The unstable regions of the Middle East make up the perfect scenario for the U.S. Special Forces FID mission, which is to strengthen our Allies defense capabilities among building relationships on the ground that will force multiply leaders and trainers on the battlefield. As a mentor of troops around the World, I have made some friends, so it hurts to see those I’ve trained from Kurdistan and Iraq receive little U.S. support in their war efforts against Islamic radicals.

One of the greatest effects of FID is the long term enduring relationships established with our Host Nation partners. I’ve watched young NCOs and Officers that I’ve trained, later become commanders and people of influence within their military and governments. The relationships on the ground are built on respect and our skills from the U.S. are quickly recognized and their motivation to become a better soldier begins. I learned over the years with certain cultures that you have different levels of motivation, so you may have to trick your trainees by telling them, “I have a surprise for you all at 0500” instead of, “Tomorrow, we will do the Obstacle Course at 0500”. Their reply would be, “IN-SHA-LA” which means God willing and you won’t get half of the class to show up because God didn’t will their butts out of bed.

Every culture is different when it comes to their motivation, so schedule in prayer time when training in the Middle East. No matter what part of the World our Green Berets are sent to, our Allied troops receive good training. I grew up in 1st Special Forces training the smiling faces from Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines where troops showed up on time for training. Their motivation was simply to measure up to U.S. Special Forces, and it would begin from the opening ceremony when they would be scoping the qualifications/patches on our uniforms.

An E-7 or above with Ranger, Scuba and HALO patches would be treated with a higher level of respect; maybe it’s because they know, “that I know crazy too?!”

I love to train, so when students shows up eager to learn, I get motivated!

Respectfully,

Daryl Holland

Daryl Holland is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over 20 years of active duty experience, 17 of those years in Special Operations. Five years with the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and 12 years in the 1st SFOD-Delta serving as an Assaulter, Sniper, Team Leader, and OTC Instructor.

He has conducted several hundred combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Philippines, and the Mexican Border. He has conducted combat missions in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush Mountains as a Sniper and experienced Mountaineer to the streets of Baghdad as an Assault Team Leader.

He has a strong instructor background started as an OTC instructor and since retiring training law abiding civilians, Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, and foreign U.S. allied Special Operations personnel from around the world.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.

“At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.”

-Aristotle

Like it or not, Law and Order is a must or you have chaos, which is what the savages long for anyway. It’s not just in the Middle East anymore; Ferguson, Baltimore, and more recently Waco, Texas are good examples of how close the leader of the Free World can become the Wild West.

Sure, nobody wants to be a victim, and with the lack of trust in our close minded and uninformed politicians who attack our 2nd Amendment rights, we buy more guns, ammo, and equipment. If you’re like my family, you can never have enough guns. However, why don’t we spend some of that money on training and improve upon a perishable skill?

I, too, would love having a gun collection like the one Charlton Heston had, but you can only shoot one gun at a time to get truly proficient with that weapon system. I try and keep things simple and only use Glocks and 1911 type pistols, because that is what I grew up with and used during my Military career.

Do you think the guy that surprised the two Jihadist down in Texas had been trained, or had really cool Gucci gear that did all of the work? Obviously, this guy was confident in his ability, and it’s very important to know your own ability before springing into action hero status. Anybody can spring into action when you roll out surrounded by commandos, but to act alone is simply heroism.

The conceal carry laws and training outline by the NRA barely scratch the surface on accuracy and accountability; I add the later because if your gun goes ‘bang’, you had better know where that bullet is going.

I believe that having a conceal carry permit is a privilege, while being proficient and accurate is a responsibility.

Train on.

Respectfully,

Daryl Holland

Daryl Holland is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over 20 years of active duty experience, 17 of those years in Special Operations. Five years with the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and 12 years in the 1st SFOD-Delta serving as an Assaulter, Sniper, Team Leader, and OTC Instructor.

He has conducted several hundred combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Philippines, and the Mexican Border. He has conducted combat missions in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush Mountains as a Sniper and experienced Mountaineer to the streets of Baghdad as an Assault Team Leader.

He has a strong instructor background started as an OTC instructor and since retiring training law abiding civilians, Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, and foreign U.S. allied Special Operations personnel from around the world.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.

When I’m asked about which holster to buy, I tell folks the same thing that I tell them for a gun; “What do you want it for?” If you are Law Enforcement or a Truck Driver that spends multiple hours in a vehicle seat, then you need a paddle holster, so it rides higher on the belt. I use a paddle holster for concealment wear and I’ve never needed anything more than the Safariland paddle holster with no thumb break or hood.

Whatever holster you end up with, practice your draw to develop the muscle memory from that holster and its position on the body. Don’t be that guy who puts his holster all over the place, like on the chest plate, and never practice drawing from that new position.

For the tactical guy, you may want to lower your holster down below the belt line and plate carriers, obvious if you’ve ever worn kit. Anyway, leg holsters are fine, but I want to keep my legs free for speed (what’s left of it), and wear a 2” drop from my belt line with an ALS type holster; see the above image of a recent photo taken with my buddy from the unit training at the Polk County Sheriffs facility. BTW, I’d like to thank the Polk County Sheriffs for a great week of training.

Respectfully,

Daryl Holland

Daryl Holland is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over 20 years of active duty experience, 17 of those years in Special Operations. Five years with the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and 12 years in the 1st SFOD-Delta serving as an Assaulter, Sniper, Team Leader, and OTC Instructor.

He has conducted several hundred combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Philippines, and the Mexican Border. He has conducted combat missions in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush Mountains as a Sniper and experienced Mountaineer to the streets of Baghdad as an Assault Team Leader.

