I have seen the experience vs study issue in my professional life. On the job training can work for things that never vary much. I have seen people who were recognized as subject matter experts fall apart when faced with something very new. This can be due to a lack of theory of operation that should have been formally learned in an educational environment. What the profession is matters less than the process of problem solving in a dynamic environment.
Still, in the life and death scenario, many of us are unaware how we will react until it happens. As a soldier, I found this not to be stressful. I accepted the possibility I may not survive and relied on my training and the guidance of my leaders. However, as a civilian, it is very different. Now, I have the wife and kids in the possible combat situation. I may react differently if I find myself downrange. Here, I need to rely on the experience of others.
Mas Ayoob is a very able communicator, especially when he keeps it clean. I find he does not make assumptions on how scenarios will play out without referencing authoritative sources of information. I am sure many of us can do the same thing if it were not for our career and personal life choices.
Mas puts the time and trouble of collecting useful data and presents it in an understandable format. He is able to make a living at it and that is good.
For those looking for the "been there, done that" guy, there are options. It may help if you are going into the specific area, such as counter insurgency work, forward observer, high speed chases, etc.
We will never find a "been everywhere, done everything" Superman. However, we may find a guy who is willing to gather whatever useful information there is to be found, verify it is authoritative and present it in an understandable way, while citing sources. I think Mas Ayoob is one of those guys.
