1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 1: M h Foote Force. If it doesn't work, you're just 2 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: not using enough. You're listening to Software Up Radio, Special Operations, 3 00:00:24,960 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: Military news and straight talk with the guys and the community. 4 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: SOFTWAREP Radio on Time on Target. This is episode four 5 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty four. This man is Jack Murphy. I 6 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: am Dennis Jones. Welcome everybody. What's up? First thing I 7 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: want to get into. We got Cody Puran on today. 8 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: He's former marine and a d S S agent. Very excited. 9 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: He's I believe he's our first d S S agent. 10 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: Believe so yeah, I'm actually on positive. Okay, well not 11 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: even a hundred percent positive. Lock it in. We got 12 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: Cody on. He's got a book. It's called Agents Unknown, 13 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: The Stories of Life. Is a special agent in the 14 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: Diplomatic Security Service. I'm sure he's gonna be telling some 15 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: stories from the book that will translate um to podcast form. 16 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: But be sure to pick up the book too, because 17 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 1: we're we're fans of the guest of our show. But 18 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: first off, UM, I want to ask you a little 19 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: bit about your trip to San Diego. How was it? Yeah, 20 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: your speech this weekend, it was great. Um. I was 21 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: invited to come and speak to Chapter seventy eight of 22 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: the Special Forces Association in Anaheim, California. And so I 23 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:14,519 Speaker 1: took my daughter with me and we went out there, 24 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: flew into San Diego, drove up to Anaheim in the morning, 25 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: and um, it gave kind of a talk. Maybe a 26 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: speech is a little bit too much, too much, uh 27 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: to describe it as. But talked a little bit about 28 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: some of this stuff in my book, talked about range 29 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: of Battalion and Special Forces, uh, and talked about some 30 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: of the more controversial stories I've worked on over the years, 31 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: and which is you know, the whole thing is a 32 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,359 Speaker 1: little bit embarrassing because I'm talking to r O g 33 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: s like one of them is a original Special Forces member. Yeah. Um, 34 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: these are guys who served in Vietnam, retired officers, sergeant majors. Um. 35 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,440 Speaker 1: My friend who invited me, John Striker Mayor, was in 36 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: mac VI SAG and Vietnam doing clandestine missions in Alaos 37 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: and Cambodia. So it's like, really, you guys should be 38 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: telling me about Special Forces and I take notes, which 39 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: is usually how it works. But um, John had asked 40 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,720 Speaker 1: me to come and come and talk, and UM, I 41 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:13,079 Speaker 1: think that I think people enjoyed it. I think there's 42 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 1: a group of like maybe thirty, uh thirty people. Um 43 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: I think sometimes you know, I like to I love 44 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: to hear their stories. But at the same time, I 45 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: think they like to hear some of the stories from 46 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: the younger guys because they want to know, you know, 47 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: what are our guys up to in Iraq and Afghanistan 48 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,679 Speaker 1: in places like that. They want to know what's going 49 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: on in the forths today. UM. So I'm maybe not 50 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,280 Speaker 1: the best spokesperson for that, but I'd like to think 51 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: I did an okay job, and we had a Q 52 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: and A session. They had lots of questions and comments, 53 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: and we had a very good discussion. I was really happy, 54 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 1: And my only regret is that I wasn't able to 55 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: spend more time there and really talk to them, each 56 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: of them individually and pick their brains a little bit. 57 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: But it was very a very good event. I was 58 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 1: really happy because you are a sponge like that, like you, 59 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:00,080 Speaker 1: you soak up all this stuff. So I could imagine, now, 60 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: do you do you get intim not intimidated on the right, 61 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: because I don't think intimidated, but are you are you 62 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: nervous beforehand? Because you obviously these guys are not not intimidated, 63 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: but I get like little stars in my eyes, like 64 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 1: like some of these guys are heroes. Yeah, they are heroes. 65 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: Um there, And I told them that. I was like, 66 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: you guys are my heroes, you know. Uh, it's because 67 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:23,239 Speaker 1: of you guys. You built the legend that I wanted 68 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: to become. That. I was like, I wanted to do 69 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: the foundation. Yeah, I wanted to be what they created. 70 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: So they were my inspiration for joining the military. And uh, 71 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 1: I told them also, I was like, look, I stood 72 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: on your shoulders, like we did. You guys built this 73 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: and then when nine eleven came, we had something. We 74 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,240 Speaker 1: weren't starting from scratch, so we were able to deploy 75 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:48,040 Speaker 1: special forces teams immediately. Uh for the invasion of Afghanistan, 76 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: which I was not involved in, of course, but I 77 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:53,800 Speaker 1: mean America had a response. We were ready to go 78 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: because of what these guys had built. And they did 79 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,720 Speaker 1: it in a time where it was not popular to 80 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: be in in the army and it was not popular 81 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: to stay in the army, and a lot of these 82 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: guys came home from Vietnam and they weren't really treated appropriately. Um. 83 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: But these guys stayed in throughout the seventies and eighties 84 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,719 Speaker 1: and nineties, and they created this thing, this this uh 85 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: you know, special Forces and Special Operations, which is always, um, 86 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:22,919 Speaker 1: one of my favorite things to see talking to military 87 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,480 Speaker 1: people is just the the respect you guys have for 88 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: the previous generations and that they kind of return it 89 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: to you because we saw stuff, were sure, We're sure 90 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,280 Speaker 1: you guys have seen stuff, like we're all in this together, 91 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: like you're fighting, you're fighting the same fight. We're all 92 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 1: under the American flag here, Like I can respect what 93 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: you've done, Like you said, you guys built this, but 94 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: at the same time they're like, well, what are you 95 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: doing to keep it going? And then you tell them 96 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,640 Speaker 1: that side of story. So it's just mutual respect coming together, 97 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: which is just an incredible show of just of brotherhood 98 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: amongst you know, military members. It's it's really like as 99 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: a civilian, it's awesome to see every time I'm a 100 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: one of my best friends as a seal currently and 101 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: anytime he gets around, um, other military guys, there's just 102 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:11,599 Speaker 1: that unspoken like respect, like you just whether you know 103 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: whether the guy turns out to be a jerk or 104 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: whatnot or whatever but like at the end of the day, 105 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: you put in your life on the line for for 106 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: our freedom, and it's like thank you, like you can 107 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: just you have that bond for life, No, I have. 108 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: I have reverence for the O G s Uh. You know, 109 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: like I said, back in those days, it wasn't popular 110 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: to be in the military and for them to do that, 111 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:35,599 Speaker 1: uh and to do the things they did, uh, to 112 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 1: wear a green hat at the time wasn't a popularity 113 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: contest like they did it because they felt passionate about 114 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: it and they really believed in what they were doing. Um. So, 115 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:47,160 Speaker 1: I mean it's just incredible. And yeah, I mean some 116 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,280 Speaker 1: people want to meet, you know, Dwayne Johnson. I want 117 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:52,280 Speaker 1: to meet the guy who was in Vietnam and had 118 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: the Antennis shot off of his radio, which is awesome. 119 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: You know, those are the people I want to meet. 120 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: And that's why I said I get a little star struck. 121 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: I know that sounds like a kiss ass thing to say, 122 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: and it is, but it's also true. You know, I 123 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: love meeting those guys and they have they have these 124 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: great stories to tell and I don't necessarily know they 125 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: would open up with somebody like me, but you know, 126 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: you having the experience you have in the background you have, 127 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: they would have no problem. Like I mean, after meeting 128 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 1: you for five minutes, they're probably just like, hey, look 129 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: like I did X, Y and Z, and you're like 130 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 1: sometimes sometimes, I mean, but then sometimes they'll hold stuff back, 131 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: like I was telling you about yeah that you know, 132 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: sometimes these guys are just very humble and they don't 133 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: want to talk about that kind of which is you know, 134 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: you kind of you respect that too, but at the 135 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: same time, it's like just let loose, man, you can't. 136 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: I'll tell you though. It's there's a very eerie feeling 137 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: when you talk to somebody and they're telling you about 138 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: their experiences in the war that they have held inside 139 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: for fifty years and not told anyone. And they're like 140 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: telling you like, yeah, yeah, I killed somebody in combat 141 00:07:57,960 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: and uh, you know I went up to the body 142 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: and he was like sixteen year old kid. Uh you 143 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: always carrying this rusty a K forty seven. He had 144 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: like six rounds of the magazine, and you know, I 145 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: always felt bad about that. The kid never had a chance. 146 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: And it's like damn, like you're hearing the real yeah, 147 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: like I mean, just you telling it. Like I'm sure 148 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: that guy's voices is the equivalent of how you just 149 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: and it's just you can hear the remorse. Well, I 150 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: mean so yeah, it's a little remorse and it's a 151 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: little like it's either him or me, Like everybody's talking 152 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: about that. And that's what it was, is that he 153 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: was this gentleman was also in Macnee Saga, a different person. 154 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,319 Speaker 1: I won't name him, but it was earlier, fairly early 155 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,960 Speaker 1: on in the war. And yeah, he came across this 156 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: VC and like it was one of those things like 157 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: they saw each other in the jungle and you both 158 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: you like you're both drawn and it's right right, you 159 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: or me, buddy. Yeah, um, but like that's some real talk, 160 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: you know, and and that and that hits deep because 161 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: like obviously that's never I've never had an experience like that, 162 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: so neither you know, somebody somebody tells me that, and 163 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 1: it's you know, all you can do is to be 164 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: like you just listen like that, that's it. And it's 165 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: important to tell those stories, oh absolutely, as it adds 166 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:12,400 Speaker 1: a human element to to the war in general, whether 167 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:14,439 Speaker 1: it be Vietnam or or the War on Terror. Were 168 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: in right now, like it's people like, it's people fighting 169 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: people at the end of the day, and it it 170 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: that's nobody wants to kill somebody like. And that's why, 171 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: you know, when I spoke to this Special Forces Association, 172 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:29,719 Speaker 1: the first story I opened up with to tell them 173 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:33,439 Speaker 1: about was a friendly fire incident I was involved in Afghanistan. 174 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:36,679 Speaker 1: And and then I finished it off and I was like, 175 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: you know, and in the finest army tradition, no ship, 176 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 1: that's a true war story. It's pretty funny, but but 177 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:45,120 Speaker 1: it is that. That's a true war story. I mean, 178 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: I'm not proud of it. It's not um, it's not 179 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: a story that I even like to tell, and nobody would. 180 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:53,720 Speaker 1: But I think it's important too because I think people 181 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,440 Speaker 1: need to you know, not that that group particularly needs 182 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: me to tell them anything about Sara, but I think 183 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: it's important to tell that story. And that's why it's 184 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: in my book, because I want people to hear the 185 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: real deal, which is one of the things I respect 186 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:08,560 Speaker 1: about you, because you you you know, obviously you have 187 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,560 Speaker 1: a decorated career, but you don't just tell the good 188 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 1: of it. There there's bad to have. There's especially the war. 189 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: War is inherently bad. Yeah, and we we owe it. 190 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: You know when when when you write a book like this, 191 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 1: like I did, you owe it to the younger generation 192 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: of guys who are are girls now who are thinking 193 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,080 Speaker 1: about joining the military, Like, you owe it to tell 194 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: them the whole thing, the whole deal, and not just 195 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: you know how great you are, Like you need to 196 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:34,320 Speaker 1: tell them the good the bad. There's probably someone your 197 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: daughter's h who when when he or she grows up, 198 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: they're gonna look at you like you looked at like 199 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 1: you looked at these men this weekend. Um, So on 200 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: that note, after speaking of your daughter, Yeah, she's here 201 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:49,520 Speaker 1: next to me. This is another day off from school, 202 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: so she's here in the studio with us. After we 203 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:55,439 Speaker 1: UH went and spoke to the s f A and Anaheim, 204 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:57,440 Speaker 1: we went down to Sea World and so we spent 205 00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 1: the second half of that day at sea World, and 206 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:02,560 Speaker 1: the next day all of Sunday pretty much down at 207 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: Sea World, and um, it was a blast. I think 208 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: Alice had a good time. We did uh the dolphin encounter, 209 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 1: So you get to go up to the pool and 210 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: feed the dolphin and touch it. Do you want to 211 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: tell people about about meeting the dolphin? I don't know 212 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: what to say, Alice, this is your big moment. You 213 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: never know what to say. You weren't shy five minutes ago. 214 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,439 Speaker 1: I know. So we'll walk me through this because I've 215 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: never been to c World, so you're gonna have to 216 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 1: literally coach me through this. So you go in here, 217 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: and what do you do? They bring you up with 218 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:37,320 Speaker 1: like what is it? A trainer? Like they bring up 219 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: the trainer. You have to get a stamp and I 220 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,679 Speaker 1: will say your group and did they call your group? 