Interview with a co-founder of Empecinados 🐺🔥

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

If you offer to participate in one of our interviews, write to us! Join our channel of 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, it is said of someone obstinate, stubborn, persistent, and beyond the etymological root of the word, the meaning that is today bequeathed to us is thanks 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, thus his supporters 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 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.

Recently, it has been the day of the Patron of cavalry... Would you like to tell us how important the patron is for the army's weapons?

I would say that the patterns on the weapons are almost as important as the history of the weapons themselves. They confer meaning and the very essence of them. that to this day is bequeathed to us. Beyond the religious sense, they endow a great sense of one's own human essence. Regardless of whether we believe or not in the events that led to their creation, what is clear to us is that the Spanish soldier, throughout all times, when faced with nothing but inevitable death against a far superior enemy, has shown to be endowed, in an almost magical sense, with an unbreakable faith in victory, thus achieving impossible feats.
The patronages, 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 cavalry?

At that time, when I joined, a new unit of this weapon 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, what shows the difference between the specialties?, both in a tangible way as a intangible.

is the quintessential weapon of aggression, sacrifice, advanced recognition... It is a weapon of resolution 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 gallops at full speed towards him. And this need to confront the cavalry even led to the creation of our tercio. Thus, to this day, the appearance of a cavalry unit poses a great challenge to combat it in tactical terms 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 environment they are fighting in perfectly but also know how to fight without it. It is undoubtedly a very versatile weapon.

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 Leopard 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 type what kind of person you are in life, how you interact and you face her. 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 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 the process of means to me. 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 of 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 probably a young boy will be inspired by the feats of Achilles when reading the Iliad, or by the comics of Captain Trueno or watching Sylvester Stallone in Rambo, that is, inspiration, the call to arms, great deeds and adventure have always been there and there are people who embrace it and others who do not, so it is normal that among those who feel attracted to this world, they are especially drawn to special operations units since In them, the entire ideology of the hero is especially poured out, of their journey, and in an abstract sense, in these units lies the figure of the modern warrior who embarks on the personal path to excellence and for which they must overcome great challenges and difficulties.

It is there where the call to adventure that has been written about in all eras lies. On this path, many of man's great passions converge, and in our days they are shown to us through the elements of our time. For what to those who feel that calling when watching that movie, that series, or that book that they inspire, I would tell her to embrace it and nurture it, but not to be deceived by the allure and aesthetics and that before getting there, she 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 just tried to be and worked hard for it. We never know if we are prepared or not, it simply comes a day when that fact is shown to us. In my case, I defend the idea that we must be prepared for when it give us the opportunity. In this case, first, you had to pass some physical tests, that was the easy part, you train and that's it. The difficult part came later, how do you prepare for something whose nature you do not know? I was completely unaware of the course development. That year there was still no community like the one on social media, where we can access certain insights into what it entails or it is much easier to find someone to talk to. For my part, I tried to be as strong physically as possible, I got rid of everything in my life that would be counterproductive, I read a lot, I tried to connect everything I could. that I could with myself and for the rest it was to face the challenge. Only after facing it will we know what we can overcome and what we cannot. But 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 older students, but there were also modern ones, also motivated and very capable. Each person's life has its own timing, and there are no rules regarding that. written. 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 is not prior but during. Preparation should be being prepared, willing. Being ready and excited to face the challenge, whatever it may be, and whatever comes. It is true that we can have certain resources.

Personally, reading helps me. 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 in my personal education and where I obtain a large part of my intrapersonal 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 consider that mental preparation has a starting state, a departure, but rather I consider it something we pursue continuously and that we will not achieve our goals in any other way. 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 push our spectrum 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), consult at sermilitar.com the available material to prepare access or visit the online store compra.sermilitar.com

Tactical material in sermilitar.store