"They Protected Freedom"

[AVRDefense]

The title...

Hey guys, requesting some insight from the team here at Tactical Hyve. Our company’s September newsletter is going to be focused on 9/11 and we’re doing something with it that is going to be unique and special.

We’re reaching out to individuals in the Special Operations community, specifically, and asking them to share a brief thought about 9/11 – something personal. Raw, uncut, whatever words come to mind. The entire newsletter is going to be these quoted thoughts. The responses can be anything and any length.

What did you think about 9/11 as it was happening, how did you feel? What did you see in your future? How did it impact your life, your military career? How do you feel about it now? What do you feel you sacrificed, most of all, and what was it that drove you to answer the call?

Just ideas, obviously… express whatever you want, however you want.

18 years of war is a long time. It’s crazy to think that some of those of the generation joining the military right now, were not even born when the event occurred that triggered the conflict they are going off to fight today. Just crazy **** to think about really. My kid brother is one of those, I suppose, as he was 3 years old on 9/11. Just graduated MCRD back in March. Good kid. Being a Marine, and wanting to get into Special Operations himself, I wonder what his future holds and how his life might be impacted by that event 18 years ago, that event he can only read about now. I don’t dwell on the future or past, I live in the moment, but I love history. It is the lubricant for effectively learning lessons past.

The Tactical Hyve community consists of some of the finest warfighters the world has ever seen. We’d like to record some of your history this month, in talking about the most significant attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor.

It was our generation’s Pearl Harbor. Let’s talk about it.

Send me a message, or post here, doesn’t matter. I’ll show the newsletter to all of those who participated before I formally send it.

Cheers. We love this country, and all of those who protect it. Law Enforcement, Military – whoever in whatever capacity.

[Coch]

On 9/11 2001 I had been a SEAL for 16 years, on Gold Squadron for 6, had just made chief and my youngest daughter had just been born in April. We were working with FBI agents who had come down from Washington DC to train in our kill house. We were in the kill house when one of the staff came in and told us right after the second plane hit, and it was obviously not an accident. The FBI agents were on the road home in minutes, the third plane hit the pentagon before they got back to DC. I called my wife to tell her life was going to change. We all sat in the team room watching in disbelief as the towers burned then fell. We prepped our gear, got intel briefs, and updated our wills. I went home at the end of the day, hugged my wife and daughters and got all my home affairs in order. I told them not to worry about me, but I really didn't expect to see the end of this. I won't go into any detail on specific operations, but over the next few years I hunted Bin Laden in Afghanistan, invaded Iraq, helped rescue a POW and hit suspected WMD sights deep behind enemy lines. I got injured on an op in Afghanistan, put off surgery when we got home, so I could go on the Iraq invasion, I never thought of any of this as a sacrifice, any spec ops job is difficult, not anyone can do it, I figured I would do it as long as I could and I did. Now I teach the next generation the skills they will need to go into harm's way. There will always be evil in the world that needs to be met with the precise application of violence, if I can't be the one to apply it, I am happy to train those that will.

[Myles]

... I never thought of any of this as a sacrifice, any spec ops job is difficult, not anyone can do it, I figured I would do it as long as I could and I did. Now I teach the next generation the skills they will need to go into harm's way. There will always be evil in the world that needs to be met with the precise application of violence, if I can't be the one to apply it, I am happy to train those that will.

Love this.

[AVRDefense]

On 9/11 2001 I had been a SEAL for 16 years, on Gold Squadron for 6, had just made chief and my youngest daughter had just been born in April. We were working with FBI agents who had come down from Washington DC to train in our kill house. We were in the kill house when one of the staff came in and told us right after the second plane hit, and it was obviously not an accident. The FBI agents were on the road home in minutes, the third plane hit the pentagon before they got back to DC. I called my wife to tell her life was going to change. We all sat in the team room watching in disbelief as the towers burned then fell. We prepped our gear, got intel briefs, and updated our wills. I went home at the end of the day, hugged my wife and daughters and got all my home affairs in order. I told them not to worry about me, but I really didn't expect to see the end of this. I won't go into any detail on specific operations, but over the next few years I hunted Bin Laden in Afghanistan, invaded Iraq, helped rescue a POW and hit suspected WMD sights deep behind enemy lines. I got injured on an op in Afghanistan, put off surgery when we got home, so I could go on the Iraq invasion, I never thought of any of this as a sacrifice, any spec ops job is difficult, not anyone can do it, I figured I would do it as long as I could and I did. Now I teach the next generation the skills they will need to go into harm's way. There will always be evil in the world that needs to be met with the precise application of violence, if I can't be the one to apply it, I am happy to train those that will.

Mark, thank you - for sharing your perspective and for your dedicated service. Spec ops guys are certainly unique, but you're an uncommon man, among uncommon men.

****in cheers man. I respectfully raise my glass to you tonight and everyone else here at Tac Hyve.

[AVRDefense]

https://avrdefense.com/they-protected-freedom/