WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:03.680 The Team House with your hopes. 2 00:00:04.599 --> 00:00:07.400 Jack Murphy and David Park. 3 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:14.599 This is episode three hundred and eighty of The Team House. 4 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:18.839 I'm Jack Murphy with our guest tonight, Drew Estelle. Drew 5 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:22.160 served in fifth Special Forces Group. The guys most of 6 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:25.359 our viewers know, they fixate on the Middle East, that's 7 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:29.320 their aor and Drew did a number of deployments all 8 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:34.399 over that place and today works on films, works on 9 00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:37.759 training with law enforcement, and number of other things. So 10 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:40.399 we're gonna get into all that with Drew here. Thank 11 00:00:40.439 --> 00:00:41.479 you for joining us tonight. 12 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:44.280 Yeah, man, I appreciate it. 13 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:48.399 So yeah, it's it's great to have you on the show. Finally, 14 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:52.320 So I'm gonna I'm gonna hit you with the first question, 15 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:55.359 which we pretty much ask everybody, is if you tell 16 00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:57.840 us a little bit about your origin story, like how 17 00:00:57.880 --> 00:00:59.640 did you grow up, where did you grow up, and 18 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:01.560 like how how did that sort of eventually take you 19 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:03.320 towards military service. 20 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:07.040 I was waiting for that one. I've been a fan 21 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:10.239 of your podcast for a while, man, I think you've 22 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:12.280 got some phenomenal people on here, by the way, so 23 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:13.640 it's really cool to get to sit here. 24 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:14.200 So thank you. 25 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:18.280 So yeah, man, I grew up in Texas, Houston, Texas 26 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:21.879 outside of it place called Spring And if anybody's from Houston, 27 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:23.879 the way you know the area is by what high 28 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:25.879 school you went to, right, They're like, oh, what high school? 29 00:01:25.879 --> 00:01:27.719 You know? So Klein Oak I grew up in that 30 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:31.040 area right there on the northwest side. But yeah, so 31 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:34.599 it's kind of funny. My buddy who is now also 32 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:37.760 a Green Beret, Like we knew each other from kindergarten 33 00:01:37.799 --> 00:01:40.560 playing te ball and all that, and we're in elementary school. 34 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:41.799 We used to go out in the woods and play 35 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:44.840 Green Berets with like my uncle's you know field manual 36 00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:48.719 like Special Forces you field manual that stuff, survival manuals 37 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:51.120 and shit, and like all this old gear from Vietnam, 38 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:52.680 and we'd go to the Army surplus store. And it's 39 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:54.799 kind of cool. We both grew up to be Green 40 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:56.519 Berets like we were when we were kids. 41 00:01:56.680 --> 00:02:00.439 So it was pretty neat. Man. But yeah, he's a 42 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:02.040 good dude. He played football at Texas A. 43 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:05.000 And M, and then he joined and I joined after 44 00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:08.360 my third freshman year of college. We could call it. 45 00:02:10.919 --> 00:02:12.919 Yeah, it sounds like a hell of a lot of fun. Drew. 46 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:15.000 I had a great time. 47 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:19.680 So the yeah, man, I grew up in Texas, grew 48 00:02:19.719 --> 00:02:23.520 up playing football, also played lacrosse, growing up, just normal family, 49 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:26.120 good family, all that middle class, just your standard ship. 50 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:30.319 And then yeah, I went to a private school my 51 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:30.800 senior year. 52 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:33.000 I got a scholarship because that's just the way Texas 53 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:36.080 high school football works. Otherwise I probably wasn't going to 54 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:37.560 college because I was an idiot. 55 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:40.319 And then yeah, it worked out really well. 56 00:02:40.479 --> 00:02:42.639 I went to a small D three school called Marietta 57 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:45.439 College my first year and I played football and I 58 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:48.159 went to play lacrosse there too, but they dropped the 59 00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:50.400 program from like whatever, and I ended up leaving there 60 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:52.439 and I went to Texas State University. 61 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:54.840 He used to be called Southwest Texas. 62 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:58.120 Well known for being a party school at the biggest 63 00:02:58.120 --> 00:02:59.879 party school in the state of Texas. 64 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:00.719 So as. 65 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:04.759 I got kicked out of there twice. I going to 66 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:08.240 community college, and then I kicked out of a community college, 67 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:10.319 and then I was like, you know what, man, I'm 68 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:12.000 gonna join the army. You know, I think this is 69 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:12.719 a good idea. 70 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:16.759 So I grew are any of those stories about how 71 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:19.719 you got kicked out still classified or you permitted to 72 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:20.759 tell some of those. 73 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:25.280 Oh yeah, dude, oh bro Okay. So I was in 74 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.240 a fraternity for a little bit, and like, I joined 75 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:30.000 a fraternity because my dad was like, hey, you're not playing. 76 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:32.680 I went to play football at Texas State, but I couldn't. 77 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:35.000 I had too many head injuries and injuries. And then 78 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:37.800 they changed coaches, so I lost my transfer, like little 79 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:42.840 offer and scholarship. And then so I joined a fraternity, 80 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:44.840 and my dad's like, yeah, it's a good idea. Attorneys 81 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.159 are good, not at this school, bud, you know what 82 00:03:47.159 --> 00:03:50.080 I'm saying. So I joined the fraternity that was literally 83 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:55.400 all former military guys and for college athletes, like my 84 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:58.840 little dude, Graham Big or whatever. He was a captain 85 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:01.319 in the Marine Corps. He was as he was, he 86 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:03.240 was twenty eight years old, went to college to do 87 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:05.840 like Green to Gold, and so then he went on 88 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:09.319 and all the dude just military guys everywhere, and nobody 89 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:12.400 knows how to party better than them. And yeah, so 90 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:16.040 I got my nose broke or got a fake tooth 91 00:04:16.360 --> 00:04:20.560 because I have a smart mouth, and so I got 92 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:22.519 kicked out the first time I got in big trouble. 93 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:27.439 I thought some other dudes stole like my pledge jersey, right, 94 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:30.360 like the chirt you wear. So I knock on his 95 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:32.560 door and I'm like, yeah, man, like you got my 96 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:35.519 jersey and he's like, no, no, I don't. I didn't 97 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:37.199 take a shit, you know. And for some I think 98 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:39.079 I was still drunk when I did this. This is 99 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:41.439 the next morning, and he's like no. So I went 100 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:42.839 in his room and tried to do all this well. 101 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:45.160 He called his buddies and whatever, and they showed up. 102 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:48.240 And this dude's the biggest dude I've seen in a 103 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:52.000 long time. He set the record for like collegiate bench 104 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:54.360 press like powerlifting in the state of Texas. 105 00:04:54.399 --> 00:04:57.360 His name is bj which I thought was hilarious. 106 00:04:57.879 --> 00:05:01.199 And he did not and he touched me pretty hard 107 00:05:01.360 --> 00:05:03.959 and basically turned my face inside out, you know. He 108 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.720 broke my tooth and everything. So that was a fun 109 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:10.399 conversation with the dean. And then I had another conversation 110 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:12.160 too where he's like, what are you gonna do with 111 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:13.079 your life, you idiot? 112 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:14.560 I think I'm gonna join the army. 113 00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:17.199 He's like, son, that is a great idea. You need 114 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:21.240 to go do that right now. But yeah, I worked 115 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:24.439 on Sixth Street in college if you're familiar with it. No, No, 116 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:27.639 all the bars. So it's like Broadway Street, you know 117 00:05:27.720 --> 00:05:30.800 in Nashville, or like Beal Street Memphis. It's like the 118 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:36.240 bar club street of Austin. And I actually worked for MTV. 119 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:39.519 Oh really so yeah, dude, So like that TV show 120 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:42.920 The Real World. Yeah, like what they do. And at 121 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:44.879 the time it was a guy named Wes was on 122 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:47.879 the show Nea Maya. They were super cool. They're the dudes. 123 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:51.199 I remember the chicks. But when they go to the 124 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:53.279 different bars on Sixth Street, what they do is they 125 00:05:53.319 --> 00:05:55.560 kind of work out a deal with the bar owners 126 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:58.360 and the club owners. And somehow I got picked up 127 00:05:58.399 --> 00:06:01.199 at twenty years old to be like the security manager 128 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:03.439 for them when they were at our bars. 129 00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:06.360 And uh, the only reason was because Wes. 130 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:08.639 He and I looked a lot alike with that drunk 131 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:11.279 girls would think I was Wes and then I'd be 132 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:13.600 like I'm not and He's like, yeah, ladies, this is 133 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:15.759 what I'm like. Oh God, here we go, right, So 134 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.519 it was kind of he man. But yeah, I joined 135 00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:20.720 the army. I was. I had a great time before 136 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:24.319 the army. I learned some valuable lessons. 137 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:27.639 To say the least, So what what year was it 138 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:28.560 that you enlisted? 139 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:33.319 Two thousand and two thousand and five. I enlisted and 140 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:36.079 I went to basic training in like January two thousand. 141 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:41.439 And six, okay, and what mos eleven X ray, which okay, 142 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:42.680 so you were yeah, I didn't. 143 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:44.639 I didn't know what an extra. I just thought it 144 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:47.120 was infantry. I'm gonna be an eleven Bravo. And I 145 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:49.519 showed up and they're like, you're a mortarman. I was like, 146 00:06:50.279 --> 00:06:52.040 the hell is a mortarman? You know? 147 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:53.600 Like I don't know, and. 148 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:56.680 They were like, you're gonna like you know thing, and 149 00:06:56.759 --> 00:06:57.800 I'm like, no, I'm. 150 00:06:57.680 --> 00:06:59.560 Not doing that. That's not what I signed up to do. 151 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:02.439 Because they wouldn't let me have the SF contract coming 152 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:05.040 in because I had shoulder surgery from college football. 153 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:06.839 So I was like, no, I'm not going to do that. 154 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:09.920 I mean they would let me have the SF contracts, 155 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:11.279 were like all right, well they come this, you'll just 156 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:13.959 get it when you're in the Army, all right. So 157 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:16.000 I was pretty pissed. I didn't know what a damn 158 00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:18.439 mortarman was. So I called my recruiter and was like 159 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:20.839 you son of but just cussing him out. I don't 160 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:24.639 get Joe Flores phenomenal dude. I think he's a sergeant 161 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:27.800 major in recruit and he might have retired, but great, dude, man. 162 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:30.560 And he was like, calm down, you're fine, you can 163 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:32.920 still go SF you know. So I ended up it 164 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:35.399 worked out fine, but I was pretty pissed off. I 165 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:37.959 was like, you lied to me, you mother for you know, 166 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:40.160 like going off like I didn't know what a mortarman was. 167 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:41.759 I just know I'm going to carry heavy shit and 168 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:43.600 I'm not going to be like the other infantry guys. 169 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:48.160 Yeah. Yeah, Well, to explain to some of the young 170 00:07:48.199 --> 00:07:52.160 folks out there within the infantry eleven Bravo and every 171 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:55.160 Special Forces guy has at least their secondary mos is 172 00:07:55.240 --> 00:07:59.839 infantry eleven Bravos split into you know, riflemen and more. 173 00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:04.360 And that's what Drew's talking about. So I imagine that training though, 174 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:05.439 must have really come in. 175 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:06.759 Handy down the line for you. 176 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:10.079 It did, because I ended up being an eighteen Bravo. 177 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:14.199 So I was like, oh, well, God has a plan 178 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:16.199 that makes sense, and thank you. 179 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:17.560 I I know what. 180 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:19.959 To do with the little sticks and the you know, turning. 181 00:08:19.800 --> 00:08:23.600 Thing and the whiz wheels and the hi fire direction 182 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:24.519 center board. 183 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:26.800 That confuses the hell out of me. Yeah. 184 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:28.839 Yeah, So like I figured it out. I had a 185 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:30.800 little leg up on the other guys, so that helped. 186 00:08:30.839 --> 00:08:31.600 That definitely helped. 187 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:35.440 So so two thousand and six you go through basic 188 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:39.480 training and then SFAs the Q course all of that. 189 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:41.000 What was that experience like for you? 190 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:45.320 Yeah? It was, uh, it was good man. I you 191 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:48.399 meet so many different people, right, But when I actually 192 00:08:48.399 --> 00:08:52.200 got into SF, I was supposed to go to Kelly 193 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:56.000 Kelly Hill or something like that for I was supposed 194 00:08:56.039 --> 00:08:58.600 to stay on forbidding in third I d right, and 195 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:01.000 I was gonna be eleven Charlie there. But I called 196 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:03.759 the SEF recruiter like every chance I got during a 197 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:06.720 t like the final hony weeks, and just left messages 198 00:09:06.759 --> 00:09:08.480 because we were always at the Mortar Square. So when 199 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:11.679 he'd come by, ah, he didn't you know, I never 200 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:14.279 got to see him, and so I would just call 201 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:18.320 him NonStop and leave a messages like excuse me, master sergeant, 202 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:19.799 my name's private Estil. 203 00:09:19.559 --> 00:09:20.279 You know, can I please? 204 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:23.960 And he finally I called and it was like he's 205 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:25.360 supposed to be gone for the day he goes. 206 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:28.000 I just hear sor and So, and I'm like. 207 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:31.360 Oh, hi, master Sergeant, my name is So and So 208 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:33.159 he goes. He just goes, God, dang it, are you 209 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:35.320 That little idiot keeps calling me every day. I'm like 210 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:37.639 that's me, you know. So he's like, if you can 211 00:09:37.639 --> 00:09:39.080 get here in twenty minutes, man, i'll give you a 212 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:41.360 stuff contract. I was like, oh shit, okay. 213 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:45.399 So I went over like the one of the drill Sartens. 