Combat Story

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we hear the Combat Story of Jeff Adamec, a longtime Green Beret with six combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as an 18B and a K9 handler.

Jeff earned the Silver Star during the Battle of Debeka Pass in Iraq in 2003 during his first deployment. In his final deployment, Jeff was knocked unconscious by an RPG during a gunfight in Afghanistan while based out of FOB Cobra. He broke his back in four places and was medically retired for those injuries and the TBI sustained as a result.

He went on to find success in the corporate sector in network engineering and logistics and hosts the Changing Hearts and Minds podcast that focuses on military history of all eras prior to 1995. Jeff's understanding of military history and weaponry absolutely shines through in this episode and will, I hope, attract some more listeners to his podcast.

I hope you enjoy this fast paced and wide ranging interview with Jeff as much as I did.

Find Jeff Online:

• - Instagram @chm_podcast https://www.instagram.com/chm_podcast/ and @Jadamec77 https://www.instagram.com/Jadamec77/
• - Twitter @CHMPodcast https://www.facebook.com/CHMPodcast/
• - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CHMPodcast/
• - Changing Hearts & Minds Podcast https://chmpodcast.libsyn.com/website

Find Ryan Online:

• - Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combats...
• - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• - Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:45 - Guest Introduction (Jeff Adamec)
• 01:46 - Interview Begins
• 06:10 - Aliens Movie in 1986 as inspiration to join
• 08:42 - Influential Media
• 11:29 - Road to enlistment
• 16:29 - Path to Green Beret
• 20:28 - Missing 9/11
• 23:38 - Where did you find your confidence?
• 26:35 - Time in 3rd Group
• 30:41 - Deployment in Iraq
• 37:54 - Combat Story - Events leading up to Battle of Debecka
• 50:49 - The Javelin story
• 01:09:41 - Returning from War
• 01:10:42 - The Aftermath
• 01:16:56 - Other deployments
• 01:19:12 - Dogs
• 01:21:31 - Combat Story - Bait the Ambush
• 01:33:37 - The injury
• 01:44:20 - Life with Traumatic Brain Injury
• 01:50:36 - Podcast origin and inspiration
• 01:54:22 - What did you carry into combat?
• 01:55:54 - Listener comments and shout outs

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we hear the Combat Story of a long time aviator and CH-47 and MH-47 pilot who spent years with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), Alan Mack. Alan served over 35 years in the Army and retired with 6700 flight hours, including 3200 hours in NVGs. Alan survived an aircraft shootdown and multiple near death experiences in his time in uniform.

He was a part of iconic operations including Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operations Anaconda and Redwings, and many others he can't discuss because they remain classified. He has two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Bronze Stars, a Legion of Merit, and 10 Air Medals, including one with Valor.

His nickname was The 'Stache which is almost a requirement for an aviator but sadly that mustache is now gone but I have confirmed with my old flight school roommate who served with Alan that the nickname was indeed, The Stache!

Alan's book "Razor 03: A Night Stalker's Wars" chronicles so much more of his experiences in the elite special operations community for those who are left wanting more, to include some of the more personal and challenging family dynamics he experienced with years in combat.

I hope you enjoy this perspective from the inside the cockpit where we dive deep into some of the aviation psychology, personalities, and Chinook configurations, as much as I did.

Find Alan Online:

• - Twitter @AlanCMack2015 https://twitter.com/alancmack2015
• - Website https://alancmack.com/
• - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AlanCMackAuthor

Find Ryan Online:

• - Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combats...
• - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• - Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:55 - Guest Introduction (Alan Mack)
• 2:22 - Interview Begins
• 3:02 - Razor 03 A Night Stalkers War
• 4:10 - Bumper Hitching
• 7:26 - Enlistment
• 11:35 - Path to Chinooks
• 14:37 - WOJG
• 16:58 - Chinook Pilot Personality
• 20:51 - Loading the Chinook
• 24:54 - The Composition of the Chinook
• 33:40 - Right Ramp Left Ramp
• 38:51 - The Crew Chiefs
• 43:48- Sending Apache Guys
• 45:26 - First time flying in combat
• 55:00 - We own the night
• 01:02:59 - Eras of war
• 01:09:40 - Alan's Teaching Days
• 01:23:01 - The Anaconda
• 01:59:48 - The Aftermath
• 02:04:35 - What did you carry into combat?
• 02:07:01 - Would you do it all again?
• 02:11:29 - Razor 03 A Night Stalkers War
• 02:13:36 - Listeners comments and shout outs

