Jocko Podcast 314: Making Your Part Of The World Better. W/ Carlos Mendez, Navy SEAL (Ret.)

2022-01-07T00:52:15Z

Underground Premium Content: https://www.jockounderground.com/subscribe Join the conversation on Twitter/Instagram: @jockowillink @carlos_mendez_246 @echocharles 0:00:00 - Opening 0:02:50 - Carlos Mendez 2:39:11 - How to stay on THE PATH. JOCKO UNDERGROUND Exclusive Episodes: https://www.jockounderground.com/subscribe Jocko Store Apparel: https://www.jockostore.com Jocko Fuel: https://jockofuel.com Origin Jeans and Clothes: https://originmaine.com/durable-goods/ Echelon Front: https://www.echelonfront.com 3:17:23 - Closing Gratitude.

AI summary of episode

That's a big like learning channel too when you think about it because you can see like Like like of course how the inner workings of American businesses But like how that just like this just like and they they've done it many times before where it's like an issue will come up and you can see like How they'll solve the issue and it's unique to that specific thing so it's like okay, you can kind of it's like a demonstration I think it was like 13 to 15 dudes down there and the first couple have like suicide vessel guy Chuck's a grenade up it hits our EOD guy in the chest They dive like behind some furniture the the grenade went low order so You want to talk about someone looking out for you that it was old, you know, so it didn't blow up to its full potential and The avalanche call came out because they saw the S vessel on the dude so avalanche everybody runs out of the house and as the last dude runs out You know our hombees are already Ready to go and as soon as the last dude last man out it was like 50 cows like boobo boobo and we don't know if like a 50 cow Hit someone's vest or if the dude clocked himself off, but the house blew up The house blew up and Some of the guys were we're still alive. I learned a lot I learned a lot from It was the first time to where I kind of heard the T.L. like during a gun fight like just how calm and collected they were It was just like as if nothing was happening and I didn't I remember that thinking about that in my head like I want to be like that You know like okay cool. And because you said you said something kind of interesting where you're like okay on the third time after you got rolled or whatever third time you passed with no no issues you said a lot of people like buds is like real hard for them Did you feel that your work ethic that was established Like was the factor that made it like a non-issue like could you feel that at the time? Yeah, and also when you're in the cold water they like your handle and maybe for Like an eye me they depends who you are obviously but after like an hour it's almost like the coldness like you get hit with that initial coldness and your body's like I'm not that cold so commander I'm thinking like why like I don't know anything about J-Taxle stuff and the J-O that was there He'd actually gone to like a J-Taxle Really really intelligent guy like super intelligent waste smarter than me and I'm like what am I gonna do over there? I think I was a blue belt for like I Wanted and then when I got back to San Diego So, you know, I had to like re-earn my Risp it was like I it was like when I wasn't at Fabios he's I wasn't training He's like whatever And I'm like okay, you know Like check he's like we take batteries and this and that he's like I'm like okay got it He's awesome man his dad like would just come out Is a lot of times nowadays you see like the dads all ended you did too and that's why the kids are there Yeah, almost against their will It didn't seem like Aaron's dad was into it, but he's like oh, this is what my kid wants to cool I'm gonna sit here every day, you know for two hours on the bench waiting for my kid to get done with this Whatever this weird stuff is that he's doing. well It was simply because they were humble like you could just tell their attitude right off the bat Like they're like you know when you give them you know criticism or critiques or whatever They're like got it got it whereas the platoons that did terrible right like so you got used to hard work really Quickly and thoroughly essentially Could you feel that like as you know you go through like you know hard things and combat buds like all these hard things or whatever He's like Hey, you need to move your cart I was like hey bro there seems to be a problem like you know with your ticket stuff I'm like they called the tow truck but I think if you call them, you know and work something out and they're just like, oh don't worry about it and like it'll happen like they just I just feel like they weren't concerned about it at all And for being honest I wasn't a fan of theirs like I could just just didn't get a good feeling from them yeah, I want to go to Buds He's like you want to do what he's like I was like I want to go to Buds eventually like I'm just kind of doing this You know my time with the Marines and until I could get the Buds and He grabs my paperwork. I was the corpsman coverage for that But during that deployment that's where I like got really serious about learning how to swim and I was in the pool every chance I could get like if if I had the time I would go in the mornings I would go a lunch and that's why Oh, because it was a guy that I met that dropped out of Buds and Hmm and I told him I was like do you know how to do the combat sidestroke and he's like yeah, no I'm like that wasn't me that was someone else who doesn't even look like me like he's a white dude Like it's nothing like me It looks almost exactly like mine like FMF Corman You know teams USD finance degree and then he's like hey, bro I'm actually gonna go to UCLA and I'm like why is that? You're gonna get chilly woo factors with that because one you're not having fun You know like well, you do it like you actually don't even notice a lot of stuff when you're having like fun You don't notice how tired you're getting you don't know that notice a lot of stuff colds probably one of those when you're you know oh It was kind of odd because there's just like an old man Some women and children like it's kind of odd and you know as we're on target or whatever We start finding some like propaganda We start finding like some small stuff And then he's like hey, bro like I need you to you know, our friend really likes you like I need you to To entertain her while I'm with this girl and blah, blah, blah, I'm like do you not got a girlfriend? It only covers like a small portion I was still gonna have to take out like a six figure Just a six figure student loan and I've always been pretty frugal about my money on my day I don't want to take out this huge loan and then I kind of went into thought I'm like why do I want to go to one of these schools Like why do I really want to go? So I'm like okay, so I parked my park my cart behind this car the other team guy I don't know where he took off to like he's gone He must have been fine and like lots of tickets and so I'm sitting there and waiting for the tow truck and now I see everybody get out of football practice and The guys car the car who's you know Part behind the owner comes and it's a really big dude You know he's free of football player free jack dude big dude. and so it's funny because As I'm getting on the Hilo to leave he's getting there and we're crossing paths and I'm like bro Why am I getting sent there like I don't know what I'm doing he's like don't worry about it dude people like you But you know he's like hey man get out do the rest of it and and that screener was actually legit like it was tough Like it was a rock run it was like pull ups push ups And what's crazy is like when I was at trade at you know you talked about the the four laws of combat a lot and we talked about like Find what your red flags are and in the teams my red flag when I got overwhelmed was You know when that thought came in my head like I don't know what to do right now. I don't know it was just like this moment like a light bulb moment and from that point on like I was like land I've got it So I just started reaching out to people on LinkedIn like sending them my resume and I would put in like whatever bank US like I would put Air Force Veteran Marine Corps Veteran I'm like dude if anybody's gonna answer me it's gonna be a veteran god and I said hey, bro man Just can you do me favor just check me on this like just look at this guy's face when I'm putting out word and just give me I go cuz it seems to me Like it doesn't want to hear anything from anybody I just want to make sure I'm not totally off base, but can you just check him out and so sure enough like as I As I'm talking you look I've used that with his arms crossed and and and I get I'm just saying I'm not even like saying do you're totally jacked up? It was a great course and The chief that was running it You know, I was like asking him questions cuz I always want to know you know what would be a good thing to bring when we're in the field and I said Hey, you know, or guy, you know, should I bring like a sleeping bag? I'm I'm doing parking services because you know USD's a private school And the Navy only pays like I think it was like I don't I shouldn't say only they pay 10k And the tuition at USD's like 40k a year like 40 something k a year It was like the Marine Corps PFT and then it was like all these different calisthenics with with no number You just did it for time and they had a number that they wouldn't tell you So like hey you got to do this amount of mountain climbers and they wouldn't tell you it was like a day long Screener Oh my god, so now I'm just like I don't know what to do so you know I make some phone calls and they're like that's stupid You're not gonna go be a slow you're turning back here The only the only problem is you're gonna have to go to the process just like everyone else So you know I go in there and then During one of the The ass chewings that I'm getting I'm like you know what I'm like if you guys really take me to a trident review board This is like what would you know? I can avoid getting hit like there's all these amazing things that we literally did not know as humans We did not know and if you were to go out and a fight and if I would have gotten no fight in in 1990 or 1991 I Would do what my instincts are throw haymakers whatever like whatever it is a human is gonna do is what I would do and then all of a sudden as soon as I learn Oh the joke Like all And if it seems like this leader like maybe they have a big ego and they think they're a badass You know, I don't care I always wanted to make sure that it wasn't me that it wasn't my end I was like okay, you know what the guy's got a big ego. the least yeah every time I do another job I'm just just solidifies that decision for sure It's weird where you thinking Because because the first gigs that you did was teaching FTX which is like our fuel training exercise which is You know, I'm JP and I've talked about this where I'm like a HAP people don't they don't need to really like know how to Clear room He's like if you're gonna be my point man You need to know how to use a GPS Because I'm like you know under my poncho my red lens like looking at my map and trying to figure it all out and then So they're like go to this combat engineer in battalion and you can work out all day and that's where I met this guy named Captain Gwen Who had like a master's degree in can easyology and was all about in the fitness and when he learned that I was going to buds He's like let me train you I was like your series. And I'm really like trying to be like hey bro like listen I am like the low man on the total pull and now the rest of the football team is coming out and I could follow directions I was like that was the one thing I could really do so they're like you know you haven't failed anything at all They're like you know what we're gonna roll you one last time and it's like it's like the jackpot of all Like violations like we got because we were having trouble meeting our quota I'm not saying anything like that I'd say something like hey man, do you ever think about maybe you know putting some vehicles over here on this target and you can see the guys like arms Car I'm not I'm just offering the suggestion You know I just got promoted for five to Lieutenant So for like the rest of the deployment or sorry the the rest of the time on the ship He's like calling me sir and whatnot and at one point You know I'm getting off the heel with my sniper rifle because we're doing like some sniper stuff I'm getting off the heel with my sniper rifle and the CEO knows who we are we're on his ship

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Episode transcript

[00:00:00] This is Jockel Podcast number 314 with Echo Charles and me, Jockel Willink. Good evening.
[00:00:06] I go. Good evening. The machine rolls on. That's what happens. When your time is up and you leave, the machine is going to roll on.
[00:00:20] And that can be hard on your brain, on your ego. It can also just be hard because you love the teams. You care about the boys.
[00:00:36] And when you leave, you worry about the void that is there. And you think, who's going to fill that void? And you wonder if you did a good enough job passing on what you learned.
[00:00:54] And that's rough. That was one of the hardest things for me when I left when I got out of the Navy. Because my whole life, my whole life had been in the sealed teams. I was full on institutionalized by the sealed teams.
[00:01:09] I didn't know anything else in the world. And I couldn't help but feel that I was leaving them hanging, leaving my friend hanging that I was letting them down.
[00:01:22] But the reality is that the machine rolls on. And there are guys that are ready to step up and take your place and take things to the next level and do a better job.
[00:01:35] And carry the torch and take the fight to the enemy and uphold the traditions and uphold the reputation of the teams and elevate it.
[00:01:48] And so, because this next generation of frog men step up the machine rolls on. And I am lucky enough to have one of those frog men here with me tonight Carlos Mendez.
[00:02:04] And I am lucky enough to have one of those little frog men who have been here. And I am lucky enough to have one of those little frog men who have been here.
[00:02:20] And Carlos, thanks for joining us, man. Pleasure to be here. What year did you check in a team one? 2005. Okay, so it was like I checked in a team one in 1991.
[00:02:37] No fun one. It was still no fun when I got there.
[00:02:41] Well, we'll get there. Let's go back to where you came from because damn, I mean it's a weird ride, right? It's a, it's you got a, you got an interesting background story. So you're not even, you're not born to America.
[00:02:55] No, that was born in Guatemala. So, you know, you know, you know, I'll even start before that.
[00:03:07] So my father passed away when my mom was pregnant with me. Oh, great. So yeah, actually she got the news on the day of her baby shower.
[00:03:16] What a die from car accident.
[00:03:19] Yeah.
[00:03:21] So I was born in Guatemala to a single mom, obviously. And, you know, my grandparents, my, my dad was their favorite son.
[00:03:34] So when my mom had me, I was the favorite grandchild. And they had, they had a lot of, they wanted a lot of control over the way she raised me. And it was this conflict back and forth.
[00:03:48] And, you know, when I talked to my mom, she said, ultimately, that's what.
[00:03:53] I drove her to the decision to immigrate to the US. She's like, I need to get you away from here because I was, I was spoiled rock.
[00:04:04] From what I hear, I was an absolute terror. And I can get away with it because grandma was there to protect me. And yeah, she used to babysit me. My mom would drop me off in the mornings.
[00:04:14] And it was funny because the things that you remember, just so weird, I remember, we would go get gas in in Guatemala. You know, people don't have a lot of money. So if you filled up a full gas tank, you got a baby chick.
[00:04:28] Okay.
[00:04:29] Yeah. So my mom, you know, filled the gas tank up and we would get a baby chick. So I remember I would drive back to my grandma's house. And I would have that baby chick. And we had all kinds of them, you know, from all times we filled up the gas tank.
[00:04:39] So, any chasing chasing a bunch of chickens and chicks on the backyard.
[00:04:43] It's interesting that your mom, she got to be a pretty interesting human because you would figure, here she is single mom.
[00:04:52] And she actually has this kid, you, that is getting soon over by the grandparents. It seems like a single mom would be like, thank God these grandparents are here to help me through this.
[00:05:04] And I'm totally, I'm kind of set now, right? I got like backup as opposed to no backup, which you know, your dad was dead. I mean, that's, but she, but she just thought, oh, he's being spoiled.
[00:05:17] We're out here.
[00:05:18] Oh, yeah, my mom's a gangster. She is very old school Hispanic, just very, you know, disciplined.
[00:05:28] Screw your feelings kind of thing. It's always your fault kind of thing.
[00:05:32] I remember any time I got in trouble, she said, would you do it was your fault?
[00:05:36] I'm like everybody else's parents stand up for them. I'm like, what would you do? I know, I know was your fault.
[00:05:41] Somewhere another was your fault. So that's why I was kind of joke around with JP that I had extreme ownership.
[00:05:47] Yeah, basically. But yeah, that's what drove her decision to leave Guatemala and suit US.
[00:05:52] So how old were you when you came to the US? Do you remember, I guess you must remember to remember the class?
[00:05:57] I mean, there's, you know, things here and there that you remember, I was like four or five, but I do remember I was in school.
[00:06:03] And I remember showing up to school not being able to speak English.
[00:06:08] And my mom set me up for total success. And I say that's our classic because she would dress me up in like a college or everything was had to be like a call because you know,
[00:06:17] Guatemala, you dress nice to go to school. You have uniform.
[00:06:20] And now we were in San Francisco, not in Nice Area either.
[00:06:25] And so I'm wearing this, you know, button up shirt with some some Docker type pants that we got at the goodwill.
[00:06:33] Sure had to be tucked in. And like these alligator skin shoes.
[00:06:38] Because in Guatemala, they're cheap, you know, like all year skin shoes. So that was like the thing.
[00:06:43] And she's like, you know, Guatemala, these are like a luxury.
[00:06:46] I'm like, well, over here is getting my ass kicked.
[00:06:48] Where these alligator shoes and dockers and tucked in shirt. So yeah.
[00:06:53] I needless to say I ran to a lot of issues when I first showed up.
[00:06:56] Didn't speak English and dressed them like a complete door.
[00:06:59] And then, you know, the kids that I'm with are little rough around the edges.
[00:07:03] What did your mom do for work when she got her?
[00:07:06] So I remember she worked at.
[00:07:09] She worked at the school that I was at. So she can keep an eye on me as a teacher's assistant.
[00:07:15] And then after school, I remember she worked as she would clean houses.
[00:07:20] And I remember going after school, we would go to whoever's house and she would clean it.
[00:07:24] And I would do my homework while she cleaned.
[00:07:26] And if I didn't have homework, like I would help her out.
[00:07:29] And then I think like twice a week or so, she would go to English school to learn how to speak English.
[00:07:37] And I'll go with her there.
[00:07:39] And if you're getting what's immersion training at school, because just showing up in there speaking all English.
[00:07:45] Oh yeah. Yeah.
[00:07:47] And it's kind of funny because when, so my mom's side of the family was already in San Francisco, Oakland, Baria.
[00:07:54] Oh, so that's why we moved there.
[00:07:55] She had her side of the family there.
[00:07:57] My dad's side of the family was the one that's saying Guatemala.
[00:08:00] Because they're actually pretty well off there.
[00:08:03] So she had that support system.
[00:08:05] And I thought it was, it was interesting how my family was like, oh, the kids need to learn how to speak English.
[00:08:11] So the kids won't make fun of them.
[00:08:13] And my mom was like, I don't care about his feelings.
[00:08:15] Like, okay, they make fun of him. So what?
[00:08:17] He's not allowed to speak English at home.
[00:08:19] Because he's going to forget Spanish.
[00:08:22] He's going to learn English regardless.
[00:08:24] But I want him to remember how to speak Spanish.
[00:08:28] So at home, I wasn't allowed to speak any English.
[00:08:31] You're well as a gangster, huh?
[00:08:33] Oh, dude. She's just heartless.
[00:08:38] And then, so then you end up, she ended up meeting someone else or getting married to someone else, right?
[00:08:44] Like, like, a step down showed up basically.
[00:08:46] Yep.
[00:08:47] So she actually met my stepdad in San Francisco and English school.
[00:08:52] So he was from Czechoslovakia when it was still Czechoslovakia.
[00:08:58] Yeah.
[00:08:59] And his story is pretty amazing.
[00:09:02] You know, when he was in high school.
[00:09:04] So he was there when it was still under communist rule.
[00:09:06] Mm-hmm.
[00:09:07] So when he tells a story, you know, he was in high school and he drew a cartoon,
[00:09:13] criticizing communism.
[00:09:15] And I guess like a week later, some men showed up.
[00:09:20] They dragged him out of school.
[00:09:21] They beat him up.
[00:09:22] And then they told him, hey, when you graduate,
[00:09:24] we're going to send you to the mines and you're going to die there.
[00:09:27] You're going to work there for the rest of your life to die.
[00:09:29] So he was just like, nope, not happening.
[00:09:32] He started planning his escape.
[00:09:34] And didn't tell anybody not a soul,
[00:09:38] packed his stuff and like this green bag that he actually still had when I met him.
[00:09:42] Packed everything he had in there and ran away.
[00:09:46] And he just recently told me this story to like maybe two, three months ago.
[00:09:50] Like the actual details of how he crawled for days across the border.
[00:09:55] And somehow made it into Yugoslavia.
[00:09:57] And yeah, it's a pretty crazy story.
[00:10:00] Yeah, the when you're in those communist countries,
[00:10:03] the amount of in government in for like,
[00:10:05] it's some crazy number, like 50% of people are government informants.
[00:10:09] It's a crazy number.
[00:10:10] So you're step that couldn't have told anybody because if you tell one person,
[00:10:14] you might as well just tell everybody and you're going to get rat it out.
[00:10:16] And he's already got the threats of being the mines for the rest of his life and dying there.
[00:10:21] Good lord.
[00:10:23] Yeah.
[00:10:24] Freaking savages.
[00:10:26] So they end up getting married.
[00:10:30] That means that the next phase.
[00:10:32] Yeah, they start dating.
[00:10:34] And in my head, I'm thinking like, oh, sweet.
[00:10:36] I'm finally going to have a dad.
[00:10:38] You know, little did I know he was meaner than my mom.
[00:10:42] You know, I mean, he's a hard hard man.
[00:10:46] I mean, he's, you know, communist block.
[00:10:49] They grew up very, very hard up there.
[00:10:51] Life is hard.
[00:10:52] So he was hard on me.
[00:10:55] So what were you doing growing up?
[00:10:57] What was it?
[00:10:58] What was a day in the life of Carlos?
[00:11:01] Let's say age 11.
[00:11:04] Oh, by that time we had, I'm not sure.
[00:11:08] I don't remember if we had already moved out to Sacramento at one point.
[00:11:11] You know, they were like, hey, you know, the barriers just to expensive.
[00:11:14] It's not a great place to raise a family.
[00:11:16] And we moved out to Sacramento.
[00:11:18] And I remember we started renting this house out that had this huge yard.
[00:11:21] Well, for me, it was huge.
[00:11:22] I hadn't seen a backyard.
[00:11:24] You know, in the same room as this guy or Oakland.
[00:11:27] And, and he just gave me a ton of chores.
[00:11:31] Like, that's what my life, so my life was I come home from school.
[00:11:34] I do chores.
[00:11:35] I do homework.
[00:11:36] And then after we dinner, you know, I wash all the dishes.
[00:11:39] I take everything off the counter, wipe them all down.
[00:11:42] Sweet mop.
[00:11:43] Like, that was something that I did every single day.
[00:11:45] And then in the backyard, I always had all kinds of chores that he had for me.
[00:11:50] And I think a lot of it too had to do with he worked on.
[00:11:55] Like, he is probably the hardest working man I've ever met my life.
[00:11:59] Like, yeah, he was mean and probably growing up.
[00:12:02] I wasn't, I hated him growing up.
[00:12:05] But now that I'm all grown up and I look back like man, that guy worked his ass off.
[00:12:10] Like, he did anything and everything he could do.
[00:12:13] Like, I remember he used to sell like vacuums for electrolux.
[00:12:17] He used to deliver pieces for Domino's pizza.
[00:12:20] He finally got into it.
[00:12:22] I teach he tech to become a drafter.
[00:12:25] So he became a drafter eventually designing like elevators or something like that.
[00:12:30] And then I remember he would do that all day.
[00:12:33] He would come home.
[00:12:34] He would take a nap and then he would go back and deliver pieces all night long.
[00:12:37] You can get maybe like two, three hours of sleeping, do it all over again.
[00:12:40] So, you know, looking back now, I'm like, okay, that's why I had to do so much stuff around the house.
[00:12:46] Because he just wasn't around.
[00:12:48] He was providing for the family.
[00:12:49] And when you get to like what kind of kids are you hanging out with?
[00:12:54] You play any sports or anything?
[00:12:58] No, my mom and like I said, my mom and dad were both really strict on me.
[00:13:02] And the only two things that I was really allowed to do growing up,
[00:13:05] I remember were Legos and reading.
[00:13:08] So I would devour any book.
[00:13:11] I can get my hands on because we weren't allowed to watch like TV.
[00:13:14] Actually, I don't think we owned a TV for a big portion.
[00:13:17] And then finally when we did, we weren't allowed to watch a whole lot of it.
[00:13:20] They had a subscription to Reader's Digest.
[00:13:24] So I would read Reader's Digest, cover to cover.
[00:13:27] As soon as it came in, I was actually the one that ripped the wrap rope and I would just start reading.
[00:13:32] And it's funny because it was actually the first time that I was exposed to the teams.
[00:13:35] Even though I didn't know it, there was an article in Reader's Digest when I was a kid.
[00:13:39] And it was something like the hardest school.
[00:13:41] You know, I don't remember exactly what the title, but it was, it talked about this gentleman who was in the army.
[00:13:47] I saw some team guys and went to Buds and he talked about his experience going to Buds.
[00:13:51] But at the time I didn't know what it was.
[00:13:53] I was just like, oh cool story.
[00:13:54] But yeah, Legos, reading, I wasn't allowed to really play with other kids because my life was like chores and homework.
[00:14:00] And my parents were both perfectionist.
[00:14:02] So, you know, I would turn in my homework and if the handwriting was sloppy, they'd do it over.
[00:14:07] Or like the dishes.
[00:14:08] Like if I do the dishes and like one of them was wrong, my stuff, I'd be like, do it more lower.
[00:14:12] No, dang it.
[00:14:14] So, that's kind of how I remember my childhood was a lot of chores.
[00:14:19] homework.
[00:14:20] And then kind of just reading a lot and playing with Legos a lot.
[00:14:24] Yes, sir.
[00:14:25] Did you end up, yeah, I think you've mentioned me, you had some kind of like a little farm or something at some point?
[00:14:31] Yeah.
[00:14:32] Or like at least some little animals running around the house.
[00:14:34] Yeah, so at one point, you know, we got accepted for this program that was like for low income families,
[00:14:40] where they allowed you to build your house.
[00:14:42] And it would offset some of the costs, but it would, you know, it was like a pat to ownership.
[00:14:46] Yeah, that's legit.
[00:14:47] And so my parents both applied for it.
[00:14:49] We got accepted.
[00:14:50] So for a long time, that was actually a big part of my childhood too.
[00:14:54] For a long time, I remember like going to school and then going to help at the construction site.
[00:14:59] My weekends, same thing.
[00:15:02] They were, they were suspended the construction site helping build our house.
[00:15:05] And when it was completed, you know, my stepdad had all kinds of stuff in the back yard.
[00:15:11] Like we had this little farm.
[00:15:12] So we had, he built like, when I say he built, I'm a mostly I built.
[00:15:16] Because my weekends were like, I remember I, he can say,
[00:15:19] Oh, I'm going to get to sleep in.
[00:15:20] And I would just hear a bang on my window like at five,
[00:15:22] 30 in the morning and a 10 like, hey, get up.
[00:15:24] It's time to work.
[00:15:25] I'm like, dang.
[00:15:26] You know, so I go out there and we built the greenhouse.
[00:15:30] We had all kinds of fruits and vegetables.
[00:15:33] We had a compost pile.
[00:15:35] So I remember digging that hole.
[00:15:37] He made him wanted it so big.
[00:15:38] And I spent forever.
[00:15:39] I did all our irrigation.
[00:15:40] So I dug all the holes for that.
[00:15:42] And then he got this idea for, so we had all our fruits and vegetables.
[00:15:46] So he's like, now we need our meat.
[00:15:48] So he's like, we're going to, you know, and check.
[00:15:50] We used to grab it.
[00:15:52] So I remember going to the state farm like looking at all these different rabbits.
[00:15:57] And then he's like, oh, these are the kind that you can eat.
[00:16:00] So we bought like a male rabbit and like two or three females.
[00:16:03] And we started breeding rabbits.
[00:16:05] Little did I know that was going to be that's,
[00:16:08] so that's another chore now.
[00:16:10] I had like taking care of these rabbits feeding them, you know,
[00:16:12] cleaning up their poop.
[00:16:13] And then when I got the poop, I put it in the compost pile.
[00:16:15] And everything, like all the clippings from the grass and everything we grew with
[00:16:18] throwing the compost pile and now I have to get in there and like mix it up and it's miserable.
[00:16:22] But then the baby rabbits got to the to age.
[00:16:26] And he's like, hey, your chore from now on.
[00:16:30] Another chore is going to be like, hey, you're going to kill the rabbits.
[00:16:33] You're going to skin them and you're going to put them in the freezer.
[00:16:35] And I'm like, well, I don't know how to kill a rabbit.
[00:16:37] He's like, you know, learn today.
[00:16:39] And he's like, well, let me know.
[00:16:40] He's like, let me know when you kill that first rabbit.
[00:16:42] Let me know and I'll show you how to skin it.
[00:16:45] So I remember being a kid because I'm looking at, I'm like, I'm holding it this part.
[00:16:49] I want to say junior high.
[00:16:51] Okay.
[00:16:52] So what's that?
[00:16:53] Like 12 or 13?
[00:16:54] Yeah.
[00:16:55] Something like this.
