Special Operations PERSONALITY TEST 

“Can’t sneeze without hurting someone’s feelings” A few years to soon.

His comment about Rangers being the most out of control and unruliest reminds me of an old story I read about the King of France. He was preparing for war, I forget with whom and had brought in several mercenary armies. One of his armies was a group of Irish mercenaries and one day he had the commander of this group appear before him. he wanted to instill some manner of obedience or discipline into the Irish. The King said "Tell me Colonel, why is that I keep getting reports that my Irish army is the most difficult and wild to deal with?" The Irish commander responded "I can't say, Your Majesty, but fortunately you enemies say the same thing"

My dad told me when I was a child. The difference between a hero and a coward is the direction that they run. He was a drill sergeant in the United States Army.

Discipline is doing something that has to be done when you hate every minute of it.

I've always liked dealing with special ops, no matter who. They were usually down to earth and had a dry sense of humor.

A good friend of mine was in 3rd Batt and he told me that the definition of a Ranger is "someone who's smart enough to know when to quit, but too stubborn or stupid to actually do it." Not sure why that makes sense, but after knowing several guys that have worn the scroll, it makes perfect sense.

Recently found your channel and I'm hooked! Most former "Special Ops" guys, with channels, have egos so huge that their sole existence to having a channel is to stroke their huge egos. I especially appreciate your demeanor that it's not about you but rather helping others to develop, grow and be vigilant. During my 26 year, military career I wasn't a hooah, hooah type and couldn’t stand those who were. In my experience, they were often the weakest link displaying more bravado than tactical sense. I never had any desire to attend Airborne or Ranger School nor did I compete or networked to get a slot, I only strived at doing the best I could and ended up being offered slots for both. With great reservations, I accepted, though I felt I didn’t I have the intestinal fortitude to succeed and be a member of the warrior elite. Airborne was a pathetically easy and didn’t live up to the hype. Ranger school, on the other hand, push me towards and beyond my breaking point but I didn’t break. There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about quitting or hopefully getting injured to bow out gracefully. I did get injured during my jump into the swamp phase, but my RI (Ranger Instructor) plucked me out of the ER and told me to suck it up and Charlie Mike and took away my 800mg of Motrin and said fuck the x-rays your still mobile. I was in great pain but "Rangered On" through both the swamp and desert phase in Dugway, UT. I graduated with 80 Ranger candidates out of the original 800 that I started with, without being recycled or peered. I never got a Ranger tattoo, nor wore a Ranger T-shirt or adorn my POV with a Ranger bumper sticker or window decal, I felt these were reserved for those who lived the life, wore the Ranger Scroll whether they earned the tab or not. I only wore the Ranger Tab that I earned on my uniform and keep the Original that was pinned with on my shoulder on 12 Dec 89 in my wallet to remind me that I have no limitations.

John Lovell, I know this is a late comment but I just saw the video and it made me smile. I've never spent a minute in any branch of the military, my time was spent in law enforcement and later as a security contractor. But I saw exactly what you were talking about with regard to the "Ranger personality" about 15 years ago. I was part of a team that provided plainclothes security and counter-surveillance for a political conference in Washington, DC. We needed 60 guys, and about 40 of them were off-duty SEALS. Another 20 were off-duty cops, and the last 5 were Rangers. We each got paid very well for the time, about a grand a day for 12 hour shifts, and there were only a few simple rules for the four day gig. They were: do not miss the van for your shift, no drinking on or off duty because you may be instantly recalled, and do not mess around with the very rich daughters of the conventioneers. The SEALS were all small and wiry boys who were eager to do a good job. Except for one salty Master Chief, they all reminded me of Golden Retrievers catching a ball when you gave them something to do. Plus you could put them up on a rooftop in the rain and snow and never hear a peep out of them. The cops were cool except that you had to keep shooing them out of our break room where the coffee pot was. The main difference between the members of the two groups was, as one of the SEALS put it, "20 years and 20 pounds, and the cops know how to read a license plate from a distance." But those five Rangers, oh boy. They did their jobs when on duty and were as serious as a heart attack, and I admired that. But they just couldn't seem to wrap their heads around the idea of no drinking off duty, and staying away from the girls attending the conference, and they missed the van a lot and ended up jogging to their posts instead. They didn't do well at all with the idea of rules that they thought were simply for the sake of rules. I could only imagine what it would be like trying to be in charge of them. Probably something akin to herding cats. But they were exactly the type I would want to have with me in a fight. Best wishes and stay safe.