214 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.399 Who is this, you know, big old black dude from 215 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:50.440 the city, you know, gold teeth and shit. And I 216 00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:53.559 was like, oh, drills are and I do just lied 217 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:55.320 to him. I was like, So and So said you 218 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:56.519 got to take me down. 219 00:09:56.320 --> 00:09:59.360 There right now. He was like what. He's like, yeah, 220 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:01.159 I listen, not Lake. 221 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:02.559 I can't for the life for me. 222 00:10:03.240 --> 00:10:05.200 And he goes, he said, you by name, got to 223 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:07.279 take me down there. He's like, he said my name. 224 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:10.960 I was like yeah. He goes, oh, oh shit, Oh okay, 225 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:12.200 we'll get your ass in the truck. 226 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:12.960 So he drove me down. 227 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:14.759 You know. He's like, you need me to go in. 228 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:17.639 I'm like no, now we're good. He said, just drop 229 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:19.159 me off, but thank you very much. 230 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:19.559 Ill let him know. 231 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:21.240 He's like, yeah, you tell him. Tell him. I I 232 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:22.679 was like, yep, absolutely, you know. 233 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:25.919 So I got my RUD down there and I got 234 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:26.519 my contract. 235 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:28.039 It was really interesting because, like I guess, one of 236 00:10:28.039 --> 00:10:32.159 his friends was in town again, like massive dude, flame 237 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.840 tattoos of his forearm, wearing a Harley Davidson's shirt, and 238 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:37.200 they were third group guys, and he just sat me, 239 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:39.039 he said, and he's like, you really want to join SF, 240 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:41.679 and I'm like, yes, please, you know mattress Hart. And 241 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:43.559 of course this other guy that's his buddy is just 242 00:10:43.559 --> 00:10:44.799 making fun of me the whole time. 243 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:47.480 I'm like, okay, this is this seems cool. 244 00:10:47.399 --> 00:10:50.960 So I know exactly what you're talking about. That the 245 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:54.399 little one story SF recruiting station on Fort Benning. 246 00:10:55.159 --> 00:10:56.600 Yep, yeah, yeah. 247 00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:59.159 I remember when I went in there because I was 248 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:01.080 with three seven five at the time, and I went 249 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:03.399 in there and said, hey, I'd like to do SF. 250 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:06.399 I want to go to SFAs and I just remember, like, well, 251 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:09.120 a couple of things. One of them was he said 252 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:11.639 what mos is do you want? And I said, well, 253 00:11:11.679 --> 00:11:14.320 I'm pretty open minded. And then he asked me what 254 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:18.000 my GT score was and I told him and he said, well, 255 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:18.960 let me narrow your. 256 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:21.919 Mind a little bit for you. You could be an eighteen, bravo. 257 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:27.360 And then the second thing was when I walked out 258 00:11:27.399 --> 00:11:29.320 of there, just a smile on that guy's face. He 259 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:31.720 was like he knew it. He's like, I got another one. 260 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:35.720 Yeah. Yeah, what year was that? 261 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:37.440 That must have been two thousand. 262 00:11:39.000 --> 00:11:41.480 That was probably two thousand and six because I graduated 263 00:11:41.480 --> 00:11:44.480 the course in two thousand and seven, so I went. 264 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:48.440 I went to SFAs the last class of two thousand 265 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:50.600 and five, so it would have been five that I 266 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:51.120 went in there. 267 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:56.480 Okay, gotcha nice dude, Yeah, I got a It's funny 268 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:58.919 because I started out and I was an eighteen. I remember, 269 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:00.799 you know, you get your little she you go through 270 00:12:00.840 --> 00:12:03.080 selection and you're like I did it, you know, and 271 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:06.039 you go to the room. You know what I'm saying. Uh, 272 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:09.519 So it's fun funny. Man. You know that guy Libelsburger 273 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:13.840 that blew himself up in the tesla? Yes, he and 274 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:16.799 I went to selection together and I knew him and 275 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:20.399 we went to the Q course together, so like, you know, 276 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:21.679 just notting. 277 00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:26.080 A random factory. But when you uh fuck was it? 278 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:28.279 Yeah? You go through and they give you your moss 279 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:30.320 and everything. It was like I remember taking the d 280 00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:33.519 lab and then being like are you retarded? I was 281 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:36.120 like I think so, yes, you know, uh there's a 282 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:39.320 high chance of this and they were like okay, well 283 00:12:39.399 --> 00:12:41.759 then I guess they looked at my GT score and 284 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:43.679 we got our moss and like, you're gonna be an 285 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:46.960 eighteen delta. I was like, I ain't get fucking wrong. 286 00:12:47.000 --> 00:12:49.159 There's no way I'm gonna be an eighteen delta. They're 287 00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:51.960 like and Arabic and I was like, no, thank you, 288 00:12:51.960 --> 00:12:54.519 you know. Like, so I was like I don't know 289 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:57.000 what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna die, you know, like mentally, 290 00:12:57.080 --> 00:12:58.639 my brain's gonna explode trying to do this. 291 00:12:58.720 --> 00:12:59.440 But we'll figure it out. 292 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:02.440 So I started out as an eighteen Delta and I 293 00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:04.120 remember the whole time in the delta course. 294 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:07.519 It was like me and like three former Marines and. 295 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:10.960 They'd always call us the Bravos, like, hey, future Bravos. 296 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:12.960 You know you're up, you know, for like tea trible 297 00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:15.279 c and all this other craft you know, and surgical skills. 298 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:17.240 And they'd be like like why do you call us 299 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:19.399 future Bravos Because you idiots are all going to fail 300 00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:20.960 and we're all going to put you in the Bravo course, 301 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:22.480 because you are retarded and we're. 302 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:25.000 Like, oh okay, cool sounds good, you know, and uh, 303 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:25.519 sure enough. 304 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:26.879 I think three out of four of us end up 305 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:28.600 failing becoming brothers. 306 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:32.039 But if you're in the market for a new mattress, 307 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:34.159 you've probably seen all the brands out there buying for 308 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:38.039 your attention, big names, splashy ads, all promising the same thing. 309 00:13:38.120 --> 00:13:40.200 But here's the only brand that does it right. 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Thanks guys, But. 340 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:13.480 Again, it was good. 341 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:14.679 You know, God has a plan. 342 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:17.840 And I did a lot of medical stuff overseas man, 343 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:20.440 and I think that really prepared me really well and 344 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:22.960 my team is a great team. So got through the 345 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:26.399 key course, did all that and called the long Bravo. Right. 346 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:28.320 I was so happy to be an eighteen Bravo and 347 00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:32.519 out of Delta. However, I used a ton of medical 348 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:34.720 especially on the first and second trip to Iraq. 349 00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:35.320 It was a lot. 350 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:38.000 So so the I mean, how much of the Delta 351 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:39.679 course do you think you did, like eight weeks or 352 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:40.279 something like that. 353 00:15:41.399 --> 00:15:43.639 There's A and P patho, which is like the first 354 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:48.279 six weeks, and then there's is it surgical skills. 355 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:48.960 I think is right after that. 356 00:15:49.080 --> 00:15:52.120 I got through surgical skills, yeah, something like with the 357 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:54.639 hands on doing chrikes, chest tubes all that. 358 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:57.240 I was great at that, but you couldn't get. 359 00:15:57.039 --> 00:15:59.600 Me to pass a written test, Like if you this 360 00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:01.919 pisce is me off, right, because have you ever seen 361 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:05.679 the written test of the Delta. Okay, It's like here's 362 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:07.440 a question, right, and they give you like a scenario, go, 363 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:08.559 what's the best answer? 364 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:14.320 A only A and C, D and D, D D 365 00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:18.080 E or E all or like F all of the above. 366 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:20.559 And you're like what, like what what do you mean? 367 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:23.120 And they're like, oh, you're right, your answer was right, 368 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:26.000 but this other answer was a little bit more right, 369 00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:28.519 And you're like, that's the stupidest shit I've ever heard, 370 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:32.320 you know, So like that wasn't I was not a delta. 371 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:35.720 Obviously, so yeah, that's awesome. 372 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:38.200 But I mean, yeah, those skills came in handy later. 373 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:39.879 The training that you did go through. 374 00:16:39.960 --> 00:16:43.559 That's cool. So get the fifth group. 375 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:46.559 Uh do you go right to an ODA or do 376 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:48.279 you have to spend some time on a B team 377 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:50.320 first or how's it work? No? 378 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:52.120 I was I was really lucky. I went right to 379 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:55.679 an ODA. I went to five eight four and then 380 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:57.879 it was five through two four. Now it's five eight 381 00:16:57.879 --> 00:17:01.679 four again because numbers are hard, evidently, so they changed 382 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:04.680 it again, like fucking commanders and their infinite wisdom. 383 00:17:05.400 --> 00:17:08.440 I'm in oe R bullets, but they did that. 384 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:11.200 I went to that team, so the third battalion, and 385 00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:13.960 I showed up like you know every new guy does, 386 00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:14.920 Like the only. 387 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:16.400 Thing I can do is pass the eyeball test. 388 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:18.119 I obviously don't know anything, So I'm gonna show up 389 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:20.079 in shape, you know, and whatever they thought me and 390 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:22.200 be able to do, have a great attitude, you know 391 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:25.440 what I'm saying, Right, mindset and do that. And I 392 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:27.440 ended up going to two four the Halo team or 393 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:32.039 eight four, and it was good. And I remember a 394 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:34.559 guy named John Knipe wind Up worked for Magpole later 395 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:37.400 he was on the B team. He's like, what team 396 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:39.160 are you going to? It was like sor Matrix said 397 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:43.319 two four or eight four, and he was mad. He 398 00:17:43.440 --> 00:17:45.240 was like, you're going to He was that's the best 399 00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:47.480 team in the battalion. Guys worked so hard to get 400 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:49.599 on that team, all this stuff, and I was like, 401 00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:51.319 oh shit, all right, I got a lot to work on. 402 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:53.720 I gotta really, you know, do the right thing here, 403 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:55.279 and I gotta, you know, step up. 404 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:58.759 And I did. I got a really great team, very 405 00:17:58.759 --> 00:17:59.519 experienced team. 406 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:01.279 There were three of us new guys that all got 407 00:18:01.279 --> 00:18:03.480 there pretty much within like a month of each other. 408 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:07.480 And yeah, the rest of the team was really experienced. 409 00:18:07.480 --> 00:18:11.920 We lost a guy the trip before Jason, so he 410 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:14.480 was killed up there in julul Asida the trip before 411 00:18:15.319 --> 00:18:19.160 Jason Brown. And then so we were deployed in like 412 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:21.160 two months by the time I got there. So I 413 00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:23.440 got there just enough time to do some some ranges. 414 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:25.880 We did PMT at four Knox and then we were 415 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:28.200 off and it was kind of like the the attitude 416 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:31.640 of the team was, hey, you're ready, cause uh, we're 417 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:33.920 going right back there and we're gonna fuck some people up, 418 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:34.440 you know what I mean. 419 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:36.480 I was like, okay, all right, there's low joint. 420 00:18:36.599 --> 00:18:39.119 You know, we're where did you get the. 421 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:41.599 Point Julula Acida? 422 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:44.519 Back to the same point for them? 423 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:46.640 Yeah, back at the exact say, And they just kept 424 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:48.079 going to that team house, you know what I mean. 425 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:50.119 It would be us and then another team and then us, 426 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:51.480 and then it was like a first group team and 427 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:53.920 then us and then so it was enough fifth group team, 428 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:56.440 so like we were there every other time and they'd 429 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:58.680 have another team kind of fill in between. 430 00:18:58.880 --> 00:18:59.079 Yeah. 431 00:18:59.119 --> 00:19:01.880 So that was kind of our place. So they called 432 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:02.839 it Firebase Brown. 433 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:07.559 What was the general like friendly enemy situation at that base? 434 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:10.079 I don't think I've ever been in that area. 435 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:12.759 It was a really interesting because we're right south of 436 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:16.240 Canikin and very near the curd airbline. 437 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:18.720 So the situation was was different. 438 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:20.799 We absolutely had a lot of you know, you had 439 00:19:20.839 --> 00:19:24.680 your oh man, you had your who the hell was 440 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:26.799 I'm getting all confused from Afghanist and everybody else, but 441 00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:28.880 it was at j RTN was big up there. We 442 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:31.480 had a lot of radiant influenced too, and we had 443 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:35.640 your typical like you know, al Katas or whatever the 444 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:38.759 hell you want to call it, you know, but it 445 00:19:38.839 --> 00:19:40.720 was very interesting because a lot of what we did 446 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:42.519 we had to do. We had to work with the 447 00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:44.799 Curves and we had to work with the Arabs. So 448 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:46.720 and I don't know if you're familiar, they don't like 449 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:49.319 each other, you know what I'm saying. So, I mean, hell, 450 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:51.519 we go on clearing ops with them with Arabs and 451 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:55.240 Curves on the second deployment there, and it was like, hey, guys, 452 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:55.920 here's what we're doing. 453 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:57.839 Brief them, get ready going out. 454 00:19:57.880 --> 00:20:00.000 We'd pull into the city and we'll turn around, look 455 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:02.519 back down the road and they both have their guns 456 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:05.440 pointed at each other on the trucks and we're like, oh, god, 457 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:08.240 dang it, you know, like point your guns out, not 458 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:09.799 at each other, and they're like no. 459 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:13.359 Then first, you know, like, oh god, dang it, fucking children. 