WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:04.480 It is the Jesse Kelly Show. Another hour, final hour 2 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:06.559 of the Jesse Kelly Show. I don't want to waste 3 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:09.199 a single second teasing anything else that's coming. I don't 4 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:11.279 care about anything else that's coming. I'm talking to Buddy 5 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:13.320 Lilly right now, and I'm loving it. Veteran of the 6 00:00:13.359 --> 00:00:16.920 Rhodesian Bush War. All right, buddy, you just got over there, 7 00:00:17.320 --> 00:00:21.079 you get yourself signed up, and you are leaving. You said, 8 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:23.879 out on a convoy? What does that mean? Why a convoy? 9 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:24.399 Where are you going? 10 00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:28.480 Went there? I was in Salisbury when I had the 11 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:32.039 first interview with these from this lady from the court, 12 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:39.719 and she sent me to Tali, which is used to 13 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:42.640 be I think a stepping off point when people were 14 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:46.280 going into Mosam Beacon Viiara for at one time it 15 00:00:46.439 --> 00:00:50.359 was a vacation spot. But anyway, when I asked her 16 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:53.759 how do I get there? And they said, well, most 17 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:58.439 people hitchhike, and I said, oh cool, I kid you not. 18 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:03.920 We I got a TAXI went to the hitch height 19 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:07.239 spot and you took what you took your place in line. 20 00:01:07.319 --> 00:01:10.680 If you understand, you know, the first person there got 21 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:13.519 the first ride that came by, et cetera. Et cetera. 22 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.640 And my first ride that I got was with a gentleman, 23 00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:23.359 older gentleman who's my age now probably, but back then, uh, 24 00:01:23.400 --> 00:01:26.599 and I had a heck of a time understanding him 25 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:32.079 with his heavy English accent, and he had a heck 26 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:35.319 of a time understanding me with my Southern accent, which 27 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:38.879 is pretty much gone now. But it was a nice ride. 28 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:42.159 He told me about, pointed out things. He had a 29 00:01:42.200 --> 00:01:46.599 pristine sterling I'm sure you're familiar with that nine millimeter 30 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:52.519 just like a little submachine gun he'd had for years, 31 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:55.120 and with a back of you know, whole bag of magazines. 32 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:58.000 And he just riding down the road by himself, glad 33 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:00.599 to have somebody come along in case they got into 34 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:04.040 a bang bang shoot him up. He let me off 35 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:08.319 at a place called the Sapi, which the Rasapi Rivers 36 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:10.360 won a notable I believe it or not, in the 37 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:16.080 middle of a war. They were doing two breast rafting 38 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:20.080 rafting excuse me down there, which kind of surprised me. 39 00:02:21.719 --> 00:02:26.039 So uh. In between there, I had gotten a ride 40 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:31.360 with a gentleman from Bird's Eye Farms. He wanted me, 41 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:33.759 he offered me a job, but again I passed out. 42 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:39.000 Me up because again I wasn't familiar with nothing. So anyway, 43 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:41.039 by the time I got into Asapie, I was getting 44 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:44.639 a little tired of the long comes a I believe 45 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:49.240 it was called a Rhino Army armored army armored vehicle 46 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:53.080 with four young guys in it, and they stopped back 47 00:02:53.159 --> 00:02:57.159 up give me a ride. I said, this is very cool. 48 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:00.759 So I'm heading into Salisbury in this and these guys 49 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:05.080 have been called the terrorists, call up Aldust. One was eighteen, 50 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:12.120 they were sixteen, seventeen, eighteen years old, and they took 51 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:15.520 me into town and from there I hooked up at 52 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:19.439 the CID lady and she in turn hooked me up 53 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:25.759 with Anglo American Slash Force Management Service, who hired me 54 00:03:26.680 --> 00:03:32.439 and put me on convoy duty, escorting timber trucks believe 55 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:35.080 it or not, in and out of the Tamani many 56 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:37.680 mountains between Talian there. 