EXCLUSIVE - This episode is brought to you by Uncommon Goods. Go to https://www.uncommongoods.com/combat for 15% off your order and find some killer holiday gifts (and you'll be helping keep Combat Story going!)

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we hear the Combat Story of Dean Stott, a former operator with the UK Special Boat Service (SBS) who saw combat with both SBS and the Commandos. Dean would eventually injury his leg in a HAHO (high altitude high opening) accident getting ready for another deployment that would end his military career but would not end his thrill seeking sense of adventure. In fact, only two days after leaving the military, Dean was providing security for people in remote and dangerous parts of the world, eventually standing up his own security company. Dean, like many former operators, tried a more predictable existence in an office but quickly found himself searching for the adrenaline highs he'd left behind. As a result, he found his way to biking and set two world records. Dean's book "Relentless" will be available on November 28th in the US that details some of the topics we discuss in this interview and more, including his close friendship to Prince Harry, who listeners will know I appreciate given his background flying Apaches. Dean's got more adventures ahead including another record breaking task in Africa. I hope you enjoy this discussion of what can only be called a full life lived to the edge as much as I did (and if you're like me, you'll also be a little jealous!). Find Dean Online:

• - Dean's Website https://www.deanstott.com/
• - Dean's Linktree https://linktr.ee/Deanstott
• - Instagram @deanstott https://www.instagram.com/deanstott/

Find Ryan Online:

• - Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
• - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• - Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:40 - Guest Introduction (Dean Stott)
• 1:53 - Interview Begins
• 2:11 - Bike ride on the world's longest road, The Pan-American Highway
• 8:14 - Connection to Prince Harry
• 13:00 - Growing up with a military family and competitive drive
• 16:34 - Events that led to joining
• 21:03 - Path from Commandos to UK Special Boat Service (SBS)
• 24:58 - SAS and SBS selection and the differences and similarities between them
• 29:35 - First time outside the wire in Kosovo and a funny story about why he always asks about wildlife
• 34:42 - First contact post 9/11 in SBSand a HAHO jump
• 36:55 - HALO vs HAHO - the training, the dangers, and the mindset for operational jumps
• 44:45 - Would you have done anything different in your career?
• 46:23 - The injury that ended his military career
• 40:41 - Identity crisis after leaving the military and finding a role in crisis management and private security
• 58:41- Purchasing weapons on the black market and finding a niche in the private sector
• 1:05:57 - Are there any jobs you've had to turn down?
• 1:07:55 - Becoming the first man in history to cycle 14,000 miles in under a hundred days and still making it to Harry and Meghan's wedding
• 1:14:22 - The inspiration, process, and content of the book "Relentless"
• 1:18:59 - What did you carry into combat?
• 1:20:08 - Would you do it all again?
• 1:22:02 - Philanthropy work
• 1:24:07 - Listener comments and shout outs

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This episode is also brought to you by Uncommon Goods. Go to https://www.uncommongoods.com/combat for 15% off your order (and you'll be helping keep Combat Story going!)

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we hear a rare Combat Story from the highest echelons of the military from the eyes of retired General George Casey, who was the Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq, from 2004 to 2007, and Chief of Staff of the Army from 2007 to 2011.

General Casey's decisions resulted in many of the combat stories we've heard on this show as Delta operators, snipers, soldiers, and Marines carried out tactical operations that he and his staff decided at the strategic levels.

