation.” While for the rest of the foreseeable future, this will be part of their mission, even if it doesn’t align neatly with the main objectives of the National Defense Strategy. Asymmetric warfare is a big part of what SOF does, and they are damn good at it. Small units will always be needed to go in the middle of the night to places with names you can’t pronounce to fix problems you didn’t know existed. That’s just the nature of the beast.

SOCOM, however, realizes that the force must evolve. “Evolve into what?” you may ask. According to them, “current and future threats demand SOF evolves into a force capable of creating strategic, asymmetric advantages for the nation as a key contributor of integrated deterrence.”

Special Forces soldiers on their way to work. Image from US Army War College

Integrated Deterrence

In a piece published online by the US Army War College, Scott Harr discusses integrated deterrence, which he calls a “new concept.” He quotes Colin Kahl, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, in his attempts to define the phrase. Mr. Kahl says, “In terms of integrated … we mean, integrated across domains, so conventional, nuclear, cyber, space, informational. [It is also] integrated across theaters of competition and potential conflict [and] integrated across the spectrum of conflict from high-intensity warfare to the gray zone.”

Ok, I think I understand. In broad terms, this is SOF being involved and non-compartmentalized.

Jim Garamone quotes Kahl in a 2021 piece he wrote for the DOD news. He notes, “The concept in this case also means integration of all instruments of national power.” Those instruments are government and military. He quotes Kahl as saying, “Most importantly, it means being “integrated across our allies and partners, which are the real asymmetric advantage that the United States has over any other competitor or potential adversary.”

We’re starting to dig deep down the rabbit hole on this one, but that is necessary to understand the vision and future strategy of SOCOM for SOF. For example, you might wonder what Kahl means by “asymmetric advantage.” The best definition of the term I could find is from a company aptly named Asymmetry Observations.

They tell us,

“Asymmetric advantage is based on knowing something that creates value or has an edge that others don’t. An asymmetric advantage is protected and maintained through the distinctions between knowledge of a concept vs. actually being able to do it.”

We know or gain knowledge of the true capabilities of our adversaries that gives us the edge over them. While knowledge is power, it isn’t necessarily deterrence. Garamone reminds us that deterrence “has been at the heart of US policy since the Cold War.” I would argue that the idea of American deterrence goes back to Teddy Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” philosophy of foreign policy.

Kahl tells us that the traditional definition of deterrence does not necessarily hold today. He says, “We need to think about deterrence differently given the existing security environment and the potential scenarios for conflict that we’re trying to deter. We at [the] Department of Defense need to have the capabilities and the concepts to deny the type of rapid fait accompli scenarios that we know potential adversaries are contemplating, so they can’t make a rapid lunge at our partners and allies before they believe the United States can show up.”

Prevention. He’s talking about using SOF as a prophylactic force rather than just a reactive force. Being given actionable intelligence and acting on that to deter what is euphemistically called “negative outcomes.” Sure we already do that to some extent, and those missions almost always remain classified. We don’t want to alarm the American people with “what could have happened,” At the same time, we don’t want to encourage bad actors to develop destructive plans knowing it will gain them recognition.

Kahl ponders some more on the subject,

“We also have to make ourselves more resilient because, frankly, we know that our adversaries have developed theories of victory, cognizant that they wouldn’t do particularly well in a protracted conflict with the United States,” he said. “So they don’t intend to fight a protracted conflict. Instead, they intend to blind us and deafen us and slow us down.”

Twenty years we spent in Afghanistan. Two long, painful, bloody, expensive decades…and the Taliban knew we’d leave in the end, and they’d still be there. It reminds me of the Bruce Springsteen anti-war song, Born in the USA (and no, it is not a patriotic tune, read the lyrics and think about them). The singer says he “Had a brother at Khe Sahn, fighting off the Viet Cong. They’re still there; he’s all gone.” Meaning, of course, his brother (either biological or military) was killed in the fighting, yet the VC remained. So what was it all for? A lot of people ask that same question about Afghanistan…and Iraq.

There is much more to the SOCOM vision and strategy for the future of SOF in the United States military. Unfortunately, time, space, and attention span preclude addressing all of it here. However, it is quite a lot to digest. But a plan exists, and it seems like a good plan. Special operations forces, by their nature, have always been dynamic and adaptable. These qualities will keep them relevant and at the tip of the spear for years to come.

