Lone Operator

How to Survive & Thrive in the Modern Age

Joseph N. Teti, Liam Wolfe

• Publisher: Joseph Teti
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9781633939806
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Personal Success

“... Joe is the consummate professional with a ‘can do’ attitude that inspires and motivates others to do their best!”—Dr. Dale Comstock, MSG (Ret.) US Army Delta Force, author of American Badass

LONE OPERATOR is the true story of a modern-day Spartan. From very humble beginnings, Joseph Teti overcame poverty, tragic loss and crippling phobias to serve in not one, but three special-operations units. A man who repeatedly defied the odds, he survived brutal combat in Afghanistan and Iraq as a member of what is widely considered the most secretive government counter-terrorist unit in the world. While serving at the “tip of the spear” in special operations, he learned skills that propelled his civilian business career. A seasoned entrepreneur, Teti shares the critical skills needed to not just survive in today’s chaotic and crazy world, but to thrive. The former co-star of the hit show Dual Survival, on the Discovery Channel, has endured in some of the harshest environments on the planet, from the jungles of Sri Lanka, to the deserts of Oman to the glaciers of Norway. He is considered a subject-matter expert on wilderness and urban survival and has been featured on the cover of several magazines. His life story is one of the most remarkable examples of overcoming all odds, to win at all costs, and to always raise the bar to become better each day.

PART 1

WAR STORIES

MY LIFE UNDER FIRE

1

THE WILL TO WIN

“Surviving a tough situation means staying in the fight and maintaining a warrior’s mindset above all else.”

—JOSEPH TETI

HAWAII—2013

THE BOAR STORY

My kill zone was arranged on a narrow, high-backed ridge. The warm breeze was constant, rolling in from the shore and bearing southwest, carrying my scent away from the game trail and into the deeper jungle that lay behind me.

There was plenty of fresh boar dung, recent tracks, and every indication that wild pigs regularly used the path in prowling their range. I was surrounded by them. They had overrun that small Hawaiian island. I had seen dozens of the hump-backed, irritable beasts as my partner and I made our way down from the higher elevations, striking out for the shoreline.

We were accompanied by a three-person camera crew that was instructed to keep its distance and remain well hidden when possible. Dual Survival was a reality show in the truest sense. The events recorded were authentic and the danger quite real. My partner and I often butted heads over strategy, the mission, and our priorities. But we shared the same goals each time we were thrown together: to survive the situation and to demonstrate the life-saving skills that we suffered much to learn and master.

That day we were playing out a scenario that is all too common: taking on the role of a boar hunter, caught up in the chase, who loses his way in the jungle and takes a fall. As usual, we were tasked by the show’s writers to turn around a nearly hopeless situation, save ourselves without assistance, and do it all while filming an entertaining television episode. It’s a lot harder than it looks. Trust me on that.

We were provided with an empty butane lighter, mosquito netting, a small game candle, and a hunter’s vest. Using just these items, we had to orient ourselves, hike to the coast, and signal rescuers. That day we were functioning as a team. Our chemistry was excellent. By late afternoon we had descended to the island’s lower elevations, put together a rough camp, built a fire, crafted a spear for protection, and discovered a source of water that, while not potable, could be boiled and made safe to drink.

The only thing unaddressed was our hunger.

I decided to hunt down and kill a boar for dinner. While I do not enjoy killing animals, in a survival situation I will do what is necessary to replenish the calories and protein that constant exertion and harsh conditions drain from the body. We needed the meat, and I was determined to provide it.

We argued about it. Our differences were stark, which was what gave the show such an entertaining hook. My partner was extremely conservative in his approach to survival. He didn’t believe in risks then and doesn’t today. His tactics have always been careful, well thought-out, and designed to avoid unnecessary hazards. This strategy worked for him over time. It is a nuanced approach, reflecting years of experience in the Desert Southwest where he also makes his home. Though the conditions are harsh, the American desert is a well-known and more-or-less predictable environment. Reacting in a nonaggressive and risk-adverse manner is a perfect survival approach for that environment.

He often left me frustrated because the Dual Survival producers subjected us to exotic terrains and weather conditions that were nothing like New Mexico and Arizona. His approach to survival was much different than mine.

My background as a former Force Recon Marine, US Army Special Forces Green Beret, and as an operative in a top-secret government counterterrorist unit has tested me in dozens of rugged, unforgiving environments and under extreme and violent conditions. Survival in these scenarios requires an aggressive approach at all times and a willingness to take extraordinary, well thought-out, and calculated risks. I do not and will not place myself in harm’s way for no reason. I’ve only got one life. So, the pros and cons must be weighed carefully.

