Take this last week for example.
I was fortunate enough to attend the 10th Special Forces Group Change of Responsibility (CoR), where my old teammate and friend, Command Sergeants Major Kevin Dorsch took charge of the top position in 10th Group. Kevin is the consummate leader but what makes him great is his empathy. These next two years in 10th Group will be awesome.
My buddy Kyle Lamb, from Viking Tactics, came to Colorado to support Kevin. After the CoR, Kyle and I traveled out to my property, where I’m currently building a house. We spent an hour and a half telling jokes, sharing stories, and enjoying our time on the Front Range of Colorado. While it abruptly ended because of a power outage at my build site, we had a great time, and it was great to have him out. It was cool to see my boys say hi to Kyle. The last time they saw him he was their babysitter, and they were still in diapers. I’ve known Kyle for the past twenty years and he hasn’t changed a bit. Upon reflection, Kyle has guided me on everything from rear-security to shooting, to marriage advice and life. He is the epitome of the senior NCO; someone you rely on for sage advice and guidance.
The day after I linked up with Kyle, I reconnected with Jerry, a senior Warrant Officer in the Regiment, and the reason I went Warrant Officer in the first place. Arguably, Jerry is one of the most beloved members of the 10th Special Forces Group. It has always served me well to ask myself what Jerry would do in any situation that I found myself in. Jerry’s always the guy that can outrun you, outshoot you, all the while being humble and grounded. I’m grateful for that, he’s like family to me.
Monday was my birthday and a guy (Z) that was instrumental in my development as an NCO in Special Forces reached out to wish me a happy birthday. I’ve written about him before because he means so much to me, personally and professionally. My first 18 Charlie, Z, set the standard for what an NCO is. His devotion to the soldier’s craft is without peer. A week after I was blown up in Afghanistan, I received a mysterious phone call from a mysterious location. It was Z, who had moved on from SF and was on Camp Alpha. Through his awesome wife, Z heard that I was in the hurt locker. He had his folks find and fix my position and as per SOP, he came in for the finish. I’ll always remember that and am always prepared to repay.
Later that night, I found out that an old friend from Germany had committed suicide. A super funny guy, Chuck would say things that everyone else was trying to wrap their mind around. Chuck first came to my Cell at C/1-10 in 2009. Chuck once caught me with one of my Norwegian sweaters and asked if my Canadian mother had knitted it for me, “Did memaw send that?” he would ask laughing. Chuck also found it hilarious that I still had large gaps in my Army knowledge. It was probably something minor and didn’t change the price of gas, but for Chuck, it was hilarious. Chuck leaves behind a wife and three beautiful boys. His absence leaves a gaping hole in everyone's heart.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reflecting on all the relationships that I’ve built through writing this SITREP. I legitimately consider myself fortunate to have met so many awesome SOF entrepreneurs. All of them have made their products and companies the showcase, not themselves, something easy to fall prey to in 2022.
I’m going to keep writing about SOF entrepreneurs. My takeaway from these SITREPs is that we have so many great people doing great things. Kyle asked how he could help the 18 Series Bag Company, why wouldn’t I do that for someone else? It’s paying back what I’ve received. Ben Rader sent me a text about the bump in traffic he received from my blog. Not much makes my miserable butt happy, but that sure did.
Of all the people that I thought would write about themselves, I didn’t get much of a response from the SEALs. Shocking as I thought creative writing was a part of BUDs. I did, however, have a great discussion with Eli Crane who is running for Congress in the great state of Arizona, as well as Nick Norris from Protekt Products. I will come back around and write about our SEAL brothers.
I wrote about 10th Group entrepreneurs in SITREP 15, like Ben Rader from Rader K9, Matt Devivo of the ‘Thank you now what’ Podcast, and Steve Brignoli of Beyond SOF. I’ve known all three of these gentlemen for the past fifteen years, I’m proud to help and promote them.
In SITREP 16, I wrote about Mikey from Smoked Bros and also an awesome podcast created by Matt Parker, Brief Before Impact. I regularly listen to Matt’s podcast and am still running through Mikey’s seasoning.
In SITREP 17 I wrote about a couple of 3rd Groupers crushing the North Carolina market. Cape Verde Contracting and DOL creations are doing great. A fun relationship created over the last year has been with Eric Graves, who created my favorite gear website, Soldier Systems Daily.
I wrote about KRG, MODTAC, and Baer Solutions in SITREP 18. It only seems right that the three entrepreneurs that I wrote about from the 5th Special Forces Group all deal with firearms.
I had fun with SITREP 19, I got to know Chris at Bald Bros, Doc from Forward Observation Group, and Mario Volpe from American Oath Initiative. I’d like to design a Bald Bros bag, and every time the fella’s at FOG take a picture of my Fanny my website traffic and sales spike. These awesome entrepreneurs are doing everything right.
SITREP 20 turned out to be the most read SITREP of them all. Former members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) came out of the woodwork to support their entrepreneurial brothers. I’ve spoken with Jimmy Gruenewald from Orion Medical Consulting about possible mutually beneficial business, recently did Daniel Bell’s new podcast ‘After SOF’, and David Burnett of Blackbridge Defense and I are always scheming our next opportunity. All three of these guys are movers and shakers and I’m glad to have built a relationship with each of them.
My boy Kain Holland from Darley Defense started SITREP 21. If Kain was in Special Forces, he would have been the single greatest 18 Charlie because he knows how to get what you need, when you need it. I also enjoyed speaking with Ron Holmes from Ryker Grip. His innovative design for a forward hand grip on an AR platform is awesome. Rounding out the awesome list of Marines is Jameson Sharp, the most interesting man in America. Jameson volunteers at SOFPAC, a political action committee that supports SOF members running for political office.
I focused SITREP 22 on AFSOC. I’ve gotten to know Paul Koester over the last year and I’m a better person for it. Paul founded PK Gunsmithing and I’ll throw as much work at him as he can handle because it’s just that good. I also got to meet Tyler Mace of Guardian Fitness, a startup focused on nutrition and supplements. Lastly, I reconnected with Brian Wadtke, our CCT in 2007 in Afghanistan. Brian is a part of Triple Feed, an awesome training company in California doing awesome things.
I wrote about Mike Durant’s campaign for SITREP 23. While I focused mostly on Mike’s campaign, he has still created a $100 million company from scratch. Although Mike did not make the Republican runoff for the primary election in Alabama, I immediately texted Mike and quoted Teddy Rosevelt’s ‘Man in the Arena’.
In SITREP 24 I wrote about the best light infantry in the world, entrepreneurs from the US Army Rangers. Our Ranger entrepreneurs assaulted small businesses as they did their career, with speed, surprise, and violence of action. Frank Eaton from Gunformz creates awesome foam inserts, a must-have for any firearm enthusiast. Three Rangers Whiskey is a great spirit, created by great dudes, who also support the Three Ranger Foundation. Honorable mention to Steve Tyliszczak from Mad Pig Customs. His lever-action creations are awesome. I’m glad that I hunted these three guys down, what they’re doing is simply inspiring.
These entrepreneurs are living proof that humans are more important than hardware.
I’m lining up follow-on SITREPs that cover our SEAL brothers, my brother from another mother Edgar Mills (Osprey Shooting Solutions), and Erin Cook (Venger Tactical), a highly respected MARSOC brother, Hafeez Hussein, and still on the search for anyone else that would like to build a mutually beneficial relationship.
By the way, Daniel Bell and Patrick Brennan started a podcast, After SOF, and they interviewed me. I ran my mouth for an hour and had a great time. They could use your support so head over to their channel, hit the subscribe button and support our brother’s new endeavor. I suggested that they contact the entrepreneurs I’ve written about so that we can carry the supporting momentum forward.
As for the 18 Series Bag Company, I’m currently working on building an Amazon page, submitted my Fanny to the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), and am continuing to build our brand. I spoke with an amazing lawyer who is going to help me finalize the 18 Series Foundation. Everything is growing, and gaining momentum, all because of the leaders who gave me the tools to succeed.
In a week full of reflection on all the great relationships that I’ve had in Special Forces, I realized that you just don’t have enough time to focus, but when you see each other it’s like you were never apart. Time is free, but it is also priceless. You never get it back. Spending quality time with quality people makes it inevitable that you become what you surround yourself with.
Always forward – Matt
@18series
Cover photo was stolen from my brothers at TF_383
]]>The third awesome soldier and business, Mad Pig Customs, founded by Steve Tyliszczak, a Connecticut National Guard member who makes, in my opinion, an awesome version of an old classic.
What they all have in common is their devotion to craftsmanship. I think you will be able to tell how much I like what they are all doing, how much I admire them, and am interested in where they are all going. I hope that you enjoy this SITREP as much as I did writing it.
The first message that I received from Steve, the owner of Mad Pig Customs, made me laugh. I had reached out to him to discover whether he would mind if I wrote about him. He replied, “Hey Matt, I don’t think I’m all that interesting, but I’d be happy to talk to you.” His response is exactly WHO I want to be writing about.
Steve Tyliszczak is in the Army National Guard in Connecticut. When he’s not terrorizing the local community one weekend a month, Steve works Counter-Drug for the U.S Coast Guard. To ensure that he doesn’t catch a breath, Steve devotes every waking hour to Mad Pig Customs.
Mad Pig Customs does lever-action gunsmithing. I am a huge fan of lever-action rifles. I was under the impression that they were like revolvers, if the round doesn’t go off, cycle the next round into the chamber and pull the trigger. Turns out, lever actions are fussy machines whose parts need to function flawlessly to fire.
Send Steve a Marlin 336, 1894, or 1895 rifle or Henry lever-action and in six months you get a functional work of deadly art called a thumper, they are absolutely beautiful. Mad Pig Customs has developed an awesome partnership with Midwest Industries, Wild West Guns, Skinner Sights, and Hoptic USA to supply the additional parts needed to fabricate the Thumpers. These long-term relationships have paid dividends in low supply times, these companies would be crazy not to support Steve, Mad Pig Customs showcases their parts in the best possible way.
During the hour-long conversation, we spoke about Mad Pig Custom guns, Counter-Drug life, and building rifles on the East Coast. There’s a lot that goes into making a lever-action Thumper. Steve goes to great lengths to ensure that each added part doesn’t change the overall system and works seamlessly together. Contrary to what I originally thought, each integrated part needs to be tested to ensure the weapon still functions, it’s not just about jamming in parts and hoping for the best.
Steve and I spoke about the process and one thing is clear, for a one-man operation, Steve has a lot on his plate. Steve spoke about expectation management regarding gunsmithing timelines. He’s proud of his work, he makes awesome firearms, but some customers don’t understand that it’s literally just him. He’s a craftsman, and this craft takes time.
Steve, I’m a huge fan of you and your work. I’ll continue to follow your work and I’m sure my network will too.
If you are interested in Mad Pig Custom rifles, reach out to Steve at Steve@madpigcustoms.com or direct message through Facebook or Instagram.
Check out and follow his album on Instagram @madpigcustoms, it's true gun porn.
I reached out to the owner of GUNFORMZ, Frank Eaton. A buddy from Ranger Regiment told me to sniff around and I’m glad that I did. The owner of GUNFORMZ, Frank, spent 19 years in the United States Special Operations Command. Between 10 years in the 75th Ranger Regiment (seven years in the Regimental Recon Detachment or RRD), three years as a Military Free Fall Instructor, and six years in a Special Missions Unit, Frank Eaton is the guy you want beside you at Thermopylae.
GUNFORMZ does semi-custom foam kits for weapons cases. The foam is expertly cut using a waterjet, ensuring exact edges for the rifle, optic, or kit requirement. These edges are what keep your $4,000 optic from bouncing around unsecured. Frank has taken the time to develop inserts that can fit almost anything put in a gun case. We love our precision rifles and brag about hitting pie plates at distance, so it only makes sense for me to transport them in precision-cut foam.
Custom foam can be expensive, turning a lot of folks away which ultimately risks damaging the weapon system. GUNFORMZ foam kits are priced to sell to the common gun owner that takes pride in their weapon system. With reasonable prices and unsurpassed quality, GUNFORMZ kits are the way to go. Frank’s strategy is simple, provide an economical solution for your protective case. All the GUNFORMZ foam is water jet cut from 2lb polyethylene closed-end foam. This strategy allows Frank to offer awesome products at half the price of custom foam. Check out his Amazon here.
Frank also does handguns, optics, and other accessories as well. At 18 Series Bags we appreciate American-made products, and so does Frank. All his products are just that, American sourced and American-made. He knows a thing or two because he’s done a thing or two.
Check out his Instagram @gunformz. I guarantee that when you see his guitar cases, you’ll think about that retirement gift everyone was chipping in for. Frank's products are exactly what non-profits should be giving to their big donors.
I’m glad that we were linked up. You make high-quality, American-made products that anyone would be proud of to showcase their weapon in. I’d be proud to use your foam in our bags.
First, Three Rangers is a fantastic premium rye whiskey. At 84 proof and a smooth finish, you won’t go wrong keeping a bottle in the cabinet, but more on the whiskey in a minute. Three Rangers is the model for others to follow and live up to the axiom, Rangers Lead The Way. A portion of all the proceeds goes to the real champion, Three Rangers Foundation. I love everything about this.
Following separation from service one of the Rangers, John Collett reinvigorated a passion for distilling by taking an internship at the Koval distillery in downtown Chicago, IL. John graduated from intern to head distiller in a few years, and in the process developed the concept of funding a veteran non-profit through a whiskey brand. With the help of other Rangers, the whiskey, non-profit, and company were born.
Their Mission Statement at Three Rangers? To recognize, honor, and celebrate those who serve and sacrifice.
The Three Rangers team continues to grow and expand its product reach. Online sales and programs with both the Navy Exchange (NEX) and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) are constantly expanding their reach into new states. I live in Colorado, and I have asked my go-to veteran-owned liquor stores to carry it, and I suggest that you do the same. I’m partial, based on my known heritage, to favor blended Rye Whiskey, and this one is my favorite, no question. On their website, you’ll find some fantastic glassware and accessories. As well, no Ranger website would be complete without a pair of Ranger Panties.
Three Rangers was founded and is run by veteran Army Rangers who have ingrained within them a history of extraordinary experiences along with a strong, dedicated set of values. Their vision is to “Lead The Way” for veteran-focused companies by setting the example of commitment, community, and leadership for all to follow. They do this via the Three Rangers company which produces spirits, as well as the Three Rangers Foundation, a separately formed, but closely related 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a mission to empower veterans to achieve lifelong success.
On the Three Rangers Foundation website you’ll find transition assistance, family resources, Ranger-friendly career opportunities, Ranger events, ways to become a mentor, and an entire page of advertisements for Ranger-owned businesses. Isn’t that awesome?
As you can tell I love what these guys are doing. They make an excellent product, donate a portion of all proceeds to a non-profit dedicated to their own, and celebrate other veteran’s businesses. Sound familiar? I’m about ten steps behind them but they’ve blazed the trail for me to follow. These guys are squared away!
Brothers, you don’t just say the Ranger creed, you epitomize it.
Check out their products at www.threerangers.com and their non-profit partners at www.threerangersfoundation.org.
I struggled on how to close this Memorial Day SITREP out, so much so that I originally wrote 'dunno' in the hyperlink. I finally concluded that I am fortunate to be surrounded, every day, by the best of us. Please don’t be irritated by the folks that say ‘Happy Memorial Day’. Live this weekend to the fullest, be present, and spend quality time with your family. Those that didn’t make it back would have wanted us to enjoy this life to the fullest.
If you can grab a bottle of Three Rangers Whiskey, pour three fingers, and toast all the brothers and sisters that didn’t make it home, chose to call it early because they left their souls in the Middle East, or are still struggling with it all today.
As the musician, Macklemore wrote, “I heard you die twice, once when they bury you in the grave and the second time is the last time that somebody mentions your name”.
So, this weekend my glass(es) are dedicated to Ayman Taha (5th), Nate Winder (1st), Pat kutschbach (10th), Doug Vose (10th), Riley Stevens (3rd), Paul Schultzman (10th), Ryan Sartor(10th), Matty Pucino (20th), Mike Riley(10th), and Ryan Groh (10th), so that you all never really die.
Always forward. - Matt
@18seriesbags
U.S Army Painting done by Stuart Brown and can be found at here
Next SITREP - All we control are the choices that we make right now
]]>Over the past few months, I’ve been writing about Special Operation Forces (SOF) entrepreneurs. It has been an awesome journey. I’ve been met with new ideas that challenge the way I think, and the impossibility of staying on a publishing timeline, all the while attempting to grow my brand in a crowded space. Helping others and promoting their businesses is the least that I can do, I owe my community for letting me stay as long as I have.
I’m not entirely sure that my next SOF entrepreneur requires an introduction as he’s a living legend in our community. For those of you not read-on to Task Force Durant, Mike has been a successful aviator in the legendary 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), a Prisoner of War in Mogadishu, an incredibly successful businessman, and a committed husband and father. Now, he’s a candidate for the Republican ballot, for the Senate race in the Great State of Alabama.
I can attest that the folks in the 160th live by the Regimental creed, I wrote about a couple of entrepreneurs recently from that unit here. The final sentence of the 160th Regimental creed is my favorite because it perfectly encapsulates the men and women of that unit;
This is exactly why the entire SOF community is wholly committed to seeing Mike Durant become the next US Senator for Alabama. Mike Durant has lived up to the creed of the 160th. Mike is unapologetically behind former President Trump’s America First policy. From building a southern wall to demanding fair trade with China, fighting unnecessary COVID mandates, being a pro-life candidate, focused on preventing big tech censorship, and a solid supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Mike's platform is deep.
After recovering from the injuries sustained during his captivity, and spending the next eight years in the 160th before leaving the Army, Mr. Durant began working for a few years in the private sector. In 2008, Mr. Durant decided to go out on his own, creating Pinnacle Solutions Inc. Pinnacle Solutions is a “leading innovator, developer, and provider of defense and aerospace products and services”. Since 2008, Pinnacle Solutions has grown to roughly 500 employees and 100 million dollars in revenue. Pinnacle Solutions focuses on aviation maintenance and operations services, aircraft modernization and sales, engineering, development, and light manufacturing. The company also assists in developing technical publications for domestic and international customers. Not bad for an Uber of the Sky pilot.
In 2022, he entered a new fight. One with far fewer boundaries but just as dirty. Can you imagine someone claiming that Mike Durant is anti-second amendment? The suggestion is comical and an obvious political attack, derived from an off-the-cuff comment during a speech about OPERATION GOTHIC SERPENT while on stage at the U.S Army War College in 2011. Mike was speaking about the hornet’s nest that was Mogadishu. I think that everyone in political campaigns expects a little mud to be slung, but from an education standpoint, this one is a little slimy. He was speaking to a group of Colonels as a part of their professional military education. Discussions, presentations, and lectures are, from an educational perspective, non-attributable. Taking an ad-lib comment, during a lecture in an educational setting, is disingenuous.
It’s also easy to sharpshoot a decade later. Mogadishu was the most dangerous place in the world. We sent our folks into that city, costing 19 American fatalities, 73 wounded, and one Prisoner of War. With almost two decades in Special Forces and over twenty deployments, and five combat tours, even I couldn’t begin to imagine the horror that took place during that single operation. But it’s 2022 now and we are irritated by supply chain delays and left lane drivers, a space in time where absolutely no one is shooting RPG-7s at you. I wouldn’t begin to compare my experiences with anyone else’s, however; I know from my own personal experience, that you cannot unsee what you have been through. Being taken out of context is the new enemy from a population that can’t empathize with our wartime experiences. Rather, our lives become a punchline for the elite. Mike’s political adversaries have spent their adult lives tied to politics. His one opponent has a silver spoon in her mouth, having only been a staffer or lobbyist. Mike Durant has worked for all that he has. How dare she take a military speech out of context for political gain.
