Lethal Minds Volume 5

Volume 5, Edition 1 01OCTOBER2022

Lethal Minds Volume 5

Volume 5, Edition 1 01OCTOBER2022

We have made it to Volume V. There’s no chance we’d have made it here without our team of volunteers who do the grunt work that lets us put this journal out every month. Worth Parker and Erin have been giants in getting editing work done to keep our journal legible and worth reading. Tom Schueman, Julian Tsukano, Don Reynolds, and a dozen others have been incredible advocates for Lethal Minds, keeping the journal out in front of our audience. Pages like War Murals, Mustang Path, From This Hilltop, 18A Chronicles, and the boys behind The Bulletin From the Borderlands have kept us flush with great content to anchor some of the journal sections through Volumes II and III.

Our readers, who write 100% of our content, and who have given us the huge growth spurt we’ve had in the last few months, all thanks goes to you guys. Without your support, this journal doesn’t exist. Our job is to ensure your work gets out there, and we can make the profession of arms a little bit better, and the men and women who undertake it, a little bit more informed.

Be informed, be prepared, be lethal.

Graham (CPT US Army)

Editor of Lethal Minds Journal

The World Today

• China’s Cyber Foothold in Africa

• The Chinese System

• China’s Liberalized Economy: Technically True, Technically Expedient

Across The Force

• Planning For Problems

Opinion

• The Need for a Reorganized Heavy Weapons Company

• The Motorized Brigade Combat Team: the Next Great Infantry Formation

• They Don’t Bury Their Fallen

The Written Word

• Predators

• My 9/11 Story

• The Deck

• Enemy Unknown: Afghanistan PT I

Poetry and Art

• Staring at the Green Carpet

• Phocas

• So They Say

• Art and Photography for the Cover

Health and Fitness

• How Far Do You Want to Run? A Basic Marathon Training Plan - Month/Block 3: Endurance Focus

• Time Restricted Training for the Tactical Athlete

Dedicated to those who serve, those who have served, and those who paid the final price for their country.

The World Today

In depth analysis and journalism to educate the warfighter on the most important issues around the world today.

China’s Cyber Foothold In Africa - AGP

When talking about external influences in Africa and African states, we often draw our attention to how global and regional powers affect the political landscape in many African states using traditional methods such as; an overt or covert influx of kinetic weaponry, proxy groups, and puppet states. However, an aspect that is not often discussed is how global superpowers such as China export their ideology of cyberspace to Africa, and how over the years Africa has been a fertile breeding ground of Chinese-made surveillance technology and concepts. 

Before getting into the nitty gritty aspects of everything, it is important to have a brief overview of a concept called “Cyber Sovereignty” or “wangluo zhuquan”. This refers to an idea in which individual countries are in-charge of how they manage their “cyberspace”, which means that countries should be able to regulate content and filter out what is and what isn’t permissible. This might seem benign and logical, why shouldn’t a country be allowed to monitor its own cyber domain in order to protect its own citizens from the harms of the outside world? Well, this concept does go against the Western idea of a free and open internet that should be treated as a nexus of knowledge and information for all that are able to utilize it. This reasoning is exactly why many, arguably less-reputable governments are keen on the Chinese concept of cyber sovereignty. Now that we have an understanding of what Cyber Sovereignty is, we need to look at how it’s been put in practice by China in the context of their foreign policy in Africa.

African Smart Cities 

China’s role in Africa’s digitization has always been significant in the form of “ICT Aid” This was initially focused on laying the groundwork for Africa’s ICT infrastructure, i.e. fiber optic cables. Therefore, when the concept of smart cities was peddled, China, which constructed nearly 70% of Africa’s 4G network had therefore already positioned itself as an excellent purveyor that could bring the concept of smart cities to life in Africa, as many Chinese-owned/based companies had subsequently cemented themselves in the continent.

One of the key features of a smart and cyber sovereign city is the ability to place and utilize a vast surveillance network consisting of CCTV cameras with A/V, AI and facial recognition abilities. Such systems would ensure that any and all actions performed by the population are monitored. It is therefore easy to pinpoint as to what most African states opted for when the opportunity came along.

Uganda: 

In the context of CCTV Uganda and Mozambique serve as great examples and case studies of how China exported their city-wide surveillance systems to African states, we will also explore the potential repercussions of these systems. 

Uganda’s Kampala police had requested over $126m worth of CCTV surveillance tech from China back in 2019, this was, according to them, in order to curb the growing levels of crime in the city. Keep in mind that using the narrative of crime as a justifiable factor is not entirely untrue, as CCTV systems have traditionally acted as deterrents against crime. However, it is not to say that this narrative can’t be double-sided, as many opposition figures in Uganda voiced their concerns over the systems given that they possess facial recognition technology that can be used to track and target individuals that are seen as opponents to the current government. 

One important aspect in this entire debacle is that the telecoms giant Huawei was responsible for installing the systems in this instance, as we will see later on, these companies tend to provide more than just mere cameras to their eager customers.

Mozambique: 

Mozambique’s capital city of Maputo, in a similar fashion to Kampala, had also seen a widespread installation of CCTV systems visually similar to the one’s in Uganda. One common factor in the installation of these systems is that in Mozambique’s case, the technicians that had installed the systems were part of ZTE, which, in similar fashion as Huawei to Uganda, had also provided the Mozambican authorities with other systems that will be discussed later on. 

The issue with these systems is that they were installed under dubious circumstances. In Mozambique’s case, the company that had brought the systems into the country was reportedly the “Casa Militar” which oversees the personal protection of the Head of state and his family and does not oversee public security. Furthermore, it is not guaranteed that these systems respect the constitutional rights that citizens have to privacy, as there has been on instance of a leaked video that was taken by an operator, the video displayed a public display of “affection” occurring inside in a vehicle that, despite technically being illegal, does not allow an authority, governmental or otherwise to spread content such as that, especially when we consider that the systems were installed by an entity that is not supposed to be responsible for public safety. 

Of course, one could pull the Ugandan narrative and invoke the need for these systems given the growing crime rate in the country, however, that narrative doesn’t exactly work here as there have been a number of high-profile kidnappings in the city of Maputo in areas that were very close and in line-of-sight (LOS) of these CCTV systems, but yet the police never managed to catch the culprits. One could argue that the systems are there to protect the interests of the elite and not its citizens, especially when one really delves into how many of these kidnappings tie into state affairs. 

Surveillance beyond the wires

Mozambique: 

As previously mentioned, both Huawei (in Uganda) and ZTE (In Mozambique) had provided said governments with additional tech that would compliment the clear public safety efforts said governments were embarking on revolved around interception technology. In Mozambique’s case, ZTE is alleged to have provided the government with technology capable of intercepting most if not all commonly used messaging and calling services, including SMS’s, WhatsApp messages, Emails, etc.

The image above gives us an overview of how the interception technology is structured. We can see that it involves the three major carriers; Movitel, Vodacom and mCel (Which is now Tmcel after a merger with state broadband and telecommunication provider TDM). It is important to note that the company that brought this technology in conjunction with ZTE was a privately-owned company associated with the then-current president’s (Armando Emilio Guebuza) son. 

A similar tale of surveillance occurred in both Uganda and Zambia. As reported by a Wall Street Journal investigation (WSJ), The Ugandan government had attempted to intercept the opposition leader and singer Bobi Wine’s (Robert Kyagulanyi) communication networks (WhatsApp and Skype). The government’s initial efforts had failed which reportedly resulted in them requesting the aid of Huawei engineers who after several days were able to intercept a WhatsApp group belonging to the singer, which was reportedly used in order to stage rallies and protests. As expected, Huawei denied the allegations and insisted that they do take measures in order to protect the data of its customers, despite it not being difficult to put two and two together seeing as Huawei has been accused of corporate espionage in the past. 

In regards to Zambia, a similar story is said to have occurred in which Huawei employees were complicit in assisting the government in tracking and interception the communications of individuals running a news site. The same WSJ investigation highlights a datacenter in Zambia that was built by Huawei at ZICTA, which is the information and communications authority in Zambia. The complex is said to house a “Cybercrime crack squad” that has Huawei employee’s embedded in it. Evidence of Huawei involvement can be seen in the following facebook post made by the Patriotic Front (PF) in Zambia;

It is important to note that the technologies utilized by Zambia fall into the “Smart Zambia” initiative which aims to provide and integrate Huawei technologies across governmental departments, further increasing the direct Huawei/Chinese involvement into the country’s critical infrastructures. 

Root access: 

Now that we’ve seen specific examples and places in which China has cemented themselves in the ICT context, we must address the elephant in the page. With over 70% of 4G networks on the African continent having been built by a single Chinese company, it would be irresponsible to voice privacy concerns over what happens to the data collected via the use of what is effectively CCP linked technology. In an intelligence context China has and will continue to have an unprecedented, pervasive ability to access and collect massive amounts of data on the citizens and governments of states across the continent in the context of espionage or more. An example of this is seen with the famous African Union’s (AU) headquarters case, in which it was found that the China-built headquarters contained listening devices. This event was reported by the French newspaper Le Monde in 2018, it was not an isolated case however. On Jan 17th, 2020, the Japanese Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) detected traffic between the AU systems and the Chinese Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group dubbed “Bronze President”, which is a group that has been known to target government officials in different regions across the world. Now, couple these events with the fact that there are now thousands of Chinese-made CCTV system scattered across Africa that could potentially provide a pleasant backdoor for the mainland. 

This is just one example of China’s data exfiltration via the use of it’s devices on the continent. For those that are unaware, Africa, in recent years, has seen a boom in its smartphone market, which consists of a myriad of brands. However, a brand called Tecno held approximately 18% of the smartphone market in the year 2020. Why is this? The brand provided a relatively low-barrier entry when it comes to owning a smartphone that can access the popular apps such as; Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, TikTok. This sounds great on paper, as a Chinese-owned brand is able to distribute their devices across the continent thus uplifting the population into the digital world. That would be true if it weren’t for the unfavorable reputation that Chinese tech has in relation to providing a means to spy for the CCP, this and the fact that thousand of Tecno devices had, for years, the xHelper Trojan (which automatically signed the user up for money eating subscriptions) begs to question as to whether or not there aren’t any other pervasive applications and functions in these cell phones. It is important to note however that this is not a one-sided argument, as many western companies such as the NSO Group have been suspected of selling a version of Pegasus to the Ugandan government in 2017, prior to the previously mentioned Huawei debacle. Needless to say, the reasoning behind the openness towards China’s Cyber Sovereignty concept can be clearly seen due to its carte blanche when it comes to surveillance. (1)

The Chinese System - Cory Bravo

During the first six months of 2022, several analysts, think tanks, and other entities discussed the likelihood of Xi Jinping 习近平 deciding to invade Taiwan. While most if not all of the entities discussed the various military and diplomatic indicators that possibly precede any invasion, they fail to mention any socio-economic indicators that also likely signal any invasion preparations. By not including such factors, analysts are only viewing half of the picture that would indicate if Xi intended to invade Taiwan. 

