Special Forces Influencers

[pugilistico]

The youtube algorithm has been showing me videos of former special forces/ black ops guys talking to each other about their experiences on podcasts.
At first I wondered if these were real. Any dude can record himself in a dimly lit room and make up stories of him being a badass.
Maybe it's my conception of combat vets is that they stoicly keep their experiences to themselves for the most part. They don't really brag about killing other people.
Especially spec ops guys since a lot of what they do is classified. I always imagined them as people who keep shit close to the chest and avoid attention since their job calls for it.

But here are these videos of guys who are former Seals, green berets, etc. who are talking about how many people they killed in some of them.
I did not imagine special forces guys becoming influencers on social media.

Are these guys real? If they are, how much of what they say is real or permitted for them to disclose? Is this a psy op/recruitment tool by the military?
What do you guys think about this?

 

[Zer]

My dad was British Army and for a while he ran Adventure Training in Bavaria, Germany, and he'd get SAS/SBS guys there from time to time.

He always said they were just like regular troops. They blended in, joked around, but never talked about what they did or even advertised who they were. Everyone knew of course, but also knew not to ask

He told me one time he got up in the morning to start preparing the breakfast and found that all the SAS guys had vanished overnight. He had no idea. But they left all their rooms tidy and had made all their beds

 

[Flower2dPeople]

 

[Other]

I worked Air Force Special Operations and had a lot of experience working with these types of guys; SEALS, MARSOC, AFSOC, etc. One thing I've learned to be true can be summed up thusly...

The ones that do the cool stuff don't talk about it. The ones that talk about it, didn't do the cool stuff.

Obvious exceptions, but this seems to be the rule.

What's even more funny is hearing these guys talk about the more high profile operators like Kyle, Jocko, Lutrell, and Goggins.

edit: worked, not still currently

 

[FyrFytr998]

I’d rather watch those guys than some dudes giving make up tutorials all things considered. Sometimes the algorithm is a cruel master.

 

[pugilistico]

My dad was British Army and for a while he ran Adventure Training in Bavaria, Germany, and he'd get SAS/SBS guys there from time to time.

He always said they were just like regular troops. They blended in, joked around, but never talked about what they did or even advertised who they were. Everyone knew of course, but also knew not to ask

He told me one time he got up one the morning to start preparing the breakfast and found that all the SAS guys had vanished overnight. He had no idea. But they left all their rooms tidy and had made all their beds

Cool story. The SAS from what I know are the OG of modern special operations units.

I work Air Force Special Operations and had a lot of experience working with these types of guys; SEALS, MARSOC, AFSOC, etc. One thing I've learned to be true can be summed up thusly...

The ones that do the cool stuff don't talk about it. The ones that talk about it, didn't do the cool stuff.

Obvious exceptions, but this seems to be the rule.

What's even more funny is hearing these guys talk about the more high profile operators like Kyle, Jocko, Lutrell, and Goggins.

So most of it is bullshit right? Goggins lost my respect a bit when he started going back and forth with Strickland about how he couldn't hang in training with him.
It seems these guys are using the label of having been a SEAL as a brand to make money.

I met one Army SF guy and he didn't really talk about much about his time in Afghanistan other than that he had PTSD from firefights. Said he couldn't sleep for a months after he got back home.

I didn't expect to see an operator on this forum.

 

[pugilistico]

Speaking of Kyle, he seemed like a psycho with a massive ego, which might come with the territory of being an operator, but the dude bragged about killing civilians on American soil in his book. Which has to be made up otherwise he would've been in prison.

And didn't Lutrell admit that his story depicted in that Marky Mark movie was made up? From what I know, four Seals got run off a hill by 8 taliban guys. You'd think four SEALs would make easy work of 8 guys in flip flops with AKs.

