XC3 Weaponlight

231 Military Personnel and Veterans Send Joint Chiefs “Declaration of Military Accountability”

January 1st, 2024

This morning I became aware on Instagram and X that at 4am EST today, the Joint Chiefs of Staff received an email with a letter attached titled, “Declaration of Military Accountability”.

The letter was signed by 231 active duty service members and veterans. The letter is not addressed to military leaders but rather to the American people. However, it does call out many uniformed leaders by name.

The point of the letter, as you will read, is the conduct of military leaders regarding the use of experimental vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While I won’t go so far as to call this action unprecedented, I cannot recall during my service and retirement where this many active personnel have signed their name to a document calling for the accountability of the military’s unformed leadership. This number is even more striking to me as the recent call for signatures was not well publicized. The authors do plan to open the letter to additional supporting signatures soon.

The letter lays out a general plan of accountability and a call to action for those who share the views of the authors. It does not incite violence or call for signatories and sympathizers to violate their oaths of office.

Considering it is New Years Day and not a duty day, there has been no reaction so far from the Department of Defense or those called out by name in the letter. I do expect this to make the national news this week.

-Eric Graves

Editor

The contents of the letter are seen below:

An Open Letter to the American People from Signatories of this Declaration of Military Accountability

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

–John Adams

In the course of human events it sometimes becomes necessary to admonish the lawless, encourage the fainthearted, and strengthen the weak. We have reached just such a time in our history. The affairs of our nation are now steeped in avaricious corruption and our once stalwart institutions, including the Dept of Defense, are failing to fulfill the moral obligations upon which they were founded. Standing upon our natural and constitutional rights, we hereby apprise the American people that we have exhausted all internal efforts to rectify recent criminal activity within the Armed Forces.

In the Declaration of Independence our founding fathers sought separation. We seek no separation, but through this letter and the efforts we pledge herein, we pursue restoration through accountability. We intend to rebuild trust and restore the rule of law, particularly within the Armed Forces. Ultimately, we strive to once again become a moral people, restoring our nation, and making it again worthy of the great gift of liberty won by the colonial-era American people.

While implementing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, military leaders broke the law, trampled constitutional rights, denied informed consent, permitted unwilling medical experimentation, and suppressed the free exercise of religion.

Service members and families were significantly harmed by these actions. Their suffering continues to be felt financially, emotionally, and physically. Some service members became part of our ever-growing veteran homeless population, some developed debilitating vaccine injuries, and some even lost their lives. In an apparent attempt to avoid accountability, military leaders are continuing to ignore our communications regarding these injuries and the laws that were broken.

For GEN Milley, ADM Grady, GEN McConville, ADM Gilday, ADM Lescher, Gen Brown, Gen Berger, Gen Smith, VADM Kilby, VADM Nowell, VADM Fuller, LTG Martin, Lt Gen Davis, MG Edmonson, GEN Williams, ADM Fagan, VADM Buck, Lt Gen Clark, MG Francis, LTG Dingle, Lt Gen Miller, RADM Gillingham, and numerous others;

These individuals enabled lawlessness and the unwilling experimentation on service members. The moral and physical injuries they helped inflict are significant. They betrayed the trust of service members and the American people.

Their actions caused irreparable harm to the Armed Forces and the institutions for which we have fought and bled.

These leaders refused to resign or take any other action to hold themselves accountable, nor have they attempted to repair the harm their policies and actions have caused. Since there has yet to be any accountability, the undersigned give our word to do everything morally permissible and legally possible to hold our own leadership accountable. We intend to rebuild trust by demonstrating that leaders cannot cast aside constitutional rights or the law for political expediency.

The flag and general officers are far from the only ones complicit in recent illegal activities, as a significant number of SES leaders and political appointees contributed. Evidence indicates that other executive agencies are engaging in illegal activity. However, as service members and veterans, we feel particularly responsible for the DoD and, in accordance with our oaths, we will make every effort to demonstrate by example, how an institution can put its own house in order.

We the undersigned, on behalf of hundreds of thousands of service members and the American people, while appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for guidance and purity of intention, mutually pledge to each other that we will do everything in our power, through lawful word and action, to hold accountable military leaders who failed to follow the law when their leadership and moral courage was most desperately needed.

In the coming years, thousands within our network will run for Congress and seek appointments to executive branch offices, while those of us still serving on active duty will continue to put fulfilling our oaths ahead of striving for rank or position. For those who achieve the lawful authority to do so, we pledge to recall from retirement the military leaders who broke the law and will convene courts-martial for the crimes they committed. For those of us who attain legislative offices, we pledge to introduce legislation to remove all retirement income for the military leaders who were criminally complicit, and we will ensure none serve in or retire from the Senior Executive Service.