To understand why socio-economic factors should be considered, an examination of how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as an entity views social stability and its hold on power is needed. The CCP views social stability as tantamount to its hold on power because they understand how social instability played a role in bringing down previous dynasties such as the Qing, Ming, and Chiang Kai-shek’s Republic of China. Furthermore, the CCP also maintains social stability because protests against social issues – such as the inability for people to withdraw their savings or anger stemming from local CCP officials’ incompetence/corruption – have the ability to evolve into larger protests against the CCP. The CCP’s profound need to maintain social stability explains in part their emphasis on censorship, creation of the social credit system, and other mechanisms. These systems in turn enable the CCP to not only control social stability but to focus it when doing so will directly benefit them. The most recent example of this concept were the large, violent protests that occurred throughout China during the latest episode of the Senkaku dispute in 2012. The CCP allowed the protests to destroy or heavily damage Japanese-owned factories and businesses while also controlling the protests so as not to allow them to get too out of control and not to evolve into anti-CCP protests. 

Since socio-economic factors can have a profound effect on social stability, they should also be considered when analyzing the potential for any Taiwan invasion scenario. However, not all factors would provide sufficient indication Xi decided to invade Taiwan, some factors such as localized protests against local CCP or bureaucratic leadership will likely not be sufficient in indicating an invasion. The factors that would have the greatest chance at indicating an invasion range from medium to long-term effects that would cause significant instability throughout Chinese society. The medium and long-term factors would cause enough issues that Xi deciding to invade Taiwan would move attention away from the issues but also increase nationalism and support for the CCP. 

Parallels can be made between Xi’s willingness to invade Taiwan and the Argentine military’s decision to invade the Falkland Islands. From 1976 to 1982, the Argentine military ruled the country via three successive military juntas. Also during this time, the Argentine economy experienced a significant economic crisis which resulted in inflation reaching over hundred percent. The junta undertook several reforms in an attempt to solve the severe economic problems plaguing the country. However, the Argentine population did not like the reforms, and they protested against them in massive anti-military junta protests throughout the country. In June 1981, the government – headed by Army General Leopoldo Galtieri – realized it was losing popularity when the government could no longer effectively control the protests. The military government realized that an invasion of the Falklands Islands would likely be the best opportunity to regain credibility in the eyes of the Argentine population. A successful invasion would mean the population’s attention would be focused on the invasion instead of the severe economic problems. Furthermore, it would also restore a degree of legitimacy in the eyes of the Argentine population and increase nationalism. Argentina then invaded the Falkland Islands in April 1982, leading to the Falklands War. 

The rationale behind focusing on both medium and long-term factors is due to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) currently having insufficient logistical and amphibious sealift capacities to successfully invade Taiwan. However, with its recent modernization drive in both naval and civilian amphibious and sealift vessels, it is likely the PLA will gain enough vessels to successfully carry out a large-scale invasion by 2028. Given the PLA currently do not have the capability to invade Taiwan, the socio-economic factors analysts could use will be based upon medium to long-term effects upon Chinese society. Some examples analysts could use to provide more insight regarding a possibility Xi will invade Taiwan are the following: 

• Beginning of the decline in the Chinese population, specifically male population within next five years

• The slowing of the Chinese economy 

• Increased water scarcity, and increased pollution

The decline in the Chinese population is an indicator because of how it will cause new societal and economic pressures. The One Child Policy changed this dynamic since couples overwhelmingly chose to have boys over girls due to Confucianism’s emphasis on producing a male to continue the bloodline. The decrease in the working-age population combined with the increase in the elderly population will place a significant burden on the economy because of the reduction in tax revenue but also the increase in resources needed to care for the elderly. The young-working population – also the same group wanted for military service – peaked in 2014 and is gradually shrinking year on year. Furthermore, the overall male population will also peak within a few years, with some models indicating it will peak by 2027 or 2028. The decrease in the male population, like the young-working population, would have a negative impact on both the Chinese economy but also any plans to invade Taiwan. 

The slowing of the Chinese economy should also be watched because of how profound of an impact it will have on both Chinese economy and culture. For example, it is estimated that 1 out of 5 Chinese urban youth is currently unemployed. While the COVID pandemic and the Chinese government’s response (zero-COVID policy) is to blame, the economy was slowing before the pandemic. China’s GDP shrank an average of 0.25 percent from 2012 to 2019—GDP from 2020 and 2021 was not counted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing Chinese real estate crash is also negatively affecting the economy since the sector made up between 25 to 30 percent of China’s GDP. The ongoing economic crisis is causing some citizens to protest against the local authorities. However, the central government would be cautious against any protests since they do have the potential to evolve into protests against the central government. 

The ongoing drought and the long-term water scarcity is also of interest since it has such a profound impact on both the Chinese economy but also citizens' feelings towards the CCP. The drought caused several reservoirs in Sichuan province to be depleted by as much 50 percent and led to a reduction in hydroelectricity production in the region.  As a result, authorities forced the closure of several factories and asked citizens to mitigate their reduction of electricity throughout the region. However, one of the most significant consequences is the increase of coal burning to offset the decrease in hydroelectricity generation, resulting in increased air pollution throughout China. Water scarcity in China has always been an issue the CCP tried to deal with in several ways. One of the most recent is the South-North Water Transfer Project, which once complete would distribute water more evenly between southern and northern China. However, it remains unclear if the project will fix the issues with water scarcity between the northern and southern parts of the country. Furthermore, the project does have the potential to cause the citizens in the southern part of China to have ill feelings towards the CCP due the region losing a significant portion of water to northern China. 

The three factors briefly outlined could cause Xi to believe an invasion of Taiwan would be an option to ensure the survival of the CCP. The invasion would cause the population to turn their attention away from any of the socio-economic issues that could potentially impact the country. Analysts could utilize socio-economic indicators like the ones outlined in this paper to give more insight during the lead-up to any potential invasion of Taiwan. Like the lead-up to the Falklands War, the Argentine military government faced significant economic issues that caused them to lose significant support among the population. The junta also figured the invasion would also restore some degree of credibility and support with the population. Since Xi and, by extension, the CCP would likely also face the same loss of credibility, an invasion of Taiwan would be a potential option to restore both their credibility and increase the population’s nationalism. (2)

China’s Liberalized Economy: Technically True, Technically Expedient

In February of 2022 the U.S.’ Department of Justice announced the end of the ‘China Initiative,’ a program inaugurated in 2018 in order to focus the DOJ’s resources on mounting challenges emerging from the People Republic of China’s increasingly aggressive use of espionage against the American government and industry. The program ultimately floundered because, “by grouping cases under the China Initiative rubric, [the DOJ] helped give rise to a harmful perception that the department applies a lower standard to investigate and prosecute criminal conduct related to that country or that [the DOJ] views people with racial, ethnic or familial ties to China differently.” Reasonable protests have been raised in several DOJ cases that the individuals charged were targeted due to their ethnicity, not their actions. However, the termination of the China Initiative does not reflect a corresponding termination of the DOJ’s intense focus on the country- the director of the FBI, Chris Wray, estimates that a new China-related espionage case is opened every twelve hours.

The trials of the China Initiative shine a light on the difficulty the American government continues to have grappling with the emergent threat of Chinese espionage. Some assessments put the economic bill of Chinese corporate espionage to the American economy at between $200 billion to $600 billion annually, since the year 2000. Damage assessments in the arenas of intelligence, diplomacy, and military are imprecise due to the nature of classified information and the lack of a simple metric, but reports indicate that the U.S. is hemorrhaging information and technology to our adversary in those areas as well. 

Curtailing the U.S.’ ability to appropriately respond to said onslaught of espionage is a weathered call for patience with regards to our largest trading partner’s transgressions. A favorite admission among sinologists today goes along the lines of “we have been saying that China will soon Westernize its economy each year for the past 40 years.” Historically, expansive technology transfers, counterfeits, spin offs, and a tolerant attitude towards corporate espionage have been the price of doing business in China. The prevailing sentiment was that while doing business with a country which was recently communist, some bending of the rules was necessary to lubricate the rusty gears of free enterprise and competition. In recent years, the West has begun paying due attention to statistics which indicate that the rule bending is still in full swing, half a century on. 

And yet, to be sure, the Chinese economy has in fact liberalized. Consigned to history are the infamous backyard smelters in every home; the nationwide decimation of crop-protecting sparrows; and the banishment of all academics and professionals to the agrarian countryside, which, along with other centrally dictated misadventures, intensified a famine which would kill over 30 million Chinese. Over the past 40 years the same economy has gone on to lift over 800 million people out of abject poverty; create over 600 billionaires; and is by many measures the largest economy in the world today. Worth noting is that it is difficult to imagine how the Chinese economy could have become less liberal following the Mao Era, as Communist China may be the ‘historic zero lower bound’ on the scale of economic liberalization.

How then can we reconcile the aforementioned massive theft with an economy that to many observers seems to have followed in the footsteps of, and now surpassed, Western economies in which there is much less flouting of the law? The problem is the implication that by “liberalizing,” the Chinese economy must therefore be moving along a spectrum, the far end of which is an economic system similar to the one we enjoy in the United States. The truth that we are slowly waking up to is that the Chinese government has skillfully attempted to integrate favorable aspects of the Western system into their own, while shutting the rest out. By absolving ourselves of the notion that the Chinese economy, or any economy, will naturally become like ours as time goes on will improve our ability to accurately discern what is going on within the Chinese system, and to repel the militant espionage our country is currently subject to.

The dissonance of an espionage-ridden yet liberal economy is hinted at in the Army’s 2021 publication on Chinese Tactics. The document briefly comments on economic matters, noting that “despite China’s gradual economic liberalization and movement towards a capitalist free-market economy, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ostensibly remains generally steadfast in its support of Marxist-Leninist and Maoist philosophy.” The Army precisely points out the contradiction which for years has confounded Americans and left us willfully blind (until recently) to the far reaching espionage which has hamstrung our competitive advantages. China’s economy has made massive strides towards capitalism, but the PLA, with its Marxist and Maoist devotions, feels no obligation to respect the tenets of free markets. Instead, the PLA has taken great advantage of the open exchange of information fomented by economic exchange to pillory information of all types, advancing their own economic, military, and diplomatic capabilities. In the West we thought that the Chinese government would naturally follow the economy on a liberalizing course. We never reckoned that the Chinese government and military would use a liberalized economy to entrench and enforce their own powers, and make few amendments to their ideological commitments.

A society’s economy is inextricably entwined with its military, as the latter’s capabilities, size, and ability to grow and innovate are heavily dependent on the former’s. Relative to its’ position in 1978, the Chinese economy has undoubtedly liberalized; but nonetheless remains subjugated to authorities in the military and government for whom a liberal economy has been more a means to export to foreign markets, access foreign technologies, and satiate international demand to liberalize, as opposed to an end justified by its own virtues, as we Westerners perceive a liberal economy to be. When strategists in the West ponder the Chinese system, stamping ‘liberal’ on China’s economy and moving to the next box serves only to obfuscate the way China’s liberal economy is also an expedient for a PLA seeking to increase its technological prowess.

Having identified a point of departure from an accepted, if decaying, narrative of vague economic liberalization, a good next step to deepen understanding of the PLA’s appropriation of China’s liberal economy for its own illiberal purposes is through case studies. Specific inquiries could focus on the disappearance of Alibaba’s CEO Jack Ma, the SolarWinds hack, the EverGrande real estate bubble, or the ideology camps mandated for social media influencers. Each has been extensively commented on in the civilian world, but many in the military are yet to cast an eye towards traditionally economic topics as a way of better understanding how a military builds its capabilities. (3)

Across the Force

Written work on the profession of arms. Lessons learned, conversations on doctrine, and mission analysis from all ranks.

