1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: M Beau. If it doesn't work, you're just not using enough. 2 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 1: You're listening to Software Up Radio Special Operations, military news 3 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: and straight talk with the guys and the community. Hello, 4 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: weok and everyone, welcome back to Software Radio, Softwareup Radio, 5 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: on Time on Target. We have a very special guest 6 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: rejoining us again, General Don Boldog. If those of you 7 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: who we can recall, he joined us about a year 8 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 1: or so ago. Uh. He was the commander of Sock Africa. 9 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: Uh he was one of the initial troops and our 10 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: war in Afghanistan back in two thousand one. Man, it 11 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: seems like yesterday it was almost twenty years ago. And 12 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: uh now he's running first Senate and my former state 13 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: of New Hampshire. So uh a state that's near and 14 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: dear to my heart. So we want to welcome General 15 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 1: Baldock back to the podcast. Sir, thank you for taking 16 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: the time to join us this afternoon. We really appreciate it. Steve, 17 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: thank you very much and it's great to be here 18 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: once again. And my very best to your listeners. Oh, 19 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: thank you for taking the time today. Um. You know, 20 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: I was looking at your website and uh I saw 21 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 1: that one of your endorsements was my favorite Red Sox 22 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: player growing up. Rico petro sally I was like, I 23 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: was more excited to see that than anything else. I'll 24 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: tell you what. I have become very good friends with 25 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: with Rico Petrocelli, and what an honor it was. You know, 26 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: he discovered I was running listening to the War Room 27 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: Steve Bannon's program, and I've I've been appearing on Steve 28 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: Bannon's program periodically because I was one of I guess 29 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: now a little over three hundred, but it was originally 30 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 1: a hundred and twenty four of us that signed a 31 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: letter with you know, twelve points of concern about the 32 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 1: direction of our country. You know, everything from election integrity 33 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: to um, you know, teaching CRT in our military. Right. Uh. 34 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: I call it critical race training, right because that's simply 35 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: what it is. But nonetheless, um so uh you know, 36 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: I mean, just being on his show, Rico said, hey, 37 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: he's running for senate in my home state. I got 38 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: to talk to this guy. So he reached out to 39 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: somebody who connected us, and we went to lunch and 40 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: we have been um, you know, he's been supporting me 41 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: ever since. He sits on my strategy team. Uh. And 42 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 1: just what a great guy. What a down to earth guy. 43 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 1: You know, a father of four, nine grandchildren. I've been 44 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:22,239 Speaker 1: living in Nashville, New Hampshire for twenty two years. Uh 45 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: get you know, just a great charitable man. Does a 46 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: lot of fundraising for a variety of different, great, great causes. 47 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 1: So I'm glad you saw his name. He's a good man. Yeah. 48 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: You know, when I first started watching baseball, right around 49 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: the nineteen sixty seven season, when I was a youngster, 50 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: Rico was part of that Impossible Dream team which those 51 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: of us who grew up in Boston in the area, 52 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: you know, New England area, that was my favorite Red 53 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 1: Sox team of all time, and he was a big 54 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: part of that. And of course of being of Italian descent, 55 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: so you know, Rico was obviously one of my favorite players. 56 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: And when I saw that, I was like genuinely excited. 57 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: I didn't know if he was still living in the area, 58 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: so that's yeah, he's great. You know, he signed with 59 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 1: Boston in sixty three. He got on the team permanently 60 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: and played to seventies six. I grew up with him 61 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: being a Red Sox you know player, along with Yazz 62 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: and and you know Fisk and all the greats, and 63 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: it was just it was just awesome to meet meet 64 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: somebody that we would uh, you know, pick up games 65 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:39,680 Speaker 1: in the sand lot there. We you know, we all 66 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: had a Red Sox player name right depending on the 67 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: position you played. So it was pretty cool. Yes, sir, Well, 68 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: getting back to I know there's a military podcast, not 69 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: a baseball one, So we'll get back on track. Um. 70 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: I just wanted to throw that in before I forgot. 71 00:04:56,839 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: But um, I know, you know, with the war winding 72 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: down in Afghanistan, you know we're last reports that were 73 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: about which drawn from that. I know that you've spoke 74 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,160 Speaker 1: in favor of President Trump's plant to what draw from there? 75 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: Has anything changed for you? I know recently there's been 76 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: a lot of stuff about the Taliban executing people, prisoners 77 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: and stuff like that. Has any of this change for you? Well, 78 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: I gotta tell you, Um, yes, I was. So the 79 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: short answer is, yes, things have changed. And I was 80 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: an advocate for getting out of Afghanistan, uh when President 81 00:05:37,960 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: Trump suggested it as candidate and then as president, And 82 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 1: in my mind, he gave the Secretary of Defense, then 83 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: Jim Maddison, Secretary of State, and the National Security Council 84 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:55,279 Speaker 1: staff and Sentcom and I staff and many others um 85 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: the warning world, Hey, I want to get out of Afghanistan. 