Kevin, appreciated the comments on officers and nco’s. As an ensign in the navy 30 years ago I had some great chiefs but had a really toxic senior chief (E-8), that most of the other chiefs realized was a bully and personally despised. I was always trained and did my best to listen and respect my senior nco’s. And most I learned tons from. Great to hear your perspective.
You have a legit gift for teaching, telling war stories, giving advice, etc. There are a ton of better known ex-military guys now getting into youtube and content creation in general and most of them are awesome but you have something unique that draws people in more than most. Honestly cannot wait to hear more from you going forward. I'll probably even go back to listen to your Cleared Hot episode again just for the fun. Thanks for the info!
Love your honesty. Also the part about enlisting at 30. I go to basic in July and will turn 31 and keep thinking I’m too old but hearing you say that’s not old makes me confident
Great point Kevin that all officers should have to spend a few years in the ranks, a bit like the Guards. I spent nearly eight years in the ranks, including five years SF before I was commissioned. You are a credit to the Irish Army and the SJC
I spent 5 years in the US Air Force as Enlisted - 1985 - 1990 - including South Korea and West Germany .. I KNEW dozens of very famous and High Ranking Officers from WW2 and several Congressmen .. Jimmy Doolittle, The Doolittle Raiders, Pappy Boyington, several of his Black Sheep Pilots, several Flying Tigers, Gabby Gabreski, Chuck Yeager, Lee Marvin, Barry Goldwater, John McCain .. knew em from the time I was a boy .. when I enlisted in 1984, all of them either flew into to Tucson or called me or my Grandfather and offered to sign Letters of Recommendation and call their contacts to get me a Cadet slot at the US Air Force Academy .. I told them NO .. I wanted to spend six years as an ENLISTED Aircraft Mechanic first and THEN apply to to either the Academy or OCS .. I spent five years as an Enlisted Man, working on F-15s and F-16s, 12-16 hours a day, 6 days a week, keeping the Pilots from crashing, ARGUING with Officers who knew absolutely NOTHING about my job OR Leadership OR any modicum of respect for enlisted troops .. and for the last 30 years I have been calling for an END to NON-Military Cadets as Officers .. every candidate for Officer in evey service should have a MINIMUM of four years experience as an Enlisted and the rank of E-4 or above before they qualify for Academy appointment, OCS or Commissioning as an LT ..
5 years enlisted before becoming an officer. I agree. There was a society in the near past where you had to work during 6 months in the coal mines or at farms. This was ment to create a greater social cohesion by respecting the “lower” hard working class, before going to university.
I cant imagine having this platform 20 years ago when I was 18 and looking to join. So much knowledge, if you're a young person looking to join the military....listen!!!
I watch a LOT of content from former military/LEO on TH-cam but Kevin is by FAR my favourite and my biggest critique of him is there isn’t enough content of him especially long format like this available so I can’t wait to hear all the podcasts and chapters from him. Could listen to Mr Owens for hours without getting bored when most other guys in this space get very very repetitive very very soon. The rich experience of Kevin just seeps out
This was wonderful. Your perspective is great and your honesty is refreshing. I will watch everything you put up, because although most things aren't directly applicable to me and my situation, the knowledge and perspective help me. I never served. I grew up in the Vietnam era and have watched the American situation change for all these years. It boggles me that we live in an age of miracles but our population is morphing into spoiled children. Thank you for taking the time. I look forward to more.
I enjoy your videos very much. I haven't seen a bad one yet. "Enjoy life and don't give shit about what other people think" is probably the best advice I've heard. All of the basic skills are the perfect thing for me. They are not basic for me, I have gotten a lot out of your info. I watched some long range shooting videos you did a year ago, they were fantastic. So many things I had never heard of or seen. Good stuff always.
From one Irish man to another live your content. Wish you do more videos theres a couple guys on TH-cam I look forward to their videos and your one of them. I know you said your kids are older but how do you store your firearms and ammunition and curious to get your take on how much ammo do you like to keep on hand or a bare minimum. Thanks for all your knowledge you share it is appreciated
Love the video Kevin. Keep them coming... what may seem like unstructured talking from you has lots of tips and bits of wisdom, so I think it is valuable. I also want to make sure Kirsten gets some jabs into each of your future videos. 👍
This is a great format, as some of the others have said you are dropping a lot of great nuggets to think about. I understand you being carful and not getting into things you don’t fell are your wheelhouse. There needs to be more of that. I will be watching for the next installment. Have a great weekend.
I was deployed to Bosnia in 1996..or was it 97...anyway, I was driving a Col. across the country for a meeting. We stayed at a British compound to over night en route. When getting billets, my Col. was taken aback when they wouldn't room the two of us together. The phrase the British officer used was "Familiarity breeds contempt" and they believed heavily in separation of the officers and enlisted.