I have a very short but personally important moment in which my life intersected with the General's: he commissioned me into the Army. I was a student and ROTC cadet at Georgetown University where I played football and was on campus during the aftermath of 9/11. Similarly, General Casey was a student at Georgetown, also played football, and was on campus during the Vietnam War when it was not popular to wear the uniform.

Mine was the first full class to commission into the post-9/11 era and I found it fitting that General Casey was the man who made that possible. He's got some amazing stories, including being asked to attend the second-ever selection course for Delta Force to create the conditions for the first-ever elections in post-Saddam Iraq decades later.

This was a special interview for me personally and I hope you enjoy the experience, highs, lows, and mindset of one of the very few to ever have the opportunity to wear four stars.

Show Notes

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:57 - Guest Introduction (General George Casey)
• 2:29 - Interview Begins
• 3:27 - Time at Georgetown
• 6:34 - Where we you on 9/11?
• 7:49 - Family history in the military and the impact of losing his father in Vietnam
• 13:24 - The political climate in 1968 and the challenges the Army was facing internally
• 20:55 - Father as a role model and expecting to go to Vietnam and why he went to Germany instead
• 25:48 - Investing in the soldiers
• 27:56 - life of the party personality
• 29:20 - Story of getting a call for "a mission of the highest national importance"
• 36:43 - The importance and overlooked part of the roles of military spouses
• 42:56 - Formative years in Bosnia and Kosovo and first deployment in a combat environment
• 4:57 - What the weight and pressure of General Officers is really like
• 50:00 - Story of an uprising in Bosnia and major lessons learned
• 56:02 - Story of how he came to a senior role at 1st Cavalry Division where his father served
• 1:01:04 - Where the "make the best of it" personality trait came from and what it was like at 1st Cav
• 1:07:43 - Seeing the end of a war and a story about a bizarre dealing with Russia
• 1:12:48 - Story of going to Iraq and taking the most important role of his career
• 1:20:39 - The basis for his decision making process
• 1:25:32 - Thinking differently about veterans after 50 years of a volunteer force
• 1:29:35 - What did you carry into combat?
• 1:30:46 - Would you do it all again?

Book Supporting Veterans After 50 Years of the All-Volunteer Force and 20 Years of War: Ideas Moving Forward

https://www.amazon.com/Supporting-Veterans-After-Years-All-Volunteer/dp/B0B4WRPRKS/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1665942969&refinements=p_27%3AGeorge+W.+Casey&s=books&sr=1-1

Support the USO, where General (ret) Casey is Chairman of the Board https://secure.uso.org/OM_BRD/?sc=WF18SRCH07&gclid=Cj0KCQjw166aBhDEARIsAMEyZh79aLOZpIzkttNII41Q54cFGx88TxQHoXEIq5I1XOTn3VMK6ilNsCkaAmmREALw_wcB

This video covers the following subjects:

- Four Star General George Casey

- Army Chief of Staff

- Commanding General

- Multi-National Force-Iraq

General George W. Casey, Jr., enjoyed a 41-year career in the US Army following his graduation from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in 1970. As the Army Chief of Staff, he led one of the nation's largest and most complex organizations during one of the most extraordinary periods in our history. He is widely credited with restoring balance to a war-weary Army and leading the transformation to keep it relevant in the 21st Century. Prior to this, from July 2004 to February 2007, he commanded the Multi-National Force – Iraq, a coalition of more than 30 countries where he guided the Iraq mission through its toughest days.

If you would like to learn more about Four Star General George Casey, look here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ

_________________________

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Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we hear the Combat Story of a long-time Night Stalker from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), Steve Lapping. Steve participated in multiple high-profile operations that many of us have heard of like the Jessica Lynch rescue and the Saddam Hussein capture, and many operations we have not like Objectives REINDEER and LEADVILLE.

This was a special interview for me as you can imagine given Steve's storied background as an elite pilot, spending over two decades in 160th. We also touch on some of the heartbreak that comes with years in the cockpit with accidents, shootdowns, and crashes, including the feeling in SOAR following Operation GOTHIC SERPENT (aka Blackhawk Down).

