SOF

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 15, Day 5

Chest and Triceps workout in the gym and then hit the trails for a 4-mile run. Remember to stretch well before and after and to stay hydrated. Mark your progress down in your workout log book.

If you’re living in the Northeast, you may have to forego the run today until the weather stops snowing. It may be treadmill time.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Bench Press

3 x 10 Dumbbell Flies

3 x 10 Dumbbell Incline press

3 x 20 Pushups (alternate sets with wide, narrow and shoulder width)

3 x 10 ‘V’ Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

4-mile run

Stretch well after completion

Another Opportunity to Ruck For a Great Cause, “Ruck Your Dog”

For those aspiring Special Operations candidates out there, as they finish their workout today in preparing for Selection (you can find it right here). Here is another challenge for you to pledge some time and effort for a really good cause, while you just add to your preparation time in getting ready to go to the Selection.

The good folks at GO RUCK are running their second annual fundraiser with “Pets For Patriots” and by pledging to do some mileage under a rucksack, preferably with your dog if you have one and buying some of the shirts and patches that they’re offering, then 100 percent of the proceeds will go through Java Forever, GORUCK’s 501(c)(3) non-profit. GORUCK will publish the donation amount upon completion of this virtual fundraiser. And all of it goes to the “Pets For Patriots” project.

From their website, Pets For Patriots gives the gifts of fidelity, joy and love to both veteran and pet through companion animal adoption. Their mission is like no other because they are serving the men and women of the most extraordinary military of the most exceptional nation in the world.

Everything Pets For Patriots does is with a vision to end animal homelessness in the United States while giving military veterans and their families the greatest “thank you” of all: the extraordinary love of a companion pet.

GoRuck has run some excellent fundraisers in the past, a couple of us here, took part in the Rucking for the Green Beret Foundation last fall. They raised quite a bit of money for the folks who so much for our warriors. Now, this fundraiser helps not only veterans but gets dogs in need of a good home, the link-up with families in the military community.

We are all dog lovers in this house, and we have a rescue English Bulldog who is attached to my hip 24/7. If you’ve read some of my earlier rucking posts, you see she was mentioned quite often last spring/summer/fall whenever I was out with the ruck. With the onset of winter here in the Northeast, she’s been on hiatus, but it is time to for both myself and the dog to begin hitting the trails together.

Of course, as I’m saying this, the dog is pushing the mouse to the shorter distance to pledge….slacker. LOL

You can pledge 10 miles, 25 miles, 50 miles, 75 miles or go for the gusto and pledge 100 miles for the cause. For the aspiring SOF Candidates, you guys should pledge at a minimum of 75! (Just kidding, anything is appreciated) It is all on the honor system, you complete the mileage and adjust your own weight…they recommend 25-30 pounds, but being the good SOF ruckers we know that it is always 45-pounds minus food and water…right?

So, add some extra mileage to your SOF Preparation workouts and get the rucks back on for a great cause. Be sure to follow our workout guidelines for rucking and make sure you hydrate…and break in those spare boots. And if you guys are on social media, ensure you tag your posts with #RuckYourDog2018 so that the guys there at GoRuck can keep up with the action. Take a picture of you and your workout partner while out on the trail and we’ll do the same.

We are due for a foot of snow or more today, with some estimates as high as 20 inches here in the Northeast….so I guess my workout partner better get started before it gets a bit too deep and our footing gets slippery.

Keep us informed of your progress and we’ll post updates as well.

Happy Rucking! DOL

Photos: Courtesy of GoRuck Fundraiser

Russian Plane Crash in Syria Kills 39 on Board

A Russian transport plane crashed in Syria, killing 39 passengers and crewmembers as it was attempting to land at Hmeimin air base in northwest Syria, Russian state media reported.

Initial reports put the crash as a technical malfunction and not combat related. Hmeimin is located about 150 miles north of Damascus and is home to the Russians largest base in Syria.

