1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: On this episode of Newsworld. My guest today is perhaps 2 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,719 Speaker 1: best known for firing the shots that killed Osama Bin 3 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: Laden in Obadabad, Pakistan, on May second, twenty eleven, as 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: a member of Seal Team six, but that one particular 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:24,799 Speaker 1: mission has perhaps overshadowed his incredible life of service to 6 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: our country. He served almost seventeen years in the US Navy, 7 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: having survived Navy Seal Buds training at the age of 8 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: twenty and then going on to become part of Seal 9 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: Team two, Seal Team four, and Seal Team six. He 10 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: served in over four hundred combat missions in Liberia, the Balkans, 11 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. 12 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: He is the recipient of fifty three decorations, including two 13 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars of Valora, Joints Service Commendation, 14 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:01,120 Speaker 1: Medal of Valor Joints Service, achieve, a Medal of Veller, 15 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: and three Presidential Unit Citations. And he's joining me today 16 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: to discuss his new book, which he co authored with 17 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: fellow veteran Dakota Meyer, The Way Forward. Master Life's toughest 18 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: battles and create your lasting legacy. Robin Dakota described candidly 19 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 1: stories about their lives, the impact of war, and the 20 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: emotional toll that men and women of the military go 21 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 1: through when they return home from battle. I'm really pleased 22 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: to welcome my guest, Robert O'Neill. Rob, Thank you for 23 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: joining me, Thank you for having me. Name mister speaker. 24 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 1: It'spect to be with you. You have had an incredible life. 25 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: You grew up in Montana, you played basketball, and then 26 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,440 Speaker 1: you go from Montana to the Navy. What attracted you? 27 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 1: It was sort of one of those things in life 28 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: where you get to a certain age people say, I 29 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: just got to get out of here, and it doesn't 30 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: matter where here is. For me, it was Montana. I've 31 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: run into people in Virginia, in California that I just 32 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: said the same things, It's just time to get out 33 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: of here. It was topped off by a bad relationship. 34 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,480 Speaker 1: I got dumped by a girl, and I stopped playing 35 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,080 Speaker 1: college basketball, and I went to join the Marine Corps 36 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 1: because I had friends that were in the Marine Corps. 37 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: And as luck would have at the Marine wasn't in 38 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: the office. The Navy guy was. And you know, he 39 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: asked me why I wanted to be there, and I said, 40 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: I want to be a sniper. Marines have the best 41 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: snipers in the world. And he said, look, no further, 42 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: we have snipers in the Navy, and he said, you 43 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: need to become a Navy seal. First. He sort of 44 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: brushed over that part because being from Montana, I really 45 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: didn't know how to swim, but he talked me into it. 46 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,839 Speaker 1: I figured I'll give this a go, and I saw 47 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: some videos after I signed the paperwork. Of course, I 48 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: shipped off to Great Lakes, Illinois for boot camp and 49 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 1: then to San Diego for basic underwater demolition seal training. 50 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: So you're in San Diego and you graduate in ninety seven. 51 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: This is a legendary part of the American system. What 52 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: is seal training like well, Seal training is twenty eight 53 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: weeks from start to finish, but there's a few weeks 54 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: two months before that that they call preparation. But it's 55 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,679 Speaker 1: just more beatings, more runs on the beach, more pushups. 56 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 1: It's a thousand pushups a day, a thousand set ups 57 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: a day, hundreds and hundred of pull ups a day, 58 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: running everywhere, calistenics, obstacle courses, things like that. But A 59 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: standard day would be make sure you're at what we 60 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:20,400 Speaker 1: call the grinder, which is an outdoor concrete slab at 61 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: five am with a full head count. They don't baby you. 62 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: You be here at this time. That'll be an hour 63 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,399 Speaker 1: of calistenics, pullups, everything like that. Even on the grinder 64 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,640 Speaker 1: on four corners there are big boats full of ice water, 65 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 1: just to let you know that, even we're in southern California, 66 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: I can keep you as cold as I want. Then 67 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: you're done with that, you run a mile to breakfast 68 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: and then a mile back, so you run six miles 69 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: a day just to eat and in between breakfast and lunch. 70 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: It's everything from a conditioning run which can be five 71 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: to seven miles, dry off, and then a two mile 72 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: ocean swim, run back to lunch, run back, more calistenics, 73 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: more obstacle courses, run to the pool, and then at 74 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: the pool evolutions you're doing everything from just lap swims 75 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 1: to getting your hands tied behind your back and your 76 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: feet together, getting thrown in for an hour doing that, 77 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: and they're doing a lot of drills like that. The 78 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: point of getting tied up and thrown in the water 79 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: is through negative reinforcement. It's teaching you that panicking is 80 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: not going to help you, so don't panic, just stay calm, 81 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: And they're teaching and stuff like that. But it's basically, 82 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: you wake up at four in the morning, you go 83 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: to bed by eleven pm, and then you do it 84 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 1: again the next day. And that's twenty eight weeks. And 85 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: at the first part a few weeks in it's called 86 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: hell week when they wake you up on Sunday and 87 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: then you do not sleep until Friday. You'll awake the 88 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: entire time they're teaching you. It's called team building where 89 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 1: you have a they call it a boat crew of 90 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: seven men, and you carry a boat on your head 91 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,159 Speaker 1: everywhere you go. Now, everything you do, now there's a 92 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: boat on your head bouncing all over the place. You're 93 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: awake the whole time. And then that's over. And then 94 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: it's by no means it's training over. You continue on. 95 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: It's a long course where about eighty percent of the 96 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:51,919 Speaker 1: people that try out don't make it through. I like 97 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: the phrase that the Navy wants to make sure you're 98 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 1: worth investing in because seal operational training is so expensive, 99 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: and hell a week is a good way to get 100 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: down to the ones who are going to survive it. Yeah, 101 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: that's true too, and normally they're telling you that you're 102 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: never going to make it through. It was after a 103 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: Hell week where I remember an instructors said, now you 104 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: need to remember this that