Tom Stuff - Archived Article

Lt. Cmdr. Tom Rancich, a veteran Navy SEAL who now serves in Kuwait as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, lives in West Tisbury with his wife, Allyson Reed, and their children, who attend the West Tisbury School. Commander Rancich made time to e-mail replies to questions put to him by Nelson Sigelman, The Times news editor. His answers arrived in two emails, the most recent on Monday, April 14.

Your military career of almost 20 years appeared to be coming to a close, until the war with Iraq. Why did you and your family decide to move to the Vineyard?

Commander Rancich: Allyson and I met on Guam — which is about the size of Martha's Vineyard — so when it came to my twilight tour, we figured we would look around for an island to move to. The long story is funny, but when I asked Allyson to marry me, her one provision was that I not make her live in Norfolk — so my first set of duty orders after our marriage were to Norfolk. Through clever slight of hand I showed Allyson "Little Creek" on the map and extolled its virtues. Unfortunately the "NORFOLK" superimposed over the area gave me away. As fate would have it, we spent the next 12 years there and made a good go of it, but our hearts were never really there. Allyson has a long history with Martha's Vineyard, including her great uncle, who owned and operated Colonial Aviation at Katama. Allyson spent many summers on the Vineyard, and since our marriage, her parents each year have given us a week at the cottage they rent in Edgartown for vacation. So we had familiarity, and Allyson always kept an eye out for a house. I got my orders to Newport about a year in advance, which is fairly unusual and gave us time to explore options. After looking at the situation and torturing our realtor, Doug Reese, for nine months, it became apparent that we could make Allyson's dream of living on the Island a reality, and it answered a lot of our needs. It was a good place to raise our boys, it had the small-town feel that we all like, and it would necessitate my buying a boat — I would need a place to live during the week — wins all the way around.

What led you to a career in the military?

Commander Rancich: I know this is where the "God and country" line goes. Wish I had one. In 1984, I graduated from Syracuse University with an English degree, a lot of fun memories and pretty limited employment options — again, the long story is better, but I went to Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in 1982 to irritate a friend, and through a couple of odd twists of fate this led to my having a cup of coffee with the Navy recruiter in April of 1984. The recruiters do an excellent job of laying out all the excitement ahead of you — most of which is actually true — and I thought I'd sign up for some adventure, to gain some interesting skills, and to gain some work experience.

Besides Operation Iraqi Freedom, in what other military operations have you played a role?

Commander Rancich: "Played a role" is an interesting choice of words. One of the things that you realize in the military is that everyone plays a role, and each is an important role. The hull technician doesn't get to fly the planes and drop the bombs, but if the plumbing on an aircraft carrier isn't working, that ship is not functional. I was in explosive ordnance disposal during the first Gulf War. When Iraq invaded Kuwait we packed up and were ready to go that day; however my detachment was uniquely qualified, due to some of the other things we had been working on, to fill an emerging gap in the force. So we got pulled out of the rotation and spent the next nine months developing tactics and training for working in a chemical environment, disarming chemical munitions, disarming booby traps, and clearing polluted harbors of ordnance. It was a great capability that was never called upon. I also spent several years in South America supporting the "war" on drugs and a mission called foreign internal defense. Since 1997, I have been deeply involved in the area of combating terrorism, which of course has taken on a new urgency in the past year.

How does the current war with Iraq differ from those situations?

Commander Rancich: This is the first action I have been involved in where the stated goal is the toppling of the regime — it more approaches the concept of general war — and this is the first conflict that has been entered into with the United States invoking the right of self-defense to act preemptively. Those two differences combine to create a unique situation from my perspective — the entire weight of the coalition military was applied to the battlespace in a very premeditated manner — no ambiguity at all. I don't believe that has happened since WWII.

Why have special operations played such an important role in this war?

