Chosen Soldier - Dick Couch [136]
“It’s good for these guys to see and hear a reporter,” Major Brooks says of Logan’s visit, “and someone they’ve seen on TV. It’s one less variable for them going on deployment.”
Whenever there’s a free minute of training time, Major James gives 912 some insight on life as a detachment leader and some of the things they need to be aware of. One of these is his personal equipment briefing.
“You’re going to be very busy when you get to your detachment, so you’ll want to have all your personal operational gear set up and ready to go. You’ll get a standard issue, but if you’re like me, you’re going to want to customize some of your own gear. And that comes out of your pocket, something my wife still wonders about. But if you’re going to be a professional warrior, you may want gear that’s tailored for you.” In the front of the room, an array of operational gear is laid out. “I bought a custom rucksack that suits my needs and some of the loads we carry in cold-weather operations with 10th Group. It holds my chow, sleeping bag, mission-specific equipment, ammo, clothing, that kind of thing. This is my load-bearing equipment vest; you can see that it is nonstandard. If you want one thing custom made, it’s your LBE vest. This is what you will fight with when you dump your ruck or if you’re out on quick-strike, direct-action mission. Your LBE should hold your ready ammo, a radio, compass, GPS, a trauma pouch, maybe some PowerBars, and whatever you might need to keep you alive for a day and keep you in the fight. As far as your standard BDUs, get some additional pockets sewed into them so you can stash a ready magazine, your survival maps, a day/night signaling device, a secure Iridium phone, an extra tourniquet, or whatever else you might need if you’re away from your LBE and an emergency arises.
“You’ll be issued body armor, but I recommend that you look to a custom vest—a body-armor plate carrier that’ll allow you to operate with a full set of armor or perhaps with only the front and back plates. Sometimes you may want to remove the side plates for mobility. You’ll wear this body armor under your LBE and under any number of standard and nonstandard uniforms and hadji dress, so you want it to be comfortable. Your group will issue you the plates, but I highly recommend you buy your own vest.
“On a standard deployment, you have to be prepared to move around in civilian clothes and in different settings. So you need to be able to dress casual, semicasual, and business casual. We call it rough, smooth, and slick. Rough is a T-shirt, jacket, and jeans; smooth is slacks and an open-collared shirt; and slick is coat and tie. As an ODA team leader, you have to be able to walk into an embassy, a tribal leader’s home, or a downtown bazaar. You’re probably never going to pass for anything but an American, but try to avoid the cowboy boots, ball caps, and big belt buckles. If you’re lucky, you can pass for a Canadian or a German in an airport. The objective is to blend in and keep a low profile. Try to find a jacket that is reversible with good pockets and with one side a dark green or brown. You want it to be loose in case you have to wear body armor under it or carry a weapon. In this business, you have to be prepared to be operational or go operational at a moment’s notice. We’re not spies, but a team leader’s work may require him to go about in civilian clothes.”
Also scheduled for the 18 Alphas are four days of advanced special operations training, a classified block of instruction that trains the officer candidates in special intelligence collection