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Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 5, Day 5

Back to the gym on Thursday morning for a Chest and triceps workout to include some pushups, sit-ups, and kip ups. Then a 5-mile ruck march with 45-pounds minimum. Remember to stay hydrated and mark your progress down in your workout log book.

UBRR 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

3 x 10 Kip Ups

3 x 20 Sit-ups

3 x 20 Cable Push Downs (rope)

3 x 20 Dips or until muscle failure

5-mile rucksack march (45-pound minimum, 75-minutes maximum) over varied terrain, note your time

Stretch well after completion

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LTG Masaharu Homma Executed on This Day 1946, For Bataan Death March

Masaharu Homma was a Lieutenant General of the Imperial Japanese Army and during in the early days of World War II, his command, the 14th Army was tasked with routing the American and Filipino forces from Bataan. And after the surrender of 76,000 American and Filipino troops there, Japanese troops under Homma’s command forced them to march up to 65 miles to a POW camp. At least 5500 either died or were killed during the “Bataan Death March” in April of 1942.

Japanese soldiers guard American and Filipino prisoners during the Bataan Death March.

Homma was later charged with war crimes after the war was over, becoming known as the “Beast of Bataan”, and was convicted in the Philippines as a war criminal and executed by a firing squad on April 3, 1946.

While the heinous crimes of the Japanese soldiers were well documented and as the commander of the Japanese troops there, he was ultimately responsible (and executed for), was Homma really in fact, “the Beast of Bataan” or just a convenient target for a biased General MacArthur to exact his pound of flesh? Americans and especially Filipinos hated the Japanese for their brutal tactics and atrocities carried out during the war.

Early Life and Military Career:

Homma was born on Sado Island in January 1888. As a child and a young man, he wanted to be a writer. By the time he was in high school, he had poems and short stories published in Tokyo magazines.

His dreams of being a writer would be dashed forever with the Ruso-Japanese War of 1905 when he was just 17. As he wrote later, “with the pitch of patriotism raised to the highest degree”, he joined the military and in 1907 graduated at the top of his class from the Tokyo Military Academy.

Just two years later, Homma attended the Imperial Army Staff College, graduating with highest honors. One of his classmates there was Hideki Tojo, the ambitious, ruthless, and hawkish future prime minister who would lead Japan into war with the West. Homma hated him. “His dogmatic character was deeply repugnant to me, and his pro-German idea was widely in variance with my liberal views.”

In 1917 while assigned to the Imperial General Staff, Homma was sent to study English and be an attache to Great Britain. Back then, Britain and Japan were allies. He saw the Western Front firsthand attached to the East Lancashire Regiment part of the British Expeditionary Force. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1918.

Thus began a period in his life when he was thrust into the European continent and developed a deep understanding of and an affinity for the West. Homma met Winston Churchill, Gandhi, Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, attended the coronation of King George VI. He lived for a few years in New Delhi and was fascinated by the Indian people and their culture. He also spent time with British units in Afghanistan and Palestine.

Among Japanese circles, he was known as the “Poet General” for his affinity for writing verse during battle. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Homma served as a division commander in China from 1938 to 1940 and directed the blockade of the foreign concessions in Tientsin, where he led the negotiations with the British. He was relieved of front line duty when he stated publicly that for Japan, “unless peace is achieved immediately it will be disastrous”.

However, despite this, due to his exemplary career, he continued to rise and was promoted to Lieutenant General.

World War II, the Philippines:

At the start of the war, Homma was given command of the 14 IJA (Imperial Japanese Army). He immediately earned the ire of his superior General Hisaichi Terauchi by ordering his troops not to treat Filipinos as enemies but as friends, and to respect their customs and religions.

The poor reports written by Terauchi on Homma were not lost on his own subordinates. Many in the Japanese military believed Homma too “Westernized” that he cared too much about his own soldiers’ welfare. Army Chief of Staff Hajime Sugiyama frequently cabled Homma to press home his attacks on the Bataan peninsula regardless of Japanese casualties. One of his own staff officers, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji countermanded Homma’s orders and in the general’s name ordered the execution of a Supreme Court Justice and the attempted execution of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, which Homma was able to stop.

