Intro
There is a man I have heard talked about several times in the past and that I have encountered not in flesh, but through the impact he has left on others here in Finland. We here at the N&B have enjoyed the fruits of his endeavours through the IMTT PD1A course and the Scott-Donelan Man-Tracking course, that was partly brought to Finland by IMTT. The man I am talking about is Monte Gould, the man behind International Mobile Training Team.
Mr. Gould is somewhat well known in Finnish tactical circles, for he has been coming here for decades now to train our reservists and even offering our professional military personnel valuable courses and lessons. Lately him and IMTT have started to do some cooperation with Varusteleka, and of course we have our own affiliate group to the IMTT USA, the IMTT Finland, which is run by a good friend of ours.
Personally to me, mr. Gould has become somewhat a living legend. I know this is silly, and I know him to be a great guy, I have chatted with him several times now and I am looking forward to making his acquaintance soon. But the man’s deed speak for themselves and his illustrious military and law-enforcement career really brings to my mind the saying: “beware of the old man in a profession where men die young”.
Recruit of the US Army
So why I am writing about mr. Gould? Well he went and did something that really has not gotten enough attention, especially here in Finland. He went and enlisted, and passed through the US Army basic training. Or I should say re-enlisted, because he is 59 years old and he has done all this once before. Man, I wish I could have seen the recruitment officers face when this combat veteran stepped up in the line of all those youngsters and said I want to join too. I mean that is probably not how it happened, but I like to think that anyway.
This really is a rare set of events, probably something that has not happened before. Of course Gould did not start from scratch, like the privates who enlist with him. He was an E-6, a staff sergeant, but he was on the same line with the others, only they were years younger than him.
But in no way does this mean that he is in a disadvantage. He will no doubt be a huge asset to the young men and women serving together with him, who are only learning the ropes of life. Gould has seen it all, the good, bad and the ugly of military life. He has told the “Coffee or Die” zine that he has played all the parts and now wishes to teach and convey the lessons he has learned to his young colleagues, so that they do not need to “re-invent the wheel” at every turn. His grasp on the basic soldier skills along with tactical and strategic knowledge will be of immense help to those willing to learn from him.
And he is in top physical shape for a 59 year old. He really is a role model to us all, not only the recruits serving with him. He still has strict routines and goals he aims to achieve every day without excuses. Positive attitude and the guts to try to ones best every single day are the kind of things he wishes to pass on along with the concrete lessons of field craft.
Fortunate Sons
Monte Gould really has done a lot for the Finnish military as well in the past and I cannot help but wonder about the possible lessons Monte could teach our young conscripts here.
In Finland we still have (and thank God we do) a mandatory conscription of six months up to a year. It is a really short time, but the young men and women learn the basic and in depth skills they need to do their specific job in the military. And when they have passed their service and joined the deep ranks of the reserves, we try to brush up and deepen their skills through compulsory reservists training as often as the military budget allows.
Quite a big part of the reservists are really enthusiastic and seek training outside of the compulsory reservists training too, and to this need IMTT has catered for years already. But I wish the young conscripts would have the kind of in depth knowledge that Gould has on their disposal during their service. Not only to better their basic skills, but to set the skills in context, to hear about the importance of the drills in real combat situations, to have the example of what it means to strive to be your best self, what it means to want to serve your country and the freedom of your fellow men so much that you are capable and willing to re-enlist at 59 years old.
I think that Gould’s enlisted youngsters were really fortunate. Not many young men or women who are starting their military careers get to do so with such a formidable asset on their hand, as I believe mr. Gould must have been to his fellow recruits.
With his extensive experience, Gould was also in an excellent position to review how the Army conducts it’s training these days and how the younger generation is equipped to meet the standards of a modern soldier. For example he gives credit of the basic combat training to the staff and their methods, a lot has improved in these past years.
Grand Adventure for an Old Man
Gould passed the training with flying colours and commendations from all around. It really asks a lot of true grit and conviction to do something many 20 year-olds cannot do when you are pushing your 60’s. Monte being basically an honorary Finn, I can say he definitely has got a lot of, what we Finns call, “sisu”, a sort of not-caring-what-others-think determination, that most would see as fool hardiness.
I hope his example will inspire many to get up from the couch and do something worth doing. It does not have to be Army basic training for sure, but if you want to be as badass in your later years, like Mr. Gould is, it does not happen over night and it most certainly does not happen by just dreaming about it. Get up, go out and find what makes you tick.
One sure way to get closer to your goals is to train. Go to the gym, go for a run, (especially do BJJ, everyone should!) and do train with someone who knows what they are doing. I am speaking only for myself and something I believe in, but if you are a reservist or a MIL or LE officer, check out IMTT through their Facebook page or Instagram account. The next course they should have in Finland, if COVID allows, is later this year in November, a weekend-long DMR course. I will see you and hopefully mr.Gould himself too there!
-Noble
Noble & Blue 
Pretty amazing stuff, thanks for sharing this story — he has absolutely forgotten more than many of us will ever learn! One can only imagine how cool it was for those who attended basic training with him at 59 years young!
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