1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:10,159 Speaker 1: It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. So 2 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: Michael Very Show is on the air. Marcus Petrel is 3 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:39,720 Speaker 1: our last twenty years after Operation Redwings. So of course 4 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: his diary would be published and Lone Survivor would be 5 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: a bestseller, the movie would be made, and a nation 6 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: was riveted. We were at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, 7 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: and I think that really humanized the two guys from 8 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,959 Speaker 1: that time that I grew to have such incredible, respectful 9 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: or were Marcus Aetrel and his peers, his Navy seals 10 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: and Chris Kyle. And I think the entire country was 11 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: absolutely and still is riveted by this story. So it 12 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: has become a firefight. Tell me, Marcus, what happens from there. 13 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 2: Once that thing started, it was kind of a free 14 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 2: for all that they had us covered on three sides, 15 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:29,479 Speaker 2: so the only way we could go was down the mountain, 16 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 2: and then a couple hours into that, they had come 17 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 2: up from the base of the mountain from the village, 18 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 2: so they had us in a three hundred and sixty 19 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 2: degree loop. There wasn't really anywhere we could go, which 20 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 2: means we had to keep moving the entire time. The 21 00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 2: hardest thing to hit of the moving target, but because 22 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 2: of the terrain and the altitude, just making the movement 23 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:49,559 Speaker 2: was tough enough. By a couple hours into it, everyone 24 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 2: was so exhausted that and shot up that they just 25 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 2: systematically picked us apart one by one as we were 26 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 2: going down the mountain. And then at the end of 27 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 2: the day, I was I had slipped into this ravine 28 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 2: and kind of was laid in between these rocks, and 29 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,239 Speaker 2: I just laid there. I was paralyzed from the waist down. 30 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 2: I'd been shot up pretty bad and fragged, and my 31 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,119 Speaker 2: back was broken and stuff. And as the sun went down, 32 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 2: I just laid there and I couldn't move. I waited 33 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 2: and waited, and then eventually I started to crawl out 34 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:25,079 Speaker 2: of there and just started moving. And I crawled all 35 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 2: night into the next morning and halfway through the next 36 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 2: day before the villagers found me. It was right next 37 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 2: to a waterfall in the river. 38 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: You've talked about not knowing how far you went, and 39 00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: you know you weren't at yourself, as my grandmother would say, 40 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: but if you were to estimate how far you crawled, 41 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: what would that be? 42 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 2: So we know now they've gone to map study, and 43 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 2: I've gotten debriefed by everyone who had anything to do 44 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 2: with the mission. And I crawled about seven. 45 00:02:55,360 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: Miles and you started how much after after sundown or 46 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:01,519 Speaker 1: after it got dark. 47 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:07,520 Speaker 2: Probably about it almost a couple hours afterwards. I just 48 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 2: started making a movement when I couldn't hear anything, and 49 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 2: when I thought that day and Mata had returned to base, 50 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 2: I just started moving. 51 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: And there was zero chance you would have survived. If 52 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: you'd stayed there, they would have found you. 53 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 2: Right absolutely, because the helicopter had gotten shot down, which 54 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,239 Speaker 2: brought more reinforcements from them, and so the mountain was 55 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 2: saturated with the Taliban and the al Qaeda. They kind 56 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 2: of worked together in that area. So the Hornets Nest 57 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,240 Speaker 2: is where we were at, and we had slipped in 58 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 2: there under the cover of darkness. So when the sun 59 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 2: came up and everybody was making movement, it was it 60 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 2: was saturated. 61 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: When you saw the I'm assuming you saw the Chinook 62 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: shot down. 63 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 2: I didn't. That's how loud it was that I couldn't 64 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 2: hear it or see it get shot down and roll 65 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 2: down the mountain. I had my ear drums have been 66 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 2: busted out. I was bleeding out everywhere, so I didn't. 67 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 2: I didn't know that. I found that out when I 68 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 2: was in the village and the Taliban got a hole 69 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:08,200 Speaker 2: to me. They told me one of the guys was 70 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 2: wearing one of my wedding ring he said was from 71 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 2: one of my buddies. He was trying to tell me 72 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 2: that they had shot a helicopter down and that a 73 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 2: bunch of the seals had died. But I didn't I 74 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 2: wouldn't believe it. And then when I got back to 75 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 2: when y'all finally found me and brought me back, is 76 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 2: I when I got the news that was solid. 77 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna ask a stupid question. Why couldn't they get 78 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: the coms up? You know, you talk about this in 79 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 1: the book, and that's a central theme to the movie. 80 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: Why couldn't they manage to get comms back to the base? 81 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: I mean, was the equipment not good enough or what 82 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: was the issue? 