SOF

SOF Selection PT Preparation 4.23.2017

A quick warm up of pushups and situps followed by a good long ruck march over varied terrain with a 45-pound minimum to start the day. Stretch well both before and after the ruck march. Remember… hydration, hydration, hydration. Can’t state that enough. And the other thing is again, to ensure that you have at least two pairs of boots broken in for the course.

Training:

Warm up

2 x 20 Pushups

2 x 20 Sit ups

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

Stretch well after completion

SOF Selection PT Preparation 4.22.2017

Shoulder and back workout at the gym to kick-off the weekend. And a five-mile run to top things off. Make sure that you keep your progress updated in your workout log book. Keep grinding and get ready for a long ruck in the morning.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 10 Lat Pulldowns, rear

3 x 10 Barbell Dead Lift

3 x 10 Wide Grip Pullups

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

5-mile run

Stretch well after completion

Two Air Force Special Operators Receive Air Force Cross For Heroism

On Thursday of this week, two US Air Force special operators, Chris Baradat and Keary Miller were awarded the Air Force Cross for valor at Hurlbert Field, FL home of the 24^th Special Operations Wing.

Both men had earlier received Silver Stars for valor a few years ago, but as the Air Force and the DOD reviewed their actions, the awards were upgraded. It was the first time in history that the Air Force has awarded two Air Force Crosses on the same day.

Baradat received his award for actions in 2013 while serving with an Army Special Forces unit, while part of the 21^st Special Tactics squadron and directing air support during operations in the Sono Valley part of the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. He was credited with saving 100-150 lives both American and Afghan allies in the battle.

Chris Baradat receives his Air Force Cross at Hurlbert Field, Florida on Thursday.

“I don’t feel that I was doing anything above and beyond and heroic,” Baradat said shortly before being honored yet again in a historic ceremony in Florida. “I was doing the job that I was supposed to do.”
Baradat’s heroics are related to a battle in which he directed 13 500-pound bombs and more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition during three hours of intense fighting amid a mission to rescue allies trapped in a valley under Taliban control.
Miller, who served with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, is credited with dashing through deep snow and heavy fire multiple times to care for critically wounded U.S. troops during a 17-hour battle against al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan on March 4, 2002.
Baradat, who left the Air Force last year and now lives in California, said he was not seeking medals during the fight on April 6, 2013.
“I was just concentrating on doing my job,” he said. “It was a very busy, hectic situation.”
According to accounts of the battle, Baradat put his life on the line even as members of the Special Forces team and Afghan commandos he was attached to shouted for him to take cover.

Miller, a pararescueman assigned to the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, was decorated for constantly running thru deep snow and heavy fire multiple times to care for critically wounded U.S. troops during a 17-hour battle against al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan on March 4, 2002.

Miller has since retired from the Air Force.

To read the entire archived article from the Fayetteville Observer click here:

Photos courtesy US Air Force

Colonel James ‘Nick’ Rowe Assassinated on this Day in 1989

On this date in 1989, the US Army Special Forces lost a legend in its ranks. Communist guerrillas assassinated COL. Nick Rowe while on his way to work as a military advisor to the Philippine Army. Rowe had escaped a Viet Cong prisoner of war camp on New Year’s Eve 1968 while being taken to his execution.

After returning to the United States, Rowe developed the Army’s SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) School and training at Ft. Bragg, NC, largely based on his experiences.

He also wrote the best-selling book, “Five Years to Freedom” which told the story of his capture, and resistance to the Viet Cong before his daring escape.

Colonel Rowe was being driven to work at the Joint United States Military Advisory Group headquarters in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila, shortly after 7 A.M. when at least two hooded gunmen in a stolen car fired more than 20 bullets into his vehicle.
His driver, Joaquin Vinua, was wounded but was reported out of danger. Colonel Rowe was pronounced dead at a nearby military hospital. Communist Rebels Suspected
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Philippine officials said they believed the killers were Communist rebels. The rebels have threatened to attack American targets unless the United States closes its military bases in the Philippines and ends its support of the Philippine military’s fight against the insurgency.
In the fall of 1963, Colonel Rowe, then a first lieutenant in the Special Forces serving as an adviser to South Vietnamese irregulars, was captured by Vietcong guerrillas in the Mekong River delta.
He was held in jungle camps from which he tried repeatedly to escape. Word reached American intelligence officers that he was known to his captors as ”Mr. Trouble.” For much of his captivity, he was held in a bamboo cage and permitted to venture only 40 yards during the day. He busied himself chopping firewood and setting traps to capture small animals to supplement his diet of rice and fish.

