Special Operations Forces

Operation Urgent Fury, The U.S. Invades Grenada

On this day in 1983, members of the 1st and 2nd Ranger Battalions, 82nd Airborne Division, Marine Corps 8th Marine Regiment, US Army Delta Force and Navy SEAL commandos invaded the island nation of Grenada. The small island, located about 100 miles north of Venezuela was under strife after Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was placed under arrest and executed. The military operation, conducted with members of the Jamaican forces as well as troops from the Regional Security System overwhelmed the Grenadian and Cuban forces in the country in a matter of days.

However, despite the battle being basically a cakewalk for the U.S. forces, the operation brought to the forefront, several flaws in the US warfighting machine. The inability to communicate between the services, the lack of joint interoperability and coordination would bring sweeping change to the way Americans go to war. This would lead to the Goldwater-Nichols Act and soon the creation of the Special Operations Command.

Background to Invasion:

Grenada had been a colony of the United Kingdom but it was granted its independence in 1974. Maurice Bishop led the New Jewel Movement which was a Marxist-Leninist organization and he seized power in 1979. However, Bishop was a relatively moderate in terms of foreign policy and it upset the more hard-line members of the military. On October 19, 1983, military junta members arrested Bishop and executed him, his partner Jacqueline Creft, along with three cabinet ministers and two union leaders. The new head of the government was Hudson Austin.

President Reagan justified U.S. intervention by stating that the American government was worried about the fate of the 600 U.S. medical students going to school at St. George. The Iran hostage fiasco had been resolved less than two years before.

Interestingly enough, the Grenadian people supported the U.S. invasion, the government of Austin was ousted and replaced with a democratic regime. The date of the invasion, October 25 is now a National Holiday in Grenada.

Cuban Dilemma:

At the time of the invasion, there were nearly 800 Cubans on the island. Fidel Castro at different times, identified most as construction workers while at others calling them soldiers. The Cuban commander, Colonel Pedro Comas, later said that he issued most of the construction workers with weapons for self-defense. The Cuban soldiers and “construction workers” were forbidden to surrender to the American forces. There were some stories floated around afterward that the construction workers were actually Cuban Special Forces or Combat Engineers.

SEAL Recon Mission Ends in Disaster:

Two days before the planned invasion, the SEALs were tasked with doing a reconnaissance of the island. Members of DEVGRU or SEAL Team 6 with Air Force combat controllers were parachuted at sea to conduct a reconnaissance mission on Point Salinas. Something went horribly wrong and as a result, four SEALs drowned. The bodies of Machinist Mate 1st Class Kenneth J. Butcher, Quartermaster 1st Class Kevin E. Lundberg, Hull Technician 1st Class Stephen L. Morris and Senior Chief Engineman Robert R. Schamberger were never recovered.

The survivors continued on with the mission but their boats flooded and the mission had to be aborted. A second mission on October 24, likewise was beset by bad weather, so very little of the needed intelligence was gathered.

25 October – Invasion:

After departing Hunter Army Airfield at midnight and refueling in Barbados, A&B Companies of the 1st Ranger Bn conducting a classic airfield seizure by parachuting at Pointe Salinas airport. The original plan called for an air-land seizure. They learned while in-flight that there were obstacles in the middle of the runway. The 2nd Bn of the Rangers would be closely behind the 1st and jump in.

The Rangers began their assault at 0530 and received antiaircraft fire from Russian made ZSU 23-2 as well as BTR-60 Armored Personnel Carriers. Accurate fire from the Rangers’ 90mm Recoilless Rifles and AC-130s suppressed the antiaircraft fire and knocked out the APCs. After securing the airfield, the Rangers moved on and took the heights surrounding the airfield.

