Tactical Living

Ashlie: (00:18) Welcome back to another episode of tactical living by LEO Warriors. I'm your host, Ashlie Walton

Clint:

And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie:

In today's episode, I want to talk about how finding commodity in the most unlikely of places can really change your outlook on things. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. Clinton, I were afforded the opportunity to enjoy a two and a half day fishing trip with a boat full of police officers this past weekend. We are still exhausted. We're actually finding it a little difficult to get back into our normal work routine that we're used to, but something I was thinking about. Ashlie: (01:09) It's a moment that happened on the boat that I'll probably never forget. Clint and I have gone fishing several times and I've never once gotten sick when we're in the middle of the ocean. Actually, the only time was when we took a cruise, coincidentally enough, but bobbing up and down in the middle of the ocean on a smaller boat has never been an issue for me. We were a little bit worried on this trip because there were several people that we've never gone out with before and we were worried that they were going to get sick. Something happened that first night and the captain told me that this was a slow rocking boat and that the experience was a little bit different than most of the other boats that we've been on and almost immediately getting onto that boat. I knew that I didn't feel right Ashlie: (02:10) We had this amazing raffle. There was some really cool prizes and I think that that energy sort of took my mind off of feeling sick. We ate a fish taco and as soon as I ate it, it was one of those things where you know when you're going to get food poisoning, you just don't quite feel right about what's being introduced into your body. Your body is literally not accepting it. Maybe you eat it anyways. You eat the whole thing, you eat some of it. Well, that's what happened to me. As I'm telling you this, I'm recounting it. I literally am feeling nauseous. Just thinking about the fact of ever eating a fish taco again. I don't know if there was something wrong with this fish taco or what the deal was, but that sort of set it off for me and ever since Ashlie: (02:59) In that moment, I just tried to make myself sick because I knew that was the only thing that was going to make me feel better. Sorry if that's a little graphic, but that's how it is on the boat. Ashlie: (03:11) so we go out to the back of the boat. Mind you, I'm the only girl surrounded by a bunch of men, men who are like egging you on to get sick to be honest with you. And I wasn't quite there. I tried to like think of things to make myself sick. Clint: (03:29) It's funny that you're talking about this because I remember standing back there with you and I see just one of my partners run out from the galley and just puke over the side Ashlie: (03:41) And that's what I'm getting at. So we're on the side of the boat and one of cleanse old partners. He is notorious for getting sick on these trips all the time. So when he comes out there I'm like, okay cool. Like he's going to puke and if I just watch him puke it's gonna make me sick and then like I'll be fine. So I'm waiting for it to happen. And then another one at cleanse partners comes and all three of us are like hanging over the rails. K they're about to get sick, but I'm just waiting for them to get sick so that I can like do my thing and be done with it. Ashlie: (04:19) And then one of the other guys on the boat comes and stands behind all of us. He might've had a little bit too much to drink. He is literally ageing all three of us on to get sick. Like just telling us just to let it go and like you'll be fine after like come on guys. Like he couldn't wait for us to just get sick. And Ashlie: (04:43) I'm sure that, I'm sure that out of like the pure enjoyment of that, like the rest of the boat, well I didn't even pay attention to them but I'm thinking about it now. They, they must've been laughing their asses off just watching this take place and so we all were staring at each other like it was the weirdest thing because I remember it's pitch dark. There is a light on the boat so that's the only light we can use to see one another in all three of us are like looking over at one another and for me I'm like Shit, I'm actually like the last person in the very back of the boat. Maybe this wasn't the best place for me to stand because the other two are next to me, like directly to my left and I just hear, I just hear just going off just telling us to just like go, go, go. Ashlie: (05:32) And then finally the guy in the middle starts to throw up and I'm like, okay, great. Like, well I'm just going to watch him. I'm literally just staring at him, trying to throw up. But the guy is in the back like jumping with excitement like so, so happy that that this guy is just puking all over the side of the boat. And then I'm looking at guy number one and he's staring at me and could tell he's like trying to hold it back and like maybe he was also waiting for me to get sick. But having already in back of me, it was so funny that like my nausea went away. Like I still didn't feel good but like that whole terribly, you know like the whole saliva build up in your mouth sort of deal like that went away just out of pure humor. Ashlie: (06:20) And then finally guy number one pukes and then other guy is going crazy. Like it's some big party and then they're all looking at me like waiting for me to just puke. And I was just like just, I was just too into this guy and his excitement for what was happening that that just didn't happen for me at that time. And something happened in that moment of like the, the most pure vulnerability. Like, if you've never been out on a boat when you feel sick, like it's probably difficult to understand. But that is the worst feeling I think I've ever experienced physically in my entire life is to be sick on a boat. Like you want nothing more than to just like shoot me now, let it be done with like, cause there's nothing you can do. The boat's not gonna turn around. Like a helicopter isn't coming to save you. Ashlie: (07:12) Like you're going to have to tough this out. And mind you, this was just on a Thursday. We weren't coming home until Sunday, so I still felt sick and I didn't, I didn't get the opportunity to throw up that night. So I went to bed and luckily the next morning I was able to like get sick and then I felt completely fine for the rest of the trip. But the relationship between me and guy one and guy two throughout that entire trip, it seemed to be a little bit more connected. And I think that stems from being in this place of literally we just felt like we were dying or at the very least we wanted to die because of how miserable it faults. But as sadistic as that sounds, there's this sort of comfort that came along with that because everybody else on the boat was completely supportive and understanding because even those that didn't feel sick to their stomach but still felt a little off, like they understood what we were all going through and it wasn't a matter of like, Oh, poor Ashlie, you're a girl. Ashlie: (08:19) Like never once did I feel that. But it helped to create this inner bond between us. And there was a firefighter on the boat that we had met for the first time and he was so kind to everybody on the boat and he had brought some Zofran. It's a very, very strong anti-nausea medication. They actually use it for chemotherapy patients. And he had offered one of those to me and to some other people on the boat. And it just, it really helped to set that foundation for us, setting off into the unknown as we traveled in the middle of the night to go fishing and to enjoy our time together. And I think that that type of environment, not only us getting sick, but just seeing the way that everybody was interacting with one another, it helps to create an even better trip than we thought it was going to be. Clint: (09:16) And I think the big thing with that is, you know, we all checked in on one another. Those who got sick, those who weren't sick, it was just that brotherhood and sisterhood of wanting to make sure everyone's okay because we all wanted each other to have a fun time and seeing people sick like that. It's a miserable feeling and you don't want anyone to not enjoy their time because of it. Ashlie: (09:45) It's true. If I could think of one thing that I would never want anybody to experience even more so than the physical pain of an injury that I've felt or surgeries that I felt like the worst is being sick like that in the middle of the ocean. So of course like you would never want that to happen to anybody that you're sharing space with, especially in a confined space like you are when we were on the boat. Ashlie: (10:11) But even the commodity of being next to each other while we were fishing, it's, it's definitely, it's definitely a craft, right? To be able to fish alongside other fishermen on a boat. It's not just like you pop your line in the water and then you'd just go with it. It takes them some teamwork and I felt that that teamwork started to build more and more as we were on the boat, the longer and longer we were on the boat and people got the hang of it. And as you sit there, if you've never been fishing on a boat like this before, when when you're fishing, you literally have to start rotating in order to make sure that your aligns don't get tangled with one another's. And if you're not paying attention, which yes it happened, then your line can easily cross and create a huge mess. Ashlie: (11:00) Or if you're really not paying attention and you decide to drop your line against the current where everybody else's lions are going, you can literally tangle the entire boat's lines by that one. Careless mistake. And being able to chime in with one another and just say like, Hey, don't drop your line there. Like nobody got mad at that. Everybody was, was in the same mood. Everybody was there to have a good time and really just build on that relationship with one another. And I can't wait to go out again. I can't wait to see these people again. Especially some of the ones that we had the opportunity to meet for the very first time. Clint: (11:40) And what was cool about this trip too is you know the people that you're talking about. Have we met for the first time, they were great guys and I really enjoyed fishing with them and they enjoyed fishing with us and we were able to create that bonding with them. So to further ourselves in that world and, and friendships, new friendships with them is just a great feeling. Ashlie: (12:08) It is. And it's not like you're meeting up at a concert to meet some new people. The dynamics of a deep sea fishing trip like this really helped to instill that bond even further, even upon first meeting. Clint: (12:21) Yeah, and I mean, we literally lived on the boat with him for two and a half days. I mean, you can't get in tighter quarters in that. Ashlie: (12:32) And what I want to stress to you today is the importance of just being open, being open to the opportunity of creating bonds, even in the most unlikely of places. It's so easy for us to be waiting in line for our coffee and staring at our cell phones. But what would happen if you put your phone away and started to engage with the person behind you in line? These are the types of things that I think we're losing connection with, with humanity in general, and by being able to just be more alert and more cohesive with the fundamentals of being a human being and having that human connection with one another, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Balance. Optimize. Tactics.

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Ashlie: (00:18)
Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. I’m your host, Ashlie Walton.

