WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:07.599 Hey, Street Walkers. This is a throwback episode with a 2 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:11.839 Medal of Honor recipient and United States Army veteran, retired 3 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:16.000 Master Sergeant Leroy Petrie. Leroy first appeared on the show 4 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:18.920 May twenty seventh, twenty eighteen, and it was such a 5 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:21.559 compelling and fun episode that I decided that it needed 6 00:00:21.559 --> 00:00:24.879 to be revisited. So enjoy this throwback episode. Tell a 7 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:37.719 friend and thanks for listening. I believe that everybody has 8 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:43.079 a story and I'm fascinated to hear them, So come 9 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:47.840 with me as we take a walk down Fascination Street. 10 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:55.719 This episode is with Leroy Arthur Petrie, who is a 11 00:00:55.799 --> 00:01:01.600 decorated Army Ranger from the second Battalion, seventy fifth Ranger Regiment. 12 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:06.159 He retired as a Master Sergeant. Master Sergeant retired. Peetrie 13 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:10.000 was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Legion of Merit, 14 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:16.359 the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, among others. 15 00:01:17.079 --> 00:01:20.640 Master Sergeant Retired Petrie was kind enough to chit chat 16 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:23.280 with me for the better part of an hour over 17 00:01:23.319 --> 00:01:26.000 the phone a few months ago, and this was before 18 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:30.319 I had better equipment, so please forgive the quality it 19 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:33.640 is the content that is important in this episode. So 20 00:01:33.799 --> 00:01:41.439 please enjoy my conversation with a real living American hero. Enjoy, guys, 21 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:44.799 Master Sergeant Retired Leroy Petrie. 22 00:01:58.439 --> 00:02:00.439 It was Abraham Lincoln. I say that the nation that 23 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:00.799 does not. 24 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:03.359 Honor its heroes will not long endure. And that's exactly 25 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:05.920 what we're here to do today, to honor an American hero, 26 00:02:06.120 --> 00:02:08.960 Master Starge Oft, Lerod Petrie. Our society places the wrong 27 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:11.800 people on a pedestal too odds. An American society believes 28 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:13.759 a hero is somebody can catch at football for twenty 29 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:16.120 four million dollars. Somebody who can sing a song better 30 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:18.080 than the next. There's somebody who pretends to be someone 31 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:21.120 else in a fictional television script. Those aren't heroes want it. 32 00:02:21.199 --> 00:02:23.120 Only look at the man sitting before you today to 33 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:27.360 see a true American hero, a man of courage, honor, character, 34 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:30.560 and the first to tell you not without faults. Heroes 35 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:32.759 are not born, they don't come from a certain class 36 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:33.360 of society. 37 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:35.439 They're not getting special training to make them a hero. 38 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:37.639 I believe the actions of a hero come from the heart. 39 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:39.039 Let me tell you a little bit about the hero 40 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:40.759 I know, Master and Lee Red. 41 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:44.680 Peatrie, Master scharge for Petri's professional military education. 42 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:47.000 Includes the Airborne Course, Combat Life's. 43 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.840 Air Course USR, Ranger Course or Your Leader's Course, Jump 44 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:54.039 Master Course, Advanced Leader's Course, Senior Leader's. 45 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:56.199 Course a combats of the one course he. 46 00:02:56.159 --> 00:03:00.000 Has earned, the Ranger tab, Combat Inficiuement's Badge, Expert Industrymans 47 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:04.680 Basic and Senior parachutestag is a Canadian parachute Stage. His 48 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:07.599 awards and decorations include the Medal of Honor, the Bronze 49 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:11.080 Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Army Combination 50 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:14.560 Medal with two oaklea clusters, Army Achievement Medal with Oakly Cluster, 51 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:18.479 Army Good Conduct Medal, Third Award, National Defense Service Medal 52 00:03:18.840 --> 00:03:22.360 at Handstand, Campaign Medal with Combat Star, Iraq Campaign Medal 53 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:26.560 with Combat Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global 54 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:30.479 War on Terrorism Service Medal, NZEO Professional Development Ribbon Numeral, 55 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:34.039 three Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Valorous Unit Award. 