In this episode, Ben sits down with a National Guard Special Forces Master Sergeant with over 20 years in the Army and seven combat deployments. They talk about what it actually feels like when it gets real — the first firefight, improvised armor, insurgency warfare, and the quiet reality of putting your hands on a wounded man and hoping he makes it. But this conversation isn’t about glory. It’s about reputation. It’s about brotherhood. It’s about what it means to “free the oppressed.” And it’s about something most civilians never consider: On the battlefield — and in life — survival often comes down to knowing what not to do. They discuss: The moment a young soldier realizes combat won’t prove his manhood Why Green Berets care more about credibility than recognition The sacred trust inside an ODA team room The difficulty of leaving the team after years of war Why aging inside Special Forces is a conversation we’re not having enough How the lessons of warfare translate directly into fatherhood and civilian life This is a conversation about violence — but not for violence’s sake. It’s about responsibility. About protecting others. About carrying something forward for the next generation. And about understanding that a man’s purpose is never about himself — it’s about the team.
[00:00:00] Welcome to the Soldier Fund Podcast, the platform for untold stories from the National Guard Special Forces community. Join us as we delve into the lives of these elite warriors and the journey of our nonprofit. Dedicated to supporting their courageous mission to free the oppressed worldwide. I'm your host, Ben Derrick.
Let's dive in.
Well, man, this is a conversation I've been extremely eager to have. Actually, I've been working on you for what, about two years now to get you behind, Mike. Yeah, that's right. So you guys are resistant, and I find the more resistant you are, the better the interview's gonna be. So just to get our audience familiar with who you are, let's just go rank and time's down range.
Yeah. Uh, a master sergeant, uh, I've been in the army for. [00:01:00] Around 20 years or so, uh, downrange, uh, seven combat deployments and then other knick-knacks and stuff like that. So yeah. That's an interesting part of that question that's emerged over, over the episodes is it's not just going to war, right. When you guys are head off pillow, there's so much training involved with being a, a gb, even a National Guard, green Beret.
Right, right. Yeah. There's a lot of things that we do that I guess. It is not realized, you know, it's the combat movements, but it's also like, uh, you know, training opportunities that, that, that hone our skills Outside of that, uh, partner force relations, things like that is a big part of what we do. Yeah, a really big part of it.
I mean, the by, with and through people talk about that. Even civilians are kind of learning that language, but that really means that you have to travel somewhere. You have to build relations with, uh, partner forces. Train them up, teach them how to. Participate in warfare? What's going on even in their region that you're more aware of?
It's a pretty fascinating part about being a Green Beret that most people don't know. Yeah. I think that it, it goes, um, like, like you said, a lot of people don't realize, but you know, [00:02:00] our, our main mission is conduct unconventional warfare. And so in order to do that, you need to align yourself with a partner force, a down range.
Well, how do you know who those people are? And so we travel the world and develop relationships. So when those countries do see conflict, we know people that are on the ground at the time that can. Give us a call. Yeah. Well, let, let's shift a little bit because we have to call this out the start of this episode.
You're actually known inside the formation as a storyteller. Yeah. Yeah. I, uh, um, I, you know, being a Green Beret, a big part of that is making those relationships. Mm-hmm. Uh, so I needed to, I guess, adapt to. Uh, you know, to make good relations with the partner force, in order to do that, they need to understand who you are.
You know, you need to understand who they are. And the best way to do that is, you know, you're just talking to 'em and telling stories, and you tell 'em about your life and how it came to be and things like that, and they're doing the same, and you build that comradery that make you a more effective fighting force.
Trust. Yeah, I completely agree with that. I was with you at Shelby, oh gosh, about a year ago [00:03:00] now, and I looked over, I was with a, a different group of guys. I looked over like, man, we're gonna have to bring this guy some chairs. Like he had a crowd around you. Yeah. Uh, but the interesting thing part about it's, you're right, those stories start to be exchanged and it's, it's a very.
Subtle and natural way to get to know somebody. And really you're getting to the heart of why we're doing this podcast in so many respects is uh, it's my desire to capture these stories so that they don't disappear with the man. When the man moves on with his life. We talk about this a lot. There's going to be a day where the guy hangs up the green suit and trades it for a different kind of suit, and I really want these stories to remain.
And live on to be recorded as, as a legacy. So today we're sitting down to talk about, uh, when it gets real. Hmm. Uh, which you and I have shared a couple of these stories off Mike. It's why I identified you to be the guy. Uh, and I know there's a sensitivity here. You guys in this population as Green Berets, you're the quiet professionals.
You're not looking, uh, to brag on yourselves or be glory hounds. There's plenty of other, uh, special forces entities that are really good [00:04:00] at doing that. Yeah. That's not the Green Beret. Right. Uh, but. I really want people who are tuning in, both donors, uh, gentlemen, that are thinking about getting into this way of life to hear firsthand what that is actually like from a Green Berets point of view, when it gets real.
Uh, if we can, I'd just like to jump in there, right. Right from the start and talk about your first experience in warfare and what that was like. Uh, post training, post-acute course. I mean, you are shit hot, ready to go and you drop into warfare. What was that like? Uh, I have a, a little different perspective because I was a soldier before, you know, transition to the, to, to special forces in green Gray.
Okay. So I was young. I, um, was 17 years old. Uh oh. I didn't know that going, uh, when the war first started and everything. And, uh, I had. Taste combat, uh, at a very young age. So it kind of shaped my perspective through the years about, you know, how I've seen things. But, um, one of the things I'd say is, uh, when you're [00:05:00] young, you know, you think about how you want to be, um, make your mark and legacy and that kind of thing.
I really thought that, you know, experiencing combat and doing those things would, uh, I guess solidify my reputation or being as a man. And I realized real quick that that. Really has nothing to do with the matter, you know, uh, everybody that's young wants to prove themselves on the battlefield to make their mark, but being a real man has absolutely nothing to do with that.
So, um, being saying that, um, first experience in combat, um, we were flying in, uh. Just, uh, I didn't make it to the invasion. I was a little bit after that, uh, when the war first kicked off, and I think it was March, 2003. So I got there quite a bit later towards the end of that. Um, and it had already started, the war had already started to kind of get.
Not be as hot, but was heading toward the direction that, uh, insurgency seen rise. Mm-hmm. Um, but [00:06:00] we had, um, started moving on the infill there and we were on a Seahawk, a Sea Stallion. Uh, never been on one of those before. It was a Marine Corps helicopter. And, uh, on the way in we had see, received contact.
Uh, they had fired a couple of RPGs at us. So that was kind of my first intro before I even entered the ground. I was like, Hey man, there's somebody out there that's trying to kill you. You know? So. And you're 17 at this time? Yeah, I'm 17, 18 years old when this, when this was happening. Um, but my first actual engagement with the enemy, um, we were traveling to a place, um.