Clint:

And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie:

In today's episode, we're going to talk about a name that I literally want to put in my mouth, chew up, spit out, stomp on a million times, walk away from and never hear again. And that's Christopher Dorner. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content.

Ashlie: (00:51)
If you as a listener remember anything about this, I'm going to take you through the journey of everything that I remember for anybody that might be listening who doesn't.

Speaker 2: (01:02)
Back in February of 2013 it was all over the news. There was a suspect that murdered the daughter of an ex La police department captain and her fiancé. And in the beginning nobody knew who it was. And then something crazy started to happen because another murder took place. There was a Riverside police officer named Michael Crane that was ambushed by another suspect and quickly officers and detectives were able to link the two murders together. And as though that wasn't enough, there was this pattern. It was almost like an arsonist starting fires all over the place.

Ashlie: (01:59)
Because three additional police officers and personnel were shot and wounded. And in the midst of everything, Detective Jeremiah McCain was also shot. He exchanged gunfire. When they finally realized who this person was, this person was a former LAPD police officer. He was dismissed back in 2008 for making full statements. So that means from 2008 until February of 2013 some things started to manifest and I say manifest because if you were to read this psychos manifesto, you would see that he was very set in planning out what it was that he was going to do this day. I want you to take the listener through a bit about what you remember when all of this first started because this started as a murder and it turned into this nine day manhunt for this psycho.

Clint: (03:13)
I remember, you know, first hearing about the murders that happened in Orange County and I was like, well that sucks. Yeah. You know, it's just an unfortunate incident. Didn't think anything of it. Then when we found out it was this Guy Christopher Dorner, and we started hearing more and more come up with him and his manifesto and and everything else that was related around him. It started set off red flags. You know, after hearing about his manifesto, our agency, you know, we were tasked with writing two man units and focusing patrols just because the heightened awareness and this guy started targeting actual officers for no apparent reason. I remember the night that Michael Crane was shot, he, he was just getting off the freeway. I think they were getting ready, him and his trainee, we're going to go grab some coffee and this guy just pulled up next to him and just shot him.

Clint: (04:24)
Him and his partner both. And unfortunately Michael died in that incident later finding out that he was just going on a rampage pretty much anywhere and everywhere he could and creating havoc. But he knew that law enforcement was hot on his tail and that in turn turned to this outcry of people making reports and seeing his vehicle, seeing anything in everything, matching that description. And that kind of turned into a whole different problem in itself. In any incident instance like this, it creates a whole different problem because then we had the public helping us. But a lot of the times it's false reports, but we don't know if it's a false report or not. We have to approach every situation as we're given. And I recall a newspaper delivery man was shot in a city in La somewhere because he was driving the same vehicle and was driving fast towards officers and they believed he was possibly related or that was the shooter. And it's unfortunate that that men had to get injured off of it. But luckily who survived a few days later, they actually got a tip. And, and that's where the public's help helps us tremendously that he was seeing up in big bear area. And numerous agencies responded to that location. I know, I remember they were flying helicopters from La Police Department, the San Bernardino County sheriff's department, the San Bernardino Police Department went out there. And those were the main players involved in this instance. So after, uh, a brief pursuit following Christopher Dorner, they cornered them pretty much in a cabin.

Clint: (06:32)
There was almost a peace of mind now that, okay, well he's not in about out and about creating havoc. They positively identified him as that, but the real task had just begun, but we don't have to be on edge anymore. So when the swat teams started making their approach and everything that they do in could, he started shooting an officer's and that's when detective Jeremiah McKay got shot and another officer from the sheriff's department. And unfortunately that happened. But that's what most of us sign up for. It's most of us want to go out there and protect communities from madmen just like him.

Ashlie: (07:24)
And you talk about this sense of awareness, this, this heightened and intense knowing that there's danger.

Ashlie: (07:36)
Even more so than what you normally face. And I remember as the wife of a police officer also feeling that sense of awareness amplified.

Ashlie: (07:49)
I don't typically worry about you on a day to day. I'm very confident in your abilities.

Ashlie: (07:58)
But this was different. This was different because we knew there was an enemy really just looking for any officer that he could. And I would imagine any one that he did come across, he was targeting them directly and he would have shot without any sense of reserve. That's what, what the makeup was in his manifesto. That's what he was going for. And I know also the amount of overtime that you had to work was incredible. And that left me with a little bit more time with my own thoughts, I guess. And I just couldn't believe that this was happening. I couldn't believe that there was a literal trail from one incident to another for somebody nobody could find.

Ashlie: (09:00)
And I think that by having so much insight like he did from being a former police officer, he knew a lot of the tactics. He thought he was one step ahead of you guys the entire time until he no longer was.

Ashlie: (09:19)
And as cynical as this might sound... I also remember the upset from a lot of officers that this lunatic got to take his own life after what he took away from the life of so many other officers and their families. And it's just crazy to me. It's crazy because I wonder where it all started. You can read the manifesto, you can make up your own thoughts in your head, but something happened from 2008 to 2013 that I believe was really boiling for so many years and really being planned for so many years that there was no way to prepare. It's almost like going back to nine 11 back in 2001 and thinking about how methodical that was and how out of sight something like that was, especially for that time, nobody would've ever thought that a former police officer would go on a manhunt for other police officers the way that this guy did.

Speaker 2: (10:35)
And Clint, can you talk a little bit about the way that the agencies were able to come together, at least in your mind, the way that they did to finally find this guy and then make sure that problem was solved?

Clint: (10:51)
Tactically speaking, looking at every instance involved with it. It was great. You know, La, this was majorly LAPD [inaudible] investigation. Um, Riverside PD got involved when their officers were shot and killed and then the outlying agencies surrounding Riverside such as San Bernardino police department, Rialto Police Department, the San Bernardino Sheriff's department, they were afforded the opportunities to assist in any way that they could to assist those other agencies. And that goes into respect of when they located them in big bear, the sheriff's department, pretty much they got the tip and they located him. They chased him to where he later killed himself. But at that point you didn't have Ellie police department saying, no, we're taking over tactical control. You didn't have any of the other agency saying we're better than you, that we have more manpower to contain this right now. They allowed the agency jurisdiction that was there to really dictate what occurred at that incident. And that's what was great is the response was from so many agencies and so many officers just responded in, completely handled the situation to the best of their capabilities at that time. And there's, from my mindset, there was nothing, nothing negative that could be spun from it. Some people will say, well, the smoke grenades that they sent in to the house at the House on fire subsequently burned him. But he committed suicide before that even happened.

Clint: (12:50)
And you can't necessarily control those instances. In my mind, it's for me personally, I think it would've been okay if he burned alive.

Ashlie: (13:02)
I can't argue with that.

Ashlie: (13:04)
And there was no way that he was going to allow himself, at least from what I've learned and read about him to be shot by police officers. So I mean, he, he knew what he was doing. He knew that he wasn't going to hide in that cabin in big bear for long.

Clint: (13:23)
And he knew he wasn't going to be taken alive. And that's the scariest thing that we ever face as police officers.

Ashlie: (13:35)
I don't really know how to wrap today's episode up apart from really just wanting to give the, do justice to the four people who lost their lives and the three other that were wounded during this instance.

Ashlie: (13:51)
It's easy for people who aren't directly involved to allow time to go on, but in this episode, I just want to take a moment and just remember those that lost their lives. And as better, uh, situations like this are, there's also a gift to be found. And the gift is the empowerment and the learning that takes place on the backend of this. And when you're able to find those pieces of light, even in the darkest times, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Balance. Optimize. Tactics. 

Hit that subscribe button so that you don’t miss a day of the added value that I am dedicated to sharing with you weekly. 

Let’s Connect! 

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Website: www.leowarriors.com

Ashlie: (00:18) Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. I'm your host, Ashlie Walton.

