1 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:04,560 Speaker 1: It's that time. 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:12,319 Speaker 2: Time time, time, luck and load. The Michael Verie Show 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 2: is on the air. 4 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: Marcus Latreel is our last twenty years after Operation Redwings. 5 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: Of course, his diary would be published and Lone Survivor 6 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: would be a bestseller, the movie would be made, and 7 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: a nation was riveted. We were at war in Iraq 8 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: and Afghanistan, and I think that really humanized. The two 9 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: guys from that time that I grew to have such 10 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: a credible respect for were Marcus Aetrell and his peers, 11 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: his Navy seals, and Chris Kyle. And I think the 12 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: entire country was absolutely and still is riveted by this story. 13 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: So it has become a firefight. Tell me, Marcus, what 14 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: happens from there. 15 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 2: Once that thing started, it was kind of a free 16 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 2: for all that they had us covered on three sides, 17 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 2: so the only way we could go was down the mountain, 18 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 2: and then a couple hours into that, they had come 19 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 2: up from the base of the mountain from the village, 20 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 2: so they had us in a three hundred and sixty 21 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 2: degree loop. There wasn't really anywhere we could go, which 22 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 2: means you had to keep moving the entire time. The 23 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 2: hardest thing to hit of the moving target, but because 24 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 2: of the terrain and the altitude, just making the movement 25 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 2: was tough enough. A couple hours into it, everyone was 26 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: so exhausted that and shot up that they just systematically 27 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 2: picked us apart one by one as we were going 28 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 2: down the mountain. And then at the end of the day, 29 00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 2: I was I had slipped into this ravine and kind 30 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 2: of was laid in between these rocks, and I just 31 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: laid there. I was paralyzed from the waist down. I've 32 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 2: been shot up pretty bad and fragged, and my back 33 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 2: was broken and stuff. And as the sun went down, 34 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 2: I just laid there and I couldn't move. I waited 35 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 2: and waited, and then eventually I started to crawl out 36 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 2: of there and just started moving. And I crawled all 37 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 2: night into the next morning, and halfway through the next 38 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 2: day before the villager fell me. It was right next 39 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 2: to a waterfall in a river. 40 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: You've talked about not knowing how far you went, and 41 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 1: you know you weren't at yourself, as my grandmother would say, 42 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: but if you were to estimate how far you crawled, 43 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: what would that be? 44 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 2: So we know now they've done a map study and 45 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: I've gotten debriefed by everyone who had anything to do 46 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 2: with the mission, and I crawled about seven. 47 00:02:56,200 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: Miles and you started how much after after sundown or 48 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 1: after it got. 49 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 2: Dark, Probably about it almost a couple hours afterwards. I 50 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 2: just started making a movement when I couldn't hear anything, 51 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 2: and when I thought the day of Thatta had returned 52 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 2: to base, I just started moving. 53 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: And there was zero chance you would have survived. If 54 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 1: you'd stayed there, they would have found you. 55 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 2: Right absolutely, because the helicopter had gotten shot down, which 56 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,080 Speaker 2: brought more reinforcements from them in. So the mountain was 57 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 2: saturated with the Taliban and the al Qaeda. They kind 58 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,799 Speaker 2: of worked together in that area. So the Hornet's Nest 59 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 2: is where we were at, and we had slipped in 60 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 2: there under the cover of darkness. So when the sun 61 00:03:37,720 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 2: came up and everybody was making movement, it was it 62 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 2: was saturated. 63 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: When you saw the I'm assuming you saw the Shinok 64 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: shot down. 65 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 2: I didn't. That's how loud it was that I couldn't 66 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 2: hear it or see it get shot down and roll 67 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 2: down the mountain. I had my ear drums have been 68 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 2: busted out. I was bleeding out everywhere, so I didn't. 69 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 2: I didn't know that. I found that out when I 70 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:06,839 Speaker 2: was in the village and the Taliban got a hold 71 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 2: to me. They told me one of the guys was 72 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 2: wearing one of my wedding ring. He said it was 73 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 2: from one of my buddies. He was trying to tell 74 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,840 Speaker 2: me that they had shot a helicopter down and that 75 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 2: a bunch of the steals had died. But I didn't 76 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 2: I wouldn't believe it. And then when I got back 77 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 2: to when y'all finally found me and brought me back, 78 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 2: is when I when I got the news that that 79 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 2: was solid. 80 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna ask a stupid question, why couldn't they get 81 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 1: the coms up? You know, you talk about this in 82 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 1: the book, and that's a central theme to the movie. 83 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 1: Why couldn't they manage to get comms back to the base? 84 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:41,600 Speaker 1: I mean, was the equipment not good enough or what 85 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: was the issue? 