Meditations on the Way of the Warrior

A reader asks: "Sean, what is the Warrior Ethos?"

I chuckle as I recall a scene from Conan the Barbarian - during Conan's gladiator phase - where the Cimmerian is asked: "Conan, what are the greatest things in Life?"

His reply: "To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the cries and lamentations of their women!"

Few moviegoers realize that this is an actual quote of one of the greatest warriors of all time; Genghis Khan.

There have already been some posts on STORMBRINGER regarding the Way of the Warrior:

On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - (Part 1)

and

On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs (Continued)

I wore the War Suit for twenty-five years, and I continue to serve as a security professional. Perhaps it is time to further explore this theme . . .

DUTY - HONOR - COUNTRY

The Warrior walks the Way of Power, and with this power comes great responsibility. To the Warrior class, this responsibility is known as "Duty".

For the Warrior, every act of every waking moment is guided by Honor. Honor first . . . Honor last . . . Honor . . . always.

Luftwaffe fighter pilot Franz Stigler epitomized Honor in his encounter with B-17 pilot Charlie Brown during World War II

The Warrior serves. In ancient times, this service was to the tribe, the band of hunter-gatherers. Later, this service was to the King, or the feudal overlord; the Baron. In the modern era, this service is ultimately to the nation-state.

The Warrior is Loyal. Warriors perform their duty honorably at every level of our modern society; at community level as police, firefighters or other first-level responders; within the various state & national-level law enforcement and para-military organizations, the branches of the military - or as a private professionals, business leaders and the captains of industry - ultimately, duty to the nation trumps all. The Warrior must never betray his Country.

Considered amongst the greatest, most insightful American military leaders, both Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee took up arms against the United States. It must be remembered, however, that in their time a man's state was considered his country, and although Stonewall and Lee were not adherents of the Confederate cause, neither could bear going against their native Virginia.


The Warrior keeps his passions in check, never acts upon the impulse of his passions, except in the moment of actively engagement against the Threat. The Warrior channels the energy of his passion into selfless acts of service, into the driving force of physical endurance, and into outward displays of loyalty and respect to the Nation and its symbols, to the Honorable Dead, and to those who served before.

Green Berets of 10th Special Forces Group honoring World War II veterans of the Canada-America 1st Special Services Brigade

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The Warrior speaks Truthfully: to his leadership, to the Citizenry, and even to the Enemy, when representing the national leadership. The Warrior is not constrained to the Truth, however, when engaging in deliberate acts of ruse or deception, or psychological operations.

Although shrewd in his business dealings, the Warrior is an Honest Broker and a Fair Trader. The Warrior Class as a whole suffers when a single Warrior conducts himself dishonorably in barter with the Citizenry. This sentiment notwithstanding, the world is full of snakes, and the Warrior practices the ethic of "Trust, but Verify."

The days of Sack & Pillage are over; there are rules of war, codified in the Law of Land Warfare. Given the incredible lethality of modern war machines, and the professionalism of the Warrior Class, we conduct ourselves within this modern Code in order to minimize unnecessary suffering.

We treat Enemy prisoners within the Law of Land Warfare out of human decency, and to ensure humanitarian treatment of our own being held by the Enemy . . .








. . . whether or not the Enemy reciprocates:

American Prisoners of War in Japan, 1945

SS Reichsführer Himmler inspecting prisoners on the Eastern Front, 1943


The Warrior kills only when necessary, in the execution of legitimate duties. To kill indiscriminately, or outside the scope of duty, is unsanctioned murder.

To stray beyond these parameters one departs the Warrior Class and becomes of the criminal classes.









In a clandestine photograph smuggled out via underground operatives during World War II, an Australian pilot is summarily executed by an officer of the Imperial Japanese Army.

The German Wehrmacht conducts a mass execution of partisans, somewhere in Europe 1940-1944


PLANNING

Planning is a continual process; the Warrior always has a Plan, and the Warrior is always planning. Knowing that no plan remains intact once executed, the Warrior has an alternate plan - a Plan B - and an emergency plan - a "Go-to-Hell Plan."

