SAS
A Soldiers Perspective
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The selection of military leaders has significant overlap with the qualities desired of expedition leaders. Most volunteers find Special Forces selection and continuation training the most physically demanding periods of their lives. For me this was not the case. I believe that my training for the Guards, as a raw sixteen year-old, was a much greater challenge. By the time I was ready for SAS selection I had already passed two of the most gruelling training courses imaginable with the Scots Guards and Royal Marines Commando. However, much more than fitness is tested during selection and a man's physical capacity alone is not enough to get him through the course. Certain skills, such as map reading, land navigation and leadership, are absolutely essential to the aspiring military elite. More important still are the individual's personal qualities and character. The Special Air Service requires soldiers who are self-confident, self-reliant and have the ability to carry on regardless of enduring extreme physical hardship. This latter quality is to a large extent dependent on the soldier's motivation. This is often put to the test when he first decides to try for selection and informs his unit. Although a candidate's application to try for selection has to be forwarded to HQ, no platoon or company commander wants to lose a good soldier who has experience and good potential. Military commanders are reluctant to lose their best men to the battalion's reconnaissance platoon (the traditional haven for the brightest and fittest infantry soldier) let alone to the SAS. The Royal Marines hierarchy were absolutely incensed, when I informed them that I was going for selection and they stopped a number of letters from getting to me and would not let me travel to Hereford for my compulsory medical checks. In the past, this has occasionally led to files being 'misfiled', letters 'lost' and messages 'mishandled'. The situation is reputed to be better now. The attitude of 'I have spent all this time training you and now someone else is going to reap the benefit while I have to train someone else to take his place' is all to common and understandable. A better understanding of the Regiment throughout the rest of the army, together with a knowledge of the benefits that will be reaped when the loyal, conscientious soldier eventually returns, have led to a better rapport between the SAS and other units in the British army. When endorsing and forwarding an application for SAS selection, the candidate's Colonel can look forward to the not too distant future when the soldier comes back a highly trained and experienced leader who can pass on the benefit of his skill, knowledge and lessons learned to others. It is not merely the strength of a candidate's motivation that is in question. It is important that the SAS substantiate that he is correctly motivated. The regiment was faced with a problem in this area in the wake of the successful Iranian embassy rescue mission. Civil and military interest was aroused following the live TV broadcast of the Regiments CRW team storming the besieged building. Suddenly, the SAS went from being a little-known military organisation to being a household name. The regiment was inundated by numerous volunteers' aspiring to be siege busters only to find that very few of them had genuine leadership potential.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
This book provides an in sight into my lifetime experiences from birth to the present day. It also concentrates thoroughly on defining the qualities desired of an SAS military leader. In terms of personal experiences of leadership I would say that the military provided me with a blueprint of acceptable leadership behaviours. Looking at the training I went through with Special Forces reveals some of the unique qualities that are required to fulfil this role. I would say that conventional military regiments differed somewhat to the democratic, even abdicratic approach of Special Forces units such as the SBS, SAS and 2REP French Foreign Legion. While I was serving with the Marines I wanted to transfer to a Special Forces unit but was refused entry to the organisation because of my commitment to the Marines. This was a great issue at the time but I eventually rejoined the SAS regiment anyway after resigning from the Marines. My first period of SAS training followed passing of the usual Battle Fitness Test (BFT) that was completed while at a barracks off the King's Road in Chelsea. I can explain that my first thoughts about joining the SAS occurred in 1976 when I was serving as a junior guardsman at Pirbright in Surrey. The inspiration came from my platoon commander who had previously been a member of the Guards Independent Parachute Brigade. This was a unit that largely preceded G Squadron of the SAS Regiment. Later actions then included the Iranian embassy incident under direction of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare (CRW) team and patrols in areas of Northern Ireland that were subject to violent terrorist actions. I served also with 23 and 21 between 1985 and 1992 and the Scots Guards and French Foreign Legion experiences came early in my career.
About the Author
Col. Thomas A. Hillary BSc(Hons) CertEd PgCMS PhD FRGS CGeog Tom Hillary was born in 1960, the son of a coal-miner from Brandon, just outside the cathedral city of Durham. His experience as a leader of adventurous outdoor activities and expeditions was developed through opportunities provided by Her Majesties Forces. He has served with the Scots Guards, Royal Marines and Special Air Service Regiment. Many of the missions he has been involved in were a unique learning encounter designed to provide skills and insight through experience. Tom’s recent involvement in outdoor adventure is substantial in that he has organised and carried out expeditions with numerous groups around the country. He feels that his work with young people and Durham University Exploration Society has been particularly rewarding. Many of the competent members of the society have travelled to many and varied parts of the world. Over the years he has developed a distinct philosophy on outdoor education and believes that good leadership is not convincing people to do it his way but to ensure that everyone's ideas are heard. When it comes to doing something difficult, everyone must work to make it happen. The Expedition Advisory Centre within the Royal Geographical Society is one of the most prestigious authorities for advice on planning major expeditions in the United Kingdom. Tom has been an RGS fellow and is on their 'expedition list' and list of lecturers on expedition topics. He has organised and presented lectures and workshops to universities, colleges, clubs and societies, corporate companies and young people. He has planned quite a number of expeditions and has provided a wide variety of talks and practical demonstrations on expedition topics. He has worked for the Universities of Northumbria, Sunderland and Durham and has successfully completed his Doctorate in Sport Psychology.