R&S Foundation (Charitable Organization for Recon, SARC, Snipers, and others) January 1, 2015
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: 503c, charity, Foundation, help, Marine, MARSOC, R&S Foundation, Recon, SARC, sniper, Suicide, Veterans
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“Honoring the Silent Professionals”
I am honored to announce the formation of a new charitable organization called the R&S Foundation. The R&S Foundation (named for Recon & Sniper) was formed to help our veteran Brothers and Sisters in need. Many are unaware that 22 veterans commit suicide per day. Many more struggle with physical, emotional and financial challenges. The Recon, Scout/Sniper, SARC, and MARSOC communities are in need of a foundation to help those who are in need of support. The R&S Foundation was born of a simple idea. Several years ago a Reconnaissance Sniper created a loose affiliation of Snipers, Recon Marines, SARCs, and MARSOC Marines which began informally helping each other. From this seed of an early idea some brothers from the community took the proverbial bull by the horns and created the R&S Foundation. Currently, the group is putting together the ‘non profit’ packet and have seated the Board of Directors (I am privileged to have been asked to be on the BOD). If you get a chance, please take a look at the Facebook page and give us a ‘like’. You can reach the Foundation by emailing; info@reconsniperfoundation.org
Randy Abbott – “paralyzed surfer who was robbed” AND A Recon/Sniper? Yeah..OK… February 3, 2014
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: GoFundMe, randy abbott, Recon, Scout Sniper, sniper, Stolen Valor, the view from 42
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UPDATE: The fine folks at This Aint Hell (but you can see it from here) just published a story on Randy Abbott and included his DD214s as well as a speech he gave at the Travis Manion 2013 Hero Run. While he claims he: “…spent (his) first eight years assigned to Special Operations Command with a counter terrorist unit”..His DD214s confirm what we already knew…he was NOT a Recon Marine and NOT a Marine Corps Scout/Sniper. Mr. Abbott was a BulkFuel specialist (ran a gas station) and an Admin Marine (Made sure Marines got paid and had records updated). Thanks to A Buncha Damn Cowboys for their work on outing this guy. Who is this shadowing group? Pretty simple. It is a group of Recon Marines, Scout/Snipers and SARCs who were tired of people claiming honors which they had not earned.
Two weeks ago I (and a lot of my friends) read a story about Randy Abbott. Randy is a paralyzed surfer who said his surfboards were stolen at the beach. According to Randy he hit one of the guys with an uppercut but they ran away with his boards. By most accounts a pretty decent guy.
Since the report of the theft and his status as a ‘disabled vet Recon/Sniper’ there has been an international outpouring of support and numerous people donated thousands of dollars in response. In the story, they state that after spending “fourteen years as a Marine Corps recon scout sniper”, his body was banged up. Randy was not just a Scout/Sniper but a real life “Recon Sniper”? WOW!…I had to do more research as the Marine Reconnaissance and Scout/Sniper community is VERY small and I had not heard of this guy! Why..I am a Recon Marine and Scout/Sniper!! So I did some research and found a picture on his Facebook page that was a giant tattoo of non other than the 1st MarDiv Scout/Sniper School with the motto: “Suffer patiently and patiently suffer”. Nobody would go so far as to get a tattoo of a sacred sniper HOG (Hunter Of Gunmen) logo unless they were ‘legit’. Since nobody could find Mr. Abbott in any of the secret ‘invite only’ Facebook pages for Recon Marines and Snipers (yup…they exist), the Sniper School “God book” or any other places that we use to verify Recon Marines and Snipers (instructors, classes, people who served with him etc.) the question was raised as to whether or not Mr. Abbott was really a Scout Sniper or Reconnaissance Marine? A few former Recon Marines reached out and Randy said he served with “1st Recon BN, Sniper Platoon” That seemed odd since nobody can remember a ‘sniper platoon’ in 1st Recon Bn. More research and NOTHING…his DD214 has been requested but if you know how to contact Randy, please ask him to shoot me an email and we can clear all this up. I have posted my own DD214 to show how easy it is to demonstrate you are Recon Marine or Scout/Sniper. Until then, it appears as if this man is simply making things up…
“Does an F1 Car = F1 Racer? OR Does a Bullet = Sniper?” NO – Expertise ain’t about technology July 19, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: allison barrie, DARPA, Foxnews, mark consulting group, security, sniper, weapons, Xacto
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I was reading a story today on Foxnews titled: “could guided bullets turn an average joe into a sniper?” The article is written by a former ballerina turned “defense specialist” (I didn’t make that up). I have written about this subject before in “The Carpenter Not The Hammer Builds the House”. In short, her article suggests that new, more accurate bullets could turn an “average joe” into a sniper. The referenced article on bullets demonstrates several major flaws in thinking about security or defense. First, it quotes a “specialist” who has no specialized knowledge of the subject gained through actual experience. I am not doubting that Ms. Barrie has read some great books and attended great lectures but the fact remains that without real world experience, it is difficult to understand how she is qualified to speak on the subject at hand. We see this in many areas of security from information to physical and so on. The second issue is one I see every day. It is the mistaken belief that the technology makes the expert. It discounts the knowledge, training and practice required to use the ‘tool’ with effect. If I were to buy a Formula 1 racecar would I suddenly be considered a ‘racer’? A more accurate rifle does not make a sniper…it simply makes a sniper more accurate. Within information security we see the same flawed logic. Companies believe that by purchasing the latest and greatest technology they can replace expertise gained through years of work ‘in the trenches’. A leading application layer firewall is only as effective as the person deploying, configuring and managing the device. The moral of the story? Technology makes experts more effective they do not create or establish expertise. BTW: the picture is a Canadian Sea Marshal Tactical Team (CSMTT) sniper on a ship.