I'm teaching when you get 105 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: to your platoon, which most of you will now because 106 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: you finished Hell week and it's sort of registered, even 107 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: though there's a lot to go. It's like, Wow, they're 108 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 1: gonna sort of believe in us. And you lose the 109 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: majority of the class after Hell Week, most of the 110 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 1: guys will make it through training and make it to 111 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: a seal team. Kish you'd mentioned because you're from Montana, 112 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: at what point did you learn how to swim. I 113 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: didn't ship out the day that I signed. I had 114 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: a few weeks. I was playing college basketball in Montana 115 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:37,840 Speaker 1: Tech and I still had my student ID, which meant 116 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: I could sneak in to the building and use their pool. 117 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 1: And my wife, even to this day, calls me the 118 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 1: luckiest unlucky man in the world because I was in 119 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: there trying to swim one day and I realized I'm 120 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:48,719 Speaker 1: in a lot of trouble. I can't even get to 121 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 1: one end of the pool and a friend of mine 122 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,159 Speaker 1: from high school who ended up swimming at Notre Dames. 123 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: He came in and goes, don't take this the wrong way. 124 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: It's great to see you, but I've literally never seen 125 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: you in the pool. What gives? And I said, I 126 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: just joined the name and I'm gonna be a seal. 127 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 1: He said, no, not like that, you're not. And so 128 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: he taught me the breaststroke in the sidestroke enough where 129 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:08,720 Speaker 1: I could train on it until I shipped out, and 130 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: then I would find times in a little bit of 131 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: Navy training to get into the pool. I would even 132 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,320 Speaker 1: get over to where they would give the test to 133 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: get into seal training and take that twice a week 134 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: just so I could swim that five hundred yards. I 135 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: thought I was proficient until I got to seal training 136 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,839 Speaker 1: where there's collegiate water polo players. There's guys that swam 137 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: for the Naval Academy there, and it's like, Okay, this 138 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: will be the reason I don't make it. I'll fail 139 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: a swim, but I'm not going to quit. I can't quit. 140 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:34,360 Speaker 1: So were you at all tempted to quit during Hell Week? 141 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: I was tempted to quit pretty much every day and 142 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: that's just how it is. It's just getting beyond that. 143 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:41,280 Speaker 1: It's like the whole Bravery is not the absence of fear. 144 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: It's the ability to recognize fear and then push it 145 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: aside and keep doing it. Do it anyway. The best 146 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: advice I got was from an instructor that as soon 147 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: as we got there, he said, I know you've seen 148 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: the movies or read the books. Regardless of what you've 149 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: been told, this course is not impossible. People graduate. Look 150 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: at me. I am living proof. So I will never 151 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: ask you to do anything possible. But I will make 152 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: you do something very hard followed by something very hard, 153 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: followed by something very hard, day after day after day 154 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:08,840 Speaker 1: for eight straight months. And that sounds like a lot 155 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: to get from not to eight months from now, But 156 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: don't think about it that way. That is not how 157 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: you achieve a long term goal. I want you to 158 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: do it like this. Wake up in the morning on time, 159 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: make your bed the right way, and then brush your teeth. 160 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: You just started the day with three wins. That's three victories. 161 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 1: Make it to the five am workout on time, and 162 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: as I'm beating you, don't think about the pain. You 163 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:28,560 Speaker 1: concentrate on your next goal in life, which is breakfast. 164 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: After breakfast, your next goal is lunch. After lunch, make 165 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 1: it to dinner. After dinner, do everything you need to 166 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: do to get back inside that perfectly made bed. And 167 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: because you took the time in the morning to make 168 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: your bed the right way, regardless of how bad today 169 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: was and it will be bad, tomorrow is a clean 170 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: slate and a fresh start. And when you feel like quitting, 171 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,239 Speaker 1: which you will do, not quit right now, that's emotion. 172 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: Quit tomorrow. If you can keep quitting tomorrow, you can 173 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: do anything in life. Which is actually a pretty good 174 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 1: starting point for your book. And what a great lesson 175 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: to remind every entrepreneur or and every person who'd like 176 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: to be successful. Now I'm curious because I didn't realize this, 177 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: but when you finished training as a seal, you then 178 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: go to the US Army Jump School. Yeah, after basic 179 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: seal training you go to Army Jump School. We did 180 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: in my time. Now they've kind of streamlined it to 181 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,240 Speaker 1: where it's in house and they have everybody ready to 182 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: be a seal when you get to your team. But 183 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: before we even got to our teams, before we were 184 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: even Navy seals, they sent us to an Army airborne, 185 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: which was awesome. It was incredible for me because that's 186 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: my first experience working with the army and all I'd 187 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: known was well Navy to this point and then seal training, 188 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:33,680 Speaker 1: and I'd only see an army in like on TV 189 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: or movies, and so I got to see the army 190 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: and like, these are young soldiers, they get a sea 191 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:39,319 Speaker 1: Navy for the first time, and it was a really 192 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,679 Speaker 1: cool experience. Where did you take your airborne training for 193 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:43,600 Speaker 1: betting Georgia? You know, that's how I got to be 194 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,439 Speaker 1: a Georgian. My dad was there. My dad spent twenty 195 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:48,400 Speaker 1: seven years in the infantry. That's right. I knew that. 196 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: And he actually went airborne when he was a grandfather. Seriously, 197 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: Oh yeah. He decided he had to prove himself he 198 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: could do it. After it was over, he tournament, he said, 199 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 1: first time I'm going up, I'm sitting in this plane. 200 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: I'm thinking this plane's gonna land. Why am I jumping 201 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: out of it? Yeah, that's true, but by that stage 202 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: I was in so and we ended up doing so 203 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:12,720 Speaker 1: much jumping. When I got to Seal Team six, I 204 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: probably got over a thousand jomps and we're always training 205 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:16,959 Speaker 1: on because we assumed the ben Lady was going to 206 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,520 Speaker 1: be skydiving again. And one of my sayings was, hey, guys, 207 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: don't worry no matter how bad it goes up there, 208 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: you're gonna land take that with a great Okay. So, 209 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: but then after you've had all that training, when you 210 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 1: actually get to the seal team, you get advanced training 211 00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: for another six to nine months. Yeah, we did. It 212 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: was actually close to a year. A lot of training. 