86 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 2: Now, all that has to do with location and where 87 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 2: we were set up, and they're just intermittent. Sometimes they 88 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 2: come in and sometimes they come out. There's no really 89 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 2: solid answer for why that happens. I know today with technology, 90 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 2: you can you can It's the same premise to why 91 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 2: your cell phone while you lose signal in certain areas, 92 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 2: like we don't. Why can't I stand right here and 93 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:02,480 Speaker 2: then go two feet to the right and not have 94 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 2: so I can make communications. It's the same principle, but 95 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 2: go way back, and when you're get into two thousand 96 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 2: and five, you're dealing with the Tatcom radio and then 97 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 2: the planes moving overhead and the relays that we had 98 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 2: back and forth. It was just intermittent. That's just the 99 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 2: way it works. That's why we have checkpoints and waypoints 100 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 2: as we're going along. So if we do miss a 101 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 2: calm window, then there's another checkpoint when we get to 102 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,719 Speaker 2: that we can radio back in before everyone starts losing 103 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,119 Speaker 2: their mind and trying to come get us. 104 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:29,840 Speaker 1: Do you remember the first hit you took? 105 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess, oh yeah, you don't forget it absolutely, 106 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 2: what's happened to Well, until you get hit, you don't know. 107 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 2: You just have this anticipation of what it feels like. 108 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,359 Speaker 2: And now there's a difference between when you have this 109 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 2: mentality of when you're hunting men. I remember having that 110 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 2: like it kind of flowed through me. It was my 111 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 2: job when we went out was to hunt things down 112 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,679 Speaker 2: and then it's a completely different feeling when someone's hunting 113 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 2: you and there and and they got you in there. 114 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 2: See a lot of times you couldn't see where. It 115 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 2: was so loud and at this and you couldn't didn't 116 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,359 Speaker 2: any idea where the bullets were coming from. So I 117 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 2: remember thinking when I got hit that first time and 118 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 2: I fell and knocked me out, and when I came 119 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 2: to the smell, that's the one thing that they couldn't 120 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 2: You can't duplicate as the smell of death when that's around, 121 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 2: and how the ground was on fire too, and I 122 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 2: remember the smoke and all that stuff like that. It 123 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:33,040 Speaker 2: just kind of hit me in me pretty hard. And 124 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 2: then it just changed the dynamic the way you the 125 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 2: way you move. 126 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: Told me, you told me one time that as brutal 127 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 1: as the movie is, it's two hours long, and the 128 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: firefight lasted far longer than that, and of course you're 129 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:48,599 Speaker 1: in the middle of it, and the smells and the 130 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: sounds and all that. What is the thing that the 131 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:55,280 Speaker 1: movie was least able to convey that you remember vividly. 132 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,479 Speaker 2: Bringing me out of there. If I if I could, 133 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 2: for if there'd be another movie made, it would be 134 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 2: about the ending the way that what it took to 135 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 2: get me out of there and pay respect and give 136 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 2: acknowledgement to everything that went to pull me out. That 137 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 2: that in itself is a story because it happened at night. 138 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 2: In the in the movie they made lo Survivor, it 139 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 2: was a daytime rescue, and in reality it was at night, 140 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 2: and I mean it was a free for all crazy 141 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 2: scenario storms and everyone was out there. It was probably 142 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 2: the most intimidated, intimidating time because I didn't you know, 143 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 2: you think I'm getting rescued, but then there's a chance. 144 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 2: There's always a chance you can die. And when they 145 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 2: finally got me onto the helicopter and we left out 146 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 2: of there, it was there was a lower coaster of 147 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 2: emotions for sure. But the one thing that we didn't 148 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 2: capture in the film, like so it just didn't have 149 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 2: enough time, was was the ending how they actually had 150 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 2: and what they had to go through to rescue me. 151 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 2: Everyone who was in theater was involved in getting me 152 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 2: out of there for sure, and then to follow on 153 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 2: to get all the guys off the mountain, and my 154 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 2: remember our teammate with still Land out there. We had 155 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 2: a helicopter go down and had kicking guys on it. 156 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 2: They had to recover all those guys they were taking fire. 157 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 2: It was it was a crazy scenario. 158 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: And these chairs can rolling around. 159 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 3: Damn it? All right, This is Mark Chestnutt and Jar 160 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 3: Bizaar of Talk Radio. 161 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 1: Marcus till Trail is our guest twenty years after Operation 162 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: Red Wings. Hard to believe it's been twenty years. He 163 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 1: has agreed to stay with us a little extra because 164 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: everything I want to know won't make it into this segment. 165 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: I could talk to him for hours on end and 166 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: have There's so many things he can't tell or doesn't 167 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:52,440 Speaker 1: tell that are fascinating about all of this and his 168 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,839 Speaker 1: incredible life. Marcus all Trail is our guest. Marcus, you 169 00:08:56,720 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 1: mentioned that the extrication of you, the rescue of you, 170 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: didn't get covered properly in the movie because you couldn't 171 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: give everything justice. What are some things we didn't see? 172 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:12,440 Speaker 2: Okay? So I was the great There's a hodge pods 173 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:14,840 Speaker 2: of guys who finally found me. And if you if 174 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 2: you could have seen them, I mean, it looks something 175 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 2: straight out of a movie. When they came in there, 176 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:24,679 Speaker 2: they were beat up just to get to me. Was 177 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 2: was was an event, just just to find me. And 178 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:30,760 