221 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: And then they will tell you like and now you 222 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 1: touched the dolphin this way that way and bah blah blah. 223 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 1: Now do you get do you get to feed him? Yeah? 224 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:57,240 Speaker 1: What are you throwing them a little fish? Yeah? And 225 00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: jello oh eight Jello. I did not know that, neither 226 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 1: did I. And the interesting thing about it was that 227 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 1: the dolphin's name was Cascade, and the trainer was telling 228 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:13,319 Speaker 1: us about how the dolphin is actually a retired Navy 229 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:16,920 Speaker 1: dolphin and those are the there's actually an article on 230 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,200 Speaker 1: our website about this, on an old one if you 231 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:21,760 Speaker 1: go looking for it. But the Navy has a dolphin 232 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: and sea lion program and the dolphins are used for 233 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: like security Um, they can go and swim around ships 234 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,200 Speaker 1: and submarines and things like that. And they even have 235 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: like an e O D like an explosive ordinance disposal job, 236 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 1: like they going to mark bombs and things like that 237 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,199 Speaker 1: for divers. Dolphins aren't like they're like notoriously one of 238 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: the smartest animals. Yeah. Yeah, they're like smarter than dogs. 239 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:46,320 Speaker 1: They're like super smart. Um. So that Yeah, the dolphin 240 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:49,960 Speaker 1: was a retired sailor and enjoying It's just a funny sentence, 241 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:53,360 Speaker 1: like enjoying a retired sailor. She was enjoying her she's 242 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: enjoying her retirement. And Sea World, Um, and I guess 243 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 1: they have a pretty good life there. The the one 244 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,120 Speaker 1: of the one of the train was saying that, and 245 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:04,320 Speaker 1: the wild dolphins lived to like mid twenties to mid thirties, 246 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: but they have dolphins that are lived well into their 247 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: forties because there, you know, uh, they don't have to 248 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: worry about predators. They have a veterinarian on call, so 249 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: they're pretty healthy. I think that dolphin was fairly old too. 250 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,319 Speaker 1: And it was nice, wasn't it. She was a very 251 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: nice dolphin. What else did you get to see it? 252 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: Sea World Oh do you get to pet them? Yeah, 253 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:28,599 Speaker 1: I'm fearful. I wouldn't touch a thing. What does the 254 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: sting right feel like? Alice? Slimy? Slimy? H It was so. 255 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 1: I mean we did like everything there was to do 256 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: at Sea World except for the big scary roller coaster. Yeah, 257 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: and um, the Sea Lion show we didn't see. We 258 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,719 Speaker 1: saw the Dolphin show and we saw the orchest shows. 259 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 1: Pretty cool. Um and I sprise which was the dolphin encounter. Yeah. 260 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: So this was this was her birthday present. I'm just 261 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:58,719 Speaker 1: going to Sea World satisfactory present. Was it a good 262 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: birthday present? Yeah? And you know what else? I mean, 263 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 1: I was pretty surprised, little girl, that you've come a 264 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: long way since riding the little Kitty coaster in Central Park. 265 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 1: You remember that there's a little there's a little carnival 266 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:15,600 Speaker 1: thing in Central Park and there's a little kitty roller 267 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: coaster that I know, Yeah, I know, the one mile 268 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: a mile an hour and you used to ride on that. 269 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:26,480 Speaker 1: What um. But when we get the Sea World there's 270 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 1: this huge um like steel coaster called the Mantis, and 271 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,560 Speaker 1: she's you conquered your fears. She's like, I want to 272 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: go on that and I was like, seriously, really, and 273 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: she's like yeah, yeah, yeah, and we go up there. 274 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:40,520 Speaker 1: She's like, I'm so excited. I'm so excited. And we 275 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: go on the roller coaster and uh it took her 276 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: like five minutes to catch her breath. She's like, that 277 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: was so exciting. Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh 278 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: my god. And then the next day you wanted to 279 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 1: do the log flume ride? Which one did you like better? 280 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 1: The rollery coaster or the one where you get wet? Yeah? Oh, 281 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: Like you know, was that show step by step on 282 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:12,640 Speaker 1: on like T G. I. Friday. I'm I'm a little 283 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:14,680 Speaker 1: younger than you, but I feel like when t G. I. 284 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 1: Friday whatever it was on ABC or or CBS or 285 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:21,440 Speaker 1: whatever they had, it was like Family Matters with Urkeleu. 286 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: Step by Step was Patrick Duffy. I want to say, 287 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: I don't remember, but in the in the show open, 288 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,360 Speaker 1: they like they're coming down a log flume and like 289 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,440 Speaker 1: Patrick Duffy and I think it was Suzanne Summers was 290 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: in the show Weird Memory. I got here and they're 291 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: like they're on the board like whatever, like the overpass 292 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 1: and they're all waving. Everybody's like trying to wave him 293 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 1: to get them off, and they didn't get off obviously. 294 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: Log flume comes down, they're soaked and then they're all 295 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 1: like holding the ice cream cones and they're like, well, 296 00:15:47,040 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 1: we tired chelling you. I think that was it. I was. 297 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 1: I was one of those guys. I bought the picture 298 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: at the end of that ride. Oh you have to, 299 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: because the the expression on my daughter's face is hilarious. 300 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: She's like like eyes wide, mouth open. Oh my god. 301 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,200 Speaker 1: Whoever invented that idea was like, we better throw some 302 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: cameras on here, genius between like the Disney like whatever 303 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:11,920 Speaker 1: rides there, and like every picture you can always there 304 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: to Disneyland. Yeah. Yeah, here's the thing she said. I 305 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 1: shouldn't have said the d where that's my Here's the 306 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: thing with that. I took her to Disneyland. She's already 307 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: been to Disneyland, just doesn't remember any of it. Apparently 308 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 1: you were like what four years old? Yeah, maybe you 309 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: were four, remember, Yeah, you're eight now, but you were 310 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: four at the time, and that was half a lifetime ago, dad. 311 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: Maybe she was five, four or five, and I took 312 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 1: her like we spent the whole day at Disneyland. Disneyland 313 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 1: or World, which ones in Florida. World Disney, We're down 314 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:48,280 Speaker 1: there in Florida. So she did that, and I have 315 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:51,000 Speaker 1: pictures to prove it, but apparently she doesn't remember any 316 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 1: of it. She's doing a school project on Walt Disney. 317 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: It was like, Dad, I want to go to Disneyland. 318 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: I'm like, what the hell have you been to Disneyland? 319 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 1: Why can't I go again? Maybe you can ask your mommy. 320 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:06,439 Speaker 1: The mommy said this too much money. Yeah, well your 321 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: mommy is probably right about that. Well, I can't you 322 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: go for a half of the day? Maybe one day? Maybe? 323 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 1: Uh maybe one day four five, Yeah, we'll see, princess. 324 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:19,679 Speaker 1: If somebody wants to, if if well, if somebody at 325 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,160 Speaker 1: the Walt Disney company wants to is listening to this podcast, 326 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:24,640 Speaker 1: wants to help check out we are All Ears? Oh well, hey, 327 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: on that, on that, on that note, Actually I should 328 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:31,159 Speaker 1: mention this because Sea World has a veteran's discount. Oh, 329 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 1: very nice veterans, and up to like three of their 330 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 1: guests get in for free. Oh that's not a discount, 331 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: that's free. That's a big yeah. Yeah, it's free. So 332 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:42,200 Speaker 1: you go on the c World website and you send 333 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 1: in like your v A identification. There's a couple of 334 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:47,159 Speaker 1: different ways. You can I D yourself with like a 335 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:49,399 Speaker 1: d D T fourteen, or you can use your v 336 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,359 Speaker 1: A I D card and they verify that you are 337 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:54,239 Speaker 1: who you say you are and then they send you 338 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:56,800 Speaker 1: the tickets. That's awesome. So we got in for free 339 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:58,680 Speaker 1: both days, and you know, you just have to pay 340 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 1: for like food or if you want to like extra 341 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 1: things like the dolphin the dolphin encounter. So I mean, 342 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 1: See World's really cool about that. Shout out see World. Good. 343 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 1: Good for them? Is that your dolphin, Alice, You're supposed 344 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:17,680 Speaker 1: to be thanking me for my service, right, Yeah, she's 345 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,160 Speaker 1: here making dolphins. Sea World wouldn't have had the same 346 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:26,160 Speaker 1: experience without without your father's service. Was that your best dolphin? 347 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:37,120 Speaker 1: For real? It needs work? Yours has laryngitis. Daddy has 348 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,560 Speaker 1: right now from the air in the hotel room, just 349 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,200 Speaker 1: like destroys me. Alice has none, the none the worse 350 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:46,679 Speaker 1: for wear. But I'm all messed up. Yeah. Kids with 351 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:50,120 Speaker 1: their immune systems, man, they're they're indestructible. I told you 352 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: we after see World on Sunday. We get on the 353 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:58,119 Speaker 1: airplane at ten fifty ten fifty at night, eleven o'clock, 354 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,680 Speaker 1: we take off. We landed New York, Uh, five thirty 355 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: in the morning. We go home and I'm like, Alice, 356 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:06,119 Speaker 1: do you want to go to sleep or do you 357 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 1: want to go to school? And she's like, I want 358 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,160 Speaker 1: to go to school. So she slept for like three 359 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:14,120 Speaker 1: hours after the whole Sea World extravaganzauh, you know, given 360 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: the dolphins some love and all that, gets on the airplane, 361 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: sleeps on my lap for like three hours, and then 362 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:21,600 Speaker 1: wants to go to school. And she spent the whole 363 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: day at school and uh, and then I went and 364 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 1: picked her up and like you were up to like 365 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 1: ten o'clock last night, like like running around. Yeah, I'm 366 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:37,800 Speaker 1: still tired. I'm tired right now. Yeah I can after this, 367 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:41,400 Speaker 1: Yeah we can go to the playground. Okay, what else 368 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,840 Speaker 1: on the agenda before I move on to the interview? 369 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,240 Speaker 1: The only thing I want to bring up and and 370 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 1: I hate doing this, but you retweeted an article this 371 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: weekend about oh boy, my retweets. Your retweets are second 372 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: to none. You're you're quickly becoming one of my favorite 373 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: follows on Twitter. Um. It was an article on the 374 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,560 Speaker 1: New Republic, the some of all beards, and I just 375 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 1: felt your sarcasm glistening through the Twitter sphere. Again. You 376 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: have an incredible knack for it that just hits me 377 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: right in my humor bone. Um. The subtitles how did 378 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,119 Speaker 1: facial hair win American men's hearts and minds? Thank the 379 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: War on Terror? Yeah, I can't remember how I came 380 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:27,480 Speaker 1: across this article. Oh, I think a friend of mine 381 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:31,359 Speaker 1: posted it up somewhere and I saw it, and uh, yeah, 382 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: the author, Adam Weinstein, is a huge fan of mine. 383 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: Um say that tongue in cheek. He actually hates my 384 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:40,200 Speaker 1: guts and I'm not a fan of him either. Um. 385 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:44,360 Speaker 1: So that's that's just is what it is. But I 386 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,800 Speaker 1: I now you're gonna say, because I would say, but 387 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: did you read the article? And now I have to 388 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: concede I did not really give a thorough reading to 389 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:55,959 Speaker 1: this article. I just kind of skimmed light, skim, light, skim. 390 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,160 Speaker 1: But I you don't need to read the article. I did, 391 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:04,200 Speaker 1: because it like you're torturing yourself. Yeah, no, it was, 392 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 1: it seemed you. I finished it and you just I 393 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:09,919 Speaker 1: looked at myself and I was like, wait, was that 394 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,639 Speaker 1: was that supposed to be sarcastic the whole it is 395 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,400 Speaker 1: it satire? And I don't think it was. But it's 396 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:21,120 Speaker 1: just but you can't tell no, and which I mean 397 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: if that was their intentions in great great peace, But yeah, 398 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,280 Speaker 1: I don't think that was the case. Um, but the 399 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:29,280 Speaker 1: beard phenomenon has been going on for a while, you 400 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: and I both, I mean, and that and that's why 401 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 1: I brought it up, is because, um, I don't I 402 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 1: have I have a beard. You obviously have a beard 403 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,400 Speaker 1: as well. Um, what is your what is your reasoning? 