[00:16:56] I'm all around 11 or 12.
[00:16:57] Okay.
[00:16:58] Because I remember being young.
[00:17:00] Because I remember the first one, I'm like, okay, I think I'm going to drown the rabbit.
[00:17:04] Right.
[00:17:05] So I grab a bug. Yeah. I fill it up with water.
[00:17:08] And I grab this rabbit and I put it in the bucket and it free him won't die.
[00:17:12] And now I'm crying.
[00:17:14] I remember crying because I'm like, oh my god, please die.
[00:17:17] Just die, damn it.
[00:17:18] And I'm just holding it and just, like, finally, you know, the rabbit dies.
[00:17:21] And I'm just like, oh my god, that was most miserable experience ever.
[00:17:24] I'm like, I'm literally, I'm crying. I'm a kid.
[00:17:26] And so finally, I go back in. I'm like, okay, I killed the rabbit.
[00:17:29] You know, I'm going to need to eat like, stop crying, Fufina.
[00:17:32] That was his nickname for me.
[00:17:34] Which Fufina is, is Regan Czechoslovakian for what?
[00:17:38] It's Czechoslovakian for pussy.
[00:17:40] So, you know, he shows me how to skin the rabbit.
[00:17:46] And I'm like, okay, and I'm not really paying attention because I don't drown the time.
[00:17:50] You're all on the time, bro.
[00:17:51] And then he's like, raise your rabbits.
[00:17:53] So, so now he's like, okay, it's time to kill the second one.
[00:17:58] And now I'm like, I'm going to do it a different way.
[00:18:00] So I'm like, I grab a two-by-four.
[00:18:02] I'm like, all right, I'm going to hit this rabbit on the head.
[00:18:05] So I grab the rabbit. I'm like, patting it.
[00:18:07] You know, and then I hit it, but I kind of half has hit it.
[00:18:10] So now he's just like, torlling in my hands.
[00:18:13] And now again, I got snott running out my nose tears.
[00:18:15] And I'm just like, hitting this rabbit again, like, please damn it.
[00:18:18] Just die.
[00:18:19] And finally after wacking it, like a million times died.
[00:18:21] Same thing comes out, teaches me how to skin it.
[00:18:24] And then on the third rabbit, something happened.
[00:18:27] You know, something already happened.
[00:18:30] So I was like, but something happened that actually stuck with me for, for till today.
[00:18:34] Oh, actually.
[00:18:35] All right.
[00:18:36] So I remember I got this rabbit and I'm petting it.
[00:18:38] And now I'm talking to myself.
[00:18:40] And I'm like, all right, motherfucker.
[00:18:42] By the way, this is how serial killers get created.
[00:18:44] Just have a nice, full on the stock of yourself.
[00:18:47] So when I told my wife the story, she's like, I get it.
[00:18:50] But I'm looking at this rabbit and I'm like, you know, talking to myself.
[00:18:54] I'm like, pop, pop myself up.
[00:18:56] I'm like, you know what?
[00:18:57] I got to commit.
[00:18:59] Like 100% commit.
[00:19:02] So I remember I grabbed that rabbit.
[00:19:04] I grabbed that two by four.
[00:19:05] And I hit it as hard as I could.
[00:19:07] And it was out.
[00:19:08] And from that point on, it's crazy.
[00:19:09] Because even in the teams, when I did something that I was a little bit scared of,
[00:19:12] or even in, you know, anything, I'm like commit.
[00:19:15] That thought has always kind of my head like, if you're scared of doing something,
[00:19:18] you've got a 100% commit or it's not going to work.
[00:19:22] And then that moment, I had that epiphany.
[00:19:25] That's the 11, 12 year old kid.
[00:19:27] So yeah, that's my rabbit story.
[00:19:30] So I, you know, a lot of times people ask me questions about,
[00:19:36] because I got kids in parenting and all that stuff.
[00:19:39] And one thing I warn parents of, you know, if you push hard to get your kids,
[00:19:44] they're going to push back.
[00:19:46] And by the way, this isn't just with kids.
[00:19:47] This is with a seal puttune.
[00:19:48] This is with a company that's with a business.
[00:19:50] You start imposing stuff on people.
[00:19:52] They're going to start to push back because they're humans and humans don't like to have things imposed on them.
[00:19:56] And you can, by the way, you can impose things on people permanently.
[00:20:00] But you have to like crush them.
[00:20:02] Yeah.
[00:20:02] You have to continuously crush them forever.
[00:20:04] And you have to be willing to go to that distance where you crush them,
[00:20:07] which is not going to produce the type of humans that you want.
[00:20:12] So was there any push back?
[00:20:15] And let me rephrase that at what age did you start to say,
[00:20:18] I'm pushing back against this stuff.
[00:20:20] I'm going to say around my sophomore year.
[00:20:23] You know, I'm 15.
[00:20:26] And, you know, like I said, my stepdad ruled with an iron fist.
[00:20:31] And at that point, I'm like, you know what?
[00:20:34] I'm not scared of you anymore.
[00:20:36] Because his punishments were so extreme.
[00:20:38] His punishments were like, oh, you're grounded for the weekend.
[00:20:40] It was like, the ground up for the next two months.
[00:20:42] And if I messed up, it was like another month.
[00:20:44] And it was like, dude, there's like no light at the end of this tunnel.
[00:20:47] Two months when you're a kid.
[00:20:48] It's a lot of life.
[00:20:49] So yeah.
[00:20:50] So, and you know, they didn't let me play sports.
[00:20:53] So I wasn't hanging around the jocks.
[00:20:55] So guess why I hung out with.
[00:20:56] I hung out with thugs.
[00:20:58] I hung out with the people that weren't the best influence on me.
[00:21:01] And I got into some trouble.
[00:21:04] You know, and I got locked away in juvenile hall.
[00:21:10] And so how old are you?
[00:21:13] 15, 16 years old.
[00:21:15] And I remember when that happened because my stepdad
[00:21:19] at this point, he had actually just graduated the CHP Academy.
[00:21:24] So now he's law enforcement.
[00:21:26] Damn.
[00:21:27] Yeah, he's law enforcement.
[00:21:28] And I'm running around, you know,
[00:21:30] Little, little mini gang banger.
[00:21:33] Yeah, breaking the law.
[00:21:34] And at one point I got caught.
[00:21:36] I got arrested.
[00:21:38] And I remember the cop bringing me in and interviewing me.
[00:21:41] And I'm just like, I don't want to talk.
[00:21:43] Because you know, I got that stupid mentality.
[00:21:45] I'm not, I'm no snitch.
[00:21:46] No, I'm a gangster.
[00:21:48] So I don't snitch.
[00:21:49] I don't say anything.
[00:21:50] And he's like, hey, it's not going to go a little.
[00:21:52] I know everybody else was singing like a bird.
[00:21:55] So it's crazy because I remember going to court.
[00:22:00] So they put me away.
[00:22:01] They call my parents and my parents like leave them there.
[00:22:03] Like you don't want to come get your kids like no.
[00:22:05] Leave them there.
[00:22:06] And I knew.
[00:22:07] And I even told the cop on like, don't bother call my parents.
[00:22:10] They're going to leave me here.
[00:22:11] He's like, you were right.
[00:22:13] So anyways, I'm in court.
[00:22:15] And you know, judge is like, hey, do you want an attorney?
[00:22:17] And I was like, no, I don't.
[00:22:18] And he's like, are you sure?
[00:22:19] Do you know what you're doing?
[00:22:20] I'm like, yep, I don't need an attorney.
[00:22:21] I was like 15 years old.
[00:22:22] I had a represet myself for the call.
[00:22:24] Well, I was like, hey, I'm guilty.
[00:22:26] I did it.
[00:22:27] Oh, I got you.
[00:22:28] And he's like, so you plead.
[00:22:29] I was like, I plead guilty.
[00:22:30] Like I'm not even going to fight it.
[00:22:32] And he's like, check.
[00:22:33] And he gave me my sentence.
[00:22:35] And I remember seeing my parents and no expression on their face.
[00:22:39] But I could tell like, my mom was disappointed for me.
[00:22:42] Yeah.
[00:22:43] They took me away in coughs.
[00:22:44] And I had to do my time.
[00:22:46] And you've been on the wrong way, you're in duty for me.
[00:22:49] I think I think a couple months.
[00:22:52] And that's because they were full.
[00:22:54] And honestly, I was a good respectful.
[00:22:56] I was a very honoured segment.
[00:22:57] I made.
[00:22:58] But I was a respectful kid because of the way I was raised.
[00:23:00] So when I was in duty, like, you know, the correction officers are like, you're like,
[00:23:03] the politest criminal I've ever met.
[00:23:05] Did you start to see the path that you were going down at that point?
[00:23:10] And realize like, maybe this is the way it's going to end up.
[00:23:14] Yeah.
[00:23:15] So, you know, having different roommates in juvenile hall kind of open my eyes.
[00:23:20] I'm like, man, I don't belong here.
[00:23:22] Like some of the kids that were in there, like one of my roommates was in there because, you know,
[00:23:26] he tried to murder this girl with his friends.
[00:23:29] And they were so high off drugs that when they tried to dig, they did the whole to bury the body.
[00:23:33] They were so high that they buried the whole, like, not even a foot deep.
[00:23:37] And they put her in there and just put some dirt in there and realized you still alive.
[00:23:40] You know, I mean, those are the kind of roommates that I had.
[00:23:43] At one point, they put me in with like a kid who was in there for hate crime, like a skin head,
[00:23:47] and they're for hate crime.
[00:23:48] And you know, just being there, I'm like, dang, I don't belong here.
[00:23:52] And I felt terrible that my parents, because I knew my parents had raised me the right way.
[00:23:58] And I'm like, man, I really let them down here.
[00:24:01] So that's why I knew I was like, this is, this is not what I want to do.
[00:24:06] So, the source of that, a lot of times you people think that,
[00:24:11] but then, you know, as soon as they get out and they get back around their friends, you know,
[00:24:15] was that a good enough, like, scared straight situation that you actually,
[00:24:19] store scared straight?
[00:24:21] I wouldn't say scared straight because now I'm like, okay, I did it.
[00:24:24] It was fine.
[00:24:26] In my head, I'm like, I'm hard.
[00:24:29] You know, like, I go back in the duty.
[00:24:31] Now I'm on probation and any little thing is like an automatic 10 days you go back.
[00:24:35] So when I got out, same thing, it was actually even worse now,
[00:24:39] you know, and it got to the point where I'm like, hey, you know what?
[00:24:41] I'm going to do whatever I want, whenever I want, whatever I want,
[00:24:45] and I would wait for my parents to go to bed and I would just sneak out of the house.
[00:24:49] So you kind of got emboldened.
[00:24:51] Oh, because you went in there because it wasn't really a scared straight thing.
[00:24:54] It was more like you got emboldened because you think, hey, dude,
[00:24:57] I can do what I can do if he wasn't that bad.
[00:24:59] Yep, because I don't know.
[00:25:00] No factor.
[00:25:01] I'll get out.
[00:25:02] And you actually got, you actually got worse.
[00:25:06] So I stopped committing crimes.
[00:25:09] But I was going now.
[00:25:10] I just wanted to hang out with my friends, honestly, because it was just so strict.
[00:25:14] And where I made my mistake is this is around the time where cell phones started coming out.
[00:25:18] So I would, you know, my parents went to bed early too.
[00:25:21] And they would put me to bed like an eight o'clock.
[00:25:22] I don't know if teenagers put me to bed at eight o'clock.
[00:25:24] But at the time of my life.
[00:25:25] To cool me, yeah.
[00:25:26] Put me to bed early, you know, because the earlier you put me in the early,
[00:25:29] I'm leaving.
[00:25:30] So I would wait for them to go to bed.
[00:25:32] I would go to the living room.
[00:25:33] I would grab my dad's cell phone.
[00:25:35] And then I would roll out.
[00:25:36] And now I'm the only kid like Roman Brown, like with a cell phone.
[00:25:39] I'm like, yeah, let's call so and so and so and so and so and so like, you know,
[00:25:42] until the cell phone bill came out.
[00:25:44] I didn't know that because I didn't know how cell phones were.
[00:25:46] Yeah, because back then, this is in the 90s.
[00:25:49] Oh, yeah.
[00:25:50] So yeah.
[00:25:51] So you get your target charge per minute per call.
[00:25:53] Oh yeah.
[00:25:54] It wasn't cheap either.
[00:25:55] No, it was like a dollar a minute.
[00:25:57] Yeah, or some crazy like that.
[00:26:00] Yeah, so my dad blew a casket when he saw that bill and
[00:26:03] all his story, it was just this constant back and forth between him and I.
[00:26:07] And it got to point when I told him, I'm like, hey, I'm not scared to you.
[00:26:10] I'm going to do whatever I want whenever I want.
[00:26:12] Like what do you do?
[00:26:13] Meet me?
[00:26:13] You're you're crowned me.
[00:26:14] I'm already grounded for a life.
[00:26:16] And so at this time,
[00:26:18] I'm still getting in trouble for smaller things in my probation officer.
[00:26:22] It was like, hey, listen, you're like at the point where we're just going to
[00:26:25] put you away to your 18.
[00:26:26] I was like, oh, okay.
[00:26:29] And I had a teacher at the time that I had built a great relationship with.
[00:26:32] ship with. He was like a life skills class,
[00:26:36] way to you had like right checks, pay your bills,
[00:26:38] you know, stuff like that. And him and I had built a good relationship and I don't know how he got
[00:26:42] wind of it, but he knew the judge or whatever and he was like, hey, you know, he's a good kid.
[00:26:47] He just, he's got a situation at home where he doesn't get along with the stepdad and
[00:26:52] and the judge is like, well, if you think he's such a good kid, then you adopt him. And he said, okay,
[00:26:56] he adopted me and at that point, like, I think my stepdad was like at the end of his, you know,
[00:27:05] his way, he's just like, I can't, I can't handle this kid. He's like, go, and he signed a way.
[00:27:10] So you're 16, 17 at this point? 17, yes, 17.
[00:27:15] So you're going to basically, you're senior year. You're senior year of high school. You're going to
[00:27:19] live with your teacher. Yeah. So I lived with him and it was, uh,
[00:27:24] what was the deal with this teacher? Do you just like the coolest teacher ever? I don't know. So he was
[00:27:28] very religious. Like very him and his wife were very religious. They had five kids. They had raised
[00:27:33] them all to be very like successful people. Like they were just good people. But in my head, I'm like,
[00:27:40] what is this guy thinking? Because I wouldn't let some little thug move in with me. But honestly,
[00:27:46] when I moved in with him, I was so grateful that I told him, I'm like, hey, this is your house,
[00:27:51] your rules, and I'll follow them. And I didn't give him like a peep of trouble because I was so grateful
[00:27:57] for what he had done. And he treated me, he treated me like an adult for the first time.
[00:28:03] You know, he was just like, hey, if you're going to go out, just let me know who you're with,
[00:28:06] what time you've been back. And for me, that was like, what? You know, let me go out with my friend.
[00:28:11] They always something that I wasn't allowed to do before. So I was so grateful for that.
[00:28:16] I'm like, do as a great thing. I don't want to mess it up and you didn't hear a peep from me.
[00:28:20] I'm gonna be the rest of the year. My guy was on my best behavior with him.
[00:28:25] Are you getting good grades in school?
[00:28:27] Yeah, so actually, that's the funny thing, because I actually did really well in school.
[00:28:30] Even this whole time. And it was funny, because I had my probation officer required like a
[00:28:35] progress report. So that's how he got a wind of it. Because the teachers would look at me
[00:28:39] and be like, dude, you're good kid, you get good grades. What do you feeling this out for?
[00:28:43] I'm like my probation officer. Yeah, they would look at me over. Yeah.
[00:28:47] Yeah. And so there were a couple of teachers actually during that time that had a big influence on
[00:28:53] the one of them's name is Bobby prior. He's prior Navy vet. And he talked about Navy seals too.
[00:29:00] And he had a big influence on me as well. And I remember him telling stories about, you know,
[00:29:04] when he was in the Navy, and he told me the story that stuck with me for a long time about these two
[00:29:08] seals. They were on the beach and they got to fight with some biker dudes. And they just got back
[00:29:13] back and back and got after it. And he's like these bikers were laid out. And he just talked about how bad
[00:29:17] ass Navy seals were. But I still didn't make that connection, you know what I mean?
[00:29:21] The connection being that this is something you could actually do with your life. Correct. Yeah. I was just like,
[00:29:26] oh, that's cool. You know, so between him and the other teacher that I lived with,
[00:29:32] they were a big influence on me in a different way. Like, I might, you know,
[00:29:36] my stepdad taught me a lot of things that I'm super grateful how to be tough, how to be, you know,
[00:29:39] work ethic, but they had like a softer, more empathetic mentoring. I think that's a better with.
[00:29:46] They were more mentoring me. Yeah. I know the, um, well, here's your, your dad saying,
[00:29:52] hey, you can't go out with your friends or sorry, your stepdad saying you can't go out with your
[00:29:55] friends, et cetera, your mom's super strict. And it makes you want to not do what they're telling
[00:30:00] you to do. Oh, I'm going to the percent. When they impose things on you, making it want to do it,
[00:30:03] this other dude says, hey, you do what you want. Just, you know, just let me know what you're doing.
[00:30:07] And you all of a sudden want to follow the rules. It's like, so such simple psychology on human beings,
[00:30:15] when you impose things on people, they don't like it. When you give them freedom, they're going
[00:30:18] to take advantage of it. And you know, positive way, I don't hear something interesting. Like,
[00:30:24] I have grown kids now. Everyone that's not grown, but my other kids are, you know, uh, how
[00:30:29] 122, 20, and 18, they didn't have curfews. Like, like, I just be like, oh, yep, cool. Oh, you know,
[00:30:38] go out. This is when they were 13 years old, 15 years old. I'd say, okay, you know, let me know
[00:30:44] where you're going. Sometimes, hey, you know, when you're going to be back, you come back tonight.
[00:30:48] And I just let them do what they want to do. And they all turn it out. They all are fine, you know,
[00:30:53] which
[00:30:57] I mean you're like studying then they all
[00:31:01] You're like I mean they're all good kid. I mean they're all they all actually all they all good kids. They all like you know are on really good pass in life and I never now if you were to step
[00:31:12] There was some incidents that took place along the way some some
[00:31:15] Things that needed some corrective measures need to be imposed from time to time if things got a little bit too far out of line and
[00:31:22] That happened a few times
[00:31:23] But then it was like oh they'd get back in line and realize and then I would just give them kind of given their freedom back
[00:31:28] But you know what come one of the key things is that you said is and I tell this to people all the time
[00:31:33] Treat them like adults
[00:31:34] Especially when they're in that age. This is a trick to this is a little trick to this. There's an age where oh
[00:31:40] Your 14 years old. Oh, you think you can you want to be you want to be an adult. Okay cool. Guess what adults have
[00:31:45] Jobs guess what adults do pay bills. They pay rent. They pay for their cell phone. They pay for their food
[00:31:50] So you want to be treated like an adult you want to do it every aren't cool. I can treat you to like an adult
[00:31:55] You'll rent or you know you need to pay for food and all that stuff and they realize really quick
[00:32:00] That's a real good
[00:32:02] Appreciation tool they want to make somebody appreciate what they've got
[00:32:06] Make a treat them like an adult and they kind of they're thinking they want to get treated like an adult
[00:32:11] And then when they start getting treated like adult they go
[00:32:13] Hey, I'm cool with being a kid for a little bit longer
[00:32:18] So what you doing you graduate from high school? Was it straight to the Navy? No, no
[00:32:23] I actually know intentions of joining the military
[00:32:26] So after high school I started working construction full-time and then on the weekends
[00:32:31] I worked at longs drugs on Saturdays and Sundays and this was the summer after I graduated
[00:32:37] I really didn't know what I wanted to do and then you know those two teachers are told about they're like oh, so you know
[00:32:42] You got to start college. I was like no one had ever talked to me about college and I was like
[00:32:46] I don't you know I wasn't excited about it
[00:32:49] So they signed me up for college. They helped me out and I started going to community college and I didn't like it
[00:32:55] I was there and I'm just like I feel like this is high school over again
[00:32:58] Because you know you're taking the pre-rex
[00:32:59] They're taking the same stuff so in my head I'm like I'm not learning anything right now
[00:33:04] That's gonna help me in life
[00:33:05] So I dropped out very quickly. I think I was there for like two minutes and I went back to working construction because I was making
[00:33:12] You know for an 187 actually I was still 17 because I graduated on 17. I was making good money for you know 17 18 year old
[00:33:18] Sure, and I would work seven days a week because I loved the fact that the more I worked the more money I would make
[00:33:24] So I'm like dude, no you mean I can work seven days a week so I did it
[00:33:28] And it was around that time at longs drugs. They used to have
[00:33:32] VHS you know, it's still a VHS and we rented out movies and so every Friday night
[00:33:37] I would go and pick a movie out for myself and that would be my Friday night
[00:33:41] And one day I picked up the movie Navy Seals which I really should
[00:33:46] And I went home and I watched it and I was just like whoa
[00:33:51] This is badass and then that's when I this is these are the guys that Mr. Prior talked to me about that's where I made that connection
[00:33:59] And I'm like I'm gonna go be a Navy seal and I didn't even know how to swim that well
[00:34:05] Damn yeah, I went into the recruiters office. I think the next day and you know I told him it's like hey
[00:34:10] You're sign up for the Navy won't be an Navy seal and of course. Oh, God you have stoked that recruit
[00:34:15] Oh, yeah, I was a recruiters carry out standing. Yeah, you look like you make a great Navy seal
[00:34:21] Exactly. Oh, yeah, this guy told me set me up for failure like yeah, so he you know
[00:34:29] I went through the process very quickly because I'm like hey, I'm committed. Let's do it
[00:34:33] You know
[00:34:35] And so I
[00:34:37] You know, I take the asvap whatever and then he gives me the the Corman rating. He's like we think about being a Corman
[00:34:41] I was like, well, sad. He's like oh, it's like a medic when you get out
[00:34:44] You're like a registered nurse and you can have a job. I was like, oh, okay cool
[00:34:47] So when I get out I'll have a skill so I'll be the medic on the team so I'm like, yeah, let's do it
[00:34:52] So
[00:34:54] Were you in the dot
[00:34:56] Well, you did you get some kind of a seal contract like how they didn't have that back then
[00:35:00] But here here's the thing I didn't know anything so this recruiter told me screwed me over one
[00:35:04] I wasn't a citizen
[00:35:05] So you can't be in the teams without being but you know this part of it will come into play
[00:35:10] So you know I go off to boot camp
[00:35:13] He ships me off on their corpsmen contracts. I go to boot camp. Yeah, so you're so just to everyone knows
[00:35:19] You're doing the Navy as a regular Navy dude as a corpsman and
[00:35:23] And that that gives you no leverage whatsoever to try and get to buzz. I mean very little leverage what year is this you think
[00:35:31] 1999 and by the way
[00:35:34] I barely got into the Navy because I had I had felonies on my record
[00:35:38] So I had to get like multiple waivers and back then you know being the military wasn't cool
[00:35:43] So they were like all right, you know because I told my son now I'm like listen
[00:35:47] He knows I got a trouble is kid. I'm like listen. You can't do that nowadays. No, I mean you got to have secret clearances
[00:35:52] You got to do this. I mean you do now
[00:35:55] It's so their way more selective now. Oh, yeah in every branch and for seals for shirts
[00:36:01] Yeah, cuz there's so many kids that want to go into it. Yeah, they can to pick and choose exactly. Yeah, so
[00:36:09] So I go to boot camp and they have the video, you know with all the cool stuff and then I'm like this is it
[00:36:17] And then I who wants to try out and I raise my hand. I'm like heck yeah, this is it
[00:36:21] But the problem is I didn't know how to swim
[00:36:26] So we take the screener we take the screen and I and look I can get from one end of the boot of the other
[00:36:32] But I am not what you would call a good swim like I never took you know swimming classes
[00:36:36] I could do this right I kind of doggy my way over and I wasn't scared of the water
[00:36:40] I just I just wasn't good and I failed it the first time around. I was like dang dude
[00:36:45] What am I gonna do? You know now I'm really stressing because now I'm like damn I'm gonna go to the regular Navy
[00:36:50] And I was really really scared of the regular guys
[00:36:52] I don't want to get stuck on a ship and so they're like
[00:36:55] My RDC really really liked me. You know, I was her Yoman so I had I had a lot of freedom
[00:37:01] You know the Yoman cat like takes all the papers
[00:37:03] You have actually a lot of freedom in boot camp to walk around because I would deliver all the all the stuff
[00:37:07] Where'd you go to boot camp great legs?
[00:37:10] Yeah, so she was like hey, I'll let you try out one more time. I was like oh no, so I go and
[00:37:15] And by the way everyone in their mother's trying out so there's like 50 people in the pool. So I'm swimming
[00:37:20] And I'm listening to the times and I'm like oh my god
[00:37:23] I'm not gonna make it again
[00:37:25] So I just stood up at one point. I was like I'm done and they're like okay
[00:37:30] Get out and get ready for push-ups and pull-ups. I was like oh shit that worked
[00:37:33] So I got out to just cut a lot off your time
[00:37:36] I was like two or two
[00:37:38] I'm gonna say it was like at least two. I was nowhere near finishing
[00:37:42] And but there's so many kids in the pool. I'm like you any work like
[00:37:46] Had you worked out at all go so I was very athletic. Yeah, but you didn't play sports. So I played sports in high school
[00:37:53] Oh, okay, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah, the coaches school. So I played you know in PE I would play football basketball anything
[00:38:00] And I would catch on to it very quickly like coaches were always hitting my mom-up
[00:38:03] Did you play any sports for the school? No, I wasn't allowed to so it's just PE yeah
[00:38:08] And that's why the coaches because the coaches are usually the PE teachers call my mom and they're like hey
[00:38:14] Like you're son really needs to play football. I really need to do that because I was really athletic
[00:38:18] I was fast and I was functionally strong because I did so many chores that I was I was a very pretty strong kid
[00:38:24] You know for my age so
[00:38:26] So I was athletic. I could do push-ups all day pull-ups all day, you know, I could run
[00:38:30] I just can swim so when I got out, you know
[00:38:33] I crushed the pull-ups and push-ups and everything else and so I'm going through the process and then
[00:38:36] The dive motivators like hey just so you know
[00:38:40] Corment or not it's not a seal rating it was the only year that they did it were for whatever reason
[00:38:46] They were like if you want to be a Corment with the teams you got to go to the Marines first
[00:38:51] So I was like, I don't want to do that so I went to the office and I changed my rating to like a boat
[00:38:58] It's made and then I go back and I'm like hey, you know
[00:39:02] I'm a seal rating now and he's like cool now and get you in and then as he's doing my paperwork he's like you're not a citizen
[00:39:08] You can't go
[00:39:10] I'm like dang it
[00:39:11] So I go back I changed it back to a Corment because I know what a boat's made is
[00:39:15] So I go back I change it back to a Corment and
[00:39:19] You know they're like hey sorry man
[00:39:20] We really liked you, but you got to get your citizenship first so
[00:39:24] From there I went to course school and then from course school
[00:39:28] Where where where do you end up with the Marines, right? Yeah, yep
[00:39:32] So about the majority of the Corment especially if you're male you're gonna go to the Marines
[00:39:36] So they sent me to school called FMSS where they basically teach you how to be a Marine
[00:39:40] You know teach you like Marine Corps
[00:39:42] Like ranks etiquette whatever and then at one point they they ask if you want to go Marine Corps regs
[00:39:49] Which is basically you got to cut your hair like them and if you do you get like to where they're they're green
[00:39:53] uniform I forget what they're called and they're and like everybody was like super moto and then yeah
[00:39:58] I want to be Marine Corps rags and then they're like what about you Mendez?
