1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:01,520 Speaker 1: The Michael Berry Show. 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:04,840 Speaker 2: We talked earlier this week to the Loan Survivor, our 3 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:09,480 Speaker 2: dear friend Marcus Latrelle about his incredible forty day fast 4 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 2: this past summer. We had him on the show on 5 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 2: the twentieth anniversary of Operation Red Wings, and at that 6 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 2: time he took us back to how he made the 7 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 2: decision to join the Navy Seals, and he told us 8 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 2: in great detail the story that would eventually lead to 9 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 2: the Loan Survivor book and movie. If you missed our 10 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 2: interview with him on I think it was Monday Morning, 11 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 2: go back on the podcast to Monday Mornings podcast. He 12 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 2: did a forty day fast where he lost fifty two pounds. 13 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 2: A forty day fast of only water. He did two 14 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 2: cups of coffee every morning and only water thereafter. Now 15 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 2: he cheated a little bit because he would squeeze a 16 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 2: lemon's juice into his water in the afternoon. No food 17 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 2: forty days. He's a tough sum bitch, There's no doubt 18 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 2: about that. He loves a challenge. Fifty two pounds in 19 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 2: forty days. I get emails from people he can't that 20 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 2: don't kill you, what might kill you? It didn't kill 21 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 2: him you know what else will kill you? Getting shot 22 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 2: eleven times and falling down the side of a mountain 23 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 2: and crawling eleven miles and drinking filthy water and being 24 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 2: beat on and stabbed. Yeah, that'll kill you too. But 25 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 2: he's still here, isn't he. The Michael berry Is Show twenty 26 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 2: years ago, George W. Bush was the president. A lot 27 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 2: of folks you and I knew were serving in Iraq 28 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 2: and Afghanistan. The death toll was disturbing. Every community in 29 00:01:54,520 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 2: the country was affected. My how things have changed years. 30 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 2: I never forget the first reference I heard to Loan Survivor. 31 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 2: My brother Chris had read the book, and he said, 32 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 2: have you read this book Loan Survivor? You No, he said, 33 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 2: do you know who Marcus atrell Is said, I don't. 34 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 2: He's written this book called Loan Survivor. Okay, it's about 35 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 2: they went in Operation Red Wings, they went into Afghanistan, 36 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 2: and he's the only one who came out. It's it's 37 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 2: a story, man, Wow, it is Wow, it is It's incredible. 38 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:45,079 Speaker 2: It's disturbing. Then they make the movie. Then we get 39 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 2: to meet Marcus. Then we develop a friendship, and a 40 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 2: lot has happened in those twenty years. It's time to 41 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 2: revisit that twenty years later, Marcus Atrell. Welcome back to 42 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 2: the program. 43 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: Thank you, good morning. 44 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 2: What were you doing just before you came on the 45 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 2: show this morning? 46 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: All right, with complete transparency. One of my labs got 47 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: hit by a skunk the other day yesterday, and I'm 48 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: out here and I don't know when the last time 49 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: you've had that happen, but brother, it it's something so 50 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: that that's kind of what I'm dealing with right now. 51 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 2: I was thinking of a great headline for this discussion, 52 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 2: and I already have it. Uh lone survivor Navy seal 53 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 2: Marcus Latrelle admitted douching before interview. 54 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: Right, I don't know, because you know, the first thing 55 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:40,640 Speaker 1: she did when she got hit would come in and 56 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: get on the couch. So when I walked in, I 57 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: don't know what smell it. I don't know. They just 58 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: do that, right, Yeah, what do you have a what 59 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: remedy do you use to get rid of that funk? 60 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 2: Marcus? We had a place out in Carmen next to 61 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 2: Chapel Hill and we had two dogs get hit two 62 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 2: consecutive weekends and we went to I called my buddies 63 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 2: that were veterinarians, and they said, go get mass and 64 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 2: Gill Douche that is the best. I came back and 65 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 2: talked about it on the air. I heard, I heard 66 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 2: every solution known to mankind. I think it's a mess. 67 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 2: No matter what you do. Have you decided what you're doing. 68 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: So I go with the hydrogen peroxide and the pall 69 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:29,480 Speaker 1: mallis okay, Yeah, to an oil right oil. 70 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:30,640 Speaker 2: Base yep, yep. 71 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 1: And the thing about it when she goes it's good, 72 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 1: they need to bottle that up and use it and 73 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:40,160 Speaker 1: give it to people for defense. Let's talk about how 74 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: you're getting attacked and you smack somebody with that, they're 75 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: not gonna stick around. 76 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, no, no, no, even a porcupine. You know, 77 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 2: you could hide behind a shield with a porcupine, but 78 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 2: that's skunk. That's bad stuff. Let's tell the story you've 79 00:04:51,880 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 2: told before, but I think people should know how you 80 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:59,160 Speaker 2: and and Morgan decided you wanted to be Navy seals 81 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 2: and began training at a very young age. And the 82 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 2: man who put you through that program it. 83 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: Was Morgan's idea. It came down I was feeding the 84 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: horses and he's like, hey, I know what we're gonna do. 85 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: We're gonna be Navy Field. It's gonna be great. We 86 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: get to jump out of airplanes, we get to shoot guns, 87 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: we get to blow things up, we get the scuba dive, 88 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: and there's a really good chance we're gonna die. And 89 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: I was like, okay, you sign me up. You know. 90 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: Being a younger brother, I kind of followed him around 91 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 1: everywhere he came up with the ideas, but I usually 92 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: had to go first, so that that's when that happened. 