WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:01.120 Hey guys, it's Jack. 2 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:03.240 I just wanted to talk to you today about a 3 00:00:03.279 --> 00:00:05.919 way that you can help support the podcast if you're 4 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:09.519 not already to support the channel is to become a 5 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:13.000 Patreon member. So we have Patreon memberships that start at 6 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:15.919 just five dollars a month, and when you sign up, 7 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:19.160 you get access to all of our episodes add free. 8 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:21.679 That's the big bonus for that. I mean, we also 9 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:26.120 do some Patreon bonus episodes for our subscribers, but this 10 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:28.960 is the biggest and best way that you can support 11 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:33.679 the Teamhouse channel and podcast if you'd like to, and 12 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.200 we really appreciate that. So go and check us out 13 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:37.520 at patreon dot com. 14 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:51.640 Slash the Teamhouse, Special Operations, Coberts Aspionage, the Team House 15 00:00:52.759 --> 00:00:57.520 with your hopes, Jack Murphy and David Park. 16 00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:02.399 This is Dave. 17 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:04.120 I just want to give a quick shout out to 18 00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:09.480 our sponsor, PIA VPN. That's Private Internet Access VPN. 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I'm Dave Park Jack Murphy our 68 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:54.479 guest night legendary Mike West. 69 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:57.199 His book Mike West Special Force of Super Soldier. 70 00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:01.199 Mike served in the Gray Scouts, the Rhodesian Light Infantry 71 00:04:01.319 --> 00:04:04.159 and the sas and then went back to Reki when 72 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:06.280 when all was said and done and has done a 73 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:09.280 whole bunch of other stuff. Please, well, thank you very 74 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:10.120 much for joining us. 75 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:13.240 And it's super late there, Mike. Thanks for joining us tonight. 76 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:16.079 Pleasure pleasure. 77 00:04:17.399 --> 00:04:20.639 Yeah, it's a what time is it right now? 78 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:26.959 Well, we were running at about just off to. 79 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:28.800 Yeah, you got you guys are great. Thank you for 80 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:31.959 doing this. Thanks so much so, Michael. 81 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:37.160 We always like to start these shows with a person's 82 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:40.879 origin story. How did you grow up, you know, and 83 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:42.560 what led you into the service? 84 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:50.920 The child I think we had a My dad met 85 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:53.519 my mother during the war. She was the Italian. He 86 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:57.600 brought it back and we had a very bad life 87 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:01.439 and my mom ended up getting rid of us and 88 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:04.839 dumping us in an orphanage my brother and I, which 89 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:08.800 was was you didn't realize that at the time because 90 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:12.319 everybody was and it looked normal, but it was torture. 91 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:15.240 So it was a It was a difficult stage to 92 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:19.959 go through, but it prepared a guy for life, you 93 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.639 know what lay ahead, So it didn't at this stage, 94 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.040 it didn't face. It was difficult, but you went through 95 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:31.360 it and once we got out there, you know, My 96 00:05:31.480 --> 00:05:39.480 whole life was always violent. But my family was violent. 97 00:05:39.800 --> 00:05:43.319 My father was violent, my uncles were violent. They all 98 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:46.560 came out of the war. They they loved. They enjoyed 99 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:50.959 the old fisty cuffs and fighting, and we witnessed so 100 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:56.040 much of these fights. We used to walk over to 101 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:58.839 your place. And we lived in a mining town in 102 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:03.120 Welcome in the freest and our entertainment, our television was 103 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:06.680 to go to the old Valkymotel and watch out. The 104 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:09.720 Italians and the Africans used to get stuck into one another, 105 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:13.680 bottle each other. It was it was absolutely we enjoyed it. 106 00:06:13.720 --> 00:06:16.560 You know, a lot of blood and it was good fun. 107 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.160 And that's what we lived with. There was a lot 108 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:24.040 of animosity between us and the Afrikaans kids. This stems 109 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:29.959 now the parents reared the kids. They hated the English people, 110 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:33.279 you know, and and this what was about. So we 111 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.600 ended up going to boxing clubs where I actually became 112 00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:40.079 a Northern Free State boxing champion, and we went through 113 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:42.240 a lot of this stuff, a lot of violence. Violence. 114 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:47.199 But life was difficult. It was really difficult. Obviously, we 115 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:51.199 were very poor. You didn't worry about being poor because 116 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:56.040 everybody was poor in the mining town and my life 117 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.680 turned out. I'd got a step mother. My dad noted 118 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:04.759 another woman stepped mom and didn't go very well, and 119 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:09.199 I decided to disappear. I ran away and I lived 120 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:13.319 in Banangna plantations. I even slept in a subway with 121 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:17.160 some hoboes, and I slept in railway stations. And this 122 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:22.120 was the way I was going. And through this whole 123 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:24.959 tour of mine around the country. Event she landed up 124 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:28.439 in a place called Victoria, where had her aunt over there. 125 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:31.360 And I must have been there two weeks or so, 126 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:35.000 and then she the police were looking for me, and 127 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:39.120 then she notified got all of my parents or whoever 128 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:41.279 got out. But anyway, the cops came and got me 129 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:46.720 police and took me back, and the plans were to 130 00:07:46.759 --> 00:07:50.319 put me in a reformatory, but some guy came up 131 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:53.240 with a with a with the ingenious of an idea, 132 00:07:53.240 --> 00:07:56.720 and they decided to put me in the prison Service 133 00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:59.240 Training College was was in the Fee State as well, 134 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:02.600 in a place called Crown Stuff where they took me 135 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:05.319 on and I went there and trained as a warder 136 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:08.800 to go work in the prisons. So that was up 137 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:14.319 to their very violent life. Let me tell you these 138 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:18.360 little Africanas founded us. I tell you, I've never I 139 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:21.360 don't think anybody's got as many hidings as what I got. 140 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:24.959 You know, I really my brother and I got some very. 141 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:31.079 For Americans out there who don't necessarily understand South African culture. 142 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:33.000 If you want to explain a little bit about the 143 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:37.399 Afrikaners of Dutch heritage versus you know, people of British 144 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:38.919 or Angle heritage, right. 145 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:44.240 Yeah, that's correct. They You know, they still got anger 146 00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:47.000 from the bull walls when the English got down. Yeah, 147 00:08:47.000 --> 00:08:51.960 this anger still exists, and the parents installed this anger 148 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:55.399 into their children. Anyway, these kids used to be like 149 00:08:55.559 --> 00:09:00.159 backgrounds on top of us, and we had a tough time. 150 00:09:00.559 --> 00:09:02.360 That's why my dad put us in the in the 151 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:04.879 boxing where to go to boxing club? I remember I 152 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:09.639 went to a boxing club called Western Holdings and I 153 00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:13.399 had a coach name was Solraled the Beer and I was. 154 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:15.919 I went over there and I did very very well. Well. 155 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:21.440 I had no option. You had to fight. And the 156 00:09:21.480 --> 00:09:25.240 fun part of a young was the parents. My dad 157 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.159 would be in the mind. Everybody's kids would go and 158 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:31.919 box and the miners would bet probably a ten cent 159 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:34.480 or five cent, I don't know. What it was? Whose 160 00:09:34.519 --> 00:09:37.759 son with thump? Who in the club? You know? And 161 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:42.080 the coach soreled the beer. Well, I didn't really like 162 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:44.960 English either, so I landed up in quite a few 163 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:49.159 little skirmishes at the club as well. It was a 164 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:55.159 very interesting childhood, but it for the for the whole, 165 00:09:55.559 --> 00:10:00.519 my whole upbringing was incredible violence. I went home many 166 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:04.320 a day with a blood nose and bleeding lips and 167 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:07.159 you know, and a black eye. And is it all? 168 00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:12.200 Africanas really laid into us. They actually hated us. I 169 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:15.200 haven't got another word for it. You know, they used 170 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:18.639 the most horrific names for us, which you people wouldn't 171 00:10:18.679 --> 00:10:21.559 understand over there, you know, the type of names are 172 00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:26.320 used in Afrikaans uce. But there was an unbelievable amount 173 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:29.559 of animosity and that was normal to us. 174 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.399 Well, and you mentioned, you know, the violence at home 175 00:10:32.440 --> 00:10:35.840 and the violence you know, out in public, but also 176 00:10:35.960 --> 00:10:41.120 your school. I remember your comment about your principal. I'm 177 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:43.039 headmaster East. 178 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:49.240 Yeah, that's quite an interesting day where the head mass 179 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:53.080 his name was missed the East and my surname was West. Now, 180 00:10:53.840 --> 00:10:56.440 admittedly I was a naughty little bugger because I was 181 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:59.279 a boxer, and you know this. We were just naughty 182 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:03.279 and the school came down on the thing. It was 183 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:06.000 a very popular thing. The cane rises in the east 184 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:08.039 and sets on the west. OHI used to thump me. 185 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:11.360 You really gave it to me. But I was I 186 00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:13.480 was naughty, man, I was a naughty little bugger. I 187 00:11:13.559 --> 00:11:13.960 know it. 188 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:21.519 Yeah, so so you you eventually you get kicked out 189 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:24.159 of school. Basically, your dad tells you have to go back. 190 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.159 Mister E says no, and you can't work in the mines. 191 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:36.200 Right, quite correct. What happened was they decided when I 192 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:39.440 eventually got back after my little tour around the country, 193 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:42.360 when I ran away and I got back, they just 194 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.000 decided I had to go. You know, they had enough 195 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:48.879 at me. You know. One of the happiest moment was 196 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:51.279 was as I was leaving the school grounds. Now we 197 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:54.120 had a duplex, and these kids were hanging out the 198 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:56.679 windows screaming and waving and all. I was never so 199 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:59.960 throlled in my life. I really hated school. That was. 200 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:02.399 We did a lot of fighting in the school as well, 201 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:06.720 you know, but I hated school. And then I wanted 202 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:10.000 to go to the mines and my dad said, no way, 203 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:12.080 are you going to land up in the mines. But 204 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:15.159 they so the problem came up. The welfare took over 205 00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:18.679 with me, and they, like I said, they wanted to 206 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:21.639 put me in a reformatory, and some guy came up 207 00:12:21.679 --> 00:12:24.559 with this brilliant idea and they put me in the 208 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:27.720 prison Service College, which served me well. You know. That 209 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:31.559 kept me out of trouble, and that was quite an 210 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:35.080 interesting little trip. It was nice. It helped me ahole 211 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:39.559 of a lot in life. And when I finished during 212 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:42.360 my dad was in nineteen sixty five. When I finished 213 00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:45.919 during my prisons of a training, they sent me they 214 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:49.759 transferred me to a place called zond of Art, near 215 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:52.480 the Color of Mine where that huge diamond was found, 216 00:12:53.559 --> 00:12:56.720 now as zoond of Arta. Once again I landed up 217 00:12:56.759 --> 00:12:59.919 in a lot of fighting, you know, where the miner's kid. 218 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.240 And I was just a bit of a ruffian. I 219 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:07.799 wasn't a year of any sorts, but I just somehow 220 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:10.559 landed up, always landed up in the in the fights 221 00:13:10.600 --> 00:13:13.759 and the trouble, and I became quite a problem to 222 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:16.919 this lot. We had an officer over there with the 223 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:20.399 name of a snaye On and they called him Double 224 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:24.919 O seven. And these guys couldn't handle me and I 225 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:28.960 got up to a lot of weird things, and I 226 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:34.840 was making money on the side doing other things. I 227 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:39.960 would drive into town and go and work for Indians 228 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:43.960 and do illegal things for Indians, like driving cars and 229 00:13:44.080 --> 00:13:46.759 parking cars at places. And I got paid for these 230 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:49.919 things and I made good money. And they started to 231 00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:53.919 investigate because it didn't make sense how a guy like 232 00:13:54.039 --> 00:13:59.000 me could own Alpha Mayors and he had underds and motorbikes, 233 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:01.600 and they they just had enough at me. But I 234 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:05.600 was causing a lot of trouble. But on the other end, 235 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:07.600 I played a very good game of rugby because I 236 00:14:07.639 --> 00:14:11.519 was a violent littlebugger. And in the end they decided 237 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:15.720 they wanted to get rid of me. And Pierremont Franti 238 00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:18.559 was a guy at the Prison Service College, a country 239 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:22.240 members rank colonel or Brigadier. Pierremont Fronsali was with the 240 00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:25.759 Northern trans Or rugby teams. They brought me to Vittoria 241 00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:29.360 because of my rugby skills, you know. And they got 242 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:33.240 me there and then they placed me in the gallows, 243 00:14:33.320 --> 00:14:36.879 the maximum security and I worked in the gallows, not 244 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:40.120 as a hangman. I just was one of the assistants 245 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:44.679 in the gallows. Which was a very very interesting story. 246 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:50.240 But inside the gallows there was a gentley the name 247 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:54.759 of Demetrius Offenders. That was the same gentleman that murdered 248 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:57.399 the Prime Minister handled for both in parliament when he 249 00:14:57.480 --> 00:15:00.360 standing to death. Wow, So I got to meet this 250 00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:04.480 chappie over there. He wouldn't reveal anything, but you know, 251 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:06.759 I met the guy said that was a very interesting 252 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:11.559 part of the history. Now, while I was at the gallows, 253 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:16.120 I started to moonlight by going and doing part time 254 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:20.120 taxi writing because the prison service didn't pay money. It 255 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:27.679 was a pathetic story. While I was moonlighting on the 256 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:32.120 one Saturday morning and at the railway station, and all 257 00:15:32.120 --> 00:15:34.919 of a sudden we see this chappie come running along 258 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:41.480 in petigear and it was one of the convicted guys, 259 00:15:41.799 --> 00:15:44.360 a guy with the name of Fanstian. He had been 260 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:48.000 sentenced to death for killing of a He killed a detective. 261 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:50.679 He had an affair with the guy's wife and then 262 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:52.840 he murdered him and then he got the death sentence. 263 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:58.000 And I ran over and I grabbed this puppy and well, 264 00:15:58.039 --> 00:16:02.480 obviously he tried to resist, which was you shouldn't have 265 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:05.440 tried that anyway, But I saw to him out quickly, 266 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:08.440 we dumped him in the car and we raced him 267 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:14.399 back to maximum security where he escaped from. And it 268 00:16:14.440 --> 00:16:16.799 was it was such a strange sight to see because 269 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:20.480 they had they must have had two hundred wardens with 270 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:24.080 rifles and dogs and they were going on this massive 271 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:28.000 manner to look for this escape conmy and yeah, I 272 00:16:28.039 --> 00:16:31.879 suddenly pitched up with his guy at the gallows. Now 273 00:16:31.919 --> 00:16:33.960 that that made me a sort of a year and 274 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:38.080 I landed up in newspapers with photos and you know. 275 00:16:39.279 --> 00:16:43.679 And what happened was this guy had quite influential friends 276 00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:47.639 and they were they decided there was talks that people 277 00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:50.799 wanted to kill me, and you know, things were going wrong. 278 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:55.480 So the prison service decided they getting rid of me 279 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:58.559 out of Petorium for my safety, and they sent me 280 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:02.360 to Point Prison in Turbert, which was a real shittle 281 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:07.079 excuse the word. I managed to get out of there 282 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:10.839 and get back to Pretoria again. When I got back 283 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:12.640 there and I looked at this lot and I thought, 284 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:16.039 I don't see chance for this discipline stuff anymore. I 285 00:17:16.119 --> 00:17:19.079 just had enough of this lot and I decided I'm 286 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:21.400 now going to do. I want to become a full 287 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:26.640 time taxi driver. Now, you know, people look at taxi drivers. 288 00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:31.240 I don't know, different countries, different opinions about taxi drivers. 289 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:37.359 But those days, a taxi driver was encyclopedia of knowledge. Man, 290 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:41.480 let me tell you this. Now, I did a lot 291 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:43.839 of fighting in the taxi game as well. You know, 292 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:46.680 you hit people. It happened. I was just that way 293 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:49.480 in claim. And at that time, while I was at 294 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:52.880 the taxi I was fighting for a Phoenix boxing club 295 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:56.960 which was run by Tony Currm, a Lebanese guy, very 296 00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:01.079 very good trainer, and the South African heavyweight boxing chump, 297 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:04.480 and Jimmy Richards was at the club. But anyway, that 298 00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:09.759 was all the interesting parts. And I had a physic 299 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.880 cuff with a one taxi driver at the railway station. 300 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:18.200 Now was a brutal a guy and a very aggressive guy, 301 00:18:18.200 --> 00:18:20.920 and everybody was very cautious of him because he you know, 302 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:25.240 he lost his school very easy. He owed me money, 303 00:18:25.240 --> 00:18:27.079 and I owed him money. You know, we had he 304 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:29.279 owed me more than what I owed him. But he 305 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:31.599 had a very bad day and he decided he wanted 306 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:33.440 his money. And he told me, listen, I want my 307 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:35.240 money or so I'm going to thump you. You know what 308 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:36.880 I mean. And I told him to go and fly 309 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:40.160 a kite, you know. And then this pubby came charging 310 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:42.319 down on me, which was the biggest mistake because I 311 00:18:42.359 --> 00:18:44.799 could throw the fists, you know, and I was boxing 312 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:48.839 and I something good. I beat him and he fell 313 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:51.400 over a corner, was hitting and people pulled me off, 314 00:18:52.119 --> 00:18:55.880 and this guy ran up towards the railway station where 315 00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:58.720 the railway police are, and while I was standing down 316 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:02.599 at the station, he came out to the railway policeman 317 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:05.599 and he was shouting, that s him, that shim, that's him. 318 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:07.720 But I was angry at this stage of the game, 319 00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:10.279 and they told me, told me I must come out, 320 00:19:10.359 --> 00:19:11.680 and I just told him to go and fly a 321 00:19:11.799 --> 00:19:14.720 kite because I was very very angry. But you know what, 322 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:18.480 the beauty I was. One of the other taxi drivers 323 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:21.400 went up with him after I thumped him, and when 324 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:23.599 they went into the bathroom, then he attu rinse his 325 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:25.880 mouth and the water was coming out of his cheek. 