The folks that initiated this smear have obviously never served in the military, risked their lives in combat to save others, survived being a prisoner of war, or been beaten to an inch of their lives. Mike did all of that, only to return with honor, build a company that values the community in Alabama, and resume the American way of life. To claim that Mike Durant isn’t a national treasure is to spit in the faces of those that have sacrificed all those things. I have friends throughout the military, both active duty and retired, that will proclaim that you would be hard-pressed to find soldiers that grew up in the 160th that weren’t the most committed Americans in the U.S. Army. Mike Durant is a great example of that commitment; he’s committed to everything that he does. It is unbelievable to me that career politicians would attack Mike Durant’s Second Amendment credibility because Mike’s a Night Stalker, and Night Stalkers Don't Quit.
I have fantastic memories of working with every Battalion from the 160th. Looking back, it becomes difficult to differentiate between all the missions, some stand out more than others. On one flight returning to our Forward Operating Base (FOB), my team was returning with a couple more passengers than when we had started. We had expected some pretty heavy resistance so I had carried a machine gun, but the weight of it, added with additional passengers, had left little room and my legs had fallen asleep (and I mean, dead asleep). The problem was that I didn’t know it, yet. The expert pilots, like always, got us back safe and sound and moved us to the drop-off point. Once we came to a stop, my team stepped off the bird, taking the detainees with them. I attempted to follow the last man off but I quickly found that my legs didn’t work. The horror about to happen was elevated as my upper body had already committed to getting off the bird because of the additional weight of the belt-fed machine gun and I ended up falling out of the helicopter, face-planting onto the tarmac. I picked myself up, picked up my machine gun, then my pride, and began hobbling off the runway. To my right, I saw the crew chief smiling. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw both pilots turn and grin. All the men aboard this bird had similar experiences and felt my pain. I saw the crew chief attempt to get out and help but I was already limping away. This was the unit of Mike Durant. I wasn’t about to show these pilots’ weakness. I did my best to put one boot in front of the other without actually feeling my legs. I passed the bird and took a wobbled knee, indicating that my pride needed to rest and for them to leave. Later, I saw one of the pilots speaking with my Team Sergeant, both smiling and giving the Dutch and Dillon handshake from Predator. I politely waited for the pilot to walk away before approaching my Team Sergeant, asking what the pilot had said. Apparently, the pilot wanted to make sure that I was ok and compliment us on an awesome mission.
They are simply the best.
In June 2020, I attended EXOS, a sports performance and physical rehabilitation program in Pensacola, Florida, set up by USSOCOM (unrelated to my faceplant a decade before). It was an awesome month of two-a-day workouts, an hour-long physical therapy treatment conducted by an expert in his field, weekly massages, the nutritionists can go pound sand (thanks for the 1500 calories), recovery baths, you name it, it’s a place for physical rehabilitation. It helped me so much that it inspired me to start my own non-profit, 18 Series Foundation, dedicated to getting more SOF to EXOS (more on that in future SITREPs). My birthday landed on one of those weekends and my awesome friend, Joe King (depicted in the picture on Mike Durant’s left), invited me up to Birmingham.
Joe is the Business Development Manager for Beretta USA, an expert on all things firearms. A former Special Operations Combat Flight Medic with the 160th, and likely the funniest person that I know (his wife is a saint). It makes perfect sense that Joe ended up working at Beretta, the company that makes functional works of art.
I took the long way to Birmingham, from Pensacola, because I wanted to see Alabama. I’m glad I did. I met dozens of great Americans in Birmingham. Everyone I met was super friendly and polite, had some awesome chow, and ended up buying a Tikka rifle at a local gun store, Marks Outdoors. After one of the most memorable weekends of my life, I hit the road, headed south on Highway 65, only to find my next true love, Dill Pickle Cashews (not a word of a lie, I took a picture and posted it to my personal Instagram so it’s time-stamped!).
Remember in June of 2020, we were in the thick of COVID crackdowns. I appreciated Florida and ALL OF Alabama protecting their citizens from the popular political expedient choice of impeding on personal liberty and crushing small businesses (that other states were triumphantly imposing). I chalk that up to a strong resilient southern will and genuine State leadership. This election has been nothing short of phenomenal with folks from each of the SOF branches running for political office; Night Stalkers, Green Berets, SEALs, Combat Craft Crewmen, and Air Force Special Operators; all running for local, state, and federal offices. It feels as if we were all distracted by the two wars that we were fighting, only to return home to find the Legislative branch having been taken over by dramatic children who can’t, or won’t, get along. The country deserves better than that.
Joe was recently on the range in Birmingham with Mike and another Night Stalker and great American, Nathan Hunt. Nathan who owns HDC Hunt and is a former MH-60 crew chief, Mike, an MH-60 pilot, and Joe, the single best trauma medic in the sky, made for an awesome trio of varied military and life experiences, but they all appreciated the firearms laid out on the table in front of them. While Mike could have brought his extensive arsenal of firearms, Birmingham is Joe’s backyard, leaving Joe ecstatic to bring his extensive collection for the three of them to shoot. I asked Joe what Mike wanted to shoot first and he said that Mike was drawn to the MP-5 on the table. Mike said, “I haven’t seen one of these in a while”. Joe said frankly, “and by that, he meant, he was shooting it in defense of his own life the last time he held one.” The trio spent the morning on the range shooting targets, clay pigeons, speaking about firearms, the 160th, life in Alabama, and the upcoming election.
The Alabama State motto is ‘We Dare Defend Our Rights’. The citizens of Alabama live up to that motto every day and based on the living legend that the SOF community believes that he is, Mike Durant is the US Senator that you want, and the one that we all need.
As I sit with my boys watching Rise of the Jedi for the seven thousandth time while writing this week’s SITREP, it makes me think of a quote that Maj. Dick Winters famously said in Band of Brothers;
That’s what I think about Mike Durant.
Please share this as widely as possible, especially in the Great State of Alabama. Thank you for reading.
Always forward – Matt
Next SITREP - Into the Breach
]]>He said to his officer, “May I go, Sir, and bring him in?”
But the officer refused, “No one can survive out there” he said,
“I should only lose you as well.”
Disobeying the order, the man went to try to save his friend.
Somehow, he got his friend on his shoulder and carried him
back to the trenches, but he himself lay mortally
wounded and his friend was dead.
The officer was very angry, “I told you not to go” he said,
“Now I have lost both of you. It was not worth it.”
With his dying breath, the man said, “But of course it was, Sir.
It was worth it, because when I got to him, he said,
“Jim, I knew you’d come.” ~Leslie D. Weatherhead
These are the entrepreneurial stories of the men that will never leave you behind, men of the U.S Airforce Special Operations Command.
With over 40 years of military experience, Paul Koester is the quintessential U.S Air Force Pararescue Airmen. Having been trained to be the U.S Military’s best and with more operations to count, Paul now lives in Bozeman, Montana, and runs PK Gunsmithing.
I first met Paul virtually late last year as I was signing up for an event that he manages, the Weapons and Tactics (WEPTAC) Special Warfare Industry Trade Show, put on at Nellis, AFB, Las Vegas, the week prior to SHOT Show. It is a legendary show for industry insiders as WEPTAC personnel in the U.S Air Force are the most knowledgeable folks that we have in the U.S Military regarding lethality. We worked with Paul to get a booth but as per SOP, COVID crashed our party, and the trade show was slipped a year. While missing Paul’s WEPTAC show was an epic disappointment, the SHOT show was the following week, so we had little time for self-pity (see SITREP 009 for our preparation for SHOT)
Paul now runs a gunsmithing business up in Bozeman that focuses on lever-action restorations and custom AR builds. He is certified in Glock, Beretta, Remington, and Colt firearms. His work is phenomenal.
At SHOT we met some serious characters, but it was the unassuming ones that made us smile. While some guys were flexing their tacticool-resumes, in walks a distinguished gentleman that most guys couldn’t muster the strength to carry his bags and introduced himself as Paul.
Paul’s been an Air Force PJ since 1974, he’s seen it all. In 1987, Paul decided to pursue an education and left active duty to join the Air National Guard, 102nd Rescue Squadron, in New York. Paul’s rescue team was one of the first on the scene at Ground Zero immediately following the attacks on 9/11. Feeling the strong gravitational pull to return to Active Duty, Paul contacted the career manager at the Pentagon and thirty days later was holding fresh orders to Nellis, AFB. By 2005, he was on regular rotations to Afghanistan. In 2015, after 41 years of service, Paul decided to hang up his military uniform and focus on his second love, PK Gunsmithing. It is difficult for me to write enough good things about Paul, but I took a shot with this.
If you have any gunsmithing that needs to be done, contact Paul Koester at PKGunsmithing@yahoo.com or (850) 758-5880.
Between Paul Koester and the most recently graduated Pararescue man, are literally thousands of the best operators in the world. One such operator, Tyler Mace, has spent the last 10 years in the USAF as a Pararescue man (PJ).
The creation of Guardian Fitness has a cool story too. Remember during COVID when all of the gyms were closed, and you couldn’t find a shake-weight for your basement workout routine because they were sold out? I couldn’t find one either. I can also say it now, that in 10th SFG(A), we had a network of underground bro-gyms to keep in shape. Bizarre times.
What my buddies and I saw as this weird banishment from health clubs, Tyler and his friends discovered that it was the perfect opportunity to create a supplement company to aid workouts. Based on their regular payments to supplement companies each of them had forked out during their multiple deployments, they ran with this idea, “We found an FDA-approved facility that was willing to put together any blend we requested and have been working with them ever since. Our goal with Guardian Fitness is to become the premier supplement company for the members of the US military.”
Their aim is to create a solid following of like-minded people dedicated to physical fitness and community outreach. Their first supplement, Guardian Elite, is a mild pre-workout designed for everyone. Whether you’re a meathead like me or a couch potato, like me, this pre-workout is awesome. The current formula contains the perfect blend of 300 mg caffeine anhydrous, and beta-alanine to get you moving. Beta-alanine is also responsible for increased muscular endurance during high-intensity workouts. Guardian Elite also contains 4500mg of additional BCAA’s which serve to increase muscle growth and decrease soreness. Many of the other ingredients are specific to gut health as well as mood enhancement, all designed for long-term benefits so that as you continue to use their product, you feel better each time.
Tyler and the crew at Guardian Fitness create healthy products that support the military community. To reflect their commitment, Guardian Fitness never advertises the industry standard of the mysterious “proprietary blends” typical of most supplement companies, they list each ingredient. Careful consideration is taken into every ingredient, to including ensuring that any added ingredient is not listed on the DOD banned supplement list.
When I asked Tyler about his motivation he replied, “These small businesses are my vessel to becoming financially secure and living up to the higher calling of fatherhood.” What an awesome dude! You can find Tyler’s product at guardianfitness.us or Walmart.com
Tyler, count me as one of your biggest fans, I can’t wait to taste what you guys mix up next!
Triple Feed
My first of many trips to Afghanistan came in late 2007. I had just returned from a six-week trip to the dumpster fire that was the Walter Reed Hospital, where I was taking care of a wounded brother. My plane had no sooner landed in Germany, when I was informed that my company, C/1-10SFG(A), was deploying to Afghanistan and didn’t have a single medic. I jumped at the chance. The only problem was that I wouldn’t be on a team, I was to be the dreaded B-Team medic. While most B-Team medics hate their life and would gladly sacrifice a finger to get back on a team, I was just happy to be back with the fellas for the possibility of some carnage and debauchery.
We occupied the Norwegian FSK compound at Camp Warehouse in Kabul, as they headed back to Norway for a quick breather, and my Battalion, led by Fran Beaudette, was just getting into the fight. Since I wasn’t on a team, I bunked up with the company Combat Controller (CCT) and Navy EOD attachments. That deployment, looking back, was led by the best senior officer that I’ve ever had, expertly mentored by the Battalion PA, Doc Bradley, followed by our legendary company and team leadership with Pat Lange and Bob Irby at the Company, Dan Brokos and Jeff Adams at the Troop, and life-long mentors Jerry and Franz on the teams. That deployment was filled with all-star soldiers and turns out, we had an all-star cast from the Air Force and Navy as well.
Brian Wadtke enlisted into the U.S. Air Force in November of 2003 and by April of 2006 found himself on his first Combat Control Team, at RAF Mildenhall, UK. A year later, he was the controller for C/1-10 SFG(A). Serving the next 10 years on Active Duty as a Combat Controller, Brian decided to transition to the Air National Guard, “it was an insane deployment schedule that was about to cost me irreversible damage to my body. I decided to transition into the Air National Guard where I still serve. After becoming a part-time guardsman, I noticed that the percentage of military life versus civilian life had been completely inverted in a matter of a single 24hr period. It was a culture shock, to say the least.”
Brian spoke fondly of his JTAC instructor time, “As a JTAC Instructor, I trained dozens of fellow Controllers who went off and deployed but, in 2012, I had the honor of deploying with one of the Controllers that I had trained. Seeing the fruits of my labor was amazing and this is when I fell in love with instructing.”
Brian later met his two business partners, Gerry and Luis, at a firearms instructor course. After realizing that their diverse and specialized backgrounds could fill the large gap in the civilian market, they decided to launch a high-quality training company, and just like that, Triple Feed was born.
Gerry, who, for some reason, everyone ends up calling Gary, which he hates, was a prior Marine turned 10-year veteran of the LAPD, where he still serves part-time while running a full-time Executive Protection team in California. Luis, the third gunslinger, is the jack of all trades as a civilian firearms instructor, Executive Protection Instructor, professional photographer, and media editor.
“We noticed there weren’t a lot of courses open to civilians, especially “specialized” courses such as low-light, NVG training, and CQB. We realized that with our diverse backgrounds we could fill the market gap and produce great media content specifically focused on the 2A community.”
Brian explained to me that the company name, Triple feed, comes from both the worst malfunctions on an AR15 style rifle and that there are three pipe hitters who run the company. They originate from three walks of life: the military, law enforcement, and civilian/executive protection. Triple Feed is a media production and firearms training company. To fill the gaps between firearms and media events, they sell apparel and swag and create original designs and artwork. The motto of Triple Feed is simple, Train, Learn, Repeat.
As per Brian, arguably the single best Combat Controller that I have ever had the honor of serving with said, “Please don't forget the dash between triple and Feed... or do. If you don’t, you will be well versed on how to breastfeed triplets!”
Brian, I am so happy that you’ve continued your career in AFSOC, while building a beautiful family, and partnering up with two other great Americans to create an awesome company. You can find them at www.triple-feed.com or their Instagram @triple_feed
What fascinates me about the PJ and CCT training pipeline, is how do you train for every unexpected technical problem? I think that it begins with finding candidates that have a strong desire to overcome any challenge and will stop at nothing until they've mastered it. Then, the trick is to regularly challenge the operator. AFSOC has a brilliant model that allows the best to flourish. I've been recently struggling with a SOF question, did the program create the operator or were those attributes always intrinsic to each operator? I think the answer has always been in front of me.
When you begin to break down SOF pipelines, you begin to realize that the AFSOC operator already possessed the inherent will to face any and all challenges, the pipeline simply presented increasingly difficult challenges to allow the operator to grow. They are the best amongst us.
Thank you for reading.
Always forward – Matt
@18Seriesbags
Photo courtesy of my CCT brother, Brian Wadtke
NEXT SITREP - Night Stalkers Don't Quit - Mike Durant for U.S Senate
The former Secretary of Defense said, "Demonstrate to the world there is "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy" than a U.S Marine". Here are a couple of their small business stories.
]]>The former Secretary of Defense said, "Demonstrate to the world there is "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy" than a U.S Marine". Here are a couple of their small business stories.
It is my great hope that you check each one of them out.
Kain Holland at Darley Defense
I’ve been collecting entrepreneurial stories from the SOF community for a couple of weeks. I know a few Marines, and hardcore ones at that. Friends of mine, Danny and Demetrious, both MARSOC Raiders, put me in touch with several awesome guys that are forging their way outside of the Marine Corps. Then it dawned on me. I’ve been doing sales calls with a great American from Darley Defense, a Defense Logistics Agency Prime sales representative. Sure, not an entrepreneur, but this guy can hustle, and frankly, I need to remember, or even learn, how to do that.
Kain was in the Marines 98’-08’and after two deployments to Iraq had decided that his service to this great nation was complete, and to resume his civilian life. Kain recounted how he bounced around for a time, trying to find his place. He worked a few security gigs and was eventually introduced to sales roles in real estate. The housing crash of 08’ crushed that idea and Kain began looking for other opportunities, and as luck would have it, was directed to the Marine for life network. The Marine For Life Network (M4L) connects transitioning Marines and their family members to education resources, employment opportunities, and other Veterans services that aid in their career and life goals outside of military service (https://www.usmc-mccs.org/services/career/marine-for-life-network/) ( it’s a great tool to check out). He was picked up by Darley Defense soon after and hasn’t looked back since. Kain is the guy in the room that can approach anyone with zero inhibition. Why should he be intimidated to speak with anyone? He was in Iraq. Twice. With the Marines. Having a chat with someone is the last thing that passes his threshold of violence.
I met Kain on one of his regular sales calls to 10th Special Forces Group, just after I had just taken over the Force Modernization (FM) shop. Kain’s fires faster than our M-134 mini-gun and during that meeting, I told him so. I had been in the seat for all of two weeks with zero knowledge about the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Tailored Logistics Support (TLS), or the Mission Installation Contracting Command (MICC). Kain recognized the utter confusion and shock on my face. For the next few interactions, Kain dropped off or sent information about the Army procurement and acquisitions system. It took me a solid six months to get schooled up on the position but when I did, I was able to speak intelligently to professionals within the acquisitions branch. It is the Da Vinci code of contracting; know the appropriate mechanisms to get equipment, know people and policy, and know what you’re talking about. Once you have that, the doors open to a system of talented acquisition professionals who want to help goons like me at the tactical and operational level. Kain has been invaluable.
I worked with him for three years while at the FM shop. When I told him that I was going to get into the bag space he told me to meet him for beers. When we met, Kain provided a realistic look at the industry, it can be brutal. Once I acknowledged the risk associated with being a bag guy, Kain immediately moved past it and set forth developing a battle plan for the 18 Series Bag Company. SHOT Show was right around the corner so Kain began texting and emailing prospective buyers to stop by my booth, and they did. Kain has offered us booth space at high traffic trade shows, written us in on events in the future, and even opened his digital Rolodex for us to do sales calls. It’s almost not even real, I never expected such support. I wanted to write this as both a thank you to him, and also to advertise his ability to get equipment to the warfighter. He’s the best.
If your unit has ANY equipment needs, call Kain and he can get you what you need. You can reach him at KainHolland@darley.com or 708-870-7497.
When I asked for a referral from two of the badest dudes that I know in MARSOC, with no hesitation, both mentioned Ron Holmes. Ron spent a life devoted to the Marine Corps, specifically, Force Recon. I called Ron and just like every SOF guy I know, an hour passed before I knew it. Ron is an awesome dude.
Ron is the inventor of the Ryker Grip, a forward handgrip that attaches to anything with Picatinny or M-Lock. Throughout his career, Ron realized that the thumb over-bore, broomstick, or wedge hand-grips do not remove your hand from the heat. Additionally, shoot your AR while wearing body armor for an extended period and your deltoids get smoked (it’s about good training, not about seeing how tough you can be). The Ryker grip places your hand off to the side, eliminating the heat as well as fatigue on the deltoid. Ron consulted bio-mechanic experts on the appropriate body mechanics, ensuring the most efficient grip on an M4, shooting your AR platform pain-free. The Ryker Grip also helps our Clydesdales with those big sandwich clamps at the bottom of their arms. It reminded me of a time when I provided some, shall we say, remedial training for a Captain and his M4. His hands were so big that I was worried that no matter the grip, he was going to shoot the tip of his finger off with his 10.5” inch barrel. This could have helped him and he would have been better served with the Ryker Grip.
Our breachers and Southern Boys will like this as well as it will change their life on a shotgun, working on both pump and semi-automatic models. Since the support hand is already applying rearward pressure on the Ryker Grip, the pull arc is cut in half to cycle the shell husk and chamber the following round. Belt-fed boys will be happy too. Place the grip on the SCAR heavy or belt-fed weapon systems and you’re putting accurate rounds on target because of your increased positive control.