404 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,520 Speaker 1: Is it because of your laziness? And that's that was 405 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: my fault. When I read the piece, I was like, 406 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: you can't tell me that because of the War on 407 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:49,439 Speaker 1: Terror and people in the military or law enforcement they 408 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: go overseas and they see these, um these Muslims and 409 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,359 Speaker 1: and whoever else religiously has its not forced but but 410 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: gros their beer. Because of that, that looks like a 411 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 1: good idea how to come back to America reassimilate myself. 412 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,000 Speaker 1: And that's what I'm gonna do. No, it's because I 413 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,360 Speaker 1: don't want to shave. That's why I have a beer. Yeah. Well, 414 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,919 Speaker 1: I pointed out to like the whole like phenomena of 415 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:11,880 Speaker 1: the beard coming back into American culture. That's really related 416 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,119 Speaker 1: back to the bear subculture, which was your second favorite, 417 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,879 Speaker 1: was that, Yeah, it comes out of homosexual subculture. It 418 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,000 Speaker 1: really does. And you can you can google bears and 419 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: find out about that. Um and hey, man, do you 420 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 1: do you? Um? Yeah, But the average hipster and uh, 421 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,719 Speaker 1: you know New York or Seattle, they don't know anything 422 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 1: about bearded special operator bros. And Afghanistan. You know, I 423 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:40,840 Speaker 1: really do believe that it came out of out of 424 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 1: gay culture rather than military culture. But we'll certainly gay 425 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:46,919 Speaker 1: culture and then hipster culture like they. I mean, I 426 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 1: feel like flann which which sucks for me because I'm 427 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 1: not a hipster. But I'm a big man and the 428 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 1: flannel beard combo pushes me through from the fall to 429 00:22:55,640 --> 00:23:00,040 Speaker 1: the winter the spring. Really and whether it be the 430 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: the bear culture what you know, I could get down with. 431 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:04,280 Speaker 1: I suppose in it in a different life, I could. 432 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:06,359 Speaker 1: I'd I'd make a great bear. But I'm not a hipster. 433 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 1: So it just I hate that the negative connotation that 434 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 1: people sueing. They're like, oh, nice flannel where you grind 435 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 1: your homebrew coffee? Yeah, well, I mean this, I mean, 436 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:18,160 Speaker 1: first and foremost, I was really impressed that these two 437 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 1: burros who wrote this, this article, we're able to squeeze 438 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: an entire article out of soft, soft guys having beards. 439 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 1: I mean, that's impressive, you know, no matter where you 440 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: stand politically, that's impressive. I wrote an article years ago, um, 441 00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:37,120 Speaker 1: like probably four or five years ago called, uh, it's 442 00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: something like how hipsters stole the operator beard? But but 443 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,080 Speaker 1: it's only like three words, and it's a joke. It 444 00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:46,960 Speaker 1: really is a joke, and I wrote it as a gag. Um. 445 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 1: But these guys, like seriously are using a beard as 446 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,159 Speaker 1: the lens through which we see American imperial is a 447 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: worldwide It's like, you haven't convinced me, you haven't convinced me. 448 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,359 Speaker 1: Good try, good try. You know, it was a valiant effort, 449 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,240 Speaker 1: but I'm not convinced. But I had. I had to 450 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:12,680 Speaker 1: mention it just because because we're both bearded brethren. Also, UM, 451 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:14,520 Speaker 1: I would be remissed if I didn't bring up the 452 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:20,640 Speaker 1: accident that happened. Um. We record Tuesday, so Monday, uh, 453 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: a few blocks from here, there was a we recorded 454 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:25,119 Speaker 1: in New York. I don't know if everybody knows that. 455 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: But we're in New York City. Um, and a helicopter 456 00:24:28,119 --> 00:24:32,640 Speaker 1: crashed on between fifty feet and fifty second and seventh 457 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:37,880 Speaker 1: have seven, which is where where are we were? Lex 458 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:43,520 Speaker 1: And what's the cross street? Forty? Oh? Wasn't it like street? Whatever? 459 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,919 Speaker 1: We are, but we're we're closer to like week I 460 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,520 Speaker 1: could walk to this place, I would be I have 461 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: a light sweat going and I'm it's seventh Avenue, so yeah, 462 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:56,679 Speaker 1: we've between fifty one and fifty second. So it was 463 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:59,720 Speaker 1: it was within striking distance for us, and it was, um, 464 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 1: I gotta scroll great radio here. Um. It was a 465 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:10,000 Speaker 1: real estate company founded by Italian board investor Danielle Bodini. Um. 466 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:13,919 Speaker 1: So the f a A didn't what what was it? 467 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 1: U f A didn't handle the flight, which means who did? 468 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,240 Speaker 1: That's weird, right, I mean I don't know anything about helicopters, 469 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: but somebody I thought the f a A would handle 470 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: like flight paths and stuff like that. You don't, just 471 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't think you just take a helicopter 472 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: and like take and fly over Manhattan. No you can't, 473 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:36,680 Speaker 1: probably not you can't. But unfortunately, the only the only 474 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 1: casualty was the pilot. His name was Tim McCormick. Yeah, 475 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:42,119 Speaker 1: and it sounds like, I mean, I guess there'll be 476 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,959 Speaker 1: a whole like investigation, but it sounds like maybe they 477 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,520 Speaker 1: had mechanical difficulties and the pilot put the helicopter down 478 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 1: on the on the rooftop. You try to land on 479 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: the roof. Um, but good on him for putting it 480 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,400 Speaker 1: down in a in a fairly safe place rather than 481 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:02,480 Speaker 1: going going down into the out down in New York City, 482 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,159 Speaker 1: there's not a lot of options unless here, unless you're 483 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:07,639 Speaker 1: pulling a sully uh landing in the Hudson, which I 484 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:09,159 Speaker 1: don't know if that's an option with the Hellica. I mean, 485 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: I don't know, you can ditch it. Yeah, obviously you 486 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:13,639 Speaker 1: would have wished he could have done that then, but 487 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:16,119 Speaker 1: maybe he couldn't even make it. Yeah, like maybe just 488 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 1: he had ten seconds to react and here's where we're 489 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: going down. But uh, sorry for the loss of Tim 490 00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:24,639 Speaker 1: McCormick's life. That was I just I wanted to talk 491 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 1: about it because we're we're here in New York. I mean, 492 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 1: if we had recorded yesterday, if you guys complain when 493 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:33,800 Speaker 1: fire trucks run by, just willy nilly, imagine what what 494 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: what the recordings that that would have been heard yesterday, 495 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 1: That would have been some incredible radio. So I haven't 496 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: seen many crashes, so that was just something I wanted 497 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 1: to touch on. And it took place at one two, 498 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:50,480 Speaker 1: so literally right right in the heart of our of 499 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: our recordings, right next door, so it would have been something. 500 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:56,640 Speaker 1: So sorry for that. That was a little dower. But 501 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:58,840 Speaker 1: you can listen to the first half about sea lions 502 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,320 Speaker 1: and dolphin shure you back up. Uh. In the meantime, 503 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: the show is brought to you by Create Club Club 504 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: for men by men of gear, hand pick by Special 505 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 1: Operations military veterans. Visit create club dot us for an 506 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:15,400 Speaker 1: exclusive promotion for you, the listeners of off your subscription. 507 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,480 Speaker 1: This is the biggest discount we've ever made available, and 508 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 1: we're not sure how long we're gonna keep the promotion live. 509 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,879 Speaker 1: So go to create Club dot us, use the coupon 510 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,440 Speaker 1: code soft re rep and get off any subscription that's 511 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:30,760 Speaker 1: Create Club dot Us coupon code soft rep s O 512 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:36,880 Speaker 1: F R EPF sign up now, and with that we're 513 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:42,320 Speaker 1: gonna welcome on Cody Perran, the former Marine and d S. S. Agent, 514 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,760 Speaker 1: also the author of Agents Unknown, True Stories of a 515 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,439 Speaker 1: life as a Special Agent in the Diplomatic Security Services. 516 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:54,880 Speaker 1: Without further ado, here's Cody joining US now former Marine 517 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:59,439 Speaker 1: and US Department of States Diplomatic Security Service Cody Perran. 518 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 1: He is the current CEA, founder of Fidelist Global Group. 519 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:07,080 Speaker 1: It's a security risk management firm. And you're also the 520 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,439 Speaker 1: author of Agent Unknown. It's true stories of life as 521 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:14,119 Speaker 1: a special Agent in the Diplomatic Security Service. So Cody, 522 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: first off, thank you for coming on. Greatly appreciate it. Hey, yes, 523 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 1: thank you for having me. Not a problem. Yeah, thanks 524 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 1: for coming on the show today. As we were saying, 525 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 1: I was saying before we got started recording, you're actually 526 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,439 Speaker 1: a listener request. UM. I had not heard of your 527 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:33,639 Speaker 1: book previously, and I'm glad I have now, um because 528 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:35,440 Speaker 1: the d s S is one of those agencies that 529 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 1: kind of gets um, I don't know, like people don't 530 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 1: really think about it or are aware of it unless 531 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 1: you're in that world. Um, And not too many people 532 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 1: have written about it either. UM. I think here's this 533 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:47,960 Speaker 1: one of the very few books out there on the subject, 534 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 1: and it actually dovetails I think quite well. With Tom 535 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: Pecora who was did security for the c I A UM, 536 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 1: and you were doing the same job in a lot 537 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: of ways for the State Department. So maybe for the listeners, UM, 538 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:05,480 Speaker 1: if you could first get into what is d S S. Yeah, 539 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:07,239 Speaker 1: no problem, and you hit it on the head. You know, 540 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 1: not a lot of people know about us. We often 541 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,520 Speaker 1: get overshadowed by by Secret Service or FBI, and we 542 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 1: do a little bit of both. And you mentioned CIA there. 543 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,240 Speaker 1: We when we're overseas, we worked frequently with CIA, particularly 544 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:22,160 Speaker 1: in in UH in the high tread areas, and some 545 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,520 Speaker 1: of the areas are highlighted in my book. But the 546 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: DSS Diplomats Security Service is the law enforcement the federal 547 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:30,960 Speaker 1: law enforcement branch of the United States Department of State. 548 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: Many people don't even know we exists, uh, and that's 549 00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:35,520 Speaker 1: because the State Department is the foreign is a foreign 550 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,520 Speaker 1: policy branch, not like for example, Justice, which is a 551 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:41,280 Speaker 1: law enforcement branch, and or Homeland Security, which is a 552 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 1: law enforcement and security branch. So State Department often gets overlooked. However, 553 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: as a special agent, we have all the same rights 554 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,320 Speaker 1: and authorities of FBI, AG and d AGE and a 555 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,520 Speaker 1: t F agent you name it. That we have a 556 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,400 Speaker 1: different focus and we're bad. Yeah, we fly. You could 557 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:58,360 Speaker 1: fly on a plane with with with a weapon and 558 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: you name it. We have all of a all the 559 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:04,680 Speaker 1: rights and responsibilities and duties of of any federal federal 560 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 1: law enforcement agent in the United States. Where we're a 561 00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 1: little different is that we do have our focuses on 562 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:13,239 Speaker 1: federal investigations. FBI is a very broad spectrum. There are 563 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:18,720 Speaker 1: no doubt to lead. We do more fraud with investigations 564 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:22,200 Speaker 1: of fraud into state department documents or whether password fraud, 565 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: the visa fraud. A lot of that has a nexus 566 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: to human smuggling, smuggling, human trafficking um UH, indentured servitude 567 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,720 Speaker 1: um and things like that. So that's one component that 568 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 1: we do. Federal investigations were also the second components. We 569 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:43,040 Speaker 1: are UH responsible for the protection and security of the U. 570 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:45,920 Speaker 1: S Secretary of State, whoever that might be, wherever they 571 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: are in the world. So same as Secret Service does 572 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:52,200 Speaker 1: UH for the President and Vice President in their family, 573 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,000 Speaker 1: we do the same from the Secretary of State and 574 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 1: also visiting foreign dignitary. So people don't really know often 575 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,680 Speaker 1: unless you're in this world that if a foreign dignitary 576 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 1: below the below the presidential level, So UH Minister of 577 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:10,960 Speaker 1: defense for for example, Israel comes over UH and all 578 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:14,000 Speaker 1: these different countries, we take UH ownership of that and 579 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: we protect them here on the ground UH in the 580 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:18,800 Speaker 1: United States. And it's quite busy. There's a lot of 581 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:20,640 Speaker 1: them to come over. I mean they come home for 582 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:24,520 Speaker 1: a number of different reasons. UH. The third component is, 583 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 1: UH we we manage security programs overseas. So about half 584 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,400 Speaker 1: of a d S agent career is spent overseas. I 585 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 1: spent a little less than teen years in and exactly 586 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,560 Speaker 1: half was was spent overseas. And that's my choice for me. 587 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:42,320 Speaker 1: And in that case, I was a new middlevel agent. UM. 588 00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: And what we do is we manage everything we do 589 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 1: more we can do. You know, some things are more mundane, 590 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,280 Speaker 1: whether it's management of a local guard force or surveillance 591 00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 1: and tection team or administrative and personnel security background investigations, 592 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,719 Speaker 1: kind of boring aspect, but then you have the more 593 00:31:56,760 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 1: exciting aspect counterintelligence. UH managed that of that program counter 594 00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:07,480 Speaker 1: terrorism UH work UM and then even more uh So 595 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:10,360 Speaker 1: from that component that what I enjoyed the most was 596 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: going over to the high thread area. So we're in 597 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:15,680 Speaker 1: in every UH high thread area. You can imagine whether 598 00:32:15,720 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 1: you whether it's a U S representation, U S Mbassy, consulate, 599 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,360 Speaker 1: or mission. So I spent twenty seven months in Iraq 600 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,960 Speaker 1: doing high thread protection basically taking the dignitaries out you 601 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: name it, from the Iranian to the Syrian border, up 602 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:28,680 Speaker 1: to the Turkish border. When I was in northern Iraq, 603 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,080 Speaker 1: all over Baghdad. When I was in Baghdad and UH 604 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:34,120 Speaker 1: and we have these jobs, these high income, high threat 605 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 1: protection jobs UH in in Pakistan and Yemen in Afghanistan, 606 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:42,800 Speaker 1: and there we get to work closely with UH. You 607 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:44,600 Speaker 1: guys probably heard of black Water. I know you've heard 608 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:47,720 Speaker 1: of black Water before. UH. There's most of the black 609 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 1: Water guys came over to another group called Triple Canopy. 