326 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:29.279 I had given this guy a man. I was so proud. 327 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:31.559 How he took the blow, I don't know, but the 328 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:34.079 water was coming out of his cheek and I felt 329 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:38.640 toughed with myself you know, because he was an aggressive guy. Well, anyway, 330 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:44.359 I told Eventually, because the Row police couldn't get anything right, 331 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:46.759 he went down to Central Police station to lay a 332 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:50.799 charge against me over there. But this was on the 333 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:54.000 premises of the railroad Police. It was their jurisdiction, so 334 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:57.759 they couldn't charge me. Anyway. This thing went up and down, 335 00:19:57.880 --> 00:20:04.240 and somehow the other, the railway police or ever behind it, 336 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:07.839 got sick and tired of us guys, and decided we 337 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.039 got to get off the station. You know, they didn't 338 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:13.480 want us anymore. There's good money and everybody knew us. 339 00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:15.519 And I mean, you could come to me as a 340 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:19.160 taxi driver and there's nothing you couldn't add. I could 341 00:20:19.319 --> 00:20:23.680 arrange anything you wanted, you know, Encyclopedia of Knowledge. Anything 342 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:26.519 doesn't matter what you want, I could arrange it. And 343 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:29.240 I had very good customers, and I was making very 344 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:33.200 very good money and I was living well. They decided, 345 00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:37.039 you know, they had enough of us, and they removed 346 00:20:37.079 --> 00:20:39.759 us from the station and we had to go and 347 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:44.160 start a new rank in Fambilan Street in Petoria. Now 348 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:46.240 you can't just go and open a taxi rank in 349 00:20:46.279 --> 00:20:51.160 a new area. You need client tell anyway, they didn't work. Outside, 350 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:55.119 I sold my taxi. I had a human vogue, a 351 00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:58.440 little automatic, little job, and I sold that to an 352 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.079 Italian guy with a cinema from Wandi, and he bought 353 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:03.920 up quite a few of these taxis while he lost 354 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:08.319 all his money. Eventually, because it didn't work, I decided 355 00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:10.799 I went to work for a guy with the name 356 00:21:10.839 --> 00:21:13.880 of Vessels. Good guy, nice guy, had a valiant, wanted 357 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:17.920 these old valiants, and I was doing quite well over there. 358 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:22.240 But while I was over there, now I there was 359 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:24.519 a local pub called the fron of Cell Pub, and 360 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:28.559 there used to be all these railway apprentices, ruffians man 361 00:21:28.759 --> 00:21:32.599 really rough little guys. We just do a lot of fighting. 362 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:35.640 And the barman's name was Richard, and he asked me 363 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:37.400 one day, don't you want to come and sort out 364 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:40.359 these puppies rice, you know. And then every time they 365 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:43.519 called out, run drive down, and I'd gone sump these guys. 366 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:46.480 You know. I got a couple of good shots against 367 00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:50.400 their head there as well. But anyway, I sorted this 368 00:21:50.519 --> 00:21:55.720 lot out at the in the pub. Now, this Vessels guy, 369 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:59.880 now I was losing customers who'd come to the taxi 370 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:03.960 and I wasn't there, and they went and complained about it. 371 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:06.440 So he came and he gave me a bit of 372 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:08.799 a bollocking which I didn't handle. I told him to 373 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:12.079 go and fly a kite. Now I was joblessly. I 374 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:14.079 had no work. Now where do I go? And I 375 00:22:14.160 --> 00:22:18.400 need job. At this stage of the game, I'd married 376 00:22:18.440 --> 00:22:20.319 another woman and I had you know, I had a 377 00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:24.640 kid with her and I needed income. So I get 378 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:29.559 an ingenious idea. I decide I'm going to join the army. 379 00:22:30.440 --> 00:22:34.799 Now at this stage of the game, these special Forces 380 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:38.519 of South Africa, the Wrecks, very well known special forces. 381 00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:41.079 They were on the go and I was sitting in 382 00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:43.759 the pub talking to Richard, and I said, I'm going 383 00:22:43.799 --> 00:22:45.799 to give this a go. You know, I'm going to 384 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:47.200 give it a go. So I go over to the 385 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:50.519 head office. A whole lot of guys we're completing forms, 386 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:54.440 sitting there, were handed in. We're waiting, and the guy 387 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:57.960 comes out. He were speaking in Afrikaans and told the 388 00:22:57.960 --> 00:23:00.920 guys okay, we'll contact you contact. They came over to 389 00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:02.799 me and said to me, you know you can go. 390 00:23:02.920 --> 00:23:04.960 You don't qualify. I said, what's wrong? I said, no, 391 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:08.400 you don't have qualification. Because I was expelled. You know, 392 00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:10.279 he son at six. I had a son at six 393 00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:13.559 certificate because I was naughty and I was fighting, and 394 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:16.720 we were naughty little buggers, so I could. And I 395 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:20.359 had no religious upbringing. You know nothing, we religion didn't 396 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:22.759 exist for us. We weren't worried about things like that. 397 00:23:24.519 --> 00:23:27.079 So yeah, I said, where do I go with all 398 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:29.440 this cup? So Richard and I was sitting in the 399 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:32.240 front of Stell having a good chat and we talk 400 00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:35.240 about Rhodesia. Now, the war was on the go in Rhodesia, 401 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:38.079 and I said, oh, man, I must give this a go. 402 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:42.799 But now I know I've got absolutely no military backer. 403 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:45.839 I've never served. I'm a damn taxi driver. Came out 404 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.279 the gallows, taxi driver with no military expen How am 405 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:53.079 I going to get into a military organization? Now? Way 406 00:23:53.200 --> 00:23:55.200 back when I lived in the Friest, a guy with 407 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:57.640 the name of Bruce Fisher came and lived us, and 408 00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:59.359 he was in the arm and he used to spin 409 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:01.359 a lot of which I didn't know at the time. 410 00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:04.920 I used to believe him. And whilst there was a 411 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:07.079 taxi driver, we would take a lot of the guys 412 00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:09.400 to the military base in fir tracker work there, and 413 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:12.680 I used to listen to all these stories. So I 414 00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:16.400 decided I bothered my dad's green page and station wagon 415 00:24:16.599 --> 00:24:19.240 had a bit of bucks, and I decided I'm going down. 416 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:24.119 So I concoct the story the biggest load of bullshit 417 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:29.519 under the sun about infantry. And I can't remember all 418 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:31.640 the crap I put together. But anyway, when I got 419 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:36.799 to Salisbury, I completed this application form and I thought, 420 00:24:36.880 --> 00:24:40.200 I'm in the military. No, we had to go back 421 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:43.480 and they would inform me, you know, they'd called me up. 422 00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:46.920 Oh what a disappointment to go all the way back 423 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:50.359 because now you've got a riding convoy with the BSAP 424 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:55.039 escorts here because the convoys got ambushed by the terrorists 425 00:24:55.079 --> 00:24:59.480 on the roads. Anyway, all the way back I speagan 426 00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:02.400 the correction and maybe three weeks two, three weeks down 427 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:04.519 the line, Yeah, I get a telegram ticket and all 428 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:09.359 I'm being called up to go to Rhodesia. Man was 429 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:14.039 I thrawed? Oh, man, I've got a job, you know, 430 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:16.599 Because I can't get a job. People didn't like me. Well, 431 00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:21.319 I didn't know why, but I didn't understand at the 432 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:23.279 time where people didn't want to give me a job, 433 00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:29.759 you know. Anyway, on the train got to Salisbury, there 434 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:32.559 are some guys waiting in the gyp picked me up 435 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:35.720 and they drive me off to a place calleding Como 436 00:25:35.799 --> 00:25:40.039 Barracks to the Gray Scouts. Got there and it's horses 437 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:46.200 and questions centers and allah felt, I got a camouflage uniform, 438 00:25:46.319 --> 00:25:49.480 boots and oh man, I felt on top of the wall. 439 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:52.559 You know, I'm in the military as a taxi driver 440 00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:55.279 with the biggest loaded crack. I don't know anything about 441 00:25:55.359 --> 00:25:57.960 military Mike. How old are you right now? 442 00:25:58.880 --> 00:25:59.240 Late now? 443 00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:01.839 No know, at that point in time, at this point 444 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:02.720 in the story. 445 00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:07.960 Must have been let me work it out, at seventeen. 446 00:26:08.359 --> 00:26:11.640 Let me just get I was twenty seven, twenty twenty 447 00:26:11.720 --> 00:26:14.359 six years old. So you and I went to war. 448 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:15.519 You were to find it. 449 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:18.079 Yeah, you're kind of an old man compared to like 450 00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:20.200 a lot of the other people around you. 451 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:24.279 Oh well, they do military training at eighteen years old, 452 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:26.599 you know. Yeah. Yeah, I come along as a taxi driver, 453 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:29.880 being twenty six, twenty seven years going to you know, 454 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:34.200 joining the Bloody Army, you know. Yeah, And fortunately the 455 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:39.519 Gray Scouts wasn't a hell of a big compatant unit 456 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:42.200 at that stage of the game. So I had to 457 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:45.640 go through the questions and go through all the necessity 458 00:26:46.680 --> 00:26:49.400 ups and downs to you know, to get to no 459 00:26:49.559 --> 00:26:54.720 horses and fit saddles the normal stuff, which was was 460 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.119 was quite fun. And they gave me a horse with 461 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:03.480 a name of Wetfort, a potolous, a big puppy, and 462 00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:05.200 I was jeoff. But you know what the beauty is 463 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:09.319 now I'm sitting here cow, I'm in the army. Man, 464 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:12.400 I've got no idea what anything is about. I'm just 465 00:27:12.519 --> 00:27:16.680 winging my way around, you know. And anyway, we were 466 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:19.599 very fortunate to get through the question. I could ride 467 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:22.559 horse because as youngsters we used to ride donkeys and horses, 468 00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:25.640 you know, the place called Rainbow Valley in the mining areas, 469 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:28.519 So it wasn't a problem. I just struggled to fit 470 00:27:28.599 --> 00:27:31.039 a saddle on a horse because I had no idea 471 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:35.079 to fit a saddle. But I mean, obviously I mastered that, 472 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:40.400 and wow, man, a great moment of my life. This 473 00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:45.440 whole convoy got together, horses were loaded on vehicles, RL's 474 00:27:45.559 --> 00:27:49.400 Bedfords and four or five Merks and we off. We 475 00:27:49.480 --> 00:27:53.559 go to a place called Yama Panda, which was well 476 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:56.519 quite away from Mozenbig, but was in the eastern area 477 00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:00.359 off to our base camp. You must remember Yarm sitting 478 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:03.279 as a taxi driver amongst a lot of people. Now, 479 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:06.319 a lot of the guys that came and came from America, 480 00:28:07.240 --> 00:28:09.519 you name it, all over the world. They joined Rudesia 481 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:12.000 because it was a war. You know, they took everybody 482 00:28:12.039 --> 00:28:15.559 on and all on. I'm just listening to all this stuff. 483 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:18.599 But the guys are talking. Some guys spoke about Vietnam 484 00:28:18.759 --> 00:28:21.759 and I was listening to all this stuff and I 485 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:25.160 just was winging my way around. I had no idea 486 00:28:25.200 --> 00:28:29.079 what's going on. Anyway, we got to this place Nearma 487 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:32.599 Panda and there we hung a run in the base camp, 488 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:39.319 grooming horses and doing gud duty and so on. And 489 00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:41.960 then on a day came they said to us, okay, 490 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:44.519 we're going to deploy. Now. The guy's name was Dave 491 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:47.839 Spots was my first team leader. Came over and he said, okay, 492 00:28:47.880 --> 00:28:51.119 guys were going out, and you know we're going to deploy. 493 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:54.599 You know, praduc felt today. You know, you can imagine 494 00:28:54.839 --> 00:28:57.680 this taxi driver with a uniform. They gave me a 495 00:28:57.680 --> 00:29:00.680 heavy barreled FN and I need to any rounds the 496 00:29:00.680 --> 00:29:03.039 same as any normal effort, but it weighed about three 497 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:06.880 or four killos eavery year. But I felt an ace. Man. 498 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:11.119 Now I'm sitting on a horse like Geronimo, wepping up 499 00:29:11.119 --> 00:29:15.480 in the air, and yeah, we riding through the camp 500 00:29:15.519 --> 00:29:19.960 and all the guys again. Oh with the point, I 501 00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:25.759 just wish I can explain how I felt as a 502 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:28.720 taxi driver sitting on a horse, whether every barrel machine 503 00:29:28.720 --> 00:29:31.240 going going into war, got no idea what was but 504 00:29:31.279 --> 00:29:36.759 I'm on my way. Yeah, anyway, that was. It was unbelievable. 505 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:41.839 It was. But as time went on. Now I'd seen 506 00:29:41.880 --> 00:29:44.920 a black and white movie in my life about a war, 507 00:29:45.039 --> 00:29:48.599 you know, Second World War, guys running with payments on 508 00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:53.400 rifles and and that always suck in my mind. Now 509 00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:55.680 we're out of these horses and that, and I was 510 00:29:55.759 --> 00:29:59.079 thinking to myself, oh, you look, I'm not a stupid guy. 511 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:02.119 And I was thinking, oh, if somebody shoots at men 512 00:30:02.160 --> 00:30:04.039 on top of this horse, I've got trouble. You know, 513 00:30:04.119 --> 00:30:08.160 there's typical custos scene over here. And the other thing 514 00:30:08.160 --> 00:30:11.480 had got me very concerned. When we went into an lup, 515 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:16.160 which is a lineup place for the day, then the 516 00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:18.720 horses got to be tied at a certain area. Now, 517 00:30:18.759 --> 00:30:22.519 these things stump and fought, and you know, they carry 518 00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:25.599 on and the horse flies and it's noisy. So we 519 00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:27.880 got to be quite a distance away from the horses 520 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:32.200 because you couldn't hear a stampede coming with the noise 521 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.799 that these horses made. And the other thing was fearful 522 00:30:35.799 --> 00:30:39.039 at night, these things they always make a noise, and 523 00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:40.920 I was scared. We wake up one morning and the 524 00:30:40.920 --> 00:30:43.920 horses are gone, and the terrorists had made hamburgers out 525 00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:48.160 of the bloody things. But we decided we at night times, 526 00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:50.599 we would stay over in a protected village, which was 527 00:30:50.640 --> 00:30:54.079 a kip where all the locals were kept because of 528 00:30:54.119 --> 00:30:56.319 the terrorists activities in the area. They get all the 529 00:30:56.400 --> 00:30:59.759 locals in these protected villages and there was a group 530 00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:03.200 called the Guard Force that look after them. And that's 531 00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:05.920 how we would go out in the day, ride around 532 00:31:05.920 --> 00:31:09.519 and sleep there at night. Now they were a punch up. 533 00:31:09.559 --> 00:31:11.759 There was a punch up, but we had split up 534 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:15.119 and the other guys had a punch up, and I 535 00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:18.359 arrived there too late, and they killed two of these turs, 536 00:31:18.359 --> 00:31:21.240 and I was oh. I was angry because I wanted 537 00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:24.839 to shoot somebody, you know, and anyway, we burnt the 538 00:31:24.920 --> 00:31:29.279 villagers and whatever the case, God and I did. I 539 00:31:29.359 --> 00:31:31.759 did a couple of these things, but I didn't get 540 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:35.240 satisfaction out of it. Departs from the fact that I 541 00:31:35.319 --> 00:31:37.519 was like Geronimo, sitting on a bloody horse with a 542 00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:42.480 heavy barrelfort, which looked good. But I wanted to be 543 00:31:43.359 --> 00:31:46.240 the guys with a bayonet, you know, charging trenches and 544 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:48.680 like I saw in movies, and just I don't know, 545 00:31:48.680 --> 00:31:52.880 it just appealed to me. Good fortune came my way. 546 00:31:53.480 --> 00:31:55.480 I remember getting back to the camp the one way, 547 00:31:55.559 --> 00:31:58.920 and our officer's name was Heywood. He was a lieutenant, 548 00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:02.359 a good guy, and he said to me, listen, Mike, 549 00:32:03.160 --> 00:32:05.079 we're going to go and do a resupply with an 550 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:08.319 oorl which was a bedfit. We got to take some 551 00:32:08.440 --> 00:32:12.400 rations out. I want you to escort me. Oh sto 552 00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:14.480 thrilled about it by that time. Then I got a 553 00:32:14.519 --> 00:32:16.519 normal F and I got rid of the heavy barrel 554 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:19.799 f because there was pointless carrying a thing with bipods. 555 00:32:19.799 --> 00:32:23.480 It took twenty rounds like any other. And I'm in 556 00:32:23.559 --> 00:32:27.000 the in the ourl in Kyward's driving and he's got 557 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:30.440 his dog which is a Labrador, beautiful dog by the 558 00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:33.720 name of Blue, sitting between us, and yeah, we go 559 00:32:33.880 --> 00:32:36.640 driving into the sunset. I never we get looking. You know. 560 00:32:36.680 --> 00:32:39.680 We were going east and I just felt so much. 561 00:32:39.680 --> 00:32:42.559 You're sitting with us fn out the window. You know, 562 00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:46.319 I'm serving a purpose, no idea. What the hell's came on, man? 563 00:32:47.559 --> 00:32:50.240 And anyway, the roads are in a very very bad state. 564 00:32:50.440 --> 00:32:53.359 And it's zigzag zig zag all over the road because 565 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:57.599 it's a lot of potholes and you name it, very 566 00:32:57.640 --> 00:33:00.640 bad roads. And I remember it's coming with the speed 567 00:33:00.680 --> 00:33:02.440 to the one side, to the left hand side of 568 00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:04.160 the road wed like a dip where we could go 569 00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:09.839 through quite smoothly. And all of a sudden, nothing, we 570 00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:14.240 hit a land mine. Now I didn't I couldn't identify 571 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:16.000 a landmink for the life of men. Didn't even know 572 00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:18.400 where a land mine is. You know, I learned all 573 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:25.359 these things afterwards. What happened was the vehicle we were 574 00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:28.920 traveling east, that this land mine hit it, lift the 575 00:33:29.079 --> 00:33:32.920 vehicle up, threw it off the road in a suddenly direction, 576 00:33:34.000 --> 00:33:37.759 facing south, and there we sat. The windskin was out, 577 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:39.920 and the dog was gone, and I was sitting there. 