He has a strong instructor background started as an OTC instructor and since retiring training law abiding civilians, Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, and foreign U.S. allied Special Operations personnel from around the world.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.

When long gunning it’s common to have an observer with a spotting scope, so it’s important to communicate in a useful language such as Minutes of Angle (MOA) or MIL Dot/increments in scope reticles. In 1988, I was issued my first MIL Dot scope as an 82nd airborne sniper and mounted my fixed 10 power scope to an M-14. Soon after came the spotting scopes with MIL Dots, and life as a sniper/spotter team became much easier. Without reticles or using a red dot, you would still communicate with the shooter by correcting him in feet/inches.

All telescopic sights have windage adjustments that are graduated in Minutes of Angle (MOA) or fractions thereof. A MOA is 1/60 of a degree. This number equals about 1 inch (1.0472 inches) for every 100 yards and 3 centimeters (2.97 centimeters) for every 100 meters. This continues beyond 100 yards, so 2 inches at 200 yards, 3 inches at 300 yards and so on. My 2 inch standard is about the size of the apricot looking fruit at the base of the brain stem called the “Medulla Oblongata”. If you’re a sniper that can shoot a sub 1 MOA, then you can shoot less than a 2 inch group (5 rounds) at 200 yards. A sniper’s commander should know his sniper’s capability before asking him to take the shot. A sub 1 MOA sniper is capable of hitting the apricot out to 200 yards, thus severing the brain stem and lights out! Wind isn’t usually a factor until beyond 200 yards, so I like using a 200 yard zero with my .308 bolt gun.

Shooting beyond 200 yards we need to account for the wind and use the MIL Dot/increments on the cross hairs of the scope and hold into the wind after the observer relays to the shooter how many MILs to hold into the wind. The condition that constantly presents the greatest problem to the shooter is the wind. The wind has considerable effect on the bullet, and the effect increases with the range. This result is due mainly to the slowing of the bullet’s velocity combined with a longer flight time. This slowing allows the wind to have a greater effect on the bullet as distances increase.

It’s important to zero your long gun during all seasons because for every 20 degrees of temperature change, the bullet will rise or drop 1 MOA, so if you last zeroed on a 40 degree winter day and your shooting on a warmer spring day of 80 degrees, your round will climb with the temperature 2 inches at 100 yards just from a 40 degree change. The desert environment can easily have a 40 degree difference within one day. Humidity will also change 1 MOA for every 20 degrees of humidity, but as the humidity raises the bullet will drop due to thicker air density.

Paying attention to the elements and environmental factors is the beginning of becoming a “Train Observer”.

Since the shooter must know how much effect the wind will have on the bullet, he must be able to classify the wind. The best method to use is the clock system. With the shooter at the center of the clock and the target at 12 o’clock, the wind is assigned the following three values: Full, Half, and no value. No value means that a wind from 6 or 12 o’clock will have little or no effect on the flight of the bullet at close ranges.

MOA x R = Hold (inches) 3 x 4 = 12 inches right

The only thing that I can say when buying a scope, “is good glass isn’t cheap”, so you get what you pay for.

Respectfully, Daryl Holland

Daryl Holland is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over 20 years of active duty experience, 17 of those years in Special Operations. Five years with the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and 12 years in the 1st SFOD-Delta serving as an Assaulter, Sniper, Team Leader, and OTC Instructor.

He has conducted several hundred combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Philippines, and the Mexican Border. He has conducted combat missions in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush Mountains as a Sniper and experienced Mountaineer to the streets of Baghdad as an Assault Team Leader.

He has a strong instructor background started as an OTC instructor and since retiring training law abiding civilians, Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, and foreign U.S. allied Special Operations personnel from around the world.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.

Streamline your kit and don’t be that guy with the floppy leg holster, soon to lose his pistol when he really has to run for it!

Why wouldn’t you want a streamlined kit? Sure, cover the vital body parts of the head and torso. However, don’t become a Kevlar turtle because mobility and speed are extremely critical in a gunfight without even getting into marksmanship capabilities. For what’s at stake, you would think that everybody wants a lighter and more streamlined kit. If it’s not the heavier weight slowing you down and humbling you or adding more wear and tear to the body, I t’s that there is always something to climb over in an urban environment. I’ve been told that around 80% of the world’s population lives around the urban environment. During my time as a sniper, weight became a high consideration due to climbing into position before the assault, which meant roof tops most of the time. I’ve been on dozens of roof tops in Baghdad alone. Even as an Assault Team Leader, every suspect had a wall or fence to climb over.

I like seeing that Bravo Company Manufacturing & Blue Force Gear have done their research, with hands on experienced personnel helping design gear for the current day battlefield that keep our operators on the leading edge of kit. Several colors and options help modify to your own specific needs and easily changed out to meet the next mission requirements.

If I was putting my kit on with the chance of a gun fight, I’d consider taking kit off my legs and wear a drop holster on my belt. Before going out on a mission after modifying your kit, you should always test it by jumping up and down, running and not just jogging, but like your life depended on it. If you’re a garage sale afterward, then adjust as necessary.

Respectfully, Daryl Holland

Daryl Holland is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over 20 years of active duty experience, 17 of those years in Special Operations. Five years with the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and 12 years in the 1st SFOD-Delta serving as an Assaulter, Sniper, Team Leader, and OTC Instructor.

He has conducted several hundred combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Philippines, and the Mexican Border. He has conducted combat missions in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush Mountains as a Sniper and experienced Mountaineer to the streets of Baghdad as an Assault Team Leader.

He has a strong instructor background started as an OTC instructor and since retiring training law abiding civilians, Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, and foreign U.S. allied Special Operations personnel from around the world.

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.