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This episode is sponsored by a company I've used for well over a decade and that is 511.

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I wore their uniforms back in Anaheim, California and have used their products ever since.

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From their incredibly strong yet light footwear to their cut uniforms for both male and female

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responders, I found them hands down the best workwear in all the departments that I've

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worked for.

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Outside of the fire service, I use their luggage for everything and I travel a lot and they

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are also now sponsoring the 7X team as we embark around the world on the Human Performance

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project.

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We have Murph coming up in May and again I bought their plate carrier, I ended up buying

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real ballistic plates rather than the fake weight plates and that has been my ride or

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die through Murph the last few years as well.

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One area I want to talk about that I haven't in previous sponsorship spots is their brick

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and mortar element.

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They were predominantly an online company up till more recently but now they are approaching

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100 stores all over the US.

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My local store is here in Gainesville Florida and I've been multiple times and the discounts

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you see online are applied also in the stores.

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So as I mentioned 511 is offering you 15% off every purchase that you make but I do

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want to say more often than not they have an even deeper discount especially around

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holiday times.

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But if you use the code SHIELD15 you will get 15% off your order or in the stores every

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time you make a purchase.

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And if you want to hear more about 511, who they stand for and who works with them, listen

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to episode 580 of Behind the Shield podcast with 511 regional director Will Ayers.

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Welcome to the Behind the Shield podcast as always my name is James Gearing and this week

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it is my absolute honor to welcome on the show former tier 1 Navy SEAL, current contractor

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and the author of American Mercenary Daniel Corbett.

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Now in this conversation we discuss a host of topics from his early life, his journey

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into the military, deploying to Iraq, Somali pirates, his transition into contracting,

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spending 18 months awaiting trial in Serbia, military transition, seeking discomfort, the

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aging athlete and so much more.

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Before we get to this incredible conversation as I say every week, please just take a moment,

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go to whichever app you listen to this on, subscribe to the show, leave feedback and

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leave a rating.

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Every single 5 star rating truly does elevate this podcast therefore making it easier for

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others to find and this is a free library of over 950 episodes now so all I ask in return

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is that you help share these incredible men and women stories so I can get them to every

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single person on planet earth who needs to hear them.

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So with that being said, I introduce to you Daniel Corbett.

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Enjoy.

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Well Daniel, I want to start by saying two things.

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Firstly to our mutual friend Ryan Parrott, thank you for connecting us and secondly I

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want to welcome you onto the Behind the Shield podcast today.

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Awesome, thank you and thanks Birdman for connecting us.

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So where on planet earth are we finding you this afternoon?

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You are finding me in North Scottsdale, Arizona.

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Beautiful.

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Well I would love to start at the very beginning of your story so tell me where you were born

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and tell me a little bit about your family dynamic, what your parents did, how many siblings?

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I was born in Hawaii on the army base or I think it's an Air Force hospital, I'm not

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sure, Tripler.

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Anyways, I was born in Hawaii, my dad was in the army, was a heating, ventilation and

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air conditioner mechanic guy.

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Mom and dad met when they were super young, got married super young, have been together

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ever since so from day one love was very abundant in the household.

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Dad, soon I was born and at one years old we had left Hawaii so I tell people I was

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born in Hawaii and they're like oh man, they start speaking to me, pigeon and referencing

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all these things and I'm like bro, I left when I was one, sorry.

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Oh whatever bro, I'm like sorry man.

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So we left Hawaii, went to Arizona, that's where my brother was born three years later

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and then from Arizona we went to Germany and we stayed there for about three years which

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is pretty cool when I was there was the time when Berlin Wall came down so it was pretty

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wild taking chartered school buses to school and having military police with their guns

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and being briefed on IEDs like don't pick up boxes or jackets you see on the ground.

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I was like okay whatever, at that age you don't really know, you just listen.

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And mom was a full time housewife, tank carrier, me and my brother and my dad would go on two

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week trips or one week or one month doing big army stuff.

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And after three years in Germany we moved to Texas, was in Texas for a year and I think

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at that time my dad's rate in the army was going to merge with another rate or something

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and it was one of those deals where only 35 or 20% was going to be able to make rank and

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the rest were going to be kind of capped and left behind and there was like an incentive

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based program where if you just volunteered to get out you can break your EOS early and

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they'll give you like 12, 20 grand whatever and no harm no foul.

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My dad, you know at that time I was 12, my brother was 8, hadn't seen a whole lot of

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us and he was like you know what I'm going to take the money, I don't have a plan but

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I don't care.

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And then we left Texas and we moved in with grandma and grandpa, my dad's parents for

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about two months till I got a job at one of the school districts there doing the air conditioning

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stuff and Northern California became home for the rest of my time from sixth grade on.

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How was your dad's transition?

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I mean obviously there's an assumption that the people who struggle are the ones that

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saw combat but then you look at the statistics and it's actually not the case.

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There's a lot of people that were behind the front line that still struggled when they

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left their tribe that had been a part of for a long time.

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What was his transition like specifically?

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I think he hedged his bets pretty good.

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He hedged his situation very well because he's got two brothers and two sisters and

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they all lived in the same area, mom and dad were there so he had his tribe.

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He had his tribe and he left the military for a big purpose which was his wife and two

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kids.

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So he didn't have that gap of trying to find his new tribe or having to seek out friends

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or anything.

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It was all right there in his family and the friends he has now are still the friends he

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had in high school.

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They're all in the same Northern California area so he kind of went from one tribe to

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the military to another tribe and back to his original tribe when he got out.

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And I've noticed that too.

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I see the military is really good not only with people thinking that that's their tribe

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and it is but people identifying themselves as what they do while they're in the military.

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Or if he had two brothers the same age and one goes and stocks groceries at a grocery

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store for four years and one joins the military for four years.

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The guy who stocks groceries for four years doesn't think his identity is gone when he

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quit stocking groceries.

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You know like oh I'm the grocery man but for some reason the military you know I don't

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know if it's like genius marketing or what but we attach ourselves to that job regardless

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of what it is.

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Or people on the outside some do but most guys are like no that's just what I did for

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work.

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Do you think that's because you know certainly what you did and partially what I did they

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want to break you down.

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You know you take an 18 year old Marine you know and the boot campers decide to kind of

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make that canvas blank again and then rebuild them.

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Do you think that's needed however also the root cause of why there's more identity crisis

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in uniform?

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I think so.

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I think also I was very young when I joined I'm sure most people are very young when they

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join and it just so happens when you find out who you are.

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You know I'm this kind of guy I believe in these things.

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This is what I like this is what I don't like these are my moral you know go no go criteria.

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That happens at a young man's age for me at least was like 22, 23 like kids is kind of

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who I am and then obviously two years after that you look back at yourself and like you

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didn't know anything you know and I still to this day do this year by year right.

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But that happens around the early 20s I would say for young men and they just happen to

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be in the military so they attach it to that also or the guy stopped from groceries doesn't

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attach himself to that and it doesn't have that like coming of age experience as to who

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he really is after high school after leaving mom and dad.

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Okay who am I?

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Who are my friends?

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What do I really like?

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What was I doing just to appease family?

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What do I really care about?

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And that happens and it just so happens to happen when guys are in the military for the

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most part that age demographic fits.

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We end up obviously being incredibly you know high performing tactical athlete when it came

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to the Navy.

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When you were in the school age what were you playing and doing then?

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Big time high school football.

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Northern California was straight out of Friday Night Lights.

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That was the way out from my small farm town.

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It was we had one guy go to UCLA some other guys go to some other big schools and the

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way it was Max Squat, Max Bench and Run Your Forty time and try to make it.

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And I was getting looked at for a while and you know that was a path where I had to make

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a decision is this going to be my path but I stopped growing.

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In eighth grade I was 5'10, 170.

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I'm 5'10, 170 now so I kind of stopped right.

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But I had the beard and everyone's like oh he's going to be a monster.

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Everyone caught up and then passed me very very soon in high school and I kept getting

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hurt.

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I said man I don't know if this is it and then I kind of transitioned to running cross

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country and doing endurance sports in my own triathlons and half marathons.

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I always ask people this because most people have done some sort of individual sport even

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obviously on track you're on a team or cross country on a team but it's you against the

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voice in your mind ultimately and yet you've got football where arguably you can sandbag

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and the team might still win.

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There's not as much pressure on the individual performance.

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Obviously the goal is to have both.

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When you look back at the individual sports you played and then the team sports that you

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played how did each of those experiences factor into your success in the Navy?

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The team sports obviously the team dynamic right.

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A good plan now is better than a perfect plan that's never executed right.

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It's like knowing all that stuff, managing personalities, knowing when to follow, knowing

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when to lead, swallowing your pride, not just turning back to someone who's struggling with

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something because you get the whole generic cheesy phrases you're only as strong as your

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weakest link but it's true.

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So seeing all that firsthand and not just in theory in practical application on the

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field.

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So definitely the teamwork dynamics and then the endurance sports the individual ones I

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call it you know going to that place in your mind and for me it's a room.

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Guys that go into BUDs that weren't endurance athletes or never been in that room never

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had to go to that place when you first open that door in your mind and go in that room

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it's cold it's scary it's a foreign new place but if you can put yourself in situations

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where you go into that room often then you can clean it up a little bit build a fireplace

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in there a rug a couch.

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So my room where I need to go in my head when things get tough I mean it is it is decked

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out it is super nice because I spend a lot of time in there and I think those endurance

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sports you spend a lot of time in that space in your head and for me it's that picture

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a room that is now very furnished very comfortable.

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One of the issues I see in my profession is a lot of guys will look back and say oh I

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was in my best shape of my life when I was in the fire academy you know and and we don't

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have physical standards you know most fire departments do not have a standard that you

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have to adhere to year in year out.

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So the most diligent obviously keep themselves in great shape and they do all the way through

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to when they retire the least diligent you know breathe a sigh of relief when they leave

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the fire academy and then every year they have to get new pants because they're getting

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bigger and bigger.

