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Not sure if it is the right time, maybe too premature, but what's going to happen to Craft Intl after Chris is gone? Who will step in and do what he was doing as the Chief there?
Could /would his instructor from Coronado perhaps, at least part time? Or Brandon? I know he'd rather stay in CA instead of TX, but he's definitely qualified. Or maybe Marcus Luttrell, another Texas guy? Who is/was #2 there?
Craft was doing a lot of great work. It needs to continue.
Besides The Brawl, this episode hit me the hardest. Walking away is tough. Going back, tougher. This is an extremely important topic for families who live with this. Families, wives and kids sacrafice as much as soldiers on many levels. As far as training on U.S. Soil; this needs the support talked about in this video and it needs to happen now, faster, more, etc. I sure don't hear about this topic anywhere else. Thats why I am here listening so much lately. This may be the most important topic at hand, security right here and now in the U.S.. Giving back is crucial and an excellent decision. I commend you Chris. I recently asked an FBI agent how much he knew about the military. His reply, "very little". This was frightening to me. We need to be seamless. If you have a chance at family, embrace it. If you can't, make sure you have a great herd of horses and good dogs. They listen well. God bless you guys for what you've done and are doing. It gives me hope that some good and much needed changes are GOING ON.
Still think of mac and cheese everytime I hear Craft so I associate the greatness of that food with the great things Chris is doing. You're helping keep us safe man so my hat goes off to you.
In fact why are Fire Departments and Police departments not heavily recruiting from the military..In my 36 years on the fire department you can always tell who was in the military.they are easier to train ,highly motivated and FAR more DISCIPLINED than your average 24 year old recruit.,. SHIT WE OWE THEM THESE CAREERS
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I wish we had more access to former military medics training. We in EMS are just starting to benefit form what was learned in combat casualty care. We just started using inter osseous drill for fluid replacement but we have MORE to LEARN..I for one wish former military Medics could fast track into Fire EMS
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what ever happened to Brandon's training group? i saw it once on CNN. i think it was called "wind zero'?
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Personally I spent a year gettin drunker and meaner. Civilians were the lowest form of life, and now here I was, a civilian. Took the better part of a year for me to get over it and get my head outa my ass.
I'm glad to see Chris still passing on his skills, hard won, and they are definitely needed. Shit Fire man, you fellows are true heroes, I don't care what you think of yourselves. Just glad your on our side.
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@Old PH2 I struggled with the transition as well. Got out for the same reason as Chris, but ended up not making the marriage work for similar reasons. It's tough to loose your identity, your mission and you men all in one go and have to rebuild all of that. And I still don't think of myself as a civilian, I think "former USAF".
@jrexilius Completely agree. While I didn't start drinking heavy, I certainly was depressed. Luckily my ETS coincided with my best friend getting out of the Marines. We were able to provide support to each other. He ended up going into the Army, 101st, and doing multiple tours in the sand while I ended up going to college. Even to this day, a small part of me craves the comradery.
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@jrexilius I think it's good that you guys all share that passion for having been in. Good on ya! I take ZERO shame in being a civilian. My job enables the USN to be the finest navy in the world and history. I take extreme pride in that.
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Yep, I guess that was the point I was trying to make. I know a lot of people who say they have no regrets and "wouldn't change a thing" because it made them who they are. Well, I can't really argue with that. My failures, hard lessons and the particular path in life brought me to a really good place. But I would be lying if I said I have no regrets or that if I had chances to "do it over again" so to speak, I wouldn't. At the end of the day though, I believe that true character is defined by two things: 1. how someone handles power and 2. what someone does with their "rough breaks" and don't let them eat you up inside. Like you, some of my past failures have definitely been strongly motivational for what I do now. I still have regrets I didn't do everything I planned to do in the Army and I still have dreams of opportunities to do more but while I always keep my eyes open for those opportunities, I am happy and content. God has Blessed me indeed.
