QUALITY vs QUANTITY

The Army is stepping up recruiting for Special Forces, Civil Affairs, Psychological Operations and Special Operations Aviation

Spec Ops Needs 5,000 Soldiers

Consider: Special Forces, as it is known today, began in 1952. In that 63 years, the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School ("The Schoolhouse") averages about 400 graduates per year, give or take a few. In the early years, the 1950's and 60's, it was much less. That puts TOTAL Special Forces trained at around 25,000 . . . over the course of 60+ years!!!

Big Army now says it wants to add 3000 SF guys in the next couple of years. There is simply no way this is going to happen without lowering the standards. Quantity over Quality is worthless. The Special Forces Qualification Course is 67 weeks long, except for Special Forces medics, who get 103 weeks of training. There is a reason our training takes as long as it does and why we have such a high attrition rate (my class started with over 250 and we graduated 75).

Special Operations Forces Truths:

• Humans are more important than Hardware.
• Quality is better than Quantity.
• Special Operations Forces cannot be mass produced.
• Competent Special Operations Forces cannot be created after emergencies occur.
• Most Special Operations require non-SOF assistance

STORMBRINGER SENDS

FIVE ROCK SOLID REASONS SPECIAL OPERATIONS VETERANS ARE AN ASSET TO YOUR BUSINESS

Actually I can think of hundreds of reasons veterans - not just Special Operations veterans - are a good way to go . . . S.L.

Given the nature of Special Operations units and the selection process required to gain entry, a Special Operations veteran is already a qualified individual, a seasoned professional. The qualities found in Special Operations veterans are the product of their training and experience - including the character traits that get them through that selection process - and are directly applicable to productivity and excellence in a corporate or industrial environment.

1. LOYALTY

In the military this is a two-way street: "Loyalty Up & Loyalty Down". It was explained to me by my first Team Sergeant, "Don't you worry about the Sergeant Major - you let me worry about him. You worry about ME." The message was the essence of Loyalty - as team members, our immediate loyalty was to our Team Sergeant, and he had just described his obligation to us. There is nothing more destructive to a team than a disloyal member.

2. CHAIN OF COMMAND

Veterans learn to identify their chain of command, know how important it is to keep the chain informed and understand the correct etiquette for communication up and down the chain. Commanders in the US military have an "Open Door Policy", but you'd better keep your immediate link in the chain informed before you go anywhere near that door. I once used the Open Door policy and the results were positive, but my Team Sergeant was sitting right beside me in the room as I spoke with the Commander.

3. WORK ETHIC

A theme in elite military units is "If you see something wrong or that needs fixing, do something about it. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." Veterans expect to be challenged and not afraid of hard work. When you hire a veteran you're getting an individual who's accustomed to a regular work day that started at 6:00 am (zero-six-hundred) and is accustomed to working up to 24 hours if that is what's required to get the job done.

4. COMMUNICATION

Effective communications is the sender, the message, the medium of transmission, and the receiver. There is a jargon, a idiosyncratic dialect unique to each organization and veterans are aware enough to learn and use it. We are taught if you have nothing to say then say nothing, if you have something to say keep it brief, include the 5-W's and How Many, and if pointing out a problem to always suggest a solution.

5. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

This cannot be stressed enough. In the corporate environment, the office and the boardroom are the battlespace environment, and the rules, regulations, policies and ethos of modern society - written and unwritten - represent the constraints and limitations guiding our conduct. There is a distinct corporate culture, and separate organizations have their own sub-cultures to be aware of. Special Operations soldiers know when to pause and accustom ourselves to the "sights, sounds and smells of the battlefield", and that often the "sit back, wait and see" approach is the way to avoid crippling cultural faux pas. During interview situations, we have been taught to read body language, to look about the room and determine who is actually the chief, and when asked a question to stop and think before replying.