[00:40:01] You want to be Marine Corps rags? And I was like no
[00:40:04] And like but you get a uniform you get to wear the Marine Corps uniform
[00:40:08] I'm like I got enough uniforms because before you had to always carry them around in your sea bag and you had inspections all the time
[00:40:13] I'm like I don't want another uniform
[00:40:16] And it was right around that time where I met the the recon Corment that was there
[00:40:20] I
[00:40:22] Mean you just looked at him he just looked like a stud so I immediately gravitated towards him and
[00:40:27] And then he's like hey just so you know we're gonna have triodes if you want to be a recon Corment at the time
[00:40:31] They were like 40% man like we're really hurting we could really use people so I go and I try out
[00:40:38] And I feel this one again
[00:40:41] But you know he's like hey man get out do the rest of it and and that screener was actually legit like it was tough
[00:40:48] Like it was a rock run it was like pull ups push ups
[00:40:51] It was like the Marine Corps PFT and then it was like all these different calisthenics with with no number
[00:40:57] You just did it for time and they had a number that they wouldn't tell you
[00:41:01] So like hey you got to do this amount of mountain climbers and they wouldn't tell you it was like a day long
[00:41:05] Screener and I passed everything else like I crushed everything else and he was like hey I'll tell you what
[00:41:11] He's like you haven't till the end of FMSs to pass the swim
[00:41:14] He's like you're obviously you know athletic you have the physical ability to do it just can't swim
[00:41:20] So I'm like okay perfect and at one point I remember going in his office and doing like the dive physical and get my chest
[00:41:26] X-ray and whatnot somehow through conversation
[00:41:28] I was like yeah, I want to go to Buds
[00:41:30] He's like you want to do what he's like I was like I want to go to Buds eventually like I'm just kind of doing this
[00:41:35] You know my time with the Marines and until I could get the Buds and
[00:41:39] He grabs my paperwork. He like crumbles it up and he's like he will never
[00:41:44] Be a reconquerman and he chugged my stuff in the garbage
[00:41:48] He's like yeah, I'm office that was it. I was like oh, so yeah, so
[00:41:54] Then I got orders to
[00:41:56] 24 I'm so grunt grunt battalion there in camp Pendleton and as soon as I get there
[00:42:02] I'm like really regretting it. I'm like dang what I do you know maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut and just gone with it
[00:42:09] And as soon as I get there, that's usually good advice
[00:42:12] Yeah, yeah, this is a my favorite. All right, and so
[00:42:15] As soon as I get to 24 they're already like hey, we're getting ready to deploy
[00:42:19] So I basically I didn't do a work of branding. I basically just I think I was home from maybe a month and then we deployed
[00:42:24] to Japan my first deployment and what are you doing or what are you doing on deployment
[00:42:29] Would you exercise this and stuff?
[00:42:31] So I was like the the coverage corpsman and and you know
[00:42:35] My chief knew that I wanted to go to Buds so he would attach me to like the amphibious assault
[00:42:39] Platoon or whatever like whether they did all the boat stuff and OTV stuff
[00:42:44] So I did that
[00:42:45] Was like their their corpsman basically if anybody got hurt. I was the corpsman coverage for that
[00:42:50] But during that deployment that's where I like got really serious about learning how to swim and I was in the pool every chance
[00:42:56] I could get like if if I had the time I would go in the mornings I would go a lunch and that's why
[00:43:01] Oh, because it was a guy that I met that dropped out of Buds and
[00:43:03] Hmm and I told him I was like do you know how to do the combat sidestroke and he's like yeah, I was like teach me
[00:43:11] So he taught me and and that's where I I got proficient at that swimming was during that deployment
[00:43:17] This is still pre 9 11. Oh, it's just all
[00:43:21] Contrary yeah, just going on training missions and big exercises and so that's a normal sex month deployment you go on with the Marines
[00:43:27] Yeah, pretty unhavenful get done with that and what happened to you come home from that so I come home and then
[00:43:32] We get a new chief and we start talking and then he's like hey, have you ever thought about going recon
[00:43:40] I was like you have thought about it, you know, but I want to go to Buds or whatever
[00:43:43] He's like hey, won't you have the conversation with this this recon chief and so the recon chief and I start talking and then he's like
[00:43:51] He's like hey, we have a guy here who's not really working out and
[00:43:54] We want to see if you want to come over here and I told him I'm like hey, I want to be honest. You like my goal is to go to Buds
[00:44:00] He's like hey listen, no problem. He's like, won't you come over here? See if you like it if you like it stay if not I'll send you to Buds
[00:44:07] And I was like okay, and then he's like
[00:44:09] He's like if you come over here, I'll give you BH
[00:44:12] Which as an email
[00:44:15] Basic allows for housing
[00:44:17] But it's legit money. No, it could be like 1200 bucks a month
[00:44:22] Yeah, and when you're what were you for you? Oh, you're an E4 you're
[00:44:26] Sorta like maybe almost doubling your paycheck not quite maybe like
[00:44:30] 50% of your pay
[00:44:32] You're gonna you're gonna make extra. It's a big deal getting that BH that's why dudes get married by the way
[00:44:39] Dude, that's why you see 18-year-old Marines are like you're up and getting married. Oh, you met the woman your dreams
[00:44:44] No, but I'm gonna get be a bitch son. They want that BH
[00:44:49] Yeah, so it's a big deal especially in the Marines because in the Marines
[00:44:53] That the the barracks had to be like 95% man and you had to be like an E5 or above
[00:44:57] And so I'm an E4 and he's like BH and some magic words. I'm like let's do it
[00:45:03] So I headed over there and and I see the guy that I'm supposed to replace and the guy looks like Superman
[00:45:09] I mean he's super tall just jacked and I'm like I'm replacing this guy
[00:45:15] And then you know I kind of like I could tell that with the LPO there kind of saw I was like oh dang
[00:45:20] You know, I was like this guy and he's like his yeah, he looks like Superman, right?
[00:45:24] I was like yeah, he does he's like you know what's his kryptonite water? Oh
[00:45:29] I guess he would he would freak out during the water
[00:45:31] But because they had him like tread water with but they do a lot of stuff over there with water and and um
[00:45:36] Yeah, yes, he would just like freak out. So I'm like okay cool
[00:45:40] So that's how I ended up there. Um, they put me right into
[00:45:44] My first introduction to them was it was it was an SR
[00:45:48] So they were like hey, you're gonna do an O T B S R
[00:45:50] Yeah, penultimate yeah penultimate I just been there. I just got there and there was a cornman there who had at the
[00:45:57] Reconbite time who who had orders to go to Buds
[00:46:00] So they're they're like hey, can you take you know Carlos under your wing kind of show him how to pack out for an O T B S R
[00:46:06] And by the way, I've never swam in the ocean before so now I'm about to you know at night get dropped off
[00:46:11] Swim to the surf zone. Yeah with with the rock load out. Oh, yeah, which is no joke
[00:46:17] Normus so he's like teaching me how to like load my stuff out and then I'm like hey what about like warm weather stuff
[00:46:23] He's like this is Reconbroad
[00:46:27] And then by the way, this is winter time and and um he's like this is Reconbroad like we don't take that stuff
[00:46:32] And I'm like okay, you know
[00:46:33] Like check he's like we take batteries and this and that he's like I'm like okay got it
[00:46:38] And then I'm like hey question how am I getting this brok through the surf because of that
[00:46:43] He's like oh you can put a floatation on it. I put a ton of floatation on my cuz I'm like down on a drown
[00:46:49] So we go and we do the SR
[00:46:51] I make it through the surf zone just sheer will but I mean I must have swallowed like a gallon of water going to the
[00:46:57] Surfzone my first time ever but I you know, I'm trying not to be
[00:47:01] The weak link
[00:47:03] If you know yeah, I'm trying not to be a ffina
[00:47:07] So we make it through and you know we change out we start patrolling and then we get to to the
[00:47:12] To the place where we're gonna
[00:47:14] Set up camp and then everybody starts busing out their warmings. Yeah, they were and I look around on my
[00:47:22] Damn it and then I like hey, what's up doc like where's your stuff?
[00:47:26] I'm like where we gone
[00:47:27] I thought that we didn't bring warmings out and they like no way bro like we bring a ton of warmings out
[00:47:34] Now I'm just like oh
[00:47:36] And I'm freezing cold because it's winter time out camp in Otenham
[00:47:41] We just went through the surf so I'm still wet and finally I'm just like you know what I'm gonna volunteer to just watch the radio on night
[00:47:46] I was like there's no way I'm sleeping tonight and so I did I just
[00:47:50] Jack hammered all night long watched the radio and we'd get up and walk around just try to keep my self warm
[00:47:56] And the Marines loved it, you know, because I volunteered to do watch all night long for for the rest of this star
[00:48:01] But that was my introduction
[00:48:03] I was I when I got to the teams. I was a new guy didn't have my bird yet
[00:48:07] And I got sent to a comm school out on the east coast that was run by by the teams and I was a new guy and my butt my swim buddy was a new guy two of us and we
[00:48:19] We there was like a six day five or six day FTX that you went on at the end of this comm school
[00:48:25] It's a two month comm school's freaking legit. It was a great course and
[00:48:29] The chief that was running it
[00:48:31] You know, I was like asking him questions cuz I always want to know you know what would be a good thing to bring when we're in the field and I said
[00:48:38] Hey, you know, or guy, you know, should I bring like a sleeping bag?
[00:48:40] Should I and he goes if you're hard core will it?
[00:48:42] Because you know I was always trying to be hard core. He's like your hard core will like he was bringing a punch on a poncho liner
[00:48:46] And I was like well check. I am fucking hardcore
[00:48:49] And I'm just bringing on a poncho to a poncho liner and I did and
[00:48:53] That's what I went out and field with and as we inserted
[00:48:56] The first night it was raining as we inserted it turned to sleep like as the vehicles pulled up to drop us off and then it turned into snow
[00:49:04] It was balls called balls called and
[00:49:08] On this course you had like a comms window every
[00:49:12] Every two to four hours you'd have to make comms to some different part of the country and
[00:49:17] Most guys would like miss comm windows and that would be you're getting graded the whole time and if you had the best grade at the end
[00:49:23] Then you get extracted early and
[00:49:25] And so
[00:49:27] Me my swim buddy same thing like we were we were trying to be hardcore
[00:49:31] So we didn't have warm is for shit. We freezing and
[00:49:35] We never missed a comm window and the reason we never missed a comm window is because we couldn't
[00:49:39] It was just like freezing
[00:49:41] But yeah, that's um always bring a ground pad and always bring a bivy sack
[00:49:45] Because that's what I learned eventually the bivy sack is the deal if you got a bivy sack
[00:49:49] You can climb in there and you can pretty much just gut through some serious shit
[00:49:54] Yeah, but um yeah, that's good. That's the way that's what that's what happens to the new guys
[00:50:00] Yeah, don't believe when your chief says you we don't bring warmies
[00:50:04] These foolish shit. Yeah, well actually the the recon coming that were they they were cool about it
[00:50:09] Because they're like hey, we heard what happened like dude
[00:50:12] I'm not gonna say the guy's name. He's like he totally hooked you up
[00:50:15] All right, yeah, he did
[00:50:18] So at that point they put me into rip which is the recon doctoration puttons
[00:50:22] So basically it's you competing for a slot at their at BRC
[00:50:27] Which is like their selection process and that's a bonus is it still in corn out of it's in camp Hamilton
[00:50:32] Okay, so rip is in camp Hamilton. What's the one I used there used to be something corn that's BRC God so in rip
[00:50:38] They put everybody in there who just showed up to the talent and you're come because there's only 30 slots
[00:50:42] So you're competing
[00:50:43] So the top 30 guys go to BRC if you didn't make that cut you go through rip again and hopefully you make it through the you know
[00:50:50] You're in top 30 now long as rip so it did there's no like real timeline to it
[00:50:55] I think it was just like hey, you're just doing it until the next class
[00:50:59] The BRC shows up and then they start ranking you and then you get your your slot
[00:51:04] And so you know the common one like hey just you know like you know Marines are always harder on the
[00:51:08] Corbin don't let us down and so I go to rip and I'm doing well on everything except for land now
[00:51:14] I can't freaking land now to save my life dude. I was just getting lost and I was really getting down on myself and
[00:51:20] And then one day I just clicked like I looked at the map and I'm just like
[00:51:25] It came to life. I get it. Yeah. I don't know it was just like this moment like a light bulb moment and from that point on like I was like land
[00:51:31] I've got it
[00:51:32] So I was able to secure a spot to BRC
[00:51:36] So I go to BRC which is in corn out of and that's what I start seeing like the blood's guys and I'm like
[00:51:41] Dang you know which I was here, but I'm here now and you know I did pretty well and BRC
[00:51:47] There was a guy there named Mendoza and he was not good at all and the instructors would get us confused
[00:51:55] And so I would be running by and like hey you drop
[00:51:58] That was like okay and like wish I heard you lost your map and this and that and I was like that was in me
[00:52:03] That was Mendoza and they're like oh
[00:52:05] Like we'll push him out anyways, you know and then finally this guy I don't remember if he quit or if he got dropped
[00:52:12] But thank goodness because then once he got dropped
[00:52:14] I'm just like cool because he was just messing up left and right and they would get us confused
[00:52:18] Mendoza so I had to pay the man a few times for his
[00:52:22] And then sometimes they're like you know what both of you
[00:52:25] Just pay the man how long is BRC?
[00:52:27] If I remember correctly back then I think it was like two months long
[00:52:30] And so you obviously you finished it. I did not I actually got a stress fracture about two weeks from graduating and
[00:52:40] You know they they sent me back to the to the BAS with the corpsman. I got to X-ray and everything like yeah
[00:52:46] And at the time you know there's they were like hey how was he doing and like actually he's he ranked number one in the class before he got dropped
[00:52:52] So he's like he's welcome to come back and
[00:52:54] And then at that point that I hate you want to go back and I said no as I got want to go to Buds
[00:53:01] I made my decision that was like here. I want to do this like because here's the thing like if you finish
[00:53:08] Now you owe them time because after that they sent us to you finish then you sent you to jump school
[00:53:13] Diive school and now you belong to them because they've invested money into you
[00:53:17] And it was kind of funny too because when I went they were like
[00:53:20] Somehow it came up that I wasn't a citizen and they were like oh shit. You're not a citizen like you actually weren't supposed to go to BRC if you weren't
[00:53:28] So they were like let's get you some citizenship so they they kind of fast track me and I was able to get my citizenship
[00:53:35] And so they're like hey for the rest of the time here, you know, we're just gonna attach you to a platoon
[00:53:39] And so they improved you going about they were like all right, that's what you wanted to do. Yeah, they were really yeah
[00:53:43] They were awesome about it. They got great leadership there. They were great great like super professional guys
[00:53:49] I still keep in touch with some of them
[00:53:51] So hey, it's all you what we're gonna do till you get orders and you go
[00:53:54] We're just gonna put you an uplatoon and you're gonna do work up deployment and you just be the corpsman
[00:53:58] And then when you get your orders to go to buds you go so
[00:54:03] That's what I did until I got orders to go to buns. What are you worried about this stress fractures scenario?
[00:54:08] Because like that's all kinds of people get stress fractures but I
[00:54:12] Wasn't because I I never you know
[00:54:15] I was like oh, I'll heal up on me young no factor. Yeah, so I got orders to go to buds in
[00:54:23] November of 2003
[00:54:25] Right or 2002 sorry 2002 November of 2002 so where were you when when 9-11 happened?
[00:54:31] I was at the for reconbetian, but they were like hey, I don't think we got deployed or anybody from that battalion got deployed
[00:54:40] Um
[00:54:42] To have can't stand at that time, but I that was still there
[00:54:45] But you know at that time already had my path so they're like hey even if you go there
[00:54:50] You're not gonna go with the football town so then when do you when do you get the buds finally?
[00:54:54] November of 2002
[00:54:57] What you expected
[00:54:59] I was you must have been pretty freaking kind of ready for it. Oh, oh, yeah, I had I had run with a rock
[00:55:06] I'd done OTV's countless OTV's. I was really good at land-out
[00:55:10] I mean like I got attached to a platoon did a workup to point with them so I was I was ready
[00:55:16] Um
[00:55:17] And so when I showed it like oh here's the thing to they they sent me to like a
[00:55:22] Like a combat engine here in battalion
[00:55:24] They're like hey, we're gonna send you they can't be in the platoon anymore because they're about to deploy and
[00:55:28] You know obviously it's gonna overlap you're gonna start buds before when I'm gonna bring you home halfway through deployment
[00:55:33] So they're like go to this combat engineer in battalion and you can work out all day and that's where I met this guy named Captain Gwen
[00:55:40] Who had like a master's degree in can easyology and was all about in the fitness and when he learned that I was going to buds
[00:55:45] He's like let me train you
[00:55:47] I was like your series. He's like yeah, so he got me even more prepared like we worked out three times a day in the morning at lunch and afterwards
[00:55:55] And then he started teaching me how to eat properly. So when I got to buds I was
[00:56:00] I was ready like I could do 30 more pull ups 120 push up 120 set like I was I was a machine when I got there
[00:56:08] And your water had obviously improved. Oh, yeah, yeah, I have at that point I'd done countless OTVs and yeah, that was good to go
[00:56:16] And then did you get what you expected there in buds any any issues or anything
[00:56:21] So when I got there, I'm like, you know everybody tells you oh you got to be the gray man
[00:56:23] So I'm like okay cool. I'm gonna be the gray man
[00:56:25] But if I gray man people that don't know this is just a term to to explain if you can go to buds and you can kind of
[00:56:33] Not stand out that's a good thing because
[00:56:37] There's very few people that stand there's only might be one or two maybe three people in a class that stand out because they're good
[00:56:44] But the people that stand out because they're bad and then once you got someone watching you
[00:56:49] Yeah, then every you're they're gonna start seeing all kinds of things that you're doing that are jacked up so
[00:56:53] one of the
[00:56:55] Strategies of going to buds is to try to be the quote gray man meaning just be in the middle
[00:57:03] Finish the stuff don't stand out don't draw any attention to yourself and
[00:57:07] That's a good strategy for getting through and you would hurt. I don't think we had that
[00:57:11] I don't think that was a term when I went through
[00:57:14] But I kind of instinctively well
[00:57:16] Everyone instinctively knew you didn't want the freedom instructors to know your name or your face or you just wanted them to ignore you as much
[00:57:23] Sponsibal so you know you just try to do what you're told and try and you know
[00:57:27] Yeah, try not to stand out and that was the plan. I'm like all right
[00:57:30] I'm not gonna shine you know I'm just gonna stay like the top 25%
[00:57:34] But that was not possible because
[00:57:38] When I first got to buds you know you're standing watch when you're waiting to class up and
[00:57:42] You know a buddy of mine there and buzz like hey, let's go out one night
[00:57:47] You know, let's be before we go out so we go out we party and how old are you?
[00:57:53] 22 yeah 2002. I'm 22. I was like I was young so I couldn't know what's going out. Wasn't the thing
[00:57:59] I could go into the the bar the the E club on base you could drink when you're 18
[00:58:03] But I wouldn't even want to do that. I was just trying to make it through buds. So it's weird to me
[00:58:07] It would've been it's weird to me like having a guy like hey, let's go out to a bar
[00:58:12] Because I can't fathom what it would be like to go to a bar when I was in Buds yeah
[00:58:15] So we go out and he starts talking to this girl
[00:58:19] And then he's like hey, bro like I need you to you know, our friend really likes you like I need you to
[00:58:25] To entertain her while I'm with this girl and blah, blah, blah, I'm like do you not got a girlfriend?
[00:58:29] He's like come on man. We're gonna be in the teams like you're supposed to have my back
[00:58:32] You know what if you don't want to be known as that guy and I'm like really like you're gonna play that card with me
[00:58:36] So I'm like dude. I'm not dead. You know, I'll talk to her. I'll keep her busy free, but I could tell she's enemy like she wants
[00:58:44] She she wants more and he's like dude. We're gonna go back to their place
[00:58:48] And I'm like dude. I really don't want to he's like bro come on. You gotta do this for me
[00:58:53] I'm like listen, I think she wants more than what I'm willing to give
[00:58:57] Because one I wasn't attracted or two, you know, I had a girlfriend at the time and then um
[00:59:02] So I'm like all right dude like I'll go I'll go back to their house with you and
[00:59:05] When we get there I see her car and it has a first recomb Italian sticker on it
[00:59:11] Oh
[00:59:12] And I recognize that sticker because it's a sticker for different parking lots. You had different stickers and that was like an operator sticker
[00:59:18] Like if you got the parking the operator parking lot
[00:59:22] And so I was like hey where'd you get that sticker from
[00:59:25] She's like oh yeah, I could tell she's getting flushed and she's like my husband
[00:59:30] In my head
[00:59:32] Just like yotsie. This is my out and I'm like bro we can not do this we gotta go
[00:59:37] I was like I am not doing it now I have a legit reason to not go through with this
[00:59:43] So we take off we go back to buds and
[00:59:46] Now I'm standing watch on on Monday morning and I get a phone call
[00:59:51] I'm I'm standing watch at the quarter deck with another guy and I get a phone call from the
[00:59:55] 618 quarter deck so 618 is where the barracks are at so you have the buds quarter deck and you have the the barracks quarter deck
[01:00:01] And it's it's one of the guys in my class and he's like hey, loasters
[01:00:05] There's some marine here to see you
[01:00:08] And it didn't even cross honestly didn't even cross my mind. You're in the Marines
[01:00:11] Yeah, what am I what am I buddies is coming here to visit me? I was like that's awesome
[01:00:16] I was like cool man, what's his name?
[01:00:18] And he's like a bro what's your name? He's like he doesn't need to know my name
[01:00:22] He slept with my wife and I was like what I was like I didn't sleep with his wife and I'm like bro tell him I could I could explain like nothing happened like
[01:00:30] I didn't know she was married blah, blah, so I'm trying to explain and I like here is this guy in the background
[01:00:35] Saying like I'm gonna kill this guy like I want to talk to him right now
[01:00:41] And I'm like dude I'm on watch tell my my watch and when I get off at noon
[01:00:44] I can talk to him and he's like no I want to talk to him right now
[01:00:49] And then I'm like fine tell him to come up to the to the buds quarter deck and I can talk to him here
[01:00:54] I guess tell him nothing happened like dude. I don't know what's going on in your marriage, but nothing happened
[01:00:58] So then my buddy's like dude, he said it over there and he's he's big he's a huge dude. I'm like oh my god
[01:01:07] So I'm sitting there and then another guy that I'm with he's like bro you have to tell the instructor
[01:01:13] You have to tell the OD he's like there's no way you get no fire here on the quartet you're done
[01:01:19] And the OD happens to be a first phase instructor that day
[01:01:22] Yeah, so I'm just like oh my goodness so I'm like all right
[01:01:28] So I go to the first phase office, you know, I ring the bell
[01:01:31] I'm like you know, HM3M into here to see instructor so and so and the whole first phase staff is in there because this is in the daytime
[01:01:38] Yeah, it's in the daytime
[01:01:40] Yeah, this is morning
[01:01:42] So I go in there and at that time all the instructor to buds were like enormous
[01:01:46] They're all like six to enough just jacked out of their minds like I'm just swear they do it on purpose for intimidation factor
[01:01:52] But at the time they were all enormous
[01:01:55] So I go in there and they're like dropped her so I'm in the push-up position and my dress blues, you know, and then like what do you want?
[01:02:00] I'm just like marines coming over to kick my ass
[01:02:04] And they're like you just screw his old lady or something
[01:02:07] I was like nobody thinks I did and they're like like who's this marine coming over here starts some shit like let's go there beat his ass
[01:02:14] So the entire first phase staff's like yeah, let's go over there. So they all head over there to the quarter-deck
[01:02:20] And at the time there's like some guys from like team five that were waiting there to to screen for another team and
[01:02:27] Some of them knew each other so like, you know what's up with up?
[01:02:29] I'm like oh, you know, so brain coming over here starts some shit. I'm like hell yeah, the beat is ass
[01:02:34] So now I'm like yeah, come on over here, you know, and and so we're waiting and nothing happens and I'm like do you where is this guy?
[01:02:41] And then the phone rings and my buddy from 618 he's like hey, bro
[01:02:47] I heard what happened. I was totally messing with you
[01:02:50] And I could literally my
[01:02:55] The blood just like drained from my face and then the instructor's like is it him?
[01:03:02] And I was just like I just I I didn't I couldn't speak so I just handed him the phone and then he's like
[01:03:10] Disattractor so-and-so who is this? He's like oh, this is airmen so-and-so like where's the marine?
[01:03:16] He's like it was a joke. He's like oh you got jokes
[01:03:21] I got jokes too. He's like you and Mendez in your wetsuits two canteens on the grind
[01:03:27] Good song. Oh yeah
[01:03:30] We got beat
[01:03:33] He ended up quitting shortly thereafter
[01:03:35] Um
[01:03:37] But there was no being the gray man
[01:03:39] The only way you were the man. Oh, yeah, and it was just like from that point on I would be like where's Mendez does a matter hit the sir
[01:03:47] All you pasture uniform detection that's great
[01:03:49] It's surfing so yeah, so I was like all right. Well if I'm not gonna be the gray man just go balls out. I guess
[01:03:54] I was well freaking legit
[01:03:58] So you're not the gray man anymore and
[01:04:02] You're going just going hard
[01:04:04] Is there was any she having issues in boats? Yeah, I did
[01:04:10] No, no, it's fun. Finds issues man. Yeah fine jeries. Yeah, you know during one of the surf passage
[01:04:16] Evolutions I had one of the paddles come across and like break across my shin and so I had this huge bruise on my shin for a while and I was like you know
[01:04:23] Whatever and I just kept going through training and at one point I realized that
[01:04:28] When I would press down on my muscle it would just stay and my knee got really swollen. I could barely move it and I'm a
[01:04:35] Corment so I know I'm like do these are like
[01:04:39] Symptoms with compartments syndrome but I didn't want to say anything so I made it to the weekend
[01:04:45] And I went back up to the to the recon battalion and I'm like hey guys like is this what I think it is?
[01:04:50] And I like I think it is like do you need to go to the hospital?