Outside of being an entrepreneur, Ron has also found that he still has a call to serve. Ron regularly attends speaking engagements and provides mentorship and guidance to aspiring entrepreneurial veterans. Ron said, “as an inventor, some things just don’t take, and when you grow up in a zero-defect environment like Force Recon, that’s a difficult thing to get over, but you keep trying.” Ron explained that the Ryker Grip came as a result of tinkering with a grip and his Navy business partner pushed him to make the grip a reality, guiding Ron to obtain a patent and make the grip real.
The Ryker Grip has been on the market for five years but has had marketing roadblocks as social media platforms refuse to allow firearm advertising. I feel his pain. Google refuses to allow me to advertise my concealment bag because it conceals…..a firearm. Ron mentioned at the end of our call that anyone who reads this blog can go to the Ryker USA website and use the discount code ‘Ryker20’. Head over to Ron’s website, check out the Ryker Grip and tell everyone about it.
Ron, I support you 100%. Our guys must learn that they must keep failing forward to get it right.
As a byproduct of writing this blog, I have been very fortunate to meet some great people. After writing about our Green Beret Congressional candidates (here and here), I began speaking with Jameson Sharp, who volunteers his valuable time, along with a network of other Special Operation Veterans, to work on the Special Operation Forces Political Action Committee (SOFPAC). While his name sounds like a character out of an Ayn Rand novel, Jameson is, quite possibly, the most interesting man in the world.
Jameson is an experienced finance mergers and acquisitions entrepreneur who has some remarkable achievements. From time spent as a Navy & Marine Corps HALO Qualified Corpsman, to a staunch advocate and practitioner of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, to serving in the Kansas House of Representatives, Jameson is blazing a trail the Marine Corps would be proud of.
On the political side, Jameson served in key leadership positions for several Veterans running for State and Federal office. Jameson advised a small-town Washington State Mayor, and Former Army 75th Ranger, an Army Doctor turned State Rep who ran for Missouri Governor, and most recently, advised an Army Green Beret in his run for Congress.
His volunteer work with SOFPAC is what caught my attention. “Even though I have been unfairly outed as the founder by an online journalist, I was one of several who started the initiative. It is definitely an underground gray network of elite SOF veterans and fellow supporters” Jameson stated. It all began when Jameson and a Green Beret Veteran started an initiative to raise support for fellow Special Operations Veterans running for Federal office. Over time, the mission grew and morphed into an underground network of Special Operations Veterans, helping to push the SOFPAC mission forward, “One of the key components of our work is to keep opposition politicians honest and to root out any corruption and corrupt practices we find.” Jameson is adamant, “We don’t raise funds from the public. It’s referred contributions only. Admittedly, yes, I have been able to facilitate a few large donations from titans of industry for campaigns, but personally, I have given what I can from my own limited entrepreneur pocket.”
Jameson, it’s been great getting to know you and it is very clear. Your mission to help SOF veterans continue to serve in the political sphere is critical. I can’t wait to see what you do next. You can read about our SOF political candidates here.
All three of these men are continuing to push hard after their careers in the United States Marine Corps. They don’t know how to do it any other way. I’ve been thinking a lot about the poem at the start of this week’s blog and it perfectly encapsulates our brothers and sisters in the Marines. It expresses the writer’s belief that the consequences of the effort are such that he isn’t afraid of the hurdles required to reach it. These men are clearly not slowing down.
Thank you for reading.
Always forward – Matt
@18Seriesbags
Photo courtesy of my Raider brother, Danny
[i] (from _Best Loved Poems of the American People_, Hazel Felleman, ed.
Garden City Publishing Co., Garden City NY: 1936, pp. 613-614)
Next SITREP - The life in front of you is far more important than the life behind you.
]]>“I pledge to maintain my body, mind, and equipment in a constant state of readiness for I am a member of the fastest deployable Task Force in the world, ready to move at a moment’s notice anything, anywhere, arriving time on target plus or minus 30 seconds.”
Anywhere in the world, plus or minus 30 seconds
I can attest that the folks in the 160th live by the Regimental creed. I know former 160th Rockstar's running Business Development at Beretta, killing it in real estate in Texas (see below), an awesome former co-worker who returned to Huntsville, and a former crew chief in Colorado helping design lighter, stronger, faster equipment for the military. The 160th does something to the folks who serve in that unit, and I can’t help but think that, that something, is pretty great.
I met David Burnett after he stumbled into the lion’s den, otherwise known as the Force Modernization shop at 10th Special Forces. It was a free-fire zone for anyone that walked in, and rightfully so. We checked everyone’s ego at the door because good ideas are only as good as the person who can defend them. Ideas must be broken down, placed into context, and then realistically employed. Simply saying, “Hey I have this cool piece of kit” isn’t good enough. We must holistically look at each concept, from tip to tail, ensuring program compliance, budgetary constraints, and oh ya, defending the idea to the Group Commander and his staff, you know, the group of people that have the never-ending list of financial priorities.
David, and his company, were one of the guys that willfully stepped into the lion’s den and came out better for it.
Blackbridge Defense was founded in 2014 after David Burnett decided to hang up his 160th flight uniform. David served as an MH-47G Chinook crew chief and conducted daily Oprah makeovers in Afghanistan and Iraq. Instead of doing one’s hair and makeup like in the popular show, David was busy turning enemy combatants from human form into a pink mist with his powerful M134 minigun.
David told us that while he was deployed, he had recognized countless unsolved capability gaps plaguing the overall Helicopter Assault Force (HAF) mission. After his honorable discharge, David began inventing equipment that filled requirement gaps, such as a quick-release clamping device necessary to secure gear inside any rotary-wing platform. Unfortunately, that new and exciting product, which took over four years to develop, while bootstrapping the company, would never make it to mass DoD market penetration. Defeated and exhausted by the setback he recounted, “Like all SOF components, we had a motto. That motto was instilled in me through our selection process and will continue to aid in my decision-making process until the day I die. Night Stalkers Don’t Quit.”
David came to 10th Group wanting to see if the quick-release clamping device, or Tac Clamp, would have any applications on our ground vehicle fleet. Unfortunately, team guys didn’t see any added value in incorporating the device into their fleet. However, what came from the meeting was a request to implement the same quick-release technology in the clamping device, into a quick-release M240/M249 weapon mount for the fleet of SOCOMs Family of Special Operations Vehicles (FOSOV). Having spent significant time behind an M240, a light bulb went off once the main weapon mounting problem was conveyed.
Blackbridge Defense, in conjunction with the 10th SFG Force Modernization, immediately got to work. After 18 months, continuous testing, and several prototypes, the newest M240/M249 shadow mount was unveiled. This system has been received as the new standard in mounting crew-served weapons by operators and the team at Blackbridge continues to make small improvements to deliver the best weapon mounts with the shortest lead times. It is lighter, stronger, and faster employed than anything currently used. In the adage that ounces make pounds, David’s mount will aid in USSOCOMs effort in building hybrid electric platforms by lessening the load on the battery and aid in lightening the load for the Commando’s Uber platforms.
David, you are a testament to the Vetrepreneur. The nation is better because you’re still in the fight.
Recently, I had to track down some medical supplies to go into my Fanny pack. We had been queried by some of the SOF folks in E. Europe who wanted to use our fanny as an IFAK, which I love. When asked if I could provide the medical supplies along with it, I was referred by two 160th alumni (Daniel and Joseph) to Jimmy Gruenewald. After some discussion about medical supplies, Jimmy purchased an 18 Series Fanny (I’m glad that you like it). After graduating from the Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP) and deployment to beautiful Afghanistan, Jimmy became a Physician’s Assistant in both the 1st and 2nd Battalion of the famed 160th.
Founded three years ago, Orion Medical Consulting focuses on providing medical education and training to backcountry hunters and outdoor adventurers. Jimmy started with the idea of offering a one-time first aid class before going to a hunting event, “I founded Orion Medical Consulting after I was preparing for an elk hunt out west and saw that there was not a first aid kit that was specifically geared towards the hunter and outdoor adventurer.” After that first class, Jimmy recognized a huge gap in the unserved market, so he jumped in. “We took first-hand lessons learned in combat to provide the essential equipment for the backcountry hunter and outdoor adventurer. We also want to provide the education with their equipment to instill both knowledge and confidence. Our mission is to equip, educate, and empower.” In addition to providing classes and education to hunters and the backcountry folks, Orion Medical Consulting also has an awesome First Aid Kit offered on their website. Like a tactical IFAK, Jimmy’s First Aid Kit is a lifesaver in backwoods. Getting injured and being unprepared in the woods while hunting is a big fear of mine. Not because I’m worried about the injury, but rather, that if I somehow survived, my wife wouldn’t ever let me live it down and more importantly, she’d never let me go out again.
During Jimmy’s time at 160th, he contributed to the modernization of CASEVAC equipment to meet the demands of prolonged evacuation times, equipment that the unit is still using today. His innovation efforts are exactly what makes the 160th great, continuous tactical improvement. It’s why they’re the best at what they do.
Jimmy currently offers a one-day course but is now designing a curriculum specifically for wilderness guides, “It’s been challenging at times but completely worth it!” Eventually, Jimmy plans to make it his full-time hustle, but growth is required for that. In the meantime, Jimmy will still be doing what he does best, saving lives in the ER.
When not saving lives in the Emergency Room or preparing hunters for backcountry medicine, Jimmy works with another 160th alum, Kyle Faudree, who created Advanced Medical Concepts LLC. Advanced Medical Concepts provides tactical medical training and critical care medical training for flight paramedics and flight nurses. It makes perfect sense to me that Jimmy and Kyle are capitalizing on their training and experience to teach a difficult, but needed, subject. They are setting the example for the rest of us entrepreneurs to follow. It's safe to say that if you find yourself in a medical emergency, you want Jimmy in your corner.
**After Jimmy and I did the final edit of this blog, Jimmy wanted me to emphasize how much Kyle had mentored and helped him and how appreciative he was for the help in standing up his business. Jimmy wrote, “I think it’s worth mentioning since all of us in SOF continue to look out for one another and help those veterans that are transitioning to a different battlefield. ** (this is exactly what I'm talking about. The guy is fantastic).
Jimmy, it’s been great getting to know you and I can’t wait to see what you do next.
My friend Joseph King, the all-star medic whom I sat beside during the first half of the Special Forces Medical Course and turned Business Development guru at Beretta, first introduced me to another awesome 160th medic, Daniel Bell. Daniel was a medic in the 160th during the first five years of the Global War on Terror. Those were the years that trauma medics earned their pay, and for the 160th, business was busy. It all makes sense now. Since being introduced to Daniel, the guy doesn’t have an off switch. I need a moment to switch gears between ideas but not Daniel, he just free flows through ideas and keeps moving. I think it’s a real talent.
Daniel left the Army to finish up his education, which led to him pursuing a career in Real Estate, an equally challenging job. If you want to get into a business that is saturated with a lot of people shooting for the stars and being overly competitive, just look at the real estate market. In San Antonio alone there are nearly 16,000 agents, and that number is predicted to increase by seven percent in the coming years. Real estate is a service sector that will test one’s abilities, many are not up to the challenge.
As a dual military family, the Bell’s moved to Texas in 2018 and Daniel saw an opportunity to use his skills to help others as they were looking for property in and around San Antonio, Military City USA. “I had a surgeon that would say, “In medicine, we talk, give out pills, and cut.” It is a phrase that has truth in it, no matter the service one provides. People have needs and we must listen first and act second. Buyers need someone that can listen and understand their needs to navigate through all the options.”
San Antonio has a robust SOF community, so it just makes sense that Daniel connects with his former community to leverage his abilities and engage in this market. As he applies the SOF truths to his civilian employment, Daniel can focus on the value of people, quality, competence, proactive approaches, and the need for support outside of our wheelhouse, “Recognizing the things that provided stability and success in my sector of the SOF community, and applying those to my current vocation, have helped grow my business.”
Patrick Brennan, a former 7th SFG 18D, has been the lender partner that Daniel has turned to, to assist his residential clients with their mortgage needs (SOTXmortgage.com). They both jumped into the real estate space in 2019 and have been able to work together to provide the right homes at the right rate for many of the active-duty folks making that PCS to Joint Base San Antonio. Linking up with Patrick provided Daniel a pathway for engagement with other SOF veterans and growing his network.
If you are looking for a place to live or a place to move your business, reach out to Daniel at DanielBellSATX.com.
My goal for this series of SITREPs is to help other SOF entrepreneurs achieve a bit more business recognition, a bit more sales, and connect with other folks getting after it. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about Daniel’s work with the Warrior’s Journey.
I’ll let Daniel tell you about that:
“Over the past six years, I have been involved with The Warrior's Journey (TWJ), an organization that connects and engages service members, veterans, and their families. We have been working on developing a program that provides opportunities for veterans to engage in helping others through the use of their military skill sets. The invasion of Ukraine called for a response that fits the SOF skillset, so we launched TWJ forward at the beginning of March to help distribute aid, provide prehospital care, and transport or evacuate individuals from difficult circumstances. Our response has been small, but the Special Forces veterans that make up our team have been able to reach further with less and make life better for the Ukrainians we’ve been able to help. We continue to build our team, maintain a small footprint, and positively impact the situation. You can visit TWJ.org/Ukraine to support our team and get more information.
Daniel likely has a better credit score than the rest of us, runs faster, swims breaststroke, and can tell you about the best place for tacos in the San Antonio AOR, he's just a better human than me.
Daniel, I’ll support whatever you could be doing, because I know, it will be great.
Thank you for reading.
Always forward - Matt
@18Seriesbags
Photo: SOCOM PAO
Next SITREP - I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night
We travel to 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) for this week’s SITREP. Known as the Red Empire, 7th SFG(A) Area of Responsibility (AOR) covers Central and South America. Prior to the withdrawal of Afghanistan, 7th SFG(A) had a persistent presence there since 2001. These warriors have spent so much time deployed down south that they call it their second home. Their goal is to help advise, train, and assist South American countries’ Special Operation soldiers. These guys truly go native, attending schools in foreign countries, almost becoming part of the unit they are training. I’ve written about a few of these warriors below.
Through the SF network, I’m consistently guided towards vetted SF guys who have thrown their berets into the entrepreneurial ring. This is how I was introduced to Bald Bros. I texted Brent Cooper, Executive Director of the Green Beret Foundation, and asked for a 7th Special Forces Group referral. A minute later I had a number.
Spend two minutes on the phone with the Bald Bros and your first takeaway is that you want to get to know them better, they are good dudes. Chris, and his business partner Dan, have created something special with their company. Even if they are dive guys, there’s something about them that makes you like them.
As luck would have it, I conducted RIP with their Battalion in 2017, relieving another great 7th Group dude. Their Battalion leadership in 2nd Battalion was on point that deployment. I had a weird man-crush on their Battalion Commander after he informed me of my mission against ISIS. It was simple. Stack bodies. Roger that, Sir (**as I curled my upper lip covered in ginger hair**). And stack them, we did.
I spoke with Chris about Bald Bros. Chris recounted how he and his partner Dan (another 1/3), deployed to Kunduz, Afghanistan in 2017. Outside of their busy deployment, Chris traded unit patches with units co-located with his ODA. A patch is a visual representation of your professional identity that you can wear. Patches in the military are also something that are traded or bartered to remember your (sometimes foreign) mates.
Chris detailed how Bald Bros originally got started. Dan is a master woodworker, an 18C, known for his legendary plaques (see SITREP 17 for how I feel about plaques). During the downtime that the rest of us found ourselves having during COVID, Chris made the most of his time by conducting internet searches for leather patches, coming up with nothing. Chris asked Dan if he could bring one of his new leather samples over to his house to try to burn a pattern on Dan’s laser engraver. Dan reluctantly agreed to let Chris experiment with the laser engraver, and it worked, and it was awesome. Both guys started making leather team patches for their sister teams. It was only a matter of time before their leather patches went viral on social media and demand spiked. A short time later Chris reenlisted and received a bonus and did two things with it; paid off his truck and bought a leather engraver. Now they crank out patches to meet their crazy demand.
You can tell by their social media that Chris loves telling stories through his photography. Their Instagram is a mix of fun, business, and an honest portrayal of life in Special Forces. Their story, told by the camera, portrays the reality of SOF just being dudes, knocking down the myths surrounding Green Berets and perpetuating the good side of the SOF community.
They’ve teamed up Pat, another Bald Bros, and run Free State Gear, a purveyor of high-quality tactical gear. Having spent years in Force Modernization, I highly recommend that Free State Gear be showcased to the Soldier System Program Managers SOCOM. Every SOF operator would benefit from the chance at using their gear. Go to the website and prove me wrong. I am 100% sure that Eric Graves (from SITREP 17) at Soldier Systems would love to get a look at your gear.
Bald Bros, count me in for your next adventure, you guys are knocking it out of the park.
Forward Observation Group (FOG)
I regularly scroll through a couple of Instagram pages and websites that have a genuine feel to them. That’s what first grabbed my attention with FOG. When you see the photography on their page, you get a feel for what it’s like to be in the heat of it. I don’t miss much, but I miss being with the boys. I’m sure that every subsection of the military has its own cultural pages, the guys at FOG have made one for us.
The guys at FOG offer an awesome assortment of training, tailored for each specific customer. First up, medicine. Taught by medics forged in combat, these guys provide top-notch classes in the principles of hemorrhage control, massive casualty incident triage, situation management, and wound assessment and treatment. All these dudes sleep, breathe, and eat Close Quarter Battle (CQB). Knowing how to take care of fellow brothers during the conduct of an assault is part art, part science, but all heart. Being proficient in medical integration in CQB requires planning, practice, and rehearsals. That’s why the Special Operations combat medic is the global standard in trauma, without exception. That's what they're bringing to each training event.
Take a look at the FOG website and check out their Roll-1 trauma pouch, a fantastic idea to get precious medical gear onto operators. Real estate on body armor comes at a premium price. Each pouch, case, or radio wire must be methodically placed for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. The Roll-1 trauma pouch is perfectly built to reduce operator equipment irritation. They also sell IFAK refills as well. These pre-packaged, vacuum-sealed little packages of gear could save your life, or in SOF terms and more importantly, your teammates.
Need a badass menu of Shooting and Marksmanship classes? FOG brings that too. Classes such as Basic Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship, Advanced Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship, CQB at the basic and advanced levels, and long-range marksmanship, are taught by weapon and tactics experts. If I was in the corporate world and wanted to give the company’s employee’s an atta boy, I’d bring an operator from FOG to come to teach us. Why wouldn’t we get the best to help us spike our testosterone levels? Speaking of high-T levels, FOG also provides professional instruction in Military Free Fall (MFF). Taught by qualified MFF instructors, students go through individual body stabilization techniques, canopy control and grouping procedures, and nighttime MFF operations. If I ran the boiler room, we’d be doing MFF too.
The fellas at FOG are licensed State Department contractors, so their work is regular, but they’ve been active on social media too. Through the FOG Instagram and YouTube presence, they’ve raised over ONE MILLION dollars, and counting, for the Green Beret Foundation, the Seal Future Fund, and various fundraisers/Gold Star charities that support the SOF community!
Justin explained to me that their goal is easy to understand, “some of my best friends want to help the community, spread our knowledge and experience to anyone looking to become more proficient, and just straight up have fun while we do it. We look to always improve our individual competencies within the military and Law Enforcement community.”
Justin, you guys are absolutely crushing it, I’m all in.
You can contact them at;
Justin (doc@forwardobservations.com)
Derrick (derrick@forwardobservations.com)
After writing about our nine, count’em, nine Green Beret and six Navy SEAL Congressional candidates, I was contacted by another SF brother, Mario Volpe. Mario described the American Oath Initiative (AOI), currently run by SOF brethren. We spoke on the phone for an hour, talking about the people that we both knew, careers, and what the future held for AOI.
Fun fact, a call designed to celebrate a brother’s efforts post service, Mario spoke about everyone but himself. He told me about the awesome people involved in AOI, their remarkable supporters, as well as another 7th SFG alum in northern Virginia who runs a 501c3. That’s Mario, a selfless All-American.