86 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: You know, in two years into his first term, he 87 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: called for the plan and they didn't have one. UH. 88 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: And I think that was to me. Uh. They let 89 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:09,320 Speaker 1: him down, and they let America down. And the reason 90 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:14,919 Speaker 1: why I wanted out was they changed strategy which reversed 91 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: all the all the security games we had in the 92 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:23,280 Speaker 1: rural area. UH. And the Taliban researched al Kaeda research 93 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,279 Speaker 1: and then isis are an opportunity to come in and 94 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: we simply just did not have policy and a strategy 95 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:32,679 Speaker 1: that supported body bags and hospital bids. And once again, 96 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: our general officers and our senior military folks let us down. 97 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:37,920 Speaker 1: And I'm one of those general officers that let you down. 98 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: I could not convince anybody that changing strategy was gonna 99 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: be was gonna be detrimental to the mission. And remember 100 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 1: when we started this new strategy in in under General 101 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: McCrystal and then really solidified it under General Petrayus and 102 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: then pushed it over the goal line on the way 103 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:02,840 Speaker 1: to victory under General Allen. Uh. You know, we had 104 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: the highest casualty rates in Afghanistan. In two thousand ten, 105 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: we were we were behind in the insurgency. The Taliban 106 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: was resurging. They owned most of the rural area and 107 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: in three and a half years we reversed that with 108 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: village stability operations to the Afghan local police and are 109 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: our casualty rates came down all time low and we 110 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: owned almost of the rural areas by the middle of 111 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: and we just needed a couple more years to solidify it. 112 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: The Taliban was saying, if they keep doing this, we're 113 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: not gonna win. So we even had a boat from 114 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: the enemy, right and although the Taliban could beat the 115 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 1: Afghan military and the Afghan police in a fight, they 116 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: couldn't beat the Afghan local police, the local police of 117 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: the Arbakai type uh fighters that special ops went in 118 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: and you know, trained our small teams training them and 119 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: they go over the security situation. They developed a will 120 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: to fight, They developed the plan and it was working fabulously. 121 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: Nothing's perfect, there's always gonna be problems with it, but 122 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: suffice it to say, the strategy was on track, the 123 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: operational approach was on track, The tactics matched the you know, 124 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: the goals of the strategy. And then I'm sitting in 125 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: a meeting with the new Commander Dunford and the new 126 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: chief the chief of staff of Obama's White House, and 127 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: General Millie and General Thomas and the rest of them, 128 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: and they lay out this plan to discontinue combat operations 129 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: come out of the villages, and I'm I'm like, well, respectfully, 130 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: time out. That's not a good idea right now. It's 131 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: a good idea a couple of years from now, but 132 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:47,560 Speaker 1: it's not a good idea right now. And I laid 133 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,440 Speaker 1: it out and I even gave him a rand study 134 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: that proved it right. Um, I made him mad. They 135 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: sent me to Africa, and um, you know that was 136 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 1: the end of that. But I continue to write about it. 137 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 1: I continued to write about my strong objections to the 138 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: change in strategy. And what happened. We changed the strategy, 139 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:13,719 Speaker 1: security situation reversed, Taliban researched, al Kada research isis came 140 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 1: into the fight, and our casualty rates are at all 141 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:20,679 Speaker 1: time high by uh And so if we didn't have 142 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: a good strategy executing the war, how the hell does 143 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:25,839 Speaker 1: anyone think we're gonna have a good strategy coming out 144 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,959 Speaker 1: of the war. And that's what I disagree with. That's 145 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: what's changed that I don't like. We should have had 146 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: a better strategy because this isn't good. And you know, 147 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:40,679 Speaker 1: General Miller, you know, I like General Miller. General Miller's respected, 148 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: but General Miller was part of the problem. As a 149 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: two star and a three star. He could have intervened 150 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,360 Speaker 1: and he could have said, hey, listen, we had a 151 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 1: good strategy here. He knows it was a good strategy 152 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:54,200 Speaker 1: because he was my general officer that I worked for 153 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: when we put the strategy in place, and in two 154 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: thousand eleven, uh, I got him walking around in all 155 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 1: these areas that we took back from the Taliban, uh 156 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: with no kid on, no kid not even a hat. 157 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: All he had was a sidearm walking through the markets, 158 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 1: walking through all these areas that now he needs to 159 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 1: be full kidded up with a complement of you know, 160 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: a platoon of guys um you know, securing him. So 161 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:27,240 Speaker 1: he knows that there was a bad decision, and like 162 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: all of them, they did nothing to stand up and say, 163 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 1: excuse me, sir, this is a bad strat this is 164 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: a bad decision. At this time, we understand what your 165 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: goal is and we're with you on that. However, we 166 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 1: can't do that and then not to leave the kind 167 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 1: of terrorism task force in the region to be able 168 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 1: to deal with that, UM, and to just you know, 169 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 1: bug out. China's gonna take advantage of it. Russia's gonna 170 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 1: take advantage of it. Iran is gonna come in full force. 171 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: North Korea is gonna fall China. Um. The region is 172 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 1: going to go to hell in a handbag most likely. 173 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 1: And that's a dangerous region with Pakistan and India with 174 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:14,440 Speaker 1: nuclear weapons. The stand brothers up north. I ran out 175 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: to the West. It's just it's just bad policy. It's 176 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: it's bad decisions by general officers who are political in nature, 177 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,320 Speaker 1: more interested in their career and their next job than 178 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: they are in making sure that we have a good strategy, 179 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: we get best military advice. And if that means you 180 00:11:33,360 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: lose your job, well that means you lose your job. 181 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 1: But at least you stand on principle. Very good. UM. 182 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,200 Speaker 1: I wanted to ask you about the early taste in 183 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: two thousand one when in the troops first went in 184 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: back then, I believe you were you were either captain 185 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: or a major at that time. No, just the first 186 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 1: few months, like when it was strictly just like an 187 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 1: sf C I A type operation there, it was awesome 188 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 1: and it was the way that we needed to fight. 