Planning For Problems- How the Project Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) can improve proper scheduling and coordination for unit training and operations - War Murals

Effective time management and risk assessment are critical skills with broad application that can make all the difference in both the military and civilian sectors. Anyone planning a training event, unit movement, or operations order is effectively acting as a project manager for the preparation and execution of a task- coordinating the timeline, command, control, and proper support to get the job done. Even with tools like risk assessments, checklists, operations order templates, there can still be a push to complete tasks with unrealistic timelines or simple assumptions on how long a task will take without accounting for the likelihood that problems will be encountered when it is well established in the military that ‘no plan survives contact with the enemy’ (or reality).

Without accounting for problems and delays in the project timeline, units can quickly fall into the old standards of ‘hurry up and wait’, followed by a mad rush to catch up that may invite additional problems if that task is done poorly or even create safety risks if the subordinate tasks on the critical path of the project or operation are then forced to be done after dark or result in Guard and Reserve Servicemembers being released late on a Sunday with a long drive home still ahead of them.

An easy to implement solution to help plan for problems used is the Project Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)- a weighted estimation formula that can be used to estimate the completion time of a project or task that can help establish a framework for risk mitigation that can be brought to unit training meeting and the civilian workplace. 

In its simplest form, one must make or ask for the following estimated time requirements in terms of hours, days, or weeks- depending on the scope and scale of the operation:

- (O)ptimistic time: The least possible amount of time expected to complete a task

- (M)ost likely time: A reasonable amount of time to complete a task- often what one’s first guess is that acknowledges some risks occurring.

- (P)essimistic Time: The longest time it could take to complete a task with all negative impact and no risk mitigation.

With this information, one can make their best estimate on the (E)pected Time a task requires using the following formula based on a basic probability distribution:

PERT = Expected Time = ((Optimistic) + (4*Most Likely) + (Pessimistic))/ 6

PERT = E = (O + 4M + P) / 6

As an example, say you have a troop movement planned to get from the staging area to the training site. With clear weather, no traffic, and all vehicles functioning, it will optimistically take the unit 40 minutes for all to arrive, with normal traffic it will most likely take 50 minutes for everyone to arrive, and if it's raining, there is traffic, and a vehicle or 2 is down requiring an extra trip, it might take 110 minutes for all to be present. We can say with reasonable confidence that the weighted average estimate and expected time in which the movement is complete to be (40 +4*50+110) / 6 = (40+200+110)/6 = 350/6 = 58 minutes. That’s 8 minutes more than the initial guess!

With this number, a project manager can break this task down further into its parts or develop plans by asking themselves both ‘What steps can be taken to ensure the optimistic outcome is achieved?’ and ‘What risk mitigation factors can be taken to prevent the pessimistic outcome from becoming a reality while giving oneself 8 minutes of slack time that the task can be delayed without resulting in a delay for the larger project or operation and can even give the opportunity to complete things ahead of schedule or under budget which can make your seniors and subordinates happier. When PERT is factored for bottom up estimating for each task or subtask in a project, you end up building in some decent slack time in the project all along the critical path of tasks required to complete your project on time so you potentially could be severely delayed or hit that pessimistic time estimate and still complete things on target.

This idea for estimating the expected time and resources required for a task does not have to be limited to time estimates either- one could use it for how many troops can be moved through a training lane in an hour, how much water/ ammo/ equipment will be needed to sustain an event, and more. Additionally, this principle can be brought forward from the military and to your civilian employers and provides a great framework for job interview questions like how you manage risk or organize a project. (4)

Eric Strand (@warmurals) is a NCO and Finance Manager for Minnesota Army National Guard and a veteran of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield. He is also the Founder of the War Murals Project- A military art and history archive featuring murals and graffiti created by those deployed by the Global War on Terror. He holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Economics and Masters of Science in Supply Chain Management now manages production forecasts and risk as a demand planning analyst.

Opinion

Op Eds and general thought pieces meant to spark conversation and introspection.

The Need For a Reorganized Heavy Weapons Company - Jonathan Warren

The United States Army needs to change the current structure and equipment of the heavy  weapons company. Currently, the heavy weapons company possesses neither the flexibility nor  the weaponry to operate as a battalion anti-armor asset effectively. Having four gun trucks in an  assault platoon does not provide an appropriate level of mounted maneuver capability for the heavy  weapons company, especially compared to the six gun truck format seen in mounted reconnaissance  platoons. Nor does the heavy weapons company possess enough Soldiers or equipment to properly  execute both dismounted and mounted operations which are necessary to ensure its survival as a combat enabler. Lastly, whereas the mounted reconnaissance platoon can field both the Javelin  and the TOW/ITAS, the TOW/ITAS is the only true anti-armor asset internal to the heavy weapons  company. These shortcomings require the Army to change the structure and equipping of the heavy  weapons company to enable the infantry battalion's combat operations properly.  

The current Modified Table of Organization and Equipment (MTOE) has the heavy  weapons company fielding 4 assault platoons and a small headquarters section. Each assault  platoon is comprised of 4 gun trucks, 2 each of the M1151 w/Crew Remotely Operated Weapons System (CROWS) and the M1167 equipped with the TOW/ITAS, and 1 M1097 soft-top which is  incapable of mounting any weapon system. Compared to the MTOE for the IBCT mounted  reconnaissance troop, which fields 3 platoons, each consisting of 6 gun trucks, we find the heavy  weapons company grossly under-equipped. Whereas the mounted reconnaissance troop can put 18  gun-trucks into the field at a given time, the heavy weapons company can only field 16 and must  dedicate resources to protecting the 4 unprotected soft-tops. This requires leaders to sacrifice  limited assets to protect internal vehicles rather than dedicate them to enabling the operations of  the formation to which they are assigned.  

Vehicles and Personnel 

The structure of the assault platoon also limits flexibility by restricting the platoon to  operating as either a 5-truck formation or in a 2-section concept with 1 section composed solely  of gun trucks and the other composed of a mix of gun trucks and the unarmed soft-top. Again, this  stands in contrast to the flexibility afforded in the mounted reconnaissance platoon, which can  operate in 3 2 gun-truck sections, 2 3 gun-truck sections, or even as a 6 gun-truck formation. In  addition to the vehicle flexibility, the mounted scout platoon has 24 personnel assigned, whereas  the assault platoon fields 18 personnel. This limits not only the dismounted capabilities of the  assault platoon but also its ability to continue fighting upon taking casualties. 

Many heavy weapons companies struggle to effectively execute combined mounted and  dismounted operations due to the lack of available personnel. This has the adverse effect of forcing  the assault platoons to operate primarily in a mounted configuration. While this allows personnel  to remain in armored vehicles, it simultaneously results in the platoon sacrificing situational  awareness and losing the reduced signature dismounted operations provide. The overall lack of  available personnel limits the number of potential dismounts. Should the assault platoon dismount  each Truck Commander (TC) and assigned dismount, 8 personnel can operate in the dismounted  role. Generally, these will be separated into 2 sections of 4 personnel each – little more than a fire team. Further, this leaves only a driver and a gunner in each vehicle and forces nearly every key  leader in the platoon to dismount. Thus, the mounted elements are left without key leaders, and  should any casualties be taken; they will struggle to respond effectively. 

While the assault platoon is not designed to execute the same mission sets as the mounted  scout platoon, operating in a combined dismounted/mounted configuration is advantageous to the  survival of both the platoon and the heavy weapons company. It may be argued that, in contrast to  the mounted scout platoon, the assault platoon is not designed to nor should operate  independently. While this is true to an extent, the assault platoon must be prepared to operate  independently or as an attachment. To do this effectively, it must have more gun trucks and personnel. Doing so will allow for greater flexibility and survivability.  

Weapons Systems 

While the mounted scout platoon possesses more vehicles and Soldiers, one would expect  the assault platoon to field a significantly more lethal combination of weaponry. The assault  platoon can field the M240, M2, MK19, and, in a dual-mount configuration, the TOW/ITAS. This  capable loadout allows the assault platoon to significantly enable the maneuver of the unit to which  it is attached while also providing for survivability in the event the platoon operates autonomously.  However, it is severely lacking in the ability to defeat armor which, per ATP 3-21.20, is one of the  missions of the heavy weapons company. Specifically, the heavy weapons company is expected  to “deliver precision long-range, large-caliber direct fires to destroy enemy armored vehicles and  fortifications.” However, the only weapons system available to effectively do this is the  TOW/ITAS. While this system can be operated in either the mounted or dismounted configuration,  in its dismounted configuration, it is not a highly mobile system that lends itself to “shoot and  scoot” methods. Missing from the heavy weapons company’s arsenal is the Javelin.  

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Javelin has been employed to  significant effect in the dismounted anti-armor role. Its relative lightweight and easy use have allowed Ukrainian dismounted forces to counter the supposed advantages the Russians possess in  armor and both mechanized and motorized infantry elements. These facts are not lost on the U.S.  Army as, once again, the scout platoon is equipped with Javelins. This allows the scout platoon to  effectively counter armor assets while operating in a lighter, dismounted footprint – thus increasing  the survivability of the weapon system and the personnel operating it. Unfortunately, the heavy  weapons company cannot do the same. Instead, it must either employ the TOW/ITAS in its  mounted configuration, thus increasing its signature or in its dismounted configuration, which  requires a lengthy setup and breakdown period. Further, the location of a dismounted site is limited  by the TOW/ITAS, which requires a clear line-of-sight to engage a target effectively. As the main  anti-armor asset for the infantry battalion, the heavy weapons company should be equipped with  the Javelin.  

Indirect Fires 

In stark contrast to the mounted scout troop and U.S.M.C. weapons company, the heavy  weapons company does not possess any internal indirect fire assets. The mounted scout troop has  two 120mm towed mortar systems assigned to the headquarters section, while the U.S.M.C. weapons company has a single 81mm mortar platoon. As a result, these formations can provide their own  indirect fire support, whereas the heavy weapons company must rely on battalion-level assets or  any attachments. While having organic assets requires the troop or company to dedicate personnel  to their protection, having the ability to effect fires internally outweighs any negatives.  

Conclusion 

The current structure of the heavy weapons company is inadequate for the needs of the  United States Army and requires a change. There are not enough vehicles, personnel, anti-armor  weapons, or indirect organic fires to effectively conduct the many missions assigned to the  company. As a result, a change must be made. This change should be like what is seen in either  the mounted cavalry troop or the U.S.M.C weapons company. These formations provide more  maneuverability and survivability by providing more vehicles and dismounted personnel. Further,  there are more anti-armor weapons systems in both of these than is currently seen in the heavy  weapons company. Lastly, these formations provide the ability to execute internal indirect fires.  

Due to the numerous shortcomings of the heavy weapons company structure, the United  States Army should execute the following changes: (1) Change the MTOE to allow for 3 assault  platoons consisting of 6 gun trucks and 24 personnel each; (2) Allocate 4 Javelins to each of the  assault platoons (2 per section); and (3) Change the MTOE to provide for an internal mortar section  – this can consist of either 81mm systems or towed 120mm systems. These changes would allow  for a more flexible and lethal heavy weapons company. 