 

[Pliny Pete]

Everybody has an ego and everybody wants that dopamine rush of feeling special for a few moments on the internet, dont matter if youre a gangster, a soldier or a billionaire businessman, everybody craves likes and retweets and it turns them all into Chatty Cathys

 

[Wilmer Digreux]

I work Air Force Special Operations and had a lot of experience working with these types of guys; SEALS, MARSOC, AFSOC, etc.

Really? Doing what?

 

[Protectandserve]

That community is also currently eating itself alive. Lots of guys going after the high profile guys and tearing each other down

 

[LeonardoBjj]

Speaking of Kyle, he seemed like a psycho with a massive ego, which might come with the territory of being an operator, but the dude bragged about killing civilians on American soil in his book. Which has to be made up otherwise he would've been in prison.

And didn't Lutrell admit that his story depicted in that Marky Mark movie was made up? From what I know, four Seals got run off a hill by 8 taliban guys. You'd think four SEALs would make easy work of 8 guys in flip flops with AKs.

- He didnt made a guy whellchair bound after having sex with him?

 

[LeonardoBjj]

I’d rather watch those guys than some dudes giving make up tutorials all things considered. Sometimes the algorithm is a cruel master.

- But dont the algorithm shows things you searched?

 

[LeonardoBjj]

That community is also currently eating itself alive. Lots of guys going after the high profile guys and tearing each other down

- It's become a thing with cops here. THey go to podcast and some of them tell some tall tale stories! Or other say the guys from a diferent type of police isnt real cop!

 

[LeonardoBjj]

Everybody has an ego and everybody wants that dopamine rush of feeling special for a few moments on the internet, dont matter if youre a gangster, a soldier or a billionaire businessman, everybody craves likes and retweets and it turns them all into Chatty Cathys

- That WWE/TNA/AEW rush is a addictive feeling.

 

[Swamps]

That community is also currently eating itself alive. Lots of guys going after the high profile guys and tearing each other down

I've seen a few guys going after that Jocko guy a lot recently. Some have even accused him of straight up murder. Even stating he allowed Kyle to kill people at will. I'm not saying any of it did or didn't happen. I'm just repeating what was said.

I will say, I have deployed to Afghanistan (a few times) and have met several SF guys. No, I'm not SF and never tried to be.

 

[FyrFytr998]

- But dont the algorithm shows things you searched?

The perils of daughters using your YouTube account.

 

[Protectandserve]

- It's become a thing with cops here. THey go to podcast and some of them tell some tall tale stories! Or other say the guys from a diferent type of police isnt real cop!

See that all the time too.
“ oh you’re not a SWAT? Jump Out Boy, task force this or that officer? Your opinion is invalid

Also police side is also chock full of “experts” with very little background. Taken a bunch of classes with a lot of different trainers who had very little street time and a lot of command staff time, who talked a big game but their actual work and resume don’t back it up.

I’m nothing special on the PD side just 15 plus years as a patrol cop.

 

[FyrFytr998]

See that all the time too.
“ oh you’re not a SWAT? Jump Out Boy, task force this or that officer? Your opinion is invalid

Also police side is also chock full of “experts” with very little background. Taken a bunch of classes with a lot of different trainers who had very little street time and a lot of command staff time, who talked a big game but their actual work and resume don’t back it up.

I’m nothing special on the PD side just 15 plus years as a patrol cop.

Same same. I have a bunch of Lt’s and upstairs brass with limited nozzle time, and basically zero wheel time driving apparatus. It sucks for them, because driving spots would have them waiting forever, but it sucks for me having an LT tell me how to use my fire truck not knowing it’s true limits or strengths.

That’s why I liken it to the military. You have you officer who “leads” the crew, and your Senior Ladder/Pump Driver who like NCO’s actually make it all work.

 

[My name is]

There's only so many stories to tell and most all of them will be out of stories within a couple hours. I think it's inevitable they eventually start to lie.

 

[gspieler]

I can't speak for the rest of these guys, but our boi Hemingway was doing snatch-and-grab jobs during the Powder Wars, u see the Clinton administration.