460 00:20:13.160 --> 00:20:16.920 You know. So middle was cool, man. We did some hits, 461 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:19.400 got out the door, got a few people. There was 462 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:25.000 a lot of infiltration into the police forces where we 463 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:28.640 were at and the military, and usually I feel like 464 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:30.440 with other guys that would say, hey, the police are 465 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:31.960 really where you see a lot of that, and yeah, 466 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:34.079 we did. We'd go after targets, you know, like this 467 00:20:34.119 --> 00:20:37.000 one dude and more Mohammed's or whatever the hell. 468 00:20:37.160 --> 00:20:37.839 Went after him. 469 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:40.119 Well, I mean, he was a police officer that you know, 470 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:42.240 was doing stuff and we went and got his ass. 471 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:46.000 And then the military though, had a lot of stuff 472 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:49.720 too with the IA, and they were actually planning IDs 473 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:51.720 on the road into our base which we shared with 474 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:54.759 them on the bigger base, Bob Cobra, and so they'd 475 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:57.519 be putting out IDs and no shit, dude, we'd go 476 00:20:57.640 --> 00:20:59.799 do like a sniper mission set up the jammers, take 477 00:20:59.799 --> 00:21:02.799 over a little area and like just laying sniper Overwatch 478 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:05.920 and we'd watch these guys sneaking out there laying id's 479 00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:06.319 like where. 480 00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:08.559 They do come from, Like dude, came from base, Like 481 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:09.359 oh shit, you. 482 00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:12.359 Know, so yeah man, And they always try to blow 483 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:14.079 us up and they end up blowing each other up 484 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:17.200 and we're like, dude, you're not even hitting us, you 485 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:19.759 know what I'm saying, Like you're just killing your buddies. 486 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:22.480 So I mean I imagine that like you guys had 487 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:27.200 to be cleared to snipe the IED teams. But then 488 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.880 there is like the inevitably there's going to be fallout 489 00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:32.480 from that if there are you know, military people on 490 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:33.519 a base right next to you. 491 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:39.480 Yeah, and yes, And so we had to let them 492 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:41.559 know what we were doing, which we didn't necessarily want 493 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:43.400 to do, right, We had to let the command know. 494 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:46.960 And as we let the command know, sorry am I 495 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:50.720 not close enough to this link? As we let the 496 00:21:50.759 --> 00:21:53.039 command know, we went out one time to do it. 497 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:55.240 So we took over a little checkpoint, we got out there, 498 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:57.720 did it, and then the IA came out to do 499 00:21:57.759 --> 00:22:01.640 their own little ambush. And have you ever watched you know, 500 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:05.000 the Iraqi army under nods and thermals sitting in an 501 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:09.519 ambush line. It's hilarious, uh, to say the least. But 502 00:22:09.599 --> 00:22:11.400 we were like, well, we're not getting shit done tonight. 503 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:13.160 We're not gonna shoot nobody, you know what I mean. 504 00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:15.799 So and then we actually did have some movement off 505 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:18.079 to one side, we saw some dudes and we're like, oh, 506 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:21.359 here it comes. Well, then they obviously spotted that Iraqi 507 00:22:21.480 --> 00:22:25.359 army and we were like, dude, because they're just smoking cigarettes. Yeah, yeah, 508 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:27.920 performing sexual favors on each other, you know what I'm saying, 509 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:30.240 so you're like, oh, great, we're just watching that inner nods. 510 00:22:30.279 --> 00:22:31.480 It's like, oh, that's cool. 511 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:35.839 So another day in the life. They don't teach you 512 00:22:35.880 --> 00:22:37.200 that part in the Q course do that? 513 00:22:37.599 --> 00:22:40.279 Oh, I know, they don't teach you that. They They 514 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:42.599 have one dude per company named Hamza, and they're like, 515 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:45.599 what is HAMSA mean? Hamsa like as a number, it's 516 00:22:45.640 --> 00:22:48.480 a little circle stands for a bothole, you know, and 517 00:22:48.519 --> 00:22:51.000 that's their dude. And you're like, oh, okay, I got it, 518 00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:53.319 you know, like fuck, they don't teach any. 519 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:56.079 Of that in the QY course. Uh. 520 00:22:56.119 --> 00:23:00.200 And So as that deployment went on, you guys, I've 521 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:03.559 rolled up some bad guys and dealing with IEDs. I mean, 522 00:23:03.759 --> 00:23:05.960 how did things kind of progress as you got deeper 523 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:06.799 into that deployment. 524 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:11.920 So that the first deployment, I think it was pretty standard. 525 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:13.519 I think for me as a new guy, I was 526 00:23:13.599 --> 00:23:14.279 just trying. 527 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:15.680 To learn as much as I could. You know, I 528 00:23:15.720 --> 00:23:16.240 was the junior. 529 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:19.200 Bravo had a senior and just trying to pick up 530 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:20.799 as much as I could from him. So I was learning, 531 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:24.519 you know, base defense and operations and convoy ops and 532 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:25.920 you know, trying to stay on top of it as 533 00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:26.559 best I could. 534 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:28.960 So for me, it was just a really good learning experience. 535 00:23:29.319 --> 00:23:31.440 Yeah, we went after some people, but there was always 536 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:33.480 everybody we went after, you know, they want war, and 537 00:23:33.559 --> 00:23:35.839 so it became like we're a swat team more than 538 00:23:35.839 --> 00:23:39.119 anything else. And now we got to deal with the 539 00:23:39.160 --> 00:23:42.519 Iraqi judicial system, which is not exactly stellar, you know 540 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:44.720 what I mean, and corrupt as hell. So it's like 541 00:23:44.799 --> 00:23:47.559 they wouldn't even like really fight back a lot of 542 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:50.079 times because they just needed to be like, hey, what's up, 543 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:52.359 I'll be out tomorrow, like who cares, you know. And 544 00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:54.440 it was like, well that sucks. It's like you know, 545 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:56.119 and the point I was like, can we just shoot him? 546 00:23:56.319 --> 00:23:58.000 Like now you can just shoot him, you know. It's 547 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:00.200 like yeah, but can we like shoot a guy? Can 548 00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:00.880 we just shoot the guy? 549 00:24:00.920 --> 00:24:03.279 They're like no, he's not armed. You have to actually 550 00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:03.759 take him in. 551 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:05.200 We're like, oh, this is stupid. 552 00:24:05.680 --> 00:24:09.839 So we did all that, but uh, that was frustrating. 553 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:14.400 That really was. However, it was good experience. We had 554 00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:15.240 some clearing ops. 555 00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:17.559 We did get some dudes, and we did get some 556 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:20.279 you know, we found out some very interesting networks, some 557 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:23.480 things that were going on that opened up to see 558 00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:27.319 some of the connections. Especially the one thing that we 559 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:29.519 kind of couldn't cross that line was a lot of 560 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:32.000 the Iranian stuff going on, which I know you're very 561 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:35.720 familiar with. But one thing that was interesting was on 562 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:38.559 that trip and then the second trip. The second trip 563 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:42.079 was Operation New Dawn I believe. Oh okay, and yeah. 564 00:24:42.119 --> 00:24:43.960 What they would do is they'd have these like you 565 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:48.039 know those buses like Greyhound buses, so they would actually 566 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:49.960 black out all the windows or put little things up 567 00:24:49.960 --> 00:24:51.599 and you think there's people in there, but inside it's 568 00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:55.440 just a giant sigand bus and like they were driving 569 00:24:55.440 --> 00:24:57.880 those things around and we were like, all right. I 570 00:24:57.880 --> 00:25:01.200 remember our head human guy was telling us about it 571 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:05.680 in our fox who were going over all that, and 572 00:25:06.240 --> 00:25:08.160 was like wait a second, what Like, yeah, they're they're 573 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:10.799 just hacking everything we have and just listening whatever they can. 574 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:13.599 You see the same bus parked out here. Then sure enough, 575 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:15.839 the iraqis pulled over like oh crap, they saw going, 576 00:25:16.039 --> 00:25:17.920 oh let that go, you know, because they don't want 577 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:20.799 anything to do with that. And then we so it's 578 00:25:20.839 --> 00:25:23.799 like we know the Iranians are driving cigate buses around us, 579 00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:26.119 and we know all this other stuff's going on, like 580 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:27.920 and there was you go into a meeting and then 581 00:25:27.960 --> 00:25:30.799 the Iranians would be they'd have their agents there, going 582 00:25:30.799 --> 00:25:32.640 to talk to somebody right after you, and just all 583 00:25:32.720 --> 00:25:33.519 kinds of crap. Man. 584 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:36.200 It was just it was a very interesting seeing that. 585 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:40.759 I think that was my first introduction into I don't know, 586 00:25:40.759 --> 00:25:43.920 maybe the politics of it, or a larger scale strategic 587 00:25:44.039 --> 00:25:46.200 you know, kind of looking stuff, you know, instead of 588 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:47.200 just what you see in front of you. 589 00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:49.920 And the ROE at that time prevented you guys from 590 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:52.359 really actioning the Iranian targets. 591 00:25:53.119 --> 00:25:55.440 Yeah, because when we'd send that up, it was always hey, 592 00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:58.519 don't mess with that, that's not for us. We're like, okay, cool. 593 00:25:58.400 --> 00:25:58.559 You know. 594 00:25:58.799 --> 00:25:59.759 So that worked out well. 595 00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:01.559 Yeah, So I. 596 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:03.319 Was like, well, can we just like put an idea out, 597 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:06.279 you know, because these guys are good at blowing themselves up. 598 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:07.640 May just put one in front of this bus and 599 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:09.680 called a day, you know what I mean. So, but 600 00:26:09.799 --> 00:26:10.519 now there's. 601 00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:13.240 Nothing I like. I like your thinking, Drew, good initiative, 602 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:18.200 but they shut you down. That sucks. Yeah. 603 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:22.279 So afterwards you get deployed, redeployed back home, back to 604 00:26:22.359 --> 00:26:25.440 Fort Campbell, and now you're going through the whole training 605 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:29.880 cycle with your team, and I imagine they're sending you 606 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:31.599 to MFF and all that stuff too. 607 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:37.839 Yeah, So went to MFF, went to SODAC at Fifth Group, 608 00:26:37.960 --> 00:26:41.279 and as you know, Fifth Group my personal opinion, like 609 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:43.319 I know some guys some other groups, they do great stuff. 610 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:45.079 I think Fifth Group really with our. 611 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:48.319 Sodac and Sephaic, they'll run a phenomenal course like I've 612 00:26:48.359 --> 00:26:50.039 seen some of the other courses out there and talk 613 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:52.960 to people and it's like, I feel that Fifth Group 614 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:55.039 does a really good job of stuff like that. So 615 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:57.400 I went to SODIC like a week after I got back. 616 00:26:57.880 --> 00:27:02.039 SODIC two at Campbell did that that was given to 617 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:05.640 MFF as we got right as we got a new 618 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:09.839 captain me and like we sent four guys to Halo 619 00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:13.279 School at the same time, and uh, we weren't supposed 620 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:14.119 to get all of us in. 621 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:15.400 But like one of. 622 00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:19.200 Our old teammates, what was his damn name, al he 623 00:27:19.400 --> 00:27:21.680 was at the Halo committee as an instructor, and he 624 00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:23.440 was like, just send him to get him in and 625 00:27:23.519 --> 00:27:23.960 shut up. 626 00:27:24.039 --> 00:27:26.559 He walked by some dude and was like, uh, he goes. 627 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:28.759 Oh, you're fat, get out, and then he. 628 00:27:28.759 --> 00:27:32.799 Was like Drew you're in. I was like yeah, you know, like. 629 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:34.160 And then some guy didn't have something and he was like, 630 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:36.119 all right, out of here, ship bag, you know. 631 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:37.720 And then we all got in the course, which was 632 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:38.359 super cool. 633 00:27:39.240 --> 00:27:43.119 But we had our new captain, phenomenal officer, phenomenal team leader. 634 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:46.359 He had up be a Battalian commander later on did 635 00:27:46.440 --> 00:27:49.319 really good stuff. He's a company commander and Battalian commander. 636 00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:51.200 A guy called friend. Have a lot of respect for 637 00:27:51.240 --> 00:27:52.160 his name's Bill Heffron. 638 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:55.400 He's out now, but uh yeah, I remember we go 639 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:58.519 to Halo School and our team Sartant was an old 640 00:27:58.559 --> 00:28:01.720 school team, Sarten and redneck as hell. 641 00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:03.079 And he's like, hey man, you. 642 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:05.759 Break that cat and in right, we were like, okay, 643 00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:08.920 sounds good, dude, you know us cat and bought drinks. 644 00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:10.720 We go out and hang out and do stuff and 645 00:28:10.759 --> 00:28:11.440 it was a great time. 646 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:11.599 Man. 647 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:13.319 We had we've got real close to the four of us, 648 00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:15.160 so three new guys and our new captain. 649 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:16.200 So that's cool. 650 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:18.400 Yeah, you're right, that's very rare for like, you know, 651 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:20.519 almost half a team to go to the school at 652 00:28:20.519 --> 00:28:21.079 the same time. 653 00:28:21.839 --> 00:28:24.160 Oh yeah, yeah, we were very fortunate to be able 654 00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:24.519 to do that. 655 00:28:24.880 --> 00:28:28.519 So but yeah, man did that had some other stuff 656 00:28:28.559 --> 00:28:31.519 in there, and then not too long after that we 657 00:28:31.559 --> 00:28:33.799 went back again. So we went right back to the 658 00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:37.559 same place and we had our second deployment there, which 659 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:40.440 I kind of already touched on. Was different because it's 660 00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:43.480 new Dawn. It's supposed to be the draw down, and 661 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:46.599 we're doing less. We're letting them take the lead. So 662 00:28:46.640 --> 00:28:49.480 it was a lot more advisory missions. When we did 663 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:51.200 go out. It wasn't a whole lot, but we did 664 00:28:51.200 --> 00:28:52.960 get out the door some you know, not as much 665 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:55.400 as we liked, but you probably never get out the 666 00:28:55.440 --> 00:28:57.759 door as much as you want to in any job. 667 00:28:58.039 --> 00:29:00.640 So it was it was a good good. 668 00:29:00.640 --> 00:29:06.880 That was much more seeing the effect of how you 669 00:29:06.920 --> 00:29:07.519 train your. 670 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:09.319 Guys and then going out with them, you know what 671 00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:11.359 I mean, and seeing how that works. 672 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:13.599 Like, yes, they're different. You know, we're not working with 673 00:29:13.960 --> 00:29:15.680 I saw off Iraqi Special Operations. 674 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:19.200 We're working with Iraqi Army and you gotta just you know, 675 00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:21.880 set your expectations and you know, can't I get him 676 00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:23.759 to do this? Did they complete the mission? Did they 677 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:25.279 go out the door? Did they do what we told 678 00:29:25.319 --> 00:29:26.519 them to do? Well? 679 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:28.599 They did and that was good, you know what I mean. 680 00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:33.480 Uh we had I got yeah, I ate a charge 681 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:35.279 on that one pretty good. 682 00:29:35.720 --> 00:29:39.200 On that deployment. I got knocked out pretty good. But 683 00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:40.839 it was fun. It was a good time. 684 00:29:41.039 --> 00:29:42.519 You got too close to the breach. 