93 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: We were new teenagers, fourteen fifteen years old, and there 94 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 1: was a gentleman who lived in town. We actually grew 95 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: up with his daughter. We were in the same grade, 96 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: and he would come into the high school and work 97 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: the kids out in the gym, and then he had 98 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: a reputation for training young men to go into the military, 99 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: into the special forces. They was Billy. So we got 100 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: the the curve to go ask him to train us. 101 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: I mean I walked up on him, I'll never get it, 102 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: and caught him during dinner time, got peace fried chicken 103 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: in his hand and he's like, what do you knock 104 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: over the door? He's like, what do you want? And 105 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: I was like, well, sir, we want to be navy seals. 106 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:14,599 Speaker 1: We heard you train people to do that, and I 107 00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: was wondering if you would train us. And he kind 108 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:18,720 Speaker 1: of looked at me for a little bit, and I 109 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:20,599 Speaker 1: had some buddies with me, looked over my shoulder, and 110 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: he told us four to thirty tomorrow and he slammed 111 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: the door in our face. So we left, and then 112 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: the next day we showed up at four thirty. Matter 113 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:30,919 Speaker 1: of fact, this is my first life lesson that I 114 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: ever got taught with him. Kind of stands true to 115 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: this very day. You know, someone tells you to be 116 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: somewhere at a certain time, you're always fifteen minutes early. 117 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: But we were. We showed up at four thirty, which 118 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: is not on time, and he man, he was out 119 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,919 Speaker 1: there waiting on us. I remember running up to the yard. 120 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:49,040 Speaker 1: He was pointing at us and at the ground. He's 121 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 1: pointing at us, watching at us and at the ground, 122 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 1: And then when we got within the yard that he 123 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: was cussing us up one time and down the other. 124 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: I mean good. You know, some people just have a 125 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:02,600 Speaker 1: gift for profanity. He does. He has that, and they 126 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 1: can apply it in certain ways to when it and 127 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 1: then it's really really impactful. I still remember it. I mean, bro, 128 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 1: this is over twenty years ago. And uh. He stopped 129 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: us in the street and he drew a line in 130 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: the dirt with the head with his bootheel, and he said, 131 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: every day you come here, I'm gonna I'm gonna ask 132 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 1: you to cross this line. He goes, what you're wanting 133 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: to do and where you're going is a voluntary program. 134 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: He's putting time on. He goes, you should probably quit 135 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: right now, because if you cross this line, I'm gonna 136 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: I'm gonna beat you. I'm gonna do everything I can 137 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: to break you. He's like, I'm not your mother. I 138 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:37,880 Speaker 1: don't care whether you live or die. And he said, 139 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:39,720 Speaker 1: when a man goes to war, his brain turns the 140 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 1: water and runs out of his ears, and all he 141 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: has to go on is instinct. In the guy to 142 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: the right and the left of him. He's like, if 143 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: you want a little bit of that across the line. 144 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: And at that age, you know you're invincible still, I 145 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: mean you you walk around with immortality. You can feel it. 146 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: When you're that age, everything heals up the way it's 147 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: supposed to. So we did we cross the line? And 148 00:07:57,960 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: I remember he dropped us down to do some push 149 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: He's like, everybody on your face, even three hundred push 150 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: us for being late. And that's not a lot of 151 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: push ups. But if you got some guys who aren't 152 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 1: in shape, you're gonna be paying the man. So that's 153 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: kind of what happened to us. He started mashing the deck, 154 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: going down, up and down, and we got out of sink. 155 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: He started a teeter totter a little bit and he 156 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: stopped us, and I'll never forget. He goes, you know, 157 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: as a team, you're gonna go down together, and you're 158 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: gonna come up together, you're gonna live together, and you're 159 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: gonna die together. He goes, you're not a team. Start over, 160 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: And that's how it started for us. And he just 161 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 1: from that moment on he waged into us pretty hard. 162 00:08:31,240 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: I remember we we probably got an hour into it. 163 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: A couple of hours into it. We couldn't get those 164 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: push ups down, and he got so sick and tired 165 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 1: of us that he kicked us off his property. He's like, 166 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 1: go home. He goes, you're you're you know, you're you're 167 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: a disgrace to your family. He goes, when you get home, 168 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: walk right up to your dad and punch him in 169 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: the face and tell him to start over, because he 170 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: fed up on you. And he said, if you want 171 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: to do this again tomorrow, show up on time. Don't 172 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:56,560 Speaker 1: ever be late. My time is the one thing I 173 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 1: can't control. I don't have any bearing over it, so 174 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:00,440 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna waste it on you. You if you're 175 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 1: not gonna you're not gonna show up on time. And 176 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: that was the first lesson he taught me, and all 177 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:08,400 Speaker 1: of us actually kind of grew much there. 178 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 2: How much older than you is, Morgan. 