SOF News Update 20161230 – SF LTC assists SF charity organization, songs of the GWOT-era, maintenance workers keep the CV-22 Osprey flying, how to survive in a winter environment (a Ranger’s advice), Afghan SOF police units have good success against insurgents, death of Navy SEAL, and more.
Afghan SOF Police Units Have Success in Killing Insurgents. The Afghanistan Ministry of Interior (MoI) recently announced that in the last 9 months units of the General Directorate of Police Special Units (GDPSU) have killed over 1,500 insurgents. One of these MoI special units is the Crisis Response Unit (GRU). Read more in “Special Forces Kill 1,551 Insurgents in Nine Months: MoI”, Tolo News, December 28, 2016.
Navy SEAL Dies. Petty Officer First Class Devon Grube of Cavalier, North Dakota died on December 29 as a result of a kayaking accident. His kayak had overturned 2 miles off the coast. Read more in “Cavalier, ND native Navy SEAL found near Cape Charles coast dies in hospital”, Valley News Live, December 29, 2016.
Retired SF LTC Helps with SOF Charity. In February 2010 LTC Rob Pickel of 3rd Special Forces Group was severely injured during an IED attack in Pakistan. He would later lose his two legs to infection. He has since recovered and now devotes his time to family, hobbies, and helping comrades out by assisting on the board of directors of the Special Forces Charitable Trust. Read “Retired lieutenant colonel dedicated to giving”, Fayetteville Observer, December 24, 2016.
South Korean Special Forces Winter Training. The special operations forces of South Korean are well-trained in all aspects of SOF missions and for all types of environments (weather). Read up (or watch 2-min video) on RoK SOF winter training in “S. Korea’s Special Forces hold their annual winter training drills”, The World on ARIRANG.com, December 29, 2016.
Keeping the Osprey Airborne. A lot of maintenance takes place to keep the CV-22 Osprey of AFSOC’s 27th Special Operations Wing of Cannon Air Force Base in flying condition. The maintenance workers get a lot done during the hours of darkness. Read “Cannon After Dark: Night life with the 20th AMU”, U.S. Air Force, October 25, 2016.
Video – Israeli Defense Forces Special Forces. Video was posted by The Firearms Blog (TFB), December 29, 2016.
Ranger Advice for Staying Warm. Every year cold weather injuries cause preventable deaths. Read “Here’s a Former Ranger’s Advice for Braving the Extreme Cold”, Task & Purpose, December 28, 2016.
What Songs Did You Listen to During Your Combat Deployment? The Vietnam-era had songs that, when you hear them in the present day, immediately transport you back to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Are there songs for the GWOT-era? Read “The Warfighter’s Guide to a Combat Playlist”, Task & Purpose, July 15, 2016.
Image Credit: Photo at top of article courtesy of U.S. Air Force.