56 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:39.879 Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the White House as 57 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:44.719 we present our nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of 58 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:49.560 Honor to an extraordinary American Soldier, Sergeant first Class Leewary 59 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:53.439 Petrie This is a historic occasion. Today is only the 60 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:57.319 second time during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, indeed 61 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:00.120 only the second time since Vietnam the recipient of the 62 00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:02.919 Medal of Honor from an ongoing conflict has been able 63 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:06.240 to accept this medal in person. Leroy, the medal of 64 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:10.360 Honor reflects the deepest gratitude of our entire nation. I 65 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:13.840 want to take you back to the circumstances that led 66 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.360 to this day. It's May twenty sixth, two thousand and eight, 67 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:21.160 in the remote east of Afghanistan, near the mountainous border 68 00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:26.639 of Pakistan. Helicopters carrying dozens of elite Army rangers race 69 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:31.040 over the rugged landscape and their target is an insurgent compound. 70 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:32.600 The mission is high risk. 71 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.360 It's broad daylight, the insurgents are heavily armed, but it's 72 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:40.120 considered a risk we're taking because intelligence indicates that a 73 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:44.360 top Al Qaeda commander is in that compound. The helicopters 74 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:48.399 touch down and our rangers immediately come under fire. Within minutes, 75 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:53.240 Leroy been, a staff sergeant and another soldier are pushing 76 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:57.560 ahead into a courtyard surrounded by high mud walls, and 77 00:04:57.560 --> 00:05:00.839 that's when the enemy opens up with their AKA forty sevens. 78 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:04.759 Leroy is hit in both legs. He's bleeding badly, but 79 00:05:04.839 --> 00:05:07.639 he summons the strength to lead the other ranger to 80 00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:11.240 cover behind a chicken coop. He radios for support. He 81 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:14.560 hurls a grenade at the enemy, giving cover to a 82 00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:17.839 third ranger who rushes to their aid. An enemy grenade 83 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:23.839 explodes nearby, wounding lee Roy's two comrades, and then a 84 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:27.240 second grenade lands, this time only a few feet away. Now, 85 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:30.759 every human impulse would tell someone to turn away. Every 86 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:35.040 soldier is trained to seek cover. That's what Sergeant Leroy 87 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:39.680 Petrie could have done instead. This wounded ranger, this twenty 88 00:05:39.720 --> 00:05:42.199 eight year old man, with his whole life ahead of him, 89 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:46.480 this husband and father of four, did something extraordinary. He 90 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:50.120 lunged forward toward the live grenade. He picked it up, 91 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:52.920 He cocked his arm to throw it back. And what 92 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:57.439 compels such courage? What leads a person to risk everything 93 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:00.759 so that others might live? And for answers We don't 94 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:04.879 need to look far. The roots of LeRoy's valor are 95 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:07.319 all around us. We see it in the sense of 96 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:11.399 duty instilled by his family, who joins us today. His 97 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:16.319 father Larry, his mother, Lorella, his four brothers. We see 98 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:18.680 it in the loyalty of an army ranger who lives 99 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:23.199 by a creed. Never shall I fail my comrades, or, 100 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:26.759 as Leroy puts it, these are my brothers family, just 101 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:30.279 like my wife and kids. And you protect the ones 102 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:32.279 you love. And that's what he did that day when 103 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:34.480 he picked up that grenade and threw it back just 104 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:39.160 as it exploded. With that selfless act, Leroy saved his 105 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:42.240 two ranger brothers, and they are with us today. 106 00:06:42.439 --> 00:06:43.720 This valor came with a price. 