Today on Combat Story we have our second interview with 32 year veteran and retired Special Forces Sergeant Major Randy Surles, who entered the Army in 1987 and retired in 2019. In round one we covered Randy’s jump into Panama where he broke his leg and had to crawl for seven hours to safety, his transition into Special Forces from the Ranger Regiment, and attending Lancero school in Colombia, which you can think of as a more dangerous Ranger School (entirely in Spanish!).

Check out our Combat Story Newsletter at www.combatstory.com/newsletter

In this episode, we dive into his time leading Green Berets in the post-9/11 era in Afghanistan where he saw mulitple combat deployments. Randy now helps veterans write their own memoirs as a ghostwriter with the aptly titled website The Military Editor. With that, please enjoy our second interview with Randy Surles.

Find Randall Surles Online:

https://militaryeditor.com/

https://thestoryninjas.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/randall-surles-military-editor-mfa-creative-writing-5bbbbb66/?trk=public_post_main-feed-card_reshare-text

Find Ryan Online:

🎙️ Connect with Ryan & Combat Story: 

🔗 Ryan’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/combatstory

🛒 Merch Store: https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/

📸 Instagram: @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory

📘 Facebook: @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial

📖 Learn more about Ryan: https://www.combatstory.com/aboutus

🎵 Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

00:00 Intro 00:34 Introduction to Combat Story 00:53 Randy Searles' Military Journey 01:49 Lancero School Challenges 02:38 Jungle Survival Training 12:10 Mission in South America 17:34 Early Deployment to Afghanistan 41:19 Adapting to New Equipment and Strategies 42:16 Unexpected Challenges and Base Management 44:56 IED Encounters and Tactical Adjustments 49:20 Leadership and Tactical Raids 54:30 Hostage Rescue in Colombia 01:10:51 Military Editor and Skill Bridge Program 01:19:31 Conclusion and Final Thoughts