Clint:

And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie:

In today's episode, we're going to talk about a name that I literally want to put in my mouth, chew up, spit out, stomp on a million times, walk away from and never hear again. And that's Christopher Dorner. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. Ashlie: (00:51) If you as a listener remember anything about this, I'm going to take you through the journey of everything that I remember for anybody that might be listening who doesn't. Speaker 2: (01:02) Back in February of 2013 it was all over the news. There was a suspect that murdered the daughter of an ex La police department captain and her fiancé. And in the beginning nobody knew who it was. And then something crazy started to happen because another murder took place. There was a Riverside police officer named Michael Crane that was ambushed by another suspect and quickly officers and detectives were able to link the two murders together. And as though that wasn't enough, there was this pattern. It was almost like an arsonist starting fires all over the place. Ashlie: (01:59) Because three additional police officers and personnel were shot and wounded. And in the midst of everything, Detective Jeremiah McCain was also shot. He exchanged gunfire. When they finally realized who this person was, this person was a former LAPD police officer. He was dismissed back in 2008 for making full statements. So that means from 2008 until February of 2013 some things started to manifest and I say manifest because if you were to read this psychos manifesto, you would see that he was very set in planning out what it was that he was going to do this day. I want you to take the listener through a bit about what you remember when all of this first started because this started as a murder and it turned into this nine day manhunt for this psycho. Clint: (03:13) I remember, you know, first hearing about the murders that happened in Orange County and I was like, well that sucks. Yeah. You know, it's just an unfortunate incident. Didn't think anything of it. Then when we found out it was this Guy Christopher Dorner, and we started hearing more and more come up with him and his manifesto and and everything else that was related around him. It started set off red flags. You know, after hearing about his manifesto, our agency, you know, we were tasked with writing two man units and focusing patrols just because the heightened awareness and this guy started targeting actual officers for no apparent reason. I remember the night that Michael Crane was shot, he, he was just getting off the freeway. I think they were getting ready, him and his trainee, we're going to go grab some coffee and this guy just pulled up next to him and just shot him. Clint: (04:24) Him and his partner both. And unfortunately Michael died in that incident later finding out that he was just going on a rampage pretty much anywhere and everywhere he could and creating havoc. But he knew that law enforcement was hot on his tail and that in turn turned to this outcry of people making reports and seeing his vehicle, seeing anything in everything, matching that description. And that kind of turned into a whole different problem in itself. In any incident instance like this, it creates a whole different problem because then we had the public helping us. But a lot of the times it's false reports, but we don't know if it's a false report or not. We have to approach every situation as we're given. And I recall a newspaper delivery man was shot in a city in La somewhere because he was driving the same vehicle and was driving fast towards officers and they believed he was possibly related or that was the shooter. And it's unfortunate that that men had to get injured off of it. But luckily who survived a few days later, they actually got a tip. And, and that's where the public's help helps us tremendously that he was seeing up in big bear area. And numerous agencies responded to that location. I know, I remember they were flying helicopters from La Police Department, the San Bernardino County sheriff's department, the San Bernardino Police Department went out there. And those were the main players involved in this instance. So after, uh, a brief pursuit following Christopher Dorner, they cornered them pretty much in a cabin. Clint: (06:32) There was almost a peace of mind now that, okay, well he's not in about out and about creating havoc. They positively identified him as that, but the real task had just begun, but we don't have to be on edge anymore. So when the swat teams started making their approach and everything that they do in could, he started shooting an officer's and that's when detective Jeremiah McKay got shot and another officer from the sheriff's department. And unfortunately that happened. But that's what most of us sign up for. It's most of us want to go out there and protect communities from madmen just like him. Ashlie: (07:24) And you talk about this sense of awareness, this, this heightened and intense knowing that there's danger.

Ashlie: (07:36) Even more so than what you normally face. And I remember as the wife of a police officer also feeling that sense of awareness amplified. Ashlie: (07:49) I don't typically worry about you on a day to day. I'm very confident in your abilities. Ashlie: (07:58) But this was different. This was different because we knew there was an enemy really just looking for any officer that he could. And I would imagine any one that he did come across, he was targeting them directly and he would have shot without any sense of reserve. That's what, what the makeup was in his manifesto. That's what he was going for. And I know also the amount of overtime that you had to work was incredible. And that left me with a little bit more time with my own thoughts, I guess. And I just couldn't believe that this was happening. I couldn't believe that there was a literal trail from one incident to another for somebody nobody could find. Ashlie: (09:00) And I think that by having so much insight like he did from being a former police officer, he knew a lot of the tactics. He thought he was one step ahead of you guys the entire time until he no longer was. Ashlie: (09:19) And as cynical as this might sound... I also remember the upset from a lot of officers that this lunatic got to take his own life after what he took away from the life of so many other officers and their families. And it's just crazy to me. It's crazy because I wonder where it all started. You can read the manifesto, you can make up your own thoughts in your head, but something happened from 2008 to 2013 that I believe was really boiling for so many years and really being planned for so many years that there was no way to prepare. It's almost like going back to nine 11 back in 2001 and thinking about how methodical that was and how out of sight something like that was, especially for that time, nobody would've ever thought that a former police officer would go on a manhunt for other police officers the way that this guy did. Speaker 2: (10:35) And Clint, can you talk a little bit about the way that the agencies were able to come together, at least in your mind, the way that they did to finally find this guy and then make sure that problem was solved? Clint: (10:51) Tactically speaking, looking at every instance involved with it. It was great. You know, La, this was majorly LAPD [inaudible] investigation. Um, Riverside PD got involved when their officers were shot and killed and then the outlying agencies surrounding Riverside such as San Bernardino police department, Rialto Police Department, the San Bernardino Sheriff's department, they were afforded the opportunities to assist in any way that they could to assist those other agencies. And that goes into respect of when they located them in big bear, the sheriff's department, pretty much they got the tip and they located him. They chased him to where he later killed himself. But at that point you didn't have Ellie police department saying, no, we're taking over tactical control. You didn't have any of the other agency saying we're better than you, that we have more manpower to contain this right now. They allowed the agency jurisdiction that was there to really dictate what occurred at that incident. And that's what was great is the response was from so many agencies and so many officers just responded in, completely handled the situation to the best of their capabilities at that time. And there's, from my mindset, there was nothing, nothing negative that could be spun from it. Some people will say, well, the smoke grenades that they sent in to the house at the House on fire subsequently burned him. But he committed suicide before that even happened. Clint: (12:50) And you can't necessarily control those instances. In my mind, it's for me personally, I think it would've been okay if he burned alive. Ashlie: (13:02) I can't argue with that. Ashlie: (13:04) And there was no way that he was going to allow himself, at least from what I've learned and read about him to be shot by police officers. So I mean, he, he knew what he was doing. He knew that he wasn't going to hide in that cabin in big bear for long. Clint: (13:23) And he knew he wasn't going to be taken alive. And that's the scariest thing that we ever face as police officers. Ashlie: (13:35) I don't really know how to wrap today's episode up apart from really just wanting to give the, do justice to the four people who lost their lives and the three other that were wounded during this instance. Ashlie: (13:51) It's easy for people who aren't directly involved to allow time to go on, but in this episode, I just want to take a moment and just remember those that lost their lives. And as better, uh, situations like this are, there's also a gift to be found. And the gift is the empowerment and the learning that takes place on the backend of this. And when you're able to find those pieces of light, even in the darkest times, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Balance. Optimize. Tactics.

Hit that subscribe button so that you don't miss a day of the added value that I am dedicated to sharing with you weekly.

Let's Connect!

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Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn

Website: www.leowarriors.com

Ashlie: (00:18)
Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors.

Ashlie: (00:22)
I'm your host, Ashlie Walton

Clint:

And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie:

In today's episode, we're going to talk about how one bad seed might try to ruin it all. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content.

Clint:

So today, I want to really dive deep into talking about the LA Sheriff's deputy who claimed he was shot being shot at by a sniper. This occurred in an unincorporated area of LA County and a few days ago he claimed that he was being shot at by a sniper from an apartment complex right outside the police station. And it got a huge response from outside agencies, from the helicopter, from air support, from just everything that we would expect to be there if that instance were to happen.

Clint: (01:26)
And so after the response, after everything calmed down, they started really investigating this. This deputy had a hole in his uniform, claimed he took the round to his chest. But after further investigation they discovered he had actually cut holes in his own uniform with his knife. And that no one in that area even heard any shots go off and this is a few days after the actual incident and come to find out he lied about everything and then lying about it. He drained our tax system for the fees of, of having all of these officers respond, having all these support systems in place that really just took away from other emergencies or other needs that the county, the cities could have used. And what I want to get into on this is now of course he's fired. He's going to face criminal charges for making a false police report even though he's a police officer, but us as police officers are going to have to repair this image even harder now than it was before.

Clint: (02:45)
I mean people for the most part don't trust police officers. They think we're liars and I shouldn't say most people, there's a large number of the population who think we're, we lie about what do say or conduct our ways in their daily basis and so now we're going to have to swim upstream once again just to recover from this. This guy will get a slap on the hand. He was young. I think he was only 21 years old, but it has turned into something where if one of us do it, all of us look bad and there's so many instances of one bad officer, one bad incident that makes all of us look bad. We're not set apart just in as individuals, we're looked at as a whole, and so everything that we do on a daily basis of course goes unnoticed. And for the most part, we don't mind that we're not heroes. We're not those people who feel that we need that accolade, but the public perception is very important. When I go to court, I have to testify. I have to testify based off of what the victim, the witness, the suspect just told me. And if I don't have any integrity behind that, no jury will ever find anyone guilty of a crime. And so that's why it's just so important to have that integrity backing us. Wow.