Reprisals against the Filipino people were carried out mercilessly. Homma was locked into a war he didn’t believe in, fighting for a totalitarian regime he hated but in the end, his oath as a Japanese officer would cost him his life. After the war he wrote in his journal that he didn’t want war against the U.S. and the West:

“War against the USA would be a disaster, I knew, but I could not show any feeling in it, as … I would have been called a traitor,” he wrote. “Tojo did not understand Anglo-Saxon temperament and its potential strength… Japan was already exhausted from its prolonged war in China and was not in a position to wage another against the U.S. and Great Britain. It was sheer madness.”

But once the Americans and Filipino troops, starving, sick with malaria and dysentery surrendered, the mid-level Japanese forces mistreated the POWs horribly despite Homma’s orders that they were to be treated fairly.

Initially thought to be 25,000, the Japanese were shocked to discover that there were in fact 76,000 POWs. They had no facilities, nor any plan on how to deal with that many POWs. The Japanese also considered the allies as having disgraced themselves rather than surrender.

During the Bataan Death March, 5500 Allied soldiers died, many were shot, bayonetted or beheaded if they fell out of the ranks during the march. Others died of disease or malnutrition. However, the Japanese furious at Homma for the delay at Bataan and the lenient treatment that he was advocating for the treatment of the Filipinos, was relieved of his command and forced to retire. He spent the rest of the war in near seclusion in Japan.

But after Japan’s eventual defeat and surrender, the Americans had Homma arrested and charged with war crimes. It wasn’t until his trial in December 1945, that Homma found out about the charges against him for the first time.

Trial And Execution:

General MacArthur wasn’t leaving anything to chance. He hand-picked the judges, prosecutors, and the defense counsel. Homma’s lawyers were fresh out of school and had never tried a case before. The prosecution was given a great amount of leeway into entering into evidence hearsay and circumstantial evidence.

Homma with his lawyers during his trial.

As witness after witness described in awful detail about the atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers, Homma was shocked, learning that they went against everything that he had so ordered. He wrote, “I am horrified to learn these things happened under my command,” he added, “I am ashamed of our troops.”

The most damning testimony was from a U.S. Master Sergeant Jimmy Baldassarre, who not only spoke about witnessing the atrocities but apparently seeing Homma himself on the road that the Death March was held. It was damaging for the defense since Homma claimed he knew nothing about the acts of his soldiers.

He claimed that he was working on the advance on Corregidor and paid the march no mind. It was interesting that Baldassarre could identify him since at that time, few Americans knew Homma was in command and fewer even knew what he looked like.

Moriya Wada, a major with logistics under Homma testified for the defense. He said Homma had indeed ordered his subordinates to treat prisoners in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. And that the conditions in the camp after the Death March were so horrible he reported to Homma. The general ordered the removal of the POW camp commander and then told his replacement to clean up the conditions that the prisoners were subjected to.

Wada said Homma set out to get the POWs more food, improve sanitation in the camp, provide for a decent burial of the dead, and putting in water pipes. Homma made 10 different requests to Tokyo for food for the POWs, requesting 100,000 tons of rice. But the Japanese sent him just 1/30th of his request. He also released thousands of Filipino prisoners. Tokyo, not interested in treating the Filipinos and Americans in any civilized manner, then fired Homma.

The court-martial convicted Homma, as it was ordained from the beginning arguing, that if he did not know the atrocities that his troops carried out, SHOULD have known. He was ordered to face death by a firing squad. He was executed early on April 3, 1946.

General MacArthur, having stacked the deck was going to get his pound of flesh. He wrote:

“If this defendant does not deserve his judicial fate, none in jurisdictional history ever did. There can be no greater, more heinous or more dangerous crime than the mass destruction, under guise of military authority or military necessity, of helpless men incapable of further contribution to war effort. A failure of law process to punish such acts of criminal enormity would threaten the very fabric of world society.”

However, a U.S. Supreme Court justice Frank Murphy lambasted the show trial.

“Either we conduct such a trial as this in the noble spirit and atmosphere of our Constitution or we abandon all pretense to justice, let the ages slip away and descend to the level of revengeful blood purges.”