This is by no means a complete list and the values listed here are not in any particular order, in fact they intersect with each other. I considered "Code of Ethics" as a character trait, but of course the subset of that value is far greater than the fingers of one hand. A mentor of mine described the corporate environment as "playing five games of 3-dimensional chess all at once, in your head." Given that, I say without hesitation that Special Operations veterans are suitable candidates for excellence, to any organization or operation.

This is what I bring to the table . . .

"STRENGTH & HONOR"

DUAL SURVIVOR's JOE TETI - THE TRUTH EMERGES

Joe Teti's lies and disgraceful conduct has been the subject of much discussion within the Special Forces community. His response to being called out on his outrageous claims is the defamation suit described below . . . NOT a smart move . . . S.L.

Lawsuit: SF Members Describe TV Star as Problem Soldier

The bizarre saga of Discovery Channel reality star Joe Teti took another twist as court documents emerged, from his former National Guard Special Forces teammates, that paint a dark portrait of a man known more for lying, stealing — and worse — than for the combat prowess he professes on his show, "Dual Survival."

"I believe Joe is a sociopath [who] could be dangerous to those he believes have injured him," writes Sgt. 1st Class Daniel McClain, Teti's former team sergeant, in a letter to the Special Forces Association that is part of a formal response in an ongoing lawsuit.

"I knew he would always be a problem," writes Teti's former executive officer, Lt. Col. William Sharp, in another letter, part of the SFA's 50-page rebuttal to the lawsuit filed by Teti late last year.

Sharp, now with U.S. Special Operations Command, writes that he was preparing paperwork to bar Teti from reenlisting, revoke his security clearance and strip him of his Special Forces tab, before Teti left the unit on his own.

"Teti is far below Special Forces standards, he is an embarrassment to Special Forces and Special Operations," writes Sharp, listing a litany of allegations.

Read the rest of it HERE

This Is What I Know:

Teti claims that he is a Special Forces combat veteran. He is not. Teti never deployed. Teti left the Army soon after 9/11, one step ahead of disciplinary action and knowing that the Army was about to freeze all ETS and retirements due to the war. Teti worked overseas as a contractor (the article describes his work ethic, or lack thereof) and uses this activity as basis for his claimed status of combat veteran.

Teti served in the Marine Corps prior to joining the Army National Guard. During his time in the Corps, Teti attended a Navy dive school, upon which he claims to be a Combat Diver. This is not the same thing and in fact he was kicked out of the Dive Supervisor course at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School in Key West, Florida for either cheating on a test or his false claims of Combat Diver status - not sure which.

Teti claims to have attended SERE (Survival-Evasion-Resistance-Escape) training, that he was a SERE instructor. Both these claims are false. To anyone who has any kind of proper survival training or outdoors experience, his ignorance is quite visible on the Dual Survivor show. Of all the worthy Special Forces soldiers out there who actually know this kind of subject matter, Discover Channel somehow got snowed by this charlatan.

Teti has had his membership in the Special Forces Association revoked - an uncommon event - and there is discussion of revoking his Special Forces tab due to his dishonorable conduct and outright lies.

There are other Teti activities I am aware of but cannot comment on at this time due to other lawsuits that are pending - he has done more than just steal and lie, Teti is a dangerous fool with a violent streak and has permanently hurt some families. Teti is a fool to challenge those who challenged the legend he attempted to build around himself.

The Truth has come out.

STORMBRINGER SENDS

WARS & RUMORS OF WARS

ISIS Has Captured al-Asad Air Base Where 300 U.S. Marines Could Be Trapped

We're actually getting conflicting reports on the above and it's hard to sort through all the white noise and disinformation going on out there . . . the base was overrun . . . the base was not overrun and the attack was repelled . . . the base is cut off and the adjoining town is in the hands of an ISIS army . . . it was only eight ISIS and they're all dead . . . here's what we DO know:

RECENT ACTIVITY:

In late October 2014, Ein al-Asad Airbase and surrounding region west of Anbar came under repeated attack by Islamic State militants. 50 U.S. advisers were sent to the base - which is located in the vicinity of an ISIS stronghold - to conduct a site survey for U.S. advisers to use the installation to support the Iraqi military. It now hosts 320 advisers.