Mr. Owens, only a suggestion, but I happen to know a former leader of Provisional IRA Derry Brigade, was present at Bloody Sunday and jailed 8 years by British…that would make a great interview. When I hear you speak of Northern Ireland history, it’s sounds exactly familiar.
100% truth on officers, when I was Aussie army it had that same institutional inbreeding shit. When I was an NCO we had just come back from a deployment and we had the annual fresh out of training officers turn up. They were showing us how to conduct a hasty VCP from “the book” which had no place in the real world. Meanwhile they wouldn’t have any of it when us NCOs would correct them, they took it personally and not as a learning experience. It’s unfortunate when militaries have that “tradition” still to this day.
Had a fresh LT he tried pulling education with the junior guys not realizing everyone had masters degrees and he was in fact the least educated it brought a smile to my face that day🤣
Really liked your take on the new rifle from Sig. Didn't occur to me that the difference between what SF groups ask for and what Army asks for is bottom up vs top down. Whole thing doesn't make sense to me. Seems like a classic case of "looks good on paper".
Really appreciate your candid take on all manner of things. This civilian never understood the whole officer/enlisted line of demarcation, and why a newly minted OCS grad would outrank a soldier with 10 years of experience. It always seemed like some weird holdover from the days of peasants and royalty.
With regards to the rucking thing - get strong in the gym with deadlifts, squats, carries, yoke walks (all under proper instruction of course), and putting a backpack on will feel a lot lighter. An 80lb backpack is going to feel like a lot of weight to someone who squats 135, it'll feel like nothing to someone squatting 405. This is one of the topics that i'm passionate about, and it's frustrating to see so many people F it up. There's so much terrible information in the 'fitness' space. Training is to increase your performance at a given task, and the most efficient way to do that is very rarely to just do the task itself over and over. Pro tip, if you ever hear the term "functional fitness" or "functional strength", you're talking to a bullsh-tter.
I liked how you handled the question on the Russian - Ukrainian war. The reality is there is arguments on both sides that carry weight. Ukraine is so highly corrupt, it doesn't bear thinking about. One of the poorest countries in Europe full of Billionaire oligarchs. The idea that those people along with top American democrats care for the poor people of Ukraine is absurd.
I'd actually really like to hear your point of view of gun control and the horrific situation in the US with freely accessible military style guns. As a European and ex US military I think your insight into how to deal with this situation would be valuable.
You see only the negative side of the 2A. If/when they are needed to combat tyranny, you’ll sign a different tune. Then again, we are enslaved without the tyrants having to fire a shot so maybe it’s just a cope.
Once people discover this channel, its going to blow up
Keep doing what you do. We don't need a book. You're one of the best things on TH-cam
Kevin, appreciated the comments on officers and nco’s. As an ensign in the navy 30 years ago I had some great chiefs but had a really toxic senior chief (E-8), that most of the other chiefs realized was a bully and personally despised. I was always trained and did my best to listen and respect my senior nco’s. And most I learned tons from. Great to hear your perspective.
You have a legit gift for teaching, telling war stories, giving advice, etc. There are a ton of better known ex-military guys now getting into youtube and content creation in general and most of them are awesome but you have something unique that draws people in more than most. Honestly cannot wait to hear more from you going forward. I'll probably even go back to listen to your Cleared Hot episode again just for the fun. Thanks for the info!
Love your honesty. Also the part about enlisting at 30. I go to basic in July and will turn 31 and keep thinking I’m too old but hearing you say that’s not old makes me confident
Reach out to Jocko and get on the podcast man! Glover can introduce you guys.
PS. This content is class. Rale Ayerush. Great wee community.
This was awesome! Can't wait for more! 👍
Absolutely awesome. These types of talks are what I learn from
Thanks for covering the questions. Wasn’t sure you’d hit mine but you did,and it’s appreciated. Hope you can enjoy the weekend with the pup.