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One of the scariest things to me is if you haven't been in that room and it's still cold

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and there's still cobwebs in there and then you get a fire and you've got to climb 10

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stories or 20 stories with 100 pounds of gear and then go in and get a kid you're not going

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to be able to perform.

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So to me it was less about the physicality and more about being in that pain cave.

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The last time I was in a horrible place in a red line workout was three days ago was

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five days ago versus three or five or ten years ago.

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What is your kind of philosophy on that principle as you progress through your career maintaining

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that suffering in your training?

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I have one leg up I would say in most people I enjoy it.

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I enjoy seeing where my limits are I enjoy not only the result but I enjoy the process

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I enjoy the day to day to get there and I have to admit when I left SEAL training you

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know I wouldn't say I have a problem with authority but I was so just it had ruined

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camping for me it had ruined the water for me it had ruined running for me and I'll admit

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I wasn't in the best shape I'm in way better shape now than I've ever been because I know

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the importance of it especially you know getting phone calls and doing jobs on a moment's notice

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you got to stay ready it's not about getting ready.

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The importance of the physical aspect to me that's not even it's not even a conversation

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if you have a job that's demanding like that is not even a conversation you should not

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be buying new pants every year like that is a given because that is so simple and so easy

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to do that's just lifestyle and small decisions every day.

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So to me the physical stuff that just needs to happen like I don't even don't even show

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up and talk to me unless it's done and then let's go with the other stuff let's go start

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making that room in your mind nice and comfortable nice and furnished you know let's make frequent

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trips there you know one three times a week right so you don't kill yourself but you know

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I like it there it's fun it's where everything's quiet I'm not worried about taxes or my phone

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going off or emails it's my own little fortress of solitude.

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What about career aspirations when you were going through high school obviously you were

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considering football were there any other kind of prospects that you were thinking back

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then or were you already thinking of the military?

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I was so young and having such a good time in high school I mean I was good with I was

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good with girls I was a star athlete and it was great and I never even thought life existed

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out of high school you know I was just like this is great and then one year in cross country

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the assistant cross country coach said hey what are you doing after?

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I'm like after what after practice he's like no after high school you idiot and that's

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when it clicked I'm like oh shit I have to do something after this and it'd go on forever

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fuck I don't know and I don't come from a family of academic students like oh you're

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gonna go to Yale like your dad like that was not a thing in my household he goes okay the

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next day he brings me a VHS tape history channel Navy Seals and it showed all the cool training

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talked about the 200 to 1 kill death ratio in Vietnam said it was the hardest training

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in the world and then when they interviewed one of the seals they said what makes you

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guys so good?

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The guy replied it's not that we're good it's just that everyone else just sucks okay that's

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cool that's cool I like this I can get down with that and I was always pretty intelligent

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I was put in some trials like super smart after school programs it was fun it was stimulating

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but the people you know they're nerds which is good I love them but like I wasn't trying

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to go party with them so I didn't really fit in there and then I'd go hang out with the

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football guys but they're you know their their focus was like really really right in front

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of their faces like let's get drunk and party I'm good with that too but there was there

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was nothing mentally stimulating outside of that so I was like fuck where do I go and

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then when I saw that documentary it seemed like okay these guys are crushing it on the

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physical side and they also seem super intelligent let's let's go there that seems like that's

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gonna cover all the bases for me.

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Well you mentioned already you know furnishing this little room in your mind I've obviously

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had a lot of a lot of people from the SEAL community now and other special forces groups

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and the I think the big myth that the average person thinks you know myself included until

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I started doing this was that what is the uber athletes that get through you know Hell

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Week or BUDs or whatever it is and then you start hearing and it's not you know it's a

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spectrum of people and a lot of people you know pointing out that person's definitely

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going to get through and they don't or vice versa so with you specifically I mean you

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said you kind of you know physically stopped growing at 170 what was it about your physicality

247
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and your your mental element that allowed you to progress through the selection process

248
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when so many people rang the bell?

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I think well for one like you're saying the run times aren't crazy like a high school

250
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cross-country kid would crush the runs right a high school swimmer would crush the runs

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so the times you don't they're not Olympic times they're hard but they're not unachievable

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and I think I got very lucky the way like a special forces body 510 170 185 like on

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the obstacle course you're like that kind of that perfect height perfect weight you're

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not too lanky you're not too short so kind of lucky there and then I think a lot of the

255
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guys who quit are guys who never even had a key to that door in their mind or didn't

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even know that room was in there and they had to go in there the first time and it's

257
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it's the first time you go there it's scary you know it's cold it's dark like you said

258
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there's cobwebs your roaches across the floor like wow and I think the guys who've been

259
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there the water polo guys the wrestlers the endurance guys they tap into that every day

260
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at wrestling practice I did wrestling for one year and I was like holy shit that's one

261
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of the hardest things I ever did I think the people who have that room built furnished

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comfortable in their mind they've been there multiple times before they get to Bud's have

263
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a way better chance and the guys who've never gone there maybe they'll get through but I

264
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haven't seen it now am I right in understanding that you were assigned to five around the

265
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same time that Jocko and Leif and some of those guys were in I think I was after them

266
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okay so because I know you deployed to Iraq first so I on all these conversations I know

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there's a lot of war stories and you know there's things certainly that your community

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can't or won't talk about so the way I like to approach you know the the sailors experience

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in this case is not so much from the specific you know things that you saw and did in war

270
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but more with the human experience so the first one I always ask was there a point

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regardless of the politics that sent you to wherever you were deployed that you witnessed

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atrocities and realized that there were some horrific people that needed to be taken care

273
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of oh yeah 100% you know the politics of why we go to war and you know did this guy really

274
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have these or whatever that's way too far removed from me and I was very junior guy

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and it's not even my realm and I wouldn't even know what to do with the information

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if I had it all but yeah we've seen guys you know decapitated heads in fridges yeah

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what about the other side of the coin I think we because the reason I asked this question

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I didn't preface it I normally do you know when we're back home the civilians the first

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responders everyone else who's not wearing a military uniform we get a very polarized

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view of war it's either let God's you know kill them all let God sort them out or they're

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all baby killers you know depending on which channel you've chosen to turn to but obviously

282
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there's the boys and girls arguably that we send overseas to fight for our country you

283
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know they're the ones that we should be asking so you know that one side is obviously again

284
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like I said the the horrors of war but the other side which you also don't hear is the

285
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kindness and compassion that people you know witness on the battlefield so what about moments

286
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of that you know that we've heard so many stories of military vets taking care of local

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animals you know building schools I mean all these things that just don't seem to make

288
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the press what were some of the the things you remember as far as kindness and compassion

289
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were you wearing the uniform well first off we're going into the polarizing of the war

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of war itself I think during World War two when there's a trench and you have one unit

291
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that looks like this in the order this uniform and then we are on this side like it's very

292
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easy right you're bad we're good and they're saying well no you're bad we're good when

293
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you start doing like the whole global war on terrorism and you're not at war with the

294
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country you're at war with groups within the country and they're at war with each other

295
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and they're not uniforms like it's already hyper nuanced and very gray so for people

296
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to say oh you're all bad you're all good now you're getting very binary to the group of

297
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people that are in this very nuanced very gray situation it doesn't make sense you need

298
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to treat that very nuanced and very gray and give the people that are over there doing

299
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it that same lateral movement and wiggle room as far as the whole compassion stuff yeah

300
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I've seen guys adopt dogs I've seen churches and that churches schools being built that

301
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wasn't my thing I wasn't there to do that if I wanted to do that I want to join the

302
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Peace Corps or something or volunteer to church I was there no I didn't I didn't go through

303
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some sort of animal psychology course and buds nor any carpentry schools I went to shoot

304
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guns so what made you make a decision to challenge yourself yet again and and enter dev group

305
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my best friend at the time was screening and he's like hey you want to scream with me I

306
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was at church and this is before all the attention a lot of attention has been put on the SEAL

307
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teams and I think there were some guys senior to me and my team that had previously screened

308
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for dev group and didn't get picked up so I kind of knew about it I really didn't even

309
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know about the program or the command and if I heard anything about it it's very negative

310
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because I think there were some bitter individuals that were like fuck that place blah blah blah

311
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so it was never an aspiration of mine really and then my buddy told me he was going to

312
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try out he said I should so what I got to do he had to go see the Master Chief walk

313
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in go see the Master Chief and he said hey I was actually looking for you I want you

314
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to do this I was gonna ask you I was like oh perfect so filled out the packet and then

315
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when their staff came over to do the screening on the west coast was lined up ready to go

316
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and again same question as before what was it because now you're you know a tier one

317
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within an already elite team what was it mentally physically that allows you to succeed in that

318
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selection process same thing can I tell guys this all the time I've seen guys this is after

319
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my time at that command I'll see you guys getting ready after they've been selected

320
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they've been picked up and they go oh I'm gonna start doing yoga I'm gonna go vegan

321
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with carnivore why don't change anything don't change anything they asked you to come because

322
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you're doing something right don't stop being you once you get there yeah maybe don't go

323
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out till 2 a.m. every morning and eat more for breakfast in the Snickers bar and monster

324
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maybe that's not the best way but you've been running on that for like five years now and

325
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crushing it now's not the time to change it or try to clean it up like just keep going

326
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hold your course and then when you get through and you want to perform better or change your

327
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lifestyle do it then unless unless you're doing something super detrimental okay yeah

328
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change it as soon as possible but just stay in the course they asked you to come for a

329
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reason why would you change what you've been doing it doesn't make any sense again you're

330
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talking about organizations that you know are secret for a reason so I'm not even gonna

331
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address you know any of the things that you did but I think where there's a lot of value

332
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to the comparison is the innovation that I've heard from some of your your fellow team members

333
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that you're allowed to kind of forge in that position you know trying to find the latest

334
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training and equipment and those kind of things talk to me about that philosophy specifically