57 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:44.560 Okay, so walk me through convoy duty. What is your job? 58 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:49.000 How many vehicles? What is the danger out there the environment? 59 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:49.800 Walk us to it. 60 00:03:51.280 --> 00:03:55.319 Okay. I went on as a a gunner with one 61 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:59.800 of them, Mashown, who was carrying the meg you know 62 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:05.599 talking about felt fed, and we drove around we were 63 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:09.360 a We didn't stay in one place in the convoy. 64 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:12.280 We had a little I think it was a a 65 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:17.079 Susan and two guys in the front seat. Me and 66 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:21.439 a micheone are in the back with the seven six 67 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:25.680 y two mag and we may we may ride a 68 00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:28.120 mile back from the convoy. We may go up and 69 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:30.879 get in the middle of the convoy. And it was 70 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:37.319 really dangerous because they they would spread out too much. 71 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:39.199 I haven't got a you know, you know what I'm 72 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:43.680 talking about on that, and it was really uncomfortable. They 73 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:47.639 would get hit. After I took over as EXO at 74 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:50.800 one of the companies, but right after I left them, 75 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:55.439 the convoy got hit all but we would go in. 76 00:04:56.120 --> 00:05:00.079 We'd leave them tally about one o'clock. We would go 77 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:05.800 into mal Setta, which was where one of the sawmills 78 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:09.040 was at. And then from mel Sta we'd take one 79 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:13.600 truck and go to Tillbury Estate, which was where I 80 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:17.319 would end up being stationed at, and there we would 81 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:21.600 leave an empty track the trailer and pick up one 82 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:26.959 September that been cut come back. They had a hotel 83 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:30.000 there that the company owned. Cross us two bucks a night. 84 00:05:32.040 --> 00:05:35.680 We stay there and about six o'clock and the next 85 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:40.000 morning we'd be back on the road back to Tolly 86 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:44.480 get there about eleven o'clock, two hour turnaround and it 87 00:05:44.600 --> 00:05:46.040 was back on the road again. 88 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:50.160 Buddy, you say again speaking with Buddy Lily, veteran of 89 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:53.079 the Rhodesian Bushmore. You say, after you left, the convoy 90 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:55.920 got hit? What does that mean? What happened to it? 91 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:56.759 Who did? What? 92 00:05:58.680 --> 00:06:06.959 They got ambushed? Was h not far from Melsetta. I'm 93 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:10.279 not I can't remember everything, but it was scattered out 94 00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:14.439 and they hit the one of the chase trucks like 95 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:19.240 I was on. Nobody's hurt, but the guys had to 96 00:06:19.240 --> 00:06:20.920 give up the truck and get out of the way. 97 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:24.000 They had to hit the bush run. The other guys 98 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:29.279 open fire, and I found out that G three brass 99 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:31.920 line can break the windshield. I don't know if you 100 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.759 ever had that experience or not in a rick or not, 101 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:39.160 but brass flying in the windows will break it all. 102 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:42.639 None of the security people were hurt. One of the 103 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:46.839 civilians lost the leg. It blew as hitting below the 104 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:51.279 below the knee and mess him up. 105 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:57.920 Oh all right, all right, buddy, you you leave this job? 106 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:00.800 What's your next job? And why did you leave. 107 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:06.519 They had they needed an EXO at the security office 108 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:12.879 at teb uh Here it's timberline off. I got Tillbury 109 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:15.920 excuse me, Tillbury Estate where we would we would go 110 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:18.959 into at night. And they asked me if I wanted 111 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:22.680 to do it, and I liked it. It was uh, 112 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:26.639 I was uncomfortable with the way the convoys were acting. 