Called tq, I believe it was. And we had a small convoy going there, moving some supplies and whatever else. And um, we had received a an IED and it ended up being a complex attack and it kind of rocked my truck pretty hard. I remember I was driving at the time and, uh. It blew our vehicle kind of sideways there.
It was able to continue to move, but, uh, [00:07:00] not without help. So once to come back. So at, at this time, had they been armored, uh, underneath, I know we made that pivot. After this, we did what we had at the time, and it was kind of, we did have some upgraded armor that had just come out, but most of the vehicles, right?
Hillbilly armor. So we were using soft skin vehicles and putting sandbags and things like that in there in order to. You know, seat covering, concealment with that. But, uh, the hillbilly Army came out. We were just, we had some guys that were really good at that kind of work that would weld armor on the side of the vehicles and stuff to help us out.
But, um, it was better than nothing, you know? Right. Um, but anyways, uh, my gunner ended up getting hit on that, uh, movement. He got hit just. On the side of the neck, it hit his helmet mainly. So he was able to keep maneuvering. But, uh, I remember him firing and I could look up, I got out of the vehicle and could see that there was movement, uh, and started firing that direction.
Um, and, you know, it's, it's kind of cliche I guess, but, you know, um, people talk about, [00:08:00] uh, um. PID and the enemy and things like that. You know, my team, old team front was, got onto me about that a couple of times, but you know, some people shoot and somebody's trying to kill you. We're all shooting. That's right.
You know, so you see the direction that it's happening. You see movement, but you really can't tell exactly what you're shoot. You see muzzle flash, whatever else. But you know, I'm not seeing the wide of his eyes or anything. So we're just firing that direction. I remember looking up and seeing his 50 caliber barrel, and I could see the rounds traveling through it.
He was firing so much. Uh, it was melting the barrel. He was firing them much. Mm-hmm. They, they would do things like that. It was very, um, unconventional fighting in nature. So it, it made us adapt kind of quickly, the fighting and insurgency. So, just a quick pause or a question. You know, you're, man, you're so young.
Yeah. I've got a son that age. Yeah. And, uh, I'm just happy that he makes it to school and back and, uh, you drop into this environment. [00:09:00] Um, this. Environment of violence. My question is, were you prepared the way that the military prepares a man? Uh, were you ready for that? Yeah, I, I, I, no, I mean, you're never, uh, I guess prepared in that way.
I mean, you have an idea and I, I, at that time, it seemed like the army was transitioning and it got, it got kind of real mm-hmm. Uh, with the basic training and things like that. So we had drill sergeants at the time that really shifted the. Gears in order to, hey, instill, hey, you're going out to kill the enemy.
And so it was kind of raw the way we got it. I think they were able to put their hands on you again and things like that. And yeah, uh, we got a saying in group, it's like hard men to make easy times, easy times to make easy men, you know? And, uh. It, it's basically you need to be hard in order to make hard soldiers.
And so they adapted that quickly and it, it did, it did prepare us for the, the fight to come. Mm-hmm. [00:10:00] Um, but that mental transition between being a child and the. Being a man was, is what I was going through. And so it, it, it, it, unfortunately, it caused me to grow up kind of quickly when it in that regard.
Yeah. Um, so I did miss out on a lot of things like, um, you know, college and doing those things. I did go to college later, uh, through the deployments and everything, but, uh. Yeah, you just miss out on your childhood, your latter years, and you kind of look back and you're like, man, I didn't really get to do a lot of those things.
Mm-hmm. In order to be a kid for the last time. And it just happened so fast. There's a trade off on everything, isn't there? Yeah. There's, there's, uh, for every benefit there is a cost. Hmm. I can say, sitting across from you today though, the, the order that you've gone in and the things that you've experienced, there's something that I envy about it.
Uh, you know, I, I did stay close to home. I didn't respond. I saw the towers go down just like you guys did. And, uh, just kind of kept going on about my life. And as I interact with a lot of civilians, especially men my age, in their mid forties, [00:11:00] we kind of have this regret, you know, and wonder. Uh, but I think most of that comes from seeing you guys currently in society and the type of men that you are, especially the way you approach problem sets.
It's very unique. You know, the things that you guys have been through, the education that you did receive, uh, in that order. It's funny, as we sit across from each other, green suitor to civilian, we have two very different perspectives about what we wish would've happened. Uh, but the, and I know we're, uh, both men of faith, so the life that our, the.
Track that our life takes. We believe, uh, God's in control of that in so many ways. And in fact, you just sitting here I think is evidence of God's provision over your life and mine as well. Uh, but it, it causes me to, to ask a follow-up question. When you said I was going, I. Thinking this is what was gonna happen, you know, proving that I'm a man or solidifying my manhood.
Uh, is that something that was planted in you early? Like you, A lot of guys that I sit with, they read a book or they watched a, a movie, they watched Rambo and something lit off in their mind like, man, I'm gonna be that guy. Did, did [00:12:00] you have that experience? Uh, yeah, I, I come from a long line of, um, soldiers that done a lot of fighting over the years and stuff like that.
My father was a soldier for a long time, and, um, grandparents and things like that, and uncles and everything else. So, um, I'd been familiar with the, the army growing up and it, it kind of. You know, and I think that, you know, the guys that came off of World War II and all that stuff, that that mentality was still very prevalent, especially in the South about how they did business and things like that.
So I adopted a lot of those characteristics from my father. Um, I. But yeah, I mean, I watched all the movies too. You know, I didn't know what I wanted to do as far as like being a Green Beret or anything. I just wanted to fight, you know. But I did watch, uh, Rambo and things like that. I was like, you know, if I'm gonna do it, that's something that I've always wanted to do.
It just, the war happened so quickly it, uh, it kind of delayed my process of whatever, and it's not easy, you know? And I did put. Put it being on a pedestal for some time going special forces. Uh, and I'm glad I did 'cause I was able to collect some [00:13:00] experiences and things like that that prepared me for the job.
But, uh, yeah, John Wayne, man, you gotta, that's it. Yeah. Why not? We have a lot of guys listening in that are trying to make that decision. Many of 'em are actually already inside the military and they're trying to figure out, based on the YouTube comments, they're trying to figure out how do I navigate. From this place that I am in my military career over into sf, it would be awesome if you could just describe that shift for you that day that you decide, all right, I'm gonna do this, and, and how long it took you to get there, and how many leverage you had to pull.
Yeah. Like what was that like? Uh, uh. Unreal. It, it seemed unreal, really, the fact that I was even attempting to, to do it. Like I said, I put it on a pedestal for some time, but my first experience with the Green Beret happened when I was very young. I would say on my second deployment, I think, um, I was a, a gunner on a, uh.
