WEBVTT 1 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:16.079 Welcome to Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbas. Our guest in this edition is 2 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:20.760 US Navy Seal veteran Chris Alvarez. You also know him now as an actor 3 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:24.839 from series like The Terminal List in General Hospital. Chris, thanks so much 4 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:27.000 for being with us. Thanks for having me. Where were you born and 5 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:32.479 raised? I was born in Miami, Florida. I grew up mostly South 6 00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:37.119 Florida, Miami area for lake let's see middle school area. Middle school time 7 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:40.920 for him, and then once middle school sixth seventh grade, I moved to 8 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.479 Cluiston, Florida, so that I don't know if you know what Florida looks 9 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:48.119 like on a map, but there's a big lake. The very southern tip 10 00:00:48.119 --> 00:00:53.079 of that lake is this little small sugar cane town and that's a that's where 11 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:56.200 I was. I grew up in so wake O Keachobe, Yeah, very 12 00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:59.200 southern tip. Have there been a history of military service in your family? 13 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:03.880 Uh? No, not my family. Now, none of that came actually, 14 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:06.319 to be honest with you, my dad it's like, why are you 15 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:10.239 gonna go? Like you know, when I was younger and having aspirations and 16 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:12.840 stuff, he was almost like because he's Cuban, you know, migrated here 17 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:17.640 and that was a whole nother experience with the military over there. He actually 18 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:22.120 ran away from the military, was wanted, migrated to the United States. 19 00:01:22.120 --> 00:01:26.280 So he doesn't really have a good opinion of it, and so it was 20 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:29.560 almost pushed back a little bit. But now it's just me on my own. 21 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:33.359 And did you also have an interest in acting at a young age? 22 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:38.239 So the acting piece. I was just very creative when I was younger at 23 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:41.200 the time, I have like a small circle of friends. We would all 24 00:01:41.599 --> 00:01:46.280 do like lots of creative things together with a handheld camera, and I got 25 00:01:46.359 --> 00:01:51.799 into music and really like my original goal early on when I was a kid, 26 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:56.519 Yeah, I knew I wanted to serve. I knew I wanted to 27 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:00.120 contribute to my community, my society in some way, shape or form. 28 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:06.439 There's an inflection point when my young teenage years where you know, my family 29 00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:08.840 had a schism and in my heart, like I knew I could be a 30 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:13.599 seal, but I thought I could be a musician. You only lived once, 31 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:19.560 and so I was like, I'm gonna pursue music and then if something 32 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:23.520 doesn't come around by a certain timeframe, then I joined the Navy and go 33 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:25.919 be a seal like no drama. That was kind of like where the creative 34 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:30.280 aspect of me was was. I was used to being on stage. You 35 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:31.840 know, I was a singer. I mean I was just like some young 36 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:37.120 pod kid with dreadlocks, like a lot of angsts and stuff. I wanted 37 00:02:37.159 --> 00:02:39.599 to get out and you know, being on stage was therapeutic for me at 38 00:02:39.639 --> 00:02:46.840 a young age. Eventually I followed my plan just because being in a band 39 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:49.560 is kind of like with buds. You know, you're in a boat crew 40 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:53.479 right in the seal teams, like when you're in training and there's seven dudes, 41 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:57.000 sometimes six if you have a quitter, but a boat crew six or 42 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:00.680 seven, and you carry this boat like everywhere you go. And if one 43 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:05.879 person's not carrying their weight let's say evenly distributed, it's thirty pounds each. 44 00:03:06.439 --> 00:03:09.120 Well, when one person decides to duck their little head, you feel that 45 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:14.719 on your neck like immediately. So with the music stuff, it was kind 46 00:03:14.759 --> 00:03:17.240 of like I was motivated. I was ready to go out and promote. 47 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:22.360 And times were different then I didn't have all the social media stuff you have 48 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:27.319 nowadays, and my team, my bandmates were just duck and vote. So 49 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:30.759 I I was like, dude, I'm ready to go surround myself by with 50 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:37.560 some good dudes and go try to protect our country and do something good and 51 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:39.919 positive. So you joined the Navy in two thousand and nine, and so 52 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:44.120 you came in with your eyes wide open. We're at war for eight years 53 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:46.960 in Afghanistan, six years in Iraq at that point. So how did you 54 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:51.719 process where we were in the wars as you made this decision? Yeah, 55 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:57.400 So if I can backtrack just a second with like my initial like coming in, 56 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:00.240 right, So I had that onset of a guy one I wanted to 57 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:01.919 deserve. I wanted to do something like when I was a kid, I 58 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:05.319 wanted to be a cop or I wanted to be a firefighter, but then 59 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:11.000 I wanted to be like a ninja cop for whatever reason. Right. And 60 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:15.680 then living in Cooliston, my dad had some He's a truck driver, you 61 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:19.040 know, migrated from Cuba, very low income. But he had a friend 62 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:23.519 from New York and they'd come over on Fridays and they just sit around, 63 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:27.319 drink a couple of beers and have conversations with him and I just listen. 64 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:31.319 And at the time, you know, my eighth grade math teacher. His 65 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:35.680 name is Keith Richter. Like that dude changed my life. I believe he 66 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:40.839 was an officer in the Marine Corps and he flew a Cobra helicopter during the 67 00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:45.959 First Person Gulf. So smart. So in eighth grade he was teaching us 68 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.120 like algebra, like math, but we would talk to him about anything and 69 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:51.079 he would just go down the rabbit hole of like how the sun works, 70 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:58.439 how light permeates glass, and just very very smart individual. And so I 71 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:03.000 watched under Sea each and Steven Seagall played a navy seal in that movie. 72 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:08.279 So I'm getting this like urge to want to do stuff, and I knew 73 00:05:08.279 --> 00:05:11.800 mister Richter was a marine. So going back to my dad's conversation with his 74 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:15.040 friend, I was sitting around a fire and then his debt had him. 75 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:16.839 I forgot what his name was, but he looks at me. He's like, 76 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:19.680 so, so you want to be in the military, right, I'm 77 00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:23.800 like yeah, and he's like, well, you want to be a marine, 78 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:26.319 And I'm like really. I was like, are they the best? 79 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:30.560 And he's like yeah. He's like they'll take the dogs out and you won't 80 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:33.759 even hear it. How ninja is that? You know? Uh. I 81 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:36.800 was like, cool, well, I'm gonna be a marine. So I 82 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:40.160 went up to my eighth grade math teacher and I was like, mister Richter, 83 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:42.399 I figured out what I want to do with my life. And he's 84 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:43.920 like, what's that. It's like, I want to be the best of 85 00:05:43.920 --> 00:05:46.160 the best. I'm gonna I'm gonna be a marine. And he's like, 86 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:48.920 okay, well, why do you want to do it? I was like, 87 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.480 cause I want to, you know, I want to protect our people. 