The fact that the Japanese committed horrible war crimes in the Philippines both during and after the Battle of Bataan has never been in question. However, what responsibility did Homma have in this? He ordered his troops to treat the prisoners fairly which they did not. While the troops’ conduct reflects directly upon their commander, how high does this responsibility go?

There is no doubt American troops committed war crimes in plenty of places, My Lai during the Vietnam War immediately comes to mind. Should General Westmoreland have been tried for war crimes related to this? Judging from MacArthur’s remarks, the answer would be yes. And one can make that same argument for what is transpiring in trials for U.S. troops for war crimes in Afghanistan as well.

Many of the Japanese soldiers who committed horrible acts during the war escaped prosecution in the aftermath of WWII due to a lack of evidence or witnesses. But this trial was preordained from the start. Unlike what transpired in Nuremberg, this was not a fair trial and there is enough evidence to suggest at least reasonable doubt. But that was never going to happen.

Photos: Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 5, Day 4

Wednesday is Hump Day of the week, so we’ll head to the gym for a back and shoulders workout and then head out for a 5-mile ruck march. Remember to stay hydrated while on the march and mark your progress in the workout log book.

UBRR Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

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

3 x 12 Seated Rows

3 x 10 Deadlift

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Front Raises

3 x 10 Dumbbell Arnold Press

3 x 8 Shoulder Shrugs

5-mile Rucksack march (45lb minimum) the standard is 75 minutes. We’ll be aiming to do better than that.

Stretch well after completion

Operation Chavin de Huantar, Peruvian Commandos Rescue 72 Hostages

Operation Chavin de Huantar is considered one of the most important operations of the Peruvian military. On April 22, 1997, commandos from the Peruvian Special Forces were able to conduct a rescue operation of 72 hostages held by the terrorist group Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence.

The operation was named Chavin de Huantar from the pre-Incan civilization Chavin. The area of Peru where they lived was called Huantar. The Chavin were known to hide from their enemies in deep tunnels built under their temples. The reason would come to light later.

What made this operation even more fulfilling for the Peruvian commandos was the fact that this mission was considered too difficult for them to conduct. They proved the naysayers wrong and were able to take down the target. Two commandos and one hostage were killed in the assault. All 14 terrorists were killed and the remainder of the hostages were freed.

Background:

The Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement was a Marxist terror group that was founded in the 1980s. The terror group was initially led by Víctor Polay Campos until he was captured and sentenced to 32 years’ in prison in 1992, and then by Néstor Cerpa Cartolini (“Comrade Evaristo”) until his death in this operation in 1997.

The MRTA took its name from Túpac Amaru II, an 18th-century rebel leader who was himself named after his claimed ancestor Túpac Amaru, the last indigenous leader of the Inca people

Like many Marxist organizations, there was tremendous in-fighting amongst the membership. The Peruvian military took a toll on their numbers as well as several clashes with their Maoist rivals the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). As a result, their numbers never went higher than several hundred.

On the night of December 17, 1996, 14 members of the group gained entrance to the Japanese ambassador’s residence by blasting a huge hole in the garden wall to gain entrance to the residence. The Japanese government had fortified the building to defend it from within. Many of the windows were made of bulletproof glass, heavy steel grates were placed on windows and the wall was 12-feet high to discourage any scaling attempts. The doors were constructed to withstand a grenade blast.

Peruvian President Fujimori called the MRTA assault and hostage-taking as “repugnant” in his first aired statement on the takeover, but not until December 22. He stated that Peru needed no outside assistance. He hoped to settle the matter peacefully.

MRTA leader Néstor Cerpa Cartolini announced that he would gradually release any hostages who were not connected to the Peruvian government. During the long drawn out siege that followed, the terrorists released all of the female hostages (including Fujimori’s mother) and all but 72 of the men.

MRTA made a series of demands:

The release of their members from prisons around Peru (including recently convicted US activist Lori Berenson as well as Cerpa’s wife).
A revision of the government’s neoliberal free market reforms.
They called for the end of Japan’s foreign assistance program in Peru, arguing that this program benefited only a narrow segment of society.
They protested against the cruel and inhumane conditions in Peru’s jails.