On a gun [00:14:00] truck. And, um, this is a story that, the reason why I wanted to be it, I guess kind of was the decision was the time that I'd saw it and I was like, Hey, this is what I need to be. I've made up my mind. We were doing a, a patrol, um. Uh, with gun trucks and on foot and I, there was an engagement not too far, and I could see the green tracers and stuff, and we were moving toward the position green and red, you know, red being us and green being the enemy, right?
Yeah. And so like Star Wars. But anyways, we're heading over there and we're trying to call on the radio. 'cause the last thing we do is just. You know, moving to a firefighter would actually is what's going on. Well, about that time we look up once we get our position, um, and I see a, uh, a cotton pick combine, uh, coming from the wood line, a lot of people are like, oh, there's no combines in Iraq.
Well, I'm like, oh yeah, there is. So we see this two rockets fire from the wood line, and all of a sudden this combine. Tractor starts, you know, moving off the objective quickly, and they're like, oh. So we start moving towards it. [00:15:00] Uh, and so we call on the radio that we're maneuvering and we get over, we get over to it.
Well, by the time we get this little, small little village, it's probably, when I say village, it was probably like, you know, like five or six houses, you know, in line like that. Uh, and the combine had stopped right on the outskirts and, uh. You know, me being from the south, we go and we secure, you know, the best we can.
And it was like, Hey, could you uh, go check out the hopper or whatever. And I was like, yeah. So I jumped in the, uh, the tractor or whatever and uh, looked in the hopper on the bottom and it was filled with like 1, 5, 5 rounds and things like that. And I'm like, oh, dang, this ain't good. So I closed it up, you know, and start climbing out of there.
Mm-hmm. And we're just sitting there wondering what to do and we call on the radio and everything. And then about that time we had. Three trucks pull up, no doors, no nothing. Gunner on top, no shield, just a gun. And, uh, looked like ZZ top. They hang on, beards along. I was like, who in the world is this? You know?
And, uh, and so anyways, uh, they, I remember him talking to the [00:16:00] platoon sergeant and uh, they were like, all right, who knows what a combine key looks like? And I was like. I raised my aunt and he's like, all right, you're with us, whatever. And my soon as front, they look at each other and he is like, Hey, yeah, I mean, we're just going right there.
It's not far, you know, so, so anyways, they get in the truck and we're driving to one of the houses, I guess, that maybe they already had Intel on it or something like that. And he's giving me the brief. He's like, all right, brother, uh, you're just gonna be in the back. We're gonna go hit the house. It's, it's gonna be fine.
It's not like a lot of people there. So put you in the back, back there, and, um. When I take, when I put my hand on you to move me, I'm just gonna move you into position. I was like, all right, sounds good. So we go in, they clear the house, whatever, uh, no contact. Um, but they're going to the back and I hear a lot of commotion and stuff like that.
And the guy grabs me and puts me on another individual. And, uh. He's like, watch him, don't let him move. And uh, I was like, okay. And so I hear the commotion in the back and they drag that dude out and, um, [00:17:00] they're like, Hey, is this it? Is this it? And I was like, uh, and the guy started to try to move toward the center of the room.
And so I pulled my pistol and I put it on him. I was like, Hey, don't move. I'm gonna, I'm gonna kill you. Mm-hmm. Uh, and they're like, Hey, is this it? Is this it? And I was like, I look. And I'm like, yeah, that's it. And uh, so they grabbed the dude, uh, hog time, whatever. Get outta the house, they throw him in the back of the truck, blindfolded and everything else.
And then he takes me back to Mount Platoon and drops me off. And I was like, that was the greatest thing that ever happened. Finding the key. Finding the key. And you know, to this day, man, I don't remember even seeing the key. I don't think I did. I probably, I probably put that innocent dude in a bind. He may have been innocent, I don't know.
But I didn't actually see it, uh, which is, I feel bad about that. Well, is it Certainly the story would prove if they found you or not. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, but yeah, that was my first. Uh, I guess encounter with Special Forces. It was a 10th group team out of, uh, ksu, I think is what the base at. So was their, their aggressiveness, uh, [00:18:00] proficiency, that sort of thing?
Yeah, it was just a demeanor really. Ah, okay. Just the calmness of the whole thing and just able to tell me exactly what I needed to do, uh, without, you know, uh, just, you know, it seemed like all the rules and regulations just kind of fell off and it was like just men talking to men, you know? And I was like, I saw how they did it.
'cause I didn't know like who was in charge. I didn't know, like, you know, any of that. But it didn't matter to them. They were just doing the thing. And I was like, man, that's, that's great. I thought about it years later and I was like, man, I don't even know who was what or what they were doing or anything.
I mean, they had uniforms on, but not like I had, you know? Yeah. And I was like, man, that's, that's pretty cool. I like that a lot. That's kind of my way. If we could do that every day, I think that I would, I would wanna do that. So I started to make that transition, uh, a little bit after that. And then, um. I had done another deployment, uh, in oh nine and then things started to dwindle down in the war, and I was like, well, man, maybe this isn't for me.
I see the transition happen. So I decided to, [00:19:00] to try and I'd read a. Read a story. It was like an article or something. I'm trying to remember it. Uh, but it was about some guys over in Afghanistan at the time, and, um, they had lost a couple of dudes and, uh, the rumors started flying about this team that, um, were able to, I guess, make things right.
Mm-hmm. And so they started maneuvering to, and the guys that that ended up were killed are part of our unit now. In Mississippi, they're on our wall. You've seen their faces? I have, yeah. And uh, they were able to make things right and uh, I guess they didn't hear for the team for some time or something like that.
They were making it happen. I was like, Hey man, like if I were to die right now, I. Like no one would, you know, maybe they would, maybe they wouldn't. But it seemed like the comradery that I was missing or that dwindled down at later part of the war, I needed that. And so, uh, it attracted me to them. And I was like, that's, that's where I need to go.
That's, that's, that's who I [00:20:00] am. So I made the transition, went to selection, and I've been on a 15, I've been on a team now for over nearly 15 years, man. Uh, never leave. What, what a story. Uh, I can tell you, uh, just knowing what I know about your personality, uh. And it's unique, I think to hear a man say, that's what I needed.
Yeah. That's who I am. Uh, was that, has that been in you since birth or is that something you think the Army's built over time? No, I think that, um, I get, I used to do the trouts for guys that are doing the, to come, you know, be Green Berets and things like that. So you see all SS and all Yeah. SS and stuff.
So you'd see guys come up from all walks of life and all that, and I, uh, you know, they would ask me like, what are you. What are you really looking for? Uh. I was like, man, you know, that's a good question. And so after talking to guys that at, you know, that had been Green Berets for a long time and seeing what kind of people they were, what you're really looking for is a guy [00:21:00] that can, you know, it sounds bad, but chop somebody's head off and.