Intelligence under pressure = can you think outside the box. Our society today discourages thinking outside the box. You must assimilate!

"You're telling me...you want to kick him out...because he identified a threat and was able to shoot you before you could shoot him?.." "Y...yes sir" "Get the fuck out of my office..."

I agree 100%, my friends who were Rangers are always solid guys of integrity, insane work ethic both in fitness and whatever job they had, super creative thinkers "outside the box" and lastly, hilarious and fun!

I’m a retired Navy intel officer. Your video pointed out things that I figured out when I was assigned to CJSOTF-Afghanistan (2004-05). Previously, I had only been in conventional units with typical rigid military formality. Shortly after I arrived, an Army-SF SFC walked up to me and said, “Hi, I’m Chris.” I was momentarily befuddled; you NEVER use first names between officers and enlisted, I thought. I quickly realized that these men already had a great deal of personal discipline. In conventional units, formality can be a tool to teach discipline. In the Spec Ops community, formality no longer served a practical purpose and was, suitably, shunned.

"Weather to join the Army, Navy, Air Force ...or..... coast guard..or.....whatever....". Subtle. Oh, so subtle.

Excellent video! I went into the Navy and wanted to be a SEAL, until I spoke with some of them. I went on to be a Hospital Corpsman. My advice, talk to those who have "been there done that" Don't listen to recruiters. Take your time on this, b/c once you are in the military you're married to the military first. If you signed up for 4 years, they own you for 4 years. Do your research, talk to vets, and take your time! Godspeed...

There are 2 types of people in this World. Those who will spend their whole life looking for Glowstick batteries. And those who moved on to the next objective. If you're stuck on the reasoning behind the 1st type of person, you probably wont fit in with the 2nd type.

Mr. Lovell, what you say is truly universal. I found that same characteristic with the boys in the SAS and among Gurkhas. The personalities that make good soldiers do not always make good fighters. The personalities that make good fighters do not always make good soldiers. In fact they pride themselves of that. I worked with American Special Forces at a time, they used the American term "mavericks" after googling it. I found that term does indeed fit what elite soldiers are.

The Air Force is great for those interesting in technological fields like aircraft, maintenance, IT, electronics or medical. I know a young man that just went into the AF and is currently in school for cyber security. You really have to know who you are and who you are not. That can be quite humbling but worth it. It can spare you years of wasted time.

Ranger Integration Hug made me laugh! Awesome story. Keep making content for the Protector in all the darkness and negativity on RU-vid it's been a joy finding your channel!!

So glad to hear of someone else lighting up an instructor going power happy with the god gun. Thanks for sharing John.

"What do shiny boots have to do with anythng." LoL that's what I thought when I was in the Army.

I was Security Forces in the Marines, and I don't care he didn't mention the Marines. I respect the brother he is no matter the branch difference. Thank you for your service!!!

My time with the 19 Delta's in Knox was by far the best time of my life. I got to train alongside Rangers, Marines, Seals and Delta's. Being able to learn from all the different ways of doing things. I know helps my troop be effective in every way. Having the respect from them after it was all done with is something I'm glad I earned.

I like what he said about needless orders and stupid discipline acts. I was doing PT's to go into the Navy for SEAL, haven't shipped yet, and we were about to do sit-ups. There were some blue mats and I asked the instructors if I could pull them over for everyone to save our backs. And they said, "don't be a sissy. It doesn't hurt that bad." And I said, " So, you're saying we need to make ourselves suffer just try and prove something and tear our backs up and risk injury when we have a tool at our disposable to prevent that? We are going to have plenty of time at BUDS to tear ourselves up and prove our toughness. We should at least try to keep ourselves healthy until that point." And they got really quiet, and looked at me and said good point, but still no. Lol.