Reportedly, from one of the socialist hostages…that had been released, the terrorists were heavily armed and had anti-tank weapons at their disposal. They also were reportedly wearing explosive backpacks and had the rooms wired for detonation.

Preparations By the Peruvians:

Despite President Fujimori’s negotiations which dragged on for months, the President couldn’t find a European nation which would give the terrorists asylum. However, the military began planning for an eventual hostage rescue just four days after the takeover in December.

The Peruvians put together a 140-man joint task force—comprising 70 National Police members and 70 personnel from army, navy, and air force special operations units. The Peruvians were breaking the fourth of the SOF Truths, Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur. However, this unit would eventually have the time to train and prepare to conduct a very successful operation.

This joint special operations task force was charged with the planning and eventual conduct of the operation. While the task force prepared for the rescue, the National Intelligence Service, SIN (Servicio Nacional de Inteligencia) set up a headquarters next door to the ambassador’s residence, in the same house the terrorists had used to launch their attack.

Scale model of the Japanese ambassador’s residence used by Peruvian SOF to plan their assault.

The Peruvians began to tunnel deep under the ambassador’s residence. To cover up the sound and the vibration, they began blasting loud music into the residence as well as having tanks rumble around in the streets to throw off the terrorists. But MRTA did hear the tunneling efforts and ceased negotiations. A small two-way radio was furnished secretly to Navy Admiral Luis Giampietri. Also, the hostages were gradually furnished lightly colored clothes which contrasted very well with the dark clothing the MRTA terrorists were wearing.

In addition, the planning for the joint task force was made easier when the terrorists decided to move all of the hostages to the second floor. The Peruvians also over the period of time were able to smuggle in several hidden microphones and cameras which the hostages were able to hide around the residence.

The task force learned that security of MRTA was at its highest every night, but that each afternoon, eight of them, including four of their leaders would take an hour to relax and play football inside.

The task force built a scale model of the ambassador’s residence which the leaders of the rescue operation based their training. This included the tunnels from the adjacent buildings that the commandos would use to gain entry into the residence.

The Assault and Rescue Operation:

The night before the operation, half of the task force began to assemble in their assault positions. The police began to assemble around the residence while snipers took positions on top of the surrounding buildings. Everything was ready, they were just waiting for the green light.

At 15:17 local time, President Fujimori gave the commandos the go-ahead. The assault element was divided into three different groups. Six minutes later at 15:23, the Peruvians knew that the terrorists would be playing their indoor football game. It was precisely then when they blew explosive charges beneath the dining room and kitchen.

The first, exploded directly under the middle of the room where the football game was being played, killing three of the terrorists immediately – two men involved in the game, and one of the women, who was watching from the sideline.

The first assault group emerged from the tunnels on the side of the residence and assaulted the service area and moved to the second floor. The second assault team with 20 commandos breached the front door of the residence. They neutralized the other two female terrorists who were guarding the door. Behind this initial group was another wave of commandos carrying ladders.

The third prong of the assault consisted of commandos who entered via another tunnel. They scaled the ladders that were in place and with charges, they blew out the grenade proof doors on the second floor to evacuate the hostages. The also cut holes in the roof so that the MRTA could be neutralized before they had an opportunity to kill the hostages.

The entire operation took 28 minutes. All but one of the 72 hostages were saved. Two commandos were killed in the assault. All of the terrorists were dead. One of the terrorists, Roli Rojas attempted to mix with the hostages to sneak out. He was recognized by a commando who took him to the rear of the residence and blew his head off with a burst from his weapon. The MRTA flag that flew during the standoff was burned.

Aftermath:

President Fujimori arrived soon after the raid was completed. He was photographed on the staircase with the body of Cerpa and the headless body of Rojas close nearby. Television cameras captured him riding with the freed hostages thru the streets of Lima.

Fujimori enjoyed a huge jump in popularity over what was seen as Peru standing up to terrorists and standing on their own. His popularity rating nearly doubled to 70 percent. To Peruvians, it gave them a huge boost of morale as they saw their military plan and conduct a vital operation as a First World Nation would.