All 33 passengers and six crew members were killed in the crash, state-run RIA-Novosti reported, citing the Defense Ministry. Earlier, it had been reported that 32 people had died.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the incident by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a working visit to Russia’s Sverdlovsk region, the Kremlin said in a statement.
The crash occurred as the Antonov-26 transport plane came down 500 meters (about 550 yards) short of the runway, the Defense Ministry said in a statement quoted by the state-run news agency, Tass.
The ministry said it was investigating the crash, adding that “preliminary data suggests it could be a technical malfunction.” It also ruled out the possibility that the plane had been fired upon.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case over the crash, committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko told Tass.
Tuesday’s crash was not the deadliest air incident related to Russia’s military intervention in Syria.
In December 2016, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft crashed after taking off from the Adler airport near the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, killing 84 passengers and eight crew members. The plane was carrying more than 60 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the Russian army’s official dance and choir company, on its way to Syria to give a holiday performance for troops.
Putin visited Hmeimin in December, using the opportunity to meet with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad.

Most Russian people support their involvement in the war in Syria, but opposition politicians were quick to point fingers at the Putin administration.

“How does the draw-down of forces look now? For the sake of what are these people dying? When will this senseless war end?” Dmitry Gudkov, a former member of parliament said on social media.

To read the entire article from CNN, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 15, Day 4

Shoulders and back training day in the gym before heading off to do the SOF (Special Operations Forces) Triathlon. A run, a rucksack march, and a swim in fatigues and boots.

Almost all Special Operations training is based on one of these events. If you can do all three well, you will be in good shape to pass the Selection course.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

3-mile Run (24 minutes maximum)

3-mile Rucksack march (45-pound minimum without counting food, water, 45 minutes maximum)

100-meter swim in fatigues and boots (no time limit)

Stretch well after completion

On This Day in 1966, Barry Sadler’s Ballad of the Green Beret Goes to #1

In 1966, the average house cost $14,200 or less than a decent Harley today. The median income was $6900.00, the price of gas was 32 cents a gallon, the Dow Jones Average at years end was 785. Batman, the campy comic book come to life, debuted on Network television as did Star Trek… “Space the final frontier.”

Americans found out what a “Miranda Warning” meant and why it was important. And mass killings weren’t a 2010s only phenomenon. Richard Speck murdered eight nurses in Chicago and Charles Whitman, who perched himself in the bell tower of the University of Texas with a rifle (not an AR-15) shot and killed 14 people and injured 31.

In China, the Cultural Revolution starts and Mao Tse-Tung begins to purge intellectuals. Mini-skirts are in fashion. Ronald Reagan enters politics and becomes the Governor of California, and the Houston Astrodome opens, complete with a 710 diameter of the dome. And there are now 500,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam.

And finally, in January 1966 Barry Sadler, a Green Beret from the 7th SFG appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and sang his “Ballad of the Green Berets” to a national audience. Sadler later appeared on other television shows such as the Jimmy Dean Show and the Hollywood Palace. He and the unit by the same name became household words in the United States. By March 6, his song skyrocketed to #1 on the Billboard Top 100 hits of the USA. It would remain there at #1 for five weeks.

Sadler’s song was co-written by Robin Moore who wrote the book about Special Forces, “The Green Berets” which became a 1968 pro-US involvement in the war film by John Wayne. The song was a tribute to SP5 James Gabriel, a Special Forces soldier who was killed in Vietnam in 1962. The original song had a verse with a reference to Gabriel but it wasn’t included in the recorded version by Sadler.

Sadler was an SF soldier who suffered a severe punji stick wound to his leg, which cut short his tour in Vietnam in 1965 where he was a team medic. During his long rehabilitation from his injuries, Sadler submitted his song to RCA after he and Moore cut the song from a 12-verse long version to a length that was more palatable for pop radio at the time.

Within two weeks after its release by RCA, the song sold a million copies. It would become Billboard’s top song of 1966. In an era of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys et al, it is amazing that Sadler’s anti-war song was the top-selling song of the year. And make no mistake, while it is a VERY pro-Special Forces song, it speaks of the cost of war and how it never seems to end. Something we can all understand quite well 52 years later.

The album which sold two million copies, (the single sold nine million) had a total of 13 tracks on it.

Ballad of the Green Berets
I’m a Lucky One
Letter From Vietnam
Badge of Courage
Saigon
Salute to the Nurses
I’m Watching the Raindrops Fall
Garet Trooper
The Soldier Has Come Home
Lullabye
The Trooper’s Lament
Bamiba
The A-Team

Sadler was sent by the Army on a publicity tour during 1966, and it turned him against the military, although he loved being a part of Special Forces. He left the military in 1967 and had a few walk-on roles in television westerns. He then tried Nashville but his career never took off.

