Does this sound right? Instructor Bio

[<MADDOG>]

Gentlemen, and especially our active duty & vets;

I recently joined another gun board/forum, as I have relocated to the great ever confused South. I have noticed that one of the gentlemen has a training center; so I pull it up. In the "about" is this:

"service in the military began with the 1st of the 75th Army Airborne Rangers. I was deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Storm with the US Army’s 24th Infantry Division, and upon returning, served with the US Army 509th Pathfinders, where I also commanded the US Army Special Reaction Team’s Sniper Unit at Fort Rucker, Alabama. I finished my military service as an undercover narcotics investigator in the US Army Criminal Investigation Division."

I'll withhold my reasoning why I question this, as I do not wish to taint opinions; but does this history seem plausible?

Side note: his age is right for DS.

[cstone]

Not much at Rucker when I was there except for Aviation...lots of helicopters and very young warrant officers. Oh, and a boll weevil monument in the middle of town. That was 30 years ago, so I can't help much.

[asmo]

Paul Smith of Wendell, NC

Talked with a 1/75 buddy who was there at the time - and the name doesn't ring a bell. He is looking into it. According to him there were only a very small number from the bat there at the time.

[jerrymrc]

Since we have been through this before There are um, many gaps. He had to start with a job first and could have been support for the 75th. AIT is not RIP and even Rangers have a job first. Went to DS1 with the 24th. Ok I went with 1st ID but I was medical and in the 16th MASH that belonged to 1stID. Now served with the pathfinders and he commanded the SRT. I know of no enlisted that would ever list him/herself as a commander since we are now talking officer ranks. Now it gets sketchy.

I finished my military service as an undercover narcotics investigator in the US Army Criminal Investigation Division. Last I knew "investigators" or anyone that does things like this in CID are Warrants. His career progression and jobs held are very strange.

Stranger things have happened but one has to read between the lines. Others can chime in but the only thing to start with is an MP that went Ranger and then was assigned to the 24th as an MP. the pathfinder thing..... Then goes to WOC school and is now part of CID.

Just some thoughts from a guy that was in during that time.

[<MADDOG>]

I hate you guys...

You are thinking the same things I am [LOL]

ASMO, please let me know what you come up with!

[TheBelly]

pm inbound about the CID and SRT stuff.

[mcantar18c]

I'm hesitant to believe that.

[stoner01]

I'm calling BS

[Mick-Boy]

So... He started as an 11b and tried to go to Ranger Regt. Got sent down the road to a line infantry unit. Spent some time doing that, cross decked (do soldiers "cross deck" or is that just a USMC/Navy thing?) to MPs, which he tries to make high speed (SPECIAL! SNIPERS!) then goes to CID.

If he has 8-10 years time in service I'd probably believe it in the absence of contradictory information... But nothing in that bio would make me jump through hoops to train with the man.

[cstone]

When I switched MOSs in the Army it was referred to as "reclassify." I started as a 67U and then switched to 95B when I left active duty and went into a reserve unit. There were some senior NCOs in Army CID, E7s and E8s. It was the last step up after MPI. Most investigations in the Army were done by MPI with counter intel and major crimes going to CID. Everyone spent time doing white hat (patrol) or force security before they were even considered for MPI.

Why were so many of those schools in Alabama?

IMO, being a good instructor has less to do with what you have done and where you have been than what type of personality you have and your ability to adapt your methods to your students. Lots of great shooters have a difficult time conveying the skills to others.

[hurley842002]

IMO, being a good instructor has less to do with what you have done and where you have been than what type of personality you have and your ability to adapt your methods to your students. Lots of great shooters have a difficult time conveying the skills to others.

I couldn't agree more. The firearms instructors at my last agency came from a wide variety of backgrounds, a couple had a decent amount of military and law enforcement experience, but one of the best instructors there, had only been shooting for a few years. This instructor was a decent shot, but nothing special, what he was great at however, was tactfully and meticulously pointing out areas of improvement and teaching what he knew. There are instructors out there with a book full of credentials AND they are great instructors, but being a bad ass and a great teacher don't always go hand in hand.

[Irving]

I agree, as a great shooter myself, I have difficulty conveying my shooting skills to the targets and the other guys that beat me all the time.