"Be professional, be polite, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet." - Marine General James Mattis in Iraq.


The Principles of Patrolling are a good set of rules to guide you in your planning in all endeavors, civilian or military. They are found painted on Infantry barracks walls and posted on bulletin boards throughout the United States Army:


PLANNING

RECONNAISSANCE

SURVEILLANCE

CONTROL

COMMON SENSE


We will explore these concepts in detail, at a later time.


BE PREPARED

Knowing that the world is an evil place full of people who only wish to do him harm, the Warrior is never unarmed. A member of the Citizenry looks out the window and says, "Oh, it is raining; I must bring an umbrella." Whereas the Warrior looks out the window and thinks, "I don't know what's out there, I must carry something: an umbrella, a walking stick, a rolled-up newspaper - anything - so that my hands are not empty, should I encounter a Threat."

When circumstances preclude carrying a firearm, I carry one of these. If the distance is closed with speed and aggression, a collapsible baton will disarm and subdue an armed opponent.



VERSATILITY

The Warrior is not constrained by convention. There is a friction to Conflict; the Warrior adapts to fit the space and shape of the battlefield environment.

Years ago - another lifetime ago it seems - when I was a young Green Beret in Asia, my mentor explained: "The weapons of the modern-day ninja are the computer and the submachinegun."

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Like most of my peers, I knew nothing of computers, and an instinctive fear of the unknown gripped me. In the course of my self-education, however, I encountered Sun Tzu, the great Philosopher of War.

The Art of War is one of the oldest and most successful books on military strategy in the world. First translated into French language by Jesuits in 1772, it very likely influenced Napoleon. Leaders as diverse as Mao Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap, and General Douglas MacArthur claimed inspiration from the work.

Sun Tzu writes, "There is no difference between two armies tens of thousands strong meeting across a great battlefield, or two swordsmen facing each other in a duel."

I understood this to mean that a computer by itself is not evil or sinister, no more so than any tool or machine; it is simply a device that can be used to project power, as much as a submachinegun but perhaps more indirectly. Having arrived in the era of cyber-crime and cyber-sabotage, it is easier to understand this concept. The greater point is that the environment and the weaponry itself may change, but the Principles of War are always the same.


RESPECT THE ENEMY

The greatest folly in Conflict is for the Warrior to underestimate his opponent; and Conflict pervades every aspect of our lives. Sun Tzu also wrote: "Know your enemies and know yourself and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. Know yourself but not your enemy, find level of loss and victory. But if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."

In our business negotiations we apply this in seeking to know the other guy's hidden agenda. If you know your opponent's bottom line, you can quickly outflank him in negotiations or office politics.

To respect the Enemy means never to underestimate him. In modern warfare, this translates: "There aren't too many Million Dollar Men, but there are plenty of 25 cent bullets."

That little guy out there, squatting in the bush and living off rice and beans; he hates you and everything you stand for. Given half a chance, he can . . . and will . . . very realistically . . . KILL you.

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Take what I have written here and contemplate it. You will be tested - of this I can assure you.


STORMBRINGER SENDS

© 2011 Sean Linnane

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NOT QUITE GANDHI . . .

GAZA PEACE ACTIVIST BOASTS HE COULD HAVE "TAKEN OUT" 3 IDF COMMANDOs


Some direct quotes from:
The weblog of Ken O’Keefe


A beautiful gift from the BBC

If you haven’t seen it, look for BBC Panorama’s “Death in the Med” program online, you will be treated to first class propaganda as only the BBC can deliver.

I am one of the passengers/witnesses interviewed for this program . . .

. . . I solicited an agreement with the BBC producers, in return for my interview the program would include the fact that we disarmed, captured and ultimately released three Israeli commandos (after giving them medical attention no less). That was the deal, a deal I made with an audio recorder in service.

And yes the poor Israeli commandos were beaten, just as any invader in any capable persons home would be beaten. I take no issue with that fact.

