WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:01.120 Hey guys, it's Jack. 2 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:03.240 I just wanted to talk to you today about a 3 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:05.919 way that you can help support the podcast if you're 4 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:09.519 not already to support the channel is to become a 5 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:13.000 Patreon member. So we have Patreon memberships that start at 6 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:15.919 just five dollars a month, and when you sign up, 7 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:19.160 you get access to all of our episodes add free. 8 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:21.679 That's the big bonus for that. I mean, we also 9 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:26.239 do some Patreon bonus episodes for our subscribers, but this 10 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:28.960 is the biggest and best way that you can support 11 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:33.679 the Teamhouse channel and podcast if you'd like to, and 12 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.200 we really appreciate that, So go and check us out 13 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:47.399 at patreon dot com. Slash The Teamhouse, Special Operations, cobert 14 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:56.159 Os Espionage, The Team House with your host Jack Murphy 15 00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:05.640 and David Park. Hey everyone, welcome to episode three hundred 16 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:08.120 and three of The Team House. We're here today with 17 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:12.079 Chris Cappy. Chris runs the Task and por Task and 18 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:14.920 Purpose YouTube channel. 19 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:18.159 And we're happy to have you here in studio tonight. 20 00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:20.400 Thanks for having me. Jack excited to be here. Thank you. 21 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:22.840 Dave. This is unstoked, so glad that you're in the 22 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:25.840 studio with us too. Yes, there's something about being there 23 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:26.319 in person. 24 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:29.319 That's nice. It's the booze that is, that's the part 25 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:29.480 of it. 26 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:31.959 In the cigards. Usually on webcam, I have to hide it. 27 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:33.719 I have to have it in like a juice box, 28 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:35.879 but we all know what's in there. 29 00:01:35.959 --> 00:01:38.359 Yeah. Yeah. 30 00:01:38.439 --> 00:01:40.640 If you don't hide it, you get an article about 31 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:44.560 you in New York Times talking about how debotrous you are. 32 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:50.879 So uh, you went from being a US Army infantryman 33 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:54.120 to being a fairly prolific YouTuber. 34 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:56.079 Let's talk about this whole. 35 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:58.560 Journey kind of like where it begins and where you 36 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:04.159 are today. Yes, literally start Let's start at the beginning, 37 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:06.280 like where did you grow up and what drove you 38 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:09.039 towards the Army. I grew up on Long Island, not 39 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:11.080 far from here, like an hour out east. 40 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:14.199 And I don't want to say I grew up sheltered, 41 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:17.080 but I did grow up a little bit sheltered, and 42 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:20.199 I felt very fortunate the life that I had on around. 43 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:24.960 And I needed discipline, let's say, like I needed a 44 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.879 little bit of edge. I was going to Originally, I 45 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:31.159 was going to art school in New York City, and 46 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:35.039 when I was there, it just felt like I wasn't 47 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:37.400 getting what I needed out of it. 48 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:38.639 It wasn't challenging me. 49 00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:41.520 And also I did I always I loved telling stories, 50 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:44.000 but I felt kind of like I had no stories 51 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.039 to tell. I had no nothing that I was really 52 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:48.120 passionate about. 53 00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:48.840 You're a young guy. 54 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:52.120 Yeah, it was like nineteen years old and hadn't really 55 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:55.199 like it sounds terrible to say, but I hadn't been tested, 56 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:57.840 and I felt like I needed to be tested to 57 00:02:57.840 --> 00:02:59.400 find out who who I am. 58 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:02.599 This was in two thousand and seven. 59 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:06.759 So I'm in New York City learning about cameras and 60 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:09.879 it's just feeling kind of empty. And I'm sitting there 61 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:11.919 in my dorm room like playing back the nine to 62 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:15.639 eleven footage over and over again and kind of getting 63 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:16.800 angry about it. 64 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:19.840 And I'd grown up a very conservative person. 65 00:03:19.960 --> 00:03:23.800 My dad, we'd always listen to talk radio when we're 66 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.159 driving through the traffic on Long Island, and that traffic 67 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:29.080 is killer, so there's a lot of time to kill 68 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:31.960 when you're listening to Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, and 69 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:34.400 so I'm getting all these my dad and everyone is 70 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:41.000 like very pro the Iraq invasion, and so I kind 71 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:44.199 of felt like when I'm in this dorm room. I'm 72 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:46.360 telling my buddies, like the. 73 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:50.120 War in Iraq. I'm getting drunken the wart me tell 74 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:52.439 you about the war in Iraq. It's a good thing. 75 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:56.000 We're not there for oil, and if we are, what 76 00:03:56.039 --> 00:04:01.159 else is worth dying for. These art school kids are 77 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:03.120 looking at me like freaking out. Yeah, They're like I'm 78 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:05.599 trying to paint, man, Like what are you talking about? 79 00:04:05.800 --> 00:04:08.360 They think I'm crazy, and I what I am. But 80 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:12.360 one of them calls me out on my bullshit. And 81 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:13.680 I don't know if this has ever happened to you 82 00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:16.240 when like someone says something to you that you know 83 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:17.600 is true and you're. 84 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:21.399 Like, oh, I've been married twice, yes, yes, okay, yeah, 85 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:24.079 and like you don't you don't say yeah, you're right, honey, 86 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:25.120 you now that. 87 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:26.560 No, You're like, okay. 88 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:30.199 So, as I'm on one of my tirades about how 89 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:33.000 the war in Iraq is a good thing, this one 90 00:04:33.240 --> 00:04:37.040 German foreign exchange student at art school who's also there 91 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:41.600 for film tells me, if you believe in the war 92 00:04:41.639 --> 00:04:45.040 in Iraq so much, why are you here at art school? 93 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:48.800 Why don't you enlist and go fight over there? And 94 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:51.920 I'm like, you don't know what you're talking about? Why 95 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:55.079 would I do that? That's that's stupid. I don't need 96 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:58.680 to do that. But then I, like, I actually look 97 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:00.600 in the mirror. It's one of those moments where you 98 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.319 have to look in the mirror and kind of ask yourself, like, I, 99 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:07.839 that is hypocritical of me to be all for this 100 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:11.279 war and not be willing to go and actually. 101 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:15.360 Put myself on the line. So I should you not? 102 00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:18.439 Like the next week, I hit up a recruiter and 103 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:22.439 I ask him, like, what's the process for going in 104 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:23.480 and enlisting? 105 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:24.480 How? 106 00:05:24.680 --> 00:05:29.199 What would that look like? And that that's what started 107 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:32.639 me on that path with someone. 108 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:36.120 What did the German students say when he found out 109 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:37.800 that you had started. 110 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:38.000 On that path? 111 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:42.879 So I, it wasn't it wasn't like it's interesting you 112 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:44.800 asked that, because it's It wasn't so much that I 113 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:48.800 wanted that he needed like his validation, or like cared 114 00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:53.079 so much about what he thought. It was more like 115 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:55.639 I I never actually went back to him and like 116 00:05:55.720 --> 00:05:59.399 told you so, which in hindsight, I probably should have. 117 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:04.600 I would have been a satisfying like, but I don't know. 118 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:05.959 I never went back to. 119 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:08.759 To settle that score. 120 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:11.160 Yeah, so. 121 00:06:12.959 --> 00:06:17.040 You enlisted guard and and how were you balancing that 122 00:06:17.079 --> 00:06:19.600 with school or would you pull a lot of school out? 123 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:20.319 Did that work for you? 124 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:22.199 So I was I was certain that I was going 125 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:25.439 to hate the military. I was, like, I heard all 126 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:27.439 those stories. There's a lot of mis you think every 127 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:30.680 day is like boot camp exactly. I went into it thinking, 128 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.079 for sure, this is not going to be something that 129 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:35.959 I like or I'm gonna I was worried that I 130 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:38.920 was going to commit to like eight years active duty 131 00:06:39.120 --> 00:06:42.959 and end up like getting dishonorably discharged because I hated 132 00:06:43.000 --> 00:06:45.600 so much or something. So I did the minimum amount 133 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:48.160 of initial commitment to see if I kind of liked it. 134 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:49.839 And so I. 135 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:53.959 Did National Guard Infantry with the plan of if after 136 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:56.879 boot camp, if I if this seems right, then like 137 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:00.720 I'll just deploy, do my time in Iraq, get back 138 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:05.040 and that'll be like I feel like, because me finish 139 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:07.360 the point type the story of what I was saying earlier, 140 00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:10.399 which is that like I felt like I was very 141 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:13.839 fortunate that what this country gave me and whether really 142 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:15.560 at the end of the day, whether the war in 143 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:19.480 Iraq was right or wrong, I wanted to kind of 144 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:25.240 do my part when the country asked something of us, 145 00:07:25.639 --> 00:07:30.519 like I wanted to give back because of all the 146 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:34.480 opportunity that I felt like I'd been given. So the 147 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:36.759 plan was like get in, deploy, and get out kind 148 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:39.600 of it. So happened that I ended up loving it, 149 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:42.959 and I'm like tism levels of obsessed with the military 150 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:48.680 and weapons systems now. But so once I got back 151 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:52.519 from boot camp, I'll spare everybody the boot camp stories. 152 00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:55.720 But once I got back, I volunteer because in the 153 00:07:55.759 --> 00:07:59.240 Guard you can volunteer to go. So I went to 154 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:03.399 my commander and I said, hey, can you sign this paper? 155 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:05.600 The first unit that's getting out of here is the 156 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:10.079 Pennsylvania National Guard? Can you release me to go to them? 157 00:08:10.120 --> 00:08:13.720 So he was like, I'll sign this, but like, dude, 158 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:16.839 we're not deploying for two years. You can chill. You're crazy, 159 00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:19.120 what are you doing? Why would you want to go? 160 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:24.319 And he signed it and released me. So then I 161 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:27.720 got with a couple of other dudes that I went 162 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:32.279 to boot camp with. We all backfilled into the Pennsylvania 163 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:35.240 National Guard who needed bodies because it was two thousand 164 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:37.799 and eight and they just needed people with a pulse. 165 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:42.159 So that that takes me to that part. 166 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:45.120 And so let me ask you though, because what was 167 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:46.320 the New York Guard? 168 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:51.360 What was you were infantry? Was that striker or was it. 169 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:54.639 The New York Guard is light infant trade there. I 170 00:08:54.759 --> 00:09:00.519 was an Alpha company in Lexington. There's very few infantry 171 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:04.360 units in the National Guard, right, No, there's actually a lot. 172 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:09.000 The Reserve has no combat on this, right yeah, the 173 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:10.000 National Guard has. 174 00:09:10.039 --> 00:09:11.360 That's that's why I went Guard. 175 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:13.519 Was because when I went to the reserves, they were like, 176 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:18.159 we have logistics, we have am I, which are great jobs. 177 00:09:18.519 --> 00:09:20.919 In hindsight, I wish I'd done one of those cool 178 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:25.320 ones like that. But only eleven Bravo units are in 179 00:09:25.360 --> 00:09:32.840 the Guard. So that's how I ended up switching from 180 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:36.600 the New York unit is a long history, great unit there. 181 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:39.120 The guys at the Lexington Armory if you ever checked 182 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:42.480 them out, like they went from their stories they went 183 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:47.240 from responding to the nine to eleven attacks to then 184 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:50.799 going to Iraq like two years later. 185 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:52.320 This was very personal for them. 186 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:56.240 Yeah, but an incredible unit there. And and also the 187 00:09:56.240 --> 00:09:58.919 Pennsylvania unit was like I just lucked out that I 188 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:01.240 happened to be what I what I thought were good 189 00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:02.000 Guard units. 190 00:10:02.120 --> 00:10:06.600 So was because for people, why not know the and 191 00:10:06.639 --> 00:10:07.759 this is how it used to be and you can 192 00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:09.080 correct me if it's changed. 193 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:12.279 Is that there was eleven Bravo which was. 194 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:17.480 Line uh standard infantry, eleven Charlies which were the mortars, 195 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:22.639 and eleven Mics which were the mechanized right, mechanized infantry, 196 00:10:23.320 --> 00:10:26.159 which I guess you learned how to work the systems 197 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:29.080 and get on and off a vehicle when you went 198 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.759 to the striker unit were they were they eleven mics 199 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:34.720 or were the eleven Bravos or what? 200 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:35.399 What was that? 201 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:38.320 When I was getting in, they had switched it to 202 00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:41.480 where it's just eleven bros. 203 00:10:41.559 --> 00:10:43.240 Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. 204 00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:51.360 Yeah, but yeah, they used to have eleven hotel, which 205 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:55.200 I think was toe right. They still have eleven Charlie more, 206 00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:00.639 but yeah, it was just they kind of collipt which 207 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:03.000 I don't know if they're now changing that and going 208 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:03.440 back to. 209 00:11:06.080 --> 00:11:07.200 Designators. 210 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:10.440 So you're crazy ass the size to jump on this 211 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:13.559 deployment with the Pennsylvania National Guard because you want to. 212 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:14.159 Get out the door. 213 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:18.320 Uh So, I mean this it's also a bit of 214 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:20.879 a mystery to me too. I mean, what's it like 215 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:24.240 kind of changing states in the National Guard. Is it 216 00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:26.519 really just like a military transfer and you go over 217 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:29.240 there and you start training with the unit and begin 218 00:11:29.320 --> 00:11:29.960 that process. 