578 00:33:39.920 --> 00:33:43.880 It was just dust and I didn't even Okay, I'll 579 00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:45.599 tell you what happened over there. Now I'm sitting and 580 00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:48.680 we and I looked over KVID. But my ears are 581 00:33:48.720 --> 00:33:51.559 blasted now, you know, the ear drums and a medim 582 00:33:51.640 --> 00:33:53.960 saying we must get out and get out. They can 583 00:33:54.039 --> 00:33:57.880 kill us, you know. And I jumped out. And when 584 00:33:57.960 --> 00:33:59.880 I got out, I'm holding my eff and in my 585 00:34:00.079 --> 00:34:02.920 hand and it's broken. I've got photos of it. It's 586 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:07.319 actually smashed. Now, what happened was good fortune when the 587 00:34:07.400 --> 00:34:10.840 landmine went off. Now what you must understand, the oral 588 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:15.239 has got water in the tires for the shock. Then 589 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:18.880 it got conveyor belting riveted on the floor. Then it's 590 00:34:18.880 --> 00:34:22.159 got sand bagging, so you sit with your legs quite bent. 591 00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:25.360 Then you've got to cross over seat belt that ties 592 00:34:25.400 --> 00:34:29.519 you down. Now when this, when we hit this landmine, 593 00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:33.000 it snapped the seat belts and hit me into the 594 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:35.840 ceiling the roof of the of the of the cab, 595 00:34:36.800 --> 00:34:40.760 and good luck to me, the FN came past me 596 00:34:41.000 --> 00:34:44.119 and smashed and damage broke the weapon and it caught 597 00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:48.480 me under my chin and lost my head. Who decapitated me? Anyway, 598 00:34:48.480 --> 00:34:50.840 I get it. I'm standing with this broken weapon in 599 00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:54.320 my hand. I don't know what's going on. I'm deaf. 600 00:34:55.400 --> 00:34:57.760 It's a hell of a store. And your blue comes 601 00:34:57.800 --> 00:35:00.679 running over. Now when the landmine went off, blue and 602 00:35:00.880 --> 00:35:03.639 right through the where the windskin was, he went right through. 603 00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:08.320 But it came over all happy and no problem. All 604 00:35:08.320 --> 00:35:12.000 of a sudden, all these vehicles right, and it's these engineers. 605 00:35:12.039 --> 00:35:16.480 Now I'm learning as I'm going along now and we 606 00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:18.880 get a lift, they later said, they take us back 607 00:35:18.920 --> 00:35:22.199 to camp. When we get back to campyn with my 608 00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:25.480 broken eff and then we learn there's a mind called 609 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:28.559 the TMA three, which is a Yugoslavia And it looks 610 00:35:28.599 --> 00:35:33.159 like these cheese you buy it in the supermarket, you know, 611 00:35:33.519 --> 00:35:36.159 cheddy cheese in the dread there's that shape has got 612 00:35:36.159 --> 00:35:38.880 no metal on, it's just the T and T. Now, 613 00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:42.000 this was a double puppy because the size of the 614 00:35:42.119 --> 00:35:45.199 hole and the way it threw us. Now, I wasn't 615 00:35:45.239 --> 00:35:47.480 supposed to be alive, but I didn't know it at 616 00:35:47.480 --> 00:35:50.119 the time that I'm supposed to have been, you know, 617 00:35:50.159 --> 00:35:52.840 because I was right on top of the landmine. But 618 00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:56.840 I felt, I tell you, you know, proud I felt 619 00:35:56.840 --> 00:36:00.519 of that one I had survived this landmine. Everybody slapping 620 00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:02.840 me on the back. My back was hurt, my ankle 621 00:36:02.920 --> 00:36:06.280 was hurt, but I felt top notch I had. Now, 622 00:36:06.679 --> 00:36:09.280 I mean combat man, this is what I wanted and 623 00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:13.880 being worn this was it. I was so proud of myself. 624 00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:19.440 And whilst I was in the Gray Scouts, I heard 625 00:36:19.480 --> 00:36:24.920 about the Revision Light Infantry. These guys used to jump 626 00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:29.199 into combat from Dakotas or deployed by Alouette choppers into 627 00:36:30.400 --> 00:36:32.880 the war into combat. There's no question. You go on 628 00:36:32.920 --> 00:36:35.079 the ground and you look for teurs. You were right 629 00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:37.599 in the combat. And I thought, now I want to 630 00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:39.480 join this man, you know, I want to progress a 631 00:36:39.519 --> 00:36:42.719 bit because this landmine really motivated me. I loved the 632 00:36:43.559 --> 00:36:46.599 I just felt like a year omen. Anyway, got back, 633 00:36:46.639 --> 00:36:48.920 did my forms and they sent me to URL and 634 00:36:48.960 --> 00:36:53.559 I landed up in a IN two commando. Now remember 635 00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:58.000 I'm now twenty seven years old, and my troop commander 636 00:36:58.199 --> 00:37:00.440 was a guy with the name of Mike. She was 637 00:37:00.440 --> 00:37:04.719 a lieutenant. He was nineteen years old, nineteen year od kid. 638 00:37:04.760 --> 00:37:07.039 And all the youngsters that people around me are kids, 639 00:37:07.599 --> 00:37:12.320 and you understanding amongst these kids, it was another world, 640 00:37:12.679 --> 00:37:14.679 you know. But I was there and I was happy 641 00:37:14.679 --> 00:37:17.599 I was there, and while we tied, just my luck, 642 00:37:17.679 --> 00:37:20.239 they decided that I was going to be one of 643 00:37:20.239 --> 00:37:22.639 the guys going to be trained as a paratrooper. Now 644 00:37:22.639 --> 00:37:26.199 in Rhodesia, they had to train people in parachuting because 645 00:37:26.199 --> 00:37:29.440 we didn't have enough aloege to deploy everybody. So I 646 00:37:29.519 --> 00:37:34.519 landed up on a parachute course, basic parachuting. My instructor 647 00:37:34.639 --> 00:37:37.440 was the guy with the name of Andy Steen. It 648 00:37:37.679 --> 00:37:41.920 was a magnificent course. It was out of this wall there. Now, 649 00:37:41.920 --> 00:37:46.239 I'm a parabat, day taxi driver, no war experience on 650 00:37:46.280 --> 00:37:50.519 a par of course, you understanding. And I'm a parabat 651 00:37:51.679 --> 00:37:54.440 and I got a nineteen year old officer leading me. 652 00:37:54.559 --> 00:37:57.239 Let me tell you something. This guy's name was Mike Rich. 653 00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:00.199 It looked like a tom Cruiser hall of Ahn, some 654 00:38:00.320 --> 00:38:02.760 looking a smart guy. You would never say that this 655 00:38:02.920 --> 00:38:07.559 guy's a combatant, but balls of titanium. You must see 656 00:38:07.599 --> 00:38:11.239 these guys in combat. I've never in my entire life, 657 00:38:11.679 --> 00:38:13.559 well up to that stage. I mean, what I don't 658 00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:16.960 know about war. Eighteen nineteen year old kids like that 659 00:38:17.079 --> 00:38:20.159 they go into combat. Now what happened was I was 660 00:38:20.280 --> 00:38:24.800 very fortunate. I wasn't deployed to a place called the 661 00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:29.320 Grand Reef where there and off go the sirens. We 662 00:38:29.480 --> 00:38:32.639 run to the Dakota. The choppers are warming up, the gunships, 663 00:38:32.639 --> 00:38:35.360 the CA cars. It's got a twenty mile the geekas. 664 00:38:35.400 --> 00:38:38.320 We've got twin Brownings on that goata warming up, We 665 00:38:38.440 --> 00:38:42.800 got the shoots on. Your weapon gets struck and into 666 00:38:42.840 --> 00:38:45.119 the deck. You're going off we fly. Now, I'm very 667 00:38:45.199 --> 00:38:47.559 very excited today. I mean, I don't ever know what's 668 00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:50.760 going on. What do I know? I just hear these 669 00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:55.320 stories and then we get our stand up, you know, 670 00:38:55.840 --> 00:38:59.239 hook up, check equipment, and then eventually out the door 671 00:38:59.760 --> 00:39:02.599 and we jump right into combat. Man, you know how 672 00:39:02.719 --> 00:39:06.360 fantastic I felt. You know, the strangest thing is I 673 00:39:06.360 --> 00:39:09.639 didn't know any fear because I didn't know what war was. 674 00:39:09.719 --> 00:39:11.960 He was a hell of a lot of shooting and bangs. 675 00:39:12.400 --> 00:39:16.880 The gun ships were flying around circling, and twenty males 676 00:39:16.880 --> 00:39:20.199 were going and Brownings were going. It was oh, it 677 00:39:20.400 --> 00:39:25.320 was unbelievable. There was Lynx lobbing, napalm comes down, staffing 678 00:39:25.440 --> 00:39:29.119 and I thought, wow, man, this is beautiful. Now, this 679 00:39:29.199 --> 00:39:31.480 is my first time I've actually been in real combat. 680 00:39:32.039 --> 00:39:34.440 And remember being on the ground on the left flank. Now, 681 00:39:34.440 --> 00:39:36.760 I've got the mag which when I was at oral 682 00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:40.599 they obviously went less. I've got a machine gun. It's 683 00:39:40.599 --> 00:39:42.719 a big puppy. It it's a big weapon to jump with, 684 00:39:43.679 --> 00:39:48.199 about thirteen kilograms. Anyway, I'm on the left flank, and 685 00:39:49.000 --> 00:39:51.679 as we're swooping through our sea, on my left flank, 686 00:39:51.719 --> 00:39:54.280 I see that as the choppers are circling, there are 687 00:39:54.320 --> 00:39:56.960 two of these terrorists under the trees, firing through the 688 00:39:57.000 --> 00:39:59.880 canopy of the tree at the choppers. And I turned 689 00:39:59.880 --> 00:40:03.119 the alan and I open up, and I get the 690 00:40:03.159 --> 00:40:05.320 spirits of sayin, I take the one guy it must 691 00:40:05.320 --> 00:40:08.519 have been I reckon eighteen meters. I'm speaking under correction, 692 00:40:08.599 --> 00:40:11.119 but I know him. The other puppy goes to go 693 00:40:11.239 --> 00:40:13.360 and he starts opening up at me, and I enjoyed that, 694 00:40:13.519 --> 00:40:15.519 and I rapped him, and I put a hell of 695 00:40:15.559 --> 00:40:17.639 a person and I got rid of him, and I 696 00:40:17.719 --> 00:40:19.760 used the whole hundred rounds over there to kill these 697 00:40:19.800 --> 00:40:22.639 two guys. Then I put a new belt on and 698 00:40:22.639 --> 00:40:25.239 then we stepped forward, and then I got covering fire 699 00:40:25.320 --> 00:40:29.039 and they did the rest of the job. I never forget. 700 00:40:29.079 --> 00:40:32.639 When we got back to the camp, the mockery because 701 00:40:32.679 --> 00:40:34.559 now the old man, I was the old man. I mean, 702 00:40:34.599 --> 00:40:37.440 these are kids, man. I had an underground and the 703 00:40:37.480 --> 00:40:39.719 command of the base cap was mocking me that it 704 00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:42.599 took a hundred rounds around to killed two guys. But 705 00:40:44.079 --> 00:40:49.559 I was a bloody taxi driver and I enjoyed it, 706 00:40:51.360 --> 00:40:55.239 you know, Dave and Jack. I just want to tell 707 00:40:55.280 --> 00:41:00.599 you something how this relates to this story. Two women 708 00:41:00.639 --> 00:41:04.360 are sitting and having tea, and they chatting about the kids, 709 00:41:04.400 --> 00:41:06.559 and the one says to the other one, Oh, my 710 00:41:06.679 --> 00:41:09.519 son has gone to the military. They've given him a uniform, 711 00:41:09.559 --> 00:41:12.320 they give them a big steel helmet, they've given him 712 00:41:12.320 --> 00:41:15.360 a gun and boots, and he's gonna go in and 713 00:41:15.480 --> 00:41:18.559 kill all these people. And the other lady looks at 714 00:41:18.559 --> 00:41:20.960 it and says, to you, but I amn't too scared. 715 00:41:20.960 --> 00:41:23.000 They're going to kill him, she says, But why would 716 00:41:23.039 --> 00:41:25.000 they do that. They don't even know him, you know, 717 00:41:27.440 --> 00:41:32.840 gave me that. Yeah, people were shooting at me, and 718 00:41:32.880 --> 00:41:36.440 I wasn't scared, because what do I know about bloody war, 719 00:41:36.639 --> 00:41:39.000 you know? But I enjoyed it. It was It's fun. 720 00:41:39.239 --> 00:41:42.480 How can I numerous of these punch ups, A lot 721 00:41:42.480 --> 00:41:43.679 of punch ups. 722 00:41:43.920 --> 00:41:47.880 Mike, can I just ask you real quick because obviously 723 00:41:47.920 --> 00:41:50.880 you when you were younger, you were very it seems 724 00:41:50.880 --> 00:41:53.760 like you were very anti authoritarian. 725 00:41:52.960 --> 00:41:55.559 Right you were? You were your own person. 726 00:41:56.039 --> 00:42:00.280 How did you find your way to mesh with the 727 00:42:00.360 --> 00:42:03.159 military where that part of you didn't come out? 728 00:42:05.639 --> 00:42:07.719 I was so keen to have a job. I just 729 00:42:07.800 --> 00:42:10.280 fell in with this story. I just followed orders. I 730 00:42:10.360 --> 00:42:13.079 just did what I did. You know, I just blended. 731 00:42:13.119 --> 00:42:19.719 It's just a flexibility, call it that. And the most 732 00:42:19.760 --> 00:42:23.800 difficult thing for me was, Dave, you must imagine these 733 00:42:23.800 --> 00:42:28.199 are youngsters, man, Yeah, kids, yeah, And in that contact, 734 00:42:28.320 --> 00:42:32.840 I saw these guys in action, and you you don't 735 00:42:32.840 --> 00:42:37.639 see this anyway. It's unbelievable to see eighteen nineteen year 736 00:42:37.639 --> 00:42:41.280 old kids carry on. As I'll explain a bit further on. Anyway, 737 00:42:41.960 --> 00:42:44.639 I landed up in a lot of punch ups and 738 00:42:44.719 --> 00:42:48.320 I enjoyed it. And I know there's a lot of 739 00:42:48.400 --> 00:42:53.559 talk where they say everybody crept himself in war and that, 740 00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:57.039 but I just couldn't wait to get out of the 741 00:42:57.039 --> 00:43:00.239 bloody plane. I don't know what it was. I just 742 00:43:00.760 --> 00:43:03.239 got a hell of a thrill out of us. I 743 00:43:03.280 --> 00:43:06.719 saw didn't even worry about death. Death never worried me, 744 00:43:07.679 --> 00:43:11.559 and we went into We had the Sulu scouts would 745 00:43:11.960 --> 00:43:14.079 be on the ground. They would pick up the terrorists 746 00:43:14.119 --> 00:43:17.239 coming in the country. They would notify the fire force 747 00:43:17.320 --> 00:43:19.679 in the area, and then we would go up. And 748 00:43:19.719 --> 00:43:21.840 we went out for another punch. Up was a nice, 749 00:43:21.840 --> 00:43:26.559 big group of urs over there, and we jumped out 750 00:43:27.079 --> 00:43:29.760 and I had the MG. Now the MG, if you 751 00:43:29.800 --> 00:43:32.280 see the fight, there's a massive weapon which is stapped 752 00:43:32.280 --> 00:43:34.920 over your shot. It's massive. And I'm coming in for 753 00:43:35.119 --> 00:43:38.079 backward landing. Now you know, they're taking shots at us 754 00:43:38.159 --> 00:43:41.519 coming down and I connect the ground without knowing it. 755 00:43:41.639 --> 00:43:45.000 The butt breaks off of this MD and I'm on 756 00:43:45.079 --> 00:43:46.800 the ground. I loosen it. They get it up and 757 00:43:46.840 --> 00:43:48.920 I pick us up and there's like a submachine gun. 758 00:43:48.960 --> 00:43:52.320 It's but the butt still is touched on the swings. 759 00:43:52.360 --> 00:43:54.559 I'll throw it over my shoulder. Got the pistol grip. 760 00:43:54.800 --> 00:43:58.559 I loosen the bipods and I tell you it must 761 00:43:58.599 --> 00:44:00.480 be the first time. I don't even think Amber has 762 00:44:00.519 --> 00:44:06.480 done this and into combat. Didn't perturb me. I'm honest 763 00:44:06.519 --> 00:44:08.360 with it. Didn't even perturb me. And I've got this 764 00:44:08.480 --> 00:44:13.159 thing and I'm having born man, I'm gaining. I'm having fun. Anyway, 765 00:44:13.639 --> 00:44:17.599 we called a lot of guys there, and the one 766 00:44:17.639 --> 00:44:20.320 guy managed to slot one of these guys who was 767 00:44:20.320 --> 00:44:24.159 carrying an RPD. Edward Lindsall was his name. He passed 768 00:44:24.199 --> 00:44:27.639 away reously, a brilliant youngster, was eighteen years old. There. 769 00:44:28.719 --> 00:44:32.519 I was towering over these guys. This guy's had bump 770 00:44:32.559 --> 00:44:37.880 fluff men. You can't believe it. The bravery is I 771 00:44:37.920 --> 00:44:41.719 can't explain it. Anyway, they give me this RPD and 772 00:44:41.760 --> 00:44:45.079 they took some turs and undertwo what they threw them 773 00:44:45.079 --> 00:44:47.639 on the aloe with a gun and offered when I'm 774 00:44:47.679 --> 00:44:51.199 sitting with an RPD, and I all I had to 775 00:44:51.280 --> 00:44:54.000 know is where the barrel was, where the trigger was, 776 00:44:54.039 --> 00:44:57.159 and the safety catch. And I was thrall and I 777 00:44:57.239 --> 00:44:59.519 so badly wanted to kill somebody with us. And we 778 00:44:59.599 --> 00:45:02.519 went in, but I didn't have a chance to kill anybody. 779 00:45:02.559 --> 00:45:04.880 I was so peered off with us. I really wanted 780 00:45:04.920 --> 00:45:09.320 to kill somebody with us. Anyway, went back to Kleoopity 781 00:45:09.679 --> 00:45:13.599 and so on and so forth, and as this thing progressed, 782 00:45:14.079 --> 00:45:17.159 I was I was so excited with us, you know, 783 00:45:18.559 --> 00:45:20.719 I'm sure I could have fathered some of these guys, 784 00:45:20.760 --> 00:45:24.280 you know. Yeah, and the beautiful thing came up in 785 00:45:24.360 --> 00:45:29.320 seventy seven Operation Dingo, probably the biggest operation ever Indonesia. 786 00:45:29.440 --> 00:45:33.519 I think it compares with Vietnam with the biggest ever 787 00:45:33.639 --> 00:45:37.320 they was. And I land up with Mike Rich the 788 00:45:37.440 --> 00:45:40.039 nineteen year old. Oh what a gutsy guy. That's you 789 00:45:40.079 --> 00:45:44.920 can't believe it. It's awesome, man, and MG and off 790 00:45:44.960 --> 00:45:46.880 I Gobert. I mean alo is Now we're going out 791 00:45:46.960 --> 00:45:49.360 the stop groups now and the three commanders and the 792 00:45:49.519 --> 00:45:52.280 sas we're going to jump in sweep to the camps. 793 00:45:52.320 --> 00:45:56.280 And we were putting a type of horseshoe around it. 794 00:45:56.360 --> 00:45:58.119 I can't remember the whole story, but I'm in the 795 00:45:58.199 --> 00:46:01.519 stop group and they jump in and they represent they 796 00:46:01.519 --> 00:46:04.880 come running towards you as man, what a dream that 797 00:46:05.079 --> 00:46:08.760 was for me. I love the day. I well, I 798 00:46:09.079 --> 00:46:10.000 can't explain it to you. 799 00:46:10.079 --> 00:46:10.440 I was. 800 00:46:12.440 --> 00:46:15.360 Seventh pep and now that was beautiful. We nailed these guys, 801 00:46:15.400 --> 00:46:19.039 and I really mean we flawed them, mate, and we 802 00:46:19.079 --> 00:46:22.719 swept through and and but anyway, we cold stacks of 803 00:46:22.800 --> 00:46:26.880 these guys. And I but now I'm lying that night 804 00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:30.519 and I hear all the bangs and because there's fires 805 00:46:30.559 --> 00:46:34.039 and whatever. And I'm listening, I say to myself, you know, 806 00:46:34.039 --> 00:46:36.840 I saw the says, wings and the brain. I saw 807 00:46:36.880 --> 00:46:39.880 these things around people, and I thought, hell man, and 808 00:46:39.920 --> 00:46:42.239 I've heard so much about Look, there's nothing like the 809 00:46:42.400 --> 00:46:45.159 essays anywhere in the world. I'm telling you that. And 810 00:46:45.199 --> 00:46:47.639 I thought, hell I want to be in the Essays. 811 00:46:48.159 --> 00:46:50.119 So once we get back to your two, Commander, I 812 00:46:50.159 --> 00:46:51.760 go to my crits and I said, I want to 813 00:46:51.800 --> 00:46:56.760 go to Essays application for selection. Oh man, that I 814 00:46:56.800 --> 00:46:57.559 regret that. 815 00:47:00.559 --> 00:47:03.440 How long have you been between between the. 816 00:47:03.960 --> 00:47:07.320 Gray Scouts and the Rhodesian Light industry. How long have 817 00:47:07.400 --> 00:47:09.119 you had you been in the service at that point 818 00:47:09.119 --> 00:47:09.440 in time? 819 00:47:11.599 --> 00:47:16.000 Oh, I can't remember offhand. I must have had about, 820 00:47:17.159 --> 00:47:24.920 uh three, maybe six months. I don't know. I'm speaking 821 00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:29.480 under correction. You know, time goes so fast when you're 822 00:47:29.719 --> 00:47:33.719 in the fire force because you you in so much comeback. 823 00:47:34.000 --> 00:47:36.960 You know what I loved about the ROI You don't 824 00:47:37.039 --> 00:47:40.119 jump in and you don't fight when you jump in. 825 00:47:40.320 --> 00:47:43.639 As soon a scouts have put them the books, given 826 00:47:43.719 --> 00:47:46.159 the lockstack where there are the decks, come they drop 827 00:47:46.159 --> 00:47:48.119 off gunships put them down there. We go and we 828 00:47:48.239 --> 00:47:52.119 cull and it's it's it's absolutely amazing, you know. Yeah, 829 00:47:52.159 --> 00:47:56.280 so time goes, time flies. The one day we deployed twice, 830 00:47:56.559 --> 00:47:59.199 the record is three times. I can't remember which command 831 00:47:59.239 --> 00:48:01.519 it was, but we deployed twice. And that day I 832 00:48:01.599 --> 00:48:03.960 felt it because we got out about half the sixth 833 00:48:03.960 --> 00:48:05.960 that night. But it was a hell of a buncher. 834 00:48:06.639 --> 00:48:09.119 But it was so enjoyable. You know, that smell of 835 00:48:09.159 --> 00:48:13.159 the gun. Well, and I don't know, I just crave 836 00:48:13.239 --> 00:48:16.199 this stuff. I just loved it. Maybe my childhood dreams 837 00:48:16.239 --> 00:48:18.920 some singer the Second World War movie. You didn't get 838 00:48:19.039 --> 00:48:23.360 enough of this anyway, This SAS appuilt, man, I thought 839 00:48:23.400 --> 00:48:27.800 I came for a selection. Wow, man, who let me 840 00:48:27.800 --> 00:48:32.400 tell you all the instructors in the SAS are qualified operators. 841 00:48:32.639 --> 00:48:37.159 They don't take shit, man. Did I only realized when 842 00:48:37.159 --> 00:48:40.239 I was there. I heard stories and the stories you 843 00:48:40.360 --> 00:48:44.920 hear about SAS selection. Believe it, I'm telling you believe it. 844 00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:49.920 That is at another level. That is torture. But I 845 00:48:50.039 --> 00:48:54.320 was determined to make it. Now. With the reputation that 846 00:48:54.400 --> 00:48:58.559 I arrived there, they didn't really favor me much and 847 00:48:58.679 --> 00:49:01.400 I they gave me a hard time. But I was 848 00:49:01.440 --> 00:49:03.239 a tough cookie, you know, I wasn't going to give 849 00:49:03.239 --> 00:49:05.400 it because I wanted that parade and I wanted to 850 00:49:05.400 --> 00:49:08.559 be says. I wanted the war that they had. I 851 00:49:08.599 --> 00:49:11.519 wanted this comeback and I stuck it out. Look, they 852 00:49:11.559 --> 00:49:14.320 gave it to me, but I was fortunate over there. 853 00:49:14.400 --> 00:49:17.800 They at one stage I hammered me very very hot. 854 00:49:17.880 --> 00:49:20.280 And the guy's name was Rob Johnson, was a major 855 00:49:20.719 --> 00:49:24.440 awesome operator. I operated him afterwards as calm as hell 856 00:49:24.559 --> 00:49:29.599 under fire as while a brilliant operator. And they decided 857 00:49:29.880 --> 00:49:33.679 they didn't exactly like who I was and where I 858 00:49:33.760 --> 00:49:36.199 came from because I I was a trouble make and 859 00:49:36.239 --> 00:49:38.920 if you and I did a lot of smuggling, I 860 00:49:39.000 --> 00:49:42.199 told you I was drive cars pop cause don't know 861 00:49:42.239 --> 00:49:44.719 what's in the cause get paid, land up in fights. 862 00:49:45.199 --> 00:49:48.320 It was a bit of a hooligan and he wanted 863 00:49:48.320 --> 00:49:50.159 to get him me, so they turned up a pressure 864 00:49:50.199 --> 00:49:52.880 on me. But to break me you needed to add 865 00:49:52.880 --> 00:49:55.199 a lot, a lot more instructors. Because I wanted to 866 00:49:55.239 --> 00:49:58.440 be there. I ended up wrestling in the mud with 867 00:49:58.599 --> 00:50:03.320 Brian Murphy, religion player and that open guy. Yeah, what 868 00:50:03.440 --> 00:50:05.239 a tough guy. Him and I were brawling in the 869 00:50:05.320 --> 00:50:11.119 mud anyway. Eventually Rob Johnson went to Darrell what what 870 00:50:11.239 --> 00:50:14.119 got wounded in the leg and he was on the selection. 871 00:50:14.199 --> 00:50:16.440 He was out of combat, and he said, we can't 872 00:50:16.440 --> 00:50:18.599 break this puppy. And Darrell said, give him to me. Man, 873 00:50:18.639 --> 00:50:22.159 you know, I'll take him because Daryl was my type 874 00:50:22.159 --> 00:50:26.280 of guy that was a shutster. Listen, this is a 875 00:50:26.320 --> 00:50:28.719 tough puppy. This is not a type of guy that 876 00:50:28.840 --> 00:50:32.360 you find anywhere. It's a very unique human being. He 877 00:50:32.400 --> 00:50:35.400 loved trouble with this out of the bush and you 878 00:50:35.800 --> 00:50:38.480 in town at night, he will fight. You'll cause trouble. 879 00:50:38.519 --> 00:50:40.760 If he's in the bush and he's bored, you'll go 880 00:50:40.920 --> 00:50:45.519 look for trouble. And I love this guy. But i'd 881 00:50:45.559 --> 00:50:49.800 only heard of Darrell What then. And I remember the 882 00:50:49.880 --> 00:50:53.760 one up. Everybody spoke about Daryl Arret Tarts all the years, 883 00:50:53.800 --> 00:50:56.559 Darryl Darrell and I wanted this guy because I just 884 00:50:57.079 --> 00:50:59.199 some man knew this is where the fight was. You know. 885 00:50:59.719 --> 00:51:01.480 I ended up in a lot of punch ups with 886 00:51:01.559 --> 00:51:07.360 different offices. But I remember going on this up with 887 00:51:07.440 --> 00:51:10.800 him now and we went to an area called Kavala Mana. 888 00:51:11.960 --> 00:51:15.880 Now we were four manting. Now I was the RPD gunner. 889 00:51:15.920 --> 00:51:18.159 I love machine gun because you know I could kill 890 00:51:18.199 --> 00:51:21.760 with this thing. Now I loved just just something appealed 891 00:51:21.800 --> 00:51:24.400 to me. I was a bit of a not We 892 00:51:24.480 --> 00:51:26.960 had a signal a medic and Darrel wattered myself and 893 00:51:27.079 --> 00:51:29.360 four guys and we got into an Lupa area which 894 00:51:29.400 --> 00:51:32.079 is a high ground, and we were sitting up on 895 00:51:32.119 --> 00:51:34.960 the ill and were scouting, looking with binoculars. Now you 896 00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:43.559 look for shine, you know, yours, your normal shape, size, spacing, silhouette, 897 00:51:43.840 --> 00:51:49.480 shadow shine movement. And we looked for this. And as 898 00:51:49.480 --> 00:51:52.519 the day got near last night, Daryl came over and said, listen, 899 00:51:52.559 --> 00:51:55.239 I picked up a glint. It was to the west, 900 00:51:55.800 --> 00:51:57.880 so I picked it quite away from there, probably about 901 00:51:57.920 --> 00:52:01.000 five seven killers, I can't remember. He said, I'm going 902 00:52:01.039 --> 00:52:02.920 to We're gonna go invest it. He said, Mike, you're 903 00:52:02.960 --> 00:52:06.199 going with me. So we leave all our heavy kid dying. 904 00:52:06.280 --> 00:52:08.880 I've got my just my normal bult webbing on and 905 00:52:09.079 --> 00:52:13.000 my RPDO. Loved my rpdo just what I loved it. 906 00:52:13.760 --> 00:52:15.800 I could have married a arpedion and I just loved 907 00:52:15.840 --> 00:52:20.360 the weapon. Anyway, we went down and walked into got 908 00:52:20.360 --> 00:52:25.840 into the night, walked and eventually found vehicle tracks. Remember 909 00:52:25.880 --> 00:52:27.559 I come out of fire force. Now I've got a 910 00:52:27.559 --> 00:52:29.719 lot of combat. I'm not scared of fighting, and I'm 911 00:52:29.800 --> 00:52:33.239 used to combat now. And Darryl Man, I wish you 912 00:52:33.320 --> 00:52:35.800 guys could meet this guy. This guy's as wide as 913 00:52:35.800 --> 00:52:40.599 what is taw and man I called him the god 914 00:52:40.639 --> 00:52:45.119 of war. Nothing like that or what on this planet? Man? Anyway, 915 00:52:45.159 --> 00:52:48.800 we are, we walking and we get you a makeshift 916 00:52:48.840 --> 00:52:53.480 boom and the vehicle tracks agagain and Darrell's walking. I'm 917 00:52:53.519 --> 00:52:58.920 following Daryl and we walk right into a turken But 918 00:53:00.239 --> 00:53:02.679 I think most people who realized it had turned around 919 00:53:02.719 --> 00:53:05.679 and scamp it in another direction. But not there or what. 920 00:53:05.840 --> 00:53:08.559 He just keeps walking. Now. I don't know if we 921 00:53:08.559 --> 00:53:11.440 were in the middle of the camp on the side 922 00:53:11.440 --> 00:53:13.320 of the camp, but we were between the turs. I 923 00:53:13.320 --> 00:53:15.920 could hear the night sounds this is but I had 924 00:53:15.920 --> 00:53:19.639 this RPD and I was ready, And yeah, Darrel was walking. 