WEBVTT 00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:08.980 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:08.980 --> 00:00:15.140 is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. Good 00:00:15.140 --> 00:00:18.600 day. I'm Jim Fossone. I'm the Officer of the 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:20.699 Deck today here on Veterans Radio and thanks 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:23.460 for joining us. We've got some interesting stories 00:00:23.460 --> 00:00:25.640 for you. We always want to remind you, you can 00:00:25.640 --> 00:00:28.739 find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook 00:00:28.739 --> 00:00:32.420 site or at the web, veteransradio .org, where 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.259 we're on the web 24 -7. You can find a lot of 00:00:35.259 --> 00:00:38.299 our podcasts there as well. We post new ones 00:00:38.299 --> 00:00:42.479 every Tuesday, so you can get a new story, a 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.219 new interview, something you didn't know before 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:49.460 by going to veteransradio .org. Before we get 00:00:49.460 --> 00:00:52.259 started, we want to thank our sponsors. First 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:55.280 up, we want to thank National Veteran Business 00:00:55.280 --> 00:01:01.039 Development Council, nvbdc .org. It was established 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:04.379 to certify both service -disabled and veteran 00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:06.659 -owned businesses. You'll find out how they can 00:01:06.659 --> 00:01:12.319 help your business by going to nvbdc .org. We 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:15.859 want to thank Legal Help for Veterans. Legal 00:01:15.859 --> 00:01:18.939 Help for Veterans fights for veterans disability 00:01:18.939 --> 00:01:22.040 rights all across the nation. You can reach them 00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:30.560 at 800 -693 -4800 or on the web at LegalHelpForVeterans 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:34.280 .com. We just want to remind you that Veterans 00:01:34.280 --> 00:01:39.340 Radio podcasts are available on all your favorite 00:01:39.340 --> 00:01:43.359 streaming platforms including RSS .com, Apple 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:48.870 Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube podcasts, iHeartRadio, 00:01:49.390 --> 00:01:52.329 and Reeves Across America radio. So wherever 00:01:52.329 --> 00:01:55.870 you are, you can find us, whether it's on your 00:01:55.870 --> 00:01:58.290 mobile phone or your computer or your laptop, 00:01:58.370 --> 00:02:02.030 your tablet, but listen in to Veterans Radio 00:02:02.030 --> 00:02:04.730 podcast. We post something new every week and 00:02:04.730 --> 00:02:07.670 you're going to find it informative. We want 00:02:07.670 --> 00:02:13.030 to welcome to Veterans Radio today, Marine Landon 00:02:13.030 --> 00:02:17.379 Longrear. who spent eight years in the Marine 00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:22.699 Corps, came out as a sergeant, did tours over 00:02:22.699 --> 00:02:26.080 in Afghanistan, which we're going to talk about, 00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:28.180 and authored a book called the U .S. Marines 00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:31.840 at the Battle for Sangen during an operation 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:34.939 and during freedom. The book covers right behind 00:02:34.939 --> 00:02:38.639 him and over his head, as is his beautiful wife. 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:43.590 Lennon, welcome to Veterans Radio. Thanks, Jim. 00:02:43.849 --> 00:02:45.909 Really appreciate the opportunity to be here. 00:02:46.590 --> 00:02:49.389 Well, it's a very interesting and different sort 00:02:49.389 --> 00:02:54.830 of book about being over there and fighting in 00:02:54.830 --> 00:03:01.250 the sandbox because you grew up with certain 00:03:01.250 --> 00:03:05.610 groundings in Christianity, a recognition of 00:03:05.610 --> 00:03:07.729 consciousness and what's right and wrong and 00:03:07.729 --> 00:03:11.389 a soul. And this really put all of that to it. 00:03:11.319 --> 00:03:13.620 the test and we'll talk a little bit about that. 00:03:14.219 --> 00:03:17.939 But how do high school kid like you down in Texas 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:22.159 find his way into the Marine Corps? Yeah, I, 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:25.699 you know, all throughout my upbringing, it was 00:03:25.699 --> 00:03:27.659 always very apparent to me that serving in the 00:03:27.659 --> 00:03:30.860 military was an honorable thing. You know, from 00:03:30.860 --> 00:03:33.939 a Christian background, a major tenant of the 00:03:33.939 --> 00:03:37.840 Christian faith is that the greatest of the Christian 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:39.860 faith are servants. They're servant hearted. 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:44.599 So the example that Jesus said is that he came 00:03:44.599 --> 00:03:48.099 to serve, not to be served. And so as a part 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:51.659 of being an American and reaping the benefits 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:53.919 that generations of those that have gone before 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:57.840 us worked hard and sometimes fought wars over 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:00.620 to provide for us the way of life and freedoms 00:04:00.620 --> 00:04:06.800 and liberties, the benefits of industry and prosperity. 