Ashlie: (04:28)
Where do we begin with this? The first thing that comes up for me is that it's so rare for somebody with that type of mentality to even make it halfway through the screening process. It is so vigorous to even become a police officer and that's something in, unless you've experienced that or you know somebody who has perhaps might be difficult to wrap your mind around. The type of detailed investigation that goes into a background for a potential officer takes a great deal of time and the process that an officer has to go through as an individual is incredibly pain, stinking painstaking. It's to the point of interrogation almost to where it's very difficult to slip through the cracks. So I want to point that out because he was a young officer, so for whatever reason something was missed and maybe not. Maybe something developed here on out, maybe something developed as a consequence of being an officer. Maybe something developed that had nothing to do with his profession that created this type of behavior. Like you just don't know. If you were to sit back and look at a lot of the mental health statistics, there are a lot of things that manifest in your early twenties so maybe that had something to do with it. It's just speculation, right? Like who the hell knows why this happened? Why this ludicrous guy decided to do something? You know, it's attention, right? Like why the hell would somebody decide to do something so stupid like it's for attention

Clint: (06:14)
And that's absolutely right. I think the attention factor of trying to make the news, trying to get noticed, trying to become big, the next social media star for whatever reason has backfired on them

Ashlie: (06:28)
And that could be, Clint and I talk about this all the time, how this generation that is up and coming is so different from anything that the world has ever experienced before. Perhaps that has something to do with it. Only time will tell and hopefully not. Hopefully there's not more of these bad seeds picked out of the entire generation and the upcoming,

Clint: (06:55)
Well, there's always going to be bad seeds and law enforcement and firefighting and anything and everything that we do. There's always those bad seeds that will slip through the cracks and that's what this goes to show is no matter what profession you're in, there's always gonna be those people. I know you as the listener right now could name someone who you work with that you're like, yeah, they shouldn't be doing this job

Ashlie: (07:24)
For sure. And the problem is that there's, there's such a bright light that's shown on police in particular right now that having that one bad seed, like that's all that's going to be seen for such a long time and that's the problem. That's the problem because nobody's paying attention to all of the other nuances that take place in every individual officer's day to day job and none of it's bad. It's difficult for the officer. There are many officers that question whether or not they can keep doing this because of the pressure that things like media keep putting on them and instances like this just magnified even more and it's too bad. It's too bad because they're not getting that, that praise. They're not getting that light shown on them in a positive way except for when it comes down to what really matters. And what I mean by that is if you can recall any time that you've actually had to pick up a phone and look at it and feel your hand trembling as you, you are about to dial nine one one until you know what it feels like to have an officer finally greet you at your door when you're dealing with something that is the most tragic or the most uncomfortable, the scariest, the most painful element that's ever taken place in your life.

Ashlie: (08:55)
You've experienced that. And you know that element of peace and surrender and like thank God, like I'm not alone with somebody here. They're here, they're going to help me, my protectors here. That's all that it feels like. And unless you've experienced that,

Ashlie: (09:14)
I don't think that you know anything else because you only know what you see on the news.

Ashlie: (09:22)
And there's a caveat to that. Does that mean that I want everybody to have to experience calling nine one one with their hands trembling, barely eating, even able to remember the fucking number nine one one of course not. Has It happened to me? Yes. That has nothing to do with you Clint, as a police officer, that has something to do with me as a civilian, as a member of the community who needed help in a dire time where I felt like my life was in jeopardy and I dialed those three numbers and in a matter of moments I was surrounded by these really saviors. They were there to save me. I couldn't do it on my own and who. Who else can you call? If you're putting law enforcement as the enemy, you're always going to call them still. It's a cop out to me when I hear people talking so negatively about police as a whole because when it comes down to the brass tacks of you needing somebody in that moment, that dire moment, the one where you have nobody else to turn to, nobody else to call, you're not going to call the national guard.

Ashlie: (10:30)
They're not going to come. This is your resource. Respect that resource. Why is it so difficult? And I think when we're able to understand that it really doesn't matter what profession you're in. Look at how many doctors look at that Jack Ass with the Olympians. Like there are terrible doctors out there, but we say that there are terrible doctors. But the truth is there are terrible people. There aren't terrible doctors. There are terrible people who are doctors. That's the difference. There are terrible people. Very Minute Lee slipped through the cracks that our officers just as there is an every other profession

Ashlie: (11:18)
and when you're able to understand that and you know that there's an actual human behind that profession, then you're able to get, get past the stigma of that profession and the generalization of the negative or positive connotation of that profession as a whole.

Ashlie: (11:36)
And by grasping that and understanding that, it allows you to connect from human to human and know how you feel about that person and not that profession. That's the key. It has nothing to do with the profession. And when you that, and you know that there's a human being that exists behind that white coat, behind that badge, behind the fire hose, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

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Ashlie: (00:18) Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. Ashlie: (00:22) I'm your host, Ashlie Walton

Clint:

And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie:

In today's episode, we're going to talk about how one bad seed might try to ruin it all. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content.

Clint:

So today, I want to really dive deep into talking about the LA Sheriff's deputy who claimed he was shot being shot at by a sniper. This occurred in an unincorporated area of LA County and a few days ago he claimed that he was being shot at by a sniper from an apartment complex right outside the police station. And it got a huge response from outside agencies, from the helicopter, from air support, from just everything that we would expect to be there if that instance were to happen. Clint: (01:26) And so after the response, after everything calmed down, they started really investigating this. This deputy had a hole in his uniform, claimed he took the round to his chest. But after further investigation they discovered he had actually cut holes in his own uniform with his knife. And that no one in that area even heard any shots go off and this is a few days after the actual incident and come to find out he lied about everything and then lying about it. He drained our tax system for the fees of, of having all of these officers respond, having all these support systems in place that really just took away from other emergencies or other needs that the county, the cities could have used. And what I want to get into on this is now of course he's fired. He's going to face criminal charges for making a false police report even though he's a police officer, but us as police officers are going to have to repair this image even harder now than it was before. Clint: (02:45) I mean people for the most part don't trust police officers. They think we're liars and I shouldn't say most people, there's a large number of the population who think we're, we lie about what do say or conduct our ways in their daily basis and so now we're going to have to swim upstream once again just to recover from this. This guy will get a slap on the hand. He was young. I think he was only 21 years old, but it has turned into something where if one of us do it, all of us look bad and there's so many instances of one bad officer, one bad incident that makes all of us look bad. We're not set apart just in as individuals, we're looked at as a whole, and so everything that we do on a daily basis of course goes unnoticed. And for the most part, we don't mind that we're not heroes. We're not those people who feel that we need that accolade, but the public perception is very important. When I go to court, I have to testify. I have to testify based off of what the victim, the witness, the suspect just told me. And if I don't have any integrity behind that, no jury will ever find anyone guilty of a crime. And so that's why it's just so important to have that integrity backing us. Wow. Ashlie: (04:28) Where do we begin with this? The first thing that comes up for me is that it's so rare for somebody with that type of mentality to even make it halfway through the screening process. It is so vigorous to even become a police officer and that's something in, unless you've experienced that or you know somebody who has perhaps might be difficult to wrap your mind around. The type of detailed investigation that goes into a background for a potential officer takes a great deal of time and the process that an officer has to go through as an individual is incredibly pain, stinking painstaking. It's to the point of interrogation almost to where it's very difficult to slip through the cracks. So I want to point that out because he was a young officer, so for whatever reason something was missed and maybe not. Maybe something developed here on out, maybe something developed as a consequence of being an officer. Maybe something developed that had nothing to do with his profession that created this type of behavior. Like you just don't know. If you were to sit back and look at a lot of the mental health statistics, there are a lot of things that manifest in your early twenties so maybe that had something to do with it. It's just speculation, right? Like who the hell knows why this happened? Why this ludicrous guy decided to do something? You know, it's attention, right? Like why the hell would somebody decide to do something so stupid like it's for attention Clint: (06:14) And that's absolutely right. I think the attention factor of trying to make the news, trying to get noticed, trying to become big, the next social media star for whatever reason has backfired on them Ashlie: (06:28) And that could be, Clint and I talk about this all the time, how this generation that is up and coming is so different from anything that the world has ever experienced before. Perhaps that has something to do with it. Only time will tell and hopefully not. Hopefully there's not more of these bad seeds picked out of the entire generation and the upcoming, Clint: (06:55) Well, there's always going to be bad seeds and law enforcement and firefighting and anything and everything that we do. There's always those bad seeds that will slip through the cracks and that's what this goes to show is no matter what profession you're in, there's always gonna be those people. I know you as the listener right now could name someone who you work with that you're like, yeah, they shouldn't be doing this job Ashlie: (07:24) For sure. And the problem is that there's, there's such a bright light that's shown on police in particular right now that having that one bad seed, like that's all that's going to be seen for such a long time and that's the problem. That's the problem because nobody's paying attention to all of the other nuances that take place in every individual officer's day to day job and none of it's bad. It's difficult for the officer. There are many officers that question whether or not they can keep doing this because of the pressure that things like media keep putting on them and instances like this just magnified even more and it's too bad. It's too bad because they're not getting that, that praise. They're not getting that light shown on them in a positive way except for when it comes down to what really matters. And what I mean by that is if you can recall any time that you've actually had to pick up a phone and look at it and feel your hand trembling as you, you are about to dial nine one one until you know what it feels like to have an officer finally greet you at your door when you're dealing with something that is the most tragic or the most uncomfortable, the scariest, the most painful element that's ever taken place in your life. Ashlie: (08:55) You've experienced that. And you know that element of peace and surrender and like thank God, like I'm not alone with somebody here. They're here, they're going to help me, my protectors here. That's all that it feels like. And unless you've experienced that, Ashlie: (09:14) I don't think that you know anything else because you only know what you see on the news. Ashlie: (09:22) And there's a caveat to that. Does that mean that I want everybody to have to experience calling nine one one with their hands trembling, barely eating, even able to remember the fucking number nine one one of course not. Has It happened to me? Yes. That has nothing to do with you Clint, as a police officer, that has something to do with me as a civilian, as a member of the community who needed help in a dire time where I felt like my life was in jeopardy and I dialed those three numbers and in a matter of moments I was surrounded by these really saviors. They were there to save me. I couldn't do it on my own and who. Who else can you call? If you're putting law enforcement as the enemy, you're always going to call them still. It's a cop out to me when I hear people talking so negatively about police as a whole because when it comes down to the brass tacks of you needing somebody in that moment, that dire moment, the one where you have nobody else to turn to, nobody else to call, you're not going to call the national guard. Ashlie: (10:30) They're not going to come. This is your resource. Respect that resource. Why is it so difficult? And I think when we're able to understand that it really doesn't matter what profession you're in. Look at how many doctors look at that Jack Ass with the Olympians. Like there are terrible doctors out there, but we say that there are terrible doctors. But the truth is there are terrible people. There aren't terrible doctors. There are terrible people who are doctors. That's the difference. There are terrible people. Very Minute Lee slipped through the cracks that our officers just as there is an every other profession Ashlie: (11:18) and when you're able to understand that and you know that there's an actual human behind that profession, then you're able to get, get past the stigma of that profession and the generalization of the negative or positive connotation of that profession as a whole. Ashlie: (11:36) And by grasping that and understanding that, it allows you to connect from human to human and know how you feel about that person and not that profession. That's the key. It has nothing to do with the profession. And when you that, and you know that there's a human being that exists behind that white coat, behind that badge, behind the fire hose, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Balance. Optimize. Tactics.