Spit down her throat and not feel bad about it. Mm-hmm. And then five minutes later, later put on a suit and tie talk diplomatic to a foreign president about the way their country should go. So you need, you need, uh, uh, kind of sometimes like a split personality seems like to, to make some of these things happen.
But yeah, I think that I was, um, I think it was the way I was raised. I think that it was how I was brought up, you know, that that led to that. Um. I really don't know. That's a really good question. Uh. About did I always have that thing or whatnot? I, I would say so, but you know, I had good team sergeants that made it what it is, you know?
Yeah. That's kinda my point of view. Uh, just as a guy who's adjacent to the community mm-hmm. That hasn't been through, uh, the way points that you guys have, it feels like there's something in a man that makes him capable of being a Green Beret. Once he goes through [00:22:00] the process, those things that were already there get matured, developed, honed.
And put into practice is what it looks like. Yeah. You know, it's, it's very difficult. I think having watched this for a man to get through selection head into the Q course and suddenly manufacture something that he needs to pass through these particular, uh, metrics or gates and, um, all the guys, all you guys that I meet in the community, it's like there's a base there.
Yeah, I think so too. There's, there's definitely a base and I think that the, the, the like warfare. Bred a lot of those things. Nowadays it's difficult because the guys don't have a, I think back in the day, of course I'm not that old, but I think back in the day, in especially Vietnam time, you needed to be a staff sergeant with some level of combat experience before you even came over.
Uh, I'm not saying that's always needed, but it does kind of dwindle down some of the issues that you may have trying to transition, that kind of thing. Mm-hmm. Um, but I've had, you know, my best friend, uh. Came right off the street and is [00:23:00] probably the best green bra now. Um, but we have a thing that we say is like, Hey, you know, I can teach you anything.
That's what we do. You know, we teach people how to fight wars and stuff and uh, I can teach you anything, but I can't teach you to care. Like that's something your daddy gave you. So I think that at that point, the care for your, your friend, the care for your work is come that comes. That I can't train.
There's nothing I can do to get you there. That's something that you were born with or something that happened at a very young age. Yeah. Let's go back a little bit and talk about this, uh, as you termed it, the split personality. 'cause I really want to detail this for, for the people listening, um, that a Green Beret is capable of extreme violence.
Yes. Okay. As I have talked with you guys both on Mike and off, that violence isn't violence for violence's sake, though. It has a purpose. There's a reason behind it. Yes. Uh, I would say that, you know, violence, I, I, I don't think, and it's [00:24:00] difficult because we, you know, um. Especially being in the civilian world, which we have to do, like being in the guard, we have to be on that spectrum.
Mm-hmm. But we also have to bring that back home and, and have a weird hard transition. And for some guys that can be difficult to do. Um, but, uh, you know, you need to understand what first, second, and third order effects are. Uh, I would say that. I don't think the world as we, you know, coming up under really understands violence and those that have had no.
And so we're not willing to, you know, like you said, violence for violence's sake. People that do violence for violence's sakes don't understand true violence. Hmm. Like I got guys on my team that hurt you real bad. You know, and they don't feel bad about it. Um, but they're also good men. Uh, how they transition, that is something that takes probably a psychologist to do, but it's, it's, it's a level.
It takes years, I guess, to perfect, [00:25:00] to going over and back and forth many, many times. Uh, experiencing combat and then coming back home to a family. Uh, my dad gave me a pretty good advice sometimes, uh, one time, and I, it, it seemed true. Um. I was driving back and forth, my team sergeant would keep me busy in the early days doing whatever, you know, so I didn't spend a whole lot of time at home.
I'd probably only get the weekends, you know, and so I'd do all that work and drive home on the weekend to see the family and everything. And I just like, kind of like tense, you know, that kind of thing. Mm-hmm. And he's like, Hey man, like you need to stop before you get home. So I, right before I got home, I'd stop at a gas station and just sit there for like.
10, 15 minutes, you know, and, uh, drink a coffee or have a sneaker bar or something like that. None that seemed to like. I could go in with the right mindset. 'cause uh, I remember my wife saying a couple times, she's like, Hey, you know, I'm not a, I'm not a soldier. Don't talk to me. I was like, ah, it's true. You know, I gotta, it's, it's hard.
It is really, is a hard transition, [00:26:00] um mm-hmm to do that. And you want to be easy on your kids, that kind of thing. That's probably even harder 'cause you want to, you, you understand how bad things can actually get. So you want to protect your children. You want to protect your friends with these things. But sometimes you can go overboard with.
Trying to do that, you know? Yeah. Yeah. So I really don't have an answer for you. Uh, I know that was a long about way to say I really don't know, but that's, I don't, I don't know. Well, it's something I, no, I think it's a great answer. The reason I ask the questions directly the way that I did is because I want people to understand, uh, that are listening because.
The majority of us as Americans live very soft lives. We talk about this a lot on this podcast, but the things that you guys have seen are what I would term as I've heard it described. I would term it pure evil. I mean, there's violence in the world. Uh, we're not gonna eradicate violence. There are bad people doing bad things to good people and innocent people, and there needs to be a fighting force, a group of people that are [00:27:00] standing in the way of that, as you termed it, to make things right.
Yeah. Uh, I love the fact that we're gonna put this out there and people in the world are going to hear there are things going on that the United States is participating in that is making things right, even if it doesn't hit the five o'clock news. Yeah. I, I, I have, I have, uh, something to say about that actually.
Um, I. I, I never wanted to make it about, you know, my faith or anything like that while I was fighting and stuff. I don't think that's the right way to do it. Okay. But there was a transition point where I thought, Hey man, I'm doing something good here. Like, uh, intrinsically good, you know? Um, during the insurgency in Iraq, uh, early timeframe of 4 0 5, there was.
The IEDs are starting to get real prevalent, right? And so they were thinking of ways to kill us, uh, um, very creative ways. One of the ways I remember, uh. We were riding down the road and [00:28:00] they would put children in the road, uh, and the kids would be out there just standing in the middle of the road. And so we would stop.
And when we'd stop, they'd attack us, you know, with complex attack, IED. Small arms, fire, PKM, stuff like that. Mm. And uh, we lost a couple buddies that way with kids in harm's way. With kids in harm's way. And uh, so we're trying our best to like swerve and whatever, you know. But they're moving with you. They are willing to get hit for their cause.
The children. The children, yeah. Damn. And I was like, something's gotta be done. You know, uh, and at that point I had a, like a, you know, maybe I am doing this for the right cause, that kind of thing. You know, maybe this, uh, deceive does need to be eradicated, uh, in some way. Um, but, you know, people are capable of, you know, real bad things.
