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Operations, Cobert Ops, Aspionage, The Team House with Your Hopes, Jack
Murphy and David Bark Hey, Good evening, folks. This is episode two
hundred and eighty four of The Team House. I'm Jack Murphy here with David
Park and our guest on tonight's show is Daniel Corbett. He is the author
of American Mercenary, which is going to be released this August. The book
is available for pre order right now. Daniel served in the Sealed Teams and
as the title of the book implies went on to do some mercenary operations and
Yemen and Serbia and a few other places that we'll talk all about. Before
we get started, I just real quick want to tell our viewers out there
to consider subscribing to our Patreon. There's a link down the description. Five
dollars a month gets you access to all of these episodes ad free and supports
the channel keeps this podcast going. We really appreciate all you guys who have
been with us all this time. Daniel, thank you for joining us.
Man. Yeah, thanks for having me. Yeah. So, like most
of our guests, I'm going to ask you for your origin story. Tell
us a little bit about how you grew up and how that kind of propelled
you towards military service. Uh. Yeah, it was a pretty good childhood.
My dad was in the army, so we moved around a bunch.
Was born in Hawaii, left there after about a year, then hopped around
three years in Germany, and then by fifth sixth grade hit Texas. Was
there for a year and then settled on northern California, went to high school,
finished up, and towards the end of high school is when I made
you know, the decision point, you know what I was gonna do the
rest of my life? And you mentioned something because I was, you know,
fortunate enough I got to read a copy of your book. What was
the catalyzing event that made you think Navy Seals is my thing? Yeah?
So I was running across country one year and the assistant coach was a young
dude, like twenty one, and he was like, hey, what are
you going to do when you when you graduate? And you know, when
I was sixteen, high school was great, and you know, I thought
that would be life forever. You know, I wasn't There was no pressure
to apply to college, and I don't think anyone in my family had even
been to college. So it was like just keep keeping being an athlete and
partying and being awesome in high school. But you know, that was in
real life, so I never really thought about it. I was like,
fuck, I got to grow up. And he handed me a VHS tape
on the History Channel beneath like Navy Seals. It was like, I think,
made like late nineties and had a really cool voiceover and it said,
you know, Vietnam Navy Seals had to kill ratio of two hundred and one
and all this cool shit and fucking clad ass, and then they asked one
guy to interview him. He said, what makes you guys so good?
He said, We're not that good, just that everybody else just sucks.
I'm like, okay, that's cool. I like that. And that was
it as oak Line sink because I liked I liked doing the endured, durant
sports like triathlons and a cross country And then you know, I was a
stud football player, but socially, you know, I was really smart,
so I got put in all these extra classes, and you know, the
smart kids were nervous and I didn't like hanging out with them. And then
the jobs were just kind of dumb, so I didn't get any like stimuli
out of them. And then I think when I saw that documentary and that
guy say that, and you know you could see there is you know,
an aspect of intelligence and that physical demanding side, I was like, that
looks perfect. I want to do that. Yeah. And so you go
into the Navy tell us about you know, getting into the seal teams.
You spent a period of time of course in the White side seal teams and
then went over to dev group later on tell us a little bit about that
experience. I had a great time. I checked in the Seal Team five
and earlier that was A five. First deployment was straight to Afghanistan summer of
O five. It was awesome. We were in Ramadi, Kalifar Haabidia Bagdad,
so I mean it was good. We got to do some good stuff.
Did that. And then my buddy, after that deployment with my best
friends, said hey, I'm screening for still Team six. I said,
I don't read Still Team five. I really had no idea what that was
at the time. It does like whatever. He's like, you should do
it too, just because he's my best friend. I was like, okay,
I'll do it with you. And you have to go get a packet
and fill it out and kind of get permission from the master chief at the
command And when I went in there, the master chief was very surprised.
He's like, I was actually looking for you. I wanted you to do
this also, and I said, okay, cool, So I did it.
The cadre came out from the East Coast, screened us, did the
interview process, and they've got the thumbs up for the next class so I
still had another deployment to the Philippines did that, was back for about a
month and then boom straight over to selection. And you mentioned in the book
I believe that you were like one of the youngest guys to make it through
Green Platoon. I think you said you were like twenty three. Yeah,
I checked in at twenty three. That's crazy. You know. There's there's
the bed, there's the pros and cons, right, sure, yeah,
my body's not broken, right, so there's that. You know, I
still you know, you still have your head in the clouds dry. You
think everything's bigger and better. You still have it. You've yet to look
behind the curtain and see there is no Wizard of Oz. It's just a
dude with the screen, right, So that's good. The only thing that
wants, you know, is that I would say the maturity aspect definitely did
catch up to We didn't catch up to me in the seal team, so
it was like, oh, he's a rock starter, you can do whatever
he wants. Definitely, Definitely those deficits definitely sh once I got over to
Virginia, for sure. Yeah. So in the in your book, you
actually it's really more about your time in the private sector and not so much
about your time in Seal Team six. But I mean, before we move
on, is there anything you want to say about high lights, low lights,
turn ons, turn offs, nightlife. I mean, so much,
and so much of it was a coming of age story for me too.
You know, I was from eighteen through twenty seven, twenty nine, I
was active duty, so I mean it was just a young man growing up
and also happened to have been a seal in that Stil Team six and got
to do all these cool things. It was the fun. I didn't have
one moment where I was like, oh, I need to be at again.
I didn't know what Stil Team six was like. I loved my time
at Silteae Vibe. I loved my deployment to the Philippines and to Iraq.
I loved all the things we did at you know, Stial Team six.
We would talk about the good and the bad. I mean, it's just
like anywhere else. It's a it's a big the war machine is big,
and there's politics and bureaucracy and great leaders and not so great leaders, and
good teams and bad teams. So I mean that could go on for all
forever and ever. But ah, in all, I had a great time.
Were you saying that you were a sort of relative immaturity kind of caught
up with you when you got to Seal Team six, when you got out
to Virginia? Yes, can you talk about that at all? Yeah,
one hundred percent. Yeah. There's a different there's a little bit of a
different culture too. And when I was in San Diego, I could be
a seal until the beer lamp was lit, and then I could go out
and wear my Raiders hat over my ears and tell people I as a tattoo
artist, and that shit flew right. No one knew, No one cared.
When you're out at Seal Team six. You're part of the National Mission
Force twenty four to seven, right, And I was like, what's the
big deal? I came in, I fucking shot, Well, I've cleared
the room. We did her jump, so whatever we did that day,
Like who gives a fuck? Who gives a fuck what I do out of
town or whatever, And they're like, YEA have a bro Like you know
nothing. I didn't get a duy or anything, but it was like,
hey, like you can't get in trouble, you can't not make it to
work because you have court like you, oh, like you're part of this.
Now you're not part of you, you're part of this. And then
when there's time for you, you go check the mail or whatever. Right,
but because you don't have that time, and I was like, it's
just another nine to five, and it wasn't. It definitely isn't in The
guys who are there deserve the guys who are who are willing to be you
know that committed twenty four to seven, because that's what it takes, one
hundred percent. One one story that you kind of glaze over in the book
I want to see if I can pry out of you maybe is how do
you get your call sign? Oh? Dirty? You know, apparently there's
multiple dirties in the steal teams. And then and I know I'm not the
first, but when guys meet me, they're like, man, he like
dresses nice, his nails are all trimmed, and he wears a good cologne.
And we're like, what the fuck is turvy? It's like an oxymoron,
like calling a big guy tiny and none of that. I was a
new guy and everybody in my platoon had nicknames, and I did it and
I was this was a platoon that eventually got disbanded because it was just too
crazy. But for being nineteen, it was awesome for me. And a
lot of our lunchtime started at Danny's, our bar and Pornado at noon and
would end up at the strip club and we never made it back to the
base. And this is with senior leadership, right, So I was like,
hey, these guys here, I'm good. It was one one night
in the strip club. I was flirting with this with this woman. She
was a little bit older than me, and I said, hey, what
are you doing after work? She said, money, you can't handle me.
I'm too nasty for you. And I was like, you know,
I you know, I didn't want to back down. I said, well,
I'm dirty. And the old guys behind me heard that and they're like,
that's tried your dirty no, because they kept they were like, oh
and I know what they meant by that. I'm like, dude, this
is gonna fucking suck. But you know whatever, I rolled with it and
it's all good. Now. I love the part of your book where somebody
tries calling you mister dirty and you're like, no, mister dirty is my
dad's name. So I what what what precipitates you, you know, eventually
deciding to leave the command and become what a lot of people probably don't understand
or don't know about that there are Navy Seal reservists. Well you mean leave
Act to duty or leave Steal Team six. Uh, I guess both.
