Navy SEALs, Delta Force, and SOCOM general - The most "Special" groups in the U.S. Military

[Finnish Air Force]

Tell that to Kyle Mullen's family, who didn't quit, Andy, and because of that BUD/S killed him.

This isn't necessarily specific to the Kyle Mullen case but one of the big problems BUD/S has is that a lot of the exercises take place in waterways and mudflats that are notoriously polluted. Infections are one of the biggest health risks in BUD/S outside of all the other shit they have to do. According to Google 11 students have died in the history of BUD/s which has been pretty much unchanged since the 1960s. Remarkable it's not more.

 

[Justtocheck]

This isn't necessarily specific to the Kyle Mullen case but one of the big problems BUD/S has is that a lot of the exercises take place in waterways and mudflats that are notoriously polluted. Infections are one of the biggest health risks in BUD/S outside of all the other shit they have to do. According to Google 11 students have died in the history of BUD/s which has been pretty much unchanged since the 1960s. Remarkable it's not more.

https://kiwifarms.pa/threads/navy-seals-delta-force-and-socom-general.176278/post-17199270

https://archive.ph/kUCeJ

The phrases that always stuck with me were:

The Navy attracts recruits for the SEALs using flashy images of warriors jumping from planes or rising menacingly from the dark surf. But very few make it through the harrowing selection course, and those who don’t still owe the Navy the rest of their four-year enlistments. So they end up doing whatever Navy jobs are available — often, menial work that few others want.

The recruits are almost all hyper-motivated overachievers, often with college degrees, who have passed a battery of strength and intelligence tests. But many find themselves washing dishes in cramped galleys, cleaning toilets on submarines or scraping paint on aircraft carriers.

Unlike civilian workers, they cannot quit. To walk away would be a crime. Until the enlistment is done, they are stuck.

The course, known as BUD/S, is meant to simulate the extreme stress of special-operations combat missions. Recruits who can’t take the long days of struggle and cold announce their decision to quit by voluntarily ringing a brass bell near the beach where they train.
On average, about 70 percent of each class over the last decade has rung the bell. But the rate suddenly soared in 2021, reaching as high as 93 percent.

Classes that started with 150 recruits were finishing with fewer than 10. In Navy records, nearly all the dropouts appeared to be voluntary, but sailors said that, in reality, a majority were sick or injured. It was not unusual, they said, to see men carried to the bell because they could not walk.

 

[Green Seppuku]

There has also been an unprecedented rise in injuries among Gen Z professional athletes despite decreased playing time. No one can agree on what's causing it.

 

[Justtocheck]

There has also been an unprecedented rise in injuries among Gen Z professional athletes despite decreased playing time. No one can agree on what's causing it.

Yeah, we'd had this talk before. JIDF thinks it's about chemicals and decreased T in this generation, I think it's because the standards have gotten higher and more is asked of the athlete. We agreed to disagree there. The thing that's fucked up is that healthy, fit, young and motivated men are getting wrecked at a selection course and not even getting military experience off of it. BUD/S for the most part is a 6 month suck event and at the end you are no better soldier than the average marine POG. Not even in SQT you get the real operator skills. It's not me saying it. It's literally Jonny Kim.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EkSJG2630jM

 

[The Delta Farce]

So Josh Martin is still active duty? Huh. Well, I think it's to protect the ones who authorized the missions. At the end of the day, the only reason these dudes are out in the world with guns is because people in suits authorized it and thought it was a good idea.

I formatted my post poorly. I was just using Josh as an example of someone who had a social media presence while he was still active. I think he's out now.

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Sentinel Foundation Financial Information

ProPublica/Archive

 

[Justtocheck]

I formatted my post poorly. I was just using Josh as an example of someone who had a social media presence while he was still active. I think he's out now.
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Sentinel Foundation Financial Information
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ProPublica/Archive

Oh look at that. Taylor Jolly making 6 figures. I really hope they are getting those darn child sex traffickers, since I read that %100 of donations go to child rescue. I am sure those 550k compensations are justified and those darn traffickers are getting lit up

 

[The Grognard]

There has also been an unprecedented rise in injuries among Gen Z professional athletes despite decreased playing time. No one can agree on what's causing it.

IMO this is caused by a problem amongst certain sorts of coaches who believe every athlete comes out of the box in peak physical conditioning and thus can go straight to doing everything as hard and fast as possible. In a way, think of it like getting people to run before they are used to walking.

 

[The Delta Farce]

Joshua Wheeler and Matt Pranka https://archive.is/bVOYy

 

[Special Kneads]

Delta Force A Squadron circa 1990


Dale Comstock before the steroids and spray tan top left. Larry Vickers top right. Those suits are soo 90s. Brings back memories lol

 

[Justtocheck]

Joshua Wheeler and Matt Pranka https://archive.is/bVOYy
joshwheeler.mp4
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Joshua Wheeler gives me "Judge Holden from Blood Meridian if he had joined Delta" vibes

I bet when they were using the Hatchets they took quite some inspiration from the book.
Also I asked GPT4 if it's appropriate for 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations (like the Sentinel Foundation) if it's usual for staff to receive a 6-figure salary. This is what it answered.

Spoiler: GPT4 answers about Sentinel Foundation. Draw your conclusion, lads

In the United States, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization can legally compensate its employees, including its executive staff, with six-figure salaries, provided these compensations are reasonable and commensurate with the services provided. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) oversees these organizations and stipulates that their activities should not financially benefit private individuals or shareholders. Compensation is considered part of an organization's operating expenses, and there's an understanding that to attract skilled professionals capable of managing large, complex organizations effectively, competitive salaries may be necessary.

Several factors influence what is deemed "reasonable" compensation, including the organization's size, budget, location, and the complexity of the role. For instance, executives running large non-profit hospitals or universities often receive six-figure salaries, reflecting the market rate for similar positions in the for-profit sector.

However, instances of excessive compensation or benefits that disproportionately enrich individuals at the expense of the organization's mission could be a violation of the IRS rules governing non-profits. Such situations might warrant further investigation, especially if they indicate a broader pattern of mismanagement or fail to align with the organization's charitable purpose.
As an investigative journalist, exploring these compensations could be worthwhile if there are signs of possible abuse or mismanagement, such as:

• Compensation significantly higher than the average for similar roles in the non-profit sector.
• Lack of transparency in how salaries are determined.
• Conflicts of interest in setting compensation.
• A large portion of the organization's budget going towards salaries, especially if it impacts the organization's ability to fulfill its mission.

Investigating requires careful consideration of the context and comparison with industry standards.

 

[The Delta Farce]

Joshua Wheeler gives me "Judge Holden from Blood Meridian if he had joined Delta" vibes

Holy fuck, it's the same picture.

I bet when they were using the Hatchets they took quite some inspiration from the book.
Also I asked GPT4 if it's appropriate for 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations (like the Sentinel Foundation) if it's usual for staff to receive a 6-figure salary. This is what it answered.

That's a disturbingly well-written answer from an AI.

 

[Justtocheck]

Long-form interview with Kevin Holland the SEAL who went to Delta and started the hatchet trend. He's very laid back and humble. Makes Delta kinda seem like a shit show though. Describes getting shot, No one really comes to help him, he shoots the enemy combatant and walks himself back to the helicopter. One of his teammates drops his antibiotics in the mud because he's shaking so bad. Military doctors are neglectful and he could have died. It's also hilarious that he was a civilian park Ranger for 6 years, enlisted in the national guard right after 9/11 and graduated first in Delta selection in March of 2002.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=i64bMjUIdO8:4677Ver archivo adjunto 5801529
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Listened to the podcast. It was cool. Kevin does strike me as very tough, but not very smart country boy. He's got the accent and everything. Like when he got shot, he was like "whatever".

He should have been screaming for his own sake "I NEED A MEDIC I'M HIT." the dude could have fucking died, and he was just like "Oh, I got out of the water, I just got shot... eh what'ver" and chewed on a painkiller stick. Like dude, you need to get to your teammates right now and make it known. I wonder if the tough guy culture got to him and was afraid of showing weakness and would have rather died than being seen as weak.

Another thing I noticed is how very small and useless the hatchets actually are. You'd be better off with an actual carpenter hatchet and not a Winkler tomahawk. There's no way you are doing things like chopping wood or prying open doors or windows with that thing. You couldn't even fucking break a lock with them. They are too small and have a spike.

I guess Delta just wanted to LARP as Indians.

Edit: Here's a photo. Look at how small that is.

 

[Finnish Air Force]

He should have been screaming for his own sake "I NEED A MEDIC I'M HIT." the dude could have fucking died, and he was just like "Oh, I got out of the water, I just got shot... eh what'ver"

It's the job of the leadership and medical personnel to act in that situation. You can't expect the person who's been shot and is full of adrenaline to be the rational one. The medic being scared and shaking so bad he dropped the antibiotics is the real loser in that story IMO. I also wonder what doctor decided not to give him an x-ray until later.

Another thing I noticed is how very small and useless the hatchets actually are. You'd be better off with an actual carpenter hatchet and not a Winkler tomahawk. There's no way you are doing things like chopping wood or prying open doors or windows with that thing. You couldn't even fucking break a lock with them. They are too small and have a spike.

The wood chopping and prying doors is obviously an excuse. The hatchets are for hacking people. Historical battle hatchets were always very small because unlike in movies and fantasy cartoons it's really hard to swing a giant axe.

 

[Justtocheck]

It's the job of the leadership and medical personnel to act in that situation. You can't expect the person who's been shot and is full of adrenaline to be the rational one. The medic being scared and shaking so bad he dropped the antibiotics is the real loser in that story IMO. I also wonder what doctor decided not to give him an x-ray until later.

Yeah, you've got a point. The medic and team leader are the responsible ones, and should have taken care of him immediately. I'm just a bit puzzled by his laconic reaction, but perhaps he's just built different, unironically.

The wood chopping and prying doors is obviously an excuse. The hatchets are for hacking people. Historical battle hatchets were always very small because unlike in movies and fantasy cartoons it's really hard to swing a giant axe.

At that time (2002-2005) Tom Satterly would have been a master sergeant of C-squadron or a similar high enlisted rank, right? I know that now that he's a cool "old-man" with the "All secure" foundation, but at the time, he must have known about the hatchets and allowed it, if not encouraged it. There's no way he didn't know about what the troops were carrying into battle and using the hatchets for.

 

[Tablet County]

Holy fuck, it's the same picture.

He did say he would never die.

 

[Finnish Air Force]

At that time (2002-2005) Tom Satterly would have been a master sergeant of C-squadron or a similar high enlisted rank, right? I know that now that he's a cool "old-man" with the "All secure" foundation, but at the time, he must have known about the hatchets and allowed it, if not encouraged it. There's no way he didn't know about what the troops were carrying into battle and using the hatchets for.

Satterly might not have known. One of the big cultural issues with Delta is how siloed they are. The different squadrons don't talk to each other, and the different troops within squadrons don't work together unless they're forced to. Apparently even the individual teams (5 man elements) run their own marksmanship and tactical training. One team or troop could be off the rails committing war crimes or not progressing tactically without getting feedback from someone outside the echo chamber.

 

[RX-78]

Satterly might not have known. One of the big cultural issues with Delta is how siloed they are. The different squadrons don't talk to each other, and the different troops within squadrons don't work together unless they're forced to. Apparently even the individual teams (5 man elements) run their own marksmanship and tactical training. One team or troop could be off the rails committing war crimes or not progressing tactically without getting feedback from someone outside the echo chamber.

The burger army being a disorganized clusterfuck, even at the allegedly elite level, explains a lot.

 

[Justtocheck]

(Deleted part of a post, because I thought it was a bit too off-topic.)

Just read in JSOCarchive that Kyle Morgan was PNG'd from Delta because he was popped with cocaine. Is that in Shawn Ryan's podcast? Must have missed it. (Yeah, found it at 4 hours 20 minutes. He almost died from Coke laced with fent in front of his daughter in the car. Holy Jesus.) Might want to add him to the OP. As a side note, everyone in SOF seems like they had their neck fused or a neck surgery.

 

[The Delta Farce]

ust read in JSOCarchive that Kyle Morgan was PNG'd from Delta because he was popped with cocaine. Is that in Shawn Ryan's podcast? Must have missed it. (Yeah, found it at 4 hours 20 minutes. He almost died from Coke laced with fent in front of his daughter in the car. Holy Jesus.) Might want to add him to the OP. As a side note, everyone in SOF seems like they had their neck fused or a neck surgery.

Again, standard disclaimer that I'm armchair quarterbacking, but Kyle seems like a moron who wasn't fit to be in combat period. He was in one ~15 second firefight with 2 dudes with AKs and it destroyed his life? He wouldn't be able to function in a real war. Imagine what would have happened if he had been on a hostage rescue or other important mission rather than a relatively unimportant security detail. What if the US had to fight in Ukraine?

 

[Justtocheck]

Again, standard disclaimer that I'm armchair quarterbacking, but Kyle seems like a moron who wasn't fit to be in combat period. He was in one ~15 second firefight with 2 dudes with AKs and it destroyed his life? He wouldn't be able to function in a real war. Imagine what would have happened if he had been on a hostage rescue or other important mission rather than a relatively unimportant security detail. What if the US had to fight in Ukraine?

What he did at the hotel was his job, and he did it well, but I think the pressure of the job and his alcoholism was already screwing him up way before the hotel incident. Like dude, how do you not carry a notepad in your gear? Perhaps he had never seen 20 dead people having been brutally shot, and probably it was his tipping point. I've seen way more dead bodies than 20, but I've never been in a firefight where my life was at stake, so I cannot judge Kyle for not taking it well.

What Kyle can be judged for was his poor handling of him emotions that led to him almost ODing in front of his daughter. That's fucked up.

I can empathize with him in the way that getting to know that you cannot handle something sucks, and it takes time to digest. As a personal note, the first time I was shown how to dissect a dead fetus I was like "no, this is not for me". And had to quit those nasty, death-related jobs.

I thought I could handle it, but I really couldn't. It sucked, but it was my reality. Becoming a functional addict to cope is the wrong way to go, and he wasn't mature enough to hear it, as he admits it. Sad it took so long and nearly dying for him to get it. Hope his wife gets better from the cancer.