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:10.719 And it was always apparent to me that the day 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:12.340 would come that it would be my responsibility 00:04:12.340 --> 00:04:17.560 to take up the mantle. Make sure I continue those 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:19.459 make sure I continue our way of life forward 00:04:19.459 --> 00:04:22.620 and do my part However, that looks and that doesn't 00:04:22.620 --> 00:04:25.699 always mean military service for some but but 00:04:25.699 --> 00:04:29.480 it just it did for me I Always felt that it was 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:32.759 my duty to serve and I always wanted to I can't 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:35.980 really remember a time that I ever Didn't want 00:04:35.980 --> 00:04:39.819 to join the military You know 9 -eleven happened 00:04:39.819 --> 00:04:43.259 when I was in seventh grade and while I couldn't 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:47.870 fully I couldn't fully appreciate the gravity 00:04:47.870 --> 00:04:50.589 of that situation in my 13 -year -old mind. I 00:04:50.589 --> 00:04:53.350 knew it was important, but I think more important 00:04:53.350 --> 00:04:56.230 than that is that everything that followed, from 00:04:56.230 --> 00:04:58.550 the early air bombing campaigns in Afghanistan 00:04:58.550 --> 00:05:01.649 to the invasion of Iraq, which is a separate 00:05:01.649 --> 00:05:03.990 issue, but back then, as a kid, I always felt 00:05:03.990 --> 00:05:07.569 it was connected, and then the ground battles 00:05:07.569 --> 00:05:10.230 that followed in Afghanistan, all of that was 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:13.819 during my formative years. I just understood 00:05:13.819 --> 00:05:17.660 at the time in a very simple and fundamental 00:05:17.660 --> 00:05:20.740 way that we were fighting on behalf of freedom. 00:05:20.920 --> 00:05:22.560 We were defending our way of life against people 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:25.019 that were attacking and killing us, that hated 00:05:25.019 --> 00:05:28.300 us, that hated our way of life. And we were liberating 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:30.920 masses of oppressed people into the same, giving 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:33.459 others across the world an opportunity to live 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:36.120 their lives free of the unwanted control of others. 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:41.019 And it was that simple for me. Part of that too 00:05:41.019 --> 00:05:43.100 is when you went in, you knew what you were going 00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:48.420 into. That's right. I went in peacetime and I 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.060 wasn't expecting that I might end up in war as 00:05:51.060 --> 00:05:56.879 a marine rifleman. You knew where you were going 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:02.240 to end up and you end up in Afghanistan and in 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:06.980 Sagan province on a quick response force. And 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:15.279 the book really takes the reader through how 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:21.500 this impacted you at the core. You write about 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:25.519 this tension between violence and restraint and 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:30.980 the beauty of the province and the knowing that 00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:34.959 that beauty is tied to poppies and opium. talk 00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:37.839 about this dichotomy and tension issue that seems 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:42.819 to run throughout the book yeah i i i appreciate 00:06:42.819 --> 00:06:46.360 you bringing that up i don't know that i um i 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:49.180 can certainly feel the tension maybe the dichotomy 00:06:49.180 --> 00:06:51.819 and the bifurcation just that the paradox of 00:06:51.819 --> 00:06:54.839 it all is that it was both good and bad in so 00:06:54.839 --> 00:06:57.879 many ways and that really came out through the 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:01.519 writing um i remember getting to the point that 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.379 the manuscript was more or less pretty well formed 00:07:04.379 --> 00:07:07.439 and just kind of realizing that like you know 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:09.920 when you're writing a paper in high school or 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:12.680 in college you're taught to take a position hold 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:15.939 a thesis and defend it and maybe give some counter 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:19.860 arguments but kind of stay in that position and 00:07:19.860 --> 00:07:24.259 once I got well into writing I realized like 00:07:24.259 --> 00:07:26.600 I don't really have a strong position on whether 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:28.779 this was a good or bad experience it was both. 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:31.920 And I don't think you can get away from that. 