By 1000 the obstacles were removed and reinforcements (Carribean Peace Force troops) began unloading and other aircraft began to airland on the strip. Beginning at 1400, elements of the 82nd Airborne Division (325th Abn Inf) began to arrive and land on the ground and began spreading out. Landing in the aircraft was a bitter pill to swallow for the 82nd. They pride themselves on being airborne and when the US next seized a major airfield, in Panama in 1989, the 82nd would get their jump. Even though the Rangers seized the airfield again, they would not be denied. And although some of their heavy drops ended up in the ocean, they would get their combat jump.

The Grenadians attacked with a Motorized Rifle Company with three more BTR-60s but the Rangers 90mm and the Air Force AC-130s drove them back. Four Rangers, looking for the medical students at the True Blue campus, got disoriented and were killed in an ambush. The students were later found but only 140 were located, the rest were at the campus at Grand Anse.

Meanwhile, the Pearls Airport was captured by SEALs from SEAL Team 4 who came ashore just after midnight and Marines from the 2 Bn., 8th Marine Regiment who flew in on CH-46s and CH-53s. They encountered light resistance and swept it aside easily.

Elements of SEAL Team 6 captured Radio Free Grenada unopposed, however, soon after capture, they were attacked by Grenadians in armored personnel carriers. The frogmen were forced to evade by cutting a hole in the chain link fence and swimming out to US ships. Two SEALs were seriously wounded in the action and were medevaced by helicopter to the USS Independence.

Due to the lack of good intelligence, the raid by Delta Force on Fort Rupert and Richmond Hill Prison nearly turned into a disaster. Delta commandos and C Co. of the1st Ranger Bn were tasked with the taking of these two targets with helicopters from Task Force 160, now known as the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The Night Stalkers were flying UH-60s and MH-6 “Little Birds”.

The raid of Fort Rupert was very successful, several members of the People’s Revolutionary Council were captured. The raid on the prison at Richmond Hill, where political prisoners were held was another story. The ground was very steep, too much so to land helicopters. There were also several anti-aircraft guns on site. One helicopter was shot down and the pilot killed. Several of the commandos were wounded. The Rangers sent reinforcements to assist in the Delta commandos in safely exfilling the area.

SEALs conducted a rescue operation for Governor General Paul Scoon from his mansion in Saint George. They entered the area unopposed but a counterattack by Grenadian forces supported by BTR-60 APCs had the SEALs trapped inside. The US forces called in air strikes with AC-130 gunships, A-7 Corsair strike planes, and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters. The SEALs were forced to hold inside the mansion for 24 hours.

The next morning 250 Marine reinforcements with M-60 tanks relieved the SEALs and were able to bring Paul Scoon safely out. The Marines then overwhelmed the enemy opposition.

The fighting continued the next day as the 82nd Airborne pushed out the perimeter around the Salinas airfield. They got into a huge firefight with the Cubans and lost two dead and six wounded. The Cubans were pounded with airstrikes and artillery, and their resistance quickly faded after that.

By Day Three, the major fighting was over and the island secure.

UN, US Reaction:

President Reagan stated the purpose for the invasion was to protect American citizens, including medical students, living on the island. The reaction in the US was that the operation was justified.

In the UN, however, the situation was much different. From Wikipedia,On 2 November 1983 by a vote of 108 in favour to 9 voting against (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, El Salvador, Israel, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United States), with 27 abstentions, the United Nations General Assembly adopted General Assembly Resolution 38/7, which “deeply deplores the armed intervention in Grenada, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of that State.”

Free elections were held less than 14 months later and the vast majority of the people in Grenada voted for the Grenada National Party and a government was formed led by Prime Minister Herbert Blaize.

The majority of US troops would be pulled from Grenada by December. The lack of usable intelligence and the issues with communication were things that pointed to massive changes that needed to be made.

From Wiki also, The Goldwater-Nichols Act reworked the command structure of the United States military, thereby making the most sweeping changes to the United States Department of Defense since the department was established in the National Security Act of 1947. It increased the powers of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and created the concept of truly unified joint U.S. forces (i.e., Army, Air Force, Marines, and Naval forces organized under one command). One of the first reorganizations resulting from both the Department of Defense analysis and the legislation was the formation of the U.S. Special Operations Command in 1987.