685 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:45.799 Well, I didn't know the breach was going off because 686 00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:49.400 my junior brother didn't fucking say shit. So we uh, 687 00:29:50.039 --> 00:29:53.000 he got so excited. We we pulled up to this house, 688 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:57.960 you know, and outside the courtyard and I'm in the 689 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:00.319 truck and I'm the gunner, and I'm covering this second 690 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:02.519 story as they you know, line up with the dudes 691 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:04.880 and so I remember two of our guys are standing 692 00:30:04.880 --> 00:30:06.839 there at the end. They're going to breach the gate. 693 00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:08.440 So I'm covering, you know, like the fifty calve on 694 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:10.400 the saw a night vision. I'm like, okay, we're good. 695 00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:13.160 Like what's going on, man, Like, what's taking us along? 696 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:15.839 So I look down and all I see is them 697 00:30:15.880 --> 00:30:19.079 stecked up and I see loading like this, and he 698 00:30:19.119 --> 00:30:23.920 goes and I see that quarter turn, and I was like, oh, 699 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:28.039 I mean, we're like, I can't be I'm not even 700 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:30.440 fifteen yard, you know, ten to fifteen yards from this thing. 701 00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:32.799 I'm right in front of the big gate just because 702 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:35.079 of how the street was and everything else, and I 703 00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:37.519 was like, oh crap. So I like started to go 704 00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:41.640 down right as the breach went off, and uh, he's 705 00:30:41.680 --> 00:30:44.960 a Bravo, and you know when a Bravo makes a charge, 706 00:30:45.119 --> 00:30:47.920 they do their math is pe for plenty, and uh, 707 00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:49.960 I'm pretty sure he just stuck a whole you know, 708 00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:53.680 block sticking, yeah, block, you know, C four on there 709 00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:55.720 when it breached and it went off, and I just 710 00:30:55.720 --> 00:30:58.240 remember going boom and like my head whacked off the 711 00:30:58.279 --> 00:31:00.640 turret and the gun flipped and came down in the face. 712 00:31:00.680 --> 00:31:02.240 My nods were all messed up, and I was out 713 00:31:02.640 --> 00:31:04.559 and I just remember hearing that me and and I 714 00:31:04.599 --> 00:31:07.319 kind of like, oh crap. So I got back up 715 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:11.480 and I just remember that it didn't just hop the 716 00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:15.039 gate open. It like it took the gate and blew 717 00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:20.279 it completely out of the like the courtyard, you know, walls, 718 00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:22.640 and it blew it all the way to the house. 719 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:24.799 And then it blew the glass out of the house, 720 00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:28.519 like off all the windows, and so there was nothing clear. 721 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:30.799 All these Iraqis were just coming out with their hands 722 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:34.400 up coughing. You're like, we're sorry, and like the Iraqi 723 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:36.279 Army's coughing, and they're just like, oh, it's okay, please 724 00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:37.640 come over here and have a seat. Let me get 725 00:31:37.640 --> 00:31:38.240 you some water. 726 00:31:38.680 --> 00:31:41.039 It was like it was like a casualty. 727 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:43.440 Event at that point, and I'm just you know, they're like, hey, Drew, 728 00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:46.400 you okay, and I'm like yellow seven. They're like, what 729 00:31:46.440 --> 00:31:48.079 the fuck are you saying? You know, I don't know. 730 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:50.720 I was out, But then our teams are was pissed 731 00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:52.559 because he didn't call breach, so he thought an ID 732 00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:53.920 went off and we were all messed up. 733 00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:56.000 And I just remember it being like, I was just 734 00:31:56.039 --> 00:31:58.480 so excited to breach a gate. I don't I don't know, 735 00:31:58.599 --> 00:31:59.119 you know what I mean? 736 00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:03.079 Yeah, I have control, yeah, pretty much. 737 00:32:03.960 --> 00:32:06.160 But he said all that in his head, not at bottom. 738 00:32:06.279 --> 00:32:08.799 Radio's So thanks a lot, jerk. 739 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:12.400 So and you, I think you mentioned that you got 740 00:32:12.440 --> 00:32:14.640 to use some of your medical training on these first 741 00:32:14.680 --> 00:32:17.400 couple of deployments. I mean, was it mostly on you 742 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:19.920 or on HAMSA or how did that work out? 743 00:32:21.599 --> 00:32:25.680 So we, uh, we had a lot of guys on 744 00:32:25.720 --> 00:32:28.200 our team that had We had several guys that started 745 00:32:28.200 --> 00:32:30.559 out in the eighteen Delta Couruse and we had two medics. 746 00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:34.720 At one point we had lost two of our medics, 747 00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:36.000 so I became the medic on the team. 748 00:32:36.039 --> 00:32:36.880 I carried the medbag. 749 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:38.640 And by lost, I mean like they had to go 750 00:32:38.759 --> 00:32:40.759 back to this base to cover something with like finance, 751 00:32:40.759 --> 00:32:43.920 and some popped up, so I filled in for him. 752 00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:46.839 But a lot of times it was just medical stuff. 753 00:32:46.839 --> 00:32:48.400 They'd get blown up and they'd call us and we'd 754 00:32:48.480 --> 00:32:50.640 rush over there, you know, and like do it we could. 755 00:32:51.480 --> 00:32:53.559 Usually they're putting out IDs on each other or whatever. 756 00:32:54.480 --> 00:32:58.440 But so I mean with that, like, for instance, one time, 757 00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:00.519 we had a guy that's pretty messed up, so I 758 00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:02.599 got to amputate his leg, and I remember the CF 759 00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:04.960 metics were there, the conventional dudes. He's from a mid team, 760 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:07.599 and you know, he was a little overwhelmed and he's like, hey, guys, 761 00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:09.559 we gotta here's what we got to do. And it 762 00:33:09.599 --> 00:33:11.599 took about ten seconds. And I remember one of our 763 00:33:11.640 --> 00:33:13.559 medics was like, get out of the way, like we're 764 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:15.920 in charge, and I think he was very like appreciative 765 00:33:15.960 --> 00:33:19.200 of that. And so he was like two eighteen deltas 766 00:33:19.200 --> 00:33:22.240 are working up top and they're creaking this dude. He's 767 00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:24.400 trying to get an IV the conventional force medic and 768 00:33:24.480 --> 00:33:27.519 I was amputating the leg right and so cut off 769 00:33:27.519 --> 00:33:30.680 his leg, you know, set it down, and this guy 770 00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:33.079 couldn't get his stick on the get the IV started 771 00:33:33.119 --> 00:33:35.200 because he was Yeah, I think this is new for him, 772 00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:38.079 you know, like it's probably a little bit less experienced dude. 773 00:33:38.119 --> 00:33:41.079 And you know that's understandable, especially when the guys you're 774 00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:43.799 having to hold his arm down because he's still alive, 775 00:33:44.119 --> 00:33:48.240 kicking and we're creaking this dude, right, So he's fighting 776 00:33:48.279 --> 00:33:49.720 the whole time. So final I had to grab it 777 00:33:49.720 --> 00:33:51.880 and I just stuck him real quick, did it, you know, 778 00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:54.279 flash and we're up. And that guy was just like, 779 00:33:54.359 --> 00:33:56.680 oh my god. I'm like, I'm not an eighteen Delta dude, 780 00:33:56.680 --> 00:33:58.880 I'm just the Bravo. I'm the gun guy. And he 781 00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:01.759 was just like mind blow, you know. But I think 782 00:34:01.759 --> 00:34:04.960 that's a testament too. Is just our team was very 783 00:34:05.079 --> 00:34:10.239 very good at training each other up right. And for example, 784 00:34:10.840 --> 00:34:12.599 I hate radios. I don't want a damn thing to 785 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:14.519 do with the radio. I don't want to fill the radio. 786 00:34:14.599 --> 00:34:17.199 I don't like radios. I mean they're stupid, right, very 787 00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:20.599 very important part of the job though, and like. 788 00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:23.039 A if I was ever like, hey, echo, how do 789 00:34:23.079 --> 00:34:23.519 I get this. 790 00:34:23.679 --> 00:34:26.280 He'd be like, you're gonna do this, you will learn 791 00:34:26.320 --> 00:34:28.199 and I'd be like a child, just like, you know, 792 00:34:28.239 --> 00:34:30.320 I don't want to, and then I'd do it, you know. 793 00:34:30.440 --> 00:34:32.760 So we were very good about teaching each other how 794 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:34.679 to do stuff like you had to be very very 795 00:34:34.679 --> 00:34:37.360 self sufficient, and that's something I was very grateful for 796 00:34:37.400 --> 00:34:39.559 our team startants on that team between Lee and Doug 797 00:34:39.920 --> 00:34:42.880 that they really made sure of that, and the teammates too, 798 00:34:43.159 --> 00:34:45.800 you know. So everybody had to do their own radios. 799 00:34:45.880 --> 00:34:49.760 Everybody could do medical. Everybody knew how to build a charge, right, 800 00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:52.119 I mean everybody could you know, headspace and time to 801 00:34:52.199 --> 00:34:57.000 fifty cows. And when the you know, grenade launcher went down, 802 00:34:57.360 --> 00:34:58.960 you know we knew Mark forty sevens went down. 803 00:34:58.960 --> 00:35:00.559 You knew how to fix it and get back up, 804 00:35:00.719 --> 00:35:02.599 you know. I mean there was nothing like you don't 805 00:35:02.639 --> 00:35:03.639 get to call somebody else. 806 00:35:04.679 --> 00:35:06.360 So I want to take a minute today to tell 807 00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:09.280 you guys about the perfect gene. I've been wearing them 808 00:35:09.320 --> 00:35:11.679 for a few weeks now and really enjoy them, and 809 00:35:11.719 --> 00:35:14.599 I just want to share it with our audience. You know, 810 00:35:14.719 --> 00:35:18.079 sometimes jeans have this problem where you know, you guys 811 00:35:18.119 --> 00:35:20.800 all have seen these skinny jeens that they like crush 812 00:35:20.840 --> 00:35:23.440 your balls and you know it's just not comfortable to wear, 813 00:35:23.840 --> 00:35:26.079 or the other way around. Jeans are like too baggy. 814 00:35:26.320 --> 00:35:28.119 You know, you have this sort of like diaper in 815 00:35:28.159 --> 00:35:32.119 your ass area looks like. So there are these problems 816 00:35:32.119 --> 00:35:34.960 that you know, different fits of different types of genes 817 00:35:35.039 --> 00:35:38.880 have and the perfect gene strives to fix that both 818 00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:44.239 the fit but also the mobility, the maneuverability. It has 819 00:35:44.280 --> 00:35:47.440 a stretchy fabric like they say it's like yoga ready, 820 00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:51.719 but you know I would say it's athletics ready. You know, 821 00:35:51.960 --> 00:35:55.360 moving furniture, doing things around the house. You're not going 822 00:35:55.440 --> 00:35:59.079 to have that like super tight, like constricted fit that 823 00:35:59.159 --> 00:36:01.000 you feel like you're not gonna be a'll move around in. 824 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:04.760 And there are over four hundred thousand people out there 825 00:36:04.760 --> 00:36:07.400 wearing these genes at this point, so not all of 826 00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:10.079 them can be wrong. I hope you guys will go 827 00:36:10.119 --> 00:36:13.119 and check them out. So a few scenarios where you 828 00:36:13.159 --> 00:36:15.880 can wear these genes and where they really come together. 829 00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:20.320 Everything from you know, doing yard work or doing things 830 00:36:20.360 --> 00:36:22.039 around your house if you have to move. 831 00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:24.599 Furniture around or you have to do handy work. 832 00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:28.599 They're perfectly comfortable, but you can wear them, you know, 833 00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:31.440 getting your man spread on on the subway if that's 834 00:36:31.440 --> 00:36:34.679 your thing. So, the Perfect Gene is great for all 835 00:36:34.760 --> 00:36:37.840 kinds of different environments, whether it's doing handiwork around the 836 00:36:37.840 --> 00:36:40.880 house or on the job or athletics, and we really 837 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:42.840 hope you guys will go and check them out. For 838 00:36:42.920 --> 00:36:46.199 a limited time, our listeners get fifteen percent off their 839 00:36:46.239 --> 00:36:49.880 first order plus free shipping at the Perfect Gene dot 840 00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:52.840 NYC or google the Perfect Gene and use the code 841 00:36:52.960 --> 00:36:56.679 House fifteen for fifteen percent off. That's fifteen percent off 842 00:36:56.719 --> 00:37:02.360 for new customers at the Perfect GENEYC with promo code 843 00:37:02.480 --> 00:37:05.840 House fifteen. After you purchase, they'll ask you where you 844 00:37:05.880 --> 00:37:08.480 heard about them. Please support our show and tell them 845 00:37:08.480 --> 00:37:11.599 we sent you. So fuck your khakis and get the 846 00:37:11.639 --> 00:37:12.440 Perfect Gene. 847 00:37:13.920 --> 00:37:17.039 So it was very very good about that on our team. 848 00:37:17.239 --> 00:37:19.719 Yeah, so that's awesome. Yeah, there's only twelve of you. 849 00:37:19.719 --> 00:37:20.880 You're not getting anyone else. 850 00:37:21.559 --> 00:37:24.400 Yeah. I think we only ever had on that team 851 00:37:24.440 --> 00:37:26.639 maybe ten or eleven. We were never full with twelve 852 00:37:26.920 --> 00:37:28.519 that I can think of. Maybe at one time, but 853 00:37:28.559 --> 00:37:30.000 one time we had eight guys on the team and 854 00:37:30.079 --> 00:37:31.559 we went to Afghanistan. Wow. 855 00:37:32.280 --> 00:37:36.960 Yeah, and so after that, rotating back home and what 856 00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:39.239 was kind of like the next sequence of events getting 857 00:37:39.320 --> 00:37:40.199 jocked up to go again? 858 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:42.400 I imagine, Yeah we did. 859 00:37:43.199 --> 00:37:47.559 I had a jay sitting there to Jordan. Cool was 860 00:37:47.599 --> 00:37:50.639 that after the second point that was in twenty ten, 861 00:37:51.119 --> 00:37:54.159 I went to Jordan. I think that was a phenomenal time. 862 00:37:54.480 --> 00:37:56.639 Like I really really appreciated going. 863 00:37:56.440 --> 00:37:57.239 To Jordan and doing that. 864 00:37:57.360 --> 00:37:57.719 Jaysa. 865 00:37:58.320 --> 00:38:00.920 We worked with a company of their. 866 00:38:00.840 --> 00:38:04.599 Special forces guys and it was a Mere Hasham, so 867 00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:08.679 the King's youngest brother, Prince Hashim Amir Hasham a Mere 868 00:38:08.719 --> 00:38:11.440 stands for Prince. It was his company. So we got 869 00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:13.800 to work with him very closely. And he was a 870 00:38:13.840 --> 00:38:16.800 phenomenal guy. And he had two odas that we were 871 00:38:16.800 --> 00:38:19.639 working with. One that was like younger guys and less experienced, 872 00:38:19.960 --> 00:38:22.639 one that was older guys and more experienced. And it 873 00:38:22.719 --> 00:38:25.079 was really cool seeing how they did stuff and just 874 00:38:25.719 --> 00:38:28.199 you know, they're Jordanians. You know, they're Jordanians special forces. 875 00:38:28.199 --> 00:38:29.840 They don't do things the way we do. You know, 876 00:38:29.840 --> 00:38:32.880 they don't have the resources, they don't have this and that. However, 877 00:38:33.480 --> 00:38:35.440 we learned a lot from them. It was really great 878 00:38:35.480 --> 00:38:37.239 getting to work with them, and then on top of that, 879 00:38:37.280 --> 00:38:39.519 you're in Jordan. Dude. We went and saw Petra, we 880 00:38:39.559 --> 00:38:42.079 saw Bethany. Beyond Jordan, we went down to the Dead Sea, 881 00:38:42.400 --> 00:38:45.559 like we we really our team Stare and Doug at 882 00:38:45.559 --> 00:38:47.840 the time was there in our Captain Bill when he 883 00:38:47.840 --> 00:38:50.400 took over, and that at that time was real big 884 00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:51.920 on Mike, these might be the only times you ever 885 00:38:51.960 --> 00:38:53.760 get to do this. We're We're not just gonna be 886 00:38:53.800 --> 00:38:56.639 going to getting drunk at some Russian hooker bar, you 887 00:38:56.639 --> 00:38:59.400 know what I'm saying, Like we're going down and we're. 888 00:38:59.239 --> 00:38:59.920 Gonna go see Sy. 889 00:39:00.079 --> 00:39:02.119 It's like you're gonna learn some shit, Like this is 890 00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:04.280 stuff that ten years from now you're really gonna appreciate. 891 00:39:04.559 --> 00:39:06.559 And they were absolutely right, Like it was phenomenal and 892 00:39:06.599 --> 00:39:09.239 we did a lot of stuff together. So I loved 893 00:39:09.280 --> 00:39:12.280 that trip. We stayed at Casotic if you've heard. 894 00:39:12.199 --> 00:39:14.360 Of that, that's what they do, Like it's a huge facility. 895 00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:18.440 Yeah, it was like brand new, they just built the barracks. 896 00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:21.199 So we stayed there during the week and then we 897 00:39:21.199 --> 00:39:23.880 stayed at a ridiculously. 898 00:39:23.079 --> 00:39:25.960 Nice hotel in downtown and I'm on on the weekends. 899 00:39:25.960 --> 00:39:28.079 I don't know how we got that approved, but there's 900 00:39:28.079 --> 00:39:30.079 always a warrant somewhere, you know what I mean, who 901 00:39:30.079 --> 00:39:31.039 knows how to do that crap? 902 00:39:32.159 --> 00:39:34.000 But yeah, man, it was. 903 00:39:34.039 --> 00:39:37.199 It was a really good experience and I had a 904 00:39:37.239 --> 00:39:40.519 lot of fun there and then Le Specie. We did 905 00:39:40.519 --> 00:39:42.360 two trips to Iraq. I did a Jay said I 906 00:39:42.360 --> 00:39:46.119 think in twenty ten, which was I think it was 907 00:39:46.159 --> 00:39:47.599 between the first and second trip. 908 00:39:47.599 --> 00:39:49.400 Shit, I can't remember. Yeah, it was between the first 909 00:39:49.440 --> 00:39:50.800 and second trip because. 910 00:39:50.559 --> 00:39:52.679 I met my wife when I was in Halo school 911 00:39:52.679 --> 00:39:54.159 on the weekend out in San Diego. 912 00:39:54.679 --> 00:39:59.199 So yeah, out of the tried. 913 00:39:58.000 --> 00:40:01.960 It bar absolutely not fuck no, the one that. 914 00:40:01.880 --> 00:40:02.320 What is it? 915 00:40:02.440 --> 00:40:07.559 Miller owns No, yeah, dev group guy owns the Trident 916 00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:08.199 bar out there? 917 00:40:08.800 --> 00:40:09.320 Oh does he? 918 00:40:09.480 --> 00:40:13.960 Yeah? Yeah? Yeah everyone wife had tried it. What's what's up? True? 919 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:15.199 No? 920 00:40:15.559 --> 00:40:18.000 Did you okay? 921 00:40:19.920 --> 00:40:21.079 Fair enough? Yeah? 922 00:40:21.159 --> 00:40:21.280 No. 923 00:40:21.320 --> 00:40:23.320 We met it on Halloween of all things. 924 00:40:23.480 --> 00:40:26.679 So she, uh, she was a very respectable lady, and 925 00:40:26.719 --> 00:40:28.199 I didn't know what that meant. I was like, what 926 00:40:28.199 --> 00:40:31.239 do you mean, We're not like, you know, She's like, no, dumbass, 927 00:40:31.280 --> 00:40:33.719 like no. So I had to keep you know, calling everything, 928 00:40:33.760 --> 00:40:36.000 and it worked up. We we end up getting married. 929 00:40:36.039 --> 00:40:37.199 Man, so that's great. 930 00:40:37.400 --> 00:40:41.639 But yeah, that was so Yeah, that happened between the 931 00:40:41.639 --> 00:40:44.199 first and second trip was Jordan. And then after the 932 00:40:44.239 --> 00:40:50.599 second trip, yeah, we went to Afghanistan. There was some 933 00:40:50.639 --> 00:40:52.920 other stuff in there. There was some j sets. I 934 00:40:53.079 --> 00:40:57.639 missed one because I went off to a school I went. 935 00:40:57.679 --> 00:41:01.119 We went to Afghanistan in twenty twelve, which was a 936 00:41:01.199 --> 00:41:04.400 really good trip for me because I was the fox 937 00:41:04.440 --> 00:41:05.039 on that trip. 938 00:41:05.280 --> 00:41:09.320 Okay, so do you want to tell the listeners what 939 00:41:09.360 --> 00:41:10.519 the fox is on the team. 940 00:41:11.519 --> 00:41:14.480 Yeah, So the fox on the team is your intel sergeant, right. 