The Motorized Brigade Combat Team: the Next Great Infantry Formation - Daniel P. Vazquez

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has exposed the international community to another glimpse of modern large scale warfare. Lessons learned abound as military theories are confirmed or denied and comparisons are drawn between Ukraine and other recent modern conflicts like Nagorno-Karabakh. In the midst of it all one thing has become certain: small teams of infantrymen, armed with anti-tank weaponry and enabled by small unmanned aerial systems and light mobility vehicles, have once again earned their place on an incredibly lethal battlefield, with casualty estimates for single sides surpassing in a month the combined total of the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ongoing observations of the Ukrainian conflict has provided militaries across the globe the justification and confirmation that their changes for 21st century conflict are the right ones. Just as the United Kingdom’s Royal Marines Future Commando Force, United States Marines Force Design 2030, and United States Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment are preparing for future conflict, the United States Army is planning on adding a new type of brigade combat team to the infantry community, the motorized brigade combat team, as part of its Army 2030 force update plan. The motorized brigade, a brigade of mobility-enabled light infantrymen via the infantry squad vehicle, will be the closest Army analog to those previously stated and has the greatest potential to be expanded upon into an extremely capable future force with the potential to serve as the go-to brigade formation within the Army. 

During the midst of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the United States Army announced their plan to change holistically to compete with, deter, and defeat America’s peer and near-peer competitors. Part of these changes are meant to get away from the counter-insurgency environment of the past two decades and refocus on large scale combat operations. The new focus on large scale and high intensity conflict has driven updates to the current family of brigade combat teams (Infantry, Stryker, and Armor) that served as the primary unit of action in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the revitalization of the Division as the primary warfighting formation. 

Part of the organizational changes, while largely focused on the division, was focused on the brigade level as well. Due to congressional restraints on increasing the size of the Army to make organizational changes, Army leaders had to adjust the organization of subordinate brigades to free up manning slots for new formations beyond the brigade combat teams. For the infantry brigade combat team, the decision was made to split many of the existing brigades into two offspring models: The light brigade combat team  and the motorized brigade combat team. The decision to update infantry brigades is a correct one. Greater emphasis on division support and slimming down the brigade combat teams will enable them to better focus on core maneuver competencies as part of a larger formation versus the bloated infantry brigade structure that was optimized for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The motorized brigade takes the pre-existing light infantry battalion table of organization and equips all subordinate rifle company infantry squads with mobility vehicles to both enhance squad mobility and provide a means for squads to move equipment that would previously had to be carried by individuals or with a limited number of company support elements. This increase in mobility and an organic vehicle at the squad level provides an opportunity for commanders to create infantry swarms that can rapidly maneuver across the battlefield in a disaggregated fashion, reform in a formation of requisite size based on the mission and battlefield considerations, and then disaggregate again upon completion of actions taken on the objective itself. This, if coupled with trust of leaders at the squad and platoon level by commanders at echelons above battalion, will greatly enable infantry squad leaders to execute the disciplined initiative part of mission command that is preached by Army leaders at all levels. 

This is not to say that the motorized brigade will be perfect. The Army’s decision to also create dedicated light infantry brigades placed emphasis during briefings on a dismounted formation that will be effective in jungles, subterranean environments, and urban terrain. Between the two similar organizations there is one key difference: mobility. The light brigades lack the mobility platform. While this makes them cheaper to equip and move strategically, light brigades retain a key disadvantage of their predecessor: the infantry moves as fast as they can walk under load. While future unmanned ground vehicles and platforms like the Silent Tactical Energy Enhanced Dismount show potential to alleviate some of these issues, the fact remains that light brigades will still have all the pounds of soldier load associated with a truly light formation. While the author has no doubts that the light brigade combat teams will meet the roles that the Army currently has designed them for, the motorized brigade combat team currently provides more room to grow as the Army progresses towards 2035 and further into the future. 

When coupled with additional capabilities, such as reconnaissance drones at the squad and platoon levels, loitering munitions, and meshed networks, the motorized brigade rifle squad, platoon, and company will have the means to be able to punch significantly above its weight class. As loitering munitions and other small drones continue to mature the Army will continue to integrate them into existing and future formations through events like Project Convergence and the Army Expeditionary Warfighter Experiment. The motorized brigade will likely prove the optimal infantry brigade style of formation to integrate new capabilities into. Utilizing a swarming concept, a commander could task organize one of the rifle companies to serve as an impromptu weapons company by increasing the load of FGM-148 Javelin missiles, used to great success in Ukraine, or a more common task organizing of rifle squads to the weapons company in exchange for a weapons platoon to the rifle companies. Each task organized javelin squad provides additional options to the weapons company commander with the ability to simultaneously contest the enemy with Javelins, other anti-tank missiles, and even future ground launched loitering munitions, all while not increasing the transportation requirements that currently plague infantry companies. This reduces the burden of the weapons company leadership because the Javelin-toting rifle squads can now keep pace with the mounted weapons company across the battlefield. In fact, by having mounted rifle companies, commanders can more freely create company teams that are able to maneuver at the same rate more akin to an armored brigade combat team than that of the infantry brigades of old. 

With all of this in mind, of all current and near-future brigade combat team formations, it is for these reasons that the Motorized Brigade Combat Team, has the greatest potential to capitalize upon the lessons learned from the ongoing war in Ukraine. The enhancement of existing light infantry formations through a squad level mobility platform in of itself is a step in the right direction to ensure relevancy in a future fight with peer or near-peer adversaries. When coupled with an increasing proliferation of drones and loitering munitions the most critical component, trust of commanders at all echelons, will permit greater small unit freedom and initiative. With this combination, the motorized team, squad, and platoon leadership will undoubtedly continue to have creative solutions to future problem sets and reinforce the infantry as a critical and lethal component of the combined arms and multi-domain battlefield.  

CPT Daniel Vazquez is a 2013 graduate of Norwich University’s Corps of Cadets and has a B.A. in history. Commissioned as an infantryman in 2013, he has served in both stryker and infantry brigade combat team formations as a rifle platoon leader, company executive officer, scout platoon leader, battalion operations officer, and rifle company commander. He is currently serving within the US Army’s Security Forces Assistance Command. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official position of the United States Army, or Department of Defense.

They Don’t Bury Their Fallen - Hector Fajardo

The war between Russia and Ukraine has revealed to the world many things about both countries. From tactics and command theory to resilience and even their understanding of war crimes, both sides have shown us aspects of war that for many seem confusing and unorganized. But, there is one thing about this conflict that has caught the attention of some, especially those who have lived or experienced the death of their peers on the battlefield: The Russians do not bury their fallen!  There are countless pictures of young Russian soldiers rotting away to their bones next to mangled tanks or airships, without any interest from the Russian government in giving them the proper funeral they deserve.

The Russo-Ukrainian War, as some think tanks have dubbed it, is a conflict that, while brewing for some years, erupted on the 24th of February, 2022. On that day, Russian troops crossed Ukrainian borders on five different fronts, alongside the east and south areas of the country. From the initial news reports, most predictions indicated that Russia’s strong military would be able to reach the capital with ease, causing much destruction and carnage along their path. But, as days and weeks passed and the Russian military’s actions highlighted significant weaknesses and holes in their strategy, the Ukrainian militia was able to either contain the Russian advance or outright win significant battles.

Many fighters on the ground, civilians caught in the crossfire, and even media reporters, were able to broadcast events taking place in real time. The world was able to see and witness Russian tanks, trucks, troop carriers, and even aircraft of all kinds being taken out of the fight at the hands of the Ukrainian resistance. Among the destruction and equipment loss were the large numbers of Russian casualties, which became a reality to a shocked world. The fallen Russian soldiers, pilots, tank crews, and infantrymen, appeared to just be left where they fell, with no serious attempt from their government to gather their remains. There is not a clear answer as to why this occurred, although there is some suggestion that the logistic constraints that Russia found itself during the war, did not allow them to take care of its large number of fallen warriors. 

The body of a Russian serviceman lies near destroyed Russian military vehicles on the roadside on the outskirts of Kharkiv on February 26. Ukrainian forces repulsed a Russian attack on Kyiv but "sabotage groups" infiltrated the capital, officials said. Source: Reuters

According to an article by Military.com, Russia sustained close to 80,000 losses by July. Reuters also indicated that Russia’s Defense Minister stopped reporting casualties publicly, and directed the family members of the fallen soldiers to contact the military rather than civilian organizations for compensation, to avoid accountability.

Early during the war, a story broke international news and became a symbolic gesture of the will and resilience of the Ukrainian people. During the caught-on-tape exchange, an elderly female citizen of Ukraine speaks to a Russian soldier. The soldier, who appears to be standing security at a location gained by the Russian army, listens to the female as she gives, what could now be considered, a prophetic declaration of the Russian future in Ukraine.

The woman can be seen in the video asking the soldiers “Who are you?”, to which a soldier standing in the street says: “We have exercises here.” After asking if they are Russians, she said: “So what the f*** are you doing here?” As the soldiers tried to calm her down, the enraged woman said: “You’re occupants, you’re fascists! What the f*** are you doing on our land with all these guns? “Take these seeds and put them in your pockets, so at least sunflowers will grow when you all lie down here.” She continued to offer him the seeds of the sunflower, which is the national flower of Ukraine (UkraineCrisis.org).

War is hell. And those who take upon the business of arms understand this concept. When faced with an armed enemy, these warriors know that there is a chance that they may not return home. But, what makes a soldier’s conscience somewhat at ease in a time of war, is the comfort that your body will be delivered home for your family’s sake. The brave and courageous family members of those sent to harm's way also have the comfort and the hope that although they would rather have their loved ones come back alive, they would never want their sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, or sisters and brothers to simply rot away on an empty field. A government that allows such a grotesque practice, at the expense of the pain and suffering of broken-hearted relatives, deserves the highest of condemnations.

The Written Word

Fiction and Nonfiction written by servicemen and veterans.

Predators - B.B Sanders

The pack raft’s tight skin burned the interior of my hand. The nose of the craft  was aimed at the horizon where blue sky terminated on the blue waters. Waves lapped rhythmically down the white beach I had come to launch from.  My foot was swallowed by sand under the direction of an incoming wave. I moved it to stay above ground. The sun shined bright enough to burn and I squinted as I looked down at my reddened hands. 

The right thumb and forefinger were the stooges of my mind. They had rolled a .40cal bullet between them on many drunken nights. I could stop the pain and nightmares. I could stop the thoughts. It was right there in between my fingers, in the dark. 

My hand betrayed me, but so did my mind. It was time to redeem them. The same treacherous right hand that flirted with darkness now grasped my fly rod. The waves hummed a gentle tune against the brilliant white sand. Its resounding, rhythmic, sonnet distracted me from my mission.

 I had been trying for days to catch red drum near the shore, but my skill and equipment was wanting. The darkness befell me even in this blue place.

I needed to escape. 

I looked to the water and saw birds chasing baitfish. They worked feverishly until their pursuit pulled them over the horizon.  

“Is that a boat?” a boy asked. He had watched while I had inflated the pack raft. Standing in a typical first grader’s stance and attire, he twirled his hair that sat thick on his cockeyed head. His curiosity forced a grin on my face. 

“Yes, it's a pack raft.” 

“Where are you going?” 

I looked at the ominous horizon and thought about the simple question for a moment while I took in the brilliant blue. “I don’t know”. The boy seemed content with the cryptic, but honest answer. He had no idea that he was asking, and I was answering, a much deeper, more serious question.