Hit that subscribe button so that you don't miss a day of the added value that I am dedicated to sharing with you weekly.

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Ashlie: (00:17)
Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. I'm your host, Ashlie Walton,

Clint: (00:23)
And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie: (00:26)
In today's episode we're going to talk about the tendencies of an officer carrying an off duty weapon all the time. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. As a police officer, Clint carries his gun with him whether he's on duty or not. He has a gun for off duty. We have several off duty weapons, actually. An arsenal now that I think of it. Clint, I just want to talk a little bit about some of the nuances of carrying a gun all of the time.

Clint: (01:01)
You know, the first thing that comes to mind when you bring this up is, is thinking about always having another item that I have to carry and that's one of the biggest inconveniences with it, but the, the reward outweighs the risk of it. You know, if we were to run into an incident like we're seeing everywhere happening in this world, it's just being prepared. And in saying that, I wouldn't go out of my way to put either one of us in harm unless I felt I absolutely had to. And I think most officers kind of agree with that. There are those officers who feel that they need to stop anything in everything that's going on and unfortunately sometimes it creates even more of a hazard for their family than it necessarily should.

Ashlie: (02:03)
Can you talk a little bit about your feelings on what had happened with the off duty officer at Costco? Kind of take the listener through a little bit of that story in case they haven't heard about it.

Clint: (02:14)
So in Norco or Corona, California, there was an incident. The officer, he was there with his family and he was just shopping and, and from what I know of the incident, he was approached by a rather large male. I don't know his exact height and weight, but he was just kind of walked up to from out of the blue. And the guy started saying something to him and the officer tried to walk away and the guy pretty much cold cocked him in the back of the head… caused him to lose consciousness, fall to the ground, and this is all while his very young, I want to say two or three year old daughter was in the shopping cart watching everything that went on. This man stood over the officer and what it sounds like is he was going to start hitting him and beating him more.

Clint: (03:11)
Then the officer drew his weapon and shot and killed him. Out of nowhere, his mom and dad started jumping in on whatever was going on and the off duty officer actually shot the dad and the mom. Now, I believe that dad and the mom both lived, but the son didn't. Later on in the news they talk about how the son had mental health issues and he would never hurt a fly and there's just so much surrounding negatively towards this officer in relation to the incident of how he handled it. But I would ask anyone in that situation, if you were just struck from the rear and fell to the ground and lost consciousness and you wake up and there's a guy starting to hit you, pummel you, and you only have one way to react because you felt your life was in danger or your daughter's life. And that's what's being neglected to be told now. I wasn't at the incident. I don't know what exactly occurred. I'm just giving my perception of what I've heard and what I've seen

Ashlie: (04:40)
And then carrying a gun off duty… I think it just creates this additional element of responsibility, whether you're a police officer or you have your CCW, as to how you would react in certain situations like that. And it's not to say who's right or wrong. Fortunately or unfortunately we have a justice system that decides that.

Ashlie: (05:07)
But as you sit there and you listen, could you imagine going to the grocery store and then being ambushed? You have no idea what's taking place and you get struck from behind. You fall to the ground, you're unconscious, you wake up and then you have somebody is hovering over you.

Clint: (05:29)
And you don't even know possibly if this is someone you arrested or any cause I couldn't even imagine the hundreds of people I've arrested. I wouldn't recognize every single one of them.

Ashlie: (05:42)
Exactly. Like, nobody knows what was going through that officer's mind except for that officer and from how quickly he reacted. It seems that everything he did was in self-defense and had nothing to do with the fact he was a police officer and it's a shame in my, in my belief because the media portrays it as this off duty officer did this, but it has nothing to do with the fact that he was an off duty officer. Apart from the relation of being an officer and having an off duty weapon. It could be anybody in the same situation with an illegal or a legal firearm on them that may have reacted in a similar instance, but they try to portray it as another bad officer and it gets under my skin because it doesn't have anything to do with that. It has nothing to do with that because it was simply a man going grocery shopping without any intention of getting into any sort of altercation at all.

Ashlie: (06:45)
He's just trying to get his groceries, but because he's an officer, they have to use that as the leading point in the media. And then his attorneys are doing the same thing as family. Of course they're suing and even though he was off duty. I know that there are other allegations being pulled in for the agency that he works for and it turns into this whole other matter. And I think it's unfortunate. Something that comes to mind as we're talking about this was one time when Clint and I went to a doctor's appointment and we're standing in line and out of nowhere, this gentleman behind us asks if Clint has a pistol in his pocket.

Clint: (07:29)
Actually it was…is that a p, p, pistol in your pocket?

Ashlie: (07:35)
Yeah, I think he was really uncomfortable when he noticed that. You know, you had the outline of a gun in your pocket and it was concealed. And I just remember you immediately telling him, yes, I do. I'm an off duty police officer. You put your hand over your pocket and you turned your body. You shifted immediately. And I just thought it was fascinating that somebody was even paying that close attention. You know, it's almost like you have to be looking for something like that because you know you have a million other things in your pocket that looks like a big wad of something. And immediately after, I remember thinking like, wow, is he going to like report us? Is security going to come up to us and try to say something? He was uncomfortable. We were uncomfortable. But that's just another part of the responsibility of carrying a weapon and off duty.

Clint: (08:33)
And that's something that over the years I have kind of neglected is maybe wearing the right sort of clothes to conceal it or even just secure it where it's not as visible. But I never figured anyone would notice it in my pocket. So in that, I started making adjustments and taking more precautions in reference to that cause it was eye opening because I don't want people to feel uncomfortable around it or to deal with the nonsense that could result with it.

Ashlie: (09:13)
And there are many times where it's so natural for you. It's like this natural extension for you having a gun all the time. It's a natural extension for me, you know, making sure that you have your gun all of the time. And we've, we've talked about that in great detail about how important it is for us to have the ability to protect ourselves if we need to. But in saying that, there have been many times where it's so natural that we go to a public event and we've been scrutinized so much by, not that there's anything wrong with minimum wage, but I'm just going to say these minimum wage employees that try to hold some authority over you because you're carrying a gun. Just recently we went to the fair, we were helping to do something at the fair. We already were in the fairgrounds

Clint: (10:07)
Like we could have already been inside but we wanted to do things the right way and actually pay for tickets and go through the process as everyone else says. We didn't want to just kind of backdoor the system.

Ashlie: (10:19)
Which we could have. We were helping with something on the backend and instead of just enjoying ourselves by going straight through, we exited and went all the way around to the front, stood in line, saw the sign, saw the metal detector. Then we pulled aside a security guard and asked what we needed to do. We explained you're an off duty police officer, you conceal your firearm. He told us to go to the main building to talk to somebody. We go there and it's these snotty girls…like imagine a fair is supposed to be a place of people enjoying themselves. And they were so like…they were very unhappy that they were there working on the weekend apparently.

Clint: (11:02)
And it was like everyone was trying to pass the buck cause they didn't want to deal with it at that time. And it just was, it was to the point that we're like, you know what, just give us our money back for our tickets and we'll leave. But we're like, well let's just try one more thing.

Ashlie: (11:18)
Ao pretty much they said, well it's up to the discretion of one security guard versus the other. So one security guard had no idea, told us again to go to the main office. We told them we already went to there. He didn't want to take responsibility for it. So we found two very nice ladies (also security guards), explained the situation again the same way we had. This is the third time now and they were understanding, let us straight through. We didn't even wait in line.