Commander Rancich: Special operations forces are a strategic asset for the military. Without going into a long description of military theory, basically you use SOF to achieve strategic goals in an asymmetric fashion — put as little as possible at risk to make major gains. In addition, we are a precision weapon. Our precision makes us more effective and efficient, while limiting collateral damage. By way of example, a major concern at the start of the war was the oil handling facilities on the Al Faw peninsula and the offshore handling sites at MABOT and KAAOT. The concern was that these sites could discharge millions of gallons of oil into the Persian Gulf, creating a huge environmental disaster and crippling the northern gulf — desalination plants that provide fresh water to the region don't work if there is oil in the water. The ramifications to the coalition would have been far-reaching. The first overt mission of the war was the seizure of these key nodes by Navy SEALs, with support from SOF air and coalition forces from the UK and Poland — a small force conducting a precision operation to accomplish the strategic goal of keeping the gulf free of polluting oil.

Where are you based now? Is there a routine? What are your current responsibilities?

Commander Rancich: As I write this I am in the Northern Arabian Gulf. I am currently the future plans officer for the Naval Special Warfare Task Group Central, which means that I am in charge of deliberate planning — notionally 48 hours and beyond. I also continue to be the lead for the employment of the High Speed Vessel, which has enjoyed enormous success across a variety of missions. My major effort right now is in the process of turning Iraq back over to the Iraqis — my focus being Naval Special Warfare's role in stabilization.

On April 9, Americans watched televised images of throngs of Iraqis celebrating the downfall of Saddam Hussein. Were you surprised by the rapid turn of events? What was your reaction?

Commander Rancich: I was not surprised, nor am I particularly convinced. There was little doubt that the people of Iraq were living in an oppressed society and that Saddam was viewed as the major antagonist. At this point I have to be absolutely clear that these are my thoughts and not the position of any government entity, but I think that people who become used to being oppressed learn the survival skill of pleasing the oppressor. Those people slapping the statues with their shoes were the same ones erecting the statues over the years. I think they are showing us what we want to see — which is not to say that they aren't happy. I just don't think it is indicative of a true desire to create a free society. For instance, I don't see a lot of women in those film clips, which I would expect if the society was truly salivating at the prospect of freedom. Also, when driving through the towns, everyone is not happy. There are some very unhappy looking folks, as a matter of fact. After years of economic hardship there are a lot of people who don't have a great deal of marketable skills — those people might not be so well off in a free society. There are challenges to overcome. Of course, I could just be overly cynical.

Have you always been a SEAL?

Commander Rancich: No, for a long time I was a little boy. But I eventually went to college and became a rugby player and English major — my dad was a plumber, and I worked construction from about age 14. I went into the Navy as a special operations officer — in the Navy that means a deep-sea diver. I spent two years as a deck officer on board an ammunition ship, then I went to explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) school and spent two years on a "bomb squad." As a result of some of the work I did there I got the unusual opportunity to switch to special warfare — SEALs — late in my career, relatively. I am qualified in three warfare areas plus the EOD qualification, which is very rare.

What attracted you to such dangerous service?

Commander Rancich: Immediate job satisfaction — not a lot of time sitting around wondering, "Hmmm, did I pack my parachute or set the explosive charge or disarm the bomb well enough?" I don't know that it is that dangerous in reality. There are certainly personal risks, but it is an extremely professional and casualty-averse environment. This does not mean that we are afraid to take casualties. It means that we use all of our ability to mitigate risk and lessen the likelihood of casualties. The caliber of our people allows us to perform safely in what appear to be impossibly dangerous environments. Nothing is left to chance, no detail is so small as to be overlooked. We always tilt the odds in our favor.

How do you deal with the uncertainty of combat?

Commander Rancich: I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it, or I guess more accurately, I just function within it. The U.S. military has spent the last 30 years driving uncertainty out of the combat environment. It simply is not the military of the Vietnam era. I think maybe what you are really asking is how do I deal with the possibility of death. I am pretty philosophical about that, having been very close a few times. At any moment you are either alive or dead. If you are dead, the best that those that are left can hope for is that you did those things you wanted and acted in a way of which you were proud. Face it, it doesn't much matter to you any more. If you are alive, then you are faced with deciding on how to live — first the moment, then the minute, then the hour, etc. A long conversation from now we would get to the point that in combat or on Martha's Vineyard, you can live in fear of death or you can live. I choose the latter.