189 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,200 Speaker 1: We had small teams in there on the ground. We 190 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 1: didn't take away the Afghans will to fight, We didn't 191 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 1: take over the fight. We augmented them with air support. 192 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: We augmented them with getting them the equipment that they needed, 193 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:23,319 Speaker 1: the weapons that they needed in order to fight uh 194 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,680 Speaker 1: and take the fight to the enemy. And and you know, UH, 195 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:32,000 Speaker 1: it was a quintessential special forces mission, right, I mean 196 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:38,400 Speaker 1: unconventional in nature, asymmetric in its tactics. Uh. You know, 197 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 1: small teams that achieving strategic results. And I believe that 198 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:47,480 Speaker 1: by June of two thousand two, we could have left 199 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,679 Speaker 1: UH and we could have left the Afghans to handle it. 200 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:56,559 Speaker 1: We could have given them economic support, UH, and we 201 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: we wouldn't be in this mess that we're in today. 202 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 1: That was that is um, you know, decision point number 203 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: one that we should have made, but we didn't. We 204 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 1: decided to stay, and we decided a half step it. 205 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 1: And then we decided to create a constitution and write 206 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: it in you know, UH, in in Western Lingo, which 207 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 1: they didn't like. We named their country, which they didn't like. 208 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 1: We we brought in contractors, We put contracts in, which 209 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:26,600 Speaker 1: created corruption. And then we said, hey, we're gonna tell 210 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 1: you what kind of justice system you're gonna have it, 211 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: which didn't work. We tried to take religion out of 212 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: their governance, which doesn't work in a Muslim country. What 213 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: else do we do? Oh yeah, We tried to create 214 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:41,360 Speaker 1: military and police in the image of Western forces, which 215 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:45,679 Speaker 1: doesn't work. Afghanistan never protected itself and never won its 216 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:48,880 Speaker 1: wars with a top down military structure or top down 217 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: police structure. It always did it from within the villages. 218 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 1: And we completely lost our minds and then we half 219 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,959 Speaker 1: stepped it. And when Iraq kicked off in nineteen March 220 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:04,880 Speaker 1: two thousand three, the sucking sound from Afghanistan could be 221 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,559 Speaker 1: heard around the world. I mean, that was the sound 222 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:09,319 Speaker 1: that was heard around the world. And we just didn't 223 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: get anything to be able to fight and and you know, 224 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 1: do anything with the insurgency. So guess what from two 225 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 1: thousand three to two thousand five, and then from two 226 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:25,120 Speaker 1: thousand five to two thousand ten, we got stronger and stronger, 227 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: and then we decided we're gonna hand over peacekeeping missions 228 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: to NATO, and they were completely taken by surprise, despite 229 00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: the efforts of special opts to say, hey, there's an 230 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: insurgency here, and if you don't come in here ready 231 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: to fight an insurgency, it's gonna get ugly for you, 232 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: And it did get ugly for him, and that resulted 233 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: in in you know Medusa, you know the Battle Medusa 234 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: in two thousand five and six, and then and then 235 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: Bazuka in two thousand and six to seven. And it 236 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 1: wasn't until General McCrystal came in with a different idea, 237 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 1: different approach, bottom up instead of top own um and 238 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 1: asked us to write a supporting plan, which we listened 239 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: to the Afghans and we looked at history, we listened 240 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 1: to what the Russians had to say, well, listen to 241 00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: what everybody had to say, and we put together this 242 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 1: program and it was something that the Afghans recognized. It 243 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: It was one eighth the cost of the military and 244 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:25,160 Speaker 1: the police um and it just took off because why, 245 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:30,040 Speaker 1: it's how they defended themselves against Alexander the Great Jenghis 246 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: Khan the bricks the Russians, so it's proven to work, 247 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: and we abandoned it. So, you know, twenty years of 248 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:50,720 Speaker 1: state except for me, except for the first rotation, and 249 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 1: then you and a half, and then you know, it's terrible, terrible, 250 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: and no one's gonna be held account before it. But 251 00:16:00,760 --> 00:16:02,280 Speaker 1: the point that needs to be made is our men 252 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: and women are service members. They did a hell of 253 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: a job. Every crazy thing that they were asked to 254 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 1: do they did well. Even when they knew it it 255 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: wasn't the right thing to do, they still did it. 256 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: They went out there, they served with honor. And that's 257 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:18,280 Speaker 1: the thing you don't hear right now, is our troops 258 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: did a superb job. Right of course you're you're not. 259 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 1: You're not gonna get the joint chiefs or or anybody 260 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: that came before them, or the senior military leaders, to 261 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: include General Austin when he was a sent Com commander, 262 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: say hey, we failed them. They're not because I'm gonna 263 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,120 Speaker 1: say that, and I'm gonna say I failed them, and 264 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:39,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna include myself and that because I'm not one 265 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: that points fingers. Yes, I was a general officer during 266 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:46,600 Speaker 1: this time frame. Yes I did tend tours in Afghanistan. Yes, 267 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,120 Speaker 1: I know a lot about Afghanistan. But the more you 268 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: know about Afghanistan unless you know about Afghanistan, and you've 269 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: got to remain humble. There's a right way to do 270 