De Oppresso Liber

Pedro "Papi" Munoz

from Fayetteville,North Carolina​

born 30.6.1957 Quebradillas,Puerto Rico​

son of Antonio Munoz​

husband of Gisela Munoz,North Carolina (1 daughter Dalia)​

entered service February 1986​

graduated SF 1989-90​

3 SFG 1990-99​

US Army Parachute Team "the Golden Knights" 1999 - 2002​

7 SFG 2002-05​

awards Silver Star,Bronze Star with V device,Bronze Star,Meritorious Service Medal,Army Commendation Medal​

KIA Shindand,Herat Province,Afghanistan 

Papi was stationed in Herat with my unit to conduct Special Forces assignments in the area. I had sat down with him one day and asked if I could ask him some questions while we ate. He said sure and was friendly but had a seriousness about him. I would have his attention for several meals. He didn't mind answering my Special Forces questions and was very encouraging. We even went on a run and I was incredibly impressed by his speed and endurance. 

The next time I saw SFC Munoz was when he was being unloaded from a blackhawk in Herat on a stretcher. It was a night assault and he was wounded. He bled out on the way to the field hospital. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. For the short minutes he spent with me, it left some lasting impressions. He is remembered. 

 My Brother starts testing for his Expert Infantry Badge this week. Hopefully he can attend Ranger school. His commander is Ranger qualified so maybe he has some authority that would be willing to help if he asked her. He has a great command supporting him at the moment. I am proud of his commitment and discipline. He is a Staff Sergeant now. 

I just read Kill or Get Killed by Rex Applegate.

Some good details in it that survive the test of time. I found several items worth remembering. I also read a book on combat knives which was really good. The beginning is a really thorough breakdown of knife design and manufacturing, but the second half is really the meat. 

One time during a flight I sat with an SF soldier and had a conversation. He left me with this : "Be the grey man." What he meant was don't be highly polarized but seeing of both sides in a team. I had seen how team work was often a time demonstrating communication skills but he was giving me another angle. I assume he was also part of 7th Group, we were on a flight to Herat, but I never got his name. The Quiet Professionals as they are sometimes called are a really fascinating breed of character attributes. The tasks they are asked require extensive expertise in several areas.

I have much admiration and respect for them. I owe one of them my life. I had a serious gastrointestinal pain that came along with the shits. I was stationed in Hawaii and I went to our unit P.A. He was a former 18D and casually agreed to look me over. He announced what he thought it was after the exam: appendicitis. He then sent me to the hospital for further evaluation. None of the Doctors could figure out what it was and I had even when I shared with them the diagnosis he gave me. Eventually, they decided for exploratory surgery where they found appendicitis to be the case. 

I also met a Sergeant Major Lighty, or Bob as he liked to be called. He was kind enough to give us a tour of the hotel they had acquired and showed us the AT4 launchers lined parallel with the road at the windows to the place. This was also in Shandand Afghanistan. He was a hoot. He was also a Special Forces soldier. In charge of training Afghan National troops. I hope he is doing well these days.

Some people are into the SEALs and others are a fan of the Superbowl. I' am more impressed by the Special Forces and The Best Ranger competition. There is an excellent online community for interacting with retired and active Special Forces and it is well worth joining. As for the Best Ranger Competition I will still look over the lists of participants and winners. It takes 62 hours of testing. Fuck the Superbowl. It changes with each competition as well.

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