219 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:31.279 It was. 220 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:36.120 It was kind of surreal and it all seems like 221 00:11:36.159 --> 00:11:42.159 some someone else's life now. But it went from just yeah, 222 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:44.000 you're in the New York Guard and then you get 223 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:47.600 kind of title ten as it orders, where Okay, you're 224 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:49.519 on active, you got to be here at this time, 225 00:11:50.039 --> 00:11:52.519 at this date. And then so we went to Camp 226 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:57.200 Shelby for MOBOP, which is like three models of training 227 00:11:57.399 --> 00:12:01.639 with the get familiarized with the strikers, and we do 228 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:07.639 like in the box where you're Camp Shelby was was terrible, 229 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:14.679 terrible place, just an awful experience. And during MOBIP, we're 230 00:12:14.759 --> 00:12:18.639 in those briefings and they're showing you these videos and 231 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:22.159 it's like NonStop, just videos of dudes getting blown up 232 00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:27.000 by IDs or like snipers shooting shooting guys and then 233 00:12:27.080 --> 00:12:31.440 they're they're like pulling their buddy away and then getting shot. Yeah, 234 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:35.600 and so I'm one one month, I'm in art school, 235 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:44.200 drinking and learning about brothers. Stanley Kubrick's film and give 236 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:49.000 Can you give me an essay on Stanley Kubrick's movies 237 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:51.679 and like pretentious art school stuff. And then two months 238 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:54.919 later I'm watching videos thinking like what have I done? 239 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:57.080 Yeah, you're gonna be up in the bell tower reciting 240 00:12:57.200 --> 00:12:58.080 verses from the Bible. 241 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:01.519 Was there a point to the videos or was it 242 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:06.120 just other conceived moto session or was it more like 243 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:08.960 attacks overview of like this is how they're going to 244 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:09.480 hit you. 245 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.559 Don't fall for this, I do, dave. 246 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:17.000 I guarantee you that was the commander's intent, like, hey. 247 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:20.080 Let's show these videos so that again let's and give 248 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:22.960 them analysis and kind of teach them to not get 249 00:13:23.000 --> 00:13:24.519 blown up and how. 250 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:25.080 To avoid this. 251 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:29.000 I guarantee you that was some command captain's probably good idea. 252 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:32.120 And if if the class was taught by perun this 253 00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:34.360 is like great YouTuber if he if he did the 254 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:37.360 rundown of that PowerPoint briefing, we would have gotten something 255 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:37.759 out of it. 256 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:40.759 Instead, it was some E four that could give a ship. 257 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:41.360 Yeah exactly. 258 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:44.360 He's like, he's like, yo, it was crazy, right, yeah, 259 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:45.279 holy shit. 260 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:50.639 And then you learn about are you so what rank 261 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:52.759 are you when you? Did you get credits for your 262 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:53.799 school and stuff like that. 263 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.559 No, it was the lowest ranking, youngest guy in my company. 264 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:01.120 He was nineteen years old when I got to mobile. 265 00:14:01.320 --> 00:14:05.879 I was fuzzy. I think maybe any one And. 266 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:10.120 Yeah, sitting there just thinking I've made the biggest mistake 267 00:14:10.159 --> 00:14:10.600 of my life. 268 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:11.480 I'm going to get. 269 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:12.600 Killed, like. 270 00:14:14.039 --> 00:14:17.919 And I'll share this just because you know. I So 271 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:19.960 the whole point of the reason why I make content 272 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:23.519 about the military is I want there was, like I 273 00:14:23.559 --> 00:14:25.720 wish that as when I was an infantryman, when I 274 00:14:25.799 --> 00:14:27.679 was a young guy, Like I wish that there was 275 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:30.279 a resource out there for me to learn about the 276 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:33.120 geopolitics of these conflicts that were asked to go and 277 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:36.720 maybe die in, and like the weapons systems an interesting 278 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:42.159 entertaining way to learn about these things. And because I 279 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:45.799 think it's scary. It's freaking scary when you're young, right. 280 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:48.600 It's so different than like when I joined the military, 281 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:51.279 and certainly when Dave joined the military. 282 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:52.399 Back when we had cavalry. 283 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:55.960 You go you go to you go to like borders, 284 00:14:56.759 --> 00:14:59.759 buy a book and it was like a Vietnam memoir. 285 00:15:00.559 --> 00:15:04.399 I mean there's just like no information really available. Yeah, yeah, 286 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:04.960 and you got. 287 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:07.519 Remember like dudes there in the barracks reading like a 288 00:15:07.559 --> 00:15:11.159 book that some guy who had been deployed, like his 289 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:15.679 experience and everyone's sharing it. But there's now with the 290 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:18.480 way YouTube and like it has changed everything, you can 291 00:15:18.519 --> 00:15:22.360 really kind of teach people things. And so it was 292 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:25.480 so scary for me during MOBIP that I literally wanted 293 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:29.159 to quit. I went to my chaplain and I said, 294 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:31.600 I was like, and this is hard for me to admit, 295 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.600 but I told him, I said, I can't do this. 296 00:15:34.919 --> 00:15:35.600 Send me home. 297 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:40.039 I shouldn't be here, like I'm going to quit because 298 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.039 I'm terrified. I feel like I'm gonna go there and 299 00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:45.879 I'm gonna die. And he, the chaplain said to me, 300 00:15:46.360 --> 00:15:50.919 he was like, take a breath. I you know, if 301 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:54.200 you want, I can get you out. I can send 302 00:15:54.200 --> 00:15:58.679 you back home, but I want you to take one day, 303 00:15:59.320 --> 00:16:01.679 go back home or go back to the barracks. 304 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:03.159 Think about it. 305 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:05.279 And if tomorrow you feel the same way, I will 306 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:07.120 start the paperwork and we will get you out of here. 307 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:10.600 And like you won't You're not gonna be dishonorably discharged, 308 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:12.120 like you're just gonna go back home. 309 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:14.559 We'll get for you know, medical or whatever. Yeah, that 310 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:17.080 was big of him to do. That really was this 311 00:16:17.159 --> 00:16:23.519 dude changed my life. And I said okay, and he said, listen, 312 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:26.440 I if I don't see you again, like I want 313 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:28.679 you to know, I think you're gonna do this deployment, 314 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:31.759 and I think you're gonna be You're gonna be happy 315 00:16:31.799 --> 00:16:34.279 that you did, and you're gonna be okay, for better 316 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:36.279 or worse like this is, I think you're going to 317 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:39.360 be happy that you made this decision. I went back 318 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:43.279 to the barracks, spend time with my squad, the guys 319 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.879 that like I actually care about, and the next day 320 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:49.159 I was like, I can do this. 321 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:52.240 Yeah, I can do I don't want the shame of 322 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:55.080 not being not doing it. And so I feel like 323 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:58.759 a lot of people probably have would for reasonable reasons, 324 00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:02.600 but have trouble admitting that, Like you have those second thoughts, 325 00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:04.599 and because a lot of people right now I'm sure 326 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:07.680 are commenting like you pussy, and uh. 327 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:10.119 You know those are those are real thoughts. But then 328 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:12.599 you're a real human being with real fears. 329 00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:16.319 Yeah, that are not illogical or irrational. 330 00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:21.240 And and and there there's there's something inspiring about somebody 331 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:25.039 who had those thoughts and still did it, as opposed 332 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:26.720 to somebody who was. 333 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:30.079 Just your your pals an art school. They're sitting on 334 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:31.279 the couch eating grito's. 335 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:36.079 Well, yeah, yeah, out of curiosity. Did your family have 336 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:39.000 any history of service? What did your parents think about this? 337 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:41.200 Like drastic detour you took. 338 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:46.000 They begged me not to go. They begged me after 339 00:17:46.039 --> 00:17:49.759 all the especially I love my family. 340 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:53.160 They're they're very like raw rah Iraq. 341 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:56.200 But when I said I was going to go, they're like, well, no, 342 00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:58.960 not it changes, yeah, not you like and they and 343 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:02.720 they said wait until you're an officer. Once you're an officer, 344 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:05.359 then go in and it'll be better. And they're right, yeah, 345 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:09.559 that would have been better. But no, but my grandfather 346 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:15.599 he was twenty fifth sorry second I date artilleryman in 347 00:18:15.640 --> 00:18:20.240 the Korean War and always have so much respect for 348 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.079 my grandfather and what he did. I mean, and he 349 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:28.200 was drafted into it. But that was the service that 350 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:32.000 I had my family. And also his brother actually passed 351 00:18:32.039 --> 00:18:35.680 away in World War two. He was flying Easy Company 352 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:39.160 and he wanted he was one of the planes that 353 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:44.079 got shot down in World War two, but not much immediate. 354 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:48.240 Yeah. Yeah, but they but they they were not happy. 355 00:18:48.839 --> 00:18:53.519 No, no, no, they wanted they they they and they 356 00:18:53.559 --> 00:18:56.079 wanted me to serve in a different way. Yeah, which 357 00:18:56.519 --> 00:18:58.920 and I believe in that that there's a million ways 358 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:02.720 to serve your country. It's just for me specifically, the 359 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:06.880 way I needed to be of service was that way. 360 00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:08.279 And you have to do that. 361 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:11.079 I mean, if that's what you think about, you don't 362 00:19:11.119 --> 00:19:12.920 want to get to thirty and have ash in your 363 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:15.519 mouth about I wish I would have. 364 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:19.599 That was a thought going through my mind. And I 365 00:19:19.640 --> 00:19:22.359 feel like a lot of my life is based around 366 00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:27.400 like either way, it's gonna suck, right, no matter what 367 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:31.000 path you go down. But that, to me was the 368 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:34.279 type of suck that that I could live with. 369 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:36.440 It's not necessarily a bad thing, And I mean, I 370 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:38.640 don't know how you feel about it in like retrospect, 371 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:41.240 but when I look back on it, yeah, they're good 372 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:45.119 and bad for sure. But like you think that kid 373 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:46.839 that had that dream that they were going to be 374 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:49.240 an astronaut, I kind of got to do that. 375 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:54.799 Yeah, you know, So no regrets, And it's easy. I 376 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:58.039 think it's easy to talk shit about your time in 377 00:19:58.039 --> 00:20:00.160 the military when you did it. 378 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:02.359 You know, when you did it, like it's like I 379 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:05.039 get it. And then you know you can look at 380 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:06.960 kids and go, I fuck, I don't do it. But 381 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:09.240 if they have that same drive. Why would you discourage 382 00:20:09.240 --> 00:20:14.160 that because you did it and you know, and I can't. 383 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:17.000 I mean, look, I'd probably have a family and and 384 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:19.559 be you know happy that way too, But I can't 385 00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:22.720 imagine what my life would have been without the military. 386 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:26.720 To me, it gave me a sense of community and 387 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:31.119 a sense of principles and values to try to not 388 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:33.119 not been successful in doing it all the time, but 389 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.000 like as really yes, yeah, and having that for me 390 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:40.279 was needed. I don't know about you guys, but like 391 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:42.599 there were a ton of times where they're paying me 392 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:43.480 to do this. 393 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:44.920 I'm gonna get to go in. 394 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:49.440 A Chinook, a Blackhawk, this, this Striker is ours? 395 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.359 Where this is just for our squad? Are you kidding me? 396 00:20:52.759 --> 00:20:57.359 Those moments, I like, so shoot us. 397 00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:00.599 Forward to to the deployment and you know, working with 398 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:05.440 the Strikers. I mean those vehicles were relatively new at 399 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:05.920 that time. 400 00:21:07.240 --> 00:21:10.519 What did you think of them? 401 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:15.720 I know, okay, so for the purposes of counterinsurgency coin operations, 402 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:18.799 I thought the Strikers were amazing. And also from what 403 00:21:18.839 --> 00:21:22.599 I heard about the dudes that had Bradley's that for 404 00:21:22.759 --> 00:21:24.920 our purpose, Like, I don't know if i'd want to 405 00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:26.039 be in Ukraine. 406 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:27.440 Deployed with a Striker necessarily. 407 00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:29.759 I mean I've heard good things there too as well, 408 00:21:30.279 --> 00:21:36.480 but for my purposes, yeah, okay, there were problems. The 409 00:21:36.519 --> 00:21:39.799 problems were the bottom of the vehicle was like a 410 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:43.440 thin sheet of aluminum for armor on the bottom, and 411 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:47.400 underneath that is the gas line. And so what we 412 00:21:47.440 --> 00:21:50.039 did was we laid down in large and also the 413 00:21:50.119 --> 00:21:52.079 hydraulic lines for the rear door. 414 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:52.759 My pin. 415 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:54.759 Now, yeah, so you don't want to get out there, 416 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:58.000 do you, because I don't know if you were thinking, well, 417 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:00.079 if the vehicle gets blown up, you might actually we 418 00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:00.799 want to get out. 419 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:02.319 Of it real quick. 420 00:22:02.359 --> 00:22:04.519 Can you for the viewers from mind, I know, can 421 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:06.920 you tell us what a striker is totally? 422 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:11.160 A striker is an eight wheeled not an infantry fighting vehicle, 423 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:14.119 but they call it an armored fighter fighting vehicle or 424 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:19.559 an interim fighting vehicle. So it's got a ramp in 425 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:22.160 the back that goes down and you can fit between 426 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:27.559 eight to eleven guys, depending on how comfortable you are 427 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:31.720 with like sitting on each other's laps, so you could 428 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:33.680 we at one point we had thirteen people in the 429 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:36.200 back when we had a general come with us. 430 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:38.920 But it's a fast moving goes up. 431 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:42.960 To like I believe, eighty kilometers per hour, and it's 432 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:45.799 got either a fifty caln on top or a Mark 433 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:48.960 nineteen okay. And really the thing that sets it apart 434 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:53.559 from like the Russian BTR is it's suite of sensors 435 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:55.960 and communications devices. 