Not just over there, man, but stateside too. You know, the first start of that. Um, especially you see the cartels doing evil things and stuff down there. You know, they learned that somewhere. They learned [00:29:00] that from the early part of the Iraq war. That was a, a huge technique like the, uh, the murders that were on TV and stuff with the heads chopping off and all that stuff that started in Iraq, you know, and that, that day.
And then they just adopted it later on to use down there. So a lot of the cruelty that they've learned down in the cartels use, they learned from the things that we were doing over there. Things they've seen. Yeah. So you're, what you're describing really well, and I, I thank you for that. I appreciate your vulnerability.
Um, you're describing, I think that the transition I see a lot of guys go through in their career where they start not just owning the perceived glory of the role mm-hmm. Or whatever the, that role, whatever questions that would answer, but actually owning the role, the essence of what it means to be a Green Beret.
Yeah. I mean, we, we have a motto. It's, uh. To free the oppressed, the oppressed liver is what? It's in Latin, you know? Um, and you can, you can get. [00:30:00] Really that, that, that means a lot, man. It means a lot to a lot of the guys I work with. Even the guys that pretend like they don't like, it's not, it is. Mm-hmm. And we really take our job really seriously.
So when we're going over training the department force, like, you know, to be a good Green Beret, you have to legitimately love your man, love your fellow man, and love your buddy. Like, legitimately, like you're teaching, that guy thinks it's gonna save his life. You're gonna leave, we'll go over there training and we'll have to leave.
Mm-hmm. Sometimes we're not able to fight with 'em, that kind of stuff, you know, so they're fighting later. Uh, I remember this one of the jobs that we had back in 2015 and, uh. Uh, my team sergeant put me in charge of training the snipers that they had at the first house off in Iraq, and Mattis was back in charge at that point, so it was kind of, you know, but anyways, and they were retaking, Fallujah and I had been there before, uh, back in the day.
And, uh, back in the like Yeah, the original Fallujah. Yeah. The second push, whatever. Wow. And, um, I remember. Him and me and another buddy had both [00:31:00] been there and they were getting ready to go. And I remember my team started bringing me, and he is like, Hey man, like did, I did, I started getting like, uh, my hands started sweating, that kind of stuff.
Mm-hmm. You know, and I'd really taken it seriously about training these guys to the best of my ability because, you know, they're not gonna, might not make it back. And if in order to produce a good, you know, uh, relationship. Uh, and be a good Green Beret, you have to actually care what you're doing, you know, and I guess that motto to free the oppressed, really, it's on because you're, you have freedom and it was on the backs of, you know, men before.
You need to understand that. But when you start training other dudes over there, they don't have it, and you can give it to 'em. Uh, so yeah, I, I take that kind seriously. I think the guys around me take it pretty seriously too. So, um, but yeah, you need to understand that if you wanna be a good. Good team guy for sure.
Yeah, no doubt. We, a couple of episodes ago we had a guy on, um, Scott Mann, you're probably familiar with him, with the Pineapple Express. I'd love to, if you're willing to just get your [00:32:00] take on, um, the shutdown, I guess would be the terminology of, of Afghanistan having invested at that emotional level. And, uh, the things that have gone on over there.
What's your take on that? Yeah, you, you know, we're, we build relationships. That's our number one job, you know, is build relationships. That's one of the things that like, can get you, you know, if you're in the Q course, one of the things they said is the biggest no no you can do is like, um. I guess lose credibility with the partner force and they kick you outta the G base, that kind of thing.
Mm-hmm. You know, so we take, we take that part of the job very seriously. So seriously enough. I see. I think some guys just go native, you know? Uh, and so you, you meet people that are actually your friends in real life and, you know, and when you leave the country and you see the way it was done, it does it, it does hurt, man.
You know, it does hurt because you're, you've, you've positioned yourself to appear. Like the American [00:33:00] way, uh, like, Hey, we will never leave you. Like, we'll never leave a man behind that kind of thing, you know? Mm-hmm. And we, we respect each other. We lean on each other for those things. And so when I have a partner force that was over there that we helped train or whatever else, you know, and we leave like that, it kind of like, ah, I wonder what they think about the team now.
Now they know the truth. You know, I see that we're not willing to, to do what need to be, and I'm not saying that we shouldn't have got outta Afghanistan. I'm one a hundred percent. Nobody wants to fight wars for 20 years. Heck, I've been fighting the same war for 20 years, man. Yeah. Uh, but you know, there's a way to do it and we need to do it in a respectable way.
Um, well, there it is. You hit on it. I think what I was hearing in your answer is, uh, reputation, reputation, man, and this community reputation really, really matters, doesn't it? Yeah, it does. It does. It, it goes, it goes really far. Um, I don't have to worry about what's behind me ever. Like, I know that when we go anywhere, it could be out, you know, to a bar or [00:34:00] whatever else a restaurant.
Like, I don't have to even, because I know he's thinking the same thing I am and we've trained together so long, like I know what he's gonna do. Mm-hmm. And, uh, yeah, it's just, it is, it's, it's irreplaceable. That feeling of trust and, uh, that, that you have with a team guy. It's, I don't know how to explain it.
I've never had that with any other human, um, except the dudes that are on the team. Yeah, it's probably the only place I can really relax. Would you call it a brotherhood? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely a brotherhood for sure. Um, yeah, they're, they're special people. They really are. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't think it's all, I used to think, uh, when I first got around you guys, well this is because they've, they've been to war together.
They've suffered together. But you, you're right, it's so mu so much more complex. It's really, you can't describe it. You just have to experience it. Yeah. I think they've done a really good job of finding those things within selection process and things like that. One would argue that we all kind of look the same, you know, kind of thing.
You know? Uh, I don't know what the selection [00:35:00] criteria is, but, um. One of my first examples of that, of the brotherhood, I was, we were in Afghanistan together and, uh, I'd had a baby. And, uh, we didn't have a lot of dudes, man. We only had like nine dudes or something on, and we're in the middle of, you know, ez you know, it's like, Hey, man, like they, everybody's needed, you know?
Mm-hmm. You can't, whatever. And, uh, I remember my team started walking to him. He's like, Hey, man, like having a baby. I was like, yes, sir. He's like, uh, guess you should probably pack your things. I was like, Hey, man, like I'm needed. Like, I'll, whatever. He's like, nah, you're gonna go, like telling me. And uh, man, he, uh, you know, I packed all my stuff.
There was like a helicopter the, the next day. Wow. And then, uh, he gave me like $5,000 and he is like, Hey man, be careful on the way home. Call me when you get there and make sure it's good. And I don't know, I think this is true. I, I'd have to ask my wife, but I think I got paid just like I was there. I don't even know if he even told anybody.