I'm a separated Navy Nuke (MM), and I wanted to tell you that this was one of the most interesting and insightful videos I've seen/heard on the military in a long time. It definitely describes aspects of some of the special programs that aren't combat oriented. Best video I've watched in the pandemic so far! Nice job. :)

I took a completely different path then the military but have the utmost respect for you guys. Much respect!

This explains so much about my military career and why I gravitated to the groups. Thanks for articulating it so well

I understand this man very deeply. I'm only 18, but life has felt very long because I've never been able to connect and meet brothers like him. I can only describe this feeling by saying I feel like a Player 1, finding another Player 1.

As an UH-1H aviator, in the 80's, I did some work with the 2nd battalion. It was great!

I thank James Yeager for introducing you to me. I thank you for your ideas, mentality, and sharing it. It's enlightening

I spent six years in the Navy as a nuke MM, and the parallels between our experiences amazed me while watching this video. I didn't touch a gun again after boot camp. I did the bare minimum on the PFAs. I never saw an enemy combatant. Those differences are about as stark as is possible, but all of the peripheral aspects were the same. I don't have a clue what being in the Navy is like. At one point, on deployment, my chief came down into my plant and asked me why there was dirt on his deck. I responded with, "because we're in the Persian gulf, chief." He told me to sweep it up, so I told him I would as soon as I finished doing what I was doing. He responded with, "I gave you an order. Why don't you do it now," to which I responded, "Why don't you get the f*** out of my box, chief." About thirty minutes later, Sir (that was our lieutenant's name) came down into the plant and asked me if I told chief to "eff off," which I responded to with, "No, Sir. I asked him politely to get the f*** out of my box." Sir then asked me why I asked chief to rapidly egress, and I explained why chief's order would have cost at least $360,000 so he went back to the office and dressed chief down for about an hour. It seems like, from my vantage point, that normally in the Navy, when an E4 openly defies an E7, then dismisses them with the utmost contempt, that the E4 is done for. For nukes, you could pretty much say and do whatever you wanted as long as you could justify your decisions with factual information and logical argumentation. Except for the brown nosing, politicking, worthless tools who were trying to sexually gratify their way into promotions (like chief clearly had), we didn't polish our boots, stand at parade rest for three hours in 120 degree weather, or socialize with the other sailors. We read our books, we stayed below sea level except to go smoke, we competed with everyone around us to be better at our job than them and better at their job than them, and we trolled each other hard at every opportunity. Rules that make sense are great. Stupid rules are a way for stupid people to flex their stupidity on the rest of us. I wouldn't recommend being a nuke to anyone. That said, the kind of people that are why the Navy's nuclear power program has hundreds of thousands of effective full power hours without a single major incident are the ones that don't care about what other people think about something. They're going to do it because they're smarter than anyone they've ever met, they're cleverer than anyone they've ever met, and they don't care that it's 140 degrees and they've been awake for the past four and a half days because they're making a rock tear itself apart at a subatomic level and harnessing that heat to push a ship that displaces over 100,000 tons of water at speeds in excess of 30 knots while launching and catching fighter jets and bombers.

I am an intel guy by MOS, but I spent about half of my career (1980-2000) in Special Ops (1983-1994) on Bragg and Campbell. I did stints in 4th PSYOP, Gp 5th Group and ARSOC. It really is different from the regular army. At that time the motto was 'The Quiet Professionals.' In fact, the reason I chose to retire in 2000, was because I had been promoted out of Special Ops back in 94. After all that time, the regular army sickened me. 'Battle Buddies' and all the other horseshit. My last six years, I did a plainclothes stint on MacDill, and then two years teaching at FT Huachuca. Never looked back. Thanks for the memories.

The worst part of my being in the service, was getting out. Once out everyone always thought that I learned to do as we're told, to obey orders blindly. I told them that was never the case. They taught us to think for ourselves and be responsible for our actions. The following order blindly was done in Vietnam when they were told to kill everything that moved, including women and children, there was a reason for that. They would testify before congress and then say they were only following the orders. Congress said no more following orders blindly, think for yourself. Then I remind them that there is no stupid question.