[01:04:52] So I was like well, I don't want to go to butks and I want to get dropped or rolled or whatever
[01:04:56] So I check myself into camp penalty in hospital and then they're like
[01:05:00] Dude you got to get this drain you either have to have surgery. You have to get this drained and I was like
[01:05:05] Well, can we try draining it first and they're like yeah sure so they got this enormous needle
[01:05:10] I mean it was thick too and they just started like draining the blood from there and they're like
[01:05:15] Did you're not gonna be able to finish buds and whatever I was like no I'll be fine
[01:05:19] So I go back to buds and then the instructors got word that I had checked into to medical up there in the light dude
[01:05:27] We have a medical here
[01:05:29] They're cool about it like I thought they were gonna be pissed but they were like hey, you know
[01:05:34] They they liked me at that point
[01:05:36] One phase was that first phase. Oh, this is before hell week. Dang them yeah before hell
[01:05:41] So it was like the week before hell week and then they were like hey no big deal
[01:05:45] We're just roll you to the next class
[01:05:47] And I was like you know as it was extremely disappointing
[01:05:51] So I got rolled and then I got rolled into two four five and then
[01:05:57] though run
[01:05:59] Before like the the last day before we started hell week on a run I stepped in a paw hole
[01:06:05] Or I stepped in like you know holding the sand and I twisted my ankle
[01:06:09] Really bad like that scene was enormously swollen and then
[01:06:13] I was like no, it's fine like I'll go through hell week and you know I'll be fine
[01:06:17] And they're like, dude you're not gonna be able to go through that and in my head I'm like this is twice now
[01:06:21] There's no way they're keeping me and
[01:06:24] The the proctor at the time
[01:06:27] You know he's looking through my record. He's like
[01:06:30] Dude you haven't failed a single evolution here like not a uniform inspection not a room inspection
[01:06:37] And you know how they are over there. He's like not one I was like no
[01:06:41] So you know I had attention detail from a my childhood
[01:06:45] And be you know my time with the Marines like I had attention to detail and I could follow directions
[01:06:50] I was like that was the one thing I could really do so they're like you know you haven't failed anything at all
[01:06:54] They're like you know what we're gonna roll you one last time
[01:06:58] And then you know last time I made it all the way through no issues so
[01:07:03] And then where'd you end up going from there?
[01:07:05] So you know you got jump school ask you tea
[01:07:11] Alaska and then I was a corpsman so they sent me to
[01:07:17] 18 delta to
[01:07:19] To go through the special operations medic course
[01:07:22] Which is freaking long too. Yeah, it's a little over six months and if you go through the full course
[01:07:27] It's like a year long
[01:07:28] Did you go through the short course or the long course? Yeah, so I went through the short course
[01:07:32] They asked me if I wanted to do the long course
[01:07:34] And I said no I didn't want to do that
[01:07:37] But before I headed out there you know I'd been dating the girl else telling about but and we actually ended up getting married before I went out there
[01:07:45] And I did it because when I was going so I had just bought a house to
[01:07:50] So I bought a house around that time in San Diego. We're not in San Diego isn't to make you look so many of you
[01:07:55] You know and I was like oh look at this big ass house like a biotic a for cheap
[01:07:59] You know back then it was you know that there and I didn't realize like how long that drive was
[01:08:03] So
[01:08:05] So I got married because I'm like hey, I really need the San Diego BH because I spoke to the admin lady at Buds and she's like yeah
[01:08:11] You have a house in your marion and you have your hair you're gonna get San Diego BH and not North Carolina BH
[01:08:16] Which is like
[01:08:18] It's penny compared to San Diego so once again. Why did you get married want that be a
[01:08:24] I did love her. I'm sure there's other
[01:08:26] But yeah, so the reason I bring that up is because that was actually a sticking point when I was there
[01:08:34] It was an issue because as I was going to the training I wasn't getting paid at all I was getting
[01:08:40] Zero like you know money knows no behavior
[01:08:42] Yeah, which is a big deal because now I got a mortgage and so I'm digging into my savings and I've been going you know, you know to the
[01:08:50] To the cadre that were there. They have some seal cadre there's well
[01:08:53] It's not like all army guys obviously they have the liaison's for friend of W
[01:08:56] And
[01:08:58] I you know I kept going up to them and tell them like yeah, I still haven't got paid
[01:09:02] Still haven't got paid and they're just like, oh don't worry about it and like it'll happen like they just I just feel like they weren't concerned about it at all
[01:09:09] And for being honest I wasn't a fan of theirs like I could just just didn't get a good feeling from them and
[01:09:15] I'm really digging into my savings and now I'm running out of money and I don't know if you know Captain Smithers is
[01:09:21] So he was the CO at Buds when we were there and obviously like they knew who I was because
[01:09:27] What happened so you know him and I had chatted every now and then and he actually came out and did some jumps with us
[01:09:32] And at what point during one of the jumps like you was sitting next to me
[01:09:36] He was like hey, you know just so you know if you ever need anything reach out
[01:09:41] You see where this is going
[01:09:43] So I call Buds quarter deck and I'm like, you know Buds quarter deck and I'm like you can please transfer me to catch some others off of that
[01:09:51] So I told him the story I'm like hey, I haven't got paid like these guys have totally blown me off
[01:09:55] They haven't been helpful at all blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and he's pissed
[01:09:58] He's like check so he has commander Zinky call me and commander Zinky calls me and then he's like that's that's unsat
[01:10:05] That you've gone that long without getting paid so he calls over to the school
[01:10:09] I get paid like two weeks later, but I get brought in and just shoot out by this senior chief and chief that are over there
[01:10:15] And they're like you know, do you not understand how the chain of command works?
[01:10:19] blah, I mean they were furious and they're like you know
[01:10:21] We're gonna take you to a trident review board. We're gonna drive you down to Virginia Beach
[01:10:27] And have a trident review board. I'm like these guys serious
[01:10:31] So I go back home and I start calling like my recomb ladies. I'm like hey, is it cool if I come back?
[01:10:36] I think they're gonna pull my trident and then they're like dude heck yeah, if you if you get dropped come on back
[01:10:43] So you know I go in there and then
[01:10:46] During one of the
[01:10:48] The ass chewings that I'm getting I'm like you know what I'm like if you guys really take me to a trident review board
[01:10:53] This is like what would you know?
[01:10:54] We're consumed your cold camps. Me there's no like we're friends now again if you take me to try and review board I'll call them again
[01:11:01] And they were like now they're like lost their mind
[01:11:04] And then they're like you'll be hearing from us when it's time for your trident review board
[01:11:08] And I just never heard from them. They left it alone and I got paid like two weeks later
[01:11:16] They
[01:11:19] Anything else from 18 delta?
[01:11:22] Well, I was where I met Neil. I met Johnny Kim. Oh right on that little genius
[01:11:28] Yeah, so he was in the class behind me
[01:11:30] I met Johnny Kim. I was also roommates with a with the dober all right on he was my roommate
[01:11:37] And Delta so it's pretty cool going through with him
[01:11:41] Yeah, and then you those guys ended up coming to team three and you ended up coming to go in a team one
[01:11:46] Yeah, so I actually was initially supposed to go to team three and
[01:11:51] Then the corn in that went to team one for I for whatever reason he couldn't get a security clearance
[01:11:56] So they're like hey, you're gonna go to team one now who's already started their work up and then you know
[01:12:02] Dober was the first one to get orders to team three
[01:12:07] So yeah, that's how I showed up team one. I think
[01:12:11] 2005 are you just fully amped to be
[01:12:14] Yeah, just like beyond and the war's going on
[01:12:17] On deployment
[01:12:19] Yeah, you get thrown right into a platoon. Yeah, so I get thrown into the platoon
[01:12:24] We start they've they've already started their work up
[01:12:29] And it was everything that I was gonna be it was awesome the best job ever
[01:12:35] I mean it really was I mean we would go to you know
[01:12:38] Mississippi for training and do seek you see and then we would go to Kentucky for South and then we
[01:12:44] You know around that time the PSD mission was gone so here we got to driving schools
[01:12:48] So we would go to driving schools and it was just awesome like I
[01:12:51] Loved being around the guys like it was it was everything I thought it would be it was it was pretty cool
[01:12:59] We had some it's a mission in the platoon though
[01:13:04] We went through three different chiefs
[01:13:07] Dang yeah, so the leadership was a little bit of a dang of a problem and then I think the last chiefs that they brought in there
[01:13:15] Like I don't think he was really into it. He was just like yeah, I'll do it, you know, oh
[01:13:21] The crazy thing one of the crazy things I learned to trade at when I was working at trade at was
[01:13:27] Look you're gonna you're gonna have some weak chiefs you're gonna have some weak officers
[01:13:30] But if you have some good dudes in there, yeah, you'll just overcome all that you just overcome all of it and you'll fit you guys are the guys are gonna figure out
[01:13:39] Often times the seal teams succeeds
[01:13:41] Becuse of the lower because because of the leadership from somewhere in the platoon doesn't have to come from the OIC
[01:13:48] It doesn't have to come from the chief now those guys can be bad enough that they actually
[01:13:52] squash the junior leadership and that's when you have a platoon that just falls apart completely
[01:13:56] But if the you know, I've seen OICs that were just completely getting carried by some two e-fives in the platoon
[01:14:04] The OIC and the chief getting carried by two or three good e-fives
[01:14:07] I've seen that all day long. I'm sure you did too
[01:14:09] Yeah, but occasionally you'll get a chief for a OIC that
[01:14:15] Look when they're great. That's great. We're all good
[01:14:17] But it's occasionally they'll squash the junior leadership because their ego gets involved and then I want the you know
[01:14:22] Someone else making calls and it just turns into a total disaster
[01:14:27] The OIC wasn't very well acting
[01:14:32] So you guys are getting do you guys know where you're going on the plymet? No because we're competing for four
[01:14:37] We're going at the time and you know
[01:14:41] I guess that unfortunately the leadership didn't build good relationships up the chain of command
[01:14:45] So even though the platoon was awesome like we had some really talented people in that platoon really talented people in that platoon and
[01:14:54] You know it is what it is that it just did build really we were not the favorite platoon and
[01:15:00] It was around that time when there you know the OIC came up to me. It's like hey, you know
[01:15:04] We're short snipers do you know you were a Marine you're gonna land that Bob odd you want to go
[01:15:09] Do you want to go to sniper school and I said yeah
[01:15:14] He's like two caveats he's like one it's Army sniper school and two you got to go to UAV school afterwards and I'm like yeah
[01:15:22] Yeah, fine whatever just send me yeah, it's so weird how your mentality could be so
[01:15:28] Unaligned with other people they're giving you these quote caveats. Yeah, bro when when we ended up going to Ramadi
[01:15:34] We were supposed to go to Baghdad and task into bruiser and my
[01:15:38] Commanding officer calls me in and he's like he's presenting this thing to me like it's the worst deal ever
[01:15:44] And I'm like so happy. I'm trying I'm just poker face, you know like hey Roger that scrum should we can make some adjustments
[01:15:50] And then I was like oh I can negotiate and I said well we're gonna need this
[01:15:53] I'm gonna need some more people and some more like support and he was like yeah, we can take care of that totally hooked me up, bro
[01:15:58] But I was like oh, are you serious you can send us to Ramadi instead?
[01:16:02] Let's do this yeah, he was thrown caveat at me. I'm like yep
[01:16:06] No, I'm really sorry. We're gonna send you to you. We're gonna send you to you. I'm like
[01:16:11] Okay, you know I'm trying to hold my side
[01:16:12] Yeah, yeah, let's do it. So yeah, so I ended up going to army sniper school and that was
[01:16:18] That was cool going to army school and you know
[01:16:21] It's pretty funny dealing with the army guy. So I had one point so they sent another guy with me
[01:16:25] So they sent two of us to sniper school and we go out to a bar one night and we see some of the guys from our class
[01:16:30] And at that you know at that point they were kind of standoffish because we were being quiet too
[01:16:35] You know, we didn't really talk to people. They see us at the bar and they're like hey you guys are you guys are the seals in our class, right?
[01:16:41] And we're like yeah, you guys is my wife by your shot
[01:16:45] I was like yeah, let's do it
[01:16:46] So I'm like cool. So they buy us a shot and I
[01:16:49] Take this shot and it's the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted in my life like I want to throw up
[01:16:56] And it's it's funny because I so I take the shot and they're like looking at us
[01:17:01] And I want thanks guys even though inside I'm like what the hell was this?
[01:17:05] So I said it down on my thanks fellas and they're like looking at like
[01:17:09] Dang that's why they're maybe
[01:17:12] So I guess they gave us like some gag shot that's both to like make you throw up
[01:17:17] Yeah, and both of us were just like normal face all the time. Yeah, no expression like thanks fellas, but inside I'm like what
[01:17:26] It was disgusting and then here just like
[01:17:29] Dang that's why the baby's you just you see that they didn't even flinch
[01:17:33] Anyway flinch and then
[01:17:36] Yeah, and then we had another
[01:17:38] We were back in
[01:17:40] Back in and training and they were like oh you guys didn't load up in the truck fast enough for something like that
[01:17:45] And they're like oh this one guy was like freaking out like guys if we don't do this fast enough we're gonna get beat
[01:17:50] I'm like so what if we get beat like
[01:17:52] Okay, and one of the instructors heard me
[01:17:55] But he didn't know who I was so he was just like oh we got we got a tough guy the group
[01:17:59] He's like all right he's like come on out
[01:18:02] So he's like push-ups, you know, I'm doing push-ups. I don't push-ups and then he's like
[01:18:06] Okay, flutter kicks and by the way like I
[01:18:09] Used to do so many flutter kicks that I got tired accounting and I would literally set my timer for 10 minutes straight
[01:18:13] And we just do flutter kicks for 10 minutes straight because I didn't want a count anymore
[01:18:17] So he's having me do these flutter kicks and I could tell one of the other instructors like giggling behind it
[01:18:22] Because the guy doesn't know why I mean like oh
[01:18:25] Kind of good at these and then the instructor's like bro, you know, he's a seal right?
[01:18:29] He's like
[01:18:30] Dude, why didn't you tell me I'm over here like an idiot trying to break this guy. He's not gonna break
[01:18:35] And then afterwards like he's like you want you want a dip
[01:18:38] I'm just like no, I don't dip, but thank you
[01:18:40] Yeah, so you end up going on a point and you go to go to a visit yeah pay calm to point
[01:18:47] That's where you guys went right yeah, so
[01:18:50] The majority of the platoon got sent to go on and then they were like hey if you're a
[01:18:54] Uav pilot a sniper or a corpsman you're gonna go to the PI and I was all three three for three three for three
[01:18:59] So that deployment was kind of weird for me because I wasn't with
[01:19:03] My platoon for the majority of time like I was literally getting formed out to whoever needed me
[01:19:07] So I went to Tau-Tau-A, Holy Oze and belong to those times where I got attached to like an ODA unit
[01:19:14] Because they didn't have their 18 delta with them and
[01:19:17] You know, I got attached to them and and there was a point there on the deployment where I got
[01:19:25] I got sent home a ship
[01:19:26] You know because that's how that I was getting transported for one place to another and at the time I had another
[01:19:30] Oh, I see the way you said that you're like I got sent on a ship. Yeah. Well, that was like the one thing that I dreaded
[01:19:36] You know as going on a ship. So this was like my first ship experience and I'm there with my my jail who
[01:19:43] As a prior force recon gunny
[01:19:46] You probably know who he is very tall dude. Yeah, it looks mean. Just tatted up
[01:19:51] And so we're on this ship together and we we go to Chau and
[01:19:56] I was like hey, sir, you know, this is where you and I part ways I got to go eat with the enlisted
[01:20:00] You got to go to officers. He's like I'm not eating by myself. He's like you're coming with me
[01:20:04] And we're wearing sterile camis so no name tapes no rank nothing so we go into the Chauhall with the officers and
[01:20:11] So I'm sitting there and and you can tell like there's this this surface war for officer
[01:20:16] He's looking at us because he sees he's might my jail. I mean he's tatted up. Yeah, no, we both don't look like officers
[01:20:24] So he's he's looking at some finally gets he gets the courage come sit next
[01:20:28] He's like so uh who are you guys and then he's like oh I'm lieutenant so and so and this is Lieutenant Mendez
[01:20:33] I was like oh dang. I just got promoted for five to Lieutenant
[01:20:38] So for like the rest of the deployment or sorry the the rest of the time on the ship
[01:20:42] He's like calling me sir and whatnot and at one point
[01:20:46] You know I'm getting off the heel with my sniper rifle because we're doing like some sniper stuff
[01:20:50] I'm getting off the heel with my sniper rifle and the CEO knows who we are we're on his ship
[01:20:55] And he was standing XCO and the CEO's like hey, HM2, do you might have all that?
[01:20:58] Can you mind if I check out your your sniper rifle and you just see this guy's look he's just
[01:21:05] She's steaming inside that he'd been calling me sir for like two weeks
[01:21:10] He's like turns out I'm an HM2
[01:21:12] HM2 man
[01:21:14] Spot promoted that's like Andy Stomp spot promotes himself to whatever rank is required
[01:21:22] And then you come back from that just roll into another petoon. Yeah, and how's that one girl?
[01:21:27] It was awesome
[01:21:29] I had a new OIC new chief new LPO
[01:21:35] And
[01:21:37] This OIC was was pretty awesome. He I remember when he first got there he set a meeting with me
[01:21:44] And I'm thinking oh man, I'm in trouble like what's you know because up to that point
[01:21:47] I had very little interaction with my I OIC very minimal
[01:21:51] And I'm thinking dude I'm in trouble so I go in there and it kind of shocked me that he asked me like hey
[01:21:57] So what you know what your family situation like like how are you doing?
[01:22:00] Is there anything you need?
[01:22:02] Where do you want to go with your career?
[01:22:04] I was like the first time anybody had really asked me
[01:22:06] I was like I don't know I'll just have him a great time being in a platoon
[01:22:10] You know and he's like you know I noticed you don't have a college degree there's this program
[01:22:15] Where you can get commission we send you away to school for three years and you come back as an officer
[01:22:18] Is that something you'd be interested in?
[01:22:20] I was like I'll actually you know I actually had never heard of that but yeah, it's interesting
[01:22:24] I'll keep it in mind and you know I always say that this guy built a better relationship in the first two weeks with us
[01:22:30] Then the prior OIC had built like in two years
[01:22:34] So it's pretty cool he we tactically speaking he probably wasn't the best
[01:22:40] But strategically he was he was great because he knew who his subject matter expert were he was a very humble guy
[01:22:46] Leaned on them a lot and you know the same group was was together again and it was an awesome awesome workup
[01:22:55] For me like I had a even better time in the first time because I'll be honest like I was I was disappointed the first time around
[01:23:00] With leadership because I had been exposed to really good leadership with the Marines right I mean they were like
[01:23:07] Just absolute professionals and then when I got to that first
[01:23:11] Platoon you know it's a little disappointed so I'm like okay cool
[01:23:14] So that's when I started realizing like okay leadership is you know
[01:23:18] Ebson flows sometimes you get good ones sometimes you get bad ones and anything in between
[01:23:22] The Velcro just like anything else when you go through was that when I was running trade it when you're going through that workup
[01:23:26] I don't think you are there. Yeah. Yeah, I don't think you were there yet. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know one thing I've always said is the
[01:23:34] The Marines have like a tighter shot group or like a tighter standard so
[01:23:40] Like if you have like the best you know the best seal between they're going to be freaking off the charts awesome
[01:23:46] Yeah, and but the worst seal puttune is going to be off the charts shitty
[01:23:51] And the Marine Corps has like a tighter more standardized group of like hey, this is what this is where they're going to be
[01:23:56] They're going to fit in their better
[01:23:57] Which is nice because you don't end up with those low points of leadership
[01:24:02] And then we're doing up going on
[01:24:05] On deployment so
[01:24:07] Um, so before deployment actually they sent me to
[01:24:10] To Central America for a while because they had they had us, you know a mission going down down there adjacent
[01:24:15] Type mission they're like hey, does anybody speak fluent Spanish?
[01:24:19] I was like I speak fluent Spanish so they sent me down there and so I was there for
[01:24:24] For a while
[01:24:25] I'll say it was long because they switched other people out like so they were there's like other guys would be go there for two weeks
[01:24:30] or so, but I was there the entire time just because I was teaching all the classes and going out with them and stuff
[01:24:35] So I did that first and then
[01:24:38] We ended up getting
[01:24:40] Remoddy
[01:24:41] So like okay cool we're going back to we're going to Remoddy for a deployment and so I'm like finally
[01:24:47] This is it and when did you show up there?
[01:24:51] October
[01:24:54] Let's see my son was born
[01:24:56] July
[01:24:57] So yeah September october timeframe okay, so I was home for like a couple months after my son was born
[01:25:03] But it hit me a little doubt a lot by that time oh yeah a lot a lot yeah, yeah, yeah, so what was the deployment like
[01:25:10] So it started off fantastic like when we got there
[01:25:14] We hadn't been in country that long and I remember we got our first mission and
[01:25:18] And
[01:25:20] It was pretty cool because they're like hey, it's it's a little bit outside of Remoddy so we guys are going to take helo's there
[01:25:25] So I'm the point man, you know I'm planning out the routes and stuff and I remember getting in the helo and
[01:25:30] And looking around being like whoa, this is legit. Well, this is finally here like I've got my you know
[01:25:35] I look around everybody's got their their nods on. We've got their weapons wearing the helo
[01:25:40] And you know, it was a DA mission like
[01:25:44] It's basically everything that you want to do and so you know we get dropped off a few clicks away
[01:25:51] Patrol into the target and
[01:25:54] I see some guards out there with with AKs and and it's the first time like
[01:25:58] Like like literally first mission and I get to shoot someone right off the back. No, like this is awesome
[01:26:05] So I'm thinking that that's the way things are you know because I go back to the base and I'm like
[01:26:09] I got you know, I got to reload my mags
[01:26:11] So I'm thinking this is going to be like a normal thing. I better go get some more ammo because you know if it's going to be like this all the
[01:26:16] Plymouth and
[01:26:19] And then we actually don't do anything for like a month
[01:26:21] I'm just like a
[01:26:23] We suck again
[01:26:25] But then they're like hey listen there's there's work to be done but if you want to do it you got to go to the outskirts
[01:26:31] So we actually ended up packing all our homies and going out to Tharthar and then from from there
[01:26:36] We were at some small base and we're like living out of our homies, but but we were working
[01:26:40] Which is what team guys want to do so it was true
[01:26:43] I thought it was as great a plymet you know when I hear you talk about your your first one
[01:26:47] That's kind of how I see this one you're doing DAs all the time. You know no one really got hurt
[01:26:51] You know it was great so
[01:26:53] And you get some good
[01:26:56] Experts good to do those reps, man. Oh yeah, like you just
[01:26:59] The whole cycle from the planning to the to the transit to the execution things aren't going quite right
[01:27:05] But you get them sorted out like you just get good reps, man. Yeah. Yeah. Yep, and as a point man like it was it was a really good experience for me
[01:27:13] As funny cuz like around that time
[01:27:16] You know
[01:27:17] My my OIC at one point we something changed in the plan and then he's like hey
[01:27:21] We need to switch course or whatever. I'm like check. I was like let me get in my poncho and my red red lens
[01:27:28] He's like what are you doing? Oh, like I need to look at my map
[01:27:31] He's like how have you been navigating this whole time? I was like map and compass because in the Marines
[01:27:36] That's how we did it
[01:27:38] He's like you don't have a GPS and I'm like no
[01:27:41] He's like if you're gonna be my point man
[01:27:43] You need to know how to use a GPS
[01:27:46] Because I'm like you know under my poncho my red lens like looking at my map and trying to figure it all out and then
[01:27:50] And so I go back to camp and I'm
[01:27:53] I bust out my GPS. It's still in the wrapper. Damn. It's still in the wrapper. So I'm reading the directions and when I
[01:28:01] I'm reading the directions to this thing and
[01:28:04] Then I'm like where is this thing been my whole life? Yeah
[01:28:08] This is awesome
[01:28:10] Damn that's crazy that was in 2007. Yeah, yeah, I don't know what's happening about the compass yeah
[01:28:16] Because that's the way I had always done it in the Marines. We did eight on a land map and that's actually how I became the point man because one of the more experienced guys was like
[01:28:24] Hey, bro, I don't know how to land have
[01:28:26] He's like you know I land and this was like my first first up
[01:28:30] Button
[01:28:31] He's like hey, you're really good at land. That right you see with the Marines. Oh my god, pretty good
[01:28:33] He's like won't be the point man. I was like heck yeah
[01:28:36] So I'd be came point man, but no one knew that I was just going off my campus my compass and mountain
[01:28:40] And they'll then and then when I discovered that GPS man game changer yeah, especially by that time because by that time in 2007
[01:28:47] It was like one of the you'd have when you're wrist yeah
[01:28:50] When you're wrist so that's what I had I had the little Garmin one
[01:28:52] I mean it even goes on your wrist. I'm like this is amazing freaking ridiculous
[01:28:55] And then I started carrying two of them around like one in here and one of my pocket
[01:28:58] Just in case that one protect now
[01:28:59] I really liked it so I'm like I don't want this thing breaking down on hey what up that story with the S vest
[01:29:06] So there's a couple actually so the one
[01:29:09] Um, then you know, we always talk about the complacency we had there was like a drone
[01:29:15] That had
[01:29:17] Watch some guys like planning some IDs in the road and then followed them back to their house and
[01:29:22] They're like hey guys are gonna go hit this house like cool so our opportunity was tasked with hitting that house
[01:29:28] And when our you know my pretend gets there they're like oh
[01:29:31] It was kind of odd because there's just like an old man
[01:29:33] Some women and children like it's kind of odd and you know as we're on target or whatever
[01:29:39] We start finding some like propaganda
[01:29:42] We start finding like some small stuff but nothing huge
[01:29:46] And we'd been on target for I'm gonna say
[01:29:49] At least like three four hours
[01:29:51] So we were there for a while like we got pictures and guys like sitting on a couch and
[01:29:55] And by the way, it's like a painful story to tell afterwards because you know
[01:29:58] And you like to think that your professionals and it's definitely a slap in the face like whoa
[01:30:03] It's really not over because it's leading up this like how many opposite you run at this point
[01:30:07] We'd been there for a while so you so you were kind of we were in a good rhythm you were getting the reps
[01:30:12] But the reps start becoming routine. Yep, and we were in the outskirts too. So like
[01:30:16] This this house was out in the middle of nowhere. It's not like in Ramadi where it's like a very dynamic environment where everybody starts coming out and they know you're there
[01:30:24] Um
[01:30:25] So anyways, so we're doing SSC in one of our guys. So wait, so you hit this target. It's in the middle of vehicles
[01:30:31] Yeah, yeah, so you drive vehicles up you hit the target now you've done this a bunch of times
[01:30:36] You get the target cleared
[01:30:38] No contact when you hit the target the people that you find on target is sort of the typical sort of people that you're gonna find
[01:30:46] Old man couple women some kids
[01:30:49] The house is looks like all the other houses look like so
[01:30:53] In your mind you're probably thinking this is probably probably probably nothing here. Yeah, absolutely
[01:30:59] And we had to add targets like that as well and you're there for three hours doing SSC
[01:31:02] Yeah, because we started finding stuff so like guys actually had their helmet and they were like picks and shovels and stuff
[01:31:07] Okay, like we're actually like breaking down some walls
[01:31:10] We found some false walls and stuff and okay, so suspects so as your search and you're like, oh, this is some propaganda
[01:31:16] We need to go a little harder. Yeah, now we go a little bit harder. We find more stuff. Yep, and so but at the same time there's been no
[01:31:22] No
[01:31:23] No bad guys, no, so you're just really just doing an Intel recovery at this point. Yeah, yeah, which means you're guys kind of chill
[01:31:30] No, very much
[01:31:32] Countess yeah
[01:31:35] I actually have a picture of that, but so anyway, so one of our guys goes into one of the rooms and lifts a rug up and there's this
[01:31:43] There's something on the floor that that's a little different color than the rest and you could tell it's kind of like a door or something
[01:31:48] So he calls the EOD guy. Oh, so hey come check this out. You know make sure it's not booby trapped and he's like, no, we're good
[01:31:54] And I think we're good. Let's open enough
[01:31:56] So we open it up and there's there's a bunch of dudes down there. I think it was like 13 to 15 dudes down there and the first couple have like suicide vessel
[01:32:04] guy Chuck's a grenade up it hits our EOD guy in the chest
[01:32:08] They dive like behind some furniture the the grenade went low order
[01:32:12] so
[01:32:14] You want to talk about someone looking out for you that it was old, you know, so it didn't blow up to its full potential and
[01:32:20] The avalanche call came out because they saw the S vessel on the dude so avalanche everybody runs out of the house and as the last dude runs out
[01:32:29] You know our hombees are already
[01:32:32] Ready to go and as soon as the last dude last man out it was like 50 cows like boobo boobo and we don't know if like a 50 cow
[01:32:38] Hit someone's vest or if the dude clocked himself off, but the house blew up
[01:32:43] The house blew up and
[01:32:46] Some of the guys were we're still alive. I guess that we're still under even that even after that explosion
[01:32:52] So guys are coming up some guys left their helmets and nods inside the house
[01:32:58] So some guys got no nons. I think a couple weapons were left in there as well
[01:33:04] Yeah, as a matter of fact I'll tell you that some of the stuff we recovered afterwards, but anyways, so yeah, we're laying down fire and
[01:33:11] And at one point a rocket is shot and it hits like five feet from our humby
[01:33:17] So we're like hey, we need to back out and we need to drop air on this thing
[01:33:21] So we'd back out we drop air on it and actually drop the couple bombs on it and then
[01:33:26] You know afterwards when we go and recover stuff you could tell that these these guys that that were there they weren't
[01:33:32] They were there were foreign fighters. They were different than some of the other guys that we had come across
[01:33:37] But we recovered some of the nods that we left in there. We recovered
[01:33:42] One of the weapons that we had left in there and it's crazy because I guess one of them must have picked the weapon up like our
[01:33:50] Rm4 and started shooting with that m4 and when we picked up that m4 at the front of the barrel
[01:33:57] You can tell that the 50 cow round had gone through the front of the barrel
[01:34:01] Pay you out the back blew this guys head off and then we found this guys head like 50 yards down
[01:34:06] Down the road, but I was crazy. So I mean, you know, we have a picture of the gun like with a 50 cow
[01:34:13] So doing that report on all the lost stuff
[01:34:18] That's things were you the LPO of this put to oh no no, I'll just say just the door kicker. Yeah. Oh, that's right
[01:34:25] You said you were the point man. Yeah, I love being a point man
[01:34:30] So that gets your that that snaps you back into reality. Yep. Yep
[01:34:34] So
[01:34:37] Yeah
[01:34:38] It's completely you said there was a couple S best stories
[01:34:42] Yeah, so the other one was I guess they were
[01:34:45] They were smuggling some S best in I forget from where it was you know when you're young
[01:34:50] You don't pay attention to some of the details that are passed on but they were they were importing some S best
[01:34:57] And at one point that the Iraqi police pulled this guy over who they thought could be one of those guys that was smuggling S best
[01:35:04] So we take the vehicle and we we rip it apart completely and behind the glow compartment
[01:35:09] We find an S best and so our UD guys take it out and then they're like hey
[01:35:15] Let's make it a nerd and let's put it back and let's see where he goes and then we'll catch him and his friend
[01:35:21] So they do that they make you know, they they make the the best and we put it back
[01:35:25] We give the car back to the Iraqi police at that point. You don't know who's you know who's who?