335
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because my profession in the fire service a lot of us are taking classes on using vacation

336
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days and paying out of our own pocket just to get better at rope rescue or extrication

337
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so I would argue we're on the other side of this what I would love to see is my community

338
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ultimately when we fix a lot of the glaring issues really embracing that the innovation

339
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I mean we still wear pillows for gloves for example our radios still don't even work in

340
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half the buildings that we go into yet people can go to space you know I mean so there's

341
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a big disconnect so what what did you see in that community as far as your ability to

342
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really you know explore the outer areas to find the very very best techniques training

343
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and equipment for your your men that starts day one of bugs it's that free thinking thinking

344
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outside the box mentality is developed it's developed and fostered from day one prime

345
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example we're doing night rock portage we have to do the little ibf on the boats on

346
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the rocks from the hotel dell it's night it's winter big waves and we're standing there

347
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with the boats in our head and the structure goes you guys can tell me what time it is

348
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within two minutes your boat crew is secure you're done okay the officer my boat crew

349
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since hey quarter come with me you've run over to where it's all taped off and people

350
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are watching you know I went with them swim buddy six foot roll ran over saw two people

351
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standing there hey what time is it it's 8 52 are you sure yes it's 8 52 project run back

352
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:41,960
who the instructor so and so it's 8 52 and he was like okay like he liked that we did

353
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that he liked that we figured out a way to really figure out this time while maintaining

354
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our six foot distance to our swim buddy and like we did it you can see the gears turning

355
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because he I think he wanted us to just shoot in the dark and yes and we didn't get hammered

356
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for doing that we got praised for it so it was like think outside the box and I think

357
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a lot of units are different I think my my dad would bring home the army booklets they're

358
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really cool sketch and there was one for everything for every little thing there was an instruction

359
00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:22,960
manual how to do this how to do that was cool but it also showed some instructor that unless

360
00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:27,840
you read it and it didn't come and it came from this book you couldn't do something outside

361
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that and you can't write a little pamphlet for everything you might come across in war

362
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so that mentality all the way through buds and if you get a good SEAL team you know they

363
00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:46,120
don't this is how we've always done it blah blah blah and I didn't get that I got hey

364
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what do you think as a new guy me I'm like oh I think we should come in from the north

365
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because it's a good idea we're gonna do that and you're like wow I'm a new guy and you

366
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guys you're gonna take this on board all right hey plan the route I'm planning the route

367
00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:10,520
oh sweet so my first platoon before I even got to SEAL team six was all about that and

368
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:15,080
when you get to SEAL team six even more so like what do you guys think here's your target

369
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deck how do you want to hit this how do you want to do this how do you want to go about

370
00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:26,720
so that's where I think a lot of people are confused when guys transition out they go

371
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oh you're a rank-and-file corporate guy let's get you a rank-and-file corporate job and

372
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I go no no these guys are creative these guys are artists we're left-brained okay and they're

373
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like wait but that doesn't make any sense but should military guys order wake up at

374
00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:46,660
this time and go to chow at this time I'm like some but in essence what we do is create

375
00:31:46,660 --> 00:31:55,040
solutions to these asymmetrical problems they're like oh that makes sense so yes from buds

376
00:31:55,040 --> 00:32:02,520
all the way through my time at SEAL team five and through selection and even being at the

377
00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:07,720
command at SEAL team six was all about what do you guys think what do you want to do what

378
00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:15,440
if we did this oh shit let's try it it was good it was great what are the mistakes that

379
00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:20,840
other organizations are making so for example what I've seen I've worked for an excellent

380
00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:25,940
fire department Anaheim California and the training was extremely high you know the culture

381
00:32:25,940 --> 00:32:31,520
promoted fitness you didn't have to have standards because almost all of us were in great shape

382
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and there was a lot of trust so a lot of the training was run by firefighters engineers

383
00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:41,900
you know captains the lower ranks conversely the last place I worked at there was zero

384
00:32:41,900 --> 00:32:50,280
training zero standards and the micromanaging ego driven environment was completely toxic

385
00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:53,880
so I got to see kind of both sides I would argue one of the best departments in the country

386
00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:59,600
and one of the worst the way that you move forward obviously is a high level of training

387
00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:04,520
and then like you said that the trust allowing these professionals that you've hired that

388
00:33:04,520 --> 00:33:09,680
are wearing a badge to do the job that they've been trained to do have you been exposed to

389
00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:15,240
this other side in responder professions that you worked alongside and if so what would

390
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:20,120
you say to the first responder professions to maybe start fostering the kind of environment

391
00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:25,400
that you were trained in yeah there's things you can control and there's things you can't

392
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:31,840
right I can't speak to any other units in detail because I don't really know their training

393
00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:35,220
cycle but I will hear guys be like oh I've been to this school I've been to freefall

394
00:33:35,220 --> 00:33:39,760
school on jump all the time from a different branch of the military I go oh cool they're

395
00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:45,080
like well I'm the only one and I did it 10 years ago so not having cyclical training

396
00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:49,760
you know because in SEAL teams you check in six months go to schools come back six month

397
00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:53,200
work up hit every block boom boom boom and then you deploy and then when you come back

398
00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:58,840
you do the same thing right we have that cyclical training now that might not be possible if

399
00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:03,360
there's budget concerns right now everyone's gonna get a lot of the right budget and time

400
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:09,760
to do that and then the most critical obviously is culture and that is like the biggest butterfly

401
00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:13,840
effect when you graduate buds and go to a SEAL team and we even within that team go

402
00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:22,040
to your platoon if you have a fat lazy chief who's going through divorce and is just getting

403
00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:27,960
drunk every night you're gonna have a shitty culture in that platoon if you have a chief

404
00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:33,800
that's crushing it fitness let's fucking work out let's let's get more time in the range

405
00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:38,480
and pushing that and it just breeds that culture and it's contagious and it's contagious on

406
00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:42,680
either end it can either be a cancer or it can be something good so culture from the

407
00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:50,980
top is definitely huge and I've seen my fair share of leaders get the boot at the SEAL

408
00:34:50,980 --> 00:34:57,300
teams for just not being leaders and the men not trusting them.

409
00:34:57,300 --> 00:35:00,480
How do you maintain standards like through all these different kind of hats that you've

410
00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:06,980
worn because I mean you've got obviously leadership failures in this particular example and or

411
00:35:06,980 --> 00:35:12,560
fitness failures there really is no accountability in my profession and you again hope and I'm

412
00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,780
being very you know compassionate with this I talk a lot about the environment that our

413
00:35:15,780 --> 00:35:19,380
first responders work in and it sets them up for failure hands down the shifts they

414
00:35:19,380 --> 00:35:24,520
work the mandatory overtime you're gonna get broken you're gonna get fat unless you are

415
00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:29,680
uber diligent but you know you listen to not only just your community the ocean lifeguards

416
00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:34,240
for example if you can't pass a swim test and do all the things you got to do then you're

417
00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:38,960
not an ocean lifeguard anymore it's just that simple how have you you know how do you find

418
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:44,800
that excuse me how do you maintain those standards in your communities that maybe the first responder

419
00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:48,320
professions can kind of start to learn from.

420
00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:55,560
The easy answer is hardline I mean you show up to SEAL Team 6 first day selection and

421
00:35:55,560 --> 00:36:00,680
you miss your push up by one push up or your run time at one second that's it so being

422
00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:07,080
hardline on the standards right now no no good old boy hookups because you know he

423
00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:11,280
was ex marine and we have a bunch of marines on our SWAT team so we'll give him another

424
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:16,040
pass or he's a big dude he doesn't need to pass a run by that much or at all so being

425
00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:20,120
hardline on your standards and then like you were saying I have a buddy who is a police

426
00:36:20,120 --> 00:36:24,440
officer in San Diego and you know there's a little bit of civil unrest going on and

427
00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:33,080
he was working like 14 hour shifts and he sits in a car all day with body armor and

428
00:36:33,080 --> 00:36:40,080
he doesn't have any way to keep food so yeah could he wake up early hit the gym meal prep

429
00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:46,240
on his one day off yeah he could but how long can you maintain that with your day to day

430
00:36:46,240 --> 00:36:50,360
being 14 hours in a car you know you're going to break eventually but you know I'm getting

431
00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:58,080
McDonald's and then it happens so I'm you know totally spitballing here but for those

432
00:36:58,080 --> 00:37:07,200
first responders type jobs, incentivize guys if you have a budget pay for their gym membership

433
00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:12,360
you know do something instead of oh that's just the way it is and that's the worst thing

434
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:17,240
I hate that that statement oh that's just the way it's the way it is or that's the way

435
00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:23,280
it's always been who cares doesn't mean it's right you know what I mean absolutely I always

436
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:27,640
say you know they stop putting kids up chimneys and then work in the factories yeah you know

437
00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:31,680
because one day they realize this is wrong you know it's not simple you shouldn't be

438
00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:36,760
doing this all right well then I know you transition to a training role as well shifting

439
00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:41,000
away from my profession more towards the law enforcement side you talked about the cyclical

440
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,920
training and this is something you know that the skills that I learned as a firefighter

441
00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:49,320
you know if I didn't keep practicing them they just would go especially ropes and knots

442
00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:53,640
such as it's my tiny little brain would just struggle to keep it if I wasn't constantly

443
00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:59,320
going over it what are you seeing as far as the weapons training in the law enforcement

444
00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:04,120
side and again king for a day what should be happening to help our men and women in

445
00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:08,960
uniform actually perform at the level that they're expected to first you need to fund

446
00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:16,720
the police that's the first that's the first thing budget creates training opportunities

447
00:38:16,720 --> 00:38:22,520
training opportunities create skill sets you know I've talked to police departments like

448
00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:28,000
yeah we're allowed we're allotted like something crazy like 15 rounds a month or like something

449
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:31,560
like some stupid number of bullets they're allowed to use training which is crazy to