This endeavor will be a continuous process with a long-term time horizon, but fulfilling our oaths to defend the Constitution requires just such persistent vigilance. Likewise, we are obligated, and so commit, to train those who come after us to fulfill their duty in achieving this accountability and safeguarding against such leadership failures hereafter.

Our nation was once great because it was good. It was built on moral principles founded in natural law and yet, the recent acceleration of moral relativism has us headed towards a precipitous implosion. While all good things come to an end, we refuse to allow our nation to go quietly into the depths of decadence and decay. We promise to exhaust all moral, ethical, and legal means to restore the rule of law and will begin by attempting to hold senior military leaders accountable. The Constitution is the supreme law of our land.

We will fight to enforce that law and put an end to the two-tiered justice system. May future generations see our efforts and, God willing, may they also be recipients of the great gift of liberty that we have had the honor of safeguarding.

The letter and signatories can be seen here.

Happy New Year!

January 1st, 2024

Spuhr – Dual Dot Aimpoint Mount

December 31st, 2023

Håkan Spuhr showed off the Dual Dot, which he developed as a simple way of having two dots for two distances or two different ammos, like sub and super. It was a very simple project that he didn’t end up producing but nevertheless, obtained a patent for.

Here’s a little history from Håkan on how that came about. Years ago, Spuhr was contacted by a well known SF unit requiring a sight mount for an Aimpoint with two individual zeros in the mount. He says this was well before TaracHQ and Wilcox BOSS.

The gun was a .300 blk that they intended on firing both subsonic and supersonic. Here is his first attempt to solve the problem which is a mount with a lever for two settings.

When you zero it you zero in position A, lever at front and ontain zero with the Aimpoint.

When you switch ammo you move the lever to the B position (rearward) and zero elevation with adjustment screw at right side of base.

The mount for twist mount is built into the mount.

The whole idea failed as the windage movement of the subsonic bullet was so big that windage adjustment was badly needed for position B.

Spuhr said he really doesn’t want to make a mount with both windage and elevation adjustments as that is just asking for problems.

Next, he suggested incorporating the windage movement in the base, but with a forced non-adjustable movement, reqiring the customer to simply specify how much windage adjustment they needed for every mil of elevation travel.

The customer rejected the suggested solution and required that both zeros should be individually movable and that was then Spuhr made the dual aimpoint mount.

The customer was not interested in a dual mount and only wanted a mount for Aimpoint with two zeros.

“As it’s my absolute opinion that it’s a really bad idea I left the project,” explained Spuhr, “Another well known company took over but since I never saw any products I assume it didn’t go as planned.”

spuhrwebshop.com/en

Silencer Central, Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation, and South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Join Forces to Support Wildlife Conservation

December 31st, 2023

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – December 28, 2023 – Silencer Central, America’s largest silencer dealer, is thrilled to announce their collaboration with Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation (OSCF) and South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks to recognize the significant contributions made by hunters and targets shooters, as well as industry manufacturers that support wildlife conservation efforts across the country through the Pittman-Robertson Act.

As part of their ongoing commitment to conservation, OSCF has developed a video series titled ‘Connecting with Conservation,’ where they collaborate with industry manufacturers and state fish and wildlife agencies. The latest installment of this series showcases a visit to South Dakota and Silencer Central’s Sioux Falls headquarters, shedding light on the remarkable conservation efforts taking place in the state.

“We are proud to connect with and visit Silencer Central. It was great to learn of their dedication to conservation. By donating millions of dollars’ worth of their suppressors to conservation groups they truly are making a difference.,” said Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation’s Executive Director Jim Curcuruto. “By contributing $3.6 billion each year, America’s 60+ million active HATS (Hunters, Anglers, Trappers and Shooters) are truly the primary funders of wildlife conservation in America, and we appreciate Silencer Central helping to spread that message.”

The Pittman-Robertson Act, also known as the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, generates funds from an excise tax on select outdoor products and goes to benefit projects such as land acquisition and improvement of wildlife habitat, introduction of wildlife into suitable habitat, research, surveys and inventories of wildlife populations, and hunter education programs, including construction and operation of public target shooting ranges.

“As more people hunt and target shoot, more money goes to conservation,” said Brandon Maddox, CEO of Silencer Central. “We are proud to partner with a variety of conservation organizations to expand this initiative and we’re honored to host OSCF at our headquarters.”