83 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 2: Now, all that has to do with location and where 84 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 2: we were set up, and they're just intermittent. Sometimes they 85 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 2: come in and sometimes they come out. There's no really 86 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 2: solid answer for why that happens. I know today with technology, 87 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 2: you can it's the same premise of why your cell 88 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 2: phone while you lose signal in certain areas, we're like, 89 00:04:57,680 --> 00:04:59,720 Speaker 2: we don't. Why can I stand right here and then 90 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 2: go two feet to the right and not have or 91 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:05,919 Speaker 2: I can make communications. It's the same principle, but go 92 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,160 Speaker 2: way back. When you're get in the two thousand and 93 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 2: five you're dealing with the Tatcom radio and then the 94 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 2: planes moving overhead and the relays that we had back 95 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 2: and forth. It was just intermittent. That's just the way 96 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 2: it works. That's why we have checkpoints and waypoints as 97 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 2: we're going along. So if we do miss the calm window, 98 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:22,480 Speaker 2: then there's another checkpoints when we get to that we 99 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 2: can radio back in before everyone starts losing their mind 100 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 2: and trying to come get us. 101 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 1: Do you remember the first hit you took? 102 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I go, oh yeah. You don't forget it absolutely, 103 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 2: what's happened to get. 104 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 1: Well? 105 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 2: You until you get hit, you don't know. You just 106 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 2: have this anticipation of what it feels like. And now 107 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 2: there's a difference between when you have this mentality of 108 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:53,280 Speaker 2: when you're hunting men. I remember having that like it 109 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 2: kind of flowed through me. It was my job when 110 00:05:56,640 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 2: we went out was to hunt things down. And then 111 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 2: it's a complete any different feeling when someone's hunting you 112 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 2: and there and and they got you in their site 113 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 2: to a lot of times you couldn't see where it 114 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 2: was so loud and at dice you couldn't You didn't 115 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 2: have any idea where the bullets were coming from. So 116 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 2: I remember thinking, when I got hit that first time, 117 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 2: and I fell and knocked me out when I came 118 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 2: to the smell, that's the one thing that he couldn't 119 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 2: You can't duplicate as the smell of death when that's around, 120 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:27,480 Speaker 2: And how the ground was on fire too, and I 121 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,800 Speaker 2: remember the smoke and all that stuff like that. It 122 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 2: just kind of hit me, hit me pretty hard, and 123 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 2: then it just changed the dynamic the way you the 124 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 2: way you move. 125 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: Told me. You told me one time that as brutal 126 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 1: as the movie is, it's two hours long, and the 127 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,280 Speaker 1: firefight lasted far longer than that, and of course you're 128 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 1: in the middle of it, and the smells and the 129 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 1: sounds and all that. What is the thing that the 130 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,520 Speaker 1: movie was least able to convey that you remember vividly. 131 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 2: Bringing me out of there. If I if I could, 132 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 2: if there, if there'd be no movie made, it would 133 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 2: be about the ending, the way that what it took 134 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 2: to get me out of there, and and pay respects 135 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 2: and give acknowledgement to everything that went to pull me out. 136 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,119 Speaker 2: That that in itself is a story because it happened 137 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 2: at night. In the in the movie they made La Survivor, 138 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 2: it was a daytime rescue, and in reality, it was 139 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 2: at night, and I mean it was a free for all, 140 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 2: crazy scenario storms and everyone was out there. It was 141 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 2: probably the most intimidated, intimidating time because I didn't you know, 142 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 2: you think I'm getting rescued, but then there's a chance. 143 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 2: There's always a chance you can die. And when they 144 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 2: finally got me onto the helicopter we left out of there, 145 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 2: it was it was a roller coaster of emotions for sure. 146 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 2: But the one thing that we didn't capture in the film, 147 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 2: and like I said, it didn't have enough time, was 148 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 2: it was the ending, how they actually had and what 149 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 2: they had to go through to rescue me. Everyone who 150 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 2: was in theater was involved in getting me out of 151 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 2: there for sure, and then the follow on to get 152 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 2: all the guys off the mountain, and my remember our 153 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 2: team makes was still laying out there. We had a 154 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 2: helicopter go down and had fifteen guys on it. They 155 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,559 Speaker 2: had to recover all those guys. They were taking fire. 156 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 2: It was it was a crazy scenario. 157 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: And these chairs can roll them around. Damn it all right, 158 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: This is Mark Chestnut and jar Bizaar of Talk Radio. 159 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: Marcus till Treil is our guest twenty years after Operation 160 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: Red Wings. Hard to believe it's been twenty years. He 161 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 1: has agreed to stay with us a little extra because 162 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,760 Speaker 1: everything I want to know won't make it into this segment. 163 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: I could talk to him for hours on end and 164 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: have There's so many things he can't tell or doesn't 165 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:51,440 Speaker 1: tell that are fascinating about all of this and his 166 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: incredible life. Marcus till Trail is our guest. Marcus, you 167 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: mentioned that the extrication of you, the rescue of you, 168 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: didn't get covered properly in the movie because you couldn't 169 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 1: give everything justice. What are some things we didn't see? 170 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 2: Okay? So I was the green. There's a Hodge posit 171 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 2: of guys who finally found me, and if you if 172 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 2: you could have seen them, I mean, it looks something 173 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:18,559 Speaker 2: straight out of a movie. When they came in there, 174 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 2: they were beat up, just to get to me. It 175 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 2: was an event just just to find me. And then 176 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 2: once they found me, they had the they surrounded the village, 177 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:32,959 Speaker 2: and then the village was surrounded by the Taliban and 178 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 2: the al Qaeda, just to keep me safe. And then 179 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 2: they had moved me down the mountain into this little 180 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 2: ravine area. I had thought about this in a minute. 