The American Oath Initiative was founded in 2021 by Special Forces veteran Tony Cowden, who is currently running to represent North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District (NC CD-3). The current leadership of AOI is led by veterans from the Special Operations and the Intelligence communities, who are committed to carrying on the fight in politics. The AOI, a political action committee (PAC) is currently run by Chief Operating Officer and Red Empire alumni, Mario Volpe.
Mario explained, "Over our careers in the military and law enforcement, we all have worked with and come across some amazing leaders. AOI has expanded these connections to build a strong network across the country dedicated to identifying and supporting proven leaders for local, state, and federal offices. The challenge ahead of us is no doubt a difficult one, but it’s time we attack the problem with strong leadership and the mindset that made us successful in our careers.”
Mario described recent dynamics of the AOI, “We are currently experiencing a positive movement in some of the candidates’ races that we have endorsed. We are catching the attention of establishment politicians that believe they are untouchable, due to their large bank accounts and establishment protection. The excitement of our fellow veterans and supporters is rapidly growing.”
The structure of the AOI is designed to place the fight on a few different fronts. The Federal Super PAC operates to support and endorse candidates who remember and adhere to their Oath and share pro-America values, while their non-profit 501(C)4 arm is growing into one of the premier sources of information and education for veterans and other principled Americans looking to make a difference in their communities.
Mario explained to me that every politician that doesn’t uphold their oath should take heed, “Through our vast network and regional districting, AOI will be able to identify these politicians and aim to back a solid leader with principles to unseat them, leaders that will not be bought and will remember the oath they take. We will not fray from opposing failed incumbents.”
It is difficult to deny that we are experiencing unparalleled complexity here at home with unprecedented domestic issues. I’m beyond proud that members of the SOF community are standing up to raise their hands to lead within their communities.
If you would like to learn more, get involved, follow, or contribute, visit the AOI linktree at https://linktr.ee/americanoathinitiative .
Mario, I’ll be watching closely and cheering from Colorado.
Thank you for reading.
Always forward - Matt
@18seriesbags
Next Sitrep - Plus or minus 30 seconds
In 2016, my company was slated to take over the crisis response duty for the Baghdad Area of Responsibility (AOR). A recent AOR shift within Special Forces took Africa off our plate and put my company, C/2/10, back on the CENTCOM playbook. I traveled with our Operations Sergeant, Chris G, to Clarksville, Tennessee to meet our 5th Group counterparts, learn the rotation, and get a feel for what was expected. 5th Group had invested decades into that mission, and I felt that a little bit of historical context would prevent us from going in and trying to reinvent the wheel. When I arrived, I met some fella’s that I hadn’t seen since the Q course at Bragg. I was caught off guard by a couple of them because I remembered them having that city swagger, Yankee’s and Red Sox ballcaps, and sweet SUVs, only to find them at 5th Group over a decade later with a fishing hook on the beak of their ballcaps, bow-flauge seat covers on their lifted F-150s, and a three-finger pinch of Copenhagen in their bottom lip. When I asked one of them what had happened, he just smiled and said, ‘Clarksville, bro’.
SITREP 18 is the continuation of championing Green Beret entrepreneurs, here are three stories from 5th Special Forces Group (A).
On a recent call with my boo Kyle Lamb, we spoke about great business examples that were percolating from each of the Special Forces Groups. I asked him if he knew anyone from 5th SFG(A). Without missing a beat, Kyle said the name, Drew Estell. I didn’t even ask what he did, I just said OK. When a guy like Kyle tells me someone’s a good dude, I don’t even need to hear why. Kyle’s like Mr. French from the movie, The Departed, during the cranberry juice scene.
“Well, I’m the guy that tells you there are guys you can
hit and there’s guys you can’t. Now, that’s not quite a guy
you can’t hit, but it’s almost a guy can can’t hit. So, I’m
going to make a ****** ruling on this right now.
You don’t ****** hit him. Understand?"
I immediately researched Drew and gave him a call. Kyle was right, what a good dude. As it turns out, Drew and I grew up in SF with similar backgrounds and histories. He’s just like the best guys I had in my company as I came up. Drew spent years shooting and is constantly looking for ways to better himself, his team, and others. After medically retiring, Drew created Baer Solutions and developed unique approaches to training, incorporating cognitive stress to push students and train them in how to think as well as how to act, if or when the time comes. Baer Solutions has worked with local, state, and federal law enforcement, military, all the way to the other end of the spectrum with people from all walks of life who want to be better and more proficient. Drew even wrote a book on the subject, Process and Progress Pistol Training, available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Read the reviews if you don’t believe me, his training methodology is legit (then click ‘Buy-now’).
BAER Solutions is a Special Forces Veteran-owned training company that specializes in firearms training, CQB, Urban Survival, and medical training for professionals who carry a weapon for their job, enthusiasts, or just great Americans who wish to protect themselves and loved ones. Between the four instructors, BAER Solutions has developed their training through years as special operations assaulters, tactical medics, and survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) specialists.
I asked him what drove him to start Baer Solutions and he replied, “I knew I wanted to take these skills we learned and invest in others as they had invested in me. I started BAER Solutions in January of 2017 and have been very fortunate to work alongside men who were better than myself and have been able to train those who are still out doing great things.”
I’ll only write this once Kyle, you were right.
Modern Tactical Creations LLC, (MODTAC)
I met Dave by chance online (not on a dating site). Dave was a former 5th Grouper that had returned to his old stomping grounds in Colorado after his time in the Army. I had been kicking around a couple of ideas to bring our community together and pitched Dave some ideas. He drove down to the Springs for Friday night pizza night with my family and we spent the next couple of hours talking. I found out that Dave had a business partner, Jason, whom he had met on his ODA in 5th Group in 2008.
Over the next 5 years, they worked, lived, and deployed together as an 18C and 18E. Over their time on a team together, between conducting training and deployments they began to find deficiencies with equipment within the special operations community. They both began looking for ways to improve equipment and ways to acquire better mission essential gear.
In 2017, Modern Tactical Creations, LLC. was born with the simple goal of providing solutions to everyday tactical problems. They understood better than most the job, the environment, and its unique demands. They also know, too well, the annoyances, inconveniences, and problems faced by warfighters today. Because of that, they provide effective solutions to our law enforcement and military brethren.
The MODTAC flagship product over the last five years has been the suppressor shield, which is available in 3 mounting options, the MRAC- Modular Rail Attach Coupler Suppressor Shield, URAC – Universal Rail Attach Coupler Suppressor Shield, and the Original Direct Attach Suppressor Shield. These three lines of Suppressor Shields offer burn protection and mirage mitigation for nearly every firearm and suppressor on the market.
As the force Modernization OIC for 10th Group, I thought his idea for a suppressor shield was new, innovative, and easily adaptable for the SOF community. Kyle Lamb (man, twice in one SITREP) was in town for a VTAC sesh with the boys so I brought Dave by to show his wears and have fun. Ben Radar (Radar K9 in SITREP 15) was on the range that day and stopped by afterward to tell me about the benefits for K9 handlers having the suppressor shield, as a hot barrel on the range could inadvertently burn their four-legged fur missile. Dave’s suppressor shield would prevent that.
MODTAC designed the Suppressor Shield to address shortcomings in other suppressor cover solutions and provide the operator with reliable protection. The Suppressor Shield provides a solid, recoil-proof, safety solution to the danger of extreme suppressor temperatures. To achieve optimal performance, the Suppressor Shield design includes an air-gap stand-off, low thermal transfer materials, and reliable attaching mechanisms. MODTAC exists to provide simple solutions to everyday tactical problems. Their products are being used by the world’s best Special Operations warfighters, federal agencies, and foreign militaries.
It's a great product, made by a couple of great dudes. Check them out on Instagram @MODTAC or their webpage www.modtac.us.
Thanks to an IED making my truck a garage sale in 2011, I found myself at a spinal rehab hospital in Atlanta for four months recovering from a Cervical fracture (for the Bravo’s…I had an owy in my neck). Roughly a year later, I returned to work to find a desk job waiting for me, in a company where no one cared that I was having memory problems or constantly word-finding, they just made fun of me and moved on. It was the best thing for me. After a year of proving myself not completely useless, the Command allowed me to serve as the Detachment Commander for a Recce team. This is the moment I found out about Kinetic Research Group, or KRG as apparently, everyone knows it. The Team Sergeant of that Recce team was like Marky Mark from Shooter, plugging in the Coriolis effect to ensure the rotation of the earth didn’t affect the trajectory of his long-distance shooting. Having not shot past 25 meters for the previous seven years, this was mesmerizing for me. I’ve been in love with their work ever since.
A couple of years ago I had the chance to link up my good friend Joe King from Berretta with Justin from KRG. I knew Joe from the SF Medic course in 2004, and now Joe was the Rifle Program Manager for Beretta’s rifle line (Tikka & Sako). So I called my buddy at MODTAC, Dave, to get an introduction and linked Joe up with KRG. It just made sense. Both companies make works of art that are both of style and substance. The Tikka action and barrel are legendary and placing them on a hot-rod KRG chassis gives you the chance to beat the Good Vibrations king himself.
When asked how KRG came up with their model, Justin simply replied, “We make things that we want to use.” That was KRGs early ethos when they formed, informally.
Two of the three founders are Wyoming boys, honing their long-distance skills in the prairie dog fields, the other is from rural Florida who was into .22 precision and suppressors. The three founders had all joined the Army after September 11 and all of them had become 18C’s. “During the Q Course, we would discuss and scheme products that weren’t available or identify glaring weaknesses in the available kit. We had all been into precision shooting even before we joined so a lot of our focus was on that arena. Around ’09 it was time for the next chapter, and we started working on what became KRG.”
Justin continued, “Vince funded it, John had the outstanding idea for the Bolt Lift, and I designed the “ultimate gas gun”, something like the ARAK but it was novel then. One day while going to Whittaker’s Guns in KY we hit upon the idea of making a mag conversion for the TRG to use AICS mags because the TRG mags were about $280. That was the fork that sent us down our final path. We dropped the gas gun and went all precision. The Sako TRG folder followed, and from there was a forend and trigger guard from a full chassis so we went for it (for the Tikka T3 which we knew was excellent and underappreciated at the time). This was 2010 and it was the first production Tikka chassis as far as I know and one of the first chassis available for anything. We developed a sort of co-ethos, “Superb, Authentic Precision”.
“The early days were hard-living, ramen noodles, work every waking hour kind of days. Of course, we’ve grown and now all the founders work in (and on) the business along with a bunch of other people including two key additions as principals, Ben and Darryl. We’ve been very fortunate along the way with good luck, a lot of help from others, support from our families, and good effort from our employees. We’re grateful for all those things plus our customers, and our country that has provided the environment of opportunity and scale and scope of the economy, our opportunity to step up and serve and overcome the challenges all that posed, and of course the comradeship and memories of our brothers who did not return and of those who are still with us.”
Fan yet? Me too. I have the Bravo Chassis and it’s awesome! Check out their website or check out the works of art on their Instagram.
Just like I found out during my visit to Ft. Campbell in 2016, the guys from 5th Group have been constantly developing new ways to skin old problems. All the guys I wrote about today are innovators, something that is second nature to the men of 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Thank you for reading.
Always forward - Matt
@18seriesbags
- Cover painting is from the James Dietz Collection and can be found here
Next SITREP - We have the ability to achieve the impossible
Reorienting your life in every possible way for success
In our ongoing series highlighting the Special Forces soldiers that have transitioned to civilian life, we travel to North Carolina to write about the warfighters of the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne). For those that don’t know, 3rd Group is the go-to SF Group for getting the job done. Because of their, ‘Have Gun Will Travel’ cultural attitude, 3rd Group produces awesome, resilient men. As my friend Mike McDermott counsels me, that unlike a mission in the military, business is a game of inches that never ends, there is no end-state, you just have to keep moving forward. This seems like a perfect analogy for the entrepreneurs of 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).
CAP VERDE Contracting
What started as a potential handyman gig, during an academic gap year, turned into a successful commercial contracting business in less than a year for founders Eric Crawford and Jerry Millan (also Special Forces). These two guys are great examples of SF guys finding their step after the Army. Both men noticed that the market for local handymen was very profitable, but the catch was that they paid a fee to the company that created the online handyman marketplace. “So much happened in 2020, we wanted to buy the dip on the economy”, so, they did. They built a strong network of reliable customers to secure profitable work and valuable experience during their startup phase. Now they’re off and running in a full sprint.
Eric began his Army journey as an Electronic Warfare analyst (see below for another trained 35 series), finally taking the Pepsi challenge and making his way to 3rd SFG(A). Like all the other great SF soldiers, Eric is a Special Forces Medical Sergeant. With multiple deployments under his belt, Eric recently switched over to the National Guard to co-found CAP VERDE contracting. Since that time, CAP VERDE Contracting has built relationships to secure lucrative commercial contracts, became a crucial vendor for a local luxury apartment complex, and done some remarkable renovations. Eric and I have a similar philosophy, he stated, “This isn’t just a profitable endeavor, it’s part of rebuilding our local communities.” When asked what stood out the most during his time in SOF, Eric replied it was the mentorship, “The diverse talent pool compelled me to be creative and adaptable and to concentrate that talent on mission success.” If you're in the Sandhills region of North Carolina and in need of a a commercial contractor, give Eric a call at 610-203-5995.
DOL Creations
Another 3rd Group alum is Joshua Avignone, from DOL Creations. After faithfully serving Special Forces for 19 years, Master Sergeant Avignone decided to retire and pursue creating art out of wood and lasers. DOL creations specialize in creating awesome plaques for PCS and retirement gifts. SOF guys like plaques and the reasons are simple. You could spend your entire life on a single team and no one, not one guy, would ever compliment you. It’s just life on a team. It’s all about keeping guys grounded (or something like that). Team life can be brutal and unrelenting, the place where ‘Truth-Joking’ is a thing. That’s where the plaques come in. When you absolutely can’t show your appreciation for a teammate during his time on your team, you get him a plaque to show your gratitude. After screwing a demonstration up in front of our African partners, my first senior weapons teammate once said to me, “Matt, do it right and not one guy on this team will tell you good job. Screw it up, and we’ll fight to see who can be first to kick you in the balls the hardest.” Thinking about it, I should have put that on his plaque.
Josh has a laser system that allows him to engrave virtually any material. Leather? Check. Glass? Check. Metal? Yup. Check out his Instagram page @DOLCREATIONS and you’ll see awesome examples of his work. His woodworking skills are remarkable. I asked Josh where he learned his skills and he said that his grandfather had taught him with old hand tools, then modern power tools with his father. Like other SF guys, Josh took advantage of educational opportunities the Army offered and learned Computer-Aided Drawing (CAD) and Computer-Aided Machining (CAM). So, armed with skills and a great reputation in SF, he opened his shop in Fayetteville, and DOL Creations was born. You can check out DOL creations on Instagram @DOLCREATIONS or stop by his shop located at 26 Mockingbird Lane, Spring Lake, North Carolina.
Soldier Systems Daily (SSD)
Special Forces would never achieve the spectacular things it achieves without the talented enablers within each group. While we’ve all worked with soldiers that needed extra training, the majority of the non-18 Series personnel in any SF Group are a cut above the rest of the Army. Last week, I poked fun at our 35 series soldiers because I’ve had dozens of them work directly for or with me. They are the most dedicated MOS in every SF Group.
Since starting the 18 Series Bag Company, I’ve developed relationships with some great people. One of those people, Eric Graves, was a pre-GWOT 35 Series (then 98 series) in the 3rd Special Forces Group. Eric transferred over to the Air Force after his six years in 3rd Group, ultimately retiring from big blue and starting Soldier Systems Daily. What started as a hobby in 2008 became a real business in 2009, and we’re all better for it. If you have never been to the soldier systems website, make it today’s priority. It is the Encyclopedia Britannica for gear.
What makes his website great? It’s Eric’s deep understanding of the industry. He attends a LOT of industry events, speaks with hundreds of industry experts, and because of his access and placement, hears about new gear coming down the pipe. Military folks need to trust their gear. SSD provides a jammed-packed, searchable website that lets users find the kit they need, read reviews, and move out more knowledgeable than when they started. A couple of years ago, I wrote a paper on the Army’s decision to move away from the Beretta 92 pistol. Fist and last place I went to was the Soldier Systems website. I searched about nine different postings and finished with an email to Eric. I eventually just cut and pasted his response into my paper. Thanks to Eric's response, I sounded like a pistol historian and received an A (the grade’s already been reported, do-gooders!).
I spent three great years as the Force Modernization OIC at 10th Group. My small band of rebels would talk about SSD every week. It was a great place to get started when requirements emerged. I recommend any gear nut, acquisition or logistics professional, or anyone looking to make a purchase to check out Soldier Systems and start your research there. It is where the professionals go. You can also find them on Instagram @ SSD.Collection.
While putting these guys into my sitrep something glared up at me. Whether they stumbled upon it, were trained by previous generations, or simply grew a hobby into a business model, these three great Americans reoriented their lives after the Army to increase their probability of success. They did it with the community in mind. CAP VERDE contracting physically rebuilds their community, DOL Creations creates lasting keepsakes that memorialize your best years in our community, and Soldier Systems creates the digital community for us to meet and discuss. I think it’s awesome, something I’m trying to add to myself.
Always forward. - Matt
@18SeriesBags
This week’s SITREP is dedicated to my late friend, MSG Ryan Groh. Ryan passed on Friday, March 18, while doing what he loved, riding his dirt bike with his son Cooper. I recently asked Ryan if he could help teach my boys how to ride this summer. It doesn’t matter now, they’ll ride like hell because of you.
- Image courtesy of the 3rd SFG(A) PAO
]]>“Impossible is nothing to someone who tries”
Mike Tyson on the Joe Rogan Podcast
This is the second SITREP in our series covering enterprising SOF personnel. Now that the Originals are covered (see the last SITREP), my brothers in 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) have taken the intellectual side of pipe-hitting to a new level, and as Iron Mike says, “Impossible is nothing to someone who tries”, this SITREP is dedicated to them.
The Brief Before Impact Podcast
Last year, I accidentally ran into Matt’s podcast. I was attempting to understand the COVID-induced bull-whip effect in our supply chain. I searched through the available podcasts and stumbled upon episode 39 of the Brief Before Impact podcast, ‘Fix the supply chain already’. I have a master’s degree in Supply Chain Management because it’s of interest to me, however, I don’t work in the field and lack the data to know what’s really going on globally. Throughout the episode, the host, Matt, broke down each section of the supply chain, to include labor shortages, so that even an ogre-like me can understand. Turns out, Matt is a former Intelligence Sergeant from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). It all makes sense.
In my opinion, the Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant (18F ‘aka’ fox) is best in class. Most intelligence folks pass off their analysis with a certain degree of confidence, handing you a slide-deck with Cheetos-covered fingers, waiting for a knee to bend and touch the ground indicating the blessing bestowed for this omnipotent intelligence. The 18F is so confident in his own analysis that he risks his own life on the intelligence that he’s gleaned, heading out with you to capture/kill the target. Nothing is more reassuring when your team is on target than when your Fox is pointing at the target house nodding up and down. Otherwise, it’s your weapons teammate looking at you and shrugging, giving you the ‘probably’ look. The 18F is an incredible asset. Matt, unquestionably, brings that same analysis to his podcast, Brief before impact.
After graduating from college (with a BS in Poly sci), Matt enlisted in the US Army as an 18X-ray (See SITREP#13 about the 18X-ray program) in 2011. Three years later, Matt found himself jumping Halo, speaking Tagalog, and training Thai Special Forces operators, later hosting the Taiwanese Special Forces for a training event in the United States. In 2016, yet again proving that he is smarter than all of us, Matt brilliantly transferred to the SF National Guard, finishing his Master’s in International studies. His SF detachment sent Matt to the 18F course, allowing Matt to refine his analysis skills. In 2018, he further refined his mental agility by attending Russian and French language courses. This guy’s a data sponge.
