PSYOP in Rangers, and Enabler Support to SF

pretty cool to look at....not so much fun to climb...

Dissapointing to hear that TPT is having a hard time keeping up. The guys we had attached to us never had a problem keeping up, but their tactics left a little to be desired...

FUCK THOSE MOUNTAINS.

Being a outsider I'm a bit at a loss, what would be the point of attaching a PSYOP's group to a SOF unit that focuses on DA/raids? That kind of says "get in, get the bad guys/kill em all, get out" to me. Granted, again, this is a outsider looking in, so I suppose I'm looking for some enlightenment.

Easy answer? Loudspeaker backpack to tell them "give the fuck up, you're surrounded and we brought in heavy bombers" for a "soft" raid.

Or playing heavy metal once the SBF opens up.

Makes sense, though most jihadi's don't strike me as the surrender without a fight type. If anything, surrounding em and yelling "surrender" through a loudspeaker just gives em time to wake up, set some bombs, and get their guns ready in my book

I can see how that works, and it makes sense. Fucking foreign fighters....and with places like Libya and Egypt both about to get themselves islamicist governments, things are just looking up more and more!

Hummm, occasionally I asked myself exactly that same question... Our primary mission was not to kill anyone or nor everyone. We wanted to; (1) apprehend, secure and recover 10 suspected Taliban personnel at a target location (2) conduct searches of multiple compounds for additional hostile persons and munitions / weapons (3) speak with surrounding leaders Mullas, key personnel and asses the civil populations welfare, water and general safety (4) hand off specific items to specific persons (5) arraign later delivery HA items to the inhabitants of the area (6) record and photograph everything and everybody. Additionally I was tasked with CAS as required because the aircraft were manned by English speakers (Brits out of Kandahar). On the team I was on I was routinely responsible for calling air if needed by the French commander. Of course we had a back up guy on our team as well. I was also tasked with calling in SITREPs via my commo which was separate from the French at that time to my US Commander.

During this mission and others I was a CA asset and not part of a TPT (that came several years later in my career). My job was as an embedded support, the tasking comes from and was above my pay grade for these types of operations. You know sometimes you get missions and you really wonder why I'm here and someone is not telling me everything. This happens just about the same and exact time you hear your ass slam shut. I was assigned as the sole support US CA asset for these teams during these types of operations among other types. On occasion there were other types of assets that accompanied us. My boss was US SF and had US SF elements. They were chopped out as well to the French via US SF LNO to support them and I supported them as well. That's another really great part about CA and Pysop you never know at times where you will end up, hence again the need for this type of training. They needed a US SOF CA asset among several other things to conduct village, population, tribal assessments in the region / AOR. There are also certain reporting requirements, stats, funding accountability and numerous other things that we are responsible to record to support US commander. Not to mention we fund things with US money and give credit with full recognition to our foreign partner forces. These were pretty routine and still are as I understand it happening. And on occasion you have to bait the hook with meat.

DA was not the primary or only focus of this unit, there are many other missions and objectives inclusive and sub-taskings. It's not always that clear cut, pretty and or clean (Chopper ride to the objective, hit the target, PUC HVT, load up, knuckle bump and hit the road). I never saw anything go down that smooth, cool or high speed. It was always a shit sandwich with many working parts, dated or poor actionable intel, equipment break downs and fog combined with friction. These are multi-faceted multi-disciplined forces with strategic and tactical operational objectives. At times we operated in the field for up to two weeks with numerous types of missions on our plate. Recently some forces have more clearly delineated responsibilities and singular focus with the addition of key personnel campaigning for the change at the top levels. But still the SOF units are multi-dimensional and multi-faceted forces with numerous objectives.

I hope this lends a clearer view of the operational requirements, concerns and responsibility of the CA and Pysop personnel. Although my assignment was somewhat abhorrent and unique it is not unheard of or highly unusual. The job requires an open mind, adaptability and a solution oriented individual who can think beyond the moment or his /her comfort zone.

I also give further opinion relative to this MOS / stuff on this thread more in depth;
Civil Affairs Qualification Course: Week 1 in Review

Conclusion; these guys need more and better Warfare training hence I think the solution of the course in this thread is way over due.

This Vid reminds of more missions than I care to remember. Same AO but none of the cool chopper support or bling. All work no play...

!

x2 bro

Had an enabler stop, take off all his gear and refuse to move on me twice during the same mission. The first time was on the side of a mountain during infil, and the second time was in the open during the movement to exfil. Both times things could have gone very badly for the entire element, and it was a position I promised myself I would never get caught in again.

Take his/her gear and don't return it when you get back

We cross loaded his stuff and moved on. Dude was on a bird to Bagram a few days after we got back.

How embarrassing, frustrating and a total NO-GO at this station. I can only imagine what was going through your mind. Don't fucking quit you puke, fucking die in place now! My head would have exploded!

P.S. We were all hoping with everything we had to see a Helo and surprise us. It never happened, March or die! The Maruf sucks ass!

My head is spinning right now, other grown men had to carry this bitches gear? He should have cut his fucking wrists or washed his pathetic mouth out with a M4!

Should've ratfucked the snacks in his gear and punctured each can of Monster he was carrying, before sending him on his way.

Should of dumped all this pukes trash and only taken the sensitive items. Everything else burned in place with a thermite. On return to the FOB there would have been hell to pay. This is sickening! I can accept slow, tired, hunger and beat I can't accept quit. You better drag yourself and shut up. Something better be broke, detached and blood coming out of your ass before you even think about this. Even then; "harden the fuck up"!

Was it a MEDEVAC bird? He would have suffered from falling into my fist a few times as soon as we got back.

Crip

This is the image I always think of when I see "Harden the fuck up".

By the time we got back everyone just wanted to wash their hands of him and expedite his departure. Guy ended up getting sent out to another team and getting fired again after only a week or so. He works permanently, harmlessly up at Bagram now. As far as what was going through my mind, I think I remember saying to myself, "This is it. Where's it going to come from?" Luckily "it" didn't come until daybreak, and that was the day I almost ate an RPG. However, that's another story altogether.

I've asked that question a couple times. Believe me.

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Exactly the reason for such a class and selection of "enablers". I can tell you first hand more than once I have ended up knee deep in a shit storm as a nobody in a team of "group dudes". The last thing I would do is quit, drop out or cry like a bitch. I could care less about badges, patches or some other crap. A Warrior don't let another Warrior down or his team, Charlie Mike, drive on or die in place! Every mission every time the same thought in my mind always, don't let your brothers down, stay in the fight no matter what. SUCK IT UP! Till the end with honor and dignity no matter what happens or how bad it gets. That's Soldiering 101, something the Army as a whole don't teach. I'm not some hard core PT freak or super stud action guy, on the contrary I'm an old fat fuck, but quit and lay down ain't part of the deal.

Thank you all for your service. Now for a glass of rum and a Cigar while dreaming about warm beaches, hard body honeys and scuba diving somewhere.