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Today we have an amazing Combat Story with someone from the very elite Special Missions Unit community who was part of an organization still referred to only as The Unit for operational security purposes: Adam Gomal. Not to be confused with Delta Force (which is also often referred to as The Unit), this SMU blended intel and special operations in combat and non-combat theaters and remains highly secretive and rightly so.

Adam recently wrote a fantastic book - the first about this organization - titled “The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America’s Most Secretive Military Operatives” that details the experiences of someone operating in this shadowy, kinetic, and clandestine world so other fellow unit operators would have something they can point much the way DEVGRU and Delta can explain the great work they did by referencing other excellent books written about those experiences.

Since the work remains so secretive, however, you’ll notice we’ve implemented some controls to protect Adam’s identity, including not clearly showing his face on camera and distorting his voice. We are able to vouch for Adam’s experience thanks to previous guests who know him personally and worked with him directly. Additionally, Adam’s book went through the lengthy publication review process with DoD, indicating his story is, in fact, legitimate.

With that, please enjoy this amazing story from an epic and unlikely upbringing in Egypt to being ambushed downrange, shot in the stomach, surveilling HVTs, and delivering missile strikes that have a 90 minute time of flight, and more from one of the very, very few cleared to talk about their experiences.

Join hundreds of others with our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan each week about the show, life, and the military. Thanks to our sponsor, Mint Mobile. To get the new customer offer and your new 3-month unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to www.mintmobile.com/combatstory. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. 

🔗 Find Adam Online: - The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America's Most Secret Military Operatives https://www.amazon.com/Unit-Inside-Americas-Secret-Military-ebook/dp/B09Y457JN5

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Join hundreds of others with our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan each week about the show, life, and the military.

👇 Show Notes: 00:00 - Intro 08:36 - Connecting with Foreign Fighter Through Interrogation 16:26 - The American Dream: Coming to America with $500 and no English 36:04 - Mint Mobile Ad 59:59 - First deployment 01:05:15 - Close calls in an Arms Market 01:09:50 - Getting shot downrange and fighting your way out 01:24:16 - Deciding to stay in or get out after being shot 01:26:22 - Hostile counterintelligence environment and Embassy attack 01:31:07 - Tracking down a high value target and delivering a TLAM 01:46:15 - The Operator Syndrome 01:54:42  - Listener Feedback