Here's what’s funny, I’ve texted him on the side to further discuss points and he quickly responds each time, just like every Fox that I’ve ever had. I asked him how he fell into the Podcast and his reply was simple, “It was my experience as an 18F that led me to start the podcast. I want to explain geopolitical events, happening thousands of miles away, that have an impact on regular Americans.” I listen to every podcast he drops; I recommend everyone else do the same. Check him out on Spotify or Apple Podcast, and follow him on Instagram @briefbeforeimpact. Keep them coming Matt, I’ve become a dedicated listener.
The 18 Series Bag Company debut was officially at SHOT Show, in Las Vegas, 18-22 January. It was an overwhelming success. I received no fewer than 100 business leads, spoke with dozens of government agencies, saw some old friends, and only got into two Troops In Contact (TICs), eventually kicking one of the guys out of my booth (I felt like the guy was secretly videotaping and baiting me to say something controversial about the executive branch. So, if you see me on YouTube telling someone (with appropriate verbiage) to get out of my booth, that’s the context. The second Tic, I’ll bring up in another SITREP.
On the outside of my booth, I placed my Green Beret on our manikin. It was a great conversation piece and contrary to what Kyle Lamb said, the manikin had Chief Warrant Officer Three rank on AND was working, NOT drinking coffee, AND being value-added! Later the first day, an obviously distinguished gentleman stopped by my booth, pointed at my beret, and told me he had one just like it. After the sniff test and Bone Fides was met, we instantly hit it off.
Michael Beavin (Mikey Bee), a former Warrant Officer from 1st Special Forces Group, created Smoked Bros, a spice and seasoning company (How awesome is that?). Don’t let them fool you, Green Berets are particular about their food and drink. After years of sub-Saharan African goat grabs, Iraqi Kebabs, or Afghan rice, GBs get picky when they get home, so much so that there is an entire website dedicated to the culinary delights of Green Berets (don’t ask, I’ve already written too much, Fight Club rules).
Mike has blended his culinary expertise with being a badass as he, “develops kinetic flavors with surgical precision”. Since linking up at SHOT, Mike and I have done a couple of zoom calls as he helps me as I build my brand. He has offered to help our upstart in any way that he can.
Like me, Mike is utilizing his experience in foreign countries to develop his brand. 1st Special Forces Group’s geographic focus is in South-East Asia (PACOM). Mike recounted how he developed his Red Panda blend from his time working in Thailand or his Bulgogi blend from his time deployed to S. Korea. When he returned home, Mike worked with Chefs on his domestic flavors. I came home with a bottle of Point Man and did my best from hiding it from my two domestic terrorists. My two boys have become foodies and after finding dads secret hiding spot, found Point Man. Now it’s become a staple for their culinary adventures, making the Smoked Bros subscription a must for my family. With 17 different blends, he has something for everyone. To give back, a percentage of every purchase goes towards warfighters, first responders, and underserved communities. This dude is legit! I’m proud to know you Mike and look forward to seeing what you create next!
I appreciate everyone’s amazing feedback; I already have 3rd Special Forces Group in the hopper.
Thank you for reading.
Always forward. – Matt
@18seriesbags
Next SITREP - Reorienting your life in every possible way for success
- Image courtesy of the 1st SFG(A) PAOIt is difficult for me to imagine the soldiers in Special Operations perfecting a dangerous trade over a long career, only to hang it up and move on to something else when the time comes to leave. I occasionally imagine myself moving onto something mundane mostly because of the corvette scene in True Lies when Arnold Schwarzenegger imagines smashing Bill Paxton in the face:
“You see, it’s not just a car. It’s a total image. An identity you
have to go for. This isn’t some high-tech sports car. Tell you the
Truth, it doesn’t even handle that great. But that’s not the idea,
is it?”
To be completely forthcoming, I know some bad dudes, but the funny thing is, you would never know it if you saw them. As Jordan Peterson eloquently stated, ‘The best men that I have ever met are very dangerous men', these are the men that I’ll pay homage to in the next few SITREPs. These enterprising dudes have capitalized on their skills, training, and talent to create something special. For the next few SITREPs, I want to broadcast the entrepreneurial efforts of guys from each SF Group, 160th, 75th, MARSOC, AFSOC, and yes, even NSW.
My personal philosophy throughout my career has been simple, take care of the dudes, win, and protect the family legacy. This SITREP is dedicated to a couple of the dudes from 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
“If you don’t shop Rader K9, do you even K9 bro?” - review from his website
I’ve known Ben Rader for a minute. After Ben left me at C/1-10 SFG(A) all alone, he was recruited by the K9 folks to transform the K9 program at 10th SFG(A). At the time, Groups had built a hot-rod capability, but we were in the heat of the GWOT and they badly needed talent, with both two and four legs. Ben was the 18C you always wanted. When we deployed to Iraq, I would have someone banging on my door at weird hours, only to find Ben with a box full of goodies for everyone to have. Ben’s always taking care of the guys, making him always one of the first guys picked for a deployment. After Ben converted to only speaking in commands, which generally doesn’t go well with teammates, and started deploying with his four-legged fur missile, his box of goodies became four legs of snarling terror, which for me, was equally as nice to have. Much like Peterson’s comparison of good men being the most dangerous, I feel like that is applicable to the Military Working Dog. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t respect the hell out of those dogs. Year after year, Ben and his dog deployed to dozens of countries on three different continents providing K9 support. He regularly consults with regional and state police K9 units and has also begun fabricating his own leashes and collars. His efforts in taking care of his teammates just transferred to his four-legged ones. His products aren’t metal, thoughtless, or harsh to the dog. All his products allow you to restrain the animal, or let it run, without ripping out hair or irritating the pup. I’m a big fan of Ben and appreciate that he has honed his skills over the last decade working with the Army’s most notorious four-legged soldiers. If you know K9 officers, either in the military or police, send them to his website to check it out. They’ll appreciate it. If you’re in the market for a dog leash, you can find him on Instagram @raderk9 or his website https://raderk9.com/
I’ve known Matt since he came to 10th SFG in 2008. We’ve been to advance shooting schools together, driving courses, and both were medics on a busy Iraq rotation. I think that I’m capable of speaking to his character. Matt’s the kind of guy that swings into town and you, of course, join everyone in going to see him, regardless of what’s on your calendar. When Matt decided to get out of the Army and pursue an education, I couldn’t blame him. The US had been at war for over a decade with no end in sight. In SF, you’re always chasing the next deployment, the next school, the next training cycle. Much like a time machine, SF has a way of transporting you a couple of years into the future, but most of us never realize it’s happening until you look around and someone calls you, ‘an old guy’, it’s an addicting occupation and it happens to the best of us. Some guys, like Matt, conduct their own self-assessments and realize that their professional growth has far outpaced their personal growth. Realizing this, Matt left the Army to pursue his education at Columbia University, then at Wharton for his MBA. While he consults for McKinsey, Matt also has a podcast focused on sharing veterans’ stories about transitioning to civilian life. It’s very good. I wrote about it in SITREP 004.
Real-quick: I hate the morning commute. Apparently, everyone that is driving around me just received a call from the President and they’re racing to do what he asked. To prevent the bad thoughts from creeping into my head, I Bluetooth my phone to my truck and play my friend’s podcasts (Thank you, Now What?, Team VTAC, Brief Before Impact).
Matt’s a natural at drilling down into the ‘why’, during a podcast, which is important. No two military to civilian transitions are the same, so it is nice to hear different perspectives, especially from folks who weren’t in SOF. So much amazing talent is ignored or bypassed because the guy or gal wasn’t in SOF. In ‘Thank you, Now What?’, Matt covers the military service of each guest, what they liked about military service, how they prepared for their transition, and then drills down to the lessons learned of what went right and what went wrong during that transition. This is important to hear and hopefully understand. I’ve yet to hear anyone tell you exactly what to do, rather, what they wished they would have focused on. There are some true pearls of advice.
Matt is crushing it and I’m very proud of what he’s become, even if he has become a New Yorker. Follow this link, here, hit the subscribe button, and give this podcast a listen. You won’t regret it and you’ll be supporting a brother along the way.
First, let me tell you about my friendship with Steve Brignoli. A couple of years ago, my family discovered a medical emergency that required immediate surgical intervention. My unit Command Team, teammates, and friends all let us know our family wouldn’t want for anything, that’s what I’ve always loved about SOF. Steve, my former Team Leader found out, called me, and immediately offered to fly from DC to Colorado to help alleviate the stress, “I’m not a thoughts and prayers guy. Thoughts and prayers show up in your room with the price tag still on the flowers from the hospital lobby. I’m flying out there. Here’s a phone number of a doctor you need to speak with.” (Steve was referring to the outpouring of support on social media). We ultimately told Steve not to fly but we did call the doctor (much to the doctor’s surprise about how we obtained his number). That’s Steve, unconstrained thinking.
Steve has absolutely crushed the transition from military to civilian life. Beyond SOF, is THE resource for those looking for contract work. Beyond SOF provides rapid human factoring, staffing, and tech/funding solutions that employ veterans into their next career. Steve has been running Beyond SOF for the last 11 years and placed over 500 highly skilled, cleared folks. With 42 active clients in defense, intelligence, and law enforcement, Beyond SOF has a large stable of available positions at all times. Beyond SOF also developed an ARL funded SkillBridge program, giving guys like me the freedom of maneuver to prepare for the transition to civilian life. Go to the website, build a resume and tell Steve that you were referred by 18 Series, he’ll do his best to take care of you. Prove me wrong, you won’t. Steve’s a successful businessman, caring father, and irreplaceable friend.
Next week, I will write about a couple more awesome entrepreneurs, in another SF Group.
Thank you for reading.
Always forward. – Matt
@18seriesbags
Painting of 10th SFG(A) soldiers done by Stuart Brown and can be found at Stuart Browns website:
https://skipperpress.com/portfolio/gallery-prints/the-originals/
Next SITREP - Impossible is nothing to someone who tries
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“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams
This week I’m taking one more shot at writing about a couple of great Americans running for Congress. I spent time last week reflecting on why I am writing this blog as frankly, it does little for our 18 Series Bag Company. However, I had to remind myself that it’s not just about building bags for operators, it’s about helping and guiding, as well as broadcasting awesome efforts when I can. We are more important than hardware.
The SEALs, much like SF, have gone through a bit of an identity crisis because of the weight of missions during the GWOT. Back-to-back-to-back deployments created a culture of operators only knowing a single mission set. Leave no mission behind was USSOCOMs motto for several years. In thinking about that, I realized that the consistency in our lives was not the mission, as it slightly changed each time. The consistency for us has always been the operator. Time and time again in American history patriots have stepped up in times of need, and this is no truer than for the men in the United States Navy SEALs.
Eli Crane for Arizona's 2nd District
I first heard Eli on my buddy Kyle Lamb’s ‘Team VTAC’ podcast (16OCT21). I was impressed with Eli’s down-to-earth personality, “freedom is only one generation away from extinction”. After his time on the teams, Eli left the military and opened his own company, Bottle Breacher making .50 caliber bottle openers. Eli is a faith-oriented family man who is pro-life and pro-second amendment. Eli’s platform focuses on election integrity, border security, lower taxes, less regulation, and pro-growth policies, “The more money that Arizonans get to keep in their pockets and the least government involvement, the better. I recently read a post from a representative in Arizona where he suggested impounding trucks (taking part in the trucker convoy) and giving them to smaller companies looking to expand. What amazed me the most was that this gentleman wasn’t a politician in Venezuela, he was in the 7th District of Arizona. I hope you crush it, Eli. Arizona is my home state, they deserve better representation.
Brady Duke for Florida’s 7th District
Our paths have likely crossed but I don’t personally know Brady. What I have researched, however, is that Brady is a man of strong faith. After his time served on the SEAL Teams, Brady attended a Christian Ministry and traveled extensively, mentoring military families and opening their own para-church ministry. It can be said with high confidence that Brady is Pro-Life. In reading about Brady, I stumbled upon a quote from him that I’ve sent to my family, who I ironically used to call ‘The Free Folk’ based on them being north of the wall (in the series Games of Thrones), “Anyone who thinks that the Constitution and Bill of Rights don’t matter, look no farther than the treatment of the peaceful protestors of the freedom convoy in a supposedly free nation.” Brady, my Canadian family will read this and wish that they were in the 7th District of Florida. Best wishes, Brady.
Ed Thelander for Maine’s 1st District
After serving faithfully for 21 years in the United States Navy, Ed Thelander retired to Maine but couldn’t stop being Ed. After retirement, instead of putting his feet up and drinking well-deserved margaritas, Ed decided to become a small businessman, volunteer firefighter, and Reserve Deputy Sheriff, on top of being a devoted husband and father, and veteran advocate. “We have to tackle the apathy in this country, only 30% of veterans currently vote!” Ed is concerned about transferring the national debt to his children, offering to stimulate the economy, and not just providing hand-outs, rein in out-of-control spending, and inflation. Ed is also concerned for border security and election integrity. Ed’s position on education is simple, “Competition breeds excellence, and school choice keeps us all doing the best we can.” I wish you the best in your run for 1st District, Ed.
Derrick Van Orden for Wisconsin’s 3rd District
Derrick and I served in Stuttgart, Germany, at the same time together. While I was being all that I could be at 1-10 SFG(A), Derrick was at SOCEUR planning contingency operations. When my unit responded to the call in Benghazi, Derrick was the man on the other end of the phone doing whatever it took. Not long after that, Derrick retired from the United States Navy after 26 years, 21 of them as a SEAL. Retiring to Wisconsin, and true to Derrick’s nature, he and his wife started a small business. Typical of his nature, Derrick wasn’t satisfied with only being 75% engaged in retirement life so he attended law school (got the picture yet?) to get his effort closer to full capacity. Derrick’s laser-like focus on his district is clear, get the kids back to school, rebuild the economy, fight tax hikes, improve the quality of healthcare and reduce costs. As a veteran, Derrick gets his healthcare directly from the VA and will continue to do so as a congressman! Derrick supports fully funded law enforcement agencies to ensure safe communities, term limits in government, and strong border security. This guy’s not just about knee-slides and great hair, Derrick is a leader amongst leaders. He’s a solid American who earns the respect of those around him, me included. He will represent Wisconsin’s 3rd district well. Best Wishes, Derrick.
Morgan Luttrell for Texas’s 8th District
Texas has always fascinated me. Texans love Texas, and Texans support other Texans. I can’t think of a better example of that than in Morgan Luttrell. There are reasons that residents of district 8 support Morgan, yes, he’s a Texan, but he’s also a fighter. After graduating with a Bachelor’s in psychology, Morgan spent the next 14 years as a Navy SEAL. A helicopter crash in 2014 ended a promising military career, and Morgan medically retired from the US Navy. After the Navy, Morgan went to Graduate school and earned his Master’s in Applied Cognition and Neuroscience, focused on Brain Injury. After Grad school, Morgan worked for the Trump Administration in the Department of Energy as a senior advisor.
Morgan’s platform was formed through his upbringing in traditional Christian Conservative values. Do yourself a favor and check out his whiteboard Wednesdays on Facebook. The last one was on fire, but his discussion of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), the Alvarez Family, and the lack of leadership in his district, you begin to find out that his passion in securing our southern border and support for law enforcement is at the top of his list. Best wishes on 1 March, Morgan.
Ryan Zinke for Montana’s 1st District
If you want to emulate a great American, look no further than Ryan Zinke. After leading men in SEAL Teams for 23 years, Ryan served two terms as a State Senator, twice elected as Montana’s Congressman, and served two years as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Zinke was credited as the driving force behind the United States achieving American energy independence and becoming a net exporter of energy for the first time in more than 60 years. Ryan is also the first Montanan to serve in a Presidential Cabinet.
His tried-and-true platform of low taxes, conservation and public access to public lands, energy independence, limited Federal government intervention, keeping our promise to veterans, protecting individual liberties, and the Sovereignty of Montana’s Tribal Nations, is difficult to argue. These issues are important to the constituents of Montana’s 1st District, and that’s why they need him in Washington. Mr. Zinke is also the chairman of the SEAL PAC , an organization dedicated to supporting and electing American leaders. A great initiative. Your history and foundation will provide the strongest representation offered to the 1st District; I wish you the best.
All these men are stepping up and taking leadership positions within their community. They are running to represent their constituents; it takes a leader in the community to do that. I think that this is why I’ve enjoyed writing about SOF Congressional candidates. These men have proven to step up in a time of need, especially when it wasn’t comfortable. A consistent factor that has tested true throughout the entire two decades of war, is leadership. Our missions have all changed as we’ve been attempting to reclaim our roots but the one thing that we never forgot was the tenants of leadership. That’s why we have nine Green Berets (Calvin Wimbish, FL-10) and five US Navy SEALs running for the US House of Representatives. SOF creates great leaders, and the country needs them now more than ever.
Now that the wars are over and our warriors have come home, they find themselves in a place that is vastly different from the one when they joined. Like the nine Green Berets, these five Navy SEALs have recognized a void in leadership at the National level and are stepping up to prove themselves yet again. I’m in awe that all these men have chosen to continue to take on the Country’s toughest challenges. All the best to these great men.
Always forward. - Matt
@18seriesbags
Next SITREP - The capacity for mayhem makes him a good person
]]>The feedback from SITREP 012 has been amazing. We at 18 Series Bag Company are proud to support Green Berets and other Special Operators who are continuing to respond to the call of service. After receiving two emails after I posted the last SITREP, I realized that we don’t have six Green Berets running for Congress.
We have eight.
Chris Castelli for North Carolina, Congressional District 7
Chris is the stereotypical Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel (LTC), born and raised to believe in God, patriotism, hard work, and public service. Chris and I have never met, but after two decades in service to Special Forces, I can unequivocally attest to our LTCs in SF. I imagine that most of them were high school quarterbacks, wearing the school jacket, and great hair. Always great hair.
Chris' Army career began as a fresh new Lieutenant in combat in Mogadishu, Somalia. Five years later, Chris donned his Green Beret in 1998 and as fate would have it, America would call upon its best Soldiers for the next two decades.
Typical of our breed, Chris has five combat rotations. During these rotations, downtime between adrenaline-highs creates the necessary time to reflect on what's been left behind. Reflection provides the time for one to begin to deeply understand why America has always been destined for greatness. In part, it’s because of people like Chris, choosing to hang up his uniform and continue service to this great nation.
Chris has a solid platform that will serve the constituents of North Carolina’s 7th District well. Protecting voter rights and advocating for universal voter ID and ensuring a secure electoral process. Chris also wants to protect his constituent’s civil liberties (to include the 2nd Amendment) and from governmental overreach. As a devout Christian, Chris will protect the unborn. I wish you the best brother.
Charles Bookwalter for Indiana, Congressional District 4
Another former Special Forces Medical Sergeant is running for Congress in 2022. Although Charles Bookwalter had served in the National Guard, Charles enlisted into the US Army on an 18 X-ray contract. The number 18 identifies the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) of the Special Forces, the X-ray indicates the Soldier has not been assigned a unit. 18 X-rays enter the US Army with little to no prior experience in the Army. The pipeline for X-rays is long and arduous, having to continually prove themselves to cadre and peers alike and averages between two and three years to complete. Soldiers signing up for this Pepsi challenge have no idea what it takes to earn a spot on a legendary SF Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA, or A-Team), once there, proving themselves only begins.
Upon completion of the Special Forces Qualifications course in 2009, Charles was assigned to ODA 1225 (2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)). This experienced detachment put Charles to work as the team medic, proving himself worthy of his place on the team. Charles deployed to the Shindand area in Western Afghanistan. Their mission, to conduct Village Stability Operations (VSO), meant training, fighting, and living with the locals. To Charles’s dismay, I laughed as he explained their daily diet of goat and potatoes, I had never done that mission. Yet again, Charles had to prove the worthiness of his team to the Afghans they were training. Afghans get to vote on who they support. We only assume their support, but that is not always the case (as we saw in late 2021). As the medic, Charles immediately took medical care of the village residents proving the benefit of the American involvement in the area (the Afghan government provided little to no assistance to the region). Rapport is built and earned through empathy, something that this Hoosier exemplifies. He understands people’s needs.