Rowe passed himself off as an engineer, knowing that as a Special Forces officer he’d be executed. He kept up the charade for many years until the Viet Cong received information from anti-war activists in the US that identified him as an intelligence officer.

Infuriated his captors were leading him to his execution when he overpowered one of his guards and escaped. Waving his mosquito net in the air at a passing group of US helicopters, he was nearly killed by the chopper’s machine gunner. But seeing his beard, he identified him as an American.

The Special Forces training compound at Camp Mackall, NC as well as the Special Forces obstacle course is named in his honor.

To read the entire archived article from New York Times click here:

Green Beret Appalachian Trail Walk and Fundraiser- Support the Regiment

“Never Leave a Man Behind”

The men of the Special Forces Regiment are doing a fundraiser for the Green Beret Foundation to help raise money by walking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. A group of retired Special Operators from SF Brothers (a Facebook group of SF soldiers) are putting teams together to hike from Georgia to Maine to support the cause.

The Green Beret Foundation is an organization that provides direct and continuous support to the Green Beret Community and its families. The Green Beret Foundation facilitates the transition of Green Berets and their families whether that transition is from wounds sustained in combat, illness, injury or “merely” from numerous deployments and/or retirement.

They provide Casualty Support, Extended Support, Family Support, and Transition Support for the Special Forces operators who have been injured in the line of duty. Over 800 Green Berets and 1000 families have received support from the foundation. And 90 percent of funds raised go towards their programs.

From the trail guide: The Appalachian Trail is about 2200 miles in length and runs from north Georgia to central Maine. It generally follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Trail is managed by a combination of the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. It is maintained by a host of nonprofit organizations.

Sometimes called “The Long Green Tunnel”, it is mostly under the cover of trees. It can be very harsh in ascents, descents, and the rockiness of the trail.

Only a small percentage of those who attempt a thru-hike are able to complete the trail. (They never met a bunch of SF guys)

This is a great opportunity to get out and join a group of retired Green Berets from the SF Brothers group on Facebook and strap on the rucksack and walk with them a spell to show some support. If you can’t make it, you can donate to cause by giving what you can right here:

I’ve been in contact with an old 7^th SFG trooper, Will Melton, who has kindly passed on some pics of the brothers, hitting the trail with their rucksacks back on. You can’t ever keep good men down. Will and his dog Miss Jackie are taking on some 560 miles of the trail. Which is about 25 percent of the total length. That’s what you call an endurance march. Some 30-something years after the Q-course, Will is putting in what definitely qualifies as a “Long Range Movement.” Tip of the Beret for that!

Former SFers from SF Brothers gather at the start of the trail after a storm delayed the start

Will Melton and J.C. Hiett display the SF Regimental flag which will fly over the encampment on the way.

For you ruckers out there. Check out the schedule and attached spreadsheet on the website, you can see when the SF Brothers are passing by your area. You don’t have to join the hike officially but show some support and hike with them for a day or maybe a weekend. It is for a great cause and will be a heckuva lot of fun as well. One can only imagine the war stories being told around the campfires at night along the trail or in the huts that the Appalachian Mountain Club provides on the route.

As much as I hate the old ALICE pack (and said I’d never put it on again), I’m breaking mine out, and when the SF troopers hit the Massachusetts border sometime in late July, I’ll be trying to join them for a piece of the trail to show some support and join in on the fun. I thought about purchasing a better civilian model, but for a short duration, it is time to break out the old pain pill. We’ll have coverage on it right here.