Later he was writing a series of pulp fiction books about a Roman soldier, Casca Rufio Longinus, who is assigned to watch Christ die on the crucifix. Bored, he thrust his lance into Jesus’ side to shorten his time. Because of this, Chris sentences Casca to be a soldier who cannot die to wander the earth aimlessly until the Second Coming.

Sadler sadly died at the age of 49. He was shot in the head in a cab in Guatemala and died a year later. The circumstances have always been murky surrounding his shooting and have never fully been explored. His was a tragic life cut far too short.

But for a brief period in 1966, the Ballad of the Green Berets was the top song in the land.

Photos: Wikipedia

US Army Admits it Mishandled War Dogs and Will Comply With Reforms

The dogs who serve ably and bravely among U.S. and coalition troops in war-torn areas of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other places are not being treated with any respect once they return home. The Army confirmed an Inspector General’s report that it mishandled war dogs and vowed to comply with recommendations in the DOD report that calls for reforms.

In a report released on Friday, the Inspector General said that canine heroes, which saved the lives of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan while working with brigade combat teams to sniff out roadside bombs, were mistreated by the Army after they returned to the United States.

Army spokesman Major Christopher Ophardt said in a statement emailed to Reuters, “The Army concurs with the DoDIG [cq] (Defense Inspector General) report and is complying with” its recommendations.
The report said that some dogs were left in kennels for up to 11 months, beyond a deadline for giving them away for adoption or re-using them in the military or other government agencies. It said they were mistreated through lack of care and attention, and others may have been put down.
Contrary to military rules, new owners were not screened before the Army allowed them to adopt the dogs. It said that some dogs with histories of biting were given to families with children, and others were given to owners who lacked the ability or resources to care for them.
In some cases, the report said, soldiers who wanted to adopt dogs with which they had worked were not told they had the right to do so. An investigation was started after soldiers who had handled the war dogs complained about their fate.

The bond between the working dogs and their handlers is as close if not closer than the bond between soldiers who experience combat. Why would anyone involved in the adoption process look to deny the dogs to live out their lives in peace with their handlers? It makes no sense.

The handlers should always be given first priority if they wish to adopt these dogs who have given so much of themselves. And to neglect them in a kennel without proper care is nearly as bad as the VA scandals where our troops don’t get proper care. It needs to be fixed…now.

To read the entire article from Reuters, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Former Russian Spy In Critical Condition After Being Poisoned in UK

Sergei Skripal, 66, one of four Russians exchanged for 10 deep cover “sleeper” agents planted by Moscow in the U.S. is critically ill in a Salisbury hospital after being poisoned by “suspected exposure to an unknown substance”.

Wiltshire police said that a man in his 60s and a woman in her 30s were found unconscious on a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury on Sunday afternoon.
Temporary assistant chief constable Craig Holden said that the pair were believed to have been known to each other and were in a critical condition. He added: “This has not been declared as a counter-terrorism incident and we would urge people not to speculate.
“However, I must emphasise that we retain an open mind and we will continue to review this position.”
The UK’s top counter-terrorism officer said his specialists were supporting the investigation. Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said: “Clearly it’s a very unusual case and the critical thing is to get to the bottom of what has caused this incident as quickly as possible.
A passerby, Freya Church, saw the pair at the shopping centre. She told the BBC: “On the bench there was a couple – an older guy and a younger girl. She was leant in on him. It looked like she’d passed out. He was doing some strange hand movements, looking up to the sky. I felt anxious, like I should step in but they looked so out of it. They looked like they had been taking something quite strong.”
Zizzi restaurant on Castle Street in the city centre has been closed in connection with the incident “as a precaution” while the investigation continues, police said.
Skripal is a former Russian army colonel who was convicted of passing the identities of Russian agents working undercover in Europe to MI6 in 2006. He arrived in the UK as part of a high-profile spy swap in 2010.
Igor Sutyagin, who was swapped at the same time as Skripal and is now in the UK, said “Vladimir Putin was once asked what type of people populate the world. He said traitors and enemies. I was told once by a Russian diplomat in London that Putin compared me to Judas. That is their attitude.”
Sergei Skripal as he was arrested by FSB agents in Moscow in 2006.

