MTMcGurk

havokjournal.com/culture/grob...

Part 3. He currently serves on the commission dealing with military cemeteries overseas. A servant to the nation since he took the oath.

Part 2

havokjournal.com/culture/grob...

Interview with MOH Recipient Captain (Ret) Flo Groberg: Pt. 1, "The Early Years" • The Havok Journal Captain Florent "Flo" Groberg received the Medal of Honor for tackling a suicide bomber.  This is his story.

havokjournal.com/culture/inte...

If our profession can't defend a grotesque nativist attack on a Medal Of Honor recipient, we aren't much of a profession.

Looking at you, senior leaders.

Opinion: Remembering Sandra Grimes, mole hunter Sandra Grimes died at the age of 79. Her work was crucial in catching a Soviet agent who "caused more damage to the national security of the United States than any spy in the history of the CIA."

Sandra Grimes died at the age of 79. Her work was crucial in catching a Soviet agent who "caused more damage to the national security of the United States than any spy in the history of the CIA."

2.

New from @universitypress.cambridge.org An academic book that won’t drain your bank account. #histbookchat

Finished reading this tonight. A compelling book. For an academic title it’s neither ruinously expensive nor dry as dust. From Cambridge UP. Good book. #histbookchat

That’s amazing 👏🏽

It’s worth it! Short chapters and wonderful style. Cervantes didn’t find commercial success until he was nearly 60!

A bit miffed that Don Quixote, a 900+ page book, is reduced to “charging windmills” when there is so much richness in the first 100 pages.

See Part II and Marcela’s response to the suitors, written in 1605. You would think it was written today.

It should be read by young (and old) men.

One like, one history opinion

1. Read the introduction, conclusion and endnotes first - in that order

Looks amazing 😻

Military strategy, by JC Wylie. A general theory of power control. Front cover is black with a black and white photo of sailors and naval officers at a map board doing a wargame.

As J.C. Wylie wrote, it comes down to the man on the ground with a gun.

Oh, this was from a NAVY ADMIRAL. Say it louder for the people in the back 👏🏽

INFLUENCE NATIONAL BESTSELLER The Psychology of Persuasion ROBERT B. CIALDINI, PH.D.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The book cover is red and black with a box shaped like a book but it opens to matches.

77. “Influence: The Power of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdini was recommended to me by a psychological operations soldier and it has not steered me wrong yet. You’ll see advertising and marketing differently after reading this. It also pairs well with Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

Thunder Run to Meiktila: The Forgotten Blitzkrieg of Burma with Jack Bowsher Podcast Episode · History Rage · 07/23/2025 · 55m

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

@historyrage.bsky.social and @historybowsh.bsky.social rages about combined arms maneuver warfare in Burma during SWW.

76. 76. Clear and consistent messaging spread through the network. Make others be your mouthpiece.

@redg187.bsky.social repost time! 🤣

75. One of the best courses I took was a counter-finance course. #FollowtheMoney

74. Being a PME instructor should be a key and developmental role that sets up high-performing officers for advancement.

73. Security force assistance / security cooperation sales do not mean you provide the partner country with a Ferrari when what they need is the F-150.

72. Print media is still useful. The advent of AI will bring a battle for authenticity. Paper, radio, physical presence still matter.

71. Robert Lyman speaks to this point: the Burmese and Indians fought against the Japanese in part because they read the papers. They knew what the Japanese Army was doing in China and they wanted no part of it. Some fought for Slim, most fought for their country and homeland.

Sandra Grimes, Who Helped Unmask a C.I.A. Traitor, Dies at 79

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/u...

YouTube video by Adeyinka Makinde US Air Force Colonel Robin Olds Speaks About An Air Duel During the Vietnam War | May 1967

70. Look at the clip of Robin Olds after a fighter mission. youtu.be/LSW3WACJ2bM

“Viciousness, aggressiveness… the pilots did their homework.” He is complimenting the enemy.

Our enemies are good. They train hard and fight well.

Disrespecting an adversary results in lives lost. Don’t do that.

69. A lot of those Vietnam vets trained the Persian Gulf War and initial GWOT generation (2003-2007) and we were successful in part because of it.

68. I’ve heard over a dozen SF Vietnam vets, including John Stryker Meyer, speak publicly about how poor operations security was (in general) during their time in Vietnam.

67. Intelligence from all-sources available is required. Protection of this intelligence, especially in regards to timing, transitions, resources, and communications, is vital for success.

66. At the tactical level, training must be hard and relentless.

Cash in point: Captain Roger Donlon’s SF had only been in Vietnam six weeks when they were nearly overrun. Rigorous training paid off.

Also, the Son Tay Raid. Months of training for one evening of execution.

Do not wing it!

65. We don’t talk enough about the administration and sustainment that goes into IW.

Again, time-timing-transitions which require an inordinate amount of disciplined planning and execution.

Just *winging it* does not work.