Speaker 2: then once they found me, they had the they surrounded 179 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 2: the village, and then the village was surrounded by the 180 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 2: Taliban and the al Qaeda, just to keep me safe. 181 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 2: And then they had moved me down the mountain into 182 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,679 Speaker 2: this little ravine area. I had thought about this in 183 00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 2: a minute, and we sat up. It was dark, so 184 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 2: by now the sun had gone down, and the helicopter 185 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:50,959 Speaker 2: had to come in from the base of the mountain, 186 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 2: and it was we were so high up on the 187 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 2: mountain that they had. All it was was fuel and ammo. 188 00:09:57,559 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 2: And I remember they had some water on there for 189 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 2: the guys, because they the guys who found me were 190 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 2: out of water. And then a firefighting suited and then 191 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 2: above the mountain where a bunch of fixed wing aircraft 192 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 2: were dropping ordnance down on the bad guys. And then 193 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 2: in the distance at the base of the mountain, so 194 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 2: down the mountain it was a river, and the helicopter 195 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 2: was kind of coming up the river, and the Colsignd 196 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 2: a guy who was flying the bird's name of Spanking 197 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 2: and Jeff Pearson, great great freaking guy. And and here 198 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 2: you'll tell you it was so dark and by this 199 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 2: time they had juiced me up, so I was kind 200 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 2: of having a good time, Like I wasn't feel any 201 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:34,679 Speaker 2: pain anymore, and I was just kind of sitting there 202 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 2: watching all of our guys do their thing, and it 203 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:41,439 Speaker 2: was it was the most amazing thing to watch them work. Normally, 204 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 2: when you're in something you don't you can't anticipate with that. 205 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 2: But when I had a chance to step back and 206 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 2: actually watch our guys go to war, and it was awesome. 207 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 2: And then that helicopter boy came up over the side 208 00:10:53,080 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 2: of that cliff and the dust kicked up, and so 209 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 2: it called a brown eye. We couldn't see anything when 210 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 2: he came to land. The the ravine we were on 211 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 2: was about as wide as the helicopter itself, and he 212 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 2: goes to that dust came up. I couldn't see nothing. 213 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 2: And then there was Pj's in the back of the 214 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 2: bird trying to land it, trying to tell them how 215 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 2: far from the ground they were, and nobody could see anything. 216 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 2: And the helicopter actually had rotated, so when the nose 217 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 2: came over, it had spun around and the tail was 218 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:24,840 Speaker 2: facing us. And then he goes, there was a plant 219 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 2: hanging from one of the houses that was on the 220 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 2: side of the mountain. He goes, I was kind of 221 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:29,560 Speaker 2: looking at that thing and I just sat it down, 222 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 2: and he did. He stuck it well. The Green Berets 223 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 2: they picked me up and were carrying me towards the HILO, 224 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 2: and I was dressed up in man jamie, so I 225 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 2: looked like an Afghan and they pulled me up at 226 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 2: the tail so you don't come up on the tail rotor. 227 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 2: So the PGAs turned around to actually take a shot 228 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 2: at us, and they had their lasers up and their 229 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 2: lasers hit our glint tape and that's how they knew 230 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 2: that not to shoot. So almost got killed on the rescue, 231 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 2: which is they told me that later. I was like, 232 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 2: I'm glad you didn't shoot me. And then they threw 233 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,240 Speaker 2: me on the helicopter and we sat there for a 234 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 2: while because they had to unload the water for all 235 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 2: the guys who were still an OUNTA because they had 236 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:06,800 Speaker 2: to go on a follow on mission. They didn't even 237 00:12:06,840 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 2: come home with me, And then we sat there and 238 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:11,959 Speaker 2: then the helicopter I remember, dumped off the side of 239 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,719 Speaker 2: the mountain. That PJ came up. He asked me, He's like, 240 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 2: who's your Superhero and I was like Spider Man, and 241 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 2: I asked him my dog's name. I told him that 242 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 2: this kind of verification code. And we went back and 243 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:27,200 Speaker 2: we landed and they're still in a firefight. We landed 244 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 2: on a base and then they transferred me from a 245 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 2: helicopter to a C one thirty medical bird and kind 246 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 2: of laid me down and started going to work on me. 247 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,079 Speaker 2: And then they slew me from there to to Boggam 248 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 2: Air Force Base where the rest of my platoon and 249 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 2: all the seals are waiting on me to get back. 250 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 1: But yeah, then how does that look when they bring 251 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:50,719 Speaker 1: you in? What tell me about that? 252 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 2: So the ramp dropped off the helicopter or shooting on 253 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 2: the back of the plane, and they had to pick me. 254 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 2: I couldn't really walk, so they picked me up and 255 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:01,400 Speaker 2: we're carrying me down. Had ivy stuck out of me, 256 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,720 Speaker 2: and they said they abandoned me up and uh, I 257 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 2: remember there was a lady standing by the rabbit. She 258 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 2: covered her face and started crying. I guess I looked 259 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 2: worse than I thought. And then they transferred me to 260 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:15,680 Speaker 2: these van there's a bunch of vans sitting there, and 261 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 2: they put me in one of those, and then they 262 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 2: took me to the hospital. And then while I was 263 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 2: in the hospital, they was when we kind of started 264 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:23,680 Speaker 2: the debrief I tried to tell them because all my 265 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:25,559 Speaker 2: guys were still out there. I tried to tell them 266 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,440 Speaker 2: where I was and in relationship where they thought we were, 267 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 2: and it just it all started from there. And then 268 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:34,439 Speaker 2: I was in the hospital for a minute. 