6:34 he knew about the pandemic before everyone else did.

I did 12 years in the Navy. in that time, I notice one constant similarity thru out The spec war guys I came across, that was an over whelming since of duty and professionalism. It wasn't always visible on the surface, but it was there. It didn't matter wich branch you were in, sec war guys work hard, play hard, and nothing short of perfect is exceptable. It's a mind set that they all have, to be better. A better soldier, a better friend, a husband, just better. Always looking ahead, yet very much aware of the present. All in all, the spec wars community that I witnessed first hand, were and still are the most professional, genuine, and fun group of guys to be around, always honest, harsh at times but honest. they're the best at what they do and strive to be better. Thankyou John, for your service, and for your insight on the world in general. Its beneficial to look at any subject thru someone one elses eyes.

The “you can’t sneeze without hurting someone’s feelings” line aged sooo well with the help of covid 😂 hahahaha!

I totally felt your story on the pldc story. I had a similar experience in air assault school as an group guy. A saying I picked up during the Q-COURSE is "you are still being assessed".

Personally, I love these talks! Very informative on a different subject.

I'm shipping off to army basics in a week for 11B and going to give everything I got to become a green beret. Love your channel and all the content! Been watching your vids all day. Gonna suck when I cant watch them for 14 weeks! Keep on keepin' on John, I have much respect for you and what you've done for our country.

John, Way back when I was in (72 - 75) we were playing soldier (Ft Sill) Red team Blue Team stuff and 2 other cooks and I shot a Battery commander and captured the Battalion Commander and Top Shirt as they had enemy colors on and were 'over seeing' the games. We told them what their status was, got the Mess Sgt. and processed them accordingly. After 4 or 5 days in the field we got to talk with these guys again as we were called on the carpet and caught some hell. The way those grown men acted made me glad I was on the other team.... We won the games "of course"... Great stories and advice you have. Very good work bro...

My Father would not agree about the air force being easy. He was in from WWII and he got out after Viet nom in 1972. I grew up in the VFW hall. He was actually in the Army Air Corps. That's why I watch you guys. You remind me of him. He died at 90 years old. Anyway, keep telling stories, and I will keep listening.

Excellent stories of "integrating" with the regular Army guys. :D

Wow! Now I know there are others who think like me. I'm retired law enforcement and it is used to drive me crazy when I asked why it was department policy, such and such, was done. I would get the reply of, because we've always done it that way. Stupidity! That's always the worst reason for anything. When I became undersheriff I was able to change policy and procedure to reflect reality. It was very fulfilling.

The calm is weird, like the eye of a storm, Wish I could find that calm elsewhere, Subbed,

John, I was laughing so hard throughout this video. It so resonates with me and my former SWAT team members. Shiny boots are tactically unsound.

thank you for posting this video, your personality description sounds like my squad leader in my 11b company. he was tactically sound and not afraid to improvise. it made my time in 3rd squad a great time. Happy Veterans Day..R.L.T.W.

Stress I can handle. When I get stressed the Where There is a will there is a way kicks in for me!

I watched "The A-Team" (The Movie, not the Show), and I thought that it was all a big joke but here I am, watching you explain what it's like to be a Ranger and suddenly, I think about those characters cooking steaks with gun powder and I can place you there. lol. I guess there was a measure of realism to their craziness from what you've described lol.

Word. Try taking it into the corporate world, I'm an executive in a fortune 500 company and having this personality trait can be challenging at the same time a great advantage. People's feelings are still something I have trouble with dealing with as well as frustration with the lack of decision making at all levels.

Great video but it made me realize why I prefer the mentality Marines to the Army. I suggest to anyone reading this to read the book Making the Corps. I like the strict discipline in all the groups even going up into Force/Recon and MARSOC. Could you talk about PTSD and how you are able to function in civilian life having gone through combat.

My Dad and oldest brother were E9 USAF. Brother was 20th Spl Ops on helicopters many Spl Ops. My other brother is Army in/out ASA. I was like you from Street to Special Forces ..... not real Army. My A Team spent 10 yrs in Vietnam. Half of my A Team had Ranger Training. We met the other day in Portland talking dogs (Oct 2021)/ My Team SGT said ATTITUDE is the KEY.

