You can sometimes respect something done even if you don’t respect those who did it. Narrow respect is different than broad agreement.

Last weekend, the Israeli Special Forces rescued four of their citizens who had been taken hostage during the October 7th massacre by Hamas at a music festival. Unfortunately, well over 200 civilians were also killed in the rescue operation. Sometimes, doing the right thing is the wrong thing?

Forgetting the famous raid on the Entebbe in 1976, I have always had great respect for the Israeli Special Forces. The amount of preparation for such an operation is amazing. During the latest operation in Gaza, I’m confident they spent a least a month observing the two locations, probably to confirm drone intelligence. At the same time, intelligence officers were searching for a practice location, with similar buildings and escape routes. (This may be the least appreciated stage in special operations.) Picking the right SF individuals is also critical. A seasoned trooper is much better suited than a trigger-happy novice. Knowing when NOT to fire is every bit as important as knowing WHEN to fire. Given the complexity, how many practice assaults are necessary – never enough! Always assume you will sustain casualties. Who then fills the position of the wounded? Cold and calculating but necessary. How about transportation to the site and from the site? What’s your backup plan? How can you assure the secrecy of the mission, both before and afterwards? If you can’t answer all these questions, your men are not ready!

In the last century, I was assigned as a young trooper on a special operation to remove a tyrant. We spent months studying the Presidential Palace, both ingress and egress. We memorized the floorplan and spent months studying the tyrant himself. We even studied the tyrant’s urology report – that’s when I knew we were ready to go. As a rookie, my job was not to enter the Palace, but to take control of the park where the choppers would extricate us, hopefully with the tyrant. I studied – no, memorized – the maps, all ditches and concrete structures, the local environs, the local police headquarters, choke-points in traffic, typical weather patterns for that time of year, etc. Like all rookies, I was anxious to go, but the whole special operation was suddenly canceled a few days early. To this day, I have no idea why?

But those were simpler times. Today, the troopers will have examined many more technology-related issues, especially to minimize collateral damages (civilians) both in and around the Presidential Palace. We were tough then. Today’s SF troopers are tough . . . and smart. I truly respect them! It would be a privilege to salute them again!