I had asked myself the same  question on my couch for the past year after leaving the Army. For six years, I always knew where I was going. Some deployment, some training rotation, I always knew. I had a purpose. Now the lack of knowledge, the lack of purpose left a void. In that darkness my treacherous hand always found the bullet. 

“Good luck”, the boy giggled as he turned to go back to his mother that didn’t want him around an unlucky stranger. Who knows what harm I could do to him, even if it wasn’t on purpose. 

I placed the paddle into the pack raft and committed it toward the waves. 

Soon I was waist-deep. I waited for the waves to slack and hopped into the boat. Soon I was paddling up the next wave and over into the deep beyond that held fish untold. The wind howled across the bow of the inflatable boat. 

The paddle grabbed the water and offered its usual resistance to my commands. It was just lazy, not rebellious like the hand when it reached for the bullet. Soon both ends of the paddle were at their work and I set my gaze to the horizon. Ther birds relentlessly attacked a large school of baitfish. They marked my destination. My unlucky streak would soon be broken

Then a memory's darkness pierced the beautiful day. I could see her again. White as a ghost against the darkened sky full of dust from the rotor blades. Her lack of blood not only made her a ghost but caused her eyes to roll back in her head and her limbs to lose their life. The medic worked on her chest. I always wondered if she lived. 

I put the paddle back to its labors. The gentle roar of the waves meeting the beach faded into the background by the water lapping against the boat. The sun now bore down its incredible might on my skin. The beauty of the day would come at a cost that I was willing to pay. 

I scooped the water as I looked at the promise of the birds. The horizon was full of promises, but the only thing delivered to me was the work of the paddle. My shoulders tightened as they whipped the clouds into the depths below.

I wanted to be excited. Days before, I watched a boy get his first fly rod. His grandfather, imparting trade secrets, handed him a small spoon fly and the wisdom he needed for success. They had no idea I was lurking in the cathedral of the fly shop, soaking in the old man’s homily. The combination of silver flake mylar, epoxy, and hook glinted in the piercing light. It belonged in this beautiful place, but I was not sure I did. 

After I left the Army I gave up physical training and was rewarded with forty pounds of burden. It was not long before I realized how foolish that was. I was no longer a young man and the physical glory I was once gifted by God himself had left in the darkness. “You slob,” I thought to myself. 

I was correcting the problem with discipline. I punished myself with miles of running in an attempt at restoration. Gone were the days of the spontaneous eight-mile runs around the Burger King loop at Ft. Drum. The damage I had done was unforgivable. The darkness called me out and demanded justice. 

“I suppose this is a good place to die,” I said aloud. My pulse quickened as I worked the paddle. The birds were becoming a white specs dancing across the water and the safety of the shore faded into a ribbon behind me. My hand was loyal since it had found an enemy in the paddle. Its grip tightened against its purpose and seemed to have forgotten the bullet left on my nightstand. 

The sapphire depths pushed me into the sky and then brought me back down to the earth. Their efforts pulsed and I could no longer feel their pull to the shore. The little pack raft surged forward, gliding across the top of the deepening waters. 

As a boy, I had become afraid of the deep. On a foolish dare, I had swum out to the marker buoys to prove that I had what it took to challenge the world. Wanting to see the bottom I pulled myself to the sand that held up the water and placed my feet in the dunes below. Once there I opened my eyes and surveyed the Sahara-like landscape the ocean concealed. To my left was infinity. As I turned my head I saw a large ray that was twice as wide as I was tall. Knowing such creatures existed scared me and that fear settled in my chest permanently. 

“I will not succumb to you,” I said aloud for the birds to hear, though they paid me no mind. I would not let the fear win today. Instead, I would spit in its face and do what I came to do.

I wondered about the boy. Where would he go in life? Would he find himself in the ocean like me? I wondered if he too would meet the darkness or was that just me? Perhaps I had made choices that led me to this place, or perhaps this was where I was always meant to be.

The dull slop of the paddle was interrupted by darkness. Another boy, worlds away, stood in front of the combat support hospital. How he lived with so much of his head missing was always a mystery to me. Yet, though the IED had taken most of his face, it had not removed his boyish love of playing ball. The female medics played ball with him and I watched. No one spoke the language needed to let him know his family had lost more than their faces. I drifted into that memory more effectively than I did the sea. 

Water sprayed on my burning face as I came back to the task at hand. I dug the other side of the paddle deep into the water with the treacherous hand to make up for time lost to the memory. The birds were getting closer. 

I could see them in detail now. Far more than I could from shore. The water below them boiled constantly as small fish erupted in a fight for their lives. Visions of tuna, mackerel, or jacks piling up in my overloaded raft soon permeated my thoughts. “I will rescue you” I whispered to the fish. Though the thought of saving them made me chuckle to myself.

The edges of the great wad of bait fish below the surface were obvious. A properly placed spoon fly along those edges could yield the treasure that I had journeyed so far to find. Soon the paddle was stowed and a picturesque cast penetrated the boundary of life and death. 

I stripped in the fly line causing the spoon fly to flutter and bounce through the water. Its metal flake captured the light and beamed it into the hearts of the fish below. “Soon”, I said in anticipation. With every pull of the line, the spoon fly worked its magic. The water was alive with jumping bait fish, darting birds, and the subject of my quest down below. 

Soon a tug of the line resulted in increased resistance. I picked up the slack and realized that somewhere in the cobalt locker beneath the squalling birds and splashes of fish running for their lives in the atmosphere, my spoon fly and found its target. I expertly pulled the slack out of my line and felt the fish that had it swimming below. 

I pinched the line with my right hand and hauled it back to set the hook. With a broken promise, the weight disappeared. Soon I was stripping in a spoon fly that was no longer there. As I examined my tippet that used to cling to my fly, it looked as if it had been cut cleanly by something much sharper than any blade I had onboard. 

Dumbfounded, I looked upon the best results of the cast and my life and found it wanting.

I tied on another spoon fly and found  that I had drifted far from the birds. I began my pursuit once more. Their promise still lingered below despite the corrupt delivery the depths had provided. Clearly, the failure was mine in fishing and other things. 

  The fly line filled the air with a professional tone. Each strip of anticipation jerked the spoon through the indigo potential that I floated on. I hoped a bird wouldn’t dive down on its reflections. Soon the weight of the fish was there and I was bringing it back in another cleanly cut line. Another effort donated to the chaos of this world. 

I repeated the process of bewilderment and reconstitution. I chased after the promise once more. The fight continued to sprawl from one corner of the sea to another, complete with the diving and pecking of the birds from above. I gazed upon the last fly and resolved not to accept the defeat I had been served as the birds moved once more. 

I paddled on.

 Another cast, more stripping. The birds fly overhead squalling and diving and I knew that soon I would be surpassing their accomplishments with something much larger. Their white bodies streaked down onto the edge I fished only to return to the sky with silver promises.

Exhaustion set in.  

Off the front of the boat, my fly line lazily floated  as I did. Something was off and I began to notice a dark shape right at the end of my lime green fly line. “Something is following it”, I said aloud for no one to hear. 

I continued my retrieval thinking anticipating success. My unluckiness was about to end. 

The darkness followed the line as I pulled it to the boat. It steadily grew closer, darker, and never waivered. Feet from the boat, it diverted only slightly, passing to the left of the boat and I was able to finally see the darkness face to face. 

A predator, not of fish but of me. 

Its nose was pointed and the darkness gave way to tan skin and yellow eyes that sat atop emotionless white teeth. It rolled on its side to match my gaze and for a moment, the lemon shark that was longer than my boat and I exchanged glances. It saw through my ambition and bravado and examined my soul as it effortlessly glided past me. 

I don’t know what came first, the wonder or fear. However, all the wonder died when I looked over to see another one, of equal size to my right as it passed under my boat. Then another. Soon they were close enough to the surface to expose their fins and there were too many to keep count of. The darkness had found me, even this far offshore. 

I realized there was no way out. I sat in a rubber boat that only was seaworthy because of the air from my lungs. I had convinced myself I was fine with hot air once more. The paddle was white and the splashing of it combined with the white flash would only entice the heartless reality below to examine the boat more closely. All they had to do was bite the boat once out of curiosity. I was sure to drown or be eaten alive. Probably both. 

In the raft I curled up in the position I entered the world in. I clung to the paddle for salvation just as I did the bottle in the darkness. Knowing that both would surely kill me if I used it. I drifted on the waves and wind. I didn’t know where I was going, all I knew was that to do anything was to end my existence. The sun baked my skin and I began to feel it blister as the water sung a sorrowful song against the sides of the boat. 

I closed my eyes and imagined what it was like to first hold a fly rod on the river. I remembered cool spring days and fish not worth bragging about. I dared not to look over the side and see the darkness swimming just outside the sanctuary of my breath contained in a lie made of rubber. 

I was adrift. 

I sat and thought about the bullet. I squeezed myself together and tried to be as still as possible knowing the galanos craved disturbance. A bullet to the brain seemed preferable to any fate they may sentence me to. Swimming for miles only to drown or have my flesh ripped from my bones was the least preferable way to end my suffering. 

Yet, the place of my pending death was beautiful despite the darkness. The wind shifted and began to subtract from the miles I had paddled away from safety. I lifted my head and looked around. The darkness had gone and only beauty was left. 

I sat back down and began to paddle. I would not let the darkness win. Lies had brought me here, but truth would bring me home. I dug into the water and pulled myself closer to sanity. Things would be different now. 

With each stroke, the white blade desperately cut paradise and made an audible splash. Its spray irrigated my burnt skin. I didn’t notice the burning.  I was too focused on the promise of the shore. I needed to be back on land to finally breathe relief. 

The birds had ventured further offshore in their pursuit of the riches of the deep. Their  promise was now an exposed lie and all I wanted was to live differently. Nothing would be the same now. The shore that I launched from was birthed into a razor-thin ribbon of gold on the horizon. 

The waves began to crest as the water shallowed and soon all I heard was the crashing of waves, the laughs of children, and the heaviness of my breathing. “How is it possible to laugh and play in this water knowing they are out there?” I wondered to myself. 

The rubber raft soon contacted the shore and made a cringe-worthy grind as the waves pushed it across the white sand. The boy that had seen me off now stood there, redder than when I had left him. He looked at the boat curiously as he came running up. 

“Were you lucky?”, he asked, holding his arm behind his back and kicking at the sand as I started to drag my boat ashore. The question cut into my reality as I thought about the darkness I had left behind in the deep waters. 

“Yes”, I said, “Very lucky”. 

My 9/11 Story- Every Vet of our Generation Gets This One War Story - Steve Hager

"Where were you on September 11?"

In the sense of "Shall be my brother, be he ne'er so vile" from Henry V, Generals to Privates. Admirals to Airmen. Sergeants to Seamen....we all get to (and arguably must) share exactly where and what we were doing when the attacks happened. This event defined our generation of veterans.

A little context as to where I was: I reported to Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas on 5 September 2001. I had enlisted the previous December, a few days after my 18th birthday, and spent 10 months or so in the delayed enlistment while I finished high school. By entering delayed enlistment in December 2000, I inadvertently set this story up. Also, unwittingly I set myself up for an American coming-of-age summer straight out of an 80's movie...but that's a different story.

