Amongst Fish & Men
We caught up with SMG Jamey Caldwell (Ret.) last week for a deep dive into what’s he up to and into these days.
On top of his competitive fishing tournaments and day-to-day responsibilities as the owner of a tactical training company, Jamey is a significant member of the CORE Survival team, so he is definitely a man firing on all four cylinders.
Brief on Jamey
Many of you are already familiar with Jamey and follow him on Instagram, so he needs little or no introduction. However, for those of you don’t. Here’s a quick intro. Jamey spent 21+ years in the U.S Army Special Operations, including 7 years with the 75th Rangers followed by 14 years in a Special Missions Unit (goes without saying).
During which he was deployed to combat 14 times and conducted 500+ missions in various locations including Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Jamey has been awarded numerous awards and decorations for his service and courage during combat.
At this point you may be wondering what you did with the last 21 years of your life, but read on! While Jamey’s accomplishments are indeed vast and somewhat intimidating, he is surprisingly modest and down to earth.
A humble family man dedicated to living in the minute and sucking the zest out of life, Jamey approaches life like a football player determined to make every touchdown count. Despite this he candidly admits that the transition from military to civilian life was not easy. Maintaining a daily paper and digital task list along with working out helps him stay motivated and on track.
And, of course there is the fishing! You should see the smile on Jamey’s face when he talks about racing around the lake in his 80 mph Bass Cat boat. As he says, “I love being outdoors and one my favorite ways to relax and reset my mind is to go fishing”.
You may conclude that Jamey leads a charmed life, but let’s not forget that he is through his company actively involved in tactical rifle, pistol and night vision training for several government organizations, LE and select civilian groups.
HEL-STAR 6® Happens!
Prior to starting his own company, Jamey was intricately involved (and still is) with our team at CORE in developing and testing our unique line of multi-function lights. Motivated by his experience downrange, he saw the need for a helmet mounted light featuring multiple modes of color and brightness. Fortuitously, he connected with CORE’s President, Marcia Baldwin to come up with a solution.
And, just like that (well not quite) the HEL-STAR 6® was born. A four function strobe with various colors, infrared (IR), brightness levels, along with flashing or steady configurations. For those who want to learn more, the details of our product evolution can be found by clicking over to the annals of CORE’s history.
Who is the F2?
But, the story doesn’t end there. As Jamey points out, “all strobe lights can be considered Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) devices because they flash light (visible or IR) that can be seen by friendly forces and identified. Unfortunately, no one can identify you if your light is off and not flashing.”
Jamey continues “moving around a combat environment at night is difficult. We have a major advantage over the enemy due to our night vision, but it is still tough to see objects or people in the shadows at night. When an operator on the ground is unsure of a person or target and they need to further identify them they must use an additional IR light source, like a flashlight to illuminate the shadows and further identify the person as friendly or an enemy. We have a very bright flood light on our weapon mounted lasers for that purpose”.
This is where the HEL-STAR F² comes in! The HEL-STAR F²® is the only light of its kind with “Active Response”.
As Jamey explains, “if the F2 is hit with a weapon mounted Laser/Flood light it will flash a response in IR to signal you are friendly. The F2 is also the only light that will vibrate when this happens to let the wearer know their light was just interrogated by a friendly device.”
Jamey is unwavering in his opinion that the HEL-STAR F²® is a lifesaving piece of equipment which should be issued to every service member in the military. As he states “it will save someone’s life on the battlefield.”
We’re on a Roll!
Since, we had Jamey on a roll, we asked him to talk about some of CORE’s recent product developments and any non-military/LE applications where he thinks they might be particularly applicable.
Back to Jamey, “one of the newest light additions to the HEL-STAR 6® product line is the Lead Jumper Light. We have increased the brightness of the strobe and implemented a Morse code function to give it a unique flash pattern of dots and dashes. This allows each parachutist to have a strobe light while also giving them the ability to easily identify a single jumper as the lead for the rest to follow while tactically covering miles of distance at night.”
Rescue Me!
Jamey went on to share a recent story about a Ski Patrol/Rescue member going to the call of a skier injured off the trail just before dark. As she moved into the Woodline she sunk to her chest in fresh powder and could not get out. She was able to call to others on her radio but they couldn’t find her because of the limited visibility. Fortunately she was wearing a HEL-STAR 6®
She activated the strobe and credits the flashing Red and White lights to her quick rescue which most likely saved her life.
As Jamey says this story illustrates the fact that “our strobes can be used anytime you need to identify yourself in a dark or limited visibility situation. Whether it’s at night, in bad weather, or even a smoke filled room, Identifying yourself with a visible flashing light could help you to be found or save you from being hit by someone not paying attention. “
Jamey also related one situation about a K9 handler running the HEL-STAR 5 EXO® with a Dim IR Flash and Standard IR Flash. His dog was on a leash with the Dim IR Flash running but when they came to some thick brush he had to let the dog off the leash. He quickly switched the strobe to Standard Brightness IR Flash, released the dog and was able to easily track him in the thick brush and apprehend the suspect.
Positive Feedback
Thanks to Jamey’s background and attentiveness to our users experience with the HEL-STAR lights we’ve received a lot of valuable and typically positive feedback enabling us to continually improve and push the boundaries of what is possible in this field.
While we aren’t here to pat ourselves on the back, we do take great pride in the fact that the users who run our lights in combat, tactical missions, and training say they are instrumental to their overall mission success. We believe this is due in great part to the ease of use and quick access to different functions that our lights provide.
Future Warriors
We know we have many dedicated followers that aspire to and are considering a future career in the military. So, we asked Jamey specifically what advice he would give to anyone contemplating a career in Special Operations.
Here’s what he had to say, “Never quit! The path I chose was not an easy one, but it is definitely attainable. If someone wants to pursue a career in Special Operations, I highly recommend locking in a Ranger contract with your recruiter. This will at least guarantee you Airborne school and a shot at Ranger Selection.
Once you make it to Ranger Regiment and prove yourself there you can move on to many other Special Operations units throughout the Military. It is a great stepping stone and the same one I started my career with. Give it your all at everything you do and be the best person you can be. If you’re the right person for the job, then everything will fall into place.”
What about Me?
Yes, it’s true most of us are not destined for a future career in the Special Forces. Nevertheless, Jamey offers some sound wisdom to all of us. “Everyone needs a break from a demanding job. It doesn’t matter if you’re a soldier or if you work at a bank or sell cars for a living. Leave your work and the stress of the day at the office. Put your family hat on when you get in your vehicle and always walk through the door at home with a smile and good attitude.”
Five by Five. Over and Out!