He just sent me home. I did my thing. It was off the [00:36:00] books. Yeah, it seems that way. I don't know if that's true or not, but it felt that way, you know, it was like, I just went just easy as can be, like no, no issues. And then, uh, you know, I called, we had like a month left on the movement or something like that.
And uh, I called him, I was like, Hey brother, I'm ready to, he's like, Hey man, just meet us at brag. And so I was like, dude, you are not gonna find us anywhere else to mm-hmm. Somebody to do that for you, you know? Um. Yeah, you're describing a, what I would call a sacred space, and I feel this when I walk into team rooms as a guest, and I mean, I'm, I'm always a guest in that environment.
Yeah. Uh, but it, it does, it feels like a sacred space. There's something that's been built there together over time. In these, uh, areas where ODAs occupy, you know, it's just, yeah, you, I mean, it's a lot of history there, you know, that we, you know, respect, um, and having, you know, going through things together, build that comradery, you know, you never remember the good times.
Y'all are gonna remember the la you know, and the fact like, if you can't go through [00:37:00] like hard. Times and look at each other and laugh, you know, probably in the wrong place. But yeah, it doesn't matter. I've been on the team like a lot, like I said, a long time. And like any team room, I knock on the door. I don't just walk in there like, you know what I mean?
They'll kill you in there. So, so yeah, we, we respect that and, uh, everybody respects it from the highest rank. To the lowest. Like, you know, you don't just walk in somebody's team room, you know, you need to announce yourself what you're there for, that kind of thing, and mm-hmm. That's their space. It's the only few places, spaces that they have, and that's one of 'em.
So yeah, we, we hold it in high regard. Yeah. Yeah. I definitely know that I, and I made that mistake or time or two and mm-hmm. Those guys exercise a lot of forgiveness over, over me doing that. But I, you know, there's like, Hey, the first time. That's, that's okay. Yeah. Time number two, we're gonna have a problem.
Right, right. And I had, I had grown up in a, the, all the older Green Berets are still around that I had looked up to. Uh, nowadays, you know, it seems like a lot of those dudes are gone, that kind of thing, that have done [00:38:00] fighting for a really long time, that had different, you know. A lot of experience and stuff, and I looked up to those guys, man, I don't think I'd said anything for like the first month or two being on the team.
Like, I was like, what do you want me to say? Like, you just tell me what to do. I'd do it. You know? And it's like, ah, these dudes are awesome. You know? Yeah. Yeah. That's, uh, that's part of the process. I think another thing that you guys understand intuitively is, uh, initiation. Knowing your place. Yeah. Uh, providing value before you demand anything.
Yeah. These are all big lessons that are lost in, in modern culture, but what excites me is that we're now getting to the place where we're feeling the breakdown of society so heavily that we're looking to men like you. To have a larger voice publicly, which I know, honestly I know is a big problem for a Green Beret.
Uh, but I feel that we need to amplify the voice of the Green Beret. We especially need to amplify the voice of the National Guard Green Beret that understands so clearly both sides of the culture, that you're not just immersed in military culture and have no idea what the [00:39:00] civilian life is like. Vice versa.
Also being true. The, your ability, you guys and your ability to be able to adapt to what's needed at the time. Uh, which leads me kind of to my final part of the interview here. Um, I mean, I'd love for you to, to tell stories and I know the people that know you listening to this episode are gonna be very frustrated at me.
Yeah. Uh, that we don't have more, kind of, more stories rolling out. I do have one I want to ask you about Sure. Just in just a minute. But, um, when it comes to. Career glide path and understanding that there's another generation of Green Beret coming after you. This seems like a difficult transition for the war fighter.
Uh, aging inside the SF community is something I think we're not talking about enough. Getting to the end of GY 20 years of war, operating on A ODA for all this time, when it's time to not do that any longer. I just would love for you to put some words to what it feels like or what your take is on aging as a Green Beret.[00:40:00]
Yeah, it's a. It's a hard thing. Um, your hands start to slow down. You know, your trigger speed slows down, things like that. Uh, but sometimes it's more than that too. Um, you know, all the, the glory and all that stuff's gone, man. And it's like, um, now what do I do with my hands? That kind of thing. You know, there's a, there's a little bit of responsibility that I think we take.
Very seriously. Um, and it's taught, and it was, you know, earlier it was about like partner force relations and stuff like that. Mm-hmm. You know, you look at the young guys coming through and it's like, Hey man, I have to make sure this dude understands, like what he's going through and what, what this is about, you know, uh, handing off the torch as it were.
Um, yeah, it's, it's something that I think we need to spend more time on. Um. Getting older, uh, on the teams, you know, nobody wants to leave the team, man ever. Like, if I [00:41:00] could stay on the team my whole life, I would, you know, until I'm 80 years old, man. And, uh, the guys that I came up with are the same way.
That's like the pinnacle of your, of your life. As being a team dude. And when it's over, like, you know, those, those are hard real close relationships that you have, you know, that you don't have in the civilian world. Like your friends with your buddies in civilian world, your whole life, you know, my best friend's on the team with me, you know what I mean?
And uh, like when it's over, you know, I'm gonna lose that. So, yeah, I would say that a part of you kind of leaves when you leave the team, that kind of stuff. Um, but you need to, um, try to focus on, I think podcasts like this are, are the way I think lessons learned. Writeups are the way. So we can give a little bit of ourselves back to the guys that are coming up and a hundred percent and give, uh, give 'em a little bit of help as they go.
'cause you know, battle warfare on the battlefield is, uh, really knowing what not to do. That's how you stay alive. Say more about that. [00:42:00] Um, you know, everybody's talking, oh, this is what you do when the situation happens, and this is what you do. And those things are good, but really what you need to know is what not to do.
That's how you get dead. Mm-hmm. Matter of fact, at the, at the, uh, I think in war two, I think it was the Germans or Russians or somebody was really mad that we didn't really follow our own doctrine. Well, what we would do is on the battlefield, guys, were moving. They'd do something that caused a lot of casualties and whoever was next just wouldn't do that.
So we wouldn't follow our own doctor. We adapted to the battlefield itself. Mm-hmm. Uh, and that's what we did at the first Star of the war. And, uh, you know, able to adapt like that is, um. You know, your ability to transition and adapt and overcome to different problems, uh, and, and really understand the guys that made mistakes before will, will train you how to what to do.
So seeing guys that have left the team so far, you know, some guys have done it well, some guys have done it bad. Um, and seeing that. And applying the training that we've [00:43:00] had over the years to really transition back into the civilian world. We have a, a training technique or a, a, a metal task called, uh, op, it's operational prep with the environment.