181 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 2: And we sat up and it was dark, so by 182 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:48,160 Speaker 2: now the sun had gone down, and the helicopter had 183 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 2: to come in from the base of the mountain, and 184 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:52,760 Speaker 2: it was we were so high up on the mountain 185 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 2: that they had all it was was fuel and ammo. 186 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 2: And I remember they had some water on there for 187 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 2: the guys, because the guys who found me were out 188 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 2: of water. And then a firefight ensuited, and then above 189 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:08,199 Speaker 2: the mountain where a bunch of fixed wing aircraft were 190 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 2: dropping the ordnance down on the bad guys. And then 191 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,400 Speaker 2: in the distance at the base of the mountain, so 192 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 2: down the mountain was a river, and the helicopter was 193 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 2: kind of coming up the river, and the call found 194 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 2: a guy who was flying the bird's name of spanking 195 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 2: Jeff Peers, some great, great fricking guy. And and here 196 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 2: you'll tell you it was so dark, and by this 197 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 2: time they had juiced me up, so I was kind 198 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:31,559 Speaker 2: of having a good time, Like I wasn't feeling any 199 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 2: pain anymore, and I was just kind of sitting there 200 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,439 Speaker 2: watching all of our guys do their thing, and it 201 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 2: was it was the most amazing thing to watch them work. Normally, 202 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 2: when you're in something you don't you can't anticipate with that. 203 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 2: But when I had a chance to step back and 204 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 2: actually watch our guys go to war, and it was awesome. 205 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 2: And then that helicopter boy came up over the side 206 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 2: of that cliff and the dust kicked up, and so 207 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 2: it called a brown eye. We couldn't see anything when 208 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 2: he came to land. The ravine we were on was 209 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 2: about as wide as the helicopter itself, and he goes 210 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:07,200 Speaker 2: to that dust came up. I couldn't see nothing. And 211 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,080 Speaker 2: then there was Pj's in the back of the bird 212 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 2: trying to land it, trying to tell them how far 213 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:13,679 Speaker 2: from the ground they were, and nobody could see anything. 214 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:16,600 Speaker 2: And the helicopter actually had rotated, so when the nose 215 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,440 Speaker 2: came over, it had spun around and the tail was 216 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:23,840 Speaker 2: facing us. And then he goes, there was a plant 217 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 2: hanging from one of the houses. It was on the 218 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 2: side of the mountain. He goes, I was kind of 219 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 2: looking at that thing and I just sat it down, 220 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 2: and he did. He stuck it well. The Green Berets 221 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 2: they picked me up and were carrying me towards the HILO, 222 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 2: and I was dressed up in man Jamie, so I 223 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 2: looked like an app game and they pulled me up 224 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 2: at the tail so you don't come up on the 225 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:43,719 Speaker 2: tail rotor. So the PGAs turned around to actually take 226 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 2: a shot at us, and they had their lasers up 227 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 2: and their lasers hit our glint tape and that's how 228 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 2: they knew that not to shoot, so almost got killed 229 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 2: on the rescue. They told me that later. I was like, 230 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 2: I'm glad you didn't shoot me. And then they threw 231 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 2: me on the helicopter and we sat there for a 232 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 2: while because they had to unload the water for all 233 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:03,200 Speaker 2: the guys who were still annount because they had to 234 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:05,960 Speaker 2: go on a follow on mission. They didn't even come 235 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 2: home with me, And then we sat there and then 236 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 2: the helicopter I remember, dumped off the side of the mountain. 237 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 2: That PJ came up. He asked me, he's like, who's 238 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 2: your superhero? And I was like Spider Man, and I 239 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 2: asked him my dog's name. I told him that this 240 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 2: kind of verification code. And we went back and we 241 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:26,240 Speaker 2: landed and they're still in a fire fight. We landed 242 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 2: on a base and then they transferred me from a 243 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:35,079 Speaker 2: helicopter to a C one thirty medical bird and kind 244 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:36,920 Speaker 2: of laid me down and started going to work on me. 245 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:39,080 Speaker 2: And then they flew me from there to to boggerm 246 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 2: Air Force Base where the rest of my platoon and 247 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 2: all the seals are waiting on me to get back. 248 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:47,680 Speaker 1: But yeah, then how does that look when they bring 249 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: you in? What tell me about that? 250 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:53,800 Speaker 2: So the ramp dropped off the helicopter or shooting on 251 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:55,440 Speaker 2: the back of the plane, and they had to take me. 252 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 2: I couldn't really walk, so they picked me up and 253 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 2: we're carrying me down. I had ivy out of me 254 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 2: and they they said they abandoned me up and uh, 255 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 2: I remember there was a lady standing by the ramp 256 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 2: and she covered her face and started crying. I guess 257 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 2: I looked worse than I thought. And then they trained 258 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 2: forered me to the van. There was a bunch of 259 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 2: vans sitting there and they put me in one of 260 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 2: those and then they took me to the hospital. And 261 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 2: then while I was in the hospital, they was when 262 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 2: we kind of started the debrief I tried to tell 263 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 2: them because all my guys were still out there. I 264 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,559 Speaker 2: tried to tell them where I was and in relationship 265 00:13:26,559 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 2: where they thought we were, and it just it all 266 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 2: started from there. And then I was in the hospital 267 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:33,960 Speaker 2: for a minute. 