88 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:55.160 I want to serve my country, and I want to be surrounded by 89 00:05:55.199 --> 00:05:58.360 the best, like it's got to be the hardest. And I didn't know 90 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:00.759 at the time, Like I watched Under Siege, but I don't understand what 91 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:02.920 a Navy Seal was. And mister Richter is like, again, he's a 92 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:06.920 marine, and he's like, well, do me a favor, Like why 93 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:11.360 don't you look these guys up? And so at the time, you know, 94 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:15.120 internet was like dial up and I think Yahoo was like the biggest thing, 95 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:21.199 And so I just yahooed Navy Seal and then I saw hell week, 96 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:27.040 you know, basically going to water demolition, seal training, toughest military training, 97 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:30.199 blah blah blah blah. And then that was it. I was like, 98 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:33.120 I'm doing that. He's like you sure. I'm like yeah. He's 99 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:35.800 like, well you can't just you know, you gotta be strong, but 100 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:39.199 you gotta be smart. I'm like yeah, I mean that's why I'm doing 101 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:41.680 I got to eight in your class, right, And he's like yeah, 102 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:43.720 yeah you do. And I'm like okay, cool, Well I'm gonna do 103 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:47.920 that. So then I started looking into it, looking stuff up. I 104 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:53.600 joined the Sea Cadets, which is it's very humbly being here around all the 105 00:06:54.120 --> 00:06:58.839 rotc cadets and stuff. So I joined the Navy Sea Cadet Corps. And 106 00:06:58.920 --> 00:07:03.000 luckily where I was in Okechobe, there was a unit there on the north 107 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:09.639 side of Lake Okeechobee, and uh it was basically a youth development program sponsored 108 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:14.000 by the Okechobe County Sheriff's office. So they were a Sea cadet unit, 109 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:18.319 but they were like seal cadets because the guy who ran it was a former 110 00:07:18.399 --> 00:07:26.199 green berat SF guy, and they basically tailored their program to be kind of, 111 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:29.680 you know, like naval special warfare. And it was like twice a 112 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:32.800 month, I'd spend Friday, Saturday, Sunday there, kept me out of 113 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:38.399 trouble, and then we would travel over to the Fort Pierce Udt Seal Museum 114 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:43.439 where it all started. A couple of spots remorts start, but that's where 115 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:47.240 they were originally, and we would pet on the beach. We would get 116 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:51.360 surf immersed. They taught us like land now, taught us how to shoot 117 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:56.319 weapons, and so I was like in it to win it. At that 118 00:07:56.399 --> 00:07:59.319 point, I was like, this is phenomenal. I love this. And 119 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:03.759 then were out that time the skis them happened with my family. I went 120 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:07.879 down the music path and then you know, lo and behold, like nine 121 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:13.399 to eleven happens. I remember being in my criminal justice class walking in and 122 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:20.120 when that happened, just ad It was ninth grade, so I think I 123 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:28.240 was fourteen. I just remember walking in and at first, you know, 124 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:33.279 being a young kid not really understanding stuff, I'm like, whoa. You 125 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:37.919 know, we had the big square TVs and I'm seeing all that smoke and 126 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:43.679 I just remember going like, dude, somebody colorful language, like messed up. 127 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:48.519 And my criminal justice teacher, she used to be a cop in New 128 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:52.679 York City and she's just bawling. And when I first came in and saw 129 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:58.759 it again, not jokingly but just not really quite understanding, and then the 130 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.879 gravity of it like hit me as I was looking at her, I'm looking 131 00:09:01.879 --> 00:09:07.480 there and then reading the room, and I was like, wow, like 132 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:13.039 this the world is different, like this is this is never going to be 133 00:09:13.080 --> 00:09:18.000 the same. And then that led to feeling that desire, so to speak, 134 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:24.840 like inside. I continued down the music path, and at some point 135 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:30.559 Lone Survivor came out the book because of Operation Red Wings. I picked that 136 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:37.200 book up and reading that and seeing just that opening part are they were just 137 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:45.240 inserted into the area, just just reading the stories just like totally ReLit that 138 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:50.000 flame. And so then a couple of years, I mean that was probably 139 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:54.279 two thousand and eight when I read that book, and then a year later, 140 00:09:54.519 --> 00:10:00.360 you know, I joined up and at the time, like you know 141 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:05.159 to your original question, at the time that we'd already been at war for 142 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:09.399 you know, roughly almost the decade, right, So I joined in two 143 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:15.080 thousand and nine. I didn't get to a seal team to twenty eleven by 144 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:18.519 the time I joined the Navy and got to a seal team. Going back 145 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:22.879 to like my original like how I came in, graduated buds lo and behold. 146 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:28.639 I get assigned to Seal Team ten and Sylteam ten was the QRF that 147 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:33.159 came to rescue those guys during Operation Red Wings and then they got shot down 148 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:37.279 in the helicopter. And so here I am, as a new guy, 149 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:43.679 you know, checking in. You walk on the quarter deck and there's a 150 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:50.039 mural to all those loss on that day. Very very humbling, just walking 151 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:56.919 in and we're walking walking down the team team space and then I look and 152 00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:05.159 I see what appears to be Marcus Latrell, and uh, I forgot who 153 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:07.679 it was so sex to me. I was like, dude, is that 154 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:11.759 Marcus? And they're like, no, dummy, that forgot. Marcus had 155 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:15.480 a twin brother, Morgan. He's like, it's Morgan. He's gonna be 156 00:11:15.480 --> 00:11:18.159 one of the oics in your troop. And I was like, oh, 157 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:22.799 And just I was, you know again going back full sir, like just 158 00:11:22.240 --> 00:11:26.399 humbled to be there, to be a part of anything surrounding these guys, 159 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:31.879 you know, like there's this thing like uh and the teams like we walk 160 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:37.000 like a monkst giants are just surrounded by all these legends and stuff like that. 161 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:43.360 And again, I very humbling and that'll be a theme that you constantly 162 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:48.200 hear me mention because there's no place on earth that humbles you the way you 163 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:54.960 know our community does. And so got to the seal team there, walk 164 00:11:54.000 --> 00:12:00.879 into the space and at the time that unit had just conduct did the longest 165 00:12:01.159 --> 00:12:05.720 NSW deployment like in history. I think it was eleven months because typically teams, 166 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:11.120 depending on the team, but typically it's eighteen months of training, six 167 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:16.080 months to deploy, eighteen months of training six months, so two year turnaround. 