269 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: Go ahead, are you able to talk at that point? 270 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 1: And what does that look like? 271 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 2: I was? I was, I was able to talk. Uh. 272 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:45,880 Speaker 2: The villagers did a great job of taking care of me. 273 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 2: I mean, they doctored me up twice a day, a 274 00:13:47,880 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 2: bandaged my wounds, made sure my pain tir my pain 275 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,440 Speaker 2: was down. So I was really I had a doctor 276 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,199 Speaker 2: in the village and they just they they saved my 277 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 2: life for sure. And then when I got back the 278 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 2: all the army guys started working on me, and then 279 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:06,480 Speaker 2: we started doing the debriefs so they could go out 280 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:08,199 Speaker 2: and find our other guys and bring them back. And 281 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 2: I think that took about two weeks to find all 282 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 2: the guys. I'm not mistaken, so and then I got 283 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 2: transferred back to the States. 284 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 1: In the movie, there is a conflict within the village 285 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: of the you know, Gulab brings you back, and that 286 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,240 Speaker 1: not everyone in the village wants you there because that 287 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: brings problems on them. Tell me a little bit about 288 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,080 Speaker 1: your reception in the village to the extent you remember it. 289 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 2: Just like that. Well, there were some in there that 290 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 2: didn't want me in there, and I could tell immediately 291 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 2: who they were. They weren't trying to hide, that for sure. 292 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 2: And then there were the villages and the elder and Gulab. 293 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 2: They were making sure that I stayed safe, and they 294 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 2: put a rotating guard on me. I was in there 295 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 2: for almost five days. And then there was some people 296 00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 2: in the village wo were trying to sell me, because 297 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 2: the Taliban would show up every day negotiating for my head. 298 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 2: And they would tell me about me sitting down in 299 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,520 Speaker 2: my room and have these little powwows and these meetings. 300 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 2: And then, which is kind of frustrating because I didn't 301 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 2: speak the language. Well, I didn't understand what they were in, 302 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 2: but I could get the concept of what was going down. 303 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 2: And then eventually when the when the Green Berets and 304 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 2: rangers found me, I was tucked in underneath this rock 305 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 2: in a riverbed, and they were. They moved me around 306 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 2: the village systematically and strategically all day and every day 307 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 2: through the night. So the Taliban would get a beat 308 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 2: on the room that I was in and they started 309 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 2: shooting in there or firing RPG at the wall, and 310 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 2: then the villagers would move me somewhere else. So it 311 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 2: was it was kind of chaotic and stressful, for sure. 312 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 1: It's amazing to think that after everything you had survived, 313 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: that you could have been killed at that moment, or 314 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 1: at the moment you're being rescued. I mean that that's 315 00:15:46,800 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: just just just insane. So the moment they came to 316 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,320 Speaker 1: get you, do you remember the first thing they said 317 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: to you? 318 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 2: So I called my name out. I'll never forget it. 319 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:00,080 Speaker 2: I heard it in English for the first time. And 320 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,360 Speaker 2: I was draped over these two guys and my head 321 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 2: was down. They were having to drag me through the 322 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 2: through the mountains, and I looked up and this old 323 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:07,840 Speaker 2: boy came down the mountain and two of them, I 324 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 2: just seems very vividly, and I grabbed that guy. I mean, 325 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 2: I never heard a man like that. I was gonna 326 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 2: get in here, bro. I just want to make sure 327 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:15,400 Speaker 2: he was real, because I was real sick by then, 328 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 2: and uh, and he called me by my name, and 329 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 2: uh they picked me up and and took me into 330 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 2: this this stable. Uh, right underneath on the side of 331 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 2: the mountain, there was a stable down there that they 332 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 2: would pick the huels in. And they laid me down in. 333 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 3: There and tried to bandage me up. And then that's 334 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:38,880 Speaker 3: when the beeped me for the first time. And uh 335 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 3: they got me out of there. Yeah, that happened, but 336 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 3: it was it was It was crazy, for sure. 337 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: Michael Barry Show wants to tell is our guest. Our 338 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: conversation continues about the rescue. If you've read the book 339 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:55,600 Speaker 1: and seen the movie, obviously in a matter of minutes, 340 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: they can't capture what actually happened. You know, you've alluded 341 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 1: to a number of things, Smarcaus, I'd like to rewind 342 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 1: and let's talk about how Gulab discovers you at the water. 343 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: You know, there's a scene in the movie where you 344 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 1: threaten to pull a pin. You have no belief that 345 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:15,640 Speaker 1: this guy is going to drag you to his village 346 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:17,960 Speaker 1: and that they're going to care for you, which they 347 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,120 Speaker 1: did and save your life. Walk me through that process 348 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:24,199 Speaker 1: from you interacting with him, to you getting to the 349 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 1: village and then the eventual rescue and how long all 350 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: this takes. 