Combat Flags, PSYOPS, Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippine’s

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Combat Flags, PSYOPS, Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippine’s

GRP 40- Dan, the owner of Combat Flags, and US Army veteran joined me for our 40th episode. We discuss the role of a PYSOP (Physiological Operations) Solider, OEF-P, and his company Combat Flags. Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines is a lesser known campaign to rid the Philippine’s of Islamic terror groups. We discuss the situation there, and what the Pilipino government is doing to counter the threat. Dan’s company Combat Flags, create these beautiful American flags put together using the uniforms of veterans from all branches. It’s really awesome work, and Combat Flags donates half of the money to Stop Solider Suicide. Below is an excerpt from the episode.

 

 

John Hendricks: Since these training camps were erected have they been using them to fight the government since the 70’s, and 80’s?

 

Dan: For a pretty good portion of time they were just using it as training. It was considered a safe haven. The government wouldn’t venture too far down into these far flung areas. The jungle’s very thick. It takes a decent amount of energy and resources to get to where these guys were. After a while they started fighting against the government, military. There’s gun fights, bombings, you name it on a pretty fairly consistent basis.

 

John Hendricks: Were they only striking on the southern islands, or all across the Philippine’s?

 

Dan: The bulk of the attacks were on the southern island of Mindanao. The KFR’s (Kidnap’s for Ransoms) were happening sporadically on Visayas which is the middle chunk.  Visayas is purported to have the worlds most beautiful beaches, its where people go to vacation. It’s where the wealthy go, and that’s where the terrorist groups see dollar signs. They kidnap foreigners, get a nice payday then give them back.

 

John Hendricks: If I’m vacationing in the Philippine’s I don’t want to go there basically.

 

Dan. You could. Haha I wouldn’t go there.

 

John Hendricks:  Has there been measurable progress there?

 

Dan: It’s important to note that the United States participation there is in a non combatant role. It’s the tradition by with, and through method. We train them, we provided intelligence, and logistical support. They go out and conduct the operations. They were pushing farther, and farther into some of these far flung area’s. There’s been gain’s and losses since I’ve been there. 

 

Send questions, or comments to Podcast@globalrecon.net

The links to the episode are located at the bottom of the page.

 

Combat Flags:

www.combatflags.com

Instagram: Combat_Flags

Facebook: Combat Flags

 

Global Recon:

www.globalrecon.net

Instagram: GlobalRecon_INC / IgRecon

Facebook: FB Recon

Twitter: IgRecon

 

Music provided by Caspian. www.caspianmusic.net

 

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Army Rangers, American Sikh’s, Service, Presidential Candidates

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Army Rangers, American Sikh’s, Service, Presidential Candidates

   Army Rangers, American Sikh’s, Service, Presidential Candidates

 

 

GRP 39- On for this episode are two guest who I had two different conversations with. The first guest is SGT Bryce Mahoney. SGT Mahoney served from 2001 until 2007. He served with the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and E. Co 51st Infantry LRS (Long Range Surveillance). SGT Mahoney holds a Purple Belt in Royce Gracie BJJ, and is a father of 3. We discuss combative systems, his time deployed in combat, and a little politics.

 

 

The second conversation I had is with Sikh Major Kamal Kalsi. Major Kalsi is a doctor, and entered the Army via a health Professions Scholarship Program. He comes from a long line of military service with members of his family serving in the Indian, British, and American militaries. Sikh’s have a strong warrior ethos’s, and history as warriors fighting oppression in they’re history.  Below is an excerpt from my conversation with Major Kalsi.

 

My conversation with Major Kalsi begins at the 52:52 second mark of the episode. Below is an excerpt from my conversation with the Major.

 

John Hendricks: One of the main reasons why you’d received some media attention is because you like many others have had an issue with trying to maintain your identity while serving in the US Army. Can you just explain a little bit of what that was initially?

 

Major Kamal Kalsi: Sikh’s have served for generations in the US military. We have these beautiful historic photos from the early 1900’s that show Sikh soldiers serving in the Army, serving in the Air force, serving in the Navy, and it wasn’t until the early 19080’s that Sikh’s were banned from joining the military because of our articles of faith because of a policy change. When I joined the Army in 2001 about 8 months before 9/11 a recruiter came to medical school and asked me if I would like to join, and I jumped at the opportunity.

