1 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: Luteus. If it doesn't work, you're just not using enough. 2 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: You're listening to Software Radio, Special operations, military news and 3 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: straight talk with the guys in the community. Hey, what's 4 00:00:36,080 --> 00:00:39,880 Speaker 1: going on? This is rad and another episode of Software Radio. 5 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 1: Come in your way. This is a special episode. This 6 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: is airing around Veteran's Day. You know, I don't like 7 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: to date my episodes because I wanted to be forever. 8 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,520 Speaker 1: But this is a very special guest. I have David 9 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 1: la Villa, who is a recipient of the United States 10 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: Congressional Medal of Honor in its entirety, as well as 11 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: some other accolades as well, like bronze stars and things 12 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: that he wears on his chest. David has taken time 13 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: out of his busy day to join us and discuss 14 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: the situations that presented themselves to him while he was 15 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: in the military in combat. And we're gonna talk to 16 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: him about transitioning after that and uh, you know, just 17 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: get to know David and his story. So welcome to 18 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: the show, David. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Yeah, David. So, 19 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,000 Speaker 1: like the big elephant in the room is you served 20 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: in the military, right, That's the big reveal is h Yeah, 21 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: that's right, and uh, if I read what I read 22 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: so far in your book and understanding you joined a 23 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: little later in life, right, you were not the seventeen 24 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: year old in boot camp. Tell me how old you were. 25 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: I was twenty four when I joined the Army. I 26 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: was in college at the very end of it, and 27 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: I was just really, it's one of those decisions I 28 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: think we all kind of whether you make it early 29 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: or you make it later in there's a lot of 30 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: advantages to having your life in order before you you 31 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: join the military, and then you have the fact that 32 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: physically you feel like a dinosaur. And you know, when 33 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: you're approaching thirty and you're running around with a bunch 34 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: of twenty two year old you know it humbles you 35 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: because you know these guys are sweating out vodka and 36 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: copen egg and through their pores and you're out there 37 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: trying to keep up. But at the same time, it 38 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: was something I had to do with my life. I 39 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: really did, and I'm glad I made the decision. But 40 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: I'm glad that I had life behind me so that 41 00:02:34,320 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: I could be able to be a surrogate father to 42 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 1: young people. And you have my head on straight, it 43 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 1: was the right time to do it. Yeah, as a 44 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: surrogate father, I can totally see how that was. That 45 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: mental toughness that you had already built up from being 46 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: a school happened to stay on task and you know, 47 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: get your accomplishments done. You know, they probably looked to 48 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: you in boot camp and basically I bet you when 49 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,399 Speaker 1: we're talking to you by your instructors like hey, look, 50 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: you're older, you're gonna need to like, you know, be 51 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: in charge, right, But you know that it's also a 52 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 1: false sense of a little bit of a false sense 53 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: that you're ready to lead on day one. And I 54 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,840 Speaker 1: think the biggest lesson I learned was that you can't 55 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: really lead until you know how to follow. You've got 56 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: to learn how to follow before you can get to 57 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 1: a position where you could say, look, man, you're gonna 58 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: have you're gonna learn more from bad leaders than you 59 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: learn from the great ones. And you can't distinguish a 60 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: great leader until you've had a couple of, you know, 61 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: shitty leaders. Let's be honest, You've got to have a 62 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: few people that you're just like, what's going on here? 63 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: This isn't you know this isn't the way it should 64 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: be done. So all of those things trying to lead, 65 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: you know, they build up to a data bank of 66 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: information that you could use when you get tapped to 67 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: be in charge. Yeah, you finally see who a good 68 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: platoon leader or squad leader is once you've had a 69 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: few other ones. You're like, oh, this guy knows here. Okay, 70 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: so that's your your leven bravo. That's an infant streaming 71 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: in the United States Army and I think they have 72 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: a nickname called bang Bang Is that right? They have 73 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: a lot of nicknames, but most aren't PG. So, oh, 74 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:11,360 Speaker 1: yeah's true. I was trying to stick it to that one. 75 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: So in the infantry, you became airborne. Is that a thing? 76 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: I was mechanized, So started out light infantry and then 77 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: we went mechanized. And mechanized has always had the reputation 78 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 1: of being fat and lazy. And you know the airborne 79 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: guys and the elite guys that you know, the Rangers, 80 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 1: the Green Berets. There's elite infantry and then there's but 81 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:35,160 Speaker 1: mechanized on the totem pole of credibility was kind of like, 82 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: you guys are just tankers with you know, blue cords 83 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,600 Speaker 1: and then you know, combat kicks in. You realize how 84 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: important that that armor element is and what the mechanized 85 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: guys can do. And so you know, we we found 86 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: out through the fires of battle. Yeah, Striker one or 87 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 1: five millimeter comes in handy probably you know as well. 88 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: You know, so yeah, yeah, it's right, right, that's that's 89 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: what it is that I'd say you spent time in that, right, 90 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: I did, And I you know, looked at the Bradley like, 91 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: you know, I'm the dismount, I'm gonna do, shoot, move 92 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: and communicate outside. I don't need these harmored guys at all. 93 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: Tankers to me were a joke. And then I get 94 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: into combat and now I'm like, if I find out 95 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,119 Speaker 1: you're a tanker, I'm I might pay for your kids coles, 96 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: but alone, I'm I'm a huge friend of tanks, and 97 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: I'm a huge friend of Bradley fighting vehicles and apaches 98 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: and you name it. Sometimes outside of garrison, you start 99 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:34,279 Speaker 1: to realize everyone in this military is needed for you 100 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: to come home, and you appreciate those jobs. You know, 101 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: when you're out there hooking and jabbing, Yeah, which you have, uh, 102 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 1: you've done. You went to Coastovo. All right, right, you 103 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: deployed over to Coastavo and what happened with you over 104 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: in that little bit of the world. For a minute, 105 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: I was deeply disappointed they called Coast Bowl war and 106 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: I was like, I didn't get it. You know, I 107 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 1: was babysitting watching dogs, mate, you know, just kind of 108 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: this season's changing. There