SOF

I Doubt James Bond Ever Had to Deal With This…

Merry Christmas to All, we sincerely hope each and every one of you has a safe and happy day surrounded by family and loved ones.

Originally, I was going to write about a Christmas being away from home, but even a good story and a funny one is a bit depressing when you’re far from home at Christmas time. I never really gave a damn about missing any of the other holidays, but Christmas was always about family time and missing those sucked. So… we’ll go in another direction this morning.

As I’ve said here many times, most of SpecialOperations.com deals with the training side of the house. What you’ll need to do to pass the Selection and Assessment courses and the follow-on training in the qualification courses, with a fair bit of history thrown in.

However, today is another one of those funny, this stuff can… and will happen to you too. Back in the day, the 7^th Special Forces Group (7^th SFG) ran a training program that we originally called “Protect the Force” and then later “Broken Axle”. It was Level II training for another course taught over in the JFK Special Warfare Center.

This story isn’t about any of that, so please don’t be burning up the emails about OPSEC. A good friend of mine Ronnie B. and myself were the two guys tasked with being the 7^th SFG’s points of contact and in charge of the in-house training to bring the guys up to Level II.

At that time, we were going to be working up in the Winston-Salem, NC area. Ronnie and I got orders and were heading up to do a Pre-Deployment Site Survey (PDSS). Our orders stated “POV Authorized”, and since spring had sprung in North Carolina, the weather was perfect. We decided to ride our Harleys up there since it would be a nice trip (about 1 ½ – 2 hours) and we could take the scenic route.

We eased out of Fayetteville and it was a bit chilly but once we hit US 421, there was zero traffic and we put the hammer down. It was an awesome ride until about halfway there Ronnie’s fuel pump start to leak. As luck would have we pulled over right by a small store and he commenced to fixing it. I offered encouragement only as a wrench or any tool in my hand can only be construed as a weapon. As a mechanic? Not so much. To quote Clint Eastwood, “a man has to know his limitations.”

We glanced across the road and saw a bunch of prison inmates, clearing the side of the highway under the watchful gaze of a sheriff who was none too pleased to see “two bikers” there. But soon we were ready to get on our way but before that, we walked over to the cops and asked if we bought some soda for the inmates would they allow them to have it. “Sure,” he said. “As long as it is unopened.” We bought a case of soda and passed it off and got a bunch of thumbs up from the inmates. The cops asked us who we were and they were pretty relaxed after that. Back on the road…

Arriving at Winston, we checked on our motel and arranged for all the rooms for the 7^th SFG guys and called our police contact in the city and he agreed to meet us at the hotel. We had explained in earlier faxes (remember those?) what our training entailed and what the boys would be doing in their fair city. When he saw our Harleys and the way we were dressed, he was taken aback.

“You guys are taking this incognito thing farther than I thought. Everyone coming up here on Harleys?” But he was laid back and offered any assistance that we’d need and gave us a phone number to call in case anything came up while we were in town. He offered to stop by to pay his respects, (and to keep an eye on us) once we arrived.

So, the morning of our deployment arrives, and Ronnie and I go to that bustling hub of an airport in Fayetteville to pick up our rental car. The girl at the booth told us that Ft. Bragg had a run on mid-sized cars that week (it was all 7^th SFG) and since we were the first to arrive her manager was going to offer us a deal. Instead of a mid-size, for $2 a day more, they’d give us a luxury model, either a Cadillac or Lincoln-Continental. Since Uncle Sam would only pay for a mid-size, for a buck a day each, yes. Thank you very much. We’ll take you up on that offer. We opted for a Town Car.

When they brought the car out, we burst out laughing. Our Town Car was the ultimate pimp mobile. White, convertible with spoked chrome rims and curb feelers. Ronnie looked at me and said, “Huggy Bear just called and wants to know when we’re returning his ride.” For those too young to know who Huggy Bear is, Google Starsky and Hutch.