450
00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:40,440
me because if I miss in Afghanistan I'm probably gonna hit a brick mud or a mud wall somewhere

451
00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:48,000
the open desert or some mountain if NYPD misses and they're in Times Square you know what

452
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:54,040
I mean a lot of people standing around so I would want my police department guys to

453
00:38:54,040 --> 00:39:00,680
be shooting super hard yeah absolutely and then from what I've heard and again I'm not

454
00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:04,000
a cop but obviously I got a lot of friends in that profession worked alongside them for

455
00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:09,560
14 years but what I hear is even the qualification a lot of times you're standing there a static

456
00:39:09,560 --> 00:39:13,960
target in a range firing six shots and then you get a little check mark and then that's

457
00:39:13,960 --> 00:39:19,080
it for six months or a year I did the sheepdog response with Tim Kennedy and that's you know

458
00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:24,960
like a two-day introduction between the combat side and the shooting side but even that you're

459
00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:29,560
moving and shooting and you know shooting from different positions so what about that

460
00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:35,000
element you know the the training that they are getting at the moment is it you know what

461
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:40,480
should be the gold standard for you know an officer with a sidearm and a rifle as you

462
00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:46,160
said that could be in a densely populated city so I teach some shooting out here in

463
00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:51,160
Arizona and I bring an 85 pound kettlebell kettlebell out with a rope and you know I

464
00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:56,160
make people get the heart rate up because if you think as even if you even if you're

465
00:39:56,160 --> 00:40:02,200
a trained police officer or someone doing like a home defense situation if you think

466
00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:08,560
it's gonna be this static on the range low-degree gun take your breath line up everything perfect

467
00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:15,920
get your shot if someone breaks in them even my house at 3 a.m. my heart rate's going up

468
00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:19,940
no and that's gonna affect everything your breathing goes up your sight picture might

469
00:40:19,940 --> 00:40:24,320
move around a little bit and I think training train how you fight and you're never gonna

470
00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:29,000
have a perpetrator with a gun you know seven yards away from you on the indoor range where

471
00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:34,600
you get to load your magazine and you just wait for you to get ready I think you know

472
00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:40,560
this is the whole the old adage train how you fight so you're not gonna fight indoors

473
00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:47,320
on a gun range but the static target go shoot move and communicate go get your heart rate

474
00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:51,720
up shoot move shoot from behind your car make radio calls know what that's like when you're

475
00:40:51,720 --> 00:40:57,000
in a gunfight how do you get on your radio like really do a practical application yeah

476
00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:00,800
there are some amazing videos of people are doing it right there's one I forget where

477
00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:06,280
it was now one officer that pulls up and I think he takes one shot with a rifle but he's

478
00:41:06,280 --> 00:41:12,480
again radioing it five yards or something he pulls out yeah exactly but then you have

479
00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:16,680
you know just one that pops in my mind immediately you have one that was in things like a CVS

480
00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:21,680
of Walgreens and the officer missed whoever he was trying to hit it went through a wall

481
00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:26,480
and killed someone you know within that store you know now not blaming anyone I mean who

482
00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:30,080
knows what that environment was like and how difficult that shot would have been but like

483
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:35,120
you said there are so many examples of success of well-trained officers but sadly on the

484
00:41:35,120 --> 00:41:39,240
other side there are a lot of examples of where either communication or lack of training

485
00:41:39,240 --> 00:41:45,720
have resulted in you know civilian death so were you in the trend the training position

486
00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:51,100
what made you decide to pull the trigger as far as transitioning out of the military specifically

487
00:41:51,100 --> 00:41:57,800
and then let's talk about going into the contracting side it'd been a while since I was in the

488
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:04,080
recruit the rear counselor's office so I went in and I said hey am I up for this big relishment

489
00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:09,680
she's like no you missed it because you didn't do some paperwork shuffle that you had said

490
00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:17,480
you were going to do later whatever so I missed a huge signing bonus and the war had slowly

491
00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:25,280
started to get really political like hey you need to bring it went from five to like fifteen

492
00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:29,960
partner force guys with you and then the Hilo that picks you up is going to drop off a team

493
00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:35,520
of investigators from that country and see if everything went down it was all kosher

494
00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:42,400
and you guys are on the clear and a lot of guys were like I don't want any part of this

495
00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:47,360
like oh you know we need you to do a shooter statement right like guys were like we're

496
00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:54,920
not doing no so between that and missing out on a big paycheck I said well that's it I'm

497
00:42:54,920 --> 00:43:00,720
gonna get out and at that time I had no plans so I just got out and reached out to a couple

498
00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:12,120
companies and started contracting on big container ships come down through the Suez Canal stand

499
00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:18,640
on the bridgeway ride that for 20 days come home so how was that because you've still

500
00:43:18,640 --> 00:43:23,640
gone from an elite tight-knit group to you know outside that group now was there any

501
00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:29,920
jarring elements of that position yeah it sucked I'm thankful for the company for the

502
00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:34,680
opportunity but you know the guys were some of the guys were like really old there are

503
00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:38,760
some studs on there but there's like really old guys guys I couldn't even put their gear

504
00:43:38,760 --> 00:43:48,160
together right and what am I doing and yeah I'm an AVCL that's been on the ocean a little

505
00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:53,600
bit but being on the bridgeway in the middle of the ocean for like multiple days I'm like

506
00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:58,840
dude this is not for me this is like the most lonely I've been in my entire life itself

507
00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:07,880
yeah this isn't it this is not it and what was the threat that they were expecting pirates

508
00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:14,560
okay yeah was that Somali specifically or from other Asian areas too you hit a certain

509
00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:19,720
parallel if you get what it was you catch the boats on the south end the Suez Canal

510
00:44:19,720 --> 00:44:24,880
take a little boat climb up a big ship get settled in and once we got past a certain

511
00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:30,600
parallel I forget which one we would stand watch you know go get all the ports come back

512
00:44:30,600 --> 00:44:37,120
through that was it obviously you know SEAL Team 6 is known for a specific rescue when

513
00:44:37,120 --> 00:44:42,600
it comes to Somali pirates but it's been interesting hearing certain guests talk about the origin

514
00:44:42,600 --> 00:44:48,160
story and again this isn't like apples to apples specifically but I had no idea that

515
00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:53,200
the Somali coast was being overfished by a lot of other countries and that was creating

516
00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:58,600
a lot of poverty in that nation did you ever get exposed to that or you know did you did

517
00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:04,120
you see another side to simply the Hollywood or not the Hollywood even that one event specifically

518
00:45:04,120 --> 00:45:08,960
which was a you know a hostage situation that had to be mitigated did you ever see the bigger

519
00:45:08,960 --> 00:45:17,200
picture with that nation specifically no I mean that was a container ship it was a fish

520
00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:23,800
they were doing a ransom job right yeah but I mean of the whole kind of piracy in general

521
00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:30,600
was there a broader yeah there's poverty does poverty breed crime sure just don't fuck with

522
00:45:30,600 --> 00:45:37,440
Americans I guess absolutely all right well then with that you're on ship so where did

523
00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:44,120
where did that take you next did that a little bit and then I had to swallow some pride because

524
00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:49,360
I'd seen so many guys leave the Navy and I oh I'm gonna go I'm gonna go to Wharton I'm

525
00:45:49,360 --> 00:45:56,880
gonna get my MBA I'm gonna do this and do that and I saw a lot of guys come back you

526
00:45:56,880 --> 00:46:01,560
know six months a year later now my man if I could I'm never doing that I'm never coming

527
00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:07,520
back I'm gonna go blaze my own path did that contracting job about six out of months and

528
00:46:07,520 --> 00:46:14,520
I was like man I'm really missing the teams missing my purpose so I called up the reserve

529
00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:22,840
SEAL team on the West Coast SEAL team 17 I said hey what's up guys what do you think

530
00:46:22,840 --> 00:46:31,680
come on over so I went to reserve SEAL teams and mobilized early so I can get on orders

531
00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:37,320
which means you have a paycheck did a quick workup and deployed to Korea for six months

532
00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:43,000
which was awesome came back and kept trying to go to schools because then reserves you

533
00:46:43,000 --> 00:46:48,640
gotta kinda have to hustle and get yourself into schools and figure out which parts of

534
00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:53,200
money you can use for schools so you're not taking all SEAL team 17's money and find schools

535
00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:57,560
that the big Navy will pay for so you can go do that school so I was just doing that

536
00:46:57,560 --> 00:47:03,800
hustle staying on orders getting paid learning new schools.

537
00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:04,800
How was Korea?

538
00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:10,640
I've had this conversation quite a lot recently I was just flying home to England a few weeks

539
00:47:10,640 --> 00:47:15,280
ago and I saw a documentary about people who escaped North Korea and it shows some who

540
00:47:15,280 --> 00:47:20,200
actually were successful and some who were arrested and then sent to the Gulag it was

541
00:47:20,200 --> 00:47:27,880
horrendous but it illustrated how close Korea came to be completely overrun and how the

542
00:47:27,880 --> 00:47:33,680
allied nations that came from the US and other countries literally saved South Korea and

543
00:47:33,680 --> 00:47:39,440
then helped drive everyone back North and it's a shame that that generation gets such

544
00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:42,480
little discussion when it talks about their service.

545
00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:45,440
What was the perspective that you got in the six months that you were there at the time

546
00:47:45,440 --> 00:47:48,600
that you were there?

547
00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:53,880
Korea is like a city from the future when you first get there and I think it's because

548
00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:58,720
when we landed there it was night time and we went straight to a bullet train and there

549
00:47:58,720 --> 00:48:02,680
was all the neon lights and I was like oh my god this is crazy I felt like I was in

550
00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:07,020
like a sci-fi show which is pretty cool.

551
00:48:07,020 --> 00:48:11,840
I think a lot of the good that people did and you know some of the older generations

552
00:48:11,840 --> 00:48:14,760
like hey you guys are awesome we remember what you guys did.

