1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:03,880 Speaker 1: I only told was able to tell my story through 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: song because I met a guy at a bar who's 3 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: doing a writer's round and he has nine number one hits. 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,639 Speaker 1: I think he wrote Alan Jackson's first number one here 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: in the Free World. And I said, Hey, I've been 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: trying to tell my story through song for a year 7 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:20,639 Speaker 1: and I just can't write. I can't put Luke on 8 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: a pedestal he needs to be on. If I come 9 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: to you in Nashville, just drive down there, will you 10 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: sit with me and help me tell my story? Because 11 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: there's got to be easier way to do this than 12 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: me trying on my own. You obviously doing this for 13 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: a living. And he said yeah to me and nobody 14 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: from Chicago just like okay, And I didn't know how 15 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: big of a deal. 16 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 2: That actually was. 17 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: Two months later, I come down there and we write 18 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: a song and a half in like three hours. So 19 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: the first hour and a half we had a song, 20 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: and I'm sitting here, I've been trying this for a 21 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 1: whole year and you took my words and put it 22 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: in a song an hour and a half. 23 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 2: This is insane. 24 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: So now that experience on top of me graduating and 25 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: being like I'm almost back to normal. Was like, how 26 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: do I now just bring veterans to Nashville to tell 27 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: their story because it absolutely saved my life. 28 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 3: Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. 29 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 3: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, a father, an entrepreneur, 30 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 3: and I've been a football coach in inner city Memphis. 31 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 3: And the last part, somehow it led to an oscar 32 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 3: for the film about our team, it's called Undefeated. I 33 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 3: believe our country's problems will never be solved by a 34 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 3: bunch of fancy people in nice suits talking big words 35 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 3: that nobody ever uses on CNN and Fox, but rather 36 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 3: an army of normal folks, US just you and me deciding, hey, 37 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 3: maybe I can help. That's what Richard Casper, the voice 38 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 3: we just heard is done. Richard is a marine who 39 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 3: served in a rock and was subject to four ied 40 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 3: explosions and concussions and his best friend being shot and 41 00:01:56,840 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 3: killed literally right next to him. He came home dealing 42 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 3: with a lot physically, mentally and emotionally, and art and 43 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 3: music helped him heal and ultimately it saved his life. 44 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 3: Richard felt called to bring the secret weapon of healing 45 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 3: to his fellow veterans and this year alone, his nonprofit 46 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 3: Creative Thats will serve over eight hundred veterans and they've 47 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 3: helped save countless lives. I cannot wait for you to 48 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:35,920 Speaker 3: meet Richard right after these brief messages from our general sponsors. 49 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 3: Richard Casper, Welcome to Memphis. 50 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 2: Hey, thanks for having me. 51 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 3: Thanks for driving down. Was it raining a little bit? 52 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:51,359 Speaker 2: It wasn't too much? 53 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 3: Yeah, but what three hour drive? 54 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 2: Yeah? 55 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: Yeah? 56 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 3: Richard Casper now from Nashville, but originally from a place 57 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 3: called Washburn. I feel like that's like a he haw salute. 58 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: It's a small I mean, it's eleven hundred people and 59 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: it's a farming community and it's just we have a 60 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: highway running through it. But like nobody's ever on the highway. 61 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: We had one police officer and a lot of times 62 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: they were off like they just have a shift, Like, hey, 63 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: we'll be here on the weekends. So if you got 64 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: into trouble, which we did, they have to call the 65 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: State ride to come up. And you knew it was 66 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: gonna be forty five minutes for anybody got there. 67 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 3: What did your dad did? 68 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 2: So he was a truck driver. 69 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: When I was born, we lived in East Peoria area, 70 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: which is obviously bigger, and then they moved out to Washburn. 71 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: I don't know why, just to get away. We grew 72 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: up on food stands, very poor family, where my mom 73 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: was working for like a grocery store, and then finally 74 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: got into Metamore Woodworking, which is owned by Hallmark. Worked 75 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: there for twenty five years because she didn't have a 76 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: degree or anything. My dad didn't have a degree. He 77 00:03:45,480 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: was in the Navy prior, but he was just a 78 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: long haul truck driver. And so we found a really 79 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: really cheap spot because I have four three siblings and 80 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: so there's six of us in one little house, three 81 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: bedroom house with a lot of space, and so they 82 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: just want to move out to the country. And I 83 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: don't know how they found Washburn, because I. 84 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 3: Know anybody Washburne, Illinois. I feel like it's like the 85 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 3: place with one street light or one four way stop 86 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 3: or whatever. 87 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: No stop, no stoplights at all, like you legit, it's 88 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: six churches, two bars. 89 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 2: No. 90 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: Well, now we just got a dollar general for that 91 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: was the first one ever two years ago. But yeah, 92 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: it was there was nothing. It's one square mile by one. 93 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: It's one square mile one by one. 94 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 3: So your high school must have been small. 95 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,400 Speaker 1: Twenty two kids in my graduating class. 96 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 3: I was prom king they even have a football team. 97 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: We had in my sophomore year we had a co 98 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,239 Speaker 1: op with like five other schools, which was funny story 99 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: because they put us in a whole nother division that 100 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: we shouldn't even have been in because it was like 101 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: they took the calculation of all the schools students, but 102 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: they didn't take in a calculation that it's five schools 103 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: and they're getting like two people over here, two people 104 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 1: over here. So I was every single kicker and tight 105 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:55,679 Speaker 1: end and defensive end on both the defense and offense. 106 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 3: So uh so that's a bunch of kids you didn't 107 00:04:58,520 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 3: go to school. 108 00:04:59,040 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, one hundred percent. 109 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: And so in my sophomore years when we finally got football, 110 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 1: and I was the first time, and I think since 111 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: then they disbanded it too. 112 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 3: Wow. So rule, yeah, very rule. You know in the forties, 113 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:20,480 Speaker 3: that meant church kids around the supper table, eating, a 114 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 3: working mom or a working dad, a mom at home 115 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 3: mending clothes, and not much money, but you know, kind 116 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 3: of a wholesome family upbringing. Somehow in our world that 117 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 3: has morphed to communities that have a lot of hopelessness, 118 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 3: typically alcoholism and drug use and a lot of loss. 119 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 3: The you know, one big manufacturing plant that everybody went 120 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 3: to work at. Those don't really exist in a lot 121 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 3: of places and have left a vacuum of hope and income. 122 00:05:56,839 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 3: And I'm curious, is that Washburn? 123 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean we never had that big company come 124 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: in to Washburn, but it was fifteen minute drive, thirty 125 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: minute drive to Metamora. Like even my mom, she worked 126 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: for Hallmark technically under that Metamora woodworking, which took every 127 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: single cardholder plastics they melt down and turn it into 128 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: the cardholders that you see in Walmart and everything they 129 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: made and produce those. But after twenty five years of 130 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 1: her working there, they just got rid of her job, 131 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 1: and so then she didn't have anything, and so she 132 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: had to go to a agency where now she's getting 133 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: paid twelve bucks an hour to work at another factory 134 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,799 Speaker 1: forty five minutes away just because there's no opportunity there. 135 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: So it was a very very small, very no opportunities. 136 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 1: Nobody gets out. They just stay there and the only 137 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: way to succeed is to get out. 138 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 3: So coming up, were you surrounded by alcohol and drugs 139 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 3: and stuff that seems to permeate our rural communities. 140 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,039 Speaker 1: So my dad, he's one of eleven, by the way, 141 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: every one of them owned a bar, worked at a bar, 142 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: drank at He was like a long haul truck driver. 143 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: But then a week and she just goes to the bar. 144 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 1: And so like we didn't see him much. There's times 145 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: where I would like come out for school and his 146 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: truck would be running and he'd be in the pastor 147 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: seat just passed out, and I'm like going off to 148 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: school and I'd see like his side mirrors broken, and 149 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: I just we didn't know how he made it home, 150 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: but he made it home from the bar that night. 151 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: So that ran rampant. Then my three siblings, all older 152 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: and me, been to prison and jailing, my sister just 153 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: everything from drug there's there's a lot of that little 154 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: city thing that kind of it wasn't just our surroundings. 155 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:30,760 Speaker 1: But we moved to that town and I was in kindergarten. 156 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: We moved there and my brother, his name's Elvis, very 157 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: long hair hair, Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley Marlowe. So he's 158 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: my half brother. But yeah, they love his dad. His 159 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: dad loved Elvis a lot, that's all. He was like 160 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: a one legged Italian man that my mom meant hitch hiking. 161 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: It was crazy, ended up having Yeah, that's a whole 162 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: another story. 163 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 2: You didn't have my mom. 164 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 1: On one legged Yeah, Italian loved My mom was hitchhiking 165 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,760 Speaker 1: and I think when she met him and then but she's. 166 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 3: One legged Italian guy. Yeah, and had a child and 167 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 3: named him Elvis Elvis. 168 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 1: Aaron Presley and then his last name was Marlowe, so 169 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:09,880 Speaker 1: he kept the marlow name. 170 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:10,840 Speaker 3: And that's your oldest brother. 171 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 2: Yeah. 172 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 3: Wow. 173 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, but as you can imagine now going to a 174 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: small town like Washburn, and he was I don't know 175 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 1: what he's born in seventy eight. I don't know what 176 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: grade he was at when we got their second, third, fourth, fifth, 177 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: whatever it was. He was now like extremely bullied for 178 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: where he was. We were the outcre We were so poor, 179 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: like again, grew up food stands. We had trash all 180 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,319 Speaker 1: over our yard like most poor families do. Like we 181 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: had all of our stuff. He had a dirt bike 182 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:37,079 Speaker 1: too that we could ride around. We had three and 183 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:38,679 Speaker 1: a half acres and we lived in town. That's how 184 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: small it was. And so the community fought against him, 185 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,439 Speaker 1: and then he fought against them, and that led to 186 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: a whole dispute with police, and then it went into 187 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: the drugs and the rebellion and then all three siblings. 188 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: Because my mom and dad didn't do drugs, my dad 189 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: heavily drake. My mom is a saint. She cold turkey 190 00:08:55,480 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: quit smoking after twenty five years or so. She cold 191 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 1: turkey quit alcohol everything when she was starting to have kids. 192 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: And she knew the smoking bothered me too because I 193 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:06,679 Speaker 1: was still small when she was smoking. She quit that 194 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,079 Speaker 1: and so it was awesome. And my dad never did 195 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:11,679 Speaker 1: drugs that I know of, but my siblings got heavily 196 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: into drugs and just rebellion. And I still remember on 197 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 1: my second oldest brother was on house arrest and that 198 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:20,880 Speaker 1: was back when he's still in high school. And so 199 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: they have an automated system call you and be like 200 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 1: delaware and you have to say Delaware back, and so 201 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: because he'd have to go, they had to prove that 202 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 1: he's in the house because they have an audio recording. 203 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: But he'd have me do it sometimes because it worked. 204 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 1: He tested out it, because you can do it a. 205 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 3: Few times, you sit here and say. 206 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, he tested it first time. Just make sure because 207 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: if you say it wrong or in different where if 208 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 1: someone else gets on there, it usually catches it and 209 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:47,440 Speaker 1: it says can you repeat that? But I tried a 210 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 1: few times and it worked. It was bad technology back then, 211 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: and he'd just go out and he'd be like, hey, 212 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: can you pick up this phone. 213 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:54,439 Speaker 2: But they're also dealers and stuff. 214 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 1: So at seven years old, I was holding like a 215 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: pound of marijuana like in her basement, just like, oh. 216 00:09:58,720 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 2: This is cool. 217 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: And they're trying to push me to become a dealer 218 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: because they knew I didn't smoke or anything like that. 219 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 1: So if you make more money if you do this 220 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,199 Speaker 1: because you don't actually use the product. 221 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:12,600 Speaker 3: How in the world did you not end up in that? 222 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 2: That's crazy? 223 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: I mean, I would say looking back, I was so 224 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 1: aware at such a young age, like as we were 225 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: growing up and I see see my siblings not graduating 226 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,040 Speaker 1: high school, I see my family not being successful, especially 227 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: out of my dad's side. All eleven never they even 228 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:30,679 Speaker 1: joined Most of the men joined the military, came back 229 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: and still never did anything with their life. And I 230 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: was like, well, there's one trait that they all have 231 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 1: is they drink alcohol or they do drugs. So I 232 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:39,880 Speaker 1: was like, I'm not ever going to drink alcohol, and 233 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:41,280 Speaker 1: to this day, I've never even taste of beer. 234 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 2: And it was around that. It wasn't a religious reason. 235 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:44,840 Speaker 1: It was just because I was like, maybe if I 236 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 1: don't do what they're doing, I'll be successful. And that 237 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 1: was just a gamble I took and it seemed to 238 00:10:49,880 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 1: pay off, you know. 239 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 3: Kind Of an interesting side commentary is if people were 240 00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 3: seeing you, they would see the six foot three or four, 241 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:05,840 Speaker 3: probably five, who's six foot five dude who looked like 242 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,439 Speaker 3: it looks like you jumped off of a Norman Rockwell 243 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 3: family portrait. You got the nice cropped hair, the little swoopover, 244 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:19,560 Speaker 3: good looking guy, big smile. But your story is not 245 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:24,120 Speaker 3: at all dissimilar from many stories, or your upbringing is 246 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,959 Speaker 3: not at all dissimilar from many stories we talk about 247 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:34,079 Speaker 3: coming from urban black communities. And I think the interesting 248 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 3: narrative is it serves as a really important reminder to 249 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 3: us that drugs and problems with it and everything else 250 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:46,440 Speaker 3: is not a racial issue. It's a socioeconomic issue. And 251 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,200 Speaker 3: you've said how poor you were on food stamps, and 252 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 3: unfortunately the truth is poverty and dysfunction lead to jail 253 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 3: and problems in people's lives, regardless of if you're white. 254 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,880 Speaker 3: From Washburnilla Moy which I assume is a pretty much 255 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 3: all white area. Oh yeah, to some urban area in 256 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 3: Chicago or Memphis. 257 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, one Sicilian family, one Mexican family, then all white. 258 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: And that's where growing up too, I was like, man, 259 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 1: it was it was all the poor people. That was 260 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 1: kind of like getting into it and getting and then 261 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:19,679 Speaker 1: it's a back and forth too, because police can take 262 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:21,319 Speaker 1: advantage of that too, because they know you're not you 263 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: don't have a big time family lawyer or something that's 264 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: gonna stop you from doing stuff. Like my sister got 265 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: pulled over in the middle of the town. She ended 266 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: up losing her job because the cop said he thought 267 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,719 Speaker 1: she was speeding, But then he had the dogs come 268 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 1: in to sniffer vehicle because they knew, you know, my 269 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: family had drug issues, at least my siblings did, my 270 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: older brothers, and so they came with the dog. Took 271 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:44,199 Speaker 1: like fifty minutes to get there, forty five or so 272 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: it stepped and now she got fired from work because 273 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: she couldn't get to work on time, all because they 274 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 1: thought she was driving and there was many of that happening. 275 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 1: I watched my brother get peppers rate in our house 276 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: from a cop double handcuffing for no reason. 277 00:12:56,320 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 2: It just like dis abuse. 278 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:04,559 Speaker 3: Honestly, Once again an interesting reminder and commentary on it 279 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 3: really isn't a racial thing. It's a socioeconomic thing, including 280 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 3: poor police work and the things that we are struggling 281 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:18,439 Speaker 3: with in our culture today. Oh yeah, and you live 282 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 3: that as a kid, as a sober kid watching your family. 283 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, even understanding money back then too, Like I 284 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: understand my dad was. I still love it and everything, 285 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:29,200 Speaker 1: but he's trying to like buy my love. So if 286 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: he was gone for a week truck driving in the bar, 287 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: he'd come over and be like, here's ten bucks. But 288 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 1: I knew we were poor, so I never wanted to 289 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:36,840 Speaker 1: take the money. And there was times too where my 290 00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: mom would forget to put out money for lunch at school, 291 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:41,280 Speaker 1: and I remember like being across from another kid, like 292 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: imagining what would be like to have food because I 293 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:45,880 Speaker 1: was so hungry, Like I remember, how. 294 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:47,280 Speaker 3: Do you learn in that kind of environment? 295 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 1: I mean I was, I didn't really learn. I mean 296 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:53,439 Speaker 1: I learned a lot about life through process, But talk 297 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:58,120 Speaker 1: about education, it wasn't good, Like I didn't have a 298 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,720 Speaker 1: respect for education either, because even I took I remember 299 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:03,839 Speaker 1: taking a college ish English class where if I just 300 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: paid like fifty bucks, i'd get college credits. I was like, 301 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 1: I'm not going to college, Like I'm never going to 302 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:08,480 Speaker 1: do that, Like that's stupid. 303 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 2: Why would I go to college? 304 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 1: Like nobody around me went to college. I figured I 305 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: was just going to a military for twenty years and 306 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:16,199 Speaker 1: get out. That was my only only route to it. 307 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: And I started rebel a little bit too, not rebelling 308 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:22,280 Speaker 1: in a way that was anti like you know, police 309 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: and everything. It was more comedy. I would do some 310 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 1: stupid crap. That's why I was class clown and everything, 311 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: and just I loved making people happy and entertaining people. 312 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: But I didn't really put anything on education. And when 313 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:36,480 Speaker 1: I talk now, it's funny because I was last in 314 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:41,479 Speaker 1: my class. 315 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 3: And now a few messages from our general sponsors. But first, 316 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 3: I hope you'll consider becoming a Premium member of the 317 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 3: Army at Normalfolks dot us. By becoming one for ten 318 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 3: bucks a month or one thousand dollars a year, you 319 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 3: can get access to cool benefits like bonus episodes a year, 320 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 3: lee group call, and even one on one call with me. Frankly, guys, 321 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,480 Speaker 3: premium memberships also help us to grow this army that 322 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 3: our country desperately needs right now. So I hope you'll 323 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:13,280 Speaker 3: think about it. We'll be right back. 324 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 1: I'd be a good reverse motivational speaker, be like, look 325 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: what you can do, be last in your class and 326 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: still I know. 327 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 2: And because I didn't put anything on education. 328 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: On learning, I mean, nine to eleven also happened when 329 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,840 Speaker 1: I was in high school, so we had to grow 330 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: up a lot faster than most people. Being like a 331 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:55,680 Speaker 1: junior in high school. When that happened, you had to 332 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: start learning history and what's about to happen. But other 333 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,560 Speaker 1: than that, I didn't respect education and I didn't get 334 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:02,440 Speaker 1: a very good education. 335 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:05,360 Speaker 3: It's interesting, and I think, just as a side note, 336 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 3: looking at you and hearing your story, frankly, is no 337 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 3: different than listening to stories of many people were interviewed 338 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 3: from a completely different area of the world, but saying 339 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 3: the exact same things, which speaks to the work we 340 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,920 Speaker 3: need to do socioeconomically with poverty if we're ever gonna 341 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 3: break the quote cycle. 342 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:30,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, and honestly, it almost starts with a 343 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: good breakfast. I think about that all the time, like 344 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: if I would, because they talk about how just a 345 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: really good healthy breakfast, we'll set your tone for the 346 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:38,880 Speaker 1: rest of your day. You can learn better, you have 347 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,160 Speaker 1: like better mood and everything. In most of these economic places, 348 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 1: it's either your mom's working like two or three jobs 349 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: and she's like my mom did, I think third shifts 350 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,440 Speaker 1: for a long time too, And so you're waking up 351 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: fitting for yourself and you're just kind of like, I'm 352 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: not gonna cook anything or I'm gonna eat crap, and 353 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: then you just go to school. And that's a part 354 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: of the problem, and maybe not even exactly. And imagine 355 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: if just the world has just fed a really good, 356 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: healthy breakfast every morning and then they went out, because 357 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: at least you still have all your issues, but you're 358 00:17:03,880 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: going into it with a healthy mind and able to 359 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: actually retain some of that. 360 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:12,960 Speaker 3: But that's established. So now you're graduating high school and 361 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:16,840 Speaker 3: what's that barely barely? Now they're giving you a diploma 362 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:20,520 Speaker 3: to get out of high school. And I think it 363 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,120 Speaker 3: was your sophomore junior. You graduate in two thousand and three, 364 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:27,679 Speaker 3: so your sophomore junior was not eleven. And that's really 365 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,360 Speaker 3: probably the only thing that happened for you in high 366 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:35,160 Speaker 3: school that was an awakening, I guess, is that right? 367 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 1: So, I mean, I knew after my dad served, I 368 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:39,800 Speaker 1: knew that just to get out of the town and 369 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: we didn't have money, I'm going to join the military. 370 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: But I also had this deep like need to serve 371 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: the military. It wasn't just because it was a way out. 372 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:48,160 Speaker 1: It was I just had this I want to serve 373 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 1: my fellow people. I want to serve my country. So 374 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:54,280 Speaker 1: for the longest time, I just didn't know what I 375 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: wanted to be in the military and didn't know what 376 00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:00,400 Speaker 1: job I wanted to do, and I just kind of like, Okay, 377 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be military. But when nine to eleven hit 378 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: and I started asking people and what what was happening 379 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 1: and how do I get over there? First it all 380 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:11,199 Speaker 1: led back to Marine Corps, Infantry. Hey, their first one's in, 381 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: they settle, they go it through there, the Army takes over, 382 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: they come back out, and so I was like, sweet, 383 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go Marine Corps. And when I went to 384 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,160 Speaker 1: the recruiter again, I was still military dumb. I thought 385 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:23,159 Speaker 1: all everyone is army, you know, they always talk about it. 386 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:25,359 Speaker 1: People say soldiers and they think it's everyone. 387 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,919 Speaker 3: Really it's army is a general term for the military. 388 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 3: So people say, I'm going to the army, and that 389 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:31,359 Speaker 3: could be a force. 390 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:33,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, but then when you're in the military, it's so 391 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: far different that you don't You wouldn't tell me I'm 392 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:37,480 Speaker 1: in the army, and I'd be super mad if you did. 393 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 2: And soldiers are. 394 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 1: Army, Marines or Marines, airmen or Air Force squids or Navy. No, yea, 395 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 1: there's a lot of different names for different branches, and 396 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 1: we're very much like But I didn't know who sit 397 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:48,960 Speaker 1: what jobs. 398 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,399 Speaker 2: I didn't know who did. 399 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: What, And so when I went to the Marine Corps recruiter, 400 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: they were just like, you know, for one, you're seventeen, 401 00:18:57,160 --> 00:18:58,639 Speaker 1: so you have to have your parents sign this. And 402 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: imagine in two thousand two trying to get your parents 403 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 1: to sign something two thousand and one. 404 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:05,879 Speaker 3: Actually you're going the military. You're probably going to a 405 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 3: rock Afghanis And. 406 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:10,440 Speaker 1: So my moms were like, nah, my mom and dad 407 00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: knew that, and they told me at first they wouldn't 408 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:15,119 Speaker 1: sign early. And so I became a good negotiator and 409 00:19:15,200 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 1: I said, well, if you sign now, I get a 410 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: whole year of training with the debt program that the 411 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: Marine Corps does, And so I'll do every month I 412 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,960 Speaker 1: go there, we train, we run, we learn everything. If 413 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 1: you don't sign when I'm eighteen, I'm signing now. You 414 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: want me to go to the Marine Corps of War 415 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:32,800 Speaker 1: like without knowing anything. So they thought it was smarter 416 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:34,400 Speaker 1: to sign me up now so I could like get 417 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 1: the training ahead of time, and and so I went 418 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:40,120 Speaker 1: in there and said that and they said okay, they 419 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: signed signed it. 420 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:41,920 Speaker 2: And then when I was. 421 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,399 Speaker 1: Looking for my job, I was just based off the 422 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: recruiters were like, hey, you want to be a combat engineer. 423 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 2: I was like, what do they do? 424 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 1: Like build stuff and blow it up. I was like, yeah, 425 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: let's do that. And then I'm sitting next to these 426 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:54,399 Speaker 1: other two kids and I'm like, what do you guys doing. 427 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,680 Speaker 1: They're like infantry and I'm like what's that and they're like, 428 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:58,359 Speaker 1: that's wheally kicking in the doors. I was like, no, 429 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:00,080 Speaker 1: sign me up for this. This is what I I 430 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:01,920 Speaker 1: signed up for, Like I want to go. I want 431 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: to do this. I wanted like the best chance to 432 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 1: go serve my country, and I remember we when not 433 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: of them first happened, I didn't know who did it. 434 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: Nobody really knew what was happening. And so I was 435 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: already writing reports on Saddam husaying on how evil of 436 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 1: a person he was. So I was like, okay, if 437 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:19,679 Speaker 1: it was Saddam, like, why can't I be the one 438 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:21,920 Speaker 1: who catches him? Like I knew I wasn't going to be, 439 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 1: but I feel like optimism is a superpower these days, 440 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 1: and so I just said, if I could believe that 441 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:28,520 Speaker 1: I could be the one, I'm going to be a 442 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:30,199 Speaker 1: lot more successful. And so I was like, how do 443 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: how would I do that? If I wanted to be that? Okay, 444 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: Marine Corps infantry be the first one overseas. So that's 445 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: that's kind of how I started my journey in the 446 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:38,359 Speaker 1: Marine Corps. 447 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:43,640 Speaker 3: You're preparing to go kick indoors and collect Saddam Hussein 448 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 3: for your country. Yeah, and then they start testing. 449 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: This was something I didn't know existed. I go to 450 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 1: boot camp and. 451 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 3: By the way, until I read your story, I didn't 452 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,119 Speaker 3: know it existed. It's interesting. Yeah, I can't wait to 453 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 3: share this with our listeners. 454 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 1: So I, well, I was always told by other old 455 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:01,920 Speaker 1: Marines like, you don't want to be on a list 456 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,360 Speaker 1: in boot camp, Like just go there, keep your head 457 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:06,000 Speaker 1: down and just do it. 458 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 3: Don't You don't want to be on a list a list. 459 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:11,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, you don't want to. You don't want the drum stection. 460 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 2: You know your name. 461 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,920 Speaker 1: There's like eighty marines in there, like, don't don't volunteer first. 462 00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:17,640 Speaker 1: This is like a smart It wasn't like the normal 463 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: marine who's like, yeah, you should be guide, you should 464 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:21,240 Speaker 1: be squad. 465 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:22,040 Speaker 2: Leader, and they're like okay. 466 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: Then you go there and you know, it's just straight 467 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: punishment for being that in those roles that don't lead 468 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: to anything. And he was he was like, don't be 469 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: on your list, don't like sign up. 470 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:32,320 Speaker 3: For anything, your head down. 471 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: Hopefully three months goes by they don't know your name, 472 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:37,959 Speaker 1: like that'd be perfect case scenario. And so within like 473 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,879 Speaker 1: two weeks they come out and they're like Casper, and 474 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 1: I'm like, ah, crap, I'm on a list. 475 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:43,200 Speaker 3: And then. 476 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:47,399 Speaker 1: And it's uh and they call me a special tester. 477 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 3: And so if you think that meant you were quote special. 478 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,160 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, yes, because in high school I didn't 479 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: treat Again, I didn't treat treat academics like there were anything. 480 00:21:56,800 --> 00:21:58,679 Speaker 1: And I knew, I knew I wasn't going to college. 481 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:01,880 Speaker 1: So when this date standardized tests was put in front 482 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:03,160 Speaker 1: of me, I was just seeing how fast I can 483 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:04,800 Speaker 1: get done with it. So I was like ce cee 484 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:07,960 Speaker 1: cee cee CEECs. Just filled in the legits and I'm 485 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,880 Speaker 1: done and just sit there and watch everyone else work 486 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:12,639 Speaker 1: or the class gig. 487 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 2: While the class was going. 488 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:15,879 Speaker 3: And had a guy. We had a guy in our class. 489 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:20,120 Speaker 3: He literally Chris. He literally made Christmas trees out of 490 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:25,120 Speaker 3: the bubble sheets and he also somehow figured out how 491 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:28,239 Speaker 3: to make a penis on the bubble sheet and that 492 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 3: was the standardized test. And before he turned it in, 493 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,439 Speaker 3: of course there wasn't phones back then now weak, but 494 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:36,800 Speaker 3: he was like showing it to people and everybody was 495 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 3: just down laughing in the proctress and kim me that, yeah, 496 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:41,959 Speaker 3: he worse than Christmas treated he penised it. 497 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:43,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, And that's what I That's what I did because 498 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 1: I didn't treat it like it was anything. And then 499 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,480 Speaker 1: but I did one test I treated like a test, 500 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 1: and that was the ASVAP to get into military. And 501 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:53,480 Speaker 1: so then that's why I ended up on this certain list, 502 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:57,199 Speaker 1: a special testers list, and so there's oh, you know 503 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 1: how many in boot camp. There's like companies and each 504 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,200 Speaker 1: one so each one starts, like our start date was 505 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 1: June nine, two thousand and three, and so a week 506 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,720 Speaker 1: later another company would start, and a week later another 507 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: company of recruits would start, and so there was like 508 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 1: three thousand and one was a whole platoon, three thousand 509 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 1: and two was a platoon. 510 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:18,160 Speaker 2: I was three thousand and seven. That's my platoon. 511 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: So there's eighty people. I'm not going to math eighty 512 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 1: people in each platoon. That's how many Marines are in 513 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: one thing. And then they took everyone who was in 514 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:28,439 Speaker 1: boot camp at that time, and so I don't know. 515 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: I always say a number, but I don't know if 516 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:32,960 Speaker 1: it's actually true. But as anywhere between probably one hundred 517 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,359 Speaker 1: and four hundred marines that were on that first sheet 518 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: of special testers. 519 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 3: And we just go. 520 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 1: They just pull us out every once in a while, 521 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: and there's probably like twelve from my my platoon specifically, 522 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,119 Speaker 1: they just pull us out. We go meet with like 523 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: a bunch of people, just random people like are you 524 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:49,960 Speaker 1: an apple or you orange? Kind of people like where 525 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 1: you fill out a questionnaire and they're like, hey, this 526 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 1: is your kind of thing. But then asking questions like 527 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,200 Speaker 1: do you talk in your sleep? Do your parents ever 528 00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 1: go out of the country. It was always super weird. 529 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 1: And so then we just go back to normal training 530 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:05,680 Speaker 1: like that never happened. And then all of a sudden 531 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:08,320 Speaker 1: we get I'd call back Rich You're Casper, like you're 532 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: going to this thing again, and I'd go, and it's 533 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,120 Speaker 1: less and less marines each time. And I always joke 534 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 1: when I get my big talks, I'm like, what's that 535 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: happened to already killing them? Like they get taken them there, 536 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:18,280 Speaker 1: like getting rid of some of them, pulling them back 537 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:19,920 Speaker 1: like in my own a survival game. 538 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 2: Uh. 539 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,360 Speaker 1: And then ends up we do this transition from MCRD, 540 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 1: which is the Marine Recruit Depot in San Diego, and 541 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: we do four weeks at Camp Pendleton, like on the 542 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,239 Speaker 1: actual base for training. And I still remember we were 543 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:36,359 Speaker 1: up there. I'm like, thank you for being in the 544 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 1: special tester thing because we're about to go up on 545 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:41,879 Speaker 1: this huge mountain and you dig in It was a 546 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: whole like thing you had to do during boot camp 547 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: to dig a fighting hole. 548 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:46,480 Speaker 2: They teach you how to dig a fighting hole. 549 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: But it was in like that bed rock mountain and 550 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 1: they only give you those small e tools and it's 551 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:52,400 Speaker 1: you and a buddy who are just like digging this 552 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:53,840 Speaker 1: thing out. You have to be able to sit in there. 553 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:56,920 Speaker 1: You have to have a shock, a grenade something there. 554 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:59,399 Speaker 1: It's just a horrible like nobody's looking forward to it. 555 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 1: And on the way up and we start digging and 556 00:25:02,040 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 1: they pulled me off the mountain. I'm like, sorry, buddy, 557 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,320 Speaker 1: good luck, got to go do some test, dude. 558 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 3: I get to go answer about my favorite cap YEP. 559 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: And so we go down there, and this time it 560 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:16,919 Speaker 1: was a one on one interview with a gunnery sergeant 561 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,680 Speaker 1: or first sergeant. And at this level, being like a recruit, 562 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,399 Speaker 1: you see them as like the President of United States, 563 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,000 Speaker 1: vice president. You're you think like, oh my gosh, I 564 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,520 Speaker 1: had to go in there and talk to them, like 565 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: every my whole career rides on this, and you didn't 566 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:31,639 Speaker 1: know at first what you're a pitching tour. So they 567 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 1: brought us all the room. There's only twenty of us left, 568 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 1: roughly twenty of us left. And that's where before they 569 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: tell it first, they tell us you're gonna you have 570 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,800 Speaker 1: to do an interview with these people. But here's what 571 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: you're interviewing for. You guys are either gonna guard you're 572 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 1: gonna guard the President of the United States, either at 573 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:50,320 Speaker 1: Camp David or Bowing Air Force Base for uh, what 574 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: do they call it. It's Camp David or White House Communications. 575 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: And we were just like, what, like, this is the 576 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,639 Speaker 1: actual job. And now they put us in. So if 577 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 1: we weren't nervous enough to do like the whole six 578 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 1: inches from the table, go in their salute and say, 579 00:26:04,119 --> 00:26:05,879 Speaker 1: you know, good morning, good sergeant, blah blah, and they 580 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 1: ask you a bunch of questions while you're in parade rest. 581 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:10,919 Speaker 1: It's like, we're already nervous. Now they're like, oh, and 582 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:12,919 Speaker 1: you're this this job's on the line. You don't have 583 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:16,480 Speaker 1: it yet. Here's the job. Now go talk with them 584 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:19,720 Speaker 1: and see if you get the job. And so talk 585 00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 1: about just like a crazy time. 586 00:26:22,600 --> 00:26:23,440 Speaker 2: And so we go in there. 587 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 3: I don't wrong way from Washburn. 588 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, and I blacked out during the cow I don't 589 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:29,200 Speaker 1: know what I said. 590 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:30,240 Speaker 2: I don't really remember it. 591 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 1: I just came out of it and like, I'm probably 592 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 1: not gonna get that. 593 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 3: We'll be right back. 594 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,119 Speaker 1: And then later on they said I was selected for 595 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 1: I got. I got Yankee. They call it Yankee white, 596 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:57,639 Speaker 1: and it sounds so fake when I tell people. When 597 00:26:57,680 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 1: I first started telling people, I was like, yeah, Yankee 598 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: white security clearance, Like who made who wrote that down? 599 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,240 Speaker 1: Is like a good idea for security clearance. But if 600 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:08,400 Speaker 1: you google it, go to Wikipedia, it's Yankee Yankee white 601 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: category one. It's like the president, Yankee white. Category two 602 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 1: is a bunch of other people, Yankee white category three, 603 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:16,800 Speaker 1: and then top secret like those are three above. 604 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:17,880 Speaker 2: So I was Yankee white. 605 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:20,200 Speaker 1: Category two because I could hold a loaded weapon next 606 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:21,880 Speaker 1: to the President, and so I. 607 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:23,840 Speaker 3: Had to go that's clearance. 608 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, And so I had to go through that problems. 609 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: And so once I was selected, I was like, there's 610 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:30,240 Speaker 1: no way I'm gonna actually get it because you're not 611 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:31,360 Speaker 1: promised the spot there. 612 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 2: You still have to do. 613 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:35,199 Speaker 1: It's anywhere from like it could be five months all 614 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:36,920 Speaker 1: the way up to like you're never going to get 615 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 1: your clearance because they get to go back to your 616 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 1: hometown to Washburn and start talking to people. And so 617 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:43,879 Speaker 1: I was like, oh crab, Oh well we'll see what happens. 618 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,600 Speaker 1: Like put in God's hands, I'll just go. So two 619 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,120 Speaker 1: thousand and three November, I'm going to the School of Infantry, 620 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:52,200 Speaker 1: which every Marine has to do. And so if you remember, 621 00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:53,879 Speaker 1: in two thousand and three was the first push on 622 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 1: Fallujah two. So I'm in the School of Infantry. My 623 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: last name is Casper, so like the ghost, no relation 624 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: c aspr. So I have Cartwright, who's right here, car, 625 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:08,480 Speaker 1: I have Cherry who's over here, Horn who's down here. 626 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 1: Like they just do it alphabetically, and so these are 627 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:13,399 Speaker 1: like my my s y mates. Everyone has to learn infantry. 628 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 1: If your infantry, you go to two months of this 629 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: and then from there they decide where you go out to. 630 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 1: And so we knew that we were the boot class, 631 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:22,199 Speaker 1: like the ones who were going to be in that 632 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:25,360 Speaker 1: purse first push for Fallujah, and we knew there's gonna 633 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: be a lot of death, but I just didn't know 634 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:28,720 Speaker 1: how much death. But like everyone I just mentioned died 635 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:31,240 Speaker 1: because they were the first ones over there. And they 636 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 1: always put the boots to and I say boots because 637 00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 1: it's like the new that's what we call our new 638 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: new guys, new recruits as boots fresh suede. And so 639 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: they're kicking in the door. So's the first one in 640 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:42,920 Speaker 1: the door, so so many ever, there'd be phone calls like, hey, 641 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 1: Longoria just died, Hey Horn just died. 642 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 2: Hey this, And I'm just sitting here. And I didn't 643 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 2: know you. 644 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: Could have survivor guilt without even going to war, because 645 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:51,760 Speaker 1: you know, you go over there, you come back, and 646 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 1: then friends die and you have survivor guilt. I was 647 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,480 Speaker 1: having survivor guilt before I even went, because all the 648 00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:59,040 Speaker 1: friends I thought, I was going on this you're going 649 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:02,320 Speaker 1: to war trajectory. And when I graduated shy, I went 650 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: Camp David Route, I went to North Carolina to do 651 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: security for school training while I was waiting for my clearance, 652 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 1: and then i'd go to Washington, d C. At eighth 653 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:11,680 Speaker 1: and I had to wait for my clearance again and 654 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 1: just stand posts until they told me I could go 655 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: to Camp David or the White House. And throughout that 656 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:19,400 Speaker 1: whole eleven month process, it was like this person died, 657 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 1: this person died. I just didn't want to didn't want 658 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:22,440 Speaker 1: to hear it anymore. 659 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 3: You just feel like you were letting down your your guys, 660 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,280 Speaker 3: your comrades, oh, because they were over there kicking indoors, fighting, 661 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:35,160 Speaker 3: don sweat and bleeding and you're hanging around d C. 662 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,040 Speaker 3: I mean that's what the goat was about. 663 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:38,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I thought I was letting down myself too, 664 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 1: Like didn't I make the right show? I could have 665 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:42,520 Speaker 1: probably if I've really fought not went to Camp David 666 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: and had this cushy job and maybe my trajectory was 667 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:46,800 Speaker 1: to go die in war. 668 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:50,000 Speaker 3: And she felt like you were losing credibility as a 669 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 3: marine that. 670 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:54,880 Speaker 1: Too, And because when the process came to I now 671 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: am in d C and eleven months goes by after 672 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,520 Speaker 1: just sitting there on security forever, which has its own 673 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,440 Speaker 1: bunch of funny stories. When you're on post for twelve 674 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:04,360 Speaker 1: hours straight with other Marines, it's crazy. 675 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 2: But that's a whole other podcast. 676 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: When it finally came down and I chose Camp David 677 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:12,760 Speaker 1: because it's in the country, I was just like, this 678 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 1: is awesome. I feel like it's more like you're more 679 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: around the president. It's like more intimate. I went to 680 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 1: Camp David and there was a process and we could 681 00:30:19,760 --> 00:30:23,040 Speaker 1: talk about Camp David, but there's a fourteen months hit 682 00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:25,080 Speaker 1: and they're like, Okay, you can stay up here now 683 00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:26,760 Speaker 1: if you want the rest of your Marine Corps career. 684 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: You don't have to leave, but we'll give you the option. 685 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,440 Speaker 1: Because we're short on marines up here, and I had 686 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:33,600 Speaker 1: to choose to leave. I just said there's no way 687 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:35,360 Speaker 1: because I had so much guilt that I should be 688 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: going over there. 689 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 3: And I found the president. 690 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:40,840 Speaker 1: Yeah there was probably was it Bush George w And 691 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:42,479 Speaker 1: so I got to meet his dad and him, and 692 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: so there's a lot of They don't want you to 693 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:46,160 Speaker 1: be seen while you're up there, but during church and 694 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,120 Speaker 1: other services, you're in church with him. Because there's only 695 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 1: one church there. They don't not make you, let you 696 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:52,640 Speaker 1: not go to church because of it. And so you'd 697 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 1: interact with him every once in a while. And then 698 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 1: on Christmas though, he'd bring up his whole family, so 699 00:30:56,760 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: his dad, his brother's, every like her family, his family camp. 700 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:01,440 Speaker 3: They spent Christmas at Camp. 701 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 1: Every Christmas because they didn't want a lot of things 702 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 1: was they didn't want to spend all that money going 703 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: other places. And then they said, well, you know, the 704 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: base is already secured, we don't have to. They wanted 705 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 1: their Secret Service to have off. They wanted to have 706 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: a lot of people have off for Christmas, and they 707 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:16,160 Speaker 1: knew the base was guarded by marines, and so that if. 708 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 3: They selfless, so a guy could go anywhere he wants to. 709 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, every single Christmas. And what he did too was 710 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: took photos with every single person on base, no matter 711 00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: what branch you were, whether you're just someone that had 712 00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:28,840 Speaker 1: to come up there every once. 713 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:29,120 Speaker 2: In a while. 714 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 1: He'd spend the whole day him and Laura. I have 715 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:35,520 Speaker 1: like five photos with him only because at Christmas time 716 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:37,840 Speaker 1: he'd just sit there in the chow hall, small chow hal. 717 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:40,360 Speaker 1: Every single person on base would get photos with him, 718 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:42,240 Speaker 1: and they sent Christmas cards with the photos. 719 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:44,160 Speaker 2: Would you address him, mister president? 720 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 3: Oh, I know, but you're No, you're but you're the 721 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 3: squared away marine charged with protecting him. You had to 722 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:54,760 Speaker 3: be a little bit. 723 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 1: Well, we were protecting the base. And so when I 724 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:00,479 Speaker 1: say Garden the President, it was actually Garden Camp David 725 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 1: and so him when he was there. 726 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:05,959 Speaker 3: Sure a marine from Washburnollo, NOI And all of a sudden, 727 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:08,960 Speaker 3: now you're with the president on Christmas. I mean, I 728 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,520 Speaker 3: guess what I'm saying is what was that like? 729 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 2: I don't know kind of it was. 730 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: I tried to reflect back then on how I felt. 731 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 1: I thought it was a really cool cool job to have, 732 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 1: and I thought it was a cool story to tell 733 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 1: my kids one day, but I didn't. 734 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 2: I don't know. 735 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:27,320 Speaker 1: I don't hold a lot of people at a higher 736 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:29,320 Speaker 1: even now in the music industry, like the people I 737 00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:31,719 Speaker 1: could just hit up and call and talk to you. 738 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 1: I don't feel like they're above me or below me. 739 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 1: I just feel like they're humans and that I could 740 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:40,400 Speaker 1: relate to him. So I love I love that the 741 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: status that he was at, but I didn't really treat 742 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:45,440 Speaker 1: it as if like, oh my god, it's it's the president. 743 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,640 Speaker 1: And I've never really felt that way with anybody, and 744 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 1: so it was just. 745 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:54,280 Speaker 3: More of like that way with Alex the producer, just yeah, yeah, yeah, 746 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 3: only Alex. 747 00:32:55,320 --> 00:32:59,200 Speaker 2: Yeah. 748 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:01,360 Speaker 1: But it was just it was awesome experience and to 749 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,000 Speaker 1: be up there. But there was a funny time during 750 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,520 Speaker 1: two times. One time for Christmas, I was the bell ringer, 751 00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:07,720 Speaker 1: So there's only one marine that gets to do it. 752 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 1: You dress up in your dress blues, and that means 753 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:12,200 Speaker 1: you're guaranteed to interact with the president his family because 754 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 1: I made my dress blues. And when he's coming into church, 755 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:16,480 Speaker 1: I get to ring the bell as a president comes 756 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,400 Speaker 1: in and be like, you know, Merry Christmas President. 757 00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 2: And then since his father was there too. 758 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:23,480 Speaker 1: Then it's like, you know, Mery Christmas President twice and 759 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna meet the whole family. They thank me 760 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:27,240 Speaker 1: and they walk in because other than that, you're supposed 761 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:29,480 Speaker 1: to be in church before the president arrives. And this 762 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:31,600 Speaker 1: is so not around Christmas. And this is back in 763 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 1: the day too, where phones didn't have camera. A lot 764 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:36,560 Speaker 1: of Pune some phones had cameras, but you weren't even 765 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:38,720 Speaker 1: allowed as a marine to have a camera on base. 766 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:43,239 Speaker 1: Nobody was, and so nobody knows the public wasn't allowed in. 767 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 1: No cameras were allowed in. These are like you're meeting 768 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,640 Speaker 1: them who they are intimately, what type of people they are. 769 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:51,920 Speaker 1: And so when we're in church and we look up 770 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:55,440 Speaker 1: and there there's Gida there with his little kid, and. 771 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 2: He's like, look at the marine's back. 772 00:33:57,000 --> 00:34:05,840 Speaker 1: There no dancing with him. What he liked when nobody's watching, 773 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:07,200 Speaker 1: was he really affable? 774 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:09,160 Speaker 2: And yeah, like he'd come in there. Yeah. 775 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:11,480 Speaker 1: And there's another time where they were like, you have 776 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:13,320 Speaker 1: to and this is when I first got to Camp David. 777 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:15,759 Speaker 1: You had to be seated before he got in there. 778 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:17,759 Speaker 1: And so every marine goes up early. We set up 779 00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:20,680 Speaker 1: a little bit higher in the back, and me and 780 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,600 Speaker 1: my buddy were running so late and we come in 781 00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:26,040 Speaker 1: there and the Major of the base, who's the highest 782 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 1: ranking person up there, and then the president were right there. 783 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:30,480 Speaker 1: We're like, we ran in, we thought we're gonna be 784 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:32,960 Speaker 1: in time, we weren't, and we're just and we just 785 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:35,640 Speaker 1: kind of froze. And then the major just like because he 786 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:37,480 Speaker 1: knew weren'tupposed to be there, he's like, come on, guys, 787 00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:40,120 Speaker 1: we're like, oh, mer Christmas president or it wasn't Christmas time. 788 00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:41,680 Speaker 1: He's like he if it's a president, it was like 789 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:42,719 Speaker 1: right upstairs, like. 790 00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:44,160 Speaker 2: We're gonna get in trouble or something. 791 00:34:45,680 --> 00:34:47,400 Speaker 1: By the way, while I was up there in there, 792 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:49,440 Speaker 1: this is this is time. I never really told anybody 793 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,240 Speaker 1: outside of there because it just I remember being the spot. 794 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 1: So you know how they have they have bibles at 795 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:56,319 Speaker 1: church and you can take the Bibles with you and 796 00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:58,440 Speaker 1: all that. So Camp Dave was no no doubt. They 797 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,799 Speaker 1: always stocked books and bibles there she could take with you. 798 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,080 Speaker 1: And I like, I grab mine and I open it 799 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:07,200 Speaker 1: up and it says property of William Clinton. And I'm like, oh, 800 00:35:08,040 --> 00:35:11,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna take this bible. I got that bible, but 801 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:14,280 Speaker 1: it was broke Clinton's from Camp David. 802 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:15,799 Speaker 3: But you stole I did not. 803 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 1: I took this because it's it's a bible at church. 804 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:20,719 Speaker 1: You're allowed to take bibles at church, and it was 805 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:23,520 Speaker 1: back there. Reset It's the same as every other bible. 806 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:25,359 Speaker 1: So it was like it was made for him while 807 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:28,280 Speaker 1: he was president. Obviously, so I think George Obama, everyone 808 00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:30,160 Speaker 1: has a Bible that's made for them, whether they use 809 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:32,200 Speaker 1: it or not. They most likely have their own. So, 810 00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:34,440 Speaker 1: but it was the one that just had the little placard. 811 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:36,560 Speaker 1: It didn't have a signature that it legitimately just says 812 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:38,480 Speaker 1: like President Bill Clinton or so. 813 00:35:38,560 --> 00:35:41,560 Speaker 3: Have you gone through every page of that? You might 814 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:44,520 Speaker 3: find Monel and whisk He's phone number scribbled in it somewhere. 815 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:48,360 Speaker 3: You never know. I'll shake out. Yeah, I want to 816 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:48,759 Speaker 3: check it out. 817 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 2: What you get? 818 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:50,320 Speaker 3: Okay? 819 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:52,120 Speaker 1: I wanted people to know you could take bibles from church. 820 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,480 Speaker 3: So you're having this incredible experience at Camp David, but 821 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:58,800 Speaker 3: you also are really fighting survivors guilt and guilt about 822 00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:01,200 Speaker 3: not serving. And when they ask you to stay, you say, 823 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:04,520 Speaker 3: thank you, mister President, thank you, mister major thank you 824 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:07,480 Speaker 3: United States. I'm going to serve. 825 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:07,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. 826 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,080 Speaker 1: It was my first sergeant who was like, just gave 827 00:36:10,120 --> 00:36:11,920 Speaker 1: me that option, just like hey, by the way, we 828 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: let my other buddy cow and like I think it 829 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:14,840 Speaker 1: was counting. 830 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:16,360 Speaker 3: Did you know you were leaving one of the coolest 831 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:18,040 Speaker 3: jobs in the world to go risk your life. 832 00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:21,560 Speaker 1: I mean that's yeah, because this is you're living at 833 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:25,080 Speaker 1: Camp David at President's Retreat. Although it wasn't our living 834 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,480 Speaker 1: standards weren't joy nervous. We still had roommates in very 835 00:36:27,520 --> 00:36:30,760 Speaker 1: small rooms, one shower, and like it wasn't the best 836 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:33,320 Speaker 1: of the best, but it was still a great community. 837 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:35,640 Speaker 2: But I just had to get out of there. It 838 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 2: was that what we go back to. 839 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:39,440 Speaker 1: When you asked if I felt guilty about not serving 840 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 1: or however you you've said that about myself. I was like, 841 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:44,960 Speaker 1: I now know I'm not going twenty years. I'm only 842 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:47,840 Speaker 1: going four years, but I need to serve. 843 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 3: And that concludes part one of my conversations with Richard Casper, 844 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:57,080 Speaker 3: and you do not want to miss part too, that's 845 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:01,160 Speaker 3: now available to listen to. Richard was already serving, I 846 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:04,720 Speaker 3: mean he was protecting the president, but he means serving 847 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:08,799 Speaker 3: overseas in a Rock. We'll continue with that story and 848 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,600 Speaker 3: how he's now serving his band of brothers here at 849 00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:15,880 Speaker 3: home in Part two. Together, guys, we can change his country, 850 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:20,879 Speaker 3: but it'll start with you. I'll see you in Part two.