268 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 1: Go ahead, are you able to talk at that point? 269 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: And what does that look like? 270 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 2: I was was I was able to talk? Uh. The 271 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 2: villagers did a great job of taking care of me. 272 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 2: I mean, they doctored me up twice a day, banaged 273 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,400 Speaker 2: my wounds, made sure my pain tarrant and my pain 274 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 2: was down. So I was really I had a doctor 275 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 2: in the village and they just they saved my life 276 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 2: for sure. And then when I got back the all 277 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 2: the army guys started working on me, and then we 278 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:05,719 Speaker 2: started doing the debriefs so they could go out and 279 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 2: find our other guys and bring them back. And I 280 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 2: think that took about two weeks to find all the guys. 281 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:13,839 Speaker 2: I'm not mistaken, So and then I got transferred back 282 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 2: to the States. 283 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: In the movie, there is a conflict within the village 284 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,800 Speaker 1: of the you know, Gulab brings you back, and that 285 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: not everyone in the village wants you there because that 286 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: brings problems on them. Tell me a little bit about 287 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: your reception in the village to the extent you remember 288 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: it just like that. 289 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 2: Well, there were some in there that didn't want me 290 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 2: in there, and I could tell immediately who they were. 291 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 2: They weren't trying to hide that for sure. And then 292 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 2: there were the villages and the elder and Gulah. They 293 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 2: were making sure that I stayed safe, and they put 294 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 2: a rotating guard on me. I was in there for 295 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 2: almost five days. And then there was some people in 296 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 2: the villageho were trying to sell me, because the Taliban 297 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 2: would show up every day negotiating for my head. And 298 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 2: they would tell me about it sitting down in my 299 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 2: room and have these little pow wows and these meetings 300 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 2: and then, which is kind of frustrating because I didn't 301 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 2: speak the language. Well, I didn't understand what they were saying, 302 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 2: but I could get the concept of what was going down. 303 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 2: And then eventually when the when the Green Berets and 304 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 2: rangers found me, I was cucked in underneath this rock 305 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,840 Speaker 2: in a riverbed, and they were They moved me around 306 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 2: the village systematically and strategically all day and every day 307 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 2: through the night. So the Taliban would get a beat 308 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 2: on the room that I was in and they started 309 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 2: shooting in there or firing RPG at the wall, and 310 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:31,480 Speaker 2: then the villagers would move me somewhere else. So it 311 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 2: was it was kind of chaotic and stressful, for sure. 312 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 1: It's amazing to think that after everything you had survived, 313 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,200 Speaker 1: that you could have been killed at that moment or 314 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: at the moment you're being rescued. I mean, that's just 315 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: just just insane. So the moment they came to get you, 316 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:51,520 Speaker 1: do you remember the first thing they said to. 317 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 2: You, Sook you call my name out. I'll never forget it. 318 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 2: I heard it in English for the first time, and 319 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 2: I was great. There were these two guys and my 320 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 2: head was down. They were having to drag me through 321 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 2: the through the mountains, and I looked up and this 322 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 2: old boy came down the mountain and two of them, 323 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 2: I can seems very vividly, and I grabbed that guy. 324 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 2: I mean, I never heard a man like that. I'm 325 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 2: gonna get in here, but I was want to make 326 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 2: sure he was real, because I was real sick by then. 327 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 2: And uh, and they called me by my name, and uh, 328 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 2: they picked me up and took me into this this stable. 329 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 2: Uh right underneath on the side of the mountain, there 330 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 2: was a stable down there that they would pick the 331 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 2: Huels in. And they laid me down in there and 332 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 2: started a bandaging me up. And then that's when that 333 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 2: beats me for the first time. And uh they got 334 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 2: me out of there. Yeah, that happened, but it was 335 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:42,080 Speaker 2: it was, it was crazy. 336 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: Michael Arry Show. Our conversation continues about the rescue. If 337 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,360 Speaker 1: you read the book and seen the movie, obviously in 338 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: a matter of minutes, they can't capture what actually happened. 339 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: You know, you've alluded to a number of things, Mart 340 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: because I'd like to rewind and and let's talk about 341 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,440 Speaker 1: how Gulab discovers you at the water. You know, there's 342 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 1: a scene in the movie where you threaten to pull 343 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 1: a pin. You have no belief that this guy is 344 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:11,200 Speaker 1: going to drag you to his village and that they're 345 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,160 Speaker 1: going to care for you, which they did and save 346 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 1: your life. Walk me through that process from you interacting 347 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:18,679 Speaker 1: with him to you getting to the village and then 348 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: the eventual rescue and how long all this takes. 