610 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 1: Now they fall on their Knstelus and we work closely 611 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:56,480 Speaker 1: with them. So we'll have a special agent that's the 612 00:32:56,520 --> 00:32:58,840 Speaker 1: agent in charge of a motoritative about fifteen to twenty 613 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 1: guys and they and all the other guys are are 614 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:05,320 Speaker 1: veterans of the military. Some some are law enforcement with 615 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 1: the military experience, but you have to have extensive law 616 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 1: enforcement experience. And we take diplomats out, we take congressional 617 00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:13,760 Speaker 1: delegations when they come to visit these high thread areas 618 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 1: and we uh we protect them all over these hostile areas. Uh. 619 00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:23,479 Speaker 1: That's a long summary, but but that's uh, that's what 620 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:25,400 Speaker 1: we do. And uh, you know a lot of people 621 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,000 Speaker 1: don't know about it. You do you also do uh 622 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:33,120 Speaker 1: security for ambassadors and embassies. Yeah, we do. Uh. We're 623 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 1: responsible overall responsible for the security of the ambassador and 624 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 1: the consulate, are the are the the embassy compound. Um. 625 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,120 Speaker 1: It takes a certain uh threat level in a country 626 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:46,360 Speaker 1: for us to do to to do uh like a 627 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 1: PSD on an ambassador. Um, you know that. I can 628 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: think of the Philippines for example, Columbia. Of course we 629 00:33:53,320 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 1: have we have our agents in addition to uh local police, 630 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 1: our bodyguards that support us and doing that. There are 631 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:03,959 Speaker 1: some if you go to i'd say places in Western Europe, 632 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,000 Speaker 1: and I don't want to give up any information, but 633 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 1: there are areas, you know where it might not be 634 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:11,439 Speaker 1: as serious. You always have a couple of local high 635 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 1: locally hard bodyguards that would that would go with them. 636 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:18,719 Speaker 1: So but ultimate security and responsibility of protection of the 637 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:23,320 Speaker 1: ambassador and all US diplomats falls uh to DS special agents. 638 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:25,800 Speaker 1: And I'll add one note guys. Uh, you know this, 639 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:27,920 Speaker 1: there's a there's a misconception for those of us in 640 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 1: the industry that I think that FBI is the senior 641 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:35,279 Speaker 1: uh law enforcement agents, um, just about anywhere. And you know, 642 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:37,440 Speaker 1: when it comes to US security law enforcement and when 643 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:41,720 Speaker 1: it's overseas, the US diplomatic facility, the diplomatic security special 644 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:44,440 Speaker 1: Agent in charge overseas known as a regional security officer. 645 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 1: It's kind of a title we have there is the 646 00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 1: lead law enforcement agent, uh, you know, to the to 647 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 1: the to the mission in the US ambassador. I mean 648 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:57,279 Speaker 1: one example where things went sideways where I there were 649 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:02,200 Speaker 1: d S S personnel involves was that Benghazi, right, m hmm, yeah, 650 00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: they were involved. Um, that was uh. You know, I've 651 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:10,439 Speaker 1: read the report, the the internal report, and I don't 652 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:12,640 Speaker 1: know the guys that were there. I know friends and 653 00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: friends that know them, and they kind of got a 654 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:17,000 Speaker 1: bad rap. And you know, when you get the thirteen 655 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,600 Speaker 1: hours in Benghazi. Uh, but you know, when you're a 656 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:21,759 Speaker 1: hump agently, you know, one of the one of the 657 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:23,960 Speaker 1: guys in the ground, you do what you're told and 658 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,399 Speaker 1: you go down there. And it's unfortunate that they were 659 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: underprepared and not any fault of their of their own, 660 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:32,919 Speaker 1: but they were given a task and they were sent 661 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:36,439 Speaker 1: to an area that was just not as secure. But uh, yeah, 662 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:39,600 Speaker 1: there were several agents uh in Benghazi, they were they 663 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:43,759 Speaker 1: were involved in that attack. Yeah. And how quickly it 664 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,239 Speaker 1: goes from being you know, a personal security detailed to 665 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:50,080 Speaker 1: being outright combat. I mean that night they were all 666 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:55,360 Speaker 1: in combat like soldiers. Yeah. Absolutely, and it happens frequently. 667 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:57,640 Speaker 1: It happened in Afghanistan. It happened. There's a story in 668 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:00,440 Speaker 1: my book where we were under attack. He bit hit 669 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:04,799 Speaker 1: the compound a sevent two fifteen and uh, you know, 670 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,279 Speaker 1: I said, at one point they pushed up to eight 671 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:10,160 Speaker 1: miles of us and uh, you know at the same 672 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,920 Speaker 1: type situation we were. Fortunately we we it was a 673 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:14,719 Speaker 1: v bit, only we didn't know that for the first 674 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:16,920 Speaker 1: few hours because we were taking friendly fire from the 675 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 1: locals basically, uh, shooting over the roofs of cars and building. 676 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:25,120 Speaker 1: This is in our bill or bill in northern Iraq. 677 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:28,880 Speaker 1: But yeah, it CanCERN. It can you know, it's it's quick, 678 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:33,279 Speaker 1: It can happen quickly. Um, when you get training, additional 679 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:37,680 Speaker 1: training to go out to these high threat areas, so 680 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:40,799 Speaker 1: you know, it's an eight month pipeline to get just 681 00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,200 Speaker 1: be a special agent, and you do another I think 682 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:45,800 Speaker 1: these days another four months and high threat tactical training 683 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:48,960 Speaker 1: where you have you know, our instructors are former SF, 684 00:36:48,960 --> 00:36:52,319 Speaker 1: former Seals team guys that they come out and train 685 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 1: us up and you know what they send us on out. 686 00:36:56,560 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 1: Can you tell us about some of the different areas 687 00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:00,600 Speaker 1: you worked in, I mean you mentioned or Bill you 688 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:04,840 Speaker 1: mentioned iraq Um. What are some of the harrier places 689 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:10,600 Speaker 1: you've worked and what were the particular security challenges there. Yeah, 690 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:13,640 Speaker 1: those were the harrious spots. Uh. You know I did 691 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:18,000 Speaker 1: sometime in Kenya a very short time. Um. And every 692 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:22,200 Speaker 1: country has their unique situations that make it hairy. You know, 693 00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:25,560 Speaker 1: there's this counter intelligence issues in some countries and you 694 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:27,600 Speaker 1: have to be on your toes for that. But the 695 00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:31,240 Speaker 1: scarier ones are the I guess they're more disconcerting where 696 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,640 Speaker 1: you you may at some point I think you might 697 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:37,680 Speaker 1: not get out. Uh, those were my two chores in 698 00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:42,359 Speaker 1: iraq Um and or Bill was was, Oh, there are 699 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:46,560 Speaker 1: some situations in in in Baghdad. Uh, Baghdad is such 700 00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:51,200 Speaker 1: a a machine and we had so many security staff 701 00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:55,640 Speaker 1: there that the compound getting overrun our attack is uh 702 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:58,719 Speaker 1: is not likely so or bill Uh. What I tell 703 00:37:58,719 --> 00:38:02,960 Speaker 1: you is that it was August two thousand fourteen when 704 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:06,360 Speaker 1: ISIS had taken over mosl Or a little bit before August, 705 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:10,239 Speaker 1: and they started, you know, all all the reports were 706 00:38:10,239 --> 00:38:11,759 Speaker 1: talents that they don't want to have. They didn't want 707 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:13,160 Speaker 1: to deal with the Tesh Murger and come up to 708 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:15,520 Speaker 1: northern Iraq because you if you know, Murger is a 709 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:18,200 Speaker 1: just a different animal when it comes to the Iraqi army. 710 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:22,399 Speaker 1: And Uh, the analysts were wrong. They made a turn 711 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 1: towards their bill. They took over the oil fields and 712 00:38:25,239 --> 00:38:29,600 Speaker 1: kirk Cook. Uh. They were in uh uh Collac or 713 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:33,319 Speaker 1: Aski collec which is and and UH a couple other 714 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:35,279 Speaker 1: places that pushed up. They pushed up to about eight 715 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:38,680 Speaker 1: eight miles so where we were. I remember they were 716 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:43,480 Speaker 1: getting within artillery range. Oh absolutely, yeah, they were close. 717 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:48,359 Speaker 1: Um we had thirty eight shooters in the compound. Uh 718 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:50,959 Speaker 1: and they had hundreds I won't get the exact nowers 719 00:38:51,000 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 1: that had hundreds reported coming our way. And Uh I 720 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:57,920 Speaker 1: woke up. I got a phone call the middle of night, 721 00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:01,960 Speaker 1: uh from guys over at the Intel, over at the 722 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,759 Speaker 1: Intel compound and h They said, you need to check 723 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:06,759 Speaker 1: your high stile, your classified email. And as I did, 724 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:08,480 Speaker 1: when I met one of my boss and he said, 725 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:10,840 Speaker 1: go on the rooftops. He was going on against us 726 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:12,480 Speaker 1: two in the morning. And I went out there and 727 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:17,920 Speaker 1: as I was tell lights heading north. Yeah, it was. 728 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:20,879 Speaker 1: It was an eerie feeling intel I's heading north and 729 00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:23,640 Speaker 1: the two gas stations you could see through bidose. Uh, 730 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:26,960 Speaker 1: we're we're filled. We're just lynes backed up. People are 731 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:29,600 Speaker 1: getting gas and heading out of there and here we are. 732 00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 1: None of my team knew it at the time. So 733 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:33,200 Speaker 1: I called up my kind of my right hand manage 734 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:35,080 Speaker 1: that we need to get him prepped, you know, to 735 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:39,360 Speaker 1: to fight if we need to. UM. And it's a 736 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:41,560 Speaker 1: whole story about the book. It's called isis at the 737 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:46,760 Speaker 1: Gates um and where we're basically making preparations to defend 738 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:51,160 Speaker 1: ourselves again with thirty eight shooters UM and uh, destroying 739 00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:54,680 Speaker 1: classified and and doing you know what it takes to 740 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:57,960 Speaker 1: get on out of there. We were fortunate. I was fortunate. 741 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:01,640 Speaker 1: I was. I headed up the ground team there and 742 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:03,960 Speaker 1: we have a special agents, we have different assignments. We 743 00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:05,440 Speaker 1: had six of us there. There was the boss to 744 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:08,880 Speaker 1: deputy and four of us UH mid level guys and 745 00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:11,520 Speaker 1: UH I was in charge of protect the box and 746 00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:15,520 Speaker 1: then the ground. Uh basically the ground set up as 747 00:40:15,560 --> 00:40:21,040 Speaker 1: as this was was happening, and yeah, we started making moves. 748 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:23,920 Speaker 1: But what was great is UH, you know, we we 749 00:40:24,080 --> 00:40:27,400 Speaker 1: learned our lessons from Benghazi. And one of the guys 750 00:40:28,239 --> 00:40:31,319 Speaker 1: over at the uh the CIA compound. This is what 751 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:34,400 Speaker 1: I say when I say the intel compound was was 752 00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:37,640 Speaker 1: a former marine as well. So he and I hit 753 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:40,160 Speaker 1: it off. I was a basic infantry marina grunt and 754 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:43,000 Speaker 1: he was a reach on guy and uh he came 755 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:44,560 Speaker 1: over and said, hey, we need to we need to talk. 756 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:47,440 Speaker 1: Obviously he saw a report because they sent it to us, 757 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:51,680 Speaker 1: and uh, he came on over and UH we coordinated 758 00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:55,719 Speaker 1: you know, uh evac plan and UH and a plan 759 00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:58,279 Speaker 1: to defend ourselves. And you know, if we had to 760 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:01,360 Speaker 1: fall back to them, they had a they had a 761 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:05,319 Speaker 1: bigger contingent to uh to help us defend ourselves if 762 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:06,800 Speaker 1: we need it, but they couldn't respond to us. We 763 00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:09,560 Speaker 1: would have had to get to them basically. UM. So 764 00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:11,319 Speaker 1: it was it was uh, you know when you can 765 00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:13,920 Speaker 1: sit back and think about, hey, they're right, you know, 766 00:41:13,920 --> 00:41:16,360 Speaker 1: they're they're rightly at the gates and they're coming closer. 767 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:20,200 Speaker 1: It's it's much more disconcerting than if it just happens, 768 00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:22,880 Speaker 1: because if it just happens, all your preparation, everything just 769 00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:25,160 Speaker 1: kind of kicks in. And it has happened, and we 770 00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:27,879 Speaker 1: and we did, and we responded appropriately. When you're sitting 771 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,000 Speaker 1: there laying in bed, you know, for two hours a night, 772 00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:31,760 Speaker 1: trying to get some sleeping on that the next forty 773 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:35,160 Speaker 1: eight you may not. Uh, it's a it's a it's 774 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:37,600 Speaker 1: a bit. It's a bit challenging for everyone involved. And 775 00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:39,839 Speaker 1: keep in mind, we're not just defending ourselves, like if 776 00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:42,000 Speaker 1: you're a military unit you just gotta fight for yourselves. 