Clint: (11:46)
And it's kind of funny cause we could have probably walked in without tickets at that point too because those ladies were so helpful for us.

Ashlie: (11:54)
Exactly and we were just trying to do the right thing, but it just goes to show public perception, I believe of somebody carrying a firearm and being a first responder. But the way that I look at it is if any business is functioning with a public event, wouldn't they want more off duty officers? Like, the more the marry and not only if they were armed or not, but just for the sake of knowing that you have another extra person on your side when it comes to protection, looking out for things, you know everything that goes along with having a police presence because whether you're on duty or off duty, you still have an oath that you took that you stand by whether you're on the clock or not.

Clint: (12:42)
And that goes to show with a lot of these incidents that are going on around the world. If there were, there was less scrutiny surrounding officers carrying their firearms or there was more people carrying concealed weapons, you would have a lot less instances of what's going on or they wouldn't be as severe.

Ashlie: (13:07)
And then of course every liberal would argue the other side of that…That it's people like us that believe in owning your own firearm. You know that we're encouraging that type of just heinous behavior, which is just absurd. I just want to tell them like, do you hear yourself talking? And I believe it comes down to the fact that they've never experienced something like this personally, any of these mass shootings and rightfully so, like thank goodness, but it's not until you're faced with the reality of just how tragic life is and how twisted people are in their mindsets and you know, can we talk about this and you shared so many stories with me that just really opens my eyes to the understanding of like this world is really screwed up to some just some point, right? There is the bright side which we try to make more of as much as we can, but we still need to be cognizant of the fact that evil exists and by having the ability to protect yourself and whether you're an officer or a first responder and not understanding that it's important for them to be able to carry their firearms and to respect their space.

Ashlie: (14:20)
If you know that they are a first responder and that you know that the likelihood of them caring is very high when they're off duty, then just give them their space and know that they're there to protect you too. If need be and when you have a better understanding of the challenges that first responders face. Police officers especially, and you know that they never get to clock out. They carry that with them from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. Then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Balance. Optimize. Tactics. 

Hit that subscribe button so that you don’t miss a day of the added value that I am dedicated to sharing with you weekly. 

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Ashlie: (00:17) Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. I'm your host, Ashlie Walton, Clint: (00:23) And I'm your co-host Clint Walton. Ashlie: (00:26) In today's episode we're going to talk about the tendencies of an officer carrying an off duty weapon all the time. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. As a police officer, Clint carries his gun with him whether he's on duty or not. He has a gun for off duty. We have several off duty weapons, actually. An arsenal now that I think of it. Clint, I just want to talk a little bit about some of the nuances of carrying a gun all of the time. Clint: (01:01) You know, the first thing that comes to mind when you bring this up is, is thinking about always having another item that I have to carry and that's one of the biggest inconveniences with it, but the, the reward outweighs the risk of it. You know, if we were to run into an incident like we're seeing everywhere happening in this world, it's just being prepared. And in saying that, I wouldn't go out of my way to put either one of us in harm unless I felt I absolutely had to. And I think most officers kind of agree with that. There are those officers who feel that they need to stop anything in everything that's going on and unfortunately sometimes it creates even more of a hazard for their family than it necessarily should. Ashlie: (02:03) Can you talk a little bit about your feelings on what had happened with the off duty officer at Costco? Kind of take the listener through a little bit of that story in case they haven't heard about it. Clint: (02:14) So in Norco or Corona, California, there was an incident. The officer, he was there with his family and he was just shopping and, and from what I know of the incident, he was approached by a rather large male. I don't know his exact height and weight, but he was just kind of walked up to from out of the blue. And the guy started saying something to him and the officer tried to walk away and the guy pretty much cold cocked him in the back of the head… caused him to lose consciousness, fall to the ground, and this is all while his very young, I want to say two or three year old daughter was in the shopping cart watching everything that went on. This man stood over the officer and what it sounds like is he was going to start hitting him and beating him more. Clint: (03:11) Then the officer drew his weapon and shot and killed him. Out of nowhere, his mom and dad started jumping in on whatever was going on and the off duty officer actually shot the dad and the mom. Now, I believe that dad and the mom both lived, but the son didn't. Later on in the news they talk about how the son had mental health issues and he would never hurt a fly and there's just so much surrounding negatively towards this officer in relation to the incident of how he handled it. But I would ask anyone in that situation, if you were just struck from the rear and fell to the ground and lost consciousness and you wake up and there's a guy starting to hit you, pummel you, and you only have one way to react because you felt your life was in danger or your daughter's life. And that's what's being neglected to be told now. I wasn't at the incident. I don't know what exactly occurred. I'm just giving my perception of what I've heard and what I've seen Ashlie: (04:40) And then carrying a gun off duty… I think it just creates this additional element of responsibility, whether you're a police officer or you have your CCW, as to how you would react in certain situations like that. And it's not to say who's right or wrong. Fortunately or unfortunately we have a justice system that decides that. Ashlie: (05:07) But as you sit there and you listen, could you imagine going to the grocery store and then being ambushed? You have no idea what's taking place and you get struck from behind. You fall to the ground, you're unconscious, you wake up and then you have somebody is hovering over you. Clint: (05:29) And you don't even know possibly if this is someone you arrested or any cause I couldn't even imagine the hundreds of people I've arrested. I wouldn't recognize every single one of them. Ashlie: (05:42) Exactly. Like, nobody knows what was going through that officer's mind except for that officer and from how quickly he reacted. It seems that everything he did was in self-defense and had nothing to do with the fact he was a police officer and it's a shame in my, in my belief because the media portrays it as this off duty officer did this, but it has nothing to do with the fact that he was an off duty officer. Apart from the relation of being an officer and having an off duty weapon. It could be anybody in the same situation with an illegal or a legal firearm on them that may have reacted in a similar instance, but they try to portray it as another bad officer and it gets under my skin because it doesn't have anything to do with that. It has nothing to do with that because it was simply a man going grocery shopping without any intention of getting into any sort of altercation at all. Ashlie: (06:45) He's just trying to get his groceries, but because he's an officer, they have to use that as the leading point in the media. And then his attorneys are doing the same thing as family. Of course they're suing and even though he was off duty. I know that there are other allegations being pulled in for the agency that he works for and it turns into this whole other matter. And I think it's unfortunate. Something that comes to mind as we're talking about this was one time when Clint and I went to a doctor's appointment and we're standing in line and out of nowhere, this gentleman behind us asks if Clint has a pistol in his pocket. Clint: (07:29) Actually it was…is that a p, p, pistol in your pocket? Ashlie: (07:35) Yeah, I think he was really uncomfortable when he noticed that. You know, you had the outline of a gun in your pocket and it was concealed. And I just remember you immediately telling him, yes, I do. I'm an off duty police officer. You put your hand over your pocket and you turned your body. You shifted immediately. And I just thought it was fascinating that somebody was even paying that close attention. You know, it's almost like you have to be looking for something like that because you know you have a million other things in your pocket that looks like a big wad of something. And immediately after, I remember thinking like, wow, is he going to like report us? Is security going to come up to us and try to say something? He was uncomfortable. We were uncomfortable. But that's just another part of the responsibility of carrying a weapon and off duty. Clint: (08:33) And that's something that over the years I have kind of neglected is maybe wearing the right sort of clothes to conceal it or even just secure it where it's not as visible. But I never figured anyone would notice it in my pocket. So in that, I started making adjustments and taking more precautions in reference to that cause it was eye opening because I don't want people to feel uncomfortable around it or to deal with the nonsense that could result with it. Ashlie: (09:13) And there are many times where it's so natural for you. It's like this natural extension for you having a gun all the time. It's a natural extension for me, you know, making sure that you have your gun all of the time. And we've, we've talked about that in great detail about how important it is for us to have the ability to protect ourselves if we need to. But in saying that, there have been many times where it's so natural that we go to a public event and we've been scrutinized so much by, not that there's anything wrong with minimum wage, but I'm just going to say these minimum wage employees that try to hold some authority over you because you're carrying a gun. Just recently we went to the fair, we were helping to do something at the fair. We already were in the fairgrounds Clint: (10:07) Like we could have already been inside but we wanted to do things the right way and actually pay for tickets and go through the process as everyone else says. We didn't want to just kind of backdoor the system. Ashlie: (10:19) Which we could have. We were helping with something on the backend and instead of just enjoying ourselves by going straight through, we exited and went all the way around to the front, stood in line, saw the sign, saw the metal detector. Then we pulled aside a security guard and asked what we needed to do. We explained you're an off duty police officer, you conceal your firearm. He told us to go to the main building to talk to somebody. We go there and it's these snotty girls…like imagine a fair is supposed to be a place of people enjoying themselves. And they were so like…they were very unhappy that they were there working on the weekend apparently. Clint: (11:02) And it was like everyone was trying to pass the buck cause they didn't want to deal with it at that time. And it just was, it was to the point that we're like, you know what, just give us our money back for our tickets and we'll leave. But we're like, well let's just try one more thing. Ashlie: (11:18) Ao pretty much they said, well it's up to the discretion of one security guard versus the other. So one security guard had no idea, told us again to go to the main office. We told them we already went to there. He didn't want to take responsibility for it. So we found two very nice ladies (also security guards), explained the situation again the same way we had. This is the third time now and they were understanding, let us straight through. We didn't even wait in line. Clint: (11:46) And it's kind of funny cause we could have probably walked in without tickets at that point too because those ladies were so helpful for us. Ashlie: (11:54) Exactly and we were just trying to do the right thing, but it just goes to show public perception, I believe of somebody carrying a firearm and being a first responder. But the way that I look at it is if any business is functioning with a public event, wouldn't they want more off duty officers? Like, the more the marry and not only if they were armed or not, but just for the sake of knowing that you have another extra person on your side when it comes to protection, looking out for things, you know everything that goes along with having a police presence because whether you're on duty or off duty, you still have an oath that you took that you stand by whether you're on the clock or not. Clint: (12:42) And that goes to show with a lot of these incidents that are going on around the world. If there were, there was less scrutiny surrounding officers carrying their firearms or there was more people carrying concealed weapons, you would have a lot less instances of what's going on or they wouldn't be as severe. Ashlie: (13:07) And then of course every liberal would argue the other side of that…That it's people like us that believe in owning your own firearm. You know that we're encouraging that type of just heinous behavior, which is just absurd. I just want to tell them like, do you hear yourself talking? And I believe it comes down to the fact that they've never experienced something like this personally, any of these mass shootings and rightfully so, like thank goodness, but it's not until you're faced with the reality of just how tragic life is and how twisted people are in their mindsets and you know, can we talk about this and you shared so many stories with me that just really opens my eyes to the understanding of like this world is really screwed up to some just some point, right? There is the bright side which we try to make more of as much as we can, but we still need to be cognizant of the fact that evil exists and by having the ability to protect yourself and whether you're an officer or a first responder and not understanding that it's important for them to be able to carry their firearms and to respect their space. Ashlie: (14:20) If you know that they are a first responder and that you know that the likelihood of them caring is very high when they're off duty, then just give them their space and know that they're there to protect you too. If need be and when you have a better understanding of the challenges that first responders face. Police officers especially, and you know that they never get to clock out. They carry that with them from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. Then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Balance. Optimize. Tactics.