349 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 2: So the sun had come up the following day and 350 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 2: I somehow had crawled and I don't know how I 351 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:29,360 Speaker 2: did this, but I managed to get to the top 352 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 2: of this cliff where there's a waterfall. But I couldn't 353 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:34,479 Speaker 2: I was so thirsty. This is what was driving me. 354 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 2: I didn't want to die thirsty. I know that sounds 355 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:40,960 Speaker 2: I'm surd but when you thirst will do something completely 356 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:44,119 Speaker 2: different to a man than pained than hunger. I mean, 357 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:48,159 Speaker 2: I'd never been at thirsty. And when I tried to 358 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,880 Speaker 2: reach into the waterfall, I started sliding down the side 359 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:52,920 Speaker 2: of the mountain, took off and I flipped into the 360 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 2: river and I actually knocked myself out again. But when 361 00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 2: I came to, I got crawled into. I crawled back 362 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:02,240 Speaker 2: up a little ways because I had seen a place 363 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 2: that looked pretty pretty inviting to drink some water. And 364 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 2: I got there and I probably had two stiffs out 365 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 2: of that waterfall before someone was screaming at me. And 366 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 2: they were screaming at me on the ledge that I 367 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:15,719 Speaker 2: had just fallen off of, so I kind of like 368 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,199 Speaker 2: thought that they were following me, and then above that 369 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 2: there was a couple of guys with eight k's whenevern't 370 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 2: around that. I could hear him screaming and like they 371 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 2: were trying to track him down, so they started hunting me. 372 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 2: So I made a move and started crawling down into 373 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 2: the lake into the river and threw over these rocks 374 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 2: and stuff, and I managed to get into this crevice 375 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:35,480 Speaker 2: into this ravine. Hard to explain, and I couldn't go anywhere. 376 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,680 Speaker 2: They bottled at me, and I turned around to shoot, 377 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,440 Speaker 2: and the guy saw me and he dug and then 378 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 2: I swung around on the other two and they saw me, 379 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,360 Speaker 2: so they sat down. And then right after that happened 380 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 2: right over the ravine I was sitting under is when 381 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:51,920 Speaker 2: Gulag came over the rock. He was kind of just 382 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,199 Speaker 2: sitting there and he was screaming at me, and he 383 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 2: was screaming American. He's like American, an American, And I 384 00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 2: thought about this cement, so I thought I was the Taliban. 385 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:02,200 Speaker 2: They were trying to hunt me down and came because 386 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:03,479 Speaker 2: they thought it was the enemy. But in reality, when 387 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 2: they found out and they got close enough, they realized 388 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 2: I was an American. So that's what he was telling 389 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 2: him don't shoot. He's an American, and I kind of 390 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 2: wasn't putting that together. I turned around to engage to 391 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:13,919 Speaker 2: shoot him, and he put his hands up and he 392 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,080 Speaker 2: was saying, okay, okay, okay, And I don't know why 393 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:18,720 Speaker 2: I didn't kill him. I don't know why I didn't 394 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,359 Speaker 2: kill this guy. My got. I mean, I had my bathy. 395 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:23,920 Speaker 1: What weapon did you have left at that point? 396 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:25,600 Speaker 2: I had a rifle. 397 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,119 Speaker 1: That's you still had your rifle? 398 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:30,440 Speaker 2: Okay, I still have him. I couldn't throw that thing away. 399 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 2: I mean, it would leave my body and slide down 400 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,400 Speaker 2: the mountain or flip off of me, and I tore 401 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 2: my lanyard, but I would always manage to get God. 402 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 2: It was like, you know you need that. So when 403 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 2: I mean I turned around, go. 404 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 1: Ahead, go ahead, I'm sorry, no, no, you go ahead. 405 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 2: Well, he finally walked up on me and I lowered 406 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:50,720 Speaker 2: my weapon and he was he was like okay, okay, okay, okay, 407 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 2: and he's like shampoo hydrates. He was saying to me, 408 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 2: shampoo hydrate. I'll never forget that. I was like, I 409 00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:59,560 Speaker 2: mean that sounds really good, but I was like, I 410 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 2: need some water. 411 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: So why do you think you didn't kill him. What 412 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: did you know about him that he wasn't out to 413 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,520 Speaker 1: do you harm? 414 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 2: I don't know a look on his face. He just 415 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:09,840 Speaker 2: had this look on his face like he didn't want to, 416 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:11,440 Speaker 2: like he wasn't there to hurt me. You can tell. 417 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 2: And once you're out there long enough and you hunt, hunt, 418 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 2: you know, you fight these guys long enough, you can tell. 419 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 2: Even when we capture them and have them with us, 420 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:19,040 Speaker 2: they would still look at you like they want to 421 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,719 Speaker 2: kill you. And once you see that, you'll never forget it. 422 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 2: You can anticipate with a man thinking just about to 423 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,040 Speaker 2: look on his face and within his eyes, his eyes 424 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:30,640 Speaker 2: and kill a lot. And then these kids started coming 425 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 2: out from behind him. Two and then some more adults 426 00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:36,080 Speaker 2: started walking up. And I lowered my weapon and I 427 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:37,479 Speaker 2: had a grenade with me, and I pulled that thing 428 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 2: and I pulled the pin. I kind of put it 429 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:40,320 Speaker 2: down by my hip, and then they brought me some water, 430 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:42,959 Speaker 2: so I started drinking that, and they started looking at 431 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,679 Speaker 2: my wounds and like patching me up. And then they 432 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:48,440 Speaker 2: picked me up and carried me down into the village. 