179 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 1: Seven minutes. 180 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 2: Oh, that makes all the difference in the world, doesn't it. 181 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: It would have been back in the day, it'd have 182 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: been the King. 183 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 2: Marcus Latrell is our guests. We're going to Afghanistan and 184 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 2: Operation Red Wings and Loan Survivor and all of that 185 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 2: coming up. 186 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: Well, well, well, lucky you. The Michael Ferry Show continues. 187 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 2: Our guest is Loan Survivor, Marcus Latrell. Twenty years after 188 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 2: Operation Red Wings, Marcus, lets rocket forward to you getting 189 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:47,680 Speaker 2: orders to go to Afghanistan. How did that come down? 190 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: So they split the platoon in half and the steal 191 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:58,240 Speaker 1: teams there's there's troops, and there's platoons, and since there 192 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: was two wars going down the same time, there was 193 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: more than enough work to go around. And our particular 194 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: platoon was specialized in reconnaissance. I was of special deliveries, 195 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: so we were a smaller unit. But what would happen 196 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 1: is they would split us down the middle and kind 197 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 1: of pimp us out to the other seal teams because 198 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: of our specialty. So when it came time to see 199 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: who was going where put my half of the platoon 200 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: was tasked to go to Afghanistan and the rest of 201 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: our guys went to Iraq. And that's how that worked out. 202 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 2: Was there were you and Morgan intentionally split? 203 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: Absolutely? Oh? Yeah, absolutely we Especially in the beginning, I 204 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: went through seal training before him, so I was ahead 205 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: of him a little bit. But eventually we wound up 206 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 1: back together. And the only stipulation on that was especially 207 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: in the beginning, as we weren't allowed to ride in 208 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: the same helicopters or the same hume. And when I 209 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:05,839 Speaker 1: got when I got initially into the teams, I got 210 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 1: sent to Iraq first and he got sent to Afghanistan. 211 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:10,719 Speaker 1: And then when I got back from Iraq, I got 212 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:14,839 Speaker 1: sent to Afghanistan, so it was it was one of 213 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: those deals. We were kind of missing each other back 214 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:20,160 Speaker 1: and forth. Eventually wound up together in Iraq, but in 215 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: the beginning we were separated by awards. 216 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 2: So tell me about the training for Red Wings. 217 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:34,240 Speaker 1: We started. The thing about Navy Seals is we're constantly training. 218 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 1: If we're not sleeping or eating or working out, then 219 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: it's always training, work up for training. And then, like 220 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 1: I said, our job was special to conaistance. We were 221 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: doing a lot of direct action missions, village takedowns, snatching grabs, 222 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:51,079 Speaker 1: sniper overwatches, meaning it was desolate country out there. It's 223 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: completely different fighting than we're talking about in Iraq and 224 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:56,680 Speaker 1: the city. So we were doing a lot of helicopter 225 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,280 Speaker 1: reconnaissance and then then we would fast rope in and 226 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: they would drop us off in the mountains and leave 227 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:04,080 Speaker 1: us anywhere from five to ten days, maybe two weeks, 228 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:07,960 Speaker 1: and then they would reach supplies by air drop. So 229 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 1: we were kind of the eyes on if any unit 230 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: does a hit or they go in, they're always going 231 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:16,080 Speaker 1: to have eyes on the target first to kind of 232 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: get an idea of what was going on. And that 233 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: was our job, so it was constantly working with the 234 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: helicopter units getting that online. The satellite imagery was getting 235 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: pretty good back in two thousand and five. It's not 236 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 1: like it is now where you could see everything and 237 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: through walls, but back then the imagery was getting pretty good. 238 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,680 Speaker 1: So we were doing a lot of map studies, switching 239 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: up our gear, making sure everything was good enough and 240 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: we were well prepared for whatever environment we we got 241 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: in because the terrain would change with the miles, so 242 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: it was constant preparation and training. 243 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 2: So take me through the moment. You're on the side 244 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 2: of the mountain and you're there to get the bad guy, 245 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 2: and these goat herders come upon you. 246 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:11,199 Speaker 1: So we were separated, probably about enough to where we 247 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:14,439 Speaker 1: could barely see each other, so not enough to where 248 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:15,960 Speaker 1: we were sitting right beside each other to make a 249 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:18,839 Speaker 1: big signature, but far enough to away from each other 250 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:20,839 Speaker 1: that if we needed to get to each other, we could, 251 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: And the terrain really wasn't conducive for a perfect setup, 252 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,559 Speaker 1: so we had perched up. We were well over ten 253 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,679 Speaker 1: thousand feet on the side of this mountain, So imagine 254 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:34,320 Speaker 1: a volcano with a village stuck down in the bottom 255 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: of it, and we came in over the top of it. 256 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 1: So what we did was we kind of rope down 257 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: and climbed down inside of the volcano itself so we 258 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,320 Speaker 1: could get a better vantage point on what was going 259 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,680 Speaker 1: on in the village. We set up in a triangle formation. 