107 00:06:44.160 --> 00:06:47.399 The force of the blast took LeRoy's right hand, trapnel 108 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:49.920 riddled his body, said one of his teammates. I had 109 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.439 never seen someone hurt so bad. So even his fellow 110 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:57.639 rangers were amazed at what Leroy did next. Despite his 111 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:01.079 grievous wounds, he remained calm. He actually put on his 112 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:04.680 own tourniquet, and he continued to lead, directing his team, 113 00:07:04.920 --> 00:07:07.639 giving orders, even telling the medics. 114 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:08.279 How to treat his wounds. 115 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:10.800 When the fight was won, As he lay in a 116 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:14.639 stretcher being loaded onto a helicopter, one of his teammates 117 00:07:14.639 --> 00:07:16.879 came up to shake the hand that Leroy had left 118 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:18.920 that was the first time I shook the hand of 119 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:21.120 someone who I considered to be a true American hero. 120 00:07:21.360 --> 00:07:26.120 That Ranger, said, Leroy Petrie showed that true heroes still 121 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:29.839 exist and that they're closer than you think. That Ranger's right. 122 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:33.639 Leroy lost a hand, and those wounds in his legs 123 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:36.120 sometimes make it hard for him to stand, but he 124 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:38.959 pushes on and even joined his fellow Rangers for a 125 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:42.399 grueling twenty mile march. He could have focused only on 126 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:45.600 his own recovery, but today he helps care for other 127 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:49.920 wounded warriors, inspiring them with his example. Given his wounds, 128 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:52.959 he could have retired from the army with honor, but 129 00:07:53.000 --> 00:07:56.360 he chose to re enlist indefinitely. In this past year, 130 00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:01.040 he returned to Afghanistan, his eighth deployment, back with his 131 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:04.759 Ranger brothers on another mission to keep our country safe. 132 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:07.399 This is the stuff of what heroes are made. This 133 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:11.040 is the strength, the devotion that makes our troops the 134 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:13.519 pride of every American. And this is the reason that, 135 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:17.920 like a soldier named Leroy Petrie, America doesn't simply endure. 136 00:08:18.279 --> 00:08:19.120 We emerge from. 137 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:22.319 Our trials stronger, more confident, with our eyes fixed on 138 00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:25.279 the future. Our heroes are all around us, and as 139 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:28.439 we prepare for the reading of the citation, please join 140 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:32.360 me in saluting one of those heroes, Leroy Petrie. 141 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.600 Ladies and gentlemen, the guest of honor, Master Sergeant Retired 142 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:37.600 Leroy A. T. 143 00:08:37.759 --> 00:08:38.480 Tree. 144 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:42.600 I am so excited to talk to you. Thank you 145 00:08:42.720 --> 00:08:45.320 so much for taking this time. I really appreciate it. 146 00:08:45.559 --> 00:08:46.279 Yeah, no problem. 147 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:48.799 I would like to welcome you to the show. I'm 148 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.480 going to go ahead and introduce you now if that's cool, okay, 149 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:55.080 I would like to welcome to the show Master, Sergeant 150 00:08:55.159 --> 00:08:59.840 Retired Leroy Petrie. Mister Petrie, Welcome to the fascinations. 151 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:04.759 Thank you. It's actually pronounced Petrie, like the dish. You know. 152 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:07.440 That's funny because that was gonna be my first question 153 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:10.440 because I have heard it both ways. I think they 154 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:13.080 even said it both ways during your retirement ceremony. 155 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:16.879 Yeah, it's spelled like Petrie, but it's pronounced like Petrie. 156 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:19.799 Gotcha. Well, from now on, I will refer to you 157 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:21.000 as Petrie. 158 00:09:21.519 --> 00:09:24.240 Did you ever see that movie Land Before Time Little 159 00:09:24.279 --> 00:09:25.759 pterodactyls named Petrie. 160 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:30.120 Yes, my son loved that movie. I think there was 161 00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:32.080 a little bit of racism in that movie. I think 162 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:37.080 that like Bronosaurus or something said flatheads have no brains. 163 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:40.039 Yeah. 164 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:42.480 So the way that this all came together was, I 165 00:09:42.519 --> 00:09:45.840 guess you were in San Antonio for some reason or another, 166 00:09:45.919 --> 00:09:49.240 and my wife was coming back from a flight out 167 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:52.600 of town and she ran into you at San Antonio Airport. 