What I Learned from Special Operations Forces

When I deployed in 2018 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, then received the opportunity to deploy to Syria, it was a mixture of feelings.

I would be one of few front-leading personnel in the military in-country supporting the fight against the Islamic State. I would be the closest I've ever been to the enemy. It would be the first time I would lead a team in a very-active conflict. This wasn't going to be like my first deployment to Iraq.

I would be working with Special Operations Forces.

That last thought didn't really cross my mind until I set my feet on Syrian soil and I was picked up in a heavily-armored vehicle with enough armament to take over a small village. One of many similar vehicles in a convoy, just to come pick me and a few other Soldiers up to travel to our main base of operations.

I was excited and anxious, but still ready to perform.

I didn't really know what to think when I got there and introduced to the current team. I wasn't familiar with any of the SOF culture or the standard operating procedures or anything. And there was so much information to cover... my team likened it repeatedly to being fed a firehose of information all day, every day for weeks, even after the team we replaced left. And we actually had issues adjusting, because most of us came from the conventional Army culture. We had altercations with other personnel. It was a really rough adjustment period.

I don't consider myself to be the best of the best by any means. I knew my strengths and my weaknesses. But we adapted and overcame, and it was and will remain one of my most rewarding moments in my military career.

I served as a public affairs non-commissioned officer while I was in Syria. I was the public affairs lead for my enlisted team there. I worked hand-in-hand with an Army Captain, my officer counterpart, and we worked really well together. For more than six months, we did our absolute best and more. We respected our team members immensely and they reciprocated. We were a highly-effective group.

I learned that this was the part of the military that I've been missing my entire career.

These guys don't play around. I was a part of a task force that sent you away if you couldn't offer more than just your job responsibilities. They were truly elite in the sense that you were proud to be associated with them. And there were many takeaways that I wish other organizations, to include the conventional Army, could apply.

It was expected that you pulled more than your weight. We all chipped in to help each other. Some of us used our non-military skills to help the team. I obviously assisted with my technical experience. Some took to cooking meals. No one was really outside any expectation of building barriers or making latrines. We all sorted mail. It was actually really refreshing to see officers and senior NCOs alongside you doing dirty work with you. Leaders led by example. It was a community effort to success.

Individuals became subject matter experts and everyone respected each other for what they brought to the table. I still remember landing at an improvised forward operating base in a Blackhawk helicopter, disembarking, and immediately meeting with someone who seemed to be the transportation and logistics guy, barking orders and asking us if we were supposed to be there. His concern was coordination and ability to shelter and feed us, which was already strained there, and he was ready to send an Army Captain back. We later found out he was a Specialist, but that didn't really matter at all other than it would have been an amusing yet serious contrast in how he carried himself and how others still respected his position. It's about knowing your team member's strengths and capitalizing on them to help the entire team move forward. 

You worked with everyone. In theater, we worked with the U.S. Marines, Navy, Air Force, our partner forces, our allied nations... it didn't matter who you were or where you were from. If you belonged there, and you had a role, expect mature interaction. Yes, there were cultural differences. None of that mattered. Everyone was treated with dignity and respect.

You work hard, you play hard, but you kept learning. We did a lot of weapons familiarization. A lot. It was fun and at the same time, held an underlying importance. If any of us were out and things got hairy, we were all expected to be able to drive, to return fire with any available weapon system, to know how to react. It was fun shooting different weapons systems. It was great familiarizing with heavily-armored vehicles. It still translated to effective training.

There were rules, and there weren't rules. We all obviously followed the laws of war. But we were also pioneering some things in an environment that was new in many aspects. We made it work. We took chances. We learned where we could and shared our successes for future endeavours. Rules and regulations didn't give us a reason not to do something.

We always remembered the basics. We always did a convoy brief anytime we went out as if it was the first time. We covered contingency plans. We knew our capabilities. We chose how to react to each possible scenario. We did this for repetition and to let the new guys know what was going on. It was important that each member of the team knew what was going on. And questions were welcome, because not one person had all the answers. We all knew that if things don't well, we're all affected. Things happen, but we always did what we could to mitigate and minimize risks.

We knew we weren't invincible. As proficient as everyone was at what they did, we lost people during that deployment. No one escapes the possibility of failure, or paying the ultimate sacrifice. We can only remember, and continue to do what we do so to honor their memory and their efforts.

These were just some of many principles I took part in and observed. The SOF community is an amazing one and I have zero qualms in returning to that sort of environment. It was highly-stressful, but it wasn't due to our own internal conflict.

We made it work, we made it work well, and we accomplished everything we had to do with what we had. I was proud to serve alongside these men and women. They were the epitome of what I would consider professionals in their craft with the utmost ability to work together toward a common goal.

There were no internal politics. There were no egos to fight. We were all there for each other. It was an unforgettable experience.

And I am extremely privileged and honored to have been a part of it.