168 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:20.480 But that's what makes our units so efficient and effective at everything we do 169 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:24.559 because we know each other in and out. We're not deploying with strangers. 170 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:28.120 We know what we smell like, what we like to eat, like, 171 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:33.039 what that dude snores like. It's very uh, we know each other very 172 00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:41.039 intimately and so but that translates into the battlefield and into our work. So 173 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:45.320 that's what makes us so effective. So they had just done the longest deployment 174 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:48.960 because they were supposed to come back something happened with commands. They wanted to 175 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:52.000 basically recycle the teams in a certain way, and the way they had to 176 00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:56.480 do that was whoever was already for deployed, which at the time was ten 177 00:12:56.519 --> 00:13:00.039 and seven. They had to like stand fast, so they basically had to 178 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:05.000 another six months. They ended up doing five months. At the end of 179 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:11.720 that five months, we my specific unit lost Caleb Nelson, And so when 180 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:18.080 I walked into the team space, you know, seeing his gear, seeing 181 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:30.679 his helmet, it just again humbled at the sacrifices that this community, you 182 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:37.080 know, inevitably has to give. That's US Navy Seal Chris Alvarez. Still 183 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:41.559 to come. Alvarez tells us about his service in Afghanistan and Latin America. 184 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:48.519 But up next buds Training. Alvarez tells us what it took to become a 185 00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:54.600 US Navy Seal. I'm Greg Corumbus and this is Veterans Chronicles sixty Seconds of 186 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:58.679 Service. This sixty Seconds of Service is presented by T Mobile. T Mobile 187 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:03.039 officers exclusive discounts for a veteran the military families and are proud supporters of the 188 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:07.639 National Defense Network. Visit t mobile dot com slash military to learn more about 189 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:13.159 how they support our military community. From Bimidgi, Minnesota, after one hundred 190 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:16.559 years, the BAMIDGI Chapter of Disabled American Veterans is still serving the community. 191 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:20.840 Going out on cold mornings and collecting donations that help veterans and need and their 192 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:24.320 families. Found that in nineteen twenty four, as the seventh chapter in the 193 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:30.080 state. The organization's presence is most visible through its drop off boxes, bright 194 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:33.879 green metal containers that can be found outside of grocery stores and on street corners 195 00:14:33.879 --> 00:14:39.200 that collect donations of clothes, shoes, and household items. Twice a week 196 00:14:39.240 --> 00:14:43.480 in the early hours of the morning. Members of the DAV often veterans themselves, 197 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:46.960 collect the items and bring them back to the chapter's headquarters on the edge 198 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:50.000 of town, where they are met by another team of volunteers. For more 199 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.320 great veteran stories, just go to National Defense Network dot com. This says 200 00:14:54.399 --> 00:15:00.360 Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in this edition is US Navy 201 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:05.120 Seal turned actor Chris Alvarez. You've heard about his journey to pursue military service 202 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:11.080 and to become a Navy Seal. But then he had to deal with reality, 203 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:16.120 surviving and passing buds training to become a US Navy Seal. Yeah, 204 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:20.799 so go it in. I mean, the kids nowadays it's crazy with all 205 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:24.679 the you know, information age, so they definitely have a leg up in 206 00:15:24.759 --> 00:15:28.279 terms of kind of figuring out like what's what and things like that. But 207 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:33.360 when I went in, I did read Rogue Warrior by Richard Marsenko, which 208 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:35.720 that was another book I read that was like, you know, I'm gonna 209 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:39.879 go be a seal. I think at the time Discovery Channel had done like 210 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:45.000 a special on seal training called Bud's Class two, three four or something. 211 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:50.639 So I watched that and it was very entertaining. I still watched some of 212 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:54.159 that to this day, showing some of the students because some of those it 213 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:56.840 just never gets told, like the training lessons and things like that. And 214 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:00.480 so I had to like this image of like, oh, okay, there's 215 00:16:00.519 --> 00:16:03.559 what the beach looks like, and like a really known spot is like the 216 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:07.159 condominiums, like you could just see them, and you see the corn out 217 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:11.279 of bridge like everywhere. And so I had what I thought was a picture 218 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:15.440 of Buds in my head, and then when I showed up, it was 219 00:16:15.799 --> 00:16:21.399 completely like just huh, Like that's the beat, that's the water that looks 220 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:23.639 so much closer than how far I thought it was, and things like that, 221 00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:27.320 and so it definitely wasn't what I was expecting in my head, and 222 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:30.879 you know, you read a book and you imagine the characters and stuff like 223 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:33.879 that, and somebody makes a series or something and they're like, oh, 224 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:36.240 that's not the way I pictured that gal at all or that dude. It 225 00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:41.320 Also when I got there, I went down to Imperial Beach and jumped in 226 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:44.039 the water just to see what it was like, you know, and I 227 00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:48.120 was like, Ah, this ain't so bad. Yeah, well definitely it 228 00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:52.919 sucked. What's the most challenging part for you? Was it the physical exhaustion, 229 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:56.799 Was it the sleep deprivation or something else? You know, like there's 230 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:03.720 For me, it's the grind. There's not like this one thing that really 231 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:08.759 is this like giant nightmare, right, Like everybody wants to be a team 232 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:14.799 guy. When it's sunny outside and it's Friday and you're hanging out and the 233 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:19.519 weekends coming and you get to just work out and everybody can be you know, 234 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:25.960 can do it for a day, two days. It's the repetitiveness that 235 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:30.559 every day you wake up at four o'clock, you're gonna be wet, you're 236 00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:34.759 gonna be sandy. That wind cuts worse than the water does, the water's 237 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:38.480 warmer than the wind, and then that little piece of cloth, that uniform 238 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:41.039 you where it doesn't touch your skin, and then all of a sudden you 239 00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:45.880 move, it touches