553
00:48:14,760 --> 00:48:22,600
The Korean War wasn't that long ago but I think with the long-standing military bases

554
00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:29,800
there you know there's something happens downtown or there's a car accident I think those started

555
00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:38,320
to overshadow you know all the good we did a while ago during the war but all in all

556
00:48:38,320 --> 00:48:47,080
my experience was great I worked with the South Korean SEALs and I was always curious

557
00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:54,760
if other cultures special forces was like a thing was it like a vibe was it a scene

558
00:48:54,760 --> 00:49:01,280
was like oh that guy's a this and in Korea very much so but oh you're UDT?

559
00:49:01,280 --> 00:49:06,280
UDT is good and I'm like oh sweet awesome so like they had it was cool to see their

560
00:49:06,280 --> 00:49:12,960
country have pride and then being UDT the UDT SEAL and the SEALs being very very prideful

561
00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:18,360
in you know their job so it was cool to see that they had their own culture that was like

562
00:49:18,360 --> 00:49:22,800
super honorable a lot of respect so that was fun.

563
00:49:22,800 --> 00:49:29,360
Beautiful well walk me through then to Serbia and let's talk about that entire kind of mental

564
00:49:29,360 --> 00:49:31,360
health nightmare that you endured.

565
00:49:31,360 --> 00:49:37,560
Yeah so I was doing some other contracting and I was on a very light job if any job in

566
00:49:37,560 --> 00:49:50,240
Serbia wrong place wrong time I'm at a house I get arrested and you know from that moment

567
00:49:50,240 --> 00:50:00,080
it was just absurdity chaos confusion it was bananas so I get arrested at this house the

568
00:50:00,080 --> 00:50:04,760
kids house I was staying at comes in he had left for the evening after he got a phone

569
00:50:04,760 --> 00:50:11,280
call I don't speak Serbian at the time but no idea what he was doing 45 minutes later

570
00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:16,240
he comes flying in his house handcuffed slams into the wall and I'm like what is going on

571
00:50:16,240 --> 00:50:21,160
and I look over to my left and there's there's a nine millimeter pointer right at my temple

572
00:50:21,160 --> 00:50:26,720
and I'm like what the fuck and I kind of focus at the person and it looks like a police uniform

573
00:50:26,720 --> 00:50:32,320
but it looks like it was bought at Party City is it so shitty cheap I was like what and

574
00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:39,640
then I hear that the magazine Springs rattle and then I kind of focus up and it's this

575
00:50:39,640 --> 00:50:47,760
like 21 year old kid with a pistol at my head with his finger on the trigger terrified so

576
00:50:47,760 --> 00:50:53,480
much that I can hear the gun rattling and I was like you're like after all I've been

577
00:50:53,480 --> 00:51:01,400
through I hope this is now go so I'm getting yelled at Serbian and I just do you know I

578
00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:05,640
thought this would be an international move regardless of language I just slowly put my

579
00:51:05,640 --> 00:51:15,520
hands up I'm like this this I think this is the move to do got cuffed you know long story

580
00:51:15,520 --> 00:51:19,920
short we were gonna have a party at this kid's house he got arrested trying to buy drugs

581
00:51:19,920 --> 00:51:24,480
from a drug dealer and drug dealers have guns so there's gun drugs the drug dealer had a

582
00:51:24,480 --> 00:51:29,160
friend in the kid's house I was that was there so those three got arrested in what I think

583
00:51:29,160 --> 00:51:35,240
the name of the city they took the kid back to his house where I was and like you're American

584
00:51:35,240 --> 00:51:42,520
I said yes you like guns something as much as the next guy like what's going on and all

585
00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:48,360
right this is weird you're going to jail we go to police station for two three I think

586
00:51:48,360 --> 00:51:52,360
not three or four days and I'm interrogated and they're like what do you do I'm like oh

587
00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:58,120
I'm a defense contractor what qualifies you to do that I'm an exil oh and you're in Serbia

588
00:51:58,120 --> 00:52:03,160
huh so like they just ran with it and they're like you're here to kill our president I said

589
00:52:03,160 --> 00:52:10,280
who they said his name first and I don't know what that is no it's our president I'm like

590
00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:14,920
no I'm not I don't know what the fuck you're talking about you know and then you know getting

591
00:52:14,920 --> 00:52:19,200
interrogated and I spoke pretty good Russian at the time and the English translator was

592
00:52:19,200 --> 00:52:26,400
not did not know any English and I shot in the dark I said maybe it's better we speak

593
00:52:26,400 --> 00:52:33,000
in Russian if you guys know Russian and they just he's a spy he speaks Russian like they

594
00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:41,040
just lost their minds so during the interrogation process there was a good cop that was that

595
00:52:41,040 --> 00:52:48,400
understood he goes look dude I believe you I get it but I need you to know that this

596
00:52:48,400 --> 00:52:56,720
is already to the newspapers and you're famous I'm like really so we go to the courthouse

597
00:52:56,720 --> 00:52:59,600
we make initial statements judges like yeah I don't know what's going on you're going

598
00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:12,520
to jail okay so go to jail wait for three months go to make an official statement again

599
00:53:12,520 --> 00:53:19,960
at the small court they're like yeah you're good to go cool come back the guards like

600
00:53:19,960 --> 00:53:24,520
come on all right start packing my stuff he's like no go back to visit your lawyer in the

601
00:53:24,520 --> 00:53:29,520
meeting rooms lawyer says hey man after you left the judge got a call said you had to

602
00:53:29,520 --> 00:53:34,960
be charged with something so buckle up it's gonna be a long time because there's four

603
00:53:34,960 --> 00:53:39,680
of you in the case and four people in Serbia's organized crime so now they're looking at

604
00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:46,640
this as an organized crime I'm like what yeah and my first room I was put in I was in there

605
00:53:46,640 --> 00:53:51,680
with a guy who murdered his wife with a hammer a guy who's a professional kidnapped ransom

606
00:53:51,680 --> 00:53:57,680
guy and then some kid from Croatia who's a terrorist and because I was in that room we

607
00:53:57,680 --> 00:54:06,320
only had 30 days outside our room for a walk and it was just us and you know they're like

608
00:54:06,320 --> 00:54:11,360
popping pills and you know the prison was giving pills to anybody who would take them

609
00:54:11,360 --> 00:54:16,080
you know and they would stay at they'd stay up all night and he played his little radio

610
00:54:16,080 --> 00:54:20,720
and one day you know after my after a couple nights of no sleep I just took his radio and

611
00:54:20,720 --> 00:54:25,880
bounced off the ground shattered and the next day I was transferred out of that room thank

612
00:54:25,880 --> 00:54:33,160
you so I finally got to a room we had an Aussie cocaine dealer we got busted doing a big big

613
00:54:33,160 --> 00:54:41,800
deal a junkie and a state-sponsored killer so it was good there was order it was clean

614
00:54:41,800 --> 00:54:47,840
and I got to go two hours a day outside my room not just 30 minutes and there's with

615
00:54:47,840 --> 00:54:55,660
the whole block and it just you know first I didn't really have to like tap into my room

616
00:54:55,660 --> 00:55:01,960
too much because I'm like okay you're gonna tell it that after April after the three months

617
00:55:01,960 --> 00:55:06,000
I was there and then they said hey you're gonna be charged with something that's when

618
00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:10,520
I needed to get comfortable in the room I've created in my mind right that's when I had

619
00:55:10,520 --> 00:55:19,760
to really dig in and okay what can I do today that's in my control I can work out I can

620
00:55:19,760 --> 00:55:26,440
make flashcards from my Russian Serbian dictionary and I could play chess I can get good at chess

621
00:55:26,440 --> 00:55:32,200
like these are things I can control the rest I can't worry about like I can't do anything

622
00:55:32,200 --> 00:55:36,760
about it yeah it sucks but there's no point in me focusing any energy on the things I

623
00:55:36,760 --> 00:55:44,080
can't control so I just day to day like what can I do today to be better at so go to chess

624
00:55:44,080 --> 00:55:50,160
make make 26 flashcards instead of 25 I did yesterday do one more push-up do one more

625
00:55:50,160 --> 00:55:58,640
burpee and that went on until I think June or July and then a big lawyer had decided

626
00:55:58,640 --> 00:56:06,920
to take on my case in the following week he was assassinated in the street so they came

627
00:56:06,920 --> 00:56:15,760
in my room you know lift the jugs spread the cheese ripping everything apart and they thought

628
00:56:15,760 --> 00:56:21,440
I had something to do with it in the front page in Serbian picture of the crime scene

629
00:56:21,440 --> 00:56:30,360
superimposed photo of me lawyer killed because of seal though just and then the newspaper

630
00:56:30,360 --> 00:56:34,920
just the hit the hit pieces kept rolling in though though every time I was up for house

631
00:56:34,920 --> 00:56:39,800
arrest because everyone else my case had house arrest every time I was up for house arrest

632
00:56:39,800 --> 00:56:44,680
even though there was no progression progress in my case at all there'd be a hit piece day

633
00:56:44,680 --> 00:56:50,280
before a judge was gonna sign house arrest or not come out in the newspaper like very

634
00:56:50,280 --> 00:57:00,400
coincidental timing right very nice for them finally after 11 months I was charged and

635
00:57:00,400 --> 00:57:08,200
during that time you know I took you know not only working on the tangible skills like

636
00:57:08,200 --> 00:57:16,800
learning Serbian or getting better at chess or working out you know you have a lot of

637
00:57:16,800 --> 00:57:25,080
time in silence to yourself no phone barely any TV you know I was learning Serbian so

638
00:57:25,080 --> 00:57:33,440
I wasn't able to have a whole lot of engagement with people right and you would start to have

639
00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:39,440
these thoughts you'd have to have memories and some people are bad like I can't believe

640
00:57:39,440 --> 00:57:46,600
I did that I hope that person doesn't hate me right okay let's dive into this so every