260 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 1: I was at the top of it. The top of 261 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:57,000 Speaker 1: the mountain was probably fifteen to twenty meters above my head, 262 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: and then Danny and Mikey was right under actually right 263 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 1: underneath me, and then on my right left flank was 264 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: Danny and Axe. I maybe saying that wrong. I think 265 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:11,679 Speaker 1: Mikey might have been underneath me. It's been a minute now, 266 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: but anyways, we set up, started watching the target and 267 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: the sun had come up. We'd been there overnight and 268 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: we were just monitoring all the activity when we had 269 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: to move, so we relocated onto a finger that was 270 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: sitting off the side of the mountain so we could 271 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 1: get a better dvantage on some of the houses. And 272 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:38,880 Speaker 1: when we did that, about an hour after set up, 273 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 1: a shepherd walked up on us, and I mean he 274 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 1: walked right up on it. And now I'll never forget 275 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: to look on this zoo's face because he didn't he 276 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: had no idea we were there at all, and we 277 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:55,160 Speaker 1: grabbed him and pulled him off to the side and 278 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 1: started to interrogate him. And then about that time two 279 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: more came up the mountain and we snatched them up 280 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: and sat them down, and then the herd of goats 281 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: came walking up. I remember there was a dog there, 282 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: which was kind of odd because these are don't keep dogs. 283 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: But I remember there's a big, old, freaking mangy dog 284 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:17,640 Speaker 1: that was barking. And so we started going through the 285 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 1: numbers of what to do, and eventually what happened was 286 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: we turned them loose and then they left. We watched 287 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 1: them leave, and then we relocated back into a different 288 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: position back on the side of the mountain. Right after that, 289 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: about an hour or so is when the main body 290 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: came up on top of us. 291 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 2: And there was yeah, and they came up on top 292 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 2: of you. You know they've come up on top of you. 293 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 2: You didn't see them or hear them. You just bullets 294 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 2: start whizzing, right. 295 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 1: So they're extremely quiet, and you can't take anything away 296 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: from from from them as an enemy because they are 297 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,840 Speaker 1: great at what they do. They know that terrain. They 298 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: were a formidable force and I'll always pay him respect 299 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: like that. I mean, they can fight. So at first, 300 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 1: I kind of looked down and it was accident was 301 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 1: below me, and I remember him looking past me. He 302 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:14,320 Speaker 1: was cut down behind this rock and he had his 303 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: rifle up. So I kind of looked around and looked 304 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: back up above me and there was a huge tree 305 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: and this guy. I saw an AK muzzle come around it. 306 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: And then the guy was he was hooded up, turned 307 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: around and looked at looked down into us. So I 308 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 1: rolled my rifle up and when I went to take 309 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: a shot, he pulled his head back around the tree. 310 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: And after when I came off my scope, I could 311 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: look right above me, to my left and right, and 312 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 1: there was guy setting up over the top of us 313 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: and down on the side of it. And then I 314 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: remember looking over at Mikey. I said, get back on 315 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: the clock or fixed and get it on. And then 316 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: I turned back around and waited, and eventually what happened 317 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: was that guy pulled his head around that tree to 318 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: take a shot, and when he did, I dumped him. 319 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: And when I dumped him, it just it was game on. 320 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 1: They kind of unleashed and the fight commenced and Eventually 321 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 1: what happened was is we got pushed out of that position, 322 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:13,280 Speaker 1: and the terrain was so violent that it just we 323 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:14,960 Speaker 1: kind of started tumbling down the mountain. 324 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:19,240 Speaker 2: How long was it until one of you had been hit? 325 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:23,840 Speaker 1: That was probably only initial while we were still in there, 326 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:29,399 Speaker 1: so pretty quick. And then systematically each guy started getting goods. 327 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 2: Down the mountain right hold on just a moment Marcus 328 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:34,399 Speaker 2: Otrell's I guess, of course his diary would be published 329 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:38,919 Speaker 2: and Loane Survivor would be a best seller, the movie 330 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:42,440 Speaker 2: would be made, and a nation was riveted. We were 331 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,800 Speaker 2: at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I think that 332 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 2: really humanized the two guys from that time that I 333 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:55,880 Speaker 2: grew to have such incredible respect for were Marcus Attrell 334 00:17:56,119 --> 00:18:00,840 Speaker 2: and his peers, his Navy seals, and Chris Kyle. And 335 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:05,199 Speaker 2: I think the entire country was absolutely and still is 336 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:09,480 Speaker 2: riveted by this story. So it has become a firefight. 337 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,680 Speaker 2: Tell me, Marcus, what happens from there? 338 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,960 Speaker 1: Once that thing started, it was kind of a free 339 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: for all because they had us covered on three sides, 340 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:24,919 Speaker 1: so the only way we could go was down the mountain. 