Steve is one of the most humble individuals you're going to encounter. In fact, I had to dig to figure out that Steve was a CW5, which is a very difficult rank to reach and to learn about his awards and decorations in combat.

I hope you enjoy this Combat Story from inside one of the most lethal cockpits from such a humble warrior as much as I did.

Find Ryan Online:

• - Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
• - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• - Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:45 - Guest Introduction (Steve Lapping)
• 2:02 - Interview Begins
• 5:10 - First time flying with the W5 as a Junior Warrant
• 6:53 - Story of jumping into cold water at a young age
• 11:32 - Fascination with military at an early age and an interest in aviation
• 17:30 - Starting as a Warrant Officer
• and no regrets
• 19:27 - First aircraft after training
• 25:35 - Path to 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) and the assessment process
• 35:10 - Becoming a PIC (Pilot in command) in 6-7 months.
• 39:24 - Getting accepted into the 160th and events at the time
• 42:07 - Green Platoon assessment and selection course to become Night Stalker
• 46:16 - Flying MH vs AH personalities
• and mission profiles
• 49:44 - Mindset first time in combat after a 15-17 year career already
• 55:48 - Morale after Black Hawk Down
• 58:05 - Earning first combat patch in Afghanistan and invading Iraq with tough calls and tough weather
• 1:11:26 - Combat Story - Objective REINDEER and DFC event
• 1:21:19 - Combat Story - Objective LEADVILLE
• 1:48:02 - Combat Story - Challenging Day Missions and engaging the wrong vehicle
• 1:52:36 - Reflecting on anniversaries and working with veterans
• 1:54:49 - What did you carry into combat?
• 1:56:06 - Would you do it all again?
• 1:58:20 - Listener comments and shout outs

This video covers the following subjects:

- 160th SOAR Night Stalker

- AH-6 & MH-6 Pilot

- DFC

-160th SOAR

- Silver Star

- CW5 Steve Lapping

The President of the United States of America, authorized by an Act of Congress on July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Chief Warrant Officer Five Steven A. Lapping, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in connection with military operations against an armed hostile force while serving as Pilot of an AH-6 Helicopter with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), while operating against an entrenched enemy force during a daylight raid in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

If you would like to learn more about 160th SOAR Night Stalker, Steve Lapping I suggest you look into our various other video clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ

_________________________

Have I responded to all of your questions about 160th SOAR Night Stalker, Steve Lapping?

Possibly you wish to comment below and let me understand what I can help you with or information on 160th SOAR Night Stalker, Steve Lapping.

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This episode is also brought to you by Uncommon Goods. Go to https://www.uncommongoods.com/combat for 15% off your order (and you'll be helping keep Combat Story going!)

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

This episode has two segments: an in-person interview with none other than John Skrek McPhee, former Sergeant Major in Delta Force or the Unit and our most watched and listened to guest to date; and a second segment where I reflect on some of the moments and interviews that stand out from the past 100. 

For the first portion, Shrek welcomed us to his annual in-person SOB Tactical members event in North Carolina where he taught me how to properly breach a door with a shotgun, where another former guest and fellow Special Operator Dutch Moyer taught my 15-year-old son to hit a 25-meter target with a handgun on his first ever shot, and where we celebrated with a grog that brought back some of the more lighthearted memories of formal military events I’d almost forgotten. 

For this interview, I asked Shrek some questions that our own Combat Story community wanted to know and a few that I’d been wondering about myself. We all know how tough Shrek is so the fact that Shrek and I both got choked up in this session is saying a lot.

For the second segment, I reflect back on some of the episodes from our first 100 that stand out to me for a variety of reasons and those that I’ll often think back on from time to time because they taught me something and help me process what’s going on in my life today by giving me perspective. Just thinking back on one of these interviews brought me to tears because it still makes me remember how grateful I need to be today.

We could never have made something like Combat Story without your support over the past two years and 100 episodes. Thank you to those who have been here since the beginning and to those who have only recently joined us. We’ve got so much more to come and it’s only possible because of you.

