A Time For Wolves

This article was recently posted by Nate Coffey on Havok Journal...

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman made an analogy years ago that has enthralled parts of our population. The idea of sheep, sheepdogs, and wolves as a simile for various human personality types has been copied and plagiarized, quoted in veteran websites, and used in t-shirts and movies.

For those unfamiliar with his work, I’ll attempt to summarize; A vast majority of the population consists of sheep-like people. They are useful and productive, but either ignorant of violence or in a fearful denial of it. These are the individuals who go about their daily lives producing and consuming, but always assuming that there will never be violence done to them.

The wolf is the predator, who exists to hunt the sheep. He is amoral, a lover of violence, and will “feed on the sheep without mercy.” These people are rare, and usually compared to Al Qaeda-type terrorists, hardened criminals, or anyone who preys on those weaker than him. They are unconstrained by their society and it’s rules.

The sheepdog has the same weapons and capacity for violence as the wolf, but with a moral code. His desire to protect his fellow citizens binds his violent nature, and focuses it to be almost completely defensive. These are said to be our policemen and soldiers because they are willing to kill, but only in order to protect the sheep.

Wait. Soldiers? Really? How in Posiedon’s salty bunghole are soldiers sheepdogs?

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FIREBASELWARA

#FIREBASELWARA

In Feb-Mar of 2002 just after I arrived at #3rdSFG after being in #10thSFG for almost 3 years. 9-11 and Afghanistan was still very much on everyone’s mind. We all wondered when and if we would get to go.

As an #18E #SpecialForces communications sergeant, on #ODA341 we went to Fort Picket VA for unit level training. The first 3 weeks of company level training followed by another 3 weeks of battalion directed training.

At the end of the 6 weeks the Battalion Commander, LTC Reeder pulls all of the team guys into a conference room to conduct an after action review of the training.

At the end of it he gives us a talk. As he finish’s up his remarks he stops, looks at us and say’s something that resonates with me to this very day. 

“Boys. Stop shaving. We’re going to war.” A few weeks later we were getting off the plane at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

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