"There are no external factors that will affect your future or your destiny to become better, stronger, faster, richer or wiser. Stop striving and looking for external factors. Everything originates from within your mind, deeply rooted, waiting for the day you develop and bring it out." - Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
The content of this article is a translation of an interview on the website.
The Veterans Project with the resolute and determined warrior Tu Lam
Former US Army Special Forces Green Beret
And currently, he is the founder of the Institute of Combat Training, Tactical Techniques.
and developed tactical equipment "Ronin Tactics" 
- Can you share with us about your journey so far?
Tu Lam: When I retired from the military,In my heart, I think about going out to find the truth of this world.
And the truth in my heart, to learn, to accumulate and to spread.
Share back with fellow human beings
Since the day I stepped out of the military, I have met the people I fought to protect.
When I was stationed overseas, I was exposed to a much broader range of ideas.
I can travel anywhere in the world, unlike when I was in the military, where there were tight deadlines and restrictions on my identity.
I left the military due to mental illness and I consider that a path to take my life to the next level.
- When you first joined the military and entered the world of special operations, before 9/11, how did you feel?
When comparing before and after the incident
Tu Lam: I have seen war and violence since I can remember. I was born in a time of war.
I was born in 1974, after the fall of Saigon.
In 1976, my family was brutally tortured and dragged through the streets of the city.
Because of the decentralization of communist power by the Vietnamese government
My uncle, who served his country in the navy, was dragged along the streets like an animal.
And finally he was shot.
My grandfather sacrificed his life trying to save and transport the children.
And my mother, a refugee across the border.
Because of my mother's words, "I will not let these two sons
Growing up under the shadow of communism is absolutely impossible."
We used an old wooden boat to escape. Inside the ship were more than a hundred refugees.
After leaving the waters, our first step is to guide the ship to avoid the prying eyes of pirates.
Pirates often target refugees because they are relatively wealthy.
And when they hijack, they kill everyone on the boat and rape the women.
Luckily, our ship escaped the pirates and reached the coast of Indonesia.
At that time, the coast guard stopped our ship and prevented us from entering the country.
They towed our boat back out to sea, away from the shore, and shot and destroyed our boat's engines.
And leave us floating in the middle of the ocean.
Our refugee ship just floats aimlessly, hoping for a miracle.
Until today, the ship was hit by a storm and ended up in the middle of the Russian peninsula.
A Russian cargo ship rescued us while they were sailing to Singapore.
They took us to a refugee camp in Indonesia.
Surprisingly, I and other refugees were fleeing from a communist group (Vietnamese government).
But was helped by another group of communists (the Russian government).
It was at that point that I learned my first lesson in life: that people are all different.
Indonesian monks helped us while we were in the refugee camp.
My aunt fell in love with and married an Army officer who was a Green Beret.
And he helped us get into the refugee program in the United States.
I got to know the Bragg camp.
(Fort Bragg - a camp that is considered a training and production center for special forces of the US Army)
When I was 8 years old, and so was my mother, she fell in love with a non-commissioned officer.
Where is also the Green Beret special operations unit.
He was a very good stepfather to my mother and me. My stepfather passed on and taught me the knowledge and methods of special operations units.
Since I was a child, I learned to speak many languages.
Learn about various types of weapons, how to maintain and use them.
Learn to survive and navigate in the wilderness.
How to navigate with the stars and make your own compass
What I realized at that time was that we were just spending time as father and son.
But what my stepfather passed on to me was knowledge and the foundation of a warrior.
Throughout my life with my stepfather, I would see him at home.
Going out to work far away for a long time, repeating over and over again
And when he saw the news of the conflict in Panama, his father was immediately summoned.
It was then that I realized that I had been raised and taught the skills of a warrior.
I understood the concepts of sheep, sheepdogs and wolves from a young age.
I asked my stepfather how I could protect people.
My stepfather replied simply that the child would have to pass a test to join our brothers.
I have had a goal of becoming a Green Beret since I was 10 years old.
Maybe it's the genetics of Asian men. When I graduated from high school, I got a scholarship to study at university.
I was much better at studying than my younger brother, but in the end I rejected the scholarship.
My younger brother studied until he became a doctor. I chose to join the army at the age of 18.
There are no shortcuts from a child growing up and going into training.
and immediately join the Green Beret special operations unit.
I started as a non-commissioned officer and rose to sergeant E-5 within a year and a half.
And that's where you'll be ready to take the Green Beret Special Operations Test.