113 00:07:26.759 --> 00:07:31.279 And if you tried to control African drivers, forget it. 114 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.000 They don't know but one speed and that's fast. They're 115 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:41.000 racing each other, and some things in different countries don't change. 116 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:43.439 So I went there and they asked me if I 117 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.639 wanted to stay on. So I went on and had 118 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:50.800 my gear brought up from on Tolly and I took 119 00:07:50.839 --> 00:07:53.279 over as number two in charge. 120 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:58.839 Buddy, Is that where you stayed for the remainder of 121 00:07:58.839 --> 00:08:00.000 the war. Where'd you go from there? 122 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:08.319 I stayed right there. I came home on R and R. 123 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:10.680 We can go back and fill in later, but I 124 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:13.560 came home in R and R after the peacekeeping forces 125 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:19.480 came in. And once I got home, I got I 126 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:22.399 got a call. Don't come back until we call you 127 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:27.079 because it wasn't looking real good. 128 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:31.480 Okay, so this is still I'm assuming nineteen seventy nine, 129 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:32.480 what does. 130 00:08:32.840 --> 00:08:37.440 Still seventy nine? Yes, sir, I got. I was on 131 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:41.960 the convoys for about ten days. So when they put 132 00:08:42.080 --> 00:08:43.799 they asked me if I wanted to take over his 133 00:08:44.039 --> 00:08:47.759 XO on the Militia Company or whatever you want to 134 00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:51.639 call them. They're all mashona. There were two, myself and 135 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:55.960 the other uh oh, I see he was white, and 136 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:57.600 then the rest of them are all mashona. 137 00:08:58.799 --> 00:08:59.320 Mashona. 138 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:02.679 All right, now we are gonna continue this story, actually 139 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:05.720 right there in a moment mashona, because this is something 140 00:09:06.360 --> 00:09:09.000 that's the obviously more appropriate word. 141 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:14.279 I believe that I think I called him shana I. 142 00:09:14.600 --> 00:09:16.559 I don't know whatever, but either way, we're gonna come 143 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:19.200 back with Buddy. We'll find out about these guys. It's 144 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:21.519 just just two white guys all black guys. I told 145 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:23.799 you this wasn't a white versus black thing like our 146 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:27.399 dirty comedy media in this country sold everybody. But we'll 147 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:30.799 be back. Get the rest of Buddy Lily's story. Veteran 148 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:33.440 of the Rhodesian Bush War, hang on. It is the 149 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.120 Jesse Kelly Show on a Wednesday. Remember you can email 150 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:41.000 the show Jesse at Jesse Kellyshow dot Com back with 151 00:09:41.159 --> 00:09:44.320 Rhodesian Bush War veteran Buddy Lily. Okay, buddy, you take 152 00:09:44.360 --> 00:09:48.080 over as XO. Sorry, that's executive officer for any civilian types. 153 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:50.679 You don't understand what that means. You take over as 154 00:09:50.919 --> 00:09:55.399 XO of a quote militia company. Were there a lot 155 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:56.000 of those. 156 00:09:56.919 --> 00:09:59.559 I had, Well, I only had I had sixty mole 157 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:03.600 shown in my company. I used the term militia. They 158 00:10:03.639 --> 00:10:11.120 called themselves guards. I had sixty giver take. Some of 159 00:10:11.159 --> 00:10:15.799 them stayed at the compounds where the Europeans lived at. 160 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:19.559 We kept two to three there all the time. You 161 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:23.120 know they lived there. I mean they they lived with 162 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:26.320 the families, They ate with the families. They stayed up 163 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:31.399 and guarded them all night long. And we usually we 164 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:36.679 stayed around sixty personnel giver or take all. 165 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.840 Right, so how are you getting around the country? And 166 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:40.919 what are you doing? 167 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:41.480 What? What? 168 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:44.320 What are you doing with these Mashona tribesmen that that 169 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:46.200 you're now basically in charge of? 170 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:46.759 What? 171 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:46.480 What? 172 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:47.360 What are you doing? 