168 00:09:53.039 --> 00:09:56.039 We're actually in the same flight. One of the prior 169 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:58.879 sergeant majors of the Army was sitting in the same 170 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:02.840 area as and when we were getting ready to leave 171 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:06.600 the plane, we were stuck at the gate bridge whatever 172 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:09.679 it's called, and waiting for them to open the door. 173 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:12.360 This starm major of the army ended up telling everybody 174 00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:14.559 who I was, and your wife and I got to 175 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:17.159 talking for a little bit, well waiting for them to 176 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:19.320 open the door, and I was like, well he was 177 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:23.039 a prior star major of the Army. I tried to 178 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:24.200 shift fire on him. 179 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:25.639 Yeah, had that work out? 180 00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:27.799 Not so well? You've gone out the door and I 181 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:28.720 was like, oh, come. 182 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:32.960 On, that's hilarious. Well you gave my wife a challenge coin. Yes, 183 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:36.120 thank you so much. I have had this in my 184 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:39.600 pocket pretty much ever since I got it. This is amazing. 185 00:10:40.279 --> 00:10:42.799 It's a small token of thanks for the people that 186 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:46.960 mean something and have done something for our country. 187 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:49.720 But you're that guy. You're the guy who did everything 188 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:50.639 for this country. 189 00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:54.399 Yeah. But that's the one thing I realized is it's 190 00:10:54.440 --> 00:10:57.519 good to recognize people for things they do. There's so 191 00:10:57.600 --> 00:11:01.320 much negativity in the media nowadays. I like to bring 192 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:05.200 a little positive aspect to people's lives that are deserving. 193 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:08.919 You're not wrong. So was this coin for my wife 194 00:11:08.960 --> 00:11:09.960 because she served? 195 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:13.320 Yeah, it's actually you know, I believe it or not. 196 00:11:13.399 --> 00:11:15.519 I hate to say it, but and this there's nothing 197 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:18.320 to do with your family. But I've had several instances 198 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:21.200 where I've given a coin to couple they end up 199 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:23.559 separating and that's the one thing they fight over. It 200 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:26.799 sounds so silly, but you would be surprised that I've 201 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:29.759 getten calls that say, hey, my wife took my coin 202 00:11:29.840 --> 00:11:32.200 or my husband took my coin. Can I get another 203 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:35.399 one from you? Like, oh, man, that's hilarious. 204 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:38.080 My wife led me to believe that you gave this 205 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:39.840 to her to give to me, but in fact, you 206 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:41.919 gave this to her. Now we're gonna have to get 207 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:42.320 a device. 208 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:45.159 No, don't get a divorce. You guys could share it. 209 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:48.000 Na man, we're gonna have to get a divorce that 210 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:50.279 way I keep it. So I did have a question. 211 00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:53.679 I did have a question. I'm looking at it here. 212 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:57.360 It's absolutely beautiful, but on it is sort of like 213 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:00.440 a Sideway's yellow diamond with the number two on it. 214 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:01.799 Can you tell me why there's a two? 215 00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:05.879 It's an orange diamond. And what the two diamond represents 216 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.639 is I put that on as a way to represent 217 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:11.600 our history. If you've seen the movies Saving Private Ryan 218 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:14.480 on the back of their helmets, they have an orange 219 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:17.720 two diamond on the back of their second Rangers, and 220 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:21.080 those were the Rangers of Second Range Battalion back during 221 00:12:21.080 --> 00:12:23.399 World War Two that scaled the cliffs of Point to Hawk. 222 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:28.320 And they were also Delta Company, the same company I 223 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:30.559 was in when I got injured, which we had just 224 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:34.320 activated a few years prior, and so it's a way 225 00:12:34.360 --> 00:12:37.519 to pay respect to the Rangers that went before me 226 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:40.879 as well as I put the Ranger tab and scroll 227 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:43.679 on there to represent current day Rangers. And then on 228 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:46.840 the outer ring you'll see a star on the left 229 00:12:46.879 --> 00:12:48.639 side of the star on the right side, and with 230 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:51.120 the blue star on the left side, it represents is 231 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:54.360 the families that have someone deployed, and the gold star 232 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:57.600 on the right side is the one that represents those 233 00:12:57.600 --> 00:12:59.919 who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. 