Behind the scenes of the elite special forces GROM operation - Arek "Motyl" Dembiński

Motyl emphasizes that the standard of 18 pull-ups in force in other units is a trap in GROM – candidates often did exactly 18 and rested. In his opinion it is about showing your maximum, not an artificial limit. He himself as an assessor invalidated all the pull-ups of a guy who did them technically incorrectly and started arguing – he was permanently excluded. He describes that at his selection they first did PT, then combat, and the results were announced successively. Hand-to-hand combat serves to observe who saves himself – for such people a fight for life is provided, a last chance. He says that not everyone has to know how to fight, but they must show character and the will to fight. He himself at one selection was pulled aside by an instructor after he knocked out an opponent, who decided he was too aggressive.

Motyl describes his own experience in detail: he started as the last one (after a slow march due to chafed feet), so he decided to run – it turned out that the pain subsided during running. He ran many kilometres, overtaking competitors, and ran into the marathon finish. There the late Colonel Czarny announced: 'After this gentleman everyone is out' – Motyl became the last one admitted to the exam, which probably saved him thanks to his visible will to fight. He also recalls the chicken episode: an instructor offered a piece, but warned that biting meant being out. Motyl refused, but someone else took it – and indeed was out. The final phase is an individual azimuth march – the last ones start last, which was unfavourable for him, but he passed anyway.

Motyl tells that before the course colleagues warned him what to expect. Despite that, when he first heard how they were zapping his mate, he thought they were simulating so the rest would 'break' – only when he himself was hooked up and felt the shock did he understand it was a real taser. He describes the moment when everyone was lined up: the first person got one cable in the hand, the last one the second, and the instructor pressed the button – the current passed through the whole group. Instructors shouted: 'you can shout!'. Earlier he was beaten several times, doused with water, deprived of sleep. He says that he himself created a legend, and the training leaders had limited knowledge about the candidates, although they could find the real intelligence. It teaches that even in a real situation the most important thing is to drag out the process – the longer you hold on, the greater the chance of relief.

Motyl compares it with the method from the 1st Special Commando Regiment, where they taught rigid 'hold this window and that's it'. In GROM instructors taught: 'since a colleague is holding here, you looked for your own work another sector, where you can cover, from where fire may come out'. Thanks to this, in a real firefight, when Motyl moved to flank and the opponent did the same, his colleagues automatically adjusted sectors and no one was exposed. Motyl emphasizes that it was precisely this principle that saved his life – although he took three bullets, thanks to mutual covering and tactical maneuvering he survived and the team came out intact.

Motyl describes that on missions he repeatedly protected presidents and prime ministers. Usually several GROM operators flew in and it was they who provided protection on the helicopter and secured the cars and the route. He himself was assigned as the main protector on the helicopter, having at his disposal a machine gun (minimi), so that in case of an attack he could cover with fire for a long time. He emphasizes the difference in tactics: the task of SOP is solely to extract the VIP as quickly as possible, not to engage in combat; the task of GROM is to fight and accept possible losses to enable the evacuation. He also touches on the example of the assassination attempt on Trump, commenting that basic security mistakes were made there (unmanned buildings).

Motyl describes that it was precisely this training that allowed his team to survive the exchange of fire when he himself was shot. When he tried to outflank the opponent, the opponent had the same idea – a fight ensued, but because all colleagues automatically adjusted sectors, no gap appeared. He emphasizes that this approach opened his head and taught him flexibility. He notes that this is one of the differences between GROM and the rest of the units – there is no room for passive standing there, because everyone is responsible for the whole security.

He argues that the ban on doping is absolutely justified – it is not just about ethics, but about safety on the battlefield. If a soldier takes steroids or other substances, then in case of a wound the medical personnel does not know how to react, the blood may be thickened, unpredictable interactions may occur. He himself after being shot refused steroids offered by doctors, preferring supplements (e.g. pre-workouts bought in the USA). He also tells that earlier on missions they used strong pre-workouts, like Mezomorph, which turned out to contain a derivative of amphetamine – they resigned when they understood the risk. In this way he gives a specific example of the evolution of his own approach to support.