777 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:48,319 Speaker 1: You're defending a hundred fifty or so noncombatants, civilian diplomats 778 00:41:48,320 --> 00:41:50,800 Speaker 1: that aren't used to this environment, that can't carry a weapon, 779 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:54,640 Speaker 1: and it's thirty eight of you. Right. So then just 780 00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:57,520 Speaker 1: to add to it, you know this panic that overcomes 781 00:41:57,560 --> 00:41:59,520 Speaker 1: these people. You try to limit the information you give, 782 00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 1: but you gotta give some right because you don't want 783 00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:03,680 Speaker 1: to scare them. You gotta find yeah, you gotta find 784 00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:06,319 Speaker 1: that balance. And then you know, it gets out and 785 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:09,200 Speaker 1: you've got people that have sent mass emails to the 786 00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:12,279 Speaker 1: rest of the staff that basically of the effect that 787 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:14,400 Speaker 1: they're coming over the walls when they weren't, but just 788 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:18,239 Speaker 1: getting people into hysteria. Uh. And so it was it 789 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:20,799 Speaker 1: was a balance in a number of different ways, from 790 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:25,000 Speaker 1: noncombatants to you know, getting the shooters prepped and ready 791 00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:27,839 Speaker 1: and you know, having rotations and everyone fed and just 792 00:42:28,719 --> 00:42:31,279 Speaker 1: you know, having weapons placed in the right areas which 793 00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:34,360 Speaker 1: we had pre determined, but you know, you want to 794 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:38,080 Speaker 1: reinforce that what you can. And yeah, so that was 795 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:40,400 Speaker 1: that was Yes, about the harrier situation, that was that 796 00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:43,319 Speaker 1: was probably the harriest one that that that I can 797 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:45,879 Speaker 1: think of. It was really concerning to me. And uh, 798 00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:48,120 Speaker 1: just to add some context for people who don't know, 799 00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:51,239 Speaker 1: I mean, her Bill is a huge city. Um, they 800 00:42:51,239 --> 00:42:52,880 Speaker 1: will tell you that. People there will tell you her 801 00:42:52,880 --> 00:42:55,200 Speaker 1: Bill is the oldest city in the world. And I 802 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:59,560 Speaker 1: mean it's not like Massoul for example, or Bill is 803 00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:02,440 Speaker 1: fairly modern and built up. There are parts of it 804 00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:05,239 Speaker 1: that look like Dubai or something like that. Um. A 805 00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:09,000 Speaker 1: lot of commercial commercialization and shopping malls and all sorts 806 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:12,520 Speaker 1: of stuff, and that isis came within miles of it 807 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:17,000 Speaker 1: is wild and that was also the time I think 808 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:20,080 Speaker 1: when the United States government was finally like, okay, isis 809 00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:23,280 Speaker 1: We've had about enough of you, and the air strikes 810 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:27,359 Speaker 1: started to come. Yeah, you're you know, right on the nose. Um. 811 00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:29,279 Speaker 1: There were there were there were their malls out there, 812 00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:32,640 Speaker 1: there's movie theaters. Now, they have their their areas. They're 813 00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:36,000 Speaker 1: just as bad as well poorer areas, but as compared 814 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:39,360 Speaker 1: to the rest of Iraq is definitely yeah, an upgrade. 815 00:43:39,719 --> 00:43:43,160 Speaker 1: Um And and they are more capable. But they weren't 816 00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:45,680 Speaker 1: receiving you know, to get I guess a little more 817 00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:47,360 Speaker 1: of the weeds. They weren't receiving the support and the 818 00:43:47,360 --> 00:43:51,280 Speaker 1: funding from the international community that um, that they should 819 00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:54,120 Speaker 1: have been at the time. Um. And they were sending 820 00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:56,920 Speaker 1: some of their soldiers to the to the front lines. 821 00:43:57,000 --> 00:43:59,319 Speaker 1: And there's two elements as the Teesh Margo, which is 822 00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:02,240 Speaker 1: their army, and then another group called Zervani, which are 823 00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:05,479 Speaker 1: internal security service. Yeah. And they were saying those guys 824 00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:08,560 Speaker 1: and I had a you know, Zervani works for US. 825 00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:09,920 Speaker 1: We have niney of them that works for US, and 826 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:12,840 Speaker 1: I protective op section. They were telling me, Hey, my 827 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:14,560 Speaker 1: my cousin went to the front line. If you live 828 00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:17,359 Speaker 1: in rounds, the living rounds to defend himself and had 829 00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:19,319 Speaker 1: to buy their own ammo. You know. Part of that 830 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:22,200 Speaker 1: also is that g o I was getting money, um, 831 00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:24,440 Speaker 1: and they were supposed to pay certain amounts of money 832 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:27,440 Speaker 1: to the Kurds to pay their guys, but g O 833 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:31,400 Speaker 1: I wasn't handing over the cash. Absolutely. Yeah, they're skiving 834 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:34,239 Speaker 1: off the top. And as a as any you know, 835 00:44:34,480 --> 00:44:37,520 Speaker 1: as a recognized nation, whether it's be the U S 836 00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:40,200 Speaker 1: or any other nation, you can't just go give directly 837 00:44:40,239 --> 00:44:42,440 Speaker 1: to the curves because you know, the Prime Minister of 838 00:44:42,480 --> 00:44:44,359 Speaker 1: Iraqi is the Prime Minister of Iraq. And even though 839 00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:47,200 Speaker 1: the the North has kind of its own culture and 840 00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:51,560 Speaker 1: it's its own government, it's still it's still part of Iraq. 841 00:44:51,600 --> 00:44:53,480 Speaker 1: Although the Curs wouldn't like to tell you that they 842 00:44:53,520 --> 00:44:55,719 Speaker 1: want to be curt to stand and there and there 843 00:44:55,760 --> 00:44:58,720 Speaker 1: and there, and they are different, uh you know. But 844 00:44:58,719 --> 00:45:00,640 Speaker 1: but yeah, they were skimming off the top and they 845 00:45:00,640 --> 00:45:03,120 Speaker 1: just weren't getting the money they needed. And at the 846 00:45:03,160 --> 00:45:06,720 Speaker 1: same time Bagdad was under was there was under siege 847 00:45:06,719 --> 00:45:09,839 Speaker 1: as well. Uh. You had fast teams from a mute 848 00:45:10,160 --> 00:45:13,120 Speaker 1: over in Baghdad. And this is in the book as well, 849 00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:15,480 Speaker 1: and you know, we we got coms with them and 850 00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:17,080 Speaker 1: kind of like you need to keep an eye on 851 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:18,680 Speaker 1: us as well, because we're a lot smaller and we 852 00:45:18,719 --> 00:45:21,880 Speaker 1: have a lot less resources. And they did. Uh you know, 853 00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:24,799 Speaker 1: eventually we had a ton of military on the ground there, 854 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:26,839 Speaker 1: but at the time when it was happening, we had none. 855 00:45:27,080 --> 00:45:30,000 Speaker 1: And to your point where the air strikes, uh just 856 00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:31,880 Speaker 1: just in the right just at the right time. I 857 00:45:31,920 --> 00:45:34,360 Speaker 1: woke up in the morning and heard them in the distance, 858 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:38,280 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, reports on the news were showed 859 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:40,920 Speaker 1: that they were they were backing up and they were 860 00:45:41,040 --> 00:45:42,840 Speaker 1: held at bay. I think they backed up so about 861 00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:46,959 Speaker 1: behind the city of mock Moore, and if I remember correctly, uh, 862 00:45:47,080 --> 00:45:51,360 Speaker 1: it was about miles or so. Well, they stayed behind 863 00:45:51,760 --> 00:45:54,719 Speaker 1: kind of that line, but they still surrounded that surrounded us. 864 00:45:54,719 --> 00:46:00,719 Speaker 1: But they had about eighty degrees from the south, the west, southwest, 865 00:46:00,920 --> 00:46:04,600 Speaker 1: south and then and then the east or southeast. They 866 00:46:04,600 --> 00:46:08,360 Speaker 1: were just waiting, you know, and show enough. You know. 867 00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:11,080 Speaker 1: A little bit less than a year later, we got attacked. 868 00:46:11,120 --> 00:46:13,160 Speaker 1: They got inside the city of Reveal and uh, you 869 00:46:13,200 --> 00:46:18,120 Speaker 1: know attack the compound. Yeah. I mean there's a lot 870 00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:21,640 Speaker 1: of people I think don't really understand how bad things gotten. 871 00:46:21,840 --> 00:46:24,120 Speaker 1: A lot of the quote unquote experts were saying, oh, well, 872 00:46:24,160 --> 00:46:26,839 Speaker 1: Isis will never take bad Dad, and it's like, well, yeah, 873 00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:28,880 Speaker 1: before that, you were saying they had never taken my soul, 874 00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:33,279 Speaker 1: and you saw how that went down. So yeah, yeah, 875 00:46:33,320 --> 00:46:35,200 Speaker 1: what I learned these days, as anyone can call himself 876 00:46:35,239 --> 00:46:37,760 Speaker 1: an expert if you get other people saying you're an expert, 877 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:40,480 Speaker 1: and the experts are the ones that told us so, 878 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:43,319 Speaker 1: just like you said that they weren't definitely and maybe 879 00:46:43,320 --> 00:46:45,080 Speaker 1: they weren't coming to bag, they definitely weren't coming to 880 00:46:45,080 --> 00:46:48,560 Speaker 1: the Bill, and you know, uh, Mosel fell and they 881 00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:51,759 Speaker 1: just went downhill from there. Yeah. And at the time, 882 00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:55,080 Speaker 1: nobody knew, like really, nobody, to be honest, knew how 883 00:46:55,120 --> 00:46:58,440 Speaker 1: that stuff was going to play out. And um, I 884 00:46:58,440 --> 00:47:00,719 Speaker 1: guess it's it's a good thing that Old Sugar got 885 00:47:00,719 --> 00:47:04,399 Speaker 1: involved and started sending an f eighteen strikes, um, because 886 00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:07,440 Speaker 1: it kept Isis from you know, going any further. A 887 00:47:07,480 --> 00:47:09,960 Speaker 1: lot of damage was done in the meantime, but you know, 888 00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:14,040 Speaker 1: I'm glad you guys didn't have to fight it out. Yeah, 889 00:47:14,239 --> 00:47:20,160 Speaker 1: so my, oh my, uh, but it was you know, 890 00:47:20,200 --> 00:47:23,239 Speaker 1: it started he could have done something sooner, no doubt 891 00:47:23,280 --> 00:47:25,440 Speaker 1: about that. You know, it is what it is. We 892 00:47:25,480 --> 00:47:28,319 Speaker 1: did get some of the you know, we got the 893 00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:30,640 Speaker 1: cream of the crop that came entire area. After that, 894 00:47:30,719 --> 00:47:35,640 Speaker 1: we got uh SF groups olas came out, um, a 895 00:47:35,680 --> 00:47:39,800 Speaker 1: bunch of line line units from infantry marines, some recon 896 00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:41,840 Speaker 1: marines for cure f we're doing. They were doing a 897 00:47:41,840 --> 00:47:45,680 Speaker 1: hop some Mount sinjar Um, you know, humanitarian relief. And 898 00:47:45,719 --> 00:47:48,640 Speaker 1: so we got the best of the best. And again 899 00:47:48,680 --> 00:47:50,799 Speaker 1: one of my duties I was fortunate was because I 900 00:47:50,840 --> 00:47:54,320 Speaker 1: had the military experience was liaison with all these different 901 00:47:54,320 --> 00:47:56,680 Speaker 1: groups and and uh and as a d S agent, 902 00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:58,560 Speaker 1: that's uh, you know, as a d S agent and 903 00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:00,960 Speaker 1: the four Marine that's that's a that's a dream job, 904 00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:03,680 Speaker 1: you know, getting to to live the life of a 905 00:48:03,719 --> 00:48:07,000 Speaker 1: diplomat there a gun and do some cool things and 906 00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:10,319 Speaker 1: get to go out with these guys on occasion to 907 00:48:10,320 --> 00:48:14,879 Speaker 1: to do some fun stuff. You know. So um, yeah, 908 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,960 Speaker 1: it was great to our mom. You mentioned that v 909 00:48:18,040 --> 00:48:21,520 Speaker 1: bit that went off outside the consulate. I think that 910 00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:24,879 Speaker 1: happened like maybe like a week or two before. I 911 00:48:24,920 --> 00:48:28,799 Speaker 1: was in her bill doing a reporting at the time. Yeah, 912 00:48:28,840 --> 00:48:30,120 Speaker 1: you know, I'm not sure. When you were there, but 913 00:48:30,160 --> 00:48:33,640 Speaker 1: it was April. It was around April two. Yeah, that's 914 00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:36,480 Speaker 1: that's what happened. Yeah, I was down in kirk Cook 915 00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:40,160 Speaker 1: after that with the Pesh covering this offensive they did 916 00:48:40,200 --> 00:48:43,719 Speaker 1: as they were pushing out outside the city limits. Yeah, 917 00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:45,200 Speaker 1: and that's the right, that's right around there. Out of 918 00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:47,920 Speaker 1: time what had happened. And it was, I mean, it was, 919 00:48:48,880 --> 00:48:50,640 Speaker 1: you know, things were going on. They weren't in the 920 00:48:50,640 --> 00:48:53,800 Speaker 1: news the whole time. I'm sure you guys you can imagine, 921 00:48:54,239 --> 00:48:57,040 Speaker 1: you just you know, we we would have people come in, 922 00:48:57,560 --> 00:48:59,840 Speaker 1: random people telling us that I just took over the 923 00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:02,319 Speaker 1: come bombed them there in my house. And you know, 924 00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:05,400 Speaker 1: you gotta some of it's accurate, some of it's not. Uh. 925 00:49:05,560 --> 00:49:09,120 Speaker 1: And we're dealing with also with other human issues. I mean, 926 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:13,520 Speaker 1: one the way the book starts out, actually my prologue 927 00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:16,440 Speaker 1: talks about I'm up in Northern I gotta I got 928 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:20,280 Speaker 1: dropped off by Special Operations forces, uh. And I jumped 929 00:49:20,280 --> 00:49:23,160 Speaker 1: in with an Army intel guy and my interpreter and 930 00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:26,200 Speaker 1: I got a taxi and get whipped around that taxi 931 00:49:26,239 --> 00:49:28,320 Speaker 1: to go meet a United to go to United Nations 932 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:32,600 Speaker 1: camp to interview the first female isis American hostage. I'm 933 00:49:32,600 --> 00:49:35,759 Speaker 1: sorry too. Individuals individuals that were held with her, with 934 00:49:36,000 --> 00:49:39,839 Speaker 1: Kayla Mueller, the first female Isis American hostage, and they 935 00:49:39,840 --> 00:49:43,400 Speaker 1: had intel. No one had heard anything from Kayla uh 936 00:49:43,800 --> 00:49:46,920 Speaker 1: for about a year until we got the intel and 937 00:49:46,920 --> 00:49:49,160 Speaker 1: went on out there and it's it was great as 938 00:49:49,560 --> 00:49:51,040 Speaker 1: it was great. But I can talk about it because 939 00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:52,600 Speaker 1: my boss at the time knew that we needed a 940 00:49:52,600 --> 00:49:55,920 Speaker 1: bunch of resources to help facilitate her rescue, so we 941 00:49:56,000 --> 00:49:59,520 Speaker 1: left it unclassified. My report that I wrote was unclassified, 942 00:50:00,239 --> 00:50:02,000 Speaker 1: so basically, you know, I got to tell a little 943 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:04,759 Speaker 1: bit about it. And but my point being has not 944 00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:06,880 Speaker 1: only heard, there were several Americans are out there, and 945 00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:09,560 Speaker 1: people think, you know, Americans born in American soil, but 946 00:50:09,600 --> 00:50:12,800 Speaker 1: there are other Americans that come here, you know, especially 947 00:50:12,880 --> 00:50:15,440 Speaker 1: Kurd's people from northern Iraq come over and they get 948 00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:18,080 Speaker 1: uh their citizenship, then they come back to their country 949 00:50:18,080 --> 00:50:20,400 Speaker 1: and sometimes they want to marry, you know, someone from 950 00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:23,120 Speaker 1: their culture. And we had several people that when Isis 951 00:50:23,120 --> 00:50:25,680 Speaker 1: were pushing, We're literally calling us on the phone, and 952 00:50:25,960 --> 00:50:27,719 Speaker 1: Nations Campus called up to the phone and saying, hey, 953 00:50:28,000 --> 00:50:30,960 Speaker 1: you know, these people ran. They left everything except their phone, 954 00:50:31,640 --> 00:50:34,080 Speaker 1: and Isis has chased them down in trucks, and you 955 00:50:34,120 --> 00:50:37,239 Speaker 1: can hear them when they're on the phone sometimes, you know, 956 00:50:37,280 --> 00:50:38,799 Speaker 1: and we get it a number of ways. They would 957 00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:41,160 Speaker 1: call our local Ravanni and they say, Mr Cody, and 958 00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:43,280 Speaker 1: you take this phone call, and I've taken. I'm literally 959 00:50:43,280 --> 00:50:46,959 Speaker 1: talking to guy that you know barely speaks English, uh, 960 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:48,640 Speaker 1: you know, saying that he's running and I hear him 961 00:50:48,680 --> 00:50:52,760 Speaker 1: huffing and puffing from isis. I mean, the most rewarding 962 00:50:52,840 --> 00:50:56,400 Speaker 1: professional tour, but the most intense in every in every 963 00:50:56,400 --> 00:51:00,520 Speaker 1: regard Halo. If if I recalled for Pal, I mean 964 00:51:00,560 --> 00:51:02,759 Speaker 1: she was reported killed in an air strike. Later on 965 00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:07,279 Speaker 1: she was I had since left, but she was. I 966 00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:11,440 Speaker 1: believe it wasn't that, Uh, I just said, are there? 967 00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:14,000 Speaker 1: Claim was that it was in the Jordanian air strike 968 00:51:14,960 --> 00:51:17,879 Speaker 1: that he had them, um and she was reported killed. 