The Russian press claim that Skripal’s poisoning is a ploy by the British to influence the upcoming Presidential election where Vladimir Putin is running for re-election. The British released a photo of a man and woman who were walking near where the two were found on the park bench as persons of interest.

The case looks much like the 2006 death of former FSB operative Alexander Litvinenko who fell ill and died after drinking tea laced with radioactive polonium. Litvinenko met his killers in the bar of the Millennium hotel in Mayfair, central London.

The two were Andrei Lugovoi – a former KGB officer turned businessman, who is now a deputy in Russia’s state Duma – and Dmitry Kovtun, a childhood friend of Lugovoi’s.

Putin denied all accusations over the killing and refused to extradite the pair.

To read the entire article from the Guardian, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 15, Day 3

Tuesday is one of our Leg Days at the gym followed by a 4-mile run. Begin with pull-ups and towel pull-ups for those who don’t have access to climbing ropes. Then squats, lunges and the sled followed by a four-mile run

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Towel pull-ups 10 reps

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

3 x 10 reps One Leg Body Weight Squats with a stability ball balanced on the wall

4 x Sled Push heavier weight or substitute Fireman’s Carry

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Plank Step Ups

4-Mile Run (32 Minutes Maximum)

Stretch well after completion

China Modernizing Military by Increasing Spending by 8 Percent

China’s modernization program for their military forces looks to advance even fast as they will increase military spending 8.1 percent in 2018. With new stealth fighters and a second aircraft carrier being built, the Chinese military looks to project power far beyond its borders.

A budget document made available to the media before the opening of China’s 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Monday, reveals China will spend the equivalent of US$175 billion across all branches of the People’s Liberation Army.

The 8.1% increase is higher than last year’s announcement when it upped military spending by 7% over the previous year. In straight dollar terms, US military spending far outweighs China’s. The Pentagon has requested a budget of $686 billion in 2019, up $80 billion from 2017.
China’s budget announcement comes as President Xi Jinping, the commander in chief of the country’s armed forces, focuses on increasing both the sophistication and reach of the country’s military.
He’s also seeking to expand his influence within the upper echelon’s of China’s leadership with a change to the constitution to extend his term in office, possibly indefinitely.
Speaking to reporters Sunday, Zhang Yesui, a spokesman for the NPC, said that even with the latest increase, China spends less of its gross domestic product than other major military powers.
“A large part of the growth of the defense budget is to make up for the low military spending in the past and is mainly used to upgrade equipment and improve the welfare of servicemen and women and the living and training conditions of grassroots troops,” said Zhang.
According to the independent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report on comparative military spending released last year, the US leads in total dollars spent, about three times that of China, and nine times that of Russia in third.

The Chinese do lack in one area, combat experience, having not had troops in combat since their short border war with Vietnam in 1979. What they lack in that area they make up for in intensive training.

As the Chinese army becomes more modernized, it is also getting leaner, they’re planning on cutting about 300,000 troops from the force, going below the one million mark for the first time since its founding.

To read the entire article from CNN, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Wes Studi, Reads Tribute to American Military Films at Oscars to Silence

Wes Studi, who starred in the new film Hostiles, was the first Native-American to present at the Oscars and introduced a segment paying tribute to the military. Studi’s montage about American military films included clips from recent films, American Sniper, Saving Private Ryan and Zero Dark Thirty among others.

Studi spoke about his time serving in the army during the Vietnam War before a video montage of military films played.

The topic was personal, as Studi served as a soldier in the Vietnam War. “I’m proud to have served there for 12 months with Alpha Company of the 39th Infantry. Anyone else?” Studi asked, to silence. “As a veteran, I am always appreciative when filmmakers bring to the screen stories of those who have served. Over 90 years of the Academy Awards, a number of movies with military themes have been honored at the Oscars. Let’s take a moment to pay tribute to these powerful films that shine a great spotlight on those who have fought for freedom around the world.”

The audience reaction not surprisingly was virtually non-existent, with few polite handclaps and not much else. On a night with standing ovations for seemingly, everything and everybody, the montage to celebrate the American fighting men and women get bored looks and silence?

While hardly surprising, it does speak to the “out of touch” vibe many people feel that the mainstream Hollywood types are today. Until the opportunity to make the next big blockbuster and millions of dollars from rolls along.

To read the entire article from EW, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia