by Benjamin King

In February 1997, former Air Mobility Command Commander General Walter Kross implemented the Phoenix Raven program. Since then, Ravens from within the AMC have conducted more than 6,000 missions around the globe to combat terrorism. The Phoenix Raven program ensures a level of close-in security for aircraft transiting airfields where security is unknown or additional security is needed to counter immediate threats within the country in which they have landed. Phoenix Ravens are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. In the event that a short notice mission would require their assistance, Ravens would report to the section and fly. In order to earn a spot in this group a motivation level is required well beyond that of their peers. I am curious to see, with all this research that I have conducted, if the information obtained can enlighten me from where I once started as a candidate to where I have ended as a former insider.

Wait . . . who is being murdered?

As a former member of the Phoenix Raven unit and a current civilian looking in, I am not sure what to expect when I look at it from the outside. I consider myself an insider to the group, with good working relationships with most of the men and women who are still operational Ravens, otherwise known as the “Murder Crew.” Murder in this context doesn’t mean to kill. A group of ravens is known as a murder, hence “Murder Crew.” I fit in well to this unit due to the fact that I served as Raven 1894. This individual number corresponds to the number of Ravens who have earned this title. The initiation starts with the pre-school house indoctrination. Three weeks at the Raven section located at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, is where it all begins for those who wish to earn a coveted number, and responsibility not easily achieved by many. The first week, also referred to as “hell week,” includes, but is not limited to: 10 mile run days, thousands of over-head arm claps, push-ups, sit-ups, and flutter kicks. Flutter kicks is an exercise where one lies down on their back, raises both legs up six inches, and kicks their legs up and down. This training is intended to put the candidates under huge amounts of stress while they try to complete simple tasks the trainers have assigned. A candidate is someone who is being trained to become a Raven. The simple task includes memory work a candidate needs to memorize. While they are doing flutter kicks, a trainer may come up to the candidate and ask a memory question. It’s a good training technique to see how they will handle pressure while on a mission. If they can’t do an exercise and answer a simple question during training, how are they expected to accomplish multiple tasks and make multiple decisions while on a mission? It helps take their mind off the pain while also reinforcing the simple memory work.

The second week is when hand-to-hand combat skills are taught which are necessary to fight off potential threats. Also taught in the second week is an Israeli fighting technique called “Krav Maga.” It is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient, brutal counter attacks. It focuses on weapon takeaways from an armed adversary. Ravens are taught how to disarm individuals with weapons such as pistols, rifles, knives, and blunt objects. By week three, Raven candidates are honing their new skills, which will help them at the actual schoolhouse, located at Fort Dix, New Jersey, to do it all over again. Once new Raven graduates, they are assigned to their sections located at bases that have operational Ravens.

When I arrived at my section as brand new Raven 1894, I thought everyone in the section was the best the base had to offer when it came to Raven flyaway security. I thought they were tough guys who didn’t put up with much guff. My attitude towards the men in my section changed the more I flew missions alongside them. I was more at ease and really got to know them as individuals, not just as Ravens. The social structure is based on rank within the military. For example, a Staff Sergeant will have more influence over the others than an Airman First Class would. The values of this unit are mainly focused on everyone within the section looking out for one another. They depended on me, as I depended on them to get home safely. In the military, there are as many different viewpoints as there were different types of individuals with them. One may be a Christian while the other is Agnostic. As long as a Raven member could do the job, it didn’t really matter when it came to their lifestyle choices. As for the rules, it depended on the situation. Kind of like what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. What happens on a mission stays on the mission. The other rules are more just common sense based. Safety, military bearing, and day-to-day operations are common everyday rules to abide by. The Raven patch is a big part of the culture. Ravens are easily recognized on base because of their patch, which is worn on the right shoulder of their flight suit.

A lot can be read about a person by the patch they wear on their shoulder

The Phoenix Raven patch is earned, not handed out. It is round, and about the size of a typical coaster. It is bordered in black, encompassing a deep blue background with the words “Phoenix Raven” on top and “Global Protection” on the bottom. Located in the center is a raven outlined in black against a light grey background. The raven has red wings, orange talons, and a yellow eye. In its talons it is holding a blue representation of Earth. On the Earth is a yellow emblem for the “Air Mobility Command” in which the Ravens operate.

The function of the patch is to show what military group one belongs to. It is worn on the right shoulder of a Raven’s green flight suit. Ravens wear a flight suit while flying on their missions. When worn by a Raven on a military base, that individual is identified as a member of a top-notch group. Most men and women on base know the types of individuals who have earned this patch. The Raven section will host demonstrations for the base and its commanders to show them what a Raven can do and how they perform their job. When the patch is worn, an individual’s status as an insider is shown to everyone who sees it. Just like motorcycle groups have a patch on the back of their jackets to show which group they associate with, it is the same with the Raven patch. Before a Raven can apply to join, they first begin as police officers on the base. Issuing citations, responding to domestic disturbances and conducting traffic stops are normal day-to-day operations for a base police officer. The patch also distinguishes the difference between a regular straight leg police officer and a Raven. The difference between base police officers and Ravens is the insider language. There are some things that Ravens say that most base police officers do not use.

It might as well be in Latin?