351 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 2: So the sun had come up the following day and 352 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:36,159 Speaker 2: I somehow had crawled and Michael, I don't know how 353 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:37,639 Speaker 2: I did this, but I managed to get to the 354 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 2: top of this cliff where there's a waterfall. But I 355 00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,959 Speaker 2: couldn't I was so thirsty. This is what was driving me. 356 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 2: I didn't want to die thirsty. I know that sounds absurd, 357 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:52,159 Speaker 2: but when you thirst will do something completely different to 358 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 2: a man than pained and hunger. I mean, I'd never 359 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 2: been that thirsty. And when I try I had to 360 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 2: reach into the waterfall. I started sliding down the side 361 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,159 Speaker 2: of the mountain and I kind of took off and 362 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:07,720 Speaker 2: I flipped into the river and I actually knocked myself 363 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 2: out again. And when I came to, I crawled into 364 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 2: I remember I crawled back up a little ways because 365 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 2: I had seen a place that looked pretty, pretty inviting 366 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 2: to drink some water. And I got there and I 367 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 2: probably had two steps out of that waterfall before someone 368 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:29,080 Speaker 2: was screaming at me. And they were screaming at me 369 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 2: on the ledge that I had just fallen off of 370 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 2: so I kind of like thought that they were following me. 371 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 2: And then above that there was a couple of guys 372 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 2: with a k's maneuvering around and I could hear him 373 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 2: screaming and like they were trying to track me down. 374 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,960 Speaker 2: So they started hunting me. So I made a move 375 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,200 Speaker 2: and started crawling down into the lake, into the river 376 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:50,920 Speaker 2: and through over these rocks and stuff, and I managed 377 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 2: to get into this crevice into this ravine. It's hard 378 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 2: to explain, and I couldn't go anywhere. They bottled at me, 379 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 2: and I turned around to shoe and the guy saw 380 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,439 Speaker 2: me and he dug and then I swung around on 381 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 2: the other two and they saw me, so they sat down. 382 00:19:08,960 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 2: And then right after that happened right over the ravine 383 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:15,400 Speaker 2: I was sitting under is when Gulac came over the rocks. 384 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 2: He was kind of just sitting there and he was 385 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 2: screaming at me, and he was screaming American. He's an American. 386 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 2: American man thought about this a minute. So they thought 387 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 2: I was the Taliban. They were trying to hunt me 388 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 2: down and kill me because they thought I was the enemy. 389 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:30,639 Speaker 2: But in reality, when they found out when they got 390 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:32,439 Speaker 2: it close enough they realized I was an American, so 391 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:34,800 Speaker 2: that's what he was telling him, don't shoot he's an American. 392 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 2: And I kind of wasn't putting that together. I turned 393 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 2: around to engage to shoot him, and he put his 394 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 2: hands up and he was saying, okay, okay, it's okay. 395 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,159 Speaker 2: And I don't know why I didn't kill him. I 396 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,119 Speaker 2: don't know why I didn't kill this guy. My I mean, 397 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:52,959 Speaker 2: I had my faith. Yet what weapon did you have 398 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:55,960 Speaker 2: left at that point? I had my rifle. 399 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: That's the only your rifle. 400 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:01,680 Speaker 2: Okay, I still had him. I couldn't throw that thing away. 401 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,120 Speaker 2: I mean it would leave my body and slide down 402 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 2: the mountain or flip off of me, and I tore 403 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,440 Speaker 2: my lanyard, but I would always manage to get God 404 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 2: was like, you know you need that. So when I 405 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 2: turned around, go ahead. 406 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: Go ahead, I'm sorry, no, no, you go ahead. 407 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 2: Well, he finally walked up on me and I lowered 408 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 2: my weapon, and he was he was like okay, okay, okay, okay, 409 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 2: and he's like, shampoo hydrate is saying to me, shampoo hydrate, 410 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,480 Speaker 2: I'll never forget that. I was like, I mean that 411 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,960 Speaker 2: sounds really good. I was like, I need some water. 412 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 1: So why do you think you didn't kill him? What 413 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 1: did you know about him that he wasn't out to 414 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,680 Speaker 1: do you harm? 415 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 2: I don't know. A look on his face. He just 416 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 2: had this look on his face like he didn't want to, 417 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 2: like he wasn't there to hurt me. You can tell. 418 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:52,880 Speaker 2: And once you're out there long enough and you hunt hunt, 419 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 2: you know, we fight these guys long enough, you can tell. 420 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 2: Even when we capture them and have them with us, 421 00:20:58,040 --> 00:20:59,440 Speaker 2: they would still look at you like they want to 422 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 2: kill you. And once you see that, you'll never forget it. 423 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 2: You can anticipate with a man stinking, just by the 424 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 2: look on his face and within his eyes, his eyes 425 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 2: kill a lot. And then these kids started coming out 426 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 2: from behind him. Two and then some more adults started 427 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 2: walking up. And I lowered my weapon and I had 428 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 2: a grenade with me, and I pulled that thing and 429 00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:22,880 Speaker 2: I pulled the pin. I kind of put it down 430 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 2: by my hip, and then they brought me some water, 431 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,920 Speaker 2: so I started drinking that, and they started looking at 432 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:32,360 Speaker 2: my wounds and like patching me up. And then they 433 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,359 Speaker 2: picked me up and carried me down into the village. 