So, in true SF, low-key, “quiet professional” fashion, we put the top down and ride back over to the 7^thSFG area and pull up on the sidewalk to load up our gear for the training we’ll need in Winston-Salem.

The boys start showing up in ones and twos as every two men received a rental car, soon we had a long line of those awful freakin’ “K-cars” and those horrible Fords of that era lined up on the street that just screamed, “government employee.” In the spirit of our ride, I changed into a Hawaiian shirt. The boys in the training took one look at our ride and we were promptly razzed to the bone. “You a$$holes DID tell us to go low-key and blend into the surroundings …right?” was typical of what we were hearing. SF is such a tough audience sometimes.

So off we go up to Winston, the top is down, and Ronnie and I are looking more like “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” than a couple of sneaky Petes on our way to SF shit. We arrived and got everyone’s room keys and the manager looks out the window and her eyes get big like, “Is everyone going to be driving cars like this?” But doesn’t ask.

As everyone rolls in, we hand out the room assignments, make sure that everyone is aware of how we’re going to conduct our training when two things happen. First, our guy from Group HQ, J.D. Doyle (RIP), pulls in, as he’ll be monitoring training. Of course, he asks about the car, and after we tell him our deal, he looked at Carl Compton (RIP) who was SWC instructor, and they both have a big grin. J.D. asked, “you guys straight? We’ll be back in a few hours.” They must have made record time back to Fayetteville and back because about 5 hours later, J.D. shows up with a tricked-out Cadillac. We called our Police contact, I still have his card, LT. R.A. Johnson, a great guy and we arranged to meet him for breakfast the next morning. He laughed and took one look at our rides and said, “You know, I’m definitely in the wrong line of work.”

But to our arrival, the second thing that happened was, as we’re briefing our guys on our training scenario for the time there, a load of school buses began pulling into the parking lot. “What the…” Winston-Salem was playing host to the state cheerleading championships and about 5-6 schools from North Carolina were staying at our motel.

About 100 teenaged, hormones going crazy, I am away from home this weekend high school girls don’t mix especially well with about 25-30 Special Forces guys. As the buses spewed the girls into the parking lot, one of the guys asks, “Ah…Chief, are these considered training aids for the weekend?” Ronnie took one look at me and could only say, “Oh the humanity.”

The motel manager explained to the chaperones of these girls that were a bunch of barrel-chested, snake-eating Green Berets in the motel and suggested they meet with us. Two of them came to my room and my suggestion was, “Don’t make a big deal out of it. Explain to them that these guys have some very intensive training going on and to just leave them be. But under no circumstances tell them to NOT to go down there.” It fell on deaf ears.

The easiest way to get anyone to do something, a Green Beret, a Navy SEAL, a horny high school girl is to tell them NOT to do something. I know it, you know it, the street sweeper in East Timbuktu knows it. The chaperones didn’t. They warned the girls that these dangerous Green Berets were there and not to go near them. Moths to a flame.

It was absolute chaos all weekend. As one of the instructors for the training, there were always a ton of questions that would get asked when writing the reports associated with tradecraft. So, I kept my door jimmied so I wouldn’t have to get up constantly answering it and the guys could just come in and ask away.

That was an invitation to some of the bolder girls. “Why yes young lady, I can see that you’re wearing nothing under that football jersey, but I don’t care to go to jail tonight or any other night thank you very much….move along now.” Sigh. I don’t know where those chaperones were, but the noise level was incredible every night until after 2-3 a.m.

One of our SF guys had a rough time in the classes. Sometimes it takes a bit longer for the light to come on with tradecraft. I hadn’t seen him for awhile and hadn’t received any reports from him, so I told Ronnie I’d go check on him as he was a proud dude that hated asking for help. Oh, and did I mention he was a known dog in SF circles?

Banging on the door, I saw his door too was jimmied so anyone could walk in and that was typical as the guys in training were always working together. He invited me in and lo and behold. Sitting in his lap and two girls, one, who was liberally tugging on a bottle of tequila. He could sense my eyebrows going up and said, “Ah, Chief, meet my nieces…and by the way, the bottle is theirs.”