341 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: And then a couple hours into that they had come 342 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:29,680 Speaker 1: up from the base of the mountain from the village, 343 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 1: so they had us in a three hundred and sixty 344 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: degree loop. It wasn't really anywhere we could go, which 345 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 1: means you had to keep moving the entire time. The 346 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,359 Speaker 1: hardest thing to hit as the moving target, but because 347 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:43,199 Speaker 1: of the terrain and the altitude, just making the movement 348 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: was tough enough. By a couple hours into it, everyone 349 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: was so exhausted that and shot up that they just 350 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: systematically picked us apart one by one as we were 351 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 1: going down the mountain. And then at the end of 352 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:59,960 Speaker 1: the day I was I had slipped into this ravine 353 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,399 Speaker 1: kind of was laid in between these rocks, and I 354 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: just laid there. I was paralyzed from the waist down. 355 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 1: I'd been shot up pretty bad and fragged, and my 356 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 1: back was broken and stuff. And as the sun went down, 357 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:16,639 Speaker 1: I just laid there and I couldn't move. I waited 358 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:19,160 Speaker 1: and waited, and then eventually I started to crawl out 359 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 1: of there and just started moving. And I crawled all 360 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:26,160 Speaker 1: night into the next morning and halfway through the next 361 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: day before the villagers found me. It was right next 362 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 1: to a waterfall in a river. 363 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 2: You've talked about not knowing how far you went, and 364 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 2: you know you weren't at yourself, as my grandmother would say, 365 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 2: but if you were to estimate how far you crawled, 366 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 2: what would that be? 367 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:50,359 Speaker 1: Oh, so we know now they've done a map study 368 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 1: and I've gotten debriefed by everyone who had anything to 369 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:56,719 Speaker 1: do with the mission. And I crawled about seven miles. 370 00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 2: And you started how much after sundown or after it 371 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 2: got dark. 372 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:08,200 Speaker 1: Probably about almost a couple hours afterwards. I just started 373 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 1: making a movement when I couldn't hear anything, and when 374 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: I thought that they and Matta had returned to base, 375 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: I just started moving. 376 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 2: And there was zero chance you would have survived. If 377 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 2: you'd stayed there, they would have found you right. 378 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 1: Absolutely, because the helicopter had gotten shot down, which brought 379 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:28,240 Speaker 1: more reinforcements from them in. So the mountain was saturated 380 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: with the Taliban and the al Qaeda. They kind of 381 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 1: worked together in that area of the Hornet's nest is 382 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,120 Speaker 1: where we were at, and we had slipped in there 383 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,880 Speaker 1: under the cover of darkness. So when the sun came 384 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: up and everybody was making movement, it was it was saturated. 385 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 2: When you saw the I'm assuming you saw the Chinook 386 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 2: shot down. 387 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:52,399 Speaker 1: I didn't. That's how loud it was that I couldn't 388 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: hear it or see it get shot down and rolled 389 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: down the mountain. I had my ear drums been busted out. 390 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,399 Speaker 1: I was bleeding out everywhere, so I didn't I didn't 391 00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: know that. I found that out when I was in 392 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 1: the village and the Taliban got a hold to me. 393 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:12,360 Speaker 1: They told me one of the guys was wearing one 394 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: of my wedding ring. He said it was from one 395 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,560 Speaker 1: of my buddies. He was trying to tell me that 396 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: they had shot a helicopter down and that a bunch 397 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:22,360 Speaker 1: of the seals had died. But I didn't. I wouldn't 398 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: believe it. And then when I got back to when 399 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,719 Speaker 1: y'all finally found me and brought me back, is when 400 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: I when I got the news that that was solid. 401 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 2: I'm gonna ask a stupid question, why couldn't they get 402 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 2: the colms up? You know, you talk about this in 403 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 2: the book, and that's a central theme to the movie. 404 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 2: Why couldn't they manage to get coms back to the base? 405 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 2: I mean, was the equipment not good enough or what 406 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:46,880 Speaker 2: was the issue? 407 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 1: Now? All that has to do with location and where 408 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: we were set up, and they're just intermittent. Sometimes they 409 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: come in and sometimes they come out. There's no really 410 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:58,199 Speaker 1: solid answer for why that happens. I know today with 411 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 1: technology you can you can. It's the same premise of 412 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:02,840 Speaker 1: why your cell phone while you lose signal in certain 413 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: areas like we don't, why can't I stand right here 414 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:07,439 Speaker 1: and then go two feet to the right and not 415 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 1: have or I can make communications. It's the same principle. 416 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,199 Speaker 1: But go way back and when you get into two 417 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: thousand and five and you're dealing with the Statcom radio 418 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: and then the planes moving overhead and the relays that 419 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,680 Speaker 1: we had back and forth, it was just intermittent. That's 420 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:24,440 Speaker 1: just the way it works. That's why we have checkpoints 421 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:26,919 Speaker 1: and waypoints as we're going along. So if we do 422 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,159 Speaker 1: miss the calm window, then there's another checkpoints when we 423 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: get to that we can radio back in before everyone 424 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:33,639 Speaker 1: starts losing their mind and trying to come get us. 425 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 2: Do you remember the first hit you took? 426 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, I go, oh yeah, you don't forget it? Absolutely, 427 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: what's going to get me over a lot? Well, you 428 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:50,439 Speaker 1: until you get hit, you don't know. You just have 429 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:55,360 Speaker 1: this anticipation of what it feels like and now there's 430 00:22:55,359 --> 00:22:57,920 Speaker 1: a difference between when you have this mentality of when 431 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:02,240 Speaker 1: you're hunting men. I remember having that like it kind 432 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,520 Speaker 1: of flowed through me. It was my job when we 433 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,400 Speaker 1: went out was to hunt things down. And then it's 434 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 1: a completely different feeling when someone's hunting you and there 435 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 1: and and they got you in their sight because a 436 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:16,879 Speaker 1: lot of times you couldn't see where it was so loud, 437 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:18,760 Speaker 1: and at this you couldn't. You didn't have any idea 438 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 1: where the bullets were coming from. So I remember thinking 439 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: when I got hit that first time, and I fell 440 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 1: and knocked me out, and when I came to the smell, 441 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 1: that's the one thing that you couldn't you can't duplicate 442 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:36,360 Speaker 1: as the smell of death when that's around, and how 443 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 1: the ground was on fire too, and I remember the 444 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 1: smoke and all that stuff like that. It just kind 445 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,680 Speaker 1: of hit me, hit me pretty hard, and and then 446 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 1: it just changed the dynamic, the way you the way 447 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,440 Speaker 1: you move there. 