173 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:53.159 Well, as I mentioned, we had people that stayed at 174 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:57.279 the European compounds where the Europeans lived at White they 175 00:10:57.320 --> 00:11:00.559 called them Europeans over there. They were the permanent security, 176 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:11.200 and then we ran uh patrols, mounted patrols, foot patrols, usual, 177 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:15.519 same stuff that you do anywhere else. Make an appearance 178 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:20.440 that let the bad guys know you're here and see 179 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:22.120 if we can get you to come out, which they 180 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:22.879 did come out. 181 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:25.639 What kind of fighters were they? 182 00:11:25.720 --> 00:11:25.759 Like? 183 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:28.960 Buddy good, bad idiots, brave. 184 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:33.519 To be real honest when I'm gonna tell you I 185 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:37.480 got from some of the guys that I work with, 186 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:41.000 which a couple of them had been Rhodesian light infantry. 187 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:46.000 The hardcore were were you know, the ones that went 188 00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:49.679 to Korea or Russia somewhere for training were pretty they 189 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:55.440 were pretty hardcore. But the rest of them were just criminals. 190 00:11:55.879 --> 00:11:58.720 They didn't care who the government was. They had an 191 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:02.679 AK forty seven and they could go out and rob, steal, rate, 192 00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:05.440 do what they want to and it was all for liberty, 193 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:08.720 you know, to liberate the country. So if that gives 194 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:09.759 you an answer. 195 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:13.480 No, it it does. It's not a surprising answer at all. 196 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:17.320 Comedies are always recruiting these dirt balls in any society 197 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:19.879 to go butcher wonderful people. There's no question about it. 198 00:12:20.279 --> 00:12:25.320 What was the attitude of the Rhodesians when it came 199 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:29.399 to international things, meaning was their hatred for Britain, for 200 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:31.559 America for selling them out? 201 00:12:31.559 --> 00:12:33.120 Did they ever bring it up? Did they not care? 202 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:41.840 Yes, kind of. I got checked out, vetted. They went 203 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:44.759 through my gear. They thought I was CIA, which I wasn't. 204 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:46.720 I mean, if I was, I would tell you right now. 205 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:49.240 I was on my own and I'm not. As I 206 00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:52.000 told one of the guys, I said, mat, if I'm CIA, 207 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:55.240 I'd be here to do something to help you, you know, 208 00:12:55.480 --> 00:13:00.679 not ended that Britain. They hated the Brits. Imagine what 209 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:05.039 happened when the British send in people for the peacekeeping force? 210 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:06.519 That was not pretty. 211 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:10.519 What happened? What was this peacekeeping force? What happened? 212 00:13:12.279 --> 00:13:15.639 We're getting a little ahead of ourselves. But when the 213 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:21.559 Lord Carrington, Jimmy Carter, I believe all of them got 214 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:24.320 together and they came up with this plan there was 215 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:30.960 gonna be free elections, which didn't happen. New Zealand, Australia 216 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:39.360 two other countries sent in supposedly peacekeeping forces, which was 217 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:43.519 a laugh because when these guys traveled with our convoys, 218 00:13:43.639 --> 00:13:46.240 they traveled a lock and loaded. What does that tell you? 219 00:13:49.240 --> 00:13:53.200 But that's why I came home in R and R 220 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:56.759 because we had been we'd been shut down. I couldn't 221 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:00.000 do any patrols. My last patrol, which is a good story, 222 00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:03.600 I'll tell that in a minute. But we would shut down. 223 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:04.600 That was it. 224 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:07.879 Patrol. 225 00:14:09.159 --> 00:14:11.960 Well, let me let me if I could let me 226 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:13.399 go into the day by day. 227 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:15.399 Routine, please go ahead, please. 228 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:19.879 That would work into everything. I hadn't been there too 229 00:14:19.960 --> 00:14:25.919 long when, for what reason I never understood, the terriffs 230 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:29.080 would go in there and try and set the forest 231 00:14:29.159 --> 00:14:31.840 on fire. It was a timber form. There was a 232 00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:38.519 thirty thousand acres of Georgia pines there. That's hard to believe. 