When I arrived at BMT, I was assigned to the 323rd Training Squadron, Flight 714. I and the 90 or so recruits in my flight and brother flight had spent five days in the peacetime Air Force. Most of our peacetime week was spent acclimating to military life. Hair Cuts, Medical, Administration, and shouting by Military Training Instructors (MTI) had been the extent of our first week at Lackland. If it weren't for the incessant shouting of the MTIs, I would have described it as idyllic.

The morning of September 11, 2001, started like every other morning up to that point. While Reveille was at 0600, our flight received a trash can alarm clock at 0530 followed by our MTIs shouting and generally causing hate and destruction throughout the dorm bays. This was followed by a few smoke sessions of pushups, flutter kicks, and jumping jacks. After the rude wake-up call, we headed down to PT formation at 0600 for calisthenics and running. An hour outside in the dark, September, Texas morning was concluded with1-minute showers, and ready to go to chow by 0730. 

Until that point, nothing was different for us at basic training. I even got smoked at a breakfast in the Snake Pit after retrieving my eggs, bacon, and toast. 

The Snake Pit was where the MTIs sat during meals. It was perfectly positioned so that every trainee had to pass the Snake Pit after going through the chow line before sitting down. After I loaded my tray with food and red drink, I made a feeble attempt to pass through the pit without getting yelled at. I accidently side-eyed another trainee getting smoked.

"TRAINEE" bellowed the Technical Sergeant from behind the MTI's tables. I must have instinctively made a face. 

"DON'T YOU GRIMACE...GET OVER HERE" he shouted. 

If I hadn't been so scared, I would have laughed out loud at the idea of being compared to a purple, Happy Meal character. I must have paused too long as I faced him. He immediately chastised me for not dropping a reporting statement. "TRAINEE HAGER...GIVE ME A REPORTING STATEMENT"

My mouth felt like I had eaten a giant Charleston Chew. It didn't seem to want to say words. I managed to slug through "TRAINEE HAGER REPORTS AS ORDERED". 

In five words I had already messed up.

"REPORTS?!?!? WHAT ARE YOU...A WEATHERMAN" he closed the distance to my face with his face and knife hand simultaneously. "I GUESS YOU'D RATHER BE AL ROKER THAN AN AMERICAN AIRMAN. DROP!"

All in one motion the Tech Sergeant grabbed my tray from my hands, placed it on his table, and pointed at the floor. I sprawled to the floor and began pushing Earth. His robotic cadence of "DOWN 2-3-4" was slow enough to hurt but not fast to tire me out. The eternity of the exercise was no more than 30 seconds but it felt like a decade in my head.

"RECOVER!" he bellowed. I bounced back up on my feet. "Now," he said in an almost whispering voice, "how about that statement.... correctly this time".

"SIR, TRAINEE HAGER REPORTING AS ORDERED." I gasped out. About that same time, a Master Sergeant had manifested himself out of thin air behind the Snake Pit. 

Had he been there the whole time? No... well, maybe? I was not about to side-eye anyone else in the Snake Pit today. 

The Tech Sergeant turned around and had a quick sidebar. At the time I thought it had to do with my lack of Airmanship. My irrational, sleep-deprived mind believed that I was about to be kicked out for messing up my reporting statement. I just stood there at the position of attention, awaiting my discharge. I wonder how much Mcdonald's pays dishonorably discharged folks I thought to myself. My pity party was broken up by the Master Sergeant. "GO EAT TRAINEE" he shouted.

I grabbed my tray and filled through the columns of four-seater tables to the first open table. The whole affair only cost me two tables from my original spot. Unbeknownst to me...the events of September 11th had already begun trickling into the 323rd TRS. I would later do the math and figure out that Master Sergeants were never in the snake pit. He had come down to the dining facility to let the MTIs know that America was under attack.

I downed my cold eggs and bacon with the others. After I finished, we rose from the table together and left the dining facility. Everyone had their noses buried in Airman's Manuals at some semblance of parade rest when we joined the formation. The four of us fell into the back of the formation and retrieved our Airmen's Manuals, joining the silent study session.

The remaining 15 or so Trainees filtered out of the dining facility. We were two full flights in formation for a few more minutes before SSgt Voisine and SSgt Baum, our flight's MTIs, exited from the dining facility. They called the formation to attention and sent us into the dorms. 

This sequence of events was off. Up to this point in basic, meals were followed by the MTIs yelling and punishing the flight for small infractions. 

The two flights filed into the dorms and settled into our flight’s day room. Once in the dayroom we packed in and sat crisscross-legged on the floor. There was some quiet whispering about the plan for the day but the room was still mostly silent. All 96 of us sat for what seemed like the longest half-hour in history. Most of us expected some sort of cruel and unusual punishment was coming our way. 

Each minute that passed only added to the tension of the impending doom.

Finally, our MTIs entered the dorm. The standing dorm guard announced "FLIGHT UH-TENCH-HUT!" and "LADY ENTERING THE DORM" for SSgt Voisine. We all stumbled to our feet to the position of attention as the MTIs made the walk down the hall from the dorm's entry. SSgt Baum called "At ease, Trainees. Be seated". 

We returned to our cross-legged seats. SSgt Baum waited a moment and looked around the room. "Eyes on me" he whispered to the packed room. We all shifted our 1000-meter stares from the front of the room to SSgt Baum. He took a long pause and said, "Men. America is under attack."

The room took another long pause together. Before we broke our concentration and started looking around at each other in bewilderment. There was a quiet murmur through the room.

"Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. Another hit the Pentagon. And a fourth..." he trailed off. He quickly collected himself and stopped any public display of sorrow. "And a fourth has crashed into a field outside DC." The room murmur turned to a dull roar. SSgt Baum motioned with his hands for us to quiet down. This was a side of the MTIs we had not been privileged to.

SSgt Voisine directed us to read our Airmen’s Manuals and they departed the room. I recall them taking a trainee from New York with them. He tried to call his family but couldn’t get through. Ultimately, his family would be ok.

None of us studied our Airman's Manuals. Murmurs turned to chatter about what we had just learned. 

Was this just an elaborate training exercise? 

Who did this? 

Why? 

How's my family? 

Will basic get cut short so we can go fight?

I stood up and asked who else was going into EOD. Two guys, Ryan Bobzin and Carl Dill answered. The three of us moved to the side of the room and formed an immediate click for the rest of Basic Training and continued to EOD School. We started asking similar questions about our future career field choice between each other. Through cosmic coincidence, the three of us managed to not only graduate from EOD school but went on to complete 20 or more years of service in EOD.

The derailment of our basic training only seemed to last a day or two. We filed down for lunch a few hours later. There was no Snake Pit during lunch. After lunch, we moved into a classroom in what should have been a customs and courtesies class. Instead, we watched a VHS tape of the planes hitting the towers.

A few people vomited. Many of us (including myself) cried. 

That evening the base transitioned into Force Protection Condition Delta. A complete lockdown of the base and all of the training squadrons. We started pulling guard duty around the squadron for a few days. At some point, a rumor started that more terrorists were on a train heading for Lackland. I remember being super amped pulling guard duty with my Lackland Laser, a $3.40 flashlight with a yellow cone on it. I remember thinking that my seven days of Air Force Basic made me a trained killer.

Thank God I never had to shoot my Lackland Laser in violence.

By September 13, Basic had resumed its normal ebb and flow just with added security. The following six weeks (Air Force Basic used to be short and sweet) went pretty fast in hindsight. While the berating and shouting continued on our adventure to become Airmen, it went quickly.

Toward the end of basic training, on October 7th, I was assigned to work the squadron CQ desk. It was a small room near the entrance of the squadron. All I had to do was sign trainees in and out, keep a log, and give reporting statements. The same Master Sergeant from my Snake Pit experience entered CQ in the early evening. I stood up, gave a reporting statement, and did everything an almost Airman should do. He said plainly, "At ease Hager." I was surprised he knew my name. 

The Master Sergeant then retrieved a television remote from an adjoining office. He pointed the remote to a tube television mounted about the CQ desk.... Fox News flickered on to President Bush announcing the invasion of Afghanistan had begun. We both sat through the speech silent. At the end of President Bush's speech, some pundits began giving their opinions on the matter. The Master Sergeant turned to me and plainly asked, "What do you think Hager?"

I looked at him dumbfounded. A senior NCO had asked me a plain question and I didn't know what to say. Hell, it was the first time I had any personal interaction with a senior NCO. I said, "I don't know, Sir. I wonder if it will be over before I get to my first duty station"

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it. You're going to spend the next year in EOD school and if you're lucky, make it to your first duty station. The whole thing will probably be done with before Christmas". the Master Sergeant reassured me. 

We then sat there in silence until my CQ shift was over at the end of the hour...neither of us fully understood how wrong we were about the looming War on Terror.

The Deck - Dan Head

Spring time in the Far East. It was a turtle’s pace of an afternoon as he sat on the second story deck of this new place. The sun warmed his face as he took a chair on the empty platform, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag as he sat facing the airfield. One of the big ones was prepping for takeoff as he could hear the monstrous roar of the turboprop rev up upon taxi. He sat there listening only to wonder how this crew’s mission would unfold. He knew the destination and he knew the threats. Still, he pondered the feeling of exhilaration the pilots must have in their small, thinly cushioned seats as the increased RPMs heading down the runway and thrust into the pale blue sky like a dagger to the soft spot on a man’s neck. 

The large-framed owner of the place interrupted the man’s thoughts as he placed a favorite down on the table. An ice-cold beverage of Cuban rum, Coke and a thin slice of lime. The condensation made its way down the tall, narrow glass as one drip raced the other to the bottom only to be cut off by the man’s firm grasp on the receptacle. He took a slow sip of the chilly Cuba Libre and felt the tickle of the carbonation make its way down his gullet. The man let a quintessential “ahh” upon swallowing the first relaxing sip. 

Turning back to the airfield, the large white beast was just taking to flight, mere feet off the ground. As the airframe climbed to the heavens, it made a slight deviation Northeast towards its planned flightpath. He watched, as it flew out of view, concealed by the rooftops of the village. The sound faded to nothing and the excitement had ceased.

The man took another puff of his smoke and slowly released it through his nose. As it fumed out of his nostrils, he cupped the glass yet again to follow the hot smoke with the cold sweetness of the adult beverage. The place was empty except for him and the expatriate owner who had gone back to the kitchen to work on his latest delectable sales pitch. Familiar music played and reminded the man of the times spent back home on a warm beach, surrounded by a lack of care. 

Suddenly, a voice interrupted this reminiscence. The voice was not the light-spirited business owner, but a familiar one belonging to another man under the same employment. The voice in his ear alerted him like a bird dog to a pheasant concealed in thick grass; the target was rounding the southwestern corner onto the street below the man making peace with his rum drink. The man casually turned to his work and dictated the target’s movements down the road as if reading from a script. The man’s direction, pauses and ponderings were all practically predictable when his demeanor was properly interpreted. The target continued his path down the sparsely populated road until the short-stature and feather weight of the unsuspecting pedestrian turned left and out of sight, only to be picked up by the next hawk awaiting its prey. 

He turned back to his drink and his smoke, bathed his face in the much-appreciated post-winter sun, smirking at the knowledge the target would soon be thrust deeper into the shadowy world of the rum-drinking man. In time. For now, mission complete.