448 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:51,520 Speaker 2: Told me, you told me one time that as brutal 449 00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 2: as the movie is, it's two hours long, and the 450 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 2: firefight lasted far longer than that, and of course you're 451 00:23:57,640 --> 00:23:59,159 Speaker 2: in the middle of it. And the smells and the 452 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:01,679 Speaker 2: sounds and all that. What is the thing that the 453 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 2: movie was least able to convey that you remember vividly of. 454 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: Bringing me out of there. If I if I could, 455 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: or if there'd be another movie made, it would be 456 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 1: about the ending, the way that what it took to 457 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,679 Speaker 1: get me out of there, and and pay respects and 458 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,360 Speaker 1: give acknowledgment to everything that went to pulling me out, 459 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,439 Speaker 1: that that in't itself was is a story because it 460 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: happened at night. In the in the movie they made 461 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: Low Survivor it was a daytime rescue, and in reality 462 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:33,639 Speaker 1: it was at night, and I mean it was a 463 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 1: free for all, crazy scenario storms and everyone was out there. 464 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:45,280 Speaker 1: It was probably the most intimidated, intimidating time because I 465 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:49,000 Speaker 1: didn't you know, you think I'm getting rescued, but then 466 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:50,920 Speaker 1: there's a chance. There's always a chance you can die. 467 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 1: And when they finally got me onto the helicopter we 468 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:58,240 Speaker 1: left out of there, it was it was a roller 469 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:01,199 Speaker 1: coaster of emotions for sure. But the one thing that 470 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,680 Speaker 1: we didn't capture in the film, and like I said, 471 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,959 Speaker 1: just didn't have enough time, was the ending, how they 472 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,879 Speaker 1: actually had and what they had to go through to 473 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: rescue me, because everyone who was in theater was involved 474 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: in getting me out of there, for sure, and then 475 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: to follow on to get all the guys off the mountain. 476 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: I remember our teammates were still laying out there. We 477 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,679 Speaker 1: had a helicopter go down and had sixteen guys on it. 478 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 1: They had to recover all those guys they were taking fire. 479 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:31,679 Speaker 1: It was. It was a crazy scenario for sure. 480 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 2: The letter that you wrote that was carried to the 481 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 2: American military, what was on there? 482 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: It had my name, what operation I was with, and 483 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,280 Speaker 1: what condition I was in. And then it also told 484 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:52,480 Speaker 1: them that the guy who delivered the message the message 485 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:54,879 Speaker 1: was one of the guys that rescued me and was 486 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: kind of saved my life. 487 00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 2: And you wrote all that out wounded as you were. 488 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:03,200 Speaker 1: I did. I had a little help. Yeah, they brought 489 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: me some a pencil and a pizza. I had a 490 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,119 Speaker 1: paper already, and then yeah, I got that done. 491 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 2: Hold on, Marcus Troll's our guess. 492 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:13,640 Speaker 1: What's the name to say? 493 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:19,200 Speaker 2: Marcus Treill is our guest twenty years after Operation Red Wings. 494 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:22,439 Speaker 2: Hard to believe it's been twenty years. He has agreed 495 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,639 Speaker 2: to stay with us a little extra because everything I 496 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:28,119 Speaker 2: want to know won't make it into this segment. I 497 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:30,399 Speaker 2: could talk to him for hours on end and have 498 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:34,879 Speaker 2: There's so many things he can't tell or doesn't tell 499 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 2: that are fascinating about all of this and his incredible life. 500 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 2: Marcus all Treill is our guest. Marcus, you mentioned that 501 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:49,200 Speaker 2: the extrication of you, the rescue of you, didn't get 502 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 2: covered properly in the movie because you couldn't give everything justice. 503 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:53,960 Speaker 2: What are some things we didn't see? 504 00:26:57,359 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: Okay? So I was the great a Hodge. The guys 505 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: who finally found me, and if you if you could 506 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,080 Speaker 1: have seen them, I mean it looked something straight out 507 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 1: of a movie. When they came in there. They were 508 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:14,040 Speaker 1: beat up just to get to me. Was was was 509 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 1: an event just just to find me. And then once 510 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,200 Speaker 1: they found me, they had to they surrounded the village 511 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:22,800 Speaker 1: and then the village was surrounded by the Taliban and 512 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: the al Qaeda just to keep me safe. And then 513 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 1: they had moved me down the mountain into this little 514 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: ravine area. I had thought about this in a minute, 515 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:34,680 Speaker 1: and we sat up and it was dark, so by 516 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 1: now the sun had gone down, and the helicopter had 517 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 1: to come in from the base of the mountain, and 518 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: it was we were so high up on the mountain 519 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,320 Speaker 1: that they had all it was was fuel and ammo. 520 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: And I remember they had some water on there for 521 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:51,400 Speaker 1: the guys, because the guys who found me were out 522 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 1: of water. And then a firefight ensued, and