From my experience, the calm under sever stress and fear is the key trait! The others are benefits, but calm under stress is essential. Without that, the other traits are useless.

John great post really brought back the memories. I was in the Navy Seabees back in the mid-70s. I am proud to have worked with some of the most undisciplined people I have ever been associated with. These were some of the hardest working guys with some of the best work ethics I've ever seen as long as we were doing construction. It was always about getting the job done even if it meant midnight requisitions for anything that wasn't tied down and guarded we even raided fellow Seabees job sites to get supplies so that we could finish our current Mission and move on. But back in the States during peacetime their spit and polish left much to be desired. All this was hard for me to understand coming from a military family who was big on tradition. Now I can proudley say that I was one of them. Nmcb 74 usn. Thanks again for the memories. Simon

rock on man, giving people some great advice that need it

This vid is awesome. Totally made me think of my old man that was a GB back in the day. He seemed to tell a similar story about the Military experience. Thanks for that. Just found your channel. Love it.

"I meant to quit a bunch" this sums up me starting/running my business.

You are HIGHLY skilled and speak your mind hell yeah sir America needs Men like you thank you sir

I know this is an old video, but the charateristics you mentioned pretty much sum up ADHD..lol😄 #TheStruggleIsReal

I was taught that peace in the face of danger is not a teachable trait. it is either in you already or not. that being said to some degree a feeling of normalcy can be groomed in high stress situations​ especially when it is a frequent environment. your mind and body become acclimated to the stress but fear still grasps you and that fear is the device that either causes great feats in battle or gets you or others killed. my great grandpa was a rough rider and served directly under Eisenhower.

I served in the Navy from '80-'89 (and, just to let you know, I don't put down anyone who served I ANY service, even the Coast Guard) and nothing is as it was back then. Stress cards (WTF)? The services have been horribly emasculated by the government who is supposed to be making sure that this country's military is the strongest in the world (think superior diplomacy through outstanding strength). We need to be strong so that we don't have to fight!

Intelligence under pressure is as I recall called high mental resistance threshold or smthn like that. And yes, that's super important, especially for any combat oriented job. In situations where regular people go into "run for your life" mode, which is forced in by body's automatic mechanism and is super hard to overcome a soldier should be able to just act as if this was playing chess with slightly higher adrenaline ;) I very enjoyed that part about sneezing without hurting someone's feeling :D

The lower the IQ of the solider the more important it is to subject them to "pomp and ceremony". They need to mold them to follow leadership because they are less capable of effective independent action. SF soldiers are all about operating with little management in places that don't have obvious.

Thank you John for this. You make us better men helping hone our thinking.

Troopers who conduct counterinsurgency operations tend to be irreverent, undisciplined, unkempt, crass, crude, disrespectful independent individuals with an inherent disdain for conventional authority and regulations. Counterinsurgency troopers simply will not, and can not, be integrated into the "real" Army where convoys of vehicles are marshaled for movement, where combat trains and field trains distribute all classes of supply, and where the solution to any problem can only be found through a staff study. When the shooting stops those at higher levels of command have little choice but to return the unruly mob to their cages until the next time they're needed to get the job done. Such is the character and nature of the trooper who wages unconventional warfare and we like it that way.

John, I keep watching your videos and envying your abilities, but at the same time knowing that my personality would never allow me to be like you. All I could hope for would be to have you as a close friend in a time of need. Great job with the videos!

I've always found it easier to keep going than to quit. I'm usually the last guy to stop working in the rain because it's just easier to keep going than to stop.

We all think we have the rather die than quit mentality till the shit gets real then only a few really do. That's why everyones not special operations. Thank you for your service and putting it on the line for the rest of us.

Very enlightening. Gives me a little more confidence if i do ever try to get there. Thanks.

Whenever you overthink or ramble I relate a lot to it!

I always said Im going to quit tomorrow. Tomorrow never came, years later I was still there. They tried to counsel me in PLDC because I wouldn't take my Tab off my hat or unroll it. I have been in the conventional Army for the last couple years and it is not for me. Im finally going to "quit" after 22 years.