925 00:53:19.719 --> 00:53:22.239 Beautiful moonlight, but a lot of trees in the camp. 926 00:53:22.679 --> 00:53:25.079 And we walked, I don't know, maybe one hundred meters 927 00:53:25.079 --> 00:53:27.639 to get through this camp. The other side. We got 928 00:53:27.639 --> 00:53:30.239 to a Cattie bush. Now we're standing in bright moonlight. 929 00:53:30.840 --> 00:53:33.519 It feels like I'm standing, you know, on a light 930 00:53:33.800 --> 00:53:36.960 so bright, and he's just listening and I'm standing and 931 00:53:36.960 --> 00:53:39.320 I'm waiting, and I don't know what's going on. And 932 00:53:39.360 --> 00:53:41.280 he just does this and yeah, he goes back on 933 00:53:41.320 --> 00:53:45.360 the same way walking, and yet all these nights sounds 934 00:53:45.400 --> 00:53:49.199 and I think wow, But I didn't. At that stage 935 00:53:49.199 --> 00:53:52.239 of the game. I realized were right in amongst the puppies. 936 00:53:52.800 --> 00:53:55.440 But I wasn't actually the ter because I was Darrel 937 00:53:55.519 --> 00:53:58.440 in the Daryl. I heard so much about him, I 938 00:53:58.480 --> 00:54:00.960 didn't care. You know, a bunch of with him as 939 00:54:01.159 --> 00:54:04.920 wouldn't worry me. Anyway, we get right to the camp. 940 00:54:05.559 --> 00:54:08.400 We moved a long distance on the camp, and we 941 00:54:08.519 --> 00:54:11.280 moved up into a high ground. Now we're sitting on 942 00:54:11.280 --> 00:54:14.159 this high ground and Suddy, we hear these rifle shot, 943 00:54:14.239 --> 00:54:16.360 these gunshots going off. Now I don't know what's going on. 944 00:54:16.400 --> 00:54:18.840 I mean, I'm a fire force man, you know, a 945 00:54:18.840 --> 00:54:21.920 taxi driver. They're not gray scout, grown up with a 946 00:54:21.920 --> 00:54:26.079 bloody landmine. Now I'm sitting in this nice combat and 947 00:54:26.119 --> 00:54:29.039 I said, what said, Daryl says, it's hunters. I said hunters. 948 00:54:29.079 --> 00:54:30.800 He says, oh, they're going to shoot meat in that. 949 00:54:31.239 --> 00:54:33.320 So I said, would you like to go and take 950 00:54:33.360 --> 00:54:35.800 these guys out. I said, oh fuck, I'd love it, 951 00:54:35.840 --> 00:54:39.920 you know, love it. And he says, okay, let's go listen. 952 00:54:40.519 --> 00:54:44.000 This sounds like you don't you won't even see this 953 00:54:44.079 --> 00:54:47.880 in a bloody movie. But it doesn't register me to 954 00:54:47.920 --> 00:54:50.400 me as normal, you know what. I'm just doing what 955 00:54:50.480 --> 00:54:53.800 I'm told. And Daryl walks, gets down and finds some 956 00:54:53.920 --> 00:54:56.440 jumbos for elephants for But there's a lot of bush. 957 00:54:56.440 --> 00:54:59.239 It's sick. It's Zambia, and he points in that direction. 958 00:54:59.360 --> 00:55:02.679 He says that that places off you go. And I thought, 959 00:55:02.719 --> 00:55:05.679 what the hell. Now I'm walking with the RPD and 960 00:55:05.719 --> 00:55:07.920 I'm walking. I look at my perif. It's about five 961 00:55:08.000 --> 00:55:10.000 meters behind me. You know, I might as well be 962 00:55:10.079 --> 00:55:14.519 walking in down window shopping. And I'm walking and in 963 00:55:14.599 --> 00:55:17.559 the bush round, and all of a sudden there come 964 00:55:17.639 --> 00:55:21.599 these three chappies. The one's got some game over his shoulder. 965 00:55:21.719 --> 00:55:25.880 That and the other are but too late. The advantage 966 00:55:25.960 --> 00:55:28.800 was I knew they were there, and Daryl told me, 967 00:55:28.880 --> 00:55:31.880 you know, I'm gonna go kill one. They did not 968 00:55:31.960 --> 00:55:34.079 as they and they went for the guns. But sorry 969 00:55:34.119 --> 00:55:37.119 for you, you know, too late, and I got rid 970 00:55:37.159 --> 00:55:40.920 of them. I dispose of them very very effectively. Anyway, 971 00:55:41.559 --> 00:55:43.880 now we have caused quite a commotion with this machine 972 00:55:43.880 --> 00:55:46.519 gunner mine. So we moved to another eye ground and 973 00:55:46.559 --> 00:55:49.199 Daryl's sitting up there wants to see what reaction comes 974 00:55:49.239 --> 00:55:51.360 if the camp picked it up, because we found the 975 00:55:51.400 --> 00:55:55.239 cant Now we got to attack this place. While I'm 976 00:55:55.280 --> 00:55:57.239 sitting up there listening, and I look at him, I 977 00:55:57.320 --> 00:56:01.079 seemed smiling at me, you know, and I say, well, 978 00:56:01.079 --> 00:56:04.199 I called himself. I said, what's it? So he says, hey, Wes, 979 00:56:04.239 --> 00:56:07.920 did you ship yourself? I said, hold one, you know, 980 00:56:08.079 --> 00:56:11.199 close it was, and he gives a little little chuckle 981 00:56:11.239 --> 00:56:13.920 of his He just loved the day. Oh, he loved 982 00:56:14.000 --> 00:56:16.519 He just loved it. I mean it was. It was 983 00:56:16.679 --> 00:56:19.480 bloody close, you know. I mean say, there was seven 984 00:56:19.559 --> 00:56:20.960 or eight groops. You know, I could have been in 985 00:56:21.039 --> 00:56:23.000 quite a fight, but I would have got them. I 986 00:56:23.039 --> 00:56:28.119 have confident of the modelm Anyway, we moved back to 987 00:56:28.159 --> 00:56:30.719 the lup with the other two guys with our hop 988 00:56:30.880 --> 00:56:33.480 with our single thirty A TR forty eight big radio 989 00:56:34.199 --> 00:56:36.880 mate comes to Salisbury gives them the whole picture, and 990 00:56:36.920 --> 00:56:40.880 we moved about twenty five kilos to the south, and 991 00:56:40.920 --> 00:56:42.679 then they came and dropped a lot of guys in 992 00:56:42.719 --> 00:56:46.000 so we could attack this cap. So there's a lot 993 00:56:46.039 --> 00:56:49.800 of slogging, minimum sleep and a lot of walking. And yeah, 994 00:56:50.039 --> 00:56:54.000 but you're an operator, you're an Essays operator. When you 995 00:56:54.039 --> 00:56:58.760 pass an SAS selection, let me tell you you're your something else. 996 00:56:59.280 --> 00:57:03.119 That is, if you got five at of one hundred, 997 00:57:03.199 --> 00:57:05.400 you've got a hell of a lot of people to 998 00:57:05.480 --> 00:57:07.880 get in over there. Because I remember the day when 999 00:57:07.920 --> 00:57:10.239 we went to Llewellyn Directs its a lot of these 1000 00:57:10.639 --> 00:57:13.159 wanna be puppies around. Everybody goes in to get a 1001 00:57:13.239 --> 00:57:16.400 day office, probably about six hundred people coming to participate 1002 00:57:16.480 --> 00:57:18.880 in it. In the end when it was all over, 1003 00:57:18.880 --> 00:57:21.039 I think we were seven that made the bloody selection. 1004 00:57:21.239 --> 00:57:24.559 It's a hell of a story. It's torture. I really 1005 00:57:24.599 --> 00:57:27.320 do not recommend as to my worst enemy to go 1006 00:57:27.360 --> 00:57:32.119 and try SAS selection. It's not fun. Anyway, we got 1007 00:57:32.119 --> 00:57:34.800 the lads and we slug all the way back and 1008 00:57:34.920 --> 00:57:38.559 we attacked the camp and it was absolutely amazing. I 1009 00:57:38.599 --> 00:57:41.719 mean I was now in the skirmish line with Darrell 1010 00:57:41.840 --> 00:57:46.599 and man we moved these guys. It was absolutely amazing 1011 00:57:46.639 --> 00:57:50.239 it and we did quite a lot of these things, 1012 00:57:50.320 --> 00:57:54.719 quite a lot of his camp attack one of the 1013 00:57:56.320 --> 00:57:58.719 I did a lot of camp every single camp attack, 1014 00:57:59.119 --> 00:58:03.519 gave and jack every single kampa tech did introudiesia. I 1015 00:58:03.639 --> 00:58:07.800 was on every single one. You can read from Mike 1016 00:58:07.880 --> 00:58:11.679 Rich it was he was in the RLI with me, 1017 00:58:12.360 --> 00:58:14.039 he was in the essays, and he was in the 1018 00:58:14.079 --> 00:58:16.920 recuse with me. And then Darrell what the god of 1019 00:58:17.000 --> 00:58:19.880 war is probably the most renown soldier you're computing. You 1020 00:58:19.960 --> 00:58:23.039 gotta look what they write about me bottom day. You see, 1021 00:58:23.960 --> 00:58:26.559 no people, no guys ever been as much combatant. Now, 1022 00:58:26.599 --> 00:58:29.199 I'm proud of that. As a you must remember why 1023 00:58:29.280 --> 00:58:31.199 I'm proud of it. I'm a bloody. It was a 1024 00:58:31.199 --> 00:58:35.239 taxi driver. I didn't do a military training. I mean 1025 00:58:35.280 --> 00:58:40.639 this is standard. Yeah, yes, this man, that was absolutely crazy. 1026 00:58:40.920 --> 00:58:43.400 How you know you mentioned selection a bit? Can you 1027 00:58:43.400 --> 00:58:44.840 tell us, Uh. 1028 00:58:44.760 --> 00:58:48.360 We're familiar with like United States selections and even a 1029 00:58:48.360 --> 00:58:51.960 bit with the essay British essays selection, but can you 1030 00:58:52.000 --> 00:58:54.480 tell us what it was like in Rhodesian essays selection. 1031 00:58:55.000 --> 00:58:57.639 It's happening during a time of war, kind of in 1032 00:58:57.679 --> 00:58:59.679 a neural inner neural war zone. 1033 00:59:00.719 --> 00:59:03.239 How did that work? How long was that? 1034 00:59:03.280 --> 00:59:06.239 Well? We went to an area called the matopos, very 1035 00:59:06.320 --> 00:59:10.199 mountainous area, a lot of scorpions and gombles, you know, mules. 1036 00:59:11.199 --> 00:59:14.280 It's sheer torture. Then you've got r V point you've 1037 00:59:14.280 --> 00:59:19.360 got to make in certain times, the one you go 1038 00:59:19.440 --> 00:59:23.119 through what they call a three six hour rev. Now, listen, 1039 00:59:23.239 --> 00:59:25.599 this is really not This is where most of the 1040 00:59:25.639 --> 00:59:29.960 people fall out. You know. They got a galvanized bathtub 1041 00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:33.519 with ice in it and Coca colas and everything in it. 1042 00:59:33.800 --> 00:59:35.719 And then they ride next to you and they run 1043 00:59:35.760 --> 00:59:37.840 you in the yat of the sun with sand bags 1044 00:59:37.840 --> 00:59:40.599 and they really give it to you, and they tell you, 1045 00:59:40.639 --> 00:59:43.599 come on, jump on, man, go to the club at night. 1046 00:59:43.599 --> 00:59:45.920 There was a club called the Electric Circles in bull Away. 1047 00:59:46.480 --> 00:59:48.719 Come go with the dollies man, and you see other 1048 00:59:48.760 --> 00:59:51.360 guys jump on and take the coats, and that's how 1049 00:59:51.400 --> 00:59:54.039 they love you on. But it's just help you go 1050 00:59:54.119 --> 00:59:57.639 through a three six hour red. No sleep, no food, 1051 00:59:57.760 --> 01:00:01.880 no water, no shit. You got bricks and all you've 1052 01:00:01.880 --> 01:00:05.320 got to shout the whole time is I love my instructor, 1053 01:00:05.519 --> 01:00:08.440 I love selection, I love my brick. And you got 1054 01:00:08.440 --> 01:00:11.000 to carry on with us, and they nail you, and 1055 01:00:11.039 --> 01:00:14.280 they nail it never. It just doesn't stop. I can't 1056 01:00:14.320 --> 01:00:16.920 explain it to you. And then at one stage they 1057 01:00:16.960 --> 01:00:19.519 line you up in the line and they come with 1058 01:00:19.519 --> 01:00:22.519 a salt tablet and can't remember what they call it 1059 01:00:22.559 --> 01:00:25.880 with quaninia also for for malaria, and you open your 1060 01:00:25.880 --> 01:00:27.639 mouth and check it in your mouth and you got 1061 01:00:27.639 --> 01:00:31.440 to chew it. Then they got a dirty, old bloody 1062 01:00:31.519 --> 01:00:35.679 kettle which they get tissue from the scullery, the rubbish, 1063 01:00:35.719 --> 01:00:37.679 dirty water, and they walk past and the age just 1064 01:00:37.760 --> 01:00:39.599 pouring it and if you get some in your mouth, 1065 01:00:39.639 --> 01:00:44.239 you're lucky and that's your water. But man, it is 1066 01:00:44.679 --> 01:00:47.960 it is, it is. It is torture. Listen, it's torture. 1067 01:00:48.639 --> 01:00:51.559 Then they pull another trick on you. When the thirty 1068 01:00:51.639 --> 01:00:55.119 six hour rivers over, we get a massive log and 1069 01:00:55.199 --> 01:00:58.760 must weigh about three hundred kilograms, and it's called daffodil, 1070 01:00:59.320 --> 01:01:03.079 a daffodil. These are supposedly mortar tube. Now and we've 1071 01:01:03.079 --> 01:01:06.360 got to go about fifty kilometers over uneven ground to 1072 01:01:06.400 --> 01:01:10.079 get to a high point to mortar certain down on 1073 01:01:10.119 --> 01:01:13.000 a tourist map, and you have to be there at 1074 01:01:13.000 --> 01:01:16.920 a certain time. Yeah, now this is where they now 1075 01:01:16.960 --> 01:01:19.079 whilst you're doing this thing, this is where you see 1076 01:01:19.079 --> 01:01:22.760 where the guys start fading. Then when we get to 1077 01:01:22.800 --> 01:01:25.039 the end of this, they give every guy a piece 1078 01:01:25.079 --> 01:01:27.239 of paper and a pencil and you must write down 1079 01:01:27.599 --> 01:01:32.159 who do you think must go because that's where you 1080 01:01:32.199 --> 01:01:35.159 see where the guys don't pull their weight. Then you 1081 01:01:35.239 --> 01:01:37.679 lose a lot of guys over there there, you lose 1082 01:01:37.679 --> 01:01:43.440 a lot of guys. Yeah, and listen it, man, I 1083 01:01:43.559 --> 01:01:46.519 tell you I wouldn't well, I couldn't do it today anymore. 1084 01:01:46.559 --> 01:01:49.119 I'm seventy six years old now. I wouldn't chance it 1085 01:01:49.119 --> 01:01:52.239 again in my life. I wouldn't even think of it. Listen, 1086 01:01:53.199 --> 01:01:55.800 it's not meant for everybody that. It's a very very 1087 01:01:55.840 --> 01:01:56.320 tough game. 1088 01:01:56.639 --> 01:01:57.639 And then what is beauty? 1089 01:01:57.760 --> 01:02:02.559 It prepares you. That's really Look, let's be honest, that's 1090 01:02:02.559 --> 01:02:05.360 not It doesn't matter how tough you are, Army selections 1091 01:02:05.400 --> 01:02:10.000 you pass. If you haven't got it in you to 1092 01:02:10.119 --> 01:02:15.320 go out there and face people with guns, right, if 1093 01:02:15.360 --> 01:02:17.280 it's not in you, don't do it, because that's a 1094 01:02:17.320 --> 01:02:19.639 different bloody ball game. I mean, those people are killing 1095 01:02:19.719 --> 01:02:22.800 time to kill you. Man. Yeah, we landed up in 1096 01:02:22.800 --> 01:02:25.599 a in a skirmish line with another guy at another office, 1097 01:02:25.599 --> 01:02:27.880 and it wasn't there all and well, I killed my 1098 01:02:27.960 --> 01:02:30.599 first albino. I was so proud of myself. He was 1099 01:02:30.639 --> 01:02:33.159 a machine gunner and I was a machine gunner and 1100 01:02:33.199 --> 01:02:35.159 I got rid of this guy. Oh, I was toughed. 1101 01:02:35.320 --> 01:02:38.000 You didn't fight out from the front. He John was 1102 01:02:38.039 --> 01:02:41.679 shutting the oh man, you know, Oh, I felt good. 1103 01:02:41.880 --> 01:02:45.599 If I read a book where some revision book where 1104 01:02:45.599 --> 01:02:49.199 they killed an albino and this, I just felt like 1105 01:02:49.239 --> 01:02:52.239 a you know, I killed my first albina. I'll ask 1106 01:02:52.280 --> 01:02:55.599 proud of myself. Mane. But we went on a quite 1107 01:02:55.639 --> 01:02:58.159 a few of these competexts, but a very nice one 1108 01:02:58.480 --> 01:03:01.480 one that I call nice that I don't people probably 1109 01:03:01.519 --> 01:03:03.719 so I'm stupid, but I don't know. It was nice. 1110 01:03:04.199 --> 01:03:08.079 It was the mccushey one. Now there were females and 1111 01:03:08.159 --> 01:03:13.559 males and with the what happens is the aircraft go in. 1112 01:03:14.440 --> 01:03:17.920 The Canberra's bombed the place. The hunters come in and strike, 1113 01:03:18.280 --> 01:03:20.320 and then the gun ships are up nailing it with 1114 01:03:20.400 --> 01:03:22.880 the twenty moors and it and then US guys come 1115 01:03:22.920 --> 01:03:24.800 in with the decatas and we jump out. But we 1116 01:03:24.920 --> 01:03:28.760 jumped very lowly. You haven't got much time that if 1117 01:03:28.760 --> 01:03:31.880 you're shoot malfunctions too dead because we're jumping too low. 1118 01:03:31.960 --> 01:03:34.880 But we can't jump high because this puppies shoot at us. 1119 01:03:34.920 --> 01:03:37.880 My shoot actually got hit already, you know, with rams 1120 01:03:37.880 --> 01:03:42.199 going through it. It's but it doesn't worry you. Now 1121 01:03:42.559 --> 01:03:44.760 with your weapon being swept, you got a nine more 1122 01:03:44.840 --> 01:03:48.159 behind you, your reserve, which as you come down you 1123 01:03:48.239 --> 01:03:50.599 must if they're shooting at you fight back. But when 1124 01:03:50.639 --> 01:03:53.599 we jump that lowly on the ground very quick, remember 1125 01:03:53.679 --> 01:03:56.360 eating the deck in mccushey. And I'm on the ground. 1126 01:03:56.440 --> 01:04:00.360 We scattered all over and I tell you not look up, 1127 01:04:00.400 --> 01:04:02.800 and I just see this whole lot running towards me. 1128 01:04:03.239 --> 01:04:05.639 And I got this high powered browning and I'm just 1129 01:04:06.000 --> 01:04:08.159 going and I actually dropped them with this bloody thing, 1130 01:04:08.679 --> 01:04:12.760 but a thing I remember, you know what, Dave and Jay, 1131 01:04:13.039 --> 01:04:15.840 I swear I can see the guy's eyes still today. 1132 01:04:16.559 --> 01:04:19.400 You had a brownieh that looked like an overall nearly 1133 01:04:19.480 --> 01:04:23.239 like sad South African defense, all the type overall. This 1134 01:04:23.480 --> 01:04:26.360 guy in mid air turn he came running at me. 1135 01:04:26.400 --> 01:04:28.440 So many turned in mid air, but I doubled apt 1136 01:04:28.480 --> 01:04:31.039 him and I put him away. So with a nine ball. 1137 01:04:31.519 --> 01:04:33.840 While we're on the gun, some guys are stuck in trees. 1138 01:04:34.320 --> 01:04:36.599 You know, it's you don't know where they held you hand. 1139 01:04:36.960 --> 01:04:39.239 It's a very dangerous game and it can break you up. 1140 01:04:39.360 --> 01:04:43.039 One guy even broken neck once Keith click. So it's 1141 01:04:43.039 --> 01:04:45.320 a hell of a dangerous game. So you get all 1142 01:04:45.400 --> 01:04:47.960 your machine gun off for you, whatever weapon you got. 1143 01:04:48.239 --> 01:04:51.800 Once you got that in your hand, man, and you 1144 01:04:52.000 --> 01:04:56.519 formed that line. Now the cake which is your your commander, 1145 01:04:56.599 --> 01:05:00.360 the ops commander guides the skirmish lines now from the 1146 01:05:00.440 --> 01:05:02.719 cake of and then we moved through the camp and 1147 01:05:02.760 --> 01:05:07.639 we nail these guys and that listeners are we're always outnumbered. Man, 1148 01:05:07.679 --> 01:05:11.800 you have ten thousand, two hundred of us or that 1149 01:05:12.199 --> 01:05:18.440 we've hopelessly outnumbered. But we're essays. We are men. These 1150 01:05:18.480 --> 01:05:21.639 are men, and it's a different caliber of mandates. You've 1151 01:05:21.639 --> 01:05:26.679 got to people, I see so much in you, so much, 1152 01:05:27.079 --> 01:05:30.800 but you've got to experience being with the r I 1153 01:05:31.000 --> 01:05:33.159 and the essay. I've never seen fighting force. I don't 1154 01:05:33.159 --> 01:05:36.400 even believe anything like it exists on the planet. It 1155 01:05:36.519 --> 01:05:42.000 is unbelievable. The amount of people we take on the trenches, 1156 01:05:42.039 --> 01:05:44.199 we take on the amount of fire we take, and 1157 01:05:44.199 --> 01:05:47.280 how we beat them at their own game. It's unbelievable. 1158 01:05:47.320 --> 01:05:49.039 But you know how you do it if you've got 1159 01:05:49.039 --> 01:05:52.119 the right teacher. I'm so glad I Darrell what around 1160 01:05:52.119 --> 01:05:56.559 me most of the time because what I don't know. 1161 01:05:56.599 --> 01:06:00.480 That guy just didn't stop me. He was, Oh, I know, 1162 01:06:00.519 --> 01:06:02.440 wish people could meet this guy. This is the type 1163 01:06:02.480 --> 01:06:04.199 of guy I'd like to have up on the wall 1164 01:06:04.320 --> 01:06:07.719 stage and tell people about this guy. Oh man, what 1165 01:06:07.760 --> 01:06:11.239 our operator. Anyway, we sweep through these canton It was 1166 01:06:11.320 --> 01:06:14.639 quite a good oplet and the one officer, Colin was 1167 01:06:14.679 --> 01:06:18.039 there next to me, and we very staggered the line 1168 01:06:18.039 --> 01:06:21.239 because the ground and everything. And he walked past a 1169 01:06:21.320 --> 01:06:24.199 massive branch which obviously got blown off with the explosion 1170 01:06:24.679 --> 01:06:27.440 with one of the planes with a bond strike. And 1171 01:06:27.559 --> 01:06:30.119 I was behind him about five meters by, and as 1172 01:06:30.199 --> 01:06:32.840 us coming on, I see this movement and I yanked 1173 01:06:32.880 --> 01:06:35.079 his branch away. And he has one of these gooks 1174 01:06:35.280 --> 01:06:38.360 where the sks at his back, and I yanked the 1175 01:06:38.559 --> 01:06:41.199 sks out and I doubled tap it in the head. Well, 1176 01:06:41.199 --> 01:06:43.880 he said thank you, but he was a gone. He 1177 01:06:44.079 --> 01:06:47.159 was as dead as can be. But that was fun. 1178 01:06:47.760 --> 01:06:50.800 But anyway, a lot of some guys have a lot 1179 01:06:50.800 --> 01:06:54.559 of actions. Some don't you know, you know, what I 1180 01:06:54.599 --> 01:06:57.519 love about this guy. You can be three meters from 1181 01:06:57.559 --> 01:07:00.360 another guy. You don't know what war is fighting taking 1182 01:07:00.400 --> 01:07:03.880 more numbering a duot. It's just the unbelievable experience and 1183 01:07:03.920 --> 01:07:09.119 the smell of cordite and and and the Nate palm 1184 01:07:09.199 --> 01:07:13.880 and whoh man, it's another game. And we sweep through 1185 01:07:13.920 --> 01:07:16.440 this camp and we I mean, we really flow the 1186 01:07:16.519 --> 01:07:20.519 slot and we get to the other side are we're 1187 01:07:20.519 --> 01:07:22.800 standing over there. While we got to the other side, 1188 01:07:24.480 --> 01:07:26.599 we see a hell of a lot of these Zambian 1189 01:07:26.639 --> 01:07:31.599 troops coming with steel helmets and all that. And we 1190 01:07:31.719 --> 01:07:33.760 watch them coming and we wait. We waited them come. 1191 01:07:33.800 --> 01:07:36.519 But there's a river bed down at the bottom with 1192 01:07:36.679 --> 01:07:39.119 reeds and everything out because that's where the water was. 1193 01:07:39.840 --> 01:07:41.920 And as they got close it, we open up and 1194 01:07:41.960 --> 01:07:45.639 we we slotted a lot of these guys, so they 1195 01:07:45.679 --> 01:07:48.079 take cover. Then they're opening up from the low ground 1196 01:07:48.119 --> 01:07:51.320 at us now. And I'm just gonna say, Graham told 1197 01:07:51.360 --> 01:07:54.000 us calling us, listen, guys, go around and hit them 1198 01:07:54.000 --> 01:07:57.039 from the flank, you know. And so we go around 1199 01:07:57.039 --> 01:07:59.320 and we come up on the side of these guys. Man, 1200 01:07:59.360 --> 01:08:02.400 you can actually see the white in their eyes. We 1201 01:08:02.760 --> 01:08:06.840 mowed these puppies to pieces. We took them apartment, we 1202 01:08:06.960 --> 01:08:09.800 really really took but they had an adoptive with them 1203 01:08:09.800 --> 01:08:12.960 with white hair, which I think was could have been 1204 01:08:13.000 --> 01:08:14.960 a German, I don't know what. But we couldn't find 1205 01:08:14.960 --> 01:08:18.079 this puppy. He dived into the river somewhere. We were 1206 01:08:18.079 --> 01:08:21.479 lobbing Empton grenades into the water to try and you know, 1207 01:08:21.560 --> 01:08:23.640 to get him, and we couldn't find the guy. But 1208 01:08:23.720 --> 01:08:27.239 that was a was a was an awesome bloody operation, 1209 01:08:27.399 --> 01:08:29.560 as with all the others. You know, there were many 1210 01:08:29.600 --> 01:08:34.399 of them, and they were absolutely If anybody once experience 1211 01:08:34.720 --> 01:08:40.920 of war going into a camp, man, wow what an experience. 1212 01:08:41.520 --> 01:08:46.119 And I've done so many of them. It was absolutely beautiful. 1213 01:08:46.720 --> 01:08:49.920 Let's talk about a little bit about how like the 1214 01:08:50.279 --> 01:08:53.319 latter part of your SAS career and how like the 1215 01:08:53.359 --> 01:08:57.439 war wound down for you personally and went into the next. 1216 01:08:57.199 --> 01:09:01.560 The essays career over there, Jack, you know what happened 1217 01:09:02.840 --> 01:09:06.800 while I was in the SS. You know, I was 1218 01:09:06.800 --> 01:09:12.159 always I was actu hungry. We were gonna do bounty hunding. 1219 01:09:12.680 --> 01:09:16.039 So the Redgit the back of association would hire us 1220 01:09:16.079 --> 01:09:18.560 and give us one thousand rand a kill. If you 1221 01:09:18.640 --> 01:09:20.439 kill a gook, which you don't get from the army. 1222 01:09:21.119 --> 01:09:23.319 So I put a four man tin together and we 1223 01:09:23.399 --> 01:09:25.800 go to the merrymount area to go and hunt this terres. 1224 01:09:25.880 --> 01:09:28.960 Now you must remember this is ridiculous. This area is 1225 01:09:29.159 --> 01:09:32.039 liberated to terrests, the farming areas. We haven't got enough 1226 01:09:32.079 --> 01:09:34.800 troops on the ground, so we go. We do bounty 1227 01:09:34.880 --> 01:09:37.439 hunting for money. But now we fall Chappis, and you're 1228 01:09:37.479 --> 01:09:42.720 taking on unbelievable odds. Anyway, we went into this area. 1229 01:09:43.359 --> 01:09:45.680 We stayed at the farm the night we deployed. Four 1230 01:09:45.720 --> 01:09:48.239 o'clock in the morning, I got on to the Mother 1231 01:09:48.439 --> 01:09:51.159 Donna Mountains is high and I was watching a kid 1232 01:09:51.680 --> 01:09:55.439 and I saw somebody come out shake the God Force guy. 1233 01:09:55.479 --> 01:09:57.960 But the God Force were friends of the ters man 1234 01:09:58.520 --> 01:10:01.960 because obviously because they would kill their family. And the 1235 01:10:02.000 --> 01:10:04.720 guy came down down and he disappeared in the valley 1236 01:10:04.760 --> 01:10:07.800 down beneath the mountain. And I said, we got them. 1237 01:10:08.119 --> 01:10:11.680 So I leave the guys up there with four guys 1238 01:10:11.680 --> 01:10:13.640 in the in the in the in the lup the 1239 01:10:13.760 --> 01:10:16.239 lying up place on the hill, and I take Mark 1240 01:10:16.279 --> 01:10:18.039 with me and we go down to go and see 1241 01:10:18.079 --> 01:10:20.840 where the hell did this guy go. Anyway, we work 1242 01:10:20.920 --> 01:10:23.199 our way down and we got into an area that 1243 01:10:23.279 --> 01:10:26.079 looked like a holiday resort. Man, but the way that 1244 01:10:26.119 --> 01:10:29.840 the rock formations were it was absolutely amazing. But there 1245 01:10:29.840 --> 01:10:31.760 were no Thursday, but we can see it was a 1246 01:10:32.399 --> 01:10:36.920 hold income and so Mark puts up four claymores, puts 1247 01:10:36.960 --> 01:10:39.640 up a banquet. Claymores out of there, well concealed, you know. 1248 01:10:40.399 --> 01:10:42.800 And we moved back now to go back up the 1249 01:10:42.800 --> 01:10:47.920 thing down. But half way up, yeah, we yea this 1250 01:10:48.359 --> 01:10:51.119 listen that valley the mountains. That's a hell of a 1251 01:10:51.199 --> 01:10:53.680 puppy game off over there. So I get on the 1252 01:10:53.760 --> 01:10:55.920 small means and I call the other John Berry, and 1253 01:10:56.279 --> 01:10:59.000 the guild guy said, hey, guys come down with we've 1254 01:10:59.000 --> 01:11:00.800 got the groups. And that's a let them get away, 1255 01:11:00.840 --> 01:11:03.560 you know, we want the money. So they come down. 1256 01:11:03.720 --> 01:11:05.800 But now it's getting dark and they're starting to rain. 1257 01:11:06.119 --> 01:11:10.319 It's really rainy, and we're moving down and you've never 1258 01:11:10.359 --> 01:11:14.199 seen such rocky area in your life, and trees, it's unbelievable. 