234 00:13:00.039 --> 00:13:01.639 It does a work of art. Did you get to 235 00:13:01.679 --> 00:13:02.200 design this? 236 00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:05.679 I did design the back myself. The front was designed 237 00:13:05.720 --> 00:13:09.120 by a lot of the Medal of Honor discipients use 238 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:12.080 that as the front of their challenge coin and it's 239 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:15.399 a it's just the Medal of Honor Foundation logo. Well, 240 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:18.039 I don't mean to be disrespectful, but if I were 241 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.720 to pick a side, I would say that the side 242 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:23.639 you designed is the front, not the back. It's gorgeous, 243 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:26.000 and that's what makes it unique is that most of 244 00:13:26.080 --> 00:13:29.120 us have the same front. But what makes it unique 245 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:32.320 is the backside. How we it's our interpretation of what 246 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:34.080 was important to us to put on there. 247 00:13:34.279 --> 00:13:36.159 Do you have to pay for these? Because I imagine 248 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:37.600 you're giving them out all over the place? 249 00:13:37.840 --> 00:13:40.360 I have a At first I was, I was, but 250 00:13:40.519 --> 00:13:43.639 now I have a Our Medal of Honor Society gives 251 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:47.440 us a stipend each year for use like paper, envelopes, 252 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:50.559 kind of office stuff, and I choose to put all 253 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:54.559 mine into coins. I think that's the most meaningful thing 254 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:58.480 that is out there. And some of the guys will say, beliebro, 255 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:00.960 you give out too many coins, You're going to devalue 256 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:03.720 the coin. I said, My coins will never devalue because 257 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:05.440 they mean the most to the people I give them to. 258 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:09.000 That's the truth. This is absolutely amazing. Okay, so enough 259 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:11.279 about this really cool coin. Let's talk about you man. 260 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:15.200 I've been out of the army for almost four coming 261 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:17.960 up on three and a half years, and I have 262 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:21.360 been busier now than I was when I was active duty. 263 00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:25.320 Really, well, we'll get there, we'll get there. So first 264 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:30.200 I want to wholeheartedly thank you so very much for 265 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:36.600 your service, for your sacrifice, for being a badass, and 266 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:40.039 for having my country's flag on your uniform. 267 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:42.200 So thank you, thank you. 268 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:48.679 Now, you are the second living recipient of the Congressional 269 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:51.399 Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. Is that right? 270 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:52.240 Yes, sir. 271 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:57.799 You also were awarded the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit, 272 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:01.759 the Bronze Star, and bunch of other awards. Now this 273 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:03.840 is going to sound like a really stupid question, but 274 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:06.840 are you like the most decorated living veteran. 275 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:12.320 No, No, far far away from that. I will say 276 00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:15.360 that there's a lot more people with far more medals 277 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:19.240 than I have, But I never really cared about how 278 00:15:19.279 --> 00:15:22.200 many I had. It's just the value of each one 279 00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:24.240 and what it took to earn it is what made 280 00:15:24.279 --> 00:15:26.759 an impact on me. And believe it or not, most 281 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:29.600 people outside of the military don't know what half the 282 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:32.440 medals are to begin with, to include the Medal of Honored, 283 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:36.840 A lot of people civilians are only knowledgeable on the 284 00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:39.960 Silver Star and the Purple Heart. Outside of that, it's 285 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:43.080 the onesies and twosies here and there that recognize different metals. 