[01:35:30] They're all corrupt, you know, there's people that had infiltrated
[01:35:35] All forms of government police so we didn't tell him what we found or just like hey, we're good
[01:35:39] So they're like okay cool. So they let the guy go and of course he goes back to his house
[01:35:43] And at this point now we're being mandated to bring you know the Iraqis with us because for a while
[01:35:48] There are from where I could remember we were by ourselves
[01:35:51] Like just us but this point like okay, so anyway, so we end up hitting this house and
[01:35:56] Well boy has his best on and he's like trying to clock himself off all but it's inert
[01:36:01] That's all and he had actually two switches like he had a primary in a secondary
[01:36:05] So you know he's yelling out you know like boy and he's like click and he's like oh crap and he's a click
[01:36:09] Trying to do the other one and
[01:36:11] How's that working out for you homey?
[01:36:13] He's got no head
[01:36:16] It's stuff man and no one got hurt on that freaking though where the
[01:36:20] Spider-Hole was huh? No damn
[01:36:23] It's like I said that's about it's good to play as you could do a lot of work and no one got hurt
[01:36:29] You get done with that and then is that when you come to trade it?
[01:36:32] Yeah, so I come back and they're like hey, you're gonna have to go trade it and I'm like I don't want to go to trade it
[01:36:37] You know are you and he's six now? I'm in he's six. Yeah. Yeah, yeah
[01:36:41] I just made he's six on that and women actually
[01:36:44] so
[01:36:46] You know I come back home. I'm I'm having some personal issues
[01:36:50] You know with with my wife at the time and
[01:36:55] You know and instead of trying to work things out and be a good husband
[01:37:00] Which you know I look back on I could have done a much much better job of you know
[01:37:06] I look back at that marriage. I'm like hey, you know that's 100% my fault. I wasn't a very empathetic person
[01:37:13] Marriage is tough thing and it's even tougher when you're young and you know
[01:37:16] It's even tougher when you married a team guy who's gone all the time and I didn't think about that
[01:37:21] You know, I'm just like you know she moved right from a parent house to me
[01:37:24] And I'm just like I don't understand what you're complaining about
[01:37:26] Anyways, there's a lot of tension between her and she served me divorce papers and
[01:37:32] Instead of you know trying to take a knee and work things out. What do I do?
[01:37:36] They're like hey, oh there's corn and needed for this. I've got a stand-to-plyment and I'm like I'll go
[01:37:41] So I end up volunteering for for a very short augment
[01:37:49] Before I go to trade it and then you would add him want to go to trade it so they were like hey
[01:37:52] You've got some time here a team one before you check into trade it cool that was kind of like
[01:37:57] You know my give me so there I cool go do that and so I come back from that deployment and then that's when I I check in the trade it and
[01:38:06] That's why I meet JP Denil
[01:38:08] And
[01:38:11] Did you go straight into
[01:38:13] Straight into south straight into CQC?
[01:38:16] Yeah, so back then the the the senior enlisted of the assault cell he would like interview guys
[01:38:23] To go to assaults because he was like hey if you're gonna come to assaults like we're screening
[01:38:27] And so I remember him coming up talked to me while I was still a team one
[01:38:31] I just got back from deployment so like yeah, you're going you're going to assaults
[01:38:34] So I ended up going to south
[01:38:36] But you know
[01:38:39] Being the team guy I was like I can go to CQC to like yeah, sure you know, yeah, so I was doing CQC trips south trips and it was it was pretty cool and
[01:38:48] You were there. That's when you were there and then JP was the OPO at the time. Yep. Yep. Yeah
[01:38:54] What did you learn in sitting there teaching?
[01:38:59] You know, so now looking back I always told people that trade it was actually the biggest
[01:39:04] Learning experience that I ever had because it's like the ultimate leadership lab
[01:39:10] Because you get to watch two different styles of leadership go through and you're you're to completely detach
[01:39:17] You have zero emotion and invested into that whatsoever
[01:39:20] So you can armchair quarterback that stuff all day long
[01:39:25] And
[01:39:27] It was where you know, I started realizing the the difference in leadership
[01:39:32] Hmm because if you think about it the talent is for the most part
[01:39:35] Is it right out pretty evenly? You're gonna have some good some good guys
[01:39:39] You can have a handful of new guys. You're gonna have some
[01:39:41] E5 pipe hitters you're gonna have some couple slugs like the boys are gonna be pretty consistent
[01:39:48] Most of the time yep. You're gonna get that so yeah, it all it all boils down to just how was the leadership?
[01:39:53] How good is the leadership and if leadership good?
[01:39:55] Between's gonna rock and if the leadership sucks
[01:39:57] We could have some problems yep, so that's when I started seeing that you know
[01:40:04] Yeah, training is the same and I was like, okay
[01:40:06] It really depends on that leadership how they're gonna do and it was really cool to see like the leadership that did well
[01:40:13] It was simply because they were humble like you could just tell their attitude right off the bat
[01:40:18] Like they're like you know when you give them you know criticism or critiques or whatever
[01:40:21] They're like got it got it whereas the platoons that did terrible
[01:40:24] They were just like you could just tell they had attitudes about hearing anything that any feedback that you had to give them and it was very
[01:40:31] Blame like the difference between the the platoons that had humble leadership and the platoons that just did not
[01:40:38] I would like take this to the end degree in my own head because I always wanted to make sure that
[01:40:47] Hey, what am I doing am I doing a good job of getting through this individual leader, right?
[01:40:51] And if it seems like this leader like maybe they have a big ego and they think they're a badass
[01:40:57] You know, I don't care I always wanted to make sure that it wasn't me that it wasn't my end
[01:41:02] I was like okay, you know what the guy's got a big ego. That's okay
[01:41:04] We want guys with big ego. So like you got to have a big ego. Let me rephrase that there's nothing you can't expect seals to not have
[01:41:12] Some kind of ego like hey, I know how to do this some level of confidence, right?
[01:41:15] You like so it's okay. I get it. You know you you think you're badass cool
[01:41:19] I don't want to work for someone that doesn't think they're a badass right cool. I'm good with it. Okay. Let's move forward that
[01:41:26] But man
[01:41:28] You'd get these guys that occasionally again most most of the most of the leaders are like cool
[01:41:33] That weren't we're down a cage. Now remember I remember once I we had this one leader coming through south
[01:41:38] and
[01:41:39] I talked to our
[01:41:41] civilian that worked there who is a prior you know seal he was actually my
[01:41:46] My TUSCA when I was doing commander and I said hey, bro man
[01:41:50] Just can you do me favor just check me on this like just look at this guy's face when I'm putting out word and just give me
[01:41:56] I go cuz it seems to me
[01:41:58] Like it doesn't want to hear anything from anybody
[01:42:00] I just want to make sure I'm not totally off base, but can you just check him out and so sure enough like as I
[01:42:07] As I'm talking you look I've used that with his arms crossed and and and I get I'm just saying
[01:42:11] I'm not even like saying do you're totally jacked up? I'm not saying anything like that
[01:42:15] I'd say something like hey man, do you ever think about maybe you know putting some vehicles over here on this target and you can see the guys like arms
[01:42:23] Car I'm not I'm just offering the suggestion
[01:42:26] You know and they do arm costs and yeah, we get done with that debrief and that civilian comes up to me
[01:42:32] And he's like bro this guy's freaking crazy and I said okay. I just wanted to make sure because it just
[01:42:39] I guess the reason I'm saying this is because like I's intrigued at
[01:42:43] That
[01:42:45] The guys in trade at the attitude of our guys in trade at was just to try and help out our friends that are in the team
[01:42:50] It's like that arena of puttune that that was the attitude the attitude. There's no like hey
[01:42:54] I know how to do this you don't there was no
[01:42:57] Matter of fact I wouldn't allow that kind of shit if we had instructors like that
[01:43:00] I would freaking pull them aside because our instructors realize like oh
[01:43:04] Where these guys are our friends there are teammates they're getting ready to deploy
[01:43:08] We did do our best to help them out yeah, and and a lot of those guys know as much as what we know
[01:43:14] Right, so you got a guy that's got a bunch of experience. I'm gonna bunch of deployments
[01:43:18] They know as much as we know so cool. We're not attacking them. We're not talking down to them
[01:43:24] So my point is if you have your friends that are trying to help you and
[01:43:30] You reject them. It's really really bad. It's really really bad
[01:43:36] It's it's horrible actually and if you such a bummer to see me it'd be such a bummer to see
[01:43:42] Cuz literally like every guy at trade-at was just hey these are my friends and I'm trying to help and
[01:43:50] If why aren't you open to us helping you please like we don't want you to get hurt man so
[01:43:58] Yeah good times this freaking um
[01:44:00] Great place to learn yeah, and I was like I did that luckily when I was at sealed team one as a
[01:44:07] E5 I worked in our training cell which is when the the team she's trained themselves and so I got to do the same thing
[01:44:13] When I was young and that's where I learned the most of my stuff was doing that again
[01:44:17] Sitting back detached watching guys go through potunes
[01:44:20] We used to run the SQT classes in at the team. Yeah, so that was really eye-opening too because now you had the young officers and
[01:44:28] And
[01:44:30] You'd watch them and think this guy can't make any decision. Why can't you make any decisions?
[01:44:33] Oh, it's cuz he's shooting his right weapon right now and he shouldn't be given the two by four
[01:44:37] Give him a stick let him get off his gun and he'll figure it out and then you actually learn how to do that for yourself
[01:44:42] So yeah, if you want it really want to learn something
[01:44:46] It's really advantageous to have an opportunity to teach it as well. Yeah, that was also where I learned how to like breathe and
[01:44:52] Not I wouldn't say public speak, but you know like when you're talking to team guys
[01:44:57] Yeah, you better be square away. Yeah, because they are
[01:45:00] Chomping at the bit. Oh, yeah to like sense any weakness or anything that you say that's maybe not
[01:45:07] Tactically correct. So it's where I learned to be very deliberate about the way I spoke
[01:45:13] Public a debriefed. Yeah, and if you don't have if you don't have anything that's smart to say
[01:45:17] Don't say anything and if you have a thought
[01:45:21] That you haven't fought through either think through it or presented in such a way that
[01:45:25] It's not like an aggressive attack
[01:45:30] That's absolutely true. You know you're no seal-platoon. You don't have to be in trade it. You're no seal-platoon and you disagree with someone else
[01:45:38] What are the chances that you're 100% right? Yeah, the chance that you're 100% right are almost zero
[01:45:44] So eventually probably two weeks into my first platoon I realized oh
[01:45:50] I'm very seldom going to be a hundred percent right. Why don't I present ideas as if there an idea?
[01:45:56] Not some
[01:45:58] Perfectly formulated perfectly constructed notion that is 100% true because there's so few things that are like that
[01:46:06] Yeah
[01:46:07] Even the most like I talk about in leadership strategy and tactics
[01:46:11] The OIC that I had that was awesome. He knew more than all of us combined and he would present ideas as if they were
[01:46:18] Suggestions and ideas and he was always open to changing those ideas if somebody said something smarter
[01:46:24] So you get to see that stuff over and over again. That's what's that's what's crazy though
[01:46:28] You when you're working at trade-out as you see a platoon tonight
[01:46:31] Do three four five runs another platoon do three four five runs and then a few weeks later
[01:46:36] You're gonna see two other platoons with a bunch of different leadership do the same runs basically the same runs with the same people
[01:46:43] And the variable is the leadership and then a few weeks after that you get to do it again and again and again and again
[01:46:49] And you just start to see what works and what doesn't work and it's real obvious after a certain point
[01:46:53] Yeah, my learning curve was very steep there. How long did you do it trade up?
[01:46:58] So let's see I got there in 2008
[01:47:02] and I think around
[01:47:06] 2010 or so it was it was like my time to rotate out, but we had gotten a new chief in and
[01:47:10] And
[01:47:13] So it's time for me to go to my LPO, but the new chief that came in I really liked him a lot
[01:47:17] Just just awesome awesome guy and then he was just like hey, can you stay at trade it a little bit longer and then be my
[01:47:23] LPO when it's my time to go because I'm not gonna be very long. Yeah, he's like I want you to be my LPO
[01:47:29] I'm just like do you know I want to deploy man?
[01:47:31] I thought it's a long time. He's like okay, how about I send you on another argument?
[01:47:36] I'm like I want the full one this time
[01:47:38] So we're working hard hanging here. I was like I want a full deployment. He's like, okay, you got it
[01:47:44] So I went back to Afghanistan
[01:47:48] for another augment
[01:47:50] It's part of the deal size and you're getting some good operational experience on your augments
[01:47:56] Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely live in the dream. Yeah, it was it was really cool
[01:48:01] Just to see you know watch a different team do do different things and yeah, I learned a lot
[01:48:09] I learned a lot from
[01:48:11] It was the first time to where I kind of heard the T.L. like during a gun fight like just how calm and collected they were
[01:48:18] It was just like as if nothing was happening and I didn't I remember that thinking about that in my head like I want to be like that
[01:48:25] You know like okay cool. That's how I'm supposed to be
[01:48:28] You know, so yeah, it was a really good experience again
[01:48:34] And because you know my skin tone I was able to help them out in ways that
[01:48:40] You know, maybe some of the other guys couldn't so some of the targets had to be done like during the daytime
[01:48:44] So we had to like drive around and like milk trucks or something and because you know, I could fit in with the popular side just getting and like the passenger seat and be the navigation guy
[01:48:53] So you're back to being a point man. Yeah, but drive into a local you know hoppyless and you're able to pull that off
[01:48:59] Yeah, and that's also because yeah, so halfway through the deployment though. Okay, we need we need low's back
[01:49:04] Like it assaults and then I was like hey, they want me back and then the team leader there was like let me call them
[01:49:09] It's like actually we really need him over here. So they let me stay there. It's pretty beautiful. Yeah
[01:49:15] But you end up did you end up did you end up then going with your chief in trade at to be his LPO
[01:49:22] No, so around that time
[01:49:25] They sent Johnny Kim over to assaults like just very temporarily because he was on his way to go to school
[01:49:32] So he got picked up for this this program where the Navy picks like two people at the entire Navy and they sent him to go get some of our
[01:49:40] Somehow Johnny Kim slipped through the crash
[01:49:42] Yeah, right so he's like explaining this this program to me
[01:49:47] Were basically you know that the Navy pays for you to go to med school afterwards and it sounded like a good deal and at the time
[01:49:54] You know, I was feeling really guilty
[01:49:56] I'm like the I'm just been gone a lot
[01:49:58] And I was like feeling like I wasn't like the best father to my son even though I tried to spend as much time with him as possible
[01:50:04] I always had that guilt and then there's a part of me
[01:50:07] I was like you know what maybe I should get like a normal job and and be there for my son
[01:50:12] So on a complete win like I put in my package for that exact same program
[01:50:16] And I'm like dude if Johnny Kim is getting accepted to this thing the chances of me getting accepted are like slimmed and none
[01:50:22] And so I'm getting ready to go back to a team with with that chief to go be as LPO and then I'm flying back from an assault trip
[01:50:30] And then he's like hey, did you see the result? I'm like for what like I literally completely just I applied and just forgot about it
[01:50:37] And I dude you got picked up for that program
[01:50:39] Oh my god, are you serious? He's like yeah, so I was like well, I guess get some going to school
[01:50:47] Crazy go try a big doctor. There was a time period and it was this this was the time period where I'm not kidding seals had a really good reputation in the world
[01:50:57] You know and it certainly in the Navy and I man guys were getting picked up left right and center for this kind of stuff
[01:51:03] So I mean that's freaking crazy and awesome. Yeah, so what's funny is you know that I said they picked two people a year at the entire Navy and the other guy was a team guy too
[01:51:15] Yeah, that's my point like that's crazy right. Yeah, but at that time and we like the seals were just doing a lot of good work and I mean I'm sure that when they looked at your record like seriously they looked at your record and
[01:51:29] Compare that to the other applicants I bet it wasn't even really that close just because of the nature of what the seals were doing at the time. Yeah
[01:51:38] So but did you have any intention of like going to medical school for however long that is so I thought I did
[01:51:46] You know
[01:51:49] So you a year behind Johnny yeah, okay, you're you're you're behind Johnny and Johnny went to USD
[01:51:54] So I was just because I'm like yeah, I'm just gonna do what Johnny did so
[01:52:01] So for we had to go to like that officer school it up in Rhode Island so yeah and
[01:52:06] January of 2012 that's when I left trade it and we went to Rhode Island and
[01:52:11] So you learn how to be an officer. Do you get commissioned up there?
[01:52:16] No, you just go to school. Yeah, you just go to school. You don't get commissioned into you graduate from school
[01:52:20] But that's actually where like you know, they're like oh you got to have blue camis. I'm like I don't own any blue camis
[01:52:27] And what's funny about that so I didn't know so they have the you know the big blue jackets and those things are expensive
[01:52:34] Like 350 bucks and I'm already buying all these uniforms that I didn't have because I don't have any blue stuff
[01:52:39] And either you're gonna go to ROTC
[01:52:41] Yeah, what you're gonna have to do yeah after work, but you don't have to wear blue camis for the knife and force cool up in Rhode Island correct
[01:52:48] God it so my but the other team guy that they're with me, you know, we go there and he's he's cheap to
[01:52:54] So he's like oh by this jackass like I don't want by either. I was like screw it. Let's not buy it
[01:52:57] You know, you know jacket you know even though it's Rhode Island in January
[01:53:02] So we form up. Yeah, we form up and I'm in my blue camis
[01:53:06] He's on blue camis and you know the chief the chief who's like the RDC or whatever it's called, you know
[01:53:12] He's like oh how come you guys don't have jackets? I was like well
[01:53:15] We know we didn't want to buy them because we're literally gonna have them here when never gonna use them again
[01:53:19] And they're really expensive
[01:53:20] He's like well, we're all uniformed around here
[01:53:22] So they make everybody take their jackets off and it's it's freezing cool and then
[01:53:28] He's like we'll keep doing this until you guys buy jackets and I told my buddy
[01:53:34] Don't you dare buy a jacket?
[01:53:36] It's like okay cool and we were freezing cold, but we would just sit there and be like we're not cold
[01:53:40] But we were we're dying
[01:53:41] And got to the point where they're like you know people started crying in the class like literally like oh
[01:53:46] You know freezing cold, so they're like all right changing to your cackies
[01:53:49] I was like okay, I'll buy the jacket for the cackies come part. I might use that later on
[01:53:54] So you're done with that and then you go to you go to you list usd
[01:54:01] University of San Diego you're gonna be doing the same
[01:54:05] Whatever the same thing Johnny did yeah trying to get your pre-med knocked out
[01:54:09] Yeah, how'd that go for you?
[01:54:12] Not well
[01:54:14] Johnny Kim
[01:54:18] I'm miserable, you know, I'm I'm taken like 18 to 21 units a semester
[01:54:24] I
[01:54:24] Really didn't enjoy the classes I was taking like chemistry biology just stuff that was so boring to me
[01:54:32] And then a top at all off. I'm I'm doing parking services because you know USD's a private school
[01:54:36] And the Navy only pays like I think it was like I don't I shouldn't say only they pay 10k
[01:54:43] And the tuition at USD's like 40k a year like 40 something k a year so
[01:54:47] They're like hey if you do parking services it'll pay off the rest of your tuition
[01:54:51] So it's a good deal like if you really break it down
[01:54:54] The amount of hours that you work
[01:54:56] It's a really good deal so I'm driving around this this car giving people tickets at USD and bad karma dude
[01:55:03] Yeah, well, I almost you know almost gotten to this big altercation at one point so
[01:55:11] You know that so this other team guy you're the worst ticket guy to mess with
[01:55:15] Fatsin that you think you're getting a thing you know already with some random ticket do you know it's freaking loves
[01:55:19] Prop
[01:55:21] Well, it's you know it's funny it's like if I have to hear you know
[01:55:24] Do you know my dad is one more time just like bro? I don't know your dad is I'm really sorry, but you know you're parking the handicaps box
[01:55:30] but at one point
[01:55:32] So the parking so it's me and another team guy so that the other parking services kids, you know
[01:55:37] They actually they're normal kids. I won't go on a school and I like oh if you guys want to get a lot of tickets
[01:55:41] You got to go down to this area right here and it was like where the football field or the baseball field was you know by the gym
[01:55:47] You went to USD right?
[01:55:49] You know what I'm talking about so my buddy. I didn't do ticket parking
[01:55:53] I said I said put my bike in my station wagon and just I would park off campus and just bike whatever
[01:55:59] Need me bike on bike back in my car and drive home. Yeah, so at one point, you know
[01:56:03] I we go down there and it's like it's like the jackpot of all
[01:56:07] Like violations like we got because we were having trouble meeting our quota so this other team guy
[01:56:12] And I you know the other parking service kids like if you go down in this area you get lots of tickets
[01:56:15] So we go down there and we're like oh heck yeah, yeah, there's all kinds of violations down there
[01:56:19] Like we met our quota super quick and at one point I had come up to this car and I you know
[01:56:23] You got to punch in the license plate to to give him the ticket and it was like
[01:56:27] Do not let like call the office immediately if you see if you get this license plate
[01:56:32] Everyone okay, yeah, so I call it. I'm like hey this thing came up on my little gadget and then I do not let that person leave
[01:56:38] They have like nine unpaid tickets or something like that. I was insane about I'm like what do you want me to do?
[01:56:45] Like park your cart behind his car until the tow truck gets there and do not let them leave
[01:56:49] I'm like is that legal are we allowed to do that and and and they're like yeah
[01:56:54] So I'm like okay, so I parked my park my cart behind this car the other team guy
[01:56:59] I don't know where he took off to like he's gone
[01:57:01] He must have been fine and like lots of tickets and so I'm sitting there and waiting for the tow truck and now
[01:57:06] I see everybody get out of football practice and
[01:57:10] The guys car the car who's you know
[01:57:13] Part behind the owner comes and it's a really big dude
[01:57:16] You know he's free of football player free jack dude big dude. He's like
[01:57:20] Hey, you need to move your cart
[01:57:22] I was like hey bro there seems to be a problem like you know with your ticket stuff
[01:57:28] I'm like they called the tow truck but I think if you call them, you know and work something out
[01:57:33] He's like
[01:57:35] Move your fucking car. I was like I can't you know they told me this and and now it's starting to be cut
[01:57:40] And I'm really like trying to be like hey bro like listen
[01:57:43] I am like the low man on the total pull and now the rest of the football team is coming out
[01:57:47] And now they're getting fired up and now I'm sitting there and I'm like where the hell is this other team guy at
[01:57:52] This is a matter how good of a fighter you are there's a punch of that. We're gonna get trash kicked
[01:57:56] So and then the guys like move your cart now. I'm gonna beat your ass
[01:57:59] Now I'm like listen bro. I really don't want that but listen if you put your hands on me
[01:58:03] I'm telling right now. I'm gonna defend myself and
[01:58:06] At that point I'm thinking dang it man. This is really gonna happen and
[01:58:10] Some guy comes running through them all and then he's like hey
[01:58:13] Do you know who this guy is?