was nothing going on, but my 109 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: leaders in my you know, my senior and my leaders 110 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: were able to take that six months in Floorman that 111 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: turned into nine and really make it about training up 112 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: for the Iraq war for US. And had we not 113 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 1: had all that equipment, all of those munitions, we lived 114 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,279 Speaker 1: on a range, you know, tough range time is, you know, 115 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: to get timed out there. We lived on a range 116 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: and we could shoot all day, all night, and we 117 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,719 Speaker 1: were ready for battle on day one because of the 118 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: leaders of my battalion and company that decided to turn 119 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: Kosovo into a giant spendex you know, on a range 120 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:40,040 Speaker 1: and you're ready for war, right, and so you're all 121 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:42,919 Speaker 1: coiled up. You guys were totally ready to go to 122 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: war because you have been doing life fire training and 123 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: getting that out of SYSM. And then and then the 124 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: time comes for you to go over there. Right, it's 125 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: like two thousand after night eleven. You know, the towers 126 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 1: have hit. We've combated the war on terror, and now 127 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,039 Speaker 1: you're going into iraqti fight against you know, the repression 128 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: the regime over there. That was awful. All right, we've 129 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: lived through it and watched it on the TV. I 130 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:08,720 Speaker 1: probably watched you. I swear and thank you. However, your 131 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: thoughts of your family here right because I read what 132 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: you had. You didn't have to leave your family for 133 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: a little while, Like, yeah, make that our choice. Yeah, 134 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: I mean from a father's point of view, tell me 135 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: about that. It was tough. I mean, so my son 136 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: was born with some medical issues. The army really didn't 137 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: know what to do. When you're a baby. You got 138 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: to get to a certain age before the army feels 139 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: comfortable putting you in an army hospital and whatnot. So 140 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: I was, you know, on a compassionate reassignment that turned 141 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,520 Speaker 1: into basically a choice after nine eleven hit. While I 142 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: was on that compassionate reassignment, you go on an all 143 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: others tour, which means that you're away from your family 144 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: for three years, or get out of the army and 145 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: the towers hit, I wanted to fight and I Afghanistan 146 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: was the you know, the good war. It was awarded avenge, 147 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: not eleven. I. I didn't know anything about I rack 148 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: it wasn't on the horizon. It turned out that that 149 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 1: was our fight. But yeah, three years away from family 150 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: is is enough to focus you. You obviously miss home, 151 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,680 Speaker 1: but you're here to do a job. Get those guys ready, 152 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 1: so that as much as I love my little boy, 153 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: I had eleven guys that were little boys to a 154 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: mom and dad somewhere at home, and my commitment, my 155 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: job was to make sure that they came home with 156 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: their parents. I figured you'd say that that's what I 157 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: was like, let me ask this, and uh, your wife, right, 158 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: you stayed married that whole time? Is that my understanding 159 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:34,440 Speaker 1: is someone was there. I end up I ended up 160 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: getting divorced after the war. But and that's the reason 161 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,959 Speaker 1: why this book was important to me. You know, I 162 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: wrote a book in two thousand and seven, and honestly 163 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: it became a part of this almost war pornography genre 164 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: where what I was trying to do with house to 165 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: house was write a book about what combats really like. 166 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:58,200 Speaker 1: You know, this Victorian sense of combat was just so unrealistic. 167 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: We're not starship troopers. These are young people doing crazy things. 168 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: And then it was like, well, let's do a follow up. 169 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,000 Speaker 1: Let's do a follow up. I have nothing to say. 170 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: I don't want to be a professional veteran. I don't 171 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: want to run around. And but after this whole award, 172 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 1: a lot of us are going through divorce, a lot 173 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: of us are going through addiction problems and have suicidal 174 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: ideation and are dealing with all of these issues. So, 175 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,560 Speaker 1: you know what, let's put it on the table. You 176 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: can use the war as an excuse for only so long, 177 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: but we gotta deal with other issues, and we've got 178 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 1: to talk about them like like soldiers, like men. We've 179 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: got to talk about our problems and realize that I 180 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: made a commitment to these guys and fired that I 181 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: would say I'm never leaving your side. And yeah, when 182 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 1: I came home, like so many other people, I got distracted. 183 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: I don't want to hear soon at two am. I 184 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: don't want to deal with your problems. I've got my 185 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: own problems. And I realized that I'm gonna be a 186 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: forever soldier now because of some award I've got to 187 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 1: be accountable. I've got to be an NC you again. 188 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: I've got to be a forever soldier because my men 189 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 1: are going to need that, and you know what, I'm 190 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 1: gonna need them too, So we need each other. We 191 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,520 Speaker 1: gotta rely on each other. That was really the basis 192 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: of writing this book, right. And just to give the 193 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: title of the book, it's Remember the Ramrods, you know, 194 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: just to show it up here on the screen for 195 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: those of you that are gonna watch it on the 196 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 1: Software dot Com YouTube channel, you know, remember the Ramrods, 197 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: an army brotherhood in War and Peace. On the cover 198 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: is just a whole group of guys wearing mixed Max camouflage. 199 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: I want to point that out. I thought early in 200 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:36,000 Speaker 1: the war it was they're wearing DCU tri colors which 201 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: is also referred to as coffee stains at the Tan uniform. 202 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 1: You saw it like in Black Hawk Down. And then 203 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: they're wearing their you know body armor that's Woodland camouflage. 204 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,160 Speaker 1: So you guys are still mixed from you know, the 205 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: eighties era of uniforms and you know Desert Storm early nineties. 206 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,480 Speaker 1: That cover and I think, let me take my glasses off. 207 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: I think that dude's wearing like a c U S. Right, 208 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: So like you got some a c U S on there. 