433 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 2: They sat me down, they gave me more water, and 434 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:53,720 Speaker 2: then they picked me up, carried me into this room 435 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:56,239 Speaker 2: and they stripped me naked, and there wasn't luck left 436 00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 2: in my uniform anyways. Well, and they docked me up, 437 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:01,159 Speaker 2: cleaned on my wounds, and then dressed me up instead 438 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 2: of a man Jamie's. That was almost the first day. 439 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:05,760 Speaker 1: And what was hurting the worst at. 440 00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:11,160 Speaker 2: That point, Well, I had a lot of facial damage 441 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 2: and then I broken my right hand. My thumb had 442 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:16,879 Speaker 2: been separated from the from the where it was supposed 443 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,120 Speaker 2: to be. I couldn't feel my lower extremities. It was weird. 444 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:20,919 Speaker 2: I busted my back up real bad, and I've been 445 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:23,399 Speaker 2: shot in the button. That frag hanging out of my legs. 446 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 2: I couldn't really feel that because I think I was 447 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 2: kind of paralyzed. Was it was a blessing and a. 448 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: Curse at that or you at that moment, do you 449 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:33,720 Speaker 1: think you're going to die? You're just fighting on for 450 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: some crazy reason, But do you are you certain you're 451 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 1: going to die or are you holding out of hope? 452 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,560 Speaker 2: No, that would only cross my mind when I was 453 00:21:40,560 --> 00:21:45,360 Speaker 2: in a gunfight, and then even then on the first 454 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 2: day for sure. But the second day I just kind 455 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,280 Speaker 2: of got it in my head that I was getting 456 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,360 Speaker 2: out of there. I wasn't gonna were going to lay 457 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 2: down and die. I was just going to like the 458 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,399 Speaker 2: way our training goes and everything that kicks in a 459 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 2: lot of people they can't anticipate that, like what do 460 00:21:57,119 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 2: you do when this happened? And what do you think 461 00:21:58,320 --> 00:21:59,959 Speaker 2: when this happen? Does a trust me? It kicks in 462 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:06,120 Speaker 2: and I just kept that. Ultimately, I did change the diplomacy. 463 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:07,520 Speaker 2: I mean I kind of changed my attitude a little 464 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:09,360 Speaker 2: bit just because they were helping me and I wanted 465 00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 2: them to know that I appreciated all that. So you know, 466 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:13,400 Speaker 2: I was on my manners and then I was real polite. 467 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:16,360 Speaker 2: I did everything I could. I started throughout the week 468 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:17,879 Speaker 2: I started doctor and their kids, they would bring their 469 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 2: kids to me. I never told him I was a 470 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 2: steel I told him I was a doctor, but day 471 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 2: I'm not a seal on the doctor. And I don't 472 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 2: know if they bought that or not, but you do 473 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 2: have it. I did, and I did, and that helped 474 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 2: me because when I would work on them in the beginning, 475 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 2: I didn't know if it was working or out, but 476 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 2: they kept bringing me people, so it worked in my advantage. 477 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:41,080 Speaker 2: And then they were calling me, doctor Marcus, that weren't 478 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,119 Speaker 2: doctors universal talk to me about. 479 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: The original the core for guys, Danny, Axe, Murph and you. 480 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 1: Why was each one of you chosen? What was your 481 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 1: role within the group, What were your skill sets? 482 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 2: Danny's our communicator, he could work the radios real well. 483 00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 2: We weren't on the same delivery team, but he was 484 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 2: East Coast, I was West Coast. But it doesn't matter. 485 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:04,440 Speaker 2: When we threw us together, we worked well together. I've 486 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,240 Speaker 2: known Danny since we were in pre training, so we've 487 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:10,920 Speaker 2: been buddies for a while. Acts as our primary sniper 488 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 2: and our point man. It was his job to get 489 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 2: us in and out of the target, and then he 490 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:18,240 Speaker 2: was obviously had the overwatch with the sniper rifle. Michael 491 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 2: was our lieutenant. He was our officer in charge, so 492 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 2: he was overall command and control. And then I was 493 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,119 Speaker 2: also the medic and rear security. And then I was 494 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:28,080 Speaker 2: the LPO of the platoons, so I was running in 495 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:30,359 Speaker 2: and then that was our team. That's how we were 496 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 2: set up. Recon teams are really small, usually four to 497 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:33,320 Speaker 2: six minutes. 498 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 1: And are there are there particular skill sets that brought 499 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: you all together? I mean, you know, of all the 500 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: guys that could have been chosen, how were you four 501 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 1: guys chosen? They had to have a strategy behind that, 502 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 1: I'm assuming. 503 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, it was the qualifications that we have through 504 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 2: in the seal teams you get you get to go 505 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 2: to multiple schools, so me being the medic, and then 506 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:55,919 Speaker 2: I was also a sniper, and I was also a 507 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 2: calm guy, and then I was also a JA tech, 508 00:23:57,880 --> 00:23:59,800 Speaker 2: which means I could talk to the planes and drop bombs. 509 00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 2: That was really beautiful in that environment. And then acts 510 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:09,280 Speaker 2: being a sniper and a point man nanny with the 511 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,679 Speaker 2: commn and the communication. So we have kind of like redundancy, 512 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:14,679 Speaker 2: so if one of us get or goes down, the 513 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:16,240 Speaker 2: other guy can step up and do his job. 514 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: And we had just trained up together. 515 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,439 Speaker 2: It was our primary mission set. So they utilize us 516 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:23,080 Speaker 2: and that could happen. 517 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:28,040 Speaker 1: You got the Michael Berry's show. Marcus Latrell is our guest. 