[01:58:15] And I'm like who is this guy and yeah, who am I like who is this guy? I am
[01:58:19] You know and then he's like he's freaking maybe seal and then you just see their attitude
[01:58:24] Come pully please like oh I'm really sorry sir like I didn't know you know
[01:58:29] I and I was like hey bro. It's really cool like you know
[01:58:32] I'm pretty sure if you just call you can work something out
[01:58:34] Turns out this guy was the running back was a prior team guy. Oh no sure and he knew that the parking service is guys
[01:58:41] We're other team guys that we're trying to you know pay for the rest of their tuition so he saved me that day because I'm probably wasn't gonna go down very pretty for me
[01:58:50] And then you eventually just change to change your major and you get out of the medical program
[01:58:55] Yeah, so at some point I'm just like I took a finance class as one of my
[01:58:59] Electives and I'm like man I really like this and I really miss the teams
[01:59:02] I don't think I want to do this medical thing so I change my major without telling anybody and
[01:59:06] Then when they're like oh, so where are you gonna go to med school? I was like about that
[01:59:09] I'm actually I want to go back to the teams if that's okay
[01:59:13] So I want to finish my degree and go back to the teams and they were a live it
[01:59:16] Damn they're just like teams like no you're you're going slow you're gonna go be a surface work
[01:59:22] Oh my god, so now I'm just like
[01:59:26] I don't know what to do so you know I make some phone calls and they're like that's stupid
[01:59:30] You're not gonna go be a slow you're turning back here
[01:59:32] The only the only problem is you're gonna have to go to the process just like everyone else
[01:59:37] So I have to take the screener do an interview
[01:59:41] I'm like yeah, that's totally fine. So I do the screener
[01:59:44] I go do the interview and one of the interviewers is one of my old co from team one and he knows who I am
[01:59:52] So I'm thinking oh this is gonna go great, you know and at one point he asks me
[01:59:58] He's like hey, so what are you gonna do if you don't get picked up for for special warfare
[02:00:03] And then um as an officer, you know and I sound was like well
[02:00:08] I am just gonna give up my commission and go back to being and listen
[02:00:12] And you just see everyone's head just go oh
[02:00:15] And then that moment just seen the expression on their faces. I was like oh man
[02:00:19] I said something I wasn't supposed to
[02:00:22] And you know
[02:00:24] Because you're supposed to say hey, I want to be an officer no matter what and
[02:00:28] And he was really cool about it. He's like listen, low, you know, you know why I mean it's like I'm gonna give you one more chance at this
[02:00:35] Okay, I'm gonna give you another crack at it
[02:00:37] I wasn't the best answer
[02:00:39] And then I sat there and I'm like
[02:00:41] Dang it. I might have messed this up
[02:00:43] So I sat there for a minute and just thought about it and I'm like you know what sir?
[02:00:47] I know that the correct answer that you want to hear is like
[02:00:50] If you don't get picked up for this
[02:00:51] I'm gonna go be the best swore the best sub-mariner officer on the planet and then I'm gonna make my way back
[02:00:57] But I'll be honest with you. I don't want to do that. I was like I just want to be in the teams and
[02:01:02] Whether that says an IPO achieve or is an officer. I was like that's why I'm doing this
[02:01:06] I miss the teams. I want to go back and he's like that's the answer you want to go with
[02:01:10] I'm like yes, sir. It's just the truth
[02:01:13] And then he's like to bold move
[02:01:16] Don't know if it's gonna work out for you
[02:01:18] I like that but yeah eventually I got picked up so
[02:01:22] Back to the teams
[02:01:24] So where'd you go? What team so I was originally supposed to go to team five and
[02:01:30] That old chief that I was talking about the one why me be his opio and then the master chief who was the SCA
[02:01:36] Assaults there they're like hey because they came to my commissioning like we're going
[02:01:39] I was like oh I'm going to team five though like no, you're not
[02:01:42] You're coming to team three boom and I was like whoa, you know and they're like trust me
[02:01:48] We'll make it work so some trades were made
[02:01:50] Like they gave up a couple of their jails and I'm to five and whoever the jail one of the jails was in the pollton because they had already started work up
[02:01:58] Base sent this poor kid away and he started work up
[02:02:02] So now I go in there and I'm there with all my buddies
[02:02:05] Like I knew the LPO I was at assaults with the LPO the chief. This is your platoon that you could put into you're the aOS
[02:02:12] They watchy yeah, and you just they're all your boys all my friends from LPO on up
[02:02:17] Yeah, I didn't know everybody else you know down there but I
[02:02:21] Then cool good it was awesome. Yeah, the OIC
[02:02:24] So they put me in that platoon because they were like hey the OIC
[02:02:28] You know, he's a really good dude. He's just a little
[02:02:32] They used the word timid. He's just kind of shy
[02:02:34] He wasn't a very outspoken guy and then when I heard him brief and I heard him on the radio
[02:02:38] I'm like oh, I see where's like I have no problem getting on the radio
[02:02:41] I've no problem briefing
[02:02:43] So we actually complement each other very well because he was a good officer like he knew officer things that I did not
[02:02:50] So he showed me how to be you know like ground force commander. He showed me like all the checklists all the procedures and
[02:02:57] And yeah, it was it was a good experience and I got a lot of reps
[02:03:01] You know being the OIC because I was I was good on the radio
[02:03:05] So I got a lot of reps and our our chief was a complete stud who I'd went to Buds with
[02:03:09] So I learned a ton from him too. He's a J-Taxle. He taught me a lot about being ground force commander
[02:03:15] Where did you guys go into plunder we ended up going to
[02:03:18] Alta Cateum
[02:03:20] Yeah
[02:03:21] So we were there for the double a just advised an assist
[02:03:26] So there was no a company at that time
[02:03:29] So we were just behind the flaw just calling in helping them
[02:03:33] I rack his call in air to try to retake Alambar which had been retaken by bicell
[02:03:40] You know whatever the name of the week was for them yeah
[02:03:44] And that's
[02:03:46] How's the platoon what is the platoon doing as you're doing that?
[02:03:50] I mean so really the only ones that are working are the J-Taxle
[02:03:55] Yeah, they're really the only ones that are working
[02:03:58] But I mean at least you're freaking killing bad guys
[02:04:00] Yeah, absolutely
[02:04:01] But we're also eating motors a lot because we can't go forward
[02:04:08] So we're just sitting back there eating motors and at one point
[02:04:12] The motors got really really close to us blue one of our homies up
[02:04:16] As I was running towards it this homie gets hit just
[02:04:20] Close me on my ass
[02:04:22] So just definitely a TBI
[02:04:25] So they like put me on TBI protocol for a little bit but
[02:04:28] But
[02:04:30] Right around that time I get an email telling me like hey
[02:04:34] From this chief of mine now he's the SEA now
[02:04:36] He's the SEA at this point. He's like hey, los you're you know we're gonna actually send you to Baghdad
[02:04:41] And you're gonna replace this J-O is the strike so commander
[02:04:45] I'm thinking like why like I don't know anything about J-Taxle stuff and the J-O that was there
[02:04:51] He'd actually gone to like a J-Taxle
[02:04:53] Really really intelligent guy like super intelligent waste smarter than me and I'm like what am I gonna do over there?
[02:05:00] I don't know anything about
[02:05:02] You know, and he's like and so it's funny because
[02:05:05] As I'm getting on the Hilo to leave he's getting there and we're crossing paths and I'm like bro
[02:05:10] Why am I getting sent there like I don't know what I'm doing he's like don't worry about it dude people like you
[02:05:16] I'm just like okay
[02:05:18] He's like you're gonna be fine
[02:05:20] So I know it gets a Baghdad and and I
[02:05:23] I'm getting the turnover from this J-O and I could immediately see
[02:05:26] That these gent the general there is just not a fan of ours and then through conversation
[02:05:34] We had we had we had burned some relationships there
[02:05:38] And backtracking though when I checked into team three guess who my CEO is
[02:05:44] It's my first OIC
[02:05:46] Right on man and you want to talk about like a lack of relationship building
[02:05:51] When I show up he was just like hey you're that guy that got in trouble for such and such thing
[02:05:57] Right on and I'm like you can awesome no
[02:06:00] I'm like that wasn't me that was someone else who doesn't even look like me like he's a white dude
[02:06:05] Like it's nothing like me
[02:06:07] So I'm like way to go man we spent two years together and you're in a who I am
[02:06:10] That's great
[02:06:12] Yeah, but anyway, so back to the story the the relationship had definitely been
[02:06:16] Strange I could just tell by the way this this general was talking to the J-O
[02:06:20] It's just like
[02:06:21] He did not like us and
[02:06:23] You know like I said this J-O was very brilliant really knew his J-Tax stuff and so now I'm left there
[02:06:29] And I'm thinking like man we got a repair this relationship
[02:06:32] So that's actually the first thing I started doing the general was a Marine Corps general
[02:06:37] And so I was just chatting him up just like hey, you know where we're station where you station now
[02:06:40] He's like oh camp penulton
[02:06:41] I'm like oh that was my first duty station
[02:06:43] He's like what are you doing there? I was like oh he's the B&F MF Corment and yeah his eyes just light up
[02:06:49] And from that point on you know him and I just start chatting and then I you know start asking him like hey, you know
[02:06:55] What is it that you guys are looking for when you're looking for these for these strikes to be approved?
[02:06:59] What can we do to help out what you guys are doing?
[02:07:02] He's like as a matter of fact, you know we need this this and that and I'm like check let me see what we can do about it
[02:07:07] And so what my job was
[02:07:09] Was I would get all these air strikes for the next day
[02:07:12] That my platoon wanted to carry out strategically strategic air strikes and I had to brief them to
[02:07:18] To him and another general to the one and a two-star general get him approved in a room full of kernels that were all
[02:07:24] Jags and super risk adverse like they were
[02:07:27] Denying a lot of the air strikes and that's the reason why I said me over there like hey a lot of our stuff's getting denied go see if maybe you can change that up
[02:07:33] So so I go in there and and I grab one of my TATX
[02:07:38] You know this is actually of where I had like what another epiphany where I'm like you know what is a leader?
[02:07:42] I don't have to know everything. I'm like I have someone who went to J-Tax school
[02:07:48] So I'm just gonna lean on them because at the time I'm like I don't know what I'm doing
[02:07:51] I was really like insecure about it like I'm gonna go in there and just not know what to brief
[02:07:56] So I told him I'm like hey listen
[02:07:58] I'm gonna brief strategic picture like why we're doing these air strikes anything technical you can answer it
[02:08:04] And he was like check so that's how I would do my briefs and like I said I built that relationship with that general
[02:08:09] So every time I briefed you know and they went around the corner taking the vote he would always take my side and once he was in
[02:08:15] The two-star was gonna be in as well no matter what the Jack said
[02:08:19] So from that point on
[02:08:21] From I could remember we got all our air strikes approved from that point on
[02:08:24] It was just a simple
[02:08:26] Relationship building what what had the J-O the smart J-O
[02:08:30] Was it something he did or was it just he was not
[02:08:33] How something are you doing?
[02:08:35] So just how to bad relationship out of the gate. Yeah, yeah, and then he had a bad taste in his mouth
[02:08:40] I think team guys on that particular deployment
[02:08:42] He made some some comments here and there that I caught on very quickly like check
[02:08:49] Freakin horrible and you're did are you married again at this point?
[02:08:54] Yeah, so
[02:08:57] So yeah, so when I was in trade it I actually met my wife she was my waitress
[02:09:01] a very a classy establishment
[02:09:05] Jack called butters
[02:09:10] But I went in there with a team guy and I remember seeing her and I'm thinking like oh my god
[02:09:14] She's gorgeous like there's absolutely no way someone like that would you know go for someone like me and
[02:09:19] And turns out that I had gone a couple dates with one of her friends
[02:09:23] So she had told so she told her friend she's like oh, you know I saw that that guy
[02:09:26] He said at my table that you were dating. She's like oh, we're not dating anymore
[02:09:29] She was like do you care if I get his number? She's like no, so yeah, so that's how he ended up meeting and
[02:09:37] So at this point, you know, we've been together for a while since trade it and now I was already you know
[02:09:44] Am I OIC and she's just like hey you need to marry me if you don't marry me before this deployment
[02:09:49] And I'm not gonna be here when you get back
[02:09:52] So ultimately I'm delivered
[02:09:54] And and it you know is a hard decision for me because I was like man I love this woman but we you know
[02:10:02] Vodalot and during that deployment that one to Tyrak our relationship was very very stressed
[02:10:09] You had just got married before you went on the pool yeah, yeah, yeah, and I'm thinking to myself like you know
[02:10:14] I'm gonna fail at this marriage thing again like what am I what what am I doing wrong here
[02:10:18] And what's crazy is like when I was at trade at you know you talked about the the four laws of combat a lot and we talked about like
[02:10:25] Find what your red flags are and in the teams my red flag when I got overwhelmed was
[02:10:32] You know when that thought came in my head like I don't know what to do right now. That was my cue to detach
[02:10:38] Prioritize an excuse and
[02:10:40] For the longest time I thought that these four laws of combat this this ocean was only
[02:10:45] Combat related and it was the first time in my life where I realized that
[02:10:51] It's for your personal life too because at that point, you know I got back from the poiment
[02:10:55] We're still fighting a lot, but I'm like man. I love this woman. I don't want I don't want to fail at this marriage thing again
[02:11:00] And in my head I thought I don't know what to do right now
[02:11:03] And that's when I clicked for me like wait a minute
[02:11:06] I've had this thought like literally hundreds of times when I'm on training missions
[02:11:09] I'm like well I'm a little overwhelmed. I don't know what to do right now detach prioritize execute and so at that point
[02:11:14] I'm like I need to attach prioritize an excuse in my personal life and it was at that point in my life
[02:11:21] Why decided to start taking ownership of of my mistakes and realize that you know what?
[02:11:25] I'm an imperfect human being too and I stopped concentrating on
[02:11:30] Everything that I thought was a flaw
[02:11:32] On her part and just started concentrating on how I could become a better husband
[02:11:38] So I'm like hey, you know what this is what I do wrong and this is how I can fix it
[02:11:42] I have no control over attitude. I have no the things that I had don't have control over
[02:11:46] I stopped worrying about them and I started concentrating on the things that I could control
[02:11:52] And at first it was a little bit of a campaign because you could tell she was like what are you doing?
[02:11:59] And then and then it got to the point where she started doing the same thing
[02:12:03] Like we just started taking ownership of our parts of the marriage and I stopped worrying about what she did wrong
[02:12:08] And only worried about what I was doing wrong and she eventually she started to do the same and her marriage is
[02:12:14] Completely turned around since then and you know, I'm a little marriage you got peaks and valleys, but it's it's been
[02:12:21] Amazing
[02:12:22] Kind of like when you're in a platoon like where everybody's taking ownership of stuff for no one's blaming anybody else
[02:12:27] Which is trying to solve problems. And that's how that environment finally was in my marriage
[02:12:33] So yeah, it's
[02:12:35] It's funny when you talk about like when you're in a platoon and everyone starts taking ownership stuff
[02:12:38] You know problems get solved
[02:12:40] What's crazy is the opposite of that?
[02:12:43] It's not one level of badness when people aren't taking ownership because when they're not taking ownership
[02:12:48] They're blaming each other so it's not just oh we're gonna blame each other and that's that's not good
[02:12:54] That's not good, but guess what else is coming now? We're fighting where yelling each other like it causes
[02:12:59] Exponential problems beyond just it's not just oh if I take ownership the problems get solved if I don't take ownership
[02:13:05] The problems don't get solved if it was that simple it'd be like you probably deal with it
[02:13:09] But it's now we actually are fighting we're undermining each other we're yelling at each other
[02:13:13] We we're turning to freaking idiots and so yeah, and that can happen in people's personal lives, too
[02:13:21] You know you it's not just that oh well we've got this problem in our marriage and it's not my fault
[02:13:28] It's your fault if that's where it stopped
[02:13:31] You might be able to muddle you away through it, but that's not where it stops. Yeah, it stopped me say it's your fault
[02:13:35] What do you mean is my fault?
[02:13:37] Actually here's some of the nine things that are your fault and but all of a sudden we have not just one little problem
[02:13:43] That's not getting solved you have exponential
[02:13:45] Problems across the board it's a freaking disaster. Yeah, it's a game changer
[02:13:50] um
[02:13:51] Now you came back from that deployment and
[02:13:53] You actually did a couple years where you were doing some some classified stuff
[02:14:01] overseas and
[02:14:04] Obviously we can't talk about things that are classified
[02:14:07] But maybe some unclassified lessons learned from what you were doing yeah
[02:14:13] I think the biggest thing that I learned while I was over there is is how to build relationships
[02:14:18] Hmm and honestly I got I got really into it and I started trying to perfect that craft by reading books
[02:14:24] So I started reading books like how to win friends and influence people
[02:14:28] The like switch like anything I could help get my hands on because I knew that when I was over there
[02:14:34] It was just gonna be me and one other operator
[02:14:37] That's it we didn't have like a support system we didn't have a platoon that was that was us
[02:14:42] So we had to build a good relationship with like the local populist in a very short amount of time
[02:14:47] Um, we had to build a relationship with our interpreter
[02:14:50] And that's really honestly when it boils onto it our lives dependent on these relationships because at times
[02:14:56] You're asking some of these people to risk their lives for you
[02:15:00] And so that's where I really started delving into how do I get people to trust and
[02:15:05] Like me to the point where I can influence them in the shortest amount of time
[02:15:09] That's really the biggest lesson I got out of those two years from doing that that mission set
[02:15:13] Yeah
[02:15:14] Well, that's and that's something that applies across the board. You know that's funny when you're talking about the switch going off in your head of like oh
[02:15:21] I can use this that's the same thing that happened that's what started all this stuff
[02:15:24] I went and talked to these freaking executives about leadership
[02:15:27] They started asking me questions and I was just applying the principles the four laws combat take ownership
[02:15:33] Like that's what I started and it was 30 it was the first question I got asked. I was like oh
[02:15:39] Oh, you have this problem. Okay. Here's how you solve it just based on the principles that we already know
[02:15:43] Yeah, it's like a freaking
[02:15:46] Such a nice moment in my life. I was like oh
[02:15:49] Because I did again. I think I was totally in search of the institutionized
[02:15:52] I didn't understand I didn't know anything about civilian companies
[02:15:56] I didn't know anything up at all about them and all of a sudden I realized in an instant that oh all this stuff applies
[02:16:03] To all these leadership situations man and that's the same thing going back to building relationships
[02:16:08] Like oh yeah guess what have you ever had a moment in your life where having an antagonistic relationship with someone you got to work with helps
[02:16:16] It's like that that that that doesn't ever happen anybody ever never happened where oh
[02:16:20] I don't get along with this person and I have to work with and it's beneficial to me doesn't happen
[02:16:25] So why are you not focused on
[02:16:28] Getting to build relationships with people it's freaking crazy but good lessons
[02:16:31] Um you come back from that and you go back to trade it again, right? Yeah, I go back to trade it as the exo this time
[02:16:39] Exo trade it. Yeah, what are you are you will you attend it now?
[02:16:43] I'm a jail still or jj a jg yeah, yeah, yeah, because I did my so I because I didn't have to go through bugs
[02:16:50] Everything else. I did my first deployment as an instant. Yeah, and so you know I'm a jg now and
[02:16:55] And because I'm prior and listen and I knew the CEO there at the time who's most so prior and let's say guy
[02:17:01] Cause actually him and I had done a deployment
[02:17:03] So they we'd done that I racked the planet together
[02:17:05] Okay, at team one and he was like yeah come on over
[02:17:08] I was like you know I I need to do a disassociated tour
[02:17:12] Is there like you need to because I was like hey can I go back and do my platoon commander? Yeah, and they're like no
[02:17:18] They're like you need to get away from it for a little bit because you know they have like a limit on how much time you could be deployed
[02:17:23] Mmm and they're like dude you're like right there you need to you need to go somewhere and take a knee
[02:17:28] So I'm like trade it sounds good. I really like I really enjoyed my time there and so I decided to go back
[02:17:34] And then you're doing the exo billet, which is not quite as fun as doing that. It's not definitely not as fun as being
[02:17:39] Not what I thought it was gonna be so the CEO actually gets the funer job for sure because he's actually
[02:17:45] Going to the training trips and debriefing as the exo you're dealing with
[02:17:50] Yeah, everything else and the admin stuff the disciplinary problems getting on the the meetings at group
[02:17:57] Yeah, yeah, you're I'm man my career was such a freaking
[02:18:03] I was just so lucky at everything like when I was just the death of the L. I see you know
[02:18:07] So just getting just going out and training trips and freaking awesome this
[02:18:12] What point so how many years do you have in at this point? This is like 2018 so you're coming up on 20
[02:18:17] Yeah, this is when you start thinking about maybe doing something else
[02:18:22] Yeah, so I mean I figured I had the time so I'm like, I'm gonna go knock out my MBA
[02:18:27] I always really enjoyed business and then through conversations
[02:18:31] They were like hey after this they were like you can't do your your
[02:18:36] Oh, I see until I 20 24 something like that. I'm like what am I gonna do until then?
[02:18:43] Like you do more dissociated tours
[02:18:45] And I'm like you know what that doesn't sound interesting to me
[02:18:48] So I think I'm just gonna retire. I mean at that point I was gonna hit 20
[02:18:53] So I'm like you know what I'm gonna go get my MBA and
[02:18:57] And punch out
[02:18:58] entire so that's at that point where I started looking into MBA programs and and trying to see where I was gonna go
[02:19:04] And you're gonna go back to USD no, right now. I went to UCLA. Oh, you went to UCLA
[02:19:10] Yeah, yeah, it was funny about that
[02:19:12] I was really set on like getting an M7 school. You know like the magazine seven
[02:19:17] So like I'm only gonna go to like war and her boo-ther MIT or one of those and so those are the only ones
[02:19:23] I applied to and I realized that the GI bill doesn't cover
[02:19:27] those because they're private schools
[02:19:30] Even though like some of them actually had lower tuition than UCLA and at that point I had a really good friend of mine
[02:19:36] Well, my best friends if you look at his resume. It looks almost exactly like mine like FMF Corman
[02:19:43] You know teams USD finance degree and then he's like hey, bro
[02:19:46] I'm actually gonna go to UCLA and I'm like why is that?
[02:19:50] And then he's like dude, dude, GI bill pays for it because it's a public school
[02:19:55] And I struggled with that for a little bit. I built as a cover private schools. It only covers like a small portion
[02:20:00] I was still gonna have to take out like a six figure
[02:20:02] Just a six figure student loan and I've always been pretty frugal about my money on my day
[02:20:09] I don't want to take out this huge loan and then I kind of went into thought I'm like why do I want to go to one of these schools
[02:20:15] Like why do I really want to go?
[02:20:17] And at some point I realize I just want people to think I'm smart
[02:20:21] I mean, we really like you know bullet down on this most simple phone. I just want people to think I'm smart
[02:20:26] I'm like you know what I think I have enough
[02:20:28] To get to where I want to go if I go to UCLA
[02:20:32] So I would drive up to LA every weekend to go to school there and knock out my MBA and then from there you
[02:20:41] You want to invest my banking right? Yeah, yeah, so I knew that I you know like way
[02:20:45] What do you what do you do after an MBA like everybody does investment banking or
[02:20:49] Consulting and
[02:20:51] I always really liked finance and then my my buddy. I was so about cowboy
[02:20:56] I'm going to tell you we got exact same resumes like do I'm going to go be an investment banker?
[02:21:00] I'm like cool. I'm gonna go be an investment banker too
[02:21:04] So is he like a year ahead of years? No, we're in the same class, but he actually knew how to do it
[02:21:09] So he actually got in so there's a cycle to it and I didn't know that so when you first get to your MBA program
[02:21:14] Literally the second you step on campus you're already recruiting for it
[02:21:18] You're already recruiting for the the internship for that summer and then you go to your second year and after you graduate
[02:21:24] Second year you start full time however by a time I figured it all out. I was already at my second year
[02:21:29] So I was a year behind and
[02:21:31] So nobody really wanted to deal with me because it wasn't the traditional path
[02:21:35] So I just started reaching out to people on LinkedIn like sending them my resume and I would put in like whatever bank
[02:21:43] US like I would put Air Force Veteran Marine Corps Veteran
[02:21:46] I'm like dude if anybody's gonna answer me it's gonna be a veteran god
[02:21:49] And that's how I started getting in was a veteran from these banks they would start reaching out. You only saw my resume
[02:21:55] Like I think they were intrigued
[02:21:57] Obviously the Navy seal park kind of stands out. I'm not gonna lie
[02:22:00] I just that's definitely what got my foot in the door because
[02:22:03] Some of these other people it's an extremely competitive job and some of these people
[02:22:07] A waste martyr them me and be had like a legitimate pedigree in the finance world
[02:22:13] And so
[02:22:14] Meanwhile you were exo straight ahead. Yeah, so I told my wife. Good point man
[02:22:20] Yeah, yeah, I told my wife I'm like dude when I go to these meet and greets because it's like a million meet and greets
[02:22:25] Because it's extremely competitive. I'm telling it's it's so competitive
[02:22:30] And especially in LA because in LA there's a lot less slot like if you go in New York
[02:22:34] There's a ton of slots in your everybody wants to be a warm weather so everybody's like trying to apply to go to LA
[02:22:39] And I told my wife I'm like when I go to these meet and greets like all these people
[02:22:43] They're just ridiculously smart
[02:22:45] How's it like it's pretty intimidating and then we had this one interview process where they actually take you in with your other competitors
[02:22:53] So it's like you and two other people that you're competing with and then you go and you interview with these bankers
[02:22:58] And these these interviews were like three hours long like you would do half an hour with this banker and then half an hour with this banker
[02:23:05] And that's when I realized that I belong there that I could that I had a shot
[02:23:09] Because the very first that that interview process wasn't technical at all. It was all about leadership
[02:23:16] So when they start coming up with these questions like tell me about a time
[02:23:21] Where this happened. I'm like cool. I have a story for that. I have a story for everything and
[02:23:29] It was cool because I would tell my story and then the guy next to me will tell his story and it literally got to the point
[02:23:35] Where I'm not in kidding you and in the interview the guy next to me was like I really hate going after him
[02:23:42] What am I supposed to say after that?
[02:23:47] So that's what I'm like oh I got a shot and you ended up getting hard. Yeah, I ended up getting the internship
[02:23:53] So the internships like you know nine weeks long. It's basically like a nine week interview
[02:23:58] It was legit like you're you're working your ass off grind. Yeah, it's a grind
[02:24:04] And then you had another year of school the complete no because I had actually started my second year
[02:24:09] It's so I so you got so your internship went right into job. Yeah, and that was actually one of the the the things were I
[02:24:17] Use you finish school when you're in which you finish school when you're in still in yeah
[02:24:22] And then when did you do that nine week internship did you leave
[02:24:26] Damn yeah, I was already on my way out. Yeah, it was like
[02:24:29] So like getting close to terminal even whenever exactly I said saved all my leaves specifically for for you know
[02:24:36] Me getting out got it and so I used it all well up then and I got hired and they let me start right away because
[02:24:44] You know I didn't have another year of school
[02:24:46] So
[02:24:48] And then retired and then how do you like how do you like the investment banking world?