Since survival is my end goal, I study the probabilities before I act—but I act. I will do what is necessary to ensure my safety and to protect those with me. I am never impulsive or rash. But I am unwavering in my convictions. I rely upon my physical abilities, good judgment, and sound tactical strategies that I have utilized to the fullest in the past. They have served me well and saved me many times.

Regarding feral pigs, they are dangerous and highly unpredictable. When aroused or protecting their young, they will attack and have the ability to kill human beings. My partner made the point to me that directly risking injury placed the team in jeopardy. Viewers caught less than a minute of our argument, but in reality, it lasted far longer. Ultimately I decided to pursue the more dangerous course, because I would have done the exact same thing if the cameras weren’t rolling. And I wanted to make the point to viewers that one must put aside qualms and do what is necessary in a survival situation. We needed food, and we needed it badly.

I staked out the game trail carefully. I had dismissed several other locations. While they might have worked, they were less than ideal and I leave nothing to chance. I wanted to stack the deck in my favor as much as possible.

I arranged a series of obstacles to steer the targeted animal into an ambush site that I controlled. Here, I placed double-woven snares made from a segment of chicken wire fence I had scavenged from a streambed. In a survival situation, you must recognize the value of raw materials and be prepared to use them in a variety of imaginative ways. Thinking outside of the box and building useful tools is critical.

In addition to fashioning snares from the wire, I used it to create a fence to funnel the boar into the trap. I had used this type of tactic before against human enemies in combat. It is a very effective and battle-tested old-school linear ambush.

One of the worst-case scenarios I could imagine was the boar escaping my carefully laid trap and charging me. Armed with only a makeshift spear and a knife, I would be nearly helpless. There were no guarantees if my plan went south. There was no question that I risked serious injury and possible death.

I waited for nearly six hours, lying on my belly in the brush, attuned to the environment, to noises, motion, and surrounding odors. I have a keen sense of smell. It was more useful to me than hearing in that situation because wild boars have a powerfully offensive odor. I knew I’d smell the beast coming long before I heard it.

The film crew grew restless. The lead cameraman informed me that they were going to stop filming shortly due to the fading light. I gave him a nod and looked at my watch. With only thirty minutes left there was every reason to believe my carefully crafted plan was about to fall victim to simple darkness.

It was then that an awful stench came rolling down the trail. As anticipated, I smelled the male boar well before he arrived. He was coming down the path, ambling and snuffling as they do, in search of food and popping in and out of sight due to the heavy brush. For a moment he was hidden from my sight by a large rock formation. I thought I’d lost him. But much to my relief, he reappeared immediately. He was a full-grown male, somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 pounds. He was a banquet on the hoof.

The six hours I’d lain in wait had been put to good use. I’d rehearsed every aspect of the kill in my mind. I knew exactly how it would look, sound, and feel. My attack was preplanned, and every countermove of the boar was factored in. I expected the unexpected to occur. I had defined an egress plan and a running path. I had selected trees to climb along that route in case I was wounded, or the boar was simply faster.

I was using a tactic called “crisis rehearsal.” It had served me well hundreds of times before as I waited to deploy into hot zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the moment of truth arrived, I wanted to react instantaneously and carry out the plan without hesitation.

I kept repeating the tenants of CQB (close quarters battle) to myself: speed, surprise, violence of action. I knew I would be dealing with a deadly animal and a wildly unstable situation.

As the creature approached, I felt adrenaline flooding my system. The chemical reaction of the body to stress can be useful, but this fight or flight instinct is also a potential disruptor to effective action. Distractions are filtered out. Everything goes quiet. Time seems to slow down as the crisis unfolds, giving the individual a narrower range of perceptual responses. But one also develops a sort of mental myopia or “tunnel vision.” Your environment and surroundings effectively disappear as you hone in on your target until you can see nothing else.

All of these things happened to me at once. I had experienced this pre-kill aura many times before, but it was strong that day. I was blind to everything except the hulking, feral boar. My breathing grew stronger. My heartrate shot up. My palms were suddenly sweaty. I did my best to control my breathing. I knew that I had prepared fully and the battlefield was in my favor. I have heard it said many times that “luck is where opportunity meets preparation.” My opportunity was walking straight into my preparation.

The boar met with the diverting wall I had constructed out of the chicken wire fence, turned aside, and shuffled right into the snares. The world slowed down. I leapt up and moved with lethal intent. As I rushed through the thick brush toward the animal, I was blind to everything except my quarry.

He saw death approaching. His eyes rolled and he panicked, struggling to break the tightly wound wire immobilizing his right rear leg. I was on him in a moment. I aimed for a small area on his body, about the size of a softball an...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1: War Stories—My Life under Fire
• Part 2: Survival—A Modern Manual
• Epilogue—The Final Assessment: Exfil