641
00:57:46,600 --> 00:57:51,640
night I'd lay in bed for about two hours and just do a deep deep dive from my earliest

642
00:57:51,640 --> 00:58:00,000
memories of everything I've ever done that wrong somebody and you know it was hard because

643
00:58:00,000 --> 00:58:05,480
you know in my head I would ask them for forgiveness but at the same time you know that's up to

644
00:58:05,480 --> 00:58:10,240
them to forgive me but for me to move forward and focus on my day-to-day mental health I

645
00:58:10,240 --> 00:58:16,520
had to forgive myself for the things I've done that wrong people so I did that for like

646
00:58:16,520 --> 00:58:24,680
ten months straight just everything I could even think of that I did that was bad wrong

647
00:58:24,680 --> 00:58:30,740
hurt somebody I'd go do a little audit forgive myself and move on and I had to be really

648
00:58:30,740 --> 00:58:35,880
mindful think about the good things I've done too like it's very easy to focus on the negative

649
00:58:35,880 --> 00:58:42,800
so I did like a little soul cleansing every night I was in a Serbian prison you mentioned

650
00:58:42,800 --> 00:58:49,480
the Aussie drug dealer his name wasn't James gearing was it his name was there was three

651
00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:59,480
of them I think he might Christian Christian waters was one of them and Dave I'll look

652
00:58:59,480 --> 00:59:03,880
it up yeah that was funny just the reason I asked when I first started this if you google

653
00:59:03,880 --> 00:59:10,680
my name an Australian coke dealer came up called James gearing and a pedophile from

654
00:59:10,680 --> 00:59:16,760
Manchester so yeah now if you google it luckily it's all the podcast stuff and they're all

655
00:59:16,760 --> 00:59:21,000
buried down there somewhere but that's why I still be kind of funny if my namesake was

656
00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:26,920
one of your prison maze yeah I looked up my name way before any of this and there was

657
00:59:26,920 --> 00:59:34,080
one guy who's a weatherman in the UK so that's that's all I have I don't have any drug dealers

658
00:59:34,080 --> 00:59:43,040
well back to you know your incarceration during this time what was being done or tried to

659
00:59:43,040 --> 00:59:51,920
be done from the US side zero State Department came in and US embassy and he was just he

660
00:59:51,920 --> 00:59:56,520
seemed so terrified even being there and he would ask me questions like hey how's the

661
00:59:56,520 --> 01:00:01,360
food I'm like dude it's bad can you change it oh no why are you asking me these questions

662
01:00:01,360 --> 01:00:06,920
what are you doing oh okay I'm like looking I think they're gonna charge me with something

663
01:00:06,920 --> 01:00:13,200
since bullshit and he said well you know maybe plea deals not a bad idea there was a pedophile

664
01:00:13,200 --> 01:00:17,800
in Indonesia and they gave him a plea deal and he didn't take it now he has a bunch of

665
01:00:17,800 --> 01:00:22,080
years so why are you telling me about some pedophile in Indonesia what are you talking

666
01:00:22,080 --> 01:00:27,960
about well I'm just saying and they just crumbled and even the guards were like dude the embassies

667
01:00:27,960 --> 01:00:32,920
here like you're free this is stupid I'm like yeah awesome the Calvary's here USA Uncle

668
01:00:32,920 --> 01:00:38,000
Sam let's go and they're like well you know I don't know what they're saying in the news

669
01:00:38,000 --> 01:00:45,720
now my what the tablets and he would always come in with the Serbian national who worked

670
01:00:45,720 --> 01:00:51,680
in the US embassy so they were a team and she was like I get it this is BS I'm sorry

671
01:00:51,680 --> 01:01:00,920
this is happening to you but the American guy was like oh I don't know he was useless

672
01:01:00,920 --> 01:01:07,160
guys like oh why didn't you sign any papers to let the military or someone help because

673
01:01:07,160 --> 01:01:12,000
the people handing me papers were those people I didn't trust them I did not trust him at

674
01:01:12,000 --> 01:01:17,200
all I signed the thing yes you can tell my mom and dad about what's going on but any

675
01:01:17,200 --> 01:01:21,640
other papers I didn't trust him as far as I could through so I wasn't gonna sign anything

676
01:01:21,640 --> 01:01:27,520
for that guy which is so funny because when you go to Sears school survive evade resist

677
01:01:27,520 --> 01:01:32,240
escape you're taught like once the Red Cross comes or the US embassy comes like that's

678
01:01:32,240 --> 01:01:38,760
good news you can really glean into them so boom US embassy comes and it was not good

679
01:01:38,760 --> 01:01:44,520
news so now I'm totally in charge of what do I do and I pretty much told him to get

680
01:01:44,520 --> 01:01:52,000
lost and I'll figure it out I had a wrongfully convicted 18 year old at the time on the show

681
01:01:52,000 --> 01:01:58,840
Greg and very long story very short he was a star football player his parent though his

682
01:01:58,840 --> 01:02:02,280
mother had got sick so they kind of moved closer to where the hospital was so he'd actually

683
01:02:02,280 --> 01:02:07,240
stayed with a teammate a football teammate there was an outcry because the family had

684
01:02:07,240 --> 01:02:13,280
a daycare and a little kid had said that Greg had touched me a complete abandonment of any

685
01:02:13,280 --> 01:02:20,400
proper investigation he ends up getting put in prison for this crime so you can imagine

686
01:02:20,400 --> 01:02:25,680
how he was received in this prison by the fellow you know prisoners ultimately has proven

687
01:02:25,680 --> 01:02:29,800
completely innocent and they figured out that the friend that he stayed with was actually

688
01:02:29,800 --> 01:02:35,440
the pedo that not only did that but also raped someone while Greg was in prison the biggest

689
01:02:35,440 --> 01:02:40,700
thing though that was hard for him was just not getting into trouble while he was in prison

690
01:02:40,700 --> 01:02:44,680
because you know that would just you know add to the sentence you already had now you're

691
01:02:44,680 --> 01:02:49,920
in Serbia you've got some pretty dangerous people around you how were you able to to

692
01:02:49,920 --> 01:02:54,680
not rock the boat I'm assuming that you were probably being you know preyed upon by certain

693
01:02:54,680 --> 01:03:00,840
people while you were there surprisingly it was not the case I mean I had one incident

694
01:03:00,840 --> 01:03:06,880
but it was like staged and it was I'll go into that but the newspaper said I was there

695
01:03:06,880 --> 01:03:12,760
to kill the president the newspaper beat me to the prison by four days everyone in Serbian

696
01:03:12,760 --> 01:03:19,200
prison inmates guards alike hate the Serbian president so when I showed up guys were saluting

697
01:03:19,200 --> 01:03:26,240
me and we're like yeah I was like what's going on and I came to find out that's why and plus

698
01:03:26,240 --> 01:03:32,560
that country is very homogeneous so there wasn't a whole lot of diversity that people

699
01:03:32,560 --> 01:03:37,360
could stand behind and try to argue over which you know not that people should like oh I'm

700
01:03:37,360 --> 01:03:40,640
this color you're that color you're this religion on that religion it's all pretty much the

701
01:03:40,640 --> 01:03:46,440
same in that country so there wasn't any of that like as far as violence goes there was

702
01:03:46,440 --> 01:03:53,320
a couple there one guy got killed two guys got killed but it's kind of an us-versus-them

703
01:03:53,320 --> 01:03:58,360
mentality us is everyone in jail and them is the system right so even the two cocaine

704
01:03:58,360 --> 01:04:02,640
mock is that were that are big in that area there's two guys in there and it's kind of

705
01:04:02,640 --> 01:04:07,440
like you be easy I be easy let's get out of here and if you need to do stuff for back

706
01:04:07,440 --> 01:04:13,280
in the streets let's go handle it because everyone's trying to get out and where I was

707
01:04:13,280 --> 01:04:20,040
was like a holding prison for guys in court so no one wants to go to court and say you're

708
01:04:20,040 --> 01:04:23,520
innocent good boy after you cut someone's neck with a tuna can and bled him out in the

709
01:04:23,520 --> 01:04:29,200
court you know what I mean so everyone's trying to keep it pretty chill so what change you

710
01:04:29,200 --> 01:04:33,480
didn't have a lot of support from the State Department obviously you're getting you know

711
01:04:33,480 --> 01:04:38,920
constant highs and lows as far as expectations are being released what was that kind of light

712
01:04:38,920 --> 01:04:43,960
at the end of the tunnel in the end then I got charged we finally had because the legally

713
01:04:43,960 --> 01:04:48,320
they have to charge me in six months well they didn't charge me for 11 months I mean

714
01:04:48,320 --> 01:04:55,080
there's rules and then if they're they're applied and adhere to is one thing so that

715
01:04:55,080 --> 01:05:01,000
was the big victory being charged after 11 months for possession of a firearm possession

716
01:05:01,000 --> 01:05:08,540
of a firearm and explosives and something else okay cool then another month later we

717
01:05:08,540 --> 01:05:13,240
got a judge and it took a month to get a judge because no judge wanted my case because they

718
01:05:13,240 --> 01:05:18,760
looked they said there's no evidence against the guy and the ministry the Minister of Defense

719
01:05:18,760 --> 01:05:25,920
was saying oh he was here in their newspaper he was he wasn't here to shoot fish in the

720
01:05:25,920 --> 01:05:31,280
Danube River with that pistol why didn't have a pistol right so now there's this external

721
01:05:31,280 --> 01:05:38,000
pressure from the government to see something happen to me and you know the judge with the

722
01:05:38,000 --> 01:05:45,280
oath they took to uphold justice is like there's nothing here so we finally got a judge and

723
01:05:45,280 --> 01:05:51,900
in January a year after I was arrested was my first court date and in Serbia there's

724
01:05:51,900 --> 01:05:58,980
no jury there's just one person to judge and the way court the court system is so backed

725
01:05:58,980 --> 01:06:05,680
up there that the way it works is you go in opening statements that's it you just do your