With that, please enjoy this special edition of Combat Story for our 100th episode. 

Find John Online:

• - Instagram @sobtactical https://www.instagram.com/sobtactical/
• - SOB Tactical https://sobtactical.com/
• - SOB TV https://watch.sobtactical.com/

Find Ryan Online:

• - Ryan’s Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
• - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• - Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes: 

• 0:00 - Intro 
• 2:14 - Interview with John Skrek McPhee begins 
• 2:31 - From the original vision of SOB Tactical to the 5th annual SOB Tactical member's event 
• 5:49 - Planning cycles for ops and how it is applied outside of the service 
• 10:50 - Ops in Norway and freezing conditions 
• 14:31 - Fan question - Did you really have a 300 PT test ?
• 15:50 - The bonds and common ties that exist working with foreign forces 
• 23:26 - Do you wish you were over there fighting the Russians right now?
• 28:29 - Learning to be more humane downrange
• 30:55 - Have you had to do family notification before? 
• 33:33 - The value of "running your own race" in life  
• 36:17 - Fan question - As a first time handgun buyer, what would you recommend?  
• 38:26 - Fan question - What's Shrek's favorite book, poem, show, album" 
• 41:51 - Things that trigger memories of being downrange
• 48:38 - Philosophy of failures and taking risks 
• 51:16 - Preparing sons for the service and how it changed their relationship 
• 53:53 - When was the last time you took the uniform off?  
• 55:47 - The future of SOB Tactical  
• 57:08 - Ryan's reflections on 100 episodes 
• 1:23:48 -  Listener comments and shout outs 
• 1:27:33 - Bonus - Outtake from John Skrek McPhee interview 

This video covers the following subjects:

- Celebrating our 100th Combat Story

- Sergeant Major in Delta Force

- Special Operator Dutch Moyer

- Combat Story 

 

If you would like to learn more about Sergeant Major in Delta Force, John Skrek McPhee, and Special Operator Dutch Moyer I suggest you look into our various other video clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ

_________________________

Have I responded to all of your questions about Sergeant Major in Delta Force, John Skrek McPhee, and Special Operator Dutch Moyer?

Possibly you wish to comment below and let me understand what I can help you with or information on Sergeant Major in Delta Force, John Skrek McPhee, and Special Operator Dutch Moyer.

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Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we hear our first ever Combat Story from a Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia. David was a squad leader in Task Force 2-2 with the storied 1st Infantry Division during the brutal second battle of Fallujah. At one point, his fellow soldiers were pinned down and David cleared a building in a way that, in his words, 9 times out of 10, would have ended up very differently and with him losing his life and included hand to hand combat with an insurgent..

David shares so much insight into how the military transformed him and gave him some of the most real love he'd ever experienced with his brothers in arms. His second book, Remember the Ramrods: An Army Brotherhood in War and Peace just came out and speaks directly to the bonds that can truly only be forged in combat.

I highly recommend you listen all the way through to hear not just the event for which David would eventually receive the Medal of Honor, but also his response to the question if he would do it all again. It was something I never could have imagined.

With that, I hope you enjoy this very, very rare glimpse into someone who truly risked everything for a handful of others.

#veteran #medalofhonor #army #combat

Find David Online:

• - Book Remember the Ramrods https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09CQ33GFM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0
• - Book House to House https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W5MI12/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i1
• - Only the Dead See the End of War documentary featuring David's Medal of Honor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iubIoXda8Lw
• - Medal of Honor Citation https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/bellavia/
• - David's Website http://www.davidbellavia.com/

Find Ryan Online:

• - Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
• - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• - Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:46 - Guest Introduction (David Bellavia)
• 1:57 - Interview begins
• 2:29 - Writing experience and mentors
• 6:36 - Family background and feeling the need to avenge loss after Black Hawk Down
• 13:45 - A home invasion that left an impression
• 19:03 - Best night's sleep first night at Fort Benning
• 22:42 - Why infantry
• 25:11 - Kosovo and 9/11
• 28:53 - The training accident that made things real
• 30:57 - Iraq deployment and a humbling first combat experience
• 37:42 - What happens when you start taking casualties
• 40:58 - Combat Story - Battle of Fallujah
• 52:24 - Combat Story - Medal of Honor Event
• 1:21:43 - Being a leader not a soldier
• 1:28:39 Generational differences and sharing experiences with his grandfather
• 1:31:09 - Remember the Ramrods: An Army Brotherhood in War and Peace
• 1:33:35 - What did you carry into combat?
• 1:35:47 - Would you do it all again?
• 1:42:34 - What do you want to be known for in the end?
• 1:44:10 - Listener comments and shout outs

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more! Today we hear the Combat Story of Danny Hernandez, a Vietnam Veteran who served as a Marine rifleman in Operation Utah in March 1966. Danny would later be awarded the Silver Star and there is currently a push to have that upgraded to a Medal of Honor. Danny came from the rough streets of East LA and after Vietnam would return to be a committed community activist and mentor for many of the kids who were not as fortunate as he was. The Silver Star was certainly earned as Danny was shot twice while providing medical aid to a stranded and wounded Marine on the battlefield; refusing to be evacuated, and killing several enemy soldiers as they flanked the casualty collection point that Danny had just been sitting in. Danny's work on mentoring and building the community in his hometown is inspiring and you can't help but laugh as you hear some of the stories of the Marine Corps back in the Vietnam era. His story is documented in his book, titled "Silver Star: An American Story" in much greater detail for those who are left wanting more. Find Danny Online: -Book: Silver Star: An American Story https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Star-American-Danny-Hernandez-ebook/dp/B07CJYYLLS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Find Ryan Online:

• - Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
• - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Email [email protected]
• - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus

Show Notes:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:58 - Guest Introduction (Danny Hernandez)
• 2:12 - Interview begins
• 2:58 - Growing up on the streets and early interest in joining the Marines
• 12:04 - What Marine Corps boot camp was like in 1965
• 25:46 - Combat Story - Vietnam War - Movement into country and the amphibious landing
• 30:05 - First time in battle the first night they were there
• 33:35 - The brutal environment of Vietnam
• 35:48 - First 45 days of battles and the brotherhood fighting for each other
• 38:48 - How the streets made him sharper in battle
• 40:44 - Combat Story - Operation Utah - the 2nd largest battle in Vietnam history by Marines
• 1:02:00 - Wounded and tagged to get out but went back into battle anyway
• 1:09:31 - Getting shot again, flown out for medical care, and adjusting to not being in combat
• 1:23:20 - Receiving a Silver Star 43 years later
• 1:30:33 - How influential was Vietnam in your work later in the community?
• 1:32:28 - About Danny's books "Silver Star: An American Story" and the new one "Chaos to Community"
• 1:33:09 - Listener comments and shout outs

This video covers the following subjects:

• - Marine Corps Silver Star Recipient
• - Operation Utah
• - Vietnam Veteran
• - Danny Hernandez

By the time Danny graduates high school in 1965, he must choose between the two futures represented by his two uncles: Street Warrior or Military Man. Danny chooses the Marine Corps. Danny graduates from boot camp the same year President Lyndon B. Johnson commits ground troops to Vietnam. While his cousins back home express interest in the civil rights movement, Danny loses good friends in jungle raids and skirmishes with the Viet Cong. This is a gripping, true-life story, told in Danny's own words. From his training at Camp Pendleton to his heroic actions saving the lives of his fellow marines during Operation Utah, through his honorable discharge during one of the most tumultuous years of the Civil Rights Movement, Danny's endearing, honest, and sometimes heart-wrenching story honors the lives of those who risked everything for their country and their fellow marines. If you would like to learn more about Marine Corps Silver Star Recipient, Danny Hernandez I suggest you look into our various other video clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ _________________________ Have I responded to all of your questions about Marine Corps Silver Star Recipient, Danny Hernandez? Possibly you wish to comment below and let me understand what I can help you with or information on Marine Corps Silver Star Recipient, Danny Hernandez.