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:35.100 You know, some of the best of humanity comes 00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:38.519 out in wartime experiences. People really step 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:41.399 up to the plate. The technological advances that 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:44.500 come during that time period, the heroics on 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:47.060 the battlefield, the links that men and women 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:51.819 will go to protect their fellow Marines or fellow 00:07:51.819 --> 00:07:54.540 soldiers. I mean, the courage that it takes for 00:07:54.540 --> 00:07:56.420 somebody to run out into the middle of a street 00:07:56.420 --> 00:07:58.560 under a hail of gunfire to pull their buddy off 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:00.480 the ground that was just shot and wounded and 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:04.740 will die if not for that aid. I mean, it's just 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:07.500 some of the absolute best of humanity comes out, 00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:10.379 but it's ultimately on this bedrock of brutality 00:08:10.379 --> 00:08:14.060 of human on human brutality, which is just just 00:08:14.060 --> 00:08:17.350 tragic. even in justified wars when they have 00:08:17.350 --> 00:08:20.509 to be fought because because you have a tyrannical 00:08:20.509 --> 00:08:22.470 enemy that is not going to stop unless somebody 00:08:22.470 --> 00:08:26.329 stops them. It's still tragic. And so I felt 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:29.110 that I felt it all the way through. I acknowledge 00:08:29.110 --> 00:08:33.090 that back then the war in Afghanistan, it was 00:08:33.090 --> 00:08:35.110 that we were the good guys. Like this is a just 00:08:35.110 --> 00:08:37.730 war. They were people that for the preceding 00:08:37.730 --> 00:08:40.710 decades had attacked and killed innocent people 00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:45.230 that culminated on the the bombings or the attack 00:08:45.230 --> 00:08:49.269 on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, and 00:08:49.269 --> 00:08:51.750 we had to do something about it. In addition 00:08:51.750 --> 00:08:54.629 to that, the atrocities that were occurring in 00:08:54.629 --> 00:08:58.129 Afghanistan at the time for just the local populace, 00:08:58.850 --> 00:09:03.029 they were terrible. During that time in Afghanistan, 00:09:03.409 --> 00:09:06.990 it was a warlord -run country. There was no centralized 00:09:06.990 --> 00:09:11.679 government. There were seven predominant historical 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:15.360 tribes that were in the nation. And it was the 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.759 strongest survive. And there was raping and pillaging 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:23.840 all throughout. And our opportunity to go in 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:25.700 and create some stability and security and give 00:09:25.700 --> 00:09:29.340 people the opportunity to, again, live freely 00:09:29.340 --> 00:09:33.539 was worth doing. But again, it was ultimately 00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:36.779 on this bed of human on human brutality. So I 00:09:36.779 --> 00:09:39.940 always felt that tension. I don't think that 00:09:39.940 --> 00:09:42.740 war was ever a part of God's intent for humanity 00:09:42.740 --> 00:09:45.399 and the burdens of war that we now have to carry. 00:09:46.919 --> 00:09:48.659 They're painful. They're still painful at times. 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:53.019 I've been able to grow and mature and age out 00:09:53.019 --> 00:09:56.039 of some of that stuff and move on in life, but 00:09:56.039 --> 00:09:58.639 the burden still weighs on me at times. So I 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:03.019 just, yeah, it's some of the best. Let me put 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:06.679 some time in context on this because it's 2011 00:10:06.679 --> 00:10:11.370 when you get to in Afghanistan, a full 10 years 00:10:11.370 --> 00:10:17.309 before we pull out of there in a chaos method 00:10:17.309 --> 00:10:22.750 mode. So that gives people an idea like how the 00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:26.049 lack of central government existed that decade 00:10:26.049 --> 00:10:29.909 before. And also let me put some context around 00:10:29.909 --> 00:10:32.830 your growth. I mean, you get out, you go on, 00:10:32.990 --> 00:10:35.929 you get out of the Marine Corps, you go to pick 00:10:35.929 --> 00:10:39.129 up your bachelor's of art, from Dallas Baptist 00:10:39.129 --> 00:10:43.429 University in biblical studies. You then pick 00:10:43.429 --> 00:10:46.149 up a master's of science in business from there 00:10:46.149 --> 00:10:50.470 as well. You know, you get married, grow, raise 00:10:50.470 --> 00:10:55.529 a family. So you have this separation between 00:10:55.529 --> 00:11:00.009 that 2011 period when you experienced it and 00:11:00.009 --> 00:11:02.750 being a much more mature, as you said, and kind 00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:07.639 of grow out of it when you start writing. But 00:11:07.639 --> 00:11:10.559 writing forces you to go back and relive these 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:14.299 experiences and it's that's not easy to do Right 00:11:14.299 --> 00:11:16.899 before we get into some specific experiences 00:11:16.899 --> 00:11:20.799 Explain to veteran radio listeners Langdon who 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:24.360 may not know what a QRF is Yeah, you're up is 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:27.440 a quick reaction force. And so if you it's just 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:33.129 a quick reaction or quick response I think fundamentally 00:11:33.129 --> 00:11:36.970 a quick reaction force is a ready to go in a 00:11:36.970 --> 00:11:41.529 moment's notice force to come to the aid of another 00:11:41.529 --> 00:11:43.809 unit that's in duress that needs reinforcements 00:11:43.809 --> 00:11:48.210 or to respond very quickly to any number of incidents 00:11:48.210 --> 00:11:50.649 that are happening within a strategic area of 00:11:50.649 --> 00:11:55.029 operation. And so we were on call in a moment's 00:11:55.029 --> 00:11:58.389 notice. Think about like maybe a firehouse, how 00:11:58.389 --> 00:12:02.759 firemen are They have to be suit kitted up and 00:12:02.759 --> 00:12:04.980 in the truck and rolling out in two to three 00:12:04.980 --> 00:12:06.840 minutes whenever the