The Natural Selection of an SAS Soldier.

From a tank crew’s black overalls, to a cut-off NBC hood placed over a finely fitted respirator. Gloves, boots, 9mm Browning pistol, and the replacement for the dreadful “blow back action” M10 Ingram submachine pistol…the H&K MP5.

A Range Rover to take our kit and ourselves to anywhere by road in the UK, and anywhere by C130 in the world.

I’ve just been reading the report from the head of MI5 about the state of affairs within the UK with reference to terrorism.

Much of it I may add, is down to the lack of action by past and present governments…of all parties.

From foreigners coming into the country on legal visas, to Trojan Horses making their way in from their home country post conflict, to the young men of fighting age in rubber boats coming across the channel in their thousands, to homegrown radicalized individuals.

All scary stuff when our children and grandchildren have to move around freely on UK streets and using UK public transport. Even taking time out to enjoy life by going to a music festival.

Growing up myself all those decades ago, I would never have thought that my grandchildren would have to travel around with their eyes in their arses in order to be super aware of their surroundings at every moment.

If anyone deserves to enjoy life, it’s definitely kids and youths, no matter where they live.

All the way back to 1980, the Prime Minister Mrs Thatcher and her cabinet, decided during the now very famous Iranian Embassy Siege in London, that the world would watch the assault live on TV. The reason, to send a message to every terrorist group globally, not to come to UK shores to make their point.

Well, even though the operation (Operation Nimrod) was a success, it never stopped future terrorist incidents from happening on UK shores, and it won’t stop them from trying in the future.

But what it did do, was highlight those, until then kept in the shadows, to everyone around the world. Not one of us at the time agreed with it, and I still don’t today.

The life of an SAS soldier would change forever, both at work and socially away from work.

That aside, the SAS had to work on the failings, mainly of equipment, weapons and explosives from those early days of the mid 70s to that day in May 1980.

No more government paying lip service to SAS requirements for better kit and equipment that’s already out there commercially, mainly in the USA, and already being used by their newly formed anti terrorist teams.

So, over the years, things did change.

On my early training before the Iranian Embassy Siege, we would train in a repurposed single floor brick building at the SAS camp, an old WW2 camp called Bradbury Lines. The building was our close quarter battle house (CQB), where we could train with live rounds in single and multi room combat by using screens to represent walls, old furniture and dressed up dummies as hostages and wooden and paper targets as terrorists.

When a round was fired, it would pass through the head of the target, through rubber matting, and onto an aluminum screen that hung down from the ceiling. As the energy was taken away from the round, it would fall to the ground.

Thousands of rounds would be fired by mid-morning when it was time to go outside and take a tea break.

Inside was just a cloud of lead, as there were no extractor fans back then; therefore, there was nowhere for the lead to go but hang in the rooms like a fog.

While taking our brew of hot sweet tea outside in the fresh air, we would be coughing up black phlegm from the training. That phlegm was caused by the thousands of rounds fired so far that morning. That black phlegm was lead!

This wasn’t a one-off or even a once-a-week occurrence…this happened day after day after day, while we trained hard on the special projects (SP) team each time we would enter the old CQB house.

The other major effects on the body and mind from training, was explosive entry methods. Back then the explosives used was simple Engineered PE4 (high explosive plastic), detonating cord, and an initiating device. We had to be as close to the entry point as possible, as soon as that explosive goes off, in we go.

Or not!

Sometimes, with the overpressure of the explosion, the nearest man would be stunned, or even knocked out. This happened to me, and a handful of my mates more than once.

Back then, we were in practice mode. And practice makes perfect…most of the time.

We’d joke that the theory of explosives is actually pretty basic…P=Plenty.

Many of my mates from those days who trained and trained to move the team in the right direction are dead now. Those who are not dead, are seen as nuts, or alcoholics or both. Some have hidden problems as they don’t want to share them.

I was one of the latter, until my suffering wife pushed me to see a doctor. Traumatic brain injury, and of course, once I die, a good play on my brain (if they can find it) will determine exactly how bad the brain injury is.

I do know, as I get older it gets worse, but the medication, living a healthy lifestyle, and having plenty of hobbies are a huge help to an almost normal life.

So these were the early days, a good handful of committed lads from each squadron, doing their thing to enhance the effectiveness of the SP team each time we came onto it (6 months every 2 years). Tactics would be enhanced, and better equipment would be forthcoming, especially after the Iranian Embassy Siege, when the government saw a need for the best kit and equipment available.

I was just a young trooper when I began on the team. I had a thirst for learning. I would be at the side of all of the lads who I saw as “dooers.” Those lads who were happy each day to push the envelope and take the training forward.

Even today as a retired old soldier, I see it as a pleasure to work alongside these lads, to have learned from them, and especially to have had the knowledge of what we are all doing is forever enhancing SAS training and tactics.

I would do this even during troop training, in the diving and boating world of amphibious troop, and the very same in whatever theatre around the world we would find ourselves training or operating in.

Of course as explained, it had its drawbacks. Physical and mental wounds that were not apparent at the time to a young, keen trooper, despite the effects on the ground, like spitting up black phlegm or being knocked out by being so close to a powerful explosion.

However, in hindsight, and sitting writing this post with TBI, I would do it all again, and in just the same manner.

Why?

Today’s team member at the top of his game, with dog and correct weapons, rounds, explosives, body armour, helmet, and equipment for the task at hand. A stark contrast to our early days…and rightly so.

Because when I see the modern-day lads doing their stuff on their various commitments both at home and overseas (from the internet)…it makes me feel proud that I was a small part of moving the SAS forward, along with many with me, and after me, to what the SAS is today.

For the lads from my early era who are now dead or suffering, I think of them often. And I think of what may have caused them to die or suffer. A death certificate with alcoholism or dementia, or Parkinson’s…or indeed anything else…but what caused it, was it TBI, was it the lead from the early CQB house, or the hundreds of training explosions, that only enhanced the damage that would come also from operations over the years.

The past cannot be changed, but the future can. After 5 decades of the anti terrorist team, and the refined explosives and proper training facilities of today, I just hope that young troopers are made aware of the pitfalls of realistic training, which of course, has to be done, and more importantly, are looked after by the government if they ever suffer, no matter whether it’s during or after their service.