Yeah, because you were doing c QC training first before you. Yeah,
so I left. I love Steal Team six. It was kind of like,
hey, I think you need to leave, and I'm like, yeah,
you're probably right. So it was kind of those I could have fought
to stay to stay, but I was kind of over it. So I
came back to the West Coast to teach CQC, which is Clostporters Combat Room
Clearing at SQT, which is so qualification training that follows BUDS for six months.
And it was it was a blessing because it was me and like three
or four other very recent Still Team six guys that were either in a semi
what I like to call a tier one time out with me, like kind
of in the penalty box, or or they were like twilighting and Mama Bear
was like, uh uh, we're going to San Diego and Navy's gonna pay
for it, and like, okay, maybe we got this. I to
me the appointments with you on the East Coast. Okay, so we had
that, we had a good mix of guys and the students we put through
our four week course. When we had that group, I would put up
against any platoon at that time going through it was awesome. Yeah, you're
really proud of your time as an instructor. I thought, yeah, it
was. It was very humbling to be to get there from you know,
you're from sel Team six and the first day you get asked to demo a
room and I do, Hell, I know how to do it. And
you know, the first thing the head cadre says from the raptors is don't
do anything. That guy just did, you know. I'm like, that
was perfect, That's what I do. And I had to realize how to
teach it. I was talking to kids who've never even seen this, right,
you know, it's like oh shit, oh yeah, moving moved safety.
I'm like, I haven't done that forever. Yeah, So it was
it was really humbling. And then it was like, Okay, just because
I'm good at something doesn't mean i'm good at teaching it all right. I
need to learn how to be good at teaching and really really fulfilling because you
get told you're good so many times you're like, yeah, okay, thanks,
But when someone tells you that their new guys are performing amazing because you
taught them, it doesn't need to compare. Yeah, and then how do
you make the jump over to was it Seal Team seventeen? Yeah? So
I went to the a career counselor's office. I'm like, man, I'm
up for a reenlistment. Everyone's getting these big like eighty five k you know,
they're flying out to Bahrain escorts something and being this thing and everything's good.
And I walk in and you're like, yeah, man, you're not.
You're not You're not eligible because you did some weird early advancement E five
star program and you didn't dissolve this and that, so yeah, you're not
getting that. So okay, oh that bag. I was mad, And
then I was like, well, at least I know what decision I'm making
now is to get out because it just didn't make sense. Became totally disenchanted
with our mission and what we were doing and the way things were turning you
can just see the writing on the wall, the patterns in place, and
I'm like, I don't want to be a part of this anymore. So
I left. I left. I went and rowed boats for about a year
and a half. I'm doing anti piracy stuff. You doing, being on
being on a bridge wing in the middle of the ocean. Ah, I
feel really small and it's really fucking boring, and you're like, man,
what, man, what the fuck am I doing? Live? Right?
So this was with a Trident group, yep. Yeah, And this was
at the height of like the anti piracy thing too. Yeah. Yeah.
I was like, fucking let's go. But I didn't see any fucking pirates,
you know, and I was like, this isn't for me. So
I swallowed my pride. And I say swallowed my pride because you know,
I see too many guys get out. Oh I'm gonna start a tactical fucking
whatever business. So I'm gonna go get my NBA Wharton right, and then
you'll see them like, you know, kind of sulking back into the the
to the door, like hey, guys, can I come back? And
I was like, oh that sucks. I wish you really would have made
it like if you're gonna go go, And then I found I found myself
in that same situation, missing the teams and you know, not really having
any guidance, and what I left and did doing doing the contracting stuff that
I did, it definitely wasn't what I thought and it was really not for
me. So I called up Seal Team seventeen, which is the West Coast
active reserve team, and said, hey, guess what do you think I
see? Come on over and I mean, it sounds like it was fun
for you, and that one of the you know, plus sides is in
the Army, they call it being a guard bump. You know, the
guys who keep going trying to find schools to get themselves sent to because when
you're on active duty orders you get paid. When you're not, you're not
being paid for Folks out there don't know how that works. Could tell us
about what it's like being a seal reservist. No, that's that's awesome.
I had no idea that that culture exists in the Army. I wish we
did in in the Navy and the Seal teams because a lot of people don't
know that. They don't know how the pay structure works, and you know
I didn't either. It's like, hey, you get paid for the days
you show up and do your drill weekends and only if you get on orders.
And I was like, well, fuh like how can I get on
orders? Yeah? Well I put in for every school I could, and
it was hard because there was no vehicle to send a reservists through these schools
because no one's ever done it. We didn't have we don't have guardbones.
So I was like the first one right. So they're like, would we
pay? Like would you know they're going to opso and master chiefs like,
Drudy's not mobilized, but we have some money. Can he go on orders
and we mobiliz, like we activate him and he does the school And they're
like, oh no, sure. So when once I got to one school
went to another and then you know, it was September October time frame,
they're like, hey man, we don't have any money anything. I said,
okay. And there's a program in I don't know, I hope it
still exists in the navy down there inab it's the language program and that's paid
for by a big navy. Not that the still team seventeen pools of money.
It's its own group of money from a pot of money from the big
Navy. And the people that run the language school are always like, hey,
if you know anybody who wants to learn any language, come here,
We'll put you on orders here and Navy will pay for it. Not still
Team seventeen. And I had already went to the language lab there for Tagalog,
which is now called Filipino Language School, before my appointments to the Philippines.
So I walked over and like, Hey, we're going to Korea,
can I learn Korean? And they're like, yeah, there you go.
Boom, got out orders for three months earning Korea and actually double I doubled
down on that again after we got back from Korea with another language. Yeah
you went to take Russian. Yeah yeah. So it was a hustle,
It was a full time hustle. Yeah yeah, no, that's cool man.
Yeah. So then let's get into some of the you know, the
bulk of your book is, you know, you're still a reservist, but
you're also you know, trying to fill those gaps, I mean, looking
for a paycheck and you find yourself in the private sector. How does it
come about, like you get linked up with this guy, I don't I
don't know whose names are aliases and who's are real. In your book,
there's one character named Malachi and then there's another Isah Malachi. Tell us how
that comes about? How you meet these guys? Well, the one character,
Isaiah I've known from the Seal teams. He called me up and said,
hey, you know, we're doing some things and your name came up
and we could use you. Good dude, knew him socially, didn't work
with him. So I decided to have lunch with him or like the afternoon
beverages, and from what he was telling me and what he could tell me,
I was not interested. And the following week I was back at still
teen seventeen, hustling trying to get another school, and it was looking good.
They're like, oh man, you're slated, you're going. And then
the week after that, I got the call. It's like, hey,
it's a no goo. Someone else took the slot, Like fuck, So
I called him up and I said, hey, you guys still looking for
somebody? He said, yeah, actually the prime Malachi he wants to meet
you. And then that's how that whole thing got started, And how was
that first meeting with Malachi go? It was very much not quite a dick
measuring contest, but a lot of like who fuck is this guy? Yeah?
Me, I was who the fuck is this guy? I had a
no lockedwy loaded in my back pocket ready to go before I even left.
It was. It was that a super nice place. You know, everyone
had sports cars. I was wearing a hoodie and jeans or forget like I
was not did not give a shit. I gave a shit enough to go,
but I wasn't about to bend over backwards, I guess you could say.
So I get there and the team guy I know and Malachi are sitting
there and they're all dressed nice and they're hanging out, and it was obviously
I'd been there for a little bit before me, and it was just,
you know, the questions were for me, it was like, hey,
where's this money coming from? What is the job? Who is the client?
You know? Is this all above board? And the responses were like
yes, of course, and then if they weren't yes of course, it
was like don't worry about it. Don't worry about it kind of do and
I was really like, Okay, thanks I'm out of here. And then
Malachi is like, hold up. He pulls out a pen. Got to
napkin. There's a super crazy flow chart. Does this make sense? How
this works? And who's paying who? And who the client is? Not
really? And then we had another. Then it went on for another hour,
and then finally, you know, it was good enough. I was
like, okay, let's do it because I had this. You know,
I did the reserve thing, which is cool, but you know, you
have all these talents and skills, and you know there's still bad guys out
there, and you're like, man, I want to go continue to do
this. And when I was sitting at that first meeting with Malachi, it
seemed like this is a perfect gate with And I mean, when you came
away from that meeting, what was your conception of what this job actually is?
I think I was. I was pretty on, I'm going to go
advise and assists you know, one of our Allied Nations special horses. And
then let's see, I've had enough time in the military and traveled and seen
other units, Like it's really hard to be thrown off with any situation,
right, Who's gonna be this, We're gonna leave on this state. Well,
until you're on the plane and that burns out the tarmac, you're not
gone right, right, So I think we've all we all know how that
shit ros so nothing really throws you off after that many years active duty.
So I think one of the really interesting things about your book is that,
you know, it actually kind of details like how does one become a modern
day mercenary, and your book really kind of walks through that step by step.