Photos: DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 6

Friday is Leg Day at the gym. Start off with our favorite, Squats – (Front, Dumbbell Goblet, and Barbell), then Lunges and the Weighted Sled Push. Follow it all up with a five-mile run.

Mark your progress down in your workout log book and stretch well after the session. Remember….keep hydrating, even in the rain.

UBRR Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR.

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 Deadlifts

3 x 10 Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 10 Romanian Lunges

3 x Weighted Sled Push or Fireman’s Carry

5-mile run (40 mins. Max)

Stretch well after completion

New Push-up Technique Makes Things Easier, Not Harder to Grade

New Pushup Technique Makes Things Easier, Not Harder to Grade

A story that was posted on Military.com yesterday was intriguing as it will no doubt, affect many soldiers in the Army, but especially those attempting to go thru Selection in the Army’s Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS) or Ranger Selection and Assessment (RASP). Beginning in 2020, the Army is going to change the Army PT Test from the 3-Event (Pushups, situps, 2-mile run) to the Combat Fitness Test where there will be six events (Strength deadlift, Standing Power Throw, Hand-release pushup, Sprint-drag carry, Leg Tuck, 2-mile run).

Strength deadlift: Soldiers will perform three repetitions of deadlift at the heaviest weight they are capable of between 120 and 420 pounds. The deadlift replicates picking up heavy equipment or a wounded comrade in combat.
Standing power throw: Soldiers will throw a 10-pound medicine ball backward as far as they can. The exercise tests muscular explosive power, replicating aiding a fellow soldier over an obstacle or moving rapidly across uneven terrain.
Hand-release push-up: Soldiers will perform as many hand-release push-ups as possible in two minutes. In a hand-release push-up, soldiers lift their hands and arms from the ground at the bottom of the push-up.
Sprint, drag, carry: Soldiers will twice sprint up and down a 25-meter lane, drag a 90-pound sled up and down the lane, and carry two 40-pound kettlebell weights up and down the lane. The exercises are meant to simulate pulling a soldier to safety, moving quickly to cover or carrying gear.
Leg tuck: Hanging from a pull-up bar, soldiers will lift their legs up and down touching their knees or thighs to their elbows as many times as possible during two minutes. The exercise strengthens core muscles, requiring more strength than traditional sit-ups
Two-mile run: Soldiers will complete the test with a two-mile run, as they must in the APFT. However, soldiers will have only five minutes of rest between the leg tuck and the run.

The piece yesterday stated that a cadre of mobile training teams is visiting 60 battalions of the National Guard and Reserve forces to ensure that the correct techniques for grading the new Combat Fitness Test are being taught. It also mentioned that one of the changes that are being tweaked on the test is the hand placement for the push-up event.

According to Whitfield East, the research physiologist for Center for Initial Military Training, the new method of conducting and grading pushups will be easier to grade.

“During the field test, we are refining the hand-release pushup,” East said, explaining that event will either have soldiers raise their hands straight up off the ground before coming back up or extend their hands out to the sides and bring them back in again before coming up again.

The arm-extension version may be easier to grade, East said.

“More or less, the point of it is to ensure that they are totally resting on the ground. We don’t want them in a low hover over the ground,” East said.

The arm-extension also “engages a little bit of the … muscles in the back,” East said, adding that “it is good to link movements together, so a pull-type movement and a push-type movement.”

While the Army is saying that the new hand release pushups will increase the force on the body to lift the soldier by around 25 percent, it should be a welcome bit of news for Special Operations Forces candidates. Why? Because it now takes all of the worry and guesswork out of grading pushups.

How many troops have been to Basic Training, SFAS, SFQC, RASP, RIP or Ranger School et al, and have lamented about the grader who wasn’t counting their pushups? We’ve all fallen into that realm at one time or another. And as we have frequently written here, “pay strict attention to form in doing pushups.” The cadre of any Special Operations course will grade these very hard. Well thanks to the new way that the Army is grading these, it will quickly become the way that sit-ups (which will be dropped from the new Combat Fitness Test), are graded now. Either you’re doing them right or not at all. There will no longer be a gray area in what constitutes, or doesn’t… a pushup.