But there would be controversy over the deaths of the terrorists. Specifically, the execution of prisoners, after forensic investigators said that several of the terrorists were shot in the back of the neck in a defenseless position. Eleven army officers were arrested but eventually, three senior officers were charged with ordering the extra-judicial killings of the MRTA terrorists. They were exonerated at a trial in 2012.

Photos: Wikipedia, Peru armed forces

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 5, Day 3

Tuesday morning is time to go back to the gym to work on pull-ups and rope climbing preparation as well as Leg Day.

Go heavier with the sled push to build up explosion which will definitely help with the rucksack marches. If you don’t have access to climbing ropes, (which my gym doesn’t) then do the towel pull-ups.

Training:

Continue to prep for the UBRR

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Towel pull-ups 10 reps

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

3 x 10 reps Deadlift

4 x Sled push heavier weight or Fireman’s Carry

3 x 10 reps Dumbbell Lunges

3 x 20 Side planks

4-mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Remembering Simo Häyhä, The Deadliest Sniper in History

Today marks the 17th anniversary of the passing of the deadliest sniper in history. During the Ruso-Finnish Winter War of 1939-40, Simo Häyhä, a Finnish sniper and competitive shooter, racked up 505 confirmed kills, some put the number as high as 542 in just 100 days of combat.

The Finnish soldiers called him “The Magical Shooter”, the Soviet soldiers had a more apt nickname for him. They called him the “White Death”.

After being seriously wounded in the war, Häyhä would live quietly as a farmer until he passed away in 2002 at the age of 96.

Early Life:

Häyhä was born on December 17, 1905, in Rautjärvi, Viipuri Province, Finland, in a Lutheran heritage family of farmers as the second youngest among eight children.

Prior to joining the military, he was an accomplished hunter, shooter, and skier although he made his living as a farmer. He first joined the Finnish military in 1925 at age 17 as a member of the Finnish voluntary militia White Guard (Suojeluskunta), similar to the U.S. National Guard.

After his service, he returned to farming but he purchased his issued rifle, as Finnish soldiers were given the option to, an early series SAKO M/28-30 (Sn.35281/Civil Guard district number S60974). The rifle was a Finnish variant of the Mosin–Nagant rifle, known as “Pystykorva”, the Spitz, chambered in the Finnish Mosin–Nagant cartridge 7.62×53R. The Finns nicknamed it “The Spitz” since the front sight resembled a Spitz dog breed.

Häyhä lived near the Finnish base and was a frequent competitor in the shooting sports that the Finns would conduct there. And reportedly, his house was full of competitive shooting trophies. He was able to shoot and hit 16 targets at about 150 meters in a minute using a bolt-action rifle.

War With the Soviet Union:

The Russians wanted a war with Finland and tried to provoke the Finns in late November 1939 with a massive artillery bombardment of the border. Josef Stalin tried to blame the Finns for some untold “aggression” which fooled no one in the rest of the world.

On November 30, the Soviets invaded Finland with over 160,000 troops. Although severely outnumbered, the Finns were well led and prepared. Stalin had purged his officer corps in 1937 and executed thousands of his officers. The result was he had politically loyal but tactically inept leaders. And they would pay the price in Finland.

Another factor was the Russians weren’t prepared for the winter war. Their troops wore the green greatcoat of the military. This made them stand out perfectly, silhouetted against the white snow. It made snipers like Häyhä pick them off with ridiculous ease.

With the cold, ranging from -20C to -40C, the Finns would allow the Soviets to attack on the roads and then envelop them and attack from the rear, causing huge casualties. Häyhä was called back into service, serving under the 6th Company of JR 34 on the Kollaa River.

At one point Häyhä and his fellow troops, just 32 in all were facing 4000 Soviet troops. And amazingly enough, they held their ground. In the early days of the fighting, a Soviet sniper had killed three junior platoon leaders and an NCO. Häyhä’s platoon leader told him to take out the sniper.