213 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: We went diving in Puerto Rico, we did land warfare 214 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:43,600 Speaker 1: in Virginia. You finished a few of those courses, then 215 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:47,559 Speaker 1: there's a probationary period of drills and exercises and observations 216 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:49,400 Speaker 1: and then an oral board and then you become a 217 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 1: Navy seal. So from start to finish, it took me 218 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: two years to earn the insignia for Naval Special Warfare, 219 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: which is the tried end, and then I became a seal. 220 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 1: Then they put us into a group that's called a platoon, 221 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: and that was sixteen guys, fourteen and list of two officers. 222 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: That group works together for a full year and then 223 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: you did play. So I guess I'd have played a 224 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: little over two years after I joined as a Navy 225 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: seal and we went to Europe because it was pre 226 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 1: nine to eleven, so we were looking for stuff here 227 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 1: and there. There was Bosnia, coast of Old Liberia and 228 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: stuff like that. I'm actually very impressed you ended up 229 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 1: with eleven different areas that you're qualified for, you know, 230 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: from a military free fall jump master on down the list, 231 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 1: so you really can lead in train in a very 232 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: diverse range of capabilities, right, And that was my goal 233 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: that ended up paying off. I wanted to be proficient, 234 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: try to be able to do everything, so instead of 235 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: taking some vacations or some family time, I would volunteer 236 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:43,679 Speaker 1: for the tandem course, or go to sniper school or 237 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: become a Master Naval parachutist. And it turned out to 238 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,559 Speaker 1: be in the long run, you know, sixteen years later, 239 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: when they picked the team to go to bin Laden's house, 240 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: they wanted redundancy. So everybody had this qual this qual 241 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: this qual this qual so if we lose one helicopter, 242 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,840 Speaker 1: the other twelve guys have every single qualification that they 243 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:01,360 Speaker 1: on it and it paid off. I mean, I don't 244 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:03,719 Speaker 1: know where to give credit, but somebody said, wherever you are, 245 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: be there. He served in Seal Team two, Seal Team four, 246 00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:25,719 Speaker 1: and then eight years of Seal Team six, which was 247 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 1: the most famous culturally. What's the difference in the three 248 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:33,440 Speaker 1: seal teams? We call him the conventional teams, and they're 249 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: split up by number. Odd numbers are in California Seal 250 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: Team one, three, five, seven at my time, and then two, four, eight, 251 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: and ten we're in Virginia and six is in Virginia. 252 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: And the only reason this is actually fitting for right now, 253 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: when it first was formed, there was Seal Team one 254 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: in California, Seal Team two in Virginia, and then Richard 255 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:55,199 Speaker 1: Marsenko founded Seal Team six because he knew the Russians 256 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:57,200 Speaker 1: would look at it and say, okay, there's one, two, 257 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: and six, where the hell are three, four and five? 258 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: So six was just smart, that's just really good logical, 259 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: tactical thinking. So six became the counter terror team, the 260 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:08,559 Speaker 1: Tier one unit for the Navy, and that's where the 261 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 1: senior guys went. That's where the counter terror team was. 262 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: It's just sort of worked out. Two and four were 263 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 1: just kind of there, and I did screen to get 264 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 1: to Seal Team six because nine to eleven had just happened, 265 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: and these were guys. Now, you know, we thought we 266 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 1: were doing stuff before, but these are the guys that 267 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: went into Afghanistan first along with Delta and some of 268 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,280 Speaker 1: the Three Letter Agency guys, and we knew they were 269 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: getting in the fight. And this is real stuff, real mountains, 270 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 1: real combat with al Qaeda, if you want to really 271 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: get into it. And again, what a great military we are. 272 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: We don't know how long this is gonna last. So 273 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:37,679 Speaker 1: if you want to fight, you gotta get over there. 274 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,679 Speaker 1: That was my thinking to go over to Seal Team six. 275 00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: So in a way, as Seal Team six, they Navy 276 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: counterparts a Delta Force. Yeah, they're the two to counter 277 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: terrors Communis. Yes, and we worked quite a bit together. 278 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: I mean, I can't say enough good about them. Yeah, 279 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 1: that's gonna say it. It's amazing to go down to 280 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: their training at BRAG. I've been there. I was at 281 00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:57,319 Speaker 1: Seal Team six and I went to Delta's compound and 282 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 1: I remember being starstruck, like, oh well wow, this is 283 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: like Chuck Norris stuff. Now, when I was down there 284 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: years ago, they had this plastic box you could see 285 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:08,959 Speaker 1: in that was clear plastic that had the forty four 286 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 1: thousand rounds that a single delta operator fired in training 287 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: and you began to think, these guys are really serious. 288 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:19,079 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, we shoot a lot. What's nice about the 289 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: Tier one units is if you kind of get what 290 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: you need and the commanders are great senior leaders that 291 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:25,560 Speaker 1: are going to get you what you can get, just 292 00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 1: to make sure you're ready for it and just being 293 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:28,680 Speaker 1: ready for it. We didn't know what it was going 294 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 1: to be until nine to eleven, and it's like, well, 295 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:32,079 Speaker 1: here's what we're doing. You know, we've been training in 296 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: the water, in the jungle forever. Now guess what we're 297 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,120 Speaker 1: going to the mountains. Yeah. It's very interesting because when 298 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: you get to these first rate teams that the British 299 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 1: had the same experience they had. One of their special 300 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:45,880 Speaker 1: groups was actually, I think and Brunei doing jungle warfare 301 00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:48,959 Speaker 1: when the Falkland Islands came down and they literally were 302 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:52,280 Speaker 1: changing clothes between the jungle they'd been fighting in and 303 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:55,559 Speaker 1: going to the South Atlantic because they trained so much, 304 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,679 Speaker 1: they just switched. And I think we're seeing with some 305 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 1: of the problems that the Russians are having right now, 306 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter how much equipment you have if you 307 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 