For more information on the Green Beret Trail Walk click here:

Cover photo courtesy Green Beret Foundation, Other photos courtesy of Will Melton

SOF Selection PT Preparation 4.21.2017

It is Friday, that must mean it’s Leg Day at the gym but instead of a longer run at the finish of that, we’ll substitute the Shuttle run in there, to work on your speed today. For those who don’t have ropes available to them in the prep, substitute the towel pullups.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

3 x 10 Pullups

3x 10 Towel 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 10 Dumbbell Lunges

3 x Weighted sled push

4 x 25-meter Shuttle Run

Stretch well after completion

Former Israeli Special Operations Commander Gadi Shefi Found Dead in Thailand

The former head of Israel’s naval Special Operations unit has died while on vacation in Thailand.

Gadi Shefi,76, died of an apparent heart attack in a hotel room in Pattaya, where he was found over the weekend. He had been missing for a week before his son announced his death Tuesday on Facebook.

“At this hard and painful time, we want to thank everyone for the help in finding our father,” Ari Shefi wrote.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it is assisting the family in bringing Shefi’s body to Israel.
Shefi headed the Flotilla13 special operations unit from 1976 to 1978, during which he oversaw a number of then-secret operations into Lebanon.
Writing on Twitter Tuesday, former prime minister and IDF chief of staff Ehud Barak described Shefi as a “courageous warrior, a man of truth and an outstanding symbol of leading by personal example.

Flotilla 13 or Shayetet 13 is the Israeli equivalent of the US Navy’s SEAL teams or the British SBS. The unit was very active in the Lebanon war during the mid-to-late 1970s. They conducted 22 successful raids and 13 ambushes against enemy combatants.

Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence gathering, maritime hostage rescue, and boarding. The unit is trained for sea, air and land actions. The unit has taken part in almost all of Israel’s major wars, as well as other actions. It was founded in 1949 and its motto is: “As the bat emerges from the darkness, As the blade cuts through with silence, As the grenade smashes in rage.” In addition, the unit also referred to as “People of Silence”.

In a bit of coincidence, or perhaps not, another Israeli government employee the head of the Binyamina Regional Council in Israel died Saturday after suffering an apparent heart attack while vacationing with his family in Vietnam. Pinhas Zoaretz, 53, was a colonel in the IDF before becoming the regional council head in 2013.

To read the entire article from the Times of Israel click here:

Photo courtesy Facebook

Lockheed Martin Unveils New Special Operations “Raider” Helicopter

The ‘the next big thing in Army aviation’ may be a new Special Operations little bird with much-improved capabilities and performance.

Lockheed Martin’s S-97 Raider is a light tactical prototype helicopter capable of carrying six troops and external weapons while reaching speeds in excess of 220 knots. This new little bird has a co-axial rotor blade with a push propeller in the rear, based on the Sikorsky Collier X2 technology.

Because the X2 Technology is at the heart of RAIDER, it can carry out a variety of military missions including light assault, light attack, armed reconnaissance, close-air support, combat search and rescue, and unmanned applications.
This machine is said to be a game changer for the military, as it can reach speeds that are double that of conventional helicopters.
It is also designed for ‘high and hot’ operations and is capable of reaching altitudes of 10,000 feet in 95 degrees Fahrenheit heat.
Sikorsky updated the craft with improved hovering capabilities and an internal aux fuel tank for extended range to 34 miles for increased endurance, New Atlas reported.
And RAIDER is designed to refuel while in the air.
The helicopter boasts a low acoustic signature, agility for close air support and fly-by-wire controls.
But its weapons are what makes it the ultimate war machine.
Strapped to the sides are hellfire missiles and rockets, RAIDER also packs a .50 caliber gun with 500 rounds and a 7.62 mm gun.

The company is also working on the next generation replacement for the Blackhawk helicopter called the “Defiant” which also will feature the co-axial rotor blades and the push propeller which will greatly aid stability for the pilots.

Besides drastically reduced acoustic signature, the Defiant at 250 knots and hover at altitudes of 6,000 feet. This is more than a hundred miles an hour faster than the UH-60M Blackhawk transport, as it maxes out at 183 miles an hour.

To read the entire article from the Daily Mail click here:

Photo courtesy Lockheed Martin

Special Operations Gear Review – Merrell Sawtooth: Perfect Desert Boot

We’re always looking for an edge. That’s what Special Forces guys do, anything that will make your job easier, or yourself a little more comfortable, that’s the ticket, right? And having a piece of equipment that works, is tough, comfortable and the troops like is like nirvana.

