Chief Bones - I am no warrior, but I have known many warriors.
On another thread, forum members have been discussing just who are heroes and who are not.
Putting that to one side now, Here, I am would like to discuss warriors.
You might say that all soldiers are heroes, and that all warriors are heroes; and I might be with you some of the way there, but I am trying to be a bit more specific, warriors you come face to face with, not claiming perfection but striving for invincibility, and you want on your side.
Chief, you strike me as a typical warrior IMHO, by your record and in temperament; I grew up among warriors (sea-faring island, WW1 vets and WW11 etc.) and eventually married into a warrior family. (30 year professionals etc.)

I have found professional warriors to be the first and sharpest to re-act in anger( or pleasure), the hardest to move, the first to offer or accept or recognise fair compromise and bury the hatchet. Particularly, they hate being 'talked back' to, so you have to grit your teeth and look them steadily in the eye. I believe the eyes have it. (IMHO from personal exp.)

Hot temper/bad temper can be part and parcel, but they know that themselves.



Here is my personal boy-hood hero, a warrior now gone but never forgotten, My uncle Fred, my Dad's youngest brother, Chief Petty Officer on the Hood ; volunteer for submarine service, sunk twice on seperate subs, spent some days in the water, didn't speak of that but it affected his long term health.

About 5ft 6" tall, fast pro/am. boxer with the greatest one- punch KO specialist around, boy sailor served 30s and WW11. Very smart, always friendly and well-met in company, could take his drink comfortably and kept a pub laughing, off duty.

Scared of no-one and nothing in the world, fought throat cancer, with artificial voice box, for many years and visited hospitals encouraging victims facing the same treatment. Fred, God Bless Him.

I suppose that in modern day warfare, so moved on, we have perhaps an entirely different warrior in temperament and technique, which will make my impressions long- gone and irrelevant. Ah well, such is life.

(Edit : Pic 1 is actually under the guns of the Hood.)

You can train a soldier, but you have to be born a warrior. That is what my father once said, and it is very true.

One example: Georgia. Sure, you can train Georgians NATO-style, you can give them NATO uniforms, and M-16 assault rifles, and Humwees. But when, in 2008, even before regular Russian forces got to South Ossetia, those Georgians went up against South and North Ossetian fighters, and Cossack and Chechen volunteers, they were stopped dead in their tracks. Because North Caucasian people are born warriors and then also trained to be soldiers since a very young age. We are trained, at 10, 11, 12 years old, to do things a NATO soldier or a regular Russian army soldier would not.

I think the upbringing is most important. For my people, there are Cadet Academies. You can apply when you turn, I believe, 7 years old. The competition is 30 children (mostly boys) for a spot. This is a program for our, Cossack children only, nobody else is admitted. There is a assessment by a psychologist to determine that a very long separation from family will not negatively affect the child too much. If all is fine, you are admitted. Then, you become a KK (Kazachy Kadet/Cossack Cadet). You receive your uniform in the mail, along with the Cadet Oath, which you have to memorize.

Once you have sworn the Oath, you get your identification.



After, and until you are 18, you spend your life in that institution.

You live in a barracks

You only wear your uniform, regular camouflage every day, or parade, for special occasions. No other clothing is permitted.

Berets are often also issued. These days, many Cossack Cadet Academies are under control of a particular elite branch of the Armed Forces, Paratroopers, Marines, Border Troops.


These cadets are wearing Black Berets, as their Academy is owned by the Naval Infantry (Marines) and that is the branch they are prepared for. This means they are or will be learning beach landings; open-sea ship boardings; landings from boat, helicopter, or amphibous vehicles; diving and underwater combat.

Green Berets are for future Border Troops. Note, many girls here. Border Troops are, shall we say, more open to females than other branches. Border Troops cadets learn observation skills, how to quickly spot and aprehend an intruder; they learn how to live in a small outpost and communicate over vast dictances by radio, as that is the reality for example on the Kazakh border. They learn about narcotics smuggling, how to use specially trained dogs to snuff that stuff out. Finally, they are taught that the Border Troops are, first and foremost, Russia's first line of defense. In 1941, at Brest, in what is now Belarus, it was Soviet Border Troops who first bravely took on the advancing Nazi hordes and held them for days. A whole Border regiment died defending the Brest Fortress to the last man and the last bullet and the last dying breath. Those are the heros for these children, the legacy they will be expected to carry forward. Especially these days, when Russia's Southern borders are increasingly facing all sorts of instabilities, from Central Asia, from Caucasus, the Border Troops are ever growing in importance. The cadets learn that if an enemy comes, they are to fight and to sacrifice their life without hesitation if needed. 'Remember Brest', that's their motto.