233 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.039 That they had brought them in years before, and they 234 00:14:41.080 --> 00:14:45.360 grew exceedingly fast and healthy up there in the mountains. 235 00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:49.240 So we had to go let provide security for the 236 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:53.279 company workers along the saw mill workers who were trying 237 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:57.720 to put the fire out. And that ended up most 238 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:01.360 of the night. About three o'clock in the morning. Uh, 239 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:05.039 my E five in charge, I call it E five. 240 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:07.799 They have one sergeant, one sergeant major, and everybody else 241 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:12.240 were foot soldiers. He came in and a little bit 242 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:17.159 of humor stood at attention in my room and sounded 243 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:21.360 like when you're kippling with his famous Sir, I believe 244 00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:26.519 they want you at the fire perfectly. So we hauled 245 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:32.879 but out get down there. Uh the estate managers supervising. 246 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:36.840 This is two or three o'clock in the morning, and 247 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:40.519 they kept setting little fires different places and it weren't 248 00:15:40.519 --> 00:15:43.120 burning good, but they were trying to set them. So 249 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:47.759 he told the sergeant and another couple of the macheler 250 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:50.320 to take me to a certain area to get out 251 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:54.559 and fire some rounds so that one group may think 252 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:59.200 that the other group was in contact. Which, okay, that worked, 253 00:15:59.639 --> 00:16:03.159 so we did that. We come flying back in through there. 254 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:06.960 I stopped the we were we had what was called 255 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:13.159 Leopard It was supposedly a you know, explosion proof vehicle, 256 00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:19.679 and we stopped and there was an explosion. The army 257 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:23.200 had sent a reactionary force from downtown Melsetta, which is 258 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:26.440 a lot of very but besides that, it's not very big. 259 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:29.159 But they had army detachment there and they come up 260 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:34.840 and they hit a mine. I could see first heard 261 00:16:34.840 --> 00:16:39.120 an RPG go off which came from the weapon, came 262 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:42.399 from the army vehicle. They fired, and I could a 263 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:47.879 cotton glimpse of some green Tracers, and I hauled at Well, 264 00:16:48.279 --> 00:16:50.279 let me go back to my sergeant again and for 265 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:50.879 a little. 266 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:56.200 Humor, pause for just a moment, Buddy, I hate to 267 00:16:56.200 --> 00:16:58.480 interrupt you a midstory, but we have a heartbreak. We'll 268 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:00.679 come back and we'll go to your sergeant major as 269 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:02.759 you're in the middle of a firefight and land mines 270 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:04.799 and everything else. I hate to interrupt you at this point, 271 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:06.759 but hang on, we're going to commercial. We'll be right 272 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:10.279 back with Buddy Lily hamp on an amazing Wednesday. I'm 273 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:13.079 just nerding out right now with veteran of the Rhodesian 274 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:15.519 bush War, Buddy Lily. I've never done an interview this 275 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:18.000 long on this show. It I'm loving it all right, Buddy. 276 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:21.319 The floor is back to being yours. Got yourself in 277 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:25.119 a firefight. There's RPGs green tracers that means decades, by 278 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:26.359 the way for people who don't know. 279 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:29.200 And the floor is back to being yours. 