1259 01:11:14.239 --> 01:11:18.079 Down the saddle like we call it going down, and 1260 01:11:18.359 --> 01:11:21.319 we're moving down, moving down, and a hell of a 1261 01:11:21.319 --> 01:11:24.840 long distance. Through a gap, I see two guys carrying 1262 01:11:24.840 --> 01:11:27.079 a guy on the stretcher and and I'm pointing, and 1263 01:11:27.119 --> 01:11:29.239 I'm showing we must go, and all of a sudden 1264 01:11:29.840 --> 01:11:35.000 all l breaks loose and a firefight breaks out. So 1265 01:11:35.079 --> 01:11:37.199 I've got I've got the Allen G with me, Alan, 1266 01:11:37.359 --> 01:11:41.119 I love my machine gun and I'm pumping lead, and 1267 01:11:41.199 --> 01:11:43.880 I hear on my left flank I'm hit. I'm hit. 1268 01:11:44.000 --> 01:11:47.640 I'm hit. And I recognized John's voice. A very good 1269 01:11:47.640 --> 01:11:51.359 friend of mine. He was the godfather of my daughter, 1270 01:11:51.760 --> 01:11:54.880 very good friend of mine under under nineteen redision rugby play. 1271 01:11:54.920 --> 01:11:58.680 A brilliant guy. Anyway, I get over to him. Yeah, 1272 01:11:58.720 --> 01:12:00.720 he's lying. Now, you can't drag him? Is he through 1273 01:12:00.720 --> 01:12:02.520 the middle of now? And we're in the ship they 1274 01:12:02.560 --> 01:12:05.920 there's spec shit and it's dark, it's raining coming down, 1275 01:12:06.680 --> 01:12:10.000 and he's now wounded. So what happened is I quantum, 1276 01:12:10.119 --> 01:12:13.359 So I kneel behind his body and I'd fire over 1277 01:12:13.399 --> 01:12:15.479 his body, which is the only thing I could do. 1278 01:12:15.960 --> 01:12:18.960 But he's screaming because he's in pain. So I take 1279 01:12:19.039 --> 01:12:20.840 my face, oil up my neck and a stick it 1280 01:12:20.840 --> 01:12:24.279 in his mouth. And John was the medic, and he 1281 01:12:24.399 --> 01:12:26.439 left the m A three pack behind in the in 1282 01:12:26.479 --> 01:12:28.560 the in the l up. When I called them down 1283 01:12:28.600 --> 01:12:31.359 because he rushed down, so we had no morphine, we 1284 01:12:31.399 --> 01:12:34.520 had nothing lost, and he had sosagon and each operator 1285 01:12:34.600 --> 01:12:38.079 carries a sozogon and a bomb bandage, so all I 1286 01:12:38.079 --> 01:12:41.479 could do I hit John both soasagons couldn't touch him up. 1287 01:12:41.520 --> 01:12:43.880 It was to my blood as bomb bandages good nothing, 1288 01:12:44.279 --> 01:12:46.279 So I fought over his body and I stayed there 1289 01:12:46.279 --> 01:12:48.720 for the whole night. But it's it's raining now, and 1290 01:12:48.760 --> 01:12:52.760 it's cold, and it's miserable, and slowly but surely life 1291 01:12:52.800 --> 01:12:54.960 was running out. All I could do the best thing 1292 01:12:54.960 --> 01:12:57.479 you can do for any guy in combat is give 1293 01:12:57.560 --> 01:13:00.960 him hope. Now we knew the snow support when you're 1294 01:13:01.000 --> 01:13:04.239 going downtown thing. Nobody supports you on your own. And 1295 01:13:04.319 --> 01:13:06.239 I just kept telling them the choppers on the way 1296 01:13:06.319 --> 01:13:09.000 chopping which was alive, because I knew John was dying anyway. 1297 01:13:09.600 --> 01:13:14.720 He died anyway. The next day we mowed the trees 1298 01:13:14.760 --> 01:13:17.000 down with L and G. The choppers came, they loaded 1299 01:13:17.039 --> 01:13:20.119 John's body and we had to go back to the 1300 01:13:20.439 --> 01:13:24.079 Joint operations come on at Matopos. Gave them the whole 1301 01:13:24.119 --> 01:13:28.520 story what happened. They faire us back to Salisbury, and 1302 01:13:28.840 --> 01:13:31.840 remember I conducted Now you know what what I didn't 1303 01:13:32.079 --> 01:13:34.920 mention that I conducted the illegal operation as a troop 1304 01:13:34.960 --> 01:13:40.159 eate no rank, and I two guys into wolf and 1305 01:13:40.199 --> 01:13:43.279 I lost a qualified operator. Now when I get back, 1306 01:13:43.319 --> 01:13:46.560 it's I can't explain to here. That's it's dead quiet. 1307 01:13:46.640 --> 01:13:51.439 I'll see other says guys standing, But everybody's dead quiet. 1308 01:13:51.439 --> 01:13:53.239 And I got to go over to the main block 1309 01:13:53.279 --> 01:13:55.039 to the head office and they tell me the standouts, 1310 01:13:55.079 --> 01:13:58.479 and the Orizon comes over says wait out, and then 1311 01:13:58.520 --> 01:14:01.279 he comes and he doubles me in there. Y, I 1312 01:14:01.399 --> 01:14:03.319 just walk. I thought they held with you. Man. Now 1313 01:14:03.479 --> 01:14:05.800 you guys don't bug me, and they take me in 1314 01:14:05.840 --> 01:14:08.560 front of the It was like an old formation in 1315 01:14:08.600 --> 01:14:11.119 front of me with these officers. Remember these guys all 1316 01:14:11.199 --> 01:14:15.439 qualified operators. Now qualified operator. But the worst thing what 1317 01:14:15.520 --> 01:14:19.840 I did while John was dying, he was suffering. He 1318 01:14:19.960 --> 01:14:22.239 asked me to get him out of pain. And I 1319 01:14:22.359 --> 01:14:24.840 was teaching John to fight because I liked the office, 1320 01:14:25.199 --> 01:14:27.239 and I was hitting down with and I dammaged his 1321 01:14:27.319 --> 01:14:30.159 whole jaw. And this was on the report as well. 1322 01:14:31.000 --> 01:14:33.880 Now I land up in front of these guys, Man, 1323 01:14:34.119 --> 01:14:36.359 did they give it to me? I was the biggest 1324 01:14:36.399 --> 01:14:39.239 load of crap under the sun. They gave it to me. 1325 01:14:39.720 --> 01:14:43.439 They chased me out the risen ski me. I just walked. 1326 01:14:43.479 --> 01:14:46.039 I thought they held with you, man. I wait outside. 1327 01:14:46.079 --> 01:14:48.680 They called me back and then they said to me, 1328 01:14:49.239 --> 01:14:51.640 what happened to his jaw? And I told him what happened. 1329 01:14:51.640 --> 01:14:54.279 Then they said, oh, why did you hide behind his 1330 01:14:54.399 --> 01:14:57.640 body and take cover behind his body? I said, no, 1331 01:14:58.800 --> 01:15:00.439 I did what I had to do. Well, I mean 1332 01:15:00.880 --> 01:15:03.439 it was on the downslope. I was fighting over his body. 1333 01:15:03.479 --> 01:15:05.680 I wasn't lying, I said, I was kneeling and fighting. 1334 01:15:06.039 --> 01:15:08.359 What am I supposed to do? It was a hall 1335 01:15:08.399 --> 01:15:11.279 of a debate. They chased me out there, and I 1336 01:15:11.319 --> 01:15:13.720 thought they were gonna get rid of me, because, I mean, 1337 01:15:13.800 --> 01:15:18.760 I lost a qualified operator conducted illegal operation. Nothing happened. 1338 01:15:19.000 --> 01:15:21.520 When I looked again, I became a lance corporal in 1339 01:15:21.560 --> 01:15:24.239 the essays, I was joff. Then I was a corporate. 1340 01:15:24.279 --> 01:15:26.479 When I looked again, I went on the sergeant's cart 1341 01:15:26.760 --> 01:15:29.039 at all, I became a sergeant. You know what it 1342 01:15:29.199 --> 01:15:31.479 is to be a sergeant in the essays, probably the 1343 01:15:31.520 --> 01:15:34.199 same as a general in any other bloody army. Man, 1344 01:15:34.319 --> 01:15:37.520 it's a hell of an achievement. But anyway, I'm in 1345 01:15:37.600 --> 01:15:40.199 big shit to that said. Daryl comes me one day 1346 01:15:40.199 --> 01:15:42.239 and he says, you want to go bounty Undy. I 1347 01:15:42.279 --> 01:15:49.439 said yeah, he says, okay, this guy. You know, it's unbelievable. 1348 01:15:49.680 --> 01:15:52.000 There was a mission over then the mary Mount area. 1349 01:15:52.039 --> 01:15:54.119 Now we were in the Mount Darwin with that previous 1350 01:15:54.159 --> 01:15:56.520 one with my crap I had. Now we're going to 1351 01:15:56.760 --> 01:15:59.760 the Merry Mount where it's also liberated area. We got 1352 01:15:59.800 --> 01:16:02.319 a lot of guys and off we go to combat again. 1353 01:16:02.399 --> 01:16:06.359 No backup that or what taking us as tide? Yeah, 1354 01:16:06.399 --> 01:16:09.359 what a bummer. And anyway, we moved into them. There's 1355 01:16:09.359 --> 01:16:11.640 a lot of tours, a hell of a lot of turs, 1356 01:16:11.920 --> 01:16:14.600 and we moved onto this high ground. We could physically 1357 01:16:14.720 --> 01:16:18.640 watch the BSAP guys chatting to the turfs from the 1358 01:16:18.680 --> 01:16:21.920 high ground. Obviously their families, you know, so they feed 1359 01:16:21.920 --> 01:16:25.880 them and they don't trouble them. I don't report them anyway. 1360 01:16:26.760 --> 01:16:29.600 When we look again, that comes a little black guy. 1361 01:16:29.680 --> 01:16:32.479 We call them majiebas. They walk with the goats in 1362 01:16:32.520 --> 01:16:35.680 there and then they look for spot. Now they must 1363 01:16:35.760 --> 01:16:38.000 have picked up something on this high ground because they 1364 01:16:38.039 --> 01:16:41.119 sent this majieba up against our high ground and as 1365 01:16:41.119 --> 01:16:43.399 he got to a certain point. The guys grabbed him 1366 01:16:43.439 --> 01:16:46.159 and hold him. Now we know we got ship because 1367 01:16:46.159 --> 01:16:48.960 I mean, the tours are waiting for the magieba and 1368 01:16:49.000 --> 01:16:52.399 it doesn't come back. When we looked again, along comes 1369 01:16:52.399 --> 01:16:54.920 a skirmish line. I don't know how. There was a 1370 01:16:55.079 --> 01:16:57.119 love a lot coming up as you to attack us. 1371 01:16:57.680 --> 01:17:01.239 So that alsiddenly says, hold on, this shows wait right 1372 01:17:01.319 --> 01:17:05.239 right right, wait, you initiate. Daryll always initiates, and we 1373 01:17:05.399 --> 01:17:08.000 wait and we wait in these groups. I reckon about 1374 01:17:08.279 --> 01:17:11.520 fifty meters or whatever, and Daryll double taps and takes 1375 01:17:11.520 --> 01:17:13.279 the one guy out and we open up and we 1376 01:17:13.479 --> 01:17:16.960 take this lot out. But there was a lot of them. 1377 01:17:17.800 --> 01:17:21.640 So Darrell what then says attack, So of course we 1378 01:17:21.720 --> 01:17:23.640 jump up and we run at these guys. Now they're 1379 01:17:24.159 --> 01:17:27.039 crazy stuff, but you know, we do it. And I'll 1380 01:17:27.039 --> 01:17:29.600 never forget that. I had the chop of pilot's name, 1381 01:17:29.680 --> 01:17:32.479 he was flying it. Then Darrell got a chopper to 1382 01:17:32.520 --> 01:17:34.439 come out, which were not that I had, but allot 1383 01:17:34.479 --> 01:17:37.199 came out a gunship with a Chico with brownings on 1384 01:17:37.720 --> 01:17:39.720 and they're flying head. Now got a small means and 1385 01:17:39.760 --> 01:17:41.439 I got the op it and I'm running them up 1386 01:17:41.439 --> 01:17:43.680 firing and that's why I got the name of Audie Murphy. 1387 01:17:43.960 --> 01:17:46.960 All I felt proud of myself. But anyway, was this 1388 01:17:47.039 --> 01:17:49.199 punch up. That punch up we went through. We didn't 1389 01:17:49.239 --> 01:17:52.239 get the googs. A lot of cerities were shot there. 1390 01:17:52.319 --> 01:17:55.600 It was it was all other thing. We are not 1391 01:17:55.760 --> 01:17:57.800 totally blown, but we want to still take them on. 1392 01:17:57.920 --> 01:17:59.760 So we got to get out because we don't know 1393 01:17:59.760 --> 01:18:02.199 where they've scattered you. So that all says we're getting 1394 01:18:02.199 --> 01:18:05.039 God Force to come and take us out with a vehicle. 1395 01:18:05.640 --> 01:18:07.880 So God Force came there with a Koodoo. It's a 1396 01:18:07.920 --> 01:18:10.880 funny looking vehicle and the crocodile and the whole lot 1397 01:18:10.880 --> 01:18:13.199 of us bold on the crocodile, down on the Koodoo 1398 01:18:13.439 --> 01:18:17.760 in front, and we're driving out. Now these goops were 1399 01:18:18.560 --> 01:18:20.920 ay man, they aggressive. So they set up an area 1400 01:18:20.920 --> 01:18:23.079 with a gorin or that's that machine gun who shoots 1401 01:18:23.079 --> 01:18:26.560 a seven sixty fifty four round same as the sniper rifle, 1402 01:18:26.600 --> 01:18:29.399 a big weapon, but on fixed firing line. And they 1403 01:18:29.439 --> 01:18:32.279 set this weapon up and RPG seven's waiting for us, 1404 01:18:32.319 --> 01:18:35.319 and unbeknown to us, Yeah, we gain and as we 1405 01:18:35.399 --> 01:18:37.560 got to a certain point, they said, how's that baby, 1406 01:18:37.960 --> 01:18:40.119 And I'm sitting with my back against the cat, my 1407 01:18:40.159 --> 01:18:43.680 head lying back, you know, relaxing, and this RPG seven 1408 01:18:43.800 --> 01:18:46.800 fedy sent in my enters and blows that drive it 1409 01:18:46.880 --> 01:18:50.199 to smother rings. And of course ear drum's gone again. 1410 01:18:50.720 --> 01:18:53.479 But the shirt will hits me, hits my weapon. You 1411 01:18:53.520 --> 01:18:55.880 mus see how my RPD look doesn't hit me again, 1412 01:18:56.079 --> 01:18:59.000 much the same as a landmine throws me to the ground. 1413 01:18:59.039 --> 01:19:01.640 We come up and they pumping us with the got 1414 01:19:01.720 --> 01:19:04.960 ingof Fortunately it was set on wheels in it just 1415 01:19:05.000 --> 01:19:09.119 below the otherwise none of us who have survived it. Anyway, 1416 01:19:09.119 --> 01:19:12.159 We opened the fire, we jumped off Carrot daryld Love 1417 01:19:12.319 --> 01:19:17.239 mortars and we managed to repel them. And then that's 1418 01:19:17.239 --> 01:19:20.279 when they abducted all those nuns and that from the 1419 01:19:20.319 --> 01:19:23.920 Merry mountains and all that once again, all over we 1420 01:19:24.000 --> 01:19:26.640 get back to Salisbury. I never I won't even use 1421 01:19:26.680 --> 01:19:29.239 the language that the officer look at me, said, you 1422 01:19:29.279 --> 01:19:34.119 are such a don't you ever bloody learn? I didn't learn, 1423 01:19:34.159 --> 01:19:36.960 you know, It's just the way I was. I just 1424 01:19:37.119 --> 01:19:41.319 liked it. Look, I know it's stupid, but I enjoyed it. 1425 01:19:41.520 --> 01:19:44.640 I don't say you you don't shift yourself at times. 1426 01:19:44.680 --> 01:19:48.319 Look it gets difficult out there. Have you ever had 1427 01:19:48.359 --> 01:19:50.800 rounds coming you guys? Got explained out closer. It sounds 1428 01:19:50.840 --> 01:19:54.159 like popcorn. Man, Now, I could never describe it. My 1429 01:19:54.279 --> 01:19:57.319 friend Blackie from Threety Battalion said, oh, like popcorn. I 1430 01:19:57.319 --> 01:20:01.039 said exactly that. I've been under that on younumerous times. 1431 01:20:01.359 --> 01:20:04.880 But anyway, this whole thing went and everything came. Then, 1432 01:20:05.000 --> 01:20:08.039 Oh to end it? What Jack you were asking out? 1433 01:20:08.600 --> 01:20:10.319 Take it down? Look at it was a hell of 1434 01:20:10.359 --> 01:20:12.079 a lot. I can carry on all night. I can 1435 01:20:12.119 --> 01:20:15.800 talk a whole week to you guys, and I don't 1436 01:20:15.840 --> 01:20:18.800 need book and I don't need to make notes dates. Yes, 1437 01:20:19.319 --> 01:20:21.520 but not here us. I know my team, This is 1438 01:20:21.520 --> 01:20:26.039 my game. I loved it. We got to a stage 1439 01:20:26.039 --> 01:20:30.840 over there when they decided that we must pop mcgarby. 1440 01:20:32.239 --> 01:20:34.880 And who do they select for the job, Darrell? What 1441 01:20:35.039 --> 01:20:38.960 in my west? Off we go. We had a team 1442 01:20:39.039 --> 01:20:42.359 that helped us, and we had this culvert under the rod, 1443 01:20:42.439 --> 01:20:44.640 this pipe, and we packed us with TNT and all 1444 01:20:44.720 --> 01:20:46.520 because he was coming back from a rally and we 1445 01:20:46.640 --> 01:20:49.560 packed all this and we're going to take us Poppy out. 1446 01:20:51.079 --> 01:20:55.760 I must remember, had we taken this democratically elected first 1447 01:20:55.880 --> 01:20:58.520 black guy of a country take and would have been 1448 01:20:58.520 --> 01:21:00.319 strung up. We had have been given away, I can 1449 01:21:00.359 --> 01:21:03.600 promise you now. Yeah, but something went wrong. I don't 1450 01:21:03.600 --> 01:21:05.640 know what went wrong. I've read a lot of things 1451 01:21:05.680 --> 01:21:09.479 off towards our detonation went off in front of the 1452 01:21:09.600 --> 01:21:13.399 vehicle and we missed it. Now, we couldn't miss I 1453 01:21:13.399 --> 01:21:16.319 can tell you now, we couldn't miss, but we didn't. 1454 01:21:17.039 --> 01:21:20.199 We ever said that off it was a aircraft flying 1455 01:21:20.239 --> 01:21:23.399 a Telstar. We know something went wrong there. 1456 01:21:23.479 --> 01:21:26.319 It's all the books I've read, you know, they talk 1457 01:21:26.399 --> 01:21:28.920 about this, how there is this contingency plan to kill 1458 01:21:29.000 --> 01:21:32.159 Mugabi after the election. But they all say that that 1459 01:21:32.239 --> 01:21:34.560 operation never went forward. So like I'm hearing this for 1460 01:21:34.600 --> 01:21:36.479 the first time that something didn't go forward. 1461 01:21:37.560 --> 01:21:40.039 Oh, no, it did we that was that? No, that 1462 01:21:40.239 --> 01:21:43.159 was a very serious thing. Wow, we really add it. 1463 01:21:43.399 --> 01:21:47.199 And now Darrell I. After that, we're running for our lives. 1464 01:21:47.279 --> 01:21:50.880 And guess what happens? A bloody take over a twenty 1465 01:21:50.920 --> 01:21:54.479 million in a right above us? What the hell is this? 1466 01:21:55.319 --> 01:21:59.600 You know? So we well obviously we old old soldiers, 1467 01:21:59.640 --> 01:22:02.039 you know. So we're ducking and diving in the SKA 1468 01:22:02.199 --> 01:22:05.399 car circling us with a twenty more. Now. We read 1469 01:22:05.439 --> 01:22:07.920 an article a little while later when the guy said, 1470 01:22:08.359 --> 01:22:11.000 Mike and Darrell, my guns were cold. I don't know. 1471 01:22:11.800 --> 01:22:14.560 I have to accept it. But we had to escape 1472 01:22:14.560 --> 01:22:16.960 and the vaide out of there and we managed to 1473 01:22:17.000 --> 01:22:19.399 get to the point that we arranged where a vehicle 1474 01:22:19.439 --> 01:22:21.800 picked it up. We washed this, change their clothes and 1475 01:22:21.840 --> 01:22:25.800 we're ride into a BSAP roadblock and yeah, but we've 1476 01:22:25.800 --> 01:22:27.840 thrown everything out the window. We three. We got a 1477 01:22:27.880 --> 01:22:31.319 dolly driving Joe and a dolly driving the car with 1478 01:22:31.479 --> 01:22:34.399 a cover story. They stop and they ask questions. They 1479 01:22:34.439 --> 01:22:36.880 look around the car and I see this guy look 1480 01:22:36.920 --> 01:22:38.199 in the car and he looks at the back and 1481 01:22:38.239 --> 01:22:40.640 he looks at Daryll and you could see he knew 1482 01:22:40.800 --> 01:22:42.439 Darrell was. He just went like that and he said 1483 01:22:42.479 --> 01:22:44.600 you can go, and off we went and we got 1484 01:22:44.600 --> 01:22:47.840 away with that one. Mate. Oh man, but I'm telling 1485 01:22:47.880 --> 01:22:51.880 you had we succeeded and we killed mcgoby. They didn't 1486 01:22:51.920 --> 01:22:54.720 know this because afterwards it came out he was behind it. 1487 01:22:55.199 --> 01:22:57.159 Then we had another temple I think it was borroweday 1488 01:22:57.199 --> 01:22:59.159 when we went by his house we're going to kill him, 1489 01:22:59.479 --> 01:23:01.680 and then under wolves school we were added at him 1490 01:23:01.680 --> 01:23:04.279 in now he was dead, telling he was dead. I 1491 01:23:04.319 --> 01:23:07.279 could have run fixed by mits and killed him. They 1492 01:23:07.279 --> 01:23:10.760 stopped us and he survived that one as well. That 1493 01:23:11.000 --> 01:23:14.119 was a it was an unbelievable war, but there was 1494 01:23:14.359 --> 01:23:18.800 so much Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting too. 1495 01:23:19.239 --> 01:23:21.880 I mean that was that was pretty early on from 1496 01:23:22.079 --> 01:23:26.760 who before A lot of the heinous steff right. 1497 01:23:26.880 --> 01:23:30.079 Well, I mean, I mean it was Zipra and some 1498 01:23:30.119 --> 01:23:32.520 of the other groups was pretty bad. Yeah, what they 1499 01:23:32.560 --> 01:23:33.479 did to the villagers. 1500 01:23:33.720 --> 01:23:34.159 Yeah. 1501 01:23:34.239 --> 01:23:34.439 Yeah. 1502 01:23:34.600 --> 01:23:37.560 When he came to power, obviously he brings the dictatorship. Yeah, 1503 01:23:37.560 --> 01:23:40.159 then things go south. Yeah. 1504 01:23:40.600 --> 01:23:43.359 Yeah, it was a it was another story that. 1505 01:23:44.640 --> 01:23:47.279 So tell us about how you left Rhodesia and how 1506 01:23:47.319 --> 01:23:49.359 you entered the South African Defense Force. 1507 01:23:50.319 --> 01:23:53.000 Okay, but being Mike West, now I got up to 1508 01:23:53.199 --> 01:23:58.159 some other bullshit again when I got arrested by murder 1509 01:23:58.159 --> 01:24:02.319 and robberies squad, I ended the and I got locked up. 1510 01:24:03.560 --> 01:24:07.199 Well anyway, I appeared in court there and the money 1511 01:24:07.239 --> 01:24:09.600 that I was going to commute was taken away and 1512 01:24:09.640 --> 01:24:11.279 blah blah and all that, and I had to go 1513 01:24:11.399 --> 01:24:13.960 back to the cops station of it. Now, I missed 1514 01:24:13.960 --> 01:24:16.560 out on the last focus of the SAS and everything, 1515 01:24:16.600 --> 01:24:19.159 and I missed out on the last thing. When I 1516 01:24:19.199 --> 01:24:22.279 got back here, Dave, look, he knew I was. I 1517 01:24:22.359 --> 01:24:25.039 knew the s He said to me, listen, giving you 1518 01:24:25.079 --> 01:24:27.520 twenty four hours get out of this bloody country because 1519 01:24:27.560 --> 01:24:30.760 I'm going to lock you up. So I gapt it. 1520 01:24:31.439 --> 01:24:34.119 Now I took her. By the time I got to 1521 01:24:34.159 --> 01:24:35.920 the border, I scared it an ar restaurant, I go 1522 01:24:36.000 --> 01:24:39.399 through customs, so I took He got a dugout. Now 1523 01:24:39.399 --> 01:24:42.960 that's not a man. What an uncomfortable thing to row 1524 01:24:43.000 --> 01:24:46.359 across and the crocodiles and anyway, I got in his 1525 01:24:46.479 --> 01:24:50.840 dugout and I rowed across, got across the Limpopo, got 1526 01:24:50.880 --> 01:24:52.640 to the other side, jumped out, and I must have 1527 01:24:52.960 --> 01:24:56.720 so dip into the bloody worster man with my bag 1528 01:24:56.800 --> 01:25:00.319 because I got out the other side, stripped down and 1529 01:25:00.399 --> 01:25:02.239 had to dry my clothes off, you know, because I'm 1530 01:25:02.279 --> 01:25:05.000 a mess. Now. Eventually I got this all done and 1531 01:25:05.039 --> 01:25:08.720 I headed for Vittoria. Now the whole SAS and now 1532 01:25:08.880 --> 01:25:12.960 come down to South Africa because June nineteen eighty everybody 1533 01:25:12.960 --> 01:25:16.199 had to get out. Mike West left behind again with 1534 01:25:16.239 --> 01:25:20.159 all his nonsense. You know. Anyway, I get to this 1535 01:25:20.479 --> 01:25:24.039 Best Corps Special Forces head office. They know the travisions 1536 01:25:24.119 --> 01:25:26.520 come down. I port over there, I go and see them. 1537 01:25:26.520 --> 01:25:29.279 I tell them who I am, and I asked me 1538 01:25:29.279 --> 01:25:31.359 if they can help me with a lift to get 1539 01:25:31.399 --> 01:25:33.239 me to Durban. They tell me, and I must consort 1540 01:25:33.279 --> 01:25:35.399 my own shit out, you know. Then I said, can 1541 01:25:35.439 --> 01:25:37.760 you offer me some accommodation for the night because I 1542 01:25:37.880 --> 01:25:40.680 look like over there said no, you must go. So 1543 01:25:40.760 --> 01:25:42.479 I left, and I went and slept in a lot 1544 01:25:42.520 --> 01:25:44.319 of blue gum trees for the night. And the next 1545 01:25:44.399 --> 01:25:46.960 time on the road and eats liked. And I got 1546 01:25:46.960 --> 01:25:50.800 to Durban. Now that same Rob Johnson, who was in 1547 01:25:50.800 --> 01:25:53.760 the selection with me, I didn't want me there. When 1548 01:25:53.800 --> 01:25:55.760 I arrived, they called me over and he said to me, 1549 01:25:56.520 --> 01:25:58.760 if it was in my powers, Mike Westy said, I'd 1550 01:25:58.800 --> 01:26:01.199 get rid of you right now. No, no, right now, 1551 01:26:01.359 --> 01:26:04.000 get rid of you because I've had enough of your shit. 1552 01:26:04.600 --> 01:26:06.600 But it couldn't because now I was I belonged to 1553 01:26:06.640 --> 01:26:11.680 the sadf Wow. Then then I saw my family drove 1554 01:26:11.760 --> 01:26:14.079 me down with a busty man some TOATI saw my 1555 01:26:14.199 --> 01:26:17.159 family again after the very very long time. Next time, 1556 01:26:17.159 --> 01:26:19.279 I've got the uniform. Now I've got browns on I 1557 01:26:19.279 --> 01:26:22.680 didn't like browns. That's not a uniform with appealed to me. 1558 01:26:22.760 --> 01:26:24.600 Didn't look at the part, you know. I mean we 1559 01:26:24.600 --> 01:26:27.079 wear camouflage. You know, camouflage is all over the world. 1560 01:26:27.159 --> 01:26:30.960 It's a beautiful it's war man. Anyway, we got our 1561 01:26:31.000 --> 01:26:37.199 group photos. They can now we've become six RECKI the Philistines, 1562 01:26:37.239 --> 01:26:41.119 they called us. Can I take a minute break? Yeah? 1563 01:26:41.159 --> 01:26:47.479 Yeah, absolutely, yeah, one minute? Yeah, go ahead, club, be right, guys. 1564 01:26:47.800 --> 01:26:50.279 I just want to tell folks out there about this 1565 01:26:50.640 --> 01:26:53.800 book I have coming out December ninth, We Defy. It 1566 01:26:53.880 --> 01:26:57.159 is the Lost Chapters of Special Forces History. So it's 1567 01:26:57.199 --> 01:26:59.000 not a huge tome. It's going to be about two 1568 01:26:59.119 --> 01:27:03.279 hundred and twenty page. Is five chapters, Dot Cover Detachment 1569 01:27:03.319 --> 01:27:07.000 A and Berlin, Detachment KAY and Korea Green Light, the 1570 01:27:07.000 --> 01:27:09.800 guys that jumped in with backpack nukes, Blue Light, the 1571 01:27:09.800 --> 01:27:13.359 first counter Terrorism Team, and the Commanders in Extremist Force, 1572 01:27:13.439 --> 01:27:15.319 or the five chapters of the book. It's up for 1573 01:27:15.479 --> 01:27:19.039 pre order right now. You can find a link down 1574 01:27:19.039 --> 01:27:22.479 in the description. It's just the Kindle version for pre 1575 01:27:22.640 --> 01:27:26.239 order the paperback. Amazon won't let me set up pre 1576 01:27:26.359 --> 01:27:30.439 orders unfortunately, but that the paperback will be released the 1577 01:27:30.479 --> 01:27:33.319 same date as the Kindle version of it, December ninth, 1578 01:27:33.399 --> 01:27:34.359 So appreciate it. 1579 01:27:34.359 --> 01:27:35.680 If you guys check it out. 1580 01:27:35.760 --> 01:27:39.520 And check out Mike's book, Mike West Special Forces super Soldier. 1581 01:27:40.319 --> 01:27:44.960 It's a fantastic like the stories he's telling, they're all 1582 01:27:44.960 --> 01:27:47.640 in here and more, they go deep. There's some great 1583 01:27:47.640 --> 01:27:51.359 photos in here. It's quite an adventure. 1584 01:27:52.199 --> 01:27:55.640 Yeah, I mean, you've heard the interview so far. It's 1585 01:27:55.760 --> 01:28:00.159 it's an insane story but great and fastening thing. 1586 01:28:02.239 --> 01:28:02.920 And then on. 1587 01:28:03.079 --> 01:28:06.600 What's that I was gonna say, Also our patreon, Yeah, 1588 01:28:06.720 --> 01:28:07.560 check out our Patreon. 1589 01:28:07.600 --> 01:28:10.319 There's a link down the description to that. If you subscribe, 1590 01:28:10.359 --> 01:28:13.359 it's five dollars a month. You support the channel and 1591 01:28:13.399 --> 01:28:16.119 we really appreciate it. You also get access to all 1592 01:28:16.159 --> 01:28:20.279 of these episodes ad free, both the podcasts our sister 1593 01:28:20.439 --> 01:28:23.439 podcast eyes On also on there, and you'll get all 1594 01:28:23.479 --> 01:28:28.159 that stuff add free. And on Monday, we're gonna have 1595 01:28:28.319 --> 01:28:32.399 John Daily, who was one of the guys who helped 1596 01:28:32.439 --> 01:28:34.880 stand up Marsaka. I believe I know he was in 1597 01:28:35.000 --> 01:28:38.680 Detachment one because I'm reading the book now, So we'll 1598 01:28:38.680 --> 01:28:43.000 have him on Monday, and then on Friday, I believe 1599 01:28:43.039 --> 01:28:47.000 it's Joe Mussia who wrote Cry Havoc about the Rangers 1600 01:28:47.000 --> 01:28:50.399 that jumped into Grenada in eighty three. So that's kind 1601 01:28:50.399 --> 01:28:52.119 of what's coming at you guys next week. 1602 01:28:54.119 --> 01:29:00.159 Mike all good, Yeah, sorry about that. Yeah, yeah, it's 1603 01:29:00.199 --> 01:29:02.199 got a bit of coffee tonight to keep me awake. 1604 01:29:02.239 --> 01:29:03.560 You know, s's a picture running. 