His platform is empathetic of Indiana’s 4th District. Federal overspending has raised the cost of goods in Indiana, disproportionately hurting the State. Charles feels that government overreach is happening in public schools as well and he wants to invest in the students, not the systems. Charles is also a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, something second nature to a kid growing up in Indiana, but also protecting the right for future generations of Hoosiers. Charles also advocates for fair and secure elections, a tenant of the American way of life.
Charles Bookwalter is proving himself worthy yet again, this time, to the Constituents of the 4th District of Indiana. Brother, I wish you the best.
I would be remiss not to add the next two Congressional candidates. We began building our brand around our commitment to service. We are Green Berets who are building the next evolution in purpose-built bags. Our core competencies as Soldiers are the foundation upon which everything else is built. However, if there is one characteristic of a GB, it’s that we can make friends anywhere. While the Army provides the venue, our brothers and sisters within the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), and Naval Special Warfare (NSW) help us defeat the toughest challenges together. I’ve also made lifelong friends with a lot of them.
Eric Hohman for Texas, Congressional District 28
One such Special Operator that I served with at Panzer Kaserne, Germany, is Eric Hohman. Eric and I served together at C/1-10 SFG(A). Eric was attached to our unit to provide his expertise as a Combat Controller (CCT). Eric was always the level-headed expert in a Company of high-functioning Special Operators. Always the professional, Eric brought his best in everything that he did.
An Air Force Combat Controller (CCT) is an FAA-certified air traffic controller who provides combat support on missions by establishing air control. Put into real terms, being a CCT on the ground with a Special Forces team means that CCTs are right in the mix with everyone else. During a gunfight, while the rest of us are getting high-five selfies like Dutch and Dillon from Predator, CCTs are stacking aircraft at different elevations based on the capabilities of each aircraft, ensuring bombing-runs are coming and going in the right directions, and keeping the great Americans in the air updated on what is happening on the ground. Mind you, this is all happening while bullets are zipping overhead. You fight and win because of the CCT with you.
Born in Mexico, Eric’s parents immigrated to the United States in search of the American dream. Eric is a Texan, through and through, joining the military at age 20. He clearly understands the crisis at the border, with 179,000 migrants apprehended at the border in January alone, Eric supports securing the border and supporting border patrol, locking down illegal immigration, stopping the recent increase in fentanyl smuggling operations, and human trafficking. Eric is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment, law enforcement, and first responders.
I’ve linked him up with the retired Special Forces network in Texas, hopefully, we can make something out of that. I knew it then as I do now, Eric is a dedicated and committed family man, a great American willing to do what it takes. Best wishes brother, get that two scoops!
Casey Gray for Texas House, District-81
I virtually met Casey through a mutual friend in 19th SFG(A). Casey had transferred to 19th Special Forces Group (A) and had been selected to attend the Special Forces Qualifications Course after a successful enlistment as a Special Boat Crew Operator in NSW. I didn’t know this until much later, but Casey and I were stationed at Panzer Kaserne, Stuttgart, Germany at the same time. Special Boat guys are tough dudes, Casey is no exception. Casey graduated from Ranger school, class 0803. He has overcome disabilities that would have left other men crippled. After a CH-47 helicopter crash ended his Army career, Casey spent the next four years fighting through surgery after surgery to regain lost function. In 2015, Mr. Gray retired from the US Army at 100% disability. He now spends his time assisting other Veterans through the transition process. As I said, he’s a tough dude. You want Casey to advocate for you, either at the VA or in Texas State House.
Being a Texan, energy independence is at the top of Mr. Gray’s list of priorities. The Permian basin in West Texas produces the majority of energy in the US but realizes little of that hard work in the district. Casey rightfully wants a portion of the tax revenue, derived from the energy created in District 81, brought back to West Texas. That seems to make sense but that’s Casey. Casey’s type of ground truth advocacy is what the constituents of West Texas need.
Casey is also a strong believer in the American dream, something he see’s slipping away from the district’s older residents who are on a fixed income, “We literally MUST stop taxing people to their deaths.” We are indebted to our previous generations for what they’ve made for us, reducing the heavy tax burden on our older residents will help prove it.
As a West Texan, Casey is also very knowledgeable about the shared border with Mexico. Casey strongly supports Border Patrol, a border wall, as well as meaningful immigration reform. His campaign also advocates for a simplified tax code, health insurance, and medical reform, VA reform, protection of the 2nd Amendment, and is 100% pro-life. He’s as Texan as they can get.
Best wishes brother, your proven history provides you the foundation to advocate for your entire district.
In 2022, we have a handful of verified men looking to help right the country. Not in the 2022 definition of verified with the blue checkmark. I mean, battle-tested men who carry with them decades of service to this Nation, each personifying character and integrity, perseverance, and will. That, to me, is the REAL blue checkmark. Across the country, counties and states are beginning to ease the COVID restrictions that they placed on their residents. We shouldn’t be fooled. Reducing local restrictions isn’t to lessen the frustrations, burdens, and hardships that these prohibitive restrictions have created, we are coming up to mid-term elections in a couple months, and the hope is that people forget (are we all at SERE school feeling the warmth of the prison camps benevolence for allowing us to eat?).
None of these men are fooled, that’s part of the reason they’re running.
It is no wonder that the men on this page, along with Tony Cowden; Jay Collins; Jason Bacon; Tyler Allcorn; Derrick Anderson; and Joe Kent; continue to illustrate SOF core values to the Nation. Good men are needed now, more than ever. They are authentic to the core.
As a mentor once told me, “Push until you get hypoxic, then pull back a little.”
Always Forward. - Matt
Next SITREP - SEALs in Congress
]]>I have always worked alongside Green Berets that have inspired me. Guys that are always been prepared to help solve the problems that truly mattered. This SITREP is dedicated to the fella’s that want to continue solving problems, this time, in the legislative branch.
The Special Forces Regiment has six Congressional candidates in six different states. In SITREP 008, I introduced Tyler Allcorn, running in Colorado (CO-08) and Joe Kent, running in Washington State (WA-03).
Both men are phenomenal in their own rights.
This week is dedicated to the additional former pipe-hitters running for Congress, Jay Collins (FL-14), Derrick Anderson (VA-07), Jason Bacon (AZ-06), and my man, Tony Cowden (NC-04).
Jay Collins, Florida’s 14th Congressional District
As a student in the Special Forces Qualification Course, students begin the 18D Medical Sergeants course with absolutely no idea of what you’re getting yourself into. Every day is a struggle. One slip of the pen, or scalpel, and you’ll find yourself in the extended Weapons Sergeant’s course (18B). During the course, everything outside of the schoolhouse suffers because the only thing that matters is passing the next test. Occasionally, you run into the senior class who seem to have no time to waste. I was lucky to have met one of those senior class guys, Jay Collins, who always took the time to make sure my upcoming class knew what was ahead of them. It wasn’t much to him, but it was to me. Later, I deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and I had heard that Jay had been shot but returned quickly back to duty. I remember thinking, he’s still a stud. Later, Jay lost a leg but, as per SOP, he demonstrated his character to remain on active duty for a couple more years. Now Jay’s running for the 14th Congressional District (Tampa) in Florida. Turns out, his platform of cutting taxes, slowing down the never-ending government spending, border security, and reducing the existential threats to national security, has garnered the attention of a long list of supporters. Supporters include fellow Floridian, and Green Beret Mike Waltz (FL-06), Brian Mast (FL-18), Carlos Gimenez (FL-26), Jack Bergman (MI-01), Mark Green (TN-07), and the SEAL PAC, to name a few. Jay, count me in as a supporter and best wishes brother.
Derrick Anderson, Virginia’s 7th Congressional District
Derrick is a cut above the typical Green Beret Team Leader. After successfully finishing his Team Leader time in 5th Special Forces, Derrick left the army only to graduate from Georgetown Law School and clerk for two federal judges (No Big Deal). While Derrick was burning-it-down, he made a name for himself by serving in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Trump Administration. After watching the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan on national TV, Derrick decided to do something. Mr. Anderson (said in that Matrix voice) threw his hat into the Primary ring and is running for Congress. His platform consists of reducing taxes, focusing on job stimulation, and securing the border. Virginia has been at the forefront of the conflict between parents and school boards, Derrick also wants to protect the education system from non-traditional curricula being implemented throughout Virginia. Derrick, I’ve read enough about the Parents Vs Schoolboard fight in Virginia to know that the Constituents of your district need you. Best of luck brother.
Jason Bacon, Arizona’s 6th Congressional District
Jason Bason is running for the 6th Congressional District in the Great State of Arizona after 22 years of faithful service to our country. His last Battalion, 1/5th SFG(A), currently contributes three of the six Congressional candidates running (something is defiantly in the water fountains). Jason served on a team with a mentor of mine, Gordy. Gordy is one of the best Green Berets that I have ever known; he vouches for Jason. That means something to me.
A guy like Jason deserves our support, especially with a platform based on countering rampant inflation, fighting big tech censorship, ensuring election integrity, and ensuring a secure border. Recently, the folks in Southern Arizona have suffered from an increase of illicit fentanyl trafficked into Arizona from Mexico. According to Border Patrol, for the first time in history fentanyl has exceeded heroin in drugs smuggled into the US from Mexico. I have been a resident of the Great State of AZ my entire adult life, I can attest to the need for strong representation in southern Arizona. Jason is the man to do it. Good luck brother.
Tony Cowden, North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District
Tony is that guy on your team that you can’t live without. He’s the dependable one, always first up to make coffee, first to load the trucks, first to unload, and never one to back down from a fight. Tony recently said, “I can tell you that my stance on any issue is derived from the three C’s. God’s Commandments, the Constitution, and my Constituents. At a recent town hall in Sampson County, Tony told the audience that he wasn’t running for Congress but rather, running to be their representative. As I said, he’s the guy you can’t live without. The constituents of North Carolina’s fourth district need Tony. In my opinion, so does the rest of the country. Get’em, brother.
In the same week that headlines included censoring a podcast, they also included that we now have a pregnant male emoji. We need these strong Green Berets to help solve issues and steer this country through meaningful representation. I applaud their leap into the unknown. They’ve learned the power of asking the right questions to drive action. We need that more than ever in our elected representatives in Washington.
This information paper is just that, information. I encourage everyone reading to visit our brothers' six websites (hyperlinks included), better learn their positions, and support our brothers. For twenty years I have heard guys talk about the support in our community, let’s prove it by signing up for their newsletter, donating $5 bucks, or spreading the word. They could use our support, and frankly, we could use some folks in DC that have had skin in the game (literally) solving issues and problems in the Legislative Branch.
The primary election dates vary state to state but for some of our guys, they begin in May. The election takes place on November 8th, 2022. I wish them all the best.
By the way, when are we getting an SF PAC?
Always forward. - Matt
Next SITREP - We don’t have six Green Berets running for Congress. We have eight.
]]>There is something about the human spirit that thrives under heavy-load conditions. Heavy-load conditions, to me, mean leaving behind relative security and taking on new challenges to pursue what is meaningful. I believe that it is my moral obligation, as a father, husband, and leader to continue to seek meaning. In this SITREP, I want to discuss ‘the why’; the value proposition of the 18 Series Bag Company.
Each person that came by our booth at SHOT wanted to know the ‘Why’. We boiled down the value of our brand to the operator. Why would anyone buy our bags? Because it’s Special Operations, ‘For Us By Us’ (SO FUBU). My business partner and I set out to build the bags that we always wanted on a team. That’s the why. Why in the world do we identify, select, and then train the best operators in the world, only to give them generic gear that is only designed to be filled and put under their bed for the duration of the trip?
I believe that what shapes the Special, in Special Forces, is that they are "learners" that can solve any problem, under pressure, as a team. Through the lens of the 18 Series Bag Company, we’ve created solutions to problems that operators have. My goal is NOT to tell operators how to do their job, it is to provide solutions. This is the essence of what we do.
As you can tell from our website, we created a line of purpose-built bags that provide solutions to America’s Special Operations. We’ve also created accessories that are stand-alone products that can be used even with previously issued equipment.
I’ve carried a rifle in some sort of bag more times than I can count. Because we received standard issue packs, I usually had to shotgun my rifle (break it down to two pieces) and shove it in. I believe that is unacceptable. Our scabbard was designed to go anywhere, anytime, in any bag. We placed Velcro on the back and fast-tech buckles on the front to secure the rifle to the inside of whatever you're carrying. We secured the new Advance Sniper Rifle (ASR) to the scabbard within our Zulu bag, and it held the barrel snug to our spine, never shifting the internal load. We also secured a series of smaller rifles onto the scabbard which allowed us to completely close the bag, never alerting anyone of what we were carrying.
Another solution our scabbard provides, when married with our Zulu bag, is the tactical employment of Unmanned Aerial Surveillance (UAS) and Counter-UAS systems. Most Program Managers believe these systems will only be used from static positions, like FOBs, which restricts the distance and loiter time these systems provide. In reality, detachments attempt to carry the systems as close to the objective as possible to maximize the system’s time over the target. Our bag compliments existing UAS/C-UAS systems, providing operators the ability to get the systems packed and secure, and on the objective. In the Strategic Competition realm, we believe that providing low-visibility tactical solutions to operators provides strategic options to military leaders.
Named after the historic WWII element charged with organizing armed resistance in Europe, procuring intelligence, and kicking Nazi ass, our JED bag allows operators to remain both armed and unexposed in semi-permissive environments. As Dwight K. Schrute, from the ‘Office’, asks, “Question: How many Russians do you think have infiltrated Ukraine?”. Answer: As many as it takes to provide intelligence and be as close to the ‘x’ as possible when the trigger is met to launch. You don’t start an insurgency AFTER the first rounds are fired. When Libya was imploding, I overheard someone senior say, “we need to get in there and do some UW”. Still makes me laugh to this day.
Employing small groups of operators in semi-permissive areas to provide real-time intelligence has never been more important. The ability to conduct decentralized operations, while keeping a strong security posture, creates a unique requirement. Remember the purple shirt dude in Kenya? I do and am still super Jelly that he got to do something like that, I never did.
We know the JED bag is awesome, it’s already been operationalized. My favorite story, so far, was less clandestine but still kept them strapped. They were on the runway in Afghanistan during the pullout, standing face to face with some rag-tag Talibs. The bag remained in the car, on their back, or at the security position, keeping boom-sticks at the ready.
The non-descript bag has two pockets with ample padding. We lined the padded, outside compartment, with pile Velcro to allow for modular attachments to be placed within, such as our modular three-magazine pouch. The padding prevents ‘printing’, whereby the rifle pokes out of the bag, illuminating the fact that you have a weapon. The large, second compartment can hold a weapon less than 22” in length, the size of a standard-issue M-4 with folding butt-stock. We lined the compartment with VS-17 orange so that if you did have to beat-feet out of town, or into an apartment, you can attempt to visually call friendly forces into your location. If the situation dictates that you leave the area, at least you have your rifle, three magazines, and hopefully your passport and OPFUND. Attach our Faraday phone pouch and you’ve essentially disappeared (if you’re into that sort of thing….).
During SHOT Show, dozens of different Law Enforcement agencies stopped by. My point to them regarding the JED bag was simple. During the demonstrations last year across America, how many plain-clothed officers were able to get in the mix with demonstrators with anything more than their service pistol? Walking through some potentially violent areas with a 9mm is not my definition of a good time, I’d much rather have 5.56mm. Again, it’s not my place to discuss TTPs, just to provide solutions.
We have no fewer than a dozen more ideas for concealment bags. We also are developing a mechanism by which some of our bags never hit the market and get chosen directly by operators. These ideas will only come about if we get the JED bag right in the market. Our commitment to the operator is that we won’t mark up the outside with our branding. Current rifle bags on the market keep to the same branding inside and out. The problem is that once you see the branding, everyone knows what you have.
Commitment to family
After Saturday night’s dinner, my oldest son and I began rebuilding Han Solo’s Lego speeder. Even under a self-imposed busy schedule, I promised to help the little guy rebuild his Lego Empire. Balancing the final act of an Army career, being a present husband and father, and developing an entirely new brand, is the most difficult balancing act that I’ve ever attempted. But much like our equipment and bags, I’m amongst friends with our self-imposed heavy loads. Thanks for reading.
If interested in any of these bags, have your S/G/J-4 reach out to us and we can provide a timely quote.
Always forward. - Matt
NEXT SITREP - Six Green Berets running for Congress in 2022
Infil Complete
Infiltration into Las Vegas was relatively smooth. Everything in Vegas is set up for you to get in as fast as possible. The Lambdin’s rented an apartment for the week (highly recommended) which was a five-minute Uber from the strip. Having lived and traveled in Europe for a decade, House-Hold 6 (HH6) needed a competent kitchen and a washer and dryer.
Moving to the Sound of Gunfire
Saturday was our designated setup day. As per SOP, we arrived early to recce the best way to access our booth. Typical of GBs, we parked like we knew what we were doing and began exploring. This garnered the attention of some Union lookouts and some rando began yelling at the back of our heads. Like the rest of my brethren, we spun around and immediately closed the distance to the sound of conflict. We ended up conducting a ‘Shark Attack’ on a union dude at the Caesars Forum. He thought he would just yell at the back of my head for me to move my vehicle, and I would just comply. Apparently, he didn’t get the memo that Green Berets don’t like to be randomly yelled at because he immediately backed off and changed his approach after receiving no fewer than four command hands to the face. Sensing the immediate danger, he had us follow his Polaris to the employee parking lot to allow us to use the side door normally reserved only for Caesar’s employees. He was just doing his job and keeping everything orderly, I get it, but I felt like Christopher Walken in Joe Dirt, “you’re talking to my guy all wrong. It’s the wrong tone. Do it again and I’ll stab you in the face with a soldering iron.”
On Monday the 17th, we traveled out to the Daniel Defense-sponsored range day at the Pro Gun Club. Our 3rd Group brother let us set up in the most highly visible spot, high-fived each one of us, and went about his business. I do not think that we could have had a better introductory day. We didn’t know it at the time, but the day was invite-only for acquisition folks within the US DoD. Our bags were received well, we discussed prices and terms with most, and invited everyone to our booth for a more in-depth conversation. Eric Graves, from soldier systems website, came by and did a quick expose for his website (Soldier Systems). If you’re into the latest gear, you already know how big a deal that is. I left the day with both raccoon eyes from getting blasted with the sun and also a profound respect for a certain former 3rd Group guy in the firearm industry. Because of him, Daniel Defense opened whatever facilities they controlled to help us, their hospitality has been unmatched. We finished the day by returning to the Caesars Forum to finish setting up our bags. It was a great day.
The opening day of SHOT was unbelievable. Our booth had non-stop visitors and we were crowded most of the day. From industry leaders to small-town law enforcement, we met a lot of awesome people. I was happy to see Brent Cooper and the team from the Green Beret Foundation stop by. The GBF team invited us all out to the reunion, held that night, on the strip. We finished the day strong and headed over to the reunion. Immediately upon entering I saw our newest recipient of the Medal of Honor, Earl Plumlee, and gave him a big bear hug. Hard to hide from me and my arms, so with no real sense of social norms, I interrupted his conversation and gave him a big hug. I just thought that it was appropriate. We laughed and I went on my way. Recently, Earl sat down with NBC for an interview. When asked about why he did what he did, Earl replied, “I moved to the sound of the guns. That’s my job. If somebody was going to go, it would have been a Green Beret.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R2uR7VwFoM)
Brent Cooper and Sarah Holzhalb did a great job hosting a room full of GBs, a tough job getting all those egos crammed into one room. It was nice to link up with Travis Wilson again from Alpha Elite https://alphaeliteperformance.com/. He created a new oral rehydration product and gave me a sample. It’s called Rally and Recover. I crushed it the next morning before going to SHOT. It worked as advertised. I’ve been trying to create a new habit of waking up and immediately slamming a liter of water. I feel like it helps me get my day started. Rally and Recover was a nice extra boost that helped me get through a morning of running my suck, standing around, and recovering from two hefeweizens (getting old sucks).
