Thursday, August 29, 2013

The Sit Up Event Narrative-FM 7-22

Sit Up Event

“THE SIT-UP EVENT MEASURES THE ENDURANCE OF THE ABDOMINAL AND

HIP-FLEXOR MUSCLES. ON THE COMMAND ‘GET SET’, ASSUME THE STARTING

POSITION BY LYING ON YOUR BACK WITH YOUR KNEES BENT AT A 90-DEGREE

ANGLE. YOUR FEET MAY BE TOGETHER OR UP TO 12 INCHES APART (MEASURED

BETWEEN THE FEET). ANOTHER PERSON WILL HOLD YOUR ANKLES WITH THE

HANDS ONLY. NO OTHER METHOD OF BRACING OR HOLDING THE FEET IS

AUTHORIZED. THE HEEL IS THE ONLY PART OF YOUR FOOT THAT MUST STAY IN

CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. YOUR FINGERS MUST BE INTERLOCKED BEHIND

YOUR HEAD AND THE BACKS OF YOUR HANDS MUST TOUCH THE GROUND. YOUR

ARMS AND ELBOWS NEED NOT TOUCH THE GROUND. ON THE COMMAND, ‘GO’,

BEGIN RAISING YOUR UPPER BODY FORWARD TO, OR BEYOND, THE VERTICAL

POSITION. THE VERTICAL POSITION MEANS THAT THE BASE OF YOUR NECK IS

ABOVE THE BASE OF YOUR SPINE. AFTER YOU HAVE REACHED OR SURPASSED

THE VERTICAL POSITION, LOWER YOUR BODY UNTIL THE BOTTOM OF YOUR

SHOULDER BLADES TOUCH THE GROUND. YOUR HEAD, HANDS, ARMS OR ELBOWS

DO NOT HAVE TO TOUCH THE GROUND. AT THE END OF EACH REPETITION, THE

SCORER WILL STATE THE NUMBER OF SIT-UPS YOU HAVE CORRECTLY

PERFORMED. A REPETITION WILL NOT COUNT IF YOU FAIL TO REACH THE

VERTICAL POSITION, FAIL TO KEEP YOUR FINGERS INTERLOCKED BEHIND YOUR

HEAD, ARCH OR BOW YOUR BACK AND RAISE YOUR BUTTOCKS OFF THE GROUND

TO RAISE YOUR UPPER BODY, OR LET YOUR KNEES EXCEED A 90-DEGREE ANGLE.

IF A REPETITION DOES NOT COUNT, THE SCORER WILL REPEAT THE NUMBER OF

YOUR LAST CORRECTLY PERFORMED SIT-UP. IF YOU FAIL TO PERFORM THE FIRST

10 SIT-UPS CORRECTLY, THE SCORER WILL TELL YOU TO ‘STOP’ AND WILL

EXPLAIN YOUR DEFICIENCIES. YOU WILL THEN BE SENT TO THE END OF THE LINE

TO BE RE-TESTED. AFTER THE FIRST 10 SIT-UPS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AND

COUNTED, NO RESTARTS ARE ALLOWED. THE TEST WILL CONTINUE, AND ANY

INCORRECTLY PERFORMED SIT-UPS WILL NOT BE COUNTED. THE UP POSITION IS

THE ONLY AUTHORIZED REST POSITION.

“IF YOU STOP AND REST IN THE DOWN (STARTING) POSITION, THE EVENT

WILL BE TERMINATED. AS LONG AS YOU MAKE A CONTINUOUS PHYSICAL EFFORT

TO SIT UP, THE EVENT WILL NOT BE TERMINATED. YOU MAY NOT USE YOUR HANDS

OR ANY OTHER MEANS TO PULL OR PUSH YOURSELF UP TO THE UP (REST)

POSITION OR TO HOLD YOURSELF IN THE REST POSITION. IF YOU DO SO, YOUR

PERFORMANCE IN THE EVENT WILL BE TERMINATED. CORRECT PERFORMANCE IS

IMPORTANT. YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO PERFORM AS MANY SIT-UPS AS

YOU CAN. WATCH THIS DEMONSTRATION.”