1605 01:29:05.039 --> 01:29:09.600 So you went in six Racky and tell us a 1606 01:29:09.640 --> 01:29:11.760 little bit more about like the integration, because there's a 1607 01:29:11.760 --> 01:29:15.319 culture clash happening here too between Rhodesia and South Africa, 1608 01:29:15.439 --> 01:29:21.640 like they were different countries, different military communities, right, Yeah. 1609 01:29:21.439 --> 01:29:27.399 What happened was in the late sixties, Colonel John Breitenbach 1610 01:29:27.479 --> 01:29:31.039 came down to Redision, came to see what the essays 1611 01:29:31.239 --> 01:29:33.800 was about, and then he came back to South Africa 1612 01:29:33.840 --> 01:29:36.920 and they started this Reky story. Then they sent a 1613 01:29:36.960 --> 01:29:40.079 lot of guys up who attended the selection, and then 1614 01:29:40.119 --> 01:29:42.600 they came back and they formed the Reconnaissance. The Rekis 1615 01:29:43.079 --> 01:29:47.840 now the Rekis. Remember Redision was twenty two SASC Squadron. 1616 01:29:48.479 --> 01:29:50.760 So when the w Rekis were finished with a selection, 1617 01:29:50.880 --> 01:29:52.880 they sent them up to Revision. They came to us 1618 01:29:52.920 --> 01:29:56.319 as the squadron and we took them into war and 1619 01:29:56.359 --> 01:30:01.119 that's how they learned and it was a fantastic relationship 1620 01:30:01.159 --> 01:30:04.960 between us and these guys. We got on famously. However, 1621 01:30:05.399 --> 01:30:07.880 when we came down in June nineteen eighty and we 1622 01:30:08.000 --> 01:30:12.199 got the total different ball game. They wanted nothing. That 1623 01:30:12.520 --> 01:30:15.479 just turned out to be absolute animosity. And it's not. 1624 01:30:15.680 --> 01:30:17.800 It's no nonsense. This is fact. You can yet all 1625 01:30:17.840 --> 01:30:22.199 over from any goldure anywhere. How bad it was, it 1626 01:30:22.279 --> 01:30:25.880 was a very bad story. But we hung around and 1627 01:30:26.760 --> 01:30:30.119 we stayed one side. We didn't attend their parades because 1628 01:30:30.159 --> 01:30:33.720 every morning they have church parades. They pray their boots 1629 01:30:33.720 --> 01:30:36.000 of polis they need. You know, we're Ruffians. We come 1630 01:30:36.039 --> 01:30:37.800 out of a you must remember we come out of 1631 01:30:37.800 --> 01:30:40.319 a full scale war. This is is like a part 1632 01:30:40.319 --> 01:30:43.720 time there man. You know, they didn't have the war 1633 01:30:43.800 --> 01:30:48.760 we had. That's why they came to us for war. Anyway, 1634 01:30:48.880 --> 01:30:51.760 So it carried on, carried on, and we were very fortunate. 1635 01:30:52.600 --> 01:30:57.159 Operation came up in a in Mozambique called Matola. There 1636 01:30:57.239 --> 01:31:01.640 was a NC nests houses out there. They were causing 1637 01:31:01.720 --> 01:31:04.319 problems from there was quite big puppies from the a 1638 01:31:04.520 --> 01:31:06.600 n C. I'm not going to mention names, it's in 1639 01:31:06.640 --> 01:31:09.800 the books, but they were at these targets, and there 1640 01:31:09.880 --> 01:31:12.119 was a lot of There were three different targets we 1641 01:31:12.159 --> 01:31:16.800 had to hit. So they decided that six Wrekki, which 1642 01:31:16.840 --> 01:31:19.760 is the Revisions, are going to eat two targets and 1643 01:31:19.840 --> 01:31:23.560 the Wrekis are going to eat one target. And so 1644 01:31:23.640 --> 01:31:26.279 we all traveled, did a lot of rehearsals in empty 1645 01:31:26.279 --> 01:31:31.279 buildings and the normal old crap in preparation. Excuse me. 1646 01:31:31.319 --> 01:31:34.279 Then we went down to Gomati Port just outside the 1647 01:31:34.279 --> 01:31:37.159 border fence. We sat in the in the bush and 1648 01:31:37.199 --> 01:31:40.840 we got all our things ready over there. The the 1649 01:31:41.000 --> 01:31:45.560 unfortunate part was just we had timings. Maybe everything goes 1650 01:31:45.560 --> 01:31:48.600 about timings yet and as we're about to go the 1651 01:31:48.680 --> 01:31:52.359 old the old Germany or past, the pictures up and 1652 01:31:52.359 --> 01:31:55.399 he wants a deliver sermony, which was the wrong time 1653 01:31:55.479 --> 01:31:58.880 for this type of stuff. And this guy sort of 1654 01:31:59.520 --> 01:32:02.039 got carry ried away or felt important and he just 1655 01:32:02.119 --> 01:32:07.680 elaborated on this, and man, this was annoying me. By 1656 01:32:07.720 --> 01:32:10.600 the time he decided to wrap up his load of stuff, 1657 01:32:10.600 --> 01:32:12.600 he was busy with we had to rush off. Now 1658 01:32:12.640 --> 01:32:15.920 we're late. Now cut the fences we're going through and 1659 01:32:15.960 --> 01:32:21.039 we got lost on the way. Oh this is beautiful, man. 1660 01:32:21.239 --> 01:32:24.640 Now we dressed exactly like for a Limo in the 1661 01:32:24.760 --> 01:32:28.960 uniforms weapons vehicles, and we're driving on their roads and 1662 01:32:29.039 --> 01:32:31.560 driving and we get lost and we drive right into 1663 01:32:31.600 --> 01:32:33.399 for a lima base cap on the boom. He has 1664 01:32:33.439 --> 01:32:35.560 a guy on the boom. Now we stopped. Now we 1665 01:32:35.680 --> 01:32:37.920 got a guy with the name of Quiros was a 1666 01:32:37.960 --> 01:32:41.439 Malati from Mozambique. I think it was Mozambika, mozambik Or 1667 01:32:41.560 --> 01:32:45.199 and Gola. But he was a Malata and he could 1668 01:32:45.239 --> 01:32:47.119 speak the lingo. And he's in a br d N 1669 01:32:47.479 --> 01:32:50.720 that armored personnel can. He's standing up and he's craps 1670 01:32:50.760 --> 01:32:52.920 this guy out on the boom. And the guy jumps 1671 01:32:52.920 --> 01:32:56.000 to attention, salutes him, and he gives him, hell over there, 1672 01:32:56.039 --> 01:32:58.000 you're untidy and I don't know what all and the 1673 01:32:58.600 --> 01:33:02.279 carry on and he asked in directions and this guy's 1674 01:33:02.359 --> 01:33:05.039 telling him where and what and what. And the whole 1675 01:33:05.159 --> 01:33:08.359 convoy follows and we all turned right in front of 1676 01:33:08.399 --> 01:33:11.640 the boom the enemy man. You know, big these bases 1677 01:33:11.680 --> 01:33:15.039 on the brigades over there, man, And we drive right 1678 01:33:15.079 --> 01:33:18.399 past and we go to our respective targets. Now I'm 1679 01:33:18.439 --> 01:33:23.239 going to start with our target. This youngster Mike Riage 1680 01:33:23.279 --> 01:33:26.359 from the ROI who was in the sas with me 1681 01:33:26.439 --> 01:33:28.960 as well. What I love about Mike rich you can 1682 01:33:29.000 --> 01:33:31.880 read them my book even when he was in the SS. 1683 01:33:31.960 --> 01:33:34.560 Now you knew me in the URALI when he was 1684 01:33:34.600 --> 01:33:36.479 in the SS and he had to go in operation, 1685 01:33:36.600 --> 01:33:39.800 you'd say, I want Mike quest. You know. It was 1686 01:33:39.960 --> 01:33:43.039 just a beautiful thing. And Daryl what wanted me? And 1687 01:33:43.079 --> 01:33:45.960 he wanted me. I was, I was, I was in 1688 01:33:46.000 --> 01:33:48.840 combat and I loved it and I felt actually important 1689 01:33:48.840 --> 01:33:52.279 that these people wanted me. Anyway, we were mic reach 1690 01:33:52.279 --> 01:33:55.359 in the head for our target. We got a twenty 1691 01:33:55.359 --> 01:33:59.159 millies paro, the old thing you have them on aircraft 1692 01:33:59.159 --> 01:34:02.079 twenty more and we drive to our target and we 1693 01:34:02.159 --> 01:34:06.199 had but like a thirty meters of the pathway down 1694 01:34:06.239 --> 01:34:09.039 towards house and we're in the gas and that stops 1695 01:34:09.159 --> 01:34:11.560 and are gunna opens up to this twenty mile at 1696 01:34:11.600 --> 01:34:13.399 the house. Now we killed and killed a lot of 1697 01:34:13.439 --> 01:34:17.600 guys with that inside. We read afterwards. So myself, Dave Berry, 1698 01:34:17.640 --> 01:34:20.079 Frank Tunning, myself, we run at this house now because 1699 01:34:20.079 --> 01:34:21.600 I mean, the puppies are going to shoot at us. 1700 01:34:21.640 --> 01:34:24.880 You know, everybody tries to kill everybody there. Anyway, we 1701 01:34:24.920 --> 01:34:26.720 get to the doorway, and we got to get this 1702 01:34:26.840 --> 01:34:29.840 door open. Now, the guy on the on the twenty 1703 01:34:29.880 --> 01:34:33.720 mill has got a borderline he couldn't overshoot, but he 1704 01:34:33.800 --> 01:34:37.960 obviously overshot with a twenty more and whatever shut on, 1705 01:34:38.000 --> 01:34:40.960 either from the round or whatever. I'm right against the wall. 1706 01:34:40.960 --> 01:34:42.520 We've got to get close to the wall because I 1707 01:34:42.600 --> 01:34:46.279 mean there's lead flight and this thing goes right through me, mane. 1708 01:34:46.560 --> 01:34:49.520 It just skinned me. And Dave's sitting in It hits 1709 01:34:49.600 --> 01:34:51.399 him in the leg, takes him out in the middle, 1710 01:34:51.439 --> 01:34:54.920 and Franks on the other side. So Dave's a big puppy. Now, 1711 01:34:54.960 --> 01:34:57.199 I say, every guy, and I grabbed Dave and I 1712 01:34:57.359 --> 01:35:00.439 run for the vehicle. And while I'm running with Dave 1713 01:35:00.520 --> 01:35:03.520 to the vehicle, I'm telling you au fat. He says, shit, 1714 01:35:03.640 --> 01:35:06.520 you know this, And you're telling Ah West and yeah, 1715 01:35:07.199 --> 01:35:10.239 bloody human man, it doesn't matter. We had humor because 1716 01:35:10.239 --> 01:35:13.079 you're from Essays, you know. Jumped him on the vehicle. 1717 01:35:13.199 --> 01:35:16.279 Run back, Frank and I bridged ouse. We get inside. 1718 01:35:16.760 --> 01:35:19.319 While we're in setting up a massive crate of plastic 1719 01:35:19.399 --> 01:35:23.119 explosive with safety fuse A year something coming and I 1720 01:35:23.159 --> 01:35:26.359 loved it. Whatever that was is history. I understand he 1721 01:35:26.399 --> 01:35:29.439 went to the appy hunting grounds. They try to get 1722 01:35:29.439 --> 01:35:34.399 out seat of the explosives, and then we all drove back, 1723 01:35:34.520 --> 01:35:36.800 went to commodity work. But what happened was on the 1724 01:35:36.840 --> 01:35:43.159 other target, just briefly. I wasn't there. Three essays guys died. 1725 01:35:44.359 --> 01:35:46.680 They landed up in a hell of a battle. They 1726 01:35:46.680 --> 01:35:48.880 had a bigger target than us. There were more guys, 1727 01:35:48.920 --> 01:35:51.039 a bigger team, and had the bigger house. I wouldn't 1728 01:35:51.079 --> 01:35:53.159 mind if I was on that one because it was 1729 01:35:53.199 --> 01:35:56.960 more firing over there. But three guys died and the 1730 01:35:57.039 --> 01:36:01.359 one guy landed up this he had a can of 1731 01:36:01.399 --> 01:36:04.119 fuel with it, which was a reason for burning, and 1732 01:36:04.159 --> 01:36:07.600 they had to destroy and a white foss went off 1733 01:36:07.640 --> 01:36:09.479 and he set the light. He got hit as well, 1734 01:36:09.600 --> 01:36:12.960 got shot, fell down next to a car. That fuel 1735 01:36:13.000 --> 01:36:16.760 ignited brother's car and he was a ball of flame. 1736 01:36:17.640 --> 01:36:19.680 So after all this punch up in it. And now 1737 01:36:19.680 --> 01:36:22.399 you can't hang around too long with the target because 1738 01:36:22.439 --> 01:36:25.560 remember now for limos coming. You know, when all these 1739 01:36:25.560 --> 01:36:28.600 weapons got the troops come, so they get ordered to 1740 01:36:28.640 --> 01:36:32.560 withdraw after a certain amount of the such and they 1741 01:36:32.640 --> 01:36:35.079 drive away and he stayed behind in the fire. They 1742 01:36:35.079 --> 01:36:38.720 couldn't do anything about it. That was quite quite a 1743 01:36:38.720 --> 01:36:41.600 bad story. They found helmets and it was in newspapers 1744 01:36:41.600 --> 01:36:45.800 and all that. But after that operation, when we got 1745 01:36:45.840 --> 01:36:50.079 back at one Wreckie currently blew theirs away with a 1746 01:36:50.119 --> 01:36:53.920 one who six ural coils, blew it away. We eat 1747 01:36:54.039 --> 01:36:56.479 ours and they eat it. There was a lot of 1748 01:36:57.680 --> 01:37:03.239 slong about us again, and of course so much crap 1749 01:37:03.319 --> 01:37:07.000 and arguments, and you can't believe these were our friends. 1750 01:37:07.000 --> 01:37:09.439 They came to Rudisi. We trained these guys, not me, 1751 01:37:10.119 --> 01:37:12.800 But I went into war with it, you know. I 1752 01:37:12.840 --> 01:37:18.359 mean they are as as a result of us, that's 1753 01:37:18.399 --> 01:37:20.760 where they come from. But they had no time for us. 1754 01:37:20.760 --> 01:37:23.880 And our guys had enough of these guys and their parades, 1755 01:37:23.960 --> 01:37:27.600 and they're praying and they're flag raising seramonies, and listen, 1756 01:37:27.640 --> 01:37:29.760 this is not our cup of tee. We bloody soldiers 1757 01:37:30.439 --> 01:37:33.199 and the guys kadadle and they go in all directions. 1758 01:37:33.640 --> 01:37:35.640 They are a very good idea. Had a good chance 1759 01:37:35.680 --> 01:37:38.640 to go to other places. Now I could have gone 1760 01:37:38.680 --> 01:37:40.760 to Paros, like I said, I could have gone to Lebanon, 1761 01:37:40.800 --> 01:37:43.319 had a lot of chance choices, places I could go. 1762 01:37:43.399 --> 01:37:48.159 But I decided I just loved war. I just loved cold, right. 1763 01:37:48.199 --> 01:37:49.520 I don't know what it is. I just loved it. 1764 01:37:50.199 --> 01:37:53.920 I decided to stay on. Fortunate for me, I stayed 1765 01:37:53.920 --> 01:37:59.119 on because for some reason or the other, they these 1766 01:37:59.840 --> 01:38:02.439 we went on a lot of this. Look one WRECKI 1767 01:38:02.960 --> 01:38:07.239 where we were at the stage. There's a special forces outfit. 1768 01:38:07.840 --> 01:38:10.039 They are not cunning for it. Their job is to 1769 01:38:10.119 --> 01:38:14.560 penetrate deep enemy lines via strike craft submarine and destroy 1770 01:38:14.680 --> 01:38:18.039 enemy installations and so bug up the economy. That was 1771 01:38:18.079 --> 01:38:22.119 their task. Now Frank Tunney from Australia, Oh, what a 1772 01:38:22.199 --> 01:38:25.840 brilliant guy. What a soldier was a boxer as well. 1773 01:38:26.520 --> 01:38:28.479 Him and are sort of landed in fab and we 1774 01:38:28.520 --> 01:38:30.800 seem to get these jobs and we would go out 1775 01:38:30.840 --> 01:38:33.479 on these things and we loved it. Man, it was 1776 01:38:33.560 --> 01:38:37.760 it was bloody awesome. It's it hasn't got the action 1777 01:38:37.920 --> 01:38:40.359 and the shooting and that. But you sneak into refined 1778 01:38:40.399 --> 01:38:45.039 his place, explosive, blow it up, sneak out. It's all right, 1779 01:38:45.159 --> 01:38:48.520 but it's not that exciting like being in combat. You know. 1780 01:38:49.159 --> 01:38:53.920 But you got to do some submarine submarine insurtions. Sorry, 1781 01:38:54.159 --> 01:38:56.159 you got to do some submarine insurtions. 1782 01:38:56.640 --> 01:39:01.680 Yes one what but the what happens with these things? 1783 01:39:01.720 --> 01:39:06.000 You must remember us guys in Droodesia. Fact of the matter, 1784 01:39:06.800 --> 01:39:10.159 from everything we went through, our ear drums were gone, perforated. 1785 01:39:10.319 --> 01:39:13.039 We don't have our ears on a very bad way. 1786 01:39:13.159 --> 01:39:15.479 So when we get on this we call them cotch buckets. 1787 01:39:15.520 --> 01:39:19.520 These sycrow were from is a brilliant combat fight gun chips, 1788 01:39:20.479 --> 01:39:24.159 these little combat ships, beautiful stuff, but they pop around 1789 01:39:24.199 --> 01:39:29.279 like a core on the ocean. Anyway, when we're going up, 1790 01:39:29.520 --> 01:39:33.039 it becomes a cotch bucket because you whatever you got 1791 01:39:33.119 --> 01:39:35.239 goes out, goes out. You can't keep it in. But 1792 01:39:35.359 --> 01:39:39.359 we landed on numerous very some very nice ones, you know, 1793 01:39:40.279 --> 01:39:44.600 and I want to call two of them for you guys, 1794 01:39:44.680 --> 01:39:50.000 quite interesting one. The one was called Operation Candlelight cat Candlelight, 1795 01:39:50.920 --> 01:39:52.439 and the whole group we had to go in and 1796 01:39:52.479 --> 01:39:56.079 blow this to find me up. But the small teams 1797 01:39:56.079 --> 01:39:59.920 had gone in photographed. The place was about one hundred men, 1798 01:40:00.199 --> 01:40:04.760 just clearance all around, spotlights up god ours, fences around 1799 01:40:04.760 --> 01:40:06.880 the thing. We had to get to this and go 1800 01:40:06.960 --> 01:40:08.920 and blow it. So we got to the area and 1801 01:40:08.960 --> 01:40:11.479 we were crawling hands and knees over this open area, 1802 01:40:11.560 --> 01:40:15.039 got to the fence cut and we went in. Now 1803 01:40:16.039 --> 01:40:19.399 Frank and I were left on the fence because of 1804 01:40:19.439 --> 01:40:21.720 the patrols said anybody come, we had to kill them. 1805 01:40:22.479 --> 01:40:28.319 And these other guys had these explosive devices to go 1806 01:40:28.359 --> 01:40:34.399 and put on the tanks. Now something went seriously wrong. Yeah, 1807 01:40:34.680 --> 01:40:36.920 while they were in there and they were placing these 1808 01:40:37.279 --> 01:40:40.319 devices on the tanks which have got a delay switch 1809 01:40:40.359 --> 01:40:42.760 when you pull the pin, we get out to get 1810 01:40:42.760 --> 01:40:45.319 back to the strikeert were out in the ocean and kaboom, 1811 01:40:45.399 --> 01:40:48.760 you know, everything goes. But the one team, when the 1812 01:40:48.800 --> 01:40:54.960 guy pulled the pin, whah, vaporized and the two other 1813 01:40:55.000 --> 01:40:57.600 guys with him were about five meters away from him 1814 01:40:57.640 --> 01:41:01.479 all around the fence. They made it and he was gone. 1815 01:41:01.720 --> 01:41:04.399 If there was absolutely buggar all left of him logically. 1816 01:41:05.319 --> 01:41:07.439 But anyway, while we're on the fence, we see this 1817 01:41:07.560 --> 01:41:11.880 one guy running streaming like it. He didn't know his 1818 01:41:12.159 --> 01:41:15.039 from his elbow, you know, was taste, but he didn't 1819 01:41:15.039 --> 01:41:16.960 know where he's going. But they screamed him, got him 1820 01:41:17.000 --> 01:41:20.920 and said what he said, the other guy is lying 1821 01:41:20.960 --> 01:41:24.640 over there. So two guys went with him and they 1822 01:41:24.680 --> 01:41:28.000 went and picked him up and they brought him out 1823 01:41:29.319 --> 01:41:31.840 to the fence. Now, I want to tell you, guys, 1824 01:41:32.279 --> 01:41:34.640 I mentioned it in my book and I mentioned on 1825 01:41:34.680 --> 01:41:37.520 the podcast of Fighting Men of Rudesia. I got to 1826 01:41:37.640 --> 01:41:40.479 mention this. It's very important to There's a lot of 1827 01:41:40.520 --> 01:41:44.520 these things, and I feel quite offended by it. When 1828 01:41:44.560 --> 01:41:47.640 we now got the wounded guy to the fence, we 1829 01:41:47.680 --> 01:41:51.439 are now stranded in a refinery. God tell us up. 1830 01:41:51.359 --> 01:41:53.439 In spotlights behind enemy lines. 1831 01:41:54.279 --> 01:41:58.880 Guys out of that thing without dying. So the commander said, 1832 01:41:59.520 --> 01:42:02.920 what the hell now? And I said, bugger you. Now, 1833 01:42:02.960 --> 01:42:06.680 I'd a forty millimeters M seven nine grenade launch, you know, 1834 01:42:06.720 --> 01:42:09.760 the old grenade launch ND seven nine, And I thought, 1835 01:42:10.039 --> 01:42:13.000 bugger this, and I walked out into the light, knelt 1836 01:42:13.439 --> 01:42:16.359 at the guard towel with the N seven nine. I thought, look, 1837 01:42:16.479 --> 01:42:19.920 I would have called him now now that the tank 1838 01:42:19.960 --> 01:42:21.600 had gone up. Now don't know if he had fallen 1839 01:42:21.640 --> 01:42:24.079 down or where this puppy was. But he didn't shoot. 1840 01:42:24.399 --> 01:42:26.319 And the team ran out and I showed them going. 1841 01:42:26.399 --> 01:42:29.279 I sat to this ensign line, walked backwards and we 1842 01:42:29.359 --> 01:42:32.520 got away and then we got to help the wounded guys, 1843 01:42:32.680 --> 01:42:34.800 got them, got back to the strike craft, got on 1844 01:42:34.880 --> 01:42:39.000 the stricraft. Whilst we're on the stricraft, this candlelight happens, 1845 01:42:39.079 --> 01:42:44.000 this massive eruption goes up to the finery, goes beautiful 1846 01:42:44.039 --> 01:42:45.800 sight this. I wish I had a camera to take 1847 01:42:45.840 --> 01:42:50.239 a photo there. The one guy comes over to me. 1848 01:42:50.279 --> 01:42:53.279 He says to me, why did you do that? You 1849 01:42:53.319 --> 01:42:57.319 could have died. I said, how are you supposed to 1850 01:42:57.319 --> 01:43:01.680 get out of the refinery. No, I didn't do it 1851 01:43:01.680 --> 01:43:03.279 because I thought it's a bloody year. I did it 1852 01:43:03.399 --> 01:43:10.199 because that's what you do. You know, get back medal parades. 1853 01:43:10.279 --> 01:43:12.960 All the guys go for medals. Everybody gets medals. The 1854 01:43:13.000 --> 01:43:16.079 guys who went and picked up the wounded guy got 1855 01:43:16.159 --> 01:43:20.720 these high neurist crooks, medals, high decorations. When the refinery 1856 01:43:20.760 --> 01:43:24.520 goes off, there's fire, nobody runs in the refinery. Nobody 1857 01:43:24.520 --> 01:43:26.720 will go and to find the very dangerous there. There 1858 01:43:26.760 --> 01:43:28.560 was no danger. You could have sent your mother in 1859 01:43:28.640 --> 01:43:30.760 law there to pick up the guy. There's no danger. 1860 01:43:30.920 --> 01:43:32.960 I'm telling you now, I don't give it. Damn what 1861 01:43:33.039 --> 01:43:36.239 people say. When the refinery goes up, nobody runs around 1862 01:43:36.279 --> 01:43:41.319 inside its death anyway, all decorated. Frank, who's with me, 1863 01:43:41.399 --> 01:43:44.640 gets decorated. But nothing happens to me. I get nothing fit. 1864 01:43:46.159 --> 01:43:49.000 What's going on? Now? You know? Six months later they 1865 01:43:49.079 --> 01:43:55.000 decorate me for just the same metals the other guys got, 1866 01:43:55.039 --> 01:44:00.279 but nothing of bravery, but just the liberty. There's a 1867 01:44:00.279 --> 01:44:04.000 book written, I'm Fist from the Sea, yeah about this operation. 1868 01:44:04.720 --> 01:44:05.800 We have it right over there. 1869 01:44:06.680 --> 01:44:10.359 You read it. Yeah, And I spoke to the You 1870 01:44:10.399 --> 01:44:13.760 see the author's names on the thing, and that's said 1871 01:44:13.840 --> 01:44:14.119 him to. 1872 01:44:14.520 --> 01:44:19.560 Book right there on the corner from one. Yep, that's it, 1873 01:44:22.079 --> 01:44:29.520 take it down, Yeah, yeah, bye U. 1874 01:44:30.159 --> 01:44:34.079 And I apologize for not being very good at pronouncing the. 1875 01:44:34.039 --> 01:44:37.720 South from the see the one that died book, Yeah. 1876 01:44:37.560 --> 01:44:38.279 From from U. 1877 01:44:41.279 --> 01:44:45.319 In RNA. Those are the same guys. But it's a 1878 01:44:45.319 --> 01:44:47.439 different than my book. My book's got a different cover. 1879 01:44:47.560 --> 01:44:49.279 I'm on the front cover of the other book. 1880 01:44:49.600 --> 01:44:53.359 This might be a UK edition, which is why it 1881 01:44:53.399 --> 01:44:54.319 looks a little different. 1882 01:44:55.199 --> 01:44:57.800 The one that we got is I'm on the front 1883 01:44:57.880 --> 01:44:59.039 cover with the team. 1884 01:44:59.199 --> 01:44:59.720 Oh really. 1885 01:45:00.039 --> 01:45:03.000 And I phoned this guy and I said to him listening, 1886 01:45:05.399 --> 01:45:08.119 why didn't you mention? I asked him out right because 1887 01:45:08.119 --> 01:45:12.960 I felt quite offended because afterwards, you know, why didn't 1888 01:45:13.000 --> 01:45:15.119 you mention that I put my life on the team. 1889 01:45:15.159 --> 01:45:17.680 He said, well, they had to write the book out 1890 01:45:17.680 --> 01:45:19.840 of the oh go, and you just forgot to mention it. 1891 01:45:20.159 --> 01:45:24.640 I said, okay, no problem. You know, clean forgot that 1892 01:45:24.720 --> 01:45:27.079 a person went to put your life on the line 1893 01:45:27.119 --> 01:45:29.560 to say the team, and they just convenient to forget it. 1894 01:45:29.760 --> 01:45:32.600 They didn't like me, not him, but the big guy 1895 01:45:32.600 --> 01:45:36.600 at the base cap didn't liked me. I was. I 1896 01:45:36.760 --> 01:45:39.600 just didn't like me being the Englishman from Reddish. I listen. 1897 01:45:40.439 --> 01:45:44.319 I wasn't fallen on my mouth. I wasn't the most 1898 01:45:44.319 --> 01:45:47.439 disciplined soldier or whatever I was. I could be a 1899 01:45:47.439 --> 01:45:49.439 bit of a problem. You understand. I was a bit 1900 01:45:49.479 --> 01:45:52.159 different than most people because I was really different. I 1901 01:45:52.199 --> 01:45:55.319 grew up in a very violent life and I was 1902 01:45:55.399 --> 01:45:58.159 just different. And they had a little bit of animosity 1903 01:45:58.199 --> 01:46:01.800 towards me. But we land upon a I've got to 1904 01:46:01.840 --> 01:46:04.239 tell you this. And we land up on a It 1905 01:46:04.279 --> 01:46:08.960 was called Operation Keg. This was in Angola Mossamedes Harbor. 1906 01:46:10.000 --> 01:46:13.600 Now there's a there's two bridges that have to be plowing. 1907 01:46:14.199 --> 01:46:17.960 This is a massive operation. So whilst we're preparing for 1908 01:46:18.000 --> 01:46:20.560 this operation at the place at Langabahn in the cake 1909 01:46:20.640 --> 01:46:22.560 where the four Eki guys because they were going to 1910 01:46:22.600 --> 01:46:26.520 take us in uh, we went to the pub over 1911 01:46:26.560 --> 01:46:29.640 there called the Tropic Corner. But and I don't drink, 1912 01:46:30.239 --> 01:46:32.920 you know, but I had I don't know, I must 1913 01:46:32.960 --> 01:46:35.600 have had a bit of bierut. But anyway, we my 1914 01:46:35.680 --> 01:46:38.760 friend pulled pulled the ones city down some timber bit 1915 01:46:39.359 --> 01:46:41.520 and then we went There was some skirmish and some 1916 01:46:41.600 --> 01:46:44.399 guy came out and made a comment and I decked him. 1917 01:46:44.520 --> 01:46:47.479 But when I hit him, his teeth went into my fist, 1918 01:46:47.560 --> 01:46:50.760 you know, in his teeth, and that wasn't that anyway, 1919 01:46:50.800 --> 01:46:53.520 he landed up in the garden. I planted him. We 1920 01:46:53.640 --> 01:46:56.159 finished the operation, but my hands started to get stuffed 1921 01:46:56.159 --> 01:46:58.880 because the tooth went into the bloody bone and I 1922 01:46:58.880 --> 01:47:01.199 had to get tentamus in action. But I can't close 1923 01:47:01.239 --> 01:47:03.399 my hand. But I wasn't going to miss out on 1924 01:47:03.439 --> 01:47:07.239 this bloody operation, you know. Anyway, we had rope ladders. 1925 01:47:07.560 --> 01:47:10.560 We were carrying a hell of a lot of explosives, 1926 01:47:10.600 --> 01:47:12.960 were very very laid and down, and we had to 1927 01:47:13.000 --> 01:47:14.880 go over a very rocky ground. We had to use 1928 01:47:14.960 --> 01:47:17.760 rope ladders to climb over things. Was difficult and I 1929 01:47:17.840 --> 01:47:20.319 was winging it with one end much like Rambo, you know, 1930 01:47:20.479 --> 01:47:22.039 to do it. But I wanted to be on the op. 1931 01:47:22.079 --> 01:47:24.760 It was. It was a very difficult op, but it 1932 01:47:24.880 --> 01:47:30.560 was enjoyable. We got to the bridge and everything on 1933 01:47:30.600 --> 01:47:33.520 the ground when you get orders, nothing on the grounds 1934 01:47:33.520 --> 01:47:36.520 the same as what you do in the office. That 1935 01:47:36.600 --> 01:47:39.600 doesn't work that way. And when we got the small 1936 01:47:39.640 --> 01:47:43.199 teams that'd been there, they'd photographed the target. But the 1937 01:47:43.319 --> 01:47:46.439 main guy with the explosive, we all got advanced demolitions 1938 01:47:46.520 --> 01:47:48.720 and you name it, all this stuff, but this guy 1939 01:47:48.840 --> 01:47:51.920 set up to do the explosives on the bridges. This 1940 01:47:52.079 --> 01:47:55.760 target was a totally different ballgame. And it took longer 1941 01:47:55.840 --> 01:47:59.560 to set up the explosives. So by the time we 1942 01:47:59.600 --> 01:48:01.920 had to be back on the sycroft out on the sea, 1943 01:48:02.000 --> 01:48:04.159 and then the bridge is at to go. What happens 1944 01:48:04.520 --> 01:48:07.159 were light and we might go way back and the 1945 01:48:07.159 --> 01:48:10.199 sun is coming up. Now we're on the beach and 1946 01:48:10.479 --> 01:48:12.800 the Kevlo boats are coming in to pick us up. 1947 01:48:12.840 --> 01:48:15.159 Now now it's not low tide anymore because we're light. 