726
01:06:05,680 --> 01:06:12,080
opening statements and then you come back 30 days later to do the next part and then

727
01:06:12,080 --> 01:06:19,560
30 days later for that part 30 days later for that part so trial took six months how

728
01:06:19,560 --> 01:06:24,800
you remember what people were saying there's a 30 day gap between every presentation it's

729
01:06:24,800 --> 01:06:31,600
it was so disorganized and I think once or twice I think once it was like court date

730
01:06:31,600 --> 01:06:36,720
three or two and now I have like cool things look for a year you have nothing I had nothing

731
01:06:36,720 --> 01:06:43,640
look forward to it was just an ambiguous time with no event to look forward to just sitting

732
01:06:43,640 --> 01:06:49,960
and now I have 30 day okay opening statements okay examination so my next my second court

733
01:06:49,960 --> 01:06:55,720
date you know getting the paddy wagon obviously I get my own paddy wagon because I'm dangerous

734
01:06:55,720 --> 01:07:02,520
and I'm like Hannibal Lecter and then mp5s on me it was it was completely out of control

735
01:07:02,520 --> 01:07:14,480
show up sit down judge gavels in words words words judge gavels out my lawyer's like yep

736
01:07:14,480 --> 01:07:20,840
see you in a month so what's going on like you're interpreted and show up oh god okay

737
01:07:20,840 --> 01:07:24,560
I said you can do you speak better English than anyone who's ever interpreted for me

738
01:07:24,560 --> 01:07:31,680
during this whole process like can't I'm not for uh court certified oh man so that that

739
01:07:31,680 --> 01:07:38,400
that day was probably like the biggest bummer because that set you back another month so

740
01:07:38,400 --> 01:07:44,160
yeah that's how the court so I stood trial I stood trial in Serbian Court for six months

741
01:07:44,160 --> 01:07:51,480
so how were you released ultimately what was the final verdict so the day of the verdict

742
01:07:51,480 --> 01:07:57,800
I had the worst translator I ever had judge has the other three guys stand up reason their

743
01:07:57,800 --> 01:08:06,400
sentence whatever and then me and then towards the end my interpreters like you can go I

744
01:08:06,400 --> 01:08:12,600
said yeah but under what circumstances because I was sure they're gonna say guilty time served

745
01:08:12,600 --> 01:08:19,640
right you can go and like we we appease our people that guilty and need to go home she's

746
01:08:19,640 --> 01:08:25,440
I know you're you can go like but like what is she saying she said you're innocent okay

747
01:08:25,440 --> 01:08:29,520
good and the judge looks at me she goes hey if we find you innocent of all charges I'm

748
01:08:29,520 --> 01:08:34,160
sorry this happened to you hope this doesn't put a bad taste in Serbia for you you're gonna

749
01:08:34,160 --> 01:08:45,000
be compensated for illegal fees mispay damages I was like okay go back to jail grab my shit

750
01:08:45,000 --> 01:08:49,560
then I had to go to customs office because my visa had expired and I was like look man

751
01:08:49,560 --> 01:08:54,480
I don't think the days I was a jail should go against it that's BS and I was getting

752
01:08:54,480 --> 01:08:58,280
really argumentative because I did it's been there for 18 months I don't care I just I

753
01:08:58,280 --> 01:09:03,320
was just acquitted and these guys are interrogating me again I'm like no their superior comes

754
01:09:03,320 --> 01:09:07,480
in he's like how does seven days sound I said that's good I mean regardless I was gone in

755
01:09:07,480 --> 01:09:14,840
two days anyways but I was I was feeling a little bit argumentative at the time understandably

756
01:09:14,840 --> 01:09:22,800
so yeah see I stood trial and was acquitted so what was that homecoming like you've been

757
01:09:22,800 --> 01:09:29,340
sitting in a Serbian jail for 18 months you know again still separated from your purpose

758
01:09:29,340 --> 01:09:38,760
and your tribe and all the things what was that return for you it wasn't as as big as

759
01:09:38,760 --> 01:09:45,360
one would think because my mind was never in jail right like I was never mentally in

760
01:09:45,360 --> 01:09:51,160
prison and I always you know my family's so strong in love my friends are so strong in

761
01:09:51,160 --> 01:09:55,720
love and I could just feel it and I always carry that with me every day in in prison

762
01:09:55,720 --> 01:10:02,800
so but I saw mom dad and brother waiting for me at the airport it was just like another

763
01:10:02,800 --> 01:10:06,920
day for me I don't know it wasn't it wasn't that big my biggest surprise was coming through

764
01:10:06,920 --> 01:10:12,720
customs and there was like yeah welcome back like there was no like what were you doing

765
01:10:12,720 --> 01:10:17,760
there I was like okay cool it was good to see everyone mom and dad were very related

766
01:10:17,760 --> 01:10:23,960
as well as brother but it wasn't anything too crazy you know I was I was in the SEAL

767
01:10:23,960 --> 01:10:31,000
teams I deployed you know I'd write on the back of my lawyer's paper or the embassy people's

768
01:10:31,000 --> 01:10:38,080
paper during our visits like mom watch the movie Idiocracy don't worry that's what's

769
01:10:38,080 --> 01:10:43,240
happening right now don't talk to anyone I love you guys don't worry about anything so

770
01:10:43,240 --> 01:10:48,320
there was like one way communication going out to mom and dad and it's like a long shitty

771
01:10:48,320 --> 01:10:54,680
deployment I guess right so you come back what made you decide to put pen and paper

772
01:10:54,680 --> 01:11:00,840
and write American mercenary well I come back and 30 days later I go take another job so

773
01:11:00,840 --> 01:11:08,160
I go fly to another country I get a call saying hey do you want to write a book and they said

774
01:11:08,160 --> 01:11:13,160
no because I was still chasing the dragon of doing the job I was doing you know I was

775
01:11:13,160 --> 01:11:17,040
like how could you go back and do that after what happened I'm like well cowboy doesn't

776
01:11:17,040 --> 01:11:21,040
put writing if he gets fucked off right you learn and you get better and you keep going

777
01:11:21,040 --> 01:11:24,440
okay that's a little different than going to prison for a team honestly yeah potato

778
01:11:24,440 --> 01:11:30,120
potato so I get the call I say no because I want to keep chasing this dragon and the

779
01:11:30,120 --> 01:11:35,320
dragon is now turning into a fine miss very very very far away and the writing on the

780
01:11:35,320 --> 01:11:40,200
wall is just not there anymore get a call again it's like hey man I think this would

781
01:11:40,200 --> 01:11:44,000
be a really good story really good book I said well I don't want to do a seal book I

782
01:11:44,000 --> 01:11:47,440
don't want to just do I was in Buds I ran there was a log it was well there was coal

783
01:11:47,440 --> 01:11:51,440
I don't want to say no I know that's fine all that stuff's been talked about like your

784
01:11:51,440 --> 01:11:57,320
story and what you did after and the Serbia stuff your mentality I said okay I can get

785
01:11:57,320 --> 01:12:05,560
behind that yeah so that's how that got started well I know what we had a brief chat before

786
01:12:05,560 --> 01:12:10,440
we hit record you're very passionate about that transition and I think this is something

787
01:12:10,440 --> 01:12:13,800
that I see jarring in the first responder professions as we touched on you know you

788
01:12:13,800 --> 01:12:19,500
have tribe you have purpose you have you know this this this ingrained community the shared

789
01:12:19,500 --> 01:12:24,280
suffering and then a lot of us whether it's promoting to achieve tests in a building somewhere

790
01:12:24,280 --> 01:12:29,400
else or whether it's retirement or an injury or being fired you know now that person finds

791
01:12:29,400 --> 01:12:33,960
himself alone and in our profession there is there no VA there's no you know medical

792
01:12:33,960 --> 01:12:37,400
anything they just literally the door closes behind you and that's it your ID doesn't

793
01:12:37,400 --> 01:12:43,200
work anymore so talk to me about that kind of principle through your eyes and the message

794
01:12:43,200 --> 01:12:49,200
that you want to convey to people listening just because one tribe was your tribe at one

795
01:12:49,200 --> 01:12:56,480
point doesn't mean you have to be monogamous to them right I have friends I play indoor

796
01:12:56,480 --> 01:13:01,520
soccer with or used to before I ruptured my Achilles and you know they they played Dungeons

797
01:13:01,520 --> 01:13:06,800
and Dragons right like they're not seals but we enjoy soccer together to branch out and

798
01:13:06,800 --> 01:13:12,680
not be so married to the concept that it has to be your tank battalion or it has to be

799
01:13:12,680 --> 01:13:16,760
your seal buddies because like they're not even seals anymore neither of you and you

800
01:13:16,760 --> 01:13:22,380
live in Colorado and he lives in Texas right so so be a little bit brave branch out try

801
01:13:22,380 --> 01:13:29,240
new things and explore because you'll find something yeah I don't think even with that

802
01:13:29,240 --> 01:13:33,860
one dimension like I only like guns like really did you only like guns really there's nothing

803
01:13:33,860 --> 01:13:36,740
else you like right.

804
01:13:36,740 --> 01:13:42,040
What about the the employment side what I've seen in the fire services a lot of men and

805
01:13:42,040 --> 01:13:45,960
women will transition out and then they'll teach at a fire academy in law enforcement

806
01:13:45,960 --> 01:13:50,640
it seems to be the security work that people go to but as you touched on earlier with you

807
01:13:50,640 --> 01:13:57,720
know a member of the teams it's not about fast roping and you know using a weapon it's

808
01:13:57,720 --> 01:14:02,680
the the teamwork and the problem solving and you know the ability to work under fatigue

809
01:14:02,680 --> 01:14:07,640
and suffering and all these other areas and I find a lot of our you know professions in

810
01:14:07,640 --> 01:14:13,360
uniform feel so myopic when they leave and they're not really made fully aware of the

811
01:14:13,360 --> 01:14:18,320
skill set that we have and the application in a thousand different ways and it could

812
01:14:18,320 --> 01:14:20,640
be used.