Former Special Forces Colonel Convicted in Domestic Violence Incident, Sentenced

A Falling Star

Owen Ray started his career in the Army as a Private. He worked his way up to becoming a full bird (O-6) Colonel, chief of staff of I Corps, and was a former commander of the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). On top of that, he served as a military aid to President Obama for several years. A distinguished achievement by anyone’s accounting. On December 27th, 2020, Ray was arrested on felony domestic violence charges. According to the DuPont, Washington police department, the decorated officer was responsible for a two-hour standoff that resulted in his being charged with two counts of felony harassment, kidnapping in the first degree, and reckless endangerment. Their press release also noted that they were dispatched “for a domestic assault in progress involving a firearm.”

Stars and Stripes reports charging documents sourced in Pierce County Superior Court state that the Special Forces officer has apparently been drinking before the confrontation and threatened to kill any police officer who tried to arrest him. The records show that police arrived at the Ray home shortly after midnight on the 27th, and he allowed his wife and children to leave the scene by 12:30 AM. The assault charges were made as a result of allegations that Ray kicked his wife in the face and chest with his boots. The Colonel maintained that she was injured as a result of him opening a door with her on the other side.

After surrendering, Colonel Ray, 48, was booked into Pierce County Jail and has been free on $100,000 bail since January of 2021.

Media release from the DuPont, Washington police department regarding Col. Ray’s arrest for domestic violence. Image courtesy of Facebook.

A spokesman for I Corps, Lt. Col. Neil Penttila, was quick to inform the press that Ray had been suspended. He put out the following statement:

“We have been in contact with local law enforcement, who have informed us that the investigation is still on-going. While the investigation continues, we will work closely with the Family and the Officer to provide support services including counseling, behavior health support, and legal assistance. The safety of everyone involved is the command’s priority.”

War and Remembrance

Upon hearing of Colonel Ray’s case, I immediately recalled an incident from Fort Carson, Colorado, home of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and my last duty station. “Incident” is much too mild a word to describe what happened there. That word makes it sound like a minor car accident. It was March 2003. Chief Warrant Officer Bill Powell and his wife Laura lived in Monument, CO…a little less than half an hour’s drive from Post.

Bill had finished up a five-month deployment to Iraq, his third, I believe and had been home for about three weeks. The couple had three kids; the youngest was only seven months old at the time. Around 9:30 PM, a local 911 dispatcher received a call; it was Laura:

“My husband just hit me, and he’s going downstairs to get his gun.”

According to the police record, she hung up and tried to get away. I heard a bunch of talk at the time about what he supposedly said, but that’s hearsay; I won’t write about any of that. Suffice it to say; I don’t think he was very happy about the police being called on him.

Laura recalled that her husband pulled a .357 revolver from his waistband, pointed it in her face, and said, “You’re going to watch this.” In the next few moments, police officers made their way through the icy yard. They must have caught Bill’s attention, and when they did, Laura took the split-second opportunity to knock his arm up and away, the weapon no longer pointed at her. Bill’s next movement was to put the gun to his temple and pull the trigger. At the same time as Bill’s fatal shot, a police officer shot him in the arm.

Laura would later tell police that she could make no sense of what happened, “He was a good dad and a good officer,” she said. She further remarked, “The guy standing in that door that night was not my husband. He in no way resembled him. The look in his eyes was, ‘Who are you?’ It was death.”

This is but one of the numerous suicides of soldiers assigned to the Mountain Post. There have been so many that documentaries have been made about the subject.

No Loss of Life in the Ray Case

Despite the fact that Col. Ray supposedly made numerous threats and had a pistol during his hours-long standoff with police, he didn’t kill anyone. That was a major point that his defense team made to the jury during his trial. According to Cision PR Newswire (Source: Jared Ausserer, Puget Law Group), a jury found Colonel Ray not guilty of kidnapping and not guilty of two counts of harassment. However, he was found guilty of one count of assault in the second degree, one count of harassment, and reckless endangerment.

Colonel Ray on deployment with the flag of Afghanistan in the background. Screenshot from Facebook.

Ray’s defense team argued that he “suffered an emotional and mental breakdown from the cumulative impacts of untreated mental and physical health issues, operational and career stress across eight deployments, high-pressure jobs, and severe relationship distress resulted in a state of complete mental exhaustion.” During his 20 months on bail, Ray was evaluated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and was found to be 100% Permanently and Totally disabled due to the severity of his service-connected health conditions, which included traumatic brain injury and depression.