941 00:41:14.519 --> 00:41:17.519 And if you look at kind of like the hierarchy 942 00:41:17.760 --> 00:41:20.800 on the team, you have your captain and then sometimes 943 00:41:20.800 --> 00:41:23.599 you have a warrant officer whatever that means, and then 944 00:41:23.599 --> 00:41:26.000 you have your team sergeant, right, And so below that 945 00:41:26.159 --> 00:41:28.679 is your fox, and it's generally a more experienced guy 946 00:41:28.719 --> 00:41:30.400 that's been on the team before. And it is a 947 00:41:30.440 --> 00:41:33.079 position where not on every team, but for a lot 948 00:41:33.119 --> 00:41:35.000 of teams, if you're the fox, you're going to be 949 00:41:35.039 --> 00:41:38.400 the team sergeant next. Right. I was in East six 950 00:41:38.599 --> 00:41:42.440 and I was the fox. So the reason I was 951 00:41:42.519 --> 00:41:47.599 is because ours had a terrible taste in women and 952 00:41:47.840 --> 00:41:50.360 he had a shitty personal life. And she stole all 953 00:41:50.360 --> 00:41:52.719 his shit and sold it and so like he couldn't go, 954 00:41:53.119 --> 00:41:54.800 and I think she was in jail or something. 955 00:41:54.840 --> 00:41:55.480 I don't know, dude. 956 00:41:55.519 --> 00:41:57.960 We're like, bro, He's like, I can on the trip. 957 00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:01.639 Uh yeah, but. 958 00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:05.280 Uh where in Afghanistan did you guys go? 959 00:42:06.079 --> 00:42:06.639 Kundus? 960 00:42:06.880 --> 00:42:09.840 So okay, So, I mean that place got very hot 961 00:42:09.880 --> 00:42:10.880 at one point. 962 00:42:11.840 --> 00:42:14.440 It did. And we were the first team to be 963 00:42:14.519 --> 00:42:16.800 in Archie and a mom Saheb, so we had a 964 00:42:16.800 --> 00:42:19.760 team before us. They built the teamhouse and they situated 965 00:42:19.800 --> 00:42:23.679 themselves right in between these two districts called Archie Archie 966 00:42:23.719 --> 00:42:27.159 and a mom Saheb. Archie was to the east and 967 00:42:27.199 --> 00:42:29.320 a mom Seebe was to the west. Just north of 968 00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:33.000 that was the border, right. So for us, the biggest 969 00:42:33.039 --> 00:42:34.559 thing going in it was it was a black hole. 970 00:42:34.880 --> 00:42:37.159 And actually, you know a lot of people were trying 971 00:42:37.199 --> 00:42:38.639 to tell us how this is how it is up there, 972 00:42:38.639 --> 00:42:41.960 and I remember thinking, no, it's not, because you don't 973 00:42:42.360 --> 00:42:45.599 fucking know, dude, Like nobody knows anything what's going on. 974 00:42:45.880 --> 00:42:48.559 This team that's been up there has been very concerned 975 00:42:48.599 --> 00:42:51.320 about building the base out and they've only been in 976 00:42:51.360 --> 00:42:54.599 a mom Sahib. They haven't even gone over to Archie yet, right, 977 00:42:54.679 --> 00:42:56.559 so we're going to be the team that pushes to 978 00:42:56.679 --> 00:43:00.519 Archie and then potentially from there right and then towards 979 00:43:00.719 --> 00:43:03.079 back Shawn Province. I think it is up that way. 980 00:43:03.880 --> 00:43:05.920 So for us, there was a lot of unknowns. 981 00:43:06.519 --> 00:43:08.480 And right before we got there, there was like a 982 00:43:08.559 --> 00:43:11.280 YouTube video of then like stoning a chick. There was like, 983 00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:15.639 you know, reports in Archie they the Taliban killed all 984 00:43:15.679 --> 00:43:18.960 the police and then stole their vehicles and had a 985 00:43:19.000 --> 00:43:22.079 parade down the main road and like made everybody come 986 00:43:22.079 --> 00:43:23.639 out and if you didn't, they cut their heads off. 987 00:43:23.679 --> 00:43:25.559 And I was like, okay, cool, So this is gonna 988 00:43:25.599 --> 00:43:28.880 be a good time, you know. So that was very 989 00:43:28.880 --> 00:43:32.079 interesting though being the Fox. I was not a school 990 00:43:32.079 --> 00:43:34.679 trained fox by any means. I got given the fox 991 00:43:34.760 --> 00:43:37.480 job I think three weeks to four weeks before we 992 00:43:37.519 --> 00:43:40.199 deployed and had to brief the command. I got that 993 00:43:40.199 --> 00:43:41.840 out of Friday and had to brief the group commander 994 00:43:41.840 --> 00:43:46.960 on Monday or like Tuesday. So that was unique. But yeah, man, 995 00:43:47.239 --> 00:43:50.920 it was It was interesting figuring out the area and 996 00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:54.159 then trying to get through everything and kind of what 997 00:43:54.199 --> 00:43:56.800 we found was this is kind of a financial hub 998 00:43:57.519 --> 00:43:59.320 and by that I mean they would harvest everything and 999 00:43:59.360 --> 00:44:02.960 then they'd smug go up through Tajikistan. I think it 1000 00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:08.039 was right there and yeah, that's it, yep, and they 1001 00:44:08.039 --> 00:44:10.679 would smuggle through there. So our goal was to help 1002 00:44:10.719 --> 00:44:13.960 disrupt some of those routes, identify the money, and then 1003 00:44:14.199 --> 00:44:16.679 try and negate that or you know, cross that out 1004 00:44:16.719 --> 00:44:19.159 and create a block for it. But when you don't 1005 00:44:19.159 --> 00:44:20.960 have any information, you have to do a lot of 1006 00:44:20.960 --> 00:44:22.280 fact finding when you get there. 1007 00:44:22.719 --> 00:44:24.760 So we just had our ink blot strategy. 1008 00:44:24.840 --> 00:44:26.840 We're gonna start here, we're gonna go visit this, We're 1009 00:44:26.840 --> 00:44:28.840 gonna get to know this tribe and these people you know, 1010 00:44:28.920 --> 00:44:31.519 and like these guys or whatever their names were, and 1011 00:44:31.559 --> 00:44:34.480 how they're all related whatever, and then we're gonna go 1012 00:44:34.519 --> 00:44:37.159 down here to this part right, And there was a 1013 00:44:37.159 --> 00:44:39.039 lot of Taliban influence, right, but there's a lot of 1014 00:44:39.079 --> 00:44:42.599 other stuff too. You know, who who's the Uzbek guy 1015 00:44:42.719 --> 00:44:45.559 that like was also the terrorist organization working in there. 1016 00:44:45.679 --> 00:44:46.039 It was. 1017 00:44:47.719 --> 00:44:49.800 I know exactly what who you're talking about. Yeah, they 1018 00:44:49.800 --> 00:44:52.840 were fairly dangerous, as I recall. 1019 00:44:53.320 --> 00:44:57.199 Yeah, they were kind of like the big hitters, smaller organization, 1020 00:44:58.199 --> 00:45:01.039 serious stuff. We had a lot of them in the 1021 00:45:01.079 --> 00:45:06.599 area too, so that was interesting and we got in 1022 00:45:06.639 --> 00:45:10.079 some firefights. You know, we got some dudes, We had 1023 00:45:10.079 --> 00:45:12.760 some suicide bombers at the gate, you know, things like that. 1024 00:45:13.400 --> 00:45:16.320 So it was it was a very formative time, and 1025 00:45:16.400 --> 00:45:19.360 I think mainly because my team Sergeant Dug at the time, 1026 00:45:20.840 --> 00:45:23.599 someone I respect almost more than anybody I've ever met. 1027 00:45:23.880 --> 00:45:27.280 Phenomenal guy, very reserved, kind of soft spoken dude, but 1028 00:45:27.400 --> 00:45:30.400 very squared away, and he was kind of he was 1029 00:45:30.400 --> 00:45:32.519 the Fox before me, and he picked me to be 1030 00:45:32.599 --> 00:45:34.159 the Fox. And he's like, hey man, I know you're 1031 00:45:34.199 --> 00:45:35.840 not gonna do it the exact same way I did, 1032 00:45:35.920 --> 00:45:38.159 but I hope it's had a good example. The thing is, 1033 00:45:38.199 --> 00:45:40.400 I want you to do it feels right and basically, 1034 00:45:40.440 --> 00:45:43.159 you know, do your best. I was like, okay, you know, 1035 00:45:43.239 --> 00:45:45.239 and he's like, you're gonna mess up, You're gonna get 1036 00:45:45.239 --> 00:45:48.599 things wrong, but just remember, as the Fox, your goal 1037 00:45:49.440 --> 00:45:52.079 is to make sure when this team leaves this base, 1038 00:45:52.519 --> 00:45:54.760 every time we leave, they're one hundred percent prepared for 1039 00:45:54.760 --> 00:45:57.079 everything coming at them. Because if you missed anything, that 1040 00:45:57.119 --> 00:45:58.960 could be someone you know, that could be their life, 1041 00:45:58.960 --> 00:45:59.880 for injury. 1042 00:45:59.599 --> 00:46:02.880 For our lives. And I was like, okay, no pressure thanks. 1043 00:46:03.159 --> 00:46:06.639 Uh so, you know, but that was I'm sorry, I'm 1044 00:46:06.679 --> 00:46:09.280 sorry to interrupt. But the group I think is Islamic 1045 00:46:09.320 --> 00:46:11.079 Movement of Uzbeccistan. 1046 00:46:11.199 --> 00:46:14.079 I am you. 1047 00:46:14.119 --> 00:46:18.280 No, Maybe there was somebody else that was like something 1048 00:46:18.360 --> 00:46:21.480 network maybe not was it Hakani? 1049 00:46:21.840 --> 00:46:23.760 Hakani was in Pakistan? That was south? 1050 00:46:24.440 --> 00:46:26.079 Yeah, God, what was the name of that? 1051 00:46:26.280 --> 00:46:27.000 Maybe that is a. 1052 00:46:28.880 --> 00:46:31.119 Man. Honestly you said it. I probably wouldn't remember now 1053 00:46:31.159 --> 00:46:37.440 because it's been so long. Yeah, the but yeah, Doug, 1054 00:46:37.480 --> 00:46:39.280 I remember him saying that, and I always took back 1055 00:46:39.320 --> 00:46:41.760 to like, Okay, my goal is not to see her 1056 00:46:41.840 --> 00:46:44.000 and bore you with data and tell you where everything's at, 1057 00:46:44.360 --> 00:46:46.440 is to give you obviously your most likely are most 1058 00:46:46.519 --> 00:46:48.519 dangerous and then make sure we're all prepared as we 1059 00:46:48.559 --> 00:46:52.920 go out right. So it was it was good, man, 1060 00:46:53.039 --> 00:46:55.400 It was very good, very very good experience. And I 1061 00:46:55.400 --> 00:46:57.559 feel like that's the trip where for me personally, I 1062 00:46:57.599 --> 00:46:59.880 grew a lot. I was still just a status surgeon. 1063 00:47:00.719 --> 00:47:05.360 So it was, uh, sorry, am I getting all weird feedback? 1064 00:47:05.880 --> 00:47:06.559 I think we got you. 1065 00:47:06.639 --> 00:47:08.440 Okay, Okay, it's just. 1066 00:47:08.440 --> 00:47:12.119 My computer then, So that was it was really good 1067 00:47:12.119 --> 00:47:12.360 for me. 1068 00:47:13.159 --> 00:47:15.400 And so it sounds like it was or it became 1069 00:47:15.639 --> 00:47:18.159 primarily like a counter narco mission. 1070 00:47:20.280 --> 00:47:23.719 Kind of. We didn't encounter the drugs where we were 1071 00:47:23.760 --> 00:47:27.119 at per Se. It was all the getting the financial 1072 00:47:27.159 --> 00:47:29.239 aspect of it. But we also had a lot of 1073 00:47:29.800 --> 00:47:32.960 pockets of ie D makers. And there was this one 1074 00:47:33.000 --> 00:47:35.320 guy we called his name is like doctor Z or something, 1075 00:47:35.719 --> 00:47:37.840 you know, he was a and we were very unsure 1076 00:47:37.880 --> 00:47:40.400 about him. And I remember, you know, the B team 1077 00:47:40.400 --> 00:47:42.360 and one of the sergeant majors being like, I don't 1078 00:47:42.360 --> 00:47:44.360 agreere about that guy. He's probably just a little T Taliban. 1079 00:47:44.440 --> 00:47:45.760 I was like, no, man, I don't. I don't know 1080 00:47:45.800 --> 00:47:47.880 that's the case. The things aren't lining up that says 1081 00:47:47.920 --> 00:47:50.239 he's that. And he's very hard to pinpoint. So we 1082 00:47:50.280 --> 00:47:51.719 know he travels from here, he goes to some of 1083 00:47:51.760 --> 00:47:54.480 the other provinces. He does this, and he also spends 1084 00:47:54.519 --> 00:47:55.800 time in the South. And if he was just little 1085 00:47:55.840 --> 00:47:59.519 T Taliban, he would so the listeners by little T 1086 00:47:59.800 --> 00:48:03.159 thing of that as like a gang member, right, like 1087 00:48:03.280 --> 00:48:06.119 a guy who has nothing else to do, so they hey, 1088 00:48:06.159 --> 00:48:08.800 it's something to do, I'll join up with these dudes whatever. 1089 00:48:08.880 --> 00:48:10.920 Right, They're not necessarily true to believers. 1090 00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:13.199 They might just be bored more than anything else or 1091 00:48:13.199 --> 00:48:15.880 adventure seekers kind of like a gang member. 1092 00:48:16.280 --> 00:48:19.079 And then your big T Taliban. How we looked at it. 1093 00:48:19.000 --> 00:48:20.920 Was these are your true believers, right that this is 1094 00:48:20.920 --> 00:48:22.800 a real mission for them, and this is a purpose 1095 00:48:24.079 --> 00:48:27.960 so much more formal, okay, And from what I've seen, 1096 00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:30.079 it kind of pushed him into that big T you 1097 00:48:30.119 --> 00:48:32.760 know kind of classification, and we really wanted to stay 1098 00:48:32.800 --> 00:48:36.920 on him, and I remember just being real dismissive about it. Nope, 1099 00:48:36.920 --> 00:48:39.280 that's not it, Nope, it's fine, whatever, And I gave 1100 00:48:39.320 --> 00:48:40.320 a lot of pushback on that. 1101 00:48:40.400 --> 00:48:42.639 Well I kind of find out, you know, I was right, 1102 00:48:42.840 --> 00:48:44.000 you know, as we went on. 1103 00:48:44.159 --> 00:48:47.920 He was a very big player in the North for 1104 00:48:48.119 --> 00:48:50.679 the Taliban, right and then also you know everything that 1105 00:48:50.760 --> 00:48:52.719 was associated with the Taliban and the other people too. 1106 00:48:52.760 --> 00:48:54.880 He had a lot of the money. He also organized 1107 00:48:54.920 --> 00:48:55.800 the different ID. 1108 00:48:55.760 --> 00:49:00.760 Cells they were making the command wire and mote initiated 1109 00:49:00.760 --> 00:49:04.480 IDs as well as pressure plate IDs and so that 1110 00:49:04.639 --> 00:49:10.079 trip we had multiple IDs that I found out that 1111 00:49:10.199 --> 00:49:11.679 we did our signet back, you know and talk to 1112 00:49:11.719 --> 00:49:14.079 people and they're like, hey, man, listen to this, and 1113 00:49:14.119 --> 00:49:16.199 it was the icon's chatter and the dude's talking from 1114 00:49:16.239 --> 00:49:18.440 all the numbers we give them and it was literally 1115 00:49:18.440 --> 00:49:20.480 being like, hey, I can see these guys right now, Okay, 1116 00:49:20.480 --> 00:49:23.159 go ahead do it. And it's like it's not working. 1117 00:49:23.199 --> 00:49:25.199 The id's not working. They like, how is it not working? 1118 00:49:25.280 --> 00:49:28.400 They're standing right on top of it, and it's like 1119 00:49:28.920 --> 00:49:31.440 they're like, oh, it's this truck, the second truck or 1120 00:49:31.480 --> 00:49:33.400 the third truck and the convoy. Because we got like 1121 00:49:33.519 --> 00:49:35.599 when something got like we had to stop. We got 1122 00:49:35.599 --> 00:49:37.679 out and did some stuff. We were parked on top 1123 00:49:37.719 --> 00:49:41.360 of an ID and it never went off. And the 1124 00:49:41.360 --> 00:49:44.519 thing is, it's like, oh, jammers right, this was a 1125 00:49:44.559 --> 00:49:48.079 command wire idea wasn't jammer wow, So we couldn't figure 1126 00:49:48.079 --> 00:49:51.480 out why their stuff wasn't working. That happened seven times 1127 00:49:51.840 --> 00:49:53.840 that we found out we were on top or drove 1128 00:49:53.880 --> 00:49:57.880 over an ID and it didn't go off. So I 1129 00:49:57.880 --> 00:49:59.880 think we encountered id's at one point in the tr 1130 00:50:00.039 --> 00:50:01.880 about every three days, you know what I mean. 1131 00:50:02.840 --> 00:50:04.840 And we were very lucky we spotted him. 1132 00:50:04.960 --> 00:50:07.400 We got out, we set out, you know, did all 1133 00:50:07.440 --> 00:50:08.840 of our stuff in our sweeps. 1134 00:50:09.239 --> 00:50:10.960 A lot of times it was our Charlie. 1135 00:50:11.760 --> 00:50:14.840 Aaron is a super interesting guy, right like he was 1136 00:50:14.880 --> 00:50:17.559 a marine and then he was a cowboy before that, 1137 00:50:17.639 --> 00:50:19.960 like an actual cowboy like Yellowstone. You know, he had 1138 00:50:20.079 --> 00:50:24.119 drove cattle like in Montana and Kansas, and then he 1139 00:50:24.239 --> 00:50:25.960 is out now and now he was a smoke jumper 1140 00:50:25.960 --> 00:50:30.079 in like Montana, right, Like you're like, what he raises horses? Right, 1141 00:50:30.320 --> 00:50:32.679 He's the best dad ever. Like him and his wife 1142 00:50:32.679 --> 00:50:35.679 are just phenomenal parents too, Like incredible, You're like, what 1143 00:50:35.719 --> 00:50:38.239 how did make people like you gonna? But uh? 1144 00:50:38.400 --> 00:50:40.239 He and I would actually go up and get the 1145 00:50:40.280 --> 00:50:41.159 I eds. 1146 00:50:40.960 --> 00:50:43.440 And be like you know, like old school that yeah, 1147 00:50:43.480 --> 00:50:46.400 with the stick and the knife, you know kind of deal. 1148 00:50:48.280 --> 00:50:51.239 But yeah, man, it was. It was good. We had 1149 00:50:51.239 --> 00:50:53.079 a lot of I ds, a lot of Man, my 1150 00:50:53.119 --> 00:50:55.360 computer just froze on like the worst picture ever. 1151 00:50:55.400 --> 00:50:56.159 It looks like. 1152 00:50:56.519 --> 00:51:00.840 Who we got you? 1153 00:51:00.880 --> 00:51:01.639 Can you guys hear me? 1154 00:51:01.719 --> 00:51:01.880 Yeah? 1155 00:51:01.920 --> 00:51:03.039 Yeah we got you fine. 1156 00:51:04.559 --> 00:51:05.039 Back now? 1157 00:51:05.239 --> 00:51:07.119 Yeah? Yeah we never lost to. 1158 00:51:08.079 --> 00:51:10.800 Yeah I saw the computer freeze like the worst moment 1159 00:51:10.840 --> 00:51:14.920 in time. But yeah, man, it was. It was really good. 1160 00:51:15.239 --> 00:51:17.280 He was a phenomenal guy. And we'd go clear these 1161 00:51:17.320 --> 00:51:21.320 IDs and everything and all that. We got a few 1162 00:51:21.360 --> 00:51:25.800 firefights on that trip, pretty good. We had a suicide bomber. 1163 00:51:25.840 --> 00:51:27.280 I remember it came to our gate, you know, as 1164 00:51:27.320 --> 00:51:29.079 we're trying to get in our guys that we're training 1165 00:51:29.159 --> 00:51:30.480 up to handle some of this. 1166 00:51:31.679 --> 00:51:32.639 I guess something happened. 1167 00:51:32.679 --> 00:51:35.079 We heard it outside and we saw this dude running 1168 00:51:35.119 --> 00:51:39.519 and our ALP Afghani Local Police ALP commander ended up 1169 00:51:39.519 --> 00:51:42.079 shooting at this dude and he's like running away. So 1170 00:51:42.079 --> 00:51:43.920 I just grabbed my sniper rifle and ran up in 1171 00:51:43.960 --> 00:51:47.199 the towers and I think I got maybe the record 1172 00:51:47.239 --> 00:51:51.480 for like the shortest sniper kill in Afghanistan, so which 1173 00:51:51.519 --> 00:51:53.199 is funny. I think it was like twenty yards away. 1174 00:51:53.239 --> 00:51:56.920 I was like, okay, but yeah, that's my big sniper 1175 00:51:56.920 --> 00:52:00.639 claimed the thing. But anything over thirty yards worth of ship, 1176 00:52:00.719 --> 00:52:03.960 but as long as it smooth and thirty But yeah, 1177 00:52:04.000 --> 00:52:06.159 man did that. It was good. 1178 00:52:06.840 --> 00:52:08.599 It was like I said it was. 1179 00:52:09.840 --> 00:52:12.719 I think when I look at that deployment, when everybody 1180 00:52:12.719 --> 00:52:14.679 hears what SF does and they look at all these 1181 00:52:14.679 --> 00:52:18.079 different things, I think that really embodied that a lot. 1182 00:52:18.280 --> 00:52:19.840 You know what I mean, Like you are going out, 1183 00:52:19.960 --> 00:52:22.599 you have to be self sufficient. There's only you know, 1184 00:52:22.679 --> 00:52:26.840 there was eight of us and we had ten third 1185 00:52:26.880 --> 00:52:29.599 ID kids, like five infantry and five tankers and like 1186 00:52:29.639 --> 00:52:30.400 a medic. 1187 00:52:30.519 --> 00:52:32.880 You know, attached to us and like an extra intel 1188 00:52:32.960 --> 00:52:33.880 person to help me out. 1189 00:52:34.400 --> 00:52:38.119 We also had a CST team with us, so but 1190 00:52:38.239 --> 00:52:40.320 that is your and it was just us, you know, 1191 00:52:40.480 --> 00:52:42.920 like someone would getting firefights. The Germans would come up 1192 00:52:42.920 --> 00:52:44.239 and help us if they were in the area. But 1193 00:52:44.280 --> 00:52:46.199 it's going to take people you're looking at people get 1194 00:52:46.239 --> 00:52:48.360 on the ground you're looking at a couple hours to 1195 00:52:48.360 --> 00:52:49.559 get to you, you know what I mean. 1196 00:52:50.880 --> 00:52:53.159 So that was that was awesome. 1197 00:52:53.320 --> 00:52:55.760 I love that trip. I loved everything about it. It 1198 00:52:55.880 --> 00:52:58.239 was basically, go do the right thing and let us 1199 00:52:58.239 --> 00:53:00.440 know how it's going. Like, all right, perfectly can do this. 1200 00:53:00.960 --> 00:53:03.880 You're having to develop all of your own intelligence, and 1201 00:53:04.039 --> 00:53:05.639 I think, yeah, you're right. A lot of people don't 1202 00:53:05.679 --> 00:53:08.480 realize that. They think, like, oh s f the CIA 1203 00:53:08.599 --> 00:53:10.679 must come with a big binder full of intel and 1204 00:53:10.800 --> 00:53:13.039 just like here you go, Drew. You know, it doesn't 1205 00:53:13.079 --> 00:53:15.239 work like that. You guys hit the ground. It sounds 1206 00:53:15.280 --> 00:53:17.239 like in this case you had very little in terms 1207 00:53:17.280 --> 00:53:20.239 of intelligence and situational awareness and all of that had 1208 00:53:20.239 --> 00:53:21.280 to be built out. 1209 00:53:23.000 --> 00:53:26.639 It did. We had a guy on our team who 1210 00:53:26.679 --> 00:53:29.239 was who kind of took over that human role that 1211 00:53:29.400 --> 00:53:31.400 level three, right, So the guy who goes out and 1212 00:53:31.400 --> 00:53:34.800 he builds the networks and his sources and everything. He 1213 00:53:34.920 --> 00:53:38.599 and I never really got along that will. However, I 1214 00:53:38.639 --> 00:53:41.079 have immense respect for the guy. He did the phenomenal job, 1215 00:53:41.239 --> 00:53:43.920 right like he was that that was his thing that 1216 00:53:43.960 --> 00:53:46.679 he he really got good at and he's gone on 1217 00:53:46.719 --> 00:53:48.599 to do better things and bigger and better things in 1218 00:53:48.639 --> 00:53:51.360 that world. And again, we never really got along, but 1219 00:53:51.360 --> 00:53:52.960 I have an immense amount of respect for him. 1220 00:53:53.079 --> 00:53:56.079 It's so funny how it works, Drew and and it's 1221 00:53:56.119 --> 00:53:59.280 because the fox and the humans, and they do have 1222 00:53:59.320 --> 00:54:01.880 a different job, like the Fox is more of an analyst, 1223 00:54:02.280 --> 00:54:05.840 whereas the humans are talking to people. And I've seen 1224 00:54:05.880 --> 00:54:08.360 that dynamic before where they don't necessarily get along with 1225 00:54:08.400 --> 00:54:08.800 each other. 