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This is the Combat Story of Bob Keller, a retired Special Missions Unit or Delta Force operator who spent his entire military career in the Special Operations community. Bob began his career as a U.S. Army Ranger and Special Forces Green Beret before transitioning to the Unit.
Bob spent several years as a professional golfer before finding his calling as a soldier. As an operator, he was in more than 400 engagements and 1,000 missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other undisclosed locations.
After retiring, Bob founded Gamut Resolutions, a tactical and practical shooting program that uses the Ready-Up training methodology to help students survive any situation. He also oversees a charity that provides elite shooting courses to police, for free.
In this episode, Bob provides fascinating insight into the confidence, training, and experiences of a Tier 1 operator. I hope you enjoy this Combat Story as much as I did.
Find Bob online:
Instagram - @kellergamutresolutions / kellergamutresolutions
Facebook - GamutResolutions / gamutresolutions
Website - www.gamutresolutions.com
Interviewing a Family Member or Friend: Hi everyone. We wanted to let people know that if you're interested in having Ryan interview a family member or friend about their combat experience so you have a story that can be shared with family for years to come, please email ryan@combatstory.com. We're often asked if we can interview family members who don't want to share their story publicly, which is understandable. We know how important it is to capture these stories for our families, however, as Ryan has done with his own father. If you feel you have a family member who would appreciate sharing their story with a fellow veteran that can then be passed down privately to family and friends, please contact us. Thanks and stay safe!
#deltaforce #veteran #specialops #specialoperations #army #combatstory #ryanfugit
Show Notes
0:00 - Intro
1:02 - Guest Introduction and Bio
2:00 - Interview Begins
4:50 - Relearning how to shoot after years of advanced and elite training
7:06 - Gamut Resolutions and the training classes that Bob references throughout the interview
10:45 - Where did your competitive nature come from?
12:01 - Life as a professional golfer.
13:43 - The decision to move into the military.
18:01 - “That was my passion.”
18:26 - Why was a Guard Special Forces unit so special?
21:49 - Combat Story #1: Running to gun fire. “Getting shot at isn’t scary, it’s exciting.”
25:01 - Everyone at the Unit is like this…
25:36 - “You can’t train liking to get shot at.”
32:17 - What would other operators say was your biggest strength?
34:26 - Confidence for a Tier 1 operator.
38:40 - Combat Story #2: On the Ladder. This story is fantastic.
45:30 - The first time I realized “I could actually die.”
47:24 - Rhythm and cadence. Describes the El Pres or El Presidente shooting drill (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combat_....
50:06 - Learning from gunfights.
54:04 - Does the idea of possibly dying change how you fight?
55:29 - How hard the soldier’s life is on families.
59:12 - Combat Story #3: Complacency and grenades.
1:03:44 - Combat Story #4: Shooting between your legs.
1:08:29 - Advice to a new soldier: “Don’t ever say I quit.”
1:10:37 - Advice to those who didn’t serve but still want to give back. Special Operations Care - Fund (soc-f.org/) and the Gamut Initiative (this is Bob’s charity organization which will be online again shortly).
1:15:04 - Gamut Resolutions and what’s coming with more CQB and fellow Tier 1 guest coaches. Also, Range Werx is a range shooting facility in Florida (find more at gamutresolutions.com/ and rangewerx.com/).
1:17:08 - What did you carry with you into combat each time?
1:18:27 - Would you do it all again? A bit of a surprise.
1:20:22 - How important your spouse and family are to your success.
1:22:09 - Golf. Then and now.
1:23:56 - How to share your own story.