209 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 1: Maybe it's a hodge that's the way it's got. It's 210 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: a hodge podge, for sure. It's just to kind of 211 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: show that up there. If you get a good look 212 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: at it, you know what, that's your Bradley fighting vehicle 213 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 1: he's sitting on there. Huh, No, I think that's a 214 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: Bradley fighting vehicle. That's uh. One of the amount of 215 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: sections you don't so crazy about that picture was that 216 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: we had we were taking losses. The flusha happened to 217 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:29,960 Speaker 1: us that towards the end of the deployment, But we 218 00:11:29,960 --> 00:11:32,960 Speaker 1: were taking losses and nobody had pictures of the new guys. 219 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:35,839 Speaker 1: And one of the worst feelings in the world is 220 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 1: to go to a memorial service and no one has 221 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:41,960 Speaker 1: a photo of the guy to put up there. And 222 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: so when we got ready for Fallujah, you started to 223 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 1: see this really intentional process of everyone taking photos of 224 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:53,320 Speaker 1: each other so that if something were to happen, we 225 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:55,960 Speaker 1: at least had a photo, a good photo of each other. 226 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: And it was almost a weird experience, like I never 227 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: took a to photo ever, we never thought about it. 228 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 1: We had things to do. But here we are about 229 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,960 Speaker 1: to go into pollution, and everyone's like, hey, let's get one, 230 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:12,320 Speaker 1: let's get a photo, let's let's document this because in 231 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: two days we might be standing over more, you know, 232 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: hurt guys. Just to show some of those photos. I 233 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: opened up the book right here. It's awesome book too, 234 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: by the way I've been reading it. I'm probably on 235 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: the second and a half chapter. I just got it today, 236 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: and I know we just went straight up on it. 237 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,440 Speaker 1: But I know that this head bowed right here on 238 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 1: the back of your book of you just kind of 239 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: tells me, you know, I don't know. I just feel 240 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 1: so emotional when I see you thinking whatever you're thinking 241 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: right there? What are you thinking in this photo right 242 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: here with your head down? You know I was thinking 243 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: when I was in my twenties, I can never tell 244 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: another guy that I loved them. I felt weird about it. 245 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 1: And now that I'm old and middle aged, I wish 246 00:12:51,360 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 1: I would have been able to tell the people. I 247 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: wish I would have been able to tell my my family, 248 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:58,679 Speaker 1: my tribe, my unit, how much I care about them. 249 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: And this ward is so weird and it's so uncomfortable 250 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 1: and awkward, but it gave me an opportunity to make 251 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,559 Speaker 1: this about my team, which is what we're trained in 252 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:10,400 Speaker 1: the military. It's always about the team. And then they 253 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: make an individual award and you're like, wait a minute, 254 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,959 Speaker 1: don't remember me. Team, don't talk don't talk about the 255 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 1: Medal of Honor, talk about the Ramrods. That's my battalion, 256 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 1: that's my team. We did everything together. It's gonna be 257 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: about us, not me. Yeah, I mean in this in here, 258 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:29,679 Speaker 1: some of your heroics are you know, taking MPT and 259 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: just you know, clearing the path so that you can 260 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: move your across the way and get out of that 261 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 1: situation of this house that you had to go into. 262 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: Tell us about this story where this this experience that 263 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:42,440 Speaker 1: you had to chase the man in white. I mean, 264 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: there's just so much that you have to deal with that. 265 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: Let's get into it. Tell me here we are Boom 266 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:51,079 Speaker 1: two thousand five. Yeah. No, So at the end after Fallujah, 267 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: we we come out of that and feel a whole 268 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: lot of swagger. We lost a lot of important guys 269 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 1: our company commander or sergeant major or x. So no 270 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,720 Speaker 1: unit has really gone through that type of attrition with 271 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 1: officers and senior n c OSS Vietnam. We had a 272 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:06,080 Speaker 1: tremendous amount of attention because of all the media that 273 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:08,720 Speaker 1: was around us, and and so we had to swagger 274 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 1: to us. And I am in a situation in a 275 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: town getting ready for the first Iraqi elections in January 276 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 1: oh five, and I have a guy like ten ft 277 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,720 Speaker 1: in front of me, and it's like the easiest shot 278 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: of the deployment, and I just missed them. I thought 279 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: my weapon wasn't zero, my sweat was. I had a 280 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: million excuses, but at the ultimate what I was faced 281 00:14:30,520 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: with is that it wasn't my skill, it wasn't my determination. 282 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 1: I didn't have the ring of Jesus fire around me 283 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: because I'm an American soldier. I got lucky. I got 284 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: lucky in Falluja. I got lucky on all those patrols 285 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: and all those firefights and all the enemy that we killed. 286 00:14:47,640 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: We got lucky that we weren't a casualty. And facing 287 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 1: that reality that no matter how hard you train, no 288 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 1: matter what you're fighting for, at the end of the day, 289 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: the enemy and luck have a vote, slowly destroyed my 290 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: self esteem and destroyed my swagger. It destroyed my ability 291 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: to realize that this is just random. That those friends 292 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: of mine who died and gave their lives I could 293 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: have been there, they chose to go instead of me. 294 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,800 Speaker 1: They lost their lives. I'm here. What am I gonna 295 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 1: do with this? Am I gonna go home and just 296 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: sulk and self pity and drink myself to sleep? Or 297 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 1: Am I gonna try to live my life for them? 298 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: Live my life in a way that they would have 299 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: lived their lives for me if I would have died. 300 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:33,400 Speaker 1: Am I gonna talk to their mom and dad like 301 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: they would have talked to mine? Are they gonna? Am 302 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: I gonna talk to their kids like they promised to 303 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,800 Speaker 1: talk to mine? And over the years, I just started 304 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: putting it away and just I'll do it eventually. I'll 305 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,360 Speaker 1: do it eventually. And I never did it. I never 306 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:50,280 Speaker 1: fulfilled my promise to myself to my guys. And I 307 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: was forced to be in a position where I had 308 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: to relive the war now for the rest of my life. 309 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: And I figured, if I'm gonna live the war the 310 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: rest of my life, I want to be with the 311 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: people that got me through it. I want to be 312 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:03,440 Speaker 1: in their lives again. You know, they're they're they're my family, 313 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: you know, and I care about them. Then, so this 314 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: award allowed me to be a Ramrod again, allowed me 315 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 1: to be in their lives and and it's a gift. 316 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: They probably ignited it for them as well, you know, 317 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 1: because they're a Ramrod. Right. It's like there's a team. Okay, 318 00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: so here you go, here you go, here's here's your medal. 319 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: Congratulations on what you have to live through to get that. Okay, 320 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 1: But now the Ramrods, which I'm now talking about right. 