434 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:39,000 Speaker 2: They sat me down, they gave me more water, and 435 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 2: then they picked me up and carried me into this 436 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,480 Speaker 2: room and they stripped me naked, and there wasn't much 437 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:47,080 Speaker 2: left in my uniform anyway. Well, and they docked me up, 438 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 2: cleaned all my wounds, and then dressed me up instead 439 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:52,119 Speaker 2: of Man Jamie's. That was almost the first. 440 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: Day, and what was hurting the worst at that point. 441 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 2: I had a lot of facial damage and then I'd 442 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,720 Speaker 2: broken my right hand. My thumb had been separated from 443 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,639 Speaker 2: the from the where it was supposed to be. I 444 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,439 Speaker 2: couldn't feel my lower extremities. It was weird. I busted 445 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 2: my back up real bad, and I've been shot in 446 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 2: the button that frag hanging out of my legs, but 447 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 2: I couldn't really feel that. Because I didn't, I was 448 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,680 Speaker 2: kind of paralyzed. Was it was a blessing and. 449 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: A curse that are you at that moment do you 450 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,239 Speaker 1: think you're going to die? You're just fighting on for 451 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:30,360 Speaker 1: some crazy reason, but do you are you certain you're 452 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: going to die or are you holding out hope? 453 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 2: No, that would only cross my mind when I was 454 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 2: in a gunfight, and then even then on the first day, 455 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 2: for sure, But the second day, I just kind of 456 00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 2: got it in my head that I was getting out 457 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 2: of there. I wasn't gonna it wasn't gonna lay down 458 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:51,479 Speaker 2: and die. I was just going to the way our 459 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 2: training goes and everything that kicks in a lot of 460 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 2: people they can't anticipate that, like what do you do 461 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:57,880 Speaker 2: when this happened? And what do you think when this happens? 462 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:02,439 Speaker 2: Does a custom me it kicks in? And I just 463 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:06,879 Speaker 2: kept that. Ultimately, I did change the diplomatee. I mean, 464 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 2: I kind of changed my attitude a little bit just 465 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 2: because they were helping me and I wanted them to 466 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:12,879 Speaker 2: know that I appreciated all that. So I you know, 467 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 2: I was on my managers and then I was real polite. 468 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 2: I did everything I could. I started throughout the week 469 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 2: I started doctor and their kids like they would bring 470 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:22,600 Speaker 2: their kids to me. I never told him I was 471 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 2: a steal. I told him I was a doctor. Okay, 472 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 2: I'm I'm not a stealing a doctor. And I don't 473 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 2: know if they bought that or not, but you do 474 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 2: have it. I did, and I did, and that helped 475 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,840 Speaker 2: me because when I would work on them, Uh, in 476 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,040 Speaker 2: the beginning, I didn't know if it was working or not. 477 00:23:40,119 --> 00:23:42,680 Speaker 2: But they kept bringing me people, so it worked in 478 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,119 Speaker 2: my advantage. And then they were calling me doctor Marcus. 479 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:48,520 Speaker 2: That weren't doctors. 480 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: Universal talk to me about the original the core for guys, Danny, Axe, 481 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 1: Murph and you. Why was each one of you chosen? 482 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: What was your role with in the group, What were 483 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:02,359 Speaker 1: your skill sets? 484 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 2: Danny was our communicator. He could work the radios real well. 485 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,639 Speaker 2: We weren't on the same delivery team, but he was 486 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:13,160 Speaker 2: East Coast, I was West coast. But it doesn't matter. 487 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:15,880 Speaker 2: When we throw us together, we worked well together. I'd 488 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 2: known Danny since we were in pre training, so we've 489 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:23,240 Speaker 2: been buddies for a while. Acts as our primary sniper 490 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,040 Speaker 2: and our point man. It was his job to get 491 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 2: us in and out of the target, and then he 492 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 2: was obviously had the overwatch with the sniper rifle. Michael 493 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 2: was our lieutenant. He was our officer in charge, so 494 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 2: he was overall command and control. And then I was 495 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 2: also the medic and rear security. And then I was 496 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 2: the LPO of the platoons, so I was running it 497 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:42,679 Speaker 2: and then that was our team. That's how we were 498 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:45,119 Speaker 2: set up. Recon teams are really small, usually four to 499 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:47,240 Speaker 2: six men, and. 500 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:51,439 Speaker 1: Are there particular skill sets that brought you all together. 501 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, of all the guys that could 502 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 1: have been chosen, how were you four guys chosen? They 503 00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,520 Speaker 1: had to have a strategy behind that, I'm assuming yeah, absolutely. 504 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 2: It was a qualification is that we have through in 505 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:03,040 Speaker 2: the seal teams you get you get to go to 506 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 2: multiple schools. So me being the medic, and then I 507 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 2: was also a sniper, and I was also a calm guy, 508 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:10,600 Speaker 2: and then I was also a jatach which means I 509 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,679 Speaker 2: could talk to the planes and drop bombs, so that 510 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:18,120 Speaker 2: that was really useful in that environment. And then acts 511 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:21,639 Speaker 2: being a sniper and a point man Danny with the 512 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 2: with the comms and the communication. So we kind of 513 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:26,880 Speaker 2: like redundancy. So if one of us gets or goes down, 514 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:28,520 Speaker 2: the other guy can step up and do his job. 515 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 2: And we had just trained up together. It was our 516 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 2: it was our primary mission set. So they utilize us 517 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 2: in that capacity. 518 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:40,680 Speaker 1: You got Michael Berry's show Marcus Latrell is our guest 519 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:45,240 Speaker 1: twenty years after operation on Red Wings. When when this 520 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:50,680 Speaker 1: was over and you came home, you convert your diary 521 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:53,880 Speaker 1: to what becomes a book. You go back to Iraq 522 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:57,119 Speaker 1: and the first time I ever talked to you about this, 523 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 1: which is well over ten years ago. The thing that 524 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:05,119 Speaker 1: really just wrenched my gut was that you committed to 525 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: go and talk to Patsy, to go and talk to 526 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,400 Speaker 1: the families about what had happened. You wanted them when 527 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:13,880 Speaker 1: did that happen and how did that go down? 528 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 2: I'd gotten back. It happened pretty quick, and I was 529 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 2: sitting I was in the hospital for a while, and 530 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 2: then the rest of my platoon came back from Iraq, 531 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:28,639 Speaker 2: and then they had like a week or two of downtime, 532 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 2: and then the command actually facilitated that movement. They lined 533 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 2: out where we were going, when we were going, and 534 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 2: how we were going to get there. So they flew 535 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 2: us back to the States. We were in Hawaii. They 536 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 2: flew us back into the States and we started and 537 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:44,720 Speaker 2: we went from family, each FAMI member and told them 538 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:47,119 Speaker 2: what happened. I told him face to face them. I 539 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 2: wanted they needed to hear it from the command. Wanted 540 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:51,959 Speaker 2: that to make sure there was all kinds of stories 541 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 2: going around about what had happened, how it went down. 542 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 2: I mean still to this day, but they know the 543 00:26:58,080 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 2: real story. 544 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:00,959 Speaker 1: How hard was that to do. 545 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:11,920 Speaker 2: That was rough. That was rough. Just yeah, it's just tough. 546 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,359 Speaker 2: Like our CaCO officers, the officers that are actually in 547 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,480 Speaker 2: charge of go around and tell the families that your 548 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 2: son has been injured or dead. I mean, I don't 549 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 2: That's got to be probably the hardest job in the military. 550 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 2: So I really wasn't trained for that. And I you know, 551 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 2: I love those guys. So when their families, I understand. Look, 552 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 2: if I if I could lose, if I had to 553 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 2: lose everything I had right now, just to bring all 554 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:37,200 Speaker 2: of them back to their family members that have in 555 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:41,440 Speaker 2: my would that may sound mean or crazy, but I 556 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 2: because they're great people and their sons are great men, 557 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 2: and I that was that's harder than combat. But the 558 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,880 Speaker 2: families have always been great to me. They're they're they're 559 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:57,400 Speaker 2: good to me. They've watched out for me. They never, 560 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,760 Speaker 2: you know, never try to turn down. So that was 561 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 2: a blessing to me. 562 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 1: You know, the book and then the movie and your 563 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 1: story and you as the frontman for all of this 564 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 1: has to have been the greatest boon to recruiting before 565 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:21,960 Speaker 1: Donald Trump was president, in Sincevil War two, I would 566 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,800 Speaker 1: imagine there were a lot of young Marcus Otrell wannabes 567 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,680 Speaker 1: who said I want to do what that guy has done? 568 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: Has the Navy ever told you that. 569 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,399 Speaker 2: Yes, sir, all the time. That's why I carry myself 570 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 2: the way I do. I realized the opportunity and the 571 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 2: position that I was put in. God has a plan 572 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:43,600 Speaker 2: for everything. I had no idea I was going to 573 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 2: be doing this. But it may have been twenty years, 574 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 2: but I think about it every day, but a minute 575 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,480 Speaker 2: I wake up, the minute I go down. I'm constantly 576 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 2: trying to better myself, collect wisdom, starting my discipline, starting 577 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 2: my manners, and everything that I do. Since I am 578 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 2: an example and once they put that cross on me, 579 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,920 Speaker 2: that changed my life forever. See, those are usually kind 580 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:07,560 Speaker 2: of in the shadows, but I was. I was brought up, 581 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 2: you know, kind of into the light in front of everybody, 582 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 2: and I had extensive training from the military that I'm 583 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 2: still with them. I mean, they've been watching out for 584 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:20,280 Speaker 2: me forever and they still do. And I, you know, 585 00:29:20,360 --> 00:29:23,200 Speaker 2: thank you doesn't really do it. It works on almost 586 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:24,960 Speaker 2: everything else in there. I don't have any words to 587 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 2: describe how how how much it means to me and 588 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:29,360 Speaker 2: how thankful I am. Not only put a military but 589 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 2: for our people, like the American people and especially Texas. 590 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:35,920 Speaker 2: I mean, you've been around me for a long time, 591 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 2: you see it. One of the reason I'm going on public, man, 592 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 2: it's it's so overwhelming how nice people are to me 593 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 2: and what they do for me and I and it 594 00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:50,600 Speaker 2: only it keeps getting stronger. It hasn't faded away. So uh. 595 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:52,680 Speaker 2: And I'm trying to be a good father and raise 596 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:56,480 Speaker 2: my kids. But then and turn that around. The one 597 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:58,920 Speaker 2: thing I've preached them is how great our people are. Hey, look, 598 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 2: that's why I'm so hard on him. I was like, 599 00:30:00,760 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 2: when you walk out in public and you run across 600 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 2: one of our people, man, you better show some because 601 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:07,719 Speaker 2: of what they They saved my life. Y'all saved my life. 602 00:30:08,360 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 2: Y'all brought me back and gave me everything I got. 603 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:14,840 Speaker 2: So I never anticipated that. I didn't grow up to 604 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:18,120 Speaker 2: expect that. It just kind of I got put into it, 605 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,640 Speaker 2: and and I'm so thankful for it. I don't even 606 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 2: know what to say most of the time. 607 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:28,160 Speaker 1: Marcus so Trell is our guest for those who don't 608 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: know what became of you after all of that talk 609 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: about your personal life, Melanie, the whole story. 610 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 2: Okay, So anybody who still runs around me and knows anything. 611 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:40,520 Speaker 2: That was the one thing that I got in the 612 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:42,360 Speaker 2: hook up, the greatest hookup I got with my wife, 613 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,160 Speaker 2: and she's absolutely, hands down the most amazing thing ever. 614 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,080 Speaker 2: And then I have three kids. My oldest son, Hunter, 615 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,560 Speaker 2: he's twenty seven, he's out of college and got a 616 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 2: great job in the world Traveler was it was a 617 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 2: blessing day to get him. And then and I have 618 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 2: acts and then Adelaide. So most of my day is 619 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:07,280 Speaker 2: spent when I get up in the morning, I'm really 620 00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:09,240 Speaker 2: trying to be a good father. I want to do that. 621 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:11,920 Speaker 2: I want to be good at that so bad I 622 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:14,719 Speaker 2: work hard at it and I actually study it. So 623 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:17,440 Speaker 2: right when I got back, I was on the road 624 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 2: so much. I lived out of a suitcase city road 625 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:22,480 Speaker 2: three hundred days out of the year. And then when 626 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 2: you bring a wife and a family into the picture, 627 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 2: it kind of changes everything. So she does a great 628 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:30,320 Speaker 2: job of watching out for me every single day. She's 629 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 2: she's such a blessing to me. And then and then 630 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:35,600 Speaker 2: those kids make me a better human being. They're definitely 631 00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:38,280 Speaker 2: phases in a man's life when he's growing up, the 632 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,280 Speaker 2: life that I had before being a teen guy, I'm 633 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:43,280 Speaker 2: running a gun and is not conducive to being a 634 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:45,840 Speaker 2: family man out in civilian world. Those two things kind 635 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:50,320 Speaker 2: of butt heads. So the hardest thing I've probably had 636 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:53,480 Speaker 2: to go through was getting rid of that, was letting 637 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:56,400 Speaker 2: go of that old being a steel, that whole ego 638 00:31:56,480 --> 00:32:01,040 Speaker 2: that goes with that, the bravado and everything that comes 639 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 2: into that package. I mean, I don't wear the same 640 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 2: watches anymore, the same sunglasses. I try not to talk 641 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:08,480 Speaker 2: like that anymore. Matter of fact, when I get around 642 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 2: my teammate, you want to talk about dragging me back 643 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:12,960 Speaker 2: to the old days, I get so fired up when 644 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:16,120 Speaker 2: I see them that I know I can't stay around 645 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 2: very long because how much I loved that life. It 646 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 2: was my heart and my soul. When I got done 647 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:25,760 Speaker 2: with that, I literally had to retrain myself to be 648 00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:29,000 Speaker 2: a civilian again, starting with just who I was, and 649 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 2: then trying to be a good husband and what that 650 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:34,600 Speaker 2: looked like, and then a good father. I know, I 651 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 2: get on the internet and around the people that I 652 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:39,959 Speaker 2: see who are great fathers. You're a good father, I 653 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:44,479 Speaker 2: mean your boys, look at them, and then Rick Perry, 654 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:46,800 Speaker 2: all that just you know, I've got to take examples 655 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:48,640 Speaker 2: of the men that are around us, the pillars that 656 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:51,160 Speaker 2: are around us, and copy that kind of mimic what 657 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:54,440 Speaker 2: they do and put that into my routine and live 658 00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:56,640 Speaker 2: it out, not year by year, but kind of moment 659 00:32:56,680 --> 00:32:59,000 Speaker 2: by moment and then transfer to the next one. And 660 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:04,440 Speaker 2: it's it's been great. I clearly love it you. 661 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:08,280 Speaker 1: I've been at your father in law's home when you 662 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 1: host a lot of Navy seals, and I've described to 663 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:16,120 Speaker 1: you as the mayor of Silville. Uh, it really feels 664 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:19,360 Speaker 1: to me and I'm a complete outsider that this experience 665 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,320 Speaker 1: and all the public attention because you know the scenes 666 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,560 Speaker 1: where y'all are training as Navy seals. People have a 667 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,880 Speaker 1: lot better understanding. As you've told me, people die in 668 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:30,400 Speaker 1: Navy Seal training and are brought back to life the 669 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:32,040 Speaker 1: difficulty of this training. 670 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:33,000 Speaker 2: You know. 671 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:35,480 Speaker 1: I think back to Officer and a Gentleman and that 672 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: Apocalypse now and what movies do to to really make 673 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:43,880 Speaker 1: the public focus on these sorts of things, and I 674 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,960 Speaker 1: think your case and then Chris Kyle got folks really 675 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:52,440 Speaker 1: aware of the personal toll these things take and the 676 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:55,080 Speaker 1: preparation these things take. It's not a movie it's real 677 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 1: life and and I guess there's not a question there, 678 00:33:58,200 --> 00:33:59,880 Speaker 1: but I would ask for your reaction to that. 679 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:03,280 Speaker 2: For sure. What we let y'all see is one thing 680 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:06,640 Speaker 2: and the behind the scenes, just like watching the regular movies. 681 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 2: I mean, you see the the overall finished product, but 682 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:11,799 Speaker 2: you want to know what what it took to make 683 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:14,440 Speaker 2: that thing, and that's where we The only way you 684 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 2: can actually see that is to be in the community itself, 685 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:22,680 Speaker 2: and it's it's the greatest fraternity that that I was 686 00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:24,280 Speaker 2: able to be a part of, being in the field 687 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:30,200 Speaker 2: to unity. Thank you and good night.