I freaking love your attitude. I could get on with guys like this for real.

Backpacking on what he said. know what you want to do before you join needs of the any breach of military are usually the jobs that suck. so please figure it out or have 3 to 5 choices.

Really hit the nail on the head , after Basic then AIT, did my CET then assigned to the 46th Engrs ,went through Air Assault school, sent to Central America for some TDY time. After all the training and the field time , I felt so out of place on post , didn't take too long to figure out that I wasn't the best "Parade soldier" didn't care for all the "politics" going on either . Probably the biggest factor in my decision to ETS instead of reenlisting. Keep up the good work , I have been enjoying your videos.

i think ultimately your point of view is a very secular view that comes from a part of the military community that is more clandestine in the military. Alot of what you speak about is something i noticed with alot with the Marsoc and recon guys in the marine corps. Alot of them are very highly intelligent guys but they are made of something different that makes them better in wartime then garrison. They also had a tendancy to "stand out" alot more in a marine garrison due to their nature.

I was born down aroundn KY Lake, not too far at all from Ft. Campbell. I always thought the coolest stories were when some adult guys (i was a kid at the time) would tell me about going to certain bars in the Ft. Campbell area and all the tables and furniture would be bolted to the floor because the 101st airborne guys would get wasted and just start fighting each other. Probably nothing specific to the 101st airborne, im sure all bars around bases are like that, but as a young rural kid growing up on farms in the middle of nowhere it was always super badass to listen to.

Us sub sailors didn't like to play with the surface fleet sailors either.

I know i'm 4 years late on this comment, but I have been hooked on the Warrior Poet movement. In my new found fascination i have been perusing the backlog of videos on this channel. I can say without a shred of doubt this is the saddest. Not due to anything that was said in the video, but because of some of the realizations I had watching it. I have visited several military recruiters in attempt to join, every time being turned away once the scars of my knee surgeries had been revealed. Now, at 22, looking back i realize i might've had the perfect brain for special operations. Nonetheless I appreciate all the content from you guys; it keeps looking forward optimistic of the man (Warrior Poet) that I have the potential for. Keep up the great work Jon and crew!!

As a point of reference... I served 9 years in the British Parachute Regiment and we didn't mix well with anyone else. I saw (in basic training) professional rugby players, Karate instructors, fell runners, cross country champions, etc not make the grade/fail to cut the mustard. To a man they were tough guys but they didn't want it enough. The Para/Marine/Ranger beret costs just a few quid from the stores. Once it's on your head and earned in blood, sweat and tears it's beyond price! The juice IS worth the squeeze. However, before a kid embarks on such a journey, have a shave, look in the mirror and honestly ask if you're up for it. Not just when you're full of beer and pissed off wanting to impress your mates or future pussy - imagine being cold, wet, scared and hungry. Imagine being sleep deprived to the edge of madness. Imagine being paid a pittance for your efforts. Imagine GOING TO WAR... Plenty of Walter Mittys and escapees from the lunatic asylum get found out in hours. Don't be that person because it'll scar you for life - and be a source of amusement for the lads who do make it, for decades to come. As the Marines would tell you, "learn to embrace the suck". If it's not for you, be honest and don't even try. If you're offended by what I've said then great! You may be the cat who can dig deep and stay frosty when shit comes on top. Good luck to you all. Listen to John, he knows his stuff.

It was cool hearing you talk about the inability to give up. I have that same problem! There have been so many times when I wanted nothing more than to quit something, but I just couldnt get myself to actually say the words and do it. I dont have plans on joining the military, but it was cool hearing someone else describe that feeling. Sometimes i thought i was the only one that had an inability to quit. I actually feel like a puss sometimes, and think that a real man would just quit because that's what he wants!

The asvab tells them everything they want to know. Its pretty deep from simple engineering to basic understanding of directions and instructions and even code breaking. But one thing they never tell you and may even be a little bit misleading is the manner in which they tell you to "study" for it. The ASVAB isnt what you know its how your brain works. That traits of SOF as you describe them are also the reason why the retention rates for these units suck, foring the military as a whole now to have thousands of these troops . These are the smartest people in the military, able to make their own informed decisions which is something the military frowns on.

