Interview with a co-founder of Empecinados 🐺🔥

On this occasion, we bring you an interview conducted by our staff members from Discord with "Lobo", one of the co-founders of Empecinados. We want to thank Empecinados and the Discord Staff for conducting this interview.

If you would like to take part in one of our interviews, write to us! Join our channel on Discord to participate in future interviews.

For readers who do not know you and "Empecinados"... Could you give them an introduction?

My name or who I am in personal terms matters little. I am an active military member and I am one of the owners of EMPECINADOS.

Why the name "EMPECINADOS"?

According to the RAE, “empecinado” describes someone obstinate, stubborn and persistent. Beyond the etymological root of the word, we owe its meaning today to Juan Martín Díez “el Empecinado” and all his followers. This nickname was received in a derogatory manner by those who came from his hometown. During the War of Independence, Juan Martín Díez was one of the most outstanding military figures in the fight against the French, forming one of the most notable groups of guerrillas in the history of Spain. His supporters thus took on the same nickname and thereby conferred a new meaning to the word. Although it is true that he always had a military vocation, it is said that he decided to actively fight against the French after an incident that occurred in his town in which a girl was raped by a French soldier whom he would kill. Over time, he would become a Captain of cavalry. Later, with the restoration of absolutism by Fernando VII, Juan Martín would be one of his opponents, despite the king having promised him wealth and titles, saying, “tell the king that if he did not want the constitution, he should not have sworn it; that the Empecinado swore it and will never commit the infamy of breaking his oaths.” This would lead to his capture and execution.
This is a brief summary of a truly fascinating story from one of the most relevant chapters of Spanish history, and I believe that with this, the reader will understand the "why" of our choice.

It was recently the feast day of the patron saint of cavalry... Would you like to tell us how important the patron saint is for the army’s branches?

I would say that the patron saints of the army’s branches are almost as important as the history of those branches themselves. They give them their meaning and very essence, as handed down to us today. Beyond the religious aspect, they convey a profound sense of our human nature. Whether or not we believe in the events that gave rise to these traditions, what is clear to us is that Spanish soldiers throughout history, when left with nothing but inevitable death in the face of a vastly superior enemy, have shown an almost magical, unshakeable faith in victory, achieving impossible feats.
The traditions of patron saints, among other things, remind us of this; they remind us that there have been other times when nothing was expected and yet everything was obtained. They speak to us of perseverance and perhaps the highest form of human resilience. They remind us that we are heirs to all of that, which is there, and that we are and will be, because one day we were.

Why did you want to join the cavalry?

At that time, when I joined, a new unit of this branch was being formed in the Brigade that is stationed in my homeland, so it seemed appealing to me to be one of the first soldiers to be part of the history of the creation of a unit. To this day, this is a source of pride for me.

What would you say is the essence of cavalry that sets it apart from the other specialties, in both tangible and intangible terms?

It is the quintessential arm of offensive spirit, sacrifice and forward reconnaissance... It is an arm of decisive action that today, with the emergence of a new dimension of warfare, is gaining more strength. In the past, cavalry units were the main protagonists, to the point that they determined victory or defeat. Thanks to their maneuverability and combat power, they were able to cause enormous damage, but perhaps the first damage they inflicted was psychological. The foot soldier knew that he could do little or nothing against a mounted rider who was galloping at full speed towards him. And this need to confront the cavalry even led to the creation of our Tercios. To this day, the arrival of a cavalry unit therefore poses a major tactical challenge on the ground. Nowadays, firepower and speed continue to be hallmarks of these units. No unit wants to face a cavalry squadron advancing towards it.

What would you highlight the most about the cavalry?

For me, it is their crews. In these, each member must know how to do their job autonomously and efficiently for everything to function correctly, sometimes making decisions on their own in close collaboration with the command. Technical training is crucial, and moreover, they must not only know the vehicle they fight in perfectly but also know how to fight without it. It is undoubtedly a very versatile arm of service.

What is the difference between mechanized infantry and cavalry?

Essentially, cavalry fights mounted and despite having scouts, it does not functionally have the mission to fight on foot. Therefore, in this case, it is not so much the means, but the assigned mission that constitutes the main difference. There are armored infantry battalions where their main combat element is the CC Leopardos 2E and cavalry squadrons where, in addition to the VEC, these vehicles are also present, but in this case, they are used in a completely different way in tactical terms.

What words would you dedicate to those who want to join the cavalry?

The same things I would tell him if he wanted to join any of the other branches. I would tell him that he has a huge journey ahead of him and that it depends on him how to go about it. He has a lot to learn, a lot to experience, and it is his decision to be a good professional. This profession is truly beautiful and offers us continuous opportunities to learn great things. Those opportunities are there for those who dare.

What is the mental adaptation process to military life like? Is a soldier born or made?

Being a soldier is a profession, so a soldier is made. Another thing is the kind of soldier you are when you become one. This is closely linked to what kind of person you are in life, how you interact with life and how you face it. In this case, we could talk about being a warrior and whether one is born or made. My answer in this case would be that a warrior is born. There are people who from a young age show elevated values and defend them innately. Showing mercy, empathy, confronting injustices, helping the helpless, having courage and cunning, etc. Others, however, discover it over time, train and educate themselves in what they consider necessary to become that kind of modern warrior.
The process of adapting to military life is a specific subjective process that each person experiences in their own way with a certain intensity. We would be talking about something else if we were discussing what it means to me to become that modern warrior I mentioned a few lines back, but that would be another conversation.