Friday, August 2, 2013

Active Listening-From Army Leadership

Active listening helps communicate reception of the subordinate’s message verbally and nonverbally. To capture the message fully, leaders listen to what is said and observe the subordinate’s manners. Key elements of active listening include—

Eye contact. Maintaining eye contact without staring helps show sincere interest. Occasional breaks of eye contact are normal and acceptable, while excessive breaks, paper shuffling, and clock-watching may be perceived as a lack of interest or concern.

Body posture. Being relaxed and comfortable will help put the subordinate at ease. However, a too-relaxed position or slouching may be interpreted as a lack of interest.

Head nods. Occasionally head nodding indicates paying attention and encourages the subordinate to continue.

 Facial expressions. Keep facial expressions natural and relaxed to signal a sincere interest.

Verbal expressions. Refrain from talking too much and avoid interrupting. Let the subordinate do the talking, while keeping the discussion on the counseling subject.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

TEAM STRUCTURES

TEAM STRUCTURES

3-54. There are two leader team categories: horizontal and vertical. Horizontal leader teams can also be
either formal (headquarters staffs, major commands) or informal (task forces, advisory boards). Vertical
leader teams can be both formal (commanders and subordinates) and informal (members of a career field or
functional area). Vertical leader teams often share a common background and function, such as intelligence
analysis or logistical support. Vertical and horizontal teams provide structure to organize team training.

3-55. Informal networks often arise both inside and outside formal organizations. Examples of informal
networks include people who share experiences with former coworkers or senior NCOs on an installation
who collaborate to solve a problem. Although leaders occupy positions of legitimate authority, teams are
formed to share information and lessons gained from experience. When groups like this form, they often
take on the same characteristics as formally designed organizations. As such, they develop norms unique to
their network membership and seek legitimacy through their actions.

3-56. Within the informal network, norms develop for acceptable and unacceptable influence. Studies have
shown that groups who do not develop norms of behavior lose their ties and group status.

3-57. The shared leadership process occurs when multiple leaders contribute combined knowledge and
individual authority to lead an organization toward a common goal or mission. Shared leadership involves
sharing authority and responsibility for decision making, planning, and executing.

3-58. Shared leadership is occurring more frequently at both organizational and strategic levels where
leaders of different ranks and positions come together to address specific challenges or missions where preestablished organizational lines of authority may not exist. One such example occurred before Operation
Iraqi Freedom when members of multiple components and Services had to work together to support the
logistics challenges that lay ahead.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Stack Arms

This is great preparation for Basic Training. Right out of the Drill and Ceremonies Manual.



Execute Stack Arms using the following procedures:

a. Stack Arms is executed from Order Arms only. It may be executed while at Normal Interval in a line (squad) or a column formation. Stack Arms is not a precise movement; however, it is executed in a military manner.

b. The leader designates the stackmen by numbers (2-5-8) when in a line formation, orby squad (second or third) when in a column formation. After the stackmen have been designated, the leader then commands Prepare, SLINGS.

c. On the command SLINGS, each stackman places the butt of his rifle on his right hip and cradles it in the crook of his right arm. He then adjusts the sling keeper to form a 2-inch loop next to the upper sling swivel. As soon as he has prepared the loop, he returns to Order Arms.

d. When all stackmen have returned to Order Arms, the leader commands Stack, ARMS. On the command ARMS, each stackman places his rifle directly in front of and centered on his body with the sling facing to the front. The heel of the rifle butt is on the marching surface on line with the toes of his shoes. He grasps the rifle by the handguard with his left hand. The first two fingers of the left hand hold the inner part of the loop against the rifle. He reaches across the front of the rifle with the right hand, grasps the outer part of the loop, and holds it open for the insertion of the other rifles. He holds the rifle vertical at all
times (1, Figure C-5, page C-6).

e. On the command ARMS, the men to the left and right of the stackman perform the following movements simultaneously:

(1) The man on the stackman’s left raises and centers his rifle in front of his body so that his right hand is shoulder high and the rifle is about 4 inches from his chest, with the sling to the front. He then grasps the rifle with his left hand at the small of the stock and lowers both arms, holding the weapon in a horizontal position (1, Figure C-5, page C-6).