Really enjoyed this video. Kind of just stumbled on to it, but I will be looking for more. I "discovered" my mind set early in my unit, and each time I was challenged by an instructor I would say it "load and proud". They would ask, "Ok, mister how bad do you want to wear a trident?" I would look them in the eye and reply," MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF !!" This would always make the rest of my day go better.

Knew a kid, Marine, who decked his DI. The Marines loved it but they sent him to Beirut. Saw a picture of him in the paper, sitting on a pile of rubble after the bombing

I wasn't in the military, but I grew up in a career Army household. As a supervisor & manager there were three people I really liked having on staff: the E-5 Marine, the SF Soldier and the Ranger. There was never any "uh, we can't do that", with them. Work got done right, and they found new ways to do it. They were never late. They were leaders. I sometimes needed to go stick up for them with my bosses because they would "get creative" and the big bosses sometimes got concerned, but I was happy to do that for them; I respected and appreciated them.

Dad was a ranger, his dad was a Marine, both different personalities, both great men,me on the other hand didn't join and should have.

This is why i picked Marines ... all rifleman 1st... but in all honesty .... this was a really refreshing ... this was an honest view on what a special ops guys sees threw working in his unit... i remember my time in the Corp. sooo many ppl arguing over who the baddest and so many drunk brawls.... in the end .. its not all training and weaponry.... its the brain behind it all ... I really enjoyed this video... altho not a special ops guy myself... i knew a few .... I think they could all agree with this hardcore Ranger... as i do too... thanks for sharing Mr. Lovell

I spent eight years in Air Force Special Operations, there was no mission or JRX that we executed without at least one other service's special ops component involved. Look at how are special operations are organized under SOCOM. Everything is joint.

Funny that you posted this today because I decided yesterday I needed this to work on my skills and had just messaged you to ask for the name of it, and then today, BOOM, there it is! I ordered it from Amazon and will have it Friday. Looking forward to this challenge; I will probably incorporate it into using my Dry Fire Cards, too.

I've decided prior that I want to be a Ranger. One of the big deciding moments was when I read the Ranger creed. I was like, "I'm gonna be a Ranger."

Thank you for your service. All enemies, foreign & domestic.

6 years in the Navy taught me that the Air Force is definitely the way to go. Better treatment, better training in technical fields, better facilities, more freedom to choose your career path, and the Air Force has the biggest chunk of the budget! Their Special Ops are no joke, either.

I loved the PLDC story, I went to FT Benning for PLDC in the late 80's and had several Rangers in the class. I had one for a roommate also and we got along great. I like that you mentioned getting through a course is the easy part but, staying in the units is the hard part. I remember the MILES gear also. lol

It's kindof creepy how much I feel like my personality relates to everything you're saying so much.

You nailed it. Every day was an audition for your place there... "first bat best batt."

This video was encouraging.

You're right! You have to be honest with yourself on What You want to do and do it the best. When I joined I let the recruiter and other people influence my decision on MOS and although I was a good soldier I didn't have a good experience. If I knew then what I know now! No regrets I learned a lot. Good luck to all those privileged to serve. HOOAH

"Improvise, adapt and overcome." It's like when I did my PFT for the AST. One day I literally thought I was going to die, but I labored on regardless. I just don't know the meaning of the word "quit."

Your mindset about quitting reminds me of my mindset when it comes to my will to live. I was ready to end it all, but then my rage and hatred for other kick in. Now I want to find a job that allows me to unleash my rage on something else. Happens every fucking time.

Love how he never says anything about the Marines lol

When I was in high school I wish I had a video like this to watch....in my opinion that says enough, there are those that do and those that "teach" you "did" and enough of this thank you for your service bs... I tip my hat to you You earned it.

Ranger integration hug...lol. I love this. Very well said.

Most of the time we sit here and watch John's videos while we're cooking chicken in our cast iron skillets. There's no code to this that's actually what we're doing. Thanks brother.