286 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:45.039 I mean, if you told people I have a Legion 287 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:46.840 of America, most people like, ah, I don't know what 288 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:47.159 that is. 289 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:49.519 It sounds cool, Yeah, I gotta feel and most people 290 00:15:49.559 --> 00:15:51.759 would be like cool. Is that from the Boy Scouts? 291 00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:56.159 Yeah? I think those awards, Like I said, that's where 292 00:15:56.159 --> 00:15:58.919 I learned that it means something to recognize people, and 293 00:15:59.559 --> 00:16:03.879 even though the recognition is not nationally or sometimes even 294 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:07.519 publicly known, that that recognition is needed and it means 295 00:16:07.559 --> 00:16:09.679 a lot to the person that's being recognized. 296 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:14.279 Gotcha, Of all of those awards, which one is the rarest, like, 297 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:17.840 the least awarded. Would that be the Congressional Medal of Honor. 298 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:21.799 Yes, it's actually it's called the Medal of Honor. People 299 00:16:21.840 --> 00:16:24.480 will call it the Congressional because it's awarded by Congress, 300 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:26.840 but it's just known as the Medal of Honor. And 301 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:30.720 there's only been thirty five hundred awarded in our nation's history, 302 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:33.840 and of the thirty five hundred, most of them were 303 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:38.159 awarded posthumously. And out of the thirty five hundred, there's 304 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:42.039 seventy one living recipients today. Of the seventy one, there's 305 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:44.120 eleven of us under the age of seventy. 306 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:48.600 Wow, are all eleven of you since Vietnam? Or how 307 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:49.600 many cents Vietnam? 308 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:52.720 All the eleven living are from Afghanistan? 309 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:55.039 Gotcha? And you were the second? 310 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:55.919 Yes? 311 00:16:56.679 --> 00:16:59.600 Wow? Do you have to be nominated for that award? 312 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:03.279 The nomination starts at the lowest level, meaning the usually 313 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:05.519 the people that were there on the ground with you 314 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:08.799 and saw the action and bare witness to it have 315 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:12.559 to write sworn statements testing to what they saw, and 316 00:17:12.599 --> 00:17:15.480 then it goes up to train a command like any 317 00:17:15.480 --> 00:17:20.079 other award, and then it is scrutinized and the process 318 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:24.599 takes approximately three years just because every level that it 319 00:17:24.680 --> 00:17:29.039 goes up to it is scrutinized for errors, and at 320 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:32.799 any level it can get bumped down to a lower award. 321 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:35.559 And so it's a lengthy process, but it's lengthy for 322 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:38.200 a reason. When it has to go across the desk 323 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:42.599 of Congress and the United States President, it needs to 324 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:43.160 be perfect. 325 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:47.880 That makes one hundred sense. So you've told the story 326 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:51.200 a million times of the events that led to you 327 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:54.279 being nominated for this award. So if it's okay with you, 328 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:59.400 I'm just going to cut in President Obama explaining that 329 00:17:59.480 --> 00:17:59.920 is that okay? 330 00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:01.000 You sure? 331 00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:02.480 Did you tell her better? 332 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:08.359 I'd probably explained it in my quick version all special 333 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:12.440 operations one evening got alerted that a high value target 334 00:18:12.519 --> 00:18:15.559 was moving in Afghanistan, that they had gotten some intel 335 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:19.559 he was moving in Afghanistan, and so they basically shut 336 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:22.480 down all special operations and said, wherever you're at state 337 00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:26.079 put whoever's area of operations, he pops up, and that's 338 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:28.720 going to be the people that are going to action 339 00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:32.200 on it. And so normally, as rangers, we sleep during 340 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:34.720 the day or do our daily activities during the day 341 00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:38.759 and go out on operations during the nighttime. Well, that morning, 342 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:42.039 I was up early. I was going to check my 343 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:45.000 email and do a few things in the office or 344 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:47.920 a planning area whatever it's called. Not really in