Cleared Hot - Powered By BRCC - Full Auto Friday - Round 6

Episode Date: June 19, 2020

Full Auto Friday is a "rapid-fire" format of Q and A submitted by listeners. Topics from all walks of life with a 5-minute cap on all answers. 1:25 Q1: Reasons NOT to pursue to a Special Operations career field 6:51 Q2: Navy JAG's and my experience with them 11:44 Q3: Managing stress through challenging times 17:11 Q4: How to best support active and retired servicemembers Enjoy

Okay, got the red smoke. All right. All right. North and south. West of the smoke. West up of smoke. Okay, copy. West of the smoke.

I'm looking at danger close now. Come on winter, man. It can be clear not. All right. Full Auto Friday. Wow. I need to turn my headset down here just to touch. Full Auto Friday, number six.

We're going back to the traditional format today. I got my stopwatch ready to go. only four questions for today. We're going to keep it short, going to get out of the week into the weekend and really to the short period of time. Before I begin, I am not the person who is running the not Jocko Willink Instagram page. Whatever. There's some variation of what I just described.

And the number of direct messages I get per day asking if it is me, I am ashamed to say that it is not me. And all I can say is that not all heroes wear capes. And whoever that hero is running that site, I applaud you, and I look forward to your posts. And I wish I could say that it is me. But to everybody watching or listening, it is not. I apologize for my lack of effort in that front. And on that note, let's dig into the first question for today.

This comes from Cody. What are the wrong reasons to join a special operations community? specifically talking about the motives of the individual seeking to be a part of that community. Best Cody. I like this question. And my answer today would probably be different than the answers of 20 plus years ago, pre-9-11, pre-internet really exploding. My number one thing, I think I would say for the wrong reasons when it comes to motives, would be a desire to seek notoriety from your involvement in that community.

There's some obvious ones. I guess I could knock some low-hanging fruit. First would be money. Don't, and that's probably a military question in general or an answer in general. Don't join the military for money. You're going to have a very stable job and you can make a good living, but your pay is going to be based off of an Excel spreadsheet on, one side you're going to have rank and then the top it's going to have time and service and where

they collide that's the amount of money that you're going to make unless you have some special pays on top of that but it's an occupation that is not one that is going to enrich you from a monetary perspective I think it's very enriching from a personal perspective and a growth perspective and a service perspective but from a monetary perspective maybe don't think about it in those terms if you go down the special operations pipeline path whether that be ranger green a buds, fill in the blank, whatever you're taking a look at. Remember that the selection process for whatever pipeline you're going to go down is designed to grind you into dust. The pipelines are designed to be painful. They are designed to stress you out, to make you tired, to make you

hungry and to push you as a human being, this is my opinion, to your lowest points, and then watch how you behave because they're trying to replicate the worst case or the environment that you may encounter in a real life situation outside of that training environment. And if you go down the pipeline because you think the sound of being a seal, I'll just talk about the seal community from here on out because it's the only thing I've experienced with. If you go into buds because you think it's going to be cool to be a seal, when you're colder than you've ever been for longer than you've ever been, and a table is sitting in front of you with steaming hot chocolate in a blanket,

you're going to question how cool you think being a seal sounds like. If you're going down that pipeline because you think that you're going to gain more combat experience than anybody before you. And with that, you're going to be able to either go public speaking or write a book or TV show or fill in the blank. Even if you make it through the pipeline and you stay the course in those lowest moments of your life, the SEAL career, the Special Operations career, just because you're a part of that community, there's no guarantee of any of those things. And some of the most unhappy people that I've ever seen are the ones that I will do what's called,

or in the term that I like to use, chasing the dragon. They'll see a team on the East Coast that, for whatever reason, in a deployment prior, saw an amazing amount of combat activity. And perhaps they're coming off of a West Coast deployment where they didn't even go to a theater, a theater of war where there's a direct conflict. And you'll see people like, I'm out of here. I'm going to the East Coast. So they chase it.

And then they get there, and then the cycle flip-flops. And I've seen people who chase the dragon and they never actually catch it by the tail. And they leave feeling unfulfilled because they came in wanting to see, you know, wanting to be this warrior with all this combat experience. And there's just no guarantee. You know, the pipeline going back to talking about how the pipelines are designed to be painful, the career, the execution of your career, let me tell you from firsthand experience, is far more painful than the training pipeline.

So if you think you can tough it out for six months and then it's going to be gravy, and then you can start earning your chops and earning your reputation. I'm here to tell you right now that I've been more tired after buds, in more pain after buds, more hungry, more cold, more hot. I don't think I've ever had it happen in such a compressed timeline that it does in the training program. But don't think that it becomes easy street after you graduate whatever pipeline you're going down. It's probably going to get harder.

So I think the best reason, this is a little bit of a flip-flop on the question, what's the wrong reason? The best reason I would say is that you want to serve and serve something greater than yourself. That's probably the best reason to consider a role in special operations. And if you don't feel that way, I'm not saying you can't make it through, but perhaps put a little bit more thought before you sign on the dotted line and give X nor over years to Uncle Sam. and I went over by 10 seconds. Damn it. Question two comes from Sophia. What are your experiences with Navy Jags?

That stands for a judge advocate general. Have you ever deployed with one and do you, after all that happened with the Gallagher case, see the need for a restructure of the organization too? Start the clock. So the easy part is, yes, I have deployed with it. Well, you know what? Did I actually deploy directly with the JAG? I don't think that the JAG was attached to the unit or element that I was deploying with. I believe that the JAG was already forward deployed.

So they were attached to the battle space, not directly to our unit, but I guess that's a minute detail because at the end of the day, it didn't really matter. I could interface with the JAG as much as I wanted to, and a common time that you would interface with a JAG, which I might be a little bit off on this, but I just, I hear the term JAG, and I think Navy lawyer. There's naval criminal investigation or investigative service NCIS, and then there's the JAG, the judge advocate general. And my understanding the JAG is the lawyer, and it's not like what you see on TV if you watch the TV show JAG. But I digress. the most common thing you're going to get in theater is a rules of engagement brief R.O.E. And that is going to be given by a JAG.

And I've had those in the United States before we deploy overseas. And this is your opportunity to ask questions if you need clarification. This is the time for your what ifs. What should I do? Actually, you know what? Not what should I do. What could I do or what can I do in this type of situation? Where are my left and right lateral limits?

What is a hard no of something that you can never do? Where is the middle ground? And then what is something that you don't need to reach to higher headquarters for? Which would be a hostile act or a hostile intent directly at you. I mean, because you always have the inherent right to self-defense. So that's my experience with Jags. And there's good ones and they're bad ones. So I'll answer the second part of this.

Do I see a need for the restructure of the organization based off of what happened with the Gallagher case? I don't know. It's, again, we're talking about human beings, and just because you throw a uniform on doesn't mean that you're going to be a good person. It doesn't mean that you're going to be morally correct in your decision-making process or your thought process or the actions that you take. So I, in my experience, my experience with the Jags was very good. Eddie's experience with the Jags seems to be very, very bad. And I don't think either of our experiences can speak to the community as a lot. a whole. And I think they're important. So a restructure, I don't know what that would look like.

I certainly don't think that they should be or should not exist anymore. They absolutely serve a purpose. And, you know, it's important to understand where your legal authorities lie and your boundaries. People look at ROEs as an example. And they, they oftentimes will refer to them in terms of being restrictive. I found ROEs to be empowering because the more clarity at a granular level that I understood what it was that I was authorized to do as an individual or like I said before, you reach out to higher headquarters. I know exactly the chess board that's in front of me. And then I can worry about the maneuvers that I need to make on that board. And I don't have to worry about in the back of my head, well, what if? I, you know, I see a situation playing itself out.

and I really wish I would have asked that because I want to take action, but it's falling somewhere as an individual where I might think it is a gray line. And I've had that happen in the field where I didn't take action. And then I had to go and I found a jag. I didn't have to go. I wanted to go, find a jag, because I wanted a deeper understanding of my authorities. And they gave me great ones.

And, you know, there are times where you might be called onto the carpet to articulate and potentially defend your actions. And I've had Jags stand right there and tell a Battlespace commander or somebody who was inquiring about an action that, yes, it was legally justified. So they serve an amazing purpose, hard to judge an entire community off of one experience. So, and I don't know if I answered your question. That was my experience with Jags. Again, not like the TV show. See, I came in a few seconds under on that one.

My timing. The average is going to be good. Two questions left. which one do I want to do? All right. I like this one. We'll start here. James Fro.

In the throes of a pandemic, civil unrest, economic uncertainty, inconsistent and unclear messaging from leadership, any pro tips for managing this type of stress. Big stressor is the indefinite nature of these shenanigans. His word's not mine. Stopwatch is running. How about we start with the fact that I am not a pro? So I can give you some advice and things that work for me. You know, the pandemic, the civil unrest, the economic uncertainty, the inconsistent and unclear messaging. I was having a conversation about this today.

I challenge people to sit down and maybe for an hour. You know, don't waste more than your time, more of your time than an hour. Sit down for an hour and turn the TV on whatever news outlet you prefer to follow. And what I want you to do is make two columns, positive and negative. And just make a tick mark every time they flip over to a new story. And do a little bit of research into the ratio of positive to negative information that you are consuming. A good example that I can point to recently before the fucking U.S. started literally being a blaze was the pandemic tracker that I would see when I surfed over to Fox News.

And before people freak out, I don't use Fox News as my sole or exclusive source of traditional media. I monitor quite a few. But that ticker had people absolutely riveted by the numbers. And I'd hear people say, oh, man, I'm watching this thing waiting for it to go down. And I would say to them, do you understand how that ticker worked or how it works? It's not going to go down. It's going to continue to go up. And as it goes up, is it actually truly impacting your life in the real world?

Or is it making you uncertain? And is the messaging around it unclear? Because then you can go to the CDC site or, you know, other organizations that are saying one thing one day and changing it the next. And I guess what I'm trying to say in a roundabout way is my first tip would be monitor the amount and type of information that you are. are consuming because it often will educate your attitude and the actions that you take from that information. And if the vast majority of it is negative, no shit people are anxious. They're worried. And I'll go back to something I talk about often, you know, the circle of influence and the circle of concern. There's a lot of things in life like the pandemic that I'm concerned about or the

economic situation. But I personally at an individual level, have no impact on either. And every second that I spend worrying about things that I cannot control is wasted horsepower between my ears that I could dedicate and devote to something that I can control. So the global, not the global, the economic situation for the country, I have no control over. But I can look at the things that I do when it comes from economics in the business that I am in. and I can directly control my attention and where I want to develop. In the modern era, I do a lot of public speaking, or I did until January, and right now, getting six to ten people into a room is probably what most states allow.

So the odds of me getting a public speaking gig in the next, I'm going to say six months, is incredibly unlikely, and I am not worrying about it at all. What am I doing in that time period? I'm actually focusing on what I'm doing right now, the podcast. In two weeks, I'll have a completely done. dedicated studio just for this podcast. And so the backdrop is going to change. And for people wondering, this isn't the actual backdrop of my house. This is just a Zoom background. So everybody who thinks that I'm sitting in front of a lake, it's just actually a green string. I'm sorry to let you down.

But look at the stress that you have and try to identify where it's coming from. If you feel like the stress is coming from something that you cannot control, try to at least, to the best of your ability, because it's easy to say, oh, don't worry about it. I'm not saying it's easy. But to the best of your ability, focus on those things that you can control. Keep the world as small as you possibly can. You know, I live in a place that is not nearly as touched,

say, as New York is by COVID-19. But that doesn't mean that I'm not being safe. I am being safe inside of the environment that I currently exist in. And I feel for the people who are in New York, but there's absolutely nothing that I can do for them. And there's no reason for you. me to look at the number of active cases in New York. So it's not that I'm ignorant to it.

I realize, but by focusing on those things, that there's no positive impact in my life. And I can get stressed out just like anybody else or anxious, just like anybody else. And when I feel that, I really dive back in to make my world as small as possible, get into the minute details that I can control. And I start, you know, if I'm feeling super anxious one day,

it's like, you know what, I'm going to make it to lunch and reassess, take a break, make it to dinner, and I start chunking. I just, it's this, I've heard it so many times. How to eat a whale? One bite at a time. So small chunks, focus on what you can actually control. Right at five minutes.

Last question for this Friday. Get everybody into their weekend. This comes from Sam Rouse. I hope I said that correctly. A little background to understand my question better. I'm an army brat. My dad was a green beret during Vietnam. He passed in 2012.

I'm very sorry for your loss. In the year since his passing, I found myself as the token civilian friend. Soldiers warm to me quick for some reason. With that said, as the token civilian friend, how can I and other support our active duty and veteran friends in the civilian world? I enjoy your content.

I miss my dad, so just hearing you talk with your friends, the language and humor soothes the egg. Thank you. Well, you know what? Let's start the stopwatch. First off, I'm glad that it does. It, uh, this podcast has been an amazing experience.

from the beginning. So much more cathartic for me than I thought it would be. And quite frankly, the reach which continues to grow, it baffles me. I appreciate everybody taking the time, energy, and effort to tune in. And when I hear stuff like this, it's awesome. Because I feel like I'm a moron, stumbling my way through life. And I understand my life and my experience is better when I can sit down and talk with good friends about our shared experience.

and most of my good friends are from my time and service. So the token civilian friend, they warmed you quickly. That doesn't surprise me at all because you get into a room, talking about me right now, you know, you get into a room with people who are in the military or were in the community that I was in, and there is an immediate connection. There is a sense of camaraderie. Maybe that's the best way to describe it. And it's quick and it's palpable.

You can connect just like that. So it doesn't surprise me at all that you are somebody that people in the military warm to very well. How can I support our active duty and veteran friends in the civilian world? Man, this is tough because active duty people and vets, they run the gambit. You know, you run the gamut from people who won't say anything about it to people who, in my opinion, say far too much. you run the gambit of people who want nothing from their service to the other side who people, in my opinion, want far too much for their service. They constantly want recognition. They constantly are asking for discounts. They're constantly looking for some kind of deal. And I'm not saying that there shouldn't be discounts or, you know, potentially benefits for veterans.

But, man, don't, you know, it doesn't have to be your first question, I guess I'm saying, every time at checkout. It's okay if you pay. full retail price, especially, and I've seen this directly, like a $5 purchase and you're asking for 10% off, do the fucking math. I mean, come on, but that's way off topic. The best way that I have found to support active duty and veterans, in my opinion, is to treat them exactly the same as you would anybody else. The last thing that I think anybody deserves ever is a free pass for the uniform that they wear. And that is inclusive, in my opinion, of law enforcement, first responder, anybody who wears a uniform in the service of others. We live in a country where the draft is not currently active and it hasn't been active for a long time. So the people serving on active

duty are doing so by choice. Same with the guards, same with the reserves. And let's not forget that. They made the choice to join the military. They had an understanding of what they were getting into. it is a unique occupation to say the least, but I'm going to be the first person to tell you, it's not that special. So coming from that world, don't expect special treatment. I oftentimes see people getting far too much rope

and they'll be doing something stupid, and you hear somebody say, oh, well, that's so-and-so, and that's what he used to do. Who cares? I don't give a shit. Hold them to the exact same standard that you hold everybody else to. I would actually say

that active duty and veterans, need to be held to a higher standard because they've at least come through a pipeline from my understanding all force services and you should have an understanding of discipline a good order and discipline, a chain of command, communication, and very few people.

0.05% of the current U.S. population is wearing a military uniform on active duty right now. That's a small amount. It's a privilege to be able, to wear that uniform and you should be held to a higher standard people should walk not walk people should watch you and look to you for the example in both language and behavior why well how much you're getting paired you know you're getting paid to weigh the way the way my blah you're getting

paid to wear the flag of our country on your uniform most other people they're buying those in the civilian world on a t-shirt or they're buying the patches you're getting paid to do it you should be setting the standard and for civilians and you know this i get asked this a lot when it comes to hiring you know don't allow any deviation from your standard don't allow it it's not good for your company and it's also not good for the veteran or the person transitioning out of active duty into the civilian sector it sets a it sets a criteria that will allow for behavior and that in the long run, I have found more often than not is not beneficial to either party.

So if you're in the military, set the standard. If you're out of the military, be there if they need help, be there to listen, if they need somebody to talk to, if they need somebody to talk to that's beyond a friend, be able to maybe perhaps point them in the right direction. But hold them to that standard. They should understand it. They should know it.

and they should rise to and above it. And that's it. That's all I have for this Friday. See you guys on Monday for round two with Nick Norris, who again, I'll remind you as the shortest Navy SEAL in the history of SEALs.