During my training in the special operations course, I learned a lot of things.
Long-range reconnaissance, Naval amphibious course
Ranger Course, Army Sniper Course
I studied all the courses mentioned above until I was 20 years old.
and the qualifications are ready to be selected as a special force.
I was selected and assigned to the C-SAR (Combat Rescue) team.
In Okinawa, Japan
The role is to provide a defensive line when the PJs (Para Rescue Jumper)
Enter the area to help
I served with C-SAR for over a year before applying for a unit transfer.
Go to CIF (Counter In-extremis Forces)
The unit's primary role is in hostage rescue missions in the Asian region.
The 9/11 incident happened while I was stationed in Okinawa and after.
My unit was deployed to the Philippines and fought against the separatist Abu Sayyaf group.
After some time I requested again from the unit to be transferred to the Middle East.
My mission in the Middle East was a difficult one for teamwork.
This often causes me to work alone.
I have worked in the African region with the African Counter-Terrorism Unit.
Has been to work in Libya and Cameroon and has operated with
Cameroon Commando Unit
On a mission to save and protect animals in Africa from poachers.
And the final stretch was a trip down to southern Africa where I was on a mission to protect the previous president with the Secret Service. 
- What happened after that?
Tu Lam: After that, darkness began to overwhelm my mind, the fire of war.Both the loss of comrades in arms
That made me suffer from depression. Doing everything around me seemed difficult for me.
I am trying to go back to university to get my master's degree. As I said before, learning has never been a problem for me.
But this time I had a problem with my memory, so I had a brain scan.
I was diagnosed with TBI (Transient Bilateral Brain Injury)
or encountering a violent incident that affects the mind)
and scars on the right frontal lobe of the brain, which is the part directly involved in memory.
And others such as irritability, inability to control emotions, and subsequent depression.
They prescribed me a sedative after the examination. I took the medication as prescribed by the doctor without fail.
But I found that my emotional control was getting lower and lower. I became something I didn't know. I was aware of it, but I couldn't control it.
I held it in and flushed all the pills down the toilet. I flushed it down. At that moment, I thought, “Enough! From now on, I’ll go back to controlling myself.”
Dealing with side effects after stopping medication is difficult.
And it was the most painful thing in my life.
Both symptoms of numbness, dizziness, vertigo, vomiting, and recurring depression.
My mood was very volatile at that time.
Until one day I picked up the book The Book of Five Rings, written by Miyamoto Musashi, to read in order to overcome all my symptoms with mindfulness.
I really admire and respect Eastern philosophy.
Since I was a child, I also admired Bruce Lee.
With the skills I have accumulated, along with the philosophy in the Five Rings Scriptures,
And the fight to overcome the lowest point of the mind
I decided to follow in Musashi's footsteps and follow his teachings, and that's how I became
Ronin (Ronin - Masterless Samurai)
The Book of Five Rings was written by Miyamoto Musashi who lived in a cave.
Meditate, write a book and share your story.
and fought against stomach cancer in 1600.
It may sound dreamy, but Musashi's words awakened my spirit and lifted me out of the darkness.
And that was the origin of the establishment of my own company "Ronin".
The logo with the prominent "O" represents Zen, or a state of calmness of mind.
and the awareness of one's own body, thoughts and mind in every present moment.
The line above the letter O represents war and fighting.
And the fight always reminds us of the present. There is no past, no future, only this moment that determines whether we will survive or die.
I learned the Zen way through a fighting body and a mind that is mindful of the present. That is my symbol and my Ronin.
- How do ideas and spirits help your mind?
In times of war?
Tu Lam: I am mindful, always mindful of the spirit. As a martial arts practitioner, I have spent more than half of my life training.
That spirit helped me a lot when I was on overseas missions.
It helps me to express myself, to be mindful, to always be mindful, and as a warrior, it keeps my thoughts and consciousness flowing.
If someone came up to me and said, "Dude, this is the truth of the world. This is the answer,"
In my mind, I would respond with, "We listen, we learn, and we respect what you offer."
But in the end, I will find the answer to that truth myself.
There's more to life than waiting for other people to tell you what's what and where to go.
Life will be meaningful if you learn, meet, and accumulate experiences until you become a person.
Each person encounters, develops, and becomes a human being with different thoughts and ideas.
This aspect taught me that every story always has two sides.
Of course, our duty is to destroy those who are hostile to our country.
To protect our people, for freedom.