SHOT Show was an unbelievable success. We met with folks from all four branches of the military, countless law enforcement and SWAT teams from across the country, great folks running non-profits, and representatives from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Croatia, England, Germany, Mexico, Poland, and Sweden. We gave the Aussie a hard time because someone might have said he sounded like he was from New Zealand, at which point the Aussie wanted to Russel Crow us and punch us in the mouth (Oi). My new German friend and I knew several of the same people after he showed me a picture of some old commando friends. Anyone that came in telling us that they were from a three-letter government agency immediately found themselves on the defensive as we instantly gave them a hard time (If you’re good with saying ‘three-letter agency’, just say which one it is, otherwise we tease you about being UPS). Everyone that came in received the same focused attention, no matter where they were from or what unit they were representing. Each and every one of them was special and I appreciate them stopping by.
We also met with an industry leader in the apparel industry. He was blown away by how fast we had innovated our bags and brought them to the market. We were also approached by a couple of other gentlemen from the business development (BD) arena. These BD experts represent the top brands in their respective categories so to say that we were caught off-guard was an understatement. People would come up to our booth and ask, “what makes your bags different?” The answer was simple. Our bags are designed by Green Berets who are putting their experience directly into their bags. These bags are built with a purpose for the toughest people that we know.
Another SF entrepreneur from 1st Group stopped by my booth. Mikey started a line of craft seasoning to capture the tastes he experienced during his military adventures. He gave me ‘Point Man’ to try so I threw it on a couple of scrambled eggs. It was so good that I probably won’t share it with my two boys (can’t one thing be dad’s?). You can find these culinary delights at www.smokedbros.com. I highly recommend it.
Throughout SHOT, I met with hundreds of awesome and interesting people. One such person was Tony Cowden. Tony’s an 18C in the Special Forces National Guard who is running for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District. Tony came by our booth to see what 18 Series Bag Company was all about. Our entire discussion revolved around how our bag line could be successful. Only when we were exchanging business cards at the end did I find out that Tony is running for Congress. Of all his captivating messages, Tony said that although he had been a leader all his life, he wasn’t running for Congress to lead but rather, to represent his constituents. His insight didn’t surprise me at all. Check him out at https://www.tonycowden.com/. As per SOP, my wife Jennifer became besties with Tony’s partner, Melissa, and we had to break them up to let both of our parties get back to business. So many great people came by, we are especially glad that Tony and Melissa did.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I appreciate the feedback.
Always forward - Matt
NEXT SITREP - The Value proposition for the 18 Series Bag Company
]]>We treated preparing for SHOT show like we conducted missions on a team. Develop a plan, prepare, rehearse, and then execute. Post-show, we’ll conduct exfiltration (exfil) and ensure solid lessons learned are captured.
One of the best lessons that I received as a young Green Beret came after a run with my team.
At 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), there’s a morning run called the ‘stairs’. The stairs run is a quick, three-mile run that is the perfect cardio solution for a busy morning. During the run, you leave the Battalion area and exit the base, continuing on a slight downhill for approximately ½ a mile to the sickles (a local monument), turn left and run along Stuttgarter Strasse, finally turning left again onto Robert-Bosch Strasse. Approximately 500 meters of a gradual incline leads you right to the stairs. The challenge is to run each of the 75 stairs until you eventually reach the landing at the top. There, you collect each team member and continue uphill on Waldburg Strasse, until you pass the German fire station. Pass the firehouse and bank a right, into the forest. Roots jetting from the ground remind you that you are just about to juke the morning German traffic, who don't mess around, to finally cross the road to reenter the base.
On my chosen day, I decided that I was going to beat my marathon-running Team Sergeant. It annoyed me to no end that my TMSGT was a runner. Couldn’t do five pull-ups in a row, but he could run and was in charge, so guess what we did? Super fun. Thanks for your service.
After a series of last-place finishes, I had been building up my cardio to correct myself and show this dude what was up. We began running as a team through our small German base moving towards the single-point base entry. We hit the gate and I decided that it was time for me to take off. I hammered the downhill section (great job Matt, super proud), made the customary two lefts, and hit the slight incline. I powered up thru the incline to the stairs. As I began hitting the first stairs, I could hear my team coming up behind me on the inclined road. My TMSGT, rightfully understanding that I was annoyed with his physical training plan, yelled out “do the stairs twice”. While my gas tank was still topped off with hate and anger, my mind screwed me that day. I finished the first round of stairs and did a 180 to begin walking back down the stairs. I began slowly going back up. This is the point that everyone began passing me. I had taken my shot and had underestimated my TMSGTs innate ability to develop younger dudes. I finally reached the top of the second round of stairs and my team was catching their breaths waiting on me. We hit the final hill, at which point I was now trailing at the back of the pack with the fastest of the group out of sight. I hit the entry point for the base, showed my ID, and jogged back to the Battalion, slowly picking up my pride as I went.
A senior teammate pulled me aside and berated me for my arrogance. It wasn’t out of hate, it was 100% love. You see, Brian is essentially the closest living person to Leonidas. Brian said that everyone knew what I was doing and that’s why the TMSGT made us do the stairs twice. Brian’s lesson was simple. Treat the run like it was an operation. The warmup was the preparation, the downhill portion was infiltration (infil), the stairs were the actions on the objective, and the hill and easy run back were exfil. I had spent all my energy on infil and by the time I had made it to the actual mission, I was worthless and unprepared for any possible follow-on missions. Taken a step further, I missed the (metaphorical) helicopter (GET TO THE CHOPPER). I should have sucked up my pride and conserved my energy on infil, stayed with the team during actions-on and exfil, and then if I wanted to flex, beat Eric on the last couple hundred meters and finished as a team. My display made me a liability and that was unacceptable.
It was a great lesson and I’ve applied it to my life ever since. Why break yourself off during infil when the decisive point of the operation is ‘actions-on’?
For the past couple of weeks, my badass business partner has procured booth materials and we've conducted rehearsals last week (sweet tablecloth, bro). We developed a list of things that we needed and began creating a packing checklist. We packed the truck late Thursday night after our bags came in. While it’s ‘to the brim’, we managed to stuff everything into the truck for the 12-hour infil. Outside of passing cars driving slow in the left lane. In snow. At 11,000 feet. The trip was relatively uneventful.
We found Vegas in the same place it was when I left it this time last year (weird). Booth setup was scheduled for Saturday at 0800. We went in light to understand both the layout and develop efficient travel means. We planned for Murphy to rear his head so we’ve planned in some buffer time to purchase any deficiencies that we might find. Leave it to us to get into an argument with a guy that flexed his chest about us parking in the wrong place and using the wrong door. Turns out, his chest was less than 48 inches, so he backed down and hooked us up. It wasn’t his fault; he had no idea that we were Green Berets. This interaction became the subject for next week’s SITREP, Moving to the sound of gunfire.
We also have a booth at the invite-only, Daniel Defense Range-Day, so we must juggle two booths, albeit not simultaneously.
We are more than prepared for ‘actions on’. Our bags look fantastic and our booth looks sharp. We’ve filled our calendars with potential distributors and buyer meetings. Taking stock of our current position, we’ve learned so much.
As I apply all of the lessons passed onto me by great men, it seems as if we’ve turned left onto the incline on Robert-Bosch Strasse and are just about to hit the stairs. Infil complete. Time to crush actions on.
Always forward. - Matt
NEXT SITREP - Moving to the Sound of Gunfire
]]>
We’re continuing to gear up for SHOT show. Apparently, the 3rd Group mafia caught wind of what we are doing as a company, and we received an invite to the Daniel Defense Range Day. It is an invitation-only event. Thank you, 3rd Group mafia, we owe you.
This week, we conducted our booth setup rehearsal. We’ve purchased a backdrop, product stands, hanger-thingies, mannequins, and a tablecloth. During setup, I was thinking how funny it was that two goons were worried about getting the tablecloth right. We reserved a 10x10 booth at SHOT and we are fighting the urge to overcrowd the space with too many bags.
While we were setting up a team guy came by asking to ‘test’ a bag. Normally, I’m sympathetic to equipment shortfalls as he only has one issued bag, and it doesn’t meet his requirement. His timing couldn’t be more terrible as we are in the short-final to our launch. We still squared him away, giving him a model that we’ve since made modifications to. An incredibly smart friend of mine compared me to Bane in Batman after I told the team guy that we had ‘tested’ our bags enough.
“He thinks the CIF is his ally. He merely adopted the CIF. You were born in it, molded by it. You didn't see a normal ODA until you were a man and by then, it was only blinding.”
I was conflicted as he was from the Hard Target Company (HTC). My goal in 2022 is to outfit the entire Hard Target enterprise with purpose-built bags. They have a new mission that requires new gear. We know this because we have almost two decades of collective CIF/CRF experience. There are a lot of good options to get the kit where it needs to be. However, options are limited to top-fed, or center-loaded bags, in terms of load-carrying. 100% of the 18 Series Bag line lay completely flat, some have side-loading capability. Coupled with clear internal pouches, our bags offer modularity and versatility.
Our intent to have all 18 Series bags lay flat is to maximize storage capability, provide fast access to equipment, and allow for the rest of the team to grab gear during high-OPTEMPO times. During my time in Africa, my senior medic taught me the importance of operator self-aid. Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) had just been introduced to the community and our team had become very proficient. Since I had been working in the hospital and he was on the range, guys needed the ability to grab what they wanted without asking or digging. We laid out what we had with no real ability to hang off the wall.
That’s where the idea of hanging our bags came from. To give everyone access to the required equipment. Lifesaving equipment doesn’t need to be controlled by one person. Like creating a breachers bag for charge construction, our 3-Day assault bag is for all-involved to grab what they need and go, the same goes for communication equipment. Our Senior 18D bag allows for the main compartment to hang on the wall while allowing the medic to still have a zip-off assault medical bag and fanny.
///Key Leader Engagements///
I had the chance to text with a Colorado Congressional candidate this week. Tyler Allcorn is running for Colorado’s new 8th Congressional district. Tyler cut his teeth in 5th Special Forces and now lives in Colorado. His issues are very Red, White, and Blue, “I’m ready to deploy to Washington, DC to ensure every family in the 8th Congressional District has the opportunity to live their American Dream…cut spending and stop the runaway inflation… I’ll fight to ensure that all Coloradans regardless of their economic background live in safe neighborhoods… I’ll fight to fund our police and first responders so they can protect our neighborhoods.” Hard to argue Tyler’s points as I give my wife a specific GOTWA every time that I go to Denver. Tyler was born in Canada, so I’ve got a special place in my heart for him. https://allcornforcolorado.com/
Also from 5th SFG(A), Joe Kent is a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District of Washington State. Joe’s platform is deep. Click on his website and you’ll see a platform that’s difficult NOT to get behind. “We must reopen our economy, bring manufacturing back to the United States, and gain energy independence…We need responsible forest management that preserves our forest and restores our renewable and sustainable timber industry… We must end predatory Chinese fleet fishing off our coast… I support modernizing our force to focus on our main threat, China… I fully support the men and women of our law enforcement community…” Plus he’s a former Warrant Officer, what’s not to love? https://joekentforcongress.com/issues/
Even if you don’t support their positions, they’re 18 Series guys that are continuing service to the Country. That’s not to say that you should throw blind support, rather, we should encourage more to follow their example to do the same, regardless of the political party. The list of GWOT veterans in Congress is growing, for good reason. For these two righteous dudes, campaigning is all about fundraising to ensure they can go the distance. If you want to help, click on their websites, and donate. I wish them both the best in the upcoming elections. Next week, I’ll introduce another couple of GBs, Derrick Anderson, running for Congress in Virginia (another 5th Group dude…) and Jay Collins in Tampa, Florida (7th SFG(A)). Jay was in the senior medic class when I started the 18D course and I used to see him in the hallways. It is great to see him taking this next chapter on.
///No One Left Behind///
I’ve submitted my Afghan friends to the State Department. Both families are still in Istanbul and waiting their turn to come to the land of the Great PX. I’ll help them figure out everything AFTER they get here but getting here is the priority. They’ve both served US forces for the duration of the Afghan War, we cannot leave them behind.
I am leaving for SHOT late next week as the setup is on the 15th. If you are there, stop by booth 71108 and say hi.
Always forward. - Matt
Next SITREP - Preparing for SHOT Show (plan, prepare, rehearse, execute)
]]>I hope that everyone had a great Christmas holiday and a safe New Year. I felt no need to clog everyone’s inbox with this newsletter as I hoped that you were focusing on your family and friends. I chose to unplug for a couple of days to concentrate on my wife and boys.
I think that we begin 2022 by not stating any resolutions. Rather, I’d like to go over some 18 Series goals and introduce a new product. Our primary goal for 2022 is to lock in military sales for each line of bags. I won’t get into each line’s sales projections, but I will say that we’ve done a couple of sales calls locally (Colorado Springs) and had some success. It is important to differentiate what will sell in the military world and what will sell in the civilian world. We think that our Faraday laptop bag is right where it needs to be, right in between the two.
In the military, we do a great job of compartmentalizing information. For the most part, we think that because we operate on systems like NIPR and SIPR, we are safe from digital intrusions. I personally think that both systems are compromised and it’s not the system, it’s the people using it that are the weak link. Folks in the J2 will write you courier orders when traveling with classified data (if you give the customary six-month notice), however, that memo will not protect your classified data while you travel.
So, you planned your trip accordingly and are on your way. You have courier orders in hand and were smart enough to put your SIPR/JWICS data (double-wrapped of course) in your standard carry-on bag beside your snacks, iPhone, and wallet, just in case the TSA agents open your bag to get a sniff of your drawers.
Walkthrough a pre-determined choke point anywhere during your travels and adversaries will slurp your data using items purchased on Amazon. They’ve now got your super-secret pin code for your bank access and market trading platforms (financial), texts and pictures, your Google/Apple maps history and location of your home and work, and access to your Google drive and PDF scanner. All of which is valuable information and can be exploited.
How serious is the DoD taking this? Search LinkedIn during our Military Service Academy graduation dates and you’ll see scores of young Second Lieutenants posting where and what unit they are going to. It’s not their fault! They haven’t received any training about the dangers of Operational Security (OPSEC), and frankly, neither have a lot of people carrying sensitive data. The annual cyber awareness training is focused almost exclusively on physical security (thanks to Jeff and his baby blue sweater vest).
This isn’t limited to just governments. The private sector is ripe with industrial espionage. If I were a Goldman Sachs banker, I would be petrified using a ‘protected or encrypted’ phone. If I was a man of unscrupulous morals, I would place a digital chokepoint at the first three subway entrances surrounding Wall Street, maybe even place a device in a cab or two. I would target only the most unsecure brokers with the fanciest suits. I would know everything that they did. Every trade they made on their phone and every account they manage. I would even know where the Hampton beach house was and how often they went there. I am positive that GS has systems in place to prevent data hacks, but again, It’s not the system, it’s the person. Industry leaders, tech giants, financial gurus, and senior government officials don’t know what they don’t know, which makes them targets. What we do in the military is identify weaknesses and then exploit those weaknesses to dominate our enemy. This is already happening. Ask Jeff Bezos how he was compromised. I wonder if the security firm that protected Bezos kept the contract after he was compromised? The days of face masked armed robberies are a 20th-century problem.
I’ve made the point that this isn’t solely limited to the US military. While the US Constitution prevents law enforcement from collecting on US citizens without probable cause and a warrant, the FISA Amendments Act, section 702, allows Federal Agencies the ability to monitor certain data transmission while overseas (https://www.heritage.org/defense/report/foreign-intelligence-surveillance-amendments-act-2008. The US Constitution provides additional protection to US citizens while in the US but does not protect you when traveling through friendly countries. Make connecting flights through Heathrow, Charles De Gaul, or Stuttgart and you’re likely being digitally surveilled. It’s not that they are specifically looking for you, it’s that your data is being bulk collected as you walk through what you think is an airport breezeway, but in actuality, it’s a passive surveillance checkpoint. The UK has some of the most sophisticated public surveillance running across the country in real-time. Did you see the protests in Hong Kong and how the Chinese were combating them? Other countries do not afford their citizens the same protection that the US Constitution provides. If you’re naturally suspicious like me, read about the powers granted to British law enforcement in 2016. (https://www.theverge.com/2016/11/23/13718768/uk-surveillance-laws-explained-investigatory-powers-bill).
How do you defend against these tactics? Practice OPSEC and lower your digital exposure. I created a Faraday Laptop bag because I think I’ve identified a serious weakness in OPSEC and a gap in the market. Faraday fabric is a flexible metallic material that blocks the transmission of signals. Working with fabric experts, we have lined a laptop bag, cell phone, and tablet pouch with this material to create digitally secure compartments. Place your electronics inside my laptop bag and creepers won’t be able to see your weird late-night texts to your buddies. Nor will savvy Eastern European gangsters be able to get the password to your crypto account, or foreign governments be able to rip your electronics while you walk through a normal airport breezeway. If the DoD is serious about playing at the Strategic Competition arena, it carries the burden of protecting its data and personnel.
We realize that designing a complete line of purpose-built bags in 2021 was a bold move. I’m back-sliding into retirement and want to put almost two decades as a Green Beret to work. I really believe in what we’re creating. I believe in the bags that we’ve built. We are creating solutions to problems experienced throughout the two wars. We are all in.
Suiting that my Faraday Bag falls on SITREP 007. Happy New Year.
Always forward. - Matt
Next SITREP - This SITREP is devoted to all of you.
]]>Retirement isn’t the goal of every person in the military, hence the move towards a blended retirement system. Even if you are getting out after a five-year enlistment, you should consider executing an exfil plan while your canopy moves towards the point of impact. For those of you with a retirement glide path, save this and use it as your pathway to Margaritaville. Being methodical and planning your exfil from the military is important, with serious implications to your long game.
Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
The Congressionally mandated program that you must complete before leaving the military, consists of five classes. It’s easy and you can knock it out within your last 18 months. I did all the classes online. I also chose to sit in on the VA benefits brief to better understand my VA claim.
Bottom line: Do it.
VA Claim Vs Disability
Let me clear something up. Your VA claim isn’t a disability claim. I think that guys and gals think poorly about the VA claim process because either they have seen people abuse it OR they don’t feel that they have a disability. Folks in the military get roughed up, there isn’t a question about that. The VA claim process is the mechanism that identifies injuries, or medical issues, that occurred during your military service. You WANT to document every single injury, no matter how insignificant, because in ten years when you go see your doctor about that nagging pain in your ankles, the cost of the medical treatment will be picked up by the VA (referred to as Service Connected) if you had it documented while you were in. You got roughed up while in the military, so get it documented because in twenty years when we’re all coughing up burn-pits, we all might need an inhaler.
Bottom line: Call it what it is, a VA claim.
Retirement Seminars and Life Insurance
You might have noticed a lot of retirement seminars attempting to teach everyone about retirement (recent examples: OASIS, JANUS). I recently sat in the JANUS class, taught by LTC Paul Toolan. I learned from JANUS that you must get started early, and for good reason (Toolan also said that you must embrace your inner E-4, which was incredibly easy for me to accept). Paul encouraged the class to immediately get term-life insurance before beginning their VA claim. This is because if you’ve begun documenting your injuries, life insurance companies can see that you’ve documented the 2009 incident where you tripped at the Ballad North Defac, side-stepping the goofball whose M-9 was pointed at you from his shoulder holster. The other reason for life insurance is that my retirement benefits are, for the most part, only good if I am alive. I owe it to my wife to provide for her, even in death. Paul’s class was outstanding and if you get a chance to attend a JANUS seminar, take advantage of it and go!
Bottom line: Absorb as much as you can from these groups, they are intended to help you.
I immediately inquired about life insurance from a reputable military provider, the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA.COM). Problem is, I took a sleep study a couple of years ago simply to increase the quality of my sleep. Unbeknownst to me, being prescribed an APAP/CPAP could be a disqualifier. Why didn’t anyone tell me that? I didn’t know that doing a sleep study and being prescribed an (APAP or CPAP) would disqualify me from getting term life insurance.
The counselor, that everyone says is risk-free, could indicate that a few of you have PTSD. Life insurance companies don’t want to take the risk on a guy who has an APAP and/or PTSD, each being a disqualifier. I just figured out that being proactive might impact my ability to get life insurance.