While the new pushups will be a bit harder to do, it is simply a need for all the soldiers to learn the new technique. Like anything else, it will require practice and plenty of it since it will be working different muscles in the shoulder and back region and the new exercise will work those muscles harder than the traditional pushup.

However, in the near future, there will no longer be the worry for the SOF candidate that the grader is being unfair, this new technique removes all of that. Whether the Army goes with the technique that only requires the soldier to raise his hands off the ground or extend them out, it will ultimately be strictly an exercise that a candidate can do or not. Just like the pull-ups that most SOF units are conducting now. In RASP, the Ranger cadre test for the candidates to perform a minimum of six pull-ups from a dead hang. Either you do them or not.

My personal trainer has long been a believer in the hand release pushup and we frequently use it in our workouts. Truth be told it is a bit more difficult as once your chest hits the ground you lose the momentum that we’re so used to having when conducting pushups. And by being flat on the ground or floor on your chest, the movement of your arms out to your sides and the force of pushing up from the floor is slightly more difficult.

Is it 25 percent more as the Army has stated? I don’t really buy that. In fact, I find doing the pushups that we more frequently use, the pushups using either a set of dumbbells or the handles of a machine that forces you to go deeper than a normal pushup, some people use boxes, as much more difficult.

Regardless, this new development, like anything else will require some more practice, but in the end will be a less worrisome exercise for SOF candidates, since the “human element” (read that as a cadre member that is looking to fail someone), will be removed from the equation.

That is good news, carry on… now go “elevate your feet and do pushups!”

Photos: Army.mil

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 5

Back to the gym this morning for a Chest and Triceps workout before heading out 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.

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 20 Plank Step Ups

3 x 20 Shoulder Touch Planks

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

4-mile run (32-minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Train For the Long Haul in Special Operations

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

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

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

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

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

Functional Fitness is the Goal:

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

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

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

Long Range Durability:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos: DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 4

Wednesday is a light Shoulders and Back training day in the gym before heading off to do the SOF (Special Operations Forces) Triathlon. A 3-mile run, a rucksack march, and a swim with fatigues and boots.

These are three things that you’ll have to be able to do well to pass Selection. If your plans include being a Marine Raider or a Navy SEAL, then being a good swimmer and being more comfortable in the water with your gear on is a must.

UBRR Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

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

2 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

2 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

2 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

2 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

2 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

3-mile Run (24 minutes maximum)

3-mile Rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 45 minutes maximum)

100-meter swim in fatigues and boots

Stretch well after completion

On This Day in 1983, Marine Barracks in Beirut is Truck Bombed

During the Lebanese Civil War of 1983, two suicide trucks laden with explosives are driven into the barracks at Beirut’s airport where the Multi-National Force in Lebanon (MNF) peacekeepers were staying. A total of 307 people are killed. 241 Americans, 58 French, 6 civilians and the two bombers. A terrorist group calling themselves Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility and said that their goal was to drive the MNF out of Lebanon.

This was the single deadliest day in the Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima and for the U.S. military since the Tet Offensive in Vietnam in 1968. Another 128 were wounded. The blast was the equivalent of an estimated 21,000 pounds of TNT.

The second attack on the French Drakkar barracks occurred just minutes after the attack on the Americans housed the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment as well as the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment, 58 French paratroopers were killed with another 15 wounded. For the French military, it was their single largest loss of life, since the civil war in Algeria.

Although political leaders stated otherwise publically, these attacks caused the removal of the MNF in Lebanon. They’d been put in place since the PLO was ousted from Lebanese territory in 1982.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence called the bombings in 2017 “the opening salvo in a war that we have waged ever since—the global war on terror”

Background to the Bombing:

On June 6, 1982, the Israelis invaded Lebanon under the pretext of creating a buffer between the PLO and the Syrian forces inside of Lebanese territory. The Israeli “Operation Galilee” was conducted to create that 40 km of space and had the approval of the United States as well as the democratically elected President, Bachir Gemayel.