then above 523 00:27:56,880 --> 00:27:59,719 Speaker 1: the mountain where a bunch of fixed wing aircraft were 524 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: drop up an ordinance down on the bad guys. And 525 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:05,520 Speaker 1: then in the distance at the base of the mountain, 526 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: so down the mountain there was a river and the 527 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,639 Speaker 1: helicopter was coming up the river and the callsign of 528 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 1: the guy who was flying the birds name of Spanking 529 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: and Jeff Pearson, great, great fricking guy. And and here 530 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:20,639 Speaker 1: you'll tell you. It was so dark, and by this 531 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 1: time they had juiced me up, so I was kind 532 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 1: of having a good time, Like I wasn't feeling any 533 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: pain anymore, and I was just kind of sitting there 534 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,440 Speaker 1: watching all of our guys do their thing, and it 535 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 1: was it was the most amazing thing to watch them work. Normally, 536 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 1: when you're in something you don't you can't anticipate with that. 537 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 1: But when I had a chance to step back and 538 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: actually watch our guys go to war and it was awesome. 539 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 1: And then that helicopter bo it came up over the 540 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: side of that cliff and the dust kicked up, and 541 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 1: so it's called a brown eye. We couldn't see anything well. 542 00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: When he came to land, the ravine we were on 543 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 1: was about as wide as the helicopter itself. Eric and 544 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:01,600 Speaker 1: he goes, from that us came up. I couldn't see nothing, 545 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: and then there was Pj's in the back of the 546 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 1: bird trying to land it, trying to tell them how 547 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,240 Speaker 1: far from the ground they were, and nobody could see 548 00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:11,320 Speaker 1: anyk and the helicopter actually had rotated, so when the 549 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:14,400 Speaker 1: nose came over, it had spun around and the tail 550 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 1: was facing us. And then he goes, there was a 551 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: plant hanging from one of the houses that was on 552 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: the side of the mountain. He goes, I was kind 553 00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 1: of looking at that thing, and I just sat it down, 554 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:27,880 Speaker 1: and he did he stuck it. Well. The green Berets 555 00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:30,640 Speaker 1: they picked me up and were carrying me towards the Hilo, 556 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:32,320 Speaker 1: and I was dressed up in man Jamie, so I 557 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:35,680 Speaker 1: looked like an Afghani and they pulled me up at 558 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 1: the tail. So you don't come up on the tail rotor, 559 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:40,520 Speaker 1: so the PGS turned around to actually take a shot 560 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,200 Speaker 1: at us, and they had their lasers up and their 561 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:45,560 Speaker 1: lasers hit our glint tape and that's how they knew 562 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,640 Speaker 1: that not to shoot, so almost got killed on the rescue. 563 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 1: They told me that later. I was like, I'm glad 564 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:54,480 Speaker 1: you didn't shoot me. And then they threw me on 565 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:56,920 Speaker 1: the helicopter and we sat there for a while because 566 00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 1: they had to unload the water for all the guys 567 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: who were still on the mountain, so they had to 568 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: go on a follow on mission. They didn't even come 569 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 1: home with me, and then we sat there and then 570 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: the helicopter I remember, dumped off the side of the 571 00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: mountain that PJ came up. He asked me, He's like, 572 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: who's your superhero? And I was like Spider Man, and 573 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:16,959 Speaker 1: I asked him my dog's name. I told him that 574 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 1: it's kind of verification code. And we went back and 575 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:24,719 Speaker 1: we landed and they're still in a firefight. We landed 576 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: on a base and then they transferred me from a 577 00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: helicopter to a C one thirty medical bird and kind 578 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:35,960 Speaker 1: of laid me down and started going to work on me, 579 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,440 Speaker 1: and then they flew me from there to Toboggram Air 580 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 1: Force Base where the rest of my platoon and all 581 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:43,320 Speaker 1: the seals are waiting on me to get back. 582 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:47,640 Speaker 2: But then how does that look when they bring you in? 583 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 2: What tell me about that? 584 00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: So the ramp dropped off the helicopter or shooting on 585 00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 1: the back of the plane, and they had to pick me. 586 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:58,320 Speaker 1: I couldn't really walk, so they picked me up and 587 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 1: we're tearing me down at ivy stuck out of me 588 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: and they they said they abandoned me up and uh, 589 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:07,720 Speaker 1: I remember there was a lady standing by the ramp 590 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 1: and she covered her face and started crying. I guess 591 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:13,120 Speaker 1: I looked worse than I thought. And then they strengthened 592 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 1: me to these vans. There was a bunch of vans 593 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:16,720 Speaker 1: sitting there, and they put me in one of those, 594 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 1: and then they took me to the hospital. And then 595 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 1: while I was in the hospital, they was when we 596 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:23,600 Speaker 1: kind of started the debrief. I tried to tell them 597 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:25,600 Speaker 1: because all my guys were still out there. I tried 598 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: to tell them where I was and in relations to 599 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,880 Speaker 1: where they thought we were, and it just it all 600 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: started from there. And then I was in the hospital 601 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:35,800 Speaker 1: for a minute. 602 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:40,240 Speaker 2: Go ahead are you able to talk at that point? 