ENEMY UNKNOWN: High strangeness in the shadow of the Afghan War - Tales From The Grid Square

Welcome back to the Lethal Minds Journal for this special edition for the wonderful spooky season. Halloween is around the corner and I know what has drawn your eye to these very pages. I am ready again to perplex, alarm and terrify. It is time for another round of “Tales From The Grid Square.”

The war in Afghanistan may be “over,” but there is no denying that the effects it had on a generation of warfighters for the years to come. Tragedy was born, heroes were made, and the actions of many will forever will forever hold a mythic status in the US Military. 

Afghanistan for all intents and purposes, is an ancient place. Blood has been spilled into her soil for countless generations. Afghanistan still bears the scars of war from when Alexander the Great stepped foot on her soil, and that’s recent history for her. For those who fought in her impossibly high mountains and decadently beautiful poppy fields; Afghanistan is a place of incredible harshness and beauty that will be forever seared into their minds. 

Plenty of war stories abound from the war; what we often don’t hear about is how mysterious Afghanistan really is. Afghanistan has been described as a place out of time. It is a mystery to even those who call it home, Islamic and tribal lore and myth swirl in her long history. Legends take on a whole new definition to the people in the forgotten corners of Afghanistan. There are places so remote, that no living Afghani or any interloper has ever set foot in. During the war, many members of the US Military and Coalition would encounter activity that would defy normality: UFOs, cryptids, and ghosts. Many bore witness to the immense and immeasurable mystery of Afghanistan. What they witnessed is often kept close to the heart, be it terrifying or truly something incredible. There are many secrets within the border of the “Graveyard of Empires.” 

What you are about to read are several instances of the high strangeness encountered by members of the US Military and Coalition in Afghanistan. All of these stories were submitted to Tales From The Grid Square anonymously by those who had fought in the war. As per the nature of this project, those identities are kept anonymous, to encourage others to come forward. What you will read about are accounts of giant humanoids, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs)/Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP), and paranormal activity on the battlefield. 

Maybe there is an explanation, maybe not. I am not here to convince you otherwise, keep an open mind and see the words from those who lived it. They say there are no atheist in war, but I would argue that there are fewer skeptics who emerge from it. These are the stories of those who left their disbelief behind in Afghanistan.

The Giants of Afghanistan

Giants are a storied tale of myth and legend. Almost every culture has a tale of massive humanoids who predate man by a longshot. A story made famous on Art Bell’s Coast to Coast: AM was the account of the “Giant of Kandahar.” The story revolves around a “special force” team encountering a giant, redheaded man, with six fingers on each hand and double rows of teeth (details which I might add, are shared by many stories and accounts of giants from dozens of cultures in history). I will let you decide on the validity of that story. From my own opinion, I believe it’s a made-up tale. Its too convenient, too Hollywood. It sounds like it was conjured up with the barest understanding of “special operations” and military jargon. But… consider this: what if its true (or parts therein)? 

There are many accounts of Soldiers who have reported seeing massive humanoids that tower over the normal man in Afghanistan. These stories are out there, abet hard to come by. Not many are going to come forward and claim they saw a massive man running around in the mountains of Afghanistan. But Perhaps there is something truly massive out there.

The Giant Of Kunar

“I was deployed as an infantry team leader with the Army in the Kunar province of Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009. One night we set in on an observation patrol to overlook a village that we suspected IEDs were coming out of due to a successful IED recovery a few weeks prior. My lieutenant gave me a new thermal imaging system called the Recon3 that none of us were familiar with and told me to figure out what I can and pass along that information to the other team leaders. I started messing with the Recon3 to see its capabilities and was surprised at the clarity of the zoom on it. I spent most of my time messing with the different functionalities and watching the village. 

I started to look across the valley to what I could see and that led me to look along the spur we were set in on and saw a very large heat signature at the top of one of the false peaks. I did everything I could to get as clear of an image as I could, suspecting that it was a group of Taliban huddled together around a light as they tend to do in the mountains. All of the sudden, the heat signature stood up as one being. The trees in that area grew up to about 10 to 12 ft tall, and this thing was at least as tall, if not taller than the trees that surrounded it. It started taking steps parallel to my position and was covering ground quickly with ease. Its stride was slow and relaxed, yet it moved with incredible speed. That led me to believe that this creature was gigantic. 

It very quickly traversed the landscape, and I lost sight of it along a neighboring spur. I did not believe what I saw initially, assuming I had imagined it. I never had seen anything like that in my life. 

I didn’t tell many people about it, while I was in and even when I got out. I kept it to myself, thinking there was no way I saw what I saw. But then in 2010, I listened to a story on Coast to Coast… specifically the story about the Giant of Kandahar. That made all the memories of my time in service come flooding back and made me consider other things I saw during that deployment. 

For instance, the creature was described as having fire orange hair and it reminded me of a tradition the locals in the area of my sighting would do. They would die their hair a bright orange color and even would dye their goats the same color. They never gave any explanation why. It seemed like it was every once in a while they would do this, and then all of the sudden those orange dyed goats would be gone, and the local’s hair would also no longer be dyed orange. I assumed maybe it was a cultural thing I didn’t understand, but now it makes me wonder if that was some kind of gesture to the creature/Nephilim or the goats were sacrificed to it. 

I am a Christian, and the bible briefly discussed the “Men of Renown,” aka the Nephilim. I think that’s what I saw, a member of an ancient race of giants that descended from fallen angels. Or it could be something like Sasquatch. I’m not sure.”

-Anonymous US Army Soldier

GIANTS ON THE FEED

“I’m was a sensor operator on the Reaper. Heading up to work a tasking in the northern parts of the country. Scanning around doing my thing and looking at stuff. There are small villages up high in the central mountains that I’ve scanned probably a dozen times.

Found a super small mud hut, which is where I saw the giants. They were 3ish maybe even 4 meters tall. There’s a ruler tool that tells you how wide your crosshair is, and the people were as tall as the crosshair was wide.

The few mud huts were extremely rudimentary, like just a mound with some holes for a door and windows. They didn’t do anything crazy, just normal people things, tending fires and other chores. I wish I could say they did something exciting, but really just mobbed around their small clearing. There were a few goats tied up, and a fire that one person was tending.

Hard to tell details, but they seemed to wear rugged clothing. I would guess similar to Afghan traditional from how they moved but they seemed heavily cloaked.

Only interesting thing was the size. The goats looked like cats next to them.

This was all in midwave IR at night, so they showed up as black humanoid heat signatures. I wish I could have used our daytime camera. I always wonder if they had red hair lol. I only monitored them for like 10 mins before we were too far away to see.”

-Anonymous Air Force Reaper Operator 

GIANT OF A MAN

“I was an FMV analyst from 2012 -2018. We were doing pre-OP soak NE of Korengal, getting pattern of life on damn near every warm body.

We saw some dudes around a fire which is completely normal but watched to see if we could ID any weapons.

After about 20 minutes what we thought were two dudes huddled together under a blanket stood up. I mean this guy made the rest of the dudes look like children in terms of height. He stood up and walked over to a mud hut that he had to bend way over to get in. We were IR so I couldn't say if he was red haired or not but I just know that he was a big MFer. At least 8-9ft.”

-Anonymous USAF Airman

GIANT OF URUZGAN

“I was an LT in the Australian Army at the time and deployed to Uruzgan province. I was on picquet (what you Yanks would call security or sentry) in my LAV in the early hours one morning and was scanning across the valley with the Thermal Imager looking for threats and saw a large human-like figure that looked different from normal because it didn't have the usual clothes the Afghans would wear.

It looked like a person, but lankier. Not much detail through the TI and due to distance. It walked behind a few compounds and I could see it from the chest/armpits up. I lased the compound walls to confirm distance a few times because I knew I would get a good return off the walls.

I thought it was around 5-600m away but when I did a more detailed scan (it was also unusual to see individual people out at that time of night) I realized it was further away, so I used the LRF to get the range and was shocked to see it was 1800m away.

It wasn't in any hurry and I followed it for about 5min before it went out of my FOV. Just looked like it was walking. Wasn't in a hurry at all but was aware of what was happening around it. Kept looking around, especially near the compounds. No idea what it was but it would have been at least twelve feet tall. I don't know of anyone else who saw anything like it. Never told anyone about it before but it has stayed with me over all these years.”

-Anonymous former member of the Australian Army

Poetry and Art

Poetry and art from the warfighting community.

Staring at the Green Carpet - C.B. Martinez

It's been a while since I've seen them 

The last time we met was a somber moment (every time we meet its that way) 

It’s always in a building that does not lack for moments of tragedy, remorse and joy 

The building with the green carpet 

The smell of old souls lingers amongst the hallways 

Those who are lost not wanting to go onto the next tunnel of light 

Those who still had life to explore

Those who still had love to share 

We gather in the shadows of the dead 

In the building with the green carpet 

Heads down 

Crying, laughing, and small talk about hangovers 

...such an ugly color for a carpet 

All to witness the vessel that no longer carries the breath within 

We stare down and remember what once was but it no longer 

What's next? Who knows? Why talk about it? 

Sitting in a dank room 

...this carpet smells musty 

I think about the words I’ve said and the things I've done 

I think about what I should’ve said or should not have 

Filled with regret 

It's too late now 

Regret that I won't see those gathered here again until another tragedy occurs 

.... why would they have green carpet? They know everyone will have their heads down

Regret that I don't care that I won't see them 

Not until the good times are over once again 

...they could at least steam clean this ugly shade of green  

Those crying, laughing, and making small talk about their hangovers 

Does it matter that they're even here? 

Does it matter that they were ever there? 

Like being in lonely elevator 

Only opening the door when someone needs to get on 

Getting on to can carry on with their life 

Always needing to be somewhere else. 

...great, this elevator has green carpet  

Now I am always going to remember that feeling wherever I go 

Growth - Ben Phocas

Walking out of class. Military science. August 27. We’re learning the art of war. I feel cool. I get this stuff. I’m hot shit. I’m learning how to kill and win. To me war is still an abstract adventure. 

I missed a call. Someone I hadn’t talked to in months. They left a text. ‘did U hear about rylee’. 

I knew he was a Marine. But I didn’t know he was there. Didn’t know about the child. 

There was an explosion. Afghanistan. The airport. It’s been all over the news. 

Don’t really know how to feel. Push it off immediately. Tell myself that all I feel is pride in my friend. He died doing what he loved. Tell myself it's war and I’m supposed to get over it.

It doesn’t go away though. His face on every major news site. Even those who hated him and spat on him when he was alive want to bask in his posthumous fame. Then suddenly after two days no one cares anymore. Everyone says they understand. They don’t. He’s not the first. But this is different.

Some think the bracelet is clout chasing. Some want to wear their own, to look crusty and hard. I’d rather have my friend than a fucking bracelet. 

It boils over. I’m embarrassed. I’m angry at myself for it. We hadn’t talked in a year. Why didn’t I text him? Why did I leave it so long? Why did I not realize how much of an impact he had on my life until after he died? What right do I have to be upset? 

His platoon is at the memorial. What’s left of it. They treat me like I’m one of them. They stand and talk to me and don’t look down at me. It’s reassuring. I know he died with good friends. 

His dad finds me in the crowd around the bar that night. The awkward fat kid who would never admit how much he looked up to his son. He whispers into my ear something I’ve never forgotten. 