Over the past 86 years, the partnership between hunters, sport shooters and outdoor industry manufacturers has become the largest contributor to wildlife conservation and public access to natural resources in America. In just the past five years, nearly$5 billion has been collected from outdoor industry manufacturers and made available to state wildlife agencies for their conservation efforts.

The ‘Connecting with Conservation’ video series is produced with the support of The Murray Road Agency. Funding for this project is provided by the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (F23AP003940), a program supported with funds from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and jointly managed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Watch YouTube video here loop.

The mission of the S.D. Game, Fish & Parks is to serve and connect people and families to the outdoors through effective management of our state’s parks, fisheries and wildlife resources. For more information and to learn how to get involved, visit gfp.sd.gov.

For more information and to explore Silencer Central’s extensive range of products, visit SilencerCentral.com, or call 888-781-8778.

Airman of GUNDAM 22 Posthumously Promoted

December 31st, 2023

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. —  

The Secretary of the Air Force posthumously promoted Captain Terrell “Terry” K. Brayman to the rank of Major, with an effective date of December 15, 2022 reflecting when Terry was selected for Major following the conclusion of the Air Force promotion board.

The posthumous promotion is in recognition of Terry’s outstanding service and in acknowledgment of the ultimate sacrifice he made in the line of duty.

Terry was one of the eight Airmen of GUNDAM 22 that died in a CV-22 mishap off the shore of Yakushima Island, Japan on Nov. 29, 2023.

“Major Brayman’s legacy will forever endure in the hearts and minds of those who served alongside him, as his commitment to his country will continue to inspire current and future generations of Air Commandos,” said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, AFSOC commander. “The AFSOC community continues to stand with the families, friends, and teammates affected by this devastating loss.”

By Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

Sneak Peek – GBRS Kinetic Ti by Sangin Intruments

December 30th, 2023

The GBRS Kinetic Ti represents a timeless partnership between two veteran-owned companies. Collaborating to create a robust and enduring timepiece, their shared goal was to craft a watch specifically designed for real-time operations.

This collaboration timepiece is produced in small batches annually, limiting it to one per customer. Available 1-1-24 @ 1300 EST.

gbrsgroup.com

Blast From The Past – What Kind of Leader Are You?

December 30th, 2023

We’ve published this leadership model a few times. The first time was in 2012 and It’s still worthy of debate today.

In the mid-1800s a Prussian Field Marshal named Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke developed a means to evaluate his officers.

Smart & Lazy – I make them my Commanders because they make the right thing happen but find the easiest way to accomplish the mission.
Smart & Energetic – I make them my General Staff Officers because they make intelligent plans that make the right things happen.

Dumb & Lazy – There are menial tasks that require an officer to perform that they can accomplish and they follow orders without causing much harm.

Dumb & Energetic – These are dangerous and must be eliminated. They cause things to happen but the wrong things so cause trouble.

I’ve also seen this attributed to various German Army leaders beginning in the inter-war years and seems to convey prevailing thinking. It boils leadership down into its simplest form and measures the leader on two axes. Intelligence (competence) and industriousness or lack thereof.

As Chief of the Army High Command, the Anti-Nazi Gen Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord oversaw the composition of the German manual on military unit command (Truppenführung), dated 17 October 1933. In it, he proposed a classification scheme for military leaders.

‘I divide my officers into four groups. There are clever, diligent, stupid, and lazy officers. Usually two characteristics are combined. Some are clever and diligent — their place is the General Staff. The next lot are stupid and lazy — they make up 90 percent of every army and are suited to routine duties. Anyone who is both clever and lazy is qualified for the highest leadership duties, because he possesses the intellectual clarity and the composure necessary for difficult decisions. One must beware of anyone who is stupid and diligent — he must not be entrusted with any responsibility because he will always cause only mischief.’

Remember, in the German model, the most promising go to the General Staff for grooming. In the American model, the best and brightest take command. Considering that, do you think it’s still a viable model?

Robot Dogs Protect Lives Through Innovation

December 30th, 2023

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. —  

 “These robot dogs not only have the potential to save Airmen’s lives, but they also serve as a reminder of how valuable your voice is, regardless of rank.”

Master Sgt. Dominic Garcia, the emergency management flight chief from the 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron, devised the concept of robot dogs and while he advanced his idea into building and testing the robots, he learned some valuable lessons along the way.

Garcia is originally from Denver, enlisted in the Air Force in 2006 and spent most of his career working under Air Force Global Strike Command.