280 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:35.279 So my sage, the same one. He stands up behind me. 281 00:17:35.319 --> 00:17:38.480 I'm driving and he says, Sir, I believe it is 282 00:17:38.519 --> 00:17:43.279 an ambush. And I said, I said, I'm driving, You're 283 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:48.279 in charge. So I had to go up about fifty yards, 284 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:51.240 not even fifty yards, twenty five thirty yards, take a 285 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:53.920 left on the road and I went nose to nose 286 00:17:54.200 --> 00:17:57.559 with the army vehicle that and hit the mine to 287 00:17:57.640 --> 00:18:03.480 avoid free fire. In between all this, it wasn't funny then, 288 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:07.680 it's funny now. They cut loose with a G three. Oh. 289 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:09.759 I had three guys in the back, two of them 290 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:11.680 had G three's and one of them had a FA 291 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:15.519 and the sageant. They're firing over the top through the canvas, 292 00:18:15.880 --> 00:18:19.599 and you know where all the brass is going. Oh, 293 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:22.240 you've been there before. 294 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:27.599 I had one down my flack jacket right time. 295 00:18:28.039 --> 00:18:31.680 Oh oh, I've never just robed so fast in my life. 296 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:37.519 Ah. As you know in ambushes, it's over in thirty seconds. 297 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:44.519 When I pulled in, everybody quit firing, and two minutes 298 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:50.079 later everybody's out front. They're shaking. My guys are with 299 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:54.319 the Mashona Army guys. They're shaking hands and exchanging cigarettes. 300 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:58.079 And the driver gets out and he says, oh, you're 301 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:01.000 the yank. I said yes, sir, and he said glad 302 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:03.160 to meet you. You know, he said, this is my 303 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:08.519 fifth mind i've hit. And I looked at him. I 304 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:10.559 said this is the fifth time you've hit of mine. 305 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:16.079 He said, yep, And I said Jesus oh, And I 306 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:21.359 was deaf. I had I was still felt and being burnt. 307 00:19:21.720 --> 00:19:24.319 And these guys were just so relaxed, you know, you 308 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:30.680 automatically and drenalin goes down. Everybody's cool. So we went 309 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:32.680 back and had breakfast. What can I. 310 00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:36.920 Say, Rhodesians? Did you find them to be good troops? Buddy? 311 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:41.720 Yes, the ones that I all the guys that I 312 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:44.279 worked with on the convoy, one of them was still 313 00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:50.799 active duty from the Rhodesian Rifles. He had been in 314 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:54.440 the bush so long he had months of leaves, so 315 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:56.640 they gave him his lead. He was a sergeant major 316 00:19:57.400 --> 00:20:00.440 and he was working for the company while he was 317 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:07.480 on leave. One of the guys had come from RLI 318 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:12.119 and I saw his record. In one month he did 319 00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:16.079 twenty seven jumps. How many guys? Many? 320 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:17.119 Good? 321 00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:21.759 Great, That's more than most guys do in their whole career. Buddy, 322 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:25.240 I have to ask you about your last patrol. 323 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.119 Tell us that story. 324 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:35.319 When the King's Keeping Forces came in, the estate manager said, look, 325 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:39.160 we're going to have to quit. We can't go out there. 326 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:43.640 Well about a month prior, we'd had him come into 327 00:20:43.680 --> 00:20:48.200 one of the villages, and unfortunately we couldn't catch up 328 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:50.559 with them before they got to the TTL, which is 329 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:55.079 their tribal trust land. We even put a block and 330 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:58.039 force outh and just couldn't get to them. There's a 331 00:20:58.039 --> 00:21:00.680 lot more to it, but that just now the two. 332 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:04.400 So with payday coming up, he said, let's go out. 333 00:21:04.920 --> 00:21:07.279 He said, go out and let the tears know that 334 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.480 we're looking for him anyway, because they like to come 335 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:14.240 into the villages on Payday and help themselves to whatever 336 00:21:14.279 --> 00:21:18.640 of money they could get. We were doing a short run. 337 00:21:19.319 --> 00:21:22.680 One my point guy looked and picked up a letter. 