But if you try to put yourself in their shoes, even your enemies.
Have you ever wondered why he does what he does? What are his beliefs? What are his thoughts?
If you learn to understand something from multiple perspectives, then your actions will create change.
We can just slaughter the insurgents, but that won't bring about any change.
A new group will definitely replace them.
At one point during my mission, my mind wandered. I lost a beloved comrade.
For more than 4 years, I have suffered from haunting stories. In my heart, there is only resentment and hatred.
I once climbed the Himalayas as part of a mission in Tibet. After a mission in the Philippines, I met a group of Tibetan monks.
I asked to sit in meditation with them, and they terrified me because they predicted a war coming in Iraq.
And they told me, "You will lose many more friends on your way. The war will not let you go easily."
- Do you remember the hardest day when you were on an overseas mission? How was it?
Tu Lam: That would be the day I lost my friend, Tung Nguyen. He was a Vietnamese refugee like me.At that time, I was part of the 3rd Special Operations Team. We went on missions together with my team.
He was killed while on a mission to search and capture a suspect in Baghdad.
Tung was riding in the convoy and at that time the team did not thoroughly clear the area before allowing the convoy to enter the area.
The car that Tung was in passed through the gate of a house and exploded at the gate. The force of the explosion damaged the car and Tung died in the incident.
- What is the most difficult thing in fighting terrorism?
Tu Lam: "Terrorism" is not just a name or a definition.But it's the tactics they use: unconventional warfare, ambushes, guerrilla warfare.
To defeat those tactics requires an understanding of the psychology of warfare, understanding why they do what they do.
In each country you go on a mission, you enter a target, you kill, you break down doors, you destroy the target.
But then you have to rebuild it, that is, to give hope to the people we help.
For example, in the Philippines, children who join terrorist groups often come from poor families, such as the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.
Knowing this, they recruit these children, provide them with food, shelter, a life they never had, and impart their ideas.
This is what you should be dealing with seriously, rather than hunting and killing.
The structure and combat strategy of the Green Beret are also in the same format.
It is about creating a network of trust and hope for local people, teaching them how to grow food, build houses, and take care of themselves.
Provide them with supplies and equipment if they need them, and teach them how to protect themselves.
- What does the Bushido Way mean to you?
Tu Lam: Basically, Bushido is the concepts, values and virtues that warriors hold.In ancient Japan, lords fought to expand their power and territory. There were loyal samurai.
Provide protection
Samurai was more than a profession or status, but to hold the samurai status was
Must have the qualities of honesty, integrity and honor in one's duties. Any wrong actions
The samurai had tarnished his reputation and chose to pay with his life.
That means the determination in their hearts.
As the eras changed, the warriors died out, but the way of life and ideas continued to the present day.
It has been modified and adapted to allow modern warriors to uphold honor, loyalty and bravery.
And there's more to Bushido than just the way of the warrior. It's about calming the fire in the mind.
Those who use violence when necessary and in times of peace can maintain their sanity and live peacefully.
He is a violent person, but his mind has grown into a human being who values life and the beauty of this world.
The Bushido way that I have embraced and practiced has made me a warrior, calmed the fire in my mind, and led me to develop myself.
From a warrior, he became a learner and developed into a teacher who has the intention to pass on knowledge and skills.
- At what point were you selected to join the Tier 1 Special Operations Unit?
Tu Lam: When I went on a mission in Thailand, all my friends had free time from their mission.They often go to the city to relax. One time I chose to go to the ring and asked to fight Muay Thai.
On the day I fought, I didn't know that Senior Sergeant Major, the commander of Special Operations Unit 1, had also attended the Muay Thai fight that day.
He admired my skills without me knowing it, and after I finished fighting, he whispered to my friend who was with me that day.
He asked me to join his special operations unit. I was very happy and accepted him.
I served as a bare-handed combat instructor for over 8 months before I applied to join the special operations unit.
- What is your goal with Ronin Tactics, given the factors and trends and directions that the government is heading?
Tu Lam: I am also a person who has a voice. I can sit and complain all day, but I choose not to sit and complain all day.I chose to stand up and make a change with my own hands. I stood up with the intention of making the world a better place, not just my country.
From my experiences and the hardships I've encountered, I want the new generation of children to encounter better things.
- How important is physical and mental preparation in many aspects in a fight?
Tu Lam: Being prepared is very important. As a Green Beret, I have to use all my knowledge and skills.To use to confront and overcome the difficulties in the mission. Bad things can happen all the time.