During the early morning hours of 14 December 2014, U.S. Marines posted at Ein al Asad allegedly clashed with ISIS alongside the Iraqi Army and Tribal Forces. ISIS attempted to overrun the base to repel Iraqi forces from the base which at that time included about 100 U.S. advisers. According to a field commander of the Iraqi Army in Anbar province, "the U.S. force equipped with light and medium weapons and supported by an F-18, was able to inflict casualties against fighters of the ISIS organization, and forced them to retreat from the al-Dolab area, which lies 10 kilometers from Ain al-Assad base." Sheikh Mahmud Nimrawi, a prominent tribal leader in the region, stated "U.S. forces intervened because of ISIS started to come near the base, which they are stationed in so out of self-defense," adding that he welcomed the U.S. intervention, saying "which I hope will not be the last."

This was said to be the first encounter between the United States and the Islamic State, in four years. However, this claim has been stated to be "false" by The Pentagon. The airbase and surrounding region came under repeated attack by Islamic State militants in October 2014.

On January 5, 2015 The Pentagon acknowledged that ISIS has been ineffectively mortaring the base.

In February, Al Asad made news when ISIS took control over most of the nearby town of al-Baghdadi and began what a Defense Department spokeswoman called "ineffective indirect fire" against Al Asad base. On February 13, according to CBS News, "Eight suicide bombers managed to get onto Al Asad . . . but were killed by an ISF counterattack almost immediately." Further, CBS news reported that "ISIS had been regularly shelling Ain al-Assad for the past couple days, but there have been no reports of damage from the shelling or the attempted bombing on Friday."

ISIS Launches First Wave of Attacks Against al-Asad Airbase as Kirkuk Heats Up

Although the morphed definitions are poignant, a "battle" in the current engagements is a far cry from what soldiers dealt with in Vietnam, Korea, or World War II. Even still, I'm betting any of the 300 would gladly exchange places with those of us sitting in front of the fire in our armchairs . . .

Godspeed to the US Marines, any and all other US advisors, and their Iraqi counterparts, and may all the ISIS fiends die horrible deaths and burn in Hell for ten thousand years . . .

STORMBRINGER SENDS

FROZEN . . . MINUS . . .

New London Township PA: Temp = 4 degrees F; Winds = 25 knots gusting to 50 . . . S.L.

It started last night when we were out to dinner with friends, driving home was a challenge: whiteout conditions doing 25 mph down the highway, only casualty we observed was an incident on the road towards our house; had to execute a 3-point turn to get out of there and double around the back roads to get home. The couple we went out with stayed at our place last night; emergency conditions . . .

The view looking out the walk-out from the Jungle Room - I'll stay down here all day, listen to Classic Rock, build a fire, write, think Important Thoughts and do Battle with the Iron . . .

. . . not any better this morning but at least its blue sky and the snow has stopped falling but the winds are still honking and it is FREEZING COLD. Our guests had to warm up their car and come back in for another cup of coffee while the ice melted off their windshield . . . As we were moving snow off his car in the icy blast I told my friends, "In Special Forces we have a saying: I LOVE HOW MUCH THIS SH*T SUCKS ! ! !"



Bring it on Thor & Odin . . . "That Which Does Not Kill Us Only Serves to Make Us Stronger!!!"

STORMBRINGER SENDS

AMERICAN MERCENARY IN THE UKRAINE

There's speculation in the comments below this clip in YouTube about whether he's American or Brit - seems he could be either - I watched it a few times and figured that guy might be a Brit but his accent seems more American if you ask me. Looks legit . . . S.L.



I also found it funny that to some of the people commenting, "American mercenaries" automatically means "Blackwater". Blackwater was a private military company - in fact they no longer exist as Blackwater - and what they do is legitimate security work, highly regulated and overseen by the US Government.