1: don't have training and your team hasn't been operational, and 308 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:09,400 Speaker 1: it doesn't practice all the time, you're gonna have a 309 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: real problem because combat's really complicated. They're learning that right now. 310 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: It's like they're learning what happens when you run out 311 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:17,840 Speaker 1: of food and fuel. Nobody thought of that. What happens 312 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: when Okay, we're gonna blow up the cell towers. Now 313 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: we don't have comps. What are we supposed to do? 314 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: And once you start losing the stuff that we consider comforts, 315 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 1: the morale takes a dive. And when morale's low, nothing's 316 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: gonna work. That's right. Well, so we've had sort of 317 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: the opposite approach. And I noticed that in two thousand 318 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: and five you were part of the rescue for Operation 319 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 1: rend Wing, which extracted the loan survivor, Marcus Latruell. And 320 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: that's an example of where we're so different, because we 321 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:50,160 Speaker 1: take the life of one person really seriously and we 322 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: mount an entire operation to get them back home. What 323 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 1: did I feel like when you realized this guy is 324 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: going to live because we came into god it, well, 325 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: it was complete emotion up and down. I had known 326 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: most of those guys. I knew Dan Healy, who died 327 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 1: on the helicopter went through snipers school with him afuse prior. 328 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 1: I saw him the night before he died and we 329 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,520 Speaker 1: were talking about Sam Adams, talking about Bear and all 330 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:16,320 Speaker 1: this stuff. And then the next day the helicopter goes down. 331 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: We knew the snipers were inserting. And then we'd always 332 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: had these cards that have like your picture and then 333 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: stuff only you would know about yourself, like my first 334 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 1: car was this color of whatever. And that's the first 335 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,560 Speaker 1: time I saw Marcus and we're like, well, we gotta 336 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 1: get this guy. That's when I saw the might of 337 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: not just Special Forces, but the American military. We had everybody. 338 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: We had Navy seals, rangers, there's Green berets, Marines, Air 339 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,080 Speaker 1: Force guys, and walking up the mountain wondering what our 340 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: families were thinking back home because no one's heard from us. 341 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,400 Speaker 1: Had happened so fast, but to watch the entire mission 342 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: just stopped for a while. We were going after Matt 343 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 1: Axelson and Marcus Latrelle. We did find Axes and he 344 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: was killed, but then just to know what everybody did, 345 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:55,160 Speaker 1: I was awake for a few days on the mountain 346 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:57,200 Speaker 1: and we were going down into the valley when rangers 347 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: came in and they pulled Marcus out, and it was 348 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 1: just a feeling of pride of everyone, from the female 349 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:04,440 Speaker 1: a ten pilots that came in on runs to shoot 350 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: at Taliban, which is incredible, to the pilots that are 351 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,120 Speaker 1: flying the helicopters, the rangers that got out. You're in 352 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: a spot where a helicopter had just been shot down 353 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: and we lost everybody on it. You're gonna still go 354 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: in and get one guy, and they got him. At 355 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: that point, it was obviously tragic to lose so many 356 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: great Americans, but they pulled Marcus out. It was we 357 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: can do this well. The fact that we care enough 358 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: to come get you, I think strengthens the morale of everybody. Oh, 359 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 1: it definitely does. They're not being left behind. And we'd 360 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: been saying that forever, no man left behind, but not 361 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: since Mogadishu have we really proven it like that Atman 362 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: Jessica Lynch, so you were also part of the mission 363 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: to rescue Captain Richard Phillips when his boat was hijacked him. 364 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,560 Speaker 1: I think that became a movie. What was that experience 365 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: like and when were you called into that mission? I 366 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 1: got called in from Virginia. It was my birthday. It 367 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: was good Friday, April tenth, two thousand and nine, and 368 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 1: I was at my daughter's Easter tea party at her preschool, 369 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: and so we were getting treats for the kids. We 370 00:16:56,400 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: thought it would be cute to put the kids in 371 00:16:57,840 --> 00:16:59,600 Speaker 1: the center of the room. We'll get treats and bring 372 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: them back. And I had a pink plate in my hand, 373 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: and I'm walking cookies and smiley face cupcakes to my 374 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 1: daughter and I get a message. We were using pagers 375 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:09,320 Speaker 1: at the time, and I recognize the code Captain Phillips. 376 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,120 Speaker 1: They're calling you to go get him now. So my 377 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 1: team is getting called to go get him right now. 378 00:17:14,359 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 1: Seal Team six was designed to rescue American hostas at sea. 379 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,679 Speaker 1: It had never been done. This is over twenty five years, 380 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,400 Speaker 1: not once. And we'd been selling that by the time 381 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: we get the call in a certain amount of hours, 382 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: we'll be wheels up and we'll be anywhere in the 383 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: world in twenty four hours. And we trained on it, 384 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,119 Speaker 1: but never done it. Everything you need is there, and 385 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,639 Speaker 1: so everything from the boats having the parachutes backed in 386 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,240 Speaker 1: by the CVS onto the C seventeens that had just 387 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:39,240 Speaker 1: been flown up by the Air Force. I remember the 388 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:41,120 Speaker 1: commanding officer was on there. He's looking at his watch 389 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,680 Speaker 1: and we're like fifty nine minutes and we're counting up, 390 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:47,199 Speaker 1: like if fifty five seconds to the hour, wheels up, 391 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:49,200 Speaker 1: so he gets the color back and his face gets 392 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: to keep his job. And now we're taken off. And 393 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:54,360 Speaker 1: we had thought as a team, even before I got there, 394 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 1: we had thought of everything, everything from cruise liners to 395 00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:59,680 Speaker 1: yachts to submarines, how to rescue. We had never thought 396 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: of fully engulfed orange lifeboat being towed by a Navy destroyer. 397 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: So we've got a certain amount of hours and we're 398 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:08,480 Speaker 1: just looking at everyone, all right, think of something. We'll 399 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 1: make a list, we'll start crossing off the bad ones, 400 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:12,359 Speaker 1: whatever one we get to. That's what we're gonna do 401 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: when we get there. And we had no idea what 402 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: we're gonna do. We came with some plans. We ended 403 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 1: up jumping into the ussbox or we stayed from there. 404 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: In the movie, there were snipers on the back of 405 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: the ship that took shots after three two one execute. 406 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: That's not what happened, And we didn't jump in there 407 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,439 Speaker 1: to kill those guys. We put snipers down to watch 408 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: them make sure nothing unsafe happens in that boat as 409 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,159 Speaker 1: we prepared for the rescue. As we're preparing for the rescue, 410 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 1: something unsafe happened, and they shot without telling each other, 411 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:40,399 Speaker 1: but they took the shots. And what's cool about that. 412 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:44,040 Speaker 1: We're talking about logistics earlier. These three snipers were in 413 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:47,120 Speaker 1: their own beds in Virginia four days before this, and 414 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:49,800 Speaker 1: we'd never done this in over twenty five years. It's 415 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,440 Speaker 1: a long weekend. We could skip work and drink beer, 416 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: and they could side in their guns on Tuesday, so 417 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: their guns did not need to be sited in for 418 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: the most difficult shots of their lives. But their guns 419 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:02,880 Speaker 1: were sighted in for the most difficult shots of their lives. 420 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:05,440 Speaker 1: And that's just how cool these guys were. So then, 421 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: of course, the most famous thing you involved in was 422 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: Operation Neptune Spear to go in and get in Lauden, 423 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:16,200 Speaker 1: which I think, was frankly, probably as gutsy a decision 424 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 1: as President Obama made, because there were some people who 425 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:21,240 Speaker 1: wanted to just go in and bomb the place, and 426 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 1: they kept pointing out yet and then you'll never know 427 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 1: for sure. And if you don't know for sure, he'll 428 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:29,160 Speaker 1: remain a legend. And so you guys were sent in 429 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: to Pakistan without having told the packs at a time 430 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:36,760 Speaker 1: when there was a real danger that the Pakistanis would 431 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: react negatively, and you pulled it off. But part of 432 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:46,399 Speaker 1: that was, as I understand it, controversial because there was 433 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,919 Speaker 1: a sense that you should not have discussed the mission 434 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,359 Speaker 1: or talked about what you did on the mission. But 435 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:55,680 Speaker 1: it was more complicated than that, as I understid it. 436 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,360 Speaker 1: So what was the whole circumstance of just your describing 437 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 1: the mission. Well, when we got in, we got him. 438 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:04,119 Speaker 1: Obviously everything went wrong, but people did what they were 439 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:06,479 Speaker 1: supposed to do and we got out. And when we 440 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:08,560 Speaker 1: got back, I remember thinking, you know, we're going to 441 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:11,920 Speaker 1: be the best friends forever. This team. We went to 442 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,200 Speaker 1: get debrief, we saw President Obama say that tonight that 443 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:16,200 Speaker 1: I can report to the American people the world of 444 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 1: the United States conduct operation to kill the Song in Laden. 445 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:20,600 Speaker 1: Then we went to shower up, and we went to 446 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:22,080 Speaker 1: a spot where we could have a cigar and check 447 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:24,120 Speaker 1: our email, and the name Seal Team six was all 448 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:26,840 Speaker 1: over everything and we didn't realize that, and that's when 449 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,159 Speaker 1: the discomfort started. We all thought we were going to 450 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,360 Speaker 1: take that to our graves. We got back, and that's 451 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:34,720 Speaker 1: a secret that no one could keep. Everyone already knew 452 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:37,239 Speaker 1: what happened, because even when we're overseas, someone would say, well, 453 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: who got him, and they'd be like, well, don't say anything. 454 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:40,439 Speaker 1: That kind of spread that way. By the time we 455 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:44,880 Speaker 1: got back to Virginia, my name personally was in Virginia Beach, California, DC, 456 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 1: and New York and it just sort of spread from there, 457 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:50,800 Speaker 1: and then I decided eventually it's time to get out. Well, 458 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,439 Speaker 1: after Extortion one seven was shot down August six, we 459 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: lost thirty one Americans. I did one more deployment with 460 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:58,959 Speaker 1: Seal Team six over to Afghanistan, and I told him 461 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: on the deployment, I'm gonna get out. I got out. 462 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:03,639 Speaker 1: This is long story, short stuff. And I donated a 463 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:07,680 Speaker 1: shirt to the nine to eleven Museum Memorial anonymously. But 464 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:09,639 Speaker 1: when I was given the shirt, there was thirty so 465 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: families in the room where they wanted me to tell 466 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 1: them what happened. They had all had loved ones die 467 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: on you know, the worst day American history. Basically, I 468 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:18,639 Speaker 1: told them the ben Laden story for the first time 469 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:21,960 Speaker 1: and I could see their response, and what they told 470 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:23,840 Speaker 1: me is, you know they will never be closure, but 471 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 1: this helps with the healing to have a real name 472 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,639 Speaker 1: and a real face with this mission. And I decided, well, 473 00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:30,679 Speaker 1: if I can help them, I could probably help thousands 474 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:32,879 Speaker 1: of other people. And so I decided to get a 475 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 1: transcript together and submit it through the Pentagon, through the 476 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: chain of command, because I've always thought, if you have 477 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:41,720 Speaker 1: something you want to tell, anything in the military submitted 478 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:43,159 Speaker 1: to do it the right way. The powers that be 479 00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: will decide from each department whether or not you're violating 480 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: tactics or putting anyone into danger, and if not, and 481 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 1: you have a story to tell, you know you can 482 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:52,000 Speaker 1: tell it. And that's kind of what I went through 483 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,280 Speaker 1: with everything. When my speaking career started, I wouldn't talk 484 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: about them been loden rate until the book was approved. 485 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: My name got leaked long before I wrote a book. 486 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 1: And at some of those things where you need to 487 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:02,880 Speaker 1: be prepared for, I had been training my daughter since 488 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:05,560 Speaker 1: I was in the Navy. We're talking four years old, 489 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: how to take their ticket in an airport, find where 490 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:10,520 Speaker 1: you're flying, which gate to go to. Just in case 491 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 1: someone comes up to me, I can meet you there. 492 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 1: And we were in an airport I think it was 493 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:17,520 Speaker 1: Charlotte when my name leaked and it was everywhere, and 494 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:19,159 Speaker 1: I was not even used to the limelight, and they 495 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: knew right away. They had scarves were put them over 496 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:22,359 Speaker 1: their face, and they met me at the gate, and 497 00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:24,679 Speaker 1: I had to find a place close enough to Virginia 498 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: where they lived, where their mom could pick him up. 499 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:28,920 Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean, that's a very abridged version. But 500 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: you know, I'm happy that everyone in the American military 501 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 1: history in the past had a biographer with him. I'm 502 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,200 Speaker 1: glad it was approved. I'm glad they told the story 503 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:37,320 Speaker 1: so we can learn from it. Yeah, well, I think 504 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: that's an important part of it. And the rate itself. Man, 505 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: it was in fact a close run thing because that 506 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,439 Speaker 1: didn't we lose one of the helicopters going in, and 507 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,240 Speaker 1: that the way it ended up hitting the wall, Yeah, 508 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:51,360 Speaker 1: that was because of one of the pilots. He decided 509 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: to do that. Now I'm not a pilot, but he 510 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,000 Speaker 1: explained some sort of effect with an updraft, and we'd 511 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 1: been training on chain link fences, not the mud walls, 512 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,760 Speaker 1: and he felt something. However, pilots, pilots are amazing. They 513 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:04,440 Speaker 1: don't get enough credit. Nearly. He felt something, he said, 514 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:06,600 Speaker 1: a junior pilot would have tried to power up, and 515 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 1: that would have rolled it. He knew if he turned it, 516 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: he could probably put the tail on the fence and 517 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 1: pin it into the ground. And he made this decision 518 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:17,160 Speaker 1: that fast, and he saved everyone's lives in the helicopter. 519 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 1: And the only reason I got to where I was 520 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 1: is because our pilots. I was supposed to go to 521 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,399 Speaker 1: the roof with my team. This pilot saw him and 522 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:26,920 Speaker 1: then he put us down and without telling us, he's 523 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,080 Speaker 1: just saying it's time to go from here. And that's 524 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,240 Speaker 1: the whole thing. That life happens around you while you're 525 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,520 Speaker 1: planning for something else. Yeah, and that's part of why 526 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 1: you need the training. Oh definitely, so that you can 527 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:38,960 Speaker 1: instinctively react and know what you're doing. You need to 528 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 1: be prepared. That's why it's very important, I think, no 529 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: matter what you're doing, master the basics. Just master the basics. 530 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 1: If you want to be good, do something a thousand times. 531 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:47,960 Speaker 1: If you want to be really good, do a ten 532 00:23:47,960 --> 00:24:06,120 Speaker 1: thousand times. You wrote a New York Times bestselling book 533 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 1: called The Operator Firing the Shots that killed Osama Bin 534 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: Laden and my years as a Seal Team warrior. But 535 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,640 Speaker 1: then talking with Dakota Meyer, you had a whole new 536 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: approach to take in the lessons you've learned out of 537 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 1: life and offering them up in a way that people 538 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:27,159 Speaker 1: can learn for their own lives. This new book the 539 00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:32,920 Speaker 1: Way Forward, master life's toughest battles and create your lasting legacy. 540 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:36,440 Speaker 1: First of all, what led you to decide to write it? Well, 541 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:38,960 Speaker 1: Dakota and I have been friends for a long time. 542 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:42,120 Speaker 1: It all started off with a conversation of how did 543 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 1: it do that couldn't swim from Montana end up at 544 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,600 Speaker 1: Seal Team six in min Lan's bedroom? And how did 545 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:48,760 Speaker 1: a guy who played football but was also a male 546 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 1: cheerleader raising chickens and a Medal of Honor recipient for 547 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 1: a horrible hand to hand fight in Afghanistan. Then all 548 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,159 Speaker 1: of a sudden, we're in the limelight. We started to 549 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,639 Speaker 1: realize that we're all kind of cut from the same cloth, 550 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 1: that we all start somewhere and we end up going somewhere, 551 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,439 Speaker 1: And the only thing that we have in common is 552 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 1: the clock keeps ticking. So if you hold a grudge, 553 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 1: the only person you're hurting is yourself. So don't live 554 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,920 Speaker 1: in the past, learn from the past, and then whatever 555 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: it is, get over it and move forward. And we 556 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,119 Speaker 1: started talking about that, even like the CEO of a 557 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: major company has had his first day and he kept 558 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:24,360 Speaker 1: moving forward. It's even like when I get interviewed now, 559 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:26,640 Speaker 1: they'll say so, former Navy seal, and they say, oh, sorry, 560 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,879 Speaker 1: once a Navy seal, always a navycal I'll say, no, 561 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 1: I was a Navy seal and now I'm not. I 562 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:33,359 Speaker 1: was in high school, but I'm not a high school student. 563 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,480 Speaker 1: You keep moving forward, you know, as much as fun 564 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: as like Napoleon Dynamite is and everybody loves Uncle Rico, 565 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: you can't keep living about how if coach would have 566 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:41,639 Speaker 1: put me in? Now, what do we do? What's the 567 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,200 Speaker 1: way forward? And we started talking about and it gets 568 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:46,679 Speaker 1: pretty deep as far as one of my sayings in 569 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:49,159 Speaker 1: the book is it's a large planet, but it's a 570 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:51,919 Speaker 1: small world, meaning we all have a lot in common. 571 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,679 Speaker 1: And as far as a combat vet, the further I 572 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,640 Speaker 1: get away from combat and Dakota is the same way, 573 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: the more it means. And we start thinking about some 574 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 1: of the guys that we've killed. Bild we didn't even 575 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: know each other. I don't know this guy, he doesn't 576 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:06,320 Speaker 1: know me, and now we're fighting because we're born on 577 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: different parts of the earth. And then you get deeper 578 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:10,920 Speaker 1: in your own soul, like, Okay, if I didn't meet 579 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: him in Ramadi, Iraq and we met in a coffee 580 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 1: shop in France, would we have had a laugh together? 581 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: And it just really gets kind of deep. And it's 582 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:21,760 Speaker 1: almost like a humanity thing, like no one ever thinks 583 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 1: they're the bad guy. So I think a lot of us, 584 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 1: other than what we're taught, we have a lot more 585 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: in common as people than we realize. Well, I mean, 586 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: I notice so that you start the book with an 587 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:36,880 Speaker 1: analogy of the simple instructions for a Claymore mine. First 588 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:39,040 Speaker 1: of all, tell people what a clay More mine is. 589 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:42,399 Speaker 1: So a Claymore mine is an anti personnel mine, and 590 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: it's kind of concave. And there's C four, which is 591 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:47,879 Speaker 1: a high explosive eight hundred ball bearings, and the ways 592 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,120 Speaker 1: design is once the C four goes off the ball 593 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:52,680 Speaker 1: bearing shoot out at the enemy and you have to 594 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 1: figure so a bullet goes twenty eight hundred feet per second, 595 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,080 Speaker 1: These go like twenty thousand feet percent something crazy. So 596 00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: it can seem complex. But we put on the front 597 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:03,679 Speaker 1: of it three words front toward enemy, and then on 598 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 1: the back we have one word. It says back. That's 599 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,399 Speaker 1: as simple as you keep it for an enemy. So 600 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 1: for me it's actually turned in. Well, I have hoodies 601 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:13,119 Speaker 1: and stuff that say front toward enemy. On the back 602 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:14,919 Speaker 1: they say back, they say nice hoodie, and say no, 603 00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:16,920 Speaker 1: it's not a hoodie. It's an instruction manual as to 604 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:19,159 Speaker 1: how to wear a hoodie. And it became more of 605 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 1: a life thing. If you have a problem in life 606 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:23,640 Speaker 1: again mastering the basics, how should I face it? Well, 607 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 1: face the enemy frontward enemy. That's actually pretty good because 608 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:32,119 Speaker 1: obviously for anybody who didn't understand that, they wouldn't have 609 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 1: been around for the second practice. Even get more complex. 610 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: There's an army manual inside of it, and there's stuff 611 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:41,399 Speaker 1: like dudes and don'ts, like a green circle in the 612 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:43,680 Speaker 1: red X. There's a picture of a guy laying down 613 00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:45,280 Speaker 1: with a claim or mine above his head and he 614 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 1: put in a tree and there's an X. And he 615 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,200 Speaker 1: started to think, so somebody probably did that. Now, I 616 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: when you to tell you this is a bad idea, 617 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:56,600 Speaker 1: that's right. So you also talk about learning from hobbies 618 00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 1: and then learning from sports, something which I really believe 619 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:02,600 Speaker 1: it is very, very true, and we don't talk about enough. 620 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:07,160 Speaker 1: Tell us why you and Dakota thought that was important 621 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,760 Speaker 1: to tell people about learning from sports and how that 622 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: affects your life. Well, I didn't realize it at the 623 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: time I mentioned earlier. If you wanted to do something well, 624 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: thousand times great, ten, excellent, one hundred thousand. I learned 625 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: that from my father. He and I would play basketball 626 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: and one rule that we had, no matter how long, 627 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:27,600 Speaker 1: if we played two three hours, two on two or 628 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:30,600 Speaker 1: five on five, whatever, we couldn't leave the gym until 629 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: one of us made twenty free throws in a row. 630 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,119 Speaker 1: And we had the first rule was you start with 631 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 1: a make and then you shoot until you miss without 632 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 1: you know, like you do your routine like three dribbles, backspins, 633 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: shoot you make it, you stay there, Grabbit shoot, grabbit 634 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:45,000 Speaker 1: shoot because you learn a muscle memory. If you miss, 635 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,960 Speaker 1: your next guy's in and we would stay there. If 636 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 1: it took another three hours, one of us needs to 637 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: make twenty in a row, and we did every night. 638 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: When my season started, it would be twenty to get 639 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 1: out of the gym, and then twenty to have a 640 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: steak at the Derby, which is an excellent steakhouse in Viewed, Montana. 641 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:01,719 Speaker 1: So we would make twenty. If we made twenty there 642 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 1: you get the stake. But then the steak goes up 643 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 1: by five. So that was twenty, and then twenty five, 644 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,000 Speaker 1: and then it is twenty and thirty forty. And we 645 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 1: got to a point where my father made ninety one 646 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: free throws in a row, which is incredible, and that 647 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,239 Speaker 1: was the family record for about a week because then 648 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: I made one hundred and five in a row. But 649 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,720 Speaker 1: what we were learning there was just the muscle mary, 650 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 1: like even to this day, if I'm watching, like it's 651 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:23,680 Speaker 1: almost March Madness, when I'm watching the guys shoot a 652 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: free throw and he makes the first and he leaves 653 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: the free throw line to shake hands, like dude, you 654 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: made it. You're good. Stay there and make the second. 655 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: Then tell everyone how awesome you are. Get congratulated because 656 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 1: you did it what you're supposed to do. But I 657 00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:36,120 Speaker 1: learned the muscle memory there, which is do everything like 658 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 1: you do anything, like anything you're good at, keep doing 659 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: it that way. What am I doing right? What am 660 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:42,960 Speaker 1: I doing wrong and again, master the basics and the 661 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:44,760 Speaker 1: rest will fall on the line. So I think it's 662 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:47,040 Speaker 1: important to learn muscle memory with what you're doing. That 663 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:49,760 Speaker 1: comes with shooting, it comes with driving, but also the 664 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: team effort. Like I played basketball, Dakota played football. I'll 665 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,560 Speaker 1: talk to football teams now about team One thing that 666 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,560 Speaker 1: I tell people is it goes along with getting over it. 667 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,760 Speaker 1: Like when the helicopter crashed in ben Laden's house and 668 00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: I didn't know the team was in there, but they 669 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: opened the door. It doesn't matter why we're here. Okay, 670 00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: we're just here. Now what When I talk to football teams, 671 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 1: I tell them, look, guys, it doesn't matter why it's 672 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:15,080 Speaker 1: second and fifteen. It just is what do we do 673 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:17,400 Speaker 1: now the clock's ticking. We can talk about it well 674 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 1: as opposed to saying we can talk about it if 675 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: we live, we can talk about it in films. Stop arguing, 676 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 1: you miss your assignment. Get over it? What do we 677 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:27,440 Speaker 1: do now? I do notice, correct me if I'm wrong. 678 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 1: But you tend to emphasize more on building up your 679 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 1: strength and focusing on the positive, not trying to get 680 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: rid of the negative. Focus on the positive. But you 681 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:39,479 Speaker 1: learn from the negative. I don't think you learn much 682 00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: from positive. You learn it from failure. And it's okay 683 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,680 Speaker 1: to fail, It's okay to be afraid. That's where you learn. 684 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 1: I haven't met a lot of people that said, yeah, 685 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: nail it on the first try. Here I am. I 686 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,480 Speaker 1: think it's important to once you get something good, keep 687 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:53,440 Speaker 1: doing it that way. I mean, keep doing that way 688 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,280 Speaker 1: unless you come up with a more efficient way to 689 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:57,240 Speaker 1: do it, then keep doing it that way. I'm convinced 690 00:30:57,280 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: I become a worst golfer the more I haven't instructor 691 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 1: teach me. But he teased to be the right way, 692 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: But now I need to do this a thousand times now. 693 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,240 Speaker 1: He's like the way you hold the club to feel awkward. Yes, 694 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:08,680 Speaker 1: well you're doing it right, Okay, I gotta get used 695 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,120 Speaker 1: to this now. The worst thing I think you can 696 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 1: say when you're running a team is this is the 697 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:16,120 Speaker 1: way we've always done it. But you need to get 698 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 1: to a point where you're not taking a shortcut, because shortcuts, 699 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 1: like success, causes complacency, and complacency will get you killed. 700 00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: And I'll say, in combat, people die because they get bored. 701 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:29,320 Speaker 1: You know, we used to do things a certain way 702 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,000 Speaker 1: and it would take a long long time to get 703 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:32,960 Speaker 1: to our objective. But we're doing it that way because 704 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,120 Speaker 1: it's important and it's the safest way to do it. 705 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:37,000 Speaker 1: But if you start to cut up, well, you know 706 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:38,600 Speaker 1: we can skip this step and get there. And I've 707 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:41,160 Speaker 1: seen it happen where instead of you know, having the 708 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:44,080 Speaker 1: helicopter drop you off five kilometers away, you want them 709 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:45,960 Speaker 1: to drop you two and now the enemy can hear you. 710 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,000 Speaker 1: We decided that five was the place to be. Now 711 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: we do it two. Now everyone's awake, but you're not 712 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: in place. And that's how it spirals. If someone comes 713 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:54,920 Speaker 1: up with a better way, fine, but keep following your rules. 714 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,120 Speaker 1: The rules are there for a reason. My wife works 715 00:31:57,160 --> 00:31:59,200 Speaker 1: in the power line industry, and I'll talk to the 716 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:00,760 Speaker 1: lineman that get up on the polls and work with 717 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,000 Speaker 1: the power lines, and I'll say, you know, your boss, 718 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: he doesn't have you up here just so you can 719 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:07,480 Speaker 1: work ten hour days. It's because this is the best 720 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:10,800 Speaker 1: way to do it. And I'll ask them, now, when 721 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 1: was the last time there was a fatality or a 722 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:15,200 Speaker 1: major injury. I guarantee you at the job site there 723 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:17,440 Speaker 1: was that big sign that says five hundred days with 724 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:20,200 Speaker 1: incident free and then someone gets hurt on five oh 725 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 1: one because you know they're up on the poll, and 726 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:25,280 Speaker 1: I forgot my safety gloves. But it's gonna take me 727 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: twenty five minutes to get down and forty to get up. 728 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 1: It's a quarter turn. I'll just knock that out. But 729 00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:32,160 Speaker 1: you're still dealing with electricity. One last thing. You talk 730 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:35,760 Speaker 1: on the book about childhood heroes. Who were your childhood 731 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:38,960 Speaker 1: heroes and what did you learn from them? My childhood 732 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,480 Speaker 1: heroes obviously my father. I talked to him this morning. 733 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,680 Speaker 1: We still talk. He's seventy four, and it's great because 734 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:45,520 Speaker 1: I can hear him pasting. We talked to each other still. 735 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:47,960 Speaker 1: The one I mentioned in the book was Michael Jordan, 736 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:50,160 Speaker 1: and that was the reason I got into basketball, just 737 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,680 Speaker 1: because I remember watching his documentary called Come Fly with Me. 738 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,080 Speaker 1: And this is you know VHS if you had a 739 00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:58,719 Speaker 1: VCR you were rich, and my cousin let me watch it. 740 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 1: The first scene is him alone in the gym dribbling 741 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: a ball. The greatest basketball player in the history. He 742 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:05,240 Speaker 1: wasn't at the time, but he was going to be 743 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,600 Speaker 1: just by the work ethic. How he was explaining how 744 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: he's got to keep getting better. He's got to keep working, 745 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 1: he's got to keep doing this. This is before Michael 746 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:14,520 Speaker 1: Jordan was MJ you know, but yeah, just growing up 747 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: watching him. I remember I was mad at my father, 748 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 1: who flew us the four kids from Montana to Orlando, 749 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:22,920 Speaker 1: and I was angry the entire flight because the Bulls 750 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 1: had finally made it to the finals. This is Game 751 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:26,440 Speaker 1: one against the Lakers, and I have to fly to 752 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: Disney World. I'm complaining about that. That's wild. Why do 753 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,960 Speaker 1: you think it's important for people in general to find heroes? 754 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 1: It's important to look up to people, But I also 755 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 1: say don't ever meet your heroes, because you're going to 756 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 1: realize that we're all just people too. And it's okay 757 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 1: to respect the way someone works, but I don't think 758 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:45,800 Speaker 1: you should elevate someone too high up there. But there's 759 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 1: nothing wrong with finding someone who's successful in something that 760 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,120 Speaker 1: you love and not necessarily admiring them, but admiring what 761 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,600 Speaker 1: they did to get there. I think if that makes sense, Yep, 762 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:56,560 Speaker 1: it makes a lot of sense. Listen. I want to 763 00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:59,160 Speaker 1: thank you for joining me, and thank you for your 764 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: service to our country. You've done a remarkable amount for 765 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,800 Speaker 1: our national security and for our safety as Americans in 766 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:08,279 Speaker 1: the seventeen years you served him frankly since then, as 767 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:11,319 Speaker 1: you continue to serve in a new and different way, 768 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:13,880 Speaker 1: And I really think your candor about your service in 769 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:17,400 Speaker 1: the book is important for people to read, and certainly 770 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:19,600 Speaker 1: for the men and women of the military who return 771 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: home from battle and may be struggling. I think it's 772 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:24,520 Speaker 1: an important book for them to read too. So I'm 773 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,440 Speaker 1: encouraging our listeners to pick up a copy of The 774 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:32,600 Speaker 1: Way Forward, Master Life's Toughest Battles and create your lasting legacy. 775 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,439 Speaker 1: It'll be on our show page with a link. And Rob, 776 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,080 Speaker 1: I'm really grateful to you as an American for what 777 00:34:38,200 --> 00:34:41,000 Speaker 1: you've done for your country. Well, mister speaker, I appreciate 778 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:42,480 Speaker 1: you have me and believe me, I thank you for 779 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:49,160 Speaker 1: what you've done for our country. Thank you to my guests. 780 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:52,360 Speaker 1: Robert O'Neill. You get a link to buy his new book, 781 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 1: The Way Forward, Master Life's Toughest Battles and create your 782 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:00,960 Speaker 1: lasting legacy on our show page. That news world dot com. 783 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 1: News World is produced by Gingwide three sixty and iHeartMedia. 784 00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:09,680 Speaker 1: Our executive producer is Garnsey Slope. Our producer is Rebecca 785 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:14,000 Speaker 1: Howell and our researcher is Rachel Peterson. The artwork for 786 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:18,279 Speaker 1: the show was created by Steve Penley. Special thanks to 787 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:22,000 Speaker 1: the team at Gingwig three sixty. If you've been enjoying Newtsworld, 788 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: I hope you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate 789 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,239 Speaker 1: us with five stars and give us a review so 790 00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,960 Speaker 1: others can learn what it's all about. Right now, listeners 791 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:35,600 Speaker 1: of Newtsworld can sign up from my three free weekly 792 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:40,600 Speaker 1: columns at Gingwish three sixty dot com slash newsletter. I'm 793 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:42,839 Speaker 1: Newt Gingridge. This is news World.