Shaking my head, I shooed the girls out and he laughed and looked at me and said. “I doubt James Bond ever had to deal with this shit,” Indeed.

Merry Christmas, DOL

Photo: MGM

Trump In a Teleconference With the Troops, “We’re Winning”

President Donald Trump conducted a teleconference with troops deployed which was supposed to be a Christmas greeting but it turned into a cheerleading video with the President telling the troops how well they have been doing in the war on terrorism as well as thanking the families of the troops. To top it off, the president said, “We’re winning.”

Military representatives on the call included Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Paul Goossen in Qatar, Marine Colonel Christopher Gideons in Kuwait, Navy Commander Timothy LaBenz aboard the USS Sampson in 5th Fleet OPS Underway, Coast Guard Captain Matthew Wadleigh in Guantanamo Bay and Army Colonel Charles Lombardo in Kuwait, according to a White House pool report.
The call came a few days after Vice President Pence made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to meet with U.S. troops and Afghan leaders. He told soldiers that “victory is closer than ever before.”
Trump is spending Christmas at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He wished soldiers a “very, very merry Christmas,” adding that the country is saying “Merry Christmas, again, very, very proudly.”
Trump specifically praised the Coast Guard for its work following hurricanes in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico.
“What a job you’ve done. The Coast Guard saved thousands and thousands of lives, almost it’s unbelievable when I look at the charts, I saw the number of lives you saved,” he said.

The president then took a question and answer session from the troops that was private as the press was not allowed to attend or see the back and forth.

To read the entire article from The Hill click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

US: Russian’s Increasingly Violating Syria Agreement, Crossing Airspace

The Russians are pushing the envelope in regard to violating an agreement that is intended to prevent accidental clashes in the air over Syria and the Pentagon isn’t happy about it. The US has accused Russia of intentionally violating this agreement following another recent unsafe encounter between US F-22s and Russian Su-25 ground attack jets.

“Russia is failing to genuinely de-conflict airspace in Syria. Some of these incidents are not mistakes,” Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W. White told CNN.
“We are working to address this issue at the highest levels,” she added.
The Pentagon’s statement comes just days after Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said it was unclear why the Russians were violating the agreement, which separates Russian and US-led coalition forces operating in Syria.
“I don’t expect perfection, but I don’t expect dangerous maneuvers, either,” Mattis told reporters Friday when asked about the recent violations of the de-confliction line, suggesting that some of the violations may have been due to pilot error.
“One Su-25 flew close enough to an F-22A that it had to aggressively maneuver to avoid a midair collision,” US Air Forces Central Command spokesman Lt. Col. Damien Pickart told CNN last week, saying the US planes conducted multiple maneuvers, released chaff and flares, and made “multiple calls on the emergency channel to convey to the Russian pilots that they needed to depart the area.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a statement last week denying its planes crossed the de-confliction line, saying the incident took place west of the Euphrates River.

The agreement states the Russians are to operate west of the Euphrates River and are supposed to coordinate via a hotline to the US or coalition troops when they intend on crossing it. Any suggestion that it could be pilot error was erased when Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian troops were acting responsibly, and the US had no legal justification to be there.

The 6-8 “pilot errors” every day that the Russians are conducting are no mistake. They’re pushing and attempting to get our troops out of Syria. This has all the makings to be a dangerous precedent.

To read the entire article from CNN click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 5, Day 2

Merry Christmas, we’ll do a small prep for the UBRR (Upper Body Round Round) by doing a pre-test on the Pushups, Sit-ups, Crunches, and V-Ups two times and then go open our presents. Go thru the entire cycle and then do it again and see where your fitness level is. How are your feet feeling after using your second pair of boots on the ruck yesterday?

Ensure your form is very strict with the push-ups as that are how those are graded. We’ll follow with the shuttle run. Hydrate well and remember to stretch out after the workout.