Like I said in an earlier piece, in Special Operations, your boots and your feet are your lifelines. Depending on where I’m going and what I’m doing, will have a lot to do with what boots I’ll be wearing. About 10 years ago, while working in Morocco, I had a follow-on job elsewhere in the desert-type area and I knew I’d be doing a lot of walking on rockier, rugged terrain.

One of my buds there recommended the Merrell Sawtooth and it was a good,… no great piece of advice. As soon as my job was done over there, I came home and ordered a second pair, which remains with me today.

Although these are discontinued, they can still be found here and there on-line, so while they’re dying off, they aren’t dead yet.

I’ve taken these hiking over rocky terrain from “Purgatory” here in Central Massachusetts to the White Mountains and Appalachian Trails of New Hampshire and in the desert rocky environments of the Middle East as well as Mexico. They are good in a woodland type environment, in the mud, see the pic of rucking on a rainy, muddy day below but are at their best in a desert, dry, rough environment.

Another point in selection criteria was the fact that these can blend in well in an urban casual environment and didn’t stand out as a military type boot. While that may not be a big point for many guys, sometimes when trying to be as low-key as possible, wearing military boots isn’t the preferred method.

The construction of them and the specs from Merrell are:

UPPER/LINING

Strobel construction offers flexibility and comfort
• Nubuck leather and mesh upper
• Nubuck/Ballisticore Bellows tongue keeps debris out
• Breathable Mesh Lining maintains foot comfort by ventilating
• EVA removable footbed

MIDSOLE/OUTSOLE

Grade 7 Nylon Insole for trekking
• Compression-molded EVA foot frame provides cushioning
• Merrell® Air Cushion in the heel absorbs shock and adds stability
• 5.5mm Sole lug depth
• Vibram® Chisel Sole/Trek Rubber
• Weight: 2 lbs 14 ozs.

These are some really tough boots and they can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’. They’re constructed with the military type of guys in mind and are built to last. They have the rounded, protected toe cap and its held up remarkably well thru the years.

The tread is thick, wide and has incredible gripping power when traveling over rocky, uneven terrain. And after years of abuse, they look like brand new. They have outstanding ankle support, with it coming right in the spot you need it most.

As with most of Merrell’s boots, I’ve found that the sizing is about a ½ size too small, order up a half size and you’ll be good to go. These boots, unlike the MOAB require a break-in period. They’re stiff for the first 10-20 miles or so, especially right behind the toe, however, mine were worn going for a couple of hour hike with no blisters. Once they were broken in, they’re extremely comfortable.

One issue with the boots is they’re prone to leak a bit when in a wet environment. I put some waterproofing on them and although it interferes with the breathing of them, in the northeast, it isn’t as big of a deal with the cooler temps and the water has stayed out.

I’m still up in the air over the footbeds provided by Merrell. Many people have complained about them having much too little cushioning. I’ve found that it wasn’t a problem for me, however, like I do with many other boots, I’ve added a heel cushion pad in them and never have a problem.

I’ve seen several complaints from guys who’ve had trouble with the eyelets and those coming off and getting ripped out when lacing the boots tightly. Again, I’ve never had that problem with both pairs I’ve owned. I’m not saying those problems don’t exist, but just that I haven’t experienced them.

Overall, I think these Merrell Sawtooths are outstanding boots. They’re the perfect blend of combat and hiking boots and will still give you the low-key look to blend into any casual environment. I wish Merrell would recommence manufacturing them although as I said, with a little digging they can still be found on-line in a few spots.

Since today is a rucking day with our SOFREP PT preparation program, it is almost time to strap them on, grab the ruck and head out in the rain this morning. Anyone up to going to “Purgatory”? Let’s roll…

SOF Selection PT Preparation 4.20.2017

A quick start of the day in the gym with some preparation for the UBRR, followed by a ruck march of 5-miles. Pick a route over varied terrain and remember to keep hydrated. Mark down your times in your workout log book

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 20 Pushups

3 x 10 Kip Ups

3 x 20 Sit ups

3 x 20 Crunches

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

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

Stretch well after completion