Great point Kevin that all officers should have to spend a few years in the ranks, a bit like the Guards. I spent nearly eight years in the ranks, including five years SF before I was commissioned. You are a credit to the Irish Army and the SJC
I spent 5 years in the US Air Force as Enlisted - 1985 - 1990 - including South Korea and West Germany .. I KNEW dozens of very famous and High Ranking Officers from WW2 and several Congressmen .. Jimmy Doolittle, The Doolittle Raiders, Pappy Boyington, several of his Black Sheep Pilots, several Flying Tigers, Gabby Gabreski, Chuck Yeager, Lee Marvin, Barry Goldwater, John McCain .. knew em from the time I was a boy .. when I enlisted in 1984, all of them either flew into to Tucson or called me or my Grandfather and offered to sign Letters of Recommendation and call their contacts to get me a Cadet slot at the US Air Force Academy .. I told them NO .. I wanted to spend six years as an ENLISTED Aircraft Mechanic first and THEN apply to to either the Academy or OCS .. I spent five years as an Enlisted Man, working on F-15s and F-16s, 12-16 hours a day, 6 days a week, keeping the Pilots from crashing, ARGUING with Officers who knew absolutely NOTHING about my job OR Leadership OR any modicum of respect for enlisted troops .. and for the last 30 years I have been calling for an END to NON-Military Cadets as Officers .. every candidate for Officer in evey service should have a MINIMUM of four years experience as an Enlisted and the rank of E-4 or above before they qualify for Academy appointment, OCS or Commissioning as an LT ..
5 years enlisted before becoming an officer. I agree.
There was a society in the near past where you had to work during 6 months in the coal mines or at farms.
This was ment to create a greater social cohesion by respecting the “lower” hard working class, before going to university.
Your show is fantastic. Don’t burn yourself out. 🤙
I love Kevin’s content. Very humble, and excellent experience and advise. I’d watching for a long range class from his to be offered….
Kevin, you’re the real deal! We appreciate your views, keep doing what you’re doing!
This was awesome! Thanks, bro
Best officers I ever had, Green to Gold or battlefield promotion.
Glad to see you’ve started your own channel. I really enjoy your videos - good info with a thoughtful, low key approach and no ego or bravado.
Thank you for the straightforwardness.
I'm glad l found your channel Kevin. Great information in your videos. From Ireland 🇮🇪
Nice to meet u.. I'm from New castle county down.. in USA Pittsburgh now..
Awesome content. You’re the Irish uncle I never had. Keep it up
B.S. Kevin. You're doing great on these videos. Presentation isn't everything, it's the information that matters.
Awesome!
I cant imagine having this platform 20 years ago when I was 18 and looking to join. So much knowledge, if you're a young person looking to join the military....listen!!!
Close to Virginia is Moyock, NC. There is a fine training area there with all ranges. 🤙
Love hearing from you Kevin. More of this kind of content please 🙏
I watch a LOT of content from former military/LEO on TH-cam but Kevin is by FAR my favourite and my biggest critique of him is there isn’t enough content of him especially long format like this available so I can’t wait to hear all the podcasts and chapters from him. Could listen to Mr Owens for hours without getting bored when most other guys in this space get very very repetitive very very soon. The rich experience of Kevin just seeps out
This was wonderful. Your perspective is great and your honesty is refreshing. I will watch everything you put up, because although most things aren't directly applicable to me and my situation, the knowledge and perspective help me. I never served. I grew up in the Vietnam era and have watched the American situation change for all these years. It boggles me that we live in an age of miracles but our population is morphing into spoiled children. Thank you for taking the time. I look forward to more.
Great video keep them coming Kevin!
Kevin, thank you for responding. I'll be looking forward to listening to stories through this channel. God bless.
I enjoy your videos very much. I haven't seen a bad one yet. "Enjoy life and don't give shit about what other people think" is probably the best advice I've heard. All of the basic skills are the perfect thing for me. They are not basic for me, I have gotten a lot out of your info. I watched some long range shooting videos you did a year ago, they were fantastic. So many things I had never heard of or seen. Good stuff always.
Appreciate this format immensely. Learn so much & love the stories.
You’re right don’t write a bloody book just keep this coming.
Thanks for putting yourself out there and sharing your experience!
From one Irish man to another live your content. Wish you do more videos theres a couple guys on TH-cam I look forward to their videos and your one of them. I know you said your kids are older but how do you store your firearms and ammunition and curious to get your take on how much ammo do you like to keep on hand or a bare minimum. Thanks for all your knowledge you share it is appreciated
I don't drink either. It was funny hearing you answer that question a bunch of times.
Good stuff - can’t wait for more
You have an awesome way of telling stories I can’t wait for more my friend
Well done man
Expert advice right here. Thanks Kevin
Love the video Kevin. Keep them coming... what may seem like unstructured talking from you has lots of tips and bits of wisdom, so I think it is valuable. I also want to make sure Kirsten gets some jabs into each of your future videos. 👍
These are rad. The SD trip / history episode was legit.
This is a great format, as some of the others have said you are dropping a lot of great nuggets to think about. I understand you being carful and not getting into things you don’t fell are your wheelhouse. There needs to be more of that.
I will be watching for the next installment.
Have a great weekend.