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more! This is the true and frightening Combat Story of Aiden Aslin, a British citizen fighting for the Ukrainian military who was taken as a POW in February 2022 and then beaten and stabbed by his Russian captors for over five months. Listeners will recall our first interview with Aiden from Feb 5th, 2022 (https://youtu.be/IbHSQ1xzpRc), just weeks before the Russian invasion where he predicted what would come after two deployments to the frontlines in Ukraine and significant fighting in Syria. Aiden was fighting on the front lines in the Donbas region of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, when Russia, completely unprovoked, invaded Ukraine. His unit fell back to the steel factory Mariupol where it was surrounded by Russian and Donetsk People's Republic (or DPR, which is Russia's foot soldiers and lackeys in Donetsk). Out of food and ammunition, Aiden's unit would eventually surrender to the Russian military which promptly handed Aiden over to the DPR for regular beatings and violations of the Geneva Convention which surprised nobody. In our interview, Aiden recounts the harrowing experience of being on the frontlines when Russia invaded and how he survived captivity, without any of the advanced training that people like myself received regularly while in service to survive and escape these situations to return with dignity. I'm sure you will be amazed at Aiden's spirit and strength that pulled him through this difficult time and it will be a stark reminder for each of us that our day-to-day problems are not as hard as we might think when compared with what he endured. As you can imagine, I was elated to hear of Aiden's release in September and was nearly brought to tears after seeing his face again as we started this interview. Please enjoy this rare glimpse of hope and optimism from someone who survived a history-altering invasion and months in captivity as a modern-day POW as much as I did. Definitions: You'll hear a reference to "GRADS" which is a mobile artillery vehicle used by the Russians that fire 122mm rounds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BM-21_Grad). You'll hear DPR, which is the Donetsk People's Republic. Find Aiden Online: - Conflict Dispatch https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2y-SiuIRHPpnUpcWgZRLgw - Instagram @CossackGundi https://www.instagram.com/cossackgundi/?hl=en Find Ryan Online:

• - Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• - Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
• - Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• - Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• - Email [email protected]
• - Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• - Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:05 - Guest Introduction (Aiden Aslin)
• 2:59 - Interview begins
• 8:19 - Fighting on the front lines February 24, 2022 when Russia invades Ukraine
• 37:47 - Knowing they were encircled
• 50:33 - Being on the receiving end of an air strike
• 56:52 - Choosing to surrender and live
• 1:01:20 - Steps taken while preparing for surrender
• 1:09:09 - Being processed by Russion military after surrender
• 1:22:33 - Interrogations and beatings and getting stabbed
• 1:30:28 - Keeping spirits up in the cell
• and making propaganda videos
• 1:38:30 - False charges and getting sentanced to death
• 1:41:50 - What kept you going?
• 1:48:14 - Returning with dignity
• and being POW in the era of technology
• 1:56:04 - What did you want to do when you had your freedom?
• 2:02:43 - Are you going do anything differently now?
• 2:06:52 - Listener comments and shout outs

This video covers the following subjects:

• - Prisoner of War
• - Ukraine Marines
• - Tortured in Captivity by Russia
• - Ukraine Military
• - Ukraine War
• - POW
• - Modern POW

Aiden Aslin is a British-born dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Ukraine who was captured by Russian forces in April 2022 while fighting as a Ukrainian Marine in Mariupol. He was sentenced to death on 9 June by authorities of the Russian-backed breakaway unrecognized puppet state. Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) for "mercenary activities and committing actions aimed at seizing power and overthrowing the constitutional order of the DPR. He was released from Russian captivity in a prisoner exchange in September 2022. If you would like to learn more about Prisoner of War, Aiden Aslin I suggest you look into our various other video clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ _________________________ Have I responded to all of your questions about Prisoner of War, Aiden Aslin? Possibly you wish to comment below and let me understand what I can help you with or information on Prisoner of War, Aiden Aslin.