436 00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:57.519 So the striker. 437 00:22:58.200 --> 00:23:02.680 Has the Blue Force Blue Tracker, which this thing was 438 00:23:02.720 --> 00:23:06.440 crazy when they're selling it to me. It's got it's 439 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:10.920 basically well it's probably not that crazy. 440 00:23:09.880 --> 00:23:13.640 Now, but stuff like flear and and even pluggers like. 441 00:23:14.359 --> 00:23:16.920 It because it's to be encrypted. It's all got to 442 00:23:16.920 --> 00:23:17.480 be encrypted. 443 00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:21.000 Is it's so having everyone has GPS in their on 444 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:23.000 their phone in their pocket, but but to have a 445 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:27.680 GPS that is safe from being hacked into, and you 446 00:23:27.720 --> 00:23:31.920 can see where your friendly vehicles are on a map 447 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:35.880 in Iraq, like there's the satellite systems are supporting all 448 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:38.519 that that was crazy. And you've got comms where you 449 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:41.680 can push to you can talk to your battalion headquarters 450 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:45.119 and they can feed you in live intelligence as they're 451 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:48.119 getting this info. Like it's this it's not just an 452 00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:52.599 armored vehicle, it's also the electric the systems that come 453 00:23:52.680 --> 00:23:56.000 with it, and right, we were just talking about FBCB 454 00:23:56.079 --> 00:23:58.720 two and how like, yeah, okay, kids might not be 455 00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:01.960 I think it's crazy, but it's it's encrypted. 456 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:06.279 Yeah, nuts, that's right. And Falcony was amazing at the time. 457 00:24:06.440 --> 00:24:09.400 FLEAR two is nuts because you can see your driver 458 00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:11.680 can see what the gunner can see. You could switch 459 00:24:11.720 --> 00:24:15.680 between views like and it's a remote control weapons system 460 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:18.559 so it's got three sixty you know, just with a 461 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:23.680 joystick and it's stabilized. So yeah, it's And we were 462 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:26.960 the first guard unit to get strikers and we had 463 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:30.680 full spectrum, so we were running our whole AO. 464 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:32.440 We did everything from. 465 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:37.119 Patrols to guard duty to you know, we we ran 466 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:41.240 that that little piece of Route Tampa based. 467 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:43.359 Like key leader engagements all that kind of stuff. 468 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:48.240 So, uh, Fleer is forward looking IR Infra red, which 469 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:53.079 it's the heat signatures and you can buy it off 470 00:24:53.079 --> 00:24:56.519 the shelf now, but back in the day, like it 471 00:24:56.799 --> 00:24:57.359 was magic. 472 00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:58.880 It was like, this is incredible. 473 00:24:58.920 --> 00:25:01.839 You know you can see, you know, the silhouettes of 474 00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:03.079 the people in front of you. 475 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:04.519 Yeah, it's amazing. 476 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:07.319 I don't know if you guys ever, I'm sure you've 477 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:10.359 probably seen some tech that you're like, wait, we had, 478 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:12.160 we can do that. There was the one thing that 479 00:25:12.279 --> 00:25:14.720 bugged me out with FLEAR was we also had I 480 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:15.839 don't know if you guys ever had. 481 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:19.720 This eagle eye. We called it the sphere. 482 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:23.000 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, And so everyone in while we 483 00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:26.599 rotate through operating the Eagle Eye, and it's this like 484 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:33.720 three hundred thousand dollars insanely high fidelity thermal camera that's 485 00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:38.200 hoisted up excuse me, like I don't know, two hundred 486 00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:39.839 feet in the air or whatever, and then you can 487 00:25:39.880 --> 00:25:43.279 see out three kilometers or something like that. 488 00:25:43.640 --> 00:25:47.519 There were blimps, but this is it's on a telescoping Yeah, 489 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:52.000 I didn't know that. Yeah, it's so big, like a 490 00:25:52.039 --> 00:25:52.960 tent pole almost. 491 00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:54.720 That was like a periscope in a way. 492 00:25:54.839 --> 00:25:57.480 Yes, yeah, And it's up two hundred feet in the 493 00:25:57.480 --> 00:26:00.200 air or whatever, and we could and you could see 494 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:03.759 out all the way down Route Tampa and every night 495 00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:06.880 you'd see dudes run out try to plant an ied 496 00:26:07.480 --> 00:26:10.240 out on the highway and then so you'd spin up QRF. 497 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:13.720 But that was I'm like, wait a second, if we 498 00:26:13.720 --> 00:26:17.640 have these abilities, how long until this stuff like comes 499 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:20.079 back home or like our government can we. 500 00:26:19.960 --> 00:26:20.440 Can do this? 501 00:26:20.599 --> 00:26:20.839 Yeah? 502 00:26:21.039 --> 00:26:27.079 Because you're looking into people's houses kilometers away. And as 503 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:29.039 a nineteen year old back in two thousand and eight, 504 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:31.440 I was like, this is magic, Like you said, it's yeah. 505 00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:37.920 It's a comment on how the technology diffuses and how 506 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:41.400 quickly that happens. That back in those days, you know, 507 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:43.559 we had this huge advantage because we were the only 508 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:45.599 ones that had night vision, the only ones. 509 00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:46.279 Who had thermals. 510 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:49.119 Once in a while you might pick up like some 511 00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:54.279 you know, like civilian bought version of night vision that 512 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:57.000 you know, came out of a Cabela's catalog or something 513 00:26:57.079 --> 00:27:00.359 like that, but really we owned the night right, and 514 00:27:00.759 --> 00:27:03.920 I think for Ukraine and some of these other conflicts 515 00:27:03.960 --> 00:27:05.400 today that's no longer true. 516 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:08.039 I talk about this a lot of times because this 517 00:27:08.119 --> 00:27:13.519 fascinates me, this idea of how do we get continue 518 00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:17.240 overmatch at night. And it's interesting what you see them 519 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:20.960 doing with the XM seven and with the FWS or 520 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:24.079 the XM one fifty seven, where they're now moving to 521 00:27:24.200 --> 00:27:28.440 where you're no longer using a Peck fifteen laser pointer. 522 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:34.960 Everything is now thermal or piped into your optic so 523 00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:39.160 we no longer have to hopefully give away our position at. 524 00:27:39.079 --> 00:27:41.519 Least with the Peck I mean, is that networked with 525 00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:43.920 the other guys in the unit or is it just 526 00:27:43.960 --> 00:27:46.400 to help that one soldier with his marksmanship. 527 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:50.319 So no one is using peck fifteens anymore, is the way? 528 00:27:51.160 --> 00:27:54.440 So we still, I think, have overmatch at night, but 529 00:27:54.519 --> 00:27:55.680 it's not the same anymore. 530 00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:57.559 That's not what it was. You're not going to have 531 00:27:57.559 --> 00:28:00.559 the IR strobe on your helmet, like yeah, yeah, yes. 532 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:03.119 Or I used to walk around all the time with 533 00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:06.119 I had the PVS fourteens, which I see now what 534 00:28:06.200 --> 00:28:10.000 dudes are using with the white phosphorus and everything incredible. 535 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.240 Whoa yeah, yeah, I'm walking around like falling into ditches 536 00:28:14.279 --> 00:28:17.960 and like almost shooting at cows because I can't see 537 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:20.079 like three hundred meters ahead of me. 538 00:28:21.640 --> 00:28:23.079 So let me catch it real quick. 539 00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:24.960 So when we're talking about Pack fift team, we're talking about, 540 00:28:25.039 --> 00:28:28.039 you know, a laser pointer, but it's infrared, so you 541 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:31.279 have to be wearing night vision in order to see it. 542 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:33.519 So when you're rolling up on a target and their 543 00:28:33.599 --> 00:28:36.359 dude standing out, they have like fourteen lasers on them 544 00:28:36.359 --> 00:28:41.200 and they have no idea. It's amazing. But now night 545 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:46.480 vision is cheap. It's a couple hundred bucks if that sometimes, 546 00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:51.839 And so you can't really do that anymore. So we're 547 00:28:51.880 --> 00:28:56.200 moving into this new arena of using the thermal imaging 548 00:28:56.200 --> 00:28:58.640 and things like that to do it fascinating stuff. 549 00:28:58.839 --> 00:29:01.720 We just when we had we just walked around like 550 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:02.480 with impunity. 551 00:29:02.599 --> 00:29:02.799 Yeah. 552 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:05.039 And I always the way I feel about it is 553 00:29:06.680 --> 00:29:07.799 like we. 554 00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:11.559 I was so lucky in this war because I didn't 555 00:29:11.559 --> 00:29:14.119 have to worry about airstrikes. I didn't have to worry 556 00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:16.039 about shooting at dudes with body armor. 557 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:21.880 Like it's just the it was on another level. 558 00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:24.039 It was yeah. 559 00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:26.480 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 560 00:29:26.519 --> 00:29:29.519 And a lot of times I would say, I'm like 561 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:34.200 these guys, they're they're cowards. They're hitting us with IDs 562 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:36.799 and then they're running away. They're not standing and fighting. 563 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:37.519 Yeah. 564 00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:39.279 And one of my squad. 565 00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:41.680 Mates said to me, he was like, dude, they're not 566 00:29:41.720 --> 00:29:44.559 Are we cowards for dropping bombs from forty thousand feet 567 00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:47.400 in the sky on them and not standing in the fight? 568 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:53.519 Are No, They're they're smart. Yeah, Like, don't underestimate the anime. 569 00:29:54.440 --> 00:29:57.960 And when he said that, it like, like, oh, that's. 570 00:29:57.880 --> 00:30:01.000 Kind of happen. I fought the British a lot, you know, yeah, 571 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:02.799 exactly right. Yeah, So. 572 00:30:04.519 --> 00:30:07.279 Yeah, it's fascinating. I mean, you know, talking about thermal 573 00:30:07.359 --> 00:30:09.079 makes me think of like kill TV. You know when 574 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:11.279 you're watching like I don't know if you ever got 575 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:13.519 into like a talk or a jock and we're able 576 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:15.079 to watch like the AC one thirties or the A 577 00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:18.400 tens out there, and you know, seeing bad guys moving 578 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:22.960 out out through a field thinking that they're completely you know, 579 00:30:23.400 --> 00:30:26.920 imper visible, invisible as they're like crawling along the ground 580 00:30:26.960 --> 00:30:28.799 or whatever, and it's like, we see you. 581 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:31.640 So I called in an air strike one time, okay, 582 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:33.960 or helped called in an air strike one time at 583 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:37.319 a at our fob. So, I lived on a little 584 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:42.599 joint JSS Joint Security station or cop combat outpost right 585 00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:46.599 outside Camp Toadgy. It's about the size of a football field. 586 00:30:46.680 --> 00:30:50.640 There's six guard towers around it, surrounded by tea walls, 587 00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:55.559 about forty Americans one hundred Iraqi police on it. And 588 00:30:55.599 --> 00:30:58.680 one night, well, I'm operating the Eagle Eye and I 589 00:30:58.720 --> 00:31:04.960 see guys out digging about two hundred meters away from us. 590 00:31:05.559 --> 00:31:10.079 And then the cop calls me up and they're like, hey, Cappy, 591 00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:14.440 you see guys digging out there, And yeah, Roger, I 592 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:17.640 see them there looks like they're digging and they're like, okay, 593 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:25.920 gotcha Roger that. Then I hear helicopters overhead over there, 594 00:31:26.640 --> 00:31:31.720 and suddenly I see like the sky rips open. It 595 00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:35.759 just it sounds and looks like lightning coming from the sky, 596 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:40.160 and the apaches go full send with their thirty mic 597 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:43.000 mic and they turn these guys to dust. And I'm 598 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:45.880 watching through the eagle eye as they just get pasted. 599 00:31:46.920 --> 00:31:51.960 And later on that Age sixty four thermal camera makes 600 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:54.640 the rounds around the unit and everybody's looking at it 601 00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:59.480 and like it's just crazy to see what the US 602 00:31:59.559 --> 00:32:03.680 military when, like when they take the gloves off, it 603 00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:06.440 just they one of the squads had to go out 604 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:07.960 and like pick the pieces. 605 00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:08.440 Of these dudes up. 606 00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:12.319 So you've mentioned I want to get into you like 607 00:32:12.359 --> 00:32:15.160 you're moving to the cop because that's that's a unique experience. 608 00:32:15.400 --> 00:32:16.640 But I want you to tell us a little bit 609 00:32:16.680 --> 00:32:20.279 about Route Tampa, Like what what does that mean and. 610 00:32:21.640 --> 00:32:22.559 What's the big deal. 611 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:29.839 Yeah, there's this popular meme about Rick and Morty where 612 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:36.160 Rick asks this little robot for butter and the robot 613 00:32:36.200 --> 00:32:38.799 comes over and just gives him butter for his pancakes. 614 00:32:39.240 --> 00:32:41.359 And he's like, is this my purpose in life? And 615 00:32:41.440 --> 00:32:45.960 Rick is like, yeah, it is, and so my purpose 616 00:32:46.119 --> 00:32:49.680 in life, our whole unit's entire purpose, and why the 617 00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:52.920 US government spent whatever millions of dollars to keep us 618 00:32:52.960 --> 00:32:57.839 on Route Tampa is because that's the main supply route 619 00:32:58.119 --> 00:33:02.440 that runs north to south in Iraq. And if that 620 00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:05.519 route shuts down, then you know, if ID takes out 621 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:09.319 that route and stops it, then all the supplies that 622 00:33:09.359 --> 00:33:13.799 get run through Iraq shuts down, so that there really 623 00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:17.279 isn't I mean, there's probably alternative routes that you can take, 624 00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:22.240 but as you know, there aren't many hardball roads through Iraq, 625 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:25.759 so you're risking ending up stuck in the mud. And 626 00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:29.039 the supply trucks the logy. Really they got to go 627 00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:31.440 through Tampa because that's the paved highway. 628 00:33:31.559 --> 00:33:33.720 We were cool with Kuwait, but not so much with 629 00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:35.599 Turkey in regards to the war. 630 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:36.640 Yeah. 631 00:33:36.680 --> 00:33:41.000 With the supplies, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, because it's 632 00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:44.319 coming from the south. I'm guessing all the like the Rippets, 633 00:33:44.519 --> 00:33:47.440 because we're running on Rippets, running. 634 00:33:47.160 --> 00:33:52.720 On Copenhagen, and Rippets was the energy drink out there, 635 00:33:52.759 --> 00:33:54.319 and it was everywhere. 636 00:33:53.839 --> 00:33:55.839 And there's a lot of warnings on the back of that, 637 00:33:56.000 --> 00:34:00.960 although worth every year that it took off my life, Yeah, slammed. 638 00:34:02.559 --> 00:34:06.279 But so yeah, it's like a monster if you injected 639 00:34:06.440 --> 00:34:08.039 some cocaine into it. 640 00:34:08.119 --> 00:34:09.079 Yeah. 641 00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:12.880 Did you ever try a wild tiger? No? Oh man, 642 00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:13.639 that's another one. 643 00:34:13.679 --> 00:34:16.039 It's uh actually I wear the t shirts sometimes, but 644 00:34:16.159 --> 00:34:20.159 it's another energy drink in Iraq and uh on it 645 00:34:20.239 --> 00:34:23.400 is a tiger and it's like jumping off like and 646 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:27.599 the little wine on it. It's total activation. And I'm 647 00:34:27.639 --> 00:34:30.519 pretty sure there's stuff in there that's like illegal in 648 00:34:30.559 --> 00:34:35.400 the United States, you know, if we were to definitely yeah, yeah, yes, 649 00:34:36.039 --> 00:34:37.400 there are health codes being broken. 