sirens run off That's kind 00:12:06.840 --> 00:12:09.379 of how a quick reaction force operates We were 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:12.340 either stationary ready to go in moments notice 00:12:12.340 --> 00:12:15.220 or we're out on the road the predominant amount 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:18.740 of our Combat experience and saying him we were 00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:23.679 out. We're out on a strategic route within this 00:12:23.679 --> 00:12:26.600 highly contested area of saying in this, you 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:30.750 know, very tumultuous battle space And we tried 00:12:30.750 --> 00:12:33.629 to have presence outside the wire, kitted up 00:12:33.629 --> 00:12:37.049 in the trucks, ready to respond to anything that 00:12:37.049 --> 00:12:39.750 came our way, again, in a moment's notice. And 00:12:39.750 --> 00:12:41.789 so sometimes that was responding to... We'll 00:12:41.789 --> 00:12:43.690 go ahead. Go ahead, John. Well, and what I would 00:12:43.690 --> 00:12:46.289 point out to our listeners is that what that 00:12:46.289 --> 00:12:48.730 means is what you're going to end up seeing is 00:12:48.730 --> 00:12:52.330 sort of, there's already stuff going down. That's 00:12:52.330 --> 00:12:55.549 right. It's already a hot situation when QRFs 00:12:55.549 --> 00:13:00.000 call out and rolls in. So that puts some context 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:04.980 on sort of the adrenaline and the mindset that 00:13:04.980 --> 00:13:08.200 QRF has to have because you're being called out 00:13:08.200 --> 00:13:13.019 to, hey, an IED's just gone off or this battle's, 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:16.159 gunfight's going on. We need to get some backup. 00:13:16.659 --> 00:13:20.320 That's right. And you talk a little bit about 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:27.879 that sort of, am I excited or am I ashamed? Expand 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:30.759 on that a little bit. It's hard not to get excited. 00:13:32.299 --> 00:13:35.440 You know, I liken the experience in some ways, 00:13:35.539 --> 00:13:38.659 and it is a it's a really good way to think about 00:13:38.659 --> 00:13:41.769 it. You know, being on a sports team. When you're 00:13:41.769 --> 00:13:44.149 playing football, growing up, you're with your 00:13:44.149 --> 00:13:47.269 team. You're expecting your guys to operate within 00:13:47.269 --> 00:13:48.990 their positions and do what they're supposed 00:13:48.990 --> 00:13:51.250 to play by play. And they're expecting you to 00:13:51.250 --> 00:13:53.049 do the same. You really count on each other. 00:13:53.350 --> 00:13:55.269 And you're going up against an opposing force 00:13:55.269 --> 00:13:57.070 that's doing everything they can to stop you. 00:13:57.529 --> 00:14:00.330 And we are working out, trying to get in shape, 00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:03.610 trying to get strong, trying to get tough and 00:14:03.610 --> 00:14:06.110 playing against this opposing force. And we're 00:14:06.110 --> 00:14:08.730 trying to beat them. And that's an exciting thing. 00:14:09.509 --> 00:14:14.190 I think it just scratches something within our 00:14:14.190 --> 00:14:16.889 internal makeup as human beings, just the competition 00:14:16.889 --> 00:14:22.450 in general. So thinking about it from that standpoint, 00:14:23.409 --> 00:14:25.909 while much more violent and much more extreme 00:14:25.909 --> 00:14:29.490 in life or death, training in the military, we're 00:14:29.490 --> 00:14:32.549 training to go up against opposing forces. And 00:14:32.549 --> 00:14:34.769 a part of the Marine Corps mentality, especially 00:14:34.769 --> 00:14:38.389 in the lower ranks in the infantry, We understand 00:14:38.389 --> 00:14:40.529 the broader strategy. We understand the commander's 00:14:40.529 --> 00:14:42.850 intent. We understand the strategic initiatives 00:14:42.850 --> 00:14:46.549 to an extent of what's going on in a war effort 00:14:46.549 --> 00:14:49.370 in any given time. But the lower ranks don't 00:14:49.370 --> 00:14:52.049 focus on that. Our focus is on winning battles. 00:14:53.629 --> 00:14:55.389 And now in the context of Iraq, Afghanistan, 00:14:55.549 --> 00:14:57.029 there was the coin mission. Like it was much 00:14:57.029 --> 00:14:59.269 more muddy than just force on force engagement. 00:14:59.830 --> 00:15:03.070 But fundamentally, it's just winning battles. 00:15:03.269 --> 00:15:06.000 Do your job really well? and make sure you're 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:09.179 the one that survives it, not the enemy. And 00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:12.779 so getting into these combat engagements for 00:15:12.779 --> 00:15:15.259 a young Marine, it's like the pinnacle milestone 00:15:15.259 --> 00:15:17.539 to achieve in the Marine Corps. Everything around 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:20.899 the Marine Corps ultimately boils down to and 00:15:20.899 --> 00:15:24.779 evolves around winning wars, which means killing 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:26.879 the enemy. That's what's ingrained in you from 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:29.039 day one. That's the purpose of the Marine Corps, 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:32.340 the purpose of the military force is to win wars. 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:35.139 Um, that's a doctor. That's a part of the indoctrination 00:15:35.139 --> 00:15:39.299 from day one. And, you know, the mentality of 00:15:39.299 --> 00:15:44.059 combat forces is, uh, it's ultimately again, 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:48.120 just evolves around winning in combat. And so 00:15:48.120 --> 00:15:51.120 as a young, as a young Marine, cause you know, 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:53.440 that's what you are at that point. You know, 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:58.840 you're, you're just out, um, the tip of the spear 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:04.620 here. Yeah. At some point after you have had 00:16:04.620 --> 00:16:10.159 some of these experiences, you can feel maybe 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:13.539 a change in yourself and you write, how do I 00:16:13.539 --> 00:16:16.519 keep my heart from heartening? That's right. 