1948 01:48:15.199 --> 01:48:18.279 Now it's high tide and it's rough. And the one 1949 01:48:18.319 --> 01:48:20.359 of the boats step over when the guys were getting 1950 01:48:20.399 --> 01:48:22.479 on they lose their weapons. Where we look, we're in 1951 01:48:22.479 --> 01:48:26.119 big crap yacht and right in the harbor, Mossamdia's harbor. 1952 01:48:26.319 --> 01:48:32.600 Is this what do they call it? A Russian gunboat man. 1953 01:48:32.680 --> 01:48:34.920 You must see this thing. It's in the book. I 1954 01:48:35.039 --> 01:48:37.239 talk about it a cave or I don't know what, 1955 01:48:37.399 --> 01:48:40.359 but it's a big puppy. But where the hell of 1956 01:48:40.359 --> 01:48:43.119 a lot of troops on the day. But yeah, we're 1957 01:48:43.119 --> 01:48:48.680 are okay. So now we on the hermon that the 1958 01:48:48.760 --> 01:48:51.840 main command of the beach standing on the beach. We 1959 01:48:51.920 --> 01:48:54.159 are all in the ocean, swimming trying to get on. 1960 01:48:54.600 --> 01:48:57.279 Some guys are off drowning. I grabbed the one guy 1961 01:48:57.359 --> 01:49:00.119 with my dammy's hand and I pulled him up, got 1962 01:49:00.199 --> 01:49:03.239 him on the on the on the boat, and while 1963 01:49:03.319 --> 01:49:09.359 we battling all that there the bridges go daylight. He 1964 01:49:09.439 --> 01:49:11.119 dies in his swamps. You get him on, But now 1965 01:49:11.199 --> 01:49:14.079 we're overloaded and the back of the trans and sinks 1966 01:49:14.119 --> 01:49:16.079 into the water and the engine cuts out, and then 1967 01:49:16.119 --> 01:49:19.399 we're stuck on the ocean. And what happens he has 1968 01:49:19.439 --> 01:49:23.079 the enemy ride bys. We're dead man, all captured. You 1969 01:49:23.159 --> 01:49:24.960 know what our luck was, which you found it off. 1970 01:49:24.960 --> 01:49:29.920 Towards the night before, the commander or whatever of the 1971 01:49:30.279 --> 01:49:33.119 of the of the of the battle cruiser gave the 1972 01:49:33.159 --> 01:49:35.079 troops off to go and have fun with the ladies 1973 01:49:35.119 --> 01:49:38.520 and get tanked up and everybody went on surely and 1974 01:49:38.640 --> 01:49:41.479 they were out. And when the bridges went and the 1975 01:49:41.520 --> 01:49:43.720 alarms went off, these guys were still called to their 1976 01:49:43.760 --> 01:49:46.279 pants down and we had a chance to get away. 1977 01:49:46.319 --> 01:49:49.159 So when the sycraft came in, came and got us 1978 01:49:49.159 --> 01:49:51.520 and got us out, just we were all gunners over there. 1979 01:49:51.880 --> 01:49:54.239 But that was our operation to talk about. I'll tell 1980 01:49:54.279 --> 01:49:57.079 you that was you see now the guys were sinking 1981 01:49:57.600 --> 01:50:01.439 the guy's It was a dangerous story. Hi tied heavily 1982 01:50:01.520 --> 01:50:04.560 laden guys in the waters, sinking, pulling guys over. 1983 01:50:05.279 --> 01:50:05.520 Man. 1984 01:50:05.600 --> 01:50:09.279 It wasn't like a mad magazine. It was something else. 1985 01:50:09.960 --> 01:50:13.920 But that's something you remember. It's really, yeah, something beautiful 1986 01:50:13.960 --> 01:50:17.840 to remember you have gone through that. It was absolutely was. 1987 01:50:17.800 --> 01:50:21.600 That sort of the tail end of your sadf career. 1988 01:50:21.640 --> 01:50:23.319 I mean, how did you kind of finish out your 1989 01:50:23.319 --> 01:50:24.199 military service. 1990 01:50:25.479 --> 01:50:30.319 No, yes, my military career slot it still went absolutely crazy, man. Really, 1991 01:50:30.840 --> 01:50:33.600 I spent up to nine months here. I was a 1992 01:50:33.680 --> 01:50:37.960 very busy guy, and these guys specialized in these deep 1993 01:50:38.000 --> 01:50:41.079 penetrations which I was part of. But other little operations 1994 01:50:41.079 --> 01:50:44.960 would come up. In Southwest Africa. We had a base 1995 01:50:45.039 --> 01:50:49.159 cap of the name of Fort rev where they kept 1996 01:50:49.319 --> 01:50:51.880 captured swamp which you were turning with God, and they 1997 01:50:51.880 --> 01:50:53.760 would send me up to few ops over there. I 1998 01:50:53.800 --> 01:50:57.760 was busy and I spent a lot of time away, 1999 01:50:57.760 --> 01:51:01.640 and whilst I was away, things went wrong at home, 2000 01:51:02.039 --> 01:51:05.760 all right, And when I got back, I heard about 2001 01:51:05.800 --> 01:51:10.520 it and I lost my Look the normal procedures, everything's 2002 01:51:10.520 --> 01:51:14.159 going to follow military rules, not me. I had a 2003 01:51:14.199 --> 01:51:18.479 pair of hands, you understand, and I landed up and 2004 01:51:18.560 --> 01:51:21.880 what happened was there was a ruckus in town where 2005 01:51:21.880 --> 01:51:24.920 the Stricroft had pub problems at a pub, and the 2006 01:51:25.000 --> 01:51:26.760 guys left and said, we're going to bring the guys 2007 01:51:26.800 --> 01:51:29.520 and we're going to flatten this pub. So when he left, 2008 01:51:29.520 --> 01:51:32.359 they got all these bouncers together with patons and everything 2009 01:51:32.399 --> 01:51:35.000 waiting for this lot to come. And we arrived, Mike 2010 01:51:35.079 --> 01:51:39.840 West and these two buddies and one of our guys. 2011 01:51:40.479 --> 01:51:43.039 The real asshole has trouble with a city in the 2012 01:51:43.119 --> 01:51:46.000 fight breaks and we go out and what happens. There's 2013 01:51:46.239 --> 01:51:49.800 lord of people come out of Therevid patons. I get pumbled. 2014 01:51:49.840 --> 01:51:53.439 I've got a crackskull, broken broken nose, lying in Addington 2015 01:51:53.479 --> 01:51:56.800 Hospital and I was in the ole of the state. 2016 01:51:56.840 --> 01:51:59.279 But you're gonna get me down. I still got out. 2017 01:52:01.079 --> 01:52:04.720 They decided. Then I was very angry, so I started 2018 01:52:04.720 --> 01:52:08.800 to hunt these guys down. And somebody went and chirped 2019 01:52:08.840 --> 01:52:11.600 by the commander what I was busy with, and they decided, listen, 2020 01:52:11.680 --> 01:52:14.960 this king is a nutcase. So they sent me to 2021 01:52:15.039 --> 01:52:18.359 the psychiatrist in Putorial. Guy's name was Paul Meyer, was 2022 01:52:18.399 --> 01:52:21.520 the head of this, and they questioned, they got these 2023 01:52:21.560 --> 01:52:23.560 little flip charts and what do you see? And what 2024 01:52:23.640 --> 01:52:26.680 do you see and all this stuff crap. Anyway, I 2025 01:52:26.800 --> 01:52:29.680 go through all this nonsense, I get locked up in 2026 01:52:29.720 --> 01:52:32.279 the unique ward where the wounded guy was. I go 2027 01:52:32.399 --> 01:52:34.760 for runs. I threatened the military police. I was a 2028 01:52:34.760 --> 01:52:38.279 bit of a problem, and they declare me a jackal 2029 01:52:38.359 --> 01:52:42.119 and hide a nutcase and they send me back. And 2030 01:52:42.359 --> 01:52:44.560 when I got back to they empty. The military police 2031 01:52:44.600 --> 01:52:46.600 get on the bloody trained with me, which is the 2032 01:52:46.640 --> 01:52:50.039 biggest mistake. They've never done that. I walked in their compartment. 2033 01:52:50.079 --> 01:52:52.840 I they if you ever saw a money, should have 2034 01:52:52.880 --> 01:52:55.000 seen those guys. I would have flattened them, but not 2035 01:52:55.159 --> 01:52:58.279 one moved. I was very angry with these bosses, for 2036 01:52:58.479 --> 01:53:03.680 you know, I've been like anyway, I get back gud 2037 01:53:03.720 --> 01:53:06.520 picks in the station. He says to me, Andre is 2038 01:53:06.560 --> 01:53:08.399 waiting for it. That's a command. I'm not going to 2039 01:53:08.520 --> 01:53:11.600 mention his rest a command that's waiting. He wants to 2040 01:53:11.640 --> 01:53:15.279 see you get back there walking his office, says Mike, 2041 01:53:15.640 --> 01:53:17.199 we've got a lot of trouble up and down. We 2042 01:53:17.279 --> 01:53:19.239 want you to gut there. Tomorrow. We're taking you down 2043 01:53:19.319 --> 01:53:21.640 to water Cliff flying him is going to sort it 2044 01:53:21.680 --> 01:53:24.399 out for us. I said, no problem, man, you know 2045 01:53:24.439 --> 01:53:29.439 I like it. Get to my house. My house is empty, 2046 01:53:30.199 --> 01:53:33.399 curtains in the room, everything is gone, and my clothes 2047 01:53:33.399 --> 01:53:37.199 in the cupboard, wife and kids, everybody gone. I said, yeah, 2048 01:53:37.319 --> 01:53:41.079 what's going on? Yeah, I realized I's pictured. Anyway, next 2049 01:53:41.159 --> 01:53:43.880 day they fly me down to water Cliff. Watercliff, they 2050 01:53:43.880 --> 01:53:48.560 fly me to Endanga Swapper Base. Now get over there, 2051 01:53:48.760 --> 01:53:52.119 walk in this guy, salute this puppy. He just tells 2052 01:53:52.159 --> 01:53:56.560 me you're not going back to South Africa. You play you, 2053 01:53:56.560 --> 01:53:59.800 you station, your permit. I said, but what about my family? 2054 01:54:00.000 --> 01:54:02.880 I couldn't understand what's going on? Says not my problem. 2055 01:54:02.960 --> 01:54:06.000 Get ready for deploying. You just arrived there with my 2056 01:54:06.079 --> 01:54:10.199 water drunk and everything. No orders, keep my gear on everything. 2057 01:54:10.479 --> 01:54:12.119 They load me up in the castle one of these 2058 01:54:12.199 --> 01:54:14.880 armored vehicles. When the dark and they drive me out 2059 01:54:14.880 --> 01:54:17.960 into the bush. Don't know what's going on. Nobody says nothing. 2060 01:54:18.239 --> 01:54:22.039 They're obviously very cheesed off with me. The gates that 2061 01:54:22.119 --> 01:54:24.199 the doors open, the back, I got to jump out. 2062 01:54:24.279 --> 01:54:26.359 Off goes the vehicle. I'm standing in the dark. Your 2063 01:54:26.439 --> 01:54:29.600 four of these captured swap will come sacrament and I 2064 01:54:29.680 --> 01:54:32.720 know the guys and they come and they showed me. 2065 01:54:32.840 --> 01:54:34.680 We go to the lup, the lying up place, and 2066 01:54:34.760 --> 01:54:36.720 we slept there for the night. Now I'm lying there. 2067 01:54:36.760 --> 01:54:42.279 I am so confused. I mean, I went to all 2068 01:54:42.279 --> 01:54:45.560 this crap at the military hospitals and I was declared 2069 01:54:45.560 --> 01:54:48.920 in that case. Then I get sent over yard. Then 2070 01:54:48.960 --> 01:54:51.159 I'm told I'm not getting back to South Africa. They 2071 01:54:51.159 --> 01:54:54.359 don't care about my family. I'm thrown in the bush 2072 01:54:54.399 --> 01:54:58.000 with no orders. Yes, your mean y's something seriously on. Yeah, 2073 01:54:58.359 --> 01:55:00.720 forty the next day, but I've said eight o'clock we 2074 01:55:00.720 --> 01:55:02.680 eat the punch up where we kill seven guys, and 2075 01:55:02.720 --> 01:55:06.199 that that lifted me up. But I needed action and 2076 01:55:06.239 --> 01:55:09.399 that helped me anyway. We got back to the base 2077 01:55:09.479 --> 01:55:12.159 camp and I only realized that now unpopular was this 2078 01:55:12.199 --> 01:55:15.520 guy in this base camp didn't like me. I get 2079 01:55:15.560 --> 01:55:18.359 back today, next day, deploy again. And so it carried on. 2080 01:55:18.439 --> 01:55:20.319 But then I started to take my own teams out. 2081 01:55:21.119 --> 01:55:22.920 And if I take a team out to that, right, 2082 01:55:23.000 --> 01:55:26.960 I get. I'm I'm quite creative, you know. I enjoyed 2083 01:55:26.960 --> 01:55:34.359 the game. And one specific, one, very specific one. They 2084 01:55:34.399 --> 01:55:37.039 had these guys engineers that used to come up and 2085 01:55:37.199 --> 01:55:41.000 blow all the pylons and things on the communication line. 2086 01:55:41.000 --> 01:55:44.279 But they ride it around on bicycles and they put 2087 01:55:44.319 --> 01:55:47.199 their weapons and on the on the bicycles. And they 2088 01:55:47.239 --> 01:55:51.119 told me I actually slotted a couple of them at night. Anyway, 2089 01:55:51.239 --> 01:55:53.800 we go out and shoot them with this KKB night's 2090 01:55:53.800 --> 01:55:56.520 cope with the H one and they they told me 2091 01:55:56.840 --> 01:55:59.880 they want me to try and block this line the 2092 01:56:00.119 --> 01:56:02.840 cut these guys coming up. So it's quite a dangerous 2093 01:56:02.840 --> 01:56:05.239 area to go up there. I mean there's a there's 2094 01:56:05.319 --> 01:56:09.640 FOP light up there, armored, big big forces up that way. Anyway, 2095 01:56:09.640 --> 01:56:11.640 I get up there, go in and I killed quite 2096 01:56:11.680 --> 01:56:13.079 a few like that. I killed a hell of a 2097 01:56:13.119 --> 01:56:15.760 lot of these guys on the time there. But this 2098 01:56:15.920 --> 01:56:20.000 one specific day, as we lay up for the whole day, 2099 01:56:20.079 --> 01:56:23.479 nothing happened slept the night. I walked about fifty meters 2100 01:56:23.479 --> 01:56:26.880 of the ride going further north, and as we're going up, 2101 01:56:27.279 --> 01:56:29.520 three of these guys came racing paths on the bicycle. 2102 01:56:29.520 --> 01:56:31.840 The two far away with fire. We run, they get away. 2103 01:56:32.960 --> 01:56:35.960 I realized that we've been firing, let's say, olive a noise. 2104 01:56:36.000 --> 01:56:39.760 Not going to get out of the area. So I 2105 01:56:39.800 --> 01:56:42.960 head east about three kilometers takes about forty five minutes. 2106 01:56:43.000 --> 01:56:45.359 Am I going to lie up in the area because 2107 01:56:45.359 --> 01:56:49.039 it's Can I take another break quickly? Can I take 2108 01:56:49.039 --> 01:56:49.840 another break quickly? 2109 01:56:50.239 --> 01:56:50.800 Absolutely? 2110 01:56:50.840 --> 01:56:53.359 All right? Coffee to stay away? 2111 01:56:54.960 --> 01:56:59.680 No, we understand, and we appreciate Mike and also his 2112 01:56:59.800 --> 01:57:02.800 crew that's helping him out here because it's pretty late 2113 01:57:02.920 --> 01:57:05.199 in South Africa right now. It's probably like two thirty 2114 01:57:05.199 --> 01:57:07.840 in the morning in South Africa at the moment. 2115 01:57:07.880 --> 01:57:10.239 Yeah, super late. We appreciate those guys going the extra 2116 01:57:10.279 --> 01:57:10.960 mile for us. 2117 01:57:11.319 --> 01:57:14.439 I was just looking up our upcoming, our next upcoming guest. 2118 01:57:14.479 --> 01:57:16.520 I know you went over Monday and next Friday. 2119 01:57:17.279 --> 01:57:20.720 Let me get you probably need better organizations. Listen here, 2120 01:57:21.439 --> 01:57:22.199 let's see here. 2121 01:57:26.880 --> 01:57:33.520 So yeah, so John Daily on Monday, Joe Mucia, Musia, 2122 01:57:34.520 --> 01:57:41.520 Eric O'Neil FBI Counterintelligence and Cybersecurity on nine nine. On 2123 01:57:41.640 --> 01:57:47.840 nine thirteen, Damon Brown with the great book Black People 2124 01:57:47.840 --> 01:57:49.640 Can't Swim, Yeah, Combat Diver. 2125 01:57:49.840 --> 01:57:50.840 Yeah. 2126 01:57:51.760 --> 01:57:55.479 And then on nine to twenty you're Uriah Pop medic 2127 01:57:55.640 --> 01:58:01.239 from a special missions unit. And twenty seven is it's 2128 01:58:01.239 --> 01:58:04.279 still nine twenty seven right, our three hundredth episode. It'll 2129 01:58:04.319 --> 01:58:08.840 be early October, early October, October third, Okay, so October 2130 01:58:08.880 --> 01:58:13.039 third will be a three hundredth episode where we are 2131 01:58:13.079 --> 01:58:17.319 going to play sometimes dragons, which we know the watchers 2132 01:58:17.319 --> 01:58:21.760 and listeners of this podcast are dying, dying the content. 2133 01:58:21.880 --> 01:58:22.600 Yeah, it's been dying. 2134 01:58:22.680 --> 01:58:24.439 Yes. Yeah, It's gonna be our biggest show. 2135 01:58:24.439 --> 01:58:30.119 Crossover event of the of the century. Yeah. Yeah. 2136 01:58:31.520 --> 01:58:34.840 So Mike, you as you as you're telling this story, 2137 01:58:34.960 --> 01:58:37.680 I gotta think and you must have picked up on 2138 01:58:37.800 --> 01:58:40.640 at this point it sounds an awful lot like your 2139 01:58:40.640 --> 01:58:43.119 commander sent you out to this firebase to die, like 2140 01:58:43.159 --> 01:58:44.359 he doesn't think you're coming back. 2141 01:58:46.279 --> 01:58:51.640 Well, I'll be perfectly honestly, I if you read in 2142 01:58:51.640 --> 01:58:56.199 my book, I I the book's been edited, but I 2143 01:58:56.319 --> 01:59:00.119 know for the fact that as I go on, and 2144 01:59:00.119 --> 01:59:03.600 you'll see why, I tell you they tried, but they 2145 01:59:03.640 --> 01:59:07.840 didn't succeed. And then listen, this is Blakely. I'll sit 2146 01:59:07.880 --> 01:59:10.760 with the polygraph anywhere in the world and I'll take 2147 01:59:10.800 --> 01:59:12.800 this story on to show you what they did to me. 2148 01:59:13.319 --> 01:59:16.279 But they didn't scare me. I'm not worried about these people, 2149 01:59:16.920 --> 01:59:21.039 but this specific instant, I had a three kilometers east 2150 01:59:21.239 --> 01:59:25.439 and I get down in the position and lying low. 2151 01:59:25.520 --> 01:59:27.640 You don't move in the daytime. Look, it doesn't matter 2152 01:59:27.640 --> 01:59:29.439 where you are there. The gooks know where you are. 2153 01:59:29.520 --> 01:59:31.520 It's day time. They know where you are. You can't 2154 01:59:31.520 --> 01:59:33.439 move around in there, and turns don't know where you are. 2155 01:59:33.439 --> 01:59:36.880 That's investigate. And I'll see to my north and I 2156 01:59:36.960 --> 01:59:40.079 see extended line coming, but the bush is thick, and 2157 01:59:40.119 --> 01:59:42.119 I could see about seven of them, but they're coming 2158 01:59:42.159 --> 01:59:46.359 towards it. I realized, those guys that escaped to the bicycles, 2159 01:59:46.359 --> 01:59:48.960 you know that it's coming. Anyway. We open up on 2160 01:59:49.000 --> 01:59:51.399 these guys. You pop a couple of them. Wasn't a 2161 01:59:51.479 --> 01:59:53.880 hell of a punch up. And all of a sudden, 2162 01:59:53.920 --> 01:59:56.319 this piece of bark flies out down next to my head, 2163 01:59:56.359 --> 02:00:00.039 and all old breaks loose from the right flame. And 2164 02:00:01.000 --> 02:00:03.760 they knew exactly where, so they launched a flanking attack 2165 02:00:03.800 --> 02:00:07.199 on me, which was a big mistake. As they came 2166 02:00:07.239 --> 02:00:10.000 at me. I got that sixty round magazine. I'm the 2167 02:00:10.079 --> 02:00:12.840 only guy sparest forces that add it. But this one worked. 2168 02:00:13.239 --> 02:00:16.520 A lot of guys tried it. But once infuse those springs, 2169 02:00:16.720 --> 02:00:19.199 the thing gets stopped. Just mine never stopped. Believe me, 2170 02:00:19.199 --> 02:00:23.560 it never stopped. They can tell you it never stopped. Anyway, Attorney. 2171 02:00:23.600 --> 02:00:26.319 We opened up and the only way I could beat 2172 02:00:26.359 --> 02:00:29.199 these guys is what Darrell what taught me. Run at 2173 02:00:29.239 --> 02:00:31.800 the bastards. And that's exactly what I did. 2174 02:00:31.840 --> 02:00:31.960 Now. 2175 02:00:32.000 --> 02:00:33.880 I get two white guys with me, was he and 2176 02:00:33.960 --> 02:00:36.600 Johnny and these guys, and we and I take over 2177 02:00:36.680 --> 02:00:39.000 the speed with the sixty round, opening up with them, 2178 02:00:39.399 --> 02:00:42.800 and we called a lot of them there and Johnny 2179 02:00:43.039 --> 02:00:44.800 was and then the rest of them came in. They're 2180 02:00:44.800 --> 02:00:46.880 not going to run with us, but when I ran, 2181 02:00:46.960 --> 02:00:50.640 they came. And when I captured eight of them over 2182 02:00:50.680 --> 02:00:53.159 there killed. We must have killed I don't know, ah, 2183 02:00:53.319 --> 02:00:55.319 maybe nine, ten, I don't know. We killed a lot. 2184 02:00:56.079 --> 02:00:58.000 It wasn't a big deal, you know. We were too 2185 02:00:58.039 --> 02:01:00.760 fast in them and the most beautiful I've never seen 2186 02:01:00.800 --> 02:01:02.960 anything more, these guys who were on their knees with 2187 02:01:03.000 --> 02:01:05.840 their hands in the air. Man God felt so proud 2188 02:01:05.840 --> 02:01:09.359 of myself. I took this whole lot wounded guys everything. 2189 02:01:09.840 --> 02:01:13.119 We grabbed them. Look, we're in big trouble now because 2190 02:01:13.119 --> 02:01:14.760 there's been a hell of a lot of shooting. You know, 2191 02:01:14.800 --> 02:01:17.479 there's going to be trouble. So I grabbed these guys. 2192 02:01:17.520 --> 02:01:20.479 We start moving south. I had to convince them, you know, 2193 02:01:20.640 --> 02:01:23.560 to walk, and then we stopped at a point to 2194 02:01:23.640 --> 02:01:25.920 hit them because they're bleeding profuse. And you'll see in 2195 02:01:25.920 --> 02:01:28.880 my book there. We made homemade stretchers and we put 2196 02:01:29.000 --> 02:01:31.960 drips in them, and I made these guys carry each 2197 02:01:31.960 --> 02:01:34.479 other wounded on their own shoulders to get them out, 2198 02:01:34.560 --> 02:01:38.239 because a life captures money. Not for me, but for 2199 02:01:38.319 --> 02:01:41.359 these turn guys, you know, the Swapper guys that are 2200 02:01:41.399 --> 02:01:44.159 fighting with me, and they prefer it if we left 2201 02:01:44.159 --> 02:01:46.520 them alive because they don't want to kill their own guys. 2202 02:01:46.920 --> 02:01:51.119 So we were takings and what happens was this foppler 2203 02:01:52.159 --> 02:01:54.359 comes down. I don't know how many vehicles are after 2204 02:01:54.479 --> 02:01:56.560 us now because of all the shooting, and I'm in 2205 02:01:56.640 --> 02:02:00.079 big trouble. Man. I've got Turns that are captured, and 2206 02:02:00.119 --> 02:02:02.600 we're heading south out the way and they on us, 2207 02:02:03.520 --> 02:02:06.319 and I took on these guys that were with us. 2208 02:02:06.399 --> 02:02:09.119 I didn't play games with them. They realized you better 2209 02:02:09.159 --> 02:02:11.760 run with Mike Quest because yah, you're gonna die, and 2210 02:02:11.800 --> 02:02:15.119 they went with us. So I got hold of the 2211 02:02:15.279 --> 02:02:17.760 commander at and I said, please, we need backup, and 2212 02:02:17.800 --> 02:02:21.359 they sent two impolers in. And these impolos came in 2213 02:02:21.399 --> 02:02:23.560 out to strike at that speed and to see the 2214 02:02:23.720 --> 02:02:27.239 enemy with that push is difficult, but I threw a 2215 02:02:29.479 --> 02:02:33.079 white foscing gave them an indication there. The impolas were striking, 2216 02:02:33.479 --> 02:02:35.720 and I moved and we got pumans and we got out. 2217 02:02:36.560 --> 02:02:39.960 Now the funny part that never never, and I'm telling 2218 02:02:40.000 --> 02:02:43.960 I'm looking, I'm telling you, never before in combat in 2219 02:02:44.039 --> 02:02:47.239 that anybody captured so many guys and spuggered up so 2220 02:02:47.319 --> 02:02:50.159 many guys like I did. We got it, got back 2221 02:02:50.199 --> 02:02:53.000 to the base and you know what happened. Nothing. The 2222 02:02:53.079 --> 02:02:57.760 commander got invited us called Sector one zero step out 2223 02:02:57.880 --> 02:03:00.319 to go for dinner for the great success. It's not 2224 02:03:00.479 --> 02:03:04.640 me get ready, you get into the bush. That's why 2225 02:03:05.000 --> 02:03:07.560 he didn't like me. He didn't like me one. But 2226 02:03:07.640 --> 02:03:12.159 because him and the guy back in Durban, we're big Chinas, 2227 02:03:12.199 --> 02:03:14.920 you know, big buddies. And when he sent me up, 2228 02:03:15.000 --> 02:03:18.840 he said, listen, let's make a plan with this guy. Now, 2229 02:03:19.000 --> 02:03:23.920 any operation, Dave you guys, must you ever saying you 2230 02:03:23.960 --> 02:03:26.640 and Jack after an operation, when you get out and 2231 02:03:26.640 --> 02:03:30.199 your ben in combat, you've got to break, not Mike West, 2232 02:03:32.399 --> 02:03:37.880 not screwboy. I get back whatever time leaving in tomorrow night, 2233 02:03:37.920 --> 02:03:42.800 you're going out again. But I did. That's where you 2234 02:03:42.800 --> 02:03:45.159 see where Darrell what writes that, or what the God 2235 02:03:45.199 --> 02:03:49.960 of war says? Even Challenge essays, nobody says much combat 2236 02:03:50.000 --> 02:03:53.199 as Mike West and Mike Rich, and he says as 2237 02:03:53.199 --> 02:03:56.399 well in modern day warf and nobody's seen as much 2238 02:03:56.439 --> 02:03:58.239 combat as Mike and Lift to tell us all now, 2239 02:03:58.279 --> 02:04:01.760 I'm not boasting about this. I'm telling you these puppies 2240 02:04:02.560 --> 02:04:07.600 threw me into this action continuously. But so what I 2241 02:04:07.680 --> 02:04:12.640 did it? I did it, and I was created and 2242 02:04:13.439 --> 02:04:17.239 I pulled the stint over day which with a lot 2243 02:04:17.279 --> 02:04:19.680 of I had a lot Listen, I got a I've 2244 02:04:19.680 --> 02:04:23.800 got a lot of experience in IEDs, you know, yeah, improvising, 2245 02:04:23.880 --> 02:04:26.239 so I'm very good at stuff like this. And I 2246 02:04:26.319 --> 02:04:29.239 went and I took a TAM fifty seven Russian landmine 2247 02:04:29.399 --> 02:04:32.239 metal case, and I took car body putty in the 2248 02:04:32.279 --> 02:04:36.319 guy's name was Villain at at the transport park and 2249 02:04:36.359 --> 02:04:38.560 I packed his body putty and I made it clay 2250 02:04:38.600 --> 02:04:41.159 more out of this this land mine, and I took 2251 02:04:41.199 --> 02:04:43.520 it to Maramba, which is a big open area but 2252 02:04:43.640 --> 02:04:46.520 far from the base cap, so the commander doesn't need 2253 02:04:46.560 --> 02:04:48.760 it because they're gonna get a nappy rash with what 2254 02:04:48.880 --> 02:04:51.399 I'm doing. And I used this as a clay more 2255 02:04:51.399 --> 02:04:54.039 on targets. I was so impressed. I went back and 2256 02:04:54.079 --> 02:04:57.840 I made another one. And anyway, I contacted the one 2257 02:04:57.880 --> 02:05:01.600 group i'd captured eating rapist things. He must have wait 2258 02:05:01.680 --> 02:05:03.960 twenty five thirty killers. Man, you must see the size 2259 02:05:03.960 --> 02:05:06.239 of this thing with all this explosive put it in 2260 02:05:06.399 --> 02:05:08.840 his head and the camouflage to Tim and who went 2261 02:05:08.920 --> 02:05:11.319 to a place called Pupu, which is right up there 2262 02:05:11.359 --> 02:05:13.880 in the western ere a lot of tears over there, 2263 02:05:14.279 --> 02:05:17.119 and it came from there. And what happens, Why I 2264 02:05:17.199 --> 02:05:20.279 enjoyed taking his turs out with me. They take it 2265 02:05:20.319 --> 02:05:22.960 to where the gooks are because they know where they are, 2266 02:05:23.359 --> 02:05:25.039 so you know you're gonna have a punch up. And 2267 02:05:25.039 --> 02:05:27.319 that's what I liked about it. When you go out 2268 02:05:27.359 --> 02:05:28.960 to them, you're gonna have a fight. You know, You're 2269 02:05:28.960 --> 02:05:31.000 not going to sit and be bored over there. You're 2270 02:05:31.000 --> 02:05:33.960 going to fight. And I made this guy carry this thing. 2271 02:05:34.039 --> 02:05:36.600 But now the strangest thing without me laying it, Wallace 2272 02:05:36.640 --> 02:05:40.479 heading up at wait Fopplay had a company coming my way. 2273 02:05:40.560 --> 02:05:42.840 Now I don't know, some bush telegraph went off and 2274 02:05:42.840 --> 02:05:45.439 they were coming towards me, and I was heading towards them, 2275 02:05:45.720 --> 02:05:48.640 and the guy from one O one Battalion, Lucas Lopesha 2276 02:05:48.880 --> 02:05:51.680 came up on the small means and said, hey, you 2277 02:05:51.760 --> 02:05:55.760 guys are heading into big porpoil. Yeah, they're coming directly 2278 02:05:55.800 --> 02:05:58.920 at your massive lot of guys. Now, had I been 2279 02:05:58.960 --> 02:06:01.800 with Sas and what, we would have continued and taken 2280 02:06:01.840 --> 02:06:04.600 these puppies on. But I know these guys, I'm gonna 2281 02:06:05.159 --> 02:06:08.159 sand and fight, not the force like that. So we 2282 02:06:08.279 --> 02:06:10.279 made a U turn and I headed back east. So 2283 02:06:11.560 --> 02:06:13.880 I stopped and John and I decide we're gonna I 2284 02:06:13.960 --> 02:06:18.000 call this landmine of mine Frankie Frankenstein. So let's set 2285 02:06:18.079 --> 02:06:20.640 up frank Here we are on our tracks. So I 2286 02:06:20.760 --> 02:06:23.319 put Frankie against a tree and John walked this long 2287 02:06:23.720 --> 02:06:26.119 trip wire out we found a beautiful air. It was 2288 02:06:26.119 --> 02:06:28.239 our old mash try and you could hide the trip 2289 02:06:28.279 --> 02:06:31.439 wire and we lay this out and I told John 2290 02:06:31.479 --> 02:06:33.960 get out the way. The scariest things to put a 2291 02:06:34.000 --> 02:06:35.640 debt in a thing like that, because you know when 2292 02:06:35.640 --> 02:06:39.000 this goes off, there's nothing left anyway. Got to debt well, 2293 02:06:39.079 --> 02:06:43.199 camouflage and we gap it. We didn't walk al of 2294 02:06:43.239 --> 02:06:45.720 a fine You comes look us charging where the casper's through. 