you and it just shocks your body and it's just like 240 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:51.960 over and over and over and over, and then you know there's just you 241 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:55.400 have the instructor staff, depending on what phase you're in, that are just 242 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:59.680 chomping at the bit to you know, lead you to your next evolution, 243 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:07.440 to push you to stretch your your rubber band of limits a little further than 244 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:14.240 before, and to open your mind into what is possible, especially not by 245 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:18.759 yourself, all right, but with your teammates. The biggest thing there is 246 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:22.880 teamwork. You know, you show up, there's a sign that says abandon 247 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:30.680 self, embrace team. There's no individuals in the Seal teams. Like, 248 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:37.039 we couldn't do what we do as individuals. You know, we depend and 249 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:41.519 we gain strength from our teammates to our left and right of us, and 250 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:48.839 that's what gives us the confidence to climb whatever mountain or go through whatever obstacle 251 00:18:48.960 --> 00:18:52.599 to achieve. Like whatever said objective is for the mission, you catch out 252 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:56.839 of that pretty quick in buds training or is it something you appreciate after the 253 00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:59.960 fact, you can add it all up, it's eighty percent attrition rate, 254 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:04.079 like it's going to happen. Sometimes you have with some hard classes, meaning 255 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:10.160 there's just candidates that are just more mentally tough that show up. They just 256 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:14.079 have a little bit more individuals. Then you might get like seventy something percent 257 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:17.400 attrition rate. But then you might have a class where you have eighty eight 258 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:22.799 percent attrition rate. So it ebbs and flows with the candidate pool coming in. 259 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:27.319 From my experience of being there and training candidates, I would say that 260 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:32.880 the biggest trait, and I think most team guys would agree, is like 261 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:37.599 here, it's your mental toughness. I mean you three months, I can 262 00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:42.559 train anybody to be physically fit enough to survive buds. It's not it's nothing 263 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:48.119 crazier, you know, it's not insane, just to be prepared for it. 264 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:52.160 But it's I can't get you to cross that mental threshold. I can 265 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:56.039 push you right to that point, and if you have it, you have 266 00:19:56.119 --> 00:20:00.920 it, and if you don't, it will come out because that place. 267 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:07.400 The great thing about our program and our pipeline is that it makes you question, 268 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:12.039 like why am I here? Like why what is the reason for your 269 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:15.680 existence here, Why this unit, Why this group of men? Like why 270 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:25.960 and if anything in your answer to that involves I and me and it doesn't 271 00:20:26.039 --> 00:20:32.839 ring true to the mission, it'll be found out like you're gonna go away, 272 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:40.039 and you will go away voluntarily because again you will have that existential question 273 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:44.720 of like just self reflecting of like, man, is this really worth it? 274 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:48.559 And for the guys at stay, it is. And you see it, 275 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:53.039 right, you see it in the seal teams, the missions that they've 276 00:20:53.039 --> 00:21:00.559 completed, sacrifices that have been paid because they believe every bit of it and 277 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:03.680 are willing to sacrifice theirselves, their lives and not to mention like you know, 278 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:08.559 like yeah, my brothers, I miss him, teammates, you know, 279 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:11.960 whether I knew him personally or I'm one friend away from knowing that guy. 280 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:15.759 Like it's a small community I really feel for, you know, the 281 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:22.279 families. It's the sons, the daughters, the wives. They're the ones 282 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:26.960 that really pay because even for the guys that are still around, you know, 283 00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:33.119 we're gone all the time, Like Daddy's not home, Like it's kind 284 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:34.440 of like a high five for a couple of weeks and then we're gone for 285 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:42.839 months. So I'd say that families definitely bear the burden of our selfish desires 286 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:47.680 of being in the Saltines and serving our country. Women are tough, though, 287 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:52.240 oh they are. They truly are the heroes because if we're overseas doing 288 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:56.240 our job, we got to focus on that. If you focus on anything 289 00:21:56.240 --> 00:22:00.799 besides that, if you slip up, you could be gone. I could 290 00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:04.039 be gone. Okay, cool, I'm gone. Worst case scenario, my 291 00:22:04.119 --> 00:22:10.200 teammate's gone. So you got to stay sharp. And our wives or our 292 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:15.079 families, like, we have very strong families at home, and that allows 293 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:22.039 us the bandwidth to go and execute our job to our full capability. And 294 00:22:22.119 --> 00:22:27.559 we know when we get back everything's good and it's all well, But there's 295 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:33.480 a price, there's a toll. You know. You can do that for 296 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:37.079 so long, but eventually, you know, you will drop a water in 297 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:40.599 a cup every day eventually to overfill. So not only are you gone a 298 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:42.640 lot, but you really can't tell them where you are what you're doing. 299 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:48.039 Sometimes yeah, sometimes you can't, depending on the mission set, what unit 300 00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:52.440 you're with, and they know you're gone in the Middle East, but they 301 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:55.519 don't know what you're doing there. They don't they know you're gone to Europe 302 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:59.039 or say South America or some other plays, but they don't know what you're 303 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:00.920 doing there. It comes with it, and that's the way it should be. 304 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:03.640 You know. Luckily though, I got to benefit when I was in 305 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:07.480 the teams from you know, it's it's two thousand and nine, but it's 306 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:10.799 like the future there was, you know, sat phones, there is an 307 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:14.559 over internet. You know, you can you can kind of talk back home. 308 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:18.599 I man, I think about the individuals, like for the World War 309 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:21.880 two vets that I've met throughout this whole thing, and the Vietnam guys, 310 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:27.359 and I like it was just spy and nothing for years. A letter maybe 311 00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:36.920 maybe Yeah, I'm those that generation by all it means, that's why they 312 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:40.680 call the Greatest generation. But yeah, I was lucky enough to have that 313 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:44.759 stuff. Like it's still communicating every now and then, but and that's even 314 00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:48.440 more so nowadays it's way more secure. That's US Navy Seal Chris Alvarez. 315 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:52.680 Now that you know the story of how he became a Navy seal, you'll 316 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:59.279 next learn about his service in Afghanistan. I'm Greg Corumbus, and this is 317 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:06.079 Veterans Cris. This is Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbas. Our guest in 318 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:10.720 this edition is US Navy Seal Chris Alvarez. Still ahead in this edition, 319 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:15.480 we'll hear about his return to BUDS training as an instructor, and his service 320 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:19.720 in US Southern Command in Latin America. But first, Chris Alvarez and Seal 321 00:24:19.799 --> 00:24:26.680 Team ten are off to Afghanistan. So at the time war had already been 322 00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:30.319 going on. It kicked off with Afghanistan and then obviously into Iraq. And 323 00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:36.519 so two thousand and eight we had a president, Barack Obama got elected. 324 00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:38.920 We were in the point of when I deployed, it was I believe it 325 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.400 was the sequester where they're like cutting funding to the military and some things like 326 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:49.079 that. And at that point in Afghanistan, we were at basically turning over 327 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:53.400 operations to the partner force that we've you know, that we've been building and 328 00:24:53.440 --> 00:25:00.599 developing with over the course of the years. So basically the American service member 329 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:03.799 was kind of taken like a back seat, so to speak, with let's 330 00:25:03.799 --> 00:25:07.799 say, like when we were there, the Afghan Special Forces, So we 331 00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:11.799 were letting them kind of take a lead on an operation, and we were 332 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:17.240 kind of just piggybacking kind of like training, you know, some somebody in 333 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:18.839 a sport. You know, you train them how to play baseball, how 334 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:22.119 to play football, and you're just making sure they're doing everything correctly and to 335 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:26.200 the you know, the best of their capability, and sticking within the roes 336 00:25:26.759 --> 00:25:32.079 to US standards and all that stuff. So when I went, it wasn't 337 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:34.640 like, hey, early on, where it's like the wild West and there's 338 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:38.519 stuff going on everywhere. It was more we'd already shaped the battlefield at that 339 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:42.359 point, and we were turning it over to the Afghans, and so at 340 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:49.079 that time it was a village stability operations. We'd go basically live amongst like 341 00:25:49.119 --> 00:25:53.240 a village, and we were kind of just pretty much like a almost like 342 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:57.480 a I wouldn't say a police station, but just like a security checkpoint in 343 00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:02.480 case something happens in the area. We could go with our partner for us 344 00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:07.000 and deal with whatever was going on and prosecute the problem, so to speak. 345 00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:11.960 So we were more in a back seat kind of thing. It was 346 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:15.279 amazing being out There's beautiful country. When I first got there, I just 347 00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:22.599 remember landed and turned out and just seeing the mountains and the heat just hit 348 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:29.960 you and just looking and being like holy shit, like I'm here. This 349 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:32.079 is what I've dreamed like, this is what I've thought about since I was 350 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:36.079 a kid, Like the opportunity to serve my country, and it's here, 351 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:40.519 Like I remember always jokingly like looking up at the stars, like sneaking around 352 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:42.359 the woods, and I was I'd tell my best friend. I was like, 353 00:26:42.440 --> 00:26:45.000 dude, who's actually he's a team guy too, by the way, 354 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:49.200 Like, dude, one day we're going to look up, just like we're 355 00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:53.000 looking now, look down and instead of seeing like our little hometown of Cluis 356 00:26:53.079 --> 00:26:56.279 in Florida, We're going to see like, you know, some other part 357 00:26:56.279 --> 00:27:00.160 of the world. It's going to be fifteen years in the future and we're 358 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:04.000 going to be we're gonna be working for our country. And he was just 359 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:07.119 like yeah, And so I kind of had that moment to myself there like 360 00:27:07.519 --> 00:27:11.759 that I had thought about when I was a kid, and yeah, it 361 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:18.920 was uh, it's crazy. So then did the Afghanistan deployment or part of 362 00:27:18.920 --> 00:27:23.400 Afghanistan were you in? So turn cout and then we pushed out to I 363 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:29.599 think it was called Mary vsp Mary. So the place that we ended up 364 00:27:29.640 --> 00:27:33.559 going to taking over. There was an Army Special Forces team that was there 365 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:40.559 prior to us. It was the first like co inhabited spot that I think 366 00:27:40.680 --> 00:27:45.720 NSW had with a partner force. So basically there was a lot of green 367 00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:49.000 on blue happening at the time, So everybody was kind of on edge in 368 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:56.400 terms of working with partner forces because you know, an afghanage just turned around 369 00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:57.880 and shoot an American, like a lot of that was kind of happening. 370 00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:03.960 So we were very not on guard, but just vigilant about anybody we were 371 00:28:03.960 --> 00:28:08.880 working with obviously, and our job was just to maintain stability operations there in 372 00:28:08.920 --> 00:28:14.480 that area vsp MARY and then also train up like the local police. So 373 00:28:14.519 --> 00:28:18.440 we did a lot of training Afghan local police and things like that, and 374 00:28:18.559 --> 00:28:22.640 we'd have the Afghan Special Forces who were co inhabited the area with us. 375 00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:27.400 We'd watch them lead the training and we would just basically advise, you know, 376 00:28:27.559 --> 00:28:30.880 how to properly like teach them how to do this. This, This 377 00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:34.960 all our remaining vigilant, So it was unique in that it was co inhabited. 378 00:28:36.839 --> 00:28:38.799 That being said, like anytime you went to use a bathroom like anywhere, 379 00:28:38.880 --> 00:28:45.039 I mean, you walked everywhere on the compound with like strapped with something 380 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:48.839 because you just never knew, you know, the militants Taliban give you a 381 00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:55.519 lot of trouble. So at the time, my unit had conducted like couple 382 00:28:55.640 --> 00:29:00.359 ground clearance operations. They had a couple of key leader engagements. They went 383 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:04.119 out to local areas and basically had a meeting so with like the local elder 384 00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:07.640 so to speak, just kind of building relations and things like that. At 385 00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:12.559 the time, again, we're like in this when we deployed, Afghanistan's got 386 00:29:12.559 --> 00:29:17.839 a fighting season and like a non fighting season because the winter comes, the 387 00:29:17.880 --> 00:29:22.279 mountains freeze over and then the passes the fighters can't get through. So when 388 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:26.960 we deployed, its typically starting to be like fighting season. We didn't have 389 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:32.240 too many issues. There's a couple of times on the attacked, like a 390 00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:34.759 couple of the checkpoints, like where we're at, there's checkpoints around each of 391 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:41.640 the VSO sites that Afghan local police or SF would be monitoring, and so 392 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:44.640 we had like a camera system on a big tower that we kind of just 393 00:29:44.680 --> 00:29:48.559 look out for, you know, miles and we just kind of check on 394 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:51.039 those dudes here and there. And then there's a couple of times, Like 395 00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:56.319 one day we went out and we cut our unit in half, kind of 396 00:29:56.359 --> 00:30:00.519 like a Blue and Gold or Alpha Bravo for the big things, the big 397 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:03.880 clearances. Our leadership did a good job of, you know, organizing the 398 00:30:03.880 --> 00:30:07.400 platoon and who's going, who's staying back, and switching guys in and out. 399 00:30:07.880 --> 00:30:11.200 But then we had a blue and gold like if something popped up, 400 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:14.359 who's going on a quick notice, right, and we would just switch off 401 00:30:14.480 --> 00:30:18.200 on and off every night. So we went out to go look for this 402 00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:22.200 I. We had been trying to track this id ball maker for a while. 403 00:30:22.279 --> 00:30:26.559 One night, I think we ended up getting close to him. We 404 00:30:26.680 --> 00:30:32.359 found out after the fact he was hiding in like the where the other waste 405 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:34.880 goes, the human waste. He was hiding in one of those apparently, 406 00:30:36.279 --> 00:30:41.880 and we missed him. But since our Afghans were like our rules of engagement, 407 00:30:42.039 --> 00:30:45.400 like, we weren't allowed to do the clearance primarily right, we had 408 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:51.559 to take a back seat due to policy X, Y or Z or whatever 409 00:30:51.599 --> 00:30:56.240 our strategy was at the time from higher up. So we like missed this 410 00:30:56.359 --> 00:31:00.480 dude on a couple of occasions. We went out one day, I think 411 00:31:00.480 --> 00:31:04.480 we're going after the same guy. It had been a long, long night, 412 00:31:06.279 --> 00:31:10.039 got nothing out of it, just went to a couple of different spots, 413 00:31:10.200 --> 00:31:18.200 met with some couple of human intelligence assets, and then still got nothing. 414 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:22.920 So then we come back to the hooch, and I remember just being 415 00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:26.319 tired from writing in the Matt v's and the rg's as things are amazing, 416 00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:29.319 but sucks like riding in them on you're for a long time, you know, 417 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:33.640 got back in art just smear of being so tired. I laid my 418 00:31:33.680 --> 00:31:37.079 head down, just took my gear off, laid down, and then as 419 00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:41.920 soon as I closed my eyes, it was like just this giant and I 420 00:31:41.960 --> 00:31:47.039 was like, WHOA, what the was that? You know? So I 421 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:51.359 jump up, I grab my gun, I throw my kid on going out 422 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:55.680 because it just sounded like something just like we just got hit like big time. 423 00:31:56.559 --> 00:32:00.920 But what had happened was we had a little spot next to our hooches, 424 00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:07.759 probably like twenty yards maybe thirty where we would do our artillery from. 425 00:32:07.880 --> 00:32:12.880 So one of our guys was trained up on that, went to an army 426 00:32:12.880 --> 00:32:15.799 school to learn that just for the deployment, and so he was actually launching 427 00:32:15.799 --> 00:32:21.440 these big rounds over to loom rounds over to a checkpoint that was being attacked 428 00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:25.319 by the Taliban, So the other team that had been staying, you know, 429 00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:30.359 they had to suit up and go out, and then we just stayed 430 00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:36.599 back, were on alert for anything going on in our area. And I'm 431 00:32:36.640 --> 00:32:38.559 just like great, because I'm you know, just been up for twenty four 432 00:32:38.599 --> 00:32:43.240 hours essentially. Now, I mean, thank god we weren't getting attacked there. 433 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:45.759 I mean, that big boom sure tricked me, you know, in 434 00:32:45.799 --> 00:32:51.559 the beginning, but then you could see the Taliban over the over the camera 435 00:32:51.599 --> 00:32:54.720 system like heading out towards that spot. So the guys suited up quick, 436 00:32:55.079 --> 00:33:00.000 and then they got on their vehicles and we saw coup of individuals, like, 437 00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:05.880 you know, their snipers over. I don't want to go into too 438 00:33:05.920 --> 00:33:10.319 many of technology and things we used, but there was someone giving away our 439 00:33:10.319 --> 00:33:16.279 position and then our snipers dropped them. And then there's another vehicle kind of 440 00:33:16.279 --> 00:33:22.240 moving an aggressive manner towards the same thing, and those dudes got eliminated as 441 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:28.640 well. And then by the time our guys got to said checkpoint, the 442 00:33:28.359 --> 00:33:30.880 Talban already scored it out of there because they knew we were coming. So 443 00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:36.119 that was like one of the big things on a different opp that I wasn't 444 00:33:36.119 --> 00:33:38.519 on this one. I knew my unit was. They went out to do 445 00:33:38.559 --> 00:33:45.640 a village clearance and they got pinned down on a mountaintop and they were taking 446 00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:53.039 PKM fire from different fighting positions. But those guys like they use, they 447 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:58.279 use our rules against us, our rules of engagement against us. And so 448 00:33:58.319 --> 00:34:04.319 this dude was firing on the platoons position and surrounding himself with kids, so 449 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:09.280 our snipers, I mean, they could hit a dime like extremely good shots. 450 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:13.360 At the time, with the rules of engaging and everything, they were 451 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:16.960 not authorized to take that shot. And even though the guy's trying to kill 452 00:34:17.159 --> 00:34:22.920 my whole all my buddies. So then he would just unleash, like they 453 00:34:22.960 --> 00:34:25.679 got pinned on a hilltop, and then he would just pick up kids, 454 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:34.119 move to a different fortified position, and he'd start unleashing again. They ended 455 00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:37.639 up eventually like returning fire and like breaking contact and moving some other spot. 456 00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:42.679 But they definitely knew what they were doing in terms of using are rules of 457 00:34:42.719 --> 00:34:47.000 engagement against us when that was happening. I was actually for that first month 458 00:34:47.039 --> 00:34:52.480 of deployment, I was over in a turned count, which is like a 459 00:34:52.480 --> 00:34:58.559 a big base and we were co located with the Australian Sas guys who were 460 00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:04.280 phenomenal. Dudes are amazing. And so I was there working in the jock, 461 00:35:05.519 --> 00:35:09.000 just kind of seeing like the bigger picture, so to speak, what 462 00:35:09.159 --> 00:35:13.400 goes into an operation like and so it's just, you know, as a 463 00:35:13.719 --> 00:35:15.880 new guy, seeing all those TV screens with all the different drone footage. 464 00:35:15.880 --> 00:35:22.679 It's a different equipment that we used to monitor the battlefield, was like, 465 00:35:22.760 --> 00:35:27.960 holy smoke, like this is why, like we crush like this, which 466 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:31.320 is great. So while I was there, you know, that's when that 467 00:35:31.599 --> 00:35:38.280 recent engagement happened with my my my platoon and at the time when I went 468 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:46.000 to Afghanistan Seal Team four, like we relieved them and they had lost a 469 00:35:46.039 --> 00:35:53.480 couple guys, Matthew Cantor being the last one killed on a Ka Lee engagement 470 00:35:54.199 --> 00:35:58.679 and my best friend that I talked to you about earlier, so he was 471 00:35:58.719 --> 00:36:05.159 in that platoon and so same thing, Gold Blue and Gold Alpha, Bravo. 472 00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:08.679 It sucks like that we lost one of our own, but that would 473 00:36:08.679 --> 00:36:14.599 have been my best friend's position in the patrol during said mission, you know, 474 00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:19.719 and he would have been Matt instead and and that's fine, it's the 475 00:36:19.800 --> 00:36:22.880 job, and you know, nobody wants anyone to pass obviously, but it 476 00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:27.960 just kind of brings you closer to like, damn dude. So they had 477 00:36:27.960 --> 00:36:31.440 went into a KLA lee they were leaving, and as they were leaving, 478 00:36:31.800 --> 00:36:35.840 the engaged, you know, they opened fire on the on the unit, 479 00:36:35.960 --> 00:36:44.960 killing Matthew. So they had lost Matthew and another operator and unfortunately the commanding 480 00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:50.880 officer committed suicide because of it. So when we checked in, I checked 481 00:36:50.920 --> 00:36:55.199 into that base and all that was going on. So that was really humbling. 482 00:36:58.800 --> 00:37:01.320 You know, we just got to keep moving forward because the enemy's not 483 00:37:01.320 --> 00:37:09.039 going to rest. And yeah, again just learning from mistakes and growing from 484 00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:15.400 whatever failures may come. So that being said, as I was while I 485 00:37:15.519 --> 00:37:22.519 was there, I got to watch our sister platoon, which was Morgan's. 486 00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:28.119 Like what I mentioned earlier, they went out and luckily during one of their 487 00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:35.360 operations they got the guy that was responsible for killing matt And so there's a 488 00:37:35.400 --> 00:37:37.400 little bit of you know, light at the end of the tunnel. How 489 00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:43.400 many deployments did you go on overall? Just the Sat Calm deployment and then 490 00:37:43.480 --> 00:37:47.320 the deployment over to South compas is just too And then so I was there 491 00:37:47.360 --> 00:37:52.960 at ten from two thousand and I think ten or eleven when I got there, 492 00:37:53.039 --> 00:37:59.079 all the way to twenty sixteen. And then basically when we got back 493 00:37:59.119 --> 00:38:05.159 from the second deployment, you have to like basically before you go on deployment, 494 00:38:05.239 --> 00:38:07.480 you have to pick like what you're gonna do next, just forward projecting 495 00:38:07.559 --> 00:38:14.119 for the headshut and the word on the street was to do a third platoon 496 00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:17.440 was going to be like near impossible just in terms of just staying at the 497 00:38:17.519 --> 00:38:22.800 team, just going for another rotation, and I didn't want to. So 498 00:38:22.840 --> 00:38:25.679 you have the seal teams, and then you have what's called a training detachment 499 00:38:25.760 --> 00:38:30.559 or we call trade. Basically there's other seals that train each of the teams, 500 00:38:30.639 --> 00:38:35.000 right and they hit all their wickets and their checkmarks for whatever kind of 501 00:38:35.039 --> 00:38:38.679 operations they're responsible to do, make sure they can execute them to the to 502 00:38:38.719 --> 00:38:43.440 our capability, you know, check in the box, go down and range, 503 00:38:43.480 --> 00:38:45.000 go do your thing. So it's kind of like everything, there's always 504 00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:51.880 a process. So I even if you get to trade, it like you're 505 00:38:51.920 --> 00:38:55.119 gonna be gone, like from your family. If I was going to be 506 00:38:55.199 --> 00:39:00.639 gone, I wanted to be like at a platoon doing the act work. 507 00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:04.280 I didn't want to go to trade it because I'm gonna be gone. I'm 508 00:39:04.280 --> 00:39:07.360 not going to get to go out for whatever may happen, right, Like 509 00:39:07.159 --> 00:39:10.320 you know, guys like call it chasing the dragon. Like you can chase 510 00:39:10.320 --> 00:39:14.639 the dragon, but the dragon will find you. If it does. Then 511 00:39:15.199 --> 00:39:19.280 you know, it's better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener, 512 00:39:19.960 --> 00:39:22.719 you know, in a war, right, So you know, and 513 00:39:22.760 --> 00:39:27.360 I think every special operator, not just in my community, but you know, 514 00:39:27.519 --> 00:39:30.599 SF guys in the Army, the raiders and Mark, like we trained 515 00:39:30.639 --> 00:39:34.880 to do a job and hopes that we get to do our job. You 516 00:39:34.920 --> 00:39:39.800 know, I always want peace, but if you want to mess around, 517 00:39:39.960 --> 00:39:45.840 then we'll be ready. So after that second deployment, I was like, 518 00:39:45.880 --> 00:39:49.679 I didn't want to be gone, so I just put my name in the 519 00:39:49.719 --> 00:39:52.679 hat for Bud's duty. I'm glad I did. I would have liked to 520 00:39:52.719 --> 00:39:59.719 have done a third platoon, but I got so much out of being over 521 00:39:59.760 --> 00:40:06.119 at the schoolhouse. A lot of professional development, leadership, just intangibles that 522 00:40:06.199 --> 00:40:07.440 you know, you just pick up from being surrounded by you know, the 523 00:40:08.039 --> 00:40:13.599 best and the brightest and So it was funny though, because when I was 524 00:40:13.639 --> 00:40:16.800 talking to my buddies afterwards, you know, word gets around the team sometimes 525 00:40:16.840 --> 00:40:19.960 it's like, oh, this is gonna happen, and it's like, Nope, 526 00:40:20.079 --> 00:40:22.639 it's nowhere near close to happening. And so that I guess said ended 527 00:40:22.679 --> 00:40:24.960 up being bad word Like, dude, you could have stayed for a third 528 00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:29.719 platoon. We were hurting on bodies. It's like, what like everybody said, 529 00:40:29.719 --> 00:40:31.480 it was impossible, No regrets, Like, you know, I went 530 00:40:31.519 --> 00:40:36.559 over to BUDS and checked in. In twenty sixteen for instructor duty, that's 531 00:40:36.679 --> 00:40:42.280 US Navy seal turned actor Chris Alvarez. When we come Back, Alvarez describes 532 00:40:42.320 --> 00:40:47.199 his service as a seal in Latin America and eventually coming back to Coronado as 533 00:40:47.199 --> 00:40:54.440 a Seal instructor. I'm Greg Corumbus and this is Veterans Chronicles. This is 534 00:40:54.519 --> 00:41:00.760 Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in this edition is US Navy 535 00:41:00.800 --> 00:41:06.159 Seal Chris Alvarez. We've covered his decision to join the military and become a 536 00:41:06.320 --> 00:41:10.719 US Navy Seal, what it took to successfully complete BUDS training, and his 537 00:41:10.800 --> 00:41:15.400 service with Seal Team ten in Afghanistan. In a moment, it's back to 538 00:41:15.440 --> 00:41:22.280 buds training as an instructor. But first Alvarez shares what he can about serving 539 00:41:22.360 --> 00:41:27.280 with US Southern Command in Latin America. So you always try to like outwork 540 00:41:27.480 --> 00:41:29.880 whoever's in charge of you. Like we always say, hey, man, 541 00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:31.679 like you should be trying to outwork me and take my job, you know. 542 00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:36.360 And it's that mindset of like next man up, next man up, 543 00:41:36.440 --> 00:41:39.159 next man up. Right, leaders, lead your leaders like they're in our 544 00:41:39.199 --> 00:41:44.599 ethos. There's this thing and I rinse and repeat this over and over. 545 00:41:44.639 --> 00:41:46.440 I try to get this instilled in Kansas brains, like in the absence of 546 00:41:46.519 --> 00:41:53.199 leadership, like take charge. We're all leaders, you know we are. 547 00:41:54.079 --> 00:41:58.360 You just have to make the decision. Like leadership's of behavior, you know, 548 00:41:58.400 --> 00:42:01.639 It's not a position, it's a behavior. It's something that you do 549 00:42:02.159 --> 00:42:07.280 right, and if you do it right, your men will follow. That 550 00:42:07.400 --> 00:42:10.239 being said, coming back from that Middle East deployment, now I'm getting ready 551 00:42:10.239 --> 00:42:14.159 for my second deployment. We have new guys coming in. Now I'm in 552 00:42:14.199 --> 00:42:15.719 a more of a leadership position, so to speak, because we have new 553 00:42:15.760 --> 00:42:20.079 guys. And the thing we always tell guys is like Hey, find someone 554 00:42:20.079 --> 00:42:24.679 that you think is doing it right and just mirror them. And I think 555 00:42:24.760 --> 00:42:30.360 during my definitely during my second platoon, I did that with an individual who's 556 00:42:30.400 --> 00:42:37.480 just phenomenal. He should know who he is, but he's I mean, 557 00:42:37.480 --> 00:42:42.239 he's the man, and I just I watched him diligently, like, all 558 00:42:42.320 --> 00:42:44.000 right, he's doing it like this, I'm gonna do it like this. 559 00:42:44.719 --> 00:42:47.920 And I just from a distance, just watching, observing, learning, trying 560 00:42:47.920 --> 00:42:52.719 to just learn through seeing it done right. I think it paid off. 561 00:42:52.719 --> 00:42:59.039 I think it definitely influenced me definitely throughout that deployment. You know, that 562 00:42:59.119 --> 00:43:04.079 was a different kind of to Southcomb. I can't get into any of the 563 00:43:04.119 --> 00:43:07.840 details of what we were doing down there, however, it was definitely different. 564 00:43:09.280 --> 00:43:13.119 It wasn't like a deployment with like twenty five guys. It was just 565 00:43:13.719 --> 00:43:17.079 four of us, some very intimate, really small. We get to play 566 00:43:17.119 --> 00:43:22.079 with a lot of different partner forces and see what was happening down there at 567 00:43:22.119 --> 00:43:27.880 the time. At the time, Columbia obviously Narco, you know, drugs, 568 00:43:28.039 --> 00:43:31.559 the farc, things like that were happening down there, and there's a 569 00:43:31.559 --> 00:43:37.719 lot of Middle East traffic down there as well. That deployment was different and 570 00:43:37.760 --> 00:43:40.039 I learned a lot from it because it wasn't like the Afghanistan or you know, 571 00:43:40.119 --> 00:43:44.000 typical what you see like oh going on, I rager doing this Like. 572 00:43:44.360 --> 00:43:47.920 It was completely different and but good in its own way. And again 573 00:43:47.960 --> 00:43:52.920 I learned a ton because you know, I was with three good dudes. 