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:19.320 And was that a reflection that you had at the 00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:22.600 time or a reflection that you had looking back? 00:16:23.340 --> 00:16:25.720 No, that was a reflection that I had at the time. 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:27.899 I think the struggle of being a Christian at 00:16:27.899 --> 00:16:31.679 war is from a biblical perspective, all of humanity 00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:35.100 are children of God. I think that the way that 00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:37.700 God feels about humanity in general is the way 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:39.460 that we feel about our own children. I think 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:42.179 that Genesis says that we're made in his image 00:16:42.179 --> 00:16:44.179 of likeness. I think our relationships on earth 00:16:44.179 --> 00:16:46.980 are reflections of the way that he feels about 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:52.039 us. And while, again, there are justifiable reasons 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:54.779 for engaging in combat, especially in a defensive 00:16:54.779 --> 00:17:00.779 posture, getting excited about competing against 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:03.139 the supposing force that ultimately results in 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:05.799 the deaths of human beings, there's a tragedy 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:09.200 to it. I think the struggle for me was not engaging 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:13.200 in combat, but was the emotional toll and the 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:17.319 moral wear and tear. You know, it may be hard 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:21.380 to imagine, but in Sangen in particular, which 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:25.420 was the most kinetic combat operating zone in 00:17:25.420 --> 00:17:28.779 the nation at the time, It was a daily struggle 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:33.400 against us versus them. It wasn't this game set 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:35.440 match where it was like, okay, we're going to 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:37.359 meet on Friday on this battlefield. We don't 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:38.900 really know a whole lot about you. You don't 00:17:38.900 --> 00:17:40.440 know a whole lot about us. We're just going to 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:42.440 go up against each other and see how it goes. 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:46.619 We're daily studying them and hunting them and 00:17:46.619 --> 00:17:49.059 trying to figure out what they're doing and why, 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:51.869 where their weak points are. where their strong 00:17:51.869 --> 00:17:53.730 points are, what their motivations are, what 00:17:53.730 --> 00:17:55.869 their strategic initiatives are, so that we can 00:17:55.869 --> 00:17:57.349 combat them. They're doing the same thing to 00:17:57.349 --> 00:18:04.210 us. It gets very personal. You know, as showcased 00:18:04.210 --> 00:18:06.930 in the book, the way that our deployment started, 00:18:07.890 --> 00:18:11.029 we were getting hit a lot with IEDs and we weren't 00:18:11.029 --> 00:18:13.490 able to hit back. because the enemy was fighting 00:18:13.490 --> 00:18:16.470 a guerrilla warfare tactic and they weren't wanting 00:18:16.470 --> 00:18:19.089 to go head to head with us. And for right reason, 00:18:19.250 --> 00:18:23.509 we had a major upside in a lot of ways, but it 00:18:23.509 --> 00:18:26.750 started getting really personal. And I think 00:18:26.750 --> 00:18:29.130 the struggle from a heart posture standpoint 00:18:29.130 --> 00:18:33.849 is starting to feel a good amount of hatred and 00:18:33.849 --> 00:18:38.569 bloodlust. You get hit. we hear about other friendly 00:18:38.569 --> 00:18:40.650 forces that are getting hit guys that are dying 00:18:40.650 --> 00:18:42.869 and being killed on the you know against this 00:18:42.869 --> 00:18:46.329 enemy that's actively hunting us start feeling 00:18:46.329 --> 00:18:49.250 a lot of very aggressive hatred towards those 00:18:49.250 --> 00:18:52.829 other human beings well and you you had in the 00:18:52.829 --> 00:18:56.390 book recounts you know you developed real personal 00:18:56.390 --> 00:18:58.329 relationships with those that you're in combat 00:18:58.329 --> 00:19:00.750 with and of course you do that's right folks 00:19:00.750 --> 00:19:05.920 like doc rast and sergeant smith There are both 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:09.200 enemy fire instances discussed but also friendly 00:19:09.200 --> 00:19:14.220 fire instances discussed and drone attacks that 00:19:14.220 --> 00:19:19.460 go wrong. All of this has to be swirling in your 00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:22.359 consciousness as long as you allow it in. I think 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:26.380 some guys coped by like locking everything out. 00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:30.359 They lost their moral compass. They had to put 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:33.960 their moral compass aside. in order to survive 00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:37.099 but what i