And me and my buddy were talking about this the other day is, uh, we're doing that constantly. We're prepping the environment for. Everything. And that's part of the nature of being a Green Beret is understanding first, second, and third order effects. And so as we prep the battlefield for us to, 'cause as soon as I step on the battlefield, the situation changes.
Matter of fact, as soon as before, as soon as we discuss it in a private setting. The battlefield's changing 'cause somebody's gonna get wind that we're actually prepping to do something. Mm. And so it, it's a ripple effect across everything, no matter what decision you make, you know? Uh, so, you know, prepping the battlefield and operation, prepping the environment, I would say is probably the number one thing that we need to do and transition to being off the team.
We need to. Prep, you know, our [00:44:00] family to deal with us, I guess you could say. And then the other would be to, uh, find us something to do with our hands. We have to keep the, your mind busy. You can't stop moving. My, I watched my dad retire and it was kind of painful process. You couldn't let it go, you know?
'cause he had lost that and he wasn't on a team or anything. So you can imagine what a team guy would go through. Right. Uh, you know, we talked earlier about, um. I'm feeling comfortable. You know, it's the only place I can relax is on a team, you know. And when you don't have that, it's like all that burden's upon yourself to go back to the civilian world.
And it's like, dude, I don't have my team, man. I'm here by myself raising kids, renting, whatever. I don't have anybody to lean on, you know? Mm-hmm. Um, but they're there. You just need to call. Uh, so, uh, that's. Another thing that I'd say that's the only way that a a, a good team guy can function is because he keeps those contacts alive throughout the years.
Like [00:45:00] there's no doubt in my mind as I get older, like I'm still gonna be calling the same people for the problems that I have. And that relationship that you build is so strong that it, you can't let it go. And you have to carry that over into getting older and getting retirement. Those days are gonna help you through life just like they helped you on the battlefield, you know?
So, uh, that's something that. You know, we need to use things like this, podcasts and getting together, and those things are, are healthy for the, for the team guy for sure. There's a tremendous amount of nuance in what you're talking about. Yeah. So I, I'd love to, if you, if you have more time today, just to slow down on that a second.
Sure. Sure. There are two things that are coming to mind in your answer. First of all, you guys are, are like contingency whores. We are. Yeah. You just, you have to plan for contingencies. Yeah. Uh, I see though, when you start talking about engaging in the civilian world, there's a lack of belief and proficiency.
In these contingencies that's not there as a soldier, right? You have a hundred percent belief in your proficiency no matter what. The contingency Yeah. [00:46:00] When you get to the civilian world, that tends to break down a little bit. The other side of your answer and I wanna talk about that. But the other side of your answer, uh, I think teases out.
You guys place a lot of value in what you're contributing, not what you're taking. So for a Green Beret to not be a part of a team, you guys aren't. Displaying value on a very regular basis about what you're bringing to the table. But to pick up the phone and say, Hey, I'm in a contingency. I'm not real, real sure about.
Right, right. I need your help on this. Yeah. The way I describe it is you guys are always the helper, never the helped. Mm-hmm. So how do you, how do you get ready for that? How does the guy get ready for that? I'm, I'm asking this question because I think if we get this straight during career, it actually makes you a better soldier understanding this.
Yeah, it does. So I'd love to get that from your perspective though. 'cause I'm just, I'm just HPW. Mm-hmm. Right. I'm just a nonprofit guy. Right. You're inside the population. I'd love for you to, uh, agree or disagree with that and tease that out for me. Some. Yeah. We go by, I tell my guys, [00:47:00] um, I'm a team smart now myself, you know, and I tell my guys, Hey man, there's, we only live by like two rules.
Number one, uh, never go anywhere by yourself, number one. Number two, always gain leverage. Never, never put yourself in a situation where you'll lose, not only in the battlefield, but in life. And, um, my team sergeant told me something years ago that I was, you know, you, you find yourself like. Not doing anything or you, you know, you're doing something fast.
He, you know, he is like, find work. There's something to be done. You have to find work. Uh, like, you know, maybe the Bravo section's done, you know, and the echoes need help with radios, whatever. I was like, Hey dude, I'll just go help those out. But somebody needs. Something to do. Like, you have to stay busy.
Heck, I even started teaching Sunday school, man. You know, it's, uh, and it's just something that keeps my map, uh, brain going. Um, building forts. Building forts and everything else, you know, for the kids. But, uh, yeah, the [00:48:00] contingencies, that was one of my big. Things on a team. Uh, uh, when I was a Bravo, that was the biggest thing.
I'd have to brief contingencies my team sergeant, like, you know, we get to that point of the boarding. He is like, Hey, dude, contingencies, right? And I'm thinking like all the possible things that could go wrong and I'm having to give like, Hey, if we get hit right here, this is what we're gonna do. Hey, if you know, you know, we run outta water, this is what we're gonna do.
Like all those contingencies play a part. And then that's something that. You know, actually helps us really in the civilian world is, um, understanding what those contents would be. 'cause something bad's gonna happen. You know, you need to be able to transition quickly to what that is. But, um, yeah, I, I wouldn't say that it's, uh, necessarily a bad thing.
I think that all those things relate. Uh, to being in the civilian world. Uh, now we normally hit things with hammers, you know what I mean? So a lot of, we need to, we have to step back and, um, really, uh, figure out a way to apply best. Like, one of [00:49:00] my hardest things right now, uh, I'll just be honest with you, is teaching my kid math man.
Like, you know, I'm used to training soldiers, I'm used to doing whatever, and I have to be able to explain this on a simple level, and I'm pretty good at that. I have a story to tell about that, that I think would, you know, the Bravos out there will appreciate, go ahead. We were in, uh, we were in Iraq years ago, I think it was two, 2015 or something like that.
And I was training the sniper dudes like I told you before, and I just could not get them to understand like how the wind was affecting this bullet down range. You know, like, and you know, there's a language barrier and all that stuff, and you're doing your best to get it done and, um, how that affects it.
So I was like, man, I just have to think simple, you know? And I'm good at that. Thinking simple, you know? So I was like, well, I'll just get this dude on the end of the room and he'll fire a shot, you know, a fake shot, and I'd have a bullet on a string. And I just walked [00:50:00] with that bullet on that string and like blew it and showed like, you know, whatever.
And then I'd have to write it on the board like, how much wind affects this at this distance? And they're like, oh, oh yeah, we understand that. That kind of stuff. I'm kind of going at the same thing with my kid at home. I was like, Hey man, I don't really know how to train you on this math. Uh, but. You know, we're gonna figure it out, dude.
And I think that a lot of those things that we have transition over pretty well. But yeah, contingencies is big, man. You gotta use 'em. And I think that, uh, a lot of team guys, you know, just using their hands, staying busy, relying on these contingencies that, you know, at work, thinking about the problems and applying 'em, uh, as how you retire.