650 00:34:37.599 --> 00:34:42.119 So one of the challenging things about Route Tampa, like 651 00:34:42.159 --> 00:34:45.280 you said, it was the main road and for suplies 652 00:34:45.320 --> 00:34:48.000 and stuff, so you didn't just have like infantry on 653 00:34:48.039 --> 00:34:50.480 there like doing moved to contact. You had truck drivers 654 00:34:50.480 --> 00:34:52.400 out there, you had maintenance people out there, and they 655 00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:54.880 would get these massive firefights that would get hit by 656 00:34:54.920 --> 00:34:58.079 IDs vb IDs like. 657 00:34:58.400 --> 00:35:02.960 It was a very dangerous road a lot. 658 00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:08.000 So doing full spectrum operations, it was you know, three 659 00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:10.960 three days a week you're doing QRF, so you're responding 660 00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:13.360 to when they get hit. And that was one of 661 00:35:13.360 --> 00:35:15.400 the great things about the Strikers compared to the Bradley 662 00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:18.480 is they can roll out fast and there's not as 663 00:35:18.559 --> 00:35:20.800 much maintenance and the tracks aren't getting thrown as much, 664 00:35:21.719 --> 00:35:22.239 not as much. 665 00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:23.599 Wear and tear on them. 666 00:35:23.719 --> 00:35:27.239 So it was great for quick respond quick reaction force. 667 00:35:27.519 --> 00:35:33.119 And so a lot of our missions were a logistical 668 00:35:33.360 --> 00:35:36.639 train or logistical movement would get a convoy would get 669 00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:38.719 hit by an I D and then we would go 670 00:35:38.760 --> 00:35:45.000 out and respond, and that that's how so my company lost. 671 00:35:45.559 --> 00:35:46.400 We had one k I. 672 00:35:46.480 --> 00:35:51.639 A and that's that's how it happened. I wasn't on 673 00:35:51.679 --> 00:35:55.880 the mission that ended up with that KIA, but there 674 00:35:55.920 --> 00:35:59.360 was a response to to an I D and that 675 00:35:59.480 --> 00:36:03.800 was their TTPs. Basically, the enemy would hit the soft targets, 676 00:36:03.800 --> 00:36:06.519 they would hit the Iraqi police, the Iraqi Army, they 677 00:36:06.559 --> 00:36:13.079 would hit the logistical convoys. And a lot of our 678 00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:17.519 job was also route clearance. So we're just driving up 679 00:36:17.559 --> 00:36:19.320 and down that stretch. 680 00:36:19.039 --> 00:36:22.440 Yeah, looking for like kind of the old Polish mind 681 00:36:22.440 --> 00:36:26.480 sweeper type of thing, right, like route clearance, looking for 682 00:36:26.519 --> 00:36:27.719 IDs by running over them. 683 00:36:27.760 --> 00:36:30.480 And guess guess who is the guy that the Captain's 684 00:36:30.519 --> 00:36:34.320 like hey, go kick that can to see what that is. 685 00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:39.079 It's a hotspot in my thermal. The lowest ranking, youngest 686 00:36:39.079 --> 00:36:41.800 guy is the guy that they send out to go 687 00:36:41.880 --> 00:36:44.639 kick that that. So a lot of our missions would 688 00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:46.840 be the blimp. The blimp with the thermal would spot 689 00:36:46.960 --> 00:36:49.960 a hotspot and they would just roll QRF up at 690 00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:53.039 three in the morning, go check out that hot spot. 691 00:36:53.239 --> 00:36:58.039 And sometimes I would walk right past an ied and 692 00:36:59.800 --> 00:37:02.039 my squad leader in front of me spotted it and 693 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:06.840 he was like, Cappy, stop, that's an ID. And it 694 00:37:06.960 --> 00:37:08.719 just I was just the luck of the dice. There 695 00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:11.960 wasn't they're all command wire, so it just happened. The 696 00:37:12.119 --> 00:37:15.119 guy wasn't on the other end of the wire waiting. 697 00:37:14.880 --> 00:37:17.920 For a vehicle, not a person. Well, so we followed 698 00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:19.039 the wire, no one was there. 699 00:37:19.079 --> 00:37:21.159 He was probably what we think is that he was 700 00:37:21.360 --> 00:37:24.159 waiting for probably the next day. So when it was 701 00:37:24.239 --> 00:37:26.199 daylight out, they were probably going to come the next day. 702 00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:27.360 I got I got. 703 00:37:27.239 --> 00:37:33.000 Lucky, so we didn't get hit on that. Just safari 704 00:37:33.039 --> 00:37:37.320 out into the hey go what is it called recomby fire? 705 00:37:40.119 --> 00:37:43.559 So let me take a quick break to let folks 706 00:37:43.599 --> 00:37:46.239 out there know watching the show. If you'd like to 707 00:37:46.239 --> 00:37:49.119 support this podcast, check us out on Patreon. 708 00:37:49.159 --> 00:37:50.519 There's a link down the description. 709 00:37:50.639 --> 00:37:53.159 You get access to all of these episodes and free 710 00:37:53.559 --> 00:37:55.840 as well as our sister podcast, eyes On. 711 00:37:55.920 --> 00:37:57.880 With Andy Milburn and Jason Lyons. 712 00:37:58.440 --> 00:38:01.559 And please also go check out We Defied the Lost 713 00:38:01.639 --> 00:38:05.239 Chapters of Special Forces History, available for pre order now 714 00:38:05.280 --> 00:38:09.400 on Amazon's is My Book My History book that's coming 715 00:38:09.400 --> 00:38:13.159 out on December ninth, Go check it out, guys. 716 00:38:13.199 --> 00:38:15.079 I also want to give a shout out to our 717 00:38:15.239 --> 00:38:20.559 our Tier one artist, Invader Girl Art over here. Check 718 00:38:20.559 --> 00:38:24.960 her out on Instagram, check out on Twitter. I promise 719 00:38:25.039 --> 00:38:29.039 you not just the painting. She has prints, she has swag, 720 00:38:29.320 --> 00:38:32.559 badass t shirts, she has a lot of stuff. 721 00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:34.519 You will not be disappointed. 722 00:38:35.400 --> 00:38:40.039 And as our resident art experty, we. 723 00:38:39.880 --> 00:38:41.679 Were just we were just all I was asking about that. 724 00:38:41.840 --> 00:38:44.800 Yeah, yeah, but definitely check out Invader Girl Art. 725 00:38:45.599 --> 00:38:50.039 Yeah, Invader Girl Art dot com. Uh So, take us 726 00:38:50.039 --> 00:38:53.320 through the rest of that deployment. I mean, you had unfortunately, 727 00:38:54.840 --> 00:38:58.800 unfortunately a casualty on that deployment, but I mean what 728 00:38:58.920 --> 00:39:01.519 happened after that. 729 00:39:01.519 --> 00:39:03.360 That was very early in the tour. 730 00:39:03.679 --> 00:39:09.559 We had the he was shot in the head and 731 00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:11.840 it was pretty instant he returned fire. 732 00:39:11.960 --> 00:39:18.400 He was I mean, he went he the thing that 733 00:39:20.199 --> 00:39:21.400 he had two kids. 734 00:39:21.800 --> 00:39:23.920 It was upsetting for the whole unit in the Guard. 735 00:39:24.000 --> 00:39:26.239 It's like everyone had been training together, they'd been I 736 00:39:26.239 --> 00:39:32.719 believe they went to Kosovo deployment together, like he they'd 737 00:39:32.719 --> 00:39:36.000 all known each other in civilian life and for years 738 00:39:36.000 --> 00:39:40.119 and years. I was a refill into the unit, backfill. 739 00:39:40.400 --> 00:39:44.519 Like my whole squad, fourth Squad heavy Weapons. We were 740 00:39:44.960 --> 00:39:51.239 considered like the kind of ragtag spare parts army thrown 741 00:39:51.320 --> 00:39:55.760 together guys who had been reclassed from combat engineers and 742 00:39:55.960 --> 00:39:59.519 from cav scouts to make up this infantry unit. And 743 00:39:59.760 --> 00:40:02.719 just like yeah, put him in fourth squad. The guys 744 00:40:02.719 --> 00:40:06.000 from New York and Massachusetts. Toss him in the fourth squad. 745 00:40:06.039 --> 00:40:08.880 They'll go there with the two forty bravos, mak him 746 00:40:08.960 --> 00:40:12.280 carry that, and you know, put the FO and the 747 00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:15.280 medic with them too, and they'll be the MEDICAVAC vehicle. 748 00:40:15.639 --> 00:40:17.079 So my vehicle. 749 00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:21.480 Whenever there was a casualty, we were the ones that 750 00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:23.320 would then have to drive them to what was at 751 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:25.840 Level three trauma care that was at the FOB because 752 00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:26.559 we had Level one. 753 00:40:26.880 --> 00:40:28.400 So there's only so much you can do there. 754 00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:31.440 So when guys, the first time I saw somebody killed 755 00:40:31.480 --> 00:40:35.039 in action was an IED strike that happened right outside 756 00:40:35.239 --> 00:40:35.639 the base. 757 00:40:35.760 --> 00:40:39.559 Woke us all up. Boom, shook the whole base. 758 00:40:39.880 --> 00:40:43.800 Then I see them running in dragging this Iraqi police officer. 759 00:40:43.920 --> 00:40:46.039 His brains are coming out the back of his head. 760 00:40:46.599 --> 00:40:50.000 And our medic who had been deployed before to Ramadi, 761 00:40:50.199 --> 00:40:53.519 was like really high speed, great type of medic that 762 00:40:53.679 --> 00:40:57.400 just lives for it, is very good at it his job, 763 00:40:58.000 --> 00:41:03.760 and he he treated the guy and then they would 764 00:41:03.800 --> 00:41:06.039 put him into our vehicle to drive him to the FOB. 765 00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:10.599 And I wasn't the CLS guy. That was my buddy, 766 00:41:11.079 --> 00:41:14.599 and he would do like they put the tube down 767 00:41:14.679 --> 00:41:19.519 the guy's throat, breathe for him. And that was early 768 00:41:19.559 --> 00:41:21.840 in the tour, because you know, they hit you early 769 00:41:21.880 --> 00:41:25.880 and then they hit you before you go. And the 770 00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:29.679 my my deployment in general, I always say, was kind 771 00:41:29.679 --> 00:41:32.840 of like I was really the average infrenchman. 772 00:41:32.920 --> 00:41:36.079 I wasn't a stellar soldier. I wasn't terrible. 773 00:41:36.119 --> 00:41:39.760 I was I was a regular grunt and I wasn't 774 00:41:39.760 --> 00:41:43.360 doing the super squirrel missions. I wasn't out, you know, 775 00:41:43.360 --> 00:41:46.719 I went on raids and kicked indoors, but it wasn't. 776 00:41:47.039 --> 00:41:50.519 I wasn't like SAF. I was the guy guarding saf 777 00:41:51.039 --> 00:41:55.199 and I was really there during a weird point of 778 00:41:55.239 --> 00:41:59.599 the war where it was the occupation phase. So we're 779 00:42:00.159 --> 00:42:03.519 not leading at this point. The whole messaging of coin 780 00:42:03.639 --> 00:42:08.760 is out. Petraeus's theories on coin are really sticking, and 781 00:42:09.280 --> 00:42:12.559 it was right after the surge. So it's more how 782 00:42:12.599 --> 00:42:17.039 do we, you know, work by with and through our partners, 783 00:42:17.440 --> 00:42:22.480 and how do we facilitate that. And if the mentality 784 00:42:22.679 --> 00:42:25.559 was we can't win this with bullets alone, it's the 785 00:42:25.599 --> 00:42:26.760 hearts and minds approach. 786 00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:29.199 So that's the part of the war that I'm. 787 00:42:29.000 --> 00:42:33.079 Really in and I'm not, you know, going out there 788 00:42:33.079 --> 00:42:36.480 and mercan dudes left and right. My my experience in 789 00:42:36.519 --> 00:42:41.239 Iraq is the occupation and the counter insurgency. 790 00:42:42.079 --> 00:42:42.400 Fase. 791 00:42:42.480 --> 00:42:46.400 So what we're doing is some of the missions are 792 00:42:46.440 --> 00:42:49.440 going out and handing out literal bags of one hundred 793 00:42:49.440 --> 00:42:52.199 thousand dollars of cash, so we're giving that to. 794 00:42:52.199 --> 00:42:55.599 The Shakes so that they they don't come and kill us. 795 00:42:57.960 --> 00:43:00.719 And that was illegal as fun as we're doing, by 796 00:43:00.760 --> 00:43:01.800 the way, and. 797 00:43:01.760 --> 00:43:05.199 You weren't the only and actually FBI should be here 798 00:43:05.199 --> 00:43:05.840 in ten minutes. 799 00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:09.800 I didn't. Yeah, no, I kept a lot of the 800 00:43:09.840 --> 00:43:12.000 money myself. Don't worry that. I think it's legal when 801 00:43:12.039 --> 00:43:16.760 I pocketed. It's not like to put it on you 802 00:43:16.920 --> 00:43:18.559 or just on your unit, for sure. 803 00:43:18.679 --> 00:43:24.320 But the when Congress authorizes funds for reconstruction, its specifically 804 00:43:24.599 --> 00:43:28.519 for that issue. And what happened was that units did 805 00:43:28.679 --> 00:43:32.519 exactly what you described, is that they're hanging off shakes like, hey, 806 00:43:32.519 --> 00:43:41.840 don't go off for a unit, yeah, my picture go ahead. 807 00:43:42.239 --> 00:43:43.119 I was just gonna say, like my. 808 00:43:44.599 --> 00:43:48.840 Perspective and picture on it as a E two or 809 00:43:48.840 --> 00:43:51.880 three that I was mate, uh yeah, two or three. 810 00:43:52.079 --> 00:43:54.880 I didn't make specialists until after the tour, so like 811 00:43:55.920 --> 00:43:58.480 my perspective, I don't see you. 812 00:43:58.440 --> 00:44:00.679 Or I wish I had eyes into the whole. 813 00:44:01.199 --> 00:44:03.599 They're like they're like, hey, we're going to hit We're 814 00:44:03.599 --> 00:44:06.039 gonna hit this house. Yeah, and you're going to do this, 815 00:44:06.159 --> 00:44:09.159 and I like have the only thing I see is 816 00:44:09.199 --> 00:44:10.800 two feet in front of me. And that's the part 817 00:44:10.800 --> 00:44:13.000 of the reason why I love doing what I do. 818 00:44:13.039 --> 00:44:16.400 And the YouTube channel is like talking more about four 819 00:44:16.440 --> 00:44:18.199 feet in front of me, right, And what you're talking 820 00:44:18.199 --> 00:44:20.960 about is like, was that really a good idea? 821 00:44:21.159 --> 00:44:22.880 Was that good or bad? 822 00:44:22.960 --> 00:44:25.320 Because like I can understand the argument that we went 823 00:44:25.360 --> 00:44:29.000 in and we disbanded their military and we had maybe good. 824 00:44:28.800 --> 00:44:30.599 In the short term, bad in the long term. 825 00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:32.760 Well, it's just we should have created some opportunities for 826 00:44:32.800 --> 00:44:35.440 these people. We go in and we disband their army 827 00:44:35.519 --> 00:44:37.559 and we basically we're like, you have no way to 828 00:44:37.559 --> 00:44:42.840 make a living. And so, uh, when Iran and the 829 00:44:42.880 --> 00:44:45.760 Syrians come in and they say in the Chechen say like, 830 00:44:46.360 --> 00:44:48.800 if you fire at the Americans, we'll give you two 831 00:44:48.880 --> 00:44:54.119 hundred bucks. That so I'd rather you know, it's messed 832 00:44:54.199 --> 00:44:56.840 up because it's a huge waste of money and there's 833 00:44:56.880 --> 00:44:59.000 a ton of corruption and fraud that goes into that. 834 00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:01.760 Those shakes they give how much of that? How much 835 00:45:01.800 --> 00:45:02.199 did they keep? 836 00:45:02.239 --> 00:45:04.519 Because I saw their houses, Yeah, and I also saw 837 00:45:05.280 --> 00:45:07.119 the houses of the people that should have been getting 838 00:45:07.159 --> 00:45:09.400 the you know, the farming money. 839 00:45:09.519 --> 00:45:14.000 Indeed. Yeah, And so it's like, I don't know, I 840 00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:17.639 don't know, what do you do? Like it's it's it's 841 00:45:17.800 --> 00:45:18.400 uh fucked. 842 00:45:19.079 --> 00:45:21.440 I'd like to I'd like for people to have some 843 00:45:21.519 --> 00:45:26.000 appreciation of what you guys were going through. Because both 844 00:45:26.079 --> 00:45:30.679 theaters had their own flavor, and then different areas had 845 00:45:30.679 --> 00:45:33.719 their own flavor and everybody had challenges, but but the 846 00:45:33.800 --> 00:45:36.079 challenges were kind of unique sometimes in those areas and 847 00:45:36.639 --> 00:45:39.639 Highway one, you know, when you guys are going out, 848 00:45:39.840 --> 00:45:42.760 were the where the Iraqi cops rolling with you guys 849 00:45:42.760 --> 00:45:43.480 most of the time. 850 00:45:43.400 --> 00:45:45.559 Yes, was almost always at. 851 00:45:45.639 --> 00:45:47.400 So they were were they? 852 00:45:47.559 --> 00:45:50.199 Because that's one of the things is is it's a highway, 853 00:45:50.320 --> 00:45:53.119 right it is it is the main highway. So when 854 00:45:53.159 --> 00:45:57.199 you're out there, so is the rest of the Iraqet population. Now, 855 00:45:59.119 --> 00:46:03.039 vehicle borne I with suicide bombers was a very big thing, 856 00:46:03.400 --> 00:46:05.840 and they they had no problem driving right into a 857 00:46:05.880 --> 00:46:09.960 convoy convoy and clacking off. So so it's a very 858 00:46:10.239 --> 00:46:14.400 it's it's a very stressful situation. You know, obviously probably 859 00:46:14.559 --> 00:46:16.960 the cops where you're out of perimeter and they would 860 00:46:17.000 --> 00:46:19.320 try and keep people back or whatever. But you know, 861 00:46:19.400 --> 00:46:22.079 you have a car coming up and you have to 862 00:46:22.079 --> 00:46:24.400 make a decision, right your gunner whoever's on there, has 863 00:46:24.440 --> 00:46:27.280 to make a decision do I shred this car? 864 00:46:28.400 --> 00:46:29.400 Is Is it a threat? 865 00:46:29.760 --> 00:46:32.559 It's it's they're not they're not paying attention to signs 866 00:46:32.719 --> 00:46:36.159 to say stay fifty meters back or is it a 867 00:46:36.199 --> 00:46:38.880 family and the dudes not just not paying attention and 868 00:46:38.920 --> 00:46:42.320 they don't care because they don't like you make up 869 00:46:42.320 --> 00:46:45.119 your own rules in Iraqi trafficking right, Yeah, Like it 870 00:46:45.159 --> 00:46:47.440 was a it was a very stressful situation. You see 871 00:46:47.480 --> 00:46:49.599 a bag on the side of the road, is that 872 00:46:49.679 --> 00:46:53.840 an id like you know, it's it's one of those 873 00:46:53.880 --> 00:46:59.599 things where that that route, that highway was a nightmare. 874 00:47:00.239 --> 00:47:02.079 And if you guys are on that all the time 875 00:47:02.119 --> 00:47:04.760 and operating all the time, like you never get a 876 00:47:04.840 --> 00:47:05.639 chance to relax. 877 00:47:06.880 --> 00:47:12.440 Yeah, the base, our base was right on the highway, 878 00:47:12.840 --> 00:47:17.960 so between Tampa and the tea wall is ten feet 879 00:47:18.119 --> 00:47:21.760 it's right there. It's a form a rocky police station. 880 00:47:21.880 --> 00:47:26.440 And there's a bunch of former Baptist government buildings around 881 00:47:26.480 --> 00:47:29.840 there that there's all like jade Am strikes into them 882 00:47:29.880 --> 00:47:32.159 from the invasion part of the war that you see 883 00:47:32.199 --> 00:47:37.159 the whole every building in Mushada is just shot to 884 00:47:37.199 --> 00:47:39.559 shit or collapsed roofs. 885 00:47:41.280 --> 00:47:47.639 Tampa, Yeah, Tampa is and we were right at. 886 00:47:46.440 --> 00:47:49.800 Like a junction between Tampa and Tarmia, which led to 887 00:47:50.719 --> 00:47:53.119 where the not the Euphrates, what was it? 888 00:47:53.159 --> 00:47:55.000 What's the river? Maybe it is the Euphrates. 889 00:47:55.079 --> 00:47:58.840 The river is about twenty kilometers so about headed towards 890 00:47:58.880 --> 00:48:02.280 that way was where our second cop was. So my 891 00:48:02.400 --> 00:48:07.119 tour I split between Tampa and then the second cop which. 892 00:48:07.079 --> 00:48:09.480 Was towards I might get it wrong. I think it's 893 00:48:09.480 --> 00:48:10.280 the Freddy's River. 894 00:48:11.679 --> 00:48:16.000 So we set up another patrol base in between basically, 895 00:48:16.559 --> 00:48:21.400 and this patrol base was, Oh my god, it's like 896 00:48:22.039 --> 00:48:27.199 it made it made Mushata look like luxury. Yeah, this 897 00:48:27.320 --> 00:48:30.320 patrol base was brand new setup. So we set up 898 00:48:30.440 --> 00:48:32.880 the tea walls, were burning our ship out there. We're 899 00:48:32.880 --> 00:48:35.559 getting one hot meal a day, which is rice that 900 00:48:35.599 --> 00:48:38.800 we cook in a pot, and we're sleeping in a 901 00:48:39.039 --> 00:48:42.199 chicken coop that has been gutted, and we've got a 902 00:48:42.199 --> 00:48:46.239 bunch of like cots on the ground really roughing it 903 00:48:46.239 --> 00:48:47.079 out there. 904 00:48:47.719 --> 00:48:50.559 Yeah, right, Remote operator. 905 00:48:50.360 --> 00:48:53.239 So start to walk us through the conclusion of this 906 00:48:53.320 --> 00:48:55.440 deployment and redeployment back home. 907 00:48:55.920 --> 00:48:58.760 I have won that question during there. 908 00:48:59.079 --> 00:49:03.480 So you guys, doing a raid on a house is 909 00:49:03.880 --> 00:49:06.159 not something at least in the day. I don't know 910 00:49:06.199 --> 00:49:09.360 if it changed, you know, due to the war, but 911 00:49:09.360 --> 00:49:12.239 it's not something that you learn in infantry. Aiit right, 912 00:49:12.320 --> 00:49:15.639 that's all movement to contact or did you guys do 913 00:49:15.719 --> 00:49:17.360 compound type stuff in aiit. 914 00:49:17.639 --> 00:49:20.760 So by the time I went through boot camp in 915 00:49:20.800 --> 00:49:23.559 two thousand and eight, they're doing you know, Bawdrill six, 916 00:49:23.599 --> 00:49:27.400 they're doing close quarters combat okay, and raids are huge. 917 00:49:27.519 --> 00:49:30.039 Okay, So you guys didn't have to learn there on the. 918 00:49:29.960 --> 00:49:31.480 Ground, not entirely. 919 00:49:31.639 --> 00:49:33.760 No, So when we were in the box during mobile 920 00:49:33.960 --> 00:49:37.159 we practiced raids. And you know, because by the time 921 00:49:37.199 --> 00:49:40.280 two thousand and eight happens, like post surge, they know 922 00:49:40.320 --> 00:49:42.000 what we're going to be doing. They know we're going 923 00:49:42.119 --> 00:49:45.239 in and hitting houses, right, and raids to me are 924 00:49:45.239 --> 00:49:48.880 fascinating because it's I don't I want to say it's 925 00:49:49.119 --> 00:49:51.559 kind of a unique part of the war in Iraq 926 00:49:51.599 --> 00:49:54.519 and Afghanistan is these things that used to just be 927 00:49:55.079 --> 00:49:57.840 kind of an sfnician kind of get. 928 00:49:58.960 --> 00:50:01.639 Everybody has that. Everybody has it, yeah. 929 00:50:01.519 --> 00:50:03.639 Because and it's out of necessity of just there isn't 930 00:50:03.679 --> 00:50:07.280 just enough bodies and the stress that they put on 931 00:50:07.480 --> 00:50:10.480 SF and the pace that they worked them at. It 932 00:50:10.639 --> 00:50:14.679 just started being like this should be done by SF, really, 933 00:50:15.320 --> 00:50:18.960 but since we don't have the manpower for it, it's gonna 934 00:50:19.679 --> 00:50:24.920 also be done by like reclassed artillery. Men, so like 935 00:50:25.679 --> 00:50:27.599 I mean, I feel like that's kind of what happened. 