@chrishutch13 @jrexilius Extremely well-thought words! Thank you for serving man! A Ranger to boot... I didn't try hard enough at 18 to become an airman. That's on me, I quit AFROTC in college (after having been a contributing member in the Arnold Air Society and Civil Air Patrol) because I was not 'comfortable' with my fellow cadets most of the time, what a cop out. No excuses, just performance. I did not perform, I slunk back to the shipyards (where I had worked immediately after high school) but I have made my peace with my decision/failure and have now moved forward. The regret for not giving ROTC 100% effort is channeled into my work now. I bring the professionalism that I neglected to try achieve then to my career now. I have excellent working relationships with my customer and fellow contractors so I must be doing something right. I think that the Land Nav bed time stories are awesome! Bravo Zulu!
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@HugeFan@jrexilius I'm a bit mixed on it. I was a Ranger and there are only a few things in my life I'm prouder of than that. I miss being a soldier every single day. HaHaHa... my wife makes fun of me because I don't read children's stories to our newborn twins, I read FM 3-25.26 to get them up to speed on land nav.
When I got out of the Army though, it wasn't under the best circumstances (nothing dishonorable but I made some bad mistakes). I was almost finished the Chinese course at DLI and right in the middle of a divorce that I wasn't handling too well. The plan was to try to get to 1st SFG. So, I guess part of me missing it is some regret and feeling I have some unfinished business. I'm very patriotic and feel a bit unproductive sometimes towards our mission. Even my wife has been to Iraq with the State Department, plus a good friend, who was probably one of the main guys who helped me not go completely crazy during my divorce during DLI ended up being the guy who caught Saddam. So, yeah, I kind of feel like I have not shouldered my share of the task during GWOT.
On the other hand, I have an absolutely amazing family and I've done well in the civilian world. I live OCONUS and get the opportunity to dispel stereotypes about my country all the time. The work I do creates new markets and customers which has literally kept Americans working in manufacturing. I guess I can feel pretty proud about that. I'm doing some other things helping American companies succeed here in a country some of them aren't always familiar with. So, I guess I can be proud of that. I truly have a great life that many only dream about.
All in all though... the majority of people I came in contact with in the military (even legs) were far more professional... I'd have to say that given the choice, I'd take military life.
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Brandon let chris know that us in law enforcement need any type of training or knolage that any of you at SOFREP can give us. I think that our worlds are not that far apart in the protection of this usa. Thank all of you for what you have done and are doing
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@ADAM112 Challenge accepted.
It's spelled knowledge. hehehe.
On a more serious note I am very much in agreement with you in that our law enforcement should start learning as much as they can from the mil (and vice versa) right now.
While things aren't looking too bright in our future, there is a younger generation of cops, many of them with military exp. and have seen combat firsthand, who will hopefully rise to the top.
my typeing is not very good. was on my way to a house alarm. Saw on cnn a few hours ago the shooting in CO . Several were air force and one navy, All of this is getting out of hand. had 18 shot in AL what the hell is going on. Shooter 's apt is so well armed with trip wired eod can not go in. We have a few in the dept thart ex military two ex 75 th Ranger one was a instructor. My self ex 82nd ABN back in the mid 80s
Barndon let chris know that us in law enforcement need any type of training or knowlage that any of you at sofrep can give us. I think that our worlds are not that far apart in the protection of this usa. Thank all of you for what you have done and are doing
It's great to hear that Chris is giving back so much with his company not just in training and tactics, but from what I understand, in helping veterans as well. I think in Chris' mind, starting a company like this helped him to overcome that sense of guilt where he was punishing himself for not being with the boys. A strong individual should be able to recognize and accept his or her faults and transgressions and learn to work on bettering themselves the best way that they can.
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Spread the word gents. We implemented sharing tools so it would be easy to get the word out.
B
It's great to hear about Chris's continuing efforts. The lessons learned and experiences are invaluable and should be passed down like this. Good form Chris, good form.
Wow. Strong stuff from Chris maning up to not doing well personally after he got out. So glad things are working out for him and i hope his business endeavors continue to work out for him, as well as for Brandon and Osman. After giving so much of yourselves, the least that can happen is you enjoy the fruits of your labor.