321 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: I talked to my buddy yesterday. I was like Ajax 322 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: for the Ramrods. He's like, yeah. I was like, I'm 323 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,640 Speaker 1: interviewing to dude that got the middle of honor from 324 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 1: the Ramrods. He's like, okay, because he's a very historical 325 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: I go to him for you a lot of advice, 326 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: like what should I say? You know, but to know 327 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,840 Speaker 1: that the you know, and I want to give him 328 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 1: a shout outs. I love him. I love yet a Jackson. 329 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: I appreciate all your advice. But with the Ramrods being said, 330 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: right now, you know, there you go, all your bros 331 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: that have made it, that are doing exactly what you're saying, 332 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:04,200 Speaker 1: fighting to survive for those that didn't, okay, continuing forward 333 00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: for their brothers. They look at you like, yeah, we 334 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: were there, he did that. It's all accounted for. Someone 335 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,679 Speaker 1: wrote this all down. Someone someone saw all these actions happened. 336 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,120 Speaker 1: But you saw so much more. You saw so many 337 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 1: other things that never got jotted down, never got probably 338 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 1: blotted into their military record for their life to have. 339 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,199 Speaker 1: But it's all up here and your ramrods and you 340 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:28,639 Speaker 1: probably have shoulder to shoulder conversations of trench warfare if 341 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 1: you will, that no one else even understands. And that's 342 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:34,080 Speaker 1: very eloquent and beautiful, and I appreciate saying that. It's 343 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: so true these guys. I thought for years and years 344 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:39,920 Speaker 1: that I missed the war. I think we all feel 345 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: when we come home. No one wants to peak in 346 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: their twenties. No one wants to know that the best 347 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:50,240 Speaker 1: years of their life are behind him. Sure right, And 348 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,639 Speaker 1: dude did that when he was he was twenty four. 349 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 1: The guy lived to be a ninety nine. And we 350 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:58,800 Speaker 1: talked about Chuck Eager when he's Chucky, who did a 351 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: whole hell of a lot with his other than break 352 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 1: the sound barrier. But that's what we're focused on, right, 353 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: And I thought for years I missed war. I missed 354 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 1: the adrenaline, I missed the combat, the experience. What I 355 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:14,640 Speaker 1: missed was I missed feeling like I had a purpose. 356 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: I missed my validation. I meant my sense that I'm needed. 357 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: And so many guys are feeling that when we come 358 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: home to civilian life, where do we fit in? What 359 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,400 Speaker 1: will be good at? And so I didn't miss the war. 360 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: I missed my relationships with my friends. I missed them. 361 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,640 Speaker 1: And once I realized that I gotta find a purpose, 362 00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:38,479 Speaker 1: I gotta find my meaning here in the civilian world. 363 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:42,880 Speaker 1: It's not combat that we miss, it's the experience of 364 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:46,199 Speaker 1: I'm needed and I need. I have to have that 365 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,640 Speaker 1: feeling in my life that I have a purpose and 366 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,160 Speaker 1: I'm needed in the fight. And that's all I want 367 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: to do in this world is just this is what 368 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: we need you for. And if we can do that more, 369 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna keep more veterans alive. We're gonna keep more 370 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,640 Speaker 1: veterans employed, We're gonna keep more veterans with a sense 371 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:04,840 Speaker 1: of purpose. And that's ultimately what our what our goal 372 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: should be, right and to help them to just see 373 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:12,720 Speaker 1: that there's success out there by just being themselves and 374 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 1: moving forward with Yes, you were in the military, that 375 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:17,840 Speaker 1: was a part of who you are, you know, and 376 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: you can move forward with that war college that you've 377 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:23,880 Speaker 1: learned and then apply that to yourself by just still 378 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:26,879 Speaker 1: gaining ground and moving forward in your civilian life. Because 379 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: gaining ground, yeah, but that stop you. But that's the 380 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:37,640 Speaker 1: thing is that it's not the message, it's the messenger. Right. 381 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:41,639 Speaker 1: You can put something out that's just black and white 382 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:44,360 Speaker 1: and this is the truth, and it's a true north 383 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 1: and it's never gonna do you wrong. Integrity, discipline, all 384 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:50,960 Speaker 1: the values that you learned. Where is that message coming from. 385 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: It can't come from some stranger at the v A. 386 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:56,680 Speaker 1: It can't come from some you know, DJ at a 387 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,360 Speaker 1: radio station. It's got to come from someone in your 388 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:04,200 Speaker 1: peer group or your cohort, someone that you respect and 389 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,479 Speaker 1: and someone that you've worked with. And so what we 390 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: have to get is that message has to be repeated. 391 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: What you just said is the essence of life. You're 392 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 1: never gonna stop learning, you're never gonna stop growing, You're 393 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 1: gonna make mistakes, you're gonna fail, and all those things 394 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 1: that you did in uniform you used to make you better, 395 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,320 Speaker 1: to make you sharper and stronger. Life is no different, 396 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:29,760 Speaker 1: and we're gonna we're gonna hit this thing head on 397 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: just like we did. Battle. That's right, because life is 398 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 1: just that. It is a battle of just you know, 399 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: first you put your oxygen mask on you in the airplane, 400 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:39,439 Speaker 1: and then you put it on the one next to you. 401 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:42,480 Speaker 1: So as long as you focus on you, okay, and 402 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 1: you breathe and you move forward next to you, how 403 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: you're gonna help them and you want to help them 404 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 1: because you're a good person. And that's how we I think. 405 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: I think that percent a humanity are good people. Basically 406 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,159 Speaker 1: everybody is good. I think we all have it in 407 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:03,160 Speaker 1: us to realize that we all come from a mother 408 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: and we all have the same red blood that beat 409 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 1: through our veins. If they could just stop, you know, like, 410 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:17,560 Speaker 1: if we could just stop the insanity, that's it. That fight. Yeah, 411 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:22,200 Speaker 1: the ready and there's a duplicity of combat. There's a 412 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,680 Speaker 1: this juxtaposition, it's almost schizophrenic, where you know, you could 413 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: be an honorable soldier and do your job and take 414 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 1: the life of someone who is an honorable soldier on 415 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:37,520 Speaker 1: their side, and now you think about, you know, all 416 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: of what's going on and the wake of combat, what 417 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 1: happens after the battle stops. It's a lot to decomp 418 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 1: it's a lot to decompress, it's a lot to compartmentalize. 