But truth be told, the commandos we captured should thank us for their lives. I ask the Israeli’s, British and American people specifically, if your home was invaded, your family being murdered, would you be willing to disarm, completely control, and then set a murderer of your family free???


STORMBRINGER: OKAY there Hero, we let you have your say; now here's the professional anaylsis:

Close-Up Footage of Mavi Marmara Passengers Attacking IDF Soldiers




Those Israeli commandos showed INCREDIBLE RESTRAINT, when in fact they had every right to use deadly force; every rule in the Law of Land Warfare allows a soldier to defend himself. Consider: these soldiers were following legal orders, enforcing a legal naval blockade designed to prevent the import of weapons via maritime means into Gaza - weapons intended for use in terror attacks against Israeli civilians.

In the course of their duties, the Israeli soldiers were set upon with stun grenades, chains and iron bars. In one of the clips we see an Israeli soldier being thrown overboard - weighed down with full combat kit, this is a potential death sentence.

To be swarmed by an armed mob like that, in confined space, my instincts would have been to open fire, take as many of them with me as possible. Some Israeli soldiers said they used their pistols only after activists struck one of their comrades. Activists on board said the IDF opened fire on the ship before boarding.

Espen Goffeng, an activist from Norway, said Israeli soldiers started with paintball rounds, then switched to rubber bullets and then afterwards used live ammunition. This kind of escalation of force is acceptable within normal Rule of Engagement. Again; the Law of Land Warfare does not preclude a combatant from using deadly force in self-defence.

Nine activists were shot and killed, many at close range, and dozens were injured. Again, the IDF showed incredible restraint. Any of the so-called "peace protestors" who survived the situation, should consider themselves very fortunate - THEY ARE LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.

Seven Israeli commandos were injured. The wounded activists were evacuated by Israeli air force helicopters for treatment in Israeli hospitals and medical facilities of the Israeli Prisons Service.


Mavi Marmara Passengers Attack IDF Before Soldiers Board Ship




These so-called "peace activists" were looking for a fight:

Weapons Found on the Flotilla Ship Mavi Marmara Used by Activists Against IDF Soldiers:




Over the past 10 years there have been many attempts to smuggle weapons to terrorist organizations by sea. These attempts highlight the cooperation between Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas in their goal to undermine the State of Israel and target its civilians.

Source: Talia Wissner-Levy, IDF News Media


May 7th, 2001: Santorini

The Santorini was intercepted on its way from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip. It contained a large shipment of 40 tons of weapons including Strela anti-aircraft missiles—the same kind that terrorists fired at and narrowly missed an Arkia Israeli passenger jet taking off from Mombassa, Kenya in November 2002. The shipment also included mortars, rifles and guns, grenades, mines and explosive material, anti-tank RPG-7 missile-launchers, and artillery rockets.

Three crew members aboard the Santorini were convicted for trying to smuggle weapons from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip — the captain, a professional weapons smuggler and two of his relatives aboard the ships, had been involved in three previous smuggling attempts backed by Hezbollah and PFLP-GC.

The Santorini was acquired by PFLP-GC in a small island off Syria, and registered as Syrian. During previous smuggling attempts by the crew, arms were packed in Syria and transferred to Lebanon by a Syrian bus. Part of the anti-tank weaponry originated from Iran.


January 3rd, 2002: Karin-A

Karin-A was intercepted in the Red Sea along the Iranian coast, heading towards the Palestinian Authority. It carried 80 submergible containers of 50 tons of weapons, including: RPG-7 rockets, RPG-18 anti-tank rocket launchers, Iranian-made anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, 2200 kilograms of high explosive demolition blocks, Sagger anti-tank launchers and missiles, as well as rifles, machine guns, AK-47s, 735 hand grenades, 700,000 rounds of small ammunition, and diving equipment. The submergible containers were to be dropped into the sea and then washed ashore the Gaza Strip or picked up by a smaller vessel and delivered to the Strip.