936 00:50:27.599 --> 00:50:30.000 It was like a backdoor draft almost where you've got 937 00:50:30.280 --> 00:50:32.679 National Guard dudes, because that was never really the idea 938 00:50:32.719 --> 00:50:35.119 for National Guard either was to be doing going and 939 00:50:35.199 --> 00:50:39.920 kicking indoors and making decisions that I feel like split 940 00:50:39.960 --> 00:50:42.800 second decisions like that you kind of want them to 941 00:50:42.840 --> 00:50:45.239 be made by by s at least, just like I'm 942 00:50:45.280 --> 00:50:50.559 talking off the top of my head. But those are 943 00:50:50.639 --> 00:50:54.360 tough calls and nothing is more stressful than a raid. 944 00:50:54.719 --> 00:50:58.039 The first raid I went on was a freaking nightmare 945 00:50:58.280 --> 00:51:01.559 of a clusterfuckus. 946 00:51:01.719 --> 00:51:04.079 As my view of the whole thing is. 947 00:51:06.079 --> 00:51:08.960 Just they show you like a map kind of print out, 948 00:51:09.039 --> 00:51:10.880 and they say the strikers are gonna come here and 949 00:51:10.880 --> 00:51:14.840 they're gonna drop you off. About the strikers, they're they're 950 00:51:14.920 --> 00:51:18.280 quiet compared to the Bradleys, so less likely, although the 951 00:51:18.360 --> 00:51:20.559 dogs will smell you from two miles away and they're 952 00:51:20.599 --> 00:51:25.079 barking already, So the ramp drops local dogs are barking, 953 00:51:25.119 --> 00:51:28.559 so everyone knows you're there. You get out of the 954 00:51:28.639 --> 00:51:30.800 vehicle and the first thing you see is your squad 955 00:51:30.840 --> 00:51:32.800 leader just yelling like, oh this way, go this way. 956 00:51:33.280 --> 00:51:34.440 And so we just kind of. 957 00:51:34.440 --> 00:51:37.039 Like run through a backyard and then you get up 958 00:51:37.079 --> 00:51:40.039 into the way the buildings are in Iraq. It's kind 959 00:51:40.039 --> 00:51:43.760 of like a courtyard. And the squad leader is saying, 960 00:51:43.840 --> 00:51:48.440 kicking that door. So he goes and and like you 961 00:51:48.519 --> 00:51:50.599 think in the movies that you just kick it and 962 00:51:50.639 --> 00:51:53.559 like it's just smooth as fuck, it's choreographed, it's beautiful. 963 00:51:53.719 --> 00:51:56.599 Now he kicks it and he's like, damn it, that 964 00:51:56.679 --> 00:51:57.360 doesn't open. 965 00:51:58.960 --> 00:52:01.079 And now you see like lights are turning her on. 966 00:52:01.760 --> 00:52:05.440 And on the second kick he gets the door in. 967 00:52:06.119 --> 00:52:09.920 And so I'm I think like the third guy in 968 00:52:09.960 --> 00:52:13.880 the stack, and we all go into the room and 969 00:52:13.920 --> 00:52:15.920 you think it's gonna be there's like bad guys and 970 00:52:15.960 --> 00:52:18.719 this and that, and it's just there's like kids, yeah 971 00:52:18.760 --> 00:52:24.159 and there, and they're like crying and you've got your 972 00:52:24.559 --> 00:52:27.559 your mag light on your flashlight and you're yelling get 973 00:52:27.599 --> 00:52:28.199 the fuck down. 974 00:52:29.320 --> 00:52:32.079 And really what you're doing is you're. 975 00:52:32.000 --> 00:52:38.480 Like like separating kids from their parents and trying and 976 00:52:38.519 --> 00:52:41.000 then them I guy that's attacked, she is going in 977 00:52:41.239 --> 00:52:43.920 doing the bats and hides and trying to look for 978 00:52:43.960 --> 00:52:47.519 the bomb, the bomb maker, because that's what the raids 979 00:52:47.559 --> 00:52:50.199 were we were basically getting intel that like there's a 980 00:52:50.239 --> 00:52:54.679 bomb maker here at this house. So we go in 981 00:52:54.760 --> 00:52:58.440 and then they tell us after we've gotten like we've 982 00:52:58.480 --> 00:53:03.519 locked down the house, and then they're like, okay, this 983 00:53:03.679 --> 00:53:07.239 was the wrong house, but I'm pretty sure it's like 984 00:53:07.280 --> 00:53:08.840 that one over there. So then we go we do 985 00:53:08.880 --> 00:53:12.800 it again. We kick in the door, they find some guns, 986 00:53:12.840 --> 00:53:16.159 they find the guy in the second house that we hit, 987 00:53:17.000 --> 00:53:21.039 and it's just I want to say, we're on the 988 00:53:21.079 --> 00:53:26.320 objective for like maybe what felt like twenty thirty minutes, 989 00:53:27.000 --> 00:53:31.000 and we got four dudes, blindfolded them, put them in 990 00:53:31.000 --> 00:53:34.280 the back of our striker, went back to our little 991 00:53:34.320 --> 00:53:37.519 patrol base and that's like that's all right. 992 00:53:37.480 --> 00:53:40.159 Well, would you pass them off to the Iraqi police 993 00:53:40.159 --> 00:53:41.119 at that point in time. 994 00:53:41.079 --> 00:53:43.079 Or Dave, I have a funny story for you. 995 00:53:43.199 --> 00:53:44.119 There you go, I'm down. 996 00:53:44.280 --> 00:53:48.480 Okay, Yeah, we passed them off to the Iraqi place. 997 00:53:48.599 --> 00:53:50.119 They were back on the street the next day. 998 00:53:51.400 --> 00:53:56.519 No, please tell us almost worse. Like So, like I said, 999 00:53:56.519 --> 00:54:00.199 we're doing the rotating through the different roles. One of 1000 00:54:00.239 --> 00:54:04.480 the jobs that you do is CP, where you're just 1001 00:54:04.559 --> 00:54:08.119 sitting there doing guard duty basically for the command outpost 1002 00:54:08.239 --> 00:54:13.400 at the bottom of the stairs. That station, which you do 1003 00:54:13.440 --> 00:54:15.960 for like eight hour rotation, is right next to the 1004 00:54:16.000 --> 00:54:19.960 Iraq Iraqi Police officers prison where we would have the guys, 1005 00:54:20.039 --> 00:54:24.920 so they were torturing them there for like eight hours. 1006 00:54:24.960 --> 00:54:27.039 You would hear them yelling and screaming, but it wasn't 1007 00:54:27.159 --> 00:54:29.880 us doing it, it was the Iraqi police. 1008 00:54:30.519 --> 00:54:34.920 And then to your point, the weird part is we're 1009 00:54:34.960 --> 00:54:36.400 also truck bus. 1010 00:54:36.159 --> 00:54:40.440 Loads of former insurgents are getting brought in the next 1011 00:54:40.519 --> 00:54:44.360 day and then getting released because we're in the part 1012 00:54:44.360 --> 00:54:46.320 of the war where it's like the draw down phase, 1013 00:54:46.920 --> 00:54:51.079 so they're bringing as we're going and arresting guys. They're 1014 00:54:51.079 --> 00:54:53.440 bringing in busloads of dudes that had been arrested before 1015 00:54:53.440 --> 00:54:57.360 and then letting them go. And again this is what 1016 00:54:57.599 --> 00:55:00.880 so I told you like that growing up, I was 1017 00:55:01.000 --> 00:55:04.039 very pro Iraq war, and now by the end of 1018 00:55:04.079 --> 00:55:07.559 the tour, I'm starting to feel more weird about it 1019 00:55:08.079 --> 00:55:13.480 and not I never felt like screw America or whatever, 1020 00:55:13.639 --> 00:55:17.360 like I'm gonna throw my right, you know, my uniform 1021 00:55:17.360 --> 00:55:20.400 away and burn it or something. I'm proud of my service, 1022 00:55:20.599 --> 00:55:24.400 but at the same time I felt weird about about 1023 00:55:24.599 --> 00:55:28.119 because what we're gonna hold them indefinitely, right, because in 1024 00:55:28.199 --> 00:55:30.719 war you don't do that. You don't just if you're 1025 00:55:30.719 --> 00:55:34.400 fighting an opposing force, you don't just hold them prisoner forever, 1026 00:55:35.480 --> 00:55:39.519 like it's a criminal are you fighting? It just started 1027 00:55:39.559 --> 00:55:43.960 to feel when you're hearing them being tortured, what are 1028 00:55:43.960 --> 00:55:44.559 we doing here? 1029 00:55:44.679 --> 00:55:45.159 Yeah? Yeah? 1030 00:55:45.480 --> 00:55:50.000 And also seeing like bad guys back out on the street. 1031 00:55:50.639 --> 00:55:51.840 It's like, what is the plan? 1032 00:55:52.239 --> 00:55:54.440 Like why don't we have a pow camp like we've 1033 00:55:54.440 --> 00:55:57.960 had them in you know, other wars where he's an 1034 00:55:58.079 --> 00:55:59.039 enemy prisoner of war. 1035 00:55:59.719 --> 00:56:02.039 He since the war out. 1036 00:56:02.119 --> 00:56:04.480 You know, and but but it was just such a 1037 00:56:04.559 --> 00:56:08.800 rotation there and it's like you know, going back year 1038 00:56:08.840 --> 00:56:12.760 after years, like different leaders, different plans, but there but 1039 00:56:12.840 --> 00:56:14.039 nobody really has a plan. 1040 00:56:15.400 --> 00:56:19.239 So yeah, start taking us through like the end of 1041 00:56:19.280 --> 00:56:20.960 this deployment and getting back home. 1042 00:56:21.400 --> 00:56:25.000 Yeah, so the end of the tour. 1043 00:56:29.880 --> 00:56:31.639 You know, I'm trying to think of how I just 1044 00:56:31.639 --> 00:56:34.360 felt about like the last few months, and really it's 1045 00:56:34.480 --> 00:56:37.239 just you're counting the days and you're phrasing it as 1046 00:56:37.280 --> 00:56:40.199 like it's only fourteen more days and awake up. Yeah, 1047 00:56:41.039 --> 00:56:46.480 and we when I get back home. The transition when 1048 00:56:46.519 --> 00:56:48.800 you're in the Guard the transition is kind of weird. 1049 00:56:48.840 --> 00:56:52.559 Any transition is is tough and weird, whether you're active 1050 00:56:52.639 --> 00:56:56.800 duty or going back to drilling one week and a month, 1051 00:56:57.159 --> 00:57:00.880 it's going to be a shock, and either way, more 1052 00:57:00.920 --> 00:57:04.559 so for active duty guys, but even for guard it's 1053 00:57:04.639 --> 00:57:08.800 weird in a different way because I'm one month I'm 1054 00:57:08.800 --> 00:57:13.480 in the sand, and then two three months later, I'm 1055 00:57:13.519 --> 00:57:16.719 back in college and I'm feeling the culture shock of it, 1056 00:57:17.079 --> 00:57:22.360 and I'm feeling the hyper vigilance, I'm feeling on edge. 1057 00:57:22.480 --> 00:57:25.119 I'm feeling the chip on my shoulder of like these 1058 00:57:25.159 --> 00:57:28.880 students are complaining about being up at seven in the 1059 00:57:28.880 --> 00:57:32.920 morning for class, like I had it so much harder. 1060 00:57:33.679 --> 00:57:35.440 And it took me a while to get over myself 1061 00:57:35.480 --> 00:57:39.280 a little bit and realize, like, oh, I went and 1062 00:57:39.320 --> 00:57:43.920 did that, and I thought, so that they can complain 1063 00:57:43.960 --> 00:57:47.639 about these petty things. That's ideally people are complaining about 1064 00:57:47.679 --> 00:57:51.360 petty things and they're out at the mall, and ideally 1065 00:57:52.199 --> 00:57:57.719 we're not spending every moment thinking about or appreciating people's service, 1066 00:57:57.880 --> 00:58:01.679 like that's what we're fighting for. I eventually had to 1067 00:58:01.719 --> 00:58:05.800 frame it as in my mind, and so the transition 1068 00:58:05.880 --> 00:58:10.960 for me was difficult I you know, I went through 1069 00:58:11.000 --> 00:58:12.800 a period of I think a lot of people you 1070 00:58:12.800 --> 00:58:13.480 go through. 1071 00:58:13.440 --> 00:58:16.519 Problems with drugs, problems with relationships. 1072 00:58:16.599 --> 00:58:18.239 Were you still on the guard of this or were 1073 00:58:18.239 --> 00:58:18.760 you out of the guard? 1074 00:58:18.880 --> 00:58:19.239 Yeah? 1075 00:58:19.840 --> 00:58:21.519 First, the first day I got back to Iraq at 1076 00:58:21.559 --> 00:58:25.199 four dicks, we fly in and my well, somebody, I really, 1077 00:58:25.880 --> 00:58:29.400 somebody close to me, I gave me ecstasy the first 1078 00:58:29.480 --> 00:58:33.000 day I was back and was like, this will take 1079 00:58:33.039 --> 00:58:37.559 away all your stress and your problems. I'm nineteen, I'm 1080 00:58:37.599 --> 00:58:42.039 not thinking about like this could also ruin any your 1081 00:58:42.079 --> 00:58:47.719 benefits give you like this dishonorable, no zero tolerance policy screwed. 1082 00:58:48.119 --> 00:58:51.400 I was fortunate that they didn't drug test me. But 1083 00:58:52.199 --> 00:58:55.079 so just like years period of my life where I'm 1084 00:58:55.199 --> 00:59:00.360 just trying to find purpose again that would even come 1085 00:59:00.400 --> 00:59:03.199 close to matching to what I felt like the purpose 1086 00:59:03.239 --> 00:59:07.039 I had and the community that I had when I 1087 00:59:07.119 --> 00:59:09.119 was in the army. 1088 00:59:09.320 --> 00:59:09.800 Yeah. 1089 00:59:10.000 --> 00:59:11.440 Yeah, So it's just, you. 1090 00:59:11.360 --> 00:59:13.400 Know, I felt like I was drifting for years and 1091 00:59:13.519 --> 00:59:17.199 years and not and feeling like really you know, feeling 1092 00:59:17.280 --> 00:59:20.199 like they'll I'll never do something that important again. 1093 00:59:20.360 --> 00:59:23.800 Yeah, based on what you're saying, you know, you cause 1094 00:59:23.840 --> 00:59:26.400 you mentioned as you know, active duty I would say 1095 00:59:26.840 --> 00:59:29.239 unless somebody comes right off the deployment on active duty 1096 00:59:29.519 --> 00:59:32.440 and ETSS gets out of the military, I would say 1097 00:59:32.519 --> 00:59:36.039 it's harder as National Guard, even if you're in the Guard, 1098 00:59:36.199 --> 00:59:38.679 because you come back from a deployment acting judy. You 1099 00:59:38.719 --> 00:59:40.920 come back from a deployment and you've got the routine. 1100 00:59:41.039 --> 00:59:44.840 You've got your family and I mean your brothers, sisters, whatever. 1101 00:59:44.679 --> 00:59:45.360 Like you've got. 1102 00:59:45.760 --> 00:59:48.559 You've got your peer group and they're also your support group, 1103 00:59:48.920 --> 00:59:52.480 so you've got that. Right, you come back off of 1104 00:59:52.519 --> 00:59:55.480 combat deppointment of Guard and you're just Johnny on the 1105 00:59:55.480 --> 00:59:56.039 block again. 1106 00:59:56.679 --> 00:59:57.639 You don't have all. 1107 00:59:57.480 --> 00:59:59.880 Those you know, you're not You're not sitting in the 1108 01:00:00.079 --> 01:00:02.079 erics like bullshitting. 1109 01:00:01.960 --> 01:00:02.960 With your bros. 1110 01:00:04.599 --> 01:00:07.960 So the only thing I think that compares with would 1111 01:00:08.000 --> 01:00:10.039 compare is that somebody came back from it to play 1112 01:00:10.039 --> 01:00:11.079 an ETS right away. 1113 01:00:11.480 --> 01:00:15.360 I think the Guard has a much rougher time with that. 1114 01:00:16.679 --> 01:00:18.119 So the way I look at it is like the 1115 01:00:18.159 --> 01:00:22.320 Guard they have higher suicide rates because of things like that. Yeah, 1116 01:00:22.519 --> 01:00:26.280 it's I I think active duty. I would never I 1117 01:00:26.360 --> 01:00:29.039 it's hard to compare the two. It's active duty has 1118 01:00:29.079 --> 01:00:30.320 it's so hard in a different way. 1119 01:00:31.360 --> 01:00:32.079 But yeah, you're. 1120 01:00:32.000 --> 01:00:36.079 Right, Like that's a they specifically tell people in the 1121 01:00:36.079 --> 01:00:38.079 Guard to not for that reason. 1122 01:00:38.159 --> 01:00:40.599 Yeah, But the thing about National Guard guys is they 1123 01:00:40.599 --> 01:00:42.440 have a life outside of the military. 1124 01:00:42.519 --> 01:00:45.000 But I think you've been gone for a year or 1125 01:00:45.039 --> 01:00:48.320 so now you're coming back trying to reconnect to that life, 1126 01:00:48.360 --> 01:00:50.159 and it's not easy. 1127 01:00:50.280 --> 01:00:52.119 There's high suicide rates for that reason. 1128 01:00:52.199 --> 01:00:55.599 Yeah, it's like, yeah, the active duty has their own 1129 01:00:55.719 --> 01:00:58.800 struggles because they've got like twenty years under the belt 1130 01:00:58.800 --> 01:01:04.559 of just deal with that bullshor. Yeah, it's it's something 1131 01:01:04.559 --> 01:01:06.880 that I think a lot of people didn't plan for, Yeah, 1132 01:01:07.000 --> 01:01:09.960 because the Guard was never supposed to be or really 1133 01:01:10.000 --> 01:01:12.639 wasn't supposed to be used in that way. Yeah, and 1134 01:01:12.679 --> 01:01:15.519 it's something that I find interesting. I've researched kind of 1135 01:01:15.559 --> 01:01:20.840 like the way the military, the different federalizes of the Guard. Yeah, 1136 01:01:20.880 --> 01:01:24.440 the different kind of backdoor ways they avoided having to 1137 01:01:24.440 --> 01:01:26.440 do a draft to support the war in Iraq. 1138 01:01:26.480 --> 01:01:27.559 It was like contractors. 1139 01:01:27.960 --> 01:01:30.280 People don't know that it was something like, you know, 1140 01:01:30.320 --> 01:01:33.719 fifteen thousand or whatever, it was contractors that got killed 1141 01:01:34.079 --> 01:01:38.360 in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was basically they just found 1142 01:01:38.400 --> 01:01:42.800 ways to not have to make the American public feel 1143 01:01:43.960 --> 01:01:44.480 the pressure. 1144 01:01:44.679 --> 01:01:49.840 Yeah yeah, well, I mean everybody in the bureaucracy, the 1145 01:01:49.880 --> 01:01:53.199 administrations and the military leadership were great at lying during 1146 01:01:53.239 --> 01:01:53.800 the GWAT. 1147 01:01:54.840 --> 01:01:56.840 You know, they lied to themselves, they light to each other. 1148 01:01:56.960 --> 01:02:04.320 They so yeah, yeah, so so how how so you're 1149 01:02:04.320 --> 01:02:08.559 back in art school, Like, how are you dealing I 1150 01:02:08.599 --> 01:02:10.840 know you mentioned drugs and you know, just kind of 1151 01:02:10.880 --> 01:02:11.639 the stark phase. 1152 01:02:12.039 --> 01:02:14.519 How are you dealing with all this? Like what's what's 1153 01:02:14.559 --> 01:02:15.519 your life like now? 1154 01:02:18.079 --> 01:02:20.880 For a long time, not now now, but yeah yeah 1155 01:02:20.960 --> 01:02:23.239 then at the time, you know, I I went to 1156 01:02:23.280 --> 01:02:26.960 Brooklyn College, went back to my studies, went back to 1157 01:02:28.239 --> 01:02:33.679 learning doing film again, and transferred from Brooklyn College to 1158 01:02:33.760 --> 01:02:38.039 n YU, finished my studies to film school there. 1159 01:02:38.400 --> 01:02:40.599 And from there I got very lucky. 1160 01:02:41.239 --> 01:02:44.039 Got to go work at The Daily Show with John Stewart, 1161 01:02:44.400 --> 01:02:46.320 which a lot of people don't know this, but John 1162 01:02:46.400 --> 01:02:52.320 Stewart is huge fan, a huge like advocate for the military, 1163 01:02:52.519 --> 01:02:53.920 tremendous nine. 1164 01:02:53.800 --> 01:02:55.760 To eleven workers. 1165 01:02:56.079 --> 01:02:57.880 Yeah, you did a lot of work on the burn 1166 01:02:57.920 --> 01:02:59.159 pain stuff. Yeah, yep. 1167 01:02:59.239 --> 01:02:59.440 Yeah. 1168 01:03:00.360 --> 01:03:03.360 He went and visited a to anytime somebody got wounded, 1169 01:03:04.280 --> 01:03:06.920 he went and visited all those dudes that got wounded 1170 01:03:06.920 --> 01:03:10.599 at Walter read my buddy who after my tour, went 1171 01:03:10.639 --> 01:03:15.519 to Afghanistan. His friend got shot up while he was there. 1172 01:03:15.679 --> 01:03:19.159 John Stewart went spent time with him, like the guy. 1173 01:03:19.559 --> 01:03:22.000 Definitely the only reason they hired me was because I 1174 01:03:22.039 --> 01:03:27.360 was a veteran, but just what an amazing experience getting 1175 01:03:27.360 --> 01:03:28.920 to work there, and. 1176 01:03:30.599 --> 01:03:32.119 So that kind of started me on. 1177 01:03:32.440 --> 01:03:36.559 I learned there how to like churn out episodic contact 1178 01:03:36.800 --> 01:03:39.679 content that was like, how do you keep the quality 1179 01:03:39.760 --> 01:03:43.000 while keeping the pace, how you mix in jokes with 1180 01:03:43.199 --> 01:03:47.159 education and you know, I didn't agree with a lot 1181 01:03:47.320 --> 01:03:51.519 of what he said, sure, but amazing boss and amazing 1182 01:03:51.760 --> 01:03:55.280 believes in what he says, and just incredible team that 1183 01:03:55.360 --> 01:03:55.719 he had. 1184 01:03:56.079 --> 01:03:58.239 I'm curious how many more years of college did you 1185 01:03:58.320 --> 01:03:59.880 have when you came back. 1186 01:03:59.719 --> 01:04:01.480 From you appointment degree? 1187 01:04:02.480 --> 01:04:05.840 How like how was that for you, like relating to 1188 01:04:05.840 --> 01:04:07.400 the students, relating to teachers. 1189 01:04:09.559 --> 01:04:12.079 I'm very curious about that. Yeah, because you just got 1190 01:04:12.159 --> 01:04:13.400 dropped into it right. 1191 01:04:13.280 --> 01:04:15.840 Like there were times when there's a lot of students 1192 01:04:15.880 --> 01:04:21.159 that you're getting you're getting very much given books on communism, 1193 01:04:21.519 --> 01:04:25.360 and I'm not like this is just straight up we're 1194 01:04:25.360 --> 01:04:31.920 going to learn about American history through the lens of communism, 1195 01:04:31.679 --> 01:04:34.639 I'm as I'm saying, wait, why are Okay, I get 1196 01:04:34.679 --> 01:04:39.719 critical lens theory, but this seems like, unless you know, you, 1197 01:04:39.840 --> 01:04:44.559 unless you're really familiar with the material and the history already, 1198 01:04:45.000 --> 01:04:49.119 you could very easily through critical lens misunderstand and just 1199 01:04:49.360 --> 01:04:51.719 look at it like, yeah, wait a second, what is America? 1200 01:04:51.760 --> 01:04:54.000 Why are revisionist history? 1201 01:04:54.239 --> 01:04:54.400 Yes? 1202 01:04:54.519 --> 01:04:56.280 Yeah, yeah, but we see. 1203 01:04:56.079 --> 01:04:58.760 That now, like his very public opinion. 