(2) The man on the stackman’s right raises and centers his rifle, wrist shoulder high, with the sling facing the front. He then grasps the rifle with his left hand directly below his
right hand, and, in the most convenient manner, grasps the rifle with the right hand at the small of the stock. He then lowers both arms, holding the rifle stock. He then lowers both arms, holding the rifle in a horizontal position (1, Figure C-5, page C-6).

(3) As soon as both men have completed these movements, each moves the foot nearest the stackman 18 inches (Half Left or Right) toward the stackman. In a continuing motion, the man on the stackman’s left inserts the muzzle of his rifle into the loop held by the stackman until the bayonet stud protrudes past the far end of the loop (2, Figure C-5, page
C-6). He holds his rifle in that position until the man on the stackman’s right inserts the muzzle of his rifle through the loop in the same manner and above the muzzle of the rifle of
the left man.

f. When both rifles have been inserted into the loop, the men on each side of the stackman swing the butts of their rifles out and down to the marching surface until the stack is tight with the (two) rifle butts on line and about 2 feet from the baseline.

g. After necessary adjustments have been made, the three men come to Attention (3, Figure C-5).

h. Extra rifles are passed to the nearest stack on the right. As each rifle is passed, it is grasped at the upper part of the handguard with the right hand. Then, with the rifle held
vertical, it is passed with fully extended arm to the right front. The man on the right grasps the rifle at the balance with his left hand, brings the rifle to the center of his body, and regrasps it at the upper part of the handguard with his right hand. This action continues until the stackman receives the rifle and places it on the stack with his right hand as nearly vertical as possible. He places the rifles on the stack with the slings away from the stack (if the second squad is the stack squad, extra rifles are passed to the left).


Saturday, June 15, 2013

Rainy Street Stories-Reflections on Secret Wars, Espionage and Terrorism — Red Bike Publishing

Rainy Street Stories-Reflections on Secret Wars, Espionage and Terrorism — Red Bike Publishing

Rainy Street Stories-Reflections on Secret Wars, Espionage and Terrorism

Rainy Street Stories-Reflections on Secret Wars, Espionage and Terrorism
Rainy Street Stories is a composition of powerful reflections on today’s espionage, terrorism, and secret wars. These stories, essays, and poems by John Davis, himself a retired intelligence officer, take place from Europe, to Asia, and back to the Americas. He lived overseas for many years, where he served as a soldier, civil servant, and gifted linguist. Davis writes with a thoughtful, compassionate, and fair assessment of his lifetime lived during wars and conflicts which were his generation’s legacy from World War II. He recounts mysterious, sometimes strangely suggestive, even curiously puzzling tales. Each will cause the reader to think.
Davis draws from actual encounters from unusual circumstances, in conversations at utterly unexpected times, and chance meetings, historical site visits, or his readings to illustrate his reflections. Moreover, he is influenced by carefully listening to others who experienced history, from attentive study of human nature, observation of international events, but also by remaining open to surprises, the better to distill the essence of a hidden truth. Those people about whom he speculates, events he interprets, motives he muses about, or wonders he reveals will remain with you for a long time. These are not writings to be read in a night, but to be reflected upon over the coming years.

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“Rainy Street Stories” is a riveting book that reflects not only how the intelligence community operates but also defines Mr. John Davis’ character. Mr. Davis offers important insights into the historical as well as current challenges the Intelligence Community faces. The factual accounts cited in his book are a must read for all operational and analytical professionals serving in the intelligence community.Louis J. Kubik – US Marine Corps Reserve, retired, Department of Defense Civilian Counterintelligence Officer with two separate tours with the CIA.

 Rainy Street Stories is a wonderful testimony to the crucial importance of truth, goodness and, yes, Grace, in keeping our all too human character from going badly, sometimes horrifically astray. John Davis’ collection of short pieces is an unwavering affirmation of the enduring power of virtuous principles in this often cruel and cynical world. Truly, it deserves to be read by many and its lessons taken deeply to heart.Gray Sutherland, author of five collections of poetry and a novel.

