SOF News Update 20170109 – SGM Robles (7th SFGA) dies of illness, video NATO SOF, Josuah Wheeler memorial, advising the YPG in Syria, tiff between Indonesian and Australian SOF, ex-SEAL and medical doctor talks on civilian shootings and medical responses, and more.
SGM William Robles (7th and 10th SFGA). SGM Robles died at the San Antonio Military Medical Center on Thursday, January 5, 2017 from a prolonged illness. Great guy with a good sense of humor. I served with him in Afghanistan in 2011 while assigned to Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command – Afghanistan (CFSOCC-A). See “Army South soldier dies from illness”, Army Times, January 6, 2017.
Former SEAL Advances Medical Care for Civilian Shootings. Frank Butler, an ex-SEAL and now a medical doctor has advanced battlefield care for special operators and is now extending that knowledge into the civilian sector to improve responses to mass shootings and terror attacks. Read “Ex-SEAL: Battlefield medical techniques needed for civilian shootings”, USA Today, January 7, 2017.
NATO SOF Video. An enterprising individual puts together some good video of NATO SOF in action and sets to music by Zack Hemsey (Don’t Get in My Way), January 2, 2017, by Military Channel on YouTube.com (3:33 mins).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWPNjkpuCyg
SF Advising Opposing Forces in Syria. In a fairly interesting set of circumstances we see Special Forces advisors working with opposing forces in Syria. One set of advisors works with the People’s Protection Units of YPG – a group of Kurdish fighters base in northern Syria that have been quite successful in fighting ISIS. Another set of advisors are working with the Turkish military with Syrian rebels who are (depending on what news source you believe) is fighting the Assad regime, ISIS, or the YPG. Read more in “U.S. military aid is fueling big ambitions for Syria’s leftist Kurdish militia”, The Washington Post, January 7, 2017.
SOF Dispute b/t Indonesia and Australian. A tempest in a tea pot that will quickly blow over has been in the news in recent days. Indonesia feels slighted due to a discovery of training materials in the Australian Special Air Service that adversely reflected on Indonesia. Read more in “How the Australian SAS Raised the Ghost of Indonesia’s Brutal Past”, This Week in Asia, January, 8, 2017.
NORSOF in TV Drama. The special operations forces of Norway are depicted in a Netflix show called Nobel. The show depicts Norwegian SOF in Afghanistan (and Norway) involved in a conspiracy regarding oil in South Asia. NORSOF was in Afghanistan as early as 2002 and is still in Afghanistan advising the Crisis Response Unit (CRU) of the Ministry of Interior. Bob Mayer, former 10th SFGA, provides a review of Nobel in “Nobel – on Netflix. Norwegian Special Forces, oil, Afghanistan, a bitter dose of reality”, Write it Forward, January 7, 2017.
Fundraiser Ensures Retirement Ceremony for 7th SFGA Soldier. Green Beret Joe Lowrey was severely wounded in Afghanistan. In a ceremony held at Eglin Air Force Base he was retired. Read “Green Beret’s retirement ceremony a win”, NWF Daily News, January 7, 2017.
Video of 20th SFGA Dive Team. A five-minute long video depicts the training of a 20th Special Forces Combat Dive team training with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard in Florida, posted on YouTube.com on June 8, 2015.
Delta Soldier Honored. Joshua Wheeler, of the United States Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta, was recognized when a portion of U.S. Highway 64 in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma was renamed in his honor. He was killed during Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq as a result of enemy fire while fighting ISIS militants. Read more in “Joshua Wheeler Memorial Highway to be dedicated”, Sequoyah County Times, January 6, 2017.
SF Poser Exposed. They are out there. Another poser claiming to be a Green Beret has been exposed. This guy was using a falsehood to make a profit. Read a letter from the Executive Director of the Green Beret Foundation explaining more in “Special Forces Poser Exposed”, Linked In Pulse, January 8, 2017.