The Colonel has issued the following statement to the press:

“There are no words that adequately explain how sorry I am for any fear that my children and wife felt the evening I decided to end my life. I deeply regret any unintended physical harm that my wife encountered due to me kicking the door. I never meant to hurt anyone other than myself. For the last two years, I have worked, in complete compliance with the court and legal system, and sought medical treatment to heal mentally and physically. I have faith that the night I decided to live versus ending my life will lead to restoration and hope – not just for myself but for my family and others.”

According to Stars and Stripes, Ray was honorably discharged from the Army last year.

During his time awaiting sentencing, the Colonel must have hired a PR firm because there is an entire professionally done website at owenray.com that addresses how people (especially former service members) can best seek help for issues with their mental health. I’m trying not to be cynical here. It’s not my job to judge Colonel Ray. That has already been done by a jury of his peers. At the same time, I feel that military officers of any rank are not above the law. I’ve closely reviewed the Colonel’s website, and there are a lot of useful resources on there.

On October 28th, 2022, Colonel Ray was sentenced to 60 months behind bars. Shortly thereafter, his attorneys announced their intent to appeal the guilty verdicts. His lead counsel stated:

“We thank the jury and the Court for their hard work, attention, and for the multiple not-guilty verdicts for Colonel Owen Ray. However, Colonel Ray does not agree with the guilty verdicts and will be appealing all convictions. It was clear, based on our discussion with the jury afterwards, there was a misunderstanding and misapplication of the law. That, along with several issues, will be challenged on appeal.”

This is an ongoing story, and SOFREP will report back at a future time on the results of the appeals process.

Expert Analysis: What Really Caused The Crimea Bridge to Come Down

The Only Physical Link Between Crimea and Russia

In 2014 Vladimir Putin’s government illegally annexed Crimea as part of Russia. By 2018 he had built the longest bridge in Europe to physically connect the two land masses. This was a solid symbol of Russian domination. A $3.7 billion USD symbol. To make matters even clearer, Putin personally drove one of the first trucks over the structure the day it was opened. It’s like a dog peeing on something to claim ownership.

The bridge, of course, is of enormous practical importance. It plays a critical role in getting supplies from Russia, through Crimea, to Russian troops fighting in the Kherson region of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to buckle up to drive one of the first trucks across the Crimean Bridge in 2018. Screenshot from YouTube and *Wall Street Journal*

On October 8th, at about 0600 local time, an enormous explosion severely damaged the Crimea (or, as it is sometimes called, Kerch) Bridge. Because of its strategic importance, the bridge is one of the most secure structures in the world. Security cameras cover almost every inch.

Please watch the footage below made available through Twitter and Russian Media Monitor. Carefully watch the truck in the right-hand lane toward the center of your screen. Many believe it is the main cause of the damage. At the 0:17 mark, it seems to vaporize, causing a huge fireball severely damaging rail cars on the adjacent railway. Coincidentally, all seven of them were full of fuel.

Additional footage of the Crimean bridge explosion and some of the aftermath. pic.twitter.com/yehNKURdsN

— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) October 8, 2022

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that an initial bomb damage assessment shows one lane of the road bridge to be collapsed and damage to the nearby railway track. The Russian Investigative Committee quickly surveyed the damage, and they concluded that a truck had exploded on the bridge and ignited the fuel-laden railway cars. Almost immediately, though, Russia sent divers to examine the structural integrity of the bridge supports underwater.

For the record, I do not believe the truck was what brought the bridge down. No way, and I’ll explain why.

Here we see a satellite photo of the final damage. You’ll note that the roadway between two spans has been dropped into the sea. Screenshot from YouTube and CNN

However, if the truck was the primary explosive device, we would see a hole in the middle of the road. None was evident. The structure collapsed into pieces and fell.

The bridge has dropped in multiple pieces, indicating a probable blast from below. Screenshot from YouTube and WSJ

The detonation of high explosives above the surface of the bridge, as has been claimed by the Russians, would have sent the majority of the blast force up and away from the truck. However, as noted above, that would cause a massive hole in the roadway and extensive scorching of the highway’s surface. What little we see of damage to the road’s surface is likely from the fire from the railway cars that were full of fuel. In addition, modern bridges are made to withstand accidents in the unlikely event that a truck carrying explosive cargo may ignite.

No, ladies and gentlemen, this blast came from below.

A waterborne object is picked up on a security camera immediately before the explosion. Screenshot from YouTube and WSJ.