As the sun was setting, the Soviet sniper considered the day’s fighting done and carelessly abandoned his position. As he did so, the fading sunlight glinted off his sniper scope. Häyhä put a round right thru his face. Later another Soviet sniper kept his unit pinned down, once again, Häyhä was summoned for and began to search out his quarry. Using another Finnish lieutenant as a spotter, Häyhä took him out with a single shot from 400 meters.

Soviet commanders then sent a countersniper out to get him but he too was dispatched with a single shot. The Soviets answered with a mortar barrage down on Häyhä’s position. When he began to take out the Soviet artillery spotters with ease, they unleashed a massive artillery barrage on the Finnish positions.

Unlike most snipers, Häyhä didn’t fire from the prone position, he preferred sitting up. He was a diminutive 5’3, so still didn’t offer a big target. But he’d pile up the snow in front of him and then pack down or pour water on the snow in front of his muzzle. That way, the enemy couldn’t see the telltale disturbance and blasting of the snow.

He’d place his gloves on the snow and place his rifle on top of them to lessen the recoil. But perhaps the most amazing thing about his exploits is that Häyhä eschewed the use of telescopic sights, doing all of his shooting with just the iron sight of the rifle. He also would fill his mouth with snow, so enemy snipers couldn’t see his breath. In one day he once killed 25 Soviet soldiers.

Häyhä with his precision rifle given to him after his exploits.

A Finnish Army document detailed how deadly Häyhä’s sniping was on the Soviets during the Winter War. On December 22, 1939, he was given credit for 138 kills in 22 days; on January 26, 1940, it mentions the total count as 199 with another 61 kills in 35 days; on February 17, 1940, his total had risen to 219 with another 20 kills in 22 days; and finally on March 7, 1940, on the day after he was severely wounded, the Finns listed the total number of kills as 259 with another 40 kills in 18 days. He was credited with almost the same number of kills with a submachine gun.

Häyhä had developed his knack for competitive shooting with his days as an accomplished hunter to hone his craft in the most deadly fashion. And he had learned to be spot-on with his range estimation, something he’d practiced hard at. With his rifle zeroed at 150 meters, he could estimate and make the changes needed faster and more accurately than his enemy could.

He was a hero in the Finnish army and was presented a special rifle, a custom-built precision weapon gifted by a Swedish businessman and friend of Finland, Eugen Johannson.

The Russians finally got to Häyhä when a Soviet sniper sent an explosive bullet into the cheek of Häyhä on March 6, 1940. It tore off his jaw and most of his left cheek. Amazingly enough, he survived and regained consciousness on the day the war ended. He had to endure 26 surgeries on his face, which took several years. He never fully recovered his speech. Finnish Field Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim elevated Häyhä from the rank of alikersantti (Corporal) to vänrikki (Second lieutenant).

After the war, he returned to farming, becoming a very successful dog breeder and moose hunter, and lived to the ripe old age of 96, passing away on April 1, 2002. He was asked a few years before his death how he became such an expert sniper…he replied, “practice.”

Photos: Wikipedia, Video: Weird History/YouTube.com

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 5, Day 2

Happy Monday, 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 just once. Go thru the entire cycle and then do it again and see where your fitness level is.

Ensure your form is very strict with the push-ups as that are how those are graded. We’ll follow with the shuttle run, in order to build up short area quickness and burst. Hydrate well and remember to stretch out after the workout.

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

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 the pair #2 today.

UBRR 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 exercises this morning in the gym before a run to top things off. 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.

Be sure to mark down your progress in your workout log book and remember to stretch well before and after your workout.

UBRR 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 Rows

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 10 Arnold Dumbbell Press

4-mile run (32 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

Collusion? Navy Trying to Tie Gallagher Court-Martial To SEAL Team 6

The on-going court-martial of U.S. Navy SEAL Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher for killing an unarmed, wounded prisoner has taken a turn into uncharted waters.

Gallagher, a very decorated SEAL with multiple deployments under his belt, is charged with stabbing to death a wounded prisoner from the Islamic State and then filming a re-enlistment ceremony with the dead prisoner as a focal point in the midst of it.

He has been awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device twice, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, and a trio of Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals, among his many awards and decorations.

