We interrupt this broadcast to bring you this public service announcement.

I wanted to take a moment and clarify a couple of issues and make a few points, so I am going to step out of character for a moment and address these “real life” or “real world issues” I suppose you could call them, that have sprouted up lately.

Scott Mitchell, as most of you are probably well aware, is a fictional character that appears in Ghost Recon and EndWar. Mitchell is described as "a consummate soldier", being a veteran of several armed conflicts, the former leader of the Ghost Recon team and a General in EndWar. Many have suggested that he lacks personality and is kind of bland, but don’t worry, I don’t take it personally.

For the purposes of this website, Scott Mitchell is a direct ambassador for Rocky, the owner and operator of www.ghostrecon.net, a website that has existed for a decade supporting every chapter of the Ghost Recon franchise. Scott Mitchell currently manages the social networking components of www.ghostrecon.net, to include the @grnet Twitter account, the GhostRecon.net Facebook group, Scott Mitchell’s Facebook page and the futuresoldier@ghostrecon.net email account; and of course there is the periodic blog posting.

Some have asked who Scott Mitchell is, and some already know…but the simple truth is, who I am is irrelevant because Scott Mitchell is whoever Rocky wants it to be. For the time being, it’s me. I have known Rocky ever since www.ghostrecon.net was brought online. He knows my credentials and yet, he trusts me anyway. LOL. For that, I am very honored and humbled that he has entrusted this role to me.

For the record, I am not above the law. I have no special forum powers or moderator abilities. I take my directions from Rocky and get his approval on the content I want to post. I have had my posts deleted and my account locked (the watchful eye of a diligent moderator noticed a new guy with 0 posts and a ghostrecon.net email account, locked me out until he could confirm I was legit…good catch!)

I am a gamer. A passionate gamer. An aggressive gamer. I spend a lot of time supporting these endeavors, so of course I don’t take it lightly when derogatory or counter productive comments are made against the staff or the forum members but most of all, against the long standing rock solid reputation of www.ghostrecon.net. I really don’t care what you think of Scott Mitchell, because he’s fake anyway. No, I’m just kidding, of course I care, but the truth is, I have Rocky’s support, I’ve received some great feedback from the fans, but most importantly, the approval of many of my peers here that, whether they know it or not, know who I am.

A few more comments and confessions, then I’ll get back to work on Part 2 of the Ghost Recon debate blog.

I did not major in English, Grammar, Literature or follow any other degree path that made me an expert writer. I have my own writing style, I use a lot of … (it’s an old habit that used to have a purpose), and I am prone to making mistaks <sic> that might be glaringly obvious to the reader, but not to me. I enjoy writing, but I have never claimed to be great at it. I have long said, if you don’t like it, you won’t offend me if you don’t read it. Scott might be offended, but I won’t be.

I am certainly not a firearms instructor and don’t claim to be an expert on the military. While I may have some military experience and have ties to people with military experience, (which I certainly think can help with games like Future Soldier), I don’t think it’s a pre-requisite to enjoy and/or discuss the game. I don’t know the max range of the M-16 or the rate of fire of the SAW or the nomenclature for a frag grenade off the top of my head. If you’re expecting military grade accuracy and analysis from me, well…I’m not that guy. I’m just your average Joe.

I write blogs and have written some for the teaser trailer, the live action movie and the magazine articles. I have a specific style and purpose with the way I write blogs. First of all, I have no contacts or inside source of information, so anything I write is my own personal opinion (and my views may not be the view of the other staff and/or Rocky). I speculate a lot and make all sorts of assumptions. A lot of speculation. I do this for a reason. I do this to try and stir up the reader and generate some buzz. I have come up with some pretty bizarre claims and I am frequently wrong. I’m okay with that. I recall one question I sent to Ubi Kimi, the Community Developer for Future Soldier and she very graciously responded with a, “well…in this particular scenario, that’s not correct.” Which I of course interpreted as, FAIL. On the other hand, I have received various emails and replies, including screenshots, from fans who have went back to look at the material again and then brought me back even more questions and comments. I don’t claim that everything I write is hard and fast factual information that will appear in the game. It’s my opinion. It’s my perspective. And if it’s wrong, then I’m wrong. But hopefully I at least get you thinking about it. I never intentionally mislead or misrepresent the information and I will normally always discuss it from the game perspective versus the real world perspective since that’s what the focus of the site is.

In closing…

I am normally a very patient and understanding person who enjoys discussing every aspect of Ghost Recon, especially with those new to the series, because they typically ask lots of questions and bring a certain amount of enthusiasm along. I promote the fair treatment of all, but if you cross the line…

…I will come at you like a Spider Monkey. (Talladega Nights)

Cheers.

Game on.