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    The Special Forces Creed   

 I am an American Special Forces soldier. A professional!

I will do all that my nation requires of me.

I am a volunteer, knowing well the hazards of my profession.

 I serve with the memory of those who have gone before me:

Roger's Rangers, Francis Marion, Mosby's Rangers, the first Special Service Forces and Ranger Battalions of World War II, the Airborne Ranger Companies of Korea.

 I pledge to uphold the honor and integrity of all I am - in all I do.

I am a professional soldier.

I will teach and fight wherever my nation requires.

I will strive always, to excel in every art and artifice of war.

I know that I will be called upon to perform tasks in isolation, far from familiar faces and voices, with the help and guidance of my God.

I will keep my mind and body clean, alert and strong, for this is my debt to those who depend upon me.

I will not fail those with whom I serve.

I will not bring shame upon myself or the forces.

I will maintain myself, my arms, and my equipment in an immaculate state as befits a Special Forces soldier.

I will never surrender though I be the last. If I am taken, I pray that I may have the strength to spit upon my enemy. My goal is to succeed in any mission - and live to succeed again.

 I am a member of my nation's chosen soldiery. God grant that I may not be found wanting, that I will not fail this sacred trust.

  "De Oppresso Liber" 

THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR

Since time immemorial, warriors have always held a revered, honored and respected place in society. In spite of all political meanderings and the ebb and flow of societal values, this has never changed and it never will. There is an honor and pride in joining this brotherhood that can be gained nowhere else, and once joined can never be taken away. Although women are not excluded, it has always been the man’s role to be the protector and provider. This is your responsibility and your role to uphold and honor in your time upon this earth.

     The responsibility of a warrior does not merely necessitate the taking up of arms against an enemy. It is more, much more and it is such that you become an example, a role model of ethical and moral behavior to all others who may look to you for guidance or protection. If this is the path in life that you have chosen to walk then know that it is a path well worn by the footsteps of those who have walked here before you. Others, who have willingly said; I will endure the hardship, the pain, the sacrifice and the risk of death so that those who sleep soundly in their beds can do so in the warm embrace of safety and peace.

     If this is your choice then know that your road will be fraught with adversity and you will be assailed by many, but in those times, remember that you are in the company of the noble souls who have also faced such adversity and prevailed. And know also that your legacy shall be that until the end of time, as the last sun sets upon this earth, in that blackest night, somewhere a warrior still stands his lonely watch.

INVICTUS

    Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

    In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

    Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

    It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll.

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

A Soldier's military skills reference library

The ultimate weapon for any soldier is in the final analysis, the mind.

There are the standard military manuals that are applicable and readily apparent to be used to develop your knowledge base. I will eventually list them out.

There are also many resources available that are not directly DoD produced.

I will start by listing some of them.

Fieldcraft Sniping and Intelligence by LT.-COLONEL N.A.D. Armstrong OBE RM ISBN B00V8ZI724

The Tiger's Way by H. John Poole ISBN 9780963869562

The Ultimate Sniper by MAJ John L. Plaster ISBN 9781581604948

Special Forces Foreign Weapons Handbook by SGM Frank A. Moyer ISBN 0806510447

Mercenary's Manual by Terry K. Edwards ISBN 9780000000002

Mercenary's Manual Part II by Terry Edwards ISBN (none but search by title & author)

Mantracking by Roland Robbins ISBN 9780960339204

Exploring the Outdoors With Indian Secrets by Allan A. MacFarland ISBN 9780811721837

Combat Leader's Field Guide (no author) Stackpole Books (Stackpole is a retired LTG) multiple editions

The AK-47 & Soviet Weapons Collector's Guide 2013 (no ISBN) check out www.tactical-life.com

Emergency War Surgery (no author) Second United States revision to The Emergency War Surgery NATO Handbook ISBN 0879474106

Gunshot Injuries by 'LaGarde' ISBN 0935856129

The US Armed Forces Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Survival Manual

compiled for civilian use by Dick Couch CPT USNR ISBN 9780465007974

more as time allows

~~

Some of the more esoteric and rare DoD references

FM 31-20 Special Forces Operational Techniques

FM 5-34 Engineer Field Data

TM 5-280 Foreign Landmine warfare equipment

FM 5-25 Explosives & Demolitions

TM 31-201-1 Unconventional Warfare Devices and Techniques - Incendiaries

TM 31-200-1 Unconventional Warfare Devices and Techniques - References

TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook

ST 31-91B US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook

TC 7-1 The Rifle Squads

ST 21-75-2 Ranger Handbook (multiple editions over the years)

ST 57-220-198 Jumpmaster Handbook (ditto)

ST 57-38-107 Pathfinder Handbook (ditto)

(none specified) The Infantryman's Handbook (last one i have is '82, Infantry School product)

FM 34-13 Leader's Handbook for Platoons and Teams

P1550.14D The United States Marine

TC 90-6-1 Military Mountaineering

FM 90-10-1 An Infantryman's Guide to Urban Combat

ATTP 3-06.11 (FM 3.06-11) Combined Arms Operations in Urban Terrain

FM 17-98 Scout Platoon

NAVMC 2614 Professional Knowledge gained from operational experience in Vietnam

TC 23-14 Sniper Training and Employment

ST 31-204 Hand-to-Hand Fighting (Karate/Tae-Kwon-Doe)

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