2295 02:06:45.760 --> 02:06:48.159 We all jump on because we're in big, big trouble. 2296 02:06:48.279 --> 02:06:49.880 Is a hell of a lot of turs coming away. 2297 02:06:50.520 --> 02:06:53.399 And the caspers turned and as we gain we suddenly 2298 02:06:53.399 --> 02:06:56.119 feel this, you know, and we look and you see 2299 02:06:56.159 --> 02:07:00.199 this bloom gager and we know these puppies walked into Frank. 2300 02:07:00.960 --> 02:07:03.479 Now the beauty was. We don't know who it wiped out, 2301 02:07:03.640 --> 02:07:06.399 but we never ever heard of that patrol again. Now, 2302 02:07:06.399 --> 02:07:09.000 I couldn't have killed them all, obviously killed the radio 2303 02:07:09.039 --> 02:07:11.359 operate and whatever, But I tell you I'll put a 2304 02:07:11.399 --> 02:07:14.640 serious dent in that bloody lot. My ranking. I I 2305 02:07:14.680 --> 02:07:18.199 was proud of myself. But the base commander, oh he 2306 02:07:18.239 --> 02:07:20.800 would get a nappy rash with my experiments by telling 2307 02:07:20.880 --> 02:07:24.000 me I'm reckless and that because what I did. I 2308 02:07:24.039 --> 02:07:27.119 would pull tooths off. Run. You know, when these guys 2309 02:07:27.119 --> 02:07:30.119 come out to the bicycles, the weapons are tied on 2310 02:07:30.159 --> 02:07:33.680 the handlebars. What dangers? He guys, there's no danger, and 2311 02:07:33.720 --> 02:07:35.800 I would run and dive them off from catch them alive. 2312 02:07:36.239 --> 02:07:38.199 You know what trouble. I got invested and I'm putting 2313 02:07:38.439 --> 02:07:41.520 people's lives at this. I said, but there's no danger. 2314 02:07:41.560 --> 02:07:43.720 They said, you don't do things like that. I said, 2315 02:07:43.720 --> 02:07:48.399 why not? What's it gonna do? Well? I enjoyed a minute. 2316 02:07:48.399 --> 02:07:51.159 It was if you read the book Born to Storm 2317 02:07:51.439 --> 02:07:53.680 by armand Finiko. You see, he tells you about his 2318 02:07:53.880 --> 02:07:56.920 operation he wasn't coming on, tells you about Mike Wist 2319 02:07:56.960 --> 02:08:00.880 and his bicycle diving you little accident much fun. I 2320 02:08:01.039 --> 02:08:02.359 enjoyed it. That was fun. 2321 02:08:02.880 --> 02:08:07.479 Do we have any questions for Mike? We might have 2322 02:08:07.680 --> 02:08:09.640 we have some viewer questions for you, Mike. 2323 02:08:11.359 --> 02:08:16.840 Oh sorry, pop off. Do you have any on Patrendy? 2324 02:08:22.560 --> 02:08:22.960 Mm hmm? 2325 02:08:26.680 --> 02:08:28.800 Got him? 2326 02:08:28.880 --> 02:08:29.079 Uh? 2327 02:08:30.239 --> 02:08:32.279 Did anything from m Corbin? Thank you? 2328 02:08:32.279 --> 02:08:35.840 Did anything from his your taxi career translate over to 2329 02:08:35.880 --> 02:08:37.000 your military career? 2330 02:08:39.840 --> 02:08:41.119 Just awest like question again? 2331 02:08:42.439 --> 02:08:45.720 Did anything from your taxi driving career translate over to 2332 02:08:45.800 --> 02:08:46.840 your military career. 2333 02:08:48.119 --> 02:08:53.560 Well, I couldn't get any phase out there. My good person, 2334 02:08:53.680 --> 02:08:55.239 come on, give you a look to charge you ten 2335 02:08:55.279 --> 02:08:59.039 bucks or something, you know what I mean. Listen, I 2336 02:08:59.359 --> 02:09:03.119 don't know how it worked out. I call it a 2337 02:09:03.279 --> 02:09:08.800 rags to riches from zero and being rejected and told listen, 2338 02:09:08.880 --> 02:09:12.680 go fly a kunt. You're not worth your You're not 2339 02:09:12.800 --> 02:09:16.720 worth anything. Bugger off. I came back and I took 2340 02:09:16.760 --> 02:09:19.159 them to war and another thing I want to tell you, 2341 02:09:19.159 --> 02:09:23.680 I just want to tell her that, yeah, in Space Forces, 2342 02:09:24.239 --> 02:09:26.560 as a team leader, you have to be an officer. 2343 02:09:26.880 --> 02:09:29.800 Remember my words, you have to be an officer. I 2344 02:09:29.880 --> 02:09:31.720 came back. I was so experienced and I was so 2345 02:09:31.880 --> 02:09:34.079 in the thing. I was the first guy in the 2346 02:09:34.159 --> 02:09:36.560 history of Spacial Forces as the NCO to become a 2347 02:09:36.560 --> 02:09:39.279 team leader, and I was proud of it. And when 2348 02:09:39.279 --> 02:09:41.000 they announced it, nobody said anything. 2349 02:09:41.640 --> 02:09:42.279 That's awes And. 2350 02:09:44.199 --> 02:09:47.159 I'm the only guy in the history of warfare to 2351 02:09:47.279 --> 02:09:51.000 bring down am I a chopper with a Sam seven, 2352 02:09:51.119 --> 02:09:55.399 which is an extinct dinosaur. Youat seeking missile because the 2353 02:09:55.479 --> 02:09:58.439 choppers blade takes the eat away. We pulled it down 2354 02:09:59.319 --> 02:10:03.399 that kill shot. Nineteen Cubans done with it. 2355 02:10:03.479 --> 02:10:08.359 One survived that that was that in the Angola say 2356 02:10:08.439 --> 02:10:10.800 again and yeah, yeah, yeah. 2357 02:10:11.000 --> 02:10:17.960 Yeah between by so long and Quita's amazing if we 2358 02:10:18.039 --> 02:10:21.720 pulled off the most craziest things that was. It's just 2359 02:10:21.840 --> 02:10:25.119 amazing how it went. It was just unbelievable. There's so 2360 02:10:25.279 --> 02:10:28.399 many I can carry on all day. I could. I 2361 02:10:28.439 --> 02:10:30.680 can entertain you for hours and with this and I'm 2362 02:10:30.680 --> 02:10:33.359 not I should you not? You can not to go 2363 02:10:33.399 --> 02:10:35.239 on the polygraph said on the wall stage. 2364 02:10:35.279 --> 02:10:38.199 I love to do We have any other questions for Mike? No, 2365 02:10:38.279 --> 02:10:40.760 that was it? Oh wait, wait, one more just came in. 2366 02:10:42.039 --> 02:10:42.880 How many do you know? 2367 02:10:43.159 --> 02:10:44.880 Do you know how many combat parachute jumps? 2368 02:10:44.920 --> 02:10:54.079 You have? How many combat parachute jumps? Parachute jumps? Yeah? Okay, uh, 2369 02:10:55.800 --> 02:10:59.800 A bit difficult. But if I combat ones and not 2370 02:10:59.840 --> 02:11:04.279 to training one, just comeback, just comeback, Okay, all the kemps, 2371 02:11:04.359 --> 02:11:09.840 all my fire force, maybe fifty forty. I don't know. 2372 02:11:10.239 --> 02:11:13.039 There's quite a bit. I don't know. I'm speaking under correction. 2373 02:11:13.119 --> 02:11:16.560 I don't want to say things. It's confusing with all 2374 02:11:16.600 --> 02:11:19.359 the training jumps we had. Yeah, but I've got a lot. 2375 02:11:20.520 --> 02:11:21.920 Let me. 2376 02:11:22.239 --> 02:11:24.840 I just want to ask you, because you did do 2377 02:11:24.960 --> 02:11:28.640 so many combat jumps, and that's not something that Americans. 2378 02:11:28.840 --> 02:11:32.479 You know that we've done much operationally since. 2379 02:11:32.279 --> 02:11:34.920 Like World War Two. You know there have been a few. 2380 02:11:35.399 --> 02:11:38.680 But how high would you guys be when you were flying, 2381 02:11:39.079 --> 02:11:42.880 did you have a reserve? How how long like your 2382 02:11:42.920 --> 02:11:44.920 shoot would open? And then how long before you hit 2383 02:11:44.960 --> 02:11:45.359 the ground. 2384 02:11:45.880 --> 02:11:48.279 Okay, this is a very good thing. When we came 2385 02:11:48.319 --> 02:11:51.119 to South Africa and I came and did a dispatcher's 2386 02:11:51.159 --> 02:11:53.159 course in Bloompington, there was a guy where then there 2387 02:11:53.279 --> 02:11:57.119 was a sergeant major Johnny became an officer. He presented 2388 02:11:57.159 --> 02:12:01.560 the course. His name was Johnny Kiss. He criticiz because 2389 02:12:01.560 --> 02:12:04.720 you're supposed to jump nothing less than six hundred eight 2390 02:12:04.800 --> 02:12:07.439 under to six hundred. But remember we jumping into wall. 2391 02:12:07.560 --> 02:12:10.960 These topies jump fun jumped right, so the lowest it 2392 02:12:11.119 --> 02:12:14.520 was ever jumped is four hundred. Wow, now four hundred five. 2393 02:12:14.600 --> 02:12:16.600 If you jump out and you got a twist in 2394 02:12:16.640 --> 02:12:19.239 your when you get a twist, the first thing you 2395 02:12:19.279 --> 02:12:21.399 do as you get out, you look up, kick out 2396 02:12:21.439 --> 02:12:23.199 of your twist, get out of your seat belt, and 2397 02:12:23.199 --> 02:12:25.439 then get a leading. My man, when you're out there, 2398 02:12:25.479 --> 02:12:29.079 you hit the deck. If you have a malfunction, bye bye, yeah, 2399 02:12:29.119 --> 02:12:32.720 you did, Yeah, you did sech on camp attext and 2400 02:12:32.760 --> 02:12:36.960 they're shooting at your Yeah, that's another ball game, man. 2401 02:12:37.039 --> 02:12:39.199 I mean so basically when you guys are going out 2402 02:12:39.239 --> 02:12:42.439 at that, your your shoot opens and then you're pretty 2403 02:12:42.479 --> 02:12:44.479 much you're on the ground very shortly after that. 2404 02:12:45.399 --> 02:12:48.640 Very very short yes. Yeah, And you're not always in 2405 02:12:48.680 --> 02:12:52.199 the ground. Sometimes you're in the tree, right right. We 2406 02:12:52.279 --> 02:12:54.319 had a guy that got stuck in a weighted but 2407 02:12:55.000 --> 02:12:58.600 the african't call a box thorns in all directions. When 2408 02:12:58.600 --> 02:13:01.239 you fall in that, you hang right, you stuck, you 2409 02:13:01.319 --> 02:13:03.399 hang up there. You've got to be cut out with 2410 02:13:03.520 --> 02:13:07.359 site cuttings. They get stuck in a that's wild. So 2411 02:13:07.520 --> 02:13:08.760 another ball game that way. 2412 02:13:09.359 --> 02:13:11.520 Mike, tell us a little bit about like how you 2413 02:13:11.640 --> 02:13:14.800 retired out of the SADF and what you'd like to 2414 02:13:14.840 --> 02:13:18.039 tell us, if anything, about your post service life, what 2415 02:13:18.119 --> 02:13:19.239 you've been up to since then. 2416 02:13:20.159 --> 02:13:23.600 What happened was I landed up, But after that story, 2417 02:13:23.600 --> 02:13:29.760 I landed up in two three massive attacks Colisseum, Firewood, 2418 02:13:29.760 --> 02:13:33.039 and Hooper, and I nearly died in all of them. 2419 02:13:33.119 --> 02:13:37.199 I really had some really was a shit show of note. 2420 02:13:37.239 --> 02:13:38.840 I was in big trouble. You can read it in 2421 02:13:38.880 --> 02:13:42.560 my book. After I'd gone through all of that, the 2422 02:13:42.600 --> 02:13:47.039 war was basically over, and then a certain organization was 2423 02:13:47.079 --> 02:13:51.720 formed underground and they needed space Force operators and it 2424 02:13:51.800 --> 02:13:56.159 took very high level people to get permissioned. And this 2425 02:13:56.239 --> 02:13:59.680 guy knew me. He wasn't most amenies with me, this officer, 2426 02:14:00.199 --> 02:14:02.479 and he went and he said, I wanted Mike west 2427 02:14:02.760 --> 02:14:04.720 and there to go to very top level, and then 2428 02:14:04.760 --> 02:14:08.000 managed the war was over anyway, and they got me out, 2429 02:14:08.039 --> 02:14:10.399 and then I went underground and I started to operate 2430 02:14:10.520 --> 02:14:11.720 like that, and then I got up to. 2431 02:14:12.159 --> 02:14:17.439 Was that the Civil Cooperation Bureau? Say again, was that CCB? 2432 02:14:18.119 --> 02:14:20.319 I'm not going to talk about that at all. Yes, 2433 02:14:20.720 --> 02:14:22.840 I'm going to see it completely clear of that police. 2434 02:14:23.399 --> 02:14:25.960 The guy over there, I was. If I got to 2435 02:14:26.000 --> 02:14:27.439 tell you what all happened there, I'm going to. 2436 02:14:27.479 --> 02:14:29.640 Get into trouble. I want to stay totally out of it. 2437 02:14:30.640 --> 02:14:33.199 I was involved, yes, but that's it. That's all I 2438 02:14:33.239 --> 02:14:33.640 can say. 2439 02:14:34.720 --> 02:14:38.520 Ghost fair enough, Mike, and and that went on for 2440 02:14:38.720 --> 02:14:39.479 a few more years. 2441 02:14:39.479 --> 02:14:40.960 I take it from the way you're describing. 2442 02:14:41.960 --> 02:14:48.000 Yeah, I really what happened. I've got a habit. When 2443 02:14:48.000 --> 02:14:50.600 I started something, I go deeper and deeper, and I 2444 02:14:50.680 --> 02:14:55.680 infiltrated organizations and became members of organizations. I actually sat 2445 02:14:55.960 --> 02:15:01.159 in the Minister's office with voice activated recorders planning operations 2446 02:15:01.199 --> 02:15:06.920 against the SADF Holy Ship. Meantime, I'm working, man. They 2447 02:15:06.960 --> 02:15:09.920 were shit scared of me. They actually came and got 2448 02:15:10.039 --> 02:15:12.239 rid of me. The military actually came assuming teld me 2449 02:15:12.279 --> 02:15:13.800 that they're going to get rid of me because they 2450 02:15:13.800 --> 02:15:18.800 were worried about the TLC, the reconciliation. They just said, 2451 02:15:18.800 --> 02:15:20.479 we got to get rid of this paper, and they 2452 02:15:20.479 --> 02:15:22.880 got rid of me. Tell me, get the hell out 2453 02:15:22.920 --> 02:15:24.720 of you when they go in. 2454 02:15:25.720 --> 02:15:28.960 When I got up there, I mean that that organization 2455 02:15:29.239 --> 02:15:32.399 is from what I've read, I mean, was disbanded rather 2456 02:15:32.520 --> 02:15:35.760 abruptly and everyone just sort of scattered. I mean, what 2457 02:15:35.840 --> 02:15:37.880 was it like for you when when the unit was 2458 02:15:37.960 --> 02:15:40.640 disbanded and you kind of had to find your way 2459 02:15:40.680 --> 02:15:41.159 in life. 2460 02:15:43.000 --> 02:15:47.319 But that organization you're talk about, that Dave spoke about that. 2461 02:15:49.000 --> 02:15:53.119 The big guy over there didn't like me, but one 2462 02:15:53.159 --> 02:15:56.079 of the main guys in the operator used me because 2463 02:15:56.119 --> 02:15:59.680 I worked for one task force underground. Then they came 2464 02:15:59.720 --> 02:16:02.800 and got to work underground and the security police wanted 2465 02:16:02.840 --> 02:16:04.680 me because I was I was a busy boy, and 2466 02:16:04.720 --> 02:16:07.720 I knew what I was doing. When all of this 2467 02:16:07.800 --> 02:16:11.399 got disbanded, I'd already been up to so much trouble. 2468 02:16:11.520 --> 02:16:13.960 I then decided. Then I went and I thought, okay, 2469 02:16:14.560 --> 02:16:16.880 I became a bouncer, and you can really I used 2470 02:16:16.880 --> 02:16:20.119 to pummel people. I enjoyed fighting, you know. And then 2471 02:16:20.159 --> 02:16:23.039 when I enjoyed the fighting, then I got into VIP protection. 2472 02:16:23.199 --> 02:16:26.439 And then if you've got to see what I went, 2473 02:16:26.520 --> 02:16:28.960 you over there, how I got followed, how people tried 2474 02:16:29.000 --> 02:16:32.079 to I got arrested, you must look at it. I've 2475 02:16:32.079 --> 02:16:36.200 had a fun folk life I had. I've had really, 2476 02:16:36.239 --> 02:16:38.680 I've had a very the day I lay my head down, 2477 02:16:38.799 --> 02:16:40.159 I can tell you I've had a ride. 2478 02:16:41.600 --> 02:16:44.159 So I mean, you live this incredible life doing some 2479 02:16:44.239 --> 02:16:48.159 things that you know most people really just know nothing about. 2480 02:16:49.680 --> 02:16:52.120 How did the idea of this book come about? 2481 02:16:53.719 --> 02:16:55.280 I didn't want to do the book at all. I 2482 02:16:55.280 --> 02:16:58.280 wouldn't do it. But they're all what said to me, Mike, 2483 02:16:58.319 --> 02:17:00.319 because that all right, handful of hard mess. That's a 2484 02:17:00.360 --> 02:17:04.360 brilliant book. And Daryl said, Mike, do the book. Do 2485 02:17:04.520 --> 02:17:07.239 the book. Then I did the book. My daughter was 2486 02:17:07.280 --> 02:17:09.639 I got my daughter's that ghost right, She wrote, the 2487 02:17:09.639 --> 02:17:13.280 book and it lay for three years and then on 2488 02:17:13.319 --> 02:17:15.920 a day this son of my as said, Dad, get 2489 02:17:15.920 --> 02:17:17.959 this book. Ake. This is going to be a movie. Man, 2490 02:17:17.959 --> 02:17:20.959 this is this is big because of what's coming back 2491 02:17:20.959 --> 02:17:23.440 and that I didn't want. In the day I released 2492 02:17:23.440 --> 02:17:27.840 this book, this thing went absolutely. I can't believe that 2493 02:17:27.959 --> 02:17:28.760 this book took off. 2494 02:17:28.799 --> 02:17:32.000 It was it was it like controversial when it came 2495 02:17:32.040 --> 02:17:32.959 out in South Africa. 2496 02:17:33.000 --> 02:17:34.879 I mean, what was the response like. 2497 02:17:35.680 --> 02:17:38.799 Well, first of all these you'll see I talk about 2498 02:17:38.920 --> 02:17:42.479 the wrekis over there, very good operators. This is the 2499 02:17:42.639 --> 02:17:45.799 good soldiers. But there were elements said they didn't like me, 2500 02:17:46.159 --> 02:17:49.760 and I had and there is they don't support me 2501 02:17:49.840 --> 02:17:52.440 at all. Nobody can condemn me. But I put in 2502 02:17:52.440 --> 02:17:55.200 the book. I haven't two days not one negative comment 2503 02:17:55.200 --> 02:17:58.079 because I've told no lies, told the guys those that 2504 02:17:58.159 --> 02:18:01.840 I said that, and they are that I mentioned it. 2505 02:18:02.319 --> 02:18:05.959 But there's a lot of things that the author I 2506 02:18:06.159 --> 02:18:08.239 looked at and we had to remove because if I 2507 02:18:08.319 --> 02:18:09.639 got to put it in the book, it's going to 2508 02:18:10.040 --> 02:18:12.239 Let me tell you that book can be one hundred 2509 02:18:12.280 --> 02:18:14.760 and twenty pages more. I wish I could tell the 2510 02:18:14.799 --> 02:18:17.719 whole story and tell you everything and what's all in? 2511 02:18:17.879 --> 02:18:21.760 And I wish I could talk it just unbelievable. 2512 02:18:22.120 --> 02:18:25.639 I would like to read that book someday, Mike. Sorry, 2513 02:18:25.799 --> 02:18:28.840 I'd like to read that expand that edition at some point. 2514 02:18:28.879 --> 02:18:29.079 Mike. 2515 02:18:31.200 --> 02:18:36.680 Yeah. I don't think I'm going to be stepping on 2516 02:18:36.760 --> 02:18:39.360 a lot of people's doing. I actually had a guy 2517 02:18:40.120 --> 02:18:43.520 that when I initially started, said, Mike is better make 2518 02:18:43.559 --> 02:18:45.399 sure he's dead when he publishes that book. 2519 02:18:45.719 --> 02:18:48.239 Yeah, exactly, Yeah, I should you not? 2520 02:18:49.040 --> 02:18:51.319 Where where can people go to pick up a copy? 2521 02:18:51.399 --> 02:18:53.440 I mean, is it available on like Amazon? What's the 2522 02:18:53.520 --> 02:18:54.959 right place to go to to find it? 2523 02:18:55.799 --> 02:18:58.719 Well? I don't know. I believe Amazon is doing the 2524 02:18:58.760 --> 02:19:01.680 sales of my book. All In South Africa, I sell 2525 02:19:01.760 --> 02:19:03.760 my own books because they give me books to sell, 2526 02:19:04.239 --> 02:19:08.040 and then the authors you know, ex. Montabus Media sells it. 2527 02:19:08.360 --> 02:19:11.200 There's a lot of outlets selling the book. But in America, 2528 02:19:11.239 --> 02:19:12.799 I don't know. I think it's just Amazon. 2529 02:19:13.520 --> 02:19:16.280 If people want to buy like an autographed copy directly 2530 02:19:16.319 --> 02:19:17.959 from you, is there a place they can reach out? 2531 02:19:19.360 --> 02:19:22.239 I don't know. I'd suppose a lot to what happened. 2532 02:19:22.639 --> 02:19:24.959 I don't know how I signed all the books. You know, 2533 02:19:25.000 --> 02:19:27.799 people have asked me a certain organization to ask me 2534 02:19:28.319 --> 02:19:30.879 please don't sign books, and you know the policy is 2535 02:19:31.200 --> 02:19:34.000 if you sign the book. I said, listen, I'm not ramble. 2536 02:19:34.120 --> 02:19:36.399 I signed my bloody books. I signed all my books. 2537 02:19:36.920 --> 02:19:39.319 So I go to bookstores and I signed the books 2538 02:19:39.360 --> 02:19:41.159 in the store, just going to sign and I leave 2539 02:19:41.159 --> 02:19:43.040 it there. You know they can charge more for it. 2540 02:19:43.559 --> 02:19:45.159 I don't give it down, but I don't know how 2541 02:19:45.200 --> 02:19:49.079 to get a signed copy. I've sent signed copies. People 2542 02:19:49.120 --> 02:19:51.760 have picked up it, gone to Italy, gone to France, 2543 02:19:52.120 --> 02:19:54.120 but they've gone all over the world. But people from 2544 02:19:54.239 --> 02:19:57.520 Yo left that way, and I've sent to Zambia. I've 2545 02:19:57.600 --> 02:20:00.719 sent to many places. But how how to get it 2546 02:20:01.159 --> 02:20:04.440 to pay that cost to get my book to America? 2547 02:20:04.520 --> 02:20:06.440 I mean, how the hell are you going to buy 2548 02:20:06.440 --> 02:20:10.040 your backside or it's not true? How to get a 2549 02:20:10.120 --> 02:20:13.879 signed copy? I don't know. Well, I don't mind signing 2550 02:20:13.959 --> 02:20:14.360 it at all. 2551 02:20:15.520 --> 02:20:17.639 Uh, you want to hold that up for the folks 2552 02:20:17.639 --> 02:20:18.319 one more time. 2553 02:20:18.879 --> 02:20:24.120 So it's Mike West, Special Force of Super Soldier, Great read. 2554 02:20:24.319 --> 02:20:27.520 Highly recommend it. Link is down in the description. You 2555 02:20:27.559 --> 02:20:28.799 can find it on Amazon. 2556 02:20:30.440 --> 02:20:32.920 Mike, thank you so much for joining us, and I 2557 02:20:33.000 --> 02:20:34.760 appreciate you and the crew. They are putting in the 2558 02:20:34.799 --> 02:20:36.959 extra effort so late at night for us to come 2559 02:20:37.000 --> 02:20:39.680 on and do the show. Anything that we failed to 2560 02:20:39.760 --> 02:20:42.760 ask that you want to mention before we get going tonight. 2561 02:20:44.000 --> 02:20:46.239 I just wish I could have covered camp tacks in 2562 02:20:46.319 --> 02:20:49.600 South Africa. That is still a hell of a long Look, 2563 02:20:49.639 --> 02:20:51.680 we're not even close to the end of the journey. 2564 02:20:52.159 --> 02:20:54.479 But if I could have just brought you because this 2565 02:20:54.639 --> 02:20:57.639 is a lot a lot of people die. I'm talking 2566 02:20:57.680 --> 02:21:02.559 about horrible action, hiring people out under fire, getting shot there. 2567 02:21:04.840 --> 02:21:12.440 Oh Colisseum trend clearing hit with BECNDS twelve seven anti 2568 02:21:12.479 --> 02:21:19.319 aircraft weapon. When you what happened to calls out there? 2569 02:21:19.479 --> 02:21:21.159 Would would you like me to come on the show? 2570 02:21:21.200 --> 02:21:26.440 And and walking into ambushes? I can open a book 2571 02:21:27.200 --> 02:21:31.760 written by an author called Jonathan put Away, and I 2572 02:21:31.799 --> 02:21:34.239 can read this story and I can tell you exactly 2573 02:21:34.319 --> 02:21:37.639 what the guy says. Now, they capture the terrorists on 2574 02:21:38.319 --> 02:21:42.159 Operation Colisseum, and they told them there's an ambush up ahead. 2575 02:21:43.040 --> 02:21:45.200 And what happens They drove to point they stopped. I 2576 02:21:45.239 --> 02:21:48.079 said call Mike West came over and said, Mike, we 2577 02:21:48.159 --> 02:21:49.760 want you to go and clear the roads to see 2578 02:21:49.760 --> 02:21:53.079 there any ambushes. So they give me another team and 2579 02:21:53.120 --> 02:21:55.840 I take that team because I don't know there's an ambush, 2580 02:21:55.840 --> 02:21:58.159 and I make a tea formation. I take the extended 2581 02:21:58.200 --> 02:22:01.120 line in front, and I got the information behind me. 2582 02:22:01.200 --> 02:22:04.040 But had they told me the ambush is there, which 2583 02:22:04.079 --> 02:22:07.719 they didn't, I would have been better prepared. And that's 2584 02:22:07.719 --> 02:22:09.840 the one when they hit me with that rifle the night. Now, 2585 02:22:09.920 --> 02:22:12.680 luckily it was an anti vehicle. I was so fortunate 2586 02:22:12.760 --> 02:22:14.920 in my life. Otherwise I would have been my mind. 2587 02:22:15.479 --> 02:22:18.120 This thing exploded right in front of me, threw me 2588 02:22:18.200 --> 02:22:21.040 on my back. I jumped up. John Broco. My nickname 2589 02:22:21.079 --> 02:22:24.520 was Zaka Nucci, which means as good as honey swapp it, 2590 02:22:24.840 --> 02:22:27.040 And he said Zak I jumped up. I said yes, 2591 02:22:27.079 --> 02:22:30.479 and I shouted my walk cry pomparing the horn, door, 2592 02:22:30.639 --> 02:22:33.520 folded the wall, and I ran at these baskets and 2593 02:22:33.559 --> 02:22:37.280 they ran it. I cleared that old ambush out and 2594 02:22:37.440 --> 02:22:40.040 all the rounds that were coming at us, and sue us, 2595 02:22:40.200 --> 02:22:42.639 we're hitting the guys in the vehicle there to lie down. 2596 02:22:43.000 --> 02:22:46.159 But what annoys me? Why didn't they tell me there 2597 02:22:46.159 --> 02:22:47.680 was a bloody ambush? 2598 02:22:48.600 --> 02:22:49.239 That's what I mean. 2599 02:22:49.319 --> 02:22:52.319 If the hell that they had in mind by sending 2600 02:22:52.360 --> 02:22:54.719 me in without telling me it's there. But in the 2601 02:22:54.760 --> 02:22:57.239 book you can read it. I've got I promise you 2602 02:22:57.239 --> 02:23:01.000 I can photograph it there, he says, had to tell 2603 02:23:01.040 --> 02:23:03.559 them there's an ambush. They don't tell me that they 2604 02:23:03.719 --> 02:23:04.319 just sent me. 2605 02:23:06.239 --> 02:23:10.079 We're already kind of uh touching the surface here. So yeah, 2606 02:23:10.079 --> 02:23:12.879 people can definitely should check out the book and hear 2607 02:23:12.920 --> 02:23:15.799 the rest of the story. But Mike, I'd be happy 2608 02:23:15.799 --> 02:23:18.399 to have you back on the show if there's more. 2609 02:23:18.520 --> 02:23:20.319 I mean, it sounds like there's certainly more you'd like 2610 02:23:20.360 --> 02:23:22.840 to talk about. I'd be happy to do that in 2611 02:23:22.879 --> 02:23:23.399 the future. 2612 02:23:24.000 --> 02:23:28.280 If I could delve into the Colosseum, the Firewood, which 2613 02:23:28.399 --> 02:23:31.360 was a horrific but really horrific operation. A lot of 2614 02:23:31.360 --> 02:23:35.040 guys die. We looked at guys dying over there. That's 2615 02:23:35.040 --> 02:23:37.280 where I tried to shoot my own office over there. 2616 02:23:37.319 --> 02:23:39.760 You commit it in the book. I had enough of him. 2617 02:23:39.959 --> 02:23:43.319 Well luckily the well fortunately for when the troops you're 2618 02:23:43.319 --> 02:23:47.440 looking was, you would have been longer. But there's a 2619 02:23:47.479 --> 02:23:50.200 lot to cover there. Then Operation Hooper with those mortars, 2620 02:23:50.200 --> 02:23:52.280 when I was caught in those beatens on you see 2621 02:23:52.319 --> 02:23:55.600 this ship, my friend yay Man, it was Look, it 2622 02:23:55.680 --> 02:23:56.959 was a romance of note day. 2623 02:23:57.280 --> 02:24:01.680 We'll have to do it again and sometime I could. 2624 02:24:02.159 --> 02:24:04.200 You said, you could talk for another like ten hours 2625 02:24:04.200 --> 02:24:05.760 about this and I could honestly. 2626 02:24:05.399 --> 02:24:09.120 Listen to it. Yeah, me too, because there's some fascinating stories. 2627 02:24:09.120 --> 02:24:10.079 But I don't know. 2628 02:24:10.200 --> 02:24:14.520 We're also like pushing your limits, uh, time wise, and 2629 02:24:14.559 --> 02:24:16.760 probably some of the people watching this late at night 2630 02:24:16.799 --> 02:24:19.479 as well. But we should do a second episode at 2631 02:24:19.479 --> 02:24:21.120 some point if you're if you're up for. 2632 02:24:21.120 --> 02:24:24.440 It, you're more than welcome because I'm gonna do a 2633 02:24:24.479 --> 02:24:27.319 fighting Man of Rudesia with the author now, okay on 2634 02:24:27.440 --> 02:24:30.520 colisseum fire, wouldn't it? But oh perfect, Okay, there's a 2635 02:24:30.520 --> 02:24:33.000 lot of details to cover in this. There's a lot 2636 02:24:33.040 --> 02:24:35.280 of stuff here. There's a lot of action. 2637 02:24:37.280 --> 02:24:39.520 Thank you again for joining us tonight. 2638 02:24:40.079 --> 02:24:43.079 We'll see all you guys out there on Monday with 2639 02:24:43.520 --> 02:24:45.959 John Daily and then on Friday with Joe Muscia. 2640 02:24:46.959 --> 02:24:48.520 So have a nice weekend everyone,