1226 00:54:10.039 --> 00:54:13.159 Yeah, and we well it started before that, you know 1227 00:54:13.199 --> 00:54:15.199 what I mean, Like when I was just a Bravo 1228 00:54:15.239 --> 00:54:18.719 and he was an echo. Like we're just very different personalities, 1229 00:54:18.880 --> 00:54:22.960 right Like I'm not your average eighteen fox, like I 1230 00:54:23.079 --> 00:54:24.719 have going to the Sief and I was an assaulter 1231 00:54:24.760 --> 00:54:27.280 and that's that's my mentality, right Like later on I 1232 00:54:27.320 --> 00:54:31.000 went over there, I am an assaulter. I'm not a sniper, dude. 1233 00:54:31.039 --> 00:54:33.719 I think that's boring I don't have the patience for it. Like, 1234 00:54:34.239 --> 00:54:36.599 let's I don't like talking to people, you know, like 1235 00:54:36.679 --> 00:54:39.159 as sources and be like, oh you have many children, 1236 00:54:39.239 --> 00:54:42.119 Oh you are very strong and doing all that bowl crap. 1237 00:54:42.199 --> 00:54:43.679 Like let's get to the point, dude, you know what 1238 00:54:43.719 --> 00:54:46.679 I mean, like what we're doing here. So but he 1239 00:54:46.760 --> 00:54:48.679 was he was really good at that, you know. And 1240 00:54:48.719 --> 00:54:51.000 he he got to the point where he got us 1241 00:54:51.159 --> 00:54:55.440 access to some very interesting networks and people that we 1242 00:54:55.480 --> 00:54:57.960 would follow with ISR and they would do exactly what 1243 00:54:58.039 --> 00:54:58.960 he asked him to do. 1244 00:54:58.880 --> 00:55:00.599 In mark places for us. 1245 00:55:00.639 --> 00:55:04.440 And it actually got us onto a named objective for 1246 00:55:04.719 --> 00:55:06.920 you know, some some of the higher level dudes of Jaysock, 1247 00:55:07.000 --> 00:55:09.960 and we actually got to pass that off and they 1248 00:55:09.960 --> 00:55:11.440 were like, we're gonna go hit. It's like we could 1249 00:55:11.440 --> 00:55:13.079 just call him and he'll come in, you know what 1250 00:55:13.119 --> 00:55:15.559 I mean, Like he's one of our sources now, you know, 1251 00:55:15.719 --> 00:55:18.199 Like I think that's a pretty big deal to do 1252 00:55:18.400 --> 00:55:21.880 like that. Again, he killed it, man, you know. But 1253 00:55:21.960 --> 00:55:24.039 again I didn't help the situation. I was probably just 1254 00:55:24.039 --> 00:55:26.280 a you know, a meathead, you know what I'm saying 1255 00:55:26.320 --> 00:55:29.119 the whole time. But uh, he was really good at that. 1256 00:55:29.280 --> 00:55:31.440 So it was cool looking back at it, seeing that 1257 00:55:31.559 --> 00:55:34.360 dynamic and how we built that out so if it 1258 00:55:34.440 --> 00:55:36.280 wasn't for him, and then how we took it as 1259 00:55:36.320 --> 00:55:38.880 a team and the things that we did, like everything 1260 00:55:38.920 --> 00:55:41.519 works together, it's a it's a big environment and a 1261 00:55:41.559 --> 00:55:44.320 lot of working pieces, and that when we left, like 1262 00:55:44.440 --> 00:55:47.199 I can honestly say when we left Afghanistan after that trip, 1263 00:55:47.960 --> 00:55:51.800 it was better off for what we did. We were 1264 00:55:51.920 --> 00:55:55.159 value added to that area. And you could see noticeable 1265 00:55:55.199 --> 00:55:58.039 differences in the area because before people couldn't come out 1266 00:55:58.079 --> 00:55:59.960 of their homes, you know, like there's people getting their 1267 00:56:00.199 --> 00:56:02.320 chopped off and put on pikes, you know, and sticks 1268 00:56:02.320 --> 00:56:04.840 out on the roads and we drive by and see them. 1269 00:56:05.159 --> 00:56:05.360 You know. 1270 00:56:06.320 --> 00:56:08.960 When we left, there's kids playing outside with their families, 1271 00:56:09.199 --> 00:56:11.199 you know, and it was like, all right, man, we 1272 00:56:11.239 --> 00:56:13.760 did something good here. And we had people actually come 1273 00:56:13.840 --> 00:56:15.480 up to our gage just to give us stuff and 1274 00:56:15.519 --> 00:56:18.119 be like hey, thank you, like and it wasn't like 1275 00:56:18.159 --> 00:56:20.840 the typical It was genuine, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, 1276 00:56:20.880 --> 00:56:22.719 there was always always gona be little kids. You're gonna 1277 00:56:22.719 --> 00:56:24.679 throw rocks at your trucks because little kids like to 1278 00:56:24.679 --> 00:56:26.880 throw rocks at trucks, you know what I mean, but like, 1279 00:56:27.000 --> 00:56:29.199 generally speaking, I think we did a good job. 1280 00:56:29.559 --> 00:56:30.239 So that's cool. 1281 00:56:32.159 --> 00:56:35.079 Yeah, it sounds like reminiscent of you know what you 1282 00:56:35.119 --> 00:56:38.239 hear about those sfobs and Vietnam, you know, where they 1283 00:56:38.320 --> 00:56:41.559 really ingratiated themselves with the local villagers and become a 1284 00:56:41.599 --> 00:56:42.840 part of that kind of community. 1285 00:56:44.159 --> 00:56:47.559 It did, man, we were we had some very close 1286 00:56:47.719 --> 00:56:52.079 relationships and alliances with the people there, to the point 1287 00:56:52.119 --> 00:56:55.280 where if we were with some of our alp and 1288 00:56:55.280 --> 00:56:57.679 as a firefight, they weren't running away. 1289 00:56:58.039 --> 00:56:59.480 They were they were staying there with. 1290 00:56:59.480 --> 00:57:01.320 Us, and they were looking out for us, which I 1291 00:57:01.320 --> 00:57:04.239 thought was very He's like, oh, that's not everybody's experience, 1292 00:57:04.320 --> 00:57:06.360 you know, like they were bought in. They were with us. 1293 00:57:06.480 --> 00:57:07.480 So that was really good. 1294 00:57:07.840 --> 00:57:10.719 And so after this deployment, you're going back to the 1295 00:57:11.239 --> 00:57:14.639 mother ship at Fort Campbell. Is this when it starts 1296 00:57:14.639 --> 00:57:16.320 coming into your mind, You're thinking you want to make 1297 00:57:16.320 --> 00:57:17.880 the jump over to the A one to five. 1298 00:57:19.639 --> 00:57:21.119 Yes, I knew I wanted to. 1299 00:57:21.360 --> 00:57:26.320 I still did two more small deployments before that. I 1300 00:57:26.360 --> 00:57:28.639 wanted to do something different and go on and try 1301 00:57:28.679 --> 00:57:32.639 something else. And I always knew A one five, Like, 1302 00:57:32.800 --> 00:57:34.840 I just thought that was cool. Man, that's very much 1303 00:57:34.960 --> 00:57:37.880 what appeals to me. But I went to the B 1304 00:57:38.039 --> 00:57:42.320 team after that, and while I was on the B Team, 1305 00:57:42.599 --> 00:57:45.320 I don't think I spent more than a week actually 1306 00:57:45.360 --> 00:57:48.440 on the B team. So when I got there, the 1307 00:57:48.480 --> 00:57:50.840 first thing I did was I deployed to Afghanistan again 1308 00:57:52.320 --> 00:57:55.519 and I was on a I was the L and 1309 00:57:55.599 --> 00:57:59.719 O for a general Nargata was this name Yea and 1310 00:57:59.840 --> 00:58:04.559 I I was in cobble at integrity over there. So 1311 00:58:04.679 --> 00:58:06.760 my goal was basically to report back to him what's 1312 00:58:06.760 --> 00:58:08.760 going on, then also to my group commander and everything else. 1313 00:58:08.800 --> 00:58:12.239 But the side mission was I had another job which 1314 00:58:12.360 --> 00:58:19.320 was a surveillancey type job and it was anyway i'll 1315 00:58:19.400 --> 00:58:21.719 kindlated with that, but driving around one or two guys 1316 00:58:21.719 --> 00:58:24.159 in the truck man jams undercovered vehicles and were setting 1317 00:58:24.199 --> 00:58:27.159 up locations right places for people to meet and things 1318 00:58:27.199 --> 00:58:29.440 like that. So I got to do that for a 1319 00:58:29.480 --> 00:58:31.159 little bit, which was cool because I got to go 1320 00:58:31.199 --> 00:58:32.960 to England as one of the schools I went to 1321 00:58:33.000 --> 00:58:36.280 before then, and I went to the CTR Cluck Course 1322 00:58:36.760 --> 00:58:41.159 run by former British Special Reconnaissance Regiment, so they're close 1323 00:58:41.199 --> 00:58:44.599 target reconnaissance, so basically following people surveillance mobile in a 1324 00:58:44.679 --> 00:58:47.639 vehicle and foot mobile right then breaking into buildings and 1325 00:58:47.639 --> 00:58:49.800 collecting evidence, and that was kind of neat. So there 1326 00:58:49.880 --> 00:58:51.719 was a little bit of that. I got to apply 1327 00:58:51.800 --> 00:58:54.280 to that job, you know, with vehicles and everything else, 1328 00:58:54.920 --> 00:58:55.400 So it was neat. 1329 00:58:55.440 --> 00:58:56.639 Man's cool. 1330 00:58:57.559 --> 00:59:00.960 It was right after I left, that's when they attacked 1331 00:59:00.960 --> 00:59:03.960 the base and McKinnel got killed. So that happened, like 1332 00:59:04.480 --> 00:59:07.159 I think within like weeks after I flew out, and 1333 00:59:07.519 --> 00:59:10.000 we've been saying the whole time, like, hey man, security 1334 00:59:10.039 --> 00:59:13.440 here is not good, dude, but that integrity is literally 1335 00:59:17.079 --> 00:59:20.400 over half of that base is rank major or higher. 1336 00:59:21.800 --> 00:59:24.800 So it's all it's generals, colonel's, lieutenant colonel. I didn't 1337 00:59:24.800 --> 00:59:27.280 know there's that many damn colonels in the Army first 1338 00:59:27.320 --> 00:59:29.800 of all, and in Afghanistan. And then there's a bunch 1339 00:59:29.800 --> 00:59:31.800 of majors who are all trying to be colonels, you know 1340 00:59:31.840 --> 00:59:34.280 what I'm saying. And then there's the foign guys right 1341 00:59:34.360 --> 00:59:36.159 like in there, you know, the Polish, and every Polish 1342 00:59:36.199 --> 00:59:39.239 are hilarious by the way, and then those dudes, you 1343 00:59:39.239 --> 00:59:41.559 know what I'm saying. And then there's like some random 1344 00:59:41.639 --> 00:59:44.280 enlisted people and like I never wore a uniform. 1345 00:59:44.320 --> 00:59:45.800 I just wore civilian clothes the whole time. 1346 00:59:45.960 --> 00:59:48.079 And I was told like, don't tell anybody a rank, 1347 00:59:48.639 --> 00:59:50.599 like whatever you do, don't talk because don't never respect 1348 00:59:50.639 --> 00:59:52.559 you or listen to you. I was like, okay, cool. So, 1349 00:59:52.719 --> 00:59:54.440 like the one person that knew was like the base 1350 00:59:54.480 --> 00:59:58.480 commander and a couple of the colonels. Everybody else was like, oh, Drew, 1351 00:59:58.920 --> 01:00:00.880 we how do we address you. I'm like, Drew's fine, 1352 01:00:00.960 --> 01:00:01.159 you know. 1353 01:00:01.280 --> 01:00:04.760 Like, so they were like, I got a beard, That's 1354 01:00:04.760 --> 01:00:05.440 all you need to know. 1355 01:00:07.000 --> 01:00:09.039 Say that again. Sorry, you just. 1356 01:00:09.000 --> 01:00:10.800 Say I have a beard, That's all you need to know. 1357 01:00:12.199 --> 01:00:14.079 Something like that. But I told him I'd be like, oh, 1358 01:00:14.079 --> 01:00:15.840 I'm in the Coast Guard and they were like what 1359 01:00:16.719 --> 01:00:17.239 Coast Guard? 1360 01:00:17.440 --> 01:00:21.719 Like yeah, Coast Guard Special Operations. You know, like we 1361 01:00:21.800 --> 01:00:23.800 got like there were a couple of people who actually. 1362 01:00:23.639 --> 01:00:25.480 Believed it, but it was like, you're such an idiot, 1363 01:00:25.519 --> 01:00:27.960 no one's gonna believe that, you know. So, uh but 1364 01:00:27.960 --> 01:00:30.199 it was good man. And then uh so I did 1365 01:00:30.199 --> 01:00:32.159 that for a little bit and that was interesting because 1366 01:00:32.159 --> 01:00:34.360 it's just it's writing reports. But then in my off 1367 01:00:34.400 --> 01:00:36.719 time I'm going and doing these kind of things. You know, 1368 01:00:37.239 --> 01:00:40.039 in a vehicle with maybe two other guys driving around 1369 01:00:40.079 --> 01:00:40.440 the city. 1370 01:00:42.320 --> 01:00:43.840 And then yeah, man did that. 1371 01:00:44.079 --> 01:00:45.760 I came home for a few weeks and then I 1372 01:00:45.760 --> 01:00:50.159 immediately went That's when Syria was kicking off. So I 1373 01:00:50.199 --> 01:00:54.280 went to Turkey and I was Task Force Turkey, so. 1374 01:00:54.880 --> 01:00:58.079 And it was pretty much just me so from fifth grade. 1375 01:00:58.119 --> 01:00:59.960 There was another guy there before me, but he was 1376 01:01:00.199 --> 01:01:02.400 kind of it wasn't really his job, but they sent 1377 01:01:02.480 --> 01:01:04.719 me over as because they're like, Hey, just did this 1378 01:01:04.760 --> 01:01:06.519 for Nagada. Now you're gonna do it for our battalion 1379 01:01:06.559 --> 01:01:08.960 commander and group commander. So you're gonna report back in 1380 01:01:09.000 --> 01:01:11.320 Turkey and you're gonna set up all the training bases 1381 01:01:11.760 --> 01:01:14.519 in Turkey for our guys. You're gonna help understand the 1382 01:01:14.559 --> 01:01:16.719 people that were bringing in from Syria. You're gonna do this, 1383 01:01:16.800 --> 01:01:19.679 and you're gonna work closely with some agency people and 1384 01:01:19.719 --> 01:01:22.679 also jaysok and I was like okay. So I was 1385 01:01:22.719 --> 01:01:25.400 at an annex from the embassy wearing a suit every 1386 01:01:25.440 --> 01:01:30.639 day and I worked at the agency office and that 1387 01:01:30.920 --> 01:01:31.760 was eye opening. 1388 01:01:32.360 --> 01:01:34.760 I briefed a lot of politicians. 1389 01:01:35.360 --> 01:01:39.880 I briefed colonels, generals, senators, and I had to know 1390 01:01:39.960 --> 01:01:43.360 what was going on on, and I'm really actually there 1391 01:01:43.440 --> 01:01:46.000 was a female agency lady there, and I'm very grateful 1392 01:01:46.000 --> 01:01:48.039 for her. She was very good at her job and 1393 01:01:48.119 --> 01:01:50.159 she always helped steer me in the right direction. But 1394 01:01:50.239 --> 01:01:52.639 I was like, I don't know if I trust you, right, 1395 01:01:52.679 --> 01:01:54.880 so I'm gonna go back And they're like, no, that 1396 01:01:54.960 --> 01:01:55.519 sounds right. 1397 01:01:55.599 --> 01:01:57.840 Whereas like other people were trying. 1398 01:01:57.599 --> 01:01:59.159 She'd be like, hey, y'all ought to look into that 1399 01:01:59.159 --> 01:02:00.840 a little bit more like okay, cool. 1400 01:02:00.679 --> 01:02:01.679 Yeah, she's trying to help you. 1401 01:02:02.599 --> 01:02:06.480 She genuinely was, and I really appreciate her. 1402 01:02:06.480 --> 01:02:07.880 She might have been pulling one over on me the 1403 01:02:07.880 --> 01:02:10.840 whole time, I don't know, but I feel like it 1404 01:02:10.960 --> 01:02:13.039 was just with everything going on, I felt like she 1405 01:02:13.199 --> 01:02:17.000 truly was a team player with everybody and wanted to 1406 01:02:17.039 --> 01:02:19.039 do the best and she helped me out a lot. 1407 01:02:19.519 --> 01:02:22.400 And so were you mostly just kind of like briefing 1408 01:02:22.440 --> 01:02:26.039 these visitors coming through on like the situation in Syria 1409 01:02:26.159 --> 01:02:29.119 at that time, or was it getting more intense than that. 1410 01:02:30.079 --> 01:02:33.199 It was a little bit of both, but mainly what 1411 01:02:33.599 --> 01:02:36.039 our unit was preparing for. So here are the training 1412 01:02:36.039 --> 01:02:38.400 sites we've identified, Here's how we're going to bring them in. 1413 01:02:38.519 --> 01:02:40.519 Here's how I'm going to try out a time. Once 1414 01:02:40.559 --> 01:02:43.280 that kicks off, you'll see as many odas, here's how 1415 01:02:43.280 --> 01:02:45.800 we're going with recruitment, everything else, and who are identifying 1416 01:02:45.800 --> 01:02:48.440 and here's how we feel about this. Right, So we 1417 01:02:48.519 --> 01:02:52.039 narrowed down the training sites, we identified equipment. Part of 1418 01:02:52.079 --> 01:02:56.039 that was coordinating with customs right through Turkey, which may 1419 01:02:56.079 --> 01:02:57.920 be the worst thing you could ever do in your life, 1420 01:02:57.960 --> 01:03:02.559 because Turkey uses their customs as basically like they hold 1421 01:03:02.599 --> 01:03:04.000 everything hostage. 1422 01:03:03.559 --> 01:03:05.239 To get what they want from the United States. 1423 01:03:05.800 --> 01:03:10.239 So, for example, I'd be sitting in meetings and again 1424 01:03:10.400 --> 01:03:12.119 I don't know why the hell I'm in this meeting, 1425 01:03:12.360 --> 01:03:14.920 but I was sitting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs 1426 01:03:14.960 --> 01:03:18.119 and the Minister of Interior Affairs, and they're asking me 1427 01:03:18.239 --> 01:03:20.599 questions and giving me information. I'm like mm hmm yeah. 1428 01:03:20.639 --> 01:03:22.239 In my head, I'm like, I'm gonna have to google 1429 01:03:22.239 --> 01:03:23.519 that later. I don't know what the hell that means, 1430 01:03:23.719 --> 01:03:25.519 but like, I'm gonna put this in report and to 1431 01:03:25.599 --> 01:03:27.039 say back. But they're trying to get us to sign 1432 01:03:27.079 --> 01:03:29.760 a treaty, which is what we were absolutely trying not 1433 01:03:29.880 --> 01:03:30.239 to do. 1434 01:03:30.880 --> 01:03:32.800 And when I would ask questions, they would actually go. 1435 01:03:32.800 --> 01:03:35.760 Out in the hall and they would call Ertuwan is 1436 01:03:35.760 --> 01:03:38.159 see the Prime Minister or president depends on what years 1437 01:03:38.199 --> 01:03:39.960 is because he just goes back and forth, right because 1438 01:03:39.960 --> 01:03:43.519 he's a dictator, so like as he does all that, 1439 01:03:43.559 --> 01:03:44.360 they'd be calling him. 1440 01:03:44.400 --> 01:03:45.800 They'd be like, here's what we think. I'm like, do 1441 01:03:45.840 --> 01:03:47.480 you just call Ertuwan? You know what I mean? 1442 01:03:47.559 --> 01:03:50.960 Like, what am I doing here? I shouldn't be talking 1443 01:03:51.000 --> 01:03:53.000 to you. I'm ann E seven dude, like I'm a 1444 01:03:53.119 --> 01:03:56.760 sergeant first class. But it was it was really interesting. 1445 01:03:57.639 --> 01:03:59.800 So I would be taught. I'd have to coordinate with them, 1446 01:04:00.039 --> 01:04:02.719 and all showed Turkish soft a little bit, and then 1447 01:04:02.880 --> 01:04:05.000 a lot of what to get back to your question, sorry, 1448 01:04:05.719 --> 01:04:06.480 A lot of what. 1449 01:04:06.360 --> 01:04:07.559 I would do with the. 1450 01:04:10.239 --> 01:04:13.360 Congressmen and women and the senators was we just have 1451 01:04:13.400 --> 01:04:16.559 to be available for their questions. And I really only 1452 01:04:16.599 --> 01:04:21.119 had one that showed up ready with questions that genuinely 1453 01:04:21.159 --> 01:04:22.599 wanted to know what was going on and. 1454 01:04:22.559 --> 01:04:25.400 Had a clue. Other than that, I couldn't. 1455 01:04:25.440 --> 01:04:28.559 I can't say enough negative things about congressmen and women 1456 01:04:28.639 --> 01:04:29.599 that showed up over there. 1457 01:04:29.719 --> 01:04:33.920 It was very disheartening, you know what I mean. 1458 01:04:34.000 --> 01:04:37.679 It was very like oh wow, and actually so an 1459 01:04:37.679 --> 01:04:39.960 example for it, we're in a meeting. 1460 01:04:41.119 --> 01:04:41.719 You matter if I. 1461 01:04:41.679 --> 01:04:42.960 Tell this story, please want to do? 1462 01:04:43.480 --> 01:04:47.360 Okay, So we go in and do this briefing, right, 1463 01:04:47.440 --> 01:04:48.840 and at least one of the names out of it 1464 01:04:48.880 --> 01:04:51.159 for people and all this speaking probably infer what's going on. 1465 01:04:51.239 --> 01:04:53.840 So we go in and we're giving our briefs and everything. 1466 01:04:53.960 --> 01:04:56.239 I do my part, and I'm in there with the 1467 01:04:56.280 --> 01:04:58.719 commander of a special operations unit. 1468 01:05:00.239 --> 01:05:02.400 He is there, he flew in just for this. 1469 01:05:03.199 --> 01:05:05.880 I'm in there with an agency lady and then his 1470 01:05:05.960 --> 01:05:09.360 sergeant major that's there also, that's been there with me, right, 1471 01:05:10.039 --> 01:05:12.760 And he's talking given the brief and he's like outlining 1472 01:05:12.840 --> 01:05:15.320 the map, here's what we have, here's what we need, everything, 1473 01:05:15.360 --> 01:05:19.039 and I never forget this congressman. It's like he's like, well, 1474 01:05:19.199 --> 01:05:21.760 what do you mean you need this? And that He's like, sir, 1475 01:05:21.960 --> 01:05:23.960 we got this, and he's like, why can't you just 1476 01:05:24.400 --> 01:05:25.559 see him and shoot him. 1477 01:05:25.760 --> 01:05:26.199 He's like. 1478 01:05:27.719 --> 01:05:31.719 Because there's clouds, sir, Like they can't see through clouds, 1479 01:05:31.840 --> 01:05:35.239 you know, And like everything was like talking to a child, 1480 01:05:35.440 --> 01:05:38.320 you know. And he goes, I need so many ISR 1481 01:05:38.400 --> 01:05:41.960 birds with this capability. Right, And this guy's the head 1482 01:05:41.960 --> 01:05:45.199 of like that thing in Congress, and I'm just sitting 1483 01:05:45.199 --> 01:05:47.159 there the whole time, like and that. The commander guy's 1484 01:05:47.159 --> 01:05:50.719 getting mad, veins running out of his neck right, and he's. 1485 01:05:50.519 --> 01:05:52.039 Just like you can tell he's frustrated. 1486 01:05:52.320 --> 01:05:54.519 And he's like, well, I don't know what ISR means, 1487 01:05:55.000 --> 01:05:56.880 but I got some I got some drones. 