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more! Today we hear the second round of our Combat Story with Jason Lilley, a former Marine, MARSOC operator, Global Response Staff (GRS) with the CIA, and co-host of Savage Actual with co-host Patrick Moltrup having been a guest on our show on Episode 26 (https://youtu.be/YmOkCKtpvGk). You can find Savage Actual at https://www.youtube.com/c/savageactual. We left off our first interview (which you can find at https://youtu.be/jYzw5zGR5SE) hearing about Jason's first deployments with Marine Recon in OIF I going into Iraq, in which his unit was featured in the HBO show Generation Kill, and a subsequent deployment when Jason earned a Silver Star. At that point, Jason got out of the service, seemingly to find another path, got a lip ring as he said, and started surfing. He still had years of service ahead of him, and that's exactly what we touch on in this episode. We get into some interesting aspects of combat this time around but we also dive pretty deep into the psychological aspects of war and the insight that time and age bring. Listeners really connected with Jason the first time around, noting how genuine and down to earth he is, with one person saying that he comes across as both deadly and chill at the same time, which is absolutely the case. There were so many calls for us to do round two from our listeners and it was worth waiting for. As you all know, you can catch Jason on Savage Actual with his co-host Patrick Moltrup, both of whom I consider great people, Americans, and friends. With that, please enjoy this insightful, selfless, and yet somehow equally hilarious discussion with Jason Lilley. Find Jason Online:

• YouTube Savage Actual https://www.youtube.com/c/savageactual
• Website Savage Actual www.savageactual.com
• Facebook Savage Actual https://www.facebook.com/SavageActual
• Twitter Savage Actual @SavageActual3 https://twitter.com/SavageActual3
• Instagram @jason_lizzle @savage.actual https://www.instagram.com/savage.actual/
• TikTok Savage Actual https://www.tiktok.com/@savageactual

Find Ryan Online:

• Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
• Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
• Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
• Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
• Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
• Email [email protected]
• Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
• Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:56 - Guest Introduction (Jason Lilley)
• 2:18 - Interview begins
• 2:38 - Experiencing Hurricane Ian
• 11:02 - Anniversaries of significant events
• 16:46 - Religion, buddhism, and dealing with anger
• 21:56 - Getting out of the Marine Corps after Silver Star event.
• 28:44 - Still feeling his calling was to serve.
• 31:26 - Adrenaline fueled desire for extremes
• 37:24 - The early days of MARSOC
• 41:16 - Scout Sniper school and shooting so much he had cuts on his fingers
• 47:07 - How fighting Taliban was different
• 51:!0 - Recon in Iraq compared to MARSOC ops
• 54:04 - Story of hinting down Taliban at night
• 1:02:43 - Feeling guilty for not going on a deployment
• 1:06:07 - MARSOC Advanced Sniper Course
• 1:12:28 - Time with Global Response Staff (GRS) with the CIA
• 1:22:33 - Story of being in Iraq with GRS
• 1:30:41 - ISIS and Ziti Hil incident
• 1:36:21 - GRS culture and the darker effects of experiences
• 1:44:01 - What's new at Savage Actual?
• 1:51:13 - Listener comments and shout outs

This video covers the following subjects: Marine Special Operator (MARSOC)

• CIA Global Response Staff (GRS)
• Silver Star Recipient
• Savage Actual

Jason Lilley's platoon was one of the most-decorated platoons for heroism in a single action in the War on Terrorism. On this date, his Platoon Leader Captain Brent Morel earned the Navy Cross (posthumously) and Team Leader Sergeant Willie Copeland also received the Navy Cross. Jason Lilley and four of his comrades were awarded Silver Stars for this combat operation. It is a record unmatched by any Marine Corps Company, much less by any platoon, in the Global War on Terrorism. If you would like to learn more about Marine Special Operator, Jason Lilley I suggest you look into our various other video clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ _________________________ Have I responded to all of your questions about Marine Special Operator, Jason Lilley? Possibly you wish to comment below and let me understand what I can help you with or information on Marine Special Operator, Jason Lilley.