338 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:26.960 It was a fresh letter, had been opened, but it 339 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:31.920 was a terrorist writing each other back and forth. And 340 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:35.920 he says, they're here. I said, oh great, So I 341 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:38.960 called headquarters. We had radios. They weren't real good, but 342 00:21:39.319 --> 00:21:42.279 we called and I said, we're going to follow them. 343 00:21:43.319 --> 00:21:45.759 So here we go. I only had two I had 344 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:49.319 five guys with me. I had two canteens of water 345 00:21:49.400 --> 00:21:52.839 with me and that was it. And we got on 346 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:57.119 a game trail got going down the hills. First thing 347 00:21:57.200 --> 00:22:00.079 I was walking point at the time. First thing I 348 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.359 came across as a trip wire. Well it wasn't a 349 00:22:02.440 --> 00:22:07.720 trip wire. It was a snare. My guys explained to 350 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:10.119 me that the tears would snare an animal and just 351 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:14.839 leave it and when they needed food next time they 352 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:20.039 come through, they'd kill it, which is I'd get new. Well, 353 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:24.839 you know that slowed us down. We found it was 354 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:27.799 a nice trail, but we found one or two more 355 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:32.640 of those. It's been so long. And we came out 356 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:34.319 of the brush on the side of a hill a 357 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:40.799 little bit and next thing I know, I had my 358 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:45.079 tracker was up front. Stephen was his English name. He 359 00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:47.519 was a Mashona and he was like a goat. He 360 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:51.960 can just walk up anything. Jesse. I looked down and 361 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:54.599 there was a stream down there, and it must have 362 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:58.920 been two hundred foot straight down rocks. And I have 363 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:02.160 never felt my gut come up in my throat like 364 00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:06.759 it right then. Two reasons I didn't want to fall, 365 00:23:07.160 --> 00:23:11.720 and we were wide open if we were following you know, 366 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:16.880 uh Terras four. And now I'm all I could think of. 367 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:20.599 I had screwed up big time. I got this whole 368 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:24.799 patrol right here in the open, and we had about 369 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:28.960 fifteen foot to go. And when we finally got up there. 370 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:33.240 I was man, I would say. We all just kind 371 00:23:33.279 --> 00:23:35.720 of laid down, and by then all two canteens of 372 00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:40.160 water was gone. This has been six seven hours. Just 373 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:45.279 got comfortable. Steven looks up and he motions at me. 374 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:47.440 He put his fingers up on my on his collar, 375 00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:50.440 which so then I met, you know, for me to 376 00:23:50.440 --> 00:23:55.799 come forward. There's a good coming up the river the stream. 377 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:59.920 He's not armed, and of course they want me to. 378 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:03.039 They came out, and we didn't know if it was 379 00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:06.559 a terrorist or whether it was a villager. We sat 380 00:24:06.599 --> 00:24:09.640 there watching, watching. He was going along doing something in 381 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:12.839 the water, and I could have got him. It wasn't 382 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:15.960 over one hundred and fifty yards. I could have popped him, 383 00:24:16.680 --> 00:24:19.599 but I didn't want to shoot an innocent although they 384 00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:23.519 weren't supposed to be there. Said okay, let's see if 385 00:24:23.559 --> 00:24:25.960 we can slip down and capture him, which was not 386 00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:28.680 a good idea because he probably had friends, but it 387 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:32.079 was a good idea at the time. We knocked the 388 00:24:32.200 --> 00:24:34.359 rock down the hill, just like in the movie. 389 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:36.759 Oh. 390 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:39.839 I motioned the guys to go in in defensive position. 391 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:43.960 I said, oh, we are so screwed. That was two 392 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:48.720 mistakes I had made the same day and nothing happened. 393 00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:52.720 We waited. Finally we used on down the hill. We 394 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:57.319 got to the creek and myself and Steven stood guard. 395 00:24:57.440 --> 00:24:59.119 Well the rest of them got into water and then 396 00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:01.519 they stood guarding. We got down and got cooled off 397 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:06.200 and everything ended up. We had lost radio contact, headed 398 00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:08.119 up on Follally, got up on a hill where I 399 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:12.880 could reach all the base told them where we were. 400 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:15.799 They knew where we were at, so they said, wait, 401 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:18.799