1488 01:05:56.920 --> 01:06:00.360 He want some drones? He goes, I got some withhistles 1489 01:06:00.360 --> 01:06:03.360 on him. You want that? And the guy's like, yes, 1490 01:06:04.079 --> 01:06:05.199 I would very much like this. 1491 01:06:05.719 --> 01:06:07.599 Like he's like, how many knee you know, like, I'll 1492 01:06:07.599 --> 01:06:09.880 get you some son, how many in meat? And he's like, 1493 01:06:12.360 --> 01:06:15.079 for the third time, like twenty six of them because 1494 01:06:15.079 --> 01:06:16.239 I did to put him here, here and here. 1495 01:06:16.480 --> 01:06:17.760 And he's like can we do that? 1496 01:06:17.880 --> 01:06:20.199 And some guy's like, oh yes, Congressman, we can do that. 1497 01:06:20.280 --> 01:06:22.639 He's like, all right, I'm gonna get him for you, right. Well, 1498 01:06:22.679 --> 01:06:25.440 then he makes this joke. He got real serious real 1499 01:06:25.519 --> 01:06:27.159 quick because he made a joke and he's like, here, 1500 01:06:27.199 --> 01:06:29.760 we're in this part of Africa, we're partnered with the French, 1501 01:06:30.239 --> 01:06:33.000 this and that, and he goes, ah, the French, huh. 1502 01:06:33.119 --> 01:06:35.519 He goes, oh, they're too busy being cowards and running 1503 01:06:35.519 --> 01:06:37.960 away that they suck and starts ragging on the French, 1504 01:06:38.679 --> 01:06:41.679 and this dude like stopped what he was doing, turned 1505 01:06:41.679 --> 01:06:44.719 around and like slammed his fist on the table and goes, 1506 01:06:44.800 --> 01:06:47.159 the French are the greatest partner we could ever ask for. 1507 01:06:47.599 --> 01:06:50.320 They're out actually targets and killing bad guys, waiting for 1508 01:06:50.320 --> 01:06:51.400 bureaucratic approval. 1509 01:06:51.679 --> 01:06:55.679 And you just saw this conversation. J melt into his seat. 1510 01:06:55.760 --> 01:06:58.079 He's a big old fat boy too, and he just 1511 01:06:58.239 --> 01:07:01.000 melted like he couldn't get small. Okay, thank you, you know. 1512 01:07:01.960 --> 01:07:04.199 But like we walked out of there and this dude 1513 01:07:04.199 --> 01:07:06.199 like grass and brought the arm. You know, he's a 1514 01:07:06.199 --> 01:07:06.679 big dude. 1515 01:07:06.719 --> 01:07:07.360 He like grassed me. 1516 01:07:07.440 --> 01:07:10.039 I'm like, oh shit, I do something wrong, and he's like, 1517 01:07:10.599 --> 01:07:11.800 listen to that. 1518 01:07:12.000 --> 01:07:15.280 Man makes decisions that affect people's lives. And I was like, 1519 01:07:15.599 --> 01:07:16.960 I don't know if I'm supposed saying anything. 1520 01:07:17.000 --> 01:07:20.679 I'm just like and he just goes just walks out, 1521 01:07:20.719 --> 01:07:23.880 and I was like, okay, like sounds good man. 1522 01:07:24.599 --> 01:07:26.239 So but yeah, like it was. 1523 01:07:26.840 --> 01:07:28.920 It was very interesting seeing that and then all the 1524 01:07:28.960 --> 01:07:30.920 behind the stuff too, then going to the embassy and 1525 01:07:30.960 --> 01:07:33.519 having to interact with them between Department of State, you know, 1526 01:07:33.559 --> 01:07:36.119 the Paul Mill officers, the people running us AI D 1527 01:07:36.760 --> 01:07:38.880 like that was a big issue back then, you know. 1528 01:07:38.880 --> 01:07:39.239 What I mean. 1529 01:07:39.360 --> 01:07:42.159 Like, and obviously that's popped up in the news. We 1530 01:07:42.199 --> 01:07:44.199 had a lot of issues with USAID and what was 1531 01:07:44.239 --> 01:07:46.880 going on. It was obvious they were just shoveling money 1532 01:07:46.960 --> 01:07:50.000 straight towards you know, all these terrorist groups in Syria. 1533 01:07:50.039 --> 01:07:51.920 They were just giving them free money and supplies and 1534 01:07:51.960 --> 01:07:55.280 everything else. It was crazy. So it was it was 1535 01:07:55.440 --> 01:07:59.519 very interesting. I determined politics probably weren't for me. 1536 01:07:59.559 --> 01:08:00.000 You know what I mean. 1537 01:08:00.079 --> 01:08:05.280 And yeah, man, the massive disconnect between the people who 1538 01:08:05.320 --> 01:08:07.920 are making these decisions and what's going on on the ground. 1539 01:08:09.679 --> 01:08:12.960 Yeah, they they live in a different world, Like they don't. 1540 01:08:13.360 --> 01:08:15.840 They literally live in the high tower looking down on 1541 01:08:15.880 --> 01:08:19.800 everybody else, you know, Like I mean, you could have 1542 01:08:19.880 --> 01:08:22.520 stories for days on this stuff. But it's like that 1543 01:08:22.600 --> 01:08:25.640 guy's not the right, that's not good. And they're like, well, 1544 01:08:26.039 --> 01:08:30.760 you need to understand how they feel, like just like rape, 1545 01:08:30.840 --> 01:08:33.399 like killed everybody in this village and raped everybody and 1546 01:08:33.520 --> 01:08:35.600 enslaved a bunch of others, Like what you know what 1547 01:08:35.640 --> 01:08:38.039 I mean, Like you're throwing gaze off a roof, like 1548 01:08:38.079 --> 01:08:39.760 and I said, that's not good and you're telling me 1549 01:08:39.800 --> 01:08:43.600 I need to think about how this person feels. Like, no, dude, no, 1550 01:08:43.680 --> 01:08:45.239 I don't you know what I mean. Like, I think 1551 01:08:45.239 --> 01:08:47.920 it's pretty cut and dry. So it's just it was 1552 01:08:48.000 --> 01:08:52.319 fucking crazy. So I get to see behind the curtain. 1553 01:08:52.039 --> 01:08:52.520 A little bit. 1554 01:08:52.720 --> 01:08:54.319 Yeah, yeah, the fat man behind. 1555 01:08:54.039 --> 01:08:54.800 The really good people. 1556 01:08:55.760 --> 01:08:57.439 Yeah. 1557 01:08:57.479 --> 01:09:00.520 And how do you like what you're was that when 1558 01:09:00.560 --> 01:09:02.600 you kind of like left Turkey and kind of like 1559 01:09:02.680 --> 01:09:05.079 what kind of state did you feel like it was 1560 01:09:05.119 --> 01:09:07.159 in as you were leaving out of there? 1561 01:09:08.680 --> 01:09:16.439 I think that was twenty twenty fourteen. It was either 1562 01:09:16.479 --> 01:09:19.640 twenty thirteen into fourteen or fourteen into fifteen, because I 1563 01:09:19.640 --> 01:09:24.560 felt Christmas over there. I think it was thirteen, man, 1564 01:09:24.600 --> 01:09:26.840 I don't know. I'm sorry it was one of those 1565 01:09:26.920 --> 01:09:29.039 years it was Christmas, because I remember I was. I 1566 01:09:29.079 --> 01:09:31.079 flew home for like three days for Christmas and flew 1567 01:09:31.199 --> 01:09:34.159 right back right. I almost got arrested coming home too, 1568 01:09:34.199 --> 01:09:36.880 which was crazy, but it is what it is. I 1569 01:09:36.920 --> 01:09:38.640 had a bullet in my bag, got it all the 1570 01:09:38.680 --> 01:09:41.880 way from America through Germany and into Turkey, and somehow 1571 01:09:41.920 --> 01:09:44.399 there was a green tip five five six in my backpack. 1572 01:09:44.800 --> 01:09:47.159 Don't know where it came from. Because we weren't shooting 1573 01:09:47.159 --> 01:09:49.159 guns over there as an office job. And like I 1574 01:09:49.199 --> 01:09:51.399 came back through and they were like ready to arrest 1575 01:09:51.439 --> 01:09:53.479 me for this round. I was like, oh god, crap, 1576 01:09:53.560 --> 01:10:00.239 you know, so whatever, but man, it was different, so 1577 01:10:00.760 --> 01:10:02.640 different deployment. But after that is when I went to 1578 01:10:02.680 --> 01:10:05.239 A one five. I went to Sephardic did all that 1579 01:10:05.319 --> 01:10:05.960 and everything else. 1580 01:10:06.039 --> 01:10:07.319 Yeah, yeah, so tell us about that. 1581 01:10:09.479 --> 01:10:14.039 So people aren't familiars. Sephardik is a school. It's considered 1582 01:10:14.039 --> 01:10:17.439 like assaulter school. It's about eight or nine weeks for 1583 01:10:17.760 --> 01:10:19.960 you spend the first two weeks on the flat range shooting. 1584 01:10:20.439 --> 01:10:23.600 We shoot about one hundred and fifty thousand rounds between 1585 01:10:23.640 --> 01:10:27.199 fifty guys in ten days, right, and we'll start with 1586 01:10:27.279 --> 01:10:29.359 fifty and in my class we've bumped down to about 1587 01:10:29.359 --> 01:10:31.319 thirty five by the end of that first two weeks. 1588 01:10:31.760 --> 01:10:34.720 And then after that you're doing CQB all day every day, 1589 01:10:34.880 --> 01:10:37.000 you know, minus Sundays, and if you suck at it, 1590 01:10:37.039 --> 01:10:41.119 you got to go in on Saturdays. Right, So I 1591 01:10:41.159 --> 01:10:44.560 mean it's twelve fourteen, sometimes sixteen hour days just doing 1592 01:10:44.800 --> 01:10:47.880 assault or stuff, clearing buildings, vehicle in addictions, repelling out 1593 01:10:47.880 --> 01:10:52.159 the side of buildings, air inserts, you know, halfs all 1594 01:10:52.199 --> 01:10:55.560 that crap. I mean, you're just NonStop CQB from hostage 1595 01:10:55.600 --> 01:10:58.119 rescue to just regular going after a target whatever it 1596 01:10:58.119 --> 01:10:58.399 may be. 1597 01:10:58.760 --> 01:10:59.800 You're working on breaching. 1598 01:11:00.119 --> 01:11:03.399 You know, you're doing breaching charges, mechanical breaching, you're using 1599 01:11:03.439 --> 01:11:06.880 quickie saws, you're doing broco toorches. We're going elsewhere to 1600 01:11:06.920 --> 01:11:11.159 like old Rundown prisons and stuff like that. So it's 1601 01:11:11.199 --> 01:11:13.199 a very very intensive school. I'd say it's probably the 1602 01:11:13.239 --> 01:11:15.520 best school in the entire military, right. I don't think 1603 01:11:15.520 --> 01:11:17.800 you can top it. It's everything that commercials make the 1604 01:11:17.800 --> 01:11:20.680 military out to be. It's that, you know what I mean, 1605 01:11:20.840 --> 01:11:24.319 And it's awesome. So to be in the SIEF you 1606 01:11:24.439 --> 01:11:26.319 have to go to that school and you have to pass. 1607 01:11:26.920 --> 01:11:29.199 So I went over to the SIF without the school. 1608 01:11:29.239 --> 01:11:30.600 They let me come over and they say, hey, man, 1609 01:11:30.640 --> 01:11:32.800 we'll get you the course when you get here. So 1610 01:11:33.079 --> 01:11:36.239 I went the first time and I actually broke my neck. 1611 01:11:36.920 --> 01:11:40.840 So yeah, So we're doing combatives and the dude like 1612 01:11:40.920 --> 01:11:42.920 neck control with this guy who's an idiot. 1613 01:11:42.920 --> 01:11:45.560 I'll never forget him, this dumb ass. He just grabbed 1614 01:11:45.560 --> 01:11:46.000 my neck. 1615 01:11:45.880 --> 01:11:48.000 Instead of doing what we all had done. He just 1616 01:11:48.119 --> 01:11:50.840 dropped to his knees and cranked my neck down. Well 1617 01:11:50.840 --> 01:11:54.560 when he did, he cracked or broke two of the 1618 01:11:54.640 --> 01:11:57.800 vertebrate and then herniated three of the discs over So 1619 01:11:57.840 --> 01:12:01.840 it's pushing on my spinal cord. So when it came time, 1620 01:12:01.880 --> 01:12:04.439 and that was in the first couple of weeks. So 1621 01:12:04.479 --> 01:12:06.560 when I got to the shooting the stress test on 1622 01:12:06.600 --> 01:12:09.439 the flat range portion on week two, when I bring 1623 01:12:09.479 --> 01:12:12.039 the rifle up, I couldn't see my sights because my 1624 01:12:12.079 --> 01:12:15.439 head wouldn't move from like right here. So they were 1625 01:12:15.479 --> 01:12:17.560 always joking like hey, Batman, you know, because it was 1626 01:12:17.640 --> 01:12:19.520 like what you know, you got to turn like this. 1627 01:12:19.640 --> 01:12:24.359 I couldn't do anything. So I went home rehabbed as 1628 01:12:24.399 --> 01:12:26.600 best I could, and then I went back a second 1629 01:12:26.640 --> 01:12:29.239 time and I passed. But after I went back the 1630 01:12:29.239 --> 01:12:31.199 second time, I was like, man, I'm having some problems. 1631 01:12:31.239 --> 01:12:32.680 I went back to the doctor and they were like, 1632 01:12:32.800 --> 01:12:35.840 holy crap, it'd been a year and they were like, 1633 01:12:35.880 --> 01:12:39.079 your next broken. It's been broken the whole time. Why 1634 01:12:39.119 --> 01:12:41.439 did you go to Supartica second time? I was like, uh, 1635 01:12:41.640 --> 01:12:43.760 because I wanted to go to the school and pass, 1636 01:12:43.880 --> 01:12:45.720 you know what I mean, And like I remember I 1637 01:12:45.720 --> 01:12:47.600 was at jiu jitsu that morning rolling and they were 1638 01:12:47.600 --> 01:12:50.760 like get in here right now. And so the original 1639 01:12:50.880 --> 01:12:53.600 MRI clearly showed it was there, but one of the 1640 01:12:54.039 --> 01:12:56.600 it was a PA. He had asked me, he goes, well, 1641 01:12:56.640 --> 01:12:58.359 who told your neck was fine? And I was like, 1642 01:12:58.359 --> 01:13:01.279 oh that guy right there, that more on and he 1643 01:13:01.439 --> 01:13:03.319 was like, oh shit. So I had to get like 1644 01:13:03.359 --> 01:13:06.319 emergency surgery because they were afraid my arm was gonna 1645 01:13:06.319 --> 01:13:08.479 a trophy because I had really bad like my left 1646 01:13:08.560 --> 01:13:10.600 arm wasn't working right, you know, I couldn't really grab 1647 01:13:10.680 --> 01:13:13.039 things very well. So I went up to Walter Reed 1648 01:13:13.119 --> 01:13:15.760 and uh, have my neck fused? 1649 01:13:16.159 --> 01:13:19.000 And then uh, actually I was high as hell and I. 1650 01:13:18.920 --> 01:13:23.199 Started beare solutions in the things. But yeah, man, it 1651 01:13:23.239 --> 01:13:25.119 was it was good. I did a deployment before that, 1652 01:13:25.239 --> 01:13:27.960 and then we figured all that out so after the fact, 1653 01:13:28.079 --> 01:13:30.079 but I went the second time I passed, and then 1654 01:13:30.119 --> 01:13:32.680 I did a deployment and then that's when we figured 1655 01:13:32.680 --> 01:13:33.439 out what happened. 1656 01:13:33.560 --> 01:13:37.479 So, wow, where did you go with with the sith? 1657 01:13:38.479 --> 01:13:38.960 Bagdad? 1658 01:13:39.279 --> 01:13:39.960 Okay? Cool? 1659 01:13:40.319 --> 01:13:43.119 And I mean yeah again, didn't they used to call 1660 01:13:43.159 --> 01:13:45.079 a one to five like bag dad swat? 1661 01:13:46.159 --> 01:13:49.520 Yeah? Yeah, dude, Like back in the day Task Force Rapptor. 1662 01:13:49.600 --> 01:13:52.079 You remember those days. Yeah, when we were in like 1663 01:13:52.119 --> 01:13:54.199 those guys, they were going out every night hitting two, three, 1664 01:13:54.279 --> 01:13:54.960 four buildings. 1665 01:13:55.239 --> 01:13:55.640 You know that. 1666 01:13:56.119 --> 01:13:58.880 There's a video on YouTube with like the Team America song. Yeah, 1667 01:13:58.880 --> 01:14:02.640 pretty much do the mini guns and everything that's them. 1668 01:14:02.840 --> 01:14:04.960 But when I was there, it was, you know, we're 1669 01:14:05.039 --> 01:14:07.399 just mostly doing training stuff. I rack a died down. 1670 01:14:08.000 --> 01:14:09.840 We tried to get out the door a little bit. 1671 01:14:10.079 --> 01:14:13.760 You know, not a whole lot happened, did a lot 1672 01:14:13.760 --> 01:14:15.920 of training and just kind of hung out and doing 1673 01:14:16.000 --> 01:14:18.359 standby for the crisis response for US. 1674 01:14:18.520 --> 01:14:19.960 Okay, anything happened. 1675 01:14:20.159 --> 01:14:22.000 We got to be wheels up in three hours ready 1676 01:14:22.000 --> 01:14:24.880 to go to an embassy to evacuate it or whatever. 1677 01:14:25.760 --> 01:14:28.439 Our guys did go to the US embassy in Baghdad 1678 01:14:28.479 --> 01:14:30.319 and help and reinforce them when they were the riots 1679 01:14:30.319 --> 01:14:31.439 and everything going on around it. 1680 01:14:31.840 --> 01:14:33.439 But really not a whole lot of that trip. 1681 01:14:33.800 --> 01:14:36.039 It was just really good being with the dudes and 1682 01:14:36.399 --> 01:14:38.880 seeing how that works, and then just getting really good 1683 01:14:38.880 --> 01:14:42.399 at uch do. Like you know, this man in fifth Group, like, 1684 01:14:42.439 --> 01:14:45.199 we're not like other people. If you got downtime, you 1685 01:14:45.279 --> 01:14:47.079 better be in the gym or be training. You know 1686 01:14:47.119 --> 01:14:49.520 what I mean, Like, you better be improving yourself somehow. 1687 01:14:50.079 --> 01:14:53.079 And I'd always heard things about eight one five like, oh, 1688 01:14:53.119 --> 01:14:55.920 they think they're cooler this or that, Like not really, man, 1689 01:14:56.000 --> 01:14:59.439 They just when you have more people to do, like 1690 01:14:59.479 --> 01:15:01.640 to schedule the ranges and do everything, you get to 1691 01:15:01.640 --> 01:15:03.800 set yourself up for success a lot better, right, and 1692 01:15:03.840 --> 01:15:05.439 you give yourself more opportunities. 1693 01:15:05.880 --> 01:15:09.720 And I was their mission. They worked really hard and 1694 01:15:09.760 --> 01:15:10.399 train all the time. 1695 01:15:10.600 --> 01:15:12.680 Their mission is like I don't mean to short change 1696 01:15:12.680 --> 01:15:14.760 it at all, but like it is a little bit 1697 01:15:14.800 --> 01:15:17.880 more focused than an ODA that's like all over the place. 1698 01:15:18.880 --> 01:15:20.640 Yeah, it's very narrow, right. 1699 01:15:20.760 --> 01:15:23.520 You have the ability to specialize, and I think that's 1700 01:15:23.560 --> 01:15:26.680 super cool. Like you specialize in CQB, you know what 1701 01:15:26.680 --> 01:15:29.880 I mean. Personnel recovery is part of that, you know, 1702 01:15:29.920 --> 01:15:33.960 evacuating embassies. But you are assaulters and heavy hitters and 1703 01:15:34.079 --> 01:15:35.760 hard and fast, you know what I mean, And you're 1704 01:15:35.760 --> 01:15:38.720 doing hostage rescue and everything else on a regular ODA. 1705 01:15:39.079 --> 01:15:41.880 You've got to understand your networks, right, you got to 1706 01:15:41.880 --> 01:15:43.560 do that. You've got to develop all your own intel. 1707 01:15:43.600 --> 01:15:44.920 And we do that in the Stiff too, but not 1708 01:15:45.000 --> 01:15:47.720 to the same you know. And then you've got to 1709 01:15:47.720 --> 01:15:49.680 be able to do you know, maybe one season two 1710 01:15:49.800 --> 01:15:50.760 missions and split up. 1711 01:15:50.800 --> 01:15:52.600 You got to do the normal FID thing. You got 1712 01:15:52.600 --> 01:15:53.840 to do all this different stuff. 1713 01:15:54.399 --> 01:15:56.840 Whereas you know, if there's like five pillars to the 1714 01:15:56.840 --> 01:15:59.159 missions you have when you're an A one five, you're 1715 01:15:59.199 --> 01:16:00.840 only doing like one or two of them, you know, 1716 01:16:01.119 --> 01:16:02.920 compared to all five or six or eight or however 1717 01:16:02.960 --> 01:16:03.640 many there are. 1718 01:16:03.600 --> 01:16:04.119 You know what I mean. 1719 01:16:04.239 --> 01:16:07.960 So yeah, and after that was when they realized how 1720 01:16:08.079 --> 01:16:10.039 jacked up your neck was, and. 1721 01:16:10.000 --> 01:16:12.199 Did you have to be medically retired because of that? 1722 01:16:13.319 --> 01:16:16.640 I did. They gave me the opportunity. So at that point, 1723 01:16:16.880 --> 01:16:20.319 I had had quite a few injuries. I've had shoulder reconstruction, 1724 01:16:20.960 --> 01:16:24.800 I had both my knees done. I've had left ankle reconstruction. 1725 01:16:25.399 --> 01:16:28.479 I have a broken neck that they fused, and also 1726 01:16:28.600 --> 01:16:31.279 my L four and L five is broken, which I'm 1727 01:16:31.279 --> 01:16:33.479 not letting them fuse my lower back. Like the doctor 1728 01:16:33.520 --> 01:16:35.239 who fused my neck was like, don't do your back. 1729 01:16:35.279 --> 01:16:36.880 Whatever you do, don't let them touch your shit. I 1730 01:16:36.920 --> 01:16:39.920 was like, okay, cool. I've got a lot of TBIs too, 1731 01:16:40.359 --> 01:16:42.560 head injuries from combatives. I used to do a lot 1732 01:16:42.560 --> 01:16:46.399 of combatives, A lot of fighting, you know, here and there, enrolling, 1733 01:16:47.560 --> 01:16:49.680 eating some charges, you know what I mean, just stuff 1734 01:16:49.720 --> 01:16:53.840 like that. But it does, man, and it kind of 1735 01:16:53.840 --> 01:16:58.600 came time for me. I remember talking to my battalion 1736 01:16:58.640 --> 01:17:03.920 starting major laws. Phenomenal guy. He came down and goes, hey, man, 1737 01:17:04.239 --> 01:17:06.239 whatever you just go I want, you know, talk to 1738 01:17:06.239 --> 01:17:08.079 the doctors. He goes, I will do whatever. I will 1739 01:17:08.119 --> 01:17:09.640 put you wherever you want. I will go out of 1740 01:17:09.640 --> 01:17:12.800 your way to do everything. But it sounds like your 1741 01:17:12.840 --> 01:17:15.479 time being a soldier is probably done, you know. And 1742 01:17:15.520 --> 01:17:17.479 I was like, I think you might be right. I 1743 01:17:17.520 --> 01:17:20.600 think it's time to do something different. So my option 1744 01:17:20.920 --> 01:17:23.239 was I could stay in a program called co ED 1745 01:17:23.479 --> 01:17:27.279 called Continuing on Active Duty, but I would be non deployable. 1746 01:17:27.920 --> 01:17:30.479 And if I stayed in then I would, you know, 1747 01:17:30.520 --> 01:17:33.560 go be a SOPHA constructor or a SOFARTA constructor. But 1748 01:17:33.600 --> 01:17:35.319 then I might have to go work in so Calm 1749 01:17:35.319 --> 01:17:39.000 in Tampa, right or some of those things. 1750 01:17:40.159 --> 01:17:40.880 Which is cool. 1751 01:17:40.920 --> 01:17:43.479 But I actually wanted to go to the Army Marksmanship 1752 01:17:43.560 --> 01:17:45.680 Unit is really where I wanted to go. And if 1753 01:17:45.680 --> 01:17:47.600 I can just finish my time at the AMU because 1754 01:17:47.600 --> 01:17:50.279 I love shooting like that would be awesome, but they 1755 01:17:50.359 --> 01:17:52.159 did not. They wouldn't allow me to come over because 1756 01:17:52.159 --> 01:17:53.520 I was at E seven. They like it to come 1757 01:17:53.520 --> 01:17:57.479 over younger. So at the time, whoever's running and said no, 1758 01:17:58.279 --> 01:18:00.760 And I just decided, hey, man, if I'm gonna stay 1759 01:18:00.800 --> 01:18:03.720 in the military, like, I'm not staying in the military 1760 01:18:03.720 --> 01:18:05.960 if I can't deploy, you know. So I wanted to 1761 01:18:05.960 --> 01:18:07.920 get out. That's the whole reason I'm in the military. 1762 01:18:08.000 --> 01:18:10.560 So we decided to get out. And that conversation I 1763 01:18:10.640 --> 01:18:13.079 kind of jumped around a little bit. That conversation happened 1764 01:18:13.119 --> 01:18:17.079 before I got surgery, and then also kind of, you know, whenever. 1765 01:18:17.199 --> 01:18:19.640 So when I started Bare Solutions, it was the morning 1766 01:18:19.680 --> 01:18:22.479 after I was had my surgery. 