As I was standing in the Raven section watching the candidates train, I took notes on some of the language. “What the piss, candidate?” shouted Staff Sergeant Karas. “What the piss” is another way of saying “what the hell” or “why are you doing this, this way?” “HUA” stands for Heard, Understood, and Acknowledged. It is used to agree to an order, idea, or statement. I heard SSgt Karas shout, “Are you motivated?” The candidates would reply “HUA.” “Recover” is said by a Raven to instruct a candidate to get up or continue doing whatever they were doing before they were being talked to by a Raven. For example, a Raven may have a candidate performing pushups. When a Raven thinks they have done enough, he or she will say “recover” and the candidate will quickly return to their feet. The last insider language I picked up was “butt hurt.” This term is used when someone would get upset. “Don’t get butt hurt because you suck at push-ups,” is an example of its use.

I talked with a couple of Ravens and a few candidates. I didn’t get as much as I would have liked due to the fact that they were training on this day. I asked Staff Sergeant Campos, “What is the toughest part of being a trainer?” He replied, “Making sure the candidates understand the importance of attention to detail.” Speaking to a candidate who was on a 30 second water break, I quickly asked, “How do you feel?” The candidate replied, “Sore as hell,” gasping for a breath, “I don’t know how I’m going to finish.” When he had to run back onto the mat, I turned to SSgt Karas and asked, “What is your favorite exercise to run on the candidates?” “Overhead arm claps. I bet your own record you held with the last class you instructed the other day. It was just over 1,000 consecutive repetitions.” Laughing I asked, “Where there any “survivors” by the end of the exercise?” “Nope, just me.” He then started training up again with all six candidates. After speaking to a couple of Ravens, I started to understand just how important this training is to the development of future Ravens. During my own first-hand experience as a past Raven, it was interesting to see how things were conducted. I never noticed some of these little things that went on when I was a trainer.

Driving 88 mph in  a DeLorean down the “yellow brick road” I go

On a brisk April day, I walked through the parking lot, up a short flight of stairs, opened a heavy door, and entered a warehouse that reeked of cardboard boxes and sweat. I walked through the chain-link fence that encompassed the Raven Training office and section. As I walked through, I saw six male candidates in blue Air Force shorts and sweat-soaked grey t-shirts standing on a huge black training mat. They stood in two lines of three, looking straight forward. The average age of all of the candidates couldn’t have been more than 21. The five Raven trainers were dressed in black shorts and black t-shirts with “RAVEN” imprinted on the upper back. They all had military style haircuts and were in immaculate shape. Staff Sergeant Karas, who stood 6’5”, led the class in push-ups while the rest of the Raven trainers circled the candidates like sharks hunting their prey, waiting for a weak link to appear. The candidates’ faces were red with pain. The sweat poured off their grimacing faces, making small puddles below as they tried to keep up with SSgt Karas during the exercise. A candidate plopped to the ground in pain. He tried to get back to the push-up position, but his arms were shaking as if there was an earthquake rumbling. SSgt Howard quickly ran over to the candidate, got into his face, and yelled, “Keep pushing or go home!”

As the exercise continued, more of the candidates began to fail. “Recover, grab some water and take 15,” shouted SSgt Karas. I walked about, asking whatever questions I could during the short time the candidates were on break. I followed the Raven trainers into the office. SSgt Campos took a quick bite of a granola bar and followed it with a swig of blue Gatorade. The office was carpeted and held six desks with six computers. The Ravens who were not helping with training were conducting their assigned office duties. The office was full of Ravens, conversation, and laughter. If you were an insider, you felt as if you were walking into your home. It was a welcoming feeling. If an outsider such as a candidate walked in, they were shunned and made to not feel as welcome. The candidate is expected to walk in and stand at attention before asking a question. They are made to feel small. Not to disrespect them as a human, but as a trainee who still needs to prove they belong. This was intended to make them want the “Raven” title even more. If they could get through the mental aspect and not worry about it, this would help them understand there is a reason to the madness. To the Ravens, the need to earn the right to be in the office and the respect of the Ravens themselves. While in the office, the trainers went over paperwork, how the training day was going so far, and what the rest of the day’s plans would include. When the break was over, the Ravens walked back out onto the mat and started training again. As they started, I walked out of the warehouse with a new sense of what I once had been. I was once in the shoes of a candidate, and worked my way up to the shoes of a Raven trainer. I began to see where I had once started and where I had ended up.

If I could put all my memories onto pictures and spin them on a giant wheel, would I be able to relive them?

I told myself, “Where I had started as a candidate is not where I ended as a former insider.” I saw myself again as a candidate who developed into a Raven trainer, but also now seeing it as a new civilian. To help figure this out, some questions needed to be answered. The social structure is based on rank. When it comes to who is in and who is out depends on whether or not a candidate has made it through the training process. If complete, then welcome to the club. If not, try again next time. There is not a limit on the amount of times a candidate can try out. The Raven men and women have the same job and it is to get everyone home safely, which is a core belief among the Ravens. Violations of the rules include being removed from the section. As for the bigger picture, Ravens do provide a safe haven for their members. They are family and conduct business as such. As for adventure, this section is known for it. I traveled to over 40 countries including Spain, Cuba, Burkina Faso, and the Comoros Islands and have seen many things. I have swum in three of the four major oceans that include the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic. I have dodged rockets in Iraq and seen the sun rise and set on both sides of the world. It’s the most adventure one can experience in a lifetime. When I look back at where I once started, it is almost unreal to understand how fast time travels. It was meaningful to look back at my experience through civilian eyes. I can see a different picture than from when I was an actual insider. So here is the end. I have seen, endured, survived, and pressed on since being a member of this subculture. Now it is up to the candidates to pick up where I have left off, only to start where I had once begun.