969 00:51:18,000 --> 00:51:22,439 Speaker 1: I don't know. Uh, we're confident she was killed. Whether 970 00:51:22,480 --> 00:51:25,680 Speaker 1: it was by a Jordanian air strike or other means, 971 00:51:26,120 --> 00:51:30,760 Speaker 1: you know, I'm not sure, but yeah, she was. She perished. Wow, 972 00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:34,200 Speaker 1: that's terrifying stuff. The other thing I wanted to ask 973 00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:37,399 Speaker 1: you is by comparison to Iraq and some of these 974 00:51:37,680 --> 00:51:40,920 Speaker 1: crazy situations you found yourself in What was it like 975 00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:45,680 Speaker 1: working in cities like Moscow and Beijing. Yeah, so Moscow, 976 00:51:45,719 --> 00:51:50,239 Speaker 1: I was a young marine there. I was still actually yeah, yeah, 977 00:51:50,239 --> 00:51:54,240 Speaker 1: I was a young marine there and that was nearly 978 00:51:54,280 --> 00:51:58,680 Speaker 1: twenty years ago. Um and and that's when I learned 979 00:51:58,719 --> 00:52:00,880 Speaker 1: about being at the especial age because we worked directly 980 00:52:00,960 --> 00:52:03,560 Speaker 1: for them. But one of the only the Marine Embassy 981 00:52:03,680 --> 00:52:06,200 Speaker 1: called Marine Corps Embassy Security Group is one of the 982 00:52:06,239 --> 00:52:11,640 Speaker 1: only uh D o D elements that falls under civilian 983 00:52:11,680 --> 00:52:16,080 Speaker 1: operational control, so d S agents basically UH you know, 984 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:20,240 Speaker 1: are are operationally in charge of the marines there now. Granted, 985 00:52:21,080 --> 00:52:23,239 Speaker 1: uh marines are gonna be marines and if they see 986 00:52:23,280 --> 00:52:25,439 Speaker 1: something needs to be done in the event of an attack, though, 987 00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:27,640 Speaker 1: they'll do what they have to do, right, and that's 988 00:52:27,640 --> 00:52:29,759 Speaker 1: what we all have said. I was fortunate to have 989 00:52:29,800 --> 00:52:33,000 Speaker 1: done both. So I had a good, a great relationship 990 00:52:33,080 --> 00:52:37,680 Speaker 1: with the Marines at different posts. Um in Beijing. Uh. 991 00:52:37,719 --> 00:52:39,560 Speaker 1: In Beijing, I was an agent only. I only did 992 00:52:39,680 --> 00:52:42,840 Speaker 1: a couple of months there. But in Odimen City in Vietnam, 993 00:52:42,920 --> 00:52:47,120 Speaker 1: I did two years. Actually yeah, and actually it's another 994 00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:49,960 Speaker 1: great experience. UM I got to bring it. So the 995 00:52:50,040 --> 00:52:55,040 Speaker 1: last Marine Embassy detachment that was in Saigon, was there 996 00:52:55,120 --> 00:52:57,840 Speaker 1: during the Fall of Saigon, and they had never returned 997 00:52:58,360 --> 00:53:00,239 Speaker 1: to the South of Vietnam. They had we had wanted 998 00:53:00,280 --> 00:53:03,520 Speaker 1: Hannois for many years and for for the listeners. UH 999 00:53:03,680 --> 00:53:07,320 Speaker 1: Marine Embassy Guards are responsible for protecting U. S diplomatic 1000 00:53:07,320 --> 00:53:10,040 Speaker 1: facilities around the world. At one point, they weren't at 1001 00:53:10,080 --> 00:53:12,560 Speaker 1: every differentative facility for a number of reasons, whether it 1002 00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:15,000 Speaker 1: be a relationship with the local government, with the host 1003 00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:20,920 Speaker 1: government or resources right a number of reasons. After being Gazi, 1004 00:53:21,120 --> 00:53:24,120 Speaker 1: there was a mandated by Congress who put marines at 1005 00:53:24,160 --> 00:53:27,719 Speaker 1: just about every UH embassy and consulate in the world. 1006 00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:32,359 Speaker 1: And UH in Saigon or what's now called Chiman City. 1007 00:53:33,040 --> 00:53:36,279 Speaker 1: Uh I was I was there to bring in for 1008 00:53:36,360 --> 00:53:39,239 Speaker 1: it was you know, since the fall, so it was 1009 00:53:39,760 --> 00:53:44,239 Speaker 1: April thirties seventies five, only four was the fall. Regardless, 1010 00:53:44,480 --> 00:53:50,000 Speaker 1: uh I was there to to to help facilitate UH 1011 00:53:50,239 --> 00:53:52,960 Speaker 1: UH bringing that detachment in and it was historic because 1012 00:53:53,239 --> 00:53:55,400 Speaker 1: marines hadn't you know, sets the falls, I got no 1013 00:53:55,520 --> 00:53:58,840 Speaker 1: marines active duty marines had been on the ground in 1014 00:53:59,200 --> 00:54:02,200 Speaker 1: the South of Vietnam. So small things like that are 1015 00:54:02,320 --> 00:54:04,600 Speaker 1: siting as well. You know that you can be can 1016 00:54:04,600 --> 00:54:07,759 Speaker 1: become a part of history. Uh. And working in those 1017 00:54:07,760 --> 00:54:10,600 Speaker 1: posts of traditional posts, it's a great respite from from 1018 00:54:10,680 --> 00:54:14,680 Speaker 1: being a high thread post. Um. The work is is 1019 00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:19,480 Speaker 1: sometimes more mundane. But um, you know, I had everything 1020 00:54:19,560 --> 00:54:23,719 Speaker 1: from a U asylum seeker from I think he was 1021 00:54:23,719 --> 00:54:26,320 Speaker 1: from North Korea that tried to run his motorbike into 1022 00:54:27,040 --> 00:54:29,919 Speaker 1: into the compound. He smashed into the door. They they 1023 00:54:30,200 --> 00:54:32,680 Speaker 1: you know, they grabbed him. Any other environment a high environment. 1024 00:54:32,719 --> 00:54:36,320 Speaker 1: I got even shot long before he got even close enough. Um. 1025 00:54:36,360 --> 00:54:39,480 Speaker 1: We had a you know, unfortunate death on the compound. 1026 00:54:39,480 --> 00:54:43,720 Speaker 1: I actually on death for that investigate uh, several threats 1027 00:54:43,760 --> 00:54:47,200 Speaker 1: during July fource we did an international future return most 1028 00:54:47,200 --> 00:54:49,239 Speaker 1: of the easier in the book, by the way. UM 1029 00:54:49,640 --> 00:54:52,200 Speaker 1: and uh so you know, you get a good bit. 1030 00:54:52,239 --> 00:54:53,840 Speaker 1: It's just a different type of action, I guess you 1031 00:54:53,840 --> 00:54:56,959 Speaker 1: could say. Um, and your day to day is more 1032 00:54:58,440 --> 00:55:05,160 Speaker 1: uh procedural procedural mundane um uh, more liaison, more management 1033 00:55:05,200 --> 00:55:09,880 Speaker 1: supervisory activities. UM. But it gives you a good foundation, 1034 00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:12,880 Speaker 1: you know. And and there are all those things that 1035 00:55:12,960 --> 00:55:16,680 Speaker 1: pop up you literally like the local shaff around because 1036 00:55:16,719 --> 00:55:18,839 Speaker 1: there's no other you know, some of them places don't 1037 00:55:18,880 --> 00:55:22,560 Speaker 1: have a you know, whether it be a Homeland Security 1038 00:55:23,239 --> 00:55:27,239 Speaker 1: agent or or FBI agent or you name it. So 1039 00:55:27,719 --> 00:55:30,799 Speaker 1: you know, and again we're responsible for their staffs. But 1040 00:55:30,880 --> 00:55:34,560 Speaker 1: let's say there's an employee of the embassy and they 1041 00:55:34,600 --> 00:55:37,440 Speaker 1: get in trouble in downtown Hanoi with a bunch of 1042 00:55:37,440 --> 00:55:39,799 Speaker 1: hookers and end up in prison. I mean, that's that's 1043 00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:41,399 Speaker 1: one of those things that falls on you that you're 1044 00:55:41,400 --> 00:55:45,319 Speaker 1: the one that has to go and sort all that out. Hey, man, 1045 00:55:45,360 --> 00:55:50,480 Speaker 1: it happens. It happened frequently in a lot of these places. Yeah, 1046 00:55:50,520 --> 00:55:53,800 Speaker 1: we're so we have the relationship with the local police. 1047 00:55:54,480 --> 00:55:57,120 Speaker 1: So there's a there's a it's a collaboration between US 1048 00:55:57,160 --> 00:56:00,160 Speaker 1: and American Citizens Services, which is a constantly and it 1049 00:56:00,600 --> 00:56:04,600 Speaker 1: uh consulo section. Uh. They're the ones responsible for, you know, 1050 00:56:04,719 --> 00:56:08,520 Speaker 1: making sure that they get represented, you know, by whatever 1051 00:56:09,400 --> 00:56:12,960 Speaker 1: standard is the law in that in that country. Uh. 1052 00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:14,799 Speaker 1: You know, that's what a CS does, make sure they're 1053 00:56:14,840 --> 00:56:17,359 Speaker 1: being treated. You Mainly, we, on the other hand, are 1054 00:56:17,360 --> 00:56:19,160 Speaker 1: the ones that if we could pull some strength to 1055 00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:22,640 Speaker 1: get them out, uh and get them sent away or 1056 00:56:22,760 --> 00:56:24,719 Speaker 1: let mean, I say this, if it's a diplomat, this 1057 00:56:24,800 --> 00:56:26,719 Speaker 1: is what your question was about a diplomat. Yes, we're 1058 00:56:26,760 --> 00:56:28,480 Speaker 1: the ones to get them, to get them out there. 1059 00:56:28,719 --> 00:56:31,080 Speaker 1: If it's a local American, if it's American citizens living 1060 00:56:31,120 --> 00:56:36,400 Speaker 1: there visiting them, both entities are involved. But for diplomats 1061 00:56:36,520 --> 00:56:39,960 Speaker 1: um engaging in that type of activity, it happens, it 1062 00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:42,239 Speaker 1: happens frequently in a lot of different posts, and we're 1063 00:56:42,280 --> 00:56:47,520 Speaker 1: heavily involved in facilitating getting them out and you know, 1064 00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:51,399 Speaker 1: processing them and generally sending them back home. I can 1065 00:56:51,440 --> 00:56:54,000 Speaker 1: only imagine the drama. I mean, I'm sure there are 1066 00:56:54,040 --> 00:56:59,319 Speaker 1: some lots of you know, diplomats who are professional, but yeah, 1067 00:56:59,480 --> 00:57:01,640 Speaker 1: you know how goes. I mean, there's an average, there's 1068 00:57:01,640 --> 00:57:05,000 Speaker 1: a bell curve there, and there's going to be some outliers. Yeah, 1069 00:57:05,080 --> 00:57:07,040 Speaker 1: you know, we sent us in the Marines, and I 1070 00:57:07,080 --> 00:57:09,160 Speaker 1: still say, now every organization has their ten per cent 1071 00:57:10,600 --> 00:57:13,520 Speaker 1: of of I don't know if you can personally your show, 1072 00:57:13,560 --> 00:57:16,120 Speaker 1: but you know, you know, the temper cent are uh 1073 00:57:16,120 --> 00:57:18,000 Speaker 1: and and they have them, and you know, and people 1074 00:57:18,040 --> 00:57:20,640 Speaker 1: think diplomats, you know, the most respined individuals. And listen, 1075 00:57:20,680 --> 00:57:23,120 Speaker 1: I was a diplomat and I'm not respined. So there's 1076 00:57:23,240 --> 00:57:25,480 Speaker 1: there's you got. So they've got some guys that are 1077 00:57:25,520 --> 00:57:28,320 Speaker 1: diplomats that are you know, contract construction workers, you know, 1078 00:57:28,400 --> 00:57:31,680 Speaker 1: they they fall they have diplomatic status. Uh. You know 1079 00:57:31,720 --> 00:57:34,360 Speaker 1: there's different levels of diplomatic status. You have what a 1080 00:57:34,520 --> 00:57:38,760 Speaker 1: regular full fledged diplomatic status, then you have what's called 1081 00:57:39,800 --> 00:57:42,760 Speaker 1: you know, there's a technical status, and then as consulate 1082 00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:46,160 Speaker 1: status and all are are higher. How all are there? 1083 00:57:46,240 --> 00:57:49,400 Speaker 1: Kind of you know, your full status diplomatic status and 1084 00:57:49,520 --> 00:57:52,520 Speaker 1: an embassy is is the highest you can have. And 1085 00:57:52,520 --> 00:57:54,240 Speaker 1: if you're at a consular facility as I was a 1086 00:57:54,360 --> 00:57:57,120 Speaker 1: coaching in city, it's a lot more limited. And then 1087 00:57:57,160 --> 00:57:59,080 Speaker 1: it's based on your position as well. And you can 1088 00:57:59,120 --> 00:58:01,520 Speaker 1: have as a young man, technically I was on a 1089 00:58:01,520 --> 00:58:06,440 Speaker 1: diplomatic status, but it was not as um as as 1090 00:58:06,480 --> 00:58:10,400 Speaker 1: as helpful I would say, as a full fledged diplomat um. 1091 00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:12,640 Speaker 1: And what I'm getting at is, you know, young Marines 1092 00:58:12,680 --> 00:58:15,560 Speaker 1: are out there running around at nineteen years old these 1093 00:58:15,560 --> 00:58:18,240 Speaker 1: foreign countries and they get in trouble as well. Uh, 1094 00:58:18,280 --> 00:58:22,520 Speaker 1: so you have a whole many different levels of diplomats 1095 00:58:22,520 --> 00:58:25,439 Speaker 1: that are out there, you know, kind of uh doing 1096 00:58:25,440 --> 00:58:27,600 Speaker 1: good things, are doing bad things, you name it. Can 1097 00:58:27,720 --> 00:58:30,640 Speaker 1: you tell us at all about the counterintelligence side of 1098 00:58:30,680 --> 00:58:32,280 Speaker 1: the job and some of the threats that you had 1099 00:58:32,280 --> 00:58:36,560 Speaker 1: to deal with uh specific threats probably probably can't. But 1100 00:58:36,640 --> 00:58:40,800 Speaker 1: the c I part, you know, it sounds really exciting. 1101 00:58:41,240 --> 00:58:44,360 Speaker 1: It's it's not like we're running agents like you see 1102 00:58:44,360 --> 00:58:46,880 Speaker 1: in these movies, like you know what CIA does. UH. 1103 00:58:47,480 --> 00:58:54,080 Speaker 1: But any reports of activity from individuals in the in 1104 00:58:54,120 --> 00:58:57,360 Speaker 1: the community, in the diplomatic community come to us. So 1105 00:58:58,000 --> 00:58:59,560 Speaker 1: you know, you go to some of these countries and 1106 00:58:59,560 --> 00:59:01,640 Speaker 1: there's just uh and I don't want to be too 1107 00:59:01,680 --> 00:59:03,480 Speaker 1: specific here, but there's some things that are going on 1108 00:59:03,560 --> 00:59:06,520 Speaker 1: that we know is people watching us or we you know, 1109 00:59:06,600 --> 00:59:10,480 Speaker 1: we know is is counter to what we what should 1110 00:59:10,480 --> 00:59:13,520 Speaker 1: be happening. Uh. And so all those reports come to us, 1111 00:59:13,520 --> 00:59:15,440 Speaker 1: and then we liaison, we send reports out and it 1112 00:59:15,560 --> 00:59:17,880 Speaker 1: goes to those agencies that can take some action or 1113 00:59:18,440 --> 00:59:21,240 Speaker 1: you know, uh, you know, try to mitigate that. Now 1114 00:59:21,680 --> 00:59:23,760 Speaker 1: that's the first portion, so you're really uh, you kind 1115 00:59:23,760 --> 00:59:25,920 Speaker 1: of just you're an investigator. You're taking in information and 1116 00:59:25,920 --> 00:59:28,560 Speaker 1: getting it out to the masses. The second part part 1117 00:59:28,760 --> 00:59:32,160 Speaker 1: is uh is literally the counterpart is we put in 1118 00:59:32,840 --> 00:59:37,040 Speaker 1: you know, security procedures in place to mitigate some of 1119 00:59:37,080 --> 00:59:41,880 Speaker 1: these threats, whether it's a human threat, a technical threat, 1120 00:59:42,800 --> 00:59:45,800 Speaker 1: um or any type of other threat uh that you 1121 00:59:45,800 --> 00:59:48,480 Speaker 1: know we we we have security measures and we're training 1122 00:59:48,480 --> 00:59:51,200 Speaker 1: in specific security measures to to to put in place 1123 00:59:51,240 --> 00:59:54,200 Speaker 1: to to mitigate that. Uh. That's probably the most I 1124 00:59:54,200 --> 00:59:57,920 Speaker 1: would could get into the sea portion. I guess the 1125 00:59:57,960 --> 01:00:00,200 Speaker 1: other question I wanted to ask because I can see 1126 01:00:00,200 --> 01:00:02,200 Speaker 1: on your on your resume, I mean, you've been deployed 1127 01:00:02,240 --> 01:00:05,040 Speaker 1: and sent all over the world. Do you have any 1128 01:00:05,120 --> 01:00:07,680 Speaker 1: stories that are just like super weird or surreal that 1129 01:00:07,720 --> 01:00:10,480 Speaker 1: you're like, Man, I never in the world thought I'd 1130 01:00:10,560 --> 01:00:13,919 Speaker 1: end up in this situation you have beside the ones 1131 01:00:13,920 --> 01:00:17,360 Speaker 1: that told already, Uh, you know, well, some of them 1132 01:00:17,360 --> 01:00:20,600 Speaker 1: are surreal in a good way. I got to fly 1133 01:00:20,760 --> 01:00:26,400 Speaker 1: in Vietnam in a local Vietnamese helicopter doing protection for 1134 01:00:26,440 --> 01:00:30,040 Speaker 1: the Consul general to po w M a site where 1135 01:00:30,120 --> 01:00:32,640 Speaker 1: we had yeah, where we had you know, it's called 1136 01:00:32,720 --> 01:00:35,320 Speaker 1: jpack and I forget exactly what jpack stands for, but 1137 01:00:35,360 --> 01:00:41,000 Speaker 1: they recover Uh po w M I A. The acronym 1138 01:00:41,080 --> 01:00:44,520 Speaker 1: sounds familiar. Uh, but yes, so we we we flew 1139 01:00:44,560 --> 01:00:46,720 Speaker 1: out there with the Consul general. We've literally sit down 1140 01:00:47,120 --> 01:00:51,080 Speaker 1: with the locals cross legged, drinking rice wine and Vietnamese 1141 01:00:51,120 --> 01:00:54,080 Speaker 1: food at a site where an American aircraft went down 1142 01:00:54,080 --> 01:00:56,520 Speaker 1: and you know, and you have these guys in the 1143 01:00:56,520 --> 01:01:00,680 Speaker 1: military to specialize in this um and these these are chaeologists. 1144 01:01:00,880 --> 01:01:03,000 Speaker 1: I think archaeologists was the term I'm looking for. But 1145 01:01:03,640 --> 01:01:05,840 Speaker 1: they're showing you the different levels of dirt of when 1146 01:01:05,920 --> 01:01:09,160 Speaker 1: this year you know this, you know what year this was, 1147 01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:11,680 Speaker 1: and this is where we found and you know, the 1148 01:01:11,680 --> 01:01:14,080 Speaker 1: early seventies the aircraft went down. We found a boot, 1149 01:01:14,120 --> 01:01:16,480 Speaker 1: we found a dog cab, we found a chit a note. 1150 01:01:16,920 --> 01:01:20,720 Speaker 1: Uh and uh, you know, not surreal in a bad way, 1151 01:01:20,760 --> 01:01:22,920 Speaker 1: but surreal in a pretty cool way. I love history, 1152 01:01:23,080 --> 01:01:27,480 Speaker 1: and you know, that was a fantastic opportunity, uh to 1153 01:01:27,600 --> 01:01:31,720 Speaker 1: do that. And you know, uh, the situations in Baghdad 1154 01:01:31,760 --> 01:01:34,640 Speaker 1: where you're just doing protective ops and and uh, and 1155 01:01:34,680 --> 01:01:36,560 Speaker 1: all of a sudden you find yourself in front of 1156 01:01:36,560 --> 01:01:39,760 Speaker 1: where Saddam was hung. You know, if you saw the video. 1157 01:01:40,400 --> 01:01:42,240 Speaker 1: I saw the video where that person was standing with 1158 01:01:42,280 --> 01:01:45,600 Speaker 1: the phone, That's where I was standing. And I saw 1159 01:01:45,640 --> 01:01:47,800 Speaker 1: the hole he fell through. And and it was so 1160 01:01:47,960 --> 01:01:51,440 Speaker 1: casual that the Iraqis that were walking us through, and 1161 01:01:51,480 --> 01:01:53,760 Speaker 1: I had my ship leader them was a former SF guy, 1162 01:01:54,800 --> 01:01:57,640 Speaker 1: big guy, uh, and he was in the hextrack. He 1163 01:01:57,760 --> 01:01:59,840 Speaker 1: were just non SCHIVALI, oh, this is west of bas 1164 01:02:00,080 --> 01:02:02,120 Speaker 1: and then walking saying, you know, this is where we 1165 01:02:02,160 --> 01:02:04,960 Speaker 1: stacked the dead bodies in the freezer and hold hold up, 1166 01:02:04,960 --> 01:02:07,760 Speaker 1: hold up, hold up, like, come over here, let me 1167 01:02:07,840 --> 01:02:10,360 Speaker 1: check this out. Uh. And I didn't get it. I 1168 01:02:10,360 --> 01:02:13,520 Speaker 1: didn't get a picture. I think he did. But you know, 1169 01:02:13,560 --> 01:02:16,120 Speaker 1: a new rule created for myself was never going anywhere 1170 01:02:16,120 --> 01:02:17,480 Speaker 1: without a camera. And this is before I had me 1171 01:02:17,520 --> 01:02:19,360 Speaker 1: to had an icephone. This is two thousand tens. I 1172 01:02:19,400 --> 01:02:22,880 Speaker 1: was behind the times well and the mbassy issue as 1173 01:02:22,920 --> 01:02:27,600 Speaker 1: these little Nokia phones that you had to you know use. 1174 01:02:28,560 --> 01:02:32,240 Speaker 1: And what was interesting was, uh, you know, in that 1175 01:02:32,320 --> 01:02:35,479 Speaker 1: same surreal moment where I'm walking where Saddam was hung 1176 01:02:36,040 --> 01:02:37,360 Speaker 1: and keep in mind, you know I've been to that. 1177 01:02:37,400 --> 01:02:39,200 Speaker 1: I was at the courthouse so many times with Saddam 1178 01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:41,760 Speaker 1: was tried, and you know, with with our people because 1179 01:02:41,760 --> 01:02:45,320 Speaker 1: they were still trying some bath oil out there and 1180 01:02:45,360 --> 01:02:48,520 Speaker 1: we would take our protectees out there. Um. But at 1181 01:02:48,560 --> 01:02:51,640 Speaker 1: this time, you know, we backed up our vehicles and uh. 1182 01:02:51,720 --> 01:02:54,480 Speaker 1: And the guy says, uh, I said, yeah, my vehicle 1183 01:02:54,560 --> 01:02:56,200 Speaker 1: is good right there. You know, next don't tell my 1184 01:02:56,200 --> 01:02:57,760 Speaker 1: team they're good to go. He says, oh, yeah, those 1185 01:02:57,760 --> 01:03:01,360 Speaker 1: are just al Qaeda and uh and uh like JAM, 1186 01:03:01,840 --> 01:03:04,680 Speaker 1: which is an Iranian back militias. That's the prisoners there, 1187 01:03:04,680 --> 01:03:07,160 Speaker 1: and they're walking around just with their hands behind their back. 1188 01:03:07,160 --> 01:03:09,000 Speaker 1: They're not they have nothing around their legs, they have 1189 01:03:09,080 --> 01:03:13,800 Speaker 1: nothing around their hands. The guards have a stick. You know, 1190 01:03:14,520 --> 01:03:18,120 Speaker 1: it's like one guard every five or six prisoners. And 1191 01:03:18,120 --> 01:03:20,080 Speaker 1: this guy's telling me it's just our Kada and Jam 1192 01:03:20,280 --> 01:03:22,480 Speaker 1: and he was really work as his mindset is bath, 1193 01:03:22,640 --> 01:03:25,680 Speaker 1: the bath party, loss, or the or the worst. And 1194 01:03:25,760 --> 01:03:28,960 Speaker 1: we know from the Iranian back militia's attacking and showing 1195 01:03:29,080 --> 01:03:33,000 Speaker 1: us on a daily basis that that that those are 1196 01:03:33,000 --> 01:03:35,680 Speaker 1: some pretty bad too as well. And so of course, 1197 01:03:35,760 --> 01:03:37,360 Speaker 1: you know, as soon as I say that, and I 1198 01:03:37,400 --> 01:03:39,400 Speaker 1: said a kind of a funny way like oh, it's 1199 01:03:39,440 --> 01:03:41,600 Speaker 1: just these guys, and you hear the engines start over, 1200 01:03:41,880 --> 01:03:43,720 Speaker 1: you know you're gonna get ship out of there and 1201 01:03:43,760 --> 01:03:47,120 Speaker 1: park somewhere else. Uh. But you know, seeing where Saddam 1202 01:03:47,240 --> 01:03:48,800 Speaker 1: was hung, so you know, to me that was surreal 1203 01:03:48,840 --> 01:03:51,520 Speaker 1: a you know, I love history. Standing at the crosswords 1204 01:03:51,520 --> 01:03:54,000 Speaker 1: where you you know, before you know, the in the 1205 01:03:54,120 --> 01:03:57,880 Speaker 1: early desert storm where you see you know, Saddam perrading 1206 01:03:57,920 --> 01:04:00,360 Speaker 1: his military on the cross swords flying over a cross 1207 01:04:00,400 --> 01:04:02,560 Speaker 1: foot swords over the your phrase, doing a route recon 1208 01:04:03,560 --> 01:04:05,920 Speaker 1: you know, to to to check out the you know, 1209 01:04:06,040 --> 01:04:11,880 Speaker 1: the AO also real. And keep in mind, I'm young. 