You've got to figure - we've had almost 15 years of continual war ... before that we had a professional military the likes of which the world has never seen, with a lot of continual experience in places like Grenada, Lebanon, Panama, Kuwait, Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Libya and the Mahgreb . . . and so of course it is inevitable these days that guys are "freelancing" - in two places specifically: Ukraine and Iraq.

The American warrior class is firmly established and quite distinct and visible . . . we are also the most misunderstood class of American society . . . and it is an honor to be included as a member of it . . .

STORMBRINGER SENDS

"WAR IS NOT VIOLENCE AND KILLING . . ."

"War is not violence and killing, pure and simple; war is controlled violence, for a purpose. The purpose of war is to support your government's decisions by force. The purpose is never to kill the enemy just to be killing him but to make him do what you want him to do. Not killing... but controlled and purposeful violence."

- Robert Heinlein

TODAY IN CONGRESS: 1st SPECIAL SERVICE FORCE

This just breaking now; details to follow . . . S.L.

The awarding of a Congressional Gold Medal to a former Chico man and a Paradise resident will be live-streamed at noon Tuesday at www.speaker.gov/live

Former Chico resident Henry “Hank” Bazurto, who died in 2012, and Paradise resident Stan McEtchin will receive the nation’s highest non-military honor for serving in the First Special Service Force.

Today, just 46 Americans, 29 Canadians and one Australian are alive from that group. McEtchin is one of the 29 Canadians.

The First Special Service Force was an 1,800-man unit composed of three regiments that received special training in Helena, Montana in 1942. It was composed primarily of Americans and Canadians, but soldiers from other allied countries served in its ranks.

More details HERE

STORMBRINGER SENDS

BREAD & CIRCUSES

All you people asking me about the Superbowl and who's gonna win it? I'd say the two teams are very well matched . . . the game will go to whoever stops playing football first . . . just like the Green Bay Packers a couple weeks back . . . FWIW my money's on the SeaBirds - S.L.



"Bread and Circuses" is of course a saying comes from the Ancient Roman Emperors habit of putting on a circus and distributing free bread to the mob, as a distraction during challenging political times.

There is a magnificent portrayal of a Roman chariot race in the 1959 film Ben-Hur; more like a six-way dual to the death than what we think of as a horse race.

Many people equate NFL football to the Ancient Roman circuses and games. Admittedly there are a lot of similarities; the pageantry, the violence, the blood-lust of the crowd.

The players themselves actually resemble Roman gladiators with their helmets and body armor. And of course the injuries - while rarely fatal - do add a level if mortality to what is otherwise considered a game. And of course there is the "bread and circuses" aspect of the whole thing . . .

Well unless you've been living under a rock or just came out of a coma, you're aware of the cheating scandal going on in the NFL - its one of those sports stories that spills over into the mainstream media. After the playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts – which the Patriots won by a landslide - it was somehow determined that the Patriots had somehow underinflated their footballs.

The reasoning behind this is in cold weather, a slightly less inflated football is easier to throw and a hell of a lot easier to catch . . . it was about 35 degrees and raining . . . here are some factoids for those who haven't been following the scandal:

NFL regulation balls are inflated to a pressure of between 12.5 and 13.5 psi (pounds per square inch). In the NFL each team plays their own balls when they are offense - each team brings 12 balls to the game, broken in, well seasoned balls, with their own team logo on it. The balls are presented to the officials 2 hours before the game, who inspect them for correct dimensions and pressure, then hand them over to the team about 15 minutes before the game.

The footballs are handled by several different NFL officials and a group of the balls are inspected prior to each game. After the game the Colts expressed a concern about the Patriot's balls, and NFL officials determined they were about 2 psi under; this is a significant difference in a volume of gas as small as an NFL football. They ruled out Boyle's and Henry's laws of physics - a.k.a. the Ideal Gas Law - because the Colt's balls were not affected by the cold to the same degree.