However, Gemayel was a part of the Christian Phalangists and the bitter enemy of the Druze and Muslims. The Phalangists attacked a PLO refugee camp and other Muslim and Druze communities while the Israelis turned a blind eye. Gemayel was assassinated in September 1982 by a bomb and was replaced by his brother Amine.

The Muslims of Lebanon, especially the Shiites, resented the MNF peacekeepers believing that the Americans were siding with the Christian Phalangists. They steadily harassed by mortar and artillery fire.

The Americans and French troops were hamstrung by the ridiculous “peacetime” rules of engagement, in the middle of a civil war. Being neutral the U.S. and French had to follow strict guidelines for peacekeepers.

When on a post, mobile or foot patrol, keep a loaded magazine in the weapon, bolt closed, weapon on safe, no round in the chamber.
Do not chamber a round unless instructed to do so by a commissioned officer unless you must act in immediate self-defense where deadly force is authorized.
Keep ammo for crew-served weapons readily available but not loaded in the weapon. Weapons will be on safe at all times.
Call local forces to assist in self-defense effort. Notify headquarters.
Use only the minimum degree of force to accomplish any mission.
Stop the use of force when it is no longer needed to accomplish the mission.
If you receive effective hostile fire, direct your fire at the source. If possible, use friendly snipers.
Respect civilian property; do not attack it unless absolutely necessary to protect friendly forces.
Protect innocent civilians from harm.
Respect and protect recognized medical agencies such as Red Cross, Red Crescent, etc.

In 1982, the Iranians built a base inside of Syrian-controlled territory in Lebanon. That base, opened by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards and housing Hezbollah, is still operational today. Hezbollah was and still is, a proxy for the Iranians who get their orders straight from Tehran.

On September 26, 1983, the NSA intercepted an Iranian diplomatic communications message from the Iranian intelligence agency, the Ministry of Information and Security (MOIS),” to their ambassador, Ali Akbar Mohtashemi, in Damascus, Syria.

The message directed the ambassador to “take spectacular action against the American Marines.” The Marines in Beirut were never notified about the intercepted message in a timely fashion. The government would finally notify the Marine commanders about the intercepted threats on October 26: a full three days after the bombing.

American military commanders and government officials failed to connect the dots that an incident on April 18, 1983, when a suicide bomber had detonated an explosives-laden delivery van outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans.

Things heated up between June and September with a number of incidents. Druze militias had confrontations with Lebanese Forces in a number of places and shelled the Beirut airport, closing it temporarily. That is where the HQs of the Marine 24th Amphibious Unit (24th MAU) was located.

Sunday, October 23, 1983:

Early on the morning of October 23, just before 6:30 a.m., a 19-ton yellow Mercedes-Benz truck driven by Iranian citizen Ismail Ascari pulled into the Beirut International Airport.

Believing the truck be the water truck, the Marines were expecting, it was instead filled with explosives. The driver accelerated and crashed easily thru the 5-foot barrier of concertina wire, then passed between two sentry posts and through an open gate in the perimeter chain-link fence, crashed through a guard shack in front of the building and smashed into the lobby of the building serving as the barracks for the 1st Battalion 8th Marines.

As the building collapsed upon itself, it immediately crushed to death within the mountain of rubble, 241 U.S. military personnel—220 Marines, 18 Navy sailors, and three Army soldiers.

On the day of the bombing, the Marine sentries were ordered to keep a loaded magazine inserted in their weapon, bolt closed, weapon on safe and no round in the chamber. Only one sentry was actually able to chamber a round in his weapon but by then the truck was already crashing into the building.

As the truck slammed through the entrance and come to a halt in the midst of the lobby, there was an ominous pause of a second or two, then the truck erupted in a massive explosion, lifting the building in the air, shearing off its steel-reinforced concrete support columns (each 15 feet in circumference) and collapsing the structure.