VDV (Airborne Troops/Paratroopers) issue Blue Berets, again, like in the service. VDV is arguable Russia's toughest fighting force, as the saying goes, where a normal person would break their legs, a Paratrooper will walk with a smile. Their cadets are trained accordingly. Parachute jumping and helicopter deployment training; extensive hand to hand combat training, Systema Kadochnikova; strengh + speed + endurance excercises that include, for example, running up a hill with a AK on your shoulder and a backpack full of big rocks on your back; pull ups with barbell discs tied to your legs; etc.

That is what makes a warrior, I think

Upbringing, training since early age.

That's just my opinion, of course.

DB ...

You are correct ... I AM quick to anger and slow to apologize (or get over my anger). I have reached a point in my life, where I have less toleration for slights or even imagined slights than just a few years ago.

It took 20+ years of service, including participation in the Vietnam War, offshore support during Grenada and seeing my friends and shipmates have to undergo danger AGAIN at the tip of the spear, to cause me to be so short-tempered. While I DID (and still do) agree and support our invasion of Afghanistan because those who attacked us on 9/11 had taken shelter in their country ... HOWEVER, I never supported our government's (GW Bush's), invasion of Iraq. I considered (and still do), the invasion to be ill-advised and unwarranted with little justification. I still believe the invasion was nothing more than GW Bush getting even for the plot to assassinate his father ... PERIOD. After seeing so many friends, neighbors and former shipmates lose their lives, with little or no real chance that our troops will leave that cesspool any time soon, the anger sometimes boils over a little too easily (especially when it is over a discussion dealing with terrorists or that damnable part of the world).

It isn't really the person my comments are directed at that is what I am angry at, it is the continuing wars that even Obama (who promised to end them), that is at the heart of my anger ....... for that I DO apologize ... however, that is a part of who I am.

I am just a tired old warrior who is p!ssed that I can't affect what is going on. I am too old and not in good health, which means there is no way I can contribute.

Originally Posted by Chief Bones

DB ...

It isn't really the person my comments are directed at that is what I am angry at, it is the continuing wars that even Obama (who promised to end them), that is at the heart of my anger ....... for that I DO apologize ... however, that is a part of who I am.

I am just a tired old warrior who is p!ssed that I can't affect what is going on. I am too old and not in good health, which means there is no way I can contribute.

Nice post Chief- appreciated. I also get frustrated as I feel age and the associated health problems gradually sapping my strength and as a man of action it is natural that you will feel anger. But, when you have apologised once you can relax -they believe you first time!

And in expressing your anger amongst your peers here, where your experience is so important, especially for young members, you are in fact making a contribution, and it is a welcome one, well placed on an important forum.

So Chief, the stage is yours - blaze away.

EDIT : Chief, 65 is no longer considered old, but being a US Navy CPO Rtd. is certainly worthy of highest respect, especially here, so this is your soap-box, here on IMF.

Your posts are always strong on impact, bang on target, extremely well written and orchestrated with explosive power. I always am drawn to them - you have something to say. Long may you do so - without fear or favour, Warrior (Rtd).

Your style reminds me that Winston's advice (which I adopt) is that if you have a point to make - make it; if it doesn't have the desired response, make it again; if it still doesn't work - give it an almighty whack!

As our deck-officer Pelham (pronounced Plum) used to demand of us at sea-school 1949/50 :-

"GET IT ?...........GOT IT ?..........GOOD!!"

I think Prapor is right - Warriors are born, not made. Another example is Audie Murphy - at first sight no would consider him to have been a warrior!

“Custer was a pussy.” Sam Elliot as SGM Basil Plumley, We Were Soldiers

I agree about warriors often being born, or bred. New Zealand has a fine example of born warriors in the Maori people.

When world war one came around the Maori people had been decimated by disease and warfare and their numbers were much smaller as a population, from like half a million from when Captain Cook first arrived ( I think ). They still volunteered for a fight that was not theirs but were utilised in auxillary roles as their population simply could not withstand the losses it was sure to sustain in frontline combat.
When World War Two came around the Maori people once again came together and volunteered to go, forming their own Battallion(the 28th). The Maori people quickly made a name for themselves as tough adversaries and there are many stories of their bravery. There is a good book called Nga Tama Toa, the price of citizenship which tells the Maori peoples story much better then I can.

I feel like if we were going to talk about born warriors I would mention them because they had no reason to step up and fight for the British but they still did it to help out. I don't know how well they're courage and sacrifice are known around the world but they saved both of my grandfathers brothers from starvation in an Italian prison. They also took pretty catastrophic casualties, especially as they really didn't have that many men they could afford to lose. My grandads brothers said the Maori haka and war cries as they assaulted the town were the most terrifying and great things they ever heard. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to go into any kind of hand to hand combat with them.
Heres a link to a humerous article which gives a rough background on the Maori which will keep even the most ADD kids interested.
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/hongihika.html

This is a modern Maori decendant, at home on the rugby field.
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/shelford.html