1204 01:04:58.880 --> 01:05:02.559 But I think critical theory is great once you've understood 1205 01:05:03.320 --> 01:05:05.320 the classics and you've really read all of that and 1206 01:05:05.360 --> 01:05:08.239 you understood it and you get why what we have 1207 01:05:08.719 --> 01:05:11.880 is the best system ever, Like at least I think that. Yeah, 1208 01:05:12.079 --> 01:05:14.960 then okay, let's try to deconstruct it so we can 1209 01:05:14.960 --> 01:05:18.679 make it better. But unless you have that foundation, which 1210 01:05:18.800 --> 01:05:20.920 I didn't and most people don't, you're just left with 1211 01:05:20.960 --> 01:05:24.880 this feeling of we're subverting and trying to tear apart 1212 01:05:25.440 --> 01:05:28.519 this thing, and you're like, you start to question your 1213 01:05:28.599 --> 01:05:31.360 own existence and your own like. 1214 01:05:33.519 --> 01:05:36.760 I don't know. I found college to be frustrating. 1215 01:05:36.880 --> 01:05:42.360 I would frequently butt heads with students, and fortunately I 1216 01:05:42.400 --> 01:05:45.719 was still at a time when they wouldn't, you know, 1217 01:05:46.199 --> 01:05:48.840 pull out the red card and say, you know, we're 1218 01:05:48.840 --> 01:05:51.920 gonna tell on you. 1219 01:05:51.000 --> 01:05:52.400 Which I hear that they're doing now. 1220 01:05:53.079 --> 01:05:57.480 But yeah, I didn't get along and I felt like 1221 01:05:57.519 --> 01:05:59.519 an outsider and it was a little bit my own 1222 01:05:59.719 --> 01:06:02.280 fault for not handling it better. 1223 01:06:02.960 --> 01:06:05.840 But I got through it. I finished it. 1224 01:06:07.000 --> 01:06:09.320 I mean, I just want to point out that that 1225 01:06:09.360 --> 01:06:11.519 was a good experience for those students to be in 1226 01:06:11.559 --> 01:06:14.559 that class with you and to hear a different person. 1227 01:06:14.679 --> 01:06:17.719 And it doesn't mean they're right and you're wrong or right, 1228 01:06:17.800 --> 01:06:18.960 they're wrong, you. 1229 01:06:18.920 --> 01:06:21.800 Were right, but the communism sucks. 1230 01:06:22.119 --> 01:06:26.199 Look, it's an important it's an important experience for them 1231 01:06:26.480 --> 01:06:27.400 and and for you too. 1232 01:06:27.480 --> 01:06:28.719 Did they know you're veteran. 1233 01:06:29.159 --> 01:06:31.639 I would make people cry. They would I would, they 1234 01:06:31.639 --> 01:06:34.360 would cry. What I was just you probably shouldn't have 1235 01:06:34.360 --> 01:06:36.920 made them cry. But but I wasn't making them cry. 1236 01:06:36.960 --> 01:06:39.079 I was like, I was just saying, you're just saying 1237 01:06:39.079 --> 01:06:41.199 what I was just saying, like, yeah, it was I 1238 01:06:41.239 --> 01:06:44.559 was never I would just say, you're you're. 1239 01:06:44.239 --> 01:06:46.039 Having a contrary point of view. 1240 01:06:45.960 --> 01:06:49.639 Yes, yeah, and that would make them cry alone, but yeah, 1241 01:06:49.679 --> 01:06:52.840 you're you're right, And like, I'm glad that I had 1242 01:06:52.880 --> 01:06:54.400 that experience. 1243 01:06:55.320 --> 01:06:55.920 It's rough. 1244 01:06:56.400 --> 01:07:00.760 It's rough that so many people because after you interrogated 1245 01:07:00.760 --> 01:07:01.239 the topic. 1246 01:07:02.719 --> 01:07:04.400 I saw the worst part of it. I feel like 1247 01:07:04.400 --> 01:07:06.440 the Iraq War is one of the It's not it's 1248 01:07:06.480 --> 01:07:08.360 not blind patriots, it's rough. 1249 01:07:08.880 --> 01:07:13.559 It's it's a like you see the failings, yes, and 1250 01:07:13.639 --> 01:07:16.840 yet I still feel like we have the best system. 1251 01:07:16.880 --> 01:07:21.320 And you know, communism at this point, I think, no, 1252 01:07:21.400 --> 01:07:24.800 everyone already knows that, Like even even the communist countries 1253 01:07:25.159 --> 01:07:26.960 have adopted capitalism. 1254 01:07:27.400 --> 01:07:28.679 Yeah, like that's no longer. 1255 01:07:28.880 --> 01:07:31.320 The argument now, I feel like is more about is 1256 01:07:31.480 --> 01:07:36.239 authoritarian systems or its democratic systems more effective? And it's 1257 01:07:36.280 --> 01:07:40.880 like there's an argument there, let's have that argument. Okay, valid, 1258 01:07:41.519 --> 01:07:44.559 But so these students, it was frustrate me because like 1259 01:07:44.639 --> 01:07:47.599 postmodernism is just so much of it in like NYU, 1260 01:07:47.800 --> 01:07:48.480 it's everywhere. 1261 01:07:48.480 --> 01:07:52.480 It's just it's like people are saying, why are we 1262 01:07:52.480 --> 01:07:57.719 wearing suits? Isn't that just like kind of why even 1263 01:07:58.360 --> 01:07:58.599 you know? 1264 01:07:58.760 --> 01:08:02.400 And and I just don't even have the weaponry to 1265 01:08:03.119 --> 01:08:08.280 articulate even and it's a good thought experiment. Why But 1266 01:08:09.280 --> 01:08:12.159 I'll tell you that at the time, that's where everyone's 1267 01:08:12.199 --> 01:08:14.719 head was at there, which I'm glad that. 1268 01:08:15.000 --> 01:08:21.960 This about two thousand and. 1269 01:08:19.159 --> 01:08:22.800 Also, I mean even from their own doctrine. 1270 01:08:22.960 --> 01:08:28.960 It's a bit superficial to talk about the clothing, the cooking. 1271 01:08:28.720 --> 01:08:32.079 But I don't think many of them actually know their doctrine. 1272 01:08:32.079 --> 01:08:36.319 Like they pick up that's where it comes from, pieces. 1273 01:08:36.119 --> 01:08:39.960 Of it and then go after whatever. Like the three 1274 01:08:39.960 --> 01:08:42.560 meter target is a lot of times. 1275 01:08:42.560 --> 01:08:45.000 It was the you know, so to answer your question 1276 01:08:45.159 --> 01:08:49.840 of like when I knew that I was heading in 1277 01:08:49.840 --> 01:08:53.399 the right direction was when I went I went to 1278 01:08:53.479 --> 01:08:56.800 Starbucks one morning and I ordered it was like a 1279 01:08:57.840 --> 01:09:04.520 frappucino with grande, and they forgot my whipped cream and 1280 01:09:04.560 --> 01:09:05.680 I was upset. 1281 01:09:06.840 --> 01:09:08.840 And I was like, you gave them a piece of 1282 01:09:08.880 --> 01:09:09.600 your mind. I did. 1283 01:09:09.760 --> 01:09:13.520 I was like, excuse me, you didn't put the sugar 1284 01:09:13.600 --> 01:09:17.359 in my frapp loca whatever the hell? And I realized 1285 01:09:17.399 --> 01:09:19.359 I was like, oh, I'm I can be upset about 1286 01:09:19.359 --> 01:09:21.640 petty things again, right, And it was. 1287 01:09:21.640 --> 01:09:24.000 Great, you can be. You can be you can have 1288 01:09:24.079 --> 01:09:25.039 first world problems. 1289 01:09:25.159 --> 01:09:27.600 Yes, you can have first and it was amazing. 1290 01:09:27.800 --> 01:09:30.159 Yeah, And I was like, Okay, I get it now, 1291 01:09:30.239 --> 01:09:34.520 Like there I get that I shouldn't walk around with 1292 01:09:34.600 --> 01:09:37.039 this chip on my shoulder and feel like I'm different 1293 01:09:37.079 --> 01:09:40.479 than everyone else and like be a little. 1294 01:09:40.239 --> 01:09:44.720 Bit I was in a way, I was acting like 1295 01:09:44.760 --> 01:09:45.560 a victim in a way. 1296 01:09:45.640 --> 01:09:49.279 Yeah, And victim mentality, I feel like, is the worst thing. 1297 01:09:49.560 --> 01:09:52.640 And it's it's like self indulging. It like, yes, you 1298 01:09:52.760 --> 01:09:53.680 get in a loop. 1299 01:09:54.520 --> 01:09:59.119 Arah, Yeah, it's really it's ah, it's mastabatory. You're just 1300 01:09:59.159 --> 01:10:04.279 like getting off on how hard you had right or whatever. Yeah, 1301 01:10:04.319 --> 01:10:06.800 and it's self destructive. And do you know how I 1302 01:10:06.840 --> 01:10:10.119 know it was self destructive was because living that out 1303 01:10:10.520 --> 01:10:14.359 I was leading to just like shittier and shittier relationships 1304 01:10:14.520 --> 01:10:17.479 and my life was it just like it wasn't leading 1305 01:10:17.479 --> 01:10:18.439 to better outcomes. 1306 01:10:18.560 --> 01:10:19.000 Yeah. 1307 01:10:19.359 --> 01:10:22.319 So that's how I knew that. When I realized that, 1308 01:10:22.680 --> 01:10:27.239 oh I can you know, not be so self indulgent, 1309 01:10:27.680 --> 01:10:29.199 things were starting to get better for me. 1310 01:10:29.439 --> 01:10:32.600 Did the teacher or not the teachers, well, the teachers, professors, whatever, 1311 01:10:32.800 --> 01:10:34.840 But did the students know that you were a vet? 1312 01:10:34.920 --> 01:10:40.560 Did they know? And did and how did? I'm curious how, 1313 01:10:41.479 --> 01:10:42.920 especially in New York, because I've. 1314 01:10:42.760 --> 01:10:45.000 Had some experiences in New York where I felt like 1315 01:10:45.000 --> 01:10:47.560 people were actually afraid of me because they still think 1316 01:10:47.640 --> 01:10:51.399 the uh post traumatic stress is like the nineteen seventies 1317 01:10:51.439 --> 01:10:54.399 made for TV movie that dude goes postal. 1318 01:10:56.119 --> 01:10:59.640 Did you, like, what was your experience with them knowing 1319 01:10:59.640 --> 01:11:00.199 you were that. 1320 01:11:02.640 --> 01:11:04.560 Yeah, everybody knew that it was a veteran. 1321 01:11:07.279 --> 01:11:10.600 Because I didn't let anybody not know, Like that was 1322 01:11:10.640 --> 01:11:13.680 my that was my personality for a while. 1323 01:11:13.960 --> 01:11:16.199 How can it not be. It's like such a huge 1324 01:11:16.239 --> 01:11:16.760 part of your life. 1325 01:11:16.760 --> 01:11:20.039 You're nineteen, that's you know, a pretty big fraction of 1326 01:11:20.079 --> 01:11:20.800 your adult life. 1327 01:11:20.880 --> 01:11:22.800 And not a peace time veteran either. You would just 1328 01:11:22.920 --> 01:11:26.600 come back from a life changing event. 1329 01:11:27.680 --> 01:11:32.359 Yeah, so I I talked about it, and you know, 1330 01:11:33.279 --> 01:11:37.119 I let people know I'm on ARAQ veteran. That's what 1331 01:11:37.600 --> 01:11:41.760 That's what makes me special. That's like, yeah, that's my thing. 1332 01:11:42.079 --> 01:11:44.680 That's that's how I get laid in New York City 1333 01:11:44.800 --> 01:11:45.319 for a while. 1334 01:11:46.239 --> 01:11:46.760 That worked. 1335 01:11:47.920 --> 01:11:50.319 Oh yeah, because you're you're like, that's you're a little 1336 01:11:50.319 --> 01:11:56.319 bit different, and you know you went over there. 1337 01:11:56.760 --> 01:12:02.720 It's it to some people. Sure, sure, to enough. 1338 01:12:02.560 --> 01:12:08.159 People, I guess, so. 1339 01:12:08.359 --> 01:12:13.399 We're we're I'm sure there were, because obviously there's not 1340 01:12:13.600 --> 01:12:15.079 a monolithic student. 1341 01:12:15.760 --> 01:12:18.159 But did you find that they were open to it, 1342 01:12:18.239 --> 01:12:21.880 resistant to it? Did they judge you positively negatively? 1343 01:12:23.119 --> 01:12:26.680 Do they seek your wisdom, your guidance, your counsel, they 1344 01:12:26.800 --> 01:12:27.720 call you baby killer. 1345 01:12:30.880 --> 01:12:36.079 Now I butted heads with some people about it, but 1346 01:12:36.159 --> 01:12:38.199 I was still trying to figure out how I've even 1347 01:12:38.239 --> 01:12:38.920 felt about it. 1348 01:12:39.039 --> 01:12:40.399 Right at the time, right. 1349 01:12:43.640 --> 01:12:49.680 Most people really, God bless these the students, because you know, 1350 01:12:49.760 --> 01:12:51.520 coming back from the Vietnam War, I'm sure a lot 1351 01:12:51.560 --> 01:12:55.319 of those guys are getting told whether they're green cold, 1352 01:12:55.399 --> 01:12:58.600 baby killers or whatever, they had it a hell of 1353 01:12:58.640 --> 01:12:59.760 a lot worse than me, which is a lot of 1354 01:12:59.760 --> 01:13:04.159 people at least go through the charade of I know, 1355 01:13:04.359 --> 01:13:06.399 thank you for your service has been given a whole 1356 01:13:06.479 --> 01:13:08.720 like I don't want to hear it, but I I 1357 01:13:08.760 --> 01:13:12.439 love it in terms of like because whenever I meet cops, 1358 01:13:12.479 --> 01:13:14.199 I realize that a lot of times I ask them 1359 01:13:14.239 --> 01:13:18.399 uncomfortable questions and I realized, I'm like, oh wait, I'm 1360 01:13:18.439 --> 01:13:21.119 asking I'm doing the same thing to this cop that 1361 01:13:21.479 --> 01:13:23.920 like I didn't want. But really, what it is is 1362 01:13:24.000 --> 01:13:28.279 just people are trying, they're stumbling through. 1363 01:13:28.600 --> 01:13:30.199 These kids have no frame of reference. 1364 01:13:31.039 --> 01:13:33.279 Give them a little bit of not just kids, but 1365 01:13:33.359 --> 01:13:36.079 adult and nobody. If they haven't served, they don't know. 1366 01:13:36.199 --> 01:13:37.479 Give them the benefit of the doubt. 1367 01:13:37.600 --> 01:13:39.640 If they ask you if you killed anybody, don't be like, 1368 01:13:39.680 --> 01:13:43.039 don't ask me, Just like they're trying to get to 1369 01:13:43.159 --> 01:13:48.640 know you, and they're they're stumbling through doing it imperfectly. 1370 01:13:49.319 --> 01:13:53.479 And so I try, especially now, to like let people 1371 01:13:53.880 --> 01:13:58.520 be bad at talking about this, you know, let them 1372 01:13:58.560 --> 01:13:59.960 like be awkward. 1373 01:14:00.079 --> 01:14:02.880 It's kind of it's kind of incumbent, especially what all 1374 01:14:02.920 --> 01:14:05.439 of us do today. It's a kind of incumbent on 1375 01:14:05.640 --> 01:14:07.680 us to tell that story. 1376 01:14:07.399 --> 01:14:09.760 And give them some grace, you know, give them some 1377 01:14:09.800 --> 01:14:13.039 grace because these yes, I always you know, like there 1378 01:14:13.039 --> 01:14:17.199 are the three standard questions, uh like were you in combat? 1379 01:14:17.279 --> 01:14:20.159 Yes? Did you ever kill anybody? How did you get 1380 01:14:20.159 --> 01:14:22.079 over it? You know? 1381 01:14:22.279 --> 01:14:25.399 And I feel like I feel like I see it 1382 01:14:25.439 --> 01:14:29.039 coming a mile away when somebody because there's that timidity 1383 01:14:29.279 --> 01:14:31.039 or you know, they're they're kind of shy it up. 1384 01:14:31.119 --> 01:14:32.000 They really want to. 1385 01:14:31.920 --> 01:14:34.960 Know because it's it's an experience so far outside of 1386 01:14:35.640 --> 01:14:36.800 anything they've ever known. 1387 01:14:37.439 --> 01:14:37.680 Yeah. 1388 01:14:38.039 --> 01:14:41.640 Yeah, they're just that's you're right, Like they're just trying 1389 01:14:42.039 --> 01:14:45.479 to learn more about it. Yeah, So help them learn 1390 01:14:45.520 --> 01:14:49.760 more about redirect the question if you want redirected to 1391 01:14:49.800 --> 01:14:51.000 a question that you want to answer. 1392 01:14:51.039 --> 01:14:53.359 Yeah, maybe maybe they saw a couple movies and. 1393 01:14:53.439 --> 01:14:56.199 Like that's the extent of Yeah, absolutely, And that's a 1394 01:14:56.279 --> 01:14:58.239 huge part of the YouTube channel now that I do 1395 01:14:58.439 --> 01:15:01.119 is is trying to bridge that gap between the civilian 1396 01:15:01.520 --> 01:15:04.399 and the military and give the like you said, give 1397 01:15:04.439 --> 01:15:06.199 people the grace, give. 1398 01:15:06.000 --> 01:15:11.159 Them the leeway, and like the slack to ask stupid questions. 1399 01:15:11.560 --> 01:15:12.000 Yeah. 1400 01:15:12.560 --> 01:15:14.640 You know, it's funny because you mentioned like the Vietnam vets, 1401 01:15:14.640 --> 01:15:18.039 and I feel like there was so much like generational 1402 01:15:18.239 --> 01:15:23.760 shame for the way they were treated that people were 1403 01:15:23.800 --> 01:15:30.560 almost people were afraid to say anything like derogatory about 1404 01:15:30.640 --> 01:15:31.479 service members. 1405 01:15:31.800 --> 01:15:34.560 They might say, I don't like the war, but. 1406 01:15:34.560 --> 01:15:38.000 I respect you because because I don't want to be 1407 01:15:38.199 --> 01:15:41.199 the civilian, you know, spitting on a Vietnam vet. 1408 01:15:41.560 --> 01:15:43.800 Yeah, which is to me, it's ironic because like, if 1409 01:15:43.800 --> 01:15:46.680 you're gonna hate somebody, you actually should hate the Iraq 1410 01:15:46.760 --> 01:15:50.039 Afghanistan veterans because we all volunteered to go do that shit, 1411 01:15:50.399 --> 01:15:54.079 whereas like the a good portion of the Vietnam veterans 1412 01:15:54.399 --> 01:15:57.039 got drafted. Right, So like, if you're gonna hate somebody, 1413 01:15:57.039 --> 01:16:00.960 who actually should hate me? Yeah, because I volunteered and 1414 01:16:01.000 --> 01:16:02.800 like full well knowing what I was. 1415 01:16:03.479 --> 01:16:04.720 If anyone's guilty, it's. 1416 01:16:04.680 --> 01:16:08.039 Me, And you know, I mean going out there and 1417 01:16:08.119 --> 01:16:09.680 using babies as target practice. 1418 01:16:09.680 --> 01:16:13.199 When we did, we didn't have you know, yeah, why 1419 01:16:13.199 --> 01:16:15.159 do we do that? Yeah? 1420 01:16:15.319 --> 01:16:18.239 I think one of the things that people find interesting 1421 01:16:18.239 --> 01:16:21.000 because you guys, you worked with the Iraqi police. Yeah, 1422 01:16:21.119 --> 01:16:23.520 and like there's this idea, oh, out there killing brown people, 1423 01:16:23.560 --> 01:16:25.800 like No, we were like working next to them to 1424 01:16:25.840 --> 01:16:26.920 help them rebuild their country. 1425 01:16:27.079 --> 01:16:28.920 That's how I wrote my That's why they took me 1426 01:16:28.960 --> 01:16:31.199 into n y Us. I wrote that. That was my essay, 1427 01:16:31.359 --> 01:16:32.960 was like we worked that. 1428 01:16:33.119 --> 01:16:39.319 My my greatest ally was the Iraqis. Yeah, like I 1429 01:16:39.319 --> 01:16:42.159 I have nothing but respect for the Iraqis. They wanted 1430 01:16:42.680 --> 01:16:46.600 a better life for themselves and their their people. Like 1431 01:16:48.560 --> 01:16:51.359 our interpreter, his name was Fox. He now lives in America. 1432 01:16:52.000 --> 01:16:56.640 And what an amazing dude. I did a I did 1433 01:16:56.640 --> 01:17:00.840 a tour. He did six years right as an interpreter. 1434 01:17:01.439 --> 01:17:03.800 Just he didn't get to go home. No, he was 1435 01:17:03.960 --> 01:17:06.279 what he was right, Yeah, like on the weekends or whatever. 1436 01:17:06.319 --> 01:17:08.600 He didn't an to worry about like getting dimed out, 1437 01:17:08.680 --> 01:17:10.640 getting tortured, right, getting rolled up? 1438 01:17:10.800 --> 01:17:12.960 Right, So why he went by Fox? Fox wasn't his name? 1439 01:17:13.079 --> 01:17:13.479 Yeah? 1440 01:17:13.680 --> 01:17:14.439 Yeah? 1441 01:17:14.479 --> 01:17:16.560 And now God blessed that they did a lot of 1442 01:17:16.600 --> 01:17:19.159 work to get him to the States. But yeah, the 1443 01:17:19.159 --> 01:17:22.920 Iraqi people, you know, they weren't they weren't my enemy. 1444 01:17:24.079 --> 01:17:25.840 So mentally, when does it start? 1445 01:17:25.920 --> 01:17:28.039 I know you mentioned the I can have first war 1446 01:17:28.119 --> 01:17:31.680 problems again, but when does sort of the burden of 1447 01:17:31.720 --> 01:17:34.840 the war start to lift or does it like, how 1448 01:17:35.079 --> 01:17:35.439 does that? 1449 01:17:36.840 --> 01:17:39.359 I had hyper vigilance problems for a long time. 1450 01:17:39.520 --> 01:17:44.239 I you know, I tried to fill the void with 1451 01:17:44.720 --> 01:17:45.680 drugs and alcohol. 1452 01:17:45.720 --> 01:17:46.680 And it wasn't because like. 1453 01:17:46.640 --> 01:17:50.800 I killed people or I uh, you know, saw my 1454 01:17:50.880 --> 01:17:54.640 friend die. It was because you're on edge for a 1455 01:17:54.760 --> 01:17:59.560 year and you're you're living in this you might get 1456 01:17:59.640 --> 01:18:04.359 killed reality, right, Yeah, yeah, And so it took me 1457 01:18:04.399 --> 01:18:06.560 a long time to get over myself. It took me 1458 01:18:06.600 --> 01:18:09.319 a long time to basically the most important thing is 1459 01:18:09.439 --> 01:18:12.920 just finding that sense of purpose again. You know, it's 1460 01:18:13.119 --> 01:18:15.880 very hard I think for veterans to replace something as 1461 01:18:16.159 --> 01:18:20.880 as just monumental being a part of that. How do 1462 01:18:21.000 --> 01:18:27.640 you again feel like your purpose is remotely as important? Like, 1463 01:18:27.680 --> 01:18:29.680 and so you have to find a mission, whether it's 1464 01:18:30.039 --> 01:18:34.840 your kids, your wife, your whatever. It is, like you 1465 01:18:34.960 --> 01:18:37.039 have to have a purpose. Yeah, I learned, and I 1466 01:18:37.079 --> 01:18:38.159 know that's cliche. 1467 01:18:37.960 --> 01:18:40.239 But but it needs to be said again and again 1468 01:18:40.239 --> 01:18:40.600 and again. 1469 01:18:40.680 --> 01:18:44.000 Yeah, you know, because that really is there's no transition, 1470 01:18:44.039 --> 01:18:47.600 there's reinvention, right that you have to you have to 1471 01:18:47.640 --> 01:18:48.399 find something new. 1472 01:18:48.720 --> 01:18:49.680 What was that for you? 1473 01:18:49.760 --> 01:18:51.680 Like, how did that start to come about where you 1474 01:18:51.800 --> 01:18:55.880 sort of found your way in the civilian sector tasking purpose? 1475 01:18:56.159 --> 01:18:59.239 Yeah, I was. I was a absolute. 1476 01:19:00.359 --> 01:19:05.399 Mad man until the YouTube channel, until I started getting 1477 01:19:05.439 --> 01:19:09.600 to interact with the viewers and put out when the video. 1478 01:19:09.359 --> 01:19:11.079 I did the video, I would I don't care if 1479 01:19:11.079 --> 01:19:14.119 three hundred people are watching. When three hundred people were watching, 1480 01:19:14.199 --> 01:19:17.359 I was stoked. I was excited. That was amazing. Three 1481 01:19:17.399 --> 01:19:19.119 hundred people were watching the videos. 1482 01:19:19.479 --> 01:19:21.800 So you had your film background and then you apply 1483 01:19:21.920 --> 01:19:23.399 for this job at task and purpose. 1484 01:19:23.520 --> 01:19:25.039 That's why I applied because I was. 1485 01:19:25.159 --> 01:19:25.359 I was. 1486 01:19:25.399 --> 01:19:27.880 So I did marketing for years for Cisco and IBM, 1487 01:19:28.439 --> 01:19:31.720 and I was doing tons of videos for them, marketing, 1488 01:19:31.800 --> 01:19:37.840 messaging and like just for the the top technology companies 1489 01:19:37.960 --> 01:19:42.520 in the States, creating their marketing videos for like all 1490 01:19:42.600 --> 01:19:45.119 of their biggest products for IBM and Cisco for years. 