In 2017, Garcia deployed to Syria from his home station at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. After returning from his deployment Garcia reflected on his time in Syria.

“I had a really hard time adjusting back, and when you’re trying to adjust back, you replay a lot of things in your head,” said Garcia. “You replay certain situations, you think; what could I have done better? What could I have done differently?”

While reflecting on his deployment he remembered seeing canine teams on some of the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear missions. He said while he considered the things he would improve; he wondered if there was a way to arm the dogs with detectors instead of sending an entire team into a potentially hazardous environment.

In 2019, Garcia was one of six AFGSC Airmen of the Year award recipients and met people from across AFGSC. His networking led to the opportunity to bring the concept of robot dogs to life through the Air Force Work Project.

AFWERX is an Air Force innovation program that connects Airmen with technology developers to turn creative ideas into a reality. While Garcia worked on his concept with AFWERX, he connected with the company Ghost Robotics who agreed to build the robot dogs.

In 2022, Garcia and his team applied for the Silver Award Grant and they were awarded 1.25 million dollars for the project. Garcia said he was delightfully surprised as he discovered opportunities and programs as he progressed in his journey to make his robot dog idea possible.

“All I knew up until 2018 and 2019 was, if you want something done, you have to wait for policy or requirements,” said Garcia. “I didn’t know that there’s this whole other side of the Air Force that allows you to fast track and get what you need, kind of at the speed of relevancy to the tactical edge.”

Once the robot parts were ready and delivered Garcia and his team assembled the parts into two user-friendly robotic canines.

The team tested the functionality of the newly assembled robot dogs before advancing to test their capabilities to tackle Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear materials incidents. The team tested the dogs’ CBRN readiness by putting them through radioactive sites at the Defense Nuclear Weapons School at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

While it might seem odd to build expensive equipment and then immediately expose it to extreme situations, this testing is necessary. Garcia created the robot dogs to replace Airmen in life-threatening situations and withstand dangerous environments. He also armed the robotic canines with detectors capable of simultaneously detecting various threats.

Garcia and his team went to the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah to test the detectors, sensor data feedback, communication, and terrain performance.

Garcia’s focus while developing the dogs was to design equipment that could save Airmen’s lives both here in the United States and when deployed overseas. He said in addition to preventing Airmen from risking their lives, the robots could fill operational gaps and increase the manpower in hazardous specialties.

Persistent to meet these goals, Garcia and his flight continue to test the robotic canines through further research and development.

Throughout the development of his robot dog concept, Garcia discovered a new passion for empowering Airmen to share their perspectives.
He emphasized the importance of listening to and encouraging different perspectives of his teammates.

“We need to be able to say yes more and listen more,” said Garcia. “We need to be able to allow our Airmen, our sergeants, our lieutenants, whoever, to be able to give those ideas and support them because if you say no you’ll never know the return on investment. But a simple yes can have so many positive effects that we don’t even see sometimes.”

Prior to his innovative journey Garcia said he didn’t know he could come up with a concept and receive the support to make it a reality.

Going through this process opened his eyes to the value of involving Airmen at every level, encouraging them, and supporting their ideas. Garcia said that is the reason he wanted to involve his teammates in the testing and evaluation of the robot dogs.

“This is one of the few times that we get to build by the end user, for the end user. Yes, end users test certain pieces of equipment, but very rarely do they get to build it out for an entire career flow for an entire mission,” said Garcia. “That’s why I wanted to create an exposure for these guys to show them that it doesn’t matter what rank you are, it doesn’t matter how much experience you have in the Air Force, we all bring something to the table.”

One of Garcia’s flight members, Airman 1st Class Daisy Slater, an emergency management specialist from the 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron, has been learning from Garcia while they work with the robot
dogs.

She said she is grateful for the opportunity to work with Garcia and learn about the dog’s performance
and capabilities.

“I feel like getting to this flight, I’ve been given the opportunity to hit the ground running, so to speak,” said Slater. “There are so many NCOs and especially Airmen coming out of this flight that are making waves in the career field. And when you situate yourself next to people doing great things, it opens a door for you to also do great things.”

Garcia said he is inspired by the adaptability and eagerness displayed by the newer generation of Airmen and he hopes he has paved a path for the many Airmen who have innovative ideas.

“The robot dogs are amazing. I love them, and I believe they’re going to save lives,” said Garcia. “What we’re doing for the career field, I think is awesome because we’re the first ones in the whole emergency management career field doing this, but the more important message is, we need to be able to be more open.”

By Airman Rhea Beil & Master Sgt. Delia Martinez, 2nd Bomb Wing