Rest in peace SGM Nail
 

SGM Nail was there in SERE the whole time I ran the survival team. I didn't know him from his 'action' days, but at SERE? What a legend. Guys like him and CSM (Ret) Gordon Smith (Smitty) made the students realize this was the real deal and we were preparing them not just graduate a school, but to survive and return with honor. He was definitely a straight shooter and really carried the torch so the new guys saw they were qualifying themselves not only to go Special Forces, but into a part of history. THANKS SGM for all the memories and experiences. RIP.

giants and pissants
 

RIP SGM Nail: I can only say that there are some men destined to be giants and some destined to follow them. SGM was a giant. After reading some of the stories posted about him I want to add my own. While going thru MacKall I did the slide for life over a creek. I climbed up a tree to reach the slide, standing on that platform was SGM Nail. He told me 'son you better let go of that thing before the middle of the creek or it'll knock your ass off the slide. I did as I was told, the guy following me didn't and it knocked him for a fricken double gainer before he hit the water. Once in a class he was giving, he said if we didn't pay attention, our mama's would find our sorry dead asses on some mountain with a green beret stuck in our back pocket. I spent a whole career in SF, half as an enlisted, half as an officer. Sometimes I had found myself in dire straights esp overseas and his admonishments would play over and over in my head. Infrequently I would be at MacKall and once as an O, we both were entering a building simultaneously, he looked at me and said "you look like a fu....en officer. He didn't realize it but I was laughing inside. He was a hoot but a serious hoot. There are very few men that are legends, SGM Nail took point on that team.