 

I come from 3 generations of military service. My father, and my grandfather were both in the Indian Air force. My great grandfather was in the Royal British Army. It’s what we do as Sikh’s. The warrior ethos is a strong part of our heritage, it’s a strong part of our religious indoctrination. It’s in our blood, it’s who we are. In 2008, as I was finished my residency I reached out to my chain of command, and let them know that I’m about to come on full time active duty, and I just wanted to let you know that I have a turban and beard.  

 

It hasn’t been an issue so far, and the initial response was yeah we have Sikh’s in the Army no problem. A month later I got a call saying well we looked into the regulations, and we need you to put in an accommodation request in order to keep you’re religiously mandated turban and beard. So it was an amicable process we worked through it. It took me a year and a half of paper work. It took 50 congressional signatures on a letter to Secretary of Defense Gates at the time, it took 15,000 petitioners on a similar letter to him. It took pressure from the White House. It took half a million dollars of lobbying just to get me in.

SGT Bryce Mahoney:

Instagram:

MahoneyMoProblems

 

Ranger Rally Point

 

Facebook

Ranger Rally Point

 

Twitter

 

@F3Darby

 

Music

 

Global Recon:

www.globalrecon.net

Facebook: FB Recon

Instagram: IgRecon/GlobalRecon_inc

Twitter: IgRecon

LinkedIN: Global Recon

 

Music provided by Caspian: www.caspiantheband.com

 

Click the links below to access the episodes:

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GRP 38-Nate Boyer, Green Berets, NFL, Patriot

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GRP 38-Nate Boyer, Green Berets, NFL, Patriot

GRP 38- On this episode I have the privilege of having a conversation with retired Special Forces soldier turned professional football player Nate Boyer. Nate served this country for 10 years. All of his time in the military was spent as a Green Beret on active duty, and then in a National Guard Special Forces unit. Nate’s story is truly inspirational, and he continues to serve his fellow veterans by contributing to veteran programs, and initiatives which are absolutely awesome. Below is an excerpt from the episode:

 

John Hendricks: Nate, lets talk about what you were doing before the Army, and then what led you into the Army.

 

Nate Boyer: I didn’t understand much about service, and sacrifice. I went over to Darfur on the boarder of Sudan, and Chad in sub-Saharan Africa. I did some relief work over there for a couple of months. It was over there that I gained my sense of patriotism. I became very proud of what we had here. I gained some perspective on what its like in the world. When I came back I had this feeling that I wanted to go fight for those people in those places that didn’t have someone to protect them. I came back and signed up with an 18 X-ray contract to go become a Green Beret.

 

John Hendricks: That’s awesome. That relief work what does it consist of?

 

Nate Boyer: It’s a long story to be honest. I wasn’t even supposed to be there. I tried to apply to these different organizations’ that were over there, and they turned me down because to them I didn’t have anything to offer. I was like man I’ll do anything. Pass out food rations, assist in the medical center. What ever you need. I was like alright we’ll F you I’m going over there anyway. I bought a plane ticket, and showed up bullshitting my way onto the camps. The people in the camps were enamored by the fact that an American would leave what we have to go help over there. The kids were always asking me questions. They all figured I was like best friends with 50 Cent or something.

 

Nate Boyer:

www.vetsandplayers.org

www.Waterboys.org/kili

Twitter: @NateBoyer37

Instagram: NateBoyer37

 

Ronin Tactics Blade Seminar:

 

Brooklyn:

Session 1. http://www.ronintactics.com/store/p129/Ronin_%22Ring_Blade%22_SESSION_ONE-_NYC_%287_AUG_2016%29.html

 

Session 2. http://www.ronintactics.com/store/p130/Ronin_%22Ring_Blade%22_SESSION_TWO-_NYC_%287_AUG_2016%29.html

 

 

Global Recon:

www.globalrecon.net

Facebook: FB Recon

Instagram: IgRecon/GlobalRecon_inc

Twitter: IgRecon

LinkedIN: Global Recon

 

Music provided by Caspian: www.caspiantheband.com

 

Click the links below to access the episodes:

 

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Iraq, Insurgency, Vietnam, Green Berets, Police Shootings

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Iraq, Insurgency, Vietnam, Green Berets, Police Shootings

GRP 37-On this episode we have three guys back on the show. G from Zulu Foxtrot. G is a Marine combat veteran with rotations to Fallujah, and Ramadi in Iraq during some of the worst fighting. Jason Economos is a MACV-SOG unit historian, and the author of an excellent novel on SOG called “Gentle Propositions”. Back on is a Global Recon fave Mike Stahl who is from the first generation of Special Forces Green Berets. Mike served in Vietnam on a Special Forces A-Team, and went on to become a team leader in the ultra secret MACV-SOG recon teams. Below is an excerpt from the episode:

 

G: The idea, or concept of SOG, did that start from the military itself? Or was that the politicians saying we have an issue and we need to deal with it?

 

Mike Stahl: “Well G, you got to go back to the “Bay of Pigs” when the CIA screwed up that, and they decided to turn all active military operations over to the military. Then you’ve got Kennedy giving us the Green Beret, and giving us that mission. It came out as a need, even though our rules of warfare said we were restricted to fighting strictly ground war within south Vietnam. As we talked about with the enemies massing on the other side of the border you’ve got to know what’s going on. Smarter minds prevailed, and we bypassed Congress. Even we were restricted by only going only within 7 miles across the border.”

 

John Hendricks: G, I know you were in Iraq during the earlier stages. Fallujah, Ramadi those were pretty bad areas at the time. I know you guys were getting into a lot of contact. A lot of ambushes. I’m not sure if IED’s were as widespread at the time. Was that something you guys were dealing with?

 

 

Send an email to podcast@globalrecon.net . www.globalrecon.net

 

Zulu Foxtrot:

www.zulufoxtrot.com

Facebook: Zero Foxtrot

Instagram: ZuluFucks

 

Mike Stahl:

www.trickymisfit.com

Facebook: Tricky Misfit

 

Jason Economo’s book “Gentle Propositions” is avaible on www.amazon.com

Instagram: Jseconomos

 

Global Recon:

www.globalrecon.net

Facebook: FB Recon

Instagram: IgRecon/GlobalRecon_inc

Twitter: IgRecon

LinkedIN: Global Recon

 

Music provided by Caspian: www.caspiantheband.com

 

Click the links below to access the episodes:

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GRP 36-Ronin Tactics, New York City, Blade Seminar

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GRP 36-Ronin Tactics, New York City, Blade Seminar

GRP 36-On this episode I have Tu Lam ret Special Forces SGM, and owner of Ronin Tactics back on the show. Tu is a martial artist, hand to hand combat instructor, and a blade expert. We are hosting ringed blade seminars here in New York City the first weekend of August. Sat August 6th will be held at Cross Fit Giant in Edgewater NJ. We’re hosting two sessions per day. The first will be from 1-4 pm, and the second from 5-8 pm. Day 2 will be held at Brooklyn Athletic Club in Williamsburg Brooklyn same time slots. On this episode we discuss some of the methodology, and how Tu has evolved as a martial artist during his 22-year career as an operator. Below is an excerpt form the episode

 

 

John Hendricks: When you talk about training the blurred area’s and I was out in Colorado I saw the way you were flowing, and I noticed you have the same philosophy for handling a pistol, handling a rifle, handling a blade. Is that a similar philosophy without giving away too much information, if your entering a room you have your sector of the room to secure, but at the same time if you enter a room your veering off to the left, but there’s a guy on the right I’m sure you guys have some type of methodology to where you can get him even though he’s in your peripherals.

 

Tu Lam: Yeah its funny you say that. In CQB when I first started my training in counter terrorism when we explosive breach, and enter a room each one of us as a guy on the teams we move into a certain point in the room. There’s going to be times when a guy should have gone left, and he went right. Things happen in combat. As a senior guy, as a martial artist, as a commando you have to be able to process that data. Like water, move. He should have gone right, and he gone left your able to process that data and go right. Picking up those gaps when it needs to be picked up. It’s the same with fighting. If you throw a punch, and I parry that punch and you throw another you leave an opening because I parried that punch. I’m going to either block or I’m going to expose that opening.

 

Any questions, or comments send an email to podcast@globalrecon.net. www.globalrecon.net

 

 

 

 

Below are the links to sign up for the seminars:

 

New Jersey:

Session 1.

http://www.ronintactics.com/store/p128/Ronin_%22Ring_Blade%22_SESSION_ONE-_NJ_%286_AUG_2016%29.html

Session 2. http://www.ronintactics.com/store/p127/Ronin_%22Ring_Blade%22_SESSION_TWO-_NJ_%286_AUG_2016%29.html

 

Brooklyn:

Session 1. http://www.ronintactics.com/store/p129/Ronin_%22Ring_Blade%22_SESSION_ONE-_NYC_%287_AUG_2016%29.html

 

Session 2. http://www.ronintactics.com/store/p130/Ronin_%22Ring_Blade%22_SESSION_TWO-_NYC_%287_AUG_2016%29.html

 

Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net

Click the links below to access the episode:

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