1491 01:19:45.119 --> 01:19:49.319 After I left the Daily Show, and I felt empty because. 1492 01:19:49.279 --> 01:19:51.680 So you're still going through it. 1493 01:19:51.199 --> 01:19:54.199 Oh ye years, Oh God, through Cisco and IBM. Yeah 1494 01:19:54.199 --> 01:19:55.920 I can say this now, but like I was a 1495 01:19:56.000 --> 01:19:59.119 total drug addict and just mad man through my years 1496 01:19:59.399 --> 01:20:02.640 of creating marketing videos for some of the biggest companies 1497 01:20:02.640 --> 01:20:06.800 in the United States, like doing interviewing their c suite, 1498 01:20:07.600 --> 01:20:11.199 doing all their biggest product launches, doing marketing for them, 1499 01:20:11.760 --> 01:20:14.279 and I felt so empty inside because, like I just 1500 01:20:14.560 --> 01:20:16.840 I didn't have much control over what I was saying. 1501 01:20:16.840 --> 01:20:20.680 It's a IBM is a tremendous brand, Like you cannot 1502 01:20:21.039 --> 01:20:25.800 be the voice of IBM, right, Like so, I when 1503 01:20:25.800 --> 01:20:30.199 I saw this ad advertisement for do tasking purpose like 1504 01:20:30.239 --> 01:20:32.920 a huge pay cut to go work for temp to 1505 01:20:33.760 --> 01:20:34.920 uh do whatever you. 1506 01:20:35.159 --> 01:20:37.600 Were merging film in your military back. 1507 01:20:37.760 --> 01:20:40.039 That's why when I saw that advertisement, I was like, 1508 01:20:40.039 --> 01:20:43.479 oh my god, this is a match made in heaven. 1509 01:20:44.119 --> 01:20:46.760 Like I can use my film skills and I can 1510 01:20:46.880 --> 01:20:52.239 also marry it with this my military background, and I 1511 01:20:52.239 --> 01:20:55.119 had spent many years not wanting to talk about the military. 1512 01:20:55.319 --> 01:20:57.960 Not I had never for years like I was the 1513 01:20:58.000 --> 01:20:59.000 guy that I have. 1514 01:20:59.119 --> 01:21:01.319 One time, my squad leader asked me, what's the name 1515 01:21:01.520 --> 01:21:03.760 of the grenade launcher on top of the striker? And 1516 01:21:03.800 --> 01:21:06.840 I blanked and he was like it's Mark nineteen, you 1517 01:21:07.319 --> 01:21:11.000 idiot start pushing And I didn't, so like I wasn't 1518 01:21:11.000 --> 01:21:13.720 the guy that was obsessed with military equipment. But when 1519 01:21:14.199 --> 01:21:16.680 I started working for TMP, and I realized I love 1520 01:21:16.800 --> 01:21:20.800 this stuff, like I love the maximum effective range of 1521 01:21:20.960 --> 01:21:23.680 a weapon. I want to memorize that now, like and 1522 01:21:23.720 --> 01:21:26.079 there were guys that had the Ranger Handbook and had 1523 01:21:26.079 --> 01:21:28.920 that memorize. But once I started working for TMP was 1524 01:21:28.960 --> 01:21:32.159 really when like I felt like I had a real 1525 01:21:32.199 --> 01:21:34.960 purpose again because I was I was of service again. 1526 01:21:35.520 --> 01:21:37.079 And it didn't start off that way. 1527 01:21:37.159 --> 01:21:40.279 Like I was hired there as just an editor and 1528 01:21:40.319 --> 01:21:43.760 I was putting together news hits of just b Roll 1529 01:21:43.840 --> 01:21:46.399 and not even my voice. It was just like a 1530 01:21:46.439 --> 01:21:49.680 text and b Roll put together for their Facebook channel. 1531 01:21:50.439 --> 01:21:52.760 And I said to them, I said, hey, we should 1532 01:21:52.960 --> 01:21:55.920 do some YouTube stuff. This thing is people are doing 1533 01:21:55.920 --> 01:21:59.159 stuff on YouTube. It's just and they were it was 1534 01:21:59.199 --> 01:22:01.119 like startup phase, so they were like, do whatever the 1535 01:22:01.199 --> 01:22:04.760 hell you want. So I hated being in front of 1536 01:22:04.760 --> 01:22:05.199 the camera. 1537 01:22:05.239 --> 01:22:05.760 I hated it. 1538 01:22:05.760 --> 01:22:07.840 Didn't want to do it, but I was like, I'll 1539 01:22:07.840 --> 01:22:10.159 try it. And when I started, I was terrible at it. 1540 01:22:10.159 --> 01:22:11.520 It was so bad, so. 1541 01:22:11.600 --> 01:22:14.960 I couldn't read. I couldn't. I was trying to memorize everything. 1542 01:22:15.279 --> 01:22:18.319 Here was this that you started twenty eighteen or nineteen? Okay, 1543 01:22:18.640 --> 01:22:22.760 it was like right before the pandemic, and I was 1544 01:22:23.039 --> 01:22:24.479 you want to know how bad it was. I was 1545 01:22:24.520 --> 01:22:27.399 doing everything as a joke. I was doing everything. So 1546 01:22:27.479 --> 01:22:30.399 I was doing like, yes, super tongue in cheek about 1547 01:22:30.760 --> 01:22:31.760 so satirical. 1548 01:22:32.239 --> 01:22:35.199 I was so funny and like it was going to be, 1549 01:22:35.399 --> 01:22:35.600 you know. 1550 01:22:35.640 --> 01:22:38.239 I was just doing something on THET and somebody commented 1551 01:22:38.319 --> 01:22:40.520 on one of the videos, and I'll never forget this 1552 01:22:40.560 --> 01:22:44.640 comment because it changed my life. They said, why don't 1553 01:22:44.680 --> 01:22:47.720 you tell me something useful about the striker? Why don't 1554 01:22:47.720 --> 01:22:51.079 you tell me something about like the striker versus the BTR? 1555 01:22:51.760 --> 01:22:53.840 And no one's thinking about the BTR back in twenty 1556 01:22:53.880 --> 01:22:54.680 eighteen because. 1557 01:22:54.439 --> 01:22:57.119 This was before that you wore in Ukraine. So but 1558 01:22:57.279 --> 01:23:01.000 I took the comment to heart, some value added, Yeah, right. 1559 01:23:01.239 --> 01:23:04.239 And so instead of just doing like jokes and just 1560 01:23:04.279 --> 01:23:07.760 like satirical, I'll why don't I go and look up 1561 01:23:07.760 --> 01:23:12.119 some information and like present it in a digestible format 1562 01:23:12.319 --> 01:23:15.640 and just like swallow my pride a little bit and 1563 01:23:15.680 --> 01:23:19.520 not do just what makes me happy and do what 1564 01:23:19.680 --> 01:23:22.840 is of value to someone else? And lo and behold, 1565 01:23:23.000 --> 01:23:27.239 like when you're of service to other people who knew 1566 01:23:27.279 --> 01:23:31.359 that like that then just had some kind of reaction, 1567 01:23:31.720 --> 01:23:37.239 and so we went from three hundred views per episode 1568 01:23:37.720 --> 01:23:44.279 to two thousand views, and then two thousand views to fifty. 1569 01:23:45.079 --> 01:23:47.600 We start talking about the XM seven rifle because what 1570 01:23:47.640 --> 01:23:52.800 I did was when I was on guard guard tower duty, 1571 01:23:53.000 --> 01:23:54.880 me and the guys, we would just kind of like 1572 01:23:54.920 --> 01:23:58.880 bullshit about, Yo, you hear about this new rifle, like 1573 01:23:58.920 --> 01:24:02.840 a six to eight millimeter. I don't know, six eight millimeters. 1574 01:24:03.439 --> 01:24:07.600 That sounds kind of stupid, just you know. Or you 1575 01:24:07.600 --> 01:24:09.239 sit there in guard tower duty and you start to 1576 01:24:09.279 --> 01:24:12.000 talk about like who you think would win, like Israel, 1577 01:24:12.079 --> 01:24:16.800 the IDF or the or the tenth or the tenth 1578 01:24:16.840 --> 01:24:17.560 Mountain Division. 1579 01:24:18.600 --> 01:24:21.239 It's just these kind of hype of you know what 1580 01:24:21.279 --> 01:24:24.720 I'm talking about? Yeah, you just kind of this is 1581 01:24:24.720 --> 01:24:27.600 what Infantrumen talk about. Yeah, you just you have these 1582 01:24:27.680 --> 01:24:31.560 hypothetical conversations. So I started. 1583 01:24:32.600 --> 01:24:39.760 Kind of putting those into a format and people started commenting, 1584 01:24:39.880 --> 01:24:45.640 and the comments felt like purpose. It felt like there 1585 01:24:45.720 --> 01:24:48.319 are people out there that are getting something out of this, 1586 01:24:49.000 --> 01:24:53.920 and I felt like I was being useful and I 1587 01:24:54.000 --> 01:24:57.039 felt like I had a reason to live again. 1588 01:24:57.199 --> 01:24:57.399 Yeah. 1589 01:24:58.039 --> 01:25:00.560 How long did you stay in the Guard after you 1590 01:25:00.640 --> 01:25:01.760 came back from your deployment? 1591 01:25:02.439 --> 01:25:07.920 About three years. I got out briefly in so I did. 1592 01:25:08.239 --> 01:25:11.600 I did a hurt, two domestic missions in New York City, 1593 01:25:11.920 --> 01:25:15.279 did Hurricane Irene, and then Sandy. And Sandy was, oh 1594 01:25:15.319 --> 01:25:20.720 my god, what a mess, like counter people doing looting. 1595 01:25:20.800 --> 01:25:21.239 Yeah. 1596 01:25:22.239 --> 01:25:26.079 I was at what was that hospital on the East 1597 01:25:26.159 --> 01:25:30.319 Side on thirty third with the patient Bellvue. Yeah, so 1598 01:25:30.720 --> 01:25:34.640 me and the Marine Reserves were in Bellevue when it 1599 01:25:34.720 --> 01:25:41.479 got flooded for Sandy, and we're like bringing up gasoline 1600 01:25:41.960 --> 01:25:46.359 as they're doing heart surgery on the fourteenth floor. And 1601 01:25:46.439 --> 01:25:49.319 because the bottom generator, yeah, Sandy. 1602 01:25:49.079 --> 01:25:53.199 Was everything like below fifty ninth Street the power got up. 1603 01:25:53.279 --> 01:25:57.399 Yeah. Yeah, So I stayed in the Guard for another 1604 01:25:58.479 --> 01:26:01.279 I did a total of like five years in the Guard. 1605 01:26:01.640 --> 01:26:02.319 So I stayed in. 1606 01:26:02.319 --> 01:26:04.359 Longer because I loved it and I thought I wanted 1607 01:26:04.359 --> 01:26:07.119 to deploy again, But the New York Guard ended up 1608 01:26:07.239 --> 01:26:10.479 getting their deployment canceled. So I stayed in for a 1609 01:26:10.520 --> 01:26:13.359 total of like at least another three or four years. 1610 01:26:13.399 --> 01:26:14.640 Afterwards, When you. 1611 01:26:14.640 --> 01:26:17.239 Were going to those drills and things. Was that like 1612 01:26:17.279 --> 01:26:18.640 a reprieve for you. 1613 01:26:18.880 --> 01:26:23.079 Was that because you're around the guys again, or was 1614 01:26:23.119 --> 01:26:26.079 it bad because we're just doing a drill and it's 1615 01:26:26.119 --> 01:26:27.159 not Iraq. 1616 01:26:27.479 --> 01:26:30.119 The best thing about the Guard staying in it through 1617 01:26:30.640 --> 01:26:33.079 that period was I didn't smoke weed. 1618 01:26:33.600 --> 01:26:35.159 Like you can't smoke weed. I did. 1619 01:26:35.960 --> 01:26:38.880 I'll I'll be honest, like I did the harder stuff 1620 01:26:38.920 --> 01:26:41.279 because it only stays in your system for three days. Yeah, 1621 01:26:41.560 --> 01:26:44.720 but you know, New York Guard had a zero tolerance policy. 1622 01:26:44.760 --> 01:26:49.079 You're getting dishonorable or if I'm wrong, whatever, the you're 1623 01:26:49.119 --> 01:26:52.960 losing your benefits, Like you're pretty screwed if you pop hot. 1624 01:26:53.119 --> 01:26:55.680 So I didn't smoke weed. It kept me. It kept 1625 01:26:55.680 --> 01:26:57.960 me with the guys. It kept me with the squad, 1626 01:26:58.760 --> 01:27:00.159 that sense of community. 1627 01:26:59.840 --> 01:27:01.239 Yeah, and. 1628 01:27:03.000 --> 01:27:06.560 Doing doing the domestic missions was still a part of 1629 01:27:06.600 --> 01:27:07.000 my life. 1630 01:27:07.159 --> 01:27:08.039 Yeah. 1631 01:27:08.880 --> 01:27:12.159 So yeah, I did that up and I think I 1632 01:27:12.199 --> 01:27:16.680 got out in twenty fifteen, fourteen, twenty fifteen or fourteen, So. 1633 01:27:17.279 --> 01:27:19.359 During that time, we're still a good touchstone for you 1634 01:27:19.479 --> 01:27:24.199 to kind of balance balance that everything else going on. 1635 01:27:24.760 --> 01:27:26.600 It was good to get drug tested once a week 1636 01:27:26.800 --> 01:27:29.600 or once a month. Yeah, it was good to like 1637 01:27:29.800 --> 01:27:34.199 stay out, stay some kind of honest throughout living in 1638 01:27:34.199 --> 01:27:34.800 New York City. 1639 01:27:34.840 --> 01:27:36.319 Yeah, for that time period. 1640 01:27:36.279 --> 01:27:41.079 Yeah, yeah, get out and you you're transitioning into this 1641 01:27:41.199 --> 01:27:42.920 video job full time right. 1642 01:27:43.479 --> 01:27:47.359 Like three years later, right about yeah, about three years 1643 01:27:47.439 --> 01:27:51.399 later after after working for IBM and Cisco, then at 1644 01:27:51.560 --> 01:27:54.760 T ANDP, and it starts to blow up, it starts 1645 01:27:54.760 --> 01:27:58.600 to just get like I still feel weird about it 1646 01:27:58.640 --> 01:28:00.960 because I've never been the type of person that Now 1647 01:28:01.000 --> 01:28:03.520 it's so nice where sometimes I'll I'll go to a 1648 01:28:03.520 --> 01:28:06.159 shooting range in like Florida, and someone will walk up 1649 01:28:06.159 --> 01:28:08.439 to me and be like, hey, do you host the 1650 01:28:08.520 --> 01:28:14.920 Task and Purpose show? And it's the nicest thing ever. 1651 01:28:15.039 --> 01:28:18.439 It's like it's it's it feels like meeting a family 1652 01:28:18.479 --> 01:28:22.479 member that you haven't seen in years and you kind 1653 01:28:22.479 --> 01:28:25.399 of have a connection. It's just it feels really great. 1654 01:28:25.640 --> 01:28:28.760 Well, you guys have like your channel, I mean your episodes. 1655 01:28:28.800 --> 01:28:30.880 I saw someone like six hundred thousand, Like, I'm sure 1656 01:28:30.880 --> 01:28:32.239 you have bigger numbers than that. 1657 01:28:32.800 --> 01:28:39.119 I mean, you are famous to a segment Internet famous. 1658 01:28:39.039 --> 01:28:41.960 Yes, yeah, to a segments the distinction, but you are 1659 01:28:42.279 --> 01:28:46.399 like if if there are like a million people out there, 1660 01:28:47.039 --> 01:28:49.520 from all the countries whatever. A million two million people 1661 01:28:49.560 --> 01:28:52.720 out there who know who you are. That's not nothing. 1662 01:28:54.760 --> 01:29:00.439 My uncle doesn't know what I do. And there is a. 1663 01:29:02.600 --> 01:29:10.000 Being Internet famous is like being not famous, and I 1664 01:29:11.920 --> 01:29:14.680 the thing I like just about it is that it's 1665 01:29:15.319 --> 01:29:17.960 I feel like, if you're like famous, famous, then a 1666 01:29:17.960 --> 01:29:20.239 lot of people who, like anybody comes up to you, right, 1667 01:29:20.359 --> 01:29:20.680 But if. 1668 01:29:20.680 --> 01:29:22.840 You're Internet famous, the people that come up to you 1669 01:29:23.079 --> 01:29:25.359 are the people. They're your people. Yeah, They're the people 1670 01:29:25.520 --> 01:29:27.680 like you want, They're the people that you would love 1671 01:29:27.720 --> 01:29:28.319 to hear from. 1672 01:29:28.439 --> 01:29:30.880 Yeah, And and they're the people that are going to 1673 01:29:30.920 --> 01:29:33.079 come up and ask you about like, what do you 1674 01:29:33.079 --> 01:29:35.479 think about the five five six versus the six eight 1675 01:29:36.239 --> 01:29:37.039 by fifty one? 1676 01:29:37.439 --> 01:29:40.600 Is it really a good idea? It's it's the nerds. 1677 01:29:40.239 --> 01:29:43.399 That like, that's my people, that's my team. 1678 01:29:44.439 --> 01:29:46.760 So what is your demograph? Your chief demographic? 1679 01:29:46.840 --> 01:29:47.039 You know. 1680 01:29:47.600 --> 01:29:52.720 So we're now at one point seven million subscribers, and 1681 01:29:54.239 --> 01:29:59.680 there's a significant portion of that is the American audience, 1682 01:30:00.079 --> 01:30:05.319 big also European audience and Southeast Asian audience as well, 1683 01:30:05.720 --> 01:30:08.159 people from all over the world, people that are concerned 1684 01:30:08.159 --> 01:30:12.079 about what's happening with China and Taiwan, people in the 1685 01:30:12.119 --> 01:30:16.199 Philippines that are concerned about what's happening with their country 1686 01:30:16.239 --> 01:30:21.920 and their borders and their economic exclusive zone. There's also 1687 01:30:22.279 --> 01:30:26.239 people in Poland and in the United Kingdom who are 1688 01:30:26.239 --> 01:30:29.520 worried about you know, like if you're in the United Kingdom, 1689 01:30:29.560 --> 01:30:33.920 imagine I might get this rb you're France. Imagine if 1690 01:30:34.880 --> 01:30:39.800 in Florida there was an invasion happening right now, that's 1691 01:30:39.880 --> 01:30:43.439 like the same distance between the border of France and 1692 01:30:43.479 --> 01:30:46.439 the border of Ukraine, about that same distance, Like you 1693 01:30:46.479 --> 01:30:49.720 could drive that to Florida from if you're in New York. 1694 01:30:50.399 --> 01:30:54.640 So a lot of people, yeah, all. 1695 01:30:54.520 --> 01:30:59.760 Over the world who are concerned about different things that 1696 01:30:59.760 --> 01:31:03.319 that that I find fascinating. I think in America, in 1697 01:31:03.359 --> 01:31:09.119 the Western audience, we reasonably so don't worry about what's 1698 01:31:09.119 --> 01:31:11.640 happening around the world because we kind of don't have to. 1699 01:31:11.840 --> 01:31:13.239 We have that remove Yeah. 1700 01:31:13.680 --> 01:31:21.920 Yeah, but yeah, there's uh, it's been, it's been amazing, it's. 1701 01:31:23.760 --> 01:31:27.199 Are are there are there milestones or events that you know, 1702 01:31:27.279 --> 01:31:28.319 like really stand out. 1703 01:31:28.479 --> 01:31:28.920 Yeah. 1704 01:31:28.960 --> 01:31:32.159 So when I started talking about the NNGSW next Generation 1705 01:31:32.239 --> 01:31:36.119 squad weapon that's replacing the M four and uh that 1706 01:31:36.279 --> 01:31:38.800 those that was the first viral video when I started 1707 01:31:38.800 --> 01:31:40.600 talking about that because that's something we used to talk 1708 01:31:40.600 --> 01:31:44.680 about in the guard towers. And then six hour reached 1709 01:31:44.720 --> 01:31:46.720 out to me and I got to be the first 1710 01:31:46.760 --> 01:31:50.119 civilian to go and test fire. That got to go 1711 01:31:50.159 --> 01:31:54.359 and test fire the true velocity the polymer cased ammo, 1712 01:31:54.720 --> 01:31:56.199 which I was fell in loved with. 1713 01:31:56.279 --> 01:31:57.319 That was really sick. 1714 01:31:57.800 --> 01:31:59.560 I got got to test fire these webs I got 1715 01:31:59.560 --> 01:32:02.880 to learn about like procurement, what even, what even is? 1716 01:32:02.920 --> 01:32:07.640 The idea behind it is that the ammunition is lighter, right, 1717 01:32:08.399 --> 01:32:08.920 so for. 1718 01:32:09.600 --> 01:32:15.199 True velocity, their value add is that the ammunition is 1719 01:32:15.239 --> 01:32:17.760 about thirty percent or I might get it wrong, but 1720 01:32:17.800 --> 01:32:22.159 like it's lighter than brass casing, so you can carry 1721 01:32:22.199 --> 01:32:25.720 more of it. But at the same time it's still 1722 01:32:25.960 --> 01:32:29.199 same high powered weapons. So they're they're testing that with 1723 01:32:29.520 --> 01:32:35.840 SF guys and firing off. Basically, what's because the advances 1724 01:32:35.880 --> 01:32:41.560 in polymer technology and in manufacturing for polymer casings is 1725 01:32:41.600 --> 01:32:44.720 you could now have instead of a brass casing, polymer 1726 01:32:44.800 --> 01:32:49.880 case ammo, which is fascinating. There's a whole thing that 1727 01:32:49.920 --> 01:32:51.680 goes into it about it. 1728 01:32:51.680 --> 01:32:55.520 It's interesting too with the concept of like green ammunition 1729 01:32:55.760 --> 01:32:57.520 that there have been a couple I think there have 1730 01:32:57.560 --> 01:33:00.960 been a couple of different efforts to replace lead in 1731 01:33:01.000 --> 01:33:04.199 the bullets with something that is quote unquote green and 1732 01:33:04.239 --> 01:33:06.159 they but they haven't been able to find something that's 1733 01:33:06.239 --> 01:33:07.000 as consistent. 1734 01:33:07.159 --> 01:33:08.640 I thought they did it. I thought graphite. 1735 01:33:10.039 --> 01:33:11.920 Really, I don't think the I don't think our bullets 1736 01:33:11.920 --> 01:33:13.159 are made of lead anymore. 1737 01:33:13.159 --> 01:33:15.880 I think it's graphite, really, so they replaced it. 1738 01:33:15.960 --> 01:33:18.439 I might be wrong, but my understanding is that they 1739 01:33:18.520 --> 01:33:22.279 replaced all because we could look it up. But I 1740 01:33:22.319 --> 01:33:24.319 believe they replaced a lot of it with GRAPHI yeah, 1741 01:33:24.359 --> 01:33:26.800 you could be Yeah, I mean exactly what you're talking. 1742 01:33:27.000 --> 01:33:30.479 It's not just so a lot. 1743 01:33:30.560 --> 01:33:34.800 The thing that's funny about like the environmental concerns is 1744 01:33:34.800 --> 01:33:39.560 the environmental a lot of time aligns with economic concerns, 1745 01:33:40.239 --> 01:33:42.119 and I think you would find shocking. 1746 01:33:42.399 --> 01:33:47.680 Yeah, right, anytime the defense industry. I have a theory. 1747 01:33:48.000 --> 01:33:49.640 I'm going to go on record and say that I 1748 01:33:49.640 --> 01:33:54.239 have a theory that any time that a environmental concern 1749 01:33:54.600 --> 01:33:59.159 you hear from the military industrial complex probably also aligns 1750 01:33:59.279 --> 01:34:01.760 with economic concern I. 1751 01:34:01.680 --> 01:34:03.319 Don't think that's so far. 1752 01:34:05.319 --> 01:34:12.000 So to bullshit, and like game do game theory here, 1753 01:34:12.399 --> 01:34:15.119 Like you know, we're always sold on the idea the 1754 01:34:15.239 --> 01:34:16.520 five five, six, seven six two. 1755 01:34:16.560 --> 01:34:18.479 It's a NATO round, so everybody has it. 1756 01:34:18.600 --> 01:34:23.800 So if a big war pops off logistics procurement, you know, 1757 01:34:23.880 --> 01:34:26.960 supply like it's not an issue. 1758 01:34:27.800 --> 01:34:30.199 Do you feel that, with these new. 1759 01:34:30.119 --> 01:34:33.159 Rounds coming on online, this explointing stuff like that, that 1760 01:34:33.279 --> 01:34:37.119 they still have that manufacturing capability to back up a. 1761 01:34:38.560 --> 01:34:41.199 You know, is this something that NATO might move to eventually? 1762 01:34:42.159 --> 01:34:44.319 Do you think that they had the manufacturing capability to 1763 01:34:44.640 --> 01:34:46.760 back up a major push Somewhere? 1764 01:34:47.119 --> 01:34:51.359 Lake City, Utah is where they produce about five billion 1765 01:34:51.840 --> 01:34:55.960 rounds of five five six a year, and SIG is 1766 01:34:56.000 --> 01:35:00.760 now moving to produce more of the six to eight 1767 01:35:01.319 --> 01:35:09.279 AMMO at scale, and they're creating new manufacturing processes in Jacksonville. 