813
01:14:20,640 --> 01:14:26,520
I think that goes into what I was saying earlier too like I'm caught because when I was this

814
01:14:26,520 --> 01:14:31,960
age I did it for so so long I had that moment where I realized who I was and now I'm this

815
01:14:31,960 --> 01:14:39,360
I challenge people to ask themselves when they're 16 17 15 12 what else did you like

816
01:14:39,360 --> 01:14:48,720
goes for that you don't have to be in in this realm things you don't have to stay there

817
01:14:48,720 --> 01:14:56,360
is it safe yes I did it boom contract quick money right but don't sell yourself short

818
01:14:56,360 --> 01:14:58,320
you're not that one dimension.

819
01:14:58,320 --> 01:14:59,680
Absolutely.

820
01:14:59,680 --> 01:15:03,000
All right well I want to go to some quick closing questions before I let you go.

821
01:15:03,000 --> 01:15:06,840
The first one I love to ask we talked about your book are there any other books that you

822
01:15:06,840 --> 01:15:14,000
love to recommend it can be related to our discussion today or completely unrelated and

823
01:15:14,000 --> 01:15:26,680
thus spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche Ender's Game Meditations obviously and anything Dumas

824
01:15:26,680 --> 01:15:29,280
Dumas Sofa.

825
01:15:29,280 --> 01:15:31,280
Brilliant.

826
01:15:31,280 --> 01:15:35,640
All right what about films and documentaries any of those that you love?

827
01:15:35,640 --> 01:15:36,920
Snatch.

828
01:15:36,920 --> 01:15:38,560
It's a good film.

829
01:15:38,560 --> 01:15:41,640
So good.

830
01:15:41,640 --> 01:15:47,000
Films documentaries I kind of I kind of been jumping on that true crime bus that I think

831
01:15:47,000 --> 01:15:53,320
that's whenever to grab my mom I like you know when the history channel like World War

832
01:15:53,320 --> 01:15:56,360
Two and color and all that like that's killer films.

833
01:15:56,360 --> 01:16:01,120
I've been watching so many movies.

834
01:16:01,120 --> 01:16:05,560
God I had just too many lists snatch is my all time favorite.

835
01:16:05,560 --> 01:16:06,560
Brilliant.

836
01:16:06,560 --> 01:16:09,920
All right well the next question then is there a person that you recommend to come on this

837
01:16:09,920 --> 01:16:15,200
podcast as a guest to speak to the first responders military and associated professions of the

838
01:16:15,200 --> 01:16:16,200
world.

839
01:16:16,200 --> 01:16:18,560
Have you had Jeff Nichols on.

840
01:16:18,560 --> 01:16:20,720
I have yeah yeah just been on several times.

841
01:16:20,720 --> 01:16:24,840
He's like when you say that I'm like boom that's instantly to him.

842
01:16:24,840 --> 01:16:29,600
Oh man I might have to get back to you on that one.

843
01:16:29,600 --> 01:16:32,520
Yeah no problem at all I need to get Jeff back on again it's been a little while now

844
01:16:32,520 --> 01:16:34,400
I had him and Catherine last time.

845
01:16:34,400 --> 01:16:38,760
He's so smart and he has the science to back it up and he's so practical.

846
01:16:38,760 --> 01:16:40,840
Yeah yeah and he takes the gloves off too.

847
01:16:40,840 --> 01:16:41,840
I like the way he talks.

848
01:16:41,840 --> 01:16:44,840
Oh yeah he doesn't hold back.

849
01:16:44,840 --> 01:16:47,360
All right well then the very last question for you make sure everyone knows where to

850
01:16:47,360 --> 01:16:49,160
find you and the book.

851
01:16:49,160 --> 01:16:52,160
What do you do to decompress.

852
01:16:52,160 --> 01:16:54,440
Man it worked out.

853
01:16:54,440 --> 01:17:00,680
I run and I think I have mitigations in place I'm more preventative I don't really get

854
01:17:00,680 --> 01:17:06,240
compressed you know so I kind of live my life to not be compressed so I don't really have

855
01:17:06,240 --> 01:17:11,360
to like oh I need to decompress I need two hours after X-Files.

856
01:17:11,360 --> 01:17:21,160
I'll go for a nice a nice 10 minute pace nice long run clear my head have a good playlist.

857
01:17:21,160 --> 01:17:25,300
What about I mean you're not old but what about as you've watched yourself age as a

858
01:17:25,300 --> 01:17:31,920
tactical athlete how has your training and rest and recovery changed as you've progressed

859
01:17:31,920 --> 01:17:35,080
through this career if at all.

860
01:17:35,080 --> 01:17:41,280
Yeah well October 31st or late October I was brought to you by Achilles playing football

861
01:17:41,280 --> 01:17:44,160
soccer so that was an eye opener.

862
01:17:44,160 --> 01:17:50,720
My buddy was a pro baseball player he's like nope he's retired now he's like 37 that's

863
01:17:50,720 --> 01:17:51,720
it that's all you had.

864
01:17:51,720 --> 01:17:55,680
I quit playing pickleball and tennis because of it like I can feel it.

865
01:17:55,680 --> 01:18:03,800
So you know just because my mind wants to keep going that body is now starting to you

866
01:18:03,800 --> 01:18:09,160
know my Achilles rupturing was more than just a subtle hint my body's screaming at me like

867
01:18:09,160 --> 01:18:18,900
hey cool awesome you have the great mentality beautiful but we have 40 years on us so relax.

868
01:18:18,900 --> 01:18:25,320
So I will still try to do things like when I was running recently after my it's been

869
01:18:25,320 --> 01:18:31,840
seven months I can't kick as hard and get my heart rate up at pace so I'm like hey what

870
01:18:31,840 --> 01:18:34,600
can I do I'll throw in a hoodie and it's 110.

871
01:18:34,600 --> 01:18:40,040
So I can do I'm still trying to get to my room and you know add some paintings on the

872
01:18:40,040 --> 01:18:42,920
wall in that room in my mind.

873
01:18:42,920 --> 01:18:50,040
Just gotta be creative and maybe not go as hard.

874
01:18:50,040 --> 01:18:55,820
What I found I'm just turned 50 and I had this realization that I'm not ever gonna be

875
01:18:55,820 --> 01:18:58,560
as fit and strong as I was when I was younger.

876
01:18:58,560 --> 01:19:03,680
Now I'm you know in great shape for 50 for the path that I want to be on but the focus

877
01:19:03,680 --> 01:19:08,360
has gone to addressing all the things that I did to my body as a firefighter as a stunt

878
01:19:08,360 --> 01:19:14,160
man as a you know martial artist and by addressing some of those injuries that's given me more

879
01:19:14,160 --> 01:19:15,640
fitness more strength.

880
01:19:15,640 --> 01:19:21,240
So not chasing the kind of you know 25 year old goal anymore and giving yourself some

881
01:19:21,240 --> 01:19:27,000
grace but realizing that you'll actually be an exceptional athlete at the age that you're

882
01:19:27,000 --> 01:19:33,320
at if you actually take it down one notch and focus on damage mitigation rather than

883
01:19:33,320 --> 01:19:38,040
PRing that bench press that you were chasing you know 20 years ago.

884
01:19:38,040 --> 01:19:44,360
I think my two goals now are maintenance just maintaining what I have now and not having

885
01:19:44,360 --> 01:19:48,680
to ever buy clothes the next size.

886
01:19:48,680 --> 01:19:50,800
That's it like if I get to accomplish that I'm good.

887
01:19:50,800 --> 01:19:55,160
I can still do as many pull-ups as I like to do or run X amount of miles at the right

888
01:19:55,160 --> 01:19:57,720
pace and still fit my clothes.

889
01:19:57,720 --> 01:20:02,760
That to me is my new definition of success 40 years and plus.

890
01:20:02,760 --> 01:20:04,640
Yeah I couldn't agree more.

891
01:20:04,640 --> 01:20:08,040
Alright well then for people listening where can they find the book American Mercenary

892
01:20:08,040 --> 01:20:13,200
and then where else can they find you on the web or social media?

893
01:20:13,200 --> 01:20:19,560
American Mercenary is available pre-order through Amazon Barnes & Nobles Books A Million

894
01:20:19,560 --> 01:20:22,040
I think Target Walmart.

895
01:20:22,040 --> 01:20:25,560
If you go to the Hachette Book Group landing page it'll give you the drop down all the

896
01:20:25,560 --> 01:20:34,520
options and you can find me at American Underscore Mercenary on Instagram and if you go on that

897
01:20:34,520 --> 01:20:39,600
page there is a link to that landing page I talked about for the publishing company

898
01:20:39,600 --> 01:20:44,720
with all the drop downs to you know purchase a book if you want or what type or from who.

899
01:20:44,720 --> 01:20:48,640
So at American Underscore Mercenary on Instagram.

900
01:20:48,640 --> 01:20:49,640
Beautiful.

901
01:20:49,640 --> 01:20:51,960
Well Daniel I want to say thank you so much.

902
01:20:51,960 --> 01:20:55,120
I mean there's certain people that come on the show that you know you're not going to

903
01:20:55,120 --> 01:20:59,440
dive into specificities of what they did because it's classified and it's none of our business

904
01:20:59,440 --> 01:21:04,240
but there are some really powerful parallels that I think we've been able to discuss today.

905
01:21:04,240 --> 01:21:08,240
So, I want to thank you so so much for being so generous with your time and coming on the

906
01:21:08,240 --> 01:21:09,240
Behind the Shield podcast.

907
01:21:09,240 --> 01:21:10,240
Hey, awesome.

908
01:21:10,240 --> 01:21:11,240
Thanks for having me.

909
01:21:11,240 --> 01:21:12,240
Let me know when you want me back.

910
01:21:12,240 --> 01:21:34,600
I'll be more than happy.