1210 01:04:11,960 --> 01:04:13,840 Speaker 1: I was a young sergeant back in the day, and 1211 01:04:13,880 --> 01:04:16,600 Speaker 1: I did I did my my infantry time and then 1212 01:04:16,640 --> 01:04:19,240 Speaker 1: got sent to a volunteer to go to MSG duty. 1213 01:04:19,320 --> 01:04:21,800 Speaker 1: So you know, as a sergeant, you don't have you know, 1214 01:04:22,040 --> 01:04:23,520 Speaker 1: or at least you know. When I was in the 1215 01:04:23,520 --> 01:04:26,320 Speaker 1: Fleet Prine Corps, I was of the lance corporal, so 1216 01:04:26,480 --> 01:04:27,760 Speaker 1: you know, now you know, I got out of the 1217 01:04:27,760 --> 01:04:29,840 Speaker 1: sergeant all of a sudden, I'm responsible for this whole 1218 01:04:29,840 --> 01:04:33,200 Speaker 1: motorcad of twenty people and two hels up above. And 1219 01:04:33,200 --> 01:04:35,720 Speaker 1: and uh and you know you're slanging a banging and 1220 01:04:35,840 --> 01:04:39,120 Speaker 1: running around back then it's it's pretty cool, uh, pretty 1221 01:04:39,120 --> 01:04:42,320 Speaker 1: pretty pretty uh pretty good responsibility and and and in 1222 01:04:42,360 --> 01:04:45,920 Speaker 1: a great time. And you mentioned that you are Cajun 1223 01:04:46,000 --> 01:04:49,480 Speaker 1: from Louisiana. I mean, did the foreign language capability help 1224 01:04:49,480 --> 01:04:53,080 Speaker 1: you out at all during your job? You know, I 1225 01:04:53,080 --> 01:04:55,000 Speaker 1: didn't know I had foreig language kid, but louise I 1226 01:04:55,040 --> 01:04:58,680 Speaker 1: started until I lived with my god. I learned Russians. Uh, 1227 01:04:59,000 --> 01:05:01,720 Speaker 1: you know, I. I I try to my parents the 1228 01:05:02,000 --> 01:05:05,520 Speaker 1: Cajun French and uh And I was too young and 1229 01:05:05,560 --> 01:05:09,480 Speaker 1: dumb to realize the value of it. Of just it 1230 01:05:09,600 --> 01:05:11,400 Speaker 1: was a culture down here. You know, I left, not 1231 01:05:11,640 --> 01:05:14,680 Speaker 1: in twenty one years I've been gone. Uh And and 1232 01:05:14,720 --> 01:05:17,240 Speaker 1: I just felled French in high school because I didn't care. 1233 01:05:17,280 --> 01:05:20,640 Speaker 1: All I cared about was playing sports. Um And. And 1234 01:05:20,760 --> 01:05:22,200 Speaker 1: then I went to Russia and I started kind of 1235 01:05:22,240 --> 01:05:23,880 Speaker 1: picking up the language. And then when I got my 1236 01:05:23,960 --> 01:05:26,880 Speaker 1: degree at UH George Mason after the Marine WHEPS, I 1237 01:05:26,840 --> 01:05:29,880 Speaker 1: wasn't listed, and uh, I kind of had a knack 1238 01:05:29,960 --> 01:05:33,400 Speaker 1: for languages. I picked it up pretty easily, and so 1239 01:05:33,480 --> 01:05:35,240 Speaker 1: that did help. And when I went to Vietnam, I 1240 01:05:35,760 --> 01:05:38,960 Speaker 1: had the government, the state of Farmer provided me if 1241 01:05:38,960 --> 01:05:42,360 Speaker 1: I wanted a tutor, free tutor, and so I get 1242 01:05:42,520 --> 01:05:45,600 Speaker 1: you know, i'd have her come over to my office. 1243 01:05:45,640 --> 01:05:47,800 Speaker 1: My boss was great, you know, allowed her to come 1244 01:05:47,840 --> 01:05:51,160 Speaker 1: in for an hour and just teach me Vietnamese. And 1245 01:05:51,240 --> 01:05:53,240 Speaker 1: until point where I was, I was close. And I 1246 01:05:53,240 --> 01:05:56,320 Speaker 1: mean I can't talk about politics or nuclear weapons with people, 1247 01:05:56,320 --> 01:05:58,720 Speaker 1: but I can talk about family and going out and 1248 01:05:58,800 --> 01:06:00,400 Speaker 1: drinking beer and having a good time haven and do 1249 01:06:00,520 --> 01:06:02,880 Speaker 1: just about anything else. I wanted to Vietnamese and at 1250 01:06:02,920 --> 01:06:06,640 Speaker 1: one point in Russian. Um, so did it help being 1251 01:06:06,680 --> 01:06:11,320 Speaker 1: down here? I have no idea, but I did pick 1252 01:06:11,360 --> 01:06:14,280 Speaker 1: it up pretty pretty easily. So last question, unless you 1253 01:06:14,320 --> 01:06:17,120 Speaker 1: have anything to add, UH, what would you say to 1254 01:06:17,440 --> 01:06:20,200 Speaker 1: uh young man or woman out there who is maybe 1255 01:06:20,240 --> 01:06:23,320 Speaker 1: looking at d S S and thinking about trying to 1256 01:06:23,400 --> 01:06:28,640 Speaker 1: join and submit their application. Yeah, you know, I've had 1257 01:06:28,760 --> 01:06:32,600 Speaker 1: several at least probably a couple of dozen people contact 1258 01:06:32,640 --> 01:06:35,520 Speaker 1: me and talk, you know, and I want to no information, 1259 01:06:35,560 --> 01:06:37,840 Speaker 1: and I always take the phone call uh to talk 1260 01:06:37,880 --> 01:06:40,920 Speaker 1: to them. And UH, if you want a career that 1261 01:06:41,000 --> 01:06:48,960 Speaker 1: has a balance between law enforcement, paramilitary style operations uh, 1262 01:06:49,000 --> 01:06:52,880 Speaker 1: and diplomacy, UH, you know, this is this is a 1263 01:06:52,920 --> 01:06:55,760 Speaker 1: great way to go. It's it's uh they generally stay 1264 01:06:55,800 --> 01:06:58,200 Speaker 1: we're jack of all trades because you can, you're trained 1265 01:06:58,240 --> 01:07:01,240 Speaker 1: to do all of it. UM, and there's so many 1266 01:07:01,280 --> 01:07:04,800 Speaker 1: opportunities out there to get involved in any of that. UM. 1267 01:07:05,360 --> 01:07:07,440 Speaker 1: You know, if you're looking for strict law enforcement and 1268 01:07:07,480 --> 01:07:10,840 Speaker 1: investigations and kicking down doors, uh, you know, DS is 1269 01:07:10,880 --> 01:07:12,280 Speaker 1: not the place to go. But if you're looking for 1270 01:07:13,320 --> 01:07:17,560 Speaker 1: uh some versatility and you want you get bored doing 1271 01:07:17,600 --> 01:07:22,080 Speaker 1: one thing for several years you want to travel, uh, 1272 01:07:22,160 --> 01:07:25,560 Speaker 1: whether whether without your family, without a family, whether single 1273 01:07:25,640 --> 01:07:29,360 Speaker 1: or with a family. The State Department, Uh, it's a 1274 01:07:29,400 --> 01:07:34,040 Speaker 1: great place to go. Diplomats Security is a fantastic organization. Um. 1275 01:07:34,080 --> 01:07:37,000 Speaker 1: I wish I didn't have to leave, but I chose 1276 01:07:37,040 --> 01:07:40,160 Speaker 1: to start a family out in San Diego and being 1277 01:07:40,200 --> 01:07:44,160 Speaker 1: a dad's my new mission. Um so Uh. But yeah, 1278 01:07:44,680 --> 01:07:47,439 Speaker 1: it's just a fantastic career. And you know, I would 1279 01:07:47,520 --> 01:07:50,200 Speaker 1: encourage anyone that's interested in those things to to to 1280 01:07:50,200 --> 01:07:52,280 Speaker 1: to pursue it and to be aggressive in pursuing it. It 1281 01:07:52,160 --> 01:07:54,600 Speaker 1: It took me three tries. Again, it takes some guys 1282 01:07:54,600 --> 01:07:58,800 Speaker 1: that are uh much more experienced uh than I was 1283 01:07:59,040 --> 01:08:01,439 Speaker 1: four or five times. And just you know, just keep 1284 01:08:01,440 --> 01:08:03,400 Speaker 1: at it if you do, if you are in the process, 1285 01:08:03,960 --> 01:08:07,160 Speaker 1: keep trying, keep pushing, and eventually you know you'll get through. 1286 01:08:07,240 --> 01:08:09,960 Speaker 1: It will work out and they can go and read 1287 01:08:10,000 --> 01:08:12,200 Speaker 1: your book Agent Unknown, which is going to give you 1288 01:08:12,240 --> 01:08:14,880 Speaker 1: an inside view of what it's like to work in DSS. 1289 01:08:16,439 --> 01:08:20,679 Speaker 1: Absolutely yeah, Agents Unknown. It's it's available um on Amazon. 1290 01:08:20,760 --> 01:08:22,640 Speaker 1: It's got I think I have forty nine reviews, all 1291 01:08:22,640 --> 01:08:25,360 Speaker 1: four and five star. Uh. I ended it myself. I 1292 01:08:25,360 --> 01:08:27,640 Speaker 1: am cajun. So you know, I always joke around you 1293 01:08:27,760 --> 01:08:30,560 Speaker 1: the grammar, but I haven't had too many complaints in 1294 01:08:31,000 --> 01:08:33,960 Speaker 1: that regard. But it is a it is a good book. 1295 01:08:34,200 --> 01:08:36,000 Speaker 1: As you mentioned in the beginning, there are not many 1296 01:08:36,000 --> 01:08:38,680 Speaker 1: books written on it. Um And what the feedback I've 1297 01:08:38,720 --> 01:08:40,960 Speaker 1: been getting from active agents and former agents, both at 1298 01:08:40,960 --> 01:08:43,600 Speaker 1: the mid level and senior level are that it's a 1299 01:08:43,680 --> 01:08:47,519 Speaker 1: it's a great kind of on the ground experience of 1300 01:08:47,520 --> 01:08:50,200 Speaker 1: of what you experienced as a mid level as as 1301 01:08:50,200 --> 01:08:52,439 Speaker 1: an agent coming in and mid level. The books that 1302 01:08:52,479 --> 01:08:57,080 Speaker 1: had been written were my retired agents who no doubt 1303 01:08:57,120 --> 01:08:59,560 Speaker 1: had a ton of experience and talked about their experiences. 1304 01:08:59,560 --> 01:09:02,760 Speaker 1: But um, you know this day and as the guys 1305 01:09:02,760 --> 01:09:05,040 Speaker 1: and girls coming in or or a lot of or 1306 01:09:05,080 --> 01:09:07,560 Speaker 1: wrap war very veterans Afghanistan, you know, O I f 1307 01:09:07,640 --> 01:09:11,920 Speaker 1: o EF veterans, and and I think I talk the 1308 01:09:12,000 --> 01:09:14,120 Speaker 1: talk the way they do and it's you know, as 1309 01:09:14,200 --> 01:09:16,880 Speaker 1: humor in it as sarcasm, and it there's a little 1310 01:09:16,880 --> 01:09:19,639 Speaker 1: bit of everything I think for everyone really easy to read. 1311 01:09:19,920 --> 01:09:21,920 Speaker 1: I'm not a reader. I'm not a writer by trade. Um, 1312 01:09:22,520 --> 01:09:24,280 Speaker 1: so yeah, they can learn about Again, it's on Amazon 1313 01:09:24,720 --> 01:09:29,000 Speaker 1: agents unknowns type of in it'll pop up and uh yeah, 1314 01:09:29,320 --> 01:09:31,200 Speaker 1: that's awesome man. Thank you so much for coming on 1315 01:09:31,240 --> 01:09:33,639 Speaker 1: the show today, Cody, Before we go, is there anything 1316 01:09:33,640 --> 01:09:35,679 Speaker 1: else you want to add? Anything you think I failed 1317 01:09:35,680 --> 01:09:38,639 Speaker 1: to cover? No, I think you covered it all. Great questions. 1318 01:09:39,160 --> 01:09:42,439 Speaker 1: I greatly appreciate the opportunity to come on. Um it 1319 01:09:42,600 --> 01:09:46,599 Speaker 1: was a uh ah what I got notified and asked. 1320 01:09:46,960 --> 01:09:49,400 Speaker 1: Of course I said, hell, yeah, I'll do it, you know. Um. 1321 01:09:49,640 --> 01:09:52,639 Speaker 1: Uh so really thankful that you guys took the time 1322 01:09:52,680 --> 01:09:55,920 Speaker 1: to talk to me and grateful for the opportunity. Yeah, 1323 01:09:55,920 --> 01:09:57,639 Speaker 1: thank you, Cody. I mean this was a very unique 1324 01:09:57,680 --> 01:10:00,479 Speaker 1: opportunity for us as well because we in few tons 1325 01:10:00,479 --> 01:10:02,920 Speaker 1: and tons of people veterans and so on, but you're 1326 01:10:02,960 --> 01:10:05,200 Speaker 1: the first guy from DSS, so this is the first 1327 01:10:05,200 --> 01:10:06,920 Speaker 1: and I think the listeners will really get a kick 1328 01:10:06,960 --> 01:10:09,680 Speaker 1: out of this interview. Awesome, guys. I look I look 1329 01:10:09,720 --> 01:10:12,320 Speaker 1: forward to uh to listen to hear if people can 1330 01:10:13,080 --> 01:10:15,639 Speaker 1: understand my cagn slur no, no, it sounds you sound 1331 01:10:15,760 --> 01:10:21,000 Speaker 1: very barely even noticeable. Awesome. Well, thanks guys, I appreciate 1332 01:10:21,040 --> 01:10:25,920 Speaker 1: it all right. Thank you, Cody, Take care man. That 1333 01:10:26,040 --> 01:10:29,719 Speaker 1: was Cody Peron, former marine and d S S agent 1334 01:10:30,200 --> 01:10:33,760 Speaker 1: the book is Agent Unknown, True Stories of Life is 1335 01:10:33,800 --> 01:10:38,360 Speaker 1: a special agent in the Diplomatics Security Service. First thing 1336 01:10:39,439 --> 01:10:42,320 Speaker 1: you asked him, Cody, give the elevator pitch. I mean, 1337 01:10:42,320 --> 01:10:44,320 Speaker 1: you use elevator pitch. I'm glad you didn't, because he 1338 01:10:44,320 --> 01:10:46,760 Speaker 1: didn't give it. To describe what a d s S 1339 01:10:46,800 --> 01:10:49,760 Speaker 1: agent is, that was half the interview. I feel like 1340 01:10:49,880 --> 01:10:53,000 Speaker 1: he was, yeah, yeah, because they have a lot of responsibilities, 1341 01:10:53,120 --> 01:10:55,400 Speaker 1: and you know, I feel like, and that's why I 1342 01:10:55,479 --> 01:10:57,439 Speaker 1: asked him. I feel like the average show out there 1343 01:10:57,640 --> 01:10:59,720 Speaker 1: just has no idea what d S S is. I mean, 1344 01:10:59,720 --> 01:11:02,200 Speaker 1: I did do um, so it's good to get get, 1345 01:11:02,600 --> 01:11:05,439 Speaker 1: you know, an actual veteran of the unit or of 1346 01:11:05,439 --> 01:11:08,519 Speaker 1: the organization to say in their own words what they do, 1347 01:11:09,160 --> 01:11:12,320 Speaker 1: which he did an incredible job. Cajun accent. Be damned, 1348 01:11:12,320 --> 01:11:15,120 Speaker 1: it really wasn't. I couldn't notice no if. I mean, 1349 01:11:15,200 --> 01:11:17,400 Speaker 1: he had said when I was emailing back and forth 1350 01:11:17,520 --> 01:11:19,519 Speaker 1: and he said, um, out in San Diego, but be 1351 01:11:19,600 --> 01:11:23,439 Speaker 1: visiting family in Louisiana, you're not thinking like okay, like 1352 01:11:24,000 --> 01:11:25,720 Speaker 1: and then before we had him on, he was like, oh, yeah, 1353 01:11:25,720 --> 01:11:29,200 Speaker 1: I'm Cajun like crawfish boils and whatnot. And it's like Okay. 1354 01:11:29,240 --> 01:11:31,640 Speaker 1: I mean it's amazing listening the Cajun people talk to 1355 01:11:31,680 --> 01:11:38,080 Speaker 1: each other. They are probably I mean within America. I 1356 01:11:38,080 --> 01:11:41,360 Speaker 1: feel like Cajuns are like, you know, you got the 1357 01:11:41,360 --> 01:11:44,559 Speaker 1: southern drawl, you got like people from Boston, like different dialects, 1358 01:11:44,600 --> 01:11:46,639 Speaker 1: like a totally separate culture. Cajun is just a whole 1359 01:11:46,640 --> 01:11:48,640 Speaker 1: different animal. Yeah, you listened to them talk to each other, 1360 01:11:48,680 --> 01:11:50,760 Speaker 1: You're like, I have not a single idea what you're saying, 1361 01:11:50,760 --> 01:11:52,880 Speaker 1: like I can piece together to I mean, we're from 1362 01:11:52,880 --> 01:11:54,880 Speaker 1: New York. We we probably sound different to a lot 1363 01:11:54,920 --> 01:11:59,720 Speaker 1: of the people across the country listening Cajuns. You know 1364 01:11:59,760 --> 01:12:02,679 Speaker 1: you you're basically you're speaking Cajun. You're not speaking English 1365 01:12:02,800 --> 01:12:06,040 Speaker 1: like you're speaking Cajun. And good luck figuring out you know, 1366 01:12:06,080 --> 01:12:09,479 Speaker 1: who else grew up growing up Cajun. I feel like 1367 01:12:09,520 --> 01:12:13,880 Speaker 1: that's a TV show or George Hand we've had on 1368 01:12:13,920 --> 01:12:17,120 Speaker 1: a bunch of times. He's from down there, and I 1369 01:12:18,600 --> 01:12:21,080 Speaker 1: it's curious because you know, it's almost like people that 1370 01:12:21,160 --> 01:12:22,479 Speaker 1: want to be actors and stuff like that. You want 1371 01:12:22,520 --> 01:12:24,080 Speaker 1: to get rid of your accent. You wanted like a 1372 01:12:25,040 --> 01:12:28,040 Speaker 1: what's the word I'm looking for, like a Americana voice, 1373 01:12:28,080 --> 01:12:30,599 Speaker 1: like a Tom Broke all you could like, you don't 1374 01:12:30,640 --> 01:12:32,040 Speaker 1: you want to know where he's from. I feel like 1375 01:12:32,040 --> 01:12:34,760 Speaker 1: Cajun people say screw it, like I'm I'm leaning into 1376 01:12:34,800 --> 01:12:37,400 Speaker 1: it even more like I mean, I'm not gonna insult 1377 01:12:37,479 --> 01:12:40,320 Speaker 1: the Cajun folk right now, but you get what I'm saying, 1378 01:12:40,360 --> 01:12:43,639 Speaker 1: Like they they heavily lean into their accent. No man, 1379 01:12:43,680 --> 01:12:46,000 Speaker 1: be proud. The only people who need to minimize their 1380 01:12:46,040 --> 01:12:49,000 Speaker 1: accent or people from Staten Island, they just need to stop. 1381 01:12:49,040 --> 01:12:51,439 Speaker 1: They're the only people. They're the only people. Because I stop, 1382 01:12:51,520 --> 01:12:54,960 Speaker 1: I'm gonna say, Boston, I'm throwing oh, because the Bostonians 1383 01:12:55,000 --> 01:12:57,760 Speaker 1: at that that Havid yad like get it. And then 1384 01:12:57,760 --> 01:13:00,880 Speaker 1: they were like good wale hunt and I'm gonna go 1385 01:13:01,800 --> 01:13:03,880 Speaker 1: ki yeah, like all right, they can turn it down. 1386 01:13:04,080 --> 01:13:07,040 Speaker 1: But yes, that and Island great call. That is uh 1387 01:13:07,360 --> 01:13:12,280 Speaker 1: accents are are fascinating. That's and Cody's wasn't even that bad. 1388 01:13:12,320 --> 01:13:16,800 Speaker 1: He was he was concernedn't I couldn't notice. I never 1389 01:13:16,840 --> 01:13:18,679 Speaker 1: would have suspected if he had to know, I would 1390 01:13:18,680 --> 01:13:19,960 Speaker 1: I mean, I would have guessed from the South, but 1391 01:13:20,000 --> 01:13:22,240 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have been able to like pinpoint, you know, 1392 01:13:22,360 --> 01:13:25,839 Speaker 1: the backwoods of Louisiana. But that that's a great interview, 1393 01:13:25,840 --> 01:13:27,680 Speaker 1: I think, uh, I think the listeners are going to 1394 01:13:27,760 --> 01:13:29,240 Speaker 1: enjoy it. And like you said, it was our he 1395 01:13:29,320 --> 01:13:31,679 Speaker 1: was our first h our first D S S agent. 1396 01:13:31,760 --> 01:13:33,960 Speaker 1: And the cool thing for me is like, you know, 1397 01:13:34,000 --> 01:13:36,800 Speaker 1: you're doing all this diplomatic stuff. So you know a 1398 01:13:36,840 --> 01:13:38,680 Speaker 1: lot of these guys that we have on, you know, 1399 01:13:38,720 --> 01:13:42,320 Speaker 1: they've been in battles for militaristic reasons. But you know 1400 01:13:42,400 --> 01:13:45,160 Speaker 1: these guys, like he said when he was talking about them, 1401 01:13:45,560 --> 01:13:47,320 Speaker 1: where was it? Where was the place he was fighting on? 1402 01:13:48,160 --> 01:13:51,920 Speaker 1: Uh a brill or Bill? Or Bill? How you know 1403 01:13:51,960 --> 01:13:54,640 Speaker 1: you get this email at two am and all the 1404 01:13:54,680 --> 01:13:57,320 Speaker 1: first and like you with thirty eight people, and it's like, well, 1405 01:13:57,360 --> 01:13:59,880 Speaker 1: now we were also responsible for a hundred and fifty 1406 01:14:00,000 --> 01:14:02,080 Speaker 1: See all the tail lights heading in the opposite direction. 1407 01:14:02,160 --> 01:14:04,280 Speaker 1: It's like, oh yeah, Like that's an O ship moment. 1408 01:14:04,360 --> 01:14:06,720 Speaker 1: Like you're you're looking, You're it's almost like twister, like 1409 01:14:06,760 --> 01:14:09,000 Speaker 1: you see the storm coming. You're like, I know exactly 1410 01:14:09,240 --> 01:14:11,599 Speaker 1: that that consulate in her Bill, it's a pretty big 1411 01:14:11,640 --> 01:14:15,160 Speaker 1: compound surrounded by like high cement walls. And the thing 1412 01:14:15,200 --> 01:14:17,880 Speaker 1: too is I mean he didn't really say much of 1413 01:14:17,920 --> 01:14:20,679 Speaker 1: it other than you've just got to you know, you 1414 01:14:20,680 --> 01:14:23,600 Speaker 1: you try and calm everybody else. But there is a 1415 01:14:23,640 --> 01:14:29,360 Speaker 1: fine line between like letting people know and not telling 1416 01:14:29,400 --> 01:14:32,200 Speaker 1: them too much because, like you said, you don't want 1417 01:14:32,240 --> 01:14:35,080 Speaker 1: to scare them because God knows, Like, you know, did 1418 01:14:35,120 --> 01:14:37,479 Speaker 1: they start running out there? They who knows what they're 1419 01:14:37,520 --> 01:14:39,519 Speaker 1: you know, nobody can react. You guys are trained to 1420 01:14:39,560 --> 01:14:43,040 Speaker 1: do that as a civilian. If somebody like you know, 1421 01:14:43,080 --> 01:14:45,799 Speaker 1: if if you're taking me somewhere and I'm not a diplomat, 1422 01:14:45,800 --> 01:14:48,720 Speaker 1: but like you're taking me somewhere and you're like, hey, listen, man, 1423 01:14:48,960 --> 01:14:51,439 Speaker 1: it's about to hit the fan. You you'd like to 1424 01:14:51,479 --> 01:14:52,960 Speaker 1: think in that moment, you're gonna be like, all right, 1425 01:14:53,000 --> 01:14:55,160 Speaker 1: you guys got my back, Like I'll follow what you need, 1426 01:14:55,160 --> 01:14:57,280 Speaker 1: but you don't know that until until you're in it. 1427 01:14:57,560 --> 01:14:59,479 Speaker 1: I'd be super horrible at that part of the job. 1428 01:14:59,520 --> 01:15:03,519 Speaker 1: I'd just be completely blunt about it, just like appreciate that. 1429 01:15:03,600 --> 01:15:06,400 Speaker 1: Like looking at some state department employee, like some like 1430 01:15:06,439 --> 01:15:08,599 Speaker 1: thirty five year old woman with like a graduate degree, 1431 01:15:08,640 --> 01:15:14,720 Speaker 1: like listen, honey, we're all gonna die tonight, you know that? Right? Yeah? Um, 1432 01:15:15,080 --> 01:15:18,240 Speaker 1: that would be she would have to know you're I'm 1433 01:15:18,240 --> 01:15:21,040 Speaker 1: not gonna say sarcastic, because that's obviously very real possibility, 1434 01:15:21,040 --> 01:15:23,839 Speaker 1: but just the fact, like you would have to appreciate 1435 01:15:23,840 --> 01:15:26,880 Speaker 1: the bluntness of that, Like some guy's gotta be like, look, 1436 01:15:26,920 --> 01:15:29,120 Speaker 1: don't sugarcoat it, like what are we in for? And 1437 01:15:29,160 --> 01:15:31,040 Speaker 1: then he that's when they call in, That's when they 1438 01:15:31,080 --> 01:15:33,880 Speaker 1: call in Jack Murphy like straight well, I mean, very 1439 01:15:33,960 --> 01:15:37,559 Speaker 1: rarely does does um DSS really get into those kind 1440 01:15:37,560 --> 01:15:40,240 Speaker 1: of dust ups like Benghazi was one of those. But 1441 01:15:40,479 --> 01:15:41,880 Speaker 1: for the most part, it seems like they do a 1442 01:15:41,880 --> 01:15:44,599 Speaker 1: pretty good job of, you know, keeping their state department 1443 01:15:44,600 --> 01:15:47,320 Speaker 1: employees out of trouble. And he's I mean even some 1444 01:15:47,360 --> 01:15:49,880 Speaker 1: of the cooler aspects like he was talking about. I mean, 1445 01:15:49,920 --> 01:15:52,720 Speaker 1: it's not cool, but like the Saddam thing, it's historical, 1446 01:15:52,760 --> 01:15:55,280 Speaker 1: like you got to visit that the Vietnam in the 1447 01:15:55,320 --> 01:15:58,559 Speaker 1: in the cop in the helicopter, like being a part 1448 01:15:58,600 --> 01:16:03,200 Speaker 1: of of just his story where that opportunity might not 1449 01:16:03,200 --> 01:16:05,720 Speaker 1: have been provided elsewhere, Like it's just it's it was 1450 01:16:05,800 --> 01:16:09,160 Speaker 1: it's a cool um part that up that maybe a 1451 01:16:09,360 --> 01:16:11,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I certainly didn't know a lot about it, 1452 01:16:11,080 --> 01:16:14,920 Speaker 1: so I feel like the listeners will absolutely get yeah. Yeah, 1453 01:16:14,960 --> 01:16:17,439 Speaker 1: And more than that, I mean, I think the cool thing, well, 1454 01:16:17,520 --> 01:16:20,240 Speaker 1: I hope it. The cool thing is that this podcast 1455 01:16:20,320 --> 01:16:22,960 Speaker 1: interviews so many of these different people that if you're 1456 01:16:23,000 --> 01:16:24,640 Speaker 1: a lot, if you're one of the hard cores, and 1457 01:16:24,640 --> 01:16:26,280 Speaker 1: there are a few out there who have listened to 1458 01:16:26,680 --> 01:16:30,679 Speaker 1: four four hundred sixty four episodes, you hear Tampakora talking 1459 01:16:30,680 --> 01:16:33,439 Speaker 1: about doing security for the CIA, you hear Cody talking 1460 01:16:33,479 --> 01:16:35,960 Speaker 1: about doing security for the State Department, and you start 1461 01:16:36,000 --> 01:16:38,080 Speaker 1: to like put the put the pieces together about how 1462 01:16:38,160 --> 01:16:41,280 Speaker 1: our government actually functions, which is, you know, a big 1463 01:16:41,320 --> 01:16:43,280 Speaker 1: black hole for a lot of people. They don't understand 1464 01:16:43,560 --> 01:16:46,720 Speaker 1: all these different military units. You know. We had a 1465 01:16:46,760 --> 01:16:50,960 Speaker 1: guy on recently who walked us through how marine recon works. 