By All Indications, an SOF Operation

Obviously, the Russians did not take out their own multi-billion dollar bridge and main supply line to a war they are currently fighting. The Ukrainians did this. But, they do not have weapons with the range to even come close to hitting the Crimea bridge from Ukraine. The HIMARS weapons systems we have provided to them could only cover a fraction of the hundreds of miles from Ukraine to the damaged bridge.

*Sky News* explains how the Crimea, or Kerch Bridge is a pivotal link to getting people and supplies from Russia to Crimea and through Ukraine to the Kherson region. This image also gives us an excellent idea of how far the bridge is from Ukraine. Screenshot from YouTube and Sky News

In my opinion, and you’ve probably read it here first, this was the result of a highly successful special operations forces mission. Mark my words: one day, a movie will be made about this. This operation took place deep behind enemy lines in Russian territory. Operators infiltrated the area with the highest degree of secrecy, bringing hundreds of pounds of high explosives. Whoever did was was good, very good. To say that the Russians are watching this bridge carefully would be an understatement.

I believe the explosion(s) came from under the bridge, with shaped charges likely being placed on the supporting structures. Who would have placed those explosives? Again, I can only speculate, but my money is on Ukrainian troops from the 73rd Naval Special Purpose Center. These are special forces units of the Ukrainian Naval Infantry, their version of our US Navy SEALs or British SBS. The exact details of their equipment are classified, but it is known to be highly sophisticated and comparable to what we have in the west. And keep in mind that US Special Operations Command Europe kept training the Ukrainians until the beginning of the war.

The Ukrainian 73rd has swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs) and DPDs (diver propulsion devices) to get their combat divers where they need to be. The SDV can best be described as a mini-sub, about 22 feet long, with an electric motor and single screw propeller. High-frequency sonar and a doppler inertial navigation system get the Team and their gear where they need to be silently. They are often deployed from and may be retrieved by submarines. That’s one potential scenario for successful infiltration and exfiltration.

This is what Ukrainian SEALs look like when they come ashore.
The 73rd Naval Center for Special Operations is liberating the Kherson region.@SOF_UKR pic.twitter.com/pLOajkJCgT

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) October 4, 2022

Unit patch from the Ukrainian 73rd Naval Special Operations Center

Regardless of exactly how they did it, the SOF made logistical issues for Russia in their war with Ukraine (especially in the Kherson region) much more difficult. Refer to the map above from Sky News. It shows how supplies, equipment, and troops were getting from the motherland to the Kherson region of Ukraine through annexed Crimea utilizing the 12-mile-long Crimea (Kerch) bridge. Now that they can’t do that, materiel will have to be moved by sea to the Ukrainian port cities of Berdyansk and Mariupol and trucked hundreds of miles through enemy territory to its destination.

The Russians, of course, will move to repair the bridge as quickly as possible. Still, I wager that the damage will buy the Ukrainians at least two or three weeks of valuable time where the already undersupplied Russian forces will receive very little or no support.

This is an enormous blow to the Russians, on par with the Ukrainian sinking of the Moskva. A sound tactical victory and one hell of a morale booster. “Look at what we can do,” they are telling the Kremlin, giving the middle finger directly to Putin. To his credit, Mr. Putin isn’t stupid, never said he was. Shortly after the attacks, he gave a speech stating how he views this as a terrorist attack against his country and, “The authors, perpetrators and those who ordered it are the special services of Ukraine.” As a former KGB man, he knows this and is currently doing his best to take revenge against the citizens of Ukraine because he has been made to look so bad.

My hope is that the armed forces of Ukraine will take full advantage of this situation to push Russian forces from the Kherson region. The New York Times just yesterday reported on increasingly lowered enemy morale and a general retreat from the area.

Author’s Note: Many thanks to the Wall Street Journal and their chief correspondent on the ground in Ukraine, Yaroslav Trofimov, for making the insightful YouTube video presented above. They seem to be of the same mind that we are, that this was not solely the work of a truck bomb and definitely not caused by a missile strike.

US Africa Command Special Operations Forces to Train in Benin, to Prepare for Violent Extremism Threats

Ouassa, Benin — Special Operations Command Africa forces partnered with the Beninese Army during a Joint Combined Exchange Training that concluded Sept. 9, 2022, in Ouassa, Benin. US Army Green Berets assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) collaborated with the Beninese Army’s 1st Commando Parachute Battalion members to hone tactical and operational skills.

As violent extremism poses a threat to global stability, safeguarding these borders from incoming threats requires a collective multilateral effort. Engagements, including JCETs, provide mutual benefits to partner forces as they enhance partner capacity and strengthen relationships to combat regional insecurity and instability.