603 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 2: And what does that look like? 604 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,280 Speaker 1: I was? I was, I was able to talk. Uh. 605 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:47,280 Speaker 1: The villagers did a great job of taking care of me. 606 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:49,800 Speaker 1: I mean they doctored me up twice a day, bandaged 607 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 1: my wounds, made sure my pain, telling my pain was down. 608 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:56,520 Speaker 1: So I was really I had a doctor in the 609 00:31:56,600 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 1: village and they just they made my life for sure. 610 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:05,680 Speaker 1: And then when I got back the all the army 611 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:07,800 Speaker 1: guys started working on me, and then we started doing 612 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:09,600 Speaker 1: the debrief so they could go out and find our 613 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:11,200 Speaker 1: other guys and bring them back. And I think that 614 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:13,600 Speaker 1: took about two weeks to find all the guys. I'm 615 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:17,840 Speaker 1: not mistaken, so and then I got transferred back to 616 00:32:17,840 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 1: the States. 617 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:23,280 Speaker 2: In the movie, there is a conflict within the village 618 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:26,320 Speaker 2: that you know, Gulab brings you back and that not 619 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,040 Speaker 2: everyone in the village wants you there because that brings 620 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:32,280 Speaker 2: problems on them. Tell me a little bit about your 621 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:34,960 Speaker 2: reception in the village to the extent you remember. 622 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 1: It just like that, Well, there was there was something 623 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 1: in there that didn't want me in there, and I 624 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 1: could tell immediately who they were. They they weren't trying 625 00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 1: to hide that for sure. And then there were the 626 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:49,240 Speaker 1: villages and the elder and Gulab. They were making sure 627 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 1: that I stayed safe and they put a rotating guard 628 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 1: on me. I was in there for almost five days, 629 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:58,600 Speaker 1: and then there was some people in the village who 630 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:01,040 Speaker 1: were trying to sell me. The Taliban would show up 631 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: every day negotiating for my head, and they would tell 632 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: me about it, sit down in my room and have 633 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:09,920 Speaker 1: these little powwows and these meetings and then, which is 634 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 1: kind of frustrating because I didn't speak the language that well. 635 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:14,640 Speaker 1: I didn't understand what they were saying, but I could 636 00:33:14,640 --> 00:33:17,040 Speaker 1: get the concept of what was going down. And then 637 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: eventually when the when the Green Berets and the rangers 638 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,280 Speaker 1: found me, I was tucked in underneath this rock in 639 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: a riverbed, and they were They moved me around the 640 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,920 Speaker 1: village systematically and strategically all day and every day through 641 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,120 Speaker 1: the night. So the Taliban would get a beat on 642 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:34,080 Speaker 1: the room that I was in and they start shooting 643 00:33:34,160 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: in there or firing RPG at the wall, and then 644 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:39,480 Speaker 1: the villagers would move me somewhere else. So it was 645 00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 1: it was kind of chaotic and stressful, for sure. 646 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:47,400 Speaker 2: It's amazing to think that after everything you had survived, 647 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 2: that you could have been killed at that moment or 648 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 2: at the moment you're being rescued. I mean, that's just 649 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:58,000 Speaker 2: just just insane. So the moment they came to get you, 650 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 2: do you remember the first thing they say to you, 651 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 2: Sook you. 652 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,240 Speaker 1: Call my name out. I'll never forget it. I heard 653 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,440 Speaker 1: it in English for the first time. And Uh. I 654 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:10,960 Speaker 1: was draped over these two guys and my head was down, 655 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:12,640 Speaker 1: so they were having to drag me through the through 656 00:34:12,640 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 1: the mountains. And I looked up and this old boy 657 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 1: came down the mountain and two of them I could 658 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:19,680 Speaker 1: see very vividly, and I grabbed that guy. I mean 659 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:21,080 Speaker 1: I never hugg a man like that. I was like, 660 00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 1: get in here, but I was going to make sure 661 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:24,319 Speaker 1: he was real because I was real sick by then. 662 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:30,239 Speaker 1: And uh, hey, he called me by my name, and 663 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:33,439 Speaker 1: uh they picked me up and and took me into 664 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: this this stable. Uh right underneath on the side of 665 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:40,839 Speaker 1: the mountain there was this stable down there they were 666 00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:43,160 Speaker 1: keeping mules in. And they laid me down in there 667 00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:46,160 Speaker 1: and started abandoning me up and then that's when that 668 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,439 Speaker 1: jeeps me for the first time, and uh, they got 669 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,359 Speaker 1: me out of there. Yeah, that happened, but it was 670 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:54,080 Speaker 1: it was. It was crazy for sure. 671 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:59,359 Speaker 2: Michael Berry Showing Podcast. Please tell one friend and if 672 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 2: you're so incline write a nice review of our podcast. Comments, suggestions, questions, 673 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,359 Speaker 2: and interest in being a corporate sponsor and partner can 674 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:12,840 Speaker 2: be communicated directly to the show at our email address, 675 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:18,400 Speaker 2: Michael at Michael Berryshow dot com, or simply by clicking 676 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:23,080 Speaker 2: on our website Michael Berryshow dot com. The Michael Berry 677 00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:27,279 Speaker 2: Show and Podcast is produced by Ramon Roebliss, The King 678 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 2: of Ding. Executive producer is Chad Nakanishi. Jim Mudd is 679 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:43,800 Speaker 2: the creative director. Voices Jingles, Tomfoolery and Shenanigans are provided 680 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:49,400 Speaker 2: by Chance McLain. Director of Research is Sandy Peterson. Emily 681 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:55,799 Speaker 2: Bull is our assistant listener and superfan. Contributions are appreciated 682 00:35:56,080 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 2: and often incorporated into our production. Where possible, we give credit, 683 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:04,720 Speaker 2: where not, we take all the credit for ourselves. God 684 00:36:04,760 --> 00:36:10,239 Speaker 2: bless the memory of Rush Limbaugh. Long live Elvis, be 685 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:14,520 Speaker 2: a simple man like Leonard Skinnard told you, and God 686 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:19,839 Speaker 2: bless America. Finally, if you know a veteran suffering from PTSD. 687 00:36:20,719 --> 00:36:25,440 Speaker 2: Call Camp Hope at eight seven seven seven one seven 688 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:30,279 Speaker 2: PTSD and a combat veteran will answer the phone to 689 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:31,640 Speaker 2: provide free counseling