Special Operations Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan | Ranger Movie on Amazon Prime | Operation Red Wings | David Waterhouse

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/COMBAT and get on your way to being your best self and HELP the show. 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 is also sponsored by 4Patriots. Create your own stockpile of the best-selling 4Patriots Survival Food Kits handpacked in the US. Go to 4Patriots.com and use code COMBAT to get 10% off your first purchase on anything in the store. This episode is also sponsored by Ten Thousand, a clothing brand for tough, durable gear for the outdoors, working out, and a more active lifestyle. I just took mine to Alaska and they held up like a champ. They also use former Special Operators to test and improve their clothing! Check out https://tenthousand.cc/combatstory and get 15% off and help Combat Story continue to grow! I got their long sleeve t-shirt and it was awesome. . . Today we hear the Combat Story of David Waterhouse who was part of 2nd Ranger Battalion for six deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. David had the honor of serving alongside his fellow Rangers for years and the challenge of being on the ground to recover the bodies from the wreckage of the Operation Red Wings crash that we all know from the Marcus Luttrell Lone Survivor story. David and his friend Sean Spencer cataloged David’s combat experience in a documentary now streaming on Amazon Prime aptly titled “Ranger” in which David recalls his service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The description notes that this is seen through the eyes of a Special Operations soldier and a first hand account that documents the brutality of combat, and the raw nature of killing and death. It's a journey of innocence lost and the scars of war etched into the minds of service members.  As David and I discuss in this episode, the documentary, like so many Combat Story episodes, tell the story of David but, at the same time, tell a story so familiar to so many veterans and family members.  David and I get pretty deep on the concept of the brotherhood that exists between veterans and some of the scars this experience can leave behind and I hope you enjoy this Combat Story as much as I did. . . 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 Find David Waterhouse Online: - Ranger on Amazon Prime https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B8T8RRSD/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-waterhouse-56134047/ . . Show Notes: 00:00 - Intro  00:42 - Guest Introduction (David Waterhouse) 01:52 - Interview Begins 02:00 - Making the Ranger Documentary 06:04 - Talking about outside the wire stories 08:40 - Wearing the Red Socks Cap in Ranger 10:32 - People who have reached out 16:20 - Bullies and joining the Military 22:39 - Knowing what you want to do 30:51 - Sterotypes of Second Unit 32:27 - What were your wants from the Military 34:12 - Friendships in the Military 38:15 - First time downrange 56:20 - The first deployment 01:04:12 - First gunfight 01:09:32 - Craziest Operation 01:12:41 - Composure during Combat 01:18:18 - Fastrope onto target 01:24:00 - Redwings 2  01:35:17 - Advice to former self 01:37:30 - PTSD  01:38:46 - Life after war 01:45:24 - The last mission 02:00:38 - Transition out of the Military 02:02:04 - The Ranger movie 02:02:56 - Sentimental items 02:05:53 - Would you do it all again 02:05:53 -  Listener comments and shout outs