US Army Green Berets assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) and Beninese soldiers from the 1st Commando Parachute Battalion take a knee for mission progress feedback during a Joint Combined Exercise Training (JCET) in Ouassa, Benin, Sept. 7, 2022. Our engagement is one small contribution to helping our partners safeguard their people and combat the global threat of violent extremism. (US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jasmonet Holmes)

The JCET program’s primary purpose is to provide partner nations with special operations units with specific training to promote security and stability in Africa. In addition, JCETs enhance US relationships with partner nations by developing and maintaining critical military-to-military connections and improving joint and allied readiness and interoperability.

A Beninese soldier from the 1st Commando Parachute Battalion renders a salute to the U.S. and Beninese Army Forces leadership during the Joint Combined Exercise Training (JCET) closing ceremony in Ouassa, Benin, Sept. 9, 2022. A closing ceremony is held at the end of every JCET iteration to celebrate the successful completion of U.S and host nation partnership, training and collaboration. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jasmonet Holmes)

This exchange is part of a series of US engagements with the Beninese military that provides opportunities for units to work together, learn from each other, build interoperability, and strengthen relationships. This recent engagement represents the second JCET that US special operations forces conducted with Beninese forces this year. The two partner forces hosted a March JCET and participated alongside one another in previous Flintlock exercises with other allied and African partner nations. Flintlock isAfrica’se premier special operations exercisa, with 30 participating countries.

US Africa Command special operations forces demonstrate their commitment to their African partners through sustained military and civil engagements across the continent.

Check out our video coverage of US Special Forces who got ambushed in Niger:

Warning: Graphic content.

SOFREP Remembers the Benghazi Attack on 9/11, 2012

Ten years ago, on September 12th, 2012, SOFREP shared its initial reports on the attack on 9/11 on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. It hit very close to home here at SOFREP as one of the casualties was former navy SEAL and CIA contractor Glen Doherty who was the best friend of SOFREP publisher Brandon Webb. Just a few months before Glen had contributed two articles for the site, one about Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen and another about SOF medics using live goats to train on in order to save human lives.

In the aftermath of the attack that killed Glen, US Ambassador Chris Stevens, State Department employee Sean Smith and, former navy SEAL and CIA contractor Ty Woods, SOFREP reported extensively on the government foul-ups that led to the attack wrote the “Benghazi; The Definitive Report,” which became a New York Times Best Seller.

As Global Threat Analyst Sarah Adams wrote to today, some 12 years after the Benghazi attack, the planners and perpetrators are mostly still at large and operating out of Libya as ISIS and Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists. This should be unacceptable to the American People which fought our longest war at great expense in blood and treasure to avenge the lives taken by terrorists during the 9/11 attacks in 2001.

What appears below is our first piece of coverage on the Benghazi attack published on September 12th, 2012 when the attack was only hours old. We reported the death of Ambassador Stevens because it was reported on the news, but refrained from publishing the names of Smith, Woods and Glen Doherty pending official notifications to their families.

Friends of Glen set up a memorial foundation in his memory to assist SOF veterans with the transition from military to civilian life. So far they have awarded 81 scholarships amounting to $590,000. If you can spare a couple of bucks, please visit and donate to them here at the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation.

“This was a coordinated attack, more of a commando-style event. It had both coordinated fire — direct fire and indirect fire. There appeared to be military maneuvers approaching the facility.” – House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich. to CBS News

Experts believe the attack in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others and left three more wounded in Benghazi was a planned and coordinated para-military operation. The timing coincided with the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. The mob violence seems to have been used as a distraction.

The shooting started about 10 pm local time Tuesday night. There were about 30 Americans in the consulate compound guarded by Libyan security.

The attack was conducted in two phases, the assault group of about 20 men breached the compound using rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns. They then precisely struck a secure facility where the Ambassador was located. The fight lasted some four and half hours.

Extremists have recently threatened revenge for the killings of al Qaeda’s latest dead number two guys, Saeed al-Shihri in Yemen and Abu Yahya al-Libi in Pakistan. I am sure the noisy campaign season celebration of the death of Osama Bin Laden has also irritated Islamists.

CNN reports that U.S. surveillance drones are being deployed to eastern Libya to locate jihadi camps and targets linked to the attack. Expect Libyan forces to conduct a series of raids in the next two weeks. As more details are discovered, we will fill in the blanks.