We have the debate today about movies, series, and the clash with reality. What message would you give to those who join the army to go into special operations?

I would recommend that you try to free yourselves from the bias induced by movies and video games, as it is a very distorted view. It is normal and logical that we find inspiration in the world around us, and nowadays movies, video games, series, and others flood our lives, and there are those who feel the call to be what they are seeing. In a way, it has always been like this. Human beings have always set their eyes on the figure of the hero. This archetypal idea is embedded in our DNA and evolves over different eras with the contemporary characteristics that are unique to it.

A few years ago, a young boy might have been inspired by the feats of Achilles when reading the Iliad, by the comics featuring Capitán Trueno or by watching Sylvester Stallone in Acorralado. In other words, inspiration, the call to arms, great deeds and adventure have always been there. Some people embrace them and others do not, so it is normal that those drawn to this world should be especially attracted to special operations units, since these embody the ideals of the hero and the hero’s journey. In an abstract sense, they embody the modern warrior who embarks on a personal path towards excellence and must overcome great challenges and difficulties along the way.

There lies the call to adventure that people have written about throughout the ages. Many of humanity’s great passions converge on this path, and today we see them expressed through the forms of our own time. So to someone who feels that call through a film, a series or a book that inspires them, I would say: embrace it and nurture it, but do not be misled by the appeal and the aesthetics. Before getting there, you must go through a long process of transformation.

You have mentioned on some occasion that you took the special operations course. How did you know that you were mentally and physically prepared for it?

I didn’t know. I simply tried to be ready and worked hard at it. We never know whether we are ready; a day just comes when we find out. Personally, I believe in being prepared for when we are given the opportunity. In this case, we first had to pass physical tests. That was the easy part: you train, and that’s it. The difficult part came afterwards. How do you prepare for something when you do not know what it involves? I knew nothing at all about how the course would unfold. Back then, the social media community we have now did not yet exist. Now we can get glimpses of what the course entails, and it is much easier to find someone to talk to. For my part, I tried to become as physically strong as possible, removed everything counterproductive from my life and read a lot. I tried to connect as deeply as I could with myself. Beyond that, it was a matter of facing the challenge. Only after facing it will we know what we can overcome and what we cannot. Not before.

Do you think it's better to take the course when you feel motivated, for example right after leaving the training center, or when you feel more prepared?

I don't think there is a specific moment. It happens when it happens, neither before nor after. You will take the tests for the course when you make the decision to go. Motivation doesn't matter here, you either want to go or you don't, and if you want to go, you will probably be motivated to do so; otherwise, you might need to wait. I don't consider this to be a matter of time. In my course, there were some very good, motivated, and trained soldiers with more years of service, but there were also soldiers with less experience, also motivated and very capable. Each person's life has its own timing, and there are no written rules about that. There are those who make the decision as soon as they can and there are those who take longer to respond to that call. The important thing is to pay attention or not.

Would you say there is any way to prepare mentally for the course?

How do you prepare for cold water? Is it even possible? No. In the same way, I believe there are certain things we discover while doing them, especially those of a mental nature. Only by pushing our limits do we discover if we have them or not, but the only way to find out is by pushing them. For training to be fruitful, it needs proper contextualization. During the course, anything you do will be imbued with the essence of the course itself, and this will give everything a specific magnitude completely different from what you have experienced before, even if you are doing activities you have done before. Therefore, I believe that preparation happens not beforehand, but during the course. Being prepared means being ready and willing: ready and eager to face the challenge, whatever it may be and whatever comes. It is true that we can have certain resources.

Personally, it helps me to read about those who faced great challenges. Their lessons learned can be my lessons learned if I am able to internalize them. For me, reading is a basic pillar of my personal education and a source of many of my inner resources.

What would you say is the best way to prepare mentally for the army?

Taking on and imposing challenges on yourself. The more you take on, the more you will demand of yourself, and over time, what once seemed like a problem will no longer be one, and then you will be mentally prepared to move on to the next challenge, and so on. It's almost an existential law: do you want changes? Do you want to be prepared? Well, then start moving your ass. Get out of your comfort zone. Today you will only run one kilometer, but over time, with diligent training, you will run 10, and then 20. Mental preparation is all the intrapersonal psychological work during the process you undergo to fight against all the forces that struggle in your head to take you back to your comfort zone. Mental preparation is a continuous state of struggle against oneself. I do not see mental preparation as having a fixed starting point. Rather, it is something we pursue continuously, and only in this way can we achieve our goals. The volatility of life in all aspects is too great, there are too many things that influence us, and there are indeed many unknown events that we did not foresee in our preparation, and the only way to overcome them is to rise above them through adaptability, and this is not trained, but rather achieved by facing challenges and studying ourselves, and over time we will expand our range of adaptability as we equip ourselves with all that information.

If you want to enter the Military Academies for Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (both in the Direct Access mode and in Access by Promotion), check sermilitar.com for material to prepare for admission, or visit the online store compra.sermilitar.com

Tactical equipment at sermilitar.store