518 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:32,800 Speaker 1: Twenty years after operation on Red Wings, when this was 519 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:38,639 Speaker 1: over and you came home, you convert your diary to 520 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: what becomes a book. You go back to Iraq and 521 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:44,479 Speaker 1: the first time I ever talked to you about this, 522 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,919 Speaker 1: which is well over ten years ago. The thing that 523 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: really just wrenched my gut was that you committed to 524 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,159 Speaker 1: go and talk to Patsy, to go and talk to 525 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 1: the families about what had happened. You wanted them when 526 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: did that happen? How did that go down? 527 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 2: I'd gotten back. It happened pretty quick, and I was sitting. 528 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,120 Speaker 2: I was in the hospital for a while, and then 529 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,800 Speaker 2: the rest of my platoon came back from Iraq, and 530 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 2: then they had a little like a week or two 531 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:19,840 Speaker 2: of downtime, and then the command actually facilitated that movement. 532 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,080 Speaker 2: They lined out where we were going, when we were going, 533 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,360 Speaker 2: and how we were going to get there. So they 534 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 2: flew us back to the States. We were in Hawaii. 535 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 2: They flew us back into the States and we started 536 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 2: and we went from family each family member and told 537 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:34,239 Speaker 2: them what happened. I told him face to face them. 538 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 2: I wanted they needed to hear it from the command. 539 00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:38,920 Speaker 2: Wanted that to make sure there was all kinds of 540 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,199 Speaker 2: stories going around. There's about what had happened, how it 541 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,840 Speaker 2: went down. I mean still to this day, but they 542 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:46,560 Speaker 2: know the real story. 543 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: How hard was that to do? 544 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 2: That was rough? That was rough. Just yeah, it's just tough. 545 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:02,960 Speaker 2: Are CaCO officers, the officers that are actually in charge 546 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:05,160 Speaker 2: of go around and tell the families that his son's 547 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 2: been injured or dead. I mean, I don't That's gotta 548 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,720 Speaker 2: be probably the hardest job in the military. So I 549 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,440 Speaker 2: really wasn't trained for that. And I, you know, I 550 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 2: love those guys. So when their family I understand. Look 551 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:21,360 Speaker 2: if I if I could, if I had to lose 552 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:23,000 Speaker 2: everything I had right now, just to bring all of 553 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 2: them back to their family members that have them, I would. 554 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 2: That may sound mean or crazy, but I because they're 555 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:34,520 Speaker 2: great people and their sons are great men, and I 556 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 2: that was that's harder than combat. But the families have 557 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:42,639 Speaker 2: always been great to me. They're they're they're good to me. 558 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:46,920 Speaker 2: They've watched out for me, They've never, you know, never 559 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 2: try to tear me down. So that was a blessing 560 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:49,680 Speaker 2: to me. 561 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 1: You know, the book and then the movie and your 562 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 1: story and you as as the frontman for all of 563 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:03,600 Speaker 1: this has to have been the greatest boon to recruiting. 564 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: Before Donald Trump was president in Cinvil War two, I 565 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:12,160 Speaker 1: would imagine there were a lot of young Marcus Ortrell 566 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 1: wannabes who said, I want to do what that guy 567 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 1: has done. Has the Navy ever told you that, Yes, sir, 568 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 1: all the time. 569 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:22,320 Speaker 2: That's why I carried myself the way I do. I 570 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:27,680 Speaker 2: realized the opportunity and the position that I was put in. God. 571 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 2: God has a plan for everything. I had no idea 572 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:33,560 Speaker 2: I was going to be doing this. But it may 573 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 2: have been twenty years, but I think about it every day. 574 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:37,440 Speaker 2: But the minute I wake up, the minute I go down, 575 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:42,640 Speaker 2: I'm constantly trying to better myself, collect wisdom, sharping my discipline, 576 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 2: sharp with my manners, and everything that I do. I 577 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 2: am an example. And once they put that cross on me, 578 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 2: that changed my life forever. Seals are usually kind of 579 00:27:53,359 --> 00:27:55,159 Speaker 2: in the shadows, but I was brought up, you know, 580 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 2: kind of into the light in front of everybody, and 581 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,360 Speaker 2: I had extensive training from the military. I'm still with them. 582 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:04,399 Speaker 2: I mean, they've been watching out for me forever and 583 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:08,359 Speaker 2: they still do. And I, you know, thank you doesn't 584 00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 2: really do it. It works on almost everything else in 585 00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 2: the there. I don't have any words to describe how 586 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:15,360 Speaker 2: how much it means to me and how thankful I am. 587 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 2: Not only put a military bit for our people, like 588 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:22,320 Speaker 2: the American people and especially Texas. I mean, you've been 589 00:28:22,359 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 2: around me for a long time. You see it. One 590 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:27,919 Speaker 2: of the reasons I'm going to public. Man, it's so 591 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,480 Speaker 2: overwhelming how nice people are to me and what they 592 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 2: do for me, and and it only it keeps getting stronger. 593 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 2: It hasn't faded away. So and I'm trying to be 594 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 2: a good father and raise my kids. But then and 595 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 2: turn that around. The one thing I've preached them is 596 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,280 Speaker 2: how great our people are. Hey, look, that's why I'm 597 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:48,520 Speaker 2: so hard on them. I was like, when you walk 598 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 2: out in public and you run across one of our people, man, 599 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 2: you better show some because of what they saved my life. 600 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 2: Y'all saved my life. Y'all brought me back and gave 601 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:01,480 Speaker 2: me everything I got. So I never anticipated that. I 602 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:04,239 Speaker 2: didn't grow up to expect that. It just kind of 603 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 2: I got put into it. And man, I'm so thankful 604 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 2: for it. I don't even know what to say most 605 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 2: of the time. 606 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 1: Marcus Otrell is our guest for those who don't know 607 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,800 Speaker 1: what became of you after all of that talk about 608 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: your personal life, Melanie, the whole story. 