I was deployed to Bosnia in 1996..or was it 97...anyway, I was driving a Col. across the country for a meeting. We stayed at a British compound to over night en route. When getting billets, my Col. was taken aback when they wouldn't room the two of us together. The phrase the British officer used was "Familiarity breeds contempt" and they believed heavily in separation of the officers and enlisted.
Great 👍👍👍
"do I have any skills?" 🔥
Mr. Owens, only a suggestion, but I happen to know a former leader of Provisional IRA Derry Brigade, was present at Bloody Sunday and jailed 8 years by British…that would make a great interview. When I hear you speak of Northern Ireland history, it’s sounds exactly familiar.
100% truth on officers, when I was Aussie army it had that same institutional inbreeding shit. When I was an NCO we had just come back from a deployment and we had the annual fresh out of training officers turn up. They were showing us how to conduct a hasty VCP from “the book” which had no place in the real world. Meanwhile they wouldn’t have any of it when us NCOs would correct them, they took it personally and not as a learning experience. It’s unfortunate when militaries have that “tradition” still to this day.
Had a fresh LT he tried pulling education with the junior guys not realizing everyone had masters degrees and he was in fact the least educated it brought a smile to my face that day🤣
This man the 🐐
Thank you for the video
No book! I want to hear you tell it all in your voice.
Thank you. I enjoy all your content.
Thanks for doing this Kevin. I appreciate your candor
Love this format, Kevin. Cheers, sir!
Kevin has some bangin’ pipes in his forearms. Love his lessons, but shit, can’t unsee them as a medic. Begging for some large bore IVs
Anyone who has started an IV has clocked his lines from a mile away, 😂😂
Awesome content!! We need more like this. And also videos of just story time! I could listen about combat / army / life stories. Give us more Kevin!!
Love it, keep up the great work!
Thank you for the great content !
Hay Kevin,
Fal or steyr.
Bap or sig.
Did you ever train on the good old Carl Gustaf 9mm.
Excellent content!
Love your content Mr. Owens.
Is Coriolis just a gimmick with firearms? As a helo pilot we don't correct for coriolis even on flights greater than 25 nautical mile flights.
It’s for extreme long range, you’ll miss 100 times because of wind before Coriolis, but it sounds cool
Really liked your take on the new rifle from Sig. Didn't occur to me that the difference between what SF groups ask for and what Army asks for is bottom up vs top down. Whole thing doesn't make sense to me. Seems like a classic case of "looks good on paper".
Really appreciate your candid take on all manner of things. This civilian never understood the whole officer/enlisted line of demarcation, and why a newly minted OCS grad would outrank a soldier with 10 years of experience.
It always seemed like some weird holdover from the days of peasants and royalty.
"I see mis-information everywhere." Indeed.
With regards to the rucking thing - get strong in the gym with deadlifts, squats, carries, yoke walks (all under proper instruction of course), and putting a backpack on will feel a lot lighter. An 80lb backpack is going to feel like a lot of weight to someone who squats 135, it'll feel like nothing to someone squatting 405.
This is one of the topics that i'm passionate about, and it's frustrating to see so many people F it up. There's so much terrible information in the 'fitness' space. Training is to increase your performance at a given task, and the most efficient way to do that is very rarely to just do the task itself over and over. Pro tip, if you ever hear the term "functional fitness" or "functional strength", you're talking to a bullsh-tter.
LOL "I'm not good at pushing myself."
😅 okay
Only so much real estate on the rail!!😂👍🏼🍀
Further into this post!! Amazing and informative!!👍🏼
I know he won't admit it, but Kevin is a badass.
Good on ya for waiting re: Uvalde 🍻
Not my quote, but I love it. "If I can't show you the math, it's just my opinion."
I liked how you handled the question on the Russian - Ukrainian war. The reality is there is arguments on both sides that carry weight. Ukraine is so highly corrupt, it doesn't bear thinking about. One of the poorest countries in Europe full of Billionaire oligarchs. The idea that those people along with top American democrats care for the poor people of Ukraine is absurd.
🍻
Lots of my guns are bought for………..my wife🤗
IBOGA, DMT!!!
IBOGA, DMT!!!
IBOGA, DMT!!!
Algorithm.
I'd actually really like to hear your point of view of gun control and the horrific situation in the US with freely accessible military style guns. As a European and ex US military I think your insight into how to deal with this situation would be valuable.
Boy, are you in the wrong audience 😂
@Forging Freedom TV but not wrong headed at least.
You see only the negative side of the 2A. If/when they are needed to combat tyranny, you’ll sign a different tune. Then again, we are enslaved without the tyrants having to fire a shot so maybe it’s just a cope.
Kevin is not good at self promotion.