Long Range Shooting with Lloyd Hill – Long Range Shooting Shop June 27, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in weapons and tactics.Tags: huskemaw, Lloyd Hill, long range shooting, maxaccuracy.com, MOA, Rifles, Scout Sniper, shooting, sniper
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I rarely, if ever, endorse products on this blog. A few months ago I had a chance to meet Lloyd Hill of Long Range Shooting Shop (Plano, Tx) at a range outside of Dallas when I was doing some shooting for charity. He also has a blog at www.MaxAccuracy.com. I also had a chance to shoot one of his custom 7mm Remington Mags…if you are in the market for long range shooting instruction or custom long range rifles…Lloyd is the person to speak with. As a former Marine Scout/Sniper, I am not easily impressed on the range. Lloyd impressed the hell out of me. Not only does he understand long range shooting, but he practices what he preaches. (he is a nice guy, as well with some great stories:) He spent years “overseas” and is an avid hunter. This guy does not build “Brandy Gun” (an overly expensive gun that the owner cannot shoot…he only pulls it out to show is other rich friends when they are drinking brandy from a snifter). Lloyd builds custom, long range rifles. As a testament to his skill in making a rifle, I put two rounds in less than 2 inches at 500 yards with the 7mm. For you shooting enthusiasts that is less than 1/2 MOA at 500 yards…on a rifle I had never shot. Here is a video of Lloyd.
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Randy Abbott’s Apology & Paralysis February 3, 2012
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: 1st Recon, Apology, disability, Fake, Paralyzed, randy abbott, Recon, sniper, Stolen Valor, Surfer
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On August 23, 2014 this blog received comment on the post titled “Randy Abbott – Paralyzed Surfer who was robbed..” from Mr. Randy Abbott. In the apology he says simply:
“Mr. Mark, I personally want to apologize to you for being dishonest and lying about what I did in the military. I apologize for dishonoring you and all other Recon Scout/Snipers with my actions and dishonesty. I do not know how to reach out to all of them, I’m asking if you could please pass on my message of apology for my dishonesty and lying.”
This apology is consistent with other apologies Mr. Abbot has provided to ThisAintHell and the WoundedTimes Blog. After Mr. Abbott’s exposure, numerous people contacted me, and others, with stories related to his “charity” The View from 42 and other items. Investigation into the View from 42 shows demonstrated that it was not an existing not-for profit charity.
While Mr. Abbott has acknowledged he lied about his military service and while it has been discovered that The View from 42 is not a recognized (by either the IRS or state of California) Non Profit charity, I do not dispute that Mr. Abbott is disabled. I have received numerous communications from people very close to Mr. Abbott questioning his disability that have remained unpublished. The reasons are simple. 1) I am not a doctor and cannot speak to any form of paralysis, and 2) as the father of a special needs child, I would not propose to question someone else’ disability.
My objective with the post was simply to question Mr. Abbott’s claims of being a Marine Corps Scout/Sniper, Reconnaissance Marine and Combat Veteran. This, I felt, was a matter of public interest as Mr. Abbott had made statements and allowed numerous articles, news reports and other media to make claims of being a Scout/Sniper as well as other things. As can be seen from the post on ThisAintHell where he was exposed for lying about his service, the statement above, as well as his apology posted here, and here, Mr. Abbott admitted he lied. Given Mr. Abbott’s admitted lies about his military service it is certainly seems understandable to me if people were to question any other claim made by Mr. Abbott.
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