Training:

More preparation for the UBRR

2 x 1-minute Pushups

2 x 1-minute Sit-ups

2 x 1-minute, Crunches

2 x 1-minute, V-ups

2 x Dips as many as possible to muscle failure

10 x 40-meter shuttle run

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 5, Day 1

We’ll kick off things today with our Sunday morning rucksack march. A warmup of pushups and planks followed by a fast-paced 5-mile ruck march with a 45-pound minimum to start the day right. The ability to carry a rucksack is of paramount importance in Special Operations.

Remember to stay hydrated throughout the ruck and to ensure that you have at least two pairs of boots broken in for the course. So, wear pair #2 today.

Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Side Planks

5-mile rucksack march over varied terrain. 75 Minutes maximum. Try to keep your pace better than the standard. And mark your times in your workout log book.

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 4, Day 7

Shoulder and back exercise this morning in the gym before a run to top things off. Pretty icy up here in the Northeast today, so be careful. If you have access to any ropes, you should start incorporating rope climbing into your workouts. If not towel pull-ups are the next best thing. Mark down your progress in your workout log book and remember to stretch well before and after your workout.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 10 Lat Pulldowns, rear

3 x 10 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Seated Bent-Over Delt Raise

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 10 Arnold Dumbbell Press

4-mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Having the Proper Boots and Socks at Selection Is Essential

About 8-9 months ago we posted a piece on boots and not only having ones that fit properly but having at least one backup, broken-in pair when you start Selection. With new classes starting up, we’ve gotten some questions about the different gates and events at Selection and we’ve posted on those and will revisit many of them again.

Most of the questions we get regarding the Selection process center around rucking and land navigation and today’s topic, boots, and boot fit are an integral part of passing anything to do with either. Because you’re going to be doing a ton of walking during the rucksack marches and Land Nav and if your boots are giving you problems, you’ll be in a world of hurt.

So, it is a good time to revisit the care of your feet and the proper boot fit that we touched earlier this year. For you younger guys getting ready to attempt Selection, this may seem like a trivial matter, but it is not.

As I’ve said many times… Your feet along with your brain are the two most indispensable parts of your body in Special Operations Forces. I’ve repeated ad nauseam many times what the men who trained me have said over and over. Your feet are your lifeline in Special Operations. Take care of them and they’ll take care of you. Having spent many years in the Special Forces Regiment, care for your feet became second nature and will be a very necessary function.

If anyone in your class or is a training partner has been in a light infantry or an airborne unit. they will know these tips already. If you don’t have that background but have senior NCOs or officers that served in these type of units, seek out their advice on the subject before beginning your prep for Selection.

Proper Fitting Boots: Unless some things have changed at Camp Mackall, and I doubt they have, you won’t be allowed to wear any of the high-speed boots in Selection, only what the military issued you. So, wearing the various boots from Merrell, Asolo, Lowa, Vasque, etc. will have to wait until you graduate and go operational.

The key for proper fitting boots is ensuring that the boot’s heel sits tightly to the rear of the foot while giving the toes some wiggle room up front. If your foot is sliding around too much, either front to back or side to side, you’ll have friction, which leads to blisters. If your boots are too tight, your toes will be curled up inside and that is a blister waiting to happen. Some people advise buying boots a half-size too large because your feet will swell on a long-range ruck march. I wouldn’t recommend that but if your feet swell that much it may be an option.

Have at least two pairs of boots ready for your Selection class and break both in like you would a baseball glove. Walk everywhere in them until they feel like an extension of your leg. It is a good idea to get boots that have good ventilation and water drainage as they’ll allow your feet to breathe and dry out when wet which will cut down on blisters

I know I’ve beaten this horse to death in our PT Preparation articles but having a second pair of broken in boots is essential. Without that, you are setting yourself up for failure. You are going to get wet a lot during Selection, even on days when it isn’t raining or snowing. During the events of that day, you just drive on and do what you must.

