Lithuanian officer: about Afghanistan and being in the hair since death: about 25 percent. most likely i won’t talk to you today

This message is transmitted by the latest campaign of the coffee producer Paulig, which starts this week. The service is handled by soldiers, and as an ability to handle chaos, timely decisions have repeatedly helped him save not only his own lives but lives as well. of fellow soldiers. Joking about the unpredictability of life, the lieutenant colonel said, “War is unpredictable, but lunch is scheduled!”

In chaos, even the shadow of perception helps make the right decisions.

“In Afghanistan, where the soldiers of my squad were on duty at guard posts to monitor the area and determine the routes of a potential enemy, one day I received a radio message informing me of six armed opponents who were moving about 5 kilometers from it. to west. I immediately realized what they were doing: They were bypassing my squad’s observation post and trying to attack it. I immediately made a decision: I told the soldiers to pack their things and went out to call a helicopter, ”Valerijus Šerelis recalled from service events in Afghanistan in 2002-2003, where the first Lithuanian was the main national representative. from Lithuania.

A press release said that when Scherel arrived at the helicopter, his pilots were having coffee at the time.

“I said they could end up drinking coffee, but it should already be divided. In fact, the team came into contact, the shooting lasted about 10 minutes before a helicopter flew over them. The shooting stopped. The enemy withdrew. The soldiers also got on the helicopter and were transported safely, ”recalled V. Šerelis, who wears the uniform of a Lithuanian officer for more than 30 years, recalling the fateful events. After them, a soldier from the “Eagle-02” squad asked: “In Vade, it took an hour and a half to fly, and the helicopter was on point after 10 minutes. How did that happen?” “The sixth feeling made me think that would happen and I made the decision to send the helicopter before contact began,” Sherel replied. According to him, the big difference is whether the shooting lasts 10 or 90 minutes: “Six people survived.”

Timely decisions saved lives

Speaking of chaos, the former commander of the Special Operations Forces Squad in Afghanistan emphasized that managing chaos, which means making timely and properly implemented decisions, relies heavily on other areas: risk management, resources, time and information. “To make certain decisions I need to know where the opponent is, what he can do, what his intention may be, I need to know the obstacles that affect my operations in one way or another, I need to know my capabilities in space and time,” said V Sherel in a remote presentation.

The officer shared memories of his service in Iraq, where Valerijus Šerelis was also the first and main Lithuanian national representative. “I made friends with the local Arabs and one of them told me not to go to Baghdad on Friday, when I didn’t even know where and when I should go. I went to the colonel in charge of the mission and he informed me that he had received a message from a source that it was better not to go to Baghdad on Friday – said Valery Sherel. “The colonel agreed and said that he would check the credibility of the source: the trip to Baghdad was postponed until Sunday.”

“The attack took place on the aforementioned Friday: a homemade cumulative explosive hidden on the side of the road was detonated. There were deaths and injuries, but it was not us,” the Lithuanian officer recalled about the events of the war. After them, the colonel who called V. Šerelis advised to protect the source, because his information was verified and the source was reliable. “If I had not received that information, about 25 percent. the probability that he will not speak to you today, ”said Lieutenant Colonel V. Šerelis, director of the Military Institute of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Board of Doctrine and Training.

People often create chaos for themselves

Another situation, which revealed the importance of the ability to make timely decisions, withdraw and not get involved in chaos, was revealed by V. Šerelis after being asked what his email meant. Email signature “Sign out of the map”. “When I taught at the Baltic Defense College in Tartu, Estonia, I was an instructor for a group of six students, also known as a union. I moderate the discussion, I give the task and ask: I’m going to smoke and have coffee, I’ll be back in 20 minutes, just don’t get into tactics, stay at the operational level. I come back, they stand up and point to hunger on the map. I remind them that I asked them not to go to the tactical level, and they tell me that I didn’t even hear what they were talking about. And I didn’t have to listen, they were too close to the map and they didn’t see the operational context, “said V. Šerelis.

“You see the details so closely: the bridge, the stream, the track, you forget what you have to achieve and you start thinking about what your subordinate has to do. It will come up with what you need to do according to your operational plan. Out of this situation arose the quote “Get off the map.” People often create chaos by doing their own work, concentrating on non-essential details, solving their own problems, not seeing everything, and often wasting time improving solutions, ”emphasized V. Šerelis.

The pandemic revealed: much is determined by attitude to the situation

Seeing the whole and having a clear idea of ​​where you are going has led Paulig to renew its positioning and present itself to consumers with a new image campaign: where are we going next. We believe that there have been enough significant changes both inside and out and it’s time to stop, have a coffee, sit down and talk to each other very honestly about how we view those events, what those changes mean to us, how we want to do it. look to the future, ”Rita said. Sudnienė, the company’s marketing manager.

There have been many such moments in the history of the company, which has been operating for 145 years. “The company survived two world wars, when it was not even possible to obtain and exchange real coffee, several economic crises. The last few years, the pandemic, have also shown how much attitude depends. The company has always taken the position that there is a way out of every situation, it is possible to find something good in every situation and move forward ”. According to R. Sudnienė, this message is especially relevant today, when it is very important to remember that the right attitude and the right moments are the two things that can help take everything out of life, no matter what.