Yeah. It's like, uh, you know, same man. Uh, different modality, same lessons. Yeah. It's all there. Yeah. It's all there. It's all there. I'm trying to do a really good job on this podcast, convincing the men listening that that is, that is actual reality. Yeah. It's reality that everything has worked [00:51:00] together to lead you to this point.
Yeah. And the experiences that you've had, that you've built over time, the lessons that you've learned, they crosspollinate. Mm-hmm. Not just as a way to try to empower the Green Beret. But in a way to attempt to rescue our culture. Yeah. From where it's headed. Uh, you know, I, I appreciate so much the way you've navigated this interview today and these questions.
I remember one day we were sitting in, uh, uh, down at the unit, we were working out, uh, I refused to bench press with you. That's a whole different episode. Yeah. Uh, you, you were teaching me about the canoe and how to bench, bench press correctly. Uh, but you started telling a story about putting your, your hands, uh, on a man.
He had been knifed, he was injured in his, in his skull. In his head. Oh yeah. Yeah. I remember that. We was a, it was actually an interpreter at the time, and, uh, we were moving across the objective and, uh, he, we had sent him forward to, to take a look, see, whatever, and he didn't come back. And I was like, man, where's this dude at, dude?
And I was like, moving over there. [00:52:00] And I, we finally seen him. Over there. And I got started running to him. He'd been knifed in the head, you know, like 10 times, whatever like that. And I re remember putting my hands on him, whatever. And it, like, he was just snapping out of it, you know? And Mm. Um, yeah. Um, I'm trying to think of what the point of that was.
Did he make it? That's the, yeah, yeah. He survived. Yeah. We, we got him out, we'd call him medevac and got him off the objective and he finally made it. And we went to see him in the hospital, the local hospital later. And, uh, he had survived and all that. Yeah. Um, that's the kinda stuff that makes, uh. The life of a man that just, you know, if you and I were sitting beside each other, you know, at a restaurant mm-hmm.
Or a church, those kind of things that are, that are just baked into the recipe with you. Yeah. I'd never know about 'em. That's, that's another part of this community that really fascinates me. Yeah. The things that you're experiencing really, uh. And, and I hate that, that that's, that society doesn't have a lot of that.
But those memories and things that I have like are, the reason that I'm doing what I'm doing is 'cause I understand, [00:53:00] you know, what that is, you know, and it, it, it hits home and kind of makes you somebody else, you know, but mm-hmm. Like you say that we're trying to help society and those types of things, but you gotta remember that the reason why it seems like things have gotten bad is because, you know, we went through World War ii.
World War I, and so the men that we've produced on the outskirts of that, were able to shape society in such a way that's positive and that there's something about conflict and challenges that make you understand the principles that are necessary for survival, not only on the battlefield, but in life.
Those, those guys, like my grandfather and those people, they, they brought those things home and were able to, to give 'em, to me, that made me who I am. That little thing that we talked about earlier that I don't know how to train, you know? Yeah. Uh, and a lot of the guys I'm around have that same thing, but it's 'cause it was, they were giving it to it from the soldiers of the past.
Mm-hmm. Uh, and I hate to say that we need [00:54:00] conflict, but some form of conflict is needed. You know, that's how you get to the core of what a, a real man is. If he's not challenged or, or done anything. Like I had a kid fail the, fell a course the other day. He's like, oh, you, you know, man, I haven't felt anything in my life.
I was like, well man, then you haven't done anything, dude. Like that. You need to understand how to fail. If you don't understand how to fail, you don't know how to win, uh, or how to act when you do win, you know? So, um, that, that's something that we're losing because we don't have conflict. That sounds bad. I know.
No, I I mean, I think it's resistance that builds strength, right? Yeah. It produces things that, that we've had in the past. And as the war's dwindling down, we're starting to lose that. Putting those people in society that, you know, it may be a guy that you don't even know, like a, a manager at Walmart.
That's, you know, that's done some hard things in his life that's keeping that thing afloat because he understands what not to do. You know what I mean? [00:55:00] Not necessarily what to do, you know? So that's it. Well, I'd love to wrap this up by just giving you, and I, I try to give every man on this platform an opportunity to do this.
Um. You know, having the opportunity to collectively grab the young men in our culture by the shoulders, look 'em in the eye and give 'em something that they need, saying something that they need to hear. What would that be for you? A man needs a couple things. He is gotta have purpose, uh. You know, one of them is to protect his family and protect those, the people around him.
That is his number one task as a man. You know, the other one is to provide however you do that, you know, whether it's warfare or whether it's, you know, uh, being a garbage man or something like that, like that is valuable. Like what you're doing may seem not important. You're providing a value, like you're finding work that supports the team.
You know, I give a counseling to the guys that are [00:56:00] new on the team and I say, you know, lie and steal and cheat to anybody. Accept the team. You know, like if you're going to cheat and steal, as long as it's to benefit the team, then we're good. If I see that you're been only benefiting yourself, you're done here.
You know? And um, I would say it's not about you. It's about the people that are around you. Hmm. That's what it's about. Uh, my grandfather was born, um, very, very poor. Uh, we grew up very poor, you know, that's how I was raised. And, uh, he said, Hey man, you want good kids? I was like, yes, sir. He's like, well man, you know, spank 'em every day, whether they needed it or not.
But he is like, I was born for a purpose, and that purpose was to pick cotton. You know, and, uh, every dime I made went to my dad. And as we, uh, got successful, we all got successful. Nowadays, we treat children like they're the most important thing, and they're not The team is the [00:57:00] team. The ODA, the team.
Mm-hmm. Is the most important thing. That's what you're. Purpose is, is the team. Uh, and I think guys need to understand that before they even go out into the world. It's like, Hey man, you're, you're representing an ODA or representing your family, or whatever that is. Mm-hmm. Uh, it's sacred and it's something you need to take seriously.
And, uh. You know, your, your purpose is to support and provide. That's it. That rising tide raises all ships, doesn't it? Yeah. Yeah. It is something I hear you guys say a lot. Well, listen, before we wrap this up, as uncomfortable as this makes every man, uh, behind that microphone, I wanna say thank you for your service.
For the place that you took on the timeline for the things that you've done unknown by most people to protect and to serve the ideals of this country and the people who have been thankful and the people who have not been thankful you've done it for all of them. The ways that you've stood shoulder to shoulder with Americans and eyeball to eyeball a partner [00:58:00] forces, we are as a community, as a population, deeply grateful for your service.
Thanks, man. Thank you for tuning in to the Soldier Fund Podcast. If you're inspired by the stories of these elite citizen warriors and want to support their mission, visit us@thesoldierfund.org. Your contributions help us to continue to back the Special Forces soldiers of the National Guard as they fight around the world.
Until next time, stay committed to stand with those who serve.