Some Vineyarders and some Americans elsewhere in the country have demonstrated against the Iraq war. They cite many objections, but they often say that while they are against the war, they support the troops. What has been the reaction to peace demonstrations from the men and women with whom you serve?

Commander Rancich: The reaction is varied. Some people try to make things black and white. You are with us or you're against us, which is almost always unfortunate. So, certainly there were negative comments directed toward the protesters. However, I think that largely, and this is anecdotal at best, the people around me were "okay" with the protests — much more so than they were with other countries that didn't support us. Don't get me wrong, I did not see a great deal of agreement with the protesters' point of view, but neither did I see a gross negative reaction or a feeling of vilification. Juxtaposed to my previous statement, the military, and especially SOF, is very well educated and knows the issues. Personally, I think the protests are great. If people are going to die for your freedom of speech, the least you can do is to speak.

At the other end of the spectrum of homeland response to the war, some Island school children, like students elsewhere, have sent messages to the troops. A class at the West Tisbury School recently took a photo holding US and British flags. What does that type of support mean to you and others in the service?

Commander Rancich: First, I don't believe it is the other end of the spectrum. One lady at the peace rally in Vineyard Haven said, "Support our troops, bring them home." I liked that statement. It showed a unique line of thought that was certainly reasonable. Since I have been involved in this latest effort, I have received Girl Scout cookies with some DVDs (donated by Island Video) from troop 184. Dr. Elaine Pace from West Tis Elementary e-mailed me some of the photos that you spoke of, and my unit has received similar tidings from across the country. There is no way that it cannot make you feel good, and there is no way that you can avoid the lump in your throat, but at the same time Dr. Pace forwarded a poem from a third grader (Coco B) who just wanted peace, and that puts a tear in the eye also. The goal of the true warrior must be peace, and so, I am truly touched and empowered by the show of support, but I am also touched and empowered by the protests. The two together show that the country is alive. One of the things that worries me is that people think that to support your country you must not question it or you must give up your conscious thought. That is not correct and is dangerous.

Would you describe a situation or incident connected to your military service that you found personally rewarding?

Commander Rancich: There have been quite a few. At the end of my first tour my division gave me a homemade card that they had all signed. One of the sailors wrote "Seaman V. CAN DO!" This was a kid that had troubles all his life and had troubles on board the ship, but we found a way through. I was lucky to figure out then that for me, at least, it wasn't the medals or accolades. What mattered to me (in the greater context of service to country) was seeing people attain more than they thought they could. Also, there is something truly soul-grabbing when you are with a group of people who are so tuned to the mission and their role that they have lost themselves — their id — and it is all about the mission. Nothing else is of consequence. It would be easy to be trite with this question, but there have been hundreds of rewarding experiences: showing up where no one thought we could; the smile of a mother when you treat her child; the puzzled look on the child's face when you give him a matchbox car, because he has never seen a real car; the handshake of a man who has a better chance because of the things you have taught him. The list goes on, but perhaps the most rewarding is getting to know, personally, people like my friend Neil Roberts who gave his life in Afghanistan, people who are willing to go into harm's way because sometimes the world needs people in harm's way.

In the military, representing your country as you do, how do you describe what it is you represent?

Commander Rancich: I hope I represent the United States of America that I have traveled and gotten to know and love, not just her ability to fight, but her ability to fix, and to accept, and to risk, her ability to face danger without fear and meet enemies without malice, just purpose. I hope I represent safety and comfort to friends, allies and the oppressed and downtrodden, and I believe I represent that thing in the dark that those who would do harm fear. As a SEAL, I am often asked, "Have you ever killed someone?" I prefer to define myself by those I have saved. Not the best answer, but it was pretty tough question.

What are you looking forward when you come home?

Commander Rancich: The first hug from my family is what I most look forward to. Beyond that, well, after this recent combat experience, I might just take a stab at Vineyard politics.