Listen to this guy. He knows quite a few things.
What you'll find is that there's a really bad perception in the rest of the Army that SOF is where you go if you want to do your own thing/be a cool kid/get tons of toys/whatever. It's wrong. SOF units are small because it's hard to find that many disciplined grownups who can check their ego at the door and work together for long periods in terrible conditions (hence the term "Quiet Professionals"!).
Originally Posted by ODB
Like I said, the last time I ran around in full battle rattle was a few months ago in cat 5 heat at Camp Mackall. It sucked. SF candidates were dying. Hydration only goes so far when in its hot as hell and you're on maybe 45 min-1.5 hours of interrupted sleep per day. That's why I was pointing out how awed I am by how you guys cope with 140 degree heat all summer long. You realize that the US military consists of the first people in the WORLD to manage that feat, right? Iraqi natives never ran around in the mid day summer sun loaded down with gear and wearing non-convection cooling clothes.
I'm just really impressed.
As far as the no name/no rank thing, just understand that its taught as a tactical procedural tool by the instructors at SWCS. I'm not saying its right or wrong, but given what I know about the targeting of SOF soldiers' families by cells here in the states, and the uniqueness of my last name, I get the name tape thing, while the rank thing has been explained by everyone from E5's back from deployment to Lt. Cols warning us that PFC's and E4's are going to be required to be able to walk into a room with tribal officials, wearing no rank, and present themselves with enough professionalism and competence that they come across as seasoned officers. I don't know one iota of how things work in the real world, don't get me wrong, I just think its important that you understand that on certain fronts you may be coming down too hard on the soldiers for making individual 'cool kid' choices when they're just following their unit SOP. During our CULEX the opposition used our pictures and names to distribute their own propaganda, and to counter our products.
But its good to understand all of your varying perceptions!
Your AIT may have taught you that, but generally speaking, a PFC or SPC won't be doing that- the PL or CO CDR will. The PFC or SPC will be there to support.
I'm not talking about a going without a nametape, or wearing a different name outside the wire- in my experience, its over the top, but whatever. Our HCT guys do it, too. What I'm talking about is NO, absolutely zero, patches, US ARMY, anything, except maybe some BS pirate patch, "becuase I have to blend in" (newsflash, you just got out of a HMMWV, you don't blend it), which, combined with a Grizzly Adams beard on the FOB (since you only went out for a leaflet drop, and the BN CDR's KLE), and absolute disregard for directed uniform standards, discredits your entire operation
pirate patches? you're kidding. thats kinda funny.
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