Bottom Line: Get life insurance at least 2-3 years out.
CIF
Get a pre-clear memo signed by an O-4 or above. A pre-clear memo allows you to schedule an early turn-in with CIF to get that useless mandatory issue gone, freeing up valuable time before just getting out. I should have done this when I PCS’d to Carson, six years ago.
Career Skills Program (CSP)
Commonly referred to as the ‘internship’, the CSP is a command-approved, unpaid internship with a company of your choice. It’s on you to find the company and convince them that your barrel chest would be a great fit for their company. I recently signed on with Beyond SOF (beyondsof.com), run by a fellow SF brother. I’m thankful that he took me on, but also for his ongoing commitment to helping guys transition from the Military. I pledge to do the same when 18 Series Bag Company is on its feet.
Bottom Line: Plan the hell out of this.
Total and permanent and Chapter 35
My generation of buddy’s average between five and twelve combat rotations. Tying injuries from Iraq and Afghanistan to your VA claim goes a long way to making your VA claim combat-related. This could make most of your retirement tax-free. Did you know that if your claim is approved at total and permanent, your children can go to a state college tuition-free? Don’t just take my word for it, google Chapter 35 VA benefits. Guys I know think it’s a pride or ego issue because folks have called it a disability claim, it’s not, it’s a VA rating. Don’t let that guy who puts a sign on his lawn, asking others to be considerate and keep loud noises down during July 4th fireworks, dictate what you think about your future VA claim.
I chose to do a paid service before choosing a free Veteran VSO. VSOs are filled with great Americans doing great things. What I’ve learned from twenty years in the military is that if it’s free, it’s probably not that good like anything in the military. I hired someone who makes most Type A’s look like Beta’s. I’m happy to pay. I’ve met with my rep, Tennille Wren, multiple times to chart out my path towards retirement. As per SOP, Tennille spoke slowly and wrote in big letters for me, describing in detail my exact steps. Like most of you reading this, I am a terrible advocate for myself. That’s why I have Tennille. I know a couple of you reading this are working with Tennille, I know that you feel the same.
It is a necessity that I retire correctly. I’ve deployed more than most, but not as much as others. My family has shouldered the burden of me being gone. I feel that it is simply out of respect for them that I will get this process right. This is what we do, we pass on lessons learned so that you can get it right too. This is the long game. Merry Christmas everyone!
To the Regiment’s latest recipient of the Medal of Honor, and great dude, congrats Earl.
Always forward - Matt
Next SITREP - The digital environment has changed our way of life.
]]>We shipped our first batch of Fanny’s. It feels good getting them out, like I just got walked out of the Commander's office and didn’t get picked to do some dumb tasker, feeling. I hope everyone that bought one will enjoy them. I keep mine in my truck as I’m still gunning for that elusive Soldiers Medal before I get out. Also, thank you for the feedback so far on my SITREPs, I use each comment to improve.
This week’s SITREP will focus internally on a concept that everyone can relate to, time management. The question I think most of us struggle with is, how do I balance my family, my work, and for me, building a brand? I feel like I get more efficient the busier I am. If I’m sitting around on a Saturday, my entire day goes by and I get nothing done. So, I’ve attempted to minimize the distractions, but I have one problem. Outside of that short bit of time where I told everyone that I was a janitor at Harvard, solving math equations in the hallway after everyone had left for the day, I am straight up, a goon. So, figuring this out in real-time takes patience, a trait no one in Special Operations has naturally.
This week, our company focused on tying up our free ends. Our website provides decent analytics to help determine what is working and what is not. We restructured the layout of the website. It is always a challenge to ensure that mobile is compatible with desktop viewing. When you look at the analytics you can tell that over the last two months roughly 2,500 people have come to the website, of that, 60% have been from mobile devices. Those numbers are beyond expectations. Moving forward, we need to ensure that mobile runs just as smoothly as desktop, if not better.
We restructured the layout of the website. I didn’t know that JPEG quality photo’s crush website speed (remember? Goon) so our pictures had to be optimized. Comically, for the past few weeks, our photos have all been oversized. I had zero ideas on how to change the aspect ratio to make it appear smaller. I now understand and the pictures look much better. We then ensured that our website had a consistent pricing strategy, in line with both DoD and retail. There is no way for us to compete in the civilian market in the near term, so our strategy is to attack military sales, hence the high price points for our larger bags.
Another change that came out of this week was building an account with USPS. We opened a business account and are now able to change our shipping model to FREE SHIPPING on all our bags. We never thought that we would open the company up to retail, but it seems to have begun to work, so we’ll subsidize the cost of retail shipping from our other sales. We are playing with another idea in retail, maybe offering a discount code to everyone who subscribes to the SITREP? We also continued to refine our short and long-term strategies. December is a wash, SHOT show is a month away, and we just put a bag order in for our display. The 2022 roadshow was laid out and we worked ourselves over until we had glassed-over droopy eyes. Just like when we were deployed. It felt great.
We just inked a deal for some laptop bags up at Warren, AFB. On one hand, the DoD is stoked about its cyber capabilities. On the other, our folks are completely digitally exposed because our adversaries don’t have those things called authorities, permissions, or approvals. They can digitally attack any threat anywhere, the folks up at Warren, AFB got that.
As your Goon buddy Matt continues to evolve and sit up straight, our website will develop with me. I liked how the pictures of our concealment bag turned out, so I left it on the splash page. Our long-term plan is to find a suitable soft/hard armor that can slide into the pocket. Recently, I spoke with a company called Angel Armor (angelarmor.com/), to see if their product would be compatible. I’m excited to see if it will work. Their armor is rated to DoJ standards, which is cool because I’d love to push these to Law Enforcement. I think that we all felt for LE last summer during the nationwide protests because they couldn’t infill areas with anything more than a 9mm. I would love to offer LE, and other discreet units, the ability to infil weapon systems clandestinely. Other companies in the market place their logos on their bags, immediately ‘outing’ themselves as they’ve branded themselves as concealment (by the way, they are great bags). I am not going to put a logo on the outside and honestly, I struggled with the thought of keeping the bags off the website. I have several ideas for rifle bags, but we want to launch slowly and methodically. I think that in the future if our clandestine rifle bags sell, I will either take them off the website or make them password protected. This will provide the actual clandestine capability.
If I have one asker of all of you reading this, can you share this?
As I am typing this week's SITREP up and preparing to clog everyone’s email, an Afghan that worked for me just hit me up on email (Friday night), as his VISA in Turkey is expiring soon. It’s unbelievable, I thought that he was dead. I’ll just shove this into my time management algorithm and get his butt to the US.
Thanks for reading. Always forward. - Matt
Next SITREP - Lessons learned of the military retirement process
]]>Recently, a friend of mine Danny, a rootin-tootin MARSOC Raider, spoke to me about a veteran networking club in Wilmington, NC. This group, The Veteran Business Collective (VBC), is a veteran group dedicated to veterans helping veterans, in business. I couldn’t love this idea more. I’ve been thinking about this veteran club for a couple of weeks and began thinking about all the guys and industries that Special Operators have moved into. The idea of the Veteran’s Business Collective resonates with me. At times I think that some of us misunderstood the moniker ‘Quiet professional’ to be ‘Silent Professional’. Others have paid that idiom zero-mind and have pushed forward, carving out a place for themselves in the business world. Companies in beverage (brewing, distilling, wine, coffee) real-estate, finance, tactical instruction and gear, writers, pilots, consultants, and cyber-nerds. That’s just my friends, I know of many more.
I view Viking Tactics as the GWOT business pioneer, Kyle single-handedly brought combat-focused shooting back to the Army. Evan Hafer, from Black Rifle Coffee, launched a brand in an already crowded market and will finish this year with an estimated 230 million dollars in revenue. Dan Brokos capitalized on a long career as a professional Green Beret to travel the country and train upcoming generations (leadfaucettactical.com). After leaving 10th Special Forces Group, Drew White started Benchmark Mortgage (soflender.com/). Drew is an expert at financing options, and I strongly support anything that he does (he’s got the Midas touch). If you are thirsty and, in the Vail, Colorado area, check out Vail Brewing Company. Scott Harrison (10th Group alum) has created an awesome atmosphere to drink some tasty treats. Then there are the guys that are still in. Look at Team Room Design (teamroomdesign.com). Ben has some of the most amazing handmade gifts and designs that I have ever seen, I have 1/60th of his talent. Tony, another talented soldier is arguably the most gifted 3-finger artist that I have ever known. Not only did he draw up the designs for our hoodies, but his website is an art exhibit (badmoon.store/). Matty Devivo, my younger better-looking brother from Boston, has a great Podcast called Thank you, Now What? (thankyounowwhat.com). I’m proud of Matt. I shouldn’t have favorites, but I do. Check out episode 12, Sally Roberts; episode, Noah Harris; and episode 5, Nate Boyer. Matt has 44 episodes and still going. I highly suggest you listen to at least one and give him a like.
I’m proud to be associated with all these fellas. Rather than an eat-our-own approach, I suggest just the opposite. Much like the VBC, let’s start a once-a-month networking event amongst veterans to help one another in the Springs. This doesn’t have to be just SF dudes; this military community is expansive and has a ton to offer. Let’s create a coalition to achieve effects. Let me know in the comments below what you think about this idea.
I had the luck this week to attend a transition seminar put on by 10th Group. Having completed the mandatory Transition Assistance Program (TAP), I was prepared for another round of mind-numbing briefs put on by folks who were required to brief the designated chapters given to them. What was potentially another round of African Killer Bee stings to my soul, turned out to be the highlight of 2021. I met Mike McDermott, founder, and CEO of Arcadia Group (arcadiagroupus.com). During Mike’s two-day presentation, I unexpectantly began learning how to identify and then achieve, my personal aspirational, or strategic, goals. His message was simple. Each transitioning service member should identify their mission and purpose. After identifying my personal 10-year strategic goal, Mike gut-punched me with a zinger. What things do I need to do today, to make my strategic goals a reality? These are my tactical goals, which need to be aligned to accomplish operationalizing my purpose. I will follow up next week with what I learned from Mike. I am so appreciative to have spent the time with him sharpening my mindset. I think he’d be a great fit with my friend at Bragg (good NCOPD/OPD, you know who you are) as well as our future Colorado chapter of the VBC. More to follow next week.
As for 18 Series Bag Company, we sat down Friday with our strategic partners to iron out some terms, inspect our newest offerings, and speak about our metaphorical 25-meter range. Our newest production-ready bags look and feel awesome. Our 18 Echo Communication Bag is awesome. We incorporated durable mesh panels on three sides to allow for heat to escape. Built off our universal frame, this commo bag includes wire management and modular radio inserts to carry whatever the mission requires. My brother from Stealth-Tex is going to send us thermal mitigating fabric to help conceal our commo buddies. His material is like magic to me and like everything else commo-related, I’ll let someone else explain how it works.
The second bag is my favorite. We built a Faraday laptop bag. Insert your computer into the sleeve and any attempt to reach the bag via signal is completely disrupted. There’s enough room for both your work and personal computer. We also created modular cellphone and tablet faraday pouches that can be added to carry all your electronics. I still need to get pictures on the bag, but it can be carried through an airport or downtown without someone thanking you for your service. This bag is the future. Jeff Bezos settled his divorce, forced to pay billions of dollars because his handlers were stuck thinking about physical security and not digital security. Can you imagine thumbing your nose at a $200 bag, to then be compromised? I’m shocked that I haven’t heard more about corporate espionage. I guess an uninformed businessman is just as uninformed when he’s compromised. Travel through the Middle East, Europe, or Asia with your Bluetooth or WiFi on and your phone is essentially an Alexa tied directly to your bank account (Alexa, steal that dude’s money). I can’t find a direct competition to this bag; this might work!
Thanks for reading. Always forward. - Matt
Next SITREP - The struggle with time management
Announcing our partnership with the Green Beret Foundation.
It only makes sense for us to team up with the Green Beret Foundation (GBF) for a fundraiser. It is a phenomenal organization that helps Green Berets and their families.
The mission of the Green Beret Foundation is to provide Special Forces soldiers and their families with emergent, immediate and ongoing support. They are the premier organization that stands with Green Berets and their families to reduce all of life's burdens, enabling them to achieve their full potential in service to our country and living a purposeful life.
I can attest that the GBF lives to this. In 2011 I hit a roadside bomb that rocked me. It created a weird overpressure in my head. Without any prompt, the GBF sent $1,000 for needed items while I was hospitalized. They also paid for my wife’s flight from Germany so that she could in-process me into the spinal rehabilitation center in Atlanta, GA.
The compassion in those raw moments is so important. It's that tiny bit of compassion that goes incredibly far because it reaches a broken guy, who’s in a bad physical place, who can get further into a bad headspace, really quickly. I think that having felt the benevolence of the Green Beret Foundation and having lived through it myself, I realized that they have an important mission and a wonderful outreach program.
I reached out to Executive Director Brent Cooper, who loved the idea. Brent wanted to ensure that it was mutually beneficial. Partnering with the GBF would allow for our small start-up to gain huge exposure and generate donations at the same time. The idea was that we could sell our Tactical Fanny from Black Friday to 18 Jan, our official launch at SHOT SHOW in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Our fanny pack is the most detailed bag in our entire line of bags. It’s kind of funny to us that this little bag has drawn all of our attention. It makes me think of when guys discuss pistols. The pistol is the least lethal weapon system in the US. Army but it is likely the most debated. Our fanny pack is the smallest bag by volume and the smallest bag that 18 Series creates, but a lot of energy went into the design and manufacture of this bag.
The Fanny pack is cool because it has three mechanisms of attachment. The Fanny can be worn as a fanny, over the pistol belt, or under the front flap of body armor. It also comes organically to our 18C and 18D bags. It is a versatile little bag. Within the campaign, we are going to donate a portion of the profit to the GBF. I want this to be beneficial for everyone. We only want the best for our guys and when there is a gap in care, we must support the benevolent organizations that fill the gap.
We need to refocus to take care of the living. We have a lot of dudes out there that need help. If guys in SF are at the point that they are reaching out for help, you know that it’s gone to a point that they’ve lost some ability to control it or affect it. That’s why organizations like this are so important. I know my kind; problems can become catastrophic quickly. It’s important to intervene before it’s gone too far.
I volunteered for the GBF for four years as the 10th Special Forces Rep at Ft. Carson, CO. I enjoyed linking up GBs that were in need with the GBF. Now that I am transitioning from the US Army, I feel that I can still serve the Foundation and at the same time as building our brand awareness with what we’re trying to do.
Here is the link to the fanny pack. https://18seriesbags.com/products/tactical-fanny We’re quite proud of it. It’s custom-made in America. Designed by Green Berets. We priced this Fanny at $79.99. I put one in my truck with a tourniquet and gauze, just in case I'm the first to an accident.
We’ve pledged to give as much as we can to the GBF.
Here’s a link for the GBF. https://greenberetfoundation.org/
Even if you do not choose to purchase our Fanny, we ask that you find a meaningful organization that helps our guys. They desperately need it.
Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
Always forward. - Matt
Next SITREP - Creating a coalition to achieve effects
SF culture can be funny. We occasionally eat our own but most times, we kick each other in the ass to keep moving. It likely stems from the Q-course where the belief is held that one must earn their place to be there. Who wants to be on a team where someone can’t hold their own and quits when it becomes tough? However, a good teammate will always provide help to a fellow brother to pick them up when needed. In the continuation of the 18 Series Bag Company SITREPs, SITREP 002 will focus on the beginning of our business. These are real-time lessons learned.
It all began when a bag manufacturer came into the office to showcase his goodies in 2018. We looked at his bags but quickly identified that his company products were well built but weren’t operationally suitable for SOF. We asked him to build a bag for 10th SFG(A). Our shop knew going in that we would be creating an entirely new product line for him (you're welcome). We collectively decided that was ok because we would begin to learn how to build bags, understand textiles, timelines, and our Group would get a much-needed bad-ass medical bag.
Through a couple of prototype iterations, we finally designed a medical bag that 18Ds could use. The next bag came quickly after that. I wanted to build a concealed bag for the newly approved folding buttstock for the M-4. Once again, we designed the perfect low-visibility bag through a series of iterations at his shop.
I realized that this guy must have thought that he had found his golden goose when he called and asked what other ideas we had for him. That’s when I pitched him on becoming part of his company. I would continue to design bags for Special Operations under his company, collect a commission from sales, and ultimately buy into the company. I was invited up to his location for the day and we spoke about future strategies, people I knew in Special Forces, and additional bag designs. I asked him things like, what it would take to buy into his company to be part owner and what a sales commission would look like. I also asked him to put it in writing, getting a contract in place, and he replied that he was more of a hand-shake kind of guy.
On the way home I called my long-time friend Kyle Lamb. Kyle has been a long-time mentor to me and has provided sage advice in trying times. I asked him what he thought about what I was getting into, and he said frankly, “If he doesn’t want to put anything on paper and just do a hand-shake deal, walk, no run, as fast as you can out of there!”. Kyle went on to explain that handshake deals were bad business and described several examples during his time as a tactical tycoon. Kyle encouraged me to go out on my own and asked me why I wasn’t already making my own tactical bags. I replied about not knowing anything about the bag business. He kicked me in the ass and said, “dude, you’re already doing the hardest part!” (Did you read it in Kyle’s voice?) He was referring to the design process. So, we incorporated 18 Series Bag Company a month later and began looking for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to build our bags in the USA to make them Berry Complaint. We have since found an OEM and solid partners to help us get our product to the market. In January, we will officially debut our bag line at two major exhibitions (WEPTAC/SHOT Show) in Las Vegas where our bags will go in front of Program Managers, Acquisition Officers, and S-4s. Getting our bags into the hands of acquisition folks is a large step forward.
The takeaway is that business life is not team life. Why would anyone prone to ‘hand-shake deals’ consider your long-term growth? Trust your instincts. I am lucky enough to have great mentors to give me the necessary kick in the ass to launch my own thing. Rely on mentors and guidance from your inner circle. Like a team, find military folks in the business world who will help you, pick you up, but not do it for you.
Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
Always forward. - Matt
Next SITREP - Important for our souls to team up with a SOF specific charity
Moving forward, future 18 Series Bag Company situation reports (SITREPs) will discuss three things: starting our own business, my expedition to retire from the Army, and the creation of our tactical bag line for the 18 Series Bag Company.
Each week, I’ll update the SITREP with how everything is coming along and discuss the trials and tribulations of starting a business. People wanting to do ‘hand-shake’ deals, intending only to take advantage of you. People using words like ‘long-term relationships’ and ‘transparency’, buzzwords that folks use but never intend to follow through with. Consider these trials our lessons learned. On the flip side, I would like to call out all the people who encouraged us to start our own company. My goal is to let the reader know that they can do it too.
In speaking about the future for 18 Series Bag Company, we’ll discuss internal decisions and how we came to tough answers like;
- Why our price point is above the average consumer bag and why we decided to begin with Berry compliant bags.
- Explain the National Stock Number (NSN) system and why NSNs are important.
- Describe contracting mechanisms like the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) Supply Procurement Program (S2P2) and Tailored Logistic Support (TLS), both are mechanisms that military units utilize to conduct large purchases.
It’s not our desire to bore you, it’s just the opposite. We want to educate you, pass on what we’ve learned. Knowing the ins and outs of acquisitions and procurement makes for a more lethal soldier because you can get your folks the kit they need.
Lastly, retiring from the U.S. Army Special Forces. I’ll tell you that after serving in a single unit for almost two straight decades, I felt terrible leaving. In my decision to direct my energy elsewhere, I have had to overcome feelings that I am letting everyone down. It is almost unbelievable that I have that pit in my stomach about moving on. For those unclear of what to do, I’ll write the occasional SITREP on what’s required and what’s not, the mandatory to-do’s, and how I’m navigating the retirement process. Mandatory military programs are like casinos, the house is always going to win. If you can understand that and play by that rule and let the house win, but get what YOU need out of the process. There’s only a handful of things to do to satisfy the mandatory Army gods, so I feel that passing on some helpful guidance might help a few folks.
Always forward. Matt
NEXT SITREP - All about finding good teammates