But that night, allow the boots to dry out and stuff them with paper towels or newspaper and allow them to dry out properly. Wear the second pair the next day and the first pair will be ready after that. And if your boots blow out on you during an event, you will have a second pair of well broken in ones to take their place. Having to use a new pair of non-broken boots in Selection is not the way to get thru the course with your feet intact.

I can recall one February class when I was a cadre member at SFAS. It was cold and damp and it rained/sleeted and even snowed hard on the candidates nearly every day. The dirt back roads and trails in North Carolina were soupy and underwater in many places. The candidates’ feet were wet nearly all the time, and because training doesn’t stop, their feet suffered.

Nearly all had multiple blister problems and our cadre’s medics were working overtime. Many of candidates had feet that resembled raw hamburger by the end of team week. They were forced into switching out their boots daily and those who didn’t have a second broken in pair suffered the worst of all.

Prepping and Caring for Your Feet: Having been a cadre at SFAS as I mentioned above, I’ve seen all different kinds of foot preparation and care. Another cadre member Doug P. and I when we had the night duty used to walk around the candidate’s barracks incognito at night to see how they were caring for themselves and their teammates. (Foot stomp… take note. You’re always being evaluated)

You should have a good set of nail clippers with you when attending Selection and ensure that you take good care of those as needed.

Here is where you must know your own body and what works for you. Everyone is different and what works for me, may not work for you and vice versa. That’s where the proper preparation and training BEFORE you get to Selection is invaluable.

Some guys spray their feet or use a roll-on antiperspirant which is supposed to stop the sweating which is the cause of blisters. While I was never a big believer in this, if your feet sweat profusely as mine do, then by all means, try it during your prep phase to see if it works for you.

Other guys, I’ve seen use Vaseline or some type of oil or cream to reduce friction. Again, it isn’t something I’d recommend but it does work for some people.

What worked for me (and again everyone is different) was to use just a small amount of Gold Bond powder on your feet and in your socks before going on a ruck march. Not too much, it is like anything else, if you put half a tin in your socks, it will clump up and create just as many problems. It cuts down on friction which creates blisters. I’d recommend putting some around your crotch as well. If you get rubbed raw “down south” it isn’t pleasant walking for miles that way.

Proper Socks and Fit: Socks are your feet’s last line of defense. Just as proper socks will protect them from blisters, poorly fitted ones will cause even more problems.

So first, what causes blisters? Heat, friction, and moisture. We’ve already covered getting a couple of pairs of boots that fit well, don’t rub, and are ventilated so your feet can dry out quickly and allow some air flow inside.

Initially, get a good pair of tightly fit synthetic or polypro socks that will wick the moisture away from your feet. Rub your feet down with a light coat of powder or whatever you choose and then turn them inside out. Why? So that the stitching inside won’t rub your toes and create hot spots. That stitching can and will cause blisters.

The thick military issued wool socks go over the inner layer of socks and once again inside out to prevent the stitching from rubbing and creating hot spots. The second sock reduces the friction and will absorb the moisture from the inner sock while cushioning your foot inside the boot.

Why do we do this? Good question; the two-sock system is used so that the friction will occur between the layers of socks rather than between the socks and your feet.

Crawl, Walk, Run Approach to Preparatory Training: Like anything else, these are the things that you’ll need to work on in your prep for Selection and all of these issues should be second nature long before you show up to begin your course.

Once you get the proper boots and socks, then begin your rucking prep work. Don’t start off by trying to do a 20-miler or the equivalent of the Brecon Beacons on Day 1. Start slowly and gradually increase your speed and distance. As you get more comfortable rucking, the speed and distance will become second nature.

If you notice hot spots or blisters forming during prep work, stop right away and deal with those. Waiting until completion may result in a much more serious blister which will set your training prep work back. Once the hotspots and blisters are no longer an issue your rucksack training can begin in earnest.

One more thing about your boots and that has to do with the way they are laced. Again, this is a personal preference type of thing but something to just keep in mind. I used to ruck most of the time in my favorite jungle boots. The way the boots were constructed as was the way my foot is constructed, there was a bend in my foot that always rubbed during a long-distance ruck march right at the crease of the boot at the ankle.