Yasser Arafat's former CFO and confidante at the time, Fuad Shubaki was heavily involved in the smuggling attempt, the crew included members of the P.A. and Arafat eventually admitted P.A. involvement in the smuggling attempt. The ship was purchased in Lebanon and sailed to Sudan and Yemen to pick up civilian goods (watermelon seeds, sesame seeds, rice, toys, clothes) to disguise the weapons aboard.

June 8th, 2002

Two Palestinians were found swimming along the north Gaza Strip shore armed with four grenades, an AK-47, and four ammunition magazines in an attempt to infiltrate an Israeli community.


August 4th, 2002

IDF naval forces identified an armed Palestinian wearing a oxygenated scuba diving suit and carrying an AK-47, 8 grenades, 4 ammunition magazines, who was on his way towards an Israeli community from the Gaza coast.


November 23rd, 2002

After many attempts to communicate with an unknown Palestinian fishing boat heading from the Gaza Strip towards the direction of Israel, the bomb-laden boat exploded near an Israeli security patrol boat, moderately injuring three and lightly injuring one.


January 7th, 2003

A suspicious life raft found floating along the northern Gaza Strip coast was found to be booby-trapped with explosives.


May 21st, 2003 Abu Hasan

The Abu Hasam was intercepted in waters west of Haifa, sailing from Lebanon to Egypt carrying Hezbollah explosives bound for the Gaza Strip. The boat itself was a fishing boat, no doubt used purposefully to disguise its intentions. Cargo contained: a radio-activation system to detonate bombs remotely, CDs of directives on how to carry out suicide bomb terror attacks, five boxes with rocket fuses, and 25 Katyusha rocket detonators. The masterminds of the arms smuggling attempt were connected to Arafat's P.A. and Hezbollah.


October 12th, 2009 Hansa India

The Hansa India, which sailed from Iran flying a German flag was due to unload a cargo of eight containers in Egypt. Following warnings from the German authorities, the vessel was not unloaded and continued to Malta where it was seized and found to be carrying bullets and industrial material intended for the production of weapons, seemingly bound for Syria.


November 3th, 2009 Francop

The Francop, a German vessel, was intercepted off the coast of Cyprus en route from Iran to Syria where it would be smuggled by land to Hezbullah in Lebanon. The ship contained 36 containers with 500 tons of arms: 9,000 mortar bombs, 3,000 Katyusha rockets, 3,000 gun shells, 20,000 grenades and half of a million rounds of small ammunition, all hidden behind sacks of polyethelene. The arms smuggling was attempted without the knowledge of the crew: the cache was loaded from the Bandar Port in Iran on an Iranian vesel and stopped at an Egyptian port, where the cache was unloaded onto the Francop. The cache was ten times larger than the cache seized from the Karin A.


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ALLEN WEST

The heroic story of Lt. Col. West is brought to our attention via the worthy blog Weasel Zippers:



Allen B. West is a retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel and a Republican Party candidate for the United States Congress in Florida's 22nd district. He served in Iraq and as a civilian adviser in Afghanistan.


IRAQ INTERROGATION CONTROVERSY AND RETIREMENT:

While serving in Taji, Iraq, on August 20, 2003, as commander of the 2d Battalion 20th Field Artillery, Lieutenant Colonel West was in charge of an interrogation of a civilian Iraqi police officer who was suspected of having pertinent information regarding attacks on American soldiers. According to the Military Investigation, soldiers under West's supervision assaulted the civilian Iraqi police officer in an attempt to get him to talk.[3] West admittedly fired a pistol near the policeman's head, threatened his life, and allowed his troops to physically assault the man.

West, who at the time was just short of having 20 years of service, was charged with violating articles 128 (assault) and 134 (general article) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. West was processed through an Article 32 hearing in November 2003, where he admitted wrongdoing, was fined $5,000 over two months for misconduct and assault. He then submitted his resignation, and was allowed to retire with full benefits in the summer of 2004.