Rainy Street Stories is a remarkable collection of vignettes, poems, short essays, prayers, and reflections that like gaslights in the fog help us glimpse the spectral outlines of a shattered world. That shattered world is our world, or the world we once believed we lived in, a world of goodness and moral coherence, but which has been turned by our own greed and violence into a killing field. But Rainy Street Stories also arouses hope that the broken pieces are not scattered beyond recovery, but are waiting for our commitment to reintegrate them into a whole fully lit by our passion for truth and the common good.–Rev. Mr. George Dardess, PhD., Author of “Meeting Islam, A Guide for Christians”, lecturer, Professor of English 

Poet and counterspy John Davis has written a cache of messages about deceit and loyalty, evil and good, danger and safety in his new “Rainy Street Stories.” His collection strings essays and incidents with poetic impressions interspersed like clues leading down the narrow alley that skirts the border of promise and betrayal, protection and sabotage. The good guys look more like the bad guys – like “secret brothers,” Davis puts it — than anyone could have guessed. This unusual memoir reveals nothing and still tells everything about Davis’ real-life career in Cold War espionage. With vignette tributes to heroes of resistance and musings on true patriotism, this book offers complex and compelling Independence Day reading for the thoughtful American.– Kay Campbell, Huntsville Times award winning journalist

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Jeffrey W. Bennett, ISP is the owner of Red Bike Publishing. Jeff is an accomplished writer of non-fiction books, novels and periodicals. He also owns Red bike Publishing. Published books include: "Get Rich in a Niche-Insider's Guide to Self Publishing in a Specialized Industry" and "Commitment-A Novel".Jeff is an expert in security and has written many security books including: "Insider's Guide to Security Clearances" and "DoD Security Clearances and Contracts Guidebook".See Red Bike Publishing for print copies of:Army LeadershipThe Ranger HandbookThe Army Physical Readiness ManualDrill and CeremoniesThe ITARThe NISPOM

Thursday, May 30, 2013

TOOLS FOR ADAPTABILITY

TOOLS FOR ADAPTABILITY

10-48. Adaptability is an individual’s ability to recognize changes in the environment, identify the critical
elements of the new situation, and trigger changes accordingly to meet new requirements.
Adaptability is an effective change in behavior in response to an altered situation.

10-49. Adaptable leaders scan the environment, derive the key characteristics of the situation, and are
aware of what it will take to perform in the changed environment. Leaders must be particularly observant
for evidence that the environment has changed in unexpected ways. They recognize that they face highly
adaptive adversaries, and operate within dynamic, ever-changing environments. Sometimes what happens
in the same environment changes suddenly and unexpectedly from a calm, relatively safe operation to a
direct fire situation. Other times environments differ (from a combat deployment to a humanitarian one)
and adaptation is required for mind-sets and instincts to change.

10-50. Highly adaptable leaders are comfortable entering unfamiliar environments. They have the proper
frame of mind for operating under mission command orders in any organization (see FM 6-0). Successful
mission command results from subordinate leaders at all echelons exercising disciplined initiative within
the higher commander’s intent. All adaptable leaders can quickly assess the situation and determine the
skills needed to deal with it. If the skills they learned in the past are not sufficient for success in the new
environment, adaptable leaders seek to apply new or modified skills and applicable competencies.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

For the Core; Bent-Leg Raise


4 FOR THE CORE
EXERCISE 1: BENT-LEG RAISE

6-46. Lying in the starting position for the sit-up, place the fingers of both hands underneath the small of the
back. Raise the feet off of the ground until both the hips and knees flex to 90 degrees. Holding the head two or three inches off the ground, contract the abdominals as if preparing for a blow to the stomach. Another way to perform this drawing in maneuver is to imagine pulling the navel toward the spine. Think about the amount of pressure on the fingers created by the contraction of the abdominals. Maintain the same degree of pressure while slowly straightening the legs. As soon as the Soldier can no longer maintain the same degree of pressure on his fingers, he brings his legs back to the 90-degree position for three to five seconds, and repeats until one minute has elapsed (Figure 6-6).
Figure 6-6 Bent Leg Raise


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