609 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 2: Okay, So anybody who still runs around me and knows anything, 610 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:28,200 Speaker 2: that the one thing that I got in the hook up. 611 00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 2: The greatest hookup I got with my wife and she's absolutely, 612 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,520 Speaker 2: hands down the most amazing thing of it. And then 613 00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 2: I have three kids. My oldest son, Hunter, he's twenty seven, 614 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:41,800 Speaker 2: he's out of college and got a great job with 615 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 2: the World Traveler was it was a blessing day to 616 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 2: get him. And then I have Acts and then Adelaide. 617 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:53,400 Speaker 2: So most of my day is spend when I get 618 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 2: up in the morning, I'm really trying to be a 619 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 2: good father. I want to do that. I want to 620 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 2: be good at that so bad I work hard at it. 621 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:04,120 Speaker 2: I actually study it so right. When I got back, 622 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:05,920 Speaker 2: I was on the road so much. I lived out 623 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,720 Speaker 2: of a suitcase city wrote three hundred days out of 624 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:10,920 Speaker 2: the year. And then when you bring a wife and 625 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 2: a family into the picture, it kind of changes everything. 626 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:16,000 Speaker 2: So she she does a great job of watching out 627 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,560 Speaker 2: for me every single day. She's she's such a blessing 628 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 2: to me. And then and then those kids make me 629 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:23,840 Speaker 2: a better human being. There definitely phases in a man's 630 00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:26,520 Speaker 2: life when he's growing up. The life that I had 631 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:29,600 Speaker 2: before being a teen guy running and gun and is 632 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 2: not conducive to being a family man out in civilian world. 633 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 2: Those two things kind of butt heads. So the hardest 634 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 2: thing I probably had to go through was getting rid 635 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:42,640 Speaker 2: of that, was letting go of that old being a steel, 636 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 2: that whole ego that goes with that, the bravado and 637 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:50,760 Speaker 2: everything that comes into that package. I mean, I don't 638 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 2: wear the same watches anymore, the same sunglasses. I don't. 639 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 3: I try not to talk like that anymore. Matter of fact, 640 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:57,120 Speaker 3: when I get around my teammate, you want to talk 641 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,280 Speaker 3: about dragging me back to the old days, it's I 642 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:02,560 Speaker 3: get so fired up when I see them that I 643 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 3: know I can't stay around very long because how much 644 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:06,240 Speaker 3: I loved that life. 645 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:08,880 Speaker 2: It was my heart and my soul. When I got 646 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 2: done with that, I literally had to retrain myself to 647 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 2: be a civilian again, starting with just who I was, 648 00:31:16,280 --> 00:31:17,720 Speaker 2: and then trying to be a good husband and what 649 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 2: that looked like, and then a good father. I know, 650 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:23,720 Speaker 2: I get on the internet and around the people that 651 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 2: I see who are great fathers. You're a good father, 652 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:31,400 Speaker 2: I mean your boys, look at them, and then Rick 653 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 2: Perry all that just you know, I've got to take 654 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:35,920 Speaker 2: examples of the men that are around us, the pillars 655 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,440 Speaker 2: that are around us, and copy that kind of mimic 656 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 2: what they do and put that into my routine and 657 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 2: live it out, not year by year, but kind of 658 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:46,200 Speaker 2: moment by moment and then transferred to the next one. 659 00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:51,800 Speaker 2: And it's it's been great. I truly love it you. 660 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: I've been at your father in law's home when you 661 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: host a lot of Navy seals, and I've described you 662 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 1: as the mayor of Silville. H It really feels to 663 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 1: me and I'm a complete outsider that this experience and 664 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 1: all the public attention because you know the scenes where 665 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 1: y'all are training as Navy Seals, people have a lot 666 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,680 Speaker 1: better understanding. As you've told me, people die in Navy 667 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:18,480 Speaker 1: Seal training and are brought back to life the difficulty 668 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:19,400 Speaker 1: of this training. 669 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:20,360 Speaker 2: You know. 670 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 1: I think back to Officer and a Gentleman and that 671 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 1: Apocalypse now and what movies do to to really make 672 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:31,240 Speaker 1: the public focus on these sorts of things. And I 673 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:35,360 Speaker 1: think your case and then Chris Kyle got folks really 674 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: aware of the personal toll these things take and the 675 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: preparation these things take. It's not a movie, it's real life. 676 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,640 Speaker 1: And and I guess there's not a question there, but 677 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 1: I would ask for your reaction to that. 678 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 2: Sure before we let y'all see it's one thing and 679 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:54,400 Speaker 2: the behind the scenes, just like watching the regular movie, 680 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 2: I mean you see the overall finished product that you 681 00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:59,560 Speaker 2: want to know what it took to make that thing, 682 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,200 Speaker 2: and that's where we The only way you can actually 683 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 2: see that is to be in the community itself, and 684 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:10,000 Speaker 2: it's it's the greatest fraternity that I that I was 685 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 2: able to be a part of being in the field too. Heyman, 686 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:15,440 Speaker 2: Els has fortunity. 687 00:33:15,920 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 1: Thank you, and good night.