really got out of reading here is 00:19:37.099 --> 00:19:41.539 as those tragedies occur your your moral compass 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:46.400 was active and swinging it really impacted me 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:48.339 you're right some guys are able to disassociate 00:19:48.339 --> 00:19:51.220 a little bit easier than others but maybe my 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:53.740 emotional makeup is just a little bit more pronounced 00:19:53.740 --> 00:19:56.859 than than some i i felt all of it and they were 00:19:56.859 --> 00:19:59.890 more you know There are moments most of the time 00:19:59.890 --> 00:20:02.529 you can just disassociate keep a professional 00:20:02.529 --> 00:20:05.450 You know do what you're trained to do and we 00:20:05.450 --> 00:20:08.329 in a major part of Marine Corps training any 00:20:08.329 --> 00:20:11.789 combat training ahead of actual combat is repetition 00:20:11.789 --> 00:20:15.250 extreme amounts of Iteration iteration iteration 00:20:15.250 --> 00:20:17.470 so that when you get in those environments, you're 00:20:17.470 --> 00:20:20.390 more reactive Without thinking about it. You've 00:20:20.390 --> 00:20:22.450 kind of developed some subconscious muscle memory 00:20:23.220 --> 00:20:25.559 on how to respond to certain situations. But 00:20:25.559 --> 00:20:27.900 there are times that it does get emotional and 00:20:27.900 --> 00:20:30.559 that it does get personal. And, you know, you 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:34.299 mentioned the word shame. I think the only shame 00:20:34.299 --> 00:20:38.920 that I really felt heavily outside of just the 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:42.559 just the heart attack tug on just the tragedy 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:46.829 of war was what was. wanting to kill people. 00:20:47.670 --> 00:20:50.789 You know, I just didn't want to want destruction 00:20:50.789 --> 00:20:55.930 on others. I was OK with the war as it was, perfectly 00:20:55.930 --> 00:21:00.089 fine being there, completely OK killing. The 00:21:00.089 --> 00:21:03.009 times that I really struggled is whenever I sought 00:21:03.009 --> 00:21:06.670 it out, is whenever it got so personal and the, 00:21:06.670 --> 00:21:10.589 you know, vengeance and retributional mentality 00:21:10.589 --> 00:21:14.940 started taking over. That was my struggle. I 00:21:14.940 --> 00:21:20.500 think from a moral standpoint, I didn't ever 00:21:20.500 --> 00:21:24.660 get to the point that I got just outlandishly 00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:29.519 vengeful to the point that the rails are off 00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:32.660 completely and we would just go killing everybody. 00:21:33.420 --> 00:21:36.720 There's never anything like that. It was always 00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:40.079 battlefield, enemy, force on force. But again, 00:21:40.299 --> 00:21:45.250 I just tried to stay Stay professional and not 00:21:45.250 --> 00:21:47.730 emotional. Just wasn't always able to do that. 00:21:48.349 --> 00:21:50.950 The book is US Marines at the Battle for St. 00:21:51.049 --> 00:21:54.710 John's. We're talking to Landon Longyear who 00:21:54.710 --> 00:21:57.890 did eight years in the Marine Corps, got out 00:21:57.890 --> 00:22:04.809 in 2015, is now in the commercial brokerage space. 00:22:06.369 --> 00:22:09.140 Life is pretty good at the moment. But the book 00:22:09.140 --> 00:22:12.420 also talks about that transition struggle, right? 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:16.119 When you get out and the loss of the brotherhood 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:20.319 that you've so developed. And so go read the 00:22:20.319 --> 00:22:22.599 book to capture some of that and maybe it'll 00:22:22.599 --> 00:22:25.920 help understand what either you're going through 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:28.480 or somebody you know is going through. But there 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:32.440 was one section of the book we've got to talk 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:38.170 about before we run out of time. It's relative 00:22:38.170 --> 00:22:43.809 to Garcia, one of the guys I'm with, and sort 00:22:43.809 --> 00:22:48.390 of reactions back home during the... Go ahead 00:22:48.390 --> 00:22:49.809 and tell this story. I don't want to mess it 00:22:49.809 --> 00:22:54.150 up. Yeah, sure. It's an amazing story, and I 00:22:54.150 --> 00:22:56.890 remember the conversations that I had with Garcia 00:22:56.890 --> 00:23:02.170 when it happened. I'll just tell the story, then 00:23:02.170 --> 00:23:07.150 I'll give my thoughts on it. Alfredo Garcia was 00:23:07.150 --> 00:23:10.450 a Marine that I went through boot camp with and 00:23:10.450 --> 00:23:13.809 we ended up at the same unit and we ended up 00:23:13.809 --> 00:23:16.430 on that deployment together and he was my best 00:23:16.430 --> 00:23:19.329 friend. I loved all the guys that I deployed 00:23:19.329 --> 00:23:22.250 with and in a real sincere way depended on them 00:23:22.250 --> 00:23:25.410 and we developed such tight -knit bonds, whether 00:23:25.410 --> 00:23:27.910 we wanted to or not, but me and Alfredo were 00:23:27.910 --> 00:23:32.930 tight. Well, toward maybe the later half of the 00:23:32.930 --> 00:23:36.519 deployment, We were out in the, we left Sangin. 