[02:24:52] I like I liked a lot of it and I didn't like other parts of it
[02:25:00] I really liked the mergers and acquisitions
[02:25:02] So that's what we did we did mergers acquisitions and then leverage buyouts and we were dealing with big because I got hired with a big bold
[02:25:08] Bracket banks were working on like some big deals and it was exciting it was cool was interesting
[02:25:14] It just wasn't cool for 18 to 20 hours a day
[02:25:17] Like I worked long days it was like an early night was midnight
[02:25:24] But most of the times on you know I'm building power points and Excel models till three four in the morning
[02:25:29] Those times where I didn't sleep at all like our presentation was do it like 5 a.m. and I turned it in at 5 a.m
[02:25:36] Where were you working out of so home because it was pretty good yeah, so I didn't have to move up to LA
[02:25:42] Which is good because my wife didn't want to move up there
[02:25:44] But we were set on moving up there and but it was
[02:25:49] Every time we drove up there to look at places the drive home would be very quiet because we could just tell that neither of us wanted to move up there
[02:25:57] But it worked out for me because like I said it was COVID so they're like hey we're gonna be virtual you know for the time being
[02:26:04] And
[02:26:05] And I think when I realized like I don't want to do this long term is when I saw the managing directors have been there for a while like I would finish the presentation
[02:26:11] You know and it's like four in the morning like how you need to call them?
[02:26:14] I'm like it's four in the morning like you need to call a managing director
[02:26:17] To me T.S. to look over that PowerPoint for we turn it in and I'm like dang so I guess it's never stops
[02:26:23] And it was and I had to had a couple T.B. eyes throughout my career
[02:26:27] So my my green because I wasn't there was literally nice where I won't go sleep at all
[02:26:32] I'd roll right into the next day and and
[02:26:34] My greens were starting to get more frequent and staring at a screen like all day long and I'm like this isn't gonna be
[02:26:40] A long term play for me, but I'm gonna tough it out
[02:26:45] You know for the two or three years or whatever you gotta be to make VP and then move on some else and I didn't realize that the job offers
[02:26:51] We're gonna start rolling in so quickly
[02:26:53] So like once the job offers like recruiters started reaching out to me. I'm like I'm gonna start looking elsewhere
[02:26:59] And around that time is you know J.P. had been talking to me about echelon front now for
[02:27:04] For about a year like even when I was in trade-a he's like hey you thought about coming over here and and I was I was interested but I just never materialized
[02:27:12] You know
[02:27:13] And I just went down my path I told him. Hey J.P. this is actually what I'm doing now and I'm kind of all in on it and
[02:27:20] So it's around that time. I'm already looking at moving to different firms
[02:27:24] I've already got a couple that I'm pretty close to
[02:27:26] to signing with and and then J.P. calls me one day and he's like hey bro
[02:27:30] We have a client who you know about 50% of his employee speaks Spanish and I told him we could deliver
[02:27:39] I was like you did
[02:27:41] He's like well yeah I got you
[02:27:43] Because he knew I was fluent in Spanish and
[02:27:45] I was like bro you ever seen office space?
[02:27:48] I was like that's my life. I have seven bosses Bob
[02:27:52] You know so you're all I'm on seven different deals and for each deal. I have to get
[02:27:56] approved I mean they granted some of them are are you know
[02:27:59] have some spill over so there's a minute I'm working with you know managing director for two or three different deals
[02:28:03] So I'm like dude it's gonna be so hard for me to get a day off like it's gonna be near impossible
[02:28:09] And he's like bro I really need this
[02:28:12] I'm like all right you know
[02:28:14] And J.P. is one of my brothers like I love J.P. to death so I'm like let me see what I can do
[02:28:19] So I put in the time for two personal days and by the way a personal day
[02:28:24] It's funny when you get the email that says this is what a personal day looks like you will check your email
[02:28:27] You know like six times during that day and if you need something you will answer it so it's
[02:28:31] Really like a personal day so freaking working
[02:28:34] So I'm like I took two personal days to come out and help them out with this FTX and
[02:28:40] So I would literally you know teach all day long and then I pulled an all-nighter
[02:28:44] Trying to catch up on all the work that I missed throughout the day so I didn't sleep for like those three days that I was there
[02:28:50] Um, but it was cool because I showed up and it was this construction company and when I showed up
[02:28:59] I could tell that that some of the guys weren't happy to be there and not because they're you know lazy
[02:29:04] Anything that they just wanted to go to work
[02:29:07] They're hardworking people you know so they're like they want to be working instead of being in this
[02:29:12] Leadership course and
[02:29:14] So let's see I think I think it was a Thursday
[02:29:17] Yeah, I was a Thursday where the first day of class started and we split the class in two because they
[02:29:22] Had so many people that we were gonna teach one class one day and then the other group that's next day and on Saturday
[02:29:26] We did like a debrief tying it all back into their business
[02:29:29] So day one I'm teaching I could see it that you know they'd rather be working than be there
[02:29:34] One of their form and who you know it's like one of their rock star form and shows up late
[02:29:39] Like same thing. He's like man, I'd rather be working right now. You know, I'll be there and then at the end of the day
[02:29:44] I I noticed the switch like they I could tell that they were enjoying themselves and they
[02:29:49] They were learning stuff and it was clicking the light bulbs were coming on and at the end of the day this form and he comes on to me
[02:29:55] He's like hey man, I'm really sorry that I showed up late. Can I come back tomorrow and do it all over again?
[02:30:00] I was like it's fine with us as long as your boss is cool with it and he's like okay
[02:30:05] So he comes back the next day
[02:30:07] You know and and does the full day of training with echelon front and
[02:30:11] And
[02:30:13] on the third day
[02:30:15] when I
[02:30:17] Herd the debrief points and the impact that I made. I mean some of these debrief points there do it was like emotional
[02:30:24] Like it was like shit and I was like wow like you guys are doing something really great here
[02:30:29] Um, and I felt good about it
[02:30:32] You know their CEO was just
[02:30:35] Just cared so much it's super super intelligent guy very caring very humble
[02:30:39] And it was just a pleasure talking to him and and seeing how much he cared about his team and his people and then seeing
[02:30:46] How these other people appreciated now really start to appreciate the fact that he did this for them
[02:30:52] Like was trying to develop them as leaders because he cared about them. He cared about the company
[02:30:57] And I told J.P. I'm like man that felt good
[02:31:01] I haven't felt good about what I was doing for work for for a while since I left the teams and
[02:31:07] Um, and that's when I was like okay
[02:31:10] Let's have a serious conversation of what this could possibly look like for me joining EF
[02:31:16] So here you are you know that that little
[02:31:19] The little
[02:31:20] obstacle that you get over with and I obviously I've been doing this for a long time now
[02:31:28] But there's a little obstacle with some people when they show up for training and the obstacle is
[02:31:33] Well, there's there can be several of them but one of the biggest obstacles is they don't yet understand that
[02:31:40] Leadership is a skill
[02:31:43] And that it's something that they use and it's something that they can actually learn and get good at
[02:31:49] And it doesn't take very long in those sessions where people go oh wait that's me. Oh wait. I could use that
[02:31:56] And all of a sudden they realize
[02:31:58] This is gonna make my life so much better and it's gonna make my team's life so much better and that
[02:32:06] That is so gratifying to see that and what's really awesome is
[02:32:11] When you look up in three months six months or a year and now you see where that company is and they they're trajectory that
[02:32:19] That changes for a company and how they elevate and move forward
[02:32:23] Man, it's freaking it's very very rewarding to say the least yeah every time I do another job
[02:32:30] I'm just just solidifies that decision for sure
[02:32:33] It's weird where you thinking
[02:32:37] Because because the first gigs that you did was teaching FTX which is like our fuel training exercise which is
[02:32:45] You know, I'm JP and I've talked about this where I'm like a HAP people don't they don't need to really like know how to
[02:32:51] Clear room yeah, it's just it's funny almost the human instincts that you have of how you would clear a room are good enough
[02:32:59] To do the FTXs. It's not about teaching people how you know the tactics of combat
[02:33:05] It's just about teaching them leadership, but it's funny
[02:33:09] Even the plans they come up with like we give them a target
[02:33:12] Their plans are like perfectly fine. They're perfectly fine. Yeah, no
[02:33:16] Sometimes they're not that great sometimes they make mistakes, but a lot of times it's like, yeah, you know what that's that would work
[02:33:22] That would work on this target for real and these are people that are civilians because
[02:33:26] Let's face it hitting a target of bad guys. There's it's not rocket science
[02:33:31] It's not rocket science to figure out what you're gonna do and we give them enough basics that they can figure it out
[02:33:35] but
[02:33:37] For me
[02:33:38] You know the the leadership laboratory that we got to work in we were actually in and actually a trade it and actually seeing
[02:33:43] Patoons go through that is such a powerful thing because
[02:33:47] Man when you are in those situations
[02:33:50] You feel it and when you like you think all I'm good at detaching and then you go on a run where you're freaking
[02:33:56] Yellow and screaming and you you know and you're saying oh
[02:33:59] How was that detachment on the last run?
[02:34:00] Yeah, as you were yelling and screaming at everybody and shooting your weapon a bunch and not and no one took charge of anything
[02:34:06] So obvious
[02:34:08] When you actually experience it and you learn that lesson so much more thoroughly
[02:34:12] When you actually experience it's freaking awesome to watch. Yeah, absolutely
[02:34:17] I've had messages like on on Instagram or LinkedIn
[02:34:21] Where people have gone through our training
[02:34:23] It's like hey, I had this situation at work and I thought about that time when you took the gun away from me and told me to lead
[02:34:28] You know because when they're not detached and they're just getting after it with their gun
[02:34:31] But they're actually in charge like every now and then I'll take their gun away
[02:34:35] Like hey lead now you can lead you know how they're gun and and so you know
[02:34:40] They'll right back like I remember the time you did this to me or you said this to me and and I say that at at that FTX is on my K
[02:34:46] You know
[02:34:47] Going through that pain
[02:34:50] Actually solidifies that lesson way more and it's like Bruce Lee says the pain will leave you when it's done teaching you
[02:34:57] One of my favorite quotes
[02:34:59] And I tell people that too like in my brief in the morning on my hate. We're not here to teach you leadership
[02:35:03] I mean, we're not here to teach you tactics. We're here to teach you leadership and in the absence of knowledge
[02:35:08] Because you don't have any you know knowledge doing this. What do you have to lean back on your leadership?
[02:35:11] Which is simply you trying to influence another 25 people towards a common goal
[02:35:16] So you're gonna have to use all those tools that we've you know talked about and the the groups that do the best or the ones that are able to apply it immediately like they make that
[02:35:25] Connection and the ones that struggle are the ones that that you know
[02:35:30] Can't seem to do that. You know what's interesting. I was just thinking about this
[02:35:33] From a GG to perspective how long you've been training GG for since 2012. I know lots of off
[02:35:41] So so what's interesting is you know people like you take a normal dude and you say hey what did that doesn't train
[02:35:49] And you think hey if you get in a fight what would you do they kind of like they kind of think what is it that the hey?
[02:35:55] I just see red bro
[02:35:57] You know I go off bro like that's kind of what they think they think that that is
[02:36:02] How they're gonna fight and that's how they would win in a fight like hey. I'll just freaking make it happen
[02:36:08] And that's totally ignorant that's one of the most ignorant things you could say and if you go against someone that's trained then you're absolutely gonna lose
[02:36:14] But there's also a really good chance to lose anyways
[02:36:17] Imagine this there's people that that are in leadership positions that their mentality is that exact same thing
[02:36:24] Hey, oh if I'm in charge of tell people to all handle it and and they could literally learn
[02:36:30] Judges who for leadership we have jujitsu for leadership it's like an amazing
[02:36:36] Untapped knowledge that like the graces the graces brought you to the world and all of a sudden people like oh
[02:36:43] I can choke people I don't I can defeat to someone that's bigger than me
[02:36:46] I can avoid getting hit like there's all these amazing things that we literally did not know as humans
[02:36:52] We did not know and if you were to go out and a fight and if I would have gotten no fight in
[02:36:56] in 1990 or 1991 I
[02:37:00] Would do what my instincts are throw haymakers whatever like whatever it is a human is gonna do is what I would do and then all of a sudden as soon as I learn
[02:37:10] Oh the joke
[02:37:12] Like all of a sudden you know what to do and now you can handle all these situations and it's the same thing with what we teach it's like oh
[02:37:19] This isn't some
[02:37:20] This isn't some mysterious thing like here. Oh, this is an arm walk it's called cover-in move here's
[02:37:27] Taking the back this is keeping things simple you can actually learn maneuvers for leadership and that's what hits people when they're
[02:37:35] Going through our programs you can see it in the face they're like oh
[02:37:39] I remember when a guy was doing this to me and all I had to do back was was
[02:37:45] To manage you know how to meet reflect and diminish I could have taken that angry person and
[02:37:52] Reflected some of those emotions but diminish them and then I could reflect it in such a way that they would
[02:37:57] Realize that I'm on their side and then we'd be able to have a real conversation to move this important
[02:38:01] That's one move
[02:38:03] There's all these moves you can learn and man. It's just like this. You know what it's actually the same look when somebody does
[02:38:09] You jits you and whatever moment because different people get it at different time that moment where they go oh
[02:38:15] This is amazing like oh it all makes sense. I think it's sometimes when people realize that
[02:38:21] You know oh and then you sweep them and you're in the mountain and they go oh
[02:38:26] It all connected you see that look in the rise and I see that look in the eyes
[02:38:30] That's what you're talking about like the guy that you're talking about that came back the end of the day like
[02:38:33] Hey, can I come tomorrow?
[02:38:34] Because he realized that it's all connected that leadership is a skill that he could actually utilize these tools to go out there and
[02:38:42] Lead his team with with skills and with techniques and with procedures moves
[02:38:49] Man, it's freaking empowering
[02:38:52] legit
[02:38:53] Um
[02:38:55] And that's where you're at right now. Yeah, we just went through your whole damn life bro
[02:38:58] Yep, that that's pretty impressive. We'll have to uh, I know there's a I know you had some some stuff that you wrote down for me
[02:39:06] That we didn't cover today that we'll probably cover cover on the next time as didn't you know get a little bit more granular
[02:39:12] And some of these things that you experience for sure
[02:39:14] But probably a pretty good place to wrap it up
[02:39:17] Of course echo probably has some questions at this point. Oh, you got what a question oh, yeah, keep it simple
[02:39:23] Have you ever heard that you look like Oscar Delahoya?
[02:39:26] Every day of my life since I was 16
[02:39:30] As a matter of fact and my platoon's they already knew it was coming and so when we would go out
[02:39:35] Like you know people would be like hey is that and they're like you
[02:39:39] Yeah, we're security yeah, that's what they would say and
[02:39:44] Just not not too long goes in New York and I was with my wife and this guy comes out to me
[02:39:49] He's like hey man, I still think pound for pound you're the best
[02:39:51] And then she's like are you gonna correct him and I'm like I'm tired of correcting people but then it's like more people
[02:39:57] Start coming up like hey guys. I'm not Oscar
[02:39:59] The buff version
[02:40:01] Scrilla was jacked version the jack version. I've gotten that forever
[02:40:07] Yeah, that is an uncanny resemblance
[02:40:10] All right, yeah, who do you look like echo Charles? Jade?
[02:40:14] Too easy though you even asked that one before that was too easy
[02:40:19] Got that twin brother. Oh, yeah
[02:40:21] Man like I said we'll dig into some more of this stuff in the future probably could place a wrap it today
[02:40:26] That goes Charles yes sir sounds like it kind of seems like Carlos has gotten a lot done
[02:40:34] Yes, he has I'm thinking maybe we should all do more what do you think what do we start?
[02:40:40] Well, you mentioned you get to what a good place to start. Yes, sir
[02:40:45] Yeah, we want to what do you a purple belt yeah purple belt
[02:40:48] 2012 it's 21.9 year when do you get a purple? just recently yeah, but often on that's yeah
[02:40:55] I was on deployment a lot and and then I would bounce around a couple of schools and
[02:40:59] I'm training actually with your buddy Aaron Hernandez. Oh, right on to he's awesome
[02:41:03] Frick and awesome. Yes, yeah, he's he's awesome. You know like I started he started training that when we were at Fabio Santos
[02:41:10] He was like yeah, you're so yeah, I want to see those pictures bro
[02:41:14] That's freaking rad. What yeah
[02:41:16] He's awesome man his dad like would just come out
[02:41:20] Is a lot of times nowadays you see like the dads all ended you did too and that's why the kids are there
[02:41:26] Yeah, almost against their will
[02:41:28] It didn't seem like Aaron's dad was into it, but he's like oh, this is what my kid wants to cool
[02:41:32] I'm gonna sit here every day, you know for two hours on the bench waiting for my kid to get done with this
[02:41:37] Whatever this weird stuff is that he's doing. Yeah, it's freaking legit so what's that?
[02:41:42] 2012
[02:41:44] To your almost ten years deep
[02:41:47] Got that purple belt under a
[02:41:49] Improble that happens yeah, so yeah, even life was like that too, right?
[02:41:53] Dude, life was a white belt, but I started training
[02:41:58] Those guys in 2005, but actually he had trained before that
[02:42:03] Lafet trained at Fabios
[02:42:06] Before 2005 so life was like white belt for I mean
[02:42:11] Yeah, I was like you should say no, I
[02:42:15] Long time long time long time. That was perfectly happy at blue belt
[02:42:20] Yeah, Aaron was like bro. I got he got it. You got it. Do it to you. Yeah, blue belt is the
[02:42:26] Blue belt is the last chance you have to be under the radar. Yeah, because once you're a purple belt
[02:42:30] But people expect you there's a yeah you
[02:42:34] You can get tapped you can literally get tapped by a white belt as a blue belt and it's not that big of a deal right
[02:42:39] You're kind of like well, you know, I'm just a blue belt just to blue belt it covers a lot of ground
[02:42:44] I was a blue belt for a long time too
[02:42:46] I was a blue belt because I was a blue belt
[02:42:48] I got my blue belt and San Diego, but then I moved to Virginia Beach and I mean dude, and I was training
[02:42:53] When I was in San Diego training all the time and then when I got to Virginia Beach
[02:42:56] I did a couple of appointments so I wasn't training that's much but even I was on deployment
[02:42:58] I would train with the boys
[02:43:01] But I was still a blue belt so it was years. I think I was a blue belt for like I
[02:43:05] Wanted and then when I got back to San Diego
[02:43:08] So, you know, I had to like re-earn my
[02:43:12] Risp it was like I it was like when I wasn't at Fabios he's I wasn't training
[02:43:17] He's like whatever and I'm the way you were you might have gotten better, but it didn't count
[02:43:21] We're starting where you left off. Yeah, we started where I left off with him
[02:43:25] So it took me another
[02:43:27] Another probably I think I was a blue belt like five years
[02:43:32] Blue belt and I
[02:43:34] I never buy my wife anything like hardly ever poor woman
[02:43:39] But when I got my purple belt when I got my purple belt
[02:43:42] I got up I went to a flower store. I got a purple flower
[02:43:46] Of some kind or like five purple flowers and brodma that's I was so stoked that I wanted my wife to be
[02:43:52] Got a stoked to get that purple belt but and and I was ready for it too like I mean
[02:43:58] When I got my purple balls ready for that purple belt
[02:44:00] I had somebody got their black belt the other day friend of mine got a black belt the other day
[02:44:05] He's not ready for it. I was like no one feels like they're ready for their black belt no almost no one right?
[02:44:09] Maybe you just won worlds or whatever
[02:44:12] But you're not just like oh yeah, I forget who it was. I think might have been Clark
[02:44:17] greasy I think I could be wrong so whenever
[02:44:20] But it was a kind of where he was winning everything as a brown belt everything and
[02:44:26] I think he was like I don't know if it was a coach or whatever someone was kind of like oh
[02:44:30] Wait is he doing that just so he can win a bunch and
[02:44:34] Someone was like bro like he can't compete as a brown belt anymore. It's like someone has to give it
[02:44:40] Black belt like that's that's the only exception I could ever think of yeah well Dean list one ADCC is a brown belt
[02:44:46] Yeah, yeah, yeah, but via submission by the way absolutely by the way
[02:44:51] I'm doing so so we're thinking to Jets is good. Yes, it Jets is good fitness is good Carlos in great shape
[02:45:00] You know, no, it's good to see if so we got some healthy how should I say healthy we want to go in a healthy direction
[02:45:06] Mentally physically same so I'm gonna talk about energy drinks first
[02:45:11] Cuz that's you know
[02:45:12] Kind of what we do from time to time so we got jocco discipline go energy drink healthy energy drink
[02:45:17] By the way, if you didn't know Carlos and did those things power the FTXs. I know
[02:45:25] Like a soft ball what he called rhetorical kind of question because I know I know you know, but the the the the
[02:45:30] Discipline goes scenarios
[02:45:32] So yes, so yeah, we will drink energy drinks though as long as this kind yeah, yeah for sure because the other kind
[02:45:40] Bad is bad
[02:45:41] It's it's a dichotomy well this kind
[02:45:44] Completely bad for you legitimately bad for you and this isn't like oh well
[02:45:49] Jocco's trying to sell his energy drink no, I'm telling you those other energyings are
[02:45:54] factually bad for you. We have one that is factually good for you. Yes, sir. Factually you know that there's a
[02:46:02] I don't know the service but you can do it online
[02:46:04] I was gonna do it for a video. I was gonna make long time ago before all this where you can make your own energy drink like if you want oh
[02:46:12] You know Carlos extra thunder energy drink or whatever and you can kind of pick a flavor and then like
[02:46:20] They'll design the thing or you could design the thing and then you just get it
[02:46:23] But it's all like the similar like if you want cherry blast or whatever
[02:46:27] I don't know what you call it, but if you get like a cherry flavored one it's like the same cherry flavored as like you know
[02:46:33] Jocco cherry blast
[02:46:35] I would do lemon lime lows
[02:46:38] You know it's interesting
[02:46:39] You might think yourself good because you did the investment banking thing for a while and did you guys take any companies public
[02:46:46] You so actually during my internship
[02:46:48] I don't like you it's interesting because we work with a bunch of public companies obviously
[02:46:54] But you might think to yourself like hey, well, why does everyone just make you know a
[02:46:59] Guad energy drink that's good for you. You think that right like hey
[02:47:02] Well, that just seems like that seems like a good idea
[02:47:05] And here's the deal
[02:47:06] It's more expensive
[02:47:08] It's more expensive and it's gonna cut into your profit and as soon as you get into a point in a company where you're like oh
[02:47:17] We want to do the right thing and make the best product and we are not gonna make as much money
[02:47:23] There's like
[02:47:25] armies of people that tear you apart and say no just freaking make more money. It's the same thing with you know with our hard goods with our clothing
[02:47:33] Yeah, as soon as you get to a point oh you where you can make jeans. Oh, we're making jeans
[02:47:39] As soon as some of those hey we could shave
[02:47:42] 48 cents off the price per pair of those jeans. Oh, yeah, there's an army of people that say do it
[02:47:49] They sell they say sell your soul. That's what they say and it works
[02:47:53] Of course it I mean it works think about it too. Especially the more you sell right where okay
[02:47:58] I'm gonna do this. Oh, we're gonna shave 48 cents when you're selling like 10 pair or 10 whatever it's like 40 cents
[02:48:04] It's like what four dollars in front
[02:48:06] I'd rather keep my hand bigger. Yeah, but once the numbers start going way up there in 48 cents means like another like
[02:48:12] I don't know half a million dollars for you or whatever
[02:48:14] Yeah, oh, I think that 48 cents
[02:48:16] You know so it's a literal selling of the soul literal selling of the soul man because like this is pasteurized right
[02:48:25] Which means we not to put chemicals in it which by the way this is chemicals that everybody uses they all throw them in there
[02:48:31] Hey, there's not that bad right right it's not that bad. Yeah. Yeah. Sell yourself. We'll say industry standard
[02:48:37] Yeah, it's the industry standard. You kind of shred your shoulders
[02:48:40] But well, you know, that's the way everyone's doing it. Well, there's certain like toxins right where like the FDA is like well
[02:48:45] You just keep them below this level and
[02:48:48] Technically it's like it's legal or whatever
[02:48:50] It's like consider not
[02:48:52] harmful whatever or if they pound like three of those every day
[02:48:57] That's crazy big trouble
[02:48:59] Big trouble now the last now with these obviously it's good. So yeah get on some of that that'll help us you know move you in the right direction
[02:49:06] Yes, sir stay fit and mentally because the cognitive stuff and there as well also
[02:49:12] Keep your joints in in the game as well, you know if you still if you want to work out as you get older
[02:49:18] You don't you love staying
[02:49:20] No, do you live today I did yeah, well time you live what time do you
[02:49:24] We're good
[02:49:25] It's not 430
[02:49:27] It's I saw today I got up at 6
[02:49:29] What'd you do
[02:49:31] Just like don't not do but like roughly what'd you do pull ups do you what'd you do
[02:49:36] Tuesdays like day. Yeah me too
[02:49:38] Let me just happen to be this is a Sunday
[02:49:40] Yeah, but here's what's cool. I got done. I was just
[02:49:44] But my son opened the door to my garage and I could you know feel his presence there
[02:49:48] And only he's wanted to jacksteel himself and I racked away squats
[02:49:55] Racked away turn around and he goes how many more you got and I go I'm done because I was literally done and he goes
[02:50:00] Ways are good at the pier and I go
[02:50:02] Let's hit it
[02:50:04] Is it cold right now kind of cold it's California it's California meaning it's not gonna freeze
[02:50:10] But it's not gonna be warm either are we using a wet suit? I used the wetsuit today
[02:50:14] A warm weakness weakness no no efficiency look do you want to enjoy surfing you know what enjoy surfing
[02:50:21] You know the weird thing is frankly if you go surfing without a wetsuit
[02:50:25] It's only cold for the first
[02:50:27] Most days I mean if sure that's freezing but most days it's only cold for three minutes and then it's just normal and you feel fine
[02:50:34] Those three minutes though
[02:50:35] That's what puts feet that's what has people squeezing in that damn wetsuit
[02:50:38] Yeah, and also when you're in the cold water they like your handle and maybe for
[02:50:45] Like an eye me they depends who you are obviously but after like an hour it's almost like the coldness like you get hit with that initial coldness and your body's like
[02:50:51] I'm not that cold actually so we're cool plus you're generating heat from all the stuff
[02:50:55] But then the coldness kind of on a strategic level starts to just see pin yeah, and it kind of hits and you like probably I'm kind of this
[02:51:01] It's kind of what is it big factor you surf crows now? I don't here's a big factor if you're gonna be catching a lot of waves
[02:51:07] And there's good waves coming in you're gonna be fine
[02:51:10] But if it's one of those days we're gonna be waiting and there's a little brisk breeze at your back
[02:51:14] You're gonna get chilly woo
[02:51:18] You're gonna get chilly woo factors with that because one you're not having fun
[02:51:22] You know like well, you do it like you actually don't even notice a lot of stuff when you're having like fun
[02:51:26] You don't notice how tired you're getting you don't know that notice a lot of stuff colds probably one of those when you're you know
[02:51:31] And then you're moving way less yeah, and then you're just sitting there just being cold. Yes, there's there be cold
[02:51:38] There there's a let's face it. That's kind of legit
[02:51:42] You know when I when I see someone scanning it
[02:51:44] Like props you get into I'm giving you props if you're scanning it you're getting props
[02:51:48] Maybe it's the dead of summer, but any other time if it's not
[02:51:53] If it's not all-guest and you're scanning it
[02:51:57] I give you a little bit of a little bit of and it's sometimes myself too. Yeah, you know what we're gonna do it
[02:52:04] Let's skin
[02:52:06] Because when you go through buds did you have wet suits that had like legs connected to him when you went through buds?