1767 01:18:22.359 --> 01:18:24.119 In Walter Reed Hospital. I was laid in the bed 1768 01:18:24.159 --> 01:18:24.840 and I was making a. 1769 01:18:24.840 --> 01:18:27.920 Website on Squarespace and like, oh, and I'm like applying 1770 01:18:27.960 --> 01:18:29.039 for an FBI. 1771 01:18:28.880 --> 01:18:31.079 In you know, and I'm like, what is this? 1772 01:18:31.560 --> 01:18:33.800 And that's because you're already having to like kind of 1773 01:18:33.840 --> 01:18:35.479 come to terms like I'm not going to be a 1774 01:18:35.520 --> 01:18:36.239 soldier anymore. 1775 01:18:36.239 --> 01:18:36.960 What am I going to do? 1776 01:18:38.279 --> 01:18:42.279 Yeah, I don't like knowing. I don't like not knowing 1777 01:18:42.319 --> 01:18:44.600 what I'm doing. Right, I figured I think had something 1778 01:18:44.600 --> 01:18:47.520 the military teaches you, well, if you just wait, you know, 1779 01:18:47.960 --> 01:18:49.920 like the army will tell you what you're doing and 1780 01:18:49.920 --> 01:18:52.159 you're probably not gonna like it, but if you're proactive 1781 01:18:52.159 --> 01:18:53.920 about it, you can kind of control where you go 1782 01:18:53.920 --> 01:18:57.359 and what you do. So I've always wanted to, you know, 1783 01:18:57.359 --> 01:18:58.920 I thought it was cool to have a training company 1784 01:18:58.920 --> 01:19:00.479 everything else. And I had some good buddies that I 1785 01:19:00.520 --> 01:19:01.960 knew in the industry, and they were like, hey, man, 1786 01:19:02.000 --> 01:19:02.600 you should do this. 1787 01:19:03.079 --> 01:19:05.199 You should. You should absolutely start a company and get 1788 01:19:05.199 --> 01:19:05.600 out and train. 1789 01:19:05.640 --> 01:19:06.399 I think you do. 1790 01:19:06.479 --> 01:19:07.359 Okay, you do well? 1791 01:19:07.399 --> 01:19:10.239 He was like, all right. So I remember I was 1792 01:19:10.239 --> 01:19:13.039 sitting in the bed, you know, just high as hell, dude, 1793 01:19:13.079 --> 01:19:16.239 just misspelling everything. Danny came in. He was like my 1794 01:19:16.439 --> 01:19:18.920 escort and he's like, what are you doing because he 1795 01:19:18.960 --> 01:19:20.840 hadn't even seen me yet. I think he saw me 1796 01:19:20.920 --> 01:19:23.319 like when I came out of surgery, and then he's like, okay. 1797 01:19:23.439 --> 01:19:25.680 He went and got breakfast and came back and he's 1798 01:19:25.680 --> 01:19:27.319 coming in ready to make fun of me, and he's like, 1799 01:19:27.319 --> 01:19:30.359 what are you doing. I'm like, oh, I starting a company. 1800 01:19:30.680 --> 01:19:33.960 He's like, no, no, you're not, you know, like, what 1801 01:19:34.000 --> 01:19:37.319 are you talking about? But yeah, that's Bear Solutions, and 1802 01:19:37.399 --> 01:19:38.239 that's what I do now. 1803 01:19:38.439 --> 01:19:40.279 So fedanyl kicking that ass. 1804 01:19:40.840 --> 01:19:47.119 Oh yeah, and so tell us about Bear Solutions, what 1805 01:19:47.479 --> 01:19:50.079 that company is, what it's sort of evolved into, what 1806 01:19:50.119 --> 01:19:51.239 you're doing with it today. 1807 01:19:52.640 --> 01:19:54.760 Yeah, man, So Bear has been great. 1808 01:19:55.359 --> 01:19:57.680 I've been very fortunate, very blessed about a lot of 1809 01:19:57.680 --> 01:19:58.520 people in the industry. 1810 01:19:58.680 --> 01:20:00.560 You say, hey, man, you're doing good stuff. Let me 1811 01:20:00.560 --> 01:20:03.680 help promote you, right, let me do this. We've grown 1812 01:20:03.880 --> 01:20:04.359 very well. 1813 01:20:04.800 --> 01:20:07.600 So one of the things that the number one thing 1814 01:20:07.600 --> 01:20:09.680 we do is we do training. We do firearms training. 1815 01:20:09.680 --> 01:20:11.199 We teach you how to shoot. We teach you how 1816 01:20:11.239 --> 01:20:12.880 to shoot fast and accurate. Right, it's got to be 1817 01:20:12.920 --> 01:20:16.439 a balance, Okay, like accuracy accuracy without. 1818 01:20:16.199 --> 01:20:18.000 Speed is kind of worthless, you know what I mean. 1819 01:20:18.199 --> 01:20:19.760 So we got to be fast while we do it. 1820 01:20:21.159 --> 01:20:24.159 And then so we teach pistol one, pistol two, rightfle one, 1821 01:20:24.199 --> 01:20:26.560 rifle two. But we also do a lot of courses 1822 01:20:26.600 --> 01:20:29.880 for law enforcement. We do CQB courses. We've done hostive 1823 01:20:29.880 --> 01:20:34.279 rescue courses for people. We've done a lot of CQB 1824 01:20:34.479 --> 01:20:37.000 courses where I keep it just two man CQB. 1825 01:20:37.439 --> 01:20:39.279 Especially for those patrol officers. 1826 01:20:39.479 --> 01:20:41.760 You know what I mean, getting in and going and 1827 01:20:41.840 --> 01:20:44.760 knocking it out and do what they gotta do. We 1828 01:20:44.840 --> 01:20:47.399 do consulting and we've done a lot of people. We 1829 01:20:47.479 --> 01:20:49.760 train some really cool people, got to know some awesome people. 1830 01:20:50.079 --> 01:20:53.000 But number one what we do is training. After that, 1831 01:20:53.119 --> 01:20:55.520 we also make products. We just came out with our 1832 01:20:55.560 --> 01:20:58.560 first belt, which is a you know, tactical style belt 1833 01:20:58.600 --> 01:21:01.279 called the voy Tech belts spelled wosh Tech, but it's 1834 01:21:01.319 --> 01:21:04.560 pronounced void tech. It's a Polish word. Have you ever 1835 01:21:04.560 --> 01:21:05.279 heard of voy Tech? 1836 01:21:05.359 --> 01:21:08.800 The Bearjack no World. 1837 01:21:08.560 --> 01:21:13.640 War Two, he's the one that carried the artillery shells. Yeah, yeah, yes, yeah. 1838 01:21:13.560 --> 01:21:17.680 Did drank beer? Killed Nazis? Like did? 1839 01:21:17.840 --> 01:21:19.279 How do you not love that bear? You know what 1840 01:21:19.319 --> 01:21:19.560 I mean? 1841 01:21:19.640 --> 01:21:23.600 So we named it after that. So but yeah, that's 1842 01:21:23.600 --> 01:21:26.079 our first product. We have some building off of that. 1843 01:21:26.119 --> 01:21:29.199 We have some others coming out too. We do the 1844 01:21:29.279 --> 01:21:34.000 YouTube thing and everything else, which brings us to bear Cinna. 1845 01:21:34.279 --> 01:21:37.479 So Bear Cenna is our video production. Uh. My business 1846 01:21:37.479 --> 01:21:41.359 partner with that is Thomas ch phenomenal guy man. Just 1847 01:21:41.680 --> 01:21:44.600 he's been to film school, he does camera work for 1848 01:21:44.760 --> 01:21:47.359 He's been on Netflix, He's worked on Netflix project, He's 1849 01:21:47.399 --> 01:21:50.359 done music videos, he's done all kinds of stuff. Man, 1850 01:21:50.600 --> 01:21:54.199 he is an incredibly talented guy. So everything that we 1851 01:21:54.279 --> 01:21:57.319 do with our YouTube goes under Bear Center and then 1852 01:21:57.359 --> 01:22:00.000 our other video production. Like, we did a short film, right, 1853 01:22:00.239 --> 01:22:03.920 So Tom has in Nashville. There's a company called Action 1854 01:22:04.119 --> 01:22:07.479 Design Services. They are a stunt team and stunt coordinators 1855 01:22:07.479 --> 01:22:11.000 and fight choreographers in Nashville, and they've done some great work. 1856 01:22:11.079 --> 01:22:14.640 Phenomenal people. One of them is working on She's incredible. 1857 01:22:14.680 --> 01:22:17.119 She's like this tiny little former gymnast. She's working on 1858 01:22:17.159 --> 01:22:21.159 some Netflix shows. She's like, she's insane. Dude, She's such 1859 01:22:21.199 --> 01:22:24.119 a badass. Right, they have so Jared's great. They have 1860 01:22:24.199 --> 01:22:27.359 so many cool people in this stunt team. So we 1861 01:22:27.399 --> 01:22:29.880 wrote a script and we made a short film highlighting 1862 01:22:29.920 --> 01:22:31.600 a lot of the stuff they can do, along with 1863 01:22:31.760 --> 01:22:34.800 our weapons stuff and everything else and tactics and things 1864 01:22:34.840 --> 01:22:35.199 like that. 1865 01:22:36.159 --> 01:22:37.199 So we're almost done with that. 1866 01:22:37.560 --> 01:22:39.399 We're just getting special effects done and then we're gonna 1867 01:22:39.399 --> 01:22:42.119 submit it to film festivals. So yeah, so. 1868 01:22:42.600 --> 01:22:45.479 It's like an actual like short film with a plot, 1869 01:22:45.520 --> 01:22:48.079 but it's sort of showing the tactics that you guys teach. 1870 01:22:48.920 --> 01:22:51.239 Yes, it's about eighteen minutes long. 1871 01:22:51.319 --> 01:22:54.520 Cool, so it does have a plot, right, And we 1872 01:22:54.640 --> 01:22:57.720 filmed it over about a week at a private school 1873 01:22:58.279 --> 01:23:02.239 in around the Nashville area and then also some other locations. Right. 1874 01:23:02.279 --> 01:23:04.800 We actually went into like a it's a studio and 1875 01:23:04.800 --> 01:23:07.319 it's got these giant screens behind it so we could 1876 01:23:07.359 --> 01:23:10.199 like Dolly in the truck for the driving scenes and 1877 01:23:10.239 --> 01:23:12.600 then mount the camera on the hood and then we 1878 01:23:12.760 --> 01:23:15.680 filmed there called plates and it's just the video you 1879 01:23:15.720 --> 01:23:17.199 get and then they put it up on this big 1880 01:23:17.199 --> 01:23:19.439 screen behind the vehicle so it looks like he's driving, 1881 01:23:19.840 --> 01:23:22.279 but we can control all the environmental factors. 1882 01:23:22.960 --> 01:23:26.079 So that was super cool. We use that. We did, 1883 01:23:26.199 --> 01:23:27.119 I mean tons of stuff. 1884 01:23:27.199 --> 01:23:30.359 Dude, we uh make up artists, you know for the 1885 01:23:30.399 --> 01:23:35.359 blood and the gunshot wounds, blanks and gun I mean, dude, 1886 01:23:35.359 --> 01:23:37.359 it was sick. So it was It's a very big 1887 01:23:37.439 --> 01:23:38.920 learning experience, I'll say that much. 1888 01:23:39.039 --> 01:23:39.279 Yeah. 1889 01:23:39.319 --> 01:23:41.039 Well, I mean I was gonna say, man, look at 1890 01:23:41.039 --> 01:23:43.640 all this new stuff that you're learning. Not exactly uh, 1891 01:23:44.039 --> 01:23:48.279 just a big dumb eighteen Bravo here putting some things together. 1892 01:23:49.359 --> 01:23:50.600 Trying to Yeah. 1893 01:23:50.199 --> 01:23:52.439 Yeah, I have a lot of really awesome people around me, 1894 01:23:53.319 --> 01:23:55.399 which is great. That've taught me a ton of stuff. 1895 01:23:55.439 --> 01:23:58.560 You know, Tom, I feel sometimes I don't know what 1896 01:23:58.600 --> 01:24:01.119 Tom works with me because sometimes be like, ugh, you know, 1897 01:24:01.159 --> 01:24:03.479 he's just like, oh, you idiot, you know, like think 1898 01:24:03.520 --> 01:24:05.560 about this, you know, and he's like explained to like, 1899 01:24:05.600 --> 01:24:08.199 oh okay, I get it. So it's been really neat man, 1900 01:24:08.279 --> 01:24:10.800 and that's worked into some writing, you know, doing some 1901 01:24:10.800 --> 01:24:13.680 stuff and everything else. But so yeah, so we do 1902 01:24:13.720 --> 01:24:16.039 that with Bear Solutions and Bear Center. Then I have 1903 01:24:16.239 --> 01:24:19.159 another company called AgNIC, and with that we make considered 1904 01:24:19.359 --> 01:24:23.680 concealed carry belts. So we make a flexible kind of 1905 01:24:23.720 --> 01:24:25.680 you know, one size fits most concealed carry bell but 1906 01:24:25.680 --> 01:24:27.960 it doesn't look super tactical, and then it helps to 1907 01:24:28.039 --> 01:24:28.840 hide your clips. 1908 01:24:29.239 --> 01:24:31.279 So that's called AgNIC and we have that over there. 1909 01:24:31.520 --> 01:24:32.119 Super cool. 1910 01:24:32.640 --> 01:24:34.720 So we'll have some links down the description for the 1911 01:24:34.840 --> 01:24:37.119 viewers or listeners. You can go and check out Bear 1912 01:24:37.239 --> 01:24:40.239 Solutions and some of these products that Jre's talking about. 1913 01:24:41.039 --> 01:24:43.039 Is there anything else you want to talk about? About? 1914 01:24:43.600 --> 01:24:46.199 I don't know, service, military service or post service, what 1915 01:24:46.800 --> 01:24:48.760 you're doing today, anything that I didn't mention. 1916 01:24:49.760 --> 01:24:53.239 Yeah, So it's I think the thing is that you 1917 01:24:53.279 --> 01:24:55.000 never know where life's going to take you, man, Like 1918 01:24:55.159 --> 01:24:56.960 I mean, look where you're at. Dude, You're sitting in 1919 01:24:57.000 --> 01:24:59.239 a big leather chair, you know what I mean, you 1920 01:24:59.279 --> 01:25:01.159 brought in thank you sitting in that sucker, you know, 1921 01:25:01.199 --> 01:25:02.520 and you're in a fifth group, you know, I mean 1922 01:25:02.600 --> 01:25:06.039 running a podcast and all the incredible like stories you've done. 1923 01:25:06.119 --> 01:25:10.239 You're a journalist, man, Like you've done incredible things, right, 1924 01:25:10.800 --> 01:25:12.119 they're probably not what you were thinking about. 1925 01:25:12.119 --> 01:25:12.920 And you're in the military. 1926 01:25:12.960 --> 01:25:15.319 No, But for me, if you were like, hey, man, 1927 01:25:15.359 --> 01:25:17.159 someday you're gonna be on a movie set, you know. 1928 01:25:17.239 --> 01:25:19.039 Like I was just up in Utah and I'm working 1929 01:25:19.079 --> 01:25:20.920 on this movie right now, and I got to be 1930 01:25:21.039 --> 01:25:23.800 in the movie, which was super cool. It was also 1931 01:25:24.560 --> 01:25:29.159 terrifying because like there's real actors and they're like, oh, 1932 01:25:29.239 --> 01:25:30.800 you're so and So's buddy, aren't you. 1933 01:25:31.039 --> 01:25:33.319 I'm like, oh, I know what that means. You know, 1934 01:25:33.319 --> 01:25:36.520 I expect it. So I was like rehearsing and practicing, and. 1935 01:25:36.479 --> 01:25:38.680 I was with this guy, Jeff, and Jeff is he 1936 01:25:38.760 --> 01:25:41.359 does a lot of casting for Clint Eastwood's movies and 1937 01:25:41.960 --> 01:25:45.119 he's name was phenomenal guy, right, And so we do 1938 01:25:45.239 --> 01:25:47.439 these video calls where he's like coaching me. 1939 01:25:47.479 --> 01:25:49.840 I'm like okay, and He's like, Ah, that's not bad. 1940 01:25:49.880 --> 01:25:50.399 I'm like just. 1941 01:25:50.359 --> 01:25:52.680 Saying it sucked, Jeff, just tell me it sucks, you know. 1942 01:25:53.199 --> 01:25:55.960 And so but you know, it went well. You know, 1943 01:25:56.159 --> 01:25:57.720 they told me I did a good job. I was like, oh, 1944 01:25:57.720 --> 01:26:01.159 thanks god. You know, so actually in it doing that. 1945 01:26:01.439 --> 01:26:03.880 I'm not trying to be a big action movie star 1946 01:26:03.960 --> 01:26:05.520 by any means, but it was a neat experience. 1947 01:26:06.119 --> 01:26:11.359 I recently too, I tech advised on a film over 1948 01:26:11.399 --> 01:26:15.800 the summer, and just because they needed a body essentially 1949 01:26:15.840 --> 01:26:18.560 to do it, I ended up having like a very 1950 01:26:18.600 --> 01:26:21.920 small role, microscopic role, but I have one line where 1951 01:26:21.960 --> 01:26:23.640 I tell someone to shut the fuck up or I'll 1952 01:26:23.640 --> 01:26:26.479 blow their head off. This is a Vietnam War, you know, 1953 01:26:26.640 --> 01:26:30.800 documentary film, so there's not a lot of acting like 1954 01:26:30.840 --> 01:26:33.840 to be like the disgruntled army guy chewing out a 1955 01:26:33.920 --> 01:26:36.319 subordinate like, there isn't a whole lot of acting that 1956 01:26:36.359 --> 01:26:39.000 I felt like, you know, I wasn't outside my comfort 1957 01:26:39.079 --> 01:26:40.039 zone with that. 1958 01:26:41.600 --> 01:26:43.159 It was kind of the same in this thing. 1959 01:26:43.399 --> 01:26:45.800 It was they were like, hey, you're gonna play Kenny 1960 01:26:45.840 --> 01:26:46.960 the gun store. 1961 01:26:46.680 --> 01:26:49.159 Guy, and I was like, okay, I do that. 1962 01:26:49.359 --> 01:26:51.439 Yeah, all right, fair enough. Yeah you type cast me 1963 01:26:51.520 --> 01:26:53.880 for that, you know, so but I got to call 1964 01:26:53.920 --> 01:26:59.359 somebody a stupid, stupid moron or something dumb motherfucker or 1965 01:26:59.399 --> 01:26:59.920 something like that. 1966 01:27:00.039 --> 01:27:03.319 I was like, oh, cool, have your your mug of 1967 01:27:03.359 --> 01:27:05.800 coffee and be like, well, actually, if you knew anything 1968 01:27:05.840 --> 01:27:09.800 about forty five ACP, you'd know, yeah pretty much. 1969 01:27:09.960 --> 01:27:13.239 Yeah, you know, red shirt just be like slow down 1970 01:27:13.279 --> 01:27:17.680 and get your hits, you know, like but oh man, yeah, 1971 01:27:17.720 --> 01:27:19.239 it was fun Dudel. 1972 01:27:19.560 --> 01:27:19.920 Yeah. 1973 01:27:19.960 --> 01:27:21.840 The funny thing about these I'm sure you saw it too, 1974 01:27:22.039 --> 01:27:24.119 Like I was just kind of blown away, like being 1975 01:27:24.159 --> 01:27:25.640 on set, like all the moving pieces. 1976 01:27:25.720 --> 01:27:28.199 It's like a large military operation exactly. 1977 01:27:28.319 --> 01:27:28.800 Yeah. 1978 01:27:29.479 --> 01:27:32.079 It was like everybody has their roles and doing this, 1979 01:27:32.159 --> 01:27:34.880 and I'm like, oh, that's S four, that's S three, 1980 01:27:35.199 --> 01:27:37.399 you know, like that's S two. You know, there's this 1981 01:27:37.560 --> 01:27:40.640 you know, like it's they all have their pieces and 1982 01:27:40.640 --> 01:27:42.680 they're all working together, and you have these guys in 1983 01:27:42.760 --> 01:27:44.560 the top there's making sure everything's doing what they need 1984 01:27:44.600 --> 01:27:47.199 to do, and it's very interesting. 1985 01:27:47.359 --> 01:27:49.640 I was like, this is just like a military yeah yeah. 1986 01:27:49.520 --> 01:27:53.119 Yeah yeah, and it requires the other commonalities, like it 1987 01:27:53.159 --> 01:27:56.319 requires everyone doing their job, like everything has to line 1988 01:27:56.399 --> 01:28:01.359 up to get that shot. Yes, right, Yes, it's a lot, 1989 01:28:01.399 --> 01:28:02.800 and it's a lot of people and a lot of 1990 01:28:02.800 --> 01:28:05.920 technology working together to get that like one moment and 1991 01:28:06.079 --> 01:28:06.600 I found that. 1992 01:28:06.720 --> 01:28:09.439 Yeah, it's very similar to what you experience in the military. 1993 01:28:10.359 --> 01:28:12.279 It is. It's kind of like that, but just add 1994 01:28:12.319 --> 01:28:14.439 an HR element and then you have a movie, you 1995 01:28:14.479 --> 01:28:17.199 know what I mean, Like like, you can't what do 1996 01:28:17.239 --> 01:28:19.479 you mean, I can't call that person retarded? And they're like, 1997 01:28:19.640 --> 01:28:21.079 you can't talk like that. That's me. 1998 01:28:21.359 --> 01:28:27.079 You're like, okay, Yeah, the unions are are a different thing. 1999 01:28:27.079 --> 01:28:30.319 We don't have that in the military either. I think 2000 01:28:30.319 --> 01:28:35.920 we have a question for you, Drew Sure from our 2001 01:28:35.960 --> 01:28:36.840 Patreon folks. 2002 01:28:37.159 --> 01:28:39.720 This is Damn Bash. Ask him who his second favorite 2003 01:28:39.720 --> 01:28:43.399 Border Patrol firearms instructor is from the Casa Grande station. 2004 01:28:44.600 --> 01:28:49.479 That's a very specific questionry Dan, It's uh, it's either 2005 01:28:49.720 --> 01:28:52.319 it's probably Darling, because I know who my number one is, 2006 01:28:52.920 --> 01:28:54.920 so dude, Darling's my boy. 2007 01:28:55.000 --> 01:28:58.720 Dude, He's uh, dude, those guys down there at Cassa 2008 01:28:58.800 --> 01:29:03.840 grand Dan, Darling, all those guys phenomenal dudes. I've gotten 2009 01:29:03.960 --> 01:29:07.560 a lot of Border Patrol guys. I really really really 2010 01:29:07.720 --> 01:29:11.079 enjoy the Border Patrol guys like they are hilarious. 2011 01:29:11.399 --> 01:29:13.439 So they're really good dudes, very professional. 2012 01:29:13.479 --> 01:29:14.800 They do a really good job. 2013 01:29:15.199 --> 01:29:20.680 So I drew anything else before we get going, anything 2014 01:29:20.720 --> 01:29:22.279 that I failed to ask you. 2015 01:29:24.800 --> 01:29:28.119 I don't think so I kind of just started. 2016 01:29:27.800 --> 01:29:28.199 Going with it. 2017 01:29:28.239 --> 01:29:29.920 So I hope that's cool. 2018 01:29:30.880 --> 01:29:36.960 So no man other than that, dude, Uh yeah, I'm 2019 01:29:37.000 --> 01:29:38.960 just kind of a husband and a dad first, and 2020 01:29:39.000 --> 01:29:40.319 I try and do all this other stuff. 2021 01:29:40.600 --> 01:29:43.479 I got a daughter and uh, one thing you may. 2022 01:29:43.359 --> 01:29:45.720 Not know ifnybody's listening, if you ever go to dance competitions, 2023 01:29:45.720 --> 01:29:49.039 you might see me there, okay, because I my daughter's 2024 01:29:49.079 --> 01:29:52.399 in dance and I'm a dance dad, so I will 2025 01:29:52.600 --> 01:29:53.720 say hi if you're over there. 2026 01:29:53.960 --> 01:29:56.000 So, which is awkward as ship for a guy like me, 2027 01:29:56.119 --> 01:29:56.840 but I love it. 2028 01:29:57.279 --> 01:29:59.840 So that's awesome. 2029 01:29:59.840 --> 01:29:59.960 Man. 2030 01:30:00.880 --> 01:30:03.439 Well, Drew, thank you for doing this man taking some 2031 01:30:03.520 --> 01:30:04.319 time out of your day. 2032 01:30:04.399 --> 01:30:07.560 Really appreciate it. And thank you everyone who joined us 2033 01:30:07.560 --> 01:30:09.960 tonight for the show. And we'll see all of you 2034 01:30:10.000 --> 01:30:12.960 next time and make sure you check out Bear Solutions again. 2035 01:30:13.000 --> 01:30:16.439 There'll be links down the description for you, guys. 2036 01:30:16.479 --> 01:30:18.479 Awesome. Thank you very much, Jack. Thanks guys. 2037 01:30:20.079 --> 01:30:21.880 Hey, guys, I want to tell all of you today 2038 01:30:22.000 --> 01:30:25.159 about a new newsletter that we're launching that encompasses both 2039 01:30:25.239 --> 01:30:29.079 the team House podcast, the eyes On podcast, and the 2040 01:30:29.199 --> 01:30:32.600 high Side News outlet, which I run with Sean Naylor. 2041 01:30:33.479 --> 01:30:36.560 The newsletter is gonna be once a week. It's going 2042 01:30:36.640 --> 01:30:39.000 to come into your inbox and you're gonna get the 2043 01:30:39.000 --> 01:30:43.000 most current podcasts on eyes On and the Teamhouse and 2044 01:30:43.119 --> 01:30:47.079 whatever's topical or current on the high Side. So it's 2045 01:30:47.199 --> 01:30:49.039 another way for us to get the information out to 2046 01:30:49.039 --> 01:30:52.920 you as social media algorithms are pretty iffy and you 2047 01:30:53.000 --> 01:30:53.600 never really know. 2048 01:30:53.560 --> 01:30:55.800 What you're gonna get. 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