1768 01:35:10.159 --> 01:35:12.720 Oh god, where's Jacksonville? Is that Kentucky? 1769 01:35:13.000 --> 01:35:15.640 But they're setting up new plants to basically start to 1770 01:35:15.640 --> 01:35:19.239 produce at scale the six to eight. And so I 1771 01:35:19.279 --> 01:35:21.039 want to tell you about some feedback that I got 1772 01:35:21.039 --> 01:35:23.840 from the guys on the ground. I put out a 1773 01:35:23.920 --> 01:35:27.239 video recently about the six eight and the feedback from 1774 01:35:27.239 --> 01:35:31.560 the soldiers, and it's fascinating in that So the PAOs 1775 01:35:32.520 --> 01:35:36.039 they published this guy, this guy, They gave out the 1776 01:35:36.119 --> 01:35:39.279 six to eight and GSW a bunch of troops test 1777 01:35:39.279 --> 01:35:42.159 fired it. The PAOs are the ones that are kind 1778 01:35:42.159 --> 01:35:47.960 of the gatekeepers of the feedback. They published in Army Times, 1779 01:35:48.119 --> 01:35:50.760 Military dot Com, a bunch of other bunch of publications, 1780 01:35:51.279 --> 01:35:54.520 all of the positive feedback about how it blasts through 1781 01:35:54.840 --> 01:35:57.560 cinder blocks and the troops love it. 1782 01:35:57.640 --> 01:35:58.560 For the X Y and Z. 1783 01:36:00.359 --> 01:36:03.520 I published this video and then I get a you 1784 01:36:03.520 --> 01:36:05.560 could look it up. I get a bunch of hate 1785 01:36:05.600 --> 01:36:08.800 from a couple of dudes who are like, why did 1786 01:36:08.840 --> 01:36:12.159 you cherry pick my quotes? Why did you only mention 1787 01:36:12.479 --> 01:36:16.039 the positive things that I said? And I'm like, dude, 1788 01:36:16.239 --> 01:36:19.880 I'm only open source. I only look at what the 1789 01:36:19.880 --> 01:36:23.800 pos published. What only the military dot Com and Stars 1790 01:36:23.840 --> 01:36:27.000 and Stripes and all these publications get access to. 1791 01:36:27.760 --> 01:36:33.119 So somewhere along the line their negative feedback. 1792 01:36:33.800 --> 01:36:37.600 Was interesting, Yeah, shocking. Yeah. 1793 01:36:37.680 --> 01:36:41.319 If you look on Reddit, this one soldier has a 1794 01:36:41.319 --> 01:36:43.520 ton of negative feedback and he was pissed at me, 1795 01:36:43.640 --> 01:36:45.359 and understandably. 1796 01:36:44.840 --> 01:36:48.680 Shockingly, here the Public Affairs is just putting out army propaganda. 1797 01:36:48.760 --> 01:36:51.880 Who can't believe it? Who knew? And in my video, 1798 01:36:51.920 --> 01:36:52.880 I mentioned the same thing. 1799 01:36:52.920 --> 01:36:55.840 I'm like, I got the I got the three three 1800 01:36:55.880 --> 01:36:58.279 twenty grenade launcher, and I was like, this thing's a 1801 01:36:58.279 --> 01:36:58.960 piece of garbage. 1802 01:36:59.000 --> 01:37:01.840 But I doubt that Army Times or whoever. 1803 01:37:02.239 --> 01:37:04.960 Yeah, yeah, but but you read like the stories and 1804 01:37:05.239 --> 01:37:08.199 yeah in the Army Times like this is a game changer, 1805 01:37:08.560 --> 01:37:09.840 This changes everything. 1806 01:37:09.920 --> 01:37:11.600 And I don't mean to I don't mean to dump 1807 01:37:11.640 --> 01:37:14.000 on like any publication, but all I'm saying because I 1808 01:37:14.039 --> 01:37:16.199 don't really I really don't think it's Army Times or whoever. 1809 01:37:16.239 --> 01:37:19.119 I just think that it's like the PAOs that control, right, 1810 01:37:19.800 --> 01:37:20.239 because the. 1811 01:37:20.239 --> 01:37:24.359 Army Times are only getting quotes from the PAOs. So basically, the. 1812 01:37:24.279 --> 01:37:28.640 Public affairs officer is only publishing the positive. The one 1813 01:37:28.720 --> 01:37:31.840 line that this guy was like, it's fucking is amazing 1814 01:37:31.880 --> 01:37:35.560 at this thing, right, And he was rightfully pissed at 1815 01:37:35.560 --> 01:37:41.199 me for parroting this quote without digging deeper. 1816 01:37:42.159 --> 01:37:44.880 And so, okay, here's what I think. 1817 01:37:45.119 --> 01:37:50.399 XM seven soldiers love that has extra range, extra firepower, 1818 01:37:50.680 --> 01:37:55.680 but they hate that it's a pain to maintenance. It's 1819 01:37:55.279 --> 01:38:00.760 a pain in terms of recoil and in terms of way. 1820 01:38:00.960 --> 01:38:03.399 So but you're not going to read that in Stars 1821 01:38:03.439 --> 01:38:06.399 and stripes po is never going to let that go through. 1822 01:38:06.800 --> 01:38:09.960 And of course, like if you look at the M sixteen, 1823 01:38:10.119 --> 01:38:12.840 the teething problems that it had, they kind of like 1824 01:38:13.119 --> 01:38:14.640 swept that under the rug, but the. 1825 01:38:14.640 --> 01:38:17.000 M sixteen worked out. Yeah, so it's tough. It's tough. 1826 01:38:17.119 --> 01:38:19.439 Yeah, Yeah, it's one of these things, like the M 1827 01:38:19.560 --> 01:38:23.960 sixteen is a good example right now, also the Vetoll 1828 01:38:24.399 --> 01:38:28.359 vertical takeoff and landing with the osprey. It's like, are 1829 01:38:28.399 --> 01:38:31.159 these technologies that are going to pay dividends in the 1830 01:38:31.199 --> 01:38:35.399 decades to come. You know, right now it might be 1831 01:38:35.479 --> 01:38:40.119 kind of a shitty capability, but ten years, twenty years 1832 01:38:40.119 --> 01:38:43.039 from now, like it actually is a game change or 1833 01:38:43.039 --> 01:38:46.159 it actually does change things in the wars of the 1834 01:38:46.199 --> 01:38:47.199 future hopefully. 1835 01:38:47.199 --> 01:38:49.279 What would you think about the five five six Do 1836 01:38:49.319 --> 01:38:52.880 you like or how do you feel about the six 1837 01:38:52.960 --> 01:38:53.720 eight by fifteen? 1838 01:38:54.680 --> 01:38:57.479 I have some boomer views about this stuff. I mean, 1839 01:38:57.560 --> 01:38:59.600 I think the seven six two is kind of where 1840 01:38:59.600 --> 01:39:02.640 it's at for a rifle. I'm not a huge five 1841 01:39:02.720 --> 01:39:04.880 to five to six guy. But on the other hand, 1842 01:39:04.920 --> 01:39:06.760 five five six there is a lot to be said 1843 01:39:06.800 --> 01:39:09.760 for it. Uh, it's lighter, so you can carry more 1844 01:39:09.800 --> 01:39:12.960 of it. It has been great for the types of 1845 01:39:12.960 --> 01:39:16.119 wars we've been in the last twenty years, you know CQB, 1846 01:39:18.039 --> 01:39:20.520 not not just the round but also the platform, the 1847 01:39:20.600 --> 01:39:24.640 M sixteen platform. It's been great for that type of fighting. 1848 01:39:26.560 --> 01:39:29.560 But at range, I think you might want a little 1849 01:39:29.560 --> 01:39:31.640 bit something more, uh than the. 1850 01:39:31.640 --> 01:39:32.520 Five five six. 1851 01:39:33.079 --> 01:39:35.560 But then there are all sorts of like arguments and 1852 01:39:35.600 --> 01:39:39.359 counter arguments about like is the is the rifling in 1853 01:39:39.399 --> 01:39:44.560 the barrel over accuratizing the round? Is the is around 1854 01:39:44.600 --> 01:39:49.000 moving too fast for what we're trying to accomplish, Like, yeah, 1855 01:39:49.039 --> 01:39:51.199 you're getting range, but it's not doing the type of 1856 01:39:51.279 --> 01:39:54.159 damage when it enters the body, like it's just zipping. 1857 01:39:53.880 --> 01:39:57.279 Through with minimal tissue damage. There's all the all these 1858 01:39:57.319 --> 01:40:00.760 different arguments. But yeah, I'm I'm more of. 1859 01:40:00.680 --> 01:40:03.840 A seven six ' two and maybe maybe six point 1860 01:40:03.920 --> 01:40:05.039 five is the compromise. 1861 01:40:05.159 --> 01:40:07.720 Let me ask you another question, so, uh, if I'm 1862 01:40:07.760 --> 01:40:09.920 not mistaken, did you did some sniper work? 1863 01:40:10.239 --> 01:40:10.680 Yeah? 1864 01:40:10.760 --> 01:40:16.359 So what are your thoughts on training and average inforturement 1865 01:40:17.119 --> 01:40:21.800 to shoot out to eight hundred meters or six hundred meters? 1866 01:40:22.399 --> 01:40:23.479 Are that reasonable? 1867 01:40:23.600 --> 01:40:23.680 No? 1868 01:40:23.800 --> 01:40:24.920 I don't. I don't think so. 1869 01:40:25.159 --> 01:40:28.079 I think that I think six. I think that it's 1870 01:40:28.199 --> 01:40:33.800 completely possible, but that is advanced marksmanship training. It takes 1871 01:40:33.840 --> 01:40:37.199 some time, and absolutely I think that you could take 1872 01:40:37.239 --> 01:40:40.560 any infantryman and get him to that point, but that 1873 01:40:40.640 --> 01:40:45.000 takes advanced training beyond what we can teach in basic training. 1874 01:40:45.359 --> 01:40:47.880 Even with the x M one fifty seven scope, Like, 1875 01:40:47.960 --> 01:40:50.720 no matter what scope you get, So I feel like 1876 01:40:50.800 --> 01:40:53.640 you're absolutely right that even if you give them this 1877 01:40:53.800 --> 01:40:59.960 like insane computerized scope, the fundamentals of shooting in terms 1878 01:40:59.960 --> 01:41:04.079 of like in terms of like trigger squeeze, heart rate, 1879 01:41:06.119 --> 01:41:09.359 and breathing. I don't care how good of a scope 1880 01:41:09.399 --> 01:41:11.760 you give, if you give the right scope to somebody 1881 01:41:11.760 --> 01:41:14.640 who understands those fundamentals, because I'm somebody who's not a 1882 01:41:14.680 --> 01:41:18.800 great shot, but like you're, you've done sniper school and 1883 01:41:18.840 --> 01:41:22.439 all that. If you give an infantryman who doesn't understand 1884 01:41:22.439 --> 01:41:24.720 those fundamentals, like a six scope, are they gonna be 1885 01:41:24.760 --> 01:41:25.239 able to hit? 1886 01:41:25.560 --> 01:41:29.199 I I totally believe you can get them there. I 1887 01:41:29.520 --> 01:41:33.079 think that you can train them to do like dual breach, 1888 01:41:33.720 --> 01:41:36.560 multiple teams CQB on a house, like, you can get 1889 01:41:36.600 --> 01:41:41.039 them there, but it takes additional time and training, And 1890 01:41:41.079 --> 01:41:43.359 the question is always is the army willing to invest 1891 01:41:43.439 --> 01:41:44.479 that is the Army. 1892 01:41:44.239 --> 01:41:47.720 Gonna are you talking about when you said infantrymen, are 1893 01:41:47.720 --> 01:41:50.520 you talking about every infantryman coming out of a. 1894 01:41:50.640 --> 01:41:55.720 Tue Dave David, I'm talking about every infant so every 1895 01:41:55.760 --> 01:42:00.239 swing not even like so snipers. We don't like talk 1896 01:42:00.279 --> 01:42:03.239 about this, but like there's a lot of there's a 1897 01:42:03.319 --> 01:42:06.439 lot of dummies that are in eleven Brava there are 1898 01:42:06.800 --> 01:42:11.319 they're like, there's also a lot of incompetent troops. There's 1899 01:42:11.359 --> 01:42:15.119 a certain amount of infantrmen who can be snipers, who 1900 01:42:15.119 --> 01:42:18.600 can hit targets at eight hundred meters. They're they're the Army, 1901 01:42:18.640 --> 01:42:22.880 I feel like is hedging their bet that, like the 1902 01:42:23.479 --> 01:42:27.520 fifty seven is gonna let so the a COG, for instance, 1903 01:42:27.880 --> 01:42:32.560 let people who have no business hitting targets. 1904 01:42:32.319 --> 01:42:38.960 As Americans, we love technological solutions, We absolutely we love technology. 1905 01:42:39.920 --> 01:42:42.279 So I'm going I'm gonna approach this actually from a 1906 01:42:42.319 --> 01:42:46.800 different angle because the Marine Corps boot camp is four 1907 01:42:46.840 --> 01:42:51.720 weeks longer than the Armies. But the Marine Corps does 1908 01:42:52.560 --> 01:42:54.880 because I went through both Army and Marine Corps boot camp, 1909 01:42:55.439 --> 01:43:00.039 and the Marine Corps does marksmanship right. You spend a 1910 01:43:00.079 --> 01:43:05.199 shit ton of time snapping in which is just learning 1911 01:43:05.239 --> 01:43:09.319 the formations for your slings and sitting in front of 1912 01:43:09.319 --> 01:43:14.520 a barrel and dry firing or you know. And I 1913 01:43:14.560 --> 01:43:20.079 think if you wanted to have that capability of consistently 1914 01:43:20.720 --> 01:43:23.800 not everybody, because some guys were just bad shots, they 1915 01:43:23.880 --> 01:43:31.960 just are, but teaching the proper fundamentals, I think you 1916 01:43:32.000 --> 01:43:35.479 can do that in four weeks where with the right platform, 1917 01:43:35.880 --> 01:43:38.560 the right scope, stuff like that. And again we're not 1918 01:43:38.600 --> 01:43:41.479 talking about calling wins or anything else like that right 1919 01:43:42.199 --> 01:43:46.720 on a perfectly still day, I don't know about I mean, 1920 01:43:47.039 --> 01:43:49.880 what's the M A for the for the rifle and round? 1921 01:43:50.199 --> 01:43:52.119 So this was the other thing. 1922 01:43:52.800 --> 01:43:54.720 This was the other thing that people So this guy 1923 01:43:54.800 --> 01:43:57.760 got so pissed at me for publishing this video, and 1924 01:43:57.800 --> 01:43:59.960 I told I get it. I fuck, I get it, 1925 01:44:00.239 --> 01:44:04.800 man like so he h, so the m A for 1926 01:44:04.880 --> 01:44:09.359 the XM seven is between a three and a four. 1927 01:44:09.439 --> 01:44:13.560 Well no, but he said he also said he was 1928 01:44:13.600 --> 01:44:15.640 like a lot of times it's a one point eight. 1929 01:44:16.199 --> 01:44:17.640 So the way he said it was that the m 1930 01:44:17.840 --> 01:44:19.039 A was a one point eight. 1931 01:44:19.640 --> 01:44:23.840 But sometimes it'll throw a random shot, It'll just throw 1932 01:44:23.880 --> 01:44:26.920 it because the PSI on the thing is yeah, eighty thousand, 1933 01:44:27.479 --> 01:44:30.520 So he would he said that every like third or 1934 01:44:30.560 --> 01:44:34.840 fourth shot, this is just he said. He qualified it 1935 01:44:34.880 --> 01:44:36.960 by saying that, like he's not an amazing shot, and 1936 01:44:37.000 --> 01:44:39.239 his buddy was shooting like a two point eight, but 1937 01:44:39.359 --> 01:44:42.399 that occasionally he would see a shot thrown at like 1938 01:44:42.520 --> 01:44:47.560 three or four MA, which the M four is a 1939 01:44:47.680 --> 01:44:53.880 four M a weapon and the XM seven supposedly between 1940 01:44:53.960 --> 01:44:56.319 like I know this is a big range, but between 1941 01:44:56.319 --> 01:44:58.000 one point eight and three. 1942 01:44:58.359 --> 01:45:01.399 So for people who might not be aware of the terminology, 1943 01:45:02.119 --> 01:45:05.760 MLA is a minute of angle, and it's one inch, right, 1944 01:45:05.840 --> 01:45:08.399 one inch or one one inch for every hundred yards 1945 01:45:08.479 --> 01:45:10.720 or a mile. Yeah, yeah, one inch for every hundred 1946 01:45:10.800 --> 01:45:13.640 yards of accuracy. So if you shoot one hundred yards, 1947 01:45:13.840 --> 01:45:17.119 you're round based on that that uh, that round and 1948 01:45:17.159 --> 01:45:21.199 that rifle combination is going, it'll have a one inch 1949 01:45:21.199 --> 01:45:22.640 spread of where you may hit. 1950 01:45:23.000 --> 01:45:25.239 It's a it's a cone that is opening up the 1951 01:45:25.279 --> 01:45:28.479 further you get. So one inch at one hundred meters, 1952 01:45:28.720 --> 01:45:30.640 two inches at two hundred meters, and. 1953 01:45:30.600 --> 01:45:34.039 So so it's a four MA four minutes of angle 1954 01:45:34.199 --> 01:45:39.000 would be four inches at one hundred right, that's kind 1955 01:45:39.039 --> 01:45:42.720 of unseat, yeah, and then yeah, and then eight inches 1956 01:45:42.800 --> 01:45:46.119 at two hundred and then then we start Yeah, he says, 1957 01:45:46.159 --> 01:45:48.880 it's like a one point one point between. 1958 01:45:48.479 --> 01:45:51.840 A one point eight two point eight, and then also 1959 01:45:51.880 --> 01:45:55.359 there's like a random throut. So so here's the thing. 1960 01:45:55.399 --> 01:45:57.159 It's interesting because the M sixteen was a piece of 1961 01:45:57.199 --> 01:45:59.760 garbage when it first came out right total trash, but 1962 01:45:59.800 --> 01:46:03.279 then over the decades became a really like refined weapon. 1963 01:46:03.800 --> 01:46:07.279 So it's tough to tell are they refining it? Is 1964 01:46:07.279 --> 01:46:09.640 this the teething problems, It's really tough to tell. 1965 01:46:10.039 --> 01:46:13.039 It's I mean, and then and then like even on 1966 01:46:13.079 --> 01:46:15.399 the like the M four platform, where you start getting 1967 01:46:15.520 --> 01:46:19.439 you know, different upper you start getting different things that. 1968 01:46:21.239 --> 01:46:24.119 Because you you can hit six hundred with an M four. 1969 01:46:25.000 --> 01:46:29.720 So I don't know, do we have questions for uh 1970 01:46:30.319 --> 01:46:31.079 from mister Chris. 1971 01:46:37.119 --> 01:46:39.479 Are there a lot of in your opinion? 1972 01:46:39.520 --> 01:46:41.079 Are there a lot of parts of this gun that 1973 01:46:41.119 --> 01:46:44.079 can be improved? 1974 01:46:45.640 --> 01:46:47.159 The way I would look at the XM seven is 1975 01:46:47.199 --> 01:46:49.760 that it's a platform, it's a system, and it's also 1976 01:46:49.880 --> 01:46:51.479 a bet on what the. 1977 01:46:51.399 --> 01:46:54.479 Future of the future war is going to look like. 1978 01:46:55.039 --> 01:46:56.239 So what we. 1979 01:46:56.319 --> 01:47:00.680 All experienced in g WATT is like very different than 1980 01:47:01.039 --> 01:47:04.159 what the near peer war is going to be. The 1981 01:47:04.279 --> 01:47:07.520 army is betting that we're not going to be kicking 1982 01:47:07.560 --> 01:47:11.840 indoors and yelling at kids saying get down, get down. 1983 01:47:12.000 --> 01:47:13.279 That's not the future of war. 1984 01:47:13.319 --> 01:47:16.359 The future of war against China and Russia is that 1985 01:47:16.439 --> 01:47:19.520 building has already been flattened, and that you're not doing 1986 01:47:19.600 --> 01:47:24.920 CQB is that you're in combat right, and your standoff 1987 01:47:25.159 --> 01:47:28.359 is your advantage and your overmatch, and you might be outnumbered, 1988 01:47:28.439 --> 01:47:32.920 but you can see not only with drones. Drone warfare 1989 01:47:33.079 --> 01:47:36.119 is going to allow you to identify targets way further out. 1990 01:47:36.520 --> 01:47:41.479 So now your platoon, through your little drone that you 1991 01:47:41.520 --> 01:47:44.720 shoot up, sees that the enemy's eight hundred meters away, 1992 01:47:44.840 --> 01:47:48.159 and now because of that, you can engage the enemy 1993 01:47:48.640 --> 01:47:52.079 for three three hundred meters before. 1994 01:47:51.840 --> 01:47:52.840 They can even engage you. 1995 01:47:53.399 --> 01:47:56.399 That's the idea they're making a bet, I think is that, 1996 01:47:56.960 --> 01:47:59.800 and if they fully adopt the XM seven, it becomes 1997 01:47:59.840 --> 01:48:03.319 the seven and it's fully adopted two hundred thousand rifles. 1998 01:48:03.399 --> 01:48:07.119 If that happens, the army believes that that bet is 1999 01:48:07.199 --> 01:48:09.800 worth it, and that that's what the future of warfare 2000 01:48:09.920 --> 01:48:12.159 is going to look like. They might be wrong, they 2001 01:48:12.239 --> 01:48:15.079 might be right. Whatever I don't I don't know, but 2002 01:48:16.039 --> 01:48:17.640 that's what they think. And I think a lot of 2003 01:48:17.680 --> 01:48:20.079 people forget that it's not just the XM seven, it's 2004 01:48:20.119 --> 01:48:21.119 the XM two to fifty. 2005 01:48:21.560 --> 01:48:23.239 XM two fifty is. 2006 01:48:23.640 --> 01:48:26.359 Four or five pounds lighter than the saw has a 2007 01:48:26.359 --> 01:48:30.520 minute of angle that's easily you know, it's a three 2008 01:48:31.359 --> 01:48:34.039 minute of angle versus the saw is like a twelve or. 2009 01:48:33.960 --> 01:48:35.399 Something minute of angle. I don't know. 2010 01:48:35.600 --> 01:48:40.119 Six it's like this. It's not just a rifle, it's 2011 01:48:40.159 --> 01:48:45.119 also a whole squad. So to me, the NNGSW. 2012 01:48:44.560 --> 01:48:50.079 Program is about betting on the future of warfare more 2013 01:48:50.159 --> 01:48:54.399 than just a rifle. It's a system. 2014 01:48:54.840 --> 01:48:57.760 So do you think that when these because pas are 2015 01:48:57.760 --> 01:49:00.640 geting their marching ordership somewhere right, do you think that 2016 01:49:00.720 --> 01:49:03.359 it's that that they just want to give this because 2017 01:49:03.760 --> 01:49:05.640 I don't know. I get kind of cynical about the 2018 01:49:05.640 --> 01:49:08.680 government sometimes, like okay, who has the contract is trying 2019 01:49:08.720 --> 01:49:10.600 to butter this up? But do you think it's just 2020 01:49:10.680 --> 01:49:13.920 more a matter of wanting to give this time to breathe? 2021 01:49:14.399 --> 01:49:16.000 There's billions of dollars on the line. 2022 01:49:16.039 --> 01:49:21.279 We can't attend we can't pretend like there isn't billions 2023 01:49:21.319 --> 01:49:22.239 of dollars on the line. 2024 01:49:22.319 --> 01:49:26.399 Yeah, look at where these cgs retire to and boards 2025 01:49:26.640 --> 01:49:29.159 of directors that they get on board with afterwards. 2026 01:49:29.239 --> 01:49:33.039 Yeah, you don't end up with the UCP camouflage pattern 2027 01:49:34.159 --> 01:49:37.680 for no reason, Like you don't end up with a gray, 2028 01:49:38.239 --> 01:49:42.520 weird camo pattern instead of like multiicam is amazing now, 2029 01:49:42.800 --> 01:49:44.760 But how did we end up that. 2030 01:49:44.840 --> 01:49:48.039 This week that they're talking about replacing the Army pt uniform? 2031 01:49:48.720 --> 01:49:53.199 Like there should be a Department of Justice investigation on 2032 01:49:53.399 --> 01:49:56.840 the Department of Defense and these uniform changes that they 2033 01:49:56.880 --> 01:49:59.720 make every year and a half, two years, Like it 2034 01:49:59.800 --> 01:50:02.520 is straight up criminal negligence. 2035 01:50:02.960 --> 01:50:05.119 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 2036 01:50:05.159 --> 01:50:09.439 The there's always the balancing act between the military industrial 2037 01:50:09.479 --> 01:50:12.199 complex is a real thing. Yeah, and also there's real 2038 01:50:12.239 --> 01:50:15.920 threats to us, so it's like, uh, you always got 2039 01:50:15.920 --> 01:50:16.199 a balance