Could you tell us a little bit about, you know, after that
first meeting, what that was like for you, How how you came into
this role. I mean, I'm sure you did the right thing. You
got to sign contract, how to layor look over it? Yeah, sure,
it's good to go. I mean, for real, tell us what
it's really like. It's funny I meet kids like, oh, I'm mean
mercenary Like, bro, like that's just go do something and you will fall
into whatever it is. You can't go on LinkedIn and type and right,
So what I want to Yeah, you can apply to the big companies.
You know, back in the day it was Blackwater, I think it now
is constell It is like private contractor gigs. Yes, right, you can
there are avenues for that where you can go conroll their Virginia and go talk
to those people. But I want to do something totally different with no with
no market cap, right, be a complete entrepreneur, capitalists more gray area,
right, kind of dancing in the gray area, and then do it.
I was like, fuck it, like, let's roll. I don't
give a ship. So I think you just to get where I was you.
Obviously you need to have the skills to find fixed finish, right.
You need to be able to shoot, work in a team X y Z.
That's a prerequisite. You just you won't even get asked to the table
unless you have that. And then you know, it's a it's just a
little networking community. It's like, hey, I got this thing going on
in the border of Texas blah blah blah or whatever, Like hey millionaires kid
needs security, Like it could be you know night' send this phone calls.
We're like, hey, do you do security? It's like absolutely not,
but I know who does. It's like, hey, this guy has a
hit on him. He needs someone that's ready to fight. It's like,
okay, that's more interesting. So it's kind of like once you get in
and you do one thing with one person and they're in that network and you
get the the hey he's a good dude, we trust him, and then
you're then you're in it. But going back to that night we agreed,
I had money wired on my account like three hours later and we're on a
plane the next week. And when we got in the country, I was
like, Yep, this is what I expected. Let's do it. And
what country did you go with this? Was this the Emirates first or Abu
Dhabi? Yeah, we'll say if we flew the Abu Dhabi. Yeah,
kind of gathered there and there, we popped around and eventually got to geten
And I mean, what's interesting about this contract as like you alluded to it
a little bit, but this isn't like a blackwater job doing mobile security and
bag dad. Like you guys were kind of off the grid to the point
that nobody really knew who you were or what you were doing. Obviously you
were working for a client, but aside from that client, I don't know
who else knew what you were up to. It sounds like not many people
knew what we were up to, whether they would admit it or not.
It is one thing we before we ever left to do anything. We always
would beat with people and let them know what our intent was and they'd either
go or they job, and if we got them, oh, then we'd
be like okay. No. It was working with their super special presidential guys
and getting them up to speed on being a small unit. And we tried,
and then through frustration and being mildly stagnant, I was like, all
right, what's the minimum force required from these guys. I'll go fucking do
this thing. It's right there, give me the green light before moving on
to the next thing. I really got to ask you about the team of
guys who were over there with because they're about the most colorful characters imaginable.
Can you tell us like a little bit about their background, who they are,
what they're like. Yeah, so we had we had a couple of
team guys, you know they were, which is easy because we all know
the same language and we have the same room clearing techniques and that we all
knew each other socialist. That was good. And then we had Malachai,
older dude, bad motherfucker, awesome mentor. And then you had an army
guy that was super religious and no one's reading his Bible. Then we had
another army guy that was like a straight up looked like an eighties porn star,
like they were all characters. And then we had one French guy that
was like super super big heart, super nice guy. I had no idea
why he was there doing things without us, So are we doing here?
Bro? Like, oh, oh you know it's like showed me pictures of
his kid playing sports and how much he loves his wife. And I'm not
saying you can't have that and do this job. I'm saying, like,
get what we got this. And then we had an ex fourn legion guy
who's Polish and just like he was impossible to try to like talk to and
work with. And then through trial and error and some examples, I learned
that just yelling at him and saying fuck every third sentence got him to do
it what I needed him to do. And I don't know if that's a
foreign legion thing or a Polish thing or fucking what, but that's that's the
way. That's the leadership style he responded to. So that's what I had
to give him. What was Melachi's background, Oh he's just all around bad
motherfucker. I think you know, I think he was more legion and then
after citizenship Israeli Israeli something, and that's about it. I don't know.
I don't know how deep into military or you know, the government side he
did, but definitely a legit background, legit operator. And somehow he gets
linked up with a client in the Emirates. Who this the Emirates? Okay,
then that facilitates this contract. And again the other interesting thing again,
this isn't a Blackwater mobile security contract. You guys actually had targets that they
assigned to you, they assigned to the unit we were with, right right,
Yeah, tell us about that. I mean you get these targeting packets
from them, and intelligence briefings. I mean, I wouldn't call them intelligence
briefings are legit packages. There's a big guy here to get them, and
I'm like, hold on, right, you guys have eyes on. Yeah,
we have one drone Okay, how long can it stay up? Oh
like eight hours? So you have no overlapping your gaps? Well yeah,
Like coming from a Jason background, you take things like that for granted.
They're like what twenty four hour overlape? Yeah, one comes on station,
the other one release it, boom, boom. So oh that makes sense
because he could go he could go to the mosque during that time, or
go to the fucking market whatever the fuck they do, and you can lose
eyes on So yeah, so there's a lot of things you think are common.
But again that country there is only what like fifty years old now the
UAE, and half their military is outsourced, so there was really no one
there like setting up like a JSOF type functioning intel or troops on the ground
or anything. It was just kind of like whoever the general was in charge
of X, Y or z, it would just be that ry. And
so the targets what you I mean, from what you were told anyway,
one was an AQAP leader and the other was a bomb maker. Yeah yeah,
so one was just as straight up a kept Al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula,
bad dude. And the geography of Yevan was crazy because you had so many
different you know, the days of World War two where there's a line and
this group's wearing one set of uniforms and we're wearing the other set. I
mean, that shit's gone away forever now, and it's just fucking all these
little factions of who these the ACAP, you know, the guys who backed
the president of Yemen who don't. So it was really confusing. But the
a CAP was universally bad guys, right, bad guys. Yeah, commander
and target right outside the base. Tell us about that first op, you
guys went on. So the first op, I would say, the first
op was just there's more of a walkthrough with her, the team we're working
with, and we decided to you know, have they have even be in
the big m raps And we had up armored vehicles and we were going to
do like a route recory of the area pretty much the same profile of what
we wanted to do to go after a QUAP guy, the ACAP commander,
but we did it offset enough to where it wasn't the same neighborhood. So
daytime, we rehearsed the day before and the night before and it was going
good. Calms were good. You know, our partner for us is English,
was just popping. You know, I somehow, I don't know,
my Arabic understanding was good. And then we went out on the street outside
the gate radio shit the bed fucking the m raps set point, they don't
stay put, and we go down the little alley doing our route WRECKI or
walk through, and you know, the turns start getting tighter, starts getting
a little bit more narrow, got more and more. LOOKI louse looking out
the window. Women and children start disappearing, dudes walking around with a k's
And it was like, all right's, let's fucking did he now out of
here? And we had passed like a turnout alley points where we can just
do like a little quick three point because going forward was no good. It
was just more of an ambush alley. And you said, the vehicle in
front, the guys in the backseat are looking at us and like we're doing
like Navy Seal charades, like no bad, like we fu you know what
I mean, like trying to do what we can, like this is not
good. And I turned around the backseat and I see all three of the
m raps stuck in this alley, went through review mirrors, smashing against these
walls, and I'm like, oh my god, like we're fucked, Like
we're just fucked. I was like, you know, like that ways fucked.
We need to go that way to the car in front, and they're
like what I'm I just fucking going so we broke away from our apartment for
US and we got back to base and they got back to base. Everybody's
like, you fucking ditched us, Like you didn't do the plan. We're
supposed to stay hot. Everyone's motherfucker and each other. Oh, I was
fucking I'm like, dude, what are we gonna do? Like this is
bad. I'm like, we need to like rese up, go back to
their home country, sit down, drop like a six month legit. This
is how we do ship. And they're like, yeah, that's not gonna
happen. Thank you for your input, dirty now yeah exactly. So that
was our first stop and I was like, hey, how do we go
about doing this? You know, I don't want to give too much of
it away, but we did. We we spun up and on that one
we spun up and right before we launched, it was Dan and then you
guys, that's when you get shifted to the secondary target, right, the
bomb maker. Yeah, so we had we're the number two guy on the
deck. I was given to our partner for US. There's supposedly the guy
who did the US is coal bombing. So I was like, cool,
I think it would have been more jazzed about it if I wouldn't. But
I wasn't already in the country for a couple of weeks or months. I
was like, who gives a fuck, let's go get them same thing.
First, we had to transit a couple I think two hundred lometers north where
we were stayed out of a fucking bombed out air base. Like it was.
It was pretty it's pretty surreal. There was a bunch of like pof
airplanes that were military that all had bullet holes and it just gotten bombed.
I was like, holy fuck, this is wild. So may a little
makeshift camp there. We're getting ready to roll out the first night, and
there was like a technical with a cap just waiting for us, like drawn
down at the front gage. It's like, oh so, I was like,
all right, we could still do this, but we're gonna have to
get creative. This is the base where there were Senegalice commandos, right yeah,
yeah, yeah yeah, work in the guard towers, and you guys
had to do like because the bad guys found out pretty quickly you were in
town. So you had to do like a little false extraction, a little
a little game, play a little game on them to make that we called
it. We said, hey, we're gonna do We're to pull the pieces
from the vicks the park parking round back when calling the helo. We're gonna
have our headlamps on, you know, as the sun goes down there to
jump on the heros. It's gonna dust as soon as it starts the dust
off. We're just gonna jump back out and run around nightfall getting the vix
and then go stage towards the back of the gate where there's a back gate
of about and so you spent the next period of day daylight basically just chilling
smoking cigarettes, uh, and then head out that night to go do the
op and how does how does it transpire? Yeah? Man, it's just
like it was so frustrating because yeah, granted I was in Jaysock and even
at stil Team five, the missions were like some are easy, but some
are legit, right, So we got to get in here him if you
go through this alleyway like for a Raq or you know, Afghanistan's like,
hey, this village has a high point and there's no way up to it
but walking up and they have the high ground, like really difficult targets as
far as planning and you know, primary secondary trisuer. How are we going
to do this? These were so fucking shit simple. It was like he's
right there, like give me one of those David and Goliath's things. I
can get him from the gate. You know, like what are we doing?
We're getting spun up final walkthroughs. Everyone's locked a loaded boom set,
phone can togain and I'm like, okay, that's that's it, dude,
What the fuck's going on? I mean, did you ever get an inkling
of like what was going on? You guys kept getting spun up and then
spun down. It's hard because I know why now right, So it's like,
how do I separate that that that bias of knowing. I think there
was more people who knew what was going on that then had led on and
come to find out it was that so well, my first thought was like,
okay, either this guy we're going after is actually a source that one
of our guys are working, our guys being us GOV and he's got don't
touch him on it. He's like, okay, maybe that I didn't know.
I think I wasn't thinking clearly because I was just so frustrated. I'm
not coming out of here. This is ridiculous. And you did find out
a little bit more because you went back to the to the UAE again not
to do uh, not doing ops or anything, but to do strictly training
of their special ops guys. And in your book you talk about running into
some of your former teammates there who were able to shed some light on what
was going on. Yeah, so they actually did sign off on the six
month course. They're like, Okay, that sounds good, let's do it
great, put a team together, go back over. Everyone's happy and we're
doing CQC on on their basis. And there's multiple houses and I was gone
one day and someone like, hey man, there's some dudes out here with
like fucking cries and in HK four sixteens and quad nods. I'm like,
eh, whatever, because there's Aussies and Brits, Like, like I said,
everything is fucking outsourced in the country, right, So I was like
I didn't think much of it. And then the next night I see two
dudes. I'm like, you know, it's on night vision, but I've
seen them enough. I'm like, yo, is that you? And they're
like, Derry, what are you doing here? Like, what are you
doing here? What are you doing here? And then it was like,
okay, you and your boss need to come meet with us in my boss
tomorrow at the hotel lobby. Okay, And yeah we met with them and
they were like, yeah, dude, we heard about you guys, and
there's you guys. Obviously a Blue Force tracker and as we all know,
certain people don't share information with other people even though we're on the same team.
But there was someone that was able to bridge the gap enough to be
like, this could go wrong, and you guys did a kinetic strike with
the platform in the sky in this area because we think a group is a
group of amorties with advisors are going to be in that area, and I
think to make it just totally safe, they just called them both sides and
said, yeah, before you have a real confliction issue on target, that
would have been it wouldn't have been a confliction, it would have been a
health fire. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, based on you know what
you know now, I mean, do you think that your client ultimately was
working for the United States government and that's what was going on here in the
left hand wasn't talking to the right I mean I think we both know the
left and right hand rarely of your talk, and it happens more often than
not. Yeah, well they think about Yemen was a proxy war. Right,
it's the UAE, Saudi and US versus Quitar and Iran. Right,
there's like those are like the little groups of friends that are fighting in the
shitty playground that is Yemen. Right. Yeah, so you finished that contract
and uh Malachai has something else for you. Yeah. So he's like,
you know, you gotta check this place us out. This is easy,
this isn't even work. We just need some dirt on a financier, bad
guy who lives in Serbia. We're gonna love Serbia. And I was like,
I can get dirt on somebody, right. And I've been you know,
I've been to places who I don't want to die in any one group
out. I've seen people who call themselves very religious in other countries, sure
doing things they say they know they should never do. And then they're The
response was, well, my God cannot see into bat Rain, right,
so that's why I do what I do. Right. Apparently your God can't
see in this country, so drink all the boos you want. So I
was like, Okay, I know that there's a possibility that that this might
be easy, right, Like, oh, I don't need to be so
like hell if I'm not in my homeland and no one's gonna tell me,
and I have all this money, and you're also not having to worry about
getting shot at or below open. Yeah, yeah, I'm not going into
country with anything, not even a huge you know, one hundred and twenty
millimeter lens. Ready, I'm just hanging out. So I go and you
know, trying to find my guy. You know, see if he's in
the prostitute, see if he's doing drugs. Can you tell us about meeting
the biggest, the largest, most prolific madam in oh yeah, Serbia or
the Bulkans? Yeah yeah, oh yeah? So am I okay, let's
go mark one motto, what's the easiest thing. Let's go with girls,
because he like he is, he solictic prostitutes. Right, So I make
friends with the guy. He happens to be a big time Hill's angel in
the in Serbia, and I said, hey, who runs all the girls
here? I was thinking it was gonna be like a you know, a
dude, like a big you know Drexel temp from True Romance, you know
what I mean. And he's like, oh, you want to meet Sonya.
I'm like Sonya. He's like yeah, dude, it's a chick.
And she's she's like she runs everything. And I'm like, no, ship,
and you can't just go up and talk to her, right. He's
like, I'm like, can you get me a meeting with her? He's
like, yeah, I can get you a meeting. So we meet up
in a hotel lobby and she's got like but she's built like Jessica Rabbit and
she's wearing like clothes to no clothes, you know, si hi bluebiton leather,
high hill stiletto boots and the smoking glove and everything. And I was
like, oh, she's like straight up, straight up comic book character,
out of control. I'm like, okay, you know. I said,
hey, this is what I'm looking for. Here's here's the guy i'm looking
for. You know. Does he use any of you or your girl's services?
And she's like no. I'm like are you She was yes, I
try and they gave him good prices and he still said, fuck, maybe
this guy is pretty, you know bean cut. And so the search continued,
Did you ever end up finding anything on the guy before things went south?
No, man, because because it wasn't on a timeline and I had
no need to push it. It had no need to like we was going
to break into some of the house and serve it. I was there was
no need to commit any crime or be in the gray area or have to
come up with cover for action to cover for status, like oh I was
doing this and yeah. So I was like, here's the thing. If
the big agencies that do this ship take six months to years to even build
rapport to flip a taxi driver, right, so that's how long this shit
really takes. Sometimes I've gotten ship done in bucking weeks and that's crazy fast,
borderline dangerous, super fucking dangerous. But I was like, okay,
don't rush it, don't rush it. But yeah, I was just settled,
settled in for the long game, and just I was just gonna keep
trying to get closer and closer. So tell us how you came into the
orbit of this guy, I think his name was Nikolai and things start to
go sideways on this job. Yeah, so I was hanging out with his
check and nikola was hanging out with her friend and connected kid went to school
Boston College, super smart, well to do, knows everyone, and he
started showing me, you know, his young guy. He's like showing me
all these chicks, you know, and showed me this one chick on his
phone and I'm like there was an office with the company logo in the background.
I'm like, you know what that is. It's like, yeah,
she works there. She's like the main assistant there. And I'm like,
oh, that's when my guy works. I didn't tell him that, but
that's when my guy works. I said, Oh, I'm like, dude,
you should have a party and like rite over a bunch of chicks.
He's like yeah, and like make sure she comes. She's cute, right,
He's like really, I'm like just invited. Right. So I'm like,
okay, boom, there was a reason I'm gonna get closer. He
knows someone that works at the place. Like fuck we get something like I'm
I'm getting a little desperate. So yeah, that's how Nicola came into the
picture. And then what happened when when uh, the Serbian police come kicking
in the door. So Nicolas like, hey, we'll start cooking dinner.
He's got all the Rakia, the Serbian national beverage and choice, and you
know, we're hanging out and he's like, makes a phone call about six
o'clock in the afternoon, said some shitt in Serbian at the time. I
didn't know any Serbian. He's like, hey, man, I gotta I
gotta jet out. I'll be right back, okay, just hanging out up
some vegetables for the fucking steward making, put on a TV. And then
all of a sudden, and all of a sudden, I'm forty five minutes
later, I hear the door open, I see Nicol and just get fucking
just like fly across the room and slam into the wall, go to the
crowd. I'm like, what the fuck? And then I like, as
soon as I turn my head, I see thinking about it now, it
felt like it was this big, just a nine millimeter barrel, like right
in my fucking temple, and I'm like, what the fuck. And I
try to like zoom out, you know, like not focus on the fucking
gun. And I see they look like police uniforms, but like you would
buy from party city, like you look like it look fake. It's like
is this is this some kind of fucking weird joke Nicholas doing on me,
Like what the fuck? And then I was like, oh shit. And
then I kind of zoom out again and looked up and I see this kid,
he can't be more than twenty one years old. He's like sweating,
his eyes are the biggest saucers, and this gun's rattling. I can hear
the springs in the magazine and his fingers on the trigger, and I'm like,
oh my fucking god. Like, so he's not like this, not
after all the shit we've done. So I was just like, you know,
I'm getting yelled at and serbian, and I'm like, okay, I
don't know Serbian, but I think putting my hands up slowly is probably like
the best thing to do right now. So I just saw that, put
my hands on the boom, on the ground, facing the ground, fucking
the handcuffed, and I'm just like, Jesus fuck. So they start feeling
me fucking Then I just hear this god awful wail of a banging, like
just fucking crying. And then this this old woman who's a little bit heavier,
said like falls to the floor and she's bawling. It's Nikola's mom,
who lives on the first floor. We're on the fourth. She comes in
her son's getting arrested. So she's just like just like falling over, like
knocking plates off the table, like, oh my god. The cop.
You're like, what the fuck? Get her out of there. And I'm
like, dude, what is going on? What like what happened? You
know? And Nikola looks at me, he just winks. I'm like,
dude, what, I don't know what that means? What do you mean
handcuff? You know what? Yeah? And so the poor cops are in
there, they're going through his house. The kids are hunters, so they
have all these guns in his house. They're all registered. And then finally
I'm just tired of getting yelled at and Serbian. I'm like, Yo,
does anyone here speak English? Like, oh, American? I'm like,
yeah, why are you here? I'm like, I'm here for a fucking
party? Why are you in Serbia? I now? Fuck here? We
go like already off to a shitty start, and I was like, what
the fuck does that matter? Like you like guns, I'm like as much
as the next guy, Like what are you? What's going on? Is
your passport here? Like, yeah, right here? You know I didn't
grab it as an handcuffy on my back, but I'm like, yeah,
it's here. They take my passport, flip through it, and they're like
more and more talking, more searching. Am I under arrest? They're like
you are? Now, I'm like what because I asked? Like he was
completely fucking crazy. And then we get thrown into a paddy wagon. I
get thrown to a cop car and we drive to the jail and proceeded be
interrogated for a couple of days, and thus begins your odyssey through the Serbian
justice system. Oh yeah, so you start getting interrogated by the cops.
They pull some good cop bad cop on you. Well, but the good
Cup was actually pretty fucking good. Yeah at one point. So one of
the big takeaways was, like my second or third interrogation, the good Cup,
right, we'll call him I made friend. We'll say I made friends
with him. Pull me out of my cell. I'm like laying on the
floor because the bench isn't long enough to lay down on, it's fucking cold
on my fuck tired whatever. Be called up and he's like, hey,
these two cops are with organized crime. I'm like organized crime, Like,
yo, what the fuck? They're like, yeah, you, Nicola and
the two other guys. That's four people. I'm like, who are the
two other guys? What are you talking about? Like, oh yeah,
when Nicola was arrested, he was rested with two other dudes. I'm like,
I have a fucking clue. I don't even know who these guys are.
Yep, well that's more than three people organized crime. I'm like,
god damn. So now I'm like getting the interrogation from these guys was so
bad. There was their bolts sitting across from me, trying to talk over
each other in Serbian, and then the good cop was trying to translate for
both of them, and I was like, I told the good cop,
I said, tell them, one should sit behind me with no pad,
one should ask questions, one should take notes, and then they should switch.
He's like, I don't think they're gonna like your advice, because I
was getting frustrated. I'm like, that's not how you do this. I
can show you how to do that. And then at one point they say
they they said something to the good cop. The good cop translated goes,
hey, they want to know if you will to take a light attacker test.
My first thought was like for what right? And as soon as he
said that, he kind of bladed his back. He turned the back to
the other the two cops that were for an organized crime, and he whispered
real quietly. He's like, just say no. It's like, yeah,
say no, don't do that. I was like no, He's like yeah,
he said no, We're done here. So the good cop we got
interrogated again. He was like, hey, are you here to kill vouch?
And I'm like, I don't know what a vouch is, but I
know enough Russian. I'm like, a vuk is like a wolf. And
they're like, no, the fucking president of our country. I'm like no,
I didn't know his fucking name. And they're like Dda, no,
Cia, no, Massa, No, you're just a dude. Yep,
what are you for? I'm a private contractor? Oh you are? Yeah?
Was your back with Navy seal? Ooh Navy seal? I'm not American
military. You guys bomb Kosovo? Right? So then like spinning your head,
I'm like, oh my god. And he's like, look, man,
I believe you that you were You're not here to kill our president.
But I will tell you this. The newspapers already believe you, so be
ready. And boy was he right? Yeah? Yeah, I mean we
should mention like while all of this is happening. I mean, this hit
it obviously all over the news in Serbia, but all I mean it hit
the press here in the United States too. Ex Navy seal arrested with a
gun in Serbia with a gun, which I just hate that headline. I
was, I was arrested forty kilometers away from a gun. But whatever.
Yeah, yeah, well, we'll tell us, tell us a little bit
about like as this starts to progress, you're in prison or you're in jail.
You know, you're quickly discovering that you don't have the right to a
fair and speedy trial in this country. How how do you know? Tell
us about how like the gun comes into it, and how like you start
to your arbiture opens up a little bit and you start to understand, you
know, what's happening to you. All right, So here's what had happened.
It took me fucking over a week to find this out. Nikola had
called someone to buy cocaine. Does you want to have a good time with
the girls. Whatever, don't care. The guy he went to buy who
came from that guy's dad was arrested a month before for selling cocaine. Cops
were listening to this kid's phone. What do drug dealers have on them for
protection? They have guns on them for protection. Right, So there's drugs,
there's guns, and there's another guy, the cocaine deller's friend, I
don't think right, So that that goes down in some other I forget the
name of the city they were at while I was at the apartment, and
then Nicola comes back. They're like, there's an American guy here. Oh,
he used to be a seal. He's a private contractor. Oh and
the guy whose house he was at he had a gun or he was in
the vicinity of a gun that was for him. I'm like, Okay,
this is fucking bananas. So I wasn't even stressed. I was like,
I know not every country has a perfect legal system, but this sounded so
weak that when we made our so right after, right after the four days
of interrogation or whatever, we went to the courthouse and we had to make
statements. I'm like, I don't know what the is going on. She's
like, Judge, there's like, there was a gun, there's drugs,
there's four people. You're in next seal. You're an American. We don't
know what's going on either. You're all going to go to jail. Tell
we figured this out, okay. And that's when lawyers started coming in.
He's like, look, dude, this is what the fuck's going on.
I said, it's all fucking bullshit, right, yeah, but this is
Serbia and you're American, so it's gonna suck. And meanwhile, the gun
comes back with your DNA on it. They're telling you, oh yeah,
oh yeah, well, I mean when that was being interrogated, I don't
know how many cotton swabs they stuck into my cheeks to get as many samples
as they need. And so at this point it sounds like you're rightly fucked,
right, Oh I'm fucked. I'm totally fucked. Yeah, I'm like,
this is it. I'm like, okay, I started asking about because
where I was Cintroni's out for cz Is. It's a jail, but it's
a prison. You know, there's no a seed. It's built pre World
War two. Fucking bed bugs. Fuck, it just sucks and you know,
you're in your room twenty two hours a day. You know, the
food you just have a bowl. The food guy with the cart comes by
and puts a spoon in. He gives you whatever colored water for the day
they call soup, but there's no fucking it's just water. But it's green,
yellow, red, or fucking clear. Right, it's just fucking garbage.
So you're there and like, you know, there's other inmates in there
and shit, and I started, you know, make some friends whenever,
and I started asking about like what methro beats is like the actual big prison
after you get sentenced, I'm like really like, hey, can you go
outside going runs? Is there like a weight room. I'm like, I'm
fucked. And I like almost immediately was like, yeah, well i'll fight
it, but I'm ready. I'm ready to like for it to suck.
Yeah. Yeah. And I And meanwhile, you're stuck in the joint with
you know, a guy who killed his wife with a hammer. Oh my
god, dude. So the first room they put me in, they put
me in a special room where you only get thirty minutes a day on the
walk instead of two hours. And it's with your own room, right,
because there's like, well, the one kid was like a twenty two year
old Huligan, and Houligan's in the Balkans in that side of Europe are more
than just like football fans, like they got their fingers and everything. This
kid was Croatian and had like went to the Serbiene game and beat the fuck
out of someone, and like he wrote a little manifesto and they found that
in his fucking hotel, So he's a terrorist. And then there was a
dude who's a professional like kidnapping ransom guy. And then there was the last
dude. This this dude that's not funny. This guy, his wife was
murdered to death by a hammer while she was out jogging. And when they
went to his house that he shared with his mom and dad, the whole
thing had just been doused, like completely fucking doused and clean with bleach.
Like come on, bro, like what are you doing here? So I've
been there with a guy who beat the fuck out his wife with a hammer
until she died in the middle of a field while she was jogging. So
I was fucking great. You know, I go in there, I'm like
okay, okay, like take off my human man and just be a fucking
monster. So recon dudes right, like, I'm in prison. This guy
killed his wife with the fucking hammer, like I'm not going to be victim
too. And then I quickly found out that was not the vibe in there.
The vibe is pretty much us verst than us being the prisoners, them
being the whole system. It was really funny because I mean, I think
the prisoner's name was Luca, who this charge against him was that he was
the President's personal hit man. Yeah, and he actually, you guys kind
of befriended one another. Yeah. So I was in that first room,
the special room, until you know, it was just bad. The guy
who hammer murdered his wife, him and the Croati kid to stay up all
night and you each have like razor blade cut with the penn ink tattoos in
their arm, and they'd write this manifesto and take fucking you know, and
the Serbian jail was like pinks, blues, yellows, whites, all different
types of pills handed out from staff and traded amongst, like you know,
amongst the prisoners. They'd take drugs, sleep all day and then up all
night, righting the manifesto and we had this little a MF and radio.
He'd hang from his rack with springs above his rack, which is the springs
to my bed. It was like, I think it was like night five
of like damn near zero sleep. I just reached him under, grabbed his
radio and smashed it on the ground and uh, like fuck it, it's
on, and he just kind of rolled over and fucking cried. But I
didn't know. For one, I didn't know it takes like five months to
get that approved to get a rating, So turn your fucking shit off,
you don't want it broke. But shortly after that, I got moved to
a room and uh, room was much better. We had professional Killer and
Ozzie who got wrapped up in a huge cocaine deal like over a mill and
cash on him, like fucking massive. And then a junkie, like a
like a token junkie, which is like in every room you find out you
have like one one good junkie. I'd have one good junkie. Yeah.
So meanwhile, you're you're sort of like pathway through the through the justice system,
through the courts is pretty byzantine. I mean it's like, isn't it
like six months before they even charge you with anything. Damn. So we
go in in August. As arrested in the last day of January. We
go in August, no April, sorry, going to April to make like
to see if this needs to go any further. We all go and make
statements. The judge says, congratulations, you're very smart. I see that
you did nothing wrong. You're free to go. Go back, pack up
my trash bag because that's the luggage in jail, is a black trash bag.
And guard's like, nope, leave that. Lawyers waiting for you,
and go to my lawyer and they say, hey, the judge got a
call revenue left and the call was pretty much that you will be charged with
something, so you're a going nowhere. Okay. I was like, okay,
it's gonna suck. And then one one other thing that had been happening
before I even got there. The newspapers like, I said, beat me
to jail because I was being interrograted, interrogated, and the newspaper said I
was already killed the Serbian president and every prisoner and nine the guards hate the
Serbian president. So I was like getting salutes from people. And then I
was just kind of like I kind of was like doing the kaiser so saying
like I was not gonna say yeah I was, but I was kind of
like I have a little bit of clout, you know what I mean.
So I was like, oh man, I can't talk about it. So
it definitely paid plaid in my favorite. So they finally end up charging you,
and then you're having to wait, like it felt like they didn't charge
me for eleven months and legally they have to charge me in six months.
And then it's like in between each court appointment. Oh yeah. So I'm
in there and my lawyer and the embassy who did fucking nothing. The lawyer
comes in and he's like, hey, I'll keep visiting you every you know,
every month. I'm like, look, motherfucker. I mean that endearingly.
The guy's fucking rock star. Well this was so this happens in April.
Was like, look, I'll keep checking in with you. Two of
the guys who already have house arrest apparently I didn't know at the time,
so I'll put him for house arrest. I'm like, sweet cool. And
then every time my house arrest go in front of a judge the day before,
even though there was no new news. In my case, there'd be
a front page hit piece on me on all the tabloids. It's like,
wow, that's really convenient timing that to come out, and the judge be
like, oh nope, I'm not stamping that. It's like, fuck,
this sucks. Yep. So then people just to like point out you alluded
to it briefly, but I've been to Belgrade before and there's no love lost
with America, And if you talk to any particular Serb, it's only a
matter of time before in the conversation they say, you're not from here,
so you don't understand. Let me explain to you what America did do y
you know, so I can see that, you know, ex Navy seal
and Serbia like the culture is not predisposed towards Daniel Corbett. Yeah, no,
it was. There was definitely some of that, you know, honestly,
it was more for like the really old guards, the old guys.
Yeah, besides that, I mean, it was no, it was.
It wasn't too bad. But and then the other big break in my case,
so nothing was happening, and then the top defense lawyer in the whole
country was like, I'm going to take on your case, represent you.
And as as soon as that was like he announced that, I think the
next week he was assassinated in the streets. And that's when everybody was like,
oh, what the fuck is what is? What is duty into his
lawyer's got assassinated. I'm like, the guards came in, they searched my
room, you know, fucking get naked, spread the cheeks with the nuts,
like for the hundredths of time since my arrest. And I'm like,
dude, what like what what? And then the front page said I'm in
Serbian albiat will be in smolk Foka means lawyer was killed because of seal and
my face superimposed next to the blood on the sidewalk in the front page.
And I'm like, my god, oh bro, I'll just take it heavies.
I'm like, well, that's not good. His colleague is remained by
lawyer who I had been working with for awesome dude, And like I said,
the months went on, He's like, look, dude, there,
they haven't charged you, and I'll keep coming visit you. And I said,
dude, don't don't visit me. Don't fucking come here if you don't
have to. I don't give a fuck, bro, you be you go
be a good lawyer and I'll just be a good fucking prisoner and when you
have news, I'll come in. Cool. Cool, well go. So
that went on, and then after like the six month mark, he came
in. I'm like, dude, are they gonna charge me? He's like
yeah, that they haven't. I'm like, but legally, but they're like
yeah, but since it's organized crime case or like saying, it could take
longer. And I'm like, oh my god. So like the rules are
there, but I mean, are they enforced? I didn't see it.
And so when they when they do finally decide to charge you, what do
they charge you with? And what are those How did those hearings kind of
play out over the months that draw? Yeah, so the charges were possession,
possession and possession of buying and selling of firearms and explosives and explosives and
it's like what, like, oh, bullets and there was no bullets,
Like what are you talking about? So they were just like what hit me?
Throwing this guy? So yeah, that was that's that. I think
that was the official charges was possession and intent to sell firearms, And I
said, okay, so we got We officially got charged in November after being
arrested in January, we got charged and then within days because now I'm like
learning the court systems. I was in with that, you know, professional
killer and all these other guys, and there's nothing. There's nothing fucking to
do in jail. So someone goes to court with from's back. You're like,
what happened? What's going on? Who should judge? Oh? I
heard that? One's cool, Like you know, that's that's it, that's
all you have to talk about. And they're like, yeah, you have
a you've been charged. You're gonna get a judge. Like two days a
month goes by meybe with my lawyer. Nobody wants to take my case.
No judge wants it because there's no jury in Serbia. It's just one person
who makes a decision, right, So I'm like, what's going on.
They're like, look from you know, someone who took a note to be
a judge. There's no evidence against you. Everyone is saying Dan didn't have
a gun, it's my gun whatever. But the Minister of Defense said,
quoted in newspapers, like oh, he wasn't here to shoot fish in the
Danube River with that gun he had on him something to that effect. So
now to be a judge or stuck in this rock between a rock and a
heart face of if I do my fucking job, this kid's gonna walk.
But if he walks, I'm pissing off my damn near totulitarian dictatorish government that
may or may not have smoked your defense attorney. Yeah. Yeah. So
I was like, so a young, a young female judge took the case,
and you know, when lawyer came and book the news to me,
he's like, Daniel, we have a judge. And I'm like, oh
yeah, And he was like, but there's some bad news. I'm like,
dude, fucking charge me, put me in jail, and said like,
let's go. I've been here in a year, Like you can't be
scared for a year, Like, let's fucking go, I don't care anymore,
or you can't be nervous that long. He's like, yeah, but
it's bad. I'm like why He's like because it's a woman. I'm like,
what the Like, you know, that's super sexist, but like,
what does it have to do with any thing? Like because there's a gun
involved in chicks? Out, no guns. I'm like, who gives a
fuck, bro, I'm just happy we're gonna judge. And a month after
that and the following January was my first court date. And the way court
works there, it was fucking bizarre. Because I've seen TV shows or even
watch like when there's like a big file on start court fourteen days later,
right, maybe a little longer, shorter, boom boom boom done. I
had no idea that wasn't the case. We walk in and like the first
court court date was like what's your name? What's your day to birth?
Gabbles out. I'm like, okay, what back tomorrow for ten more days?
And they're like, no, no, your next court your next court
day is in a month. I said, wait what, Like, oh
yeah, each each part of the court process is one day, and those
are separated by a month each. I might hold out. So you're saying,
like opening statements, examination, pross examination, prosecution side, yep,
those are all separate one day increments spaced one month apartment. I said,
oh my fucking god, dude, this is gonna be brutal. So we
did the first, first one, I think the second or third court date.
I walked in. You know, we were gonna get started. Boo.
Court's over. What's going on? There's no translator. I'm like,
dude to my lawyer, like you speak better English than any translator they've given
me. Like they did not give me good translators, right, So I'm
like, what, nope, we can't continue. Then back in the fucking
patty wagon. Back to jail and we look about total six months to get
through my court case. And tell us about that last hearing that you had
where the judge uh weighed in finally. Yeah, so my second to last
appearance in court was like closing statements and then she's like, yo, next
week verdict. I was like, oh shoot, like not a month seven
days, Like that's that's quit. That's the only that was the only time
it wasn't a month in between. So we go, we show up and
of course I get the worst, the worst translator I've ever gotten. I'm
like, fuck on all days, like you the you be you like,
and she's like trying her best, and she's like, you know, little
timid woman. I'm like, try not to be a dick. I'm like,
okay, thank you for trying. What I'm was like, fuck God,
damn. So, you know, all the three guys stand up one
by one and she reads that you were accused of you know, house or
so time served six more months in jail, blah blah. To me,
she's like, stand up, I stand up. You you know you told
your friend to buy you a gun and their bullets and firearms explosion. She
reads the whole shit, and then at the end, the translator looks at
me. She's like, you can go. I go, okay, Like
what does that mean? Like, under what circumstances can I go? Because
I was I was willing to bet almost everything that the judge was going to
say to make everybody happy, we find you guilty, and your sentence was
time served. You're free to go, right, so the last sentence of
it would be the same. So when she goes you're free to go,
like under what circumstances, She's like, you're innocent, It's okay, good
And then the judge goes. Then the judge addresses me directly in perfect English,
and this whole the whole, through the whole process, we've been flirting
back and forth, me and the judge, which is bananas, but it
worked. I guess she she goes, look, I'm sorry this happened to
you. I hope you don't think poorly about Serbia now. And you know
the state has to pay for all of your legal fees and restitution, missed
wages and you know, damages. And I was like, okay, but
first you have to go back to jail, get your ship, and then
go to the immigration office because your visa has expired. I'm like, yeah,
no shit, it's fucking inspiring. Come one months. Yeah, you're
going to jail for being illegal? What are the what are the like more
Kafka esque moments and all of this was you talk about when you go to
customs and they're like looking at your passport, like your passport's expired? Why
have you been here so long? I was like, I was like,
it's like, hey, you have you have to leave the country like in
two days, Like what sports expired. I'm like, I don't think.
I don't think time should be counted against me for the eighteen months I was
falsely incarcerated, so I think I still have another like seventeen days. And
the guy was just like he was like not having it, and then his
like superior overheard walked in He's like, how does seven days sound. I
was like, fucking soul, I was still leaving him three days. I
just I just didn't give a fuck anymore. So you close things out in
Serbia and head back to the US of a wake up with your family.
I mean, what's what's it? I mean, you talk a little bit
about what it's like bouncing back and forth between you know, jobs overseas and
then coming back home, and it's always a little jarring. But I mean,
I gotta think, especially this time after eighteen months in Serbian prison.
Yeah, I mean, I mean, it wasn't Mandela locked up for twenty
years, but there was definitely like some some changes you could notice, you
know, mom, dad and brother and mom dad, brother, like what's
that? Guys love you? And then they'd go ham my brother's house and
he opened up his TV and all these like little bubbles on the bottom with
like Netflix, Hulu, and I'm like, what is all this? Like,
yeah, you don't have TV anymore. You just cook these and like
what like so like all the subscription stuff and all the movies I missed,
like, oh you haven't seen this one. They haven't seen Spider Man,
fucking whatever. I'm like, no, I haven't seen shit. Brob's a
fucking prison in Serbia. Fuck you know. It's like, I'm pretty good
at chess, you know, that's it. So I had to catch up
on a lot. It's hard, you know, if anyone who's ever deployed
out there. In my mind, mom and dad are thirty, Grandma and
grandpa are fifty, and no one ever ages and changes, and then you
then, you know, we wake up one day and I'm forty. You
know, Grandpa passed away. Mom and dads are in the in your fucking
sixties, you're like, oh for like, you know, late fifties,
You're like, oh shit, Like time keeps moving. And I think guys
that go away deploy often and come back. You're there are two separate worlds,
and that one kind of pauses when you leave it, and then you
come back. It's like, oh shit, you got married, Oh but
you have a kid. Like it's hard to fathom that other people's lives keep
going yeah yeah while you're away. And I know that sounds egocentric, and
it's not based on oh I'm not there so things can't happen. It's just
you don't realize it. It's your last image. It kind of like locks
in place, you know, Like guys who I was in the army with
that I haven't seen in like fifteen twenty years. There's still eighteen year old
kids to me exactly. Yeah. So do you know if anything happened to
that judge as a result of her judgment. I don't think so. I
think she did the right thing. Yeah. And also so Serbia's very interesting
political geopolitical spot because it sits kind of in the middle. Montenegro just joined
NATO and then Russia's on the other side, so they're like, okay,
there was some talk that wanted to do EU or NATO. But the number
one thing, because there's an actual checklist, like an application to get into
those things, the number one thing at the very top is corruption. So
if there's like a case where a guy's totally innocent and you try to indict
him or you try to charge him, even even still, we were going
to go to the International Court in the Stuttgarten or wherever the fuck Hey yeah,
hey be like hey, or Strasburg. Sorry, there's the hagens on
Strausburg. We're gonna go to Strasburg. You'd be like, no, so
that would have been a big black mark on them with their with their application.
But I'm sure he's not now and that he's he's he sits on you
know, he's like, hey, ankle a mercle, you're amazing, and
he's like Putin, you know, like yeah, so he kind of sits
in a weird two well, pointing out in the book that you think that
maybe they were holding on to you because Putin wanted to trade you for Maria
Bhutina, who we were here's a Ruski spy that we rolled up. I
heard about that after I had no idea. They're like, yeah, they
were trying to do that. And Putin was like, bro, just because
you've got an American that happened to be in next sealed, this mean he's
a spy, Like he's not. She's an actual fucking spot. We need
her back, like she's those fucking state secrets. And they're like, oh,
but we have this and say yeah, it's not worth anything. He's
like, fuck, okay, maybe maybe you can actually let him have a
fair try on, you know, get yea out of here. So you
come back to the United States, you learn't about streaming services and and reacquaint
yourself with your family. I mean, what's the next step for you?
I mean you continued working with Malachi. Yeah, well the first step was
go to SIL Team seventeen and be like, hey, what's up, guys,
I'm alive. And they were just fucking they saw ghosts. There was
no right, it's good to see you. No fuck do you like?
Do you do? We need to put him to a psych medical dental.
There was like, oh what are you doing here? I'm like what like
he was? I was like, I mean I didn't expect to parade,
but like, god damn, because they they honorably discharged you, but they
also pulled your sill tried in which was pretty shocking. Yeah. Well they
gave me an honorable r E one so I can go back into reserves with
those special designate Right. So I'm like wait, wait, wait, what
you know I get I'm sitting down. Someone of the teams like, hey
man, we extended you as long as we could. I was like,
oh, thanks, I appreciate that, but you eos came okay, well
when did when did? Uh? And then they you know, give me
the packet. He goes. But I'll tell you this. We pulled your
tried. I said, why you know, the whole team on the East
Coast just got popped for doing drugs. I'm like what, but who cares?
Doesn't do me? Oh? And this is this was like the week
of Eddie Gallagher's like final trial. Days to work and like, oh any
Gallagher like he's going down. I'm like, for one, that's all fucking
bullshit too. What does that have to do with me? Oh? It
just looks bad. It's a bad mark on the fucking team found out they
extended my e O s and my tried it got pulled like a week before
my verdict date. Right, they were hedging and then they get scared and
then pulled chocks and I'm like, you can't give me an honorable are you
one and then pull my bird to give me another? Than are you four?
Or something? To make it doesn't make any sense? Right? Oh?
That was that? That was That was a little dirty, I have
to say. Yeah. So I was like, okay, well, I'm
like, where the fuck is master Chief cox O here? Like yep,
walk in. I'm like, hey, what the fuck? Oh you were
working for a full military I'm like, what the fuck are you talking about?
Like we read it in Serby newspapers. I'm like, you're reading Serbia
newspapers and you're going off of I was pretty pissed. And they're like,
hey, you need to get a congressional letter, you know, so I'll
let me, let me go ahead and button that up. So I was
really I was really pissed. And then you know, we did the whole
congressional thing, and there was a letter written by an Aufstra I have a
lot of respect for, and he's like, look he responded on behalf of
whoever it was that made the decision to the congressman was like, look,
dude, he was traveling a lot. I wasn't telling us where he was.
The guy who decided to do this had every right to and we'll stand
behind it. But I will say I've operated with Dan Corby. He's fucking
amazing. He's done his dues. So now I now look at it as
you know, ericoncilable differences and we we just we just we's broke up,
and that's fine by me. It's fine. I still love the Still Teams,
fucking awesome people group of guys, but we just our lifestyles just grew
apart. And I'm fine with that. And what if you been up two
cents then other than American mercenary. Yes, so I'm back for a month.
I'm my Well, there was the fucking reserves in my you know,
doing the hustle getting schools and deploying. And I had a friend who's been
who's been hounding me since like two thousand and ten. Finance guy, Dude,
you would kill in finance. Come to finance. I get back.
Hey, Orgie made it back. So happy. We're going to do finance,
you know, dec the salary. I'm fun, this is pretty cool.
And I'm like, man, what am I gonna do? And you
know, talk to my mom. My. Mom's like, look, don't
don't do finance. I know what you do. I know you love what
you do. Go do that. Just be fucking safe. I said,
all right, So I definitely need to hear that from mom. It was
like fucking green light. And then I think not thirty days later, I
was on a plane headed to Central Sash South America. Can you tell us
about that? Uh? No, if you continue doing that line of work
since since then, no, I think when the I don't know, I'm
talking only based off news I'm sure you guys know more than I do.
I think ever since this guys said they got paid twenty grand to go down
and go down to Venezuela, right they got wrapped up. I think that's
kind of been like, let's let's not do anything like that anymore. Well
that and I was like, Okay, what do I want to do?
Finally called up the guy. After that, I was down there for three
months doing that that gig I did thirty days after being backstate side, and
I said, I'll do finance. Did that for two years, good pay,
and then you know that eventually went away, and I was like,
fuck, I'll just teach shooting. And I got shot timers, I got
bullets. I'm a good shot, a good teacher. I was doing that.
Then I got a phone call from my book, my now book agent.
He's like, hey, I've heard about your story. Do you want
to do book? And I said no because I was still kind of chasing
the dragon, right because like I like being like, yeah, let's go,
let's go do it. Fuck yeah. I like the lifestyle, and
I like the pay, and I like the autonomy. I like being able.
I like being able to say no to shit, you don't agree with
or are super unsafe, right, you know. So I was like no,
and then being the person I was that that had the connections I had
and still have. I tell people this, you'll get about two to four
calls in two years. Maybe one of them comes to fruition like it lines
up, logistics are good, it's legal, you can do it, you
can pull it off. It's clean, money's good, and money's not that
good to work once every four years. So right, I was like a
book agent calls again, I said, I said, okay, but I
don't want to do a seal book because it's not proprietary to me. Right,
we'll talk about me, but I'm not going to talk about buds.
You can read it, you can watch it on TV. Right, Okay,
I'm cool with that. All right, let's do it. Do we
have questions for Daniel? We do? And so folks can go after and
pre order Daniel's book, American Mercenary. It's up on Amazon. I finished
reading it this afternoon. It is, as you guys can tell if you
made it this part into the interview, it's a hell of a good story.
So actually, first off, Global Media, thank you very much.
He just said supports the team outs and that like button, thank you,
Chief Justice, keep thank you very much. What was the most satisfating form
of hazing you experienced in the Seal teams? Oh? I would say most
interesting was also the most fun. I think it was wearing a drop leg
holster with simmunition in your pistol and being naked standing across from another new guy
doing a full on three two one draw cowboy style? Was there even if
it wasn't sort of the juvenile style. Was there a type of hazing that
you went through, Uh, when you first sort of you know, joined
the mercenary mercenaryoriment, or when you first went to prison, was there sort
of a new guy breaking period? No, I think And here's why.
When you get called up by certain people a lot of money and connections to
do a mercenary job, like your resume, you're not some kid off the
streets. This guy was at this command and then the prison thing, maybe
there would have been, But at the same time the newspapers beat me.
They were saying I was there to kill their biggest enemy, right, So
I was like I was like lauded as your hero, you know, like,
yeah, that's the fucking guy. I'm like, hey, yeah,
gotta find it. Ay Clint, Thanks Jackie David other great podcast. Thanks
Clint M. Corbyn, thank you very much. How many different ways can
the same thing be taught to different types of people? So I think he's
talking about like CQC. So that's a that's a beautiful question. And I
got into it with some of the instructors when I got really into teaching.
Let's say that's for numbers. They were never they were never this big.
You would have a class of one hundred and you would teach and eighty students
would get it. Well, a lot of the default from a lot of
the instructors I saw was that these twenty kids are stupid. I said,
that's not that's not what it is. Get the mark one motto, fucking
teaching style that's gonna hit eighty percent. And then maybe you need to do
by showtel maybe make it like, uh, you know, really go into
the philosophy of why we clear that corner first? Why instead of just monkey
see monkey do so I like to go. I mean, I know there's
like seven seven state styles of learning, but what I've seen is I'll do
like my main my main way like by by show teach tale or whatever,
heal tea show that'll hit the eighty and then I'll have to get more creative.
And then I'll get to like ninety and not to get more creative,
and I'll hit like ninety five and they eat more creative, and I'll hit
ninety eight and then maybe get real outside my comfort zone and try to get
those last two guys up to speed. So I you know, if you're
in a position to teach and guys have shown ten months of showing up and
being smart, dedicated, and they're not getting something at your block of training
that's on you, that's not on the students. And then when you're working
with different people, say whether it's you know, other units, people from
other American units, other units in other countries, whatever you know. And
obviously we're talking about SECREC like there are different ways. You know, you've
got strong wail, opposing corners sort of free flow physically, you know,
physically dominating or whatever. Like, how do you guys, because everybody says,
you know, people will die on those hills, right, oh yeah,
oh well people will die on those hills. How do you guys come
to that sort of happy place where we're all copeaesthetic and we all agree that
this is how we're gonna do it. I think through just straight practical applications.
Guys like no, we're gonna sector okay, and I'll go get behind
the opposing wall with a laser beam and pointed at his head in the three
seconds it takes for them to get plate to plate and in sector, those
are shots, right, So it's like, oh, okay, maybe we
do need to cross cover because we're the most expensive. So I've ever seen
within my communities like huge dissension in tactics, like no, fuck you,
there was someone we started going really deliberate. There were some multiple guys like
pussy, get the fucking door, and it's like, why what are you
doing here? Right? This guy's barricaded with the sand and they're putting like
chain link fencing in the entryway because they know how we make entry. Dolle,
No, let's feel around back and shoot him through where his fucking window
is. Yeah, yeah, nntess, thank you very much. We really
appreciate your donationd Did we have anything on Patreon? Cool? So, uh,
next week we're gonna be here with William Negley served in the CIA and
now runs a sound off which is a application for veterans, people in the
military community, the intelligence community can go on there and talk to a psychologist
anonymously. It's a really good program that he runs. So looking forward to
having here in the studio, Daniel, is anything else you want to put
out there? Anything else you want to talk about before we get going tonight
now, man, look out for the book and uh, it'll follow me
because I'll have some more announcements coming up, hopefully in before the end of
the year, and I hopefully it will be huge. So the book is
American Mercenary by Daniel Krobedi, comes out August Augus August. Where can people
find you to follow you at American Underscore Mercenary. Cool? But Daniel,
thank you very much for joining us tonight. Really appreciate you telling your story,
sharing your book with us. This is a fun interview. Awesome,
thanks Adam Blast having me, good man. Thank you. So we'll see
all you guys out there next Friday. Thank you.