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911, what’s the nature of your emergency? 

Ashlie: Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. I'm your host Ashlie Walton. 

Clint: And I’m your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie: In today's episode. We are going to talk about how the difference in mindset made all the world for Clint when he tested for detective and how it finally paid off. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. Now Clint, last week you finished the process for testing for detective and this was your third go at it. 

Clint: Yeah it was definitely a whole different experience and it has been for me any the other time that I tested for it. You know I actually had people after the fact tell me I can't believe how calm you were throughout the process. 

Ashlie: And as you listen Clint did finally make the list for a detective and I am so proud of him.

Clint: Thank you. 

Ashlie: And Clint for anybody who might be anticipating a process of promoting whether it's in law enforcement or not, can you just take us through a little bit about what happened to you that day and how different it was for the other two times that you've tried this. 

Clint: For me I really came to the realization actually just before that day of I’ve been doing the job of you know a detective and a corporal for some time. I mean for years I’ve been practicing for it, just by implementing it in my day today work. And when I came to that realization I recognized the fact of I already know the questions that they're going to ask me I already know the answers to them. In saying that I was not fed answers, I was not given the questions before the testing process. I just started practicing in my day to day routine of being on patrol or working in my special detail the job of being a detective. So going into the actual testing process I knew I was prepared for it. I didn't have to do crash study sessions and really try remembering and memorizing all the different aspects of what I needed to say or what I needed to do. I just needed to articulate what I’ve already been doing.

Ashlie: The thing that stands out for me that was so different this time around was that the other two times you were so caught up in the nuances of having to study this wide array of material and it took you days just to nail down like your introduction and then to tell yourself that you had to memorize it going in and for this process you specifically told me like I’m not even going to worry about memorizing anything. Like I’m just going to go in there. I mean you know the key points that I want to make sure that I that I say and that way if I do miss a beat when it comes to memorizing something, I don't find myself like word vomiting everything out. 

Clint: Yeah and that's exactly what I did every other time, I threw out all this nonsense that really had no relevance into it. You know memorization is great for some people, but it didn't work for me. Because I got caught up in my own head of if I said something out of place I just went down that rabbit hole of not being able to recite it like I had memorized. And a lot of it came from I would ask other people who were already promoted or you know for their advice, for their input. So I asked 20 different people their input on what I could do better to prepare myself and this time I asked maybe one and it wasn't, I didn't ask him how I could test better. I asked them what could I do to improve myself for the process and that question alone just opened up a world of self-empowerment and self and betterment.

Ashlie: The crazy thing for me is after finding out that you made the list I had asked you to reflect back on the other two times when you didn't make the list. Because our conversations during those times were like okay I didn't make the list because I’m not in the in crowd. Like they don't like me because I don't try to be like them and I don't try to kiss ass the way that a lot of other people do and making up all these excuses to really hum the fact that you just failed at it. And of course me being the wife and supporting you had some agreement with that. 

Clint: I pushed out the blame on the other people instead of owning it myself. And that was something that I definitely recognized in this time. 

Ashlie: And I had asked you. So looking back at those other two times like do you still believe that that was the case or do you truly feel that you just weren't prepared enough. 

Clint: For me it was I was prepared. I believe I truly was prepared, but I let my nerves get the best of me and I didn't have the mindset or the readiness to actually perform the job. 

Ashlie: What got you to that place of developing that mindset apart from just being on the streets and just acting the way that a detective does to sort of embody that? 

Clint: Along with the mentors that I’ve had over the years and really kind of just guiding myself down the route of being a field training officer and teaching the new officers how to be a safe effective police officers. That really shifted my complete mindset in seeing the impact that I can make within my department. When I had that mindset shift when I arrived on scene at kohl's I wasn't looking at it, let's just get this done and go on to the next one. It was more of let's fix this problem today and make it so we don't have to come back to provide that customer service to help the citizens out we're there to effectively save you from whatever may be going on in their lives. But while afterwards after we control that scene, going over with my trainee xyz, why did we do what we did.

Ashlie: You keep mentioning the role that being a field training officer is played in the process of you promoting. Can you talk about that a little bit.

Clint: As a field training officer we were responsible for the new officers. I mean just imagine you go in to a new job and no one you've had some kind of guidelines of what you're supposed to do. But no one's actually taught you how to be a cop and you have to look at so many different aspects around it. Whether it's liability whether it's criminal action, whether it's just the letter or spirit of the law. It's building those relationships with the community and with your brotherhood and sisterhood that you work with. 

Ashlie: I think it's important that you touched on that because I believe no matter what profession it is that you're in. Whether you're looking to get a new job or you're looking to advance in your career, having that guidance and those mentors and to be able to embrace those roles of leadership and those people in those leadership positions even though a lot of people maybe have defiance towards them, which I’ve seen a lot of. That's really the only way for you to grow is to start to be humble and to really step back and get over yourself a little bit. And it's my belief that that comes with a lot of maturity. And as your wife I can say that I’ve definitely seen that growth in your maturity level as it pertains to you being a police officer and having those types of relationships and the way that you really consider those authority figures to be vital in your own advancement.

Absolutely. That is so key in everything going through this process. And apart from knowing already recognizing the fact that I know the answers to the questions, but also being able to get into a place within my own body and my own mental state to where I’m not overanalyzing, overthinking every instance and bringing myself back down to where I actually had a sergeant after the fact call me and say you're a breath of fresh air in our interview because you were just so calm. 

Ashlie: A lot of that comes from just being comfortable with yourself I think. In this past year I’ve really seen how comfortable both of us have become with who we are. That's a lot us to grow in ways we never would have even considered possible before this new journey of self-development that we've taken. The formal education, you know lots of money and time and tears have been spent on that. But if you could give anybody any advice maybe as they envision advancing in law enforcement or even if they're not in a law enforcement career, what would that advice be for them? 

Clint: Prepare yourself not just before the test, but prepare throughout your whole career for the advancement that you want and meditate. Practice presencing and just listen to people who know how to guide you. Let your ego go and listen. 

Ashlie: I think that's great advice. We talk about that inner chatter a lot when it comes to coaching our own clients and how I would say 99% of the time what's holding us back is just ourselves and for you I know without any doubt that you're getting over yourself was what allowed you to proceed in this process and then finally make the list for detective after you know this is your third go around. And that's not to belittle you. I truly feel looking back now that mentally you just weren't prepared. Not that you weren't prepared with the tactics that were involved. Not that you didn't know the material or how to be a detective, but I don't believe in looking back that you were mentally prepared and confident enough in yourself to be able to execute it.

Clint: Absolutely not. 