Galagher was also charged with the shooting of countless civilians with no ties to terror or terrorism with his sniper rifle for no reason other than to rack up a body count. He then bragged about the number of kills publicly and then threatened any other SEALs who complained to higher headquarters.

At the time of the incident, Gallagher’s team of SEALs (Alpha Platoon, SEAL Team 7), was operating with Iraqis from the Emergency Response Division. The Iraqis called airstrikes in on a building where ISIS fighters were holed up in Mosul.

One ISIS fighter, approximately 15-years old was wounded and captured. The Iraqis took the prisoner to the SEALs compound where their medics including Gallagher began to give him treatment.

Then as the medic stabilized the injured ISIS man, Gallagher supposedly began to stab the fighter, which according to testimony in the Article 32 hearing from an NCIS investigator, left the medic, “in complete disbelief.”

Gallagher allegedly then texted photos of him cradling the dead ISIS fighter’s head with the caption, “I got him with my hunting knife,” according to prosecutors. There are supposedly several photos of this reportedly taken from Gallagher’s cell phone.

Gallagher, who has steadfastly maintained his innocence, has been held in the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar in San Diego since Sept. 11 when he was arrested at Camp Pendleton. His lawyers have complained about his treatment since, at the time of his arrest, Gallagher was being treated at the Naval hospital for a traumatic brain injury.

This lack of treatment has attracted the attention of Texas congressman and former Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas). Crenshaw and 17 other Republican congressmen have signed a letter and have “requested that (the Navy) review” the brig conditions for Gallagher in their letter, citing allegations from Gallagher’s family that “he has not had sufficient access to his defense counsel” nor “adequate access to proper food and medical care.”

The trial was initially slated to begin on February 19 but has since been moved to May 28, because his lawyers complained that the Navy dropped a bunch of new evidence on them on the eve of the trial before they had a chance to examine it.

The Navy Times reported that someone linked to the case released documents in the form of email messages and search warrants to them that show that the Navy seized a number of cell phones and electronic communications beginning in early February. This evidence allegedly proves that Gallagher urged fellow SEALs at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group — or DEVGRU (also known publicly as SEAL Team 6) — to obstruct justice or retaliate against junior sailors who were testifying against him for war crimes.

NCIS, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are implying that Gallagher and other SEALs in both Carolina and Virginia including DEVGRU are in collusion, communicating together for the purpose of retaliating against any younger or junior SEALs who were testifying against Gallagher for his alleged war crimes. Which is why NCIS investigators are doing forensic examinations on cell phones and other communication devices to look for any wrongdoing.

The Navy has charged Gallagher’s former SEAL platoon leader Lt. Jacob X. “Jake” Portier, a for allegedly trying to cover up Gallagher’s crimes. His lawyers are pushing for a speedy trial since they claim that no cover up either by Portier or the SEAL command at Coronado ever existed.

Jeremiah J. Sullivan, III, Portier’s attorney, says the Navy is pushing this collusion angle with DEVGRU since their investigators went up the chain of command and didn’t get the answers or results that they were looking for.

“They’ve expanded the scope of their investigations to try to prove their theory of collusion but the collusion simply doesn’t exist,” he said

The Navy also gave testimonial immunity to seven other SEALs to get them to testify against Gallagher in this case. Therein lies the hidden Catch-22 for the SEALs being granted this immunity.

Testimonial immunity protects any witness testifying on the witness stand from being charged for crimes they admit under oath to committing. However, it doesn’t protect them from any testimony given by others who later testify.

So while a sailor could admit that he broke the law in his testimony, he could still be prosecuted if any other sworn statements of other witnesses or other corroborating evidence that was obtained independently from his words in court.

However, transactional immunity offers a witness blanket protection from future prosecution and it’s routine for attorneys to seek both forms of protection for their clients in similar cases.

Prosecutors for the government have stated that they have several SEALs who will testify against Gallagher for war crimes. But it seems that either the prosecutors were fishing for some kind of collusion in a larger scale investigation or they’ve gotten wind of an effort to stop the SEALs given immunity from testifying. Either way, it isn’t a good look for the Naval Special Warfare Command or USSOCOM which has not had a good year in terms of negative press.

Photos: US Navy