Just because you are a special operations warrior doesn't mean you are invincible. Anyone can make mistakes.
And we are trained to overcome those difficulties.
And importantly, your ability threshold is higher, you practice, you become better.
The agency will then send you on missions that are even more difficult to combat.
- What was the most memorable story during your mission?
Tu Lam: Do you believe that the thing that impressed me the most and made me the most satisfied was not the combat mission?The combat missions are simple and straightforward: attack the target, kill or capture, send them back, withdraw.
But once, I went on a mission to Laos on a civil and humanitarian mission.
The content is that we were sent to recover booby traps and explosive devices during the Vietnam War.
These landmines still remain along the border, with many children and people losing limbs to these landmines.
As a Green Beret, I was one of the first to reach the area, while I was talking to my interpreter.
A little girl came up to me and spoke to me in her own language. I asked the interpreter what she was saying.
The interpreter replied, "She asked if you had a pencil or a pen." I handed the boy a pen from my shirt pocket.
The little girl pulled the hem of my shirt for me to bend down and she kissed my cheek before running away.
The interpreter asked me, "Do you know what you have done?"
I replied, "What is it?"
The interpreter replied, "You just gave that child the ability to learn."
I was still confused and asked, "What do you mean?"
The interpreter simply replied, "The children here don't even have pens, pencils or paper."
When I learned that, in the evening I wrote a request to send a VHF signal back to Okinawa.
To request for school supplies, anything that can help build a school here.
We received educational materials delivered to the area by air.
Because of this story, our mission is not only to recover the bomb, but also to provide knowledge and hope to this area.
- Have you felt distant from your friends since leaving the military?
Tu Lam: I have had very little contact and conversation with my friends since I left the service. It's not like we're no longer friends.The relationship and the stories we've shared together are still firmly in my heart.
It's just that I don't want to be a veteran who only talks about past glories.
I don't want to dwell on the past. I am mindful and focused on improving myself and moving towards the future.
- What made you join the special operations unit?
Army ?
Tu Lam: Green berets have a common motto of “De Opresso Liber”.That meant liberating the oppressed when I was in Vietnam during the war.
I saw my country, my family, and my people being oppressed and abused.
My grandparents did everything they could to give me a better life until we became Americans.
And in that vein, I have made a commitment to go back and help make the world a better place.
- What have you learned during your time on duty?
Special operations team?
Tu Lam: Leadership. Everyone has different abilities.One person may have high physical skills, another may be brilliant, skilled in medicine or engineering.
What I have learned is to always improve yourself and work with different people.
And most importantly, you need to be a leader in your area of responsibility.
When we form a team, everyone must support each other.
If team members are weak, whether physically or mentally,
The remaining people must pull their friends back.
- What battlefield experiences have taught you?
The fragility and value of life?
Tu Lam: The only thing is that your life is always hanging by a thread. Respect, value your friends, the people you love, and do what you want to do.
Go chase your dreams, be what you want to be.
I have seen a lot of death, but that is the nature of life.
If you make a mistake, don't dwell on it, learn from it.
Improve your approach, make it happen without giving up, if that's what you want.
- Your path to the future with Ronin Tactics
Which direction are you going?
Tu Lam: Currently, our team is being asked to train and teach in many different departments.Whether it is the police, peacekeepers, or the infantry
or even courses open to private and public sectors
Foreign areas such as Germany and Asian countries
There was also a submission to the knife course.
And I also intend to develop equipment based on my experiences and ideas.
I intend to gradually spread and disseminate my techniques and methods.
Of course, my methods and knowledge
It may not be highly technical or secret.
But what I want to include is the idea, the way of the warrior.
Like a martial arts instructor, my goal is to convey ideas, aspirations, and most importantly, practical skills.
That's the end of The Veterans Project's interview with Tu Lam.
Friends, brothers and sisters, what are your thoughts? Or what do you like? Please leave your comments.
And if there are any mistakes, the translator would like to apologize to the readers in advance.
And most importantly, thank you to all customers and fans who have followed Valor Tactical's articles.
And we hope to find more quality and useful articles to share with you.
Source: https://www.thevetsproject.com/the-blog/2017/5/22/sgm-tu-lam-army-special-operations-oif-oef-veteran
Article: RET. MSG TU LAM (ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS, OIF, OEF VETERAN)
Translated by: Thithat Rinchai on December 23, 2020