[02:52:12] No, I don't think so we just had shorties oh no, I have like beaver tail
[02:52:17] Oh, so that's what we had at first recon bat time okay for tails so when I got the buds
[02:52:21] I'm like they think of these students better what's it to be caught at what's beaver tail
[02:52:25] It's like you're the back of the wet suit has like a long tail on it and it comes up underneath your crotch and like snaps into position
[02:52:34] And fun of you it does nothing to hold in any water at all. It's the dumbest invention ever
[02:52:40] Whoever invented the beaver tail is an idiot you would never come up with that plan right?
[02:52:45] So because but now they have where the the the shirt of the wet suit is connected to the trunk
[02:52:52] Which is a whole different ballgame this is a whole different ballgame. This is a totally different situation
[02:52:58] And they get that in buds by the way you got that in buds
[02:53:02] I don't think I've ever worn a wet suit ever
[02:53:05] I can't remember one single time
[02:53:08] That's the way it is no light
[02:53:11] Shredding
[02:53:13] Anyway, back to our joints
[02:53:15] We don't we don't want to have joint problems. That's another thing cold lot is good for you
[02:53:19] And it's by the way that's where you got to get in that bath yeah, but if you're not gonna jump in ice bath as often as maybe you could
[02:53:26] You just keep the what's called joint warfare super krill oil supple me just take this up on it
[02:53:32] So you don't easy way so you don't got to freeze yourself vitamin D
[02:53:36] Take vitamin D 100% take that every day. Yeah, my god cold war
[02:53:42] Keep the immunity strong
[02:53:44] You get all this stuff from jockelfuel.com get some milk to because let's face it man
[02:53:51] Let's face it that's a tough one. It's a tough one to not
[02:53:55] Bro, did you see that did you I posted some stakes I had the other day. Yes, I saw that
[02:53:59] That's amazing. Yeah people people semi stakes
[02:54:04] Which is like the only like yeah people semi stakes those were from they were you know jack on them
[02:54:10] Jack yeah, he's a barbecue yeah, he sent those
[02:54:18] He's just the ones that he always could I think it's but maybe I don't know they're cow k
[02:54:24] W. Yeah, they were good. They were good. Yeah, they were so good
[02:54:29] Even when I got done eating those even when I got done eating a freaking full on
[02:54:33] Tomahawk steak. I was like cool guess what I wanted a little bit of sweetness
[02:54:41] Goodness a little bit what's that other word?
[02:54:44] It's like
[02:54:46] Savory Savory is like steak, right? Yeah, like saltier with it right and then sweet
[02:54:51] What's mok it's got both
[02:54:53] Well, if you think about it the real good desserts the flavors have like little bit us like save or like a little bit us
[02:55:03] Yeah, yeah, yeah, and then if you think about it like the good like savory has a little bit of sweet too
[02:55:08] And you think about it so what about mok basically it's hot mok season by the way
[02:55:13] It's like there's having a hot mok in the morning
[02:55:18] Oh, man. I'm not talking early morning like pre workout. I'm talking nine o'clock in the morning
[02:55:25] Starting to feel a little bit of hunger. It's a little bit cool outside hot mok coming at you live
[02:55:31] Do I throw whipped cream on top of that I do
[02:55:35] That's still pale. Oh, well, yeah, actually a lot of whipped cream well, I don't know a lot
[02:55:40] But the one that my wife buys is actually not that bad for it. It's actually pretty solid
[02:55:45] I'm surprised by that keep it a real with that keto
[02:55:49] Check the gizelle's a mok too. That's clean protein though by the way
[02:55:53] We don't really mention that because it like sometimes we're back in the day or whenever you didn't take mok
[02:55:58] You take protein shake you got the
[02:56:00] Let's face it like you get some secondary effects. You know from that not the kind this facts you weren't negative
[02:56:07] But that's not like that anymore
[02:56:09] But yeah, is that and then also jocquate tea the old school feel like tea hot tea now obviously
[02:56:13] And if you like dead left thing by the way. Yeah, sir. You don't want that job. It's the one
[02:56:18] Yeah, get it all at jockelfuel.com also the energy drink you already said
[02:56:22] Right by the way, I don't know if I'm supposed to talk about this or not yet, but we got
[02:56:27] We got some ready to drink mok coming oh yeah, and
[02:56:32] Let's just say
[02:56:34] I'm not saying that the creators that the creators deserve a Nobel Prize
[02:56:41] I'm not saying that it's definite, but they should be in the content should they should be mentioned there should be a mentioned
[02:56:47] When you try these things
[02:56:49] Yeah, so you're gonna be able to in the future
[02:56:52] Going to a wall-wop boom go restrate and just get mok on tap or like and actually that makes sense when you think about it because it's not like
[02:57:00] When you think about what if you spend anytime thinking about it
[02:57:04] Maybe I do maybe I don't I don't know but either way it's like you can't just because mok is the powder right
[02:57:09] Then you have your mix like you know we'll put in the banana we'll put in the whatever right and it's like this variations of mixes and variations of results
[02:57:16] And it makes sense
[02:57:18] So it's like hey if you're gonna drink the ready to drink one you got to commit to a very specific mix across the board
[02:57:23] Yeah, per flavor. You seem saying so now you got to rely on whoever
[02:57:27] Expert I know there in expert. I'll tell you that you ever had something coming to your life that you just just came out of nowhere
[02:57:34] Like you couldn't have predicted it. Oh, yeah, let me tell you something
[02:57:37] Yeah, salted caramel. I didn't even know what this this does not in my world never in my world this idea
[02:57:45] Salted caramel. What is this like what is this?
[02:57:48] We have a salted caramel verse
[02:57:52] I'm actually familiar with the salted caramel so that one to me that makes sense that sounds delicious all right
[02:57:57] So there we go. There you go. Oh, come also get it also origin USA. This is American made stuff
[02:58:03] Not just any stuff like for real American made like products jeans boots small it's on there the accessories
[02:58:10] I've been going kind of deep on the accessories
[02:58:13] Recently on that website pretty impressive just getting it there. Oh, yeah, so yes everything from the material all the way to the product all made in America
[02:58:23] Quality stuff to if you care about the people and the process
[02:58:27] If you care about humanity yes, sir. How's that yes, sir? If you care about humanity go to origin USA dot com
[02:58:35] because
[02:58:37] You know what you were talking about you know you were talking about it earlier Carlos, you know seeing people these people are hard workers and
[02:58:44] The first time you worked with an echelon front client like man these people are working hard
[02:58:49] They want to do a good job and that's awesome. That's that's so
[02:58:53] Awesome that we get to experience all these people across the country, but then there's the industries and there's corporations that say you know what
[02:59:02] To hell with those people
[02:59:03] To hell with those hard working people we're gonna offshore this stuff. We're gonna put it into slave labor camps
[02:59:09] We're gonna give money to communists. That's what we're doing
[02:59:12] That's what we're doing that's
[02:59:15] That's what we're doing we're gonna we're gonna have slave people
[02:59:19] Build this stuff and we're gonna give money to communist regimes. That's what we'll do how's that sound and that kind of goes along with that 48 cents like
[02:59:26] You know what you're trying to get that's what drives it. Yeah, don't let that don't let that happen
[02:59:32] Good words and you get to your boots get your jeans
[02:59:36] Get your E-Four sure yeah, we're ginger
[02:59:40] You don't go
[02:59:41] Actually in a way that's not 100% my fault. Yeah, yeah, 100% my fault. I feel like it's 100% your fault too
[02:59:48] But I actually feel bad too because like what we were just what I was just I thought something coming into your life
[02:59:53] When you put on an origin key for real when you put on an origin key
[02:59:57] It's for real you got some other thing coming in your life that you did not expect was that thing
[03:00:01] Yeah, there's that I will take you as soon as we get done recording
[03:00:04] I'll take you can you can touch one of mine
[03:00:09] I'll get you one
[03:00:11] You can touch one of my origin keys. You'll be like what is this what sort of
[03:00:19] Unicorn fur is this that's been used great this time because this is different level man. Yeah, it's a different level
[03:00:26] Yeah, we got so it's gonna say I was gonna say this kind of good news in a way for me
[03:00:30] So like you know I can kind of like you know how you someone's about to do something really like
[03:00:34] Whether it be fun or cool or it's gonna be real beneficial and then you get to like experience it with you know
[03:00:39] Like you get to share that experience
[03:00:42] That's kind of good news can't wait for you
[03:00:45] That origin rash guards
[03:00:47] Yeah, I do use yeah, Native America. Yeah, just imagine that made America
[03:00:53] Beautiful thing go also
[03:00:55] Chocolate store is called chocolate store that's where you can get your discipline equals freedom shirts
[03:00:59] The jujitsu shirt that I know the shirt you are representing hardcore by the way
[03:01:04] That freaking thing was legit. Oh, yeah
[03:01:06] So there's it there's a kind of a jujitsu section. Yes, how many shirts are in the jujitsu section right now just that one
[03:01:15] Section but it's a break out area yeah, but when Dean's shirt comes out
[03:01:21] Yeah, will it's gonna say foot right just like yours is good
[03:01:25] Says foot actually that's his technically that's his design right I just
[03:01:29] Sticker someone put a sticker on the gym out here and it's got it's got leg and old nom
[03:01:34] Picture of a dude with like a steel pot helmet on in nom American, but it's Dean Lister's face and it says foot soldier
[03:01:46] See we might have to have a Dean Lister section
[03:01:49] Dean with the feet and Dean and that whole thing sure so there you go, but yeah
[03:01:54] Good spot to get this stuff talk with store where the like I said discipline could see them jiu-jitsu stuff
[03:01:59] Good, it's a good one. You want to star me navy game. Yeah, it's face it good goes deep. We'll say that
[03:02:06] We did we did appreciate that and it kind of worked for navy or was this yes? Apparently in the assessment fully
[03:02:14] Seems like it worked out good. So speak for themselves. But yeah, also we have the shirt locker
[03:02:18] Which is the new shirt every month
[03:02:21] They're separate from the regular store, but it's a new shirt. They're a little bit more creative
[03:02:26] Good good feedback on now
[03:02:27] Got things square the way too by the way
[03:02:29] We got one coming out too right there should be anyone coming out pretty soon. Yeah, so if I'm not sure
[03:02:34] So right now like now if you join you'll get that shirt for that month
[03:02:39] You know before it was like okay, I joined then the next month your shirt kind of comes but it's all squared and right away
[03:02:44] All that kind of stuff's good squared
[03:02:46] So yeah, we got
[03:02:47] December still going and then yet January this another one that's how it works
[03:02:52] That's what that's what month he sure means subscribe to that if you're also subscribed with his podcast
[03:02:56] We got this podcast. We got joc on rambling. We got the ground to podcast. We got the weird kid podcast
[03:03:03] We also have joc on the ground. Joc on the ground.com
[03:03:05] We're on there answering questions life advice life advice alternative
[03:03:12] Topics that apply to everything
[03:03:15] You know if you if you know the way brought we probably you see it on all things that it also protects us because listen
[03:03:22] We don't know what's gonna happen in the world but we do know that sometimes people want to control what you say
[03:03:30] They want to control what we say
[03:03:33] We haven't read any major issues yet. Coupled we brushed up against couple
[03:03:36] And we'd have a couple scenarios unfold and just in case just to protect us from that we got to have a contingency plan
[03:03:42] That's joc on the ground.com go there if you want to support cost $8.18 a month and we give you this extra podcast
[03:03:49] But look if you can't afford that it's okay email assistance at joc on the ground.com
[03:03:54] We just got to have somewhere as an alternative
[03:03:57] Place to be in case so that's where we're at YouTube channel. Yep. We have a YouTube channel. You want to see
[03:04:04] Oscar Delahoya
[03:04:06] Carlos Mendes. How is he? You know his handsome Jay you more jack though
[03:04:10] Thank you. So that's what that would be the telltale sign. I think if someone runs into you in the street you're gonna be a thing
[03:04:16] That's Oscar Delahoya. He's like yeah, I've been lifting yeah, yeah, this is too
[03:04:22] But yes, if you want to see what you know what he looks like YouTube channel video version of this podcast and excerpts
[03:04:28] Which is important yeah also check out origins
[03:04:32] YouTube channel. Yeah, it's good to know what's happening for instance covid outbreak and main
[03:04:37] You know about that. I did not see so if you you would you would you would know about that
[03:04:42] COVID outbreak and man we had like 40 people
[03:04:44] Probably yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but which is a bummer
[03:04:49] We got people coming back in now, but black Friday. Do you know what that is after thanksgiving people? Oh shopping
[03:04:56] And we sold a bunch of stuff which is awesome and then everyone got sick with COVID or a bunch of people got sick with COVID
[03:05:02] So now we're trying to play catch up and Pete making moves trying to make it happen. Yeah, Amanda
[03:05:08] That's a big like learning channel too when you think about it because you can see like
[03:05:12] Like like of course how the inner workings of American businesses
[03:05:17] But like how that just like this just like and they they've done it many times before where it's like an issue will come up and you can see like
[03:05:23] How they'll solve the issue and it's unique to that specific thing so it's like okay, you can kind of it's like a demonstration
[03:05:30] Yeah
[03:05:33] Psychological warfare
[03:05:35] You got any
[03:05:36] moments of weakness you can overcome them press play on your phone hit play got an MP3 out there
[03:05:42] Yeah, how many tracks you remember? Oh, it's I think it's seven or nine I forget nine tracks
[03:05:47] I'm thinking yeah, so nine nine you ever take
[03:05:52] Moments or types of moments of weakness
[03:05:55] You got coverage for them
[03:05:58] Yeah, also the codemire has a
[03:06:01] Company called flip side canvas flip side canvas dot com go there cook get cool stuff to hang on your wall
[03:06:07] If you don't have a if you don't have a elk
[03:06:10] Head to hang on your wall yeah, I do that
[03:06:14] Then you can get one of these things as an ultimate ultimate thing to hang on your wall
[03:06:19] Books got some books um
[03:06:22] Final spin that just came out
[03:06:25] Getting freaking awesome reviews which is crazy. It's crazy to
[03:06:29] Think of something weird and then write it and then people give you cool reviews right free very cool
[03:06:34] It's not what you expect I have to say that
[03:06:37] That's a lot of people's it wasn't expecting this fact some people go I
[03:06:42] Wasn't expecting the story to go this way
[03:06:45] Again, we're not very pretty when less predictable possibly than you know some people might think
[03:06:52] Leadership strategy and tactics field manual
[03:06:56] The code they evaluate is the protocol discipline because freedom field manual
[03:06:59] Way to warrior kid one two three and four this is the book to get for all the kids that you know
[03:07:04] By the way, sometimes people like oh, I does it is it a put appropriate for girls yes
[03:07:10] Girls boys kids
[03:07:13] Get these freaking books for the kids. This is a Christmas season get there's no better gift you can get a kid than these books
[03:07:21] That's a that's a bold statement Carlos do you think that's a bold statement?
[03:07:26] No better no better gift. I would have to agree. I grew up with books love books
[03:07:30] I don't think there's don't read enough these days. I don't think there's a better gift you can give a kid than the way the warrior kid books
[03:07:40] And I got many many many kids and parents that will back that up that aren't me
[03:07:48] Mike in the dragons you can also get that for the little kids
[03:07:52] Warning
[03:07:53] Little warning when you read that to your kids
[03:07:56] You might start crying. It's happened before echo Charles
[03:07:58] No, that was where the warrior kid won oh really uncle Jake one in okay when I was making the video
[03:08:04] Yeah a little bit for making the dragon
[03:08:11] Way to work kid when uncle takes spoiler alert by the way one uncle Jake had to win home
[03:08:18] I was gonna say dude. I was laughing
[03:08:21] When I read that one story you were crying like really hard
[03:08:25] I'm crying that's the thing
[03:08:28] He edited it down. He put you at it's the park us. I'm like now we never yet
[03:08:32] He edited it down. I didn't realize it until later because he was
[03:08:36] Right and couldn't put a sentence to do that and then I'm
[03:08:40] I started laughing so hard. I'm like bro you can't break down like this
[03:08:45] He's talking about he started on a whole I five over he's breaking down
[03:08:48] It was a sad scene is what it was like or a happy soon
[03:08:51] So warning Mike in the dragons Mike catch you off guard if you're feeling emotionally vulnerable
[03:08:57] Then you might catch you a little bit so just you know stay strong stay focused don't let you so break down
[03:09:03] About face by hack worth extreme ownership and that I caught a few leadership
[03:09:08] That actually helped your marriage that attitude
[03:09:12] Take your ownership of that. I'll be back to read the book again put in a different way because the first time I read it
[03:09:17] I was like okay, I want to be a better leader in combat so that's kind of like the vision I had when I was reading it
[03:09:22] And then the second time I'm like
[03:09:23] I made I'm gonna read it for my life my personal life. Yeah, yeah, that's a good
[03:09:27] With lens it's such a useful switch where like because that's a big thing right where it's like oh
[03:09:33] Yeah, these big bad Navy seals. They're gonna tell me how to run my daycare center like bro no way
[03:09:38] In real life no way but it's like just like yes
[03:09:41] Yeah, exactly right where it's like the Navy see like all the combat stuff
[03:09:46] That's just the example essentially it's just an example of these principles like
[03:09:51] Being used in these like
[03:09:53] situations or whatever but and since they they are useful and everything
[03:09:57] If you look at it in the sense of word this is they're talking to me for my specific situation and using the
[03:10:03] The battlefield doesn't matter for for sure, but they're talking to me for me for my specific situation
[03:10:08] It's like oh shoot everything checks out. Yeah, and as you read things from different perspectives
[03:10:13] Like yeah, you can read it from a professional perspective like you did the first time Carlos
[03:10:18] Then you read it from a person perspective the next time but then guess what happens you get promoted
[03:10:23] Read it again. You see it from another perspective again
[03:10:26] Then you have a problem what you get moved to a new team and everything's a dynamic are different
[03:10:30] Read it again. It's a you will have a different perspective and you will pick up more things from those books
[03:10:36] Also
[03:10:37] We have a leadership consultancy. We were just talking about national on front. National on front dot com if you want to do any of the things that we talk about on this podcast
[03:10:44] If you want to learn to the information go to national on front dot com. So what we do we
[03:10:50] Do look we do the FTX that's one part of it. We also do
[03:10:54] Leadership training that's not experiential so you're gonna sit down learn with us
[03:10:58] But we'll still make it dynamic through role playing and other other methodologies that we have so
[03:11:04] If you want to check some of that out go to national on front dot com. You haven't found there Carlos. Oh, yeah
[03:11:11] It's awesome. I mean the people that you meet are just amazing as well because I mean people that call for extreme ownership are not
[03:11:17] lazy people
[03:11:19] People who just want to take it to the next level so I honestly have a meta client yet that I just
[03:11:23] Didn't really like and I bet it's awesome because you keep in touch with them like they hit you up every now and then and
[03:11:28] They come to your friends
[03:11:30] For sure I get text all the times I get text from that are like hey, we just did this it's awesome
[03:11:36] I'll also get text like hey can I talk to you and they'll have some situation going on and it's like all right
[03:11:40] What do you got? What do you got? Let's work through this hey we also have an online
[03:11:45] training academy and
[03:11:48] There's a bunch of reasons why we started that the biggest reason why we started is because
[03:11:53] like I was saying earlier about
[03:11:55] Juditsu and actually having a skill and getting good at this thing called leadership
[03:12:02] Well just like you jitsu you can't go to one class and be like, oh, okay cool. I'm good now
[03:12:06] I know it no it takes repetition it takes understanding the various angles
[03:12:11] It takes expanded knowledge it takes confronting different scenarios multiple times so you understand how to understand them
[03:12:19] You've heard to understand how to understand them
[03:12:22] Imagine that you're looking at a situation
[03:12:26] You don't know what to do you can actually understand how to understand that
[03:12:32] So this doesn't happen overnight. That's why that's why we made extreme ownership dot com and
[03:12:38] The online training academy
[03:12:41] We're on there all the time there's courses that you can take you can go live sessions
[03:12:46] I'm on there two or three times a week answering questions face to face like on a zoom call
[03:12:51] It's a zoom call
[03:12:53] You want to ask me a question come on there extreme ownership dot com if you want to check that out
[03:12:58] If you want to help service members
[03:13:01] Active and retired you want to help their families you want to help go to star families check out mark leaves mom mama Lee
[03:13:07] She's got a charity organization does a ton of incredible stuff for our veterans
[03:13:14] If you want to donate or you want to get involved go to America's mighty warriors dot org
[03:13:19] Actually, just for Jill Rogan talking about hyperbaric chambers
[03:13:24] So that's one of the big things that mama Lee does is she takes service members and gets them hyperbaric chamber treatments for like
[03:13:32] 30 straight days so good for you so helpful so check that out if you want
[03:13:39] And if you want more of my just continue
[03:13:43] Droning talking
[03:13:45] or you need more of echoes
[03:13:51] I'm just unknown randomness
[03:13:56] Yeah, you can find something to watch on Twitter on Instagram on Facebook on Echo Charles and I am at Jockawlin like Echo's Echo Charles
[03:14:05] Carlos
[03:14:06] Was was is now on the gram
[03:14:10] Carlos underscore
[03:14:12] Mendez underscore 246
[03:14:14] Correct, that was your entry into the social media world, right?
[03:14:18] Yeah, I didn't have one in the teams and when I came on to ask you long front JP told me open one up
[03:14:25] And you know that there I could watch so many jitz who think yes
[03:14:30] Yeah, it's what he how they know what you like it's like how my heart is getting this yeah the whole algorithm thing
[03:14:36] Like the algorithm thing I wrote the other fight the algorithm but the problem is when the jitz who video start rolling it's hard to fight that
[03:14:43] I was like when we watch that again, bro kind of embrace the algorithm in a way in a way
[03:14:51] And LinkedIn you're on LinkedIn yeah, I am on LinkedIn. Yeah, is that do you
[03:14:56] You like participate in LinkedIn because you mentioned it a few times today
[03:15:00] So I had it when I when I was
[03:15:02] Getting ready to transition out of the TV because that's how I started reaching out to people so yeah, I have one of those two
[03:15:07] I have LinkedIn too. Yeah, me too. So we're on there echo you got any final questions
[03:15:12] That's it. Oh actually
[03:15:14] So do you think and I think this may seem like an obvious answer, but more so
[03:15:20] Okay, so when you were growing up, you know, I had it so many chores like it was like hard right like so you got used to hard work really
[03:15:27] Quickly and thoroughly essentially
[03:15:30] Could you feel that like as you know you go through like you know hard things and combat buds like all these hard things or whatever
[03:15:36] And because you said you said something kind of interesting where you're like okay on the third time after you got rolled
[03:15:41] or whatever third time you passed with no no issues you said a lot of people like buds is like real hard for them
[03:15:47] Did you feel that your work ethic that was established
[03:15:52] Like was the factor that made it like a non-issue like could you feel that at the time?
[03:15:58] Yeah, absolutely
[03:16:00] You know it was crazy. I thought about my my stepdad a lot during whole week
[03:16:04] Because I thought about how hard he worked. I mean, I mean man worked non-stop seven days a week two jobs
[03:16:09] And I was going through hell we got thought about him. I was like you know what he can do that. I could do this right
[03:16:14] Yes, I want to provide for myself and my family like
[03:16:18] Yeah, yeah, that's what was thinking when you're saying that also it kind of makes you reflect like
[03:16:24] You reflect on like something like your childhood then I think man. I should give my kids more chores
[03:16:29] You know what's so weird about buds is you just never know who's gonna make it through you really don't
[03:16:34] And there's some silver spoon people that go through there and crush it and there's some silver spoon people that wash out day two
[03:16:41] And there's some freaking kids that grew up wherever in a shitty situation working their ass off and they quit
[03:16:47] Yeah, and there's some kids like that that are awesome. It's so bizarre
[03:16:52] It's very bizarre it's very hard to predict there is some
[03:16:56] Like some oh
[03:16:58] If the guy like they say if I'm someone wrestle that's a really good thing because you have to work really hard
[03:17:03] And wrestling that's a that's like an indicator, but it's by no means oh he wrestled
[03:17:07] He's gonna make it not at all not at all not even close. Yes, one of the many factors might be a little nudge in the direction of
[03:17:17] But it's no guarantee
[03:17:19] That's it. No, I'm good to good to see you again. Yeah, like well. Thank you for having me
[03:17:23] Any closing thoughts Carlos?
[03:17:25] No, not really just a super grateful to be here grateful to be part of the EFT team. It's awesome being around team guys again
[03:17:35] Oh, it's a good man. Yeah awesome all right. Well, hey, man. Thanks for
[03:17:41] Thanks for coming out today
[03:17:43] Obviously, thanks for your service and the teams
[03:17:46] And thanks for what you're doing right now to continue to share the lessons that we learned
[03:17:49] To help people which is what we're doing just doing our best to help people
[03:17:53] I think that you have a great way of
[03:17:56] Imparting the messages
[03:17:58] Obviously it's great that you can open up us to open up the
[03:18:02] Tactics and the strategies and the principles to a whole new audience because you're a fluent Spanish speaker
[03:18:06] Which is awesome. It's been awesome to I love watching those videos. Yeah, I'm like because I I can
[03:18:11] Understand a little bit of Spanish, you know and because I took three semesters of it when I was at university of San Diego
[03:18:18] And so I can understand it. I kind of get the vibe, you know, but man
[03:18:22] It's freaking cool to watch so
[03:18:25] Yeah, man, it's great. I appreciate it and
[03:18:28] Thanks for holding down
[03:18:30] The tradition of the teams and thanks all the other frogmen out there still in the teams still keep in the machine rolling on
[03:18:37] and upholding the standard set by our forefathers
[03:18:41] And thanks all the military person out there in every service for protecting freedom around the world and
[03:18:47] To our police law enforcement firefighters paramedics EMT's dispatchers correction officers board patrol secret service all of their first responders
[03:18:57] Including your wife Carlos
[03:18:59] Thanks for protecting us here at home and
[03:19:03] Everybody else out there
[03:19:05] The machine will roll-bond
[03:19:08] The world's gonna carry on without us that's the reality it would be arrogant to think otherwise
[03:19:14] But at the same time
[03:19:19] We can make a difference
[03:19:22] You can help someone you can teach someone you can inspire someone you can make your part of the world a little bit better
[03:19:31] And you do that by going out there every day and
[03:19:35] Getting after it
[03:19:37] And until next time this is Carlos and echo and juggle out