1466 01:16:51,680 --> 01:16:54,000 Speaker 1: A lot of people just don't know, you know. So 1467 01:16:54,120 --> 01:16:55,960 Speaker 1: if you listen to all of these episodes, you're able 1468 01:16:55,960 --> 01:16:58,120 Speaker 1: to kind of put that together. And that's the nice thing. 1469 01:16:58,120 --> 01:17:00,519 Speaker 1: But the guests we have is that most of them 1470 01:17:00,560 --> 01:17:03,760 Speaker 1: are eager, like they you know, Uh, Cody was very 1471 01:17:03,760 --> 01:17:06,479 Speaker 1: excited to come on through email. Every time every time 1472 01:17:06,479 --> 01:17:08,200 Speaker 1: I talked to him, he was he was like, Yo, look, 1473 01:17:08,200 --> 01:17:10,920 Speaker 1: I'm I'm excited to do this. And that's the thing 1474 01:17:10,960 --> 01:17:12,880 Speaker 1: because I feel like a lot of people, not necessarily 1475 01:17:12,920 --> 01:17:15,960 Speaker 1: their story, but the branch that they're associated with, Like 1476 01:17:16,320 --> 01:17:18,160 Speaker 1: there's a lot of the as you just said that 1477 01:17:18,400 --> 01:17:20,400 Speaker 1: it's a black hole for I mean for me certainly. 1478 01:17:20,439 --> 01:17:24,240 Speaker 1: So anybody we get on is awesome because I am 1479 01:17:24,280 --> 01:17:27,320 Speaker 1: the farthest thing from a military nerd and it's just 1480 01:17:28,680 --> 01:17:30,679 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, we're people like these 1481 01:17:30,720 --> 01:17:33,800 Speaker 1: guys are are down to earth, like they just want 1482 01:17:33,840 --> 01:17:38,080 Speaker 1: to tell get the information out there in whatever form 1483 01:17:38,080 --> 01:17:39,880 Speaker 1: you can. And I mean, you're you do an excellent 1484 01:17:39,920 --> 01:17:43,000 Speaker 1: job conversing with these guys. And Cody was a listener 1485 01:17:43,080 --> 01:17:47,240 Speaker 1: request and another listener request on Thursday for our Thursday podcast. 1486 01:17:47,280 --> 01:17:49,400 Speaker 1: Should I tease that one out? I mean, you just did, 1487 01:17:49,479 --> 01:17:52,200 Speaker 1: so you might as well finish the tease. Uh Ed 1488 01:17:52,320 --> 01:17:56,280 Speaker 1: Morales as a former FBI agent who was involved in 1489 01:17:56,320 --> 01:18:00,280 Speaker 1: the six Miami shootout, which was it was a pretty 1490 01:18:00,320 --> 01:18:03,200 Speaker 1: big game changer as far as weapons and tactics and 1491 01:18:03,240 --> 01:18:05,760 Speaker 1: a lot of things came out of that. And uh 1492 01:18:06,240 --> 01:18:09,720 Speaker 1: Ed's story is like beyond hardcore, Like he got he 1493 01:18:09,760 --> 01:18:11,439 Speaker 1: got shot a couple of times, and then he took 1494 01:18:11,439 --> 01:18:15,640 Speaker 1: out to bank robbers like hardcore hardcore. Dude just the 1495 01:18:15,760 --> 01:18:19,320 Speaker 1: name Ed Morales, like he just it just you picture 1496 01:18:19,439 --> 01:18:21,599 Speaker 1: just like a like a tough son of a bit. 1497 01:18:21,680 --> 01:18:23,840 Speaker 1: You just like I can envision what he looks like. 1498 01:18:23,880 --> 01:18:26,200 Speaker 1: And then when you when you do see you're like, Okay, 1499 01:18:26,200 --> 01:18:28,519 Speaker 1: he fits the bill. Yeah he'll he'll tell you. And 1500 01:18:28,560 --> 01:18:30,599 Speaker 1: I mean I'm sure he will. You'll hear it him 1501 01:18:30,600 --> 01:18:32,920 Speaker 1: on the next podcast. But I mean he'll tell you, Yeah, 1502 01:18:32,920 --> 01:18:34,519 Speaker 1: I did what I had to do in the moment. 1503 01:18:34,560 --> 01:18:37,040 Speaker 1: But he's all he's a tough guy. He's a tough guy. 1504 01:18:37,080 --> 01:18:39,400 Speaker 1: You can tell. Yeah, And those are the one like 1505 01:18:40,240 --> 01:18:43,880 Speaker 1: you're like, all right, I appreciate the humble, but like, 1506 01:18:44,400 --> 01:18:46,479 Speaker 1: come on, let us in, Like what you know, what's 1507 01:18:46,479 --> 01:18:48,479 Speaker 1: going through your head? You're just thinking at some point, 1508 01:18:48,560 --> 01:18:51,640 Speaker 1: especially when you're getting you know, hit by bullets, you like, 1509 01:18:51,680 --> 01:18:53,559 Speaker 1: adrenaline just takes over and all of a sudden, you know, 1510 01:18:53,560 --> 01:18:56,479 Speaker 1: you just hulk up, and you know before well, before 1511 01:18:56,479 --> 01:18:59,280 Speaker 1: we close out. There's one one story on that that 1512 01:18:59,320 --> 01:19:02,639 Speaker 1: I'll tell just kind of a personal story. Uh. When 1513 01:19:02,680 --> 01:19:05,280 Speaker 1: I was in the Philippines, I was interviewing a lot 1514 01:19:05,320 --> 01:19:08,880 Speaker 1: of their special operations guys. I sat down and had 1515 01:19:08,920 --> 01:19:13,559 Speaker 1: an interview with a gentleman named Ted Yamas. Ted Yamas 1516 01:19:13,600 --> 01:19:16,280 Speaker 1: was a colonel in the Philippine military and he was 1517 01:19:16,320 --> 01:19:18,080 Speaker 1: the he was a scout ranger, and he was also 1518 01:19:18,120 --> 01:19:20,840 Speaker 1: the commander of the Light Reaction Regiment, which is like 1519 01:19:20,880 --> 01:19:23,639 Speaker 1: their version of Delta Force. It's their counter terrorism unit. 1520 01:19:24,479 --> 01:19:27,640 Speaker 1: And um, we talked all about his career, and we 1521 01:19:27,720 --> 01:19:30,880 Speaker 1: talked a lot about the battle for zemb Wanga, where 1522 01:19:30,880 --> 01:19:34,080 Speaker 1: it was like the entire city was under siege. And 1523 01:19:34,240 --> 01:19:36,599 Speaker 1: he went in there and he was a very very 1524 01:19:36,680 --> 01:19:40,360 Speaker 1: understated guy, very very nice guy. You could tell he's 1525 01:19:40,400 --> 01:19:42,599 Speaker 1: like a genuinely nice guy that's kind of a sense 1526 01:19:42,600 --> 01:19:45,360 Speaker 1: of humor. And we have a conversation back and forth, 1527 01:19:45,400 --> 01:19:46,880 Speaker 1: and I just came away with it with a really 1528 01:19:46,920 --> 01:19:51,880 Speaker 1: positive impression about him. Um. And but he'll tell you, yeah, 1529 01:19:51,920 --> 01:19:54,200 Speaker 1: you know, my job was kind of coordinating the ground 1530 01:19:54,240 --> 01:19:57,000 Speaker 1: forces and making sure we had a unified front and 1531 01:19:57,040 --> 01:20:00,840 Speaker 1: we were pushing against the enemy here and there. And like, okay, cool, Ted, 1532 01:20:00,920 --> 01:20:04,280 Speaker 1: thank you, and uh. Over the next couple of weeks, 1533 01:20:04,920 --> 01:20:07,680 Speaker 1: I interviewed a couple of his boys, a couple of 1534 01:20:07,680 --> 01:20:11,240 Speaker 1: the guys who are young lieutenants in comes out and 1535 01:20:11,240 --> 01:20:13,599 Speaker 1: that's where that well, that's where the rest of the story, 1536 01:20:15,000 --> 01:20:17,439 Speaker 1: and the rest of the story is that Ted was 1537 01:20:17,600 --> 01:20:21,040 Speaker 1: right there in the thick of it, running and gunning 1538 01:20:21,160 --> 01:20:23,200 Speaker 1: in the middle of combat with his boys. This is 1539 01:20:23,200 --> 01:20:26,360 Speaker 1: a colonel, full bird colonel. And one of his guys, 1540 01:20:26,360 --> 01:20:28,559 Speaker 1: who was one of his junior officers, was like the 1541 01:20:28,600 --> 01:20:30,840 Speaker 1: whole time, I was just like, oh my god, this 1542 01:20:30,920 --> 01:20:32,720 Speaker 1: is a full bird colonel. How do I keep him 1543 01:20:32,720 --> 01:20:35,680 Speaker 1: alive through this? And he said that he was telling me. 1544 01:20:35,760 --> 01:20:38,080 Speaker 1: Ted would get up there, they'd be in combat with 1545 01:20:38,120 --> 01:20:41,599 Speaker 1: the enemy. Ted would see a building in the middle 1546 01:20:41,640 --> 01:20:43,519 Speaker 1: of the battle space be like, I want to set 1547 01:20:43,600 --> 01:20:45,840 Speaker 1: up my talk right there. Let's take that building and 1548 01:20:45,880 --> 01:20:47,680 Speaker 1: then go and take it by force, And he'd set 1549 01:20:47,760 --> 01:20:51,000 Speaker 1: up his talk in combat and they would start running 1550 01:20:51,000 --> 01:20:54,160 Speaker 1: their campaign. And this is stuff that Ted did not 1551 01:20:54,360 --> 01:20:58,160 Speaker 1: tell me at all, like nothing, nothing about any of this. 1552 01:20:58,560 --> 01:21:00,960 Speaker 1: But when I talked to his junior officers, they were like, 1553 01:21:01,120 --> 01:21:04,360 Speaker 1: you interviewed Ted Yamas. They're like, that guy's the real McCoy. 1554 01:21:04,479 --> 01:21:08,479 Speaker 1: He's a real deal. And it's just incredible to see 1555 01:21:08,680 --> 01:21:12,440 Speaker 1: the way these junior officers regarded Ted. It wasn't just respect, 1556 01:21:12,680 --> 01:21:15,679 Speaker 1: it was with love. They loved him. Yeah, I mean, 1557 01:21:16,640 --> 01:21:21,400 Speaker 1: especially for a colonel like you're you're in there, you're 1558 01:21:21,640 --> 01:21:24,400 Speaker 1: side by side there. You have no other choice but 1559 01:21:24,479 --> 01:21:26,800 Speaker 1: to respect that. You can't like you see that and 1560 01:21:26,840 --> 01:21:29,840 Speaker 1: you're like, this guy's got our back, Like yeah, to 1561 01:21:30,000 --> 01:21:33,360 Speaker 1: the definition of of and soldiers will do anything for 1562 01:21:33,400 --> 01:21:35,479 Speaker 1: a guy like that. Of course, it was like out 1563 01:21:35,560 --> 01:21:39,240 Speaker 1: front leading, leading by example. And then that's something that 1564 01:21:39,280 --> 01:21:41,520 Speaker 1: I feel has really been lost in the U. S. Military. 1565 01:21:41,600 --> 01:21:45,280 Speaker 1: And you know, the U. S. Military answer would be like, well, 1566 01:21:45,280 --> 01:21:47,040 Speaker 1: if a colonel has to shoot his gun and he 1567 01:21:47,160 --> 01:21:49,519 Speaker 1: if he's up in combat, that's the wrong answer. You know, 1568 01:21:49,560 --> 01:21:52,439 Speaker 1: he needs to be back doing coordinations and stuff like that. 1569 01:21:52,960 --> 01:21:55,240 Speaker 1: I mean, there's definitely a balance to be found, but 1570 01:21:55,560 --> 01:21:57,880 Speaker 1: I feel like the military has lost a lot of 1571 01:21:57,920 --> 01:22:02,240 Speaker 1: like the hands on leadership I can. I mean, you 1572 01:22:02,280 --> 01:22:03,720 Speaker 1: look at if you want to go all the way 1573 01:22:03,720 --> 01:22:06,040 Speaker 1: back to like George Washington, like he was out there 1574 01:22:06,080 --> 01:22:10,040 Speaker 1: on the forefronts, Like at what point did we veer 1575 01:22:10,080 --> 01:22:12,920 Speaker 1: away from that? Where you know, like you I feel 1576 01:22:12,920 --> 01:22:15,200 Speaker 1: like most people don't get in the military. I'm not 1577 01:22:15,200 --> 01:22:17,400 Speaker 1: gonna say to not become a colonel, but like you 1578 01:22:17,400 --> 01:22:20,120 Speaker 1: don't want to be you want the hands on stuff 1579 01:22:20,320 --> 01:22:23,040 Speaker 1: at first, at least like that I mean, yes, certainly 1580 01:22:23,080 --> 01:22:25,160 Speaker 1: something do. But like at the end of the day, 1581 01:22:25,160 --> 01:22:27,680 Speaker 1: you want that that brotherhood, like, look, man, I got 1582 01:22:27,720 --> 01:22:29,639 Speaker 1: your back, you got mine, Like, let's get this done. 1583 01:22:30,520 --> 01:22:32,400 Speaker 1: I mean, I could be way at a line, I think. So, 1584 01:22:32,479 --> 01:22:35,920 Speaker 1: I just think that sometimes, you know, our officers want 1585 01:22:36,000 --> 01:22:39,759 Speaker 1: to run their their units by email, and it just 1586 01:22:39,760 --> 01:22:43,280 Speaker 1: just a shame. It doesn't work, and the troops will 1587 01:22:43,320 --> 01:22:46,160 Speaker 1: not really respect that, like like to them the colonel 1588 01:22:46,280 --> 01:22:48,880 Speaker 1: at that point, the colonel is just a bureaucrat and 1589 01:22:48,960 --> 01:22:52,360 Speaker 1: no one really cares what they think about anything. Yeah, 1590 01:22:52,439 --> 01:22:57,200 Speaker 1: and if you've got no morale, good luck getting anything done. Yeah. 1591 01:22:57,439 --> 01:22:59,360 Speaker 1: So I mean I think I think there's something to 1592 01:22:59,360 --> 01:23:02,160 Speaker 1: be said for that kind of hands on, um, you know, 1593 01:23:02,320 --> 01:23:06,080 Speaker 1: personal relationship with between the officers and their men. But 1594 01:23:06,240 --> 01:23:10,080 Speaker 1: that's that's my opinion. That's one man's opinion. Before we 1595 01:23:10,120 --> 01:23:12,280 Speaker 1: wrap up, just got an email from Cody. This is 1596 01:23:12,320 --> 01:23:15,240 Speaker 1: like hot off the press. He did. He said he 1597 01:23:15,280 --> 01:23:19,240 Speaker 1: forgot to mention his Facebook and Instagram account. So I'll 1598 01:23:19,240 --> 01:23:21,120 Speaker 1: be happy to I'm happy to plug it. So Cody, 1599 01:23:21,320 --> 01:23:23,000 Speaker 1: when you if you listen, if you're only listening to 1600 01:23:23,000 --> 01:23:25,080 Speaker 1: your half of the interview, that's very selfish. Man. Let's 1601 01:23:25,120 --> 01:23:28,360 Speaker 1: listen to listen to the whole show. But for the 1602 01:23:28,640 --> 01:23:31,599 Speaker 1: for the fans of the show, Cody's Facebook and Instagram 1603 01:23:31,640 --> 01:23:36,240 Speaker 1: account is at agents unknown, so it's also his Twitter account. 1604 01:23:36,280 --> 01:23:38,400 Speaker 1: So really pumps the book. It's gonna be a great uh. 1605 01:23:38,400 --> 01:23:40,920 Speaker 1: It came out last year. The book did. Be sure 1606 01:23:40,960 --> 01:23:44,720 Speaker 1: to get that Agents Unknown Cody Parran great interview. And 1607 01:23:44,800 --> 01:23:46,960 Speaker 1: before we wrap, I have to do some ad reads 1608 01:23:47,200 --> 01:23:50,479 Speaker 1: so we can get paid. So I hope you guys 1609 01:23:50,520 --> 01:23:52,960 Speaker 1: don't mind. Be sure to check out Create Club. It's 1610 01:23:52,960 --> 01:23:55,599 Speaker 1: a club four men by men of Gear, hand pick 1611 01:23:55,680 --> 01:23:58,960 Speaker 1: by Special Operations Veterans. Al tier crates are available at 1612 01:23:59,000 --> 01:24:01,559 Speaker 1: Create Club dot u us And right now we're running 1613 01:24:01,560 --> 01:24:06,040 Speaker 1: an extremely limited promotion of off for all the softwarep listeners. 1614 01:24:06,080 --> 01:24:08,559 Speaker 1: That's you, guys. This is the biggest discount we've ever 1615 01:24:08,600 --> 01:24:11,200 Speaker 1: made available, and we don't know exactly how long we're 1616 01:24:11,200 --> 01:24:13,639 Speaker 1: gonna keep the promotion. So if I were you, I'd 1617 01:24:13,680 --> 01:24:16,240 Speaker 1: get on it right now. That's Create Club dot us. 1618 01:24:16,400 --> 01:24:20,320 Speaker 1: The coupon code is soft rep off your subscription for 1619 01:24:20,360 --> 01:24:24,160 Speaker 1: all creates sign up today. Also, as a reminder to 1620 01:24:24,200 --> 01:24:26,280 Speaker 1: you the listener, now is the time to sign up 1621 01:24:26,320 --> 01:24:28,800 Speaker 1: for spec ops channel our channel that offers the most 1622 01:24:28,840 --> 01:24:32,599 Speaker 1: exclusive shows, documentaries and interviews covering the most exciting military 1623 01:24:32,640 --> 01:24:36,120 Speaker 1: content today. The spec Ops channel Premier show Training Cell 1624 01:24:36,560 --> 01:24:39,880 Speaker 1: follows former Special Operations Forces as they participate in the 1625 01:24:39,880 --> 01:24:43,240 Speaker 1: most advanced training in the country, everything from shooting schools, 1626 01:24:43,520 --> 01:24:48,400 Speaker 1: defensive driving, jungle and winter warfare, climbing and much more. Again, 1627 01:24:48,439 --> 01:24:50,479 Speaker 1: you can watch this content by subscribing to the spec 1628 01:24:50,479 --> 01:24:53,719 Speaker 1: Ops Channel. It's spec Ops channel dot com. Take advantage 1629 01:24:53,720 --> 01:24:56,320 Speaker 1: of membership for only four ninety nine a month. That's 1630 01:24:56,320 --> 01:25:00,479 Speaker 1: spec Ops channel dot com. Sign up today. Last, if 1631 01:25:00,520 --> 01:25:02,400 Speaker 1: you're not already signed up at the News Rep, you've 1632 01:25:02,400 --> 01:25:05,200 Speaker 1: got to get on board. There's expert reporting and actuable 1633 01:25:05,200 --> 01:25:07,680 Speaker 1: intelligence from your favorite writers you've heard on here, like 1634 01:25:07,880 --> 01:25:10,680 Speaker 1: Jack Murphy, the Man of My Left, stav Ros and 1635 01:25:10,680 --> 01:25:13,280 Speaker 1: the many guest writers who pop in as well. You'll 1636 01:25:13,280 --> 01:25:16,360 Speaker 1: get unlimited access to News Rep on any device, unlimited 1637 01:25:16,360 --> 01:25:18,280 Speaker 1: access to the app, and you get to join the 1638 01:25:18,320 --> 01:25:21,800 Speaker 1: war room community. There's invitations to our exclusive events and 1639 01:25:21,840 --> 01:25:24,519 Speaker 1: it's all add free for members. We have a trial 1640 01:25:24,600 --> 01:25:27,040 Speaker 1: offer up right now where you can get four weeks 1641 01:25:27,080 --> 01:25:31,280 Speaker 1: for only sign up now with the News Rep dot com. 1642 01:25:31,320 --> 01:25:34,680 Speaker 1: That's the News Rep dot com. By the way, if 1643 01:25:34,680 --> 01:25:37,040 Speaker 1: you're not aware, we have our own softwap radio app 1644 01:25:37,080 --> 01:25:39,360 Speaker 1: that you can download for free on iPhone or Android, 1645 01:25:39,720 --> 01:25:43,120 Speaker 1: and our homepage is soft rep radio dot com, where 1646 01:25:43,160 --> 01:25:45,920 Speaker 1: you can see our full archive of shows as always, 1647 01:25:45,960 --> 01:25:48,479 Speaker 1: keep up with us on social media at softwrep radio 1648 01:25:48,680 --> 01:25:54,200 Speaker 1: as well. And with that Cody great interview, we have 1649 01:25:54,560 --> 01:26:00,919 Speaker 1: ed coming up Thursday. Um another episode four books. We 1650 01:26:00,920 --> 01:26:03,600 Speaker 1: We're moving along. I feel I feel strong with the 1651 01:26:03,680 --> 01:26:08,759 Speaker 1: chemistry that's coming hopefully. Uh we I want to send 1652 01:26:09,120 --> 01:26:11,880 Speaker 1: we got an email, UM, just briefly, I want to 1653 01:26:11,880 --> 01:26:14,599 Speaker 1: continue this because episode five Dreds coming up quick. The 1654 01:26:14,720 --> 01:26:19,640 Speaker 1: email is soft rep dot Radio at soft rep dot com, 1655 01:26:19,760 --> 01:26:21,400 Speaker 1: were I was already gett I've gotten a couple of 1656 01:26:21,400 --> 01:26:26,280 Speaker 1: suggestions for liquors for theisode. I want fans, however you 1657 01:26:26,320 --> 01:26:28,679 Speaker 1: want to reach out, do it, whether it's Instagram, Twitter, 1658 01:26:28,920 --> 01:26:32,679 Speaker 1: or the email we just provided reach out because Jack 1659 01:26:32,720 --> 01:26:34,679 Speaker 1: and I would love to. I don't want to speak 1660 01:26:34,720 --> 01:26:36,840 Speaker 1: for you, but it sounds like we're gonna we're gonna 1661 01:26:36,920 --> 01:26:40,080 Speaker 1: enjoy the five. I would love to ye, so any 1662 01:26:40,080 --> 01:26:44,280 Speaker 1: suggestions are welcomed. Uh continue to listen to the show, subscribe, 1663 01:26:44,280 --> 01:26:46,920 Speaker 1: give us a review, anything at all. We would greatly 1664 01:26:46,920 --> 01:26:49,240 Speaker 1: appreciate the feedback. And don't forget to buy Murphy's Law 1665 01:26:49,360 --> 01:26:53,760 Speaker 1: while we're here. Murphy's Law and bookstores now or do 1666 01:26:53,800 --> 01:26:55,519 Speaker 1: you have it in the book? What? What's word? I'm 1667 01:26:55,520 --> 01:26:59,200 Speaker 1: looking at the book audiobooks out there you can listen 1668 01:26:59,200 --> 01:27:00,679 Speaker 1: I mean, if you can't get it for Jack's voice 1669 01:27:00,720 --> 01:27:02,160 Speaker 1: by the book, you can listen to him there too, 1670 01:27:02,200 --> 01:27:07,680 Speaker 1: my silky smooth voice. Thanks for listening. Episode you've been 1671 01:27:07,800 --> 01:27:12,400 Speaker 1: listening to Self Red Radio. New episodes up every Wednesday 1672 01:27:12,400 --> 01:27:16,559 Speaker 1: and Friday. Follow the show on Instagram and Twitter at 1673 01:27:16,640 --> 01:27:17,679 Speaker 1: self rep Radio