office, 345 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:52.680 but the tent with computers. And I went in there 346 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:55.680 and there was an officer that was on our duty, 347 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:59.200 I guess, monitoring everything. And he jumps up from the 348 00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:01.440 other side of the room his computer and he says, 349 00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:03.519 they were go wake up the pilot's go wake everybody up. 350 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:06.400 Hesitated for a split second, and then went and started 351 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:09.440 waking people up, and went and woke up my guys 352 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:12.839 and told them start getting your gear ready, check your gear. 353 00:19:13.240 --> 00:19:16.279 I'll be back, And I ran to the chow tent. 354 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:17.799 What I was going to do is I was going 355 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:20.200 to grab some beef turkey packets or what we call 356 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:23.039 lickey's and chewies, little things to stick in my day 357 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:25.240 bag so that if we got stuck out, give those 358 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:27.519 two the younger guys and it helps boost their morale 359 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:30.119 if we were stuck out there for a while. No chow. 360 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:33.799 But I'm walking through this tent and it's decorated like 361 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:36.440 the fourth of July, red white and blue everywhere, and 362 00:19:36.880 --> 00:19:39.440 we can't really figure it out. And so I'm walking 363 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:41.960 toward the end of the tent and I see the 364 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:44.119 sheet cake, and I walk over to the sheet cake, 365 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:48.279 and on this cake it says Happy Memorial Day. And 366 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:51.200 I stopped for a second. I was like, wow, we 367 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:55.119 had been doing so many operations almost nightly that I 368 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:57.200 lost track of time, and I didn't realize that it 369 00:19:57.240 --> 00:20:00.960 was already a Memorial Day. And so I they took 370 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:04.839 a brief second, and then I ran out, ran back 371 00:20:04.880 --> 00:20:08.000 to the planning bay. Immediately there we were briefed on 372 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:11.319 what was going on, started our hasty planning, and next 373 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:13.960 thing we know, I'm back out checking my guy's gear 374 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:16.799 and then we're loading up on helicopters going out to 375 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:21.400 the target. Immediately upon touching down, we realized it was well. 376 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:23.599 Actually in the air, we realized it was a little 377 00:20:23.640 --> 00:20:26.759 bit different than normal missions because this was a daylight mission, 378 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:30.279 and being a high value target, they usually have a 379 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:33.759 better caution force with them that's willing to fight to 380 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:37.599 the death, and so they're a little bit higher, highlyer trained, 381 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:39.319 and we knew we were going to get into if 382 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:41.039 they were there, we were going to get into a 383 00:20:41.079 --> 00:20:44.000 heavy firefight possibly, And so I'm going through all these 384 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:46.559 different contingencies in my mind. What I'm going to do 385 00:20:46.599 --> 00:20:49.759 if we take a casualty, because our history has proven 386 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:53.599 that we've taken casualties during daylight missions far often more 387 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:57.359 than a night time, just because we have the element 388 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:01.039 of surprise and the cover of darkness. So the other 389 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:03.359 thing one of my first artist said was while we're 390 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:06.000 flying in the helicopter, he said, normally you look across 391 00:21:06.039 --> 00:21:09.160 at the guys across from you, and you see their 392 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:11.880 faces under a green glow of our night vision. He said, 393 00:21:11.880 --> 00:21:14.039 now you can see the color and pigment of their skin, 394 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:17.039 and you can see the expressions on their face. And 395 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:19.920 he said, it was definitely a different mission. We all 396 00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:21.839 had a little bit of butterflies. You could see it 397 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:25.279 in everybody's face. And so as soon as our helicopter 398 00:21:25.400 --> 00:21:29.079 touched down, we started taking fire from a nearby field. 399 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:32.200 Enemy fighter was shooting at us and thetoon leader and 400 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:35.480 I went and neutralized that threat, and as we were 401 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:38.400