Hazard Ground

At eighteen, Ian Fritz joined the Air Force out of necessity and was soon selected to become an Airborne Cryptologic Linguist in the war in Afghanistan. Over the course of two tours, Fritz listened to the Taliban for hundreds of hours, all over the country night and day, in moments of peace and in the middle of battle. WHAT THE TALIBAN TOLD ME (Simon & Schuster; November 7, 2023) is the powerful memoir of his harrowing experiences coming of age in a war that is lost.

Fritz’s fluency in Dari and Pashto, the main languages of Afghanistan, is his greatest asset to the military, yet it becomes the greatest liability to his own commitment to the cause. His eavesdropping is critical to supporting Special Forces units on the ground, but there is no training to counter the emotional complexity that develops as you listen to people’s most intimate conversations. In WHAT THE TALIBAN TOLD ME, Fritz grapples with pride for his service and despair that he is instrumental in destroying the voices that he hears. Looking back on his service in the Air Force, Fritz shares what he learned about the people of Afghanistan, the war, and himself.

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Patrick Brown joined the Army in 2005 as an Infantryman in the US Army, deploying to multiple combat zones throughout his service. Immediately after service, he became a US Army Survival, Escape, Resistance, Evasion (SERE-C) instructor to soldiers who were at high risk of being captured while overseas. Patrick would go on contract work for various government agencies teaching survival techniques. Patrick is married with 4 kids, now residing in Atlanta GA assisting the veteran population transition from military service in the state of GA.

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Mikael Cook is a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and veteran of the war in Afghanistan. During the August 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan, Mikael was a part of the #DigitalDunkirk team that saved thousands of Afghan allies who had been left behind. He was personally responsible for the evacuation of 20 of our allies, most of whom have now joined him in Michigan. Mikael is an active member of the veteran community and continues his advocacy work for the Afghan allies left behind.

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Nickolas Yost spent a total of 13 years between the National Guard and Active Duty for the U.S. Army before exiting as a Staff Sergeant. Nickolas had multiple deployments to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was injured in Iraq, awarded a Purple Heart, then returned to duty to deploy to Afghanistan. After his military career, Nickolas decided to work in the pharmaceutical industry.

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Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret with tours all over the world including Colombia, Iraq, and multiple tours in Afghanistan. He is a warrior storyteller and the founder of Rooftop Leadership where he shares the rapport-building skills he learned in Special Forces to help today's leaders make better human connections in high-stakes, low-trust engagements.

Scott is the author of the instant New York Times Best-Seller, Operation Pineapple Express, a third-person narrative detailing the harrowing stories of the veterans, volunteers, and Afghan Allies who navigated the US abandonment of Afghanistan in August of 2021. He has since founded Operation Pineapple Express Relief, a 501c3 to help support the emergency needs of our Afghan Allies such as safe passage out of Afghanistan, plus unforeseen resettlement needs.

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Sergeant First Class Chris Corbin entered military service in July 1995. Prior to becoming a Green Beret with the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), he served in various Army units such as the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (1995-1999), and the 1st Battalion, and 75th Ranger Regiment (1999-2002). On February 17th, 2011, Corbin was on his third tour to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). That day, he was on patrol with his Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) through a village in the Helmand Province, when he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and suffered injuries to both legs resulting in a bilateral, below-the-knee (Bilat BK) amputation.

On March 24th, 2012, 13 months after his injury, Chris, with his Green Beret father, Master Sergeant Nelson Corbin, ran his first 5K race to benefit the Fisher House on Eglin Air Force Base. His determination and will coupled with the support and motivation provided by his father and teammates enabled Chris to finish his first race in 27 minutes and 34 seconds.

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John Ballenger comes from a background of 20 years in the US Marine Corps where he primarily served as a CH-53E helicopter pilot during 4 combat tours, and was one of 7 pilots to fly Marine One for two Presidential administrations over the course of his last 5 years in uniform. Preceding his decorated military career, John had experience in railcar logistics and marketing for Trinity Chemical Industries out of Tulsa, OK. John majored in Business Marketing and minored in Management at Oral Roberts University and is currently working on advancing his education towards CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member). 

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Sergeant Major Jamie Karnes enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in August of 1988 and spent 30 years in the military. Jamie served two deployments to Iraq and multiple overseas assignments throughout his career, including in Mortuary Affairs. Jamie spent time as a civilian law enforcement officer and part of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, working Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit and multiple other tasks.

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Ryan Neel is a retired U.S. Army CW3 who spent almost 25 years in uniform, 17 of those years with the Green Berets. Ryan had eight total deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, plus multiple other deployments around the world. Ryan Neel had his alive day back in 2005.

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Ben Bateman, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sportsmen For Warriors, is a Veteran of the United States Army. After graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Ben served for nine years as a Commissioned Officer initially as an Infantry Officer, and then after being selected serving as a Special Forces officer, "Green Beret." Ben is married to Cresta, also a West Point graduate and Army Combat Veteran. Ben gained extensive leadership and combat experience while serving on combat tours in support of Operation Iraq Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. After deciding to leave the military, Ben faced many of the hardships that most Warriors face after leaving the service experience in trying to gain employment. In 2014, Ben realized that the Warrior community needed an organization committed to tackling the problems our Warriors face. He and his family are fully dedicated to honoring and serving our Warriors. 

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