00:23:36.740 --> 00:23:39.200 We were in a place called Dalaram in the Farah 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:42.099 province at the time, but it's over on kind of 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:45.799 the western part of Afghanistan, southwestern 00:23:45.799 --> 00:23:48.519 part up against the border of Iran. And we're 00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:51.500 fighting the opium trade. We're trying to stop 00:23:51.500 --> 00:23:57.019 poppy plants from exiting Afghanistan and getting 00:23:57.019 --> 00:23:59.440 into Iran where it could be cultivated and refined 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:03.309 into heroin and other. pharmaceuticals and then 00:24:03.309 --> 00:24:04.950 shipped out to the rest of the world. During 00:24:04.950 --> 00:24:08.089 that time, the opium trade was producing roughly 00:24:08.089 --> 00:24:10.369 50 % of the Taliban's annual funding. So we're 00:24:10.369 --> 00:24:12.890 trying to cut that revenue stream off. Well, 00:24:12.890 --> 00:24:16.410 Alfredo was in the turret of a lead truck, four 00:24:16.410 --> 00:24:19.990 trucks total, on a pretty standard patrol out 00:24:19.990 --> 00:24:21.609 in the middle of the desert. They happened to 00:24:21.609 --> 00:24:24.190 be very, very far away from the Ford operating 00:24:24.190 --> 00:24:27.410 base that we were stationed at. And they were 00:24:27.410 --> 00:24:31.240 just doing a standard presence patrol. I don't 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:33.400 recall if there was any strategic intent behind 00:24:33.400 --> 00:24:38.480 that patrol or not, but they were out. On that 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:41.660 particular patrol, they were on the way back 00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:46.920 to the FOB. They had already found and neutralized 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:49.579 at least one IED. There might have been two. 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:52.740 And at the end of the day, they were feeling 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:56.279 relatively successful and headed back. Well, 00:24:56.339 --> 00:24:59.640 Alfredo in the turret of the lead truck, which 00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:02.859 means he's faced forward, he starts to feel this 00:25:02.859 --> 00:25:06.460 real heart tug, if you will. One of the things 00:25:06.460 --> 00:25:08.640 that we had talked about in Sangin all the time 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:12.599 was that sometimes the Holy Spirit burdens us 00:25:12.599 --> 00:25:15.559 for reasons, for important reasons. In particular, 00:25:15.759 --> 00:25:18.000 we always felt, we always said, you know, if 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:20.220 you ever feel the Lord really tugging on your 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:21.720 heart to pray for protection, you should pray 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:24.420 for protection. And Alfredo had a moment like 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:27.849 that. and he said he just felt something really 00:25:27.849 --> 00:25:30.130 strong come on, like something was about to happen. 00:25:30.269 --> 00:25:33.150 And so he starts praying for protection. Well, 00:25:33.150 --> 00:25:35.549 they're patrolling and he's in the lead truck 00:25:35.549 --> 00:25:38.250 and they're probably pacing it 10 to 15 miles 00:25:38.250 --> 00:25:44.269 an hour, maybe less. And Alfredo said 60 seconds 00:25:44.269 --> 00:25:47.829 after, roughly after that burden hit him and 00:25:47.829 --> 00:25:52.009 he started praying, a huge explosion went off 00:25:52.009 --> 00:25:55.730 behind him. and it was the second truck in the 00:25:55.730 --> 00:26:01.250 patrol had hit a huge 120 pound IED and flipped 00:26:01.250 --> 00:26:07.569 the truck over, set it on fire, and a fiasco 00:26:07.569 --> 00:26:11.130 occurred, you know, ensued after that, which 00:26:11.130 --> 00:26:15.890 is detailed in the book heavily. And without 00:26:15.890 --> 00:26:19.069 going through all of the details for time constraint, 00:26:20.329 --> 00:26:24.099 when we... try to figure out how to shorten this 00:26:24.099 --> 00:26:27.680 up I went out as a let me let me jump in to shorten 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:32.180 it up a little bit just stop me when I was reading 00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:36.160 it to make my nose which was you get back and 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:39.400 his wife has emailed what happened and are you 00:26:39.400 --> 00:26:44.839 okay yeah yeah yeah she in turn had heard from 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:49.859 somebody at her church service where this woman 00:26:49.859 --> 00:26:52.779 approached her and said Something bad has happened 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:55.779 to your son, but the Lord wants to tell you that 00:26:55.779 --> 00:26:58.839 he protected him and that he's going to be okay. 00:26:59.619 --> 00:27:02.579 This is halfway around the world. Yeah. Yeah, 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:06.200 it was. Whenever we got back, Alfredo was really 00:27:06.200 --> 00:27:09.279 mixed up and he came and told me about it. And 00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:11.900 I had been out there as a part of the response 00:27:11.900 --> 00:27:14.319 to help those guys. And so we were sitting out 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:16.039 there all night long, but in different trucks 00:27:16.039 --> 00:27:19.430 and hadn't talked. But he told me. whenever that 00:27:19.430 --> 00:27:22.710 explosion occurred he was facing forward in his 00:27:22.710 --> 00:27:24.730 turret right after he got done praying he said 00:27:24.730 --> 00:27:29.170 that he saw what he said was the brightest white 00:27:29.170 --> 00:27:31.529 light he's ever seen in his life come down out 00:27:31.529 --> 00:27:35.009 of the sky embrace him come down towards him 00:27:35.009 --> 00:27:37.710 embrace him and then shoot into that truck behind 00:27:37.710 --> 00:27:41.630 him and he was really mixed up about that he 00:27:41.630 --> 00:27:44.069 wasn't really sure how to interpret that experience 00:27:44.069 --> 00:27:47.210 but he just had this heart tug he prayed for 00:27:47.210 --> 00:27:50.920 protection He obviously had some form or fashion 00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:52.779 