A year later. I’ve found a group here with bracelets of their own, who know what’s going on in my head. 

The uniform isn’t just cool. War is not an adventure. Nothing matters more than friends and the profession. I will never not miss my friend, I’d like to think that he’d be proud of who I am, and who he helped me become. 

So They Say- By C.B. Martinez

I walk outside for the first time this morning 

The air is crispy. Finally 

The bad habits of last night's wrong decisions lay scattered for all the world to witness

Silver-streaked cans twinkle off the rising suns glow like small cameras flashing 

This one is still cold

I ponder whether or not this day will be any different than the last one

Nah, probably not 

*Gulp* down the hatch goes the half warm semi tolerable libation 

Immediately a taste of stomach acid, stale smoke, and whisky rises to the roof of my mouth 

My body is rejecting the decisions I've made 

Probably a sign 

Ah well the same thing happened yesterday and I made it through 

Just make it through today 

That's what I've always been told 

Don't strive for anymore or any less 

Don't take any risks or reap any rewards 

Survive today 

It's too hard to simply survive 

Seems easier if I try 

Try to make the day more rewarding 

Look at all these “do’ers” these “try hards” just smiling and laughing 

Their skin is not clammy and gray 

Their stomach is not full of mild and pungent juices just waiting to be spewed from one end or the other 

Their minds not clouded with trying to remember the things they’d like to forget 

It’s just another day 

The same as the last 

What if it's my last?

Will these thoughts change?

Is there some outer power going to revert the processes of the inner corners of my mind? 

Or do I keep them there all to myself? 

All of this chaotic aftermath I have created 

I am choosing to bury my myself 

By just surviving the day 

It’s alright though 

As long as you’re slowly killing yourself along the way 

That a way it goes unrecognized 

That's what I've always been told 

So they say 

Art and Photography

Photo by Cora Reichert

Photo by Cora Reichert

Art by Ben Aguirre

Art by Ben Aguirre

Photograph by S Hagar

Art by phaseline.co

Health and Fitness

Fitness and PT Guidance for improving diet, physical performance, health, and leading troops in physical training.

How Far Do You Want to Run: A Basic Marathon Plan - Month/Block 3: Endurance Focus - Wes Faulk

This is it.  Time to smooth off the remaining rough edges, put on a coat of varnish (with some hard work), then put the cherry on top of all your training with a race.  Can you feel it yet?  I hope so! I know that I can, living vicariously through my clients who are prepping for the MCM and then a 50k.  

         This training plan has progressed from Most (VO2 Max) to Least (Endurance) specific, knocking out the “hardest” training (at least in terms of intensity) in the beginning, and progressing to a point now where it’s all about the miles.  You’ve been building endurance over the course of the past two months; this block is about fine tuning that endurance, and seeing how far you can push it.  It’s a huge commitment, but most things that are worth it usually are.  

         Following the trend from the last block, distance increases in this final month, while intensity decreases.  I want you to apply intensity specifically, and proscribe a race pace element to just about every ER.  Test yourself, and validate whether or not your goal is too fast (you need to either slow down, or go out and hold on till you get bucked…) or too slow (you need to push yourself harder!).  In week 10, back to back ER are optimally performed just like it reads, BACK TO BACK, typically on a Friday/Saturday, or a Saturday/Sunday.  This should give you a little taste of what your legs will feel like towards the end of your race.  

         In line with these tests, use the amount of time that you’re on your feet to prepare for the event.  Hopefully by now you’ve nailed down your race day nutrition plan, and have a few options for attire (just in case the weather decides to throw you a curveball).  You’re going to have plenty of time over the next 3 weeks to test all of that out.  Use this block to try some of the things you maybe haven’t planned for yet, like what your race morning routine will be: wake up time, meal, head call, race start time.  Develop that plan, then pick a weekend ER, and test it out.  

         Finally, weeks 12-13 are an abbreviated taper, leading into your event.  Most athletes overestimate the amount of time they need to “freshen” up their legs before an event.  2 weeks is plenty of time.  We’ll back off the effort in week 12, and allow for some recovery, and use week 13 to cap everything off.  Be smart during these last two weeks.  It’s ok to be nervous, but remember the hard miles that you’ve put under your shoes and take confidence from them.  Also be smart, don’t “blow up” your training by spending 6+ hours on your feet the day before the race if you can help it; it’s easy to fall into the “race expo” trap and spend way too much time walking around and looking at things you don’t really need!  

         Good luck and happy running!

Legend:

Recovery Run (RR) - Also known as “Easy Runs”.  These workouts are used to accustom the body to running for longer periods of time, keep the muscles “loose”, and aid in the recovery process after harder efforts.

Intensity - 4-5 Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE); a comfortable pace where one’s breathing is slightly labored, but they are able to easily speak in complete sentences. 

Time - 30min - 1hr

Endurance Run (ER) - The standard “Long Run”.  Used to gradually build the strength required to complete the required race distance.  For these runs, “time on feet” is as important as distance covered.  If the training plan gives a proscribed distance AND time, complete whichever comes first.  ER are a great opportunity to test things out for race day (i.e. nutrition, hydration, gear). 

Intensity - 5-6 RPE; between comfortable and moderate.  At a 6, you have to think about it before speaking in a complete sentence.  

Time - 2-6hrs

Steady State Run (SSR) - Used to develop aerobic fitness at an intensity just below one’s Lactate Threshold (the level at which blood lactate begins to accumulate in the blood stream because the rate of lactate production increases faster than the rate of removal, causing a “burn” in the muscle). 

Intensity - 7 RPE; breathing is labored.  Sentences spoken are very short.

Time - 20-60min (of intensity), not including warmup, cooldown, and recovery periods; 5-8:1 work to recovery ratio

Tempo Run (TR) - Important for developing speed by improving an athletes ability to process and utilize lactate. 

Intensity - 8-9 RPE; Hard, breathing is deep and labored. 

Time - 8-45min (of intensity), not including warmup, cooldown, and recovery periods; 2-3:1 work to rest ratio

Race Pace (RP) - The pace you will need to hold IOT accomplish your marathon time goal.

Intensity - 6-7RPE; moderate, you don’t want to speak in a complete sentence, but can.

Time - However long it takes to finish the race

Week 9: 26 September - 02 October

How many weeks are left again?

Week 10: 03-09 October

Double ER this week, just so you’re used to running on tired legs (try to do them on back-to-back days).

Week 11: 10-16 October

Peak Week: this is as far as you’re going to go before raceday…

Week 12: 17-23 October

Finishing touches.

Week 13: 24-30 October

It’s go time; you’re ready.

For more detailed training, to provide feedback, or ask questions, feel free to DM @RunHardRunFastRunOften on IG.

Time Restricted Training for the Tactical Athlete - Frank Gonzales

There are a lot of different training methods out there today; bodybuilding, powerlifting, endurance, CrossFit. The list is never ending. So, as an employee in the profession of soldiering, the question is, how should I train?

That answer is going to be different for each individual. For instance, training can indicate where your focus should be. If you come from a power endurance sport, like football, your time will be best spent developing your aerobic base. If endurance sports are your jam, you need to build some strength. If you’re completely untrained, you need to build a base of both. Regardless of which background you come from, you need to ensure that you balance these areas.

I will not try to prescribe programs for each of these backgrounds. But I will offer my input on what exercises for which I have received the most bang for my buck.. I have also used the same methods on other athletes and in units that I oversaw, with excellent results.

Time restraints have always been my biggest issue. I do not believe in spending all day in the gym. I burned myself out on bodybuilding splits early, and these days I would rather spend my longer sessions outdoors on the trails, or on developing skills, like jiu jitsu and boxing. So, I have always tried to limit myself to just a handful of exercises. The best movement patterns to train for any athlete can really be narrowed down to three categories:

• Squat

• Push

• Hinge

I’m sure I will receive plenty of criticism for not including other movements in there. For instance, an upper body pull is considered essential to most. To this, I say, “Less is more.” I did nothing but kettlebell swings and jiu Jitsu for pull work for nine months. I still managed to get over 20 pullups on my last PFT. So bear with me.

Now, what movements specifically fit into each category? Again, after years of experimentation, here are the three that I found to be the most beneficial:

• Front Squat

• Strict Overhead Press

• Power Clean

These three movements allow for the most well-balanced, minimalistic approach to strength training for the tactical athlete. If you absolutely feel the need to deadlift, you can add it as a complex with the power clean with NO ADDITIONAL WEIGHT. But if you are doing kettlebell work to supplement your strength, you do not need to.

These three movements should be built into your strength training. Do 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps for each one. Use lower reps for the clean than you think you need. And train each movement twice a week if you are training for endurance (all three movements in one session), and up to four times a week if you are working on your strength more (devoting a day to each movement if you’d like).

In addition to this work, you should do a handful of assistance movements. I like using kettlebells and bodyweight movements to keep it minimalistic, and doing unilateral exercises to maintain balance. Things like lunges, swings, snatches, pushups, presses and so on fit the bill nicely. But remember that this all serves to augment your strength work. If I intend to work my ass off at a wrestling class that night, I may skip all of these smaller movements in my strength session.

As far as your other areas go, you need to train endurance at least once a week, for a minimum of 30-60 minutes. Again, I like to get outside for this one. It helps clear the mind from the business of everyday life.

As an example, my training week currently looks like this:

I like this template, because my bias is towards conditioning for combat sports, so the strength training I do serves to maintain my gains while I work at that goal. If your goal is to get stronger, understand that something will need to be taken out in order to put more strength in. The great Jim Wendler, who developed the 5/3/1 strength template I used for years, is a master at explaining this balance and implementing it.

If you are skeptical of doing any Olympic lifting, you have two options: opt out of the clean and replace it with the deadlift. You don’t get as much power development, but explosive force is still needed for a heavy deadlift, so you won’t lose much. Or, you can eat some humble pie, admit you don’t know what you are doing, and pay for some one-on-one session at a CrossFit gym or with an Olympic coach to hammer out your technique. While the military may train it out of us, saying, “I don’t know” is okay.

Take this method and see what you get out of it. You will be surprised at how minimalistic training can get you near the optimal results that you seek.

——————————

This ends Volume 5, Edition 1, of the Lethal Minds Journal (01OCTOBER2022)

The window is now open for Lethal Minds’ sixth volume, releasing November 1st.

All art and picture submissions are due as PDFs or JPEG files to our email by midnight on 20 October.

All written submissions are due as 12 point font, double spaced, Word documents to our email by midnight on 20 October.

lethalmindsjournal@gmail.com

Special thanks to the volunteers and team that made this journal possible:

Tom Schueman

Julian Tsukano

Don Reynolds

Brock Briggs

Jacob Montgomery

Brad Hoffman

Erin

R.W Parker

Steven

Matt Miranda

The Bulletin From The Borderlands Team

All articles published in this journal are the personal opinions and positions of the authors themselves. The Lethal Minds Journal and Lethal Minds team are not responsible for the content and opinions expressed by our contributors.

By submitting work to the Lethal Minds Journal, all contributors recognize and authorize the Lethal Minds team to publish and feature their work in the Lethal Minds Journal. All contributors relinquish their right to profit from their submission to the Lethal Minds Journal.

All articles published in this Journal are the personal opinions and positions of the authors themselves. All content, and the Lethal Minds Journal brand is the copyright of Lethal Minds©

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