As the building collapsed upon itself, it immediately crushed to death within the mountain of rubble, 241 U.S. military personnel—220 Marines, 18 Navy sailors, and three Army soldiers.

Major Bob Melton the Logistics Officer for the 24th MAU, called to his commander Colonel Tim Geraghty, “My God, the BLT building is gone!” Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff and assistant chaplain for the U.S. Sixth Fleet recalled that “Bodies and pieces of bodies were everywhere. Screams of those injured or trapped were barely audible at first, as our minds struggled to grapple with the reality before us.”

Within 10 minutes of the attack and a few miles north of the airport, another suicide bomber driving a pickup truck targeted the barracks of the 3rd Company of France’s 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment. Guards immediately recognized the hostile intent of the driver and shot and killed him, stopping the truck 15 yards short of the building. However, either the terrorist or the gunfire initiated the explosive. Though only half as powerful as the bomb that had leveled the Marine compound, the second blast brought down the French barracks, killing 58 paratroopers.

Ironically many of the French troops were standing outside on the balconies of the building, as they had heard what had occurred at the U.S. base just down the coast and were trying to identify what happened there.

Recovery and rescue efforts began immediately. U.S. troops were harassed by intermittent sniper and artillery fire from Druze units. The last survivor, LTJG Danny Wheeler a Chaplain for the 1/8th Marines was pulled out of the rubble late that night. While others survived the blast, by the time they were rescued, they would succumb to their injuries.

The French immediately launched an airstrike in the Beqaa Valley against Iranian Revolutionary Guard units. The U.S. planned a massive strike in conjunction with the French at the Sheik Abdullah barracks in Baalbek, Lebanon, which housed Iran’s IRGC and was believed to be training Hezbollah militants. But the attack was called off when US Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger lobbied against it, because, at the time there was no definitive proof Iran was behind the attack.

The U.S. would leave in February of 1984, as the Marines departed on board ships, the battleship New Jersey, firing her 16-inch guns pounded Druze and Syrian artillery and missile positions in the Beqaa Valley. The Syrian commander in Lebanon was killed during the nine-hour bombardment of nearly 300 shells. Lebanese civilians would later remark on the bombardment of Volkswagen-sized artillery shells and long bombardment.

The U.S. learned a valuable and costly lesson in Beirut and would not deploy troops again with inadequate means to defend themselves.

Photos: DOD

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 3

Tuesday means it is Leg Day at the gym followed by a 4-mile run. Start off with pull-ups, then squats, lunges and the Sled push/Fireman’s carry followed by a four-mile run.

Remember to stretch well and hydrate well during and after your workout.

UBRR Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

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

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

3 x 10 Deadlifts

4 x Sled push heavier weight/ Fireman’s carry

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Spider-Man Planks

4-Mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Speed Up Your Recovery After the 12-Mile Rucksack March

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

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

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

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

Feed the Beast:

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

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

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

Ice Bath or Cold Tub:

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

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

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

Foam Roller and Lacrosse Ball Time:

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

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

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

Stretching It All Out:

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

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

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

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

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

Photo: US Army

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 14, Day 2

A quick workout to start the Monday morning and week off right. Start off with the basics of pushups, sit-ups, and crunches, then to the bar for V-ups, pull-ups, and dips before a 5-mile run in a mini UBRR test. Remember to stay hydrated and mark your progress in your workout log book.

So how was your time in the 12-miler on Sunday? Were you under the standard of 3 hours? How do your feet feel after that? If your time was near or over the time limit, then you know what needs to get worked on.

UBRR Training:

More preparation for the UBRR

1 x 1-minute Pushups

1 x 1-minute Sit-ups

1 x 1-minute, Crunches

1 x 1-minute, V-ups

1 x Dips as many as possible to muscle failure (No time limit)

1 x Pullups as many as possible or to muscle failure (No time limit)

5-mile run (40 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion