WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.919 --> 00:00:08.240 Welcome to Stories of Special Forces Operators podcast. Listen to 2 00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:11.679 some of the bravest and toughest people on the planet 3 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:23.280 share their stories, Sit back and enjoy. 4 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:29.920 Welcome back, folks for another episode. Today, we have a 5 00:00:29.960 --> 00:00:33.240 great guest, Clark Impostato. He served eight years in the 6 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.079 United States military. From nineteen ninety five to two thousand 7 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:38.039 and one. He served in the US Navy on the 8 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:42.359 USSS Shiloh and at Seal Team five Fox trop Platoon. 9 00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:45.079 During that time, he deployed to the Persian Gulf in 10 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:48.920 Southeast Asia. After separating from the Navy, he served with 11 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:51.520 the nineteenth Group Special Forces from two thousand and two 12 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:54.439 to two thousand and three. From two thousand and three 13 00:00:54.439 --> 00:00:56.560 to two thousand and seven, he continued service as a 14 00:00:56.600 --> 00:01:01.359 private military contractor. He deployed multiple time to Israel, Afghanistan, 15 00:01:01.439 --> 00:01:04.519 and Iraq. Upon returning home to the US, though he 16 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:07.159 didn't stop, he continued on and he's served with the 17 00:01:07.159 --> 00:01:10.680 Phoenix Police Department from two thousand and eight to twenty sixteen. 18 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:13.959 He says, now after all that he's been rocking and rolling, 19 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:16.599 joking and living, you can find him a good vised 20 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:20.519 podcast with Clark and Pastato and Ryan g By the way, 21 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:23.680 his last name is I am past at O. Before 22 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:25.319 we get started, to make sure to share, subscribe and 23 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:27.079 hit that like but you know we like it. It's 24 00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:29.319 not waste any more time. And welcome the former Navy 25 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:30.480 CeAl Clark and Pistada. 26 00:01:30.599 --> 00:01:33.400 Welcome Clark, Hey, thanks for having me. I'm stoked. 27 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:35.519 Thank you so much for being here. This is so 28 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:39.719 much now. I've learned so much interviewing special forces, whether 29 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.959 it's Navy seals to Green Berets. And I think next 30 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:45.959 week we have sas coming on. Oh nice, because people 31 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:49.879 don't really understand who you people are. They have a 32 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:54.799 misting representation. But the amazing thing is how how would 33 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:57.519 I put this? How amazing you individuals are not just 34 00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.959 because of what you did militarily but also psychologically, how 35 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.439 much you've endured and how much you've overcome and your 36 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:07.079 lives outside of that world. But before we get to 37 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:09.520 all that, I guess my first question is always is 38 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:11.240 whatever made you want. 39 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:11.960 To be a Navy Seal. 40 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:16.759 I think it was kind of a gradual increase to 41 00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:20.199 that decision I always attributed to My mom was a 42 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:23.240 huge fan of World War Two. She was a kid 43 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:25.240 during World War two. But as far as like when 44 00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:27.159 I was a kid growing up, she loved to watch 45 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:30.439 World War two movies, you know, the Battle of Midway 46 00:02:30.520 --> 00:02:32.759 and all this other stuff. The Black Sheep Squadron, there 47 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:35.759 was a TV show about the fire pilots, and so 48 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:38.039 I just watching TV with her, I just really kind 49 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:40.919 of fell in love with World War two and the 50 00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:43.599 concept of it, and you know, we're going to fight 51 00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:46.360 this Hitler dude, and then broke out in Pearl Harbor 52 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:48.520 and we went out west and bought the Japanese and 53 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:51.960 so I was just at our early age mesmerized by it. 54 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:54.719 But then that it continued further with the course growing 55 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:57.639 up in the eighties with all the Rambos and the 56 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:00.199 commandos and the Schwartzeneggers. I mean, who didn't want to 57 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:03.280 be a Greenberry army dude running around. 58 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:03.800 Saving the world. 59 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:07.159 And so I just it was always kind of on 60 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:09.520 the back burner until I was in high school in 61 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:12.639 the first Golf War kicked off, and I was glued 62 00:03:12.680 --> 00:03:14.479 to CNN at the time because that was the first 63 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:17.319 for our news network, and so when. 64 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:20.000 The golf War popped off, I was just like, I 65 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:21.240 have to do this. 66 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:24.120 This is amazing, Like I'm watching this almost real time, 67 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:26.840 and I just thought, when I'm done with high school, 68 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:29.120 like this is this is now off the back burner 69 00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:31.199 on one of the front burners, like this is gonna happen. 70 00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:34.400 I didn't have a timeline or anything like that, but 71 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:35.520 when that kicked. 72 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:37.199 Off, I this is something I gotta do. You know. 73 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:38.719 I don't know how long I'll do it for or 74 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:40.879 where I'm gonna end up, but that's when I really 75 00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:41.520 caught the bug. 76 00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:45.599 Was the first golf for what's a fascinating story. So 77 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:47.560 your mom was the one that motivate I can't remember. 78 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:49.960 It was Robert cottrad of that blank sheep squadron. 79 00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:51.400 I can't remember. 80 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:54.120 I was so young, but I just remember watching that shows. 81 00:03:54.159 --> 00:03:56.479 I really would love to be an old school fighter pilot. 82 00:03:56.520 --> 00:03:59.560 That would be like my dream job. If timeline wasn't 83 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:02.560 I could go back in time. That would be just 84 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:06.960 you know, the Western specific campaign flying airplanes and shooting 85 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.319 down zeroes and that just I was like, that's the 86 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:11.520 bees and ease Man's that's cool stuff. 87 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:13.240 That's so funny you mentioned that because I think it 88 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:16.639 was just last weekend I visited the Lions Museum down 89 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:19.680 in Orange County and they have all those warplanes from. 90 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:21.639 The World War Two. Nice. 91 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:23.519 It was really a trip. And I think some of 92 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:24.480 the guys were there. 93 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:27.040 Oh wow, they were old enough. 94 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:29.680 I mean, no offense to them, but yeah, it's. 95 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:31.920 Getting harder to find them. They're getting they're getting older 96 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:32.959 and older, those guys. 97 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:36.480 Yeah, that generation is disappearing, unfortunately. And I know later 98 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:38.240 on in the interview, I wanted to ask you a 99 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:41.120 little bit about Hollywood, sure, and some of them movies. 100 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:42.959 Maybe we'll get back to Rambo. I'm trying to think 101 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:44.759 of some of the Navy Seal movies but just can't 102 00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:45.920 remember when off the top of my head. 103 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:48.199 It really wasn't except for the Charlie Sheen one that 104 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:50.399 came out like in the nineties, and that was well, 105 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:53.600 that's right, Yeah, that's what we thought the teams would be. 106 00:04:53.639 --> 00:05:02.240 Like you're saying, it's not, well, I'll get into that. 107 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:06.240 Let me ask you this about buds training. Everybody's always curious. 108 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:08.920 You see the videos on YouTube and things of that nature, 109 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:11.000 and it's one thing to watch a video a six 110 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:14.319 minute clip, that's another to endure it. Tell us, Kyle, 111 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:16.560 walk us through your very first moments of going into 112 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:18.680 BUDS training. Did they shake your hands, say how you're 113 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:19.560 doing pallor. 114 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:24.639 Yeah, orders waiting for you in a cancierge service and 115 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:28.199 say hey, we're stoked to have you. No, it's it's 116 00:05:28.480 --> 00:05:33.120 very overwhelming, and there wasn't a lot of information. I 117 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:35.839 showed up to Buds in ninety seven, the summer of 118 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:37.000 ninety seven, so. 119 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:39.800 The internet really wasn't in full swing. There wasn't a 120 00:05:39.800 --> 00:05:40.439 lot of info. 121 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:43.560 The Navy recruiter laughed at you and showed you a 122 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:46.000 ten minute video called be Someone Special, and it was 123 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:48.600 like an old black and white UDT diver video. 124 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:49.879 It wasn't a lot of info. 125 00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:52.680 So what I liked about it is it was kind 126 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:55.079 of a Scooby Doo adventure. You just each day was 127 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:58.120 this new mystery that was unfolded in front of your eyes. 128 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:01.399 Whereas now there's so much info out there. I think 129 00:06:01.480 --> 00:06:04.360 it kind of obviously you can't prepare for the real experience, 130 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:06.800 but you have a heads up. I think it takes 131 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:10.000 away a little bit of the mystery, the charm to it. 132 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:14.199 When I showed up, you had no idea. I did 133 00:06:14.199 --> 00:06:15.959 have a neighbor when I was in the regular Navy 134 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:17.519 that was a sniper at five and so I could 135 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:20.040 ask him questions, but it wasn't enough pieces of the 136 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:24.000 puzzle to really get that kind of bird's eye concept 137 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:26.000 of what I was up against. Whereas now with all 138 00:06:26.040 --> 00:06:28.959 the documentaries and stuff, it just, in my opinion, kind 139 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:29.639 of spoils it. 140 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:32.959 But when I was there, it was just overwhelming. 141 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:35.040 You can't believe I had to fight my way there 142 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:37.160 from the regular Navy. It's been a year and a 143 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:39.120 half in the fleet, chip and paint, so I was 144 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:42.600 super pumped to be at seal training and we'll never 145 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:44.120 have to grab a paintbrush again. 146 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:46.519 So I was pretty pumped about that. 147 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:48.959 And to be honest, that kind of did me a 148 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:51.439 favor because a lot of guys go from boot camp 149 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:54.879 to buds and I don't think they realize how special 150 00:06:54.920 --> 00:06:56.800 that opportunity is, and they throw it away a lot 151 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:59.600 quicker than the guys that come from the fleet, because 152 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:02.399 you know, if you quit that floating prisons waiting for you, you're 153 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:06.240 going right back to the fleet. So for me not 154 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:08.360 to get ahead of myself, anytime I was having a 155 00:07:08.399 --> 00:07:10.560 bad day and feeling sorry for myself, I would see 156 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:13.240 a ship just off the coast of San diego and 157 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:15.240 think I'm good. I don't want to go back to that. 158 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:19.199 I'll sit with cold water and be happy. So I 159 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:23.040 turned that negative into a positive and used my fleet 160 00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:25.600 experience to motivate me to get through the tough time. 161 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:31.160 But I can't reiterate enough the awesome effect the first 162 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:32.279 day of BUDS has on you. 163 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:35.959 It's just like it's just this epic thing that's in 164 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:36.439 front of you. 165 00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:38.920 But what I did realize is once you get settled, 166 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:43.279 the instructors really do give you the keys of the castle. 167 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:45.279 They tell you how to succeed. 168 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:48.680 They tell you, don't look at this as a six 169 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:51.000 month program because you'll freak yourself out and quit. 170 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:52.600 They taught us how do you. 171 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:55.600 Eat an elephant one bite at a time, And what 172 00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:59.079 they meant by that was survive the day. Maybe you 173 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:02.160 just survived getting to lunch. Or more importantly, what I 174 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:04.879 did is I just focused on the task at hand. 175 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:07.839 Whatever evolution we were doing, that's all I worried about. 176 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:09.480 So if we were doing a four mile time to 177 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:13.160 beat run, I wasn't worried about the evolution after lunch, 178 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:13.839 which might. 179 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:15.920 Be the obstacle course or you know what I mean. 180 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:18.639 A lot of guys are like, shit, I failed this 181 00:08:18.839 --> 00:08:21.360 and I got this company. They psyched themselves out. So 182 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:25.639 I took on board early on what they taught us 183 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:29.560 to focus on it. And really that's the entire mindset 184 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:31.839 of the sealed community. You don't really realize that at 185 00:08:31.879 --> 00:08:34.720 the time because of budge're kind of especially first phase. 186 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:36.320 You're kind of in kindergarten, if you will. 187 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:39.720 So any little nugget of wisdom they gave me I 188 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:44.639 latched onto and I realized these documentaries and YouTube videos, 189 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:49.000 it makes it seem almost a little bit marine corpus. 190 00:08:49.240 --> 00:08:50.720 They kind of ham it up a little bit for 191 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:53.600 the camera and they yell a little bit more. But 192 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:55.960 I thought of Buds as more of a gentleman's course. 193 00:08:56.360 --> 00:08:59.000 In fact, sometimes it's so evil that they're being nice 194 00:08:59.039 --> 00:08:59.279 to you. 195 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:00.399 You're kind of like, why. 196 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:02.039 Is this kind of like whispering at me, Like it's 197 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:06.159 just kind of instead of all this shouting energy, like 198 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:07.720 they just whisper in your ear light. 199 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:11.480 Now you look cold and wet. I got them purple 200 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:13.039 in the van. All you got to do is quit 201 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:15.120 like it's creepy, you know what I mean? 202 00:09:15.159 --> 00:09:19.240 They really they get inside your head because as a 203 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:21.320 human being. You can only do so many push ups 204 00:09:21.360 --> 00:09:23.600 and run so far, and some so far. They'll physically 205 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:27.240 break you. But they even told you this little key 206 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:30.399 for success. Never let us break you mentally. That's where 207 00:09:30.440 --> 00:09:32.200 you have to win. We're going to break you physically. 208 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:33.000 I don't care who you are. 209 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:37.679 They've had Olympic athletes, pro football players, all walks of 210 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:41.639 life have gone through Buds, some successful, sometimes success. But 211 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:44.720 the key ingreeting is you must never be mentally defeated. 212 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:48.759 And I think that's something it's calmon in special operations. 213 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:51.600 But Buds is different because of that cold water that 214 00:09:51.639 --> 00:09:53.480 will get inside your head when you're sitting in the 215 00:09:53.559 --> 00:09:56.679 drink for hours and hours and hours and the water. 216 00:09:56.519 --> 00:09:58.639 Temp is like fifty degrees and you're shivering. 217 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:02.639 You could be the toughest dude in the world, Mike Tyson, 218 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:04.279 but you don't want to sit in that cold water, 219 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:08.519 so you quit. So that's unique, and it makes us 220 00:10:08.559 --> 00:10:12.600 a little different than other special operations selection processes. That 221 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:16.039 cold water really has nothing to do with your physical ability. 222 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:19.120 It's your state of mind, and you have to develop 223 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:22.480 that early on and realize this is just a new 224 00:10:22.519 --> 00:10:23.360 part of my life. 225 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:25.480 And I either accept it or I'm going to go away. 226 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:28.200 And you start to see people go away, some. 227 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:32.240 Bigger guys, some very athletic guys can't mentally handle that 228 00:10:32.279 --> 00:10:35.360 cold water, and so you realize early on, Hey, the 229 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:37.240 key to this shit is your state of mind, your 230 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:40.720 mental fortitude. And so luckily for me, I latched onto 231 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:43.240 that pretty quickly and that served me. 232 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:44.159 Well throughout Buds. 233 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:47.519 It's just to remain calm, as they say, embrace the suck, 234 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.320 except that this is your reality for now, and you're 235 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:52.399 going to be wet all day, every day for six 236 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:55.679 months if you're lucky. If you get injured or roll back, 237 00:10:56.000 --> 00:10:57.799 you could be in BUDS for over a year if 238 00:10:57.840 --> 00:10:59.080 you don't get through in one shot. 239 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:00.519 So oh wow. 240 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:03.159 Kind of an open ended course, depending on your success. 241 00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:06.159 You have to complete certain things along the way. If 242 00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:09.080 you get hurt or you get performance dropped. If you're 243 00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:11.399 a good dude, they might roll you back. They might not, 244 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:13.519 they might drop you from the program. So it behooves 245 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:15.159 you to. 246 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:15.480 Do it right the first time. 247 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:19.200 So's I did my best to stick to that, to 248 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:20.120 that philosophy. 249 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:23.240 So that's the fascinating thing. I do these interviews, and 250 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:25.720 I'm sure folks have heard it before. Is the psychological 251 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:29.080 mindset of people in special forces. And I don't want 252 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:32.679 to overgeneralize your guys, but everybody has a similar mindset. 253 00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:36.200 Sure you'd already did it early where you reframed the 254 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:39.559 scenario you were in and then able to strengthen your 255 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:43.120 mental fortitude as well, which is something I've I found 256 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:47.240 sometimes when I've interviewed I think we're a similar age. 257 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:53.360 Are you familiar with Larry Holmes, a boxer, No homes okay, 258 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.360 Larry Holmes. He fought Mike Tyson and he fought Muhammad Ali. 259 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.639 Oh okay, and same thing with him. And I asked him, 260 00:11:59.679 --> 00:12:01.399 what do you think about when you got knocked down? 261 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:05.840 I expected him to say something like, oh my gosh, 262 00:12:05.840 --> 00:12:08.039 I got knocked down whatever he did, and he said, 263 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:09.279 I got to figure out how to get back up 264 00:12:09.279 --> 00:12:12.000 and knock him out. And I thought, that's a whole 265 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:15.759 different mindset. What a lot of people have. They just 266 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:18.159 don't give up. And the Olympic athletes told me the 267 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:21.279 same thing. Every time they failed or they didn't get somewhere. 268 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:23.399 What they always came back to is how do I 269 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:26.039 get it? I'm going to move aside? What just happened 270 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:28.080 and go back to how do I get that goal? 271 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:31.480 You have to compartmentalize your defeat, and they teach us that. 272 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:34.200 For example, when I went through buds, you were allowed 273 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:36.679 to fail something twice, So if I failed a four 274 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:39.480 mile time run, they would retest me, but if I 275 00:12:39.480 --> 00:12:42.639 failed a second four mile time run, you're gone. So 276 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:46.320 if you fail something, you know the safety net's now gone. 277 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:47.600 You have one more chance at this. 278 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:50.559 But what they teach you is to to you have 279 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:53.240 to data dump that. It's kind of like in advanced 280 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:56.159 training when you're doing CQB and cleaning rooms. If you 281 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:58.399 have a bad run and let's say you know, you 282 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:01.559 sweep a guy or you to hostage target and then 283 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:05.039 make you reset, you have to completely wipe that from 284 00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.440 your mind that you just screwed up. You have to 285 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:10.159 go back in that house and have a good run. 286 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:12.360 You have to be able to just compartmentalize that. You 287 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:14.919 can revisit that failure later. There's a time and a. 288 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:18.480 Place for that, but it's not right then and there. 289 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:20.600 So they really are good at like you're saying, the 290 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:23.600 athletes can do. There's lessons to be learned from failure, 291 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:27.320 but oftentimes you have to reperform immediately and you can't 292 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:29.039 dwell on that, and. 293 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:31.240 So that actually ends up serving you well in life. 294 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:33.879 For example, if you're having problems at home, you have 295 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:36.159 to compartmentalize that, go to work and be a professional. 296 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.720 Or if you're having financial problems, you got to compartmentalize that, 297 00:13:38.840 --> 00:13:41.639 go to work and be a professional. So it really 298 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:44.799 a lot of my buddies that are civilians, they dwell 299 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:46.639 on things, and I'm like, dude, just put that in 300 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:48.879 your back pocket for now. Get through the day. When 301 00:13:48.919 --> 00:13:50.960 you're done with work and get home, that's when you 302 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:53.879 can analyze what happened. You know why this happened or 303 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.000 that happened. And so buds really taught me that if 304 00:13:57.039 --> 00:13:59.360 you mess something up, you can't let it eat you up. 305 00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:02.039 You have to to learn from it when the time 306 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:04.480 is appropriate and then come back stronger. You've got to 307 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:08.320 Failure is not a bad thing. Everybody has a bad day, 308 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:11.679 has a bad week, messing something up. We all have talents, 309 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:13.960 you know. For me, I sucked at swimming. I had 310 00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:16.279 to swim scared, I had to basically run on the water. 311 00:14:16.679 --> 00:14:18.879 I'm from Colorado, I'm just a little hillbilly that grew 312 00:14:18.919 --> 00:14:21.240 up at eight thousand feet. I probably should have been 313 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:23.120 a ranger or a Green Beret, but I got the 314 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:26.399 seal shit in my head. So I honestly had a 315 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:28.440 friend in college that taught me how to swim the 316 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:30.720 sidestroke so I could back fire. 317 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:33.799 Had no idea beyond that. 318 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:38.159 And obviously there's a lot of water evolutions and buds 319 00:14:38.159 --> 00:14:41.159 and I was the worst swimmer in my class for 320 00:14:41.279 --> 00:14:43.480 a long time, but I didn't let that beat me. 321 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:45.799 We would swim laps at the pool and I was 322 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:48.759 the last guy to get to the edge. These guys 323 00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:51.679 had already been resting for fifteen twenty seconds. I hit 324 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.039 the edge and they say go. So I had no rest. 325 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:57.360 I was just back for just sucking in water. Thought 326 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:00.240 I was gonna die. But in the true sp of 327 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:04.000 buds and the instructors wanting you to be successful, they said, 328 00:15:04.039 --> 00:15:06.600 for those of you that suck at swimming, instructor so 329 00:15:06.679 --> 00:15:08.960 and so we'll be here Saturday at noon. I suggest 330 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:12.039 you'd be here and every Saturday there would be an 331 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:14.840 instructor there at the pool and they would completely come 332 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:16.840 out of character and be cool, and they would teach 333 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:19.559 you how to swim and it behooved you if you 334 00:15:19.559 --> 00:15:22.159 were struggling to be there every Saturday and learn how 335 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:24.080 to swim, And eventually I became a middle of the 336 