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“No Ordinary Dog” – The Tale of a K9 and his Handler in Naval Special Warfare

Tuesday, April 21st, 2020

“No Ordinary Dog” is the amazing story of a K9 and his Handler in who served in Naval Special Warfare.

Navy SEAL Will Chesney covers his military training and service with particular attention on his becoming a Naval Special Warfare K9 Handler beginning in 2008 after six years in the Teams. His new partner was named Cairo who did everything right alongside his human counterparts. Unfortunately, that included being shot on one operation.

Although Cairo looks like a house pet, this military working dog served on numerous raids and is famous for participating in Operation Neptune Spear at Chesney’s side. A lot has been written about Cairo’s role in the mission to kill bin Laden and a lot has been wrong. “No Ordinary Dog” sets the record straight.

After the raid, they both stayed with the Command, with Cairo serving as a backup dog and Chesney returning to his role as an Operator. Unfortunately, Chesney was injured in combat in 2013, suffering a brain injury and PTSD. Traditional medicine gave little relief to his list of ailments which included migraines, chronic pain, memory issues, and depression. Teaming back up with Cairo proved cathartic for Chesney as he began to heal himself and step up to help others.

About the Authors

During his service as a SEAL, Will Chesney was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. Now he helps his fellow veterans who suffer from traumatic brain injuries.

Co-Author Joe Lauren an award-winning journalist and writer who helped Will Chesney tell the story. His books include the New York Times bestseller “As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride”.

Get your copy (ebook or hardbound) at www.amazon.com.

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SCUBAPRO SUNDAY – Patriots Day April 19th and ANZAC Day April 25th

Sunday, April 19th, 2020

Today is the 19th of April, also known as Patriots day. Today in 1775 we had had enough of being under the Crown. (well we had enough way before this) I can see know better way than to give everyone a link to the best way to tell the story. It might not be that factually correct, but you have to love schoolhouse rock.

Also, this week on the 25th of April, Austral and New Zealand observe ANZAC day. It is their Memorial Day to remember their falling, it starts with a sunrise service, followed by ANZAC biscuits, and beer with brothers and family.

ANZAC day started as a remembrance of the invasion of Gallipoli, now it is used as a Remembrance Day for all who have been lost to war. Gallipoli was a plan hatched by Winston Churchill the first lord of the admiralty in WWI. I had the privilege of spending an ANZAC day in Perth a couple of years back, and it was amazing to see how close we are to our allies in the pacific. So, on the 25th April raise a glass to all of our brothers that have helped support us in everything we have done and helped promote freedom in the world. The ANZACs are the only countries that have been with the U.S. in every war we have fought since WW1, to include Vietnam and the Global War on Terror.

ANZAC is the acronym formed from the initial letters of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. This was the formation in which Australian and New Zealand soldiers in Egypt were grouped before the landing on Gallipoli in April 1915.

The acronym was first written as “A & NZ Army Corps.” However, clerks in the corps headquarters soon shortened it to ANZAC as a convenient telegraphic code name for addressing telegram messages.

I can never do justice telling the story of Gallipoli. Like most of WW1 and other battles, a lot of mistakes were made in the planning, but they were followed up by a lot of brave man doing whatever they had to do so their brothers would live another day. LLTBH.

www.awm.gov.au/learn/schools/resources/understanding-gallipoli

nzhistory.govt.nz/war/the-gallipoli-campaign/introduction

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Patriot’s Day Defines Who We Are As A Nation

Sunday, April 19th, 2020

Each year, we remind our readers of the events of April 19th, 1775. Rebellion had been brewing on the North American continent for years. Finally, in the early hours of the day, an American Army fired on British troops, starting a war that would last for over eight years and see the ascendency of the American Eagle over this land we now call the United States.

This battle is also where we draw our concept of the iconic Minute Man from.

Each Patriot’s Day, we honor those men at Concord and consider what it must have been for them to stand there together, in the face of the world’s greatest army and take up arms in the defense of their colony from oppression.

This militia came together on that morning to protect their arms from seizure by an oppressive government. That is a fact.

“Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”

-John Parker

Captain of Militia

As the initial volleys of fire were exchanged near daybreak on Lexington Green, colonial volunteers fell back in the face of over 500 occupying British troops. But as the battle moved on to Concord, the tide turned, and the redcoats were routed as more and more colonists joined the fray.

The British troops retreated through Concord where they were reinforced. Despite boasting a strength of 1700 men, they remained no match for the determined colonists who forced them to retreat to the safety of Charlestown in Boston. The militiamen continued their pursuit which transformed into the Siege of Boston.

Today, join me in remembering those American warriors who pledged their lives to give us our hard fought freedoms and this great land.

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SCUBAPRO Sunday – Roy Boehm (First SEAL) Birthday

Sunday, April 5th, 2020

Roy Boehm was born on April 9th, 1924. He served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He joined the US Navy in 1942 and was a hard hat diver and served in Pearl Harbor, working on the Arizona recovery bodies. In 1955 he went through UDT/ BUDs training. He then made the mistake of becoming an “O” Roy received his commission in 1960. He was selected to help stand up the new Navy commandos that JFK had authorized speech in early 1961. Depending on what coast you were raised on in the Teams (East or West). You will say SEAL Team 2 was the first team( By 3 hours east coast ) or SEAL Team 1 (well because One comes before Two and they say they received their message first authorizing them to stand up) I say that because there is an ongoing debate on what SEAL team is the oldest and who is the first SEAL. Roy Boehm was the first OIC of SEAL Team Two. Commander Franklin Anderson was the first OIC of SEAL Team ONE (1966-1968). I have attached a couple of articles about Roy.

www.veterantributes.org

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Boehm

special-ops.org/2362/lcdr-roy-boehm-first-seal

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Platatac ReCreates VN-era Navy SEAL Rifleman Shirt in MultiCam

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

Platypus PLATATAC loves classic military gear, so they decided to release this famous Vietnam era garment in MultiCam Apocalypse Jungle fabric.

Grated, it’s not practical, but for the true believers it is the ultimate cool shirt.

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Voices of Freedom Project Veterans Oral History of LTC Lewis “Bucky” Burruss (USA, Ret)

Sunday, March 29th, 2020

LTC Lewis “Bucky” Burruss (USA, Ret) is a Special Forces veteran and founding member of the 1st SFOD-D. He has written several books and is a fountain of knowledge.

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SCUBAPRO Sunday – US Riverine Forces

Sunday, March 22nd, 2020

The U.S. Navy Riverine Force go back to the beginning of the U.S. Navy. The hay day for Riverine force was during the Vietnam War. The Brown Water Navy had the highest volunteer and retention rate of any unit in the U.S. military. They are also one of the highest decorated units during that time frame. The Riverine Force concept in Vietnam was based on tactics first used in the Revolutionary and Civil War. But they were quickly adapted for the Mekong delta.

During the Indochina War, the French Navy successfully utilized riverine assault craft against Viet Minh forces between 1946 and 1954. In 1955 with the departure of the French, the U.S. Navy sent in a hand full of advisers to help the South patrol the inland waterway. When the U.S. Mobile Riverine Force arrived in 1967, many of the older French craft were still being used by the South Vietnamese Naval Forces. By 1965 the Brown Water Navy was patrolling the over 26,000 square miles of the Mekong delta. The Navy was not the only service working on the waters of Vietnam, the Army, Coast Guard, Air Force, and USMC all worked together. Below is a link to help you better understand the scope of the River force in Vietnam, and you can also read the book “Brown Water, Black Beret.” It’s a great book to read during quarantine.

www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/r/riverine-warfare-us-navys-operations-inland-waters

www.amazon.com/Brown-Water-Black-Berets-Bluejacket-ebook

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An Interview With COL Charlie Beckwith

Sunday, March 22nd, 2020

This Interview with Colonel Charlie Beckwith, took place on September 18, 1990. He discusses his 30 years of military duty, as well as the Middle East crisis of the time.

This video is part of the collection entitled: Abilene Library Consortium and one other and was provided by Abilene Christian University Library to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries.

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