[HoneyBadger]

I agree, as a great shooter myself, I have difficulty conveying my shooting skills to the targets and the other guys that beat me all the time.
[LOL]

[cstone]

I agree, as a great shooter myself, I have difficulty conveying my shooting skills to the targets and the other guys that beat me all the time.

Its tough to be a great shooter when all of the targets are ninjas. [Flower]

[Guylee]

"service in the military began with the 1st of the 75th Army Airborne Rangers.



That doesn't make any sense. Unless he means 1st BATTALION of Ranger REGIMENT. His phrasing is super weird...but like others have said, sounds like he went to RIP and got kicked down to 24th ID.

[TheBelly]

I can't believe that no one has posted this yet, but here goes:

http://frontlinedefenseusa.com/about-frontline-defense

OP, is this the guy?

[Dave]

When I switched MOSs in the Army it was referred to as "reclassify." I started as a 67U and then switched to 95B when I left active duty and went into a reserve unit. There were some senior NCOs in Army CID, E7s and E8s. It was the last step up after MPI. Most investigations in the Army were done by MPI with counter intel and major crimes going to CID. Everyone spent time doing white hat (patrol) or force security before they were even considered for MPI.

Why were so many of those schools in Alabama?

IMO, being a good instructor has less to do with what you have done and where you have been than what type of personality you have and your ability to adapt your methods to your students. Lots of great shooters have a difficult time conveying the skills to others.
Aviation wasn't high speed enough for ya?

I am not sure about anything at Rucker other than the warrant officer school and flight school. I almost went there as a 67T/15T to work on the trainer birds, and stuff I looked up about the base back in 2003 had no mention of SRT Spec Ops or Ranger units there. Not to say there isn't or wasn't any as I was more looking at the fact Ruck is in the middle of nowhere.

I wouldn't be running to this guy's place to train, but he may be a decent guy with good knowledge. Or, he's a complete asshat trying to use fancy military jargon to sound like he knows more than he does.

[Guylee]

I can't believe that no one has posted this yet, but here goes:

http://frontlinedefenseusa.com/about-frontline-defense

OP, is this the guy?

Yeah. It just doesn't seem right.

[TheBelly]

I am not sure about anything at Rucker other than the warrant officer school and flight school. I almost went there as a 67T/15T to work on the trainer birds, and stuff I looked up about the base back in 2003 had no mention of SRT Spec Ops or Ranger units there. Not to say there isn't or wasn't any as I was more looking at the fact Ruck is in the middle of nowhere.

I wouldn't be running to this guy's place to train, but he may be a decent guy with good knowledge. Or, he's a complete asshat trying to use fancy military jargon to sound like he knows more than he does.


Every post has an SRT function as part of its law and order mission. On bigger posts, like Hood, it's a dedicated team and they have their own OIC and NCOIC. On smaller posts, like Rucker, the SRT team is normally nothing more than a handful of guys from the normal L&O patrols that get the call if needed. As such, the Sniper Commander of the Rucker SRT isn't a real full-on command like we all know and understand. It MAY just be this guy's way of translating military responsibilities into an easily digestable term for folks that have never been in the military, and thus, don't know military jargon. H

Honor grad of the Sniper School? OK, what was your class number?


"Starting about 1960 there was a pathfinder presence at Fort Rucker, Alabama, initially designated as the Pathfinder Team, Company A, 2d Battle Group, 31st Infantry, later reflagged as the 5th Battle Group, 31st Infantry on 1 July 1963. The purpose of the battle group, which was organized differently than standard battle groups, was to provide training support to the Aviation Center. Subsequent reorganizations and reflaggings led to the 5th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder) and 5th Infantry Platoon (Pathfinder). On 1 July 1975 the unit was reorganized and reflagged as Company C (Pathfinder), 509th Infantry, and it retained this designation until 1 June 1993 when it was reflagged as Company A (Pathfinder), 511th Infantry" <-------From Wikipedia (...because Internet.)

[<MADDOG>]

Gentlemen, thank you for the responses!

For those of you who think I am questioning his training, I am not. I don't know the guy from sh!t from shinola.

However, as some of you have pointed out; claiming certain grunt training and transitioning into CID is highly questionable in the era he, and I, was in. Perhaps some of you are right; there was a re-class. I do know of some ex-Pershing guys who went 11 series during the time.

[275RLTW]

The wording isn't right. I would pass.