I’d always skip the eyelet right smack in the middle of my boots right there as it was always a sore spot that would rub. And after many 20-milers under my belt, it didn’t take long to figure out what needed to be changed. You will find certain things that will or won’t work for you. That’s where the prep work is invaluable.

As always, I appreciate the many questions that you have and will always be here to help in any way I can. Any questions or comments can be emailed to me [email protected] or at my Twitter account @SteveB7SFG

Happy Rucking! DOL

Photos: US Army

Pence Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan, Vows “To See it Through”

Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan to meet its leaders and US troops but the true purpose was to assure Afghan leaders that the US was going to stay in Afghanistan for the long haul and the commitment for the Afghan people was strong.

Pence whisked into Afghanistan on a military flight early Thursday. He then flew by helicopter to Kabul, where he met President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah at the presidential palace.

Pence told the leaders he hoped his presence there was tangible evidence that the United States was “here to see this through.”
In a reversal of his campaign call for a swift withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, Trump in August pledged a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban insurgents and signaled the United States would send more troops to fight in what is the longest war in its history.
At the end of August, there were some 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and more have since arrived.
Ghani expressed gratitude to the U.S. government and said Afghanistan’s partnership with the United States was cemented in sacrifice.
Pence told reporters the strategy of increased troops on the ground and greater authorities for military leaders was paying dividends.

Pence told Afghan officials that President Trump’s campaign will see it through for stability for Afghanistan and the defeat of the Taliban but deferred to the press to President Trump when asked if the US will commit more troops.

To read the entire article from Reuters click here:

Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

After ISIS Campaign, Iranian-backed Militias Vow to Oust US Troops From Iraq

You were waiting for this… right? The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) who are backed by Iran, that they’ve helped push the Islamic State from much of Iraq, is training its sights on the remaining U.S.-led coalition troops scattered across the country.

The 100,000-thousand-member force has fought both with and against Americans in Iraq. This can hardly come as a surprise to both the Iraqi and US governments.

“America should only be here for embassy, any military presence and we will target them,” Saif Ali, a 37-year-old member of the PMF’s Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba paramilitary — based in the southern Iraq governorate of Basra — told Fox News. “I fought the Americans after 2003, and the British in southern Iraq, and I am happy about that. I don’t hate the American people, only hate the U.S. military, and I have killed many of them.”
Ali is one of thousands of PMF members who also took advantage of Iran-supplied weapons and ammunition to take the lives of hundreds of U.S. troops during the insurgency that followed the invasion of Iraq.
Rayan al-Kildani, the 32-year-old leader of the PMF’s Babylon Brigades, an Iraqi Christian militia, noted that he, too, got his start fighting the Americans post-2003 — allegedly after learning how to use weapons from action-oriented TV shows and movies. And although he has relatives in the U.S. and even visited a few years ago, he said that he threatened to attack U.S. intelligence personnel he encountered after the Mosul battle and ultimately wants to see American forces gone.
“America was not there at the beginning of this ISIS crisis when we needed them most. We are strong now, and as long as we are fighting, Iraq does not need Americans on our land.”

The Iraqi government has a sensitive issue to deal with here. These militias are gaining influence in the political arena as well as militarily and many of the members are expected to run in political elections in the spring.

To read the entire article from Fox News, click here:

Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 4, Day 6

Friday is Leg Day at the gym which happens to be my favorite day of the week. The weighted Sled push and the squats help you build up power and speed. The lighter weight dumbbell squats will also build up endurance in your legs as well as strength.

A 3-mile run to finish the workout. Aim for a better time than the standard which is 24 minutes. Continue to prep for the UBRR.

Training:

3 x 10 Pullups

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

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

3 x 10 Barbell Squats

3 x Weighted sled push or Fireman’s carry

30 x “V”-ups

3-mile run (24 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion