1 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:11,320 Speaker 1: Honoring heroes. Talking about heroes. There's something that's always been 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: a passion of mine. Look, I'm a dude. When I 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: was a little bitty boy, I wanted to read books 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: about heroes and war heroes, and like any human being, 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: I wanted to watch movies about heroes. I look up 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 1: to people who have these incredible acts of bravery on 7 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:32,160 Speaker 1: their resume. This is something we admire. Look, we watch 8 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 1: movies about Captain America. Right, they don't even have to 9 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: be real heroes, but the truth in life is usually 10 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: either fictional or we don't know about them. Think about this, 11 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: Think about this, Think about any war hero. You can 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: name somebody who's done something amazing in combat, World War two, Vietnam, 13 00:00:54,560 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: but whatever it may be, most of them died or 14 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: have passed on since. Then you don't get to actually 15 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: talk to them. You don't get to actually open up 16 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: their book where they write down what they did and 17 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: they just lay it out for you. 18 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 2: Delta Force. 19 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: I had a sergeant major when I was in the 20 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: United States Marines. I was just an average marine, but 21 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: I'm just an average grunt marine. But he was one 22 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: of these super stud types and he had served with 23 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: all kinds of other branches and things, and he'll tell 24 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: you to this day, to this day, I still text him. 25 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 2: To this day. 26 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: He'll tell you, Delta Force are the battest dudes on 27 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: the planet. 28 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 2: But we never hear from these guys. They're so quiet. 29 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 2: We never hear from these guys. What if there was. 30 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: Someone who was Eod in Vietnam and then after Vietnam 31 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: he went on to found one of the founding members 32 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: of Delta Force. You know, the guys who just went 33 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: into Caracas and snatched the president. How do you make 34 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: men like that? Why would you even do something so dangerous? 35 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: Sergeant Major Mike Vining is Internet famous, I'll put it 36 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: that way because he looks so unassuming. Look at those 37 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:18,639 Speaker 1: badges and medals. The man has done some things, including 38 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: Delta Force, and he is going to join us next 39 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: and talk to us about his life. I'm about to 40 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: nerd out you ready. I'm proud of where I give 41 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: my money. Mobile company, I mean, mobile companies are garbage 42 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: in general. For I's in AT and T and T 43 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,640 Speaker 1: Mobile or horrible companies. And I've had all three of 44 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: those companies. I've funded all the garbage filth they fund. 45 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: But now I'm proud to tell people I'm a Pure 46 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: Talk customer. Pure Talk they're so pro America that when 47 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: you get a hold of someone at pure Talk, they're American. 48 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: They understand you. They're pleasant and helpful on the phone. 49 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: If you need any assistance at all switching over, they'll 50 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 1: just sit there and patiently help. 51 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 2: You do it. 52 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: That's the difference of Pure Talk. That's what happens when 53 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: you have a Vietnam veteran lead your company rather than 54 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 1: one of these freaks at the other companies switch. You'll 55 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: pay less and you'd be proud to pay your cell 56 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:36,920 Speaker 1: phone bill. Puretalk dot com, slash Jesse TV. When I 57 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: was a young, very average marine, keep in mind, just 58 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,640 Speaker 1: four years my sergeant major had done some work with 59 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: some of the some of the really bad, bad bad 60 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: dudes you watch movies about, and my sergeant major, United 61 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: States Mareen keep in mind, will tell you to this 62 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: day that Delta Force is the best on the planet. 63 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: He didn't say best in America, he said best on 64 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: the planet. But I'm unbelievably unqualified to opine on such 65 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: things and Vietnam and other things. But you know who 66 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: most definitely is the legend himself, Sergeant Major Mike Vining, 67 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: founding member of Delta Force. I can't wait to get 68 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: to that, calls himself a demo Man, Bronze Star recipient, 69 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:20,799 Speaker 1: and of course his book, as we said, Blasting Through 70 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: is coming out. So, Sergeant Major, I guess before we 71 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: get to Delta and everything else, but before we even 72 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: get necessarily to Vietnam. You're growing up in Michigan, you 73 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: end up blowing things up in Vietnam. 74 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 2: How's that happen? 75 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 3: Well, well, I grew up, you know, my high school years, 76 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,720 Speaker 3: junior high, high school years. It was at nineteen sixties, 77 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 3: you know, Vietnam was going, you know, nineteen sixty five, 78 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 3: we've put combat troops into Vietnam. In my senior year 79 00:04:53,120 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 3: of high school, the tet offense occurred, and so of 80 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 3: course it was on the nightly news all the time. 81 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 3: And so I had always wanted to go into the military, 82 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 3: but I wanted to serve my country, and I wanted 83 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 3: to go to Vietnam to see what what what's it 84 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 3: all about? You know, what are we doing there? Why 85 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 3: are we there? And are we making any progress? You know, 86 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 3: you get you get the you know, the White House 87 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 3: and Department defense. The Pentagon would tell you one thing, 88 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 3: you know, Walter Concrete. The nightly news would tell you 89 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 3: something a little bit different. Uh, probably no different today. Uh, 90 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 3: but I wanted to find for myself firsthand. 91 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 2: Well sortain major. 92 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: There's a bunch of ways you can find out what's 93 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 1: going on in Vietnam. Even in the sixties, you could 94 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,279 Speaker 1: have even been a journalist. You didn't have to put 95 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: on a uniform and go get. 96 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 2: Shot at What's what's this dry? To join the military? 97 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 2: What was it? Did you just want to better yourself? 98 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 2: What was it? 99 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 3: Well? You know, a baby boomer, You know, my dad 100 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 3: served in the Navy during World War Two. He was 101 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 3: on an LST. I had an uncle that served in 102 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:27,159 Speaker 3: the Army. He was on Guadalcanal. I had another uncle 103 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 3: that served in Korea. You know, I had family that 104 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:37,119 Speaker 3: served in the country. You go back to the Revolutionary War. 105 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 3: I had family that fought in Revolutionary War, War of 106 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 3: eighteen twelve, the Civil War. My grandfather on my mother's 107 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 3: dad was a marine prior to World War One and 108 00:06:55,520 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 3: served in the Pacific on the armored cruiser the USS 109 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 3: Maryland in the Pacific before World War One. So I 110 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 3: just got a family history. 111 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 2: You get to Vietnam, you got the uniform on what 112 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 2: are you doing? What? What hit you? What shocked you? 113 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 3: Well, what shocked me in Vietnam? Uh, you know, in 114 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 3: the countryside, the real countryside. To me, they were just 115 00:07:31,720 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 3: doing sub assistance living. You know, they were farm using 116 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 3: their water buffalo's and you know Colivat and Rice. To them, 117 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 3: they didn't what was going on in the South Vietnamese government, 118 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 3: what was going on. For the most part, they just 119 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 3: wanted to make a living and you know, so life 120 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 3: didn't really matter to them. The politics they were just 121 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 3: I could see that. But I liked my job as 122 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 3: Explosive Ordinance disposal because, you know, we we clear the danger, 123 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 3: you know, we get rid of the hazardous devices, the explosives, 124 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 3: and we try to make it safe not only for 125 00:08:20,600 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 3: the military but for the civilian population. And it's a 126 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 3: very I think, very noble cause. And I enjoyed EOD work. 127 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 3: You know, I always said that we're probably a glorified 128 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 3: garbage collector, but it's you know, the ordinance of the 129 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 3: world that didn't go off. 130 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:44,880 Speaker 2: Sodia Major. 131 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,959 Speaker 1: Can you actually drill down on that, because for ninety 132 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: nine point nine percent of us when we think about 133 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: you know, eod something like that. You of course picture 134 00:08:54,840 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: a scene in the movies where you have to cut 135 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: the red wire, not the green wire, but obviously the 136 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,959 Speaker 1: real life is quite a bit different for most people. 137 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: That's a little nerve wracking to walk up to any 138 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:08,720 Speaker 1: kind of an explosive device, if it's a mine, whatever, 139 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: and have to remove it, have to disable it. 140 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 2: What is that like? 141 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 3: Well, I wanted to know myself that question. 142 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 2: You know. 143 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 3: I saw a movie. It was World War Two and 144 00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 3: this was when I was in high school. There was 145 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:31,840 Speaker 3: this black and white movie about the Battle for Britain. 146 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 3: Germany was bombing London in the countryside and a British 147 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:40,079 Speaker 3: office there was a German bomb that penetrated in London 148 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 3: and went down into the catacombs, a large German bomb. 149 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 3: This was in the movie, and a British officer alone 150 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:53,079 Speaker 3: walked up in the catacombs and disarmed that huge bomb. 151 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,320 Speaker 3: And I just I was just amazed, you know, a 152 00:09:56,400 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 3: person that would be able to do that. I was wondering, 153 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 3: you know, what kind of what does it take to 154 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 3: do that? And uh so I found out and uh yeah, 155 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:12,600 Speaker 3: it's interesting. 156 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: Do your hands get shaky. I mean, what's you're standing 157 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: over something? And obviously you could become a pink mist 158 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:26,560 Speaker 1: in any moment. Are you one of these people who's 159 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:30,640 Speaker 1: just you know, brain surgeon type, just naturally smooth and calm, 160 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,600 Speaker 1: or is your heart pounding through your chest it's relaxed? 161 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:35,440 Speaker 2: You know. 162 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 3: The training is really intensive. And I remember my first 163 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:44,959 Speaker 3: big bomb, you know, and it was a there was 164 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 3: a Mark eighty two. There was actually two of them. 165 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 3: They dropped them into a This is during the Cambodian 166 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 3: incursion and there was this clearing and First CAV wanted 167 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 3: to occupy this clearing were a fire support base, so 168 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:05,439 Speaker 3: they did it, called in an airstrike and then they 169 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,080 Speaker 3: did a combat assault and they started setting up the 170 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 3: one oh fives and then they noticed what they thought 171 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 3: was three bombs inside of the fire support base that 172 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 3: didn't go off. So we were called in and the 173 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 3: so as we flew in, we were met by the 174 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 3: assistant division commander of First CAB came up to our helicopter, 175 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 3: shook our hands, said we were the most important people 176 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 3: here and had a kernel lead us to where the 177 00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 3: bombs were. Now, one of the bombs had gone down 178 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:49,079 Speaker 3: deep and detonated really deep and it formed a crater 179 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 3: we call camel flight didn't it didn't break the surface, 180 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 3: but that cavity is pretty dangerous if somebody was. It's 181 00:11:56,760 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 3: possible that somebody could walk over the cavity. The ground 182 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 3: could collapse, they could fall into that bomb cavity, and 183 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:08,160 Speaker 3: of course the noxious gases carbon monoxide, you know, they 184 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 3: could could kill them before somebody could get them out. 185 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:15,560 Speaker 3: So there was a camouflag and then the two bombs. 186 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 3: One was kind of laying horizontal on the ground. The 187 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 3: other one had gone in. He came up and the 188 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 3: nose was sticking out, so we dug that one out. 189 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 3: And so the bombs were had nose fuses. They were 190 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 3: M nine oh four impact nose fuses were sheared off 191 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 3: on impact, so there's nothing to worry about on those 192 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 3: fuses because all the important stuff is outside the bomb, 193 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 3: and once it was sheared off, we didn't have to 194 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 3: worry about. But they had tail fuses and they were 195 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 3: the M nine oh five fuses. And the windows you 196 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,520 Speaker 3: have a little window there you can see that the 197 00:12:55,559 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 3: windows red, and that means the bomb is fully armed. 198 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:04,680 Speaker 3: And so the East seven took one bomb. I took 199 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 3: the other. We both simultaneously removed the fuses from the bomb. 200 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 3: So this is my five hundred pounds bomb, two hundred 201 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 3: fifty pounds of steel, two hundred and fifty pounds of explosives, 202 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 3: And each turn I turned the fuse out by hand. 203 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 3: And I was just wondering, you know, if this thing 204 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 3: goes off, you know, well I actually see the bomb 205 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 3: casing swell, would actually see what would happen. That was 206 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 3: going through my mind, you know. But I got the 207 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 3: fuse safely out. He got his fuse safely out. We 208 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:45,719 Speaker 3: walked into the jungle set up charges, the blew the fuses. 209 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:49,720 Speaker 3: They came in with a helicopter and they sling loaded 210 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 3: the bombs out. 211 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:55,280 Speaker 2: Are there first like that? 212 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:00,160 Speaker 1: Are there moments like that where maybe it flashes at 213 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: least through your head? Man, I could be working in 214 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: a factory in Michigan. 215 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 2: What am I doing here? 216 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 3: I did work in a factory in Michigan, I know. 217 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 3: After I got out from Vietnam. I got out of 218 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 3: the army for two and a half years. So I 219 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 3: got a job there in Greenville, Michigan, at a they 220 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:26,360 Speaker 3: did press. They stamped out body parts for Ford. It 221 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:30,200 Speaker 3: was a contract company, and so in a short time 222 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 3: I became the lead man on the largest press in 223 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 3: the shop, a five hundred ton press, and some times 224 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,640 Speaker 3: we'd have four presses operating to form these forms body 225 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:45,600 Speaker 3: parts for automobiles, and so that's what I was doing. 226 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 3: It's pretty good pay in Michigan, but I just couldn't 227 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 3: see spending twenty thirty years or what doing that job. 228 00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:58,360 Speaker 3: You know. In a short time, I became the lead 229 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 3: man on the press, and actually that press work was 230 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 3: really dangerous. I had a chunk of die came off 231 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 3: and hit me in the cheek. It felt like I 232 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 3: got hit with a baseball bat and cut my cheek 233 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 3: and a piece of metal was inside. They had to 234 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 3: go in my mouth to get the metal out. You know. 235 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 3: Pretty much it came unscathed. In Vietnam, working in a factory, 236 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 3: we had one guy who was operating the press. He 237 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 3: lost his whole arm and I put a tourniquet on 238 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 3: his arm. The press factory work is dangerous, but I 239 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 3: just couldn't see spending So in October seventy three, I 240 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 3: rejoined the army. 241 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 2: We will come back to that. Let's take a little 242 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 2: side track. 243 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 1: Sergeant Major no judgment here, of course, So you an 244 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 1: adrenaline junkie. All young men, or at least men, have 245 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: some of that in them. A sense of a maybe 246 00:15:57,280 --> 00:15:59,240 Speaker 1: in a sense of adventureuld be a better way to 247 00:15:59,280 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: put it. 248 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 3: But is that you Yeah, yeah, I liked that. Climbing 249 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 3: was my drug of choice, rock climbing, mountaineering, caving. I 250 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 3: started climbing when I was sixteen. I was still in 251 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:24,480 Speaker 3: high school. I went out to Jackson Hawayoming Exam Mountaineering School. 252 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 3: They offered mountaineering courses, So at sixteen I took mountaineering courses. 253 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 3: So for an escape, you know, on weekends, you know, 254 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,200 Speaker 3: I would take off and go climbing in the military 255 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 3: and a lot of times TV ye take my climbing 256 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:49,240 Speaker 3: gear with me. So I became a professional member of 257 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 3: the American Mountain Guides Association, American Alpine Club, the Missouri 258 00:16:54,440 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 3: Spieological Survey, the National Spiological Society, So those were organization. 259 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:05,440 Speaker 3: So I did caving, climbing, mountaineering, and I just enjoyed 260 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 3: it because when you're climbing, you forget about anything else. 261 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 3: You don't think about work, just looking at what you 262 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:17,119 Speaker 3: what's going on, and you've got to be attuned to 263 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 3: what you're what you're doing. So, yeah, I when I 264 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 3: went to Delta, the unit psychologist did an evaluation on me. 265 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 3: And because I did rock climbing, mountain climbing, caving, I 266 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:38,199 Speaker 3: had a motorcycle at a Kalasaki seven fifty, which was 267 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:42,159 Speaker 3: one of the fastest street legal bikes that do. So 268 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 3: I had a Kalasaki seven fifty and I'm EOD and 269 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,879 Speaker 3: now I joined Delta. So he thought I had a 270 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:57,399 Speaker 3: death wish and I told him, I said, no, that's wrong. 271 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:02,280 Speaker 3: I have a lifeless wish. You know. I just wanted 272 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:07,399 Speaker 3: to experience and live life and not be afraid. You know, 273 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:11,680 Speaker 3: I didn't. I never feared death. You know, death happens, 274 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 3: so if it. But I was surprised, you know that 275 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:21,320 Speaker 3: I never expected to be today. I'm seventy five years old. 276 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:23,840 Speaker 3: I didn't that surprises me. 277 00:18:26,080 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 2: How about that? 278 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,880 Speaker 1: All right, let's let's rewind before we get to Delta. 279 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,120 Speaker 1: In selection and all that. What's Rock Island East? Most 280 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:34,399 Speaker 1: people have never heard of the place. 281 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:40,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, Rock Island East was the largest enemy weapons and 282 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 3: ammunition cachet that was discovered in the Vietnam War. And 283 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:52,440 Speaker 3: so in May of June President Nixon. May of June 284 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:57,920 Speaker 3: nineteen seventy, President Nixon authorized US troops officially to go 285 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 3: into Cambodia, and this was part of the Vietnamization program 286 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:07,720 Speaker 3: we were turning in nineteen seventy. We wanted to get 287 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 3: out of Vietnam. We wanted to turn the war over 288 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 3: to the South Vietnamese. So we wanted to give the 289 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:18,919 Speaker 3: South Vietnamese a head start. So for two months we 290 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 3: entered the sanctuary zones of Cambodia where the North Vietnamese 291 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:29,439 Speaker 3: had stockpiles of ammunition, they had their command center, they 292 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 3: had hospitals, schools, in our motor pool, weapons stockpiles of 293 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 3: weapons and ammunition. It so first Calve, a pink team 294 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 3: and a first Calve helicopter actually saw the cashes through 295 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 3: the jungle as he was flying over. And the first Calve, 296 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:55,120 Speaker 3: second of the twelve Charlie company, they seized the Rock 297 00:19:55,160 --> 00:20:01,439 Speaker 3: Island East and then they called an EOD Yeah. And 298 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,480 Speaker 3: then I was one of the seven EUD folks at 299 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 3: Rock Island East and these were these were in the jungle. 300 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:14,239 Speaker 3: They were different cash sites. There was a trail and 301 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:19,280 Speaker 3: these different cash sites. Along this trail, a lot of 302 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 3: weapons and ammunition. Three hundred and twenty eight tons of 303 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:26,439 Speaker 3: weapons and ammunition. I think that's what the figure was. 304 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 3: And everything from our you know, from one twenty two 305 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:37,320 Speaker 3: rocket launchers to all the weapons, and they even had 306 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 3: what surprised us, they had a stockpile of eighty five 307 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:47,320 Speaker 3: millimeter fixed amminition there. Well, there's only two weapons that 308 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:50,879 Speaker 3: I know of that will fire eighty five million, you know, 309 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:55,640 Speaker 3: the Soviet Chicom eighty five millimeter fixed amminition. It is 310 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:59,520 Speaker 3: that they have a field gun that will fire it. 311 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:03,720 Speaker 3: Think it's called the D forty four, and they have 312 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:08,120 Speaker 3: the T thirty four tank that will fire those rounds. Now, 313 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:12,320 Speaker 3: we hadn't seen any of those field guns. We haven't 314 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:15,360 Speaker 3: seen any of the tanks in South Vietnam. But they 315 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 3: were stockpiling ammunition for that. So they were getting ready 316 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,959 Speaker 3: for some kind of fence, and we blew all that 317 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:26,239 Speaker 3: stuff up. Now we only blew up I think it 318 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:31,160 Speaker 3: was seventy two tons. All the weapons were back hauled 319 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 3: out and the twelve point seven ammunition was all backed out, 320 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 3: carried out. They called that out. It took us six 321 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 3: days to set it up. We used two hundred and 322 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 3: eighty eight cases of c four. We wanted more. I 323 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,639 Speaker 3: think we asked for three hundred and forty only got 324 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 3: two hundred and eighty eight. We used, oh, I forget 325 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 3: how many cases of detonating cord. But we set that 326 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:07,160 Speaker 3: shot up and so on the ground when we blew 327 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 3: up Rock Island East, as you see in that photograph, 328 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 3: there was only two UD guys on the ground at 329 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 3: this time. It was me and Master Serge at Lant, 330 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:20,359 Speaker 3: and then we had a small squad from Ecorecon second 331 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:24,840 Speaker 3: of the twelfth for security, and so we got ready 332 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:28,240 Speaker 3: to pull the shot. Now we had dual detonating cord 333 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,679 Speaker 3: lines going to all the cash sites and we buried 334 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 3: them so that the enemy came in they would have 335 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:40,640 Speaker 3: to find the detonating cord leads because we concealed them. 336 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 3: And so we had ten We had ten priming systems 337 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,120 Speaker 3: that of ten minutes, and any one of the ten 338 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:54,119 Speaker 3: priming systems could set the whole thing off. Because we 339 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 3: wanted to make you know, normally you dual prime. We 340 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 3: primed with ten priming system because we weren't coming back 341 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 3: this one, and so we lit the fuse. There was 342 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:09,880 Speaker 3: two helicopters HLZ two helicopters on the ground. Master started 343 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:15,040 Speaker 3: land and I jump into lead helicopter and well, no 344 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,560 Speaker 3: that I got ahead of myself. As we ran to 345 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 3: that helicopter the first time, this captain infantry captain on 346 00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 3: the radio yells at us, says, cut the fuse. Cut 347 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:30,880 Speaker 3: the fuse, cut the fuse three times. So we run back. 348 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:33,480 Speaker 3: We don't know what's going on, so we run back. 349 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 3: We cut the fuses, We run back to the helicopter, 350 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 3: and then he yells at us to light the fuses. 351 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 3: But we used up all of our our Fusic knightis 352 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 3: M sixty Fusic knightis, So we had to go back 353 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 3: out there. Now we have short fuses. We're splitting with 354 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,160 Speaker 3: a knife, splitting the fuse ends. We're putting a match 355 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 3: head in and then with c ration match and lighting 356 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 3: it and quick you can like two off one and 357 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 3: we let the things back. But while we were lighting 358 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:14,920 Speaker 3: that our scare charges. We had eight we had eight 359 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,399 Speaker 3: scare charges that are around the HLC time to go 360 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,920 Speaker 3: off starting that two minutes, you know, had two minute 361 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 3: time fuses. Now there. The scare charges was to keep 362 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 3: the enemy, you know, at bay while we evacuated. We 363 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:33,639 Speaker 3: didn't want them to come in, and you know cut, 364 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 3: you know, cut the fuses. So and our scare charges 365 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,800 Speaker 3: start going off. But the people on the helicopter they 366 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 3: don't know nothing about our scare charges, and I think 367 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,359 Speaker 3: they thought we were getting mortared and they were ready 368 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 3: to take off. But so anyway, we like the fuses, 369 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:54,679 Speaker 3: we jump into the helicopter. Helicopter can't lift off the ground. 370 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 3: It's overloaded. So door gunner taps me on the shoulder, 371 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,240 Speaker 3: said says, you're going to have to get off. Tapped 372 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 3: another infantry guy says you got to get off, and 373 00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 3: so the two and we had to go and get 374 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 3: the helicopter in the back. So we get off the 375 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:14,359 Speaker 3: helicopter and we look and that's helicopter in the rear. 376 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 3: Same problem. It drops off two people. And now these 377 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 3: helicopters are taking off and there's four of us on 378 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 3: the ground. So I'm going to go and cut fuses 379 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 3: because I don't want to be here when this thing 380 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:32,119 Speaker 3: goes off. And another helicopter that was in orbit, I 381 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:36,399 Speaker 3: don't know where he came from, came down, picked us 382 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:39,200 Speaker 3: up and we got out of there, and I took 383 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:43,040 Speaker 3: that photograph that you were showing with my camera and 384 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 3: you can't really see it too bad. Good, But in 385 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:49,760 Speaker 3: the background there's a mountain called Nui bah Rah and 386 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:53,880 Speaker 3: that's fifty miles away at Song Bay, and they could 387 00:25:53,880 --> 00:26:00,520 Speaker 3: see our mushroom cloud fifty miles away. Right, that's rock 388 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:01,440 Speaker 3: Allen y Okay. 389 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:07,119 Speaker 1: Again, I want to remind everybody that blasting through is 390 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: the name of the book. If you want to get 391 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: so much more of this stuff. All right, pause on that. 392 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:14,960 Speaker 1: I guess that's time out, time out on that. We're 393 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:15,960 Speaker 1: going to be right back with more. 394 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:16,120 Speaker 2: Hang. 395 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 1: We are losing one percent of our testosterone a year. 396 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 1: We have lost as you can imagine fifty fifty years, 397 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:30,160 Speaker 1: our te levels are gone. There's a reason you see 398 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:33,080 Speaker 1: a men's clinic on every corner of your town. 399 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 2: Now. Men know it. 400 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:37,480 Speaker 1: They're out of energy there. Their brains aren't working well, 401 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:39,920 Speaker 1: they're just they're not who they're. 402 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:40,440 Speaker 2: Supposed to be. 403 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 1: So do you think you should go get a needle 404 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,040 Speaker 1: jammed in your arm or do you think you should 405 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: maybe try some natural herbal supplements first? 406 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 2: You know, go try chalk. 407 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:53,960 Speaker 1: Chalk will have you turned around and feeling like a 408 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:58,680 Speaker 1: million bucks naturally, and they'll have it quickly your ninety 409 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: days probably sixty days, ninety days away, twenty percent. 410 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:04,200 Speaker 2: Increase in your t levels. 411 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:09,679 Speaker 1: Naturally, go to chalk dot com slash jessetv, get a 412 00:27:09,720 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: subscription ninety days away, We'll be. 413 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 2: Back, okay, Sergeant Major. 414 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:29,040 Speaker 1: So maybe in the oddest part of this whole story 415 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:32,640 Speaker 1: is you get out of Vietnam. You already mentioned you're 416 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:37,399 Speaker 1: working in a factory, and you end up with Delta Force. 417 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: What is Delta force shorterer tapping people who are working 418 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:44,080 Speaker 1: in factories across the country at the time. How does 419 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: this happen? 420 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,520 Speaker 3: Well, I went back into the opp and Delta was 421 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:54,520 Speaker 3: not formed up until November of nineteen seventy seven. So 422 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 3: I went back into the Army. In October of seventy three, 423 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:02,080 Speaker 3: I went back into the army. They weren't taken in 424 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:05,560 Speaker 3: seventy three. They weren't taking many prior services back yet. 425 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,439 Speaker 3: So the army recruiter told me I had to go 426 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:11,679 Speaker 3: back in as EO D. And I said that's great. 427 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:15,199 Speaker 3: So he says, how about going to Fort Leonardwood? And 428 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,479 Speaker 3: I said, yeah, Fort leonard Wood is fine. So I 429 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,399 Speaker 3: was at Fort Leonardwood from seventy three to seventy eight. 430 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:26,800 Speaker 3: Now there were in seventy six in a V Secret 431 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 3: Service VI I P Support, We support Secret Service. We 432 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,680 Speaker 3: do all the bomb EOD does all the bomb searches 433 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:39,239 Speaker 3: for the military, the military, for the Secret Service. So 434 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 3: seventy six we were in Quincy, Illinois. There was a 435 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:49,240 Speaker 3: series of a domestic bombing IDs at this factory and 436 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:54,120 Speaker 3: we were there. Senator Dole, who's running as Ford's vice president, 437 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:58,160 Speaker 3: and his wife Elizabeth were there speaking in Quincy, Illinoy 438 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 3: when these bombs were going on. And anyway, they got 439 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,920 Speaker 3: they left. The next morning there's a bomb threat called 440 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 3: in on the airport where they were at. We had 441 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 3: done the searches and but one of the they discovered 442 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 3: it at the factory. One of the bombs did go off. 443 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 3: The IED and so anyway, long story short, my sergeant major, 444 00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:29,480 Speaker 3: he just made Sergeant Major Ken Foster was going down 445 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:33,040 Speaker 3: for recon on an IED and it blew up and 446 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:36,560 Speaker 3: he was killed. I was the first person to him. 447 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:39,200 Speaker 3: He was killed immediately. There was nothing I could do 448 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 3: to save his life. And so anyway, after that, I 449 00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:50,239 Speaker 3: decided I needed medical training, more medical training. You know, 450 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,440 Speaker 3: there was no nothing. He was right there in the 451 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:58,440 Speaker 3: vicinity of the explosive device that when it went off. 452 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 3: But I went through a EMT, became an EMT on 453 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:08,720 Speaker 3: the side. I was registered in Missouri, nationally registered EMT. 454 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:12,120 Speaker 3: So I decided I wanted to leave EOD and I 455 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:14,200 Speaker 3: wanted to go in Special Forces. I wanted to be 456 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,920 Speaker 3: a Special Forces medic well, and this was in seventy eight, 457 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,480 Speaker 3: and I had a school date in seventy eight to 458 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:26,040 Speaker 3: be a Special Forces medic. But then I got a 459 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:31,400 Speaker 3: phone call my Sergeant major Control Sergeant Major called me 460 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 3: up and said, hey, Mike, they're forming a new unit 461 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,120 Speaker 3: up at Fort Bragg. They're looking for six E D 462 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 3: n CEOs preferably if they have combat experience to join 463 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 3: this new organization. He gave me a telephone number, so 464 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 3: I called that telephone number, talk to a person on 465 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 3: the line. He says, can you come in two days 466 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 3: for an interview? And I said sure. So I flew 467 00:30:55,600 --> 00:31:00,000 Speaker 3: to Fort Brag. I saw the command Sergeant Major Country 468 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 3: Grimes there, saw Colonel beck With and did all my 469 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 3: interviews and then within ten days I PCs two Fort 470 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 3: Leonardwood and started. It was the beginning of Delta and 471 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:19,800 Speaker 3: they were forming up the first Operator Training course. Now 472 00:31:19,880 --> 00:31:23,400 Speaker 3: I didn't go through selection and assessment. I hadn't at 473 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 3: this time, but it was impressed on me that at 474 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:31,760 Speaker 3: some point I have to complete selection assessment. But there 475 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 3: was five e O D n CEOs in the first 476 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:39,080 Speaker 3: course and I was one of them OTC one and 477 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:42,200 Speaker 3: we went through there there it is. You can see 478 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 3: I'm the guy bottom left with glasses. Next to me 479 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 3: is the other EOD tech Irvan Banta, and we So 480 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:56,720 Speaker 3: there was so in OTC one there was five e 481 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:00,920 Speaker 3: oo D techs oc OTC two. The five EO D 482 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 3: tics only in my OTC one only two of us 483 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 3: made it through OTC two, only two EOD people made 484 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 3: it through. Then we went through selection assessment and only 485 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 3: three the three of us made it through. So we 486 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:23,200 Speaker 3: only had three EOD operators in del They wanted back 487 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:27,560 Speaker 3: with Colonel beckwith one and six. So how to get 488 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:30,480 Speaker 3: six we couldn't get. We couldn't get any more EOD 489 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:35,600 Speaker 3: people to pass through the selection course, and so we 490 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:39,840 Speaker 3: took three Special Forces demo guys. They were twelve b's 491 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:43,840 Speaker 3: just before the eighteen series and we sent them to 492 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,800 Speaker 3: eu D School to make up our six and they 493 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:49,680 Speaker 3: passed to UOD School. So that's how we got our 494 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:50,320 Speaker 3: first six. 495 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 1: Why weren't people making it through selection? It's not exactly 496 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: surprising to anybody watching the Delta. Selection wouldn't exactly be 497 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:01,160 Speaker 1: a walk in the park. But what gets people? What 498 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,080 Speaker 1: got people back then? I'm sure it's changed somewhat by now. 499 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, when I went through selection assessment, it was in 500 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:12,760 Speaker 3: Yori National Forest in North Carolina in the fall of 501 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:16,320 Speaker 3: seventy eight. That was the last you are a selection 502 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:21,719 Speaker 3: today since then all the selection courses are now in 503 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:29,440 Speaker 3: West Virginia. So but it's basically the same. The whole 504 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:36,400 Speaker 3: premise of selection and assessment is that you are doing 505 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:40,280 Speaker 3: the whole thing by yourself. There is actually no harassment 506 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 3: at all. You don't get any harassment from the cadre. 507 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 3: You are told, you are told. So we use carrying 508 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:54,880 Speaker 3: weight and doing land navigation. You're not allowed to use 509 00:33:55,600 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 3: any roads or trails, and you're given an RV to 510 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:04,360 Speaker 3: go to so you don't that day. You don't know 511 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 3: how many r V points you got to hit. You 512 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:12,120 Speaker 3: you don't know how far you got to go that day, 513 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 3: And it's all timed, so there's a cutoff time and 514 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:18,239 Speaker 3: you just got to go as fast as you can. 515 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,360 Speaker 3: So we start out with you carrying forty five pounds 516 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:27,200 Speaker 3: in your pack, and that's not including any water or 517 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:31,239 Speaker 3: food that you're carrying. And of course they weigh your pack, 518 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:34,520 Speaker 3: you know, make sure that it's within the weight limit, 519 00:34:35,040 --> 00:34:37,920 Speaker 3: and then it goes up to fifty pounds, and then 520 00:34:37,920 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 3: it goes up to fifty eight. And also during the course, 521 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:44,600 Speaker 3: you are carrying physically carrying a weapon in your hand 522 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,759 Speaker 3: the whole time. And then you've got to map. You 523 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,759 Speaker 3: use a map and compass in the other hand. And 524 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 3: of course they the AREV points. They are through the 525 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:58,040 Speaker 3: most rugged, rugged art you know, terrain that they can find. 526 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:02,680 Speaker 3: It's all timed and you just got to go. The 527 00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:05,880 Speaker 3: only person that's motivating you is to go. So what 528 00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:10,520 Speaker 3: they're looking for is somebody that can work alone and 529 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,600 Speaker 3: uh and doesn't know the meaning of the word quit. 530 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:19,480 Speaker 3: And they make it easy to quit. You know. There 531 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 3: was one of one of the r V cadre that 532 00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:28,440 Speaker 3: was at one r V This is in North Carolina. 533 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:31,600 Speaker 3: It was North Carolina. He said to a group of people. 534 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:33,640 Speaker 3: At the end of the day, he says, there's two 535 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:39,239 Speaker 3: trucks here. One truck's going back to Fort Bragg, and 536 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:42,480 Speaker 3: this truck here is going back to the base camp. 537 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:48,640 Speaker 3: And everybody, everybody at that RV that collected at that 538 00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:51,560 Speaker 3: RVV point at the end of the day, got on 539 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:53,880 Speaker 3: the truck to go to Fort Bragg. Now he thought 540 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:56,840 Speaker 3: he made a mistake and pointed out the wrong truck. 541 00:35:56,880 --> 00:36:00,399 Speaker 3: He says, you guys, this truck's going back to forty 542 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,000 Speaker 3: All shook their heads, said they were done. They quit. 543 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 3: No harassment, they just the whole group just quit. You. So, 544 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 3: so you work all by yourself through the selection assessment, 545 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:17,040 Speaker 3: when you go through the operator training course, you work 546 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:20,560 Speaker 3: as a team. So what they're looking for is somebody 547 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:24,919 Speaker 3: that can work by themselves and then also can work 548 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,839 Speaker 3: within a group a team. There are people that can 549 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:32,160 Speaker 3: you know, just only function by themselves, don't work good 550 00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:34,719 Speaker 3: in a group, and then there's people that only can 551 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:38,799 Speaker 3: work good in a group. So that's kind of the 552 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,680 Speaker 3: the idea and selection and assessment what they're looking for. 553 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:46,240 Speaker 3: And the whole time your selection assessment and the operator, 554 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:52,040 Speaker 3: you're being constantly evaluated. And then even when you make it, 555 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 3: you know you're out. You're in the squadron. We have 556 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,560 Speaker 3: a saying that selection assessment is never over. 557 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:04,640 Speaker 1: Tell me you have all these operations, and actually I 558 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:06,040 Speaker 1: don't want you to have to go into all of 559 00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:07,759 Speaker 1: them right now. I want people to get I want 560 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 1: people to buy Blasting Through and find out about all 561 00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,280 Speaker 1: the things you did after you joined Delta. 562 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:15,200 Speaker 2: But but these. 563 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:17,640 Speaker 1: Guys, and I mean, I've all I can All I 564 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:18,759 Speaker 1: can do is talk to people like you. 565 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:20,439 Speaker 2: All I can do is read books. I was never 566 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:23,960 Speaker 2: that guy. Do you feel a sense of pride? 567 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,760 Speaker 1: For instance, recently we saw Delta very famously went downtown 568 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:31,560 Speaker 1: Kraka snatched up their president and the first lady and 569 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:36,040 Speaker 1: and you were part of the founders that that built 570 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:38,919 Speaker 1: that unit. What what goes through your mind when you're 571 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 1: watching TV or on social media and you find out, Wow, 572 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:43,560 Speaker 1: they're they're still putting in work. 573 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:47,760 Speaker 3: I'm just so proud of them, you know. I hope 574 00:37:47,920 --> 00:37:52,560 Speaker 3: you know that we were able to our lessons learned, 575 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:55,880 Speaker 3: you know, trial and error things that we have did 576 00:37:55,960 --> 00:38:00,359 Speaker 3: and developed, you know, our tactics, techniques, besiege is that 577 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:05,680 Speaker 3: we developed, you know, that helped them and they benefited 578 00:38:05,719 --> 00:38:10,960 Speaker 3: from all our lessons learned, you know, I mean I 579 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:14,080 Speaker 3: was impressed, you know, with you know what they did 580 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:18,240 Speaker 3: I understand. I haven't, just this is based on the news. 581 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 3: Some of our guys were injured. But yeah, it was 582 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:29,680 Speaker 3: really successful. The air support was just tremendous. We never 583 00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:37,319 Speaker 3: had that kind of air support, so that's great. 584 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:43,120 Speaker 1: Social Major, I don't know whether you knew or I'm 585 00:38:43,160 --> 00:38:45,560 Speaker 1: sure you know by now, but how you found out 586 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:46,560 Speaker 1: that you are. 587 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:49,080 Speaker 2: Internet famous? 588 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:52,040 Speaker 1: If you will that this is something that anybody who 589 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:57,080 Speaker 1: spends any time online they know about Sergeant Major Mike Vining. 590 00:38:57,360 --> 00:38:59,800 Speaker 1: And it's the joke for those who may not be 591 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:02,719 Speaker 1: where is Look at this very normal looking guy. 592 00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:05,000 Speaker 2: He could be doing your taxes. 593 00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:07,520 Speaker 1: But he will probably He's probably the deadliest person you 594 00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:11,600 Speaker 1: ever meet in your entire life. Do you I'm really 595 00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:14,480 Speaker 1: genuinely curious. When did you find out? How did you 596 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:18,000 Speaker 1: find out? Does it tickle you? Do you find it strange? 597 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:18,960 Speaker 1: Tell me about this? 598 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:22,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, I did find it strange. I think what happened 599 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 3: is I think it was back in two thousand and eight. 600 00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:31,680 Speaker 3: You know there's a website called Together we Serve. Are 601 00:39:31,719 --> 00:39:36,279 Speaker 3: you aware of the website Together we Serve? Well, there's 602 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:41,319 Speaker 3: a Marine, Navy, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Together we 603 00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:45,080 Speaker 3: Serve and they're all inner lane. So I signed up 604 00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:48,759 Speaker 3: the Army Together We Serve and I put in my profile, 605 00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:53,440 Speaker 3: you know, I put in that photo and you know, 606 00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:57,479 Speaker 3: and all this kind of stuff into that website Army 607 00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:00,319 Speaker 3: Together we Serve. And I think people when on the 608 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:03,720 Speaker 3: website and they looked at me, and I was like, who's 609 00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:07,279 Speaker 3: this person. I've never heard of this person. Look at 610 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:11,440 Speaker 3: what he's wearing. Is this a case of stolen valor 611 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:17,480 Speaker 3: some imposer? You know. Nobody knew who I was, and 612 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:20,240 Speaker 3: so there was memes. But there was a few people 613 00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:24,320 Speaker 3: that went on the site and knew me and said yeah. 614 00:40:24,520 --> 00:40:27,120 Speaker 3: But one of the things they were looking at my 615 00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 3: badges and stuff like that, and they said, look at 616 00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:33,000 Speaker 3: see where the EOD badge, the Master EOD badge is 617 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:37,480 Speaker 3: down on my breast pocket, down in the left. They said, well, 618 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:42,520 Speaker 3: today that's a category two badge, but back in my 619 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:47,440 Speaker 3: time it was category five. So from two thousand and 620 00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:52,640 Speaker 3: two they moved the EOD badge up the R to 621 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:57,759 Speaker 3: the two just below the combat Infantry badge, and so 622 00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,640 Speaker 3: it should you know. But back this photo was taken, 623 00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:06,880 Speaker 3: the Airborne badge was the next badge in the order 624 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:11,320 Speaker 3: I got out in nineteen ninety nine before two thousand 625 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:14,359 Speaker 3: and two. So that's why my uniform looks the way 626 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:20,800 Speaker 3: it is. Yeah, the UD badge, I don't know why 627 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:24,319 Speaker 3: it was always in category five. It's a it's one 628 00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:30,520 Speaker 3: of the hardest academic schools in the military today. It's 629 00:41:30,719 --> 00:41:36,040 Speaker 3: like a year long process. The washout rate is really high. 630 00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:38,759 Speaker 3: I mean, to get the Airborne badge, all you have 631 00:41:38,840 --> 00:41:42,719 Speaker 3: to do is jump out of an airplane five times. Now, 632 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:46,000 Speaker 3: the EOD badge, you've got to go through this intense 633 00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:50,439 Speaker 3: school and then you have to actually serve in order 634 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,160 Speaker 3: for it to be a permanent badge. You have to 635 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:57,400 Speaker 3: serve eighteen months in the EOD unit and then it 636 00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:00,279 Speaker 3: becomes a permanent badge. Now of the other badge just 637 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:05,239 Speaker 3: require an eighteen months. Thanks, So I'm glad in two 638 00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:08,160 Speaker 3: thousand and two they redid the badges. 639 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:15,920 Speaker 1: His book is Blasting Through, Sergeant Major Mike Binding. Sergeant 640 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:18,799 Speaker 1: Major is an honor for me, Sir, I appreciate you. 641 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:19,560 Speaker 2: Very very much. 642 00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:22,759 Speaker 1: Thank you for everything, and simplify to you it's it's 643 00:42:22,760 --> 00:42:30,480 Speaker 1: it's an honors. Seriously, well, thank your Blasting Through is 644 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:31,240 Speaker 1: the name of the book. 645 00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:33,440 Speaker 2: You want to look. We didn't even go into all 646 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:37,920 Speaker 2: his Delta Force operations Iran and Granada. Could you even. 647 00:42:37,719 --> 00:42:40,440 Speaker 1: Imagine the stuff that's going to be in there blasting 648 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:42,880 Speaker 1: through is going to be uh? I'd be a good read, 649 00:42:43,040 --> 00:42:49,000 Speaker 1: all right. Final thoughts. Chips are everything, aren't they? Let's 650 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:52,640 Speaker 1: be honest. When you're snacking, pretzels are fine. 651 00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:56,680 Speaker 2: A cracker. I love a cracker, but I'm a chip man. 652 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:00,320 Speaker 1: The problem is the chips that you buy that grows 653 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:03,640 Speaker 1: store and the gas station are awful. They're awful for you. 654 00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:06,400 Speaker 1: I take that back. They taste fine, they're awful for you. 655 00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:08,799 Speaker 1: And then you know this because after you get done 656 00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:09,840 Speaker 1: eating them, how do you feel. 657 00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:11,200 Speaker 2: You're sitting back. 658 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:14,120 Speaker 1: And you're unbuckling your pants and you're thinking, oh, I 659 00:43:14,160 --> 00:43:16,520 Speaker 1: don't feel good. What if you could wipe out an 660 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:19,560 Speaker 1: entire bag of potato chips guilt free, the best chips 661 00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:21,760 Speaker 1: you've ever had in your life, and you're not bloated 662 00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:25,520 Speaker 1: and tired and wanting to just nap afterwards. That's Vandy Crisps. 663 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:28,440 Speaker 1: You didn't think you were stuck with unhealthy chips the 664 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:33,800 Speaker 1: rest of your life. Potatoes salt tallow, not seed oils. 665 00:43:34,640 --> 00:43:38,760 Speaker 1: Go enjoy potato chips guilt free, wipe out the whole 666 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:44,000 Speaker 1: bag if you prefer Vandycrisps dot com promo code Jesse TV. 667 00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:57,040 Speaker 2: Wasn't that freaking cool? 668 00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:01,759 Speaker 1: We didn't even get into all the Delta Force operations. 669 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:03,359 Speaker 1: I didn't even think. Look, we ran out of time. 670 00:44:03,360 --> 00:44:05,839 Speaker 1: I did even think it was necessary. But isn't that 671 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:09,320 Speaker 1: freaking cool? There are guys like that who still exist today? 672 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:11,319 Speaker 1: You know that, right, Guys who are still in Guys 673 00:44:11,360 --> 00:44:12,560 Speaker 1: who we never get to talk to you, Guys who 674 00:44:12,640 --> 00:44:14,600 Speaker 1: never get to hear from So when we get a chance, 675 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:17,880 Speaker 1: I want to know what drives them? Why are you 676 00:44:17,960 --> 00:44:22,760 Speaker 1: an adrenaline junkie? Why those people are awesome? I'm honored 677 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:24,400 Speaker 1: we had the chance. I hope you enjoyed it. I 678 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:25,959 Speaker 1: certainly did. We'll do it again.