574 00:43:53.239 --> 00:43:58.679 And then I checked in the buds after that. So my mindset there was 575 00:43:59.719 --> 00:44:01.880 you know, I thought back to every instructor I ever had, and you 576 00:44:01.920 --> 00:44:06.000 know there's one lesson that you know, to this day, I tell the 577 00:44:06.000 --> 00:44:10.320 students like, uh, and it stuck with me at the time. His 578 00:44:10.400 --> 00:44:15.320 name was, uh, what's call him? Instructor Vargas. All the guys 579 00:44:15.360 --> 00:44:21.239 know this dude is, but he and he was tough as nails and you're 580 00:44:21.320 --> 00:44:25.719 just constantly seeking like his approval because he's just so such a hard dude. 581 00:44:27.880 --> 00:44:30.880 And I remember we were putting out during an evo and we won, Like 582 00:44:31.199 --> 00:44:35.920 you try to win everything in buds because if you don't, you just get 583 00:44:35.960 --> 00:44:38.840 smashed. And uh, you get small victories wherever you can, and you 584 00:44:38.960 --> 00:44:43.960 enjoy them for those two minutes or three minutes and then you move on. 585 00:44:44.199 --> 00:44:47.719 But there was this one night where we there's two boat crews actually, and 586 00:44:47.760 --> 00:44:52.960 we kept up and uh while the rest of the class was just getting smashed 587 00:44:53.000 --> 00:45:00.400 remediated uh for not winning and not putting out learning valuable life less that the 588 00:45:00.400 --> 00:45:05.519 battlefield does not have any kind of sympathy for you. It doesn't care if 589 00:45:05.559 --> 00:45:09.239 you're tired, it doesn't care if you're bleeding. Like if you don't take 590 00:45:09.280 --> 00:45:14.079 control of it, it's gonna destroy you. Right. So you know, 591 00:45:14.239 --> 00:45:16.280 in training, we can't actually put dudes in a war zone, right, 592 00:45:16.320 --> 00:45:22.320 but we can definitely try to simulate the stress of it with the exercises and 593 00:45:22.360 --> 00:45:25.119 things like that. So we're kind of getting the old boy, like at 594 00:45:25.119 --> 00:45:29.400 a boy kind of speech. But coming from him, it was just like 595 00:45:30.039 --> 00:45:36.199 holy crap, Like this is Vargus analysis, you know. And he I 596 00:45:36.199 --> 00:45:39.000 remember he looked at us and he said, basically gives an out of boy. 597 00:45:39.519 --> 00:45:45.039 But then he said, make no mistake, there will be blood, 598 00:45:45.440 --> 00:45:49.800 and he's just like paused, And I remember he was so like intense when 599 00:45:49.800 --> 00:45:52.519 he was doing it, and he's like, I want you to think about 600 00:45:52.559 --> 00:45:54.480 that. Look to your left and look to your right, like what you're 601 00:45:54.480 --> 00:46:00.559 doing right now, like someone here is probably not gonna be around in a 602 00:46:00.559 --> 00:46:07.199 couple of years, and we were just kind of like again just trying to 603 00:46:07.239 --> 00:46:13.280 sink in the lesson of you know, the reality of work. Right it's 604 00:46:13.320 --> 00:46:20.039 a very unpredictable space. And so I just remember that resonated with me at 605 00:46:20.079 --> 00:46:23.320 the time, and so when I was there as an instructor, I tried 606 00:46:23.360 --> 00:46:30.559 to basically mirror the best aspects of you know, I had so many good 607 00:46:30.599 --> 00:46:37.920 instructors and I mean just literally just legends that I got to just learn from. 608 00:46:38.000 --> 00:46:43.880 And I'm completely grateful and humbled that they were there to teach us those 609 00:46:43.960 --> 00:46:47.760 lessons, whether how hard they were or not. Like we all appreciate it. 610 00:46:47.800 --> 00:46:52.159 And it's like people always say like, oh, training's too tough. 611 00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:58.239 No, it's not like you know, we're warriors. It's what we're training 612 00:46:58.239 --> 00:47:01.280 to be at least, right, be capable. The worst thing you could 613 00:47:01.320 --> 00:47:07.360 do is be like incapable of doing like your job. So in the teams, 614 00:47:07.400 --> 00:47:12.760 it's like you're either an asset or you're a liability. And when you're 615 00:47:12.800 --> 00:47:16.840 a liability, you know if other times undefeated, it's time to go and 616 00:47:16.840 --> 00:47:22.360 that's okay. Or if you're there as a bud student and you're in a 617 00:47:22.400 --> 00:47:24.599 boat crew, and we're supposed to be lifting all of this together, but 618 00:47:24.639 --> 00:47:30.159 you're not meeting your end of the bargain. Remember, it's not about you, 619 00:47:30.119 --> 00:47:35.280 it's about them. And if you can't meet your end of the deal, 620 00:47:36.360 --> 00:47:39.159 this probably is not the place for you. You'd probably do amazing things 621 00:47:39.719 --> 00:47:45.960 somewhere else, you know, And it's just the balance of that. Lessons 622 00:47:45.039 --> 00:47:49.639 learned. Things that I learned, Like my goal, my hope, what 623 00:47:49.760 --> 00:47:52.400 I wanted to achieve while I was there is if I can just pass one 624 00:47:52.440 --> 00:47:58.599 thing on to one of these young candidates going through to not make a mistake 625 00:47:58.639 --> 00:48:01.880 that I did, Like, then that was a win. I thoroughly enjoyed 626 00:48:01.880 --> 00:48:07.000 my time there and getting to mentor those guys and you know, put them 627 00:48:07.000 --> 00:48:10.079 through the fire eventually doing that. At the time, I was, uh, 628 00:48:10.920 --> 00:48:14.679 I had plenty of injuries throughout my you know, the again, the 629 00:48:14.760 --> 00:48:16.320 teams are just a meat grinder, just the work. You know, it 630 00:48:16.440 --> 00:48:21.800 just crushes you. Guys have bad knees or they got bad elbows, it's 631 00:48:21.840 --> 00:48:23.440 their neck, it's their back, like just something. It's a bag of 632 00:48:23.480 --> 00:48:27.559 worms. At the time, I was kind of wrestling with like my injuries 633 00:48:27.599 --> 00:48:30.079 and things that had going on. I was thinking about going into the DEA 634 00:48:30.239 --> 00:48:35.400 because when I was down in Colombia, those guys are amazing. I was 635 00:48:35.480 --> 00:48:37.360 kind of wrestling with that whether you know, to continue or whatever. And 636 00:48:37.400 --> 00:48:43.320 then once I was at BUDS and doing my thing and leading all these dudes 637 00:48:43.320 --> 00:48:47.280 through the phases and stuff and seeing they just like re again, like reignited 638 00:48:47.320 --> 00:48:51.679 the fire of just I want to serve with these guys. I want to 639 00:48:51.760 --> 00:48:54.960 lead these guys. I want to be in a platoon with all these animals 640 00:48:55.079 --> 00:48:59.559 that I just you know what I mean, Like it's just it's inspiring when 641 00:48:59.599 --> 00:49:02.639 you see that switch go off in their brain. And uh so I was 642 00:49:04.519 --> 00:49:07.840 I did well enough in my job that they gave me a spot like to 643 00:49:07.880 --> 00:49:15.440 go to o CS. So I started that process because the skipper gets like 644 00:49:15.639 --> 00:49:19.079 basically a you shall go to o CS kind of free pass, you know, 645 00:49:19.119 --> 00:49:22.360 like a couple year or something like that. So I earned one of 646 00:49:22.400 --> 00:49:25.519 them. I started my OCS stuff to go be an officer, and then 647 00:49:25.519 --> 00:49:29.480 they knew. They do a whole head to toe assessment when they do that, 648 00:49:29.639 --> 00:49:34.039 and they're like, dude, like you're too messed up, like you're 649 00:49:34.039 --> 00:49:38.480 not deployable from your injuries, and I was like, dang it. And 650 00:49:38.559 --> 00:49:45.119 so a long story short, and that led to a medical board and my 651 00:49:45.360 --> 00:49:50.039 medical retirement out of the teams, which is fine. You know, you 652 00:49:51.159 --> 00:49:53.880 try to serve in a different way, shape form, try to do something, 653 00:49:53.920 --> 00:50:00.320 you know, to benefit the community and the UH and those families and 654 00:50:00.400 --> 00:50:02.880 so, you know, I try to do that every day. It's about 655 00:50:02.880 --> 00:50:07.519 a minute left, but you're here as part of the American Veteran Center Annual 656 00:50:07.559 --> 00:50:09.400 Conference. What does it mean to you to partner with the American Veterans Center 657 00:50:09.440 --> 00:50:15.239 to honor special operators. I'm grateful for, you know, being invited to 658 00:50:15.280 --> 00:50:21.840 come participate in this event. It's been again the theme humbling to be around 659 00:50:21.840 --> 00:50:27.920 so many patriotic you know people seeing all the cadets from the different RTC programs 660 00:50:27.920 --> 00:50:35.159 that come here to listen to the greatest generation of patriots, Like it's amazing. 661 00:50:35.239 --> 00:50:38.840 There's nothing short of that. And you know, I'm nothing special. 662 00:50:39.119 --> 00:50:45.239 I'm just ordinary guy. At some point was capable of extraordinary thing, which 663 00:50:45.280 --> 00:50:52.119 was you know, buds and completing and being a seal. But grateful to 664 00:50:52.119 --> 00:50:58.039 be here. I love just the atmosphere. I think we need more patriotism 665 00:50:58.400 --> 00:51:06.440 and I think this entry really needs us to rejuvenate moving forward, because you 666 00:51:06.480 --> 00:51:08.960 know, if we don't, it's it's going to be called upon. You 667 00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:16.400 know, there's a saying hard men create good times. Good time create soft 668 00:51:16.480 --> 00:51:22.000 men. Soft men bring hard times. I think we're kind of at an 669 00:51:22.000 --> 00:51:28.480 inflection point right now and it's inspiring to see this. It's motivating and just 670 00:51:28.519 --> 00:51:30.280 to glad to be a part of it. Chris, thank you so much 671 00:51:30.280 --> 00:51:32.639 for your time today. We're glad you're here, and thank you most of 672 00:51:32.639 --> 00:51:37.360 all for your service to our country. And thank you. Chris Alvarez is 673 00:51:37.599 --> 00:51:42.199 a retired US Navy seal. You also know I'm as an actor from the 674 00:51:42.239 --> 00:51:46.320 hit series The Terminalist and General Hospital. I'm Greg Corumbus and this is Veterans 675 00:51:46.360 --> 00:52:00.119 Chronicles. Hi, this is Greg Corumbus and thanks for listening to Veterans Chronicles, 676 00:52:00.320 --> 00:52:06.199 a presentation of the American Veterans Center. For more information, please visit 677 00:52:06.280 --> 00:52:12.360 American Veteranscenter dot org. You can also follow the American Veterans Center on Facebook 678 00:52:12.599 --> 00:52:17.079 and on Twitter. We're at AVC update. Subscribe to the American Veterans Center 679 00:52:17.159 --> 00:52:23.000 YouTube channel for full oral histories and special features, and of course please subscribe 680 00:52:23.039 --> 00:52:29.440 to the Veterans Chronicles podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks again for listening, 681 00:52:29.679 --> 00:52:31.559 and please join us next time for Veterans Chronicles