419 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: But at the same time, we've got a generation in 420 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: Vietnam that went through it, We've got a generation of 421 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,480 Speaker 1: people in the Gulf War, We've got so many resources 422 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 1: of people that have gone through it. This excuse of 423 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: we have to show empathy to people that are struggling, 424 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,399 Speaker 1: and we should never ever shriek from that responsibility of 425 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: showing empathy. But at the same time, we gotta show 426 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: some tough love. We go and and some people are 427 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: motivated by a boot up their ass just saying hey, listen, man, 428 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: I know what it sucks. I'm with it too, but 429 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:24,080 Speaker 1: we're gonna do this. So get off your couch. And 430 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 1: you followed me before, follow me again, because I'm might 431 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,000 Speaker 1: need to follow you. I'm gonna have bad days too, 432 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:32,119 Speaker 1: and I need you to be there for me, like 433 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,639 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be there for you. But you know, brush 434 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:39,159 Speaker 1: it off and keep keep charging exactly. You know, if 435 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: you've always wanted to have a little cabin on a 436 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:44,679 Speaker 1: river that was like a bet of breakfast for someone 437 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:46,680 Speaker 1: to come and stay at. And You're like, I want 438 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:47,959 Speaker 1: to get out of this place, and when I get 439 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: out of the military, I'm gonna have this life, a 440 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 1: nice little life, you know, redwood forest, treehouse for better breakfast. 441 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:55,640 Speaker 1: Don't bother me. What do you do it towards that goal? 442 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 1: What are you doing today to help put yourself towards it? 443 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:02,159 Speaker 1: Are you saying today, I'm gonna try to right exactly, 444 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 1: you know, I mean, whether it's you know, these guys 445 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 1: that you know want to start a coffee company. Everyone's like, 446 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 1: what the hell are you thinking. No one's gonna buy 447 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:13,640 Speaker 1: coffee from veterans, No one's gonna buy socks from veterans. 448 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: Who the hell in the right mind, You're just a 449 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: combat veteran. What are you gonna do? We change the 450 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: world in uniform, with flags on our shoulders and rifles 451 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 1: in our hands. We're gonna change the world when we 452 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:27,480 Speaker 1: come home. And look, I served with people that were 453 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: gay and straight. I served with people that canceled my vote. 454 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 1: Come this Tuesday, you know, election cycle, they cancel your vote. 455 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:38,919 Speaker 1: People are Red Sox fans and Yankee fans. We disagreed 456 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 1: on everything, and yet we worked together. We cared about 457 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:46,359 Speaker 1: each other, and we respected each other. That's needed in 458 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,880 Speaker 1: today's America more than anything else in the world. Man, 459 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 1: you could have a difference of opinion. It doesn't hurt 460 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,400 Speaker 1: my feelings. I just want to make sure that you're 461 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: gonna be there when I need you. And more people 462 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:58,920 Speaker 1: ask that of our fellow citizens to just say, hey, 463 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:00,879 Speaker 1: put this put this stuff in their rear view, and 464 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 1: let's focus right exactly. And if we could just unify 465 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,159 Speaker 1: instead of you know each other all the time, we 466 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:08,879 Speaker 1: might just see, you know, hey, how's it going. Can 467 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:10,440 Speaker 1: I come over as a neighbor and borrow a cup 468 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 1: of sugar? Instead of like, who's at my door? What 469 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: do you want? It's like, what's your neighbor? I just 470 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 1: need to cup with sugar. Bro. He's like, let me, 471 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:20,960 Speaker 1: let me put down all those arsenals. You know, the 472 00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,240 Speaker 1: days changed of mom having a bowl of food out 473 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: or treats. I'm like, post know, those are for someone 474 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 1: coming who I don't know, a guest, not for you. 475 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,439 Speaker 1: It's like I want to eat those candies. Those are 476 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: for our guests. But today it's like knock at the door. 477 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:40,399 Speaker 1: You're like picking down the blinds. You're like, who is it? Yeah? 478 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 1: Times have change, it has it has, dude. Some people 479 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:46,239 Speaker 1: need to get some snowboarding in their life. That's what 480 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 1: it is. You wanna you wanna get some mental police. 481 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:51,680 Speaker 1: Go out in the mountains and live in a snow 482 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,920 Speaker 1: globe where it's just crystals in your face and you're 483 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:58,040 Speaker 1: just white snow. What does it do? It releases me. 484 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,679 Speaker 1: I'm released. I take my wife. She and I just 485 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,320 Speaker 1: feel that Tuesday's are our mental tuesdays where you can't 486 00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: stop us. I'm off work, I'm going We're hitting the 487 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:12,400 Speaker 1: snow and a fresh day with sparkles of snow that 488 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 1: just glitter along. And all you're twoing is wondering. Each 489 00:25:15,480 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 1: one of you are special, like a fingerprint, every little snowflake. 490 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,880 Speaker 1: You're like, this is coming from space. It just changes 491 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: what you're thinking about. I'm not even thinking about the problems. 492 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: I'm thinking about where does the snow crystals come from? 493 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,399 Speaker 1: It's like, and then what you learn to carve and 494 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: snowboard or find passion in it, you'll love it right 495 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:36,520 Speaker 1: if you want. If all you're doing a shovel and snow, 496 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:38,679 Speaker 1: I guess, make the most of it, okay, But if 497 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:42,119 Speaker 1: you can learn to write it or appreciate it and 498 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,479 Speaker 1: see all that it has in its beauty and glory, 499 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: it'll just free your mind. And that's the same thing 500 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,720 Speaker 1: by going outdoors in the mountains, going for a hike, 501 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: just releasing that stress, you know, getting some of that 502 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,160 Speaker 1: fresh air they say that, you know, being in clean 503 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: air in the forest, in the jungles where there's not 504 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: all of the saturated Hart of Kno said that we're 505 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: breathing is better for us. So you know, if I'm 506 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:06,280 Speaker 1: writing a lift with my wife and there's no one 507 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:09,600 Speaker 1: around except meet her and a porcupine climbing a tree, 508 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 1: you know it's good air. When when you didn't have 509 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,240 Speaker 1: that before you discovered that, what kind of brought you 510 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,879 Speaker 1: into that lifestyle, the fact that you need How did 511 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: you identify that you needed that? Okay? All right, so 512 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,720 Speaker 1: fair enough. My father was a Green Beret, and growing 513 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,280 Speaker 1: up I always wanted to do something with skiing and 514 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: I didn't know what. So I earned cross country skis 515 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 1: from my neighbor who came to me for sweeping and 516 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: snow was cleaning his stuff. And then I got snow boots. 517 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 1: And then my dad he's like, you're into this, huh? 518 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: And I was like, I am, I really want to 519 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,639 Speaker 1: be in the snow, Dad, There's something about the snow, 520 00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 1: you know. I think this girl was in Junior Olympics 521 00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:50,280 Speaker 1: in the winter sports here and she was coming into 522 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:52,399 Speaker 1: school in like third grade with metals, and like her 523 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:53,920 Speaker 1: parents put her in skiing, and I was like, that's 524 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:55,679 Speaker 1: what I want to do. I want to be in 525 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,240 Speaker 1: the Winter Games or something. So my dad would take 526 00:26:58,280 --> 00:26:59,840 Speaker 1: me up to the park and he would sit with 527 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,480 Speaker 1: lights on in his car at night and he would 528 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,360 Speaker 1: send me around this entire field. And he started training 529 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:08,120 Speaker 1: me for a by athalon, which is where you cross 530 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,600 Speaker 1: country skis and a rifle. So I was about eleven 531 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 1: twelve years old, started trying to be a by athalon participant. 532 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 1: And it's hard. It is really really hard. It is 533 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 1: so hard. I mean, you're you're not going downhill, okay. 534 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: So it's like constant work. And so I said, the 535 00:27:26,359 --> 00:27:29,560 Speaker 1: funnest part of cross country skiing besides shooting, is going 536 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,560 Speaker 1: down the hill. That as soon as I get that hill, 537 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,760 Speaker 1: I know it's coming up. It's just easy on my legs. 538 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: So I started to get into downhill skiing and that 539 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:40,439 Speaker 1: eventually led right into snowboarding. And I was just and 540 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:42,520 Speaker 1: that was fourteen years old. I've been doing it for 541 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 1: about thirty years now and it's a it frees me. 542 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 1: So I was in the military in the late nineties 543 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 1: two thousand. I got out the military with an injury 544 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: and I had to have a U turn in my life. 545 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 1: Everybody's like, oh, the military gives me a direction. That's 546 00:27:57,119 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 1: a direction to the left. It gave me a U turn. 547 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 1: It said go back, start over, figure yourself out. I 548 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: took time off of snowboarding because I was an injury 549 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 1: and I don't want to retear my a c L 550 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,520 Speaker 1: or my meniscus. All right, So I get I get married. 551 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,120 Speaker 1: My wife's like, you promised me that you take me snowboarding. 552 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 1: Somebody you said you used to snowboard all the time. 553 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:17,359 Speaker 1: I was like, all right, tomorrow. So the next day, 554 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:19,960 Speaker 1: whenever that was, I said, let's go, and we started 555 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: snowboarding all over again. And I had missed it. It 556 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: was just I didn't want to tear my injury up again. 557 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 1: I don't want to re establish limping and have to 558 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,640 Speaker 1: be on crutches all over again. So that was my Uh, 559 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 1: it's it's an outlet. Snowboarding and being in the mountains 560 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,679 Speaker 1: as an outlet for me. I love photography, you know, 561 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: and that whole thing. It's it's what it is. I 562 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 1: take photos and video up there. That's really cool. And 563 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:45,160 Speaker 1: what's what's impressive about that is that at an age 564 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,400 Speaker 1: where most people have no self identity, you know, at 565 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:50,640 Speaker 1: that age is when you're kind of give me as 566 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:53,280 Speaker 1: much to you know, find where I'm gonna go with 567 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:56,120 Speaker 1: what I'm interested in. You have the ability to kind 568 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 1: of say this is it, like, this is this the 569 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:02,080 Speaker 1: one thing that you know, I'm from Buffalo. We have 570 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: snow all the time, and there are people that bemoan snow. 571 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:07,640 Speaker 1: They hate snow, they're afraid of snow. Snow is the 572 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: worst thing in the world. And here you find snow 573 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:13,280 Speaker 1: as being a comfort or release its freedom, you know 574 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 1: what I mean. That's a touch something in you. That's 575 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: pretty cool. Yeah, I say, Paradise doesn't always have a beach, 576 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah. Just give me a cabin next to 577 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: the lifts, like just walk out and go right to 578 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,400 Speaker 1: it and wake up for the powder day. That would 579 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: that gives me purpose, right, I find purpose in that, 580 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: I feel like, you know, And I think if somebody 581 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: here's us talking like this and finds a purpose in 582 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 1: something that they love so much, whether it's an adult 583 00:29:41,920 --> 00:29:44,280 Speaker 1: baseball league, you know, and they're like, they used to 584 00:29:44,280 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 1: play baseball, but there's adults playing baseball because they didn't 585 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:48,560 Speaker 1: go pro. They could have gone pro, but maybe they 586 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 1: joined the military, okay, and they need something to do 587 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 1: after that. I'm not even a kid, so I mean, 588 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:56,680 Speaker 1: I think that if we can find some type of 589 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,600 Speaker 1: social gathering that can keep us kind of connected, like 590 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 1: you reconnecting with your Ramrods through the Smettle, through the 591 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:05,960 Speaker 1: all Parokes. You guys have all been there. You guys 592 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: all earned your Pokemon cards together in battle. You guys 593 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: all got that stuff together, you know, and and you 594 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 1: did some heroic things with an MP, you know, and 595 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 1: your friends can talk about that today because of that. 596 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 1: And honestly, I'm here and my kids have a dad 597 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 1: because of what they did. It's it's one of those 598 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:28,440 Speaker 1: things where it's like your number gets called and you 599 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,479 Speaker 1: don't know when it's gonna happen, but it's gonna be 600 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 1: your turn one day. Your turn the next day, and 601 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:35,280 Speaker 1: if I didn't have an evetted reporter that was filming 602 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: the whole thing, I'm not even sure. You know, the 603 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:42,040 Speaker 1: award happens, and it happened, you know, fifteen years after 604 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: the battle, after the war, and so you just kind 605 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,040 Speaker 1: of like minding your own business. I was at a 606 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:50,640 Speaker 1: point where no one really knew I was a veteran anymore, 607 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 1: and I was kind of happy about that, you know, 608 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:55,360 Speaker 1: I was earning my keep and making a living, not 609 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:57,920 Speaker 1: having to tell people that I served. And then all 610 00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:00,600 Speaker 1: of a sudden, I remember a guy came up to 611 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 1: me and said, there's a guy with your name that's 612 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:04,600 Speaker 1: getting the Medal of Honor. Did you read that in 613 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 1: the paper? And I was like, yeah, I did. And 614 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 1: they're like, how many people have your name exactly, you know, 615 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: and they had, Yeah, they had no idea that that 616 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:19,840 Speaker 1: was who, what I, what I had done, or what 617 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: I s Yeah, and and so but now it's all different. 618 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,280 Speaker 1: Now it's the first thing they talk about, it's the 619 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:31,520 Speaker 1: only thing they talk about. And yet my soldiers, I figured, 620 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: you know, if we're gonna bring attention to one, let's 621 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,840 Speaker 1: focus on everyone. A lot of guys did incredible things 622 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 1: have never got the credit for it, and they're as important, 623 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 1: if not more important, because those guys did it every day. 624 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:47,880 Speaker 1: You know, I love them and I care about them, 625 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:50,240 Speaker 1: and I want them to get their moment as well. 626 00:31:50,360 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 1: So this has been a commitment to my unit because 627 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 1: my unit did incredible things together as a team, and 628 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:01,520 Speaker 1: I'm proud of that. That's right, that's it. That's really awesome. 629 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: I mean, what of brotherhood and some of the things 630 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:08,160 Speaker 1: that we do here in Utah is war games. We 631 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 1: uh do a lot of that and there's a lot 632 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 1: of us in our thirties, sporties, fifties, youngers, some people 633 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: who can never join because of asthma, and they come 634 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 1: out and they play war games on a large scale here. 635 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,840 Speaker 1: It's a very popular sport. And you know, I work 636 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,719 Speaker 1: with a lot of that out here, and I just 637 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:28,760 Speaker 1: see so many folks like yourself. Okay, metals, no metals, 638 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:31,760 Speaker 1: just simply exactly who we are coming out and just 639 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:35,680 Speaker 1: looking for that same shoulder shoulder type attitude. Right, They're like, hey, 640 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: I'm missing something. They're like, what's this war games you're doing? 641 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:39,840 Speaker 1: Because where we go out in the desert and we 642 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: just have a tank, I bring a tank out and 643 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:45,600 Speaker 1: we have meganized, and we have a mechanized. We have 644 00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:48,120 Speaker 1: to have troops with it and the whole nine yards 645 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:51,040 Speaker 1: and otherwise it'll get blown up by the other guys. 646 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,240 Speaker 1: It's it's quite it's just war games. Right. We use 647 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 1: air soft guns and we go out and everybody looks 648 00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:00,640 Speaker 1: just like this right here, it's just there soft. It's 649 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 1: a whole other thing. And so and what I'm pointing 650 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 1: at here is his book right and on the cover 651 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:06,240 Speaker 1: of But you have all these guys and all this 652 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: camo and they're sitting on top of a tank. Well, 653 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:11,160 Speaker 1: you know, we do that out here, and I get 654 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,240 Speaker 1: veterans and that come out and active duty guys are like, hey, cool, 655 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 1: I'm gonna put on this whole rush and kit and 656 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 1: just change myself today and not be this regular everyday 657 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,440 Speaker 1: guy and just run an a k you know. But 658 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:26,239 Speaker 1: it's just a It's like the baseball team. It's like 659 00:33:26,400 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 1: you're gonna go out of snowboard. You're looking for something 660 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:30,440 Speaker 1: to to bond with, you know. And if you get 661 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: out and you're looking for something in your area, look 662 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,280 Speaker 1: up air soft war games on the internet. I'm just 663 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 1: saying you know, somebody might appreciate you coming out with 664 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:41,440 Speaker 1: some military experience and saying, hey, this is how you 665 00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:48,360 Speaker 1: get up and get down there you go. It is 666 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:53,920 Speaker 1: it is, and what's even doing the circuit? Huh? Get 667 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:56,040 Speaker 1: around and talking to a lot of different people about 668 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 1: your book. I'm just looking at your book right here, 669 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 1: and yeah, here we'll go ahead. I'm sorry. Everyone has 670 00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: something to say. And not a single person voted against 671 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: this award or the citation. Instead, they asked, why does 672 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:11,759 Speaker 1: this take so long? I wanted to point that out 673 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 1: because we talked about it took fifteen years for you 674 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: to finally be recognized, right for this, this this award 675 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:20,319 Speaker 1: and this quote here, you know, talking about why did 676 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 1: it take so long? Wasn't that a word to who's 677 00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:27,120 Speaker 1: the president that gave this to you? So that the 678 00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:31,120 Speaker 1: award was the process was started by President Obama and 679 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:36,520 Speaker 1: the award was presented by President Trump. So it started, 680 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:38,359 Speaker 1: you know, during the war, during the Trump and mister 681 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:43,640 Speaker 1: or the Bush administration. But Obama's administration, uh asked, Secretary 682 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 1: Carter just passed away not too long ago. But Secretary 683 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:51,920 Speaker 1: Carter started, uh the whole thing to look at these 684 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:57,560 Speaker 1: awards and that's what the process was. So, David, I 685 00:34:57,600 --> 00:34:59,319 Speaker 1: want to read a little bit out of your book 686 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:01,360 Speaker 1: here speak. Since you brought up you know that it 687 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 1: took about fifteen years for you to get your award. 688 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,160 Speaker 1: It says everyone had something to say and not a 689 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,239 Speaker 1: single person voted against this award or citation. Instead, they 690 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:12,319 Speaker 1: asked why did this take so long? So I read 691 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:14,680 Speaker 1: that out of your book. And now on the back 692 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:16,480 Speaker 1: of it it shows a picture of you. And usually 693 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:18,800 Speaker 1: this is a companyed by like a president or somebody 694 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:22,360 Speaker 1: awarding you. Who was the president that started the process 695 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:27,279 Speaker 1: and awarded you this medal? So President Obama's Secretary of 696 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:30,319 Speaker 1: Defense Ash Carter, who just passed away, recently started a 697 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:34,600 Speaker 1: process where the awards were revisited, silver stars and up, 698 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:38,560 Speaker 1: and all branch of service presented people that they thought 699 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:43,160 Speaker 1: maybe deserved another look. President Obama's d O D is 700 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:46,480 Speaker 1: what issued the paperwork for this award. And then when 701 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:48,840 Speaker 1: it was approved, President Trump was the president United States 702 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: and he he put it on me. So it's really 703 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 1: two presidents that had a piece in this. Yeah, and 704 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,400 Speaker 1: so that's a really honorable thing. I mean to go 705 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:01,000 Speaker 1: to the White House, right, is that where you got 706 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:03,600 Speaker 1: to go. Yeah, yeah, it was pretty crazy. I mean, 707 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,640 Speaker 1: you know, that's a rare in my life. That's you know, 708 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: you don't get many presidents calling on the phone having 709 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:12,520 Speaker 1: me over for dinner. You know, that was pretty weird. 710 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:15,360 Speaker 1: Rolling to the White House. What was that like a 711 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:18,800 Speaker 1: like I have a pass, that's like, here's my backstage pass. Um. 712 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:21,759 Speaker 1: I'll tell you. You You know, it's not only the you're 713 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:24,440 Speaker 1: in a room building that it has so much history. 714 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:27,960 Speaker 1: But my guys were like we had so many years 715 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,399 Speaker 1: that had passed, but they were still the I mean, 716 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 1: the voices, we were all the same. And so these 717 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:37,280 Speaker 1: guys were not The Medal of Honor is a very stoic, 718 00:36:37,719 --> 00:36:42,120 Speaker 1: serious ceremony. These guys start hooting and hollering and going 719 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 1: nuts and they're drinking way too much alcohol and and 720 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:49,520 Speaker 1: it was just awesome to see them. It reminded me 721 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:52,680 Speaker 1: of like Andrew Jackson when he brought all the folks 722 00:36:52,719 --> 00:36:55,640 Speaker 1: into the White House during his inauguration. They trashed the place. 723 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:58,280 Speaker 1: I was like, the Ramrods are gonna trash this place. 724 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:00,800 Speaker 1: This is gonna be like you know it. They were awesome. 725 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:03,839 Speaker 1: They were real, They were real. There was no they 726 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:06,480 Speaker 1: there weren't going to be changed because of the president. 727 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:08,760 Speaker 1: They weren't going to be changed because the White House. 728 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:12,000 Speaker 1: This is who we are and who and uh it 729 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:14,560 Speaker 1: was fun. It was it was a cool experience. That's 730 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:17,680 Speaker 1: way cool. And uh, what are you doing? What are 731 00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:21,200 Speaker 1: you doing now besides being an author? Is there? Is this? 732 00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:23,600 Speaker 1: Your focus right now is just being this, you know, 733 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:27,880 Speaker 1: spokesperson for the Ramrods. No. Well, I mean it's a 734 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:30,439 Speaker 1: job that I'll take for the rest of my life 735 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:33,640 Speaker 1: because they're they're worth it, you know. But it's not 736 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:36,600 Speaker 1: It doesn't have a good dental plan, you know, it 737 00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:39,879 Speaker 1: doesn't have the best benefits. But but I worked as 738 00:37:40,239 --> 00:37:43,720 Speaker 1: a radio talk show host and I did that before 739 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:46,680 Speaker 1: any of this happened. And in fact, I was doing 740 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:49,120 Speaker 1: my radio show when the news broke that I was 741 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 1: getting the award, which is one of the weirdest moments 742 00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:55,239 Speaker 1: ever when news breaks in and you find out that you're, 743 00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:58,680 Speaker 1: you know, the only living recipient in the Iraq War. Yeah, 744 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:02,640 Speaker 1: it was really strange. But I was that guy before 745 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:04,640 Speaker 1: any of this happened, and then it happened, and I 746 00:38:04,719 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: was kind of like, well, what do I do now? 747 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:09,120 Speaker 1: I mean, am I supposed to go eat shrimp and 748 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 1: you know, hang out with start my reality television career, 749 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 1: like my Medal of Honor life on TLC. Like what 750 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:23,279 Speaker 1: do you do m O on TLC to do? So 751 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:25,399 Speaker 1: I'm just saying I'm just gonna do what I've always done, 752 00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:28,640 Speaker 1: which is I'm I'm a buffalo Ian. I love Buffalo. 753 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:32,040 Speaker 1: I do you know a talk show in Buffalo we 754 00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:34,879 Speaker 1: talk about people, We the this is where I'm from. 755 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:39,759 Speaker 1: These are my fut Well we've evolved, but we're still 756 00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:44,440 Speaker 1: we're still talking abo. But yeah, I mean it's fun 757 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:47,640 Speaker 1: and and it's home and it's fun, it's cool. So 758 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:50,160 Speaker 1: a lot a lots changed in my life, but I 759 00:38:50,239 --> 00:38:52,560 Speaker 1: try to keep his grounded and focused as I can. 760 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:56,120 Speaker 1: That's very awesome. And are you working with any type 761 00:38:56,120 --> 00:39:00,120 Speaker 1: of foundation that you want to talk about and or 762 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,319 Speaker 1: any chair to work out there or anything? Another book 763 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,880 Speaker 1: coming up? You know, I'm working with tons of charitable 764 00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:09,000 Speaker 1: foundations and I'm proud of all them. There's just I mean, 765 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:12,840 Speaker 1: we've got we're doing things for the children of veterans 766 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:15,279 Speaker 1: who have fallen, doing things for disabled guys, doing things 767 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:18,080 Speaker 1: for I'm part of this organization to stop you know, 768 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:22,040 Speaker 1: just suicide in general. Just you know, this is something 769 00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:24,319 Speaker 1: that's out of control and it needs to stop, and 770 00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:27,919 Speaker 1: it's crushing us every day. So there's a million things 771 00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 1: out there, but the thing we have to facilitate is 772 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:35,640 Speaker 1: just communication. Communication, seriously, that is what we all need 773 00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:38,239 Speaker 1: to do with each other. Our neighbors, are veterans, our 774 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:40,319 Speaker 1: own family members. We should all talk to each other 775 00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:43,080 Speaker 1: and just have a conversation about whatever is on our 776 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,400 Speaker 1: mind and not bottle it up so that it festers 777 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:48,400 Speaker 1: and it becomes rotten inside. We should just talk about it. 778 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:50,480 Speaker 1: And I think when you mentioned we should be more 779 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,440 Speaker 1: vulnerable we should communicate with one another, you really hit 780 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:56,480 Speaker 1: right where it should be. On a holistic world level. 781 00:39:56,520 --> 00:39:59,080 Speaker 1: We should all just try to understand each other. It's 782 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:02,000 Speaker 1: just that. And with that said, David, I just want 783 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:03,720 Speaker 1: to say thank you for being a part of Soft 784 00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:08,839 Speaker 1: Reps Veterans episode today and remember the Ramrods. I will 785 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:12,200 Speaker 1: never forget the Ramrods personally, from me to you and 786 00:40:12,239 --> 00:40:15,759 Speaker 1: from all your Ramrods and David, you have been just 787 00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:18,960 Speaker 1: a really pleasure and an easy person to talk with. 788 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:21,840 Speaker 1: And thanks for being so open with our our listeners. 789 00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:26,239 Speaker 1: And do you have any last minute advice for us. No, 790 00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:29,120 Speaker 1: I mean I was just I told you before now 791 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:31,719 Speaker 1: I'll tell you now on the record. I really appreciate 792 00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 1: the way you conduct yourself, how you do it, your passion, 793 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:38,960 Speaker 1: your empathy. There's gonna be a million slings and arrows 794 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:42,279 Speaker 1: up and down, and people fickle, and they love you, 795 00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:44,400 Speaker 1: they hate you. It's a rule of fifty fifty. Have 796 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 1: the people love you, have the people want you dead 797 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:50,200 Speaker 1: to the right. Our world is today, but you just 798 00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:53,759 Speaker 1: keep charging. And that is the example that we need 799 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 1: to have. You know, people talk about veterans. You didn't 800 00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:59,480 Speaker 1: get the war, right, you got the war. You didn't 801 00:40:59,520 --> 00:41:03,759 Speaker 1: get the war. Every veteran was willing to do what 802 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:07,839 Speaker 1: the ramrods did. Every single person is stacks and gets 803 00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:11,840 Speaker 1: ready to go in, is prepared to bleed, prepared to sacrifice. 804 00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:14,520 Speaker 1: I don't care if you've done it or not. I 805 00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:17,279 Speaker 1: care that you're willing to do it. That tells me 806 00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:20,080 Speaker 1: everything about who you are. It tells me everything about 807 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:23,000 Speaker 1: what I need from you. And and that's one big 808 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:26,399 Speaker 1: family and one big tribe. So thank you for representing 809 00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:28,080 Speaker 1: us and doing what you do and the way you 810 00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:31,719 Speaker 1: do it. Man, Uh God bless you. Appreciate you I'll 811 00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:33,600 Speaker 1: just give you one of these right here. You know 812 00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:35,880 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. So I really appreciate you. I give 813 00:41:35,920 --> 00:41:38,600 Speaker 1: you a big old salute right there. And you were 814 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:41,760 Speaker 1: a wonderful guest. We'll have you back on okay, I'll 815 00:41:43,239 --> 00:41:46,200 Speaker 1: later on episode and we'll just hash out another conversation. 816 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:48,839 Speaker 1: I love it. I love it, man, I mean a lot. 817 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:51,399 Speaker 1: Thank you so much. Well, thank you, David, and thank 818 00:41:51,440 --> 00:41:53,759 Speaker 1: you to my listeners of SOFTWAP Radio and to all 819 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:56,360 Speaker 1: of our veterans and all of the veterans worldwide that 820 00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:59,799 Speaker 1: are fighting for their cause. Go home safely, and with that, 821 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:11,560 Speaker 1: I say peace. You've been listening to Self Red Radio 822 00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:12,360 Speaker 1: M