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:26.919 pack swimmer once the technique set in and I was 337 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:29.799 fighting myself in the water. You know, it's just like 338 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:32.360 if you try to run sideways, you're not going to run. 339 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:33.320 Very far, very fast. 340 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:35.440 But if you learn the proper technique for anything, it 341 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:41.799 becomes pretty easy. So unlike a lot of selection processes 342 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:44.879 I've been through, buds has the time because it's six 343 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:47.159 months to really if you're a good guy, that'll work 344 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:48.000 with you and they'll get you. 345 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:49.960 Up to speed. And in my case it was the swimming. 346 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:52.879 So they do set you up for success, but you 347 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:55.519 do have to compartmentalize those failures and not let them 348 00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:56.960 meet you up. And it does eat a lot of 349 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:58.600 people up because it gets in your. 350 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:01.679 Head, say it really helped a lot in your life. 351 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:03.399 Yeah, it does. 352 00:16:03.559 --> 00:16:07.159 I mean I still use that philosophy today. Like I said, 353 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:09.440 if something happens on the way to work, I'm able 354 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:11.639 to just put that in a little box, do what 355 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:13.240 I got to do at work, and then go home, 356 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:16.039 or or something happens at work, I don't have to 357 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:19.039 bring that home and bring that nastiness into the home, 358 00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:20.759 and I can compartmentalize it and. 359 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:22.279 Think about it the appropriate time. 360 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:27.279 So Special Operations specifically because it's and they taught us 361 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:31.159 this too, it's ninety percent mental, ten percent physical. And 362 00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:36.600 that's in any Special Operations unit. It's just such a 363 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:39.759 vast variety of tasks you have to become an expert at, 364 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:42.399 you know, any special operations. Guys is kind of a 365 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:43.840 Swiss army, and I have kind of a jack of 366 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:46.000 all trades. We're not just a screwdriver or. 367 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:46.639 Just a hammer. 368 00:16:47.559 --> 00:16:49.440 You have to learn a bunch of stuff. So there's 369 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:52.639 a level of intellect that's required. But more importantly, it's 370 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:55.720 the psychological part of it. Being able to control your emotions, 371 00:16:55.799 --> 00:17:04.319 being able to maintain your professionalism in multiple challenging environments desert, jungle, snow. 372 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:05.279 All that's a mental game. 373 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:09.400 When you're extremely hot, extremely cold, the mission's impossible. 374 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:11.119 You have to convince you so if you can do it. 375 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:13.440 So that's why they say it's ninety percent mental, ten 376 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:16.279 percent physical. And when they first told me that, I'm like, 377 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:18.240 there's no way, because Buds is brutal. 378 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:20.039 I mean you're running with boats on your heads. 379 00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:23.440 You got hell week, you're you know, log peet, you're 380 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:26.759 doing two mile time to open ocean swims and second 381 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:29.440 phase you do a five point five nautical mile swim. 382 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:32.240 Took me four hours and fifty seven minutes to do 383 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:36.000 for the four hours, almost five hours, four hours, fifty 384 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:38.839 seven minutes, and it's just a complete there's no time requirement. 385 00:17:38.920 --> 00:17:40.000 You just have to do it. 386 00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:42.359 And of course it was in the wintertime and the 387 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:45.480 water was freezing and you're cramping up and you see 388 00:17:45.880 --> 00:17:48.640 the pier down an imperial beach you have to swim around, 389 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:51.000 and it's this tiny little blip on the horizon not 390 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:54.279 getting closer to you. Of Course, I'm convinced that there's 391 00:17:54.319 --> 00:17:56.680 like five hundred great white sharks around me at all time. 392 00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.839 So there's always this mental battle of you just have 393 00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:03.240 to accept it and go for it, and like we've 394 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:06.000 talked about, that really gives you some tools for later 395 00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:08.039 in life that you don't realize at the time. So 396 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.240 I just very blessed to buds in and of itself 397 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:16.079 is really a very pure selection process, and it. 398 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:19.880 Is mainly you versus yourself versus nature. There's not a 399 00:18:19.920 --> 00:18:21.039 lot to the buds compound. 400 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:24.440 There's an obstacle course, there's some pull up bars, dip bars, 401 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:26.640