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: things and there's a wrong way to do things. And 271 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: we had to listen to our people, and we didn't 272 00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: listen to our people. And yeah, there's a lot of 273 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:05,160 Speaker 1: you know, there's a lot of regrets. There's seventy two 274 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: service members I lost in ten tours, and I think 275 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,879 Speaker 1: about them every single day, and we let them down 276 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: because of bad strategy and bad policy, both during and 277 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: now coming out of there. It's it's it's it's upsetting. Sir. 278 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 1: You are one of the very few, not the only 279 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:33,480 Speaker 1: general officer that was open about his own struggles with PTSD. Um, 280 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,600 Speaker 1: how's that working out for you? And I saw a 281 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:39,400 Speaker 1: picture of your dog, Victor? Is he is? He a 282 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: big help to you? Victor is a great help to me. 283 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: He's sitting right behind me right here, and more importantly, 284 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: he's a great help to many many others as well. Um. 285 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,679 Speaker 1: No matter where I go with Victor, Victor changes the 286 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: mood and attitude of every room, every place we go to. 287 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,919 Speaker 1: And and so let me get back to the beginning 288 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: of your question. Yeah, so my wife noticed, Hey, this 289 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:06,119 Speaker 1: guy's no, he's not the same guy. Uh, you know, 290 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,480 Speaker 1: and he's he acts differently, and he's you know, uh, 291 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:15,280 Speaker 1: not comfortable at home, and he's hyper vigilant all the time, 292 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: and he's moody all the time, and he's um, you know, 293 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: his balance is off, and you know, just a whole 294 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,640 Speaker 1: bunch of things. And she started noticing it in two 295 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,920 Speaker 1: thousand eight, and she was encouraging me to go for help. 296 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,640 Speaker 1: But hey, there was no help gonna be given out 297 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:34,440 Speaker 1: in two thousand and eight. And it's questionable even today. Uh. 298 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: I'd like to make some comments about oh oh and 299 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: ray uh when I get a chance here. But after this, 300 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,520 Speaker 1: the bottom line is, it wasn't until two thousand thirteen 301 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: when she drew the line and said, hey, listen, you 302 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:48,920 Speaker 1: gotta go get some help. So I was in Africa. 303 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: I had just been promoted to one star. UM I 304 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,200 Speaker 1: went to launch Stool. I met a wonderful nurse named 305 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,200 Speaker 1: Sarah McNary, and she's known all over the so Off 306 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,440 Speaker 1: community for all the great work she's done for us. 307 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:05,400 Speaker 1: She helped me put together the program in South Africa. 308 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,199 Speaker 1: After I came to grips with my own issues, my 309 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:14,760 Speaker 1: own problems, and listen, I finally realized, hey, as a leader, right, 310 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:18,160 Speaker 1: particularly a general officer, if you can't take care of yourself, 311 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,480 Speaker 1: you've got no business taking care of anybody else or 312 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: being in charge anybody else. And let's face it, we 313 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 1: have mental injuries, physical injuries, and spiritual injuries. And if 314 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:29,720 Speaker 1: you're gonna keep sending people off the war rotation after 315 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: rotation after rotation, you've got to address those things. And 316 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,439 Speaker 1: we know that, we we know it. We should be better, 317 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:43,959 Speaker 1: but we weren't. And after about two years from I 318 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:46,120 Speaker 1: was doing it under the radar because I was a coward, 319 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: right um. I was afraid of what what impact it 320 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:53,360 Speaker 1: would have on my career and and let's face it, 321 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:55,680 Speaker 1: and as a general officer, I had some latitude to 322 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: go to doctor's appointments and launch tool that the men 323 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: and women working for me just didn't have. And I 324 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: thought this is unfair. And when I became a Sock 325 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: African commander on on April, I said to myself, this 326 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:13,679 Speaker 1: has got a change. And I talked to my senior 327 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: enlisted advisor, Rich Blasi, and Navy Seal Master Chief, and 328 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: I talked to my deputy commander, and I talked to 329 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: my subordinate commanders, and we all agreed we got to 330 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:24,680 Speaker 1: do something, and so we did it, and we worked 331 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 1: with Sarah McNary and we put together a great program 332 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,679 Speaker 1: for the men and women. And I came out and 333 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: I said, I I get therapy for post traumatic stress, 334 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: I get therapy for traumatic brain injury. I get therapy 335 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: for sleep disorder UM and paying management issues and so 336 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:46,760 Speaker 1: on so forth, and I believe that you guys need 337 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 1: the opportunity to do that, and we've created a system 338 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 1: to do it, and I will support you. You won't 339 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: be taken out of your job, you won't lose your clearance. 340 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,440 Speaker 1: I will provide top cover for you. And I did 341 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: it even if it was inconsistent d D policy because 342 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 1: d D policy was wrong, and I was willing to 343 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:07,480 Speaker 1: say it was wrong. Uh, And nobody was gonna tell 344 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 1: me to change because they knew it was wrong as well, 345 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 1: even though they told me this is not going to 346 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 1: bode well for your career. And I said, well, I'm 347 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 1: not doing it for my career. I'm doing it for 348 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:20,680 Speaker 1: the men and women in my command. Because we're hurting. 