At a hearing, West was asked by his defense attorney if he would do it again. "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can," he said. Apparently not knowing West's gun was aimed into a barrel, Hamoodi cracked and gave information about the planned ambush on West's convoy, thwarting the attack. West said there were no further ambushes on U.S. forces in Taji until he was relieved of his leadership post on October 4. Hamoodi was detained for 45 days, then released without having been charged.

After West's resignation was brought to public attention the next fall, he received over two thousand letters and e-mails from the American public offering him moral support. In addition, a letter was drafted to the Secretary of the Army, its signatories being ninety-five members of Congress in West's support.

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You can say whatever you want about what he did with that Iraqi prisoner and in the end you'll just be another armchair quarterback; Alan West was in the heat of battle and while Mock executions are specifically forbidden under the Law of Land Warfare, what he did produced actionable results. My take on it is that I am sure this was not a mock execution - this was the intro to a REAL execution, which of course would have been murder. More to the point, Lt. Col. West was forthright and willing to face the consequences of his actions. - Sean Linnane

STORMBRINGER fully endorses Lt. Col. Alan West for Congress. We need more vets like him in Washington.

Click HERE if you wish to support Lt. Col. West's run for Congress.

BLACKWATER UPDATE

My buddy Uncle Jimbo over at BLACKFIVE has a good post on the Blackwater case dismissal:


This was a political case from the get go, and I firmly believe the only reason these guys faced charges is the we made a deal w/ the Iraqis because they demanded we prosecute before they would sign the security agreement. There were claims that this was a massacre and that there were no shots fired at the convoy. That was always BS and I covered it extensively.


Jimbo includes his exclusive source who confirmed the convoy was fired on - AND he offers supporting accounts from State Department sources, to include Ambassador Crocker.


"Contact! Contact! Contact!"

Jimbo also includes radio logs from the Blackwater incident. Go there and read it, Jimbo did a good job of covering this from the start.


Like I said, this is good news. Like a long tall glass of cold water to a man dying of thirst in the desert; this may be a glimmer of hope that just like the tide turned for us on the battlefield in Iraq, the political tide against us may finally turning, here at home.

MORE GOOD NEWS

This is a story we've been watching REAL CLOSE:


Judge Tosses Blackwater Case, cites Government Missteps

By MATT APUZZO
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge dismissed all charges Thursday against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards accused of killing unarmed Iraqi civilians in a crowded Baghdad intersection in 2007.

Citing repeated government missteps, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina dismissed a case that had been steeped in international politics. The shooting in busy Nisoor Square left 17 Iraqis dead and inflamed anti-American sentiment abroad. The Iraqi government wanted the guards to face trial in Iraq and officials there said they would closely watch how the U.S. judicial system handled the case.

Urbina said the prosecutors ignored the advice of senior Justice Department officials and built their case on sworn statements that had been given under a promise of immunity. Urbina said that violated the guards' constitutional rights. He dismissed the government's explanations as "contradictory, unbelievable and lacking in credibility."


This is a relief for the guys, and for every man on the ground out there, doing the job without military status and all the rights and benefits that go with that.

Whether the Blackwater crew was right or wrong, I don't think anybody around here would know one way or the other. What I do know is you can't armchair quarterback these guys from 8,000 miles away from the Combat Zone. Think about it - you stick a guy out there on the two-way firing range with a lawyer in his back pocket (ROE) but WITHOUT the protection of the Law of Land Warfare (Hague & Geneva Conventions) and then when he does what he has to do to stay alive on the most lethal battlefield in the history of the world, you throw the book at him? Eff that.





It might surprise the readership out there that I'm not an especially big fan of the Blackwater operation (now known as 'XE' of course) - and not just because they're the competition. Having said that, I harbor no ill will against them; they are Americans doing a thankless job under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. I say Godspeed to all the BW operators, and ALL my fellow contractors out there; best wishes and good fortune in all you do, all day every day.

"Keep your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet sharp and scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute’s warning."


- Sean Linnane