Anyway it's a big scandal - it was the AFC championship - and the NFL is trying to figure out how to manage this thing going into the Superbow. They won't take away the Patriot's victory, but there will be some fines and or suspensions or loss of draft picks. They're being very careful not to act too soon, to punish the wrong guys - like for example Tom Brady the quarterback who is one of the best quarterbacks of all time - wouldn't be fair to punish him if he had nothing to do with it.

In the meantime the media is honking on and on about how it’s such a scandal, how disgraceful, it’s all about the integrity of the game. Talking heads from Boston are moaning about how ashamed they are of the Patriots . . . ad infinatum ad nauseum . . .

It really is remarkable. It's spilled right over into the regular media - one of those sports stories that migrates from the back page to the front page. Bread and circuses, right?

Now here's the irony of it all:

None of these media types ever moan about integrity or rules or cheating whenever Obama throws out a mandate in direct contradiction to the Constitution.

Not a word about integrity or rules or cheating when the Democrats changed the rules in the Senate and Congress so the Republicans couldn't even debate the bills they crammed through.

The press gave Clinton a pass when he lied under oath - perjury - or when all those women came forward with accusations of rape and abuse. Not a word about integrity or rules or cheating.

So politics gets a pass on rule breaking - that's OK - but in sports the rules and regulations are sacrosanct?

I ran this past a friend whom I consider sophisticated and informed. "Politicians lie and cheat all the time," she shrugged. OK - politicians get a pass on it, but now with this football thing, the same media talking heads who give politicians a pass on breaking the rules - where it has real consequences on people's lives - are all bent out of shape over the integrity of football.

My point is the irony and the hypocrisy of the media, the absolute double standard: with this football thing, the rules and integrity are sacrosanct.

The press gave Ted Kennedy get a total pass on Chappaquiddick; weren't even allowed to bring it up in interviews, an unwritten agreement. They covered for John Edwards when his Love Child story was broke by the National Enquirer (of all papers) for six months . . . the regular press gave John Edwards a pass until finally the NE posted the pics of Edwards with the baby and then they couldn't ignore it anymore.

OK I get it. The rules don't matter. The Press gives powerful people a pass because they know what side their bread is buttered on. Politicians are expected to be corrupt and so the Press looks the other way when they are. Sports on the other hand is supposed to be sacrosanct, where examples are created for young people: "Bread and Circuses" - the Powers That Be all over the world want to distract people's attention from what is really happening.

But that is my point, of course. The pundits and the talking heads in the media carry themselves like they are the Keepers of the Flame, the Fourth Branch of Government charged with moral oversight. And yet the message we get is that political leaders aren't supposed to set any kind of example for young people? That it's OK to be a stinker? How is that in keeping with any rule or principle of leadership, in anyone's book?

And of course the Press claims to be objective but in reality they are not. Let us consider the great politicians of yesteryear, John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon.

Kennedy was an absolute stinker - broke every rule in the book in all directions - but he was assassinated by a dirty little America-hating Communist and for the rest of eternity JFK is a saint.

Nixon's crime was standing up for his guys and getting sucked into covering for a crime - an office break-in to the Democratic Party's political office that he had no involvement in and no direct knowledge of, whatsoever - and they ran him out of town on a rail over it.

No, of course politicians are SUPPOSED to be honest, but everyone knows they're not.

I don't accept that. I want my leadership held to the same standards that I am.

Look at all that mess they made about George Bush: "Bush lied thousands died." Never mind there is not a shred of proof that he told a single lie. Whereas Bill Clinton gets up there and committed perjury - lying under oath - which would get you or me 5 years in the slammer automatic sentence - and the press was saying it doesn't matter, its okay to lie about sex, people do it all the time.

In fact in the 1992 election, as it surfaced what a reprobate Clinton was, the press started this saying: "Character doesn't count"

BREAD AND CIRCUSES!

A greater point is that this proves there is a moral imperative to a free & open society . . .

STORMBRINGER SENDS