Army Times writer Gina Cavallaro and the Father of Army Combatives Matt Larsen present “Sniper: American Single-Shot Warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan”, available this month from The Lyons Press. Both authors brings years of experience but from different perspectives to tell the tale of America’s military snipers as they prosecute the war on terror, one shot at a time. They also delve into the equipment and training of our nation’s elite marksmen. 240 pages – paperback
Death Valley Magazine recently published an article on the “Civilian Contractor Casualty Accountability Project†(CCCA-Project). The goal of the project is to not only account for all of the Civilian Contractors who have been killed in service of the U.S. Government around the world (regardless of nationality) – but also to account for those Civilian Contractors who are Missing in Action, currently being held as Prisoners of War or Unjustifiably Held in Captivity.
To make this monumental task a reality they are seeking volunteers. to see how you can help visit Death Valley Magazine.
Last week I said I should have seen “Machete” and you know what? I was right. Sure, it’s over the top, but that’s the point. It’s an exploitation film. Pure American cinematic escapism. It’s never pretentious and you aren’t expected to take any of it seriously. Yes, there is some pretty graphic violence but it’s almost cartoonish. And, make sure you are sitting down when I tell you this, but there are some naked ladies in this one as well so don’t take the kids. But of you are looking for a couple of hours of simple mayhem and corny jokes then “Machete” is the one for you.
In addition to our daily updates here on the site, there are several other ways to get your Soldier Systems fix. Don’t forget that we are a daily and normally update a minimum of twice per day so come back regularly to keep up on the latest news. If that isn’t enough, we offer several alternatives.
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Our list of followers on Twitter continues to grow. In addition to alerts of new stories we also release information through Twitter that might be of interest to our readers or is related to our core content but originates elsewhere.
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We launched our Facebook page awhile back and are jut beginning to make use of it. Dissatisfied with how we have seen some companies use their accounts we wanted to get in there with a plan to make the experience more meaningful. Look for lots of content soon.
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Our iPhone app has been extremely popular and delivers the latest updates directly to your iPhone each time you open it.
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M4Carbine.net
M4Carbine.net has been most gracious in offering us a dedicated sub-forum to interact with our readers. Not only is it a great place to discuss our articles and current issues in the Soldier Systems industry but M4Carbine.net gives access to the best group of Subject Matter Experts we have run across. No over-inflated CVs, no BS, just good information. Military, Law Enforcement, or a fan of the Black Rifle? You should be a member of M4Carbine.net.
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We post videos for our articles on our Youtube channel. Additionally, we make use of content posted by others. Always be on the look out for more content.
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Subscriptions to SSD’s content are available for the Kindle via Amazon. Don’t forget there is a Kindle reader for iPhone and iPad.
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The Future
Here at SSD we continuously look at ways to increase interaction with our readers. One example is that we are ready to release an app for the Android. Additionally, some of our writers have begun to develop specialized content for other sites. For example, you may have seen the article on Environmental Clothing Systems on ADS Inc’s web site. You will also begin to see some of our stuff in print. We have also posted content from the Mad Duo and others.
Something very exciting is happening to SSD very soon. Once we get over this busy trade show season, a big change is coming.
One final word. None of this would be possible without the support of our sponsors. We have affiliated ourselves with reputable companies who provide solid products and services and we would not hesitate to recommend any of them. At SSD we look at our sponsorship program as a two-way street. We are endorsing them as much as they are us and we urge you to support them.
We are constantly improving our fighting position, so if you have any additional ideas on ways SSD can do more for you, please feel free to share them with us.
DET One: U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Special Operations Command Detachment, 2003-2006 is a hardcover history of DET One produced by the Marine Corps and written by John P. Piedmont with a foreword by Charles P. Neimeyer. What makes this book so special is that rarely do we get a glimpse into special operations units, especially so soon after they are formed. While DET One is an extraordinary case as it was a limited experiment, it did lead to the formation of Marine Special Operations Command, a component of USSOCOM.
At SSD, we are lucky to be able to tell our readers about a little bit of the story that isn’t fully explained in the book. Starting on page 36, the book discusses CQB training conducted by a former Army SOF operator but what the book doesn’t say is who is it was. We can tell you that it was Larry Vickers MSG, USA (Ret) and that his initial training for the DET led to further contact with the Force Recon community that DET One recruited from, and ultimately completely revamped their CQB tactics and marksmanship training. Larry forged quite a few friendships during his time working with the DET, many of which continue to this day.
It’s really too bad the book doesn’t include anything about the DET One “Gunner”. That is always worth a couple of laughs.
The book is currently back ordered on Amazon but can be ordered from the Government Printing Office.
Higher Ground (a program of Sun Valley Adaptive Sports), officially announced it is attempting a purchase a 29-room, 5-star luxury hotel in Sun Valley, Idaho. The hotel would be transformed into the nation’s largest rehabilitation/retreat facility for wounded veterans with traumatic brain injuries and PTSD (outside a medical setting).
The catch: Higher Ground has 90 days to raise $10 million by September 1 to buy the hotel. Higher Ground programming is already the nation’s gold standard for its innovative and multidisciplinary approach to the long-term healing, restoration, and rehabilitation of the wounded veterans with TBI/PTSD.
We don’t often comment on political goings on here at SSD but the recent disclosures by GEN McChrystal to “Rolling Stone” magazine demand comment. Many have questioned why a man who has risen so far would do something so dumb. All we can come up with is hubris, either that or the Peter Principle is real. Those of you unfamiliar with the Peter Principle should know that it postulates that one rises to the level of one’s incompetence. Meaning, you do such a great job that you get promoted to a position that you are incapable of performing. Sounds pretty apropos in this case.
Perhaps hubris did play a role in McChrystal’s undoing. After all, he didn’t have someone following him as he rode into Kabul reminding him that he is but human. Additionally, while he did serve several regular Army assignments his extended assignment to the super secretive JSOC may have twisted his view a little. Their idea of dealing with the press is to NOT deal with the press in any form. Consequently, he may have just not been used to reserving comments in front of the fourth estate.
President Obama should not have accepted GEN McChrystal’s resignation. Instead, he should have flat out fired him. There is too much honor in resigning and the actions that led him there are far from honorable. Hopefully, there will be a reexamination of his roll in the cover up of Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan and perhaps he will be held to the same standard that he enforced when Commanding General of JSOC where he ordered the investigations of several retired command members who wrote books and articles related to their service. After all, it only seems fair.
Was he right? Probably on many levels, but saying it to your closest confidants is one thing and those confidants probably shouldn’t be guys who work for you. Saying it to a reporter is entirely another and having the guys that you confided in talk to the reporter as well is also pretty dumb.
His replacement is also an interesting choice and concerns me as it shows just how shallow our bench is. GEN Patreus is a fine commander as his record has shown, but isn’t there someone else the President can call upon to get the job done?
10% of each subscription to “Maxim” magazine goes to the Wounded Warrior Project. When you get a two year subscription, that makes it 75 cents an issue!