349 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 1: And I'll tell you what, Steve. After twenty six months 350 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:28,359 Speaker 1: of doing this program, we identified fifty two people with 351 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:32,040 Speaker 1: PROS traumatic stress, four seventy one with traumatic brain injury, 352 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:38,159 Speaker 1: numerous people with pain management issues, sleep disorders, um uh, 353 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:42,119 Speaker 1: self medication issues, so on and so forth. Our alcohol 354 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:49,120 Speaker 1: and drug incidents almost down to zero, almost amazing inside 355 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: the unit, Sexual harassment UM, inappropriate behavior in the work 356 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:59,040 Speaker 1: area down to nothing, right, I mean zero goose eggs 357 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: nothing right uh, domestic issues, family issues right, shoot down. 358 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 1: Every measurable area that we were looking at as leaders 359 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: and and passing it off as in discipline was a 360 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: direct result of mental injuries and people not having the 361 00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:26,040 Speaker 1: ability to properly deal with how their brain has changed 362 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: because we've thrown them in combat. Rotation after rotation after 363 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 1: rotation after rotation. Right, unbelievable. And I offered this program 364 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: the Special Operations Command, General Thomas didn't want anything to 365 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: do with it, really, um and nobody else want anything 366 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 1: to do it. And I thought it would be a 367 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: great program for the rest of the Special Operation Commands, 368 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 1: the rest of the side. No. The first thing the 369 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:55,160 Speaker 1: commander did that replaced me was get rid of the program. Uh, 370 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:58,160 Speaker 1: and so we're hurting our people, and we know we're 371 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:02,639 Speaker 1: hurting our people. And we heard Colonel ray Owen Ray. 372 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,400 Speaker 1: Everything that happened to him was avoidable. There was an 373 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,679 Speaker 1: i G complaint against him. And I'm telling you, I 374 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:10,880 Speaker 1: met people that that didn't have a lot of good 375 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,119 Speaker 1: things to say about them, uh, you know, family members 376 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:19,119 Speaker 1: and subordinates, because he was suffering personally and professionally, and 377 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,120 Speaker 1: he was self medicated. And the sad thing about it 378 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 1: is he's a good leader and a well respected leader, 379 00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 1: but he wasn't being able to optimize any of that 380 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,200 Speaker 1: because he was he didn't get any therapy and any help, 381 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: uh with these you know, with these issues of post 382 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: traumatic stress and other issues that he had. And that's 383 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:42,760 Speaker 1: what the IG investigation told the chain of command. And 384 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,119 Speaker 1: what did the chain of command do? They ignored it, 385 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 1: and then what happened to him got worse and worse 386 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 1: and worse until it culminated into event involving a gun 387 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,119 Speaker 1: with his family and their home and the police and 388 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: now he's facing criminal charges. And the chain of command 389 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 1: back didn't do anything. It's the same chain of command, 390 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 1: except they all got promoted, right and now they're not 391 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 1: helping him, right, and this is a bad thing. And 392 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna write another article for soft Rep. You know, 393 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:17,639 Speaker 1: you know, putting this out, Lieutenant General Dietrich, Lieutenant General Boudette. Um, 394 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:22,000 Speaker 1: you know, these guys need to be held accountable for 395 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:26,120 Speaker 1: their lack of action, right, the same the same things 396 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 1: that they did during the Knees Year ambush, right, not 397 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 1: taking care of our guys there pointing the fingers right, 398 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: trying to protect their you know, um, their boys, trying 399 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: to you know, trying to protect the higher chain of command. 400 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 1: This is just wrong. We gotta stop doing this. We 401 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 1: have to stop doing it. Um. We have a series 402 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,360 Speaker 1: of senior leaders that are part of the good old 403 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:55,680 Speaker 1: boys Club organizational nepotism. They take care of each other 404 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 1: at the expense of the people that they're supposed to 405 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:01,639 Speaker 1: be helping. And someone's got to do something about it. 406 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:06,200 Speaker 1: And if someone's gonna do something about it quick, well, 407 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 1: that brings us to you know, why you're running for office, 408 00:25:10,359 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: because uh, you know, I read something you wrote. I 409 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:16,320 Speaker 1: want to say it was about two or three years 410 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: ago for Small Wars Journal about there being a leadership black. 411 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: I guess it would be the great word of uh 412 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 1: the way to describe it in our you know, national 413 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: government and then the top echelonce of our military. Yeah, 414 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,680 Speaker 1: you're absolutely right. I did write an article about it. 415 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:44,400 Speaker 1: I experienced it, right, Listen, I have my own faults, right, 416 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:48,239 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm not a perfect leader either. Um. I 417 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:50,159 Speaker 1: had to learn how to be a good leader. I 418 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 1: had to learn how to do things. I had to 419 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,439 Speaker 1: admit things. I had to look at myself in the 420 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: mirror and say, hey, listen, this is not good. It's 421 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: one of the reasons I went for treatment for PTS 422 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,399 Speaker 1: and and t V. I. I had guys that worked 423 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:04,919 Speaker 1: for me when I was a battalion commander and I 424 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 1: was an O six who came to work for me 425 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:10,880 Speaker 1: in South Africa and said, wow, you know you are 426 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:16,840 Speaker 1: the same guy. You're motivated, purpose, direction, all that, but 427 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 1: your approach is much different. Yes, I'm a better version 428 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 1: of myself, right because I got treatment. And that's what's lacking. 429 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: And people are afraid to say. I'm still the only 430 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:32,880 Speaker 1: general officer in sauce to publish an article calling himself 431 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,199 Speaker 1: out in The New York Times saying, hey, listen, I 432 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,480 Speaker 1: wasn't I wasn't an optimal leader, and I had tremendous 433 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 1: responsibilities and we need everyone else to do that as well. 434 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:47,040 Speaker 1: You shouldn't not be promoted because of that. You you 435 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:51,280 Speaker 1: get you get help, and you move forward. Right, Um, 436 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 1: And that's that's where we're that's where we're stuck. We 437 00:26:55,320 --> 00:27:00,440 Speaker 1: we pick people in our own image. We exclude those that, um, 438 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,919 Speaker 1: that are contrarians. We don't like contrarians, Steve. If somebody 439 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:07,720 Speaker 1: disagrees with you, they're out of the club. Oh, they 440 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 1: can't disagree with me. How dare they disagree with me? Right? 441 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:17,720 Speaker 1: And that's not right either. Right now, we have a 442 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:24,240 Speaker 1: political We have a generals and admirals who are totally political. 443 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 1: And you prove it. I've watched them change from late 444 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:33,400 Speaker 1: Bush era, through the Obama era, into the Trump era 445 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:37,160 Speaker 1: and now into the Biden era. They change their stripes, 446 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:41,360 Speaker 1: they change their chameleons. They're political in nature. They're allowing 447 00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: critical race training to occur in our military. They're creating 448 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,480 Speaker 1: problems where they're not at they're not focusing on more fighting. 449 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: Our military is not ready to fight. It needs to 450 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:55,440 Speaker 1: be ready to fight, and they have nobody to blame 451 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: but themselves. Oh you know, what they do. They say, Oh, 452 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:01,200 Speaker 1: it must be the battalion command ender's fault. So we're 453 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:03,360 Speaker 1: gonna put a bunch of more programs in for botanic 454 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:05,399 Speaker 1: commanders and lieutenant colonels, and we're gonna look how we 455 00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 1: select lieutenant colonels and majors and captains and blah blah 456 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,360 Speaker 1: blah blah blah, when we should be looking at how 457 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:14,600 Speaker 1: we select senior leaders. And the Senate needs to stop 458 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 1: rubber stamping these lists that come over, and they need 459 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:21,639 Speaker 1: to they need to do their job and take a 460 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 1: deep look in that. However, the problem that is is, 461 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,480 Speaker 1: you know, they genuflect when a general walks into the 462 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,680 Speaker 1: walks into the Senate chamber. They're looking for a ring 463 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 1: to kiss, and they don't hold them accountable and a 464 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 1: lot of them are inexperienced and they don't even know 465 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 1: how to ask them the right questions. Right Well, I 466 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: want to be a United States Senator to be able 467 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:45,720 Speaker 1: to do that. The d D needs reform, and the 468 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:48,000 Speaker 1: only way it's gonna get reform is from the outside 469 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: in uh and UH we have to be better than 470 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:58,240 Speaker 1: we are because right now we have not earned the 471 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: privilege to command the men and women that we command. Well, 472 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 1: you already answered my next question, because that was going 473 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:07,840 Speaker 1: to be why in the world what you want to 474 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: run for office in Congress after already serving thirty three 475 00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: years of active duty, and you just answered that. But 476 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 1: we'll see. I've been asked by people in New Hampshire, 477 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 1: in all ten counties. I've received correspondence from people in 478 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 1: all fifty states and all over the military to run 479 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 1: for the United States Senate. That's my one. Uh. If anyone, 480 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:35,880 Speaker 1: if one person thinks that I can make a difference 481 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: for them and serve them and move these career politicians 482 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 1: out of the way and create a less divisive political 483 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:48,120 Speaker 1: environment so that we can get stuff done in this country, Uh, 484 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: then I'm gonna try it. Yeah, that's the biggest problem 485 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:55,440 Speaker 1: we have right now. You know, I can remember in 486 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:59,640 Speaker 1: the old days, I mean growing up, there was a 487 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: star difference between Democrats and Republicans, but when it came 488 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:07,640 Speaker 1: to what was best for the country, more often than not, 489 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:12,840 Speaker 1: they would come together. And it seems like today there's 490 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: none of that, and it's it seems like it's getting 491 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: worse rather than better with the partisan politics that's going on. 492 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,480 Speaker 1: And it's I think it's a pulling our country apart. 493 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:26,000 Speaker 1: It is pulling our country apart. Right. We forgot. We 494 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: forgot that we will you know, we will pay any price, 495 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,880 Speaker 1: we will meet any burden, We will defeat any enemy 496 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: in order to preserve freedom. That is a paraphrase of 497 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 1: John F. Kennedy, but it's absolutely true. And we forgot 498 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:41,880 Speaker 1: about the fact that we have to come together for 499 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:47,680 Speaker 1: economic prosperity, fiscal responsibility, and the safety and security of Americans. Uh. 500 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: You know, one of the things that I'm doing right now, 501 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 1: just what you know is, uh, you know, I just 502 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:56,719 Speaker 1: went through the entire hiring process to be a police 503 00:30:56,720 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: officer at Hampton Police Department. I'm in the police academy 504 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:04,240 Speaker 1: it now. Oh no, kidn't. I'm giving back to my community. 505 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:08,120 Speaker 1: You know, we can't find police officers. Um. You know, 506 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:11,160 Speaker 1: basically there's four thousand police officers in the state of 507 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:14,840 Speaker 1: New Hampshire and from last March to this July, over 508 00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:19,720 Speaker 1: two hundred have left. We can't recruit anybody. Uh, it's 509 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:21,600 Speaker 1: very hard to recruit. It's very hard to get the 510 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 1: quality that we need. And so I figured, you know, 511 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:27,320 Speaker 1: I've been a police officer before in Lacartia, New Hampshire. 512 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: In night I went through class number four and now 513 00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:37,600 Speaker 1: I'm going through class number two, right, so, um, you 514 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:39,920 Speaker 1: know they said, hey, we can't grandfather you because a 515 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 1: lot's changed since nineteen eighty, don't we know that? Yeah? Yeah? 516 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:52,880 Speaker 1: Growing up, I mean I spent a lot of time 517 00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:57,960 Speaker 1: in New Hampshire then later on moved there, and the 518 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 1: the police officers there in New Hampshire always I thought, 519 00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:08,720 Speaker 1: very professional. But you know what the world we're living 520 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:15,480 Speaker 1: in today, so many police officers are getting you know, disorder, 521 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 1: not diss oriented, but disillusioned. I guess it would be 522 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:21,520 Speaker 1: the better word. With the way things are going, and 523 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:25,520 Speaker 1: they're they're not retaining people, guys are retiring and that 524 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:30,520 Speaker 1: needs to stop because this whole defund the police thing, Uh, 525 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,880 Speaker 1: that needs to go away. It's terrible, Steve, It's terrible 526 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:39,400 Speaker 1: what's going on, the demoralization of our of our police officers. 527 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: The the disrespect to their families. Uh, you know what 528 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 1: we're doing to their years and years of service, those 529 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:51,320 Speaker 1: that have fallen. Um. You know, the suicide rates among 530 00:32:51,360 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 1: police officers now are um, are higher than the in 531 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: you know, in the line of duty. Right now, I 532 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:07,040 Speaker 1: would tell you that, you know, suicide is a line 533 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: of duty death, right. Um. If they're taking their life 534 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: because of the pressures, because they're not getting the help 535 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 1: that they need, you know, that's a casualty, right, That's 536 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:22,760 Speaker 1: a casualty of uh, you know, And and it's it's 537 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 1: a it's a tragedy, is what it is, the same 538 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: thing in the military, with our high rates of suicide 539 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:33,360 Speaker 1: and the military depression is you know, you're you're like 540 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:38,080 Speaker 1: more likely to be depressed as a police officer than 541 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:42,240 Speaker 1: you are in any other profession, uh, in in our society. 542 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:45,920 Speaker 1: And that's pretty significant, right, And it's because we'll make 543 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:50,480 Speaker 1: them feel bad, right, We're we're we're you know, telling 544 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: them that they're bad people, uh, and that we don't 545 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:56,040 Speaker 1: appreciate what they do for us. And and that's wrong. 546 00:33:56,400 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: And it's mostly coming from political leaders, right, which is 547 00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: what is even worse. The same political leaders who go 548 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:08,360 Speaker 1: around with bodyguards, uh and you know, armed bodyguards, and 549 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:10,839 Speaker 1: they they want to take away your Second Amendment rights 550 00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:13,120 Speaker 1: and they want to defund the police. They make absolutely 551 00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,960 Speaker 1: no sense to me now, and uh, you know, with 552 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:20,160 Speaker 1: with you running against Maggie Hasson up there, in New Hampshire. 553 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:23,200 Speaker 1: What are some of the issues up there that you 554 00:34:23,239 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 1: know the people of New Hampshire are looking to you 555 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:32,359 Speaker 1: to to change the landscape basically what's going on up there? Well, 556 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:36,480 Speaker 1: first and foremost, election integrity is big right up here 557 00:34:36,480 --> 00:34:39,759 Speaker 1: in New Hampshire. We want the federal government to stay 558 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:42,680 Speaker 1: out of our elections. So this HB one and s 559 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:47,840 Speaker 1: SP one nonsense that that um, you know, the representatives 560 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 1: and the Senators want to do, uh interfere with our 561 00:34:52,200 --> 00:34:56,000 Speaker 1: election process and take it over from the States is 562 00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: absolutely wrong, violation of the constitution. So they want me 563 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:01,560 Speaker 1: to make sure or that I go down there and 564 00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:04,160 Speaker 1: make sure the federal government stays out of our business 565 00:35:04,239 --> 00:35:06,719 Speaker 1: right when it comes to elections. They also want me 566 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:09,480 Speaker 1: to be a voice for them inside the state to 567 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:14,239 Speaker 1: get our state, to get our governor and get our legislature, um, 568 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:18,440 Speaker 1: you know, to fix the election integrity issues that we 569 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:21,279 Speaker 1: have here in New Hampshire. Our machines are broke here 570 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:25,280 Speaker 1: and nobody has any confidence in them. So in election 571 00:35:25,360 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: coming up, we want a hand count, We want an 572 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:33,080 Speaker 1: audit of these machines. We want mandatory I D. We 573 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:36,400 Speaker 1: want a law that stipulates and says, Hey, if you 574 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,359 Speaker 1: don't live here, you can't vote here. How about that one? 575 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,560 Speaker 1: And we want to repeal HB one to six six, 576 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:47,400 Speaker 1: which is a House bill here that expanded mail in voting, 577 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:51,040 Speaker 1: which created more corruption, and we want to bring that 578 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:53,719 Speaker 1: back to what it was before so that we don't 579 00:35:53,719 --> 00:35:58,319 Speaker 1: have mail in voting corruption. And then, um, you know, 580 00:35:58,719 --> 00:36:01,280 Speaker 1: we we have a huge problem with out of state 581 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:04,000 Speaker 1: college students voting in this state and we've gotta make 582 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:08,120 Speaker 1: sure we do that by getting rid of same day 583 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:12,320 Speaker 1: voter registration. Same day voter registration is an election integrity nightmare. 584 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:15,759 Speaker 1: All these things we don't allow other countries to do 585 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:20,319 Speaker 1: when we're helping them, uh with their elections. But we're 586 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:23,719 Speaker 1: okay with it here in America. Uh, that's just wrong, right. 587 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:27,880 Speaker 1: It's none of that is voter suppression. It's all ensuring 588 00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:31,239 Speaker 1: that our that your vote counts, that you know your 589 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:34,480 Speaker 1: vote counts, that someone's not stealing your vote or not 590 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: counting your vote appropriately. And um, that's what they want 591 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,880 Speaker 1: me to do with election integrity. They want to fix healthcare. 592 00:36:41,120 --> 00:36:45,160 Speaker 1: The number one reason for personal bankruptcy here is healthcare, 593 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,360 Speaker 1: and we gotta fix it. It's broke. They want me 594 00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:52,360 Speaker 1: to help with with with veteran issues. We got we 595 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:57,080 Speaker 1: got to get the v A fixed. You know, the 596 00:36:57,080 --> 00:36:59,840 Speaker 1: the bureaucracy there in Washington, d C. From the v 597 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 1: needs to be fixed. All these bills that they're putting 598 00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:06,640 Speaker 1: in are all band aid solutions. The big problem is 599 00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:10,080 Speaker 1: the breaucracy. And we got to fix that breaucracy. Uh. 600 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:13,200 Speaker 1: And if we do that, then we'll go a long 601 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:16,200 Speaker 1: way and ensuring that our veterans have the care that 602 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:19,399 Speaker 1: they need, their families have the care that they need, 603 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:21,000 Speaker 1: and will be you know, it will be good to go. 604 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,040 Speaker 1: One of the things that I completely disagree with right 605 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,840 Speaker 1: now is the v A requiring all their doctors to 606 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,759 Speaker 1: have the COVID shot. I mean that's a violation of 607 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:35,319 Speaker 1: the constitutional rights. I mean, that's wrong right there, the 608 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:38,799 Speaker 1: first government agency to do that. Listen, I don't care 609 00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:40,960 Speaker 1: if you get a shot. I don't care if you 610 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 1: don't get a shot, right, that's your business. The government 611 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: needs to stay out of your personal health care business. 612 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,719 Speaker 1: And this is this is wrong. I don't believe the 613 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 1: v A should be paying for sex changes, right, and 614 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:55,879 Speaker 1: they just decided to do that too. I mean that's wrong, right, 615 00:37:56,320 --> 00:38:00,600 Speaker 1: I mean, how do you service connect some wanting to 616 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:04,320 Speaker 1: get a sex change. You can't service connected. It's political 617 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:07,280 Speaker 1: and they're bringing politics and everything that we do. Border 618 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:11,920 Speaker 1: security hurts New Hampshire, the pent and all that leads. 619 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:14,440 Speaker 1: You know, we have a huge opioid crisis problem here. 620 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:18,239 Speaker 1: It's worse than it's ever been UH and it comes 621 00:38:18,239 --> 00:38:21,440 Speaker 1: from the southern border, right, same thing with human trafficking 622 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:24,440 Speaker 1: weapons that come in here. They want some help, you know, 623 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 1: they want they want us to do something you know 624 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:32,759 Speaker 1: about that UM. Energy UM is another big thing, right, 625 00:38:32,840 --> 00:38:35,720 Speaker 1: we need to be energy independent. We've got to leverage 626 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:38,480 Speaker 1: all forms of energy. We've got to create more jobs 627 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:44,000 Speaker 1: with that. UM. They want people with national security experience 628 00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:48,080 Speaker 1: to fight against China, to fight against Russia, to fight 629 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:51,480 Speaker 1: against Iran and North Korea and keep them the hell 630 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:54,240 Speaker 1: out of our business. Right right now, we have people 631 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:57,880 Speaker 1: that don't have any national security experience and their Chinese 632 00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:01,319 Speaker 1: sympathizers and Russian sympathizers. And when you do that, you 633 00:39:01,400 --> 00:39:05,360 Speaker 1: help out Iran and you help out North Korea. UH. 634 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: And border and immigration terrible, terrible, terrible. We have huge problems. 635 00:39:11,560 --> 00:39:16,200 Speaker 1: And then the last one is infrastructure and critical infrastructure Uh, 636 00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:19,640 Speaker 1: and the broadband issue gaps that we have here. Certainly 637 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:22,080 Speaker 1: as a senator, I can help with that, and I 638 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:28,279 Speaker 1: will help with that. Excellent. So I know, Uh, you're 639 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:30,680 Speaker 1: you're pressed for time. We can talk too much longer, 640 00:39:30,719 --> 00:39:35,279 Speaker 1: but tell our listeners where they can uh find your 641 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:40,560 Speaker 1: message on there and how they can support your candidacy. Sure, 642 00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:43,879 Speaker 1: So I need support, right, I'm not an independently wealthy man. 643 00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:46,080 Speaker 1: I'm not a career politician, so I don't have a 644 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:49,560 Speaker 1: political machine buying me. And I'm a political outsider, so 645 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:52,759 Speaker 1: I don't have the establishment behind me. And I think 646 00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 1: people want to get rid of the establishment. They don't 647 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:59,120 Speaker 1: trust career politicians. I am for term limits, one of 648 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:01,680 Speaker 1: the first things I'm gonna do as co sponsor. Signed 649 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:07,319 Speaker 1: on as a co sponsor to Ted Cruz's term limits bill. Right. So, um, 650 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:10,560 Speaker 1: as a political outsider, as someone who understands public service, 651 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:13,960 Speaker 1: as someone who understands leadership, someone who understands who they 652 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:17,560 Speaker 1: are and what my strength and weaknesses are and my 653 00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:23,399 Speaker 1: strong national security experience. Please go to www dot Don 654 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:27,360 Speaker 1: Baldock dot com read about me. But I need help 655 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:33,480 Speaker 1: in any amount donation will help, uh, And uh, you know, 656 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:37,719 Speaker 1: pass the word send it out to people, particularly if 657 00:40:37,719 --> 00:40:40,160 Speaker 1: you're here in New Hampshire or if you know people 658 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:44,680 Speaker 1: in New Hampshire. Um, and uh, you can count on 659 00:40:44,719 --> 00:40:47,600 Speaker 1: me going down there to serve you. That's all I 660 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:49,359 Speaker 1: know how to do. That's all I want to do, 661 00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:55,320 Speaker 1: and that's why people want me to run well, Sarah, 662 00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:57,560 Speaker 1: we want to thank you for your time, thank you 663 00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:03,160 Speaker 1: for your service, and thanks for being forthcoming about especially 664 00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:07,840 Speaker 1: those PTSD issues, because that is something that's a stigma 665 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:12,560 Speaker 1: that still is haunting our veterans community. I mean, the 666 00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 1: numbers of suicides are not going down. It seems they're not, 667 00:41:17,360 --> 00:41:20,160 Speaker 1: you know, and we need we need people like you 668 00:41:20,200 --> 00:41:25,600 Speaker 1: to step forward to remove that that stigma from the 669 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:29,000 Speaker 1: troops themselves, but also to make some of the changes 670 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:32,520 Speaker 1: so to help people out, you know, in the bureaucracy, 671 00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:35,200 Speaker 1: as you said with the v A. But before we go, 672 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:38,200 Speaker 1: if you want to get softwarep on your phone, down 673 00:41:38,239 --> 00:41:41,640 Speaker 1: load of free mobile app to get easy access to articles, podcasts, 674 00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:45,080 Speaker 1: gear reviews, all perfectly format it to your device. Please 675 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:48,279 Speaker 1: subscribe to software dot com to get access to all 676 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:50,840 Speaker 1: our library of e books and our exclusive team or 677 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:55,560 Speaker 1: informs and content available on all your Apple and Android devices. Sir, 678 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:58,720 Speaker 1: thank you for taking the time again with us today. 679 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:02,480 Speaker 1: We appreciate it, and uh all the best of luck 680 00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:05,680 Speaker 1: to you. And you know, one of these days we're 681 00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:08,080 Speaker 1: gonna get back up to Laconi and visit your friends. 682 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:10,279 Speaker 1: Well you come back up here, I'd love to have 683 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,160 Speaker 1: coffee lunch with you. Thank you so much. I love 684 00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:15,239 Speaker 1: Soft Rep. You guys do a lot of great work 685 00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:19,960 Speaker 1: for our for our service members and their families. You 686 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:22,080 Speaker 1: tell it the way it is, You're looking for the truth, 687 00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:26,319 Speaker 1: and I really really appreciate that. All right, sir, thank 688 00:42:26,360 --> 00:42:30,240 Speaker 1: you once again, and uh all the best. DoD bless 689 00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:48,879 Speaker 1: you too. In best of your listeners, thank you been 690 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:51,840 Speaker 1: listening to self Recreate. H