of a premonition that something was about to 00:27:52.779 --> 00:27:56.900 happen, which he and I would associate as being 00:27:56.900 --> 00:27:59.940 like a God moment. And then he saw this bright 00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:02.619 white light out of the sky come down and shoot 00:28:02.619 --> 00:28:07.079 into that truck. And so afterwards, he's not 00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:09.380 sure how to interpret this. Like you said, we 00:28:09.380 --> 00:28:13.220 get back 25 hours later. He goes to the computer 00:28:13.220 --> 00:28:15.059 center and there's an email in his inbox from 00:28:15.059 --> 00:28:17.480 his mom who at a church service the very day 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:19.839 before, while it had happened, before she ever 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:22.380 could have found out about it from us, she was 00:28:22.380 --> 00:28:24.079 freaked out that something had happened. He got 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:26.039 her on the phone and she said, a woman in a church 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:28.119 service, a prophetic woman came up to me and 00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:30.299 said, something bad has happened to your son, 00:28:30.359 --> 00:28:32.039 but the Lord wants you to know that he protected 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:37.859 him. And now like the experience is validated. 00:28:38.490 --> 00:28:40.789 Halfway around the world like you said in the 00:28:40.789 --> 00:28:44.369 most incredibly profound way Alfredo had an angelic 00:28:44.369 --> 00:28:46.829 encounter after this divine burden to pray for 00:28:46.829 --> 00:28:49.750 protection and as it would happen of the guys 00:28:49.750 --> 00:28:52.509 in the vehicle five of them at least four that 00:28:52.509 --> 00:28:56.210 I know of were Christians in a real way and The 00:28:56.210 --> 00:28:57.890 explosion should have killed all of them, but 00:28:57.890 --> 00:29:00.150 every single one of them survived some names 00:29:00.150 --> 00:29:03.130 I got to this point in the book, which was towards 00:29:03.130 --> 00:29:06.190 the back Make sure you read it all the way from 00:29:06.190 --> 00:29:10.269 page 169 to get to Garcia's story. The subtitle 00:29:10.269 --> 00:29:12.210 on this should have been Christian Warriors or 00:29:12.210 --> 00:29:16.309 something. It's very, as I say at the outset, 00:29:17.049 --> 00:29:19.509 there's a lot of books about battles and guys 00:29:19.509 --> 00:29:22.990 and whatnot. What I found very interesting, Landon, 00:29:23.670 --> 00:29:28.950 is that you were candid, open about the role 00:29:28.950 --> 00:29:33.299 that your religious beliefs played throughout 00:29:33.299 --> 00:29:35.559 and how it played throughout with other folks. 00:29:36.339 --> 00:29:41.099 Yeah. And, you know, happy to hear about how 00:29:41.099 --> 00:29:43.420 well you're doing now and the service that you 00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:46.839 gave to the country. I appreciate the time that 00:29:46.839 --> 00:29:48.759 you've given us here on Veterans Radio. I wanted 00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:51.359 to get to see the story. So thanks for doing 00:29:51.359 --> 00:29:55.400 that. But yeah, really, really happy to have 00:29:55.400 --> 00:29:59.220 you on Veterans Radio and tell your unique story. 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:03.900 of being a Marine in Saigon province. You bet, 00:30:04.039 --> 00:30:07.599 Jim. Yeah, I'm honored to be here and I appreciate 00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:10.079 what you do to just kind of showcase war stories. 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:12.759 It's really important and it's meaningful. So 00:30:12.759 --> 00:30:17.470 thank you for the work that you do. And I want 00:30:17.470 --> 00:30:19.230 to thank everybody for listening to Veterans 00:30:19.230 --> 00:30:23.049 Radio today. I am Jim Fawzone. It's been a pleasure 00:30:23.049 --> 00:30:25.630 to be your host. I'm a veterans disability lawyer 00:30:25.630 --> 00:30:28.450 at Legal Help for Veterans and you can reach 00:30:28.450 --> 00:30:34.430 us at 800 -693 -4800 or legalhelpforveterans 00:30:34.430 --> 00:30:37.630 .com on the web. You can follow Veterans Radio 00:30:37.630 --> 00:30:40.930 on Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet 00:30:40.930 --> 00:30:45.369 radio shows by visiting us at veteransradio .org. 00:30:45.529 --> 00:30:49.029 That's veteransradio .org. We would again want 00:30:49.029 --> 00:30:52.029 to thank our national sponsors, the National 00:30:52.029 --> 00:30:55.990 Veterans Business Development Council, nvbdc 00:30:55.990 --> 00:31:01.049 .org. Legal Help for Veterans, a veterans disability 00:31:01.049 --> 00:31:05.089 law firm with a national practice before the 00:31:05.089 --> 00:31:08.670 VA. Can help you on your claims and your appeals. 00:31:09.450 --> 00:31:13.049 It can be reached at legalhelpforveterans .com 00:31:13.049 --> 00:31:19.009 or 1 -800 -693 -4800. We also want to thank our 00:31:19.009 --> 00:31:23.890 local sponsors. This would include the Charles 00:31:23.890 --> 00:31:27.849 S. Kettles chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of 00:31:27.849 --> 00:31:32.569 America. That's chapter 310. VFW Graf O 'Hara 00:31:32.569 --> 00:31:36.750 post 423. The American Legion Erwin Preskin post 00:31:36.750 --> 00:31:40.410 46 in Ann Arbor as well. the VA Ann Arbor Health 00:31:40.410 --> 00:31:43.450 Care System, and certainly the National Vietnam 00:31:43.450 --> 00:31:46.829 Veterans of America Association. You can be a 00:31:46.829 --> 00:31:49.529 sponsor by going to veteransradio .org, clicking 00:31:49.529 --> 00:31:53.650 on the About Us in our sponsors, and help us 00:31:53.650 --> 00:31:58.789 out. Keep this program alive for the 21 and 22 00:31:58.789 --> 00:32:01.950 years. Keep us going for another 20. Thank you.