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Old 05-20-2004, 07:36   #1
Team Sergeant
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The Green Berets (in Afgan) CBS Story

This is a first…. A reporter in a Special Forces base camp. The article is much longer and a good read.
TS

(CBS) When 60 Minutes II entered the secret world of U.S. Special Forces, it was done by way of a Chinook helicopter, with pilots from the 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii.

The crew didn't know what to expect, because no television crew had ever been given access to the Special Forces base in the hostile Pesch Valley, an isolated place near the Pakistani border, where all women are expected to cover their heads in public.

Correspondent Lara Logan asked the captain in charge of the base about reports that Osama bin Laden was seen in that very valley late last year -- just before his team entered the area.

“The terrain around here provides a lot of great hiding places for a lot of bad guys, and he could be one of them,” the captain replied. “Every time we meet with the elders, we remind them that we’re looking for him, and that we’ll pay good money for him. He’s always on our minds.”

60 Minutes II couldn't reveal the captain’s name for security reasons, but was permitted to show him and his men in profile or wearing sunglasses.

"The biggest thing is we’ve made a lot of friends in this area,” the captain said. “If anybody comes here and tries to hide, they’ll come and tell us. And so the area we’re in, and we’re expanding that area, it’s not a haven. No one can come and hide without being ratted out.”

The captain said they’ll be ratted out because the more friends the Green Berets make, the harder it is for men like bin Laden to find people he can trust.

It’s a big difference from six months ago, when the Special Forces first arrived. Back then, they were rocketed every other day. Now, two to three weeks can go by without an attack, Logan reports.

And that’s not the only change. During 60 Minutes II's second night at the base, a young girl was brought in by her uncle after falling from the roof of her home. The Special Forces medic, a pharmacist from Utah, was immediately called in. Her injuries were minor, but the base is the only place in the valley where people can get medical care anytime, day or night. And they regularly do.

The Green Berets also focus on education. There wasn’t a single girl in school until they set up a temporary facility. Now, they’re building a high school that will double the number of children being educated in the valley the day its doors open.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in618513.shtml
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Old 05-20-2004, 08:16   #2
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Excellent...

Thank you for that article, TS.

Solid

Is it me, or do they always send attractive ladies to interview SF?

Last edited by Solid; 05-20-2004 at 08:19.
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Old 05-20-2004, 08:31   #3
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edited... found the answer myself.

Last edited by Sacamuelas; 05-20-2004 at 08:38.
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Old 05-20-2004, 08:35   #4
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I found this to be very interesting

Quote:
What 60 Minutes II learned about these covert soldiers is that the Hollywood image of Special Forces as trained killers is only one part of who they really are.

I'm curious have any of the QP's here run into similar things in their own lives - that people's perception of what you do is so skewed by the movies and that they are shocked to hear you aren't what the movies make you - meaning SF soldiers - out to be ?
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Old 05-20-2004, 12:08   #5
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Quote:
Originally posted by DunbarFC
I found this to be very interesting




I'm curious have any of the QP's here run into similar things in their own lives - that people's perception of what you do is soskewed by the movies and that they are shocked to hear you aren't what the movies make you - meaning SF soldiers - out to be ?
-When I went to court for my divorce, my "Rambo Training" was a KEY issue for the ex's attorney and was supported by the judge...
-When I was denied visitation because the ex convinced the judge I would abscond with the children to a work camp in Colombia because of my "contacts"
-When an ugly, nutso, MARRIED nurse I wouldn't date called the MP's and told them I was running a barracks escort service and told them I was a GP guy with explosives and booby traps...they sent the Ft. Bragg SWAT team to arrest me "because of my training"
-When I was challenged to a "death match" to test my skills...in uniform at Wendy's on Yadkin road...at lunch.

So yeah, I guess there have been a couple of instances where the hollyrock perception showed it's ugly face. But there are probably a hundred thank you's, pats on the shoulders, free mugs with an old guy smile and a nod, and little kids asking to shake your hand for every chuckleheaded "image moment" you have to deal with.
Each one has it's own kind of drama associated with it. But in the end, we as individuals make our own collective image known. Articles like this one help tremendously in changing the public's perception of who and what we are. Just like Mr. Wayne's rendering of the profession in his movie "The Green Berets".

Eagle
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Ain't no one getting out of this world alive. All you can do is try to have some choice in the way you go. Prepare yourself (and your affairs), and when your number is up, die on your feet fighting rather than on your knees. And make the SOBs pay dearly."
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Old 05-20-2004, 12:09   #6
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Re: The Green Berets (in Afgan) CBS Story

Quote:
Originally posted by Team Sergeant
This is a first…. A reporter in a Special Forces base camp. The article is much longer and a good read.
TS

(CBS) When 60 Minutes II entered the secret world of U.S. Special Forces, it was done by way of a Chinook helicopter, with pilots from the 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii.

The crew didn't know what to expect, because no television crew had ever been given access to the Special Forces base in the hostile Pesch Valley, an isolated place near the Pakistani border, where all women are expected to cover their heads in public.

Correspondent Lara Logan asked the captain in charge of the base about reports that Osama bin Laden was seen in that very valley late last year -- just before his team entered the area.

“The terrain around here provides a lot of great hiding places for a lot of bad guys, and he could be one of them,” the captain replied. “Every time we meet with the elders, we remind them that we’re looking for him, and that we’ll pay good money for him. He’s always on our minds.”

60 Minutes II couldn't reveal the captain’s name for security reasons, but was permitted to show him and his men in profile or wearing sunglasses.

"The biggest thing is we’ve made a lot of friends in this area,” the captain said. “If anybody comes here and tries to hide, they’ll come and tell us. And so the area we’re in, and we’re expanding that area, it’s not a haven. No one can come and hide without being ratted out.”

The captain said they’ll be ratted out because the more friends the Green Berets make, the harder it is for men like bin Laden to find people he can trust.

It’s a big difference from six months ago, when the Special Forces first arrived. Back then, they were rocketed every other day. Now, two to three weeks can go by without an attack, Logan reports.

And that’s not the only change. During 60 Minutes II's second night at the base, a young girl was brought in by her uncle after falling from the roof of her home. The Special Forces medic, a pharmacist from Utah, was immediately called in. Her injuries were minor, but the base is the only place in the valley where people can get medical care anytime, day or night. And they regularly do.

The Green Berets also focus on education. There wasn’t a single girl in school until they set up a temporary facility. Now, they’re building a high school that will double the number of children being educated in the valley the day its doors open.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in618513.shtml
Absolutely AWSOME!
Think they need an SF qualified PA to sign off on their prescriptions and give some CME's to the medics

Eagle
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Primum non Nocere
"I have hung out in dangerous places a lot over the years, from combat zones to biker bars, and it is the weak, the unaware, or those looking for it, that usually find trouble.

Ain't no one getting out of this world alive. All you can do is try to have some choice in the way you go. Prepare yourself (and your affairs), and when your number is up, die on your feet fighting rather than on your knees. And make the SOBs pay dearly."
The Reaper-3 Sep 04
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Old 05-20-2004, 22:24   #7
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Great article. Thanks, TS.
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