Ashlie: And in moving forward as you listen if there is any place in your own life where you can maybe identify that you've held yourself back, what does that inner chatter saying to you? Is there self-doubt that criticizes you? Do you hear someone else's voice telling you all the reasons why you can't move forward? Do you still feel like someone younger than you really are? I would challenge you to consider the fact that those thoughts don't control you. You are allowed to be the CEO of your own mind. It takes a lot of practice, takes a lot of guidance and of course mentorship. But when you finally have the ability to step aside from that inner chatter and realize that you’re self-sabotaging yourself by the negative connotations that are constantly being streamed into your mind, there's a way to replace that with positivity. A lot of it has to do with faking it till you make it. There is the hero's pose where you put your hands on your hips and you pump your chest out and you really just embody that feeling of greatness. You can google many ways to put yourself in that mindset. But the thing is that you have to make the choice to do that. And by choosing to do that and then adopting one technique after another, it's impossible to go back to the way it was before. And when you're able to own your greatness and you know that you're capable of an endless amount of possibilities in this world, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Balance. Optimize. Tactics. 

Hit that subscribe button so that you don’t miss a day of the added value that I am dedicated to sharing with you weekly. 

Let’s Connect! 

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Website: www.leowarriors.com

911, what's the nature of your emergency?

Ashlie: Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. I'm your host Ashlie Walton.

Clint: And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie: In today's episode. We are going to talk about how the difference in mindset made all the world for Clint when he tested for detective and how it finally paid off. So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. Now Clint, last week you finished the process for testing for detective and this was your third go at it.

Clint: Yeah it was definitely a whole different experience and it has been for me any the other time that I tested for it. You know I actually had people after the fact tell me I can't believe how calm you were throughout the process.

Ashlie: And as you listen Clint did finally make the list for a detective and I am so proud of him.

Clint: Thank you.

Ashlie: And Clint for anybody who might be anticipating a process of promoting whether it's in law enforcement or not, can you just take us through a little bit about what happened to you that day and how different it was for the other two times that you've tried this.

Clint: For me I really came to the realization actually just before that day of I've been doing the job of you know a detective and a corporal for some time. I mean for years I've been practicing for it, just by implementing it in my day today work. And when I came to that realization I recognized the fact of I already know the questions that they're going to ask me I already know the answers to them. In saying that I was not fed answers, I was not given the questions before the testing process. I just started practicing in my day to day routine of being on patrol or working in my special detail the job of being a detective. So going into the actual testing process I knew I was prepared for it. I didn't have to do crash study sessions and really try remembering and memorizing all the different aspects of what I needed to say or what I needed to do. I just needed to articulate what I've already been doing.

Ashlie: The thing that stands out for me that was so different this time around was that the other two times you were so caught up in the nuances of having to study this wide array of material and it took you days just to nail down like your introduction and then to tell yourself that you had to memorize it going in and for this process you specifically told me like I'm not even going to worry about memorizing anything. Like I'm just going to go in there. I mean you know the key points that I want to make sure that I that I say and that way if I do miss a beat when it comes to memorizing something, I don't find myself like word vomiting everything out.

Clint: Yeah and that's exactly what I did every other time, I threw out all this nonsense that really had no relevance into it. You know memorization is great for some people, but it didn't work for me. Because I got caught up in my own head of if I said something out of place I just went down that rabbit hole of not being able to recite it like I had memorized. And a lot of it came from I would ask other people who were already promoted or you know for their advice, for their input. So I asked 20 different people their input on what I could do better to prepare myself and this time I asked maybe one and it wasn't, I didn't ask him how I could test better. I asked them what could I do to improve myself for the process and that question alone just opened up a world of self-empowerment and self and betterment.

Ashlie: The crazy thing for me is after finding out that you made the list I had asked you to reflect back on the other two times when you didn't make the list. Because our conversations during those times were like okay I didn't make the list because I'm not in the in crowd. Like they don't like me because I don't try to be like them and I don't try to kiss ass the way that a lot of other people do and making up all these excuses to really hum the fact that you just failed at it. And of course me being the wife and supporting you had some agreement with that.

Clint: I pushed out the blame on the other people instead of owning it myself. And that was something that I definitely recognized in this time.

Ashlie: And I had asked you. So looking back at those other two times like do you still believe that that was the case or do you truly feel that you just weren't prepared enough.

Clint: For me it was I was prepared. I believe I truly was prepared, but I let my nerves get the best of me and I didn't have the mindset or the readiness to actually perform the job.

Ashlie: What got you to that place of developing that mindset apart from just being on the streets and just acting the way that a detective does to sort of embody that?

Clint: Along with the mentors that I've had over the years and really kind of just guiding myself down the route of being a field training officer and teaching the new officers how to be a safe effective police officers. That really shifted my complete mindset in seeing the impact that I can make within my department. When I had that mindset shift when I arrived on scene at kohl's I wasn't looking at it, let's just get this done and go on to the next one. It was more of let's fix this problem today and make it so we don't have to come back to provide that customer service to help the citizens out we're there to effectively save you from whatever may be going on in their lives. But while afterwards after we control that scene, going over with my trainee xyz, why did we do what we did.

Ashlie: You keep mentioning the role that being a field training officer is played in the process of you promoting. Can you talk about that a little bit.

Clint: As a field training officer we were responsible for the new officers. I mean just imagine you go in to a new job and no one you've had some kind of guidelines of what you're supposed to do. But no one's actually taught you how to be a cop and you have to look at so many different aspects around it. Whether it's liability whether it's criminal action, whether it's just the letter or spirit of the law. It's building those relationships with the community and with your brotherhood and sisterhood that you work with.

Ashlie: I think it's important that you touched on that because I believe no matter what profession it is that you're in. Whether you're looking to get a new job or you're looking to advance in your career, having that guidance and those mentors and to be able to embrace those roles of leadership and those people in those leadership positions even though a lot of people maybe have defiance towards them, which I've seen a lot of. That's really the only way for you to grow is to start to be humble and to really step back and get over yourself a little bit. And it's my belief that that comes with a lot of maturity. And as your wife I can say that I've definitely seen that growth in your maturity level as it pertains to you being a police officer and having those types of relationships and the way that you really consider those authority figures to be vital in your own advancement.

Absolutely. That is so key in everything going through this process. And apart from knowing already recognizing the fact that I know the answers to the questions, but also being able to get into a place within my own body and my own mental state to where I'm not overanalyzing, overthinking every instance and bringing myself back down to where I actually had a sergeant after the fact call me and say you're a breath of fresh air in our interview because you were just so calm.

Ashlie: A lot of that comes from just being comfortable with yourself I think. In this past year I've really seen how comfortable both of us have become with who we are. That's a lot us to grow in ways we never would have even considered possible before this new journey of self-development that we've taken. The formal education, you know lots of money and time and tears have been spent on that. But if you could give anybody any advice maybe as they envision advancing in law enforcement or even if they're not in a law enforcement career, what would that advice be for them?

Clint: Prepare yourself not just before the test, but prepare throughout your whole career for the advancement that you want and meditate. Practice presencing and just listen to people who know how to guide you. Let your ego go and listen.

Ashlie: I think that's great advice. We talk about that inner chatter a lot when it comes to coaching our own clients and how I would say 99% of the time what's holding us back is just ourselves and for you I know without any doubt that you're getting over yourself was what allowed you to proceed in this process and then finally make the list for detective after you know this is your third go around. And that's not to belittle you. I truly feel looking back now that mentally you just weren't prepared. Not that you weren't prepared with the tactics that were involved. Not that you didn't know the material or how to be a detective, but I don't believe in looking back that you were mentally prepared and confident enough in yourself to be able to execute it.

Clint: Absolutely not.

Ashlie: And in moving forward as you listen if there is any place in your own life where you can maybe identify that you've held yourself back, what does that inner chatter saying to you? Is there self-doubt that criticizes you? Do you hear someone else's voice telling you all the reasons why you can't move forward? Do you still feel like someone younger than you really are? I would challenge you to consider the fact that those thoughts don't control you. You are allowed to be the CEO of your own mind. It takes a lot of practice, takes a lot of guidance and of course mentorship. But when you finally have the ability to step aside from that inner chatter and realize that you're self-sabotaging yourself by the negative connotations that are constantly being streamed into your mind, there's a way to replace that with positivity. A lot of it has to do with faking it till you make it. There is the hero's pose where you put your hands on your hips and you pump your chest out and you really just embody that feeling of greatness. You can google many ways to put yourself in that mindset. But the thing is that you have to make the choice to do that. And by choosing to do that and then adopting one technique after another, it's impossible to go back to the way it was before. And when you're able to own your greatness and you know that you're capable of an endless amount of possibilities in this world, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Balance. Optimize. Tactics.

Hit that subscribe button so that you don't miss a day of the added value that I am dedicated to sharing with you weekly.

Let's Connect!

Facebook

Instagram

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn

Website: www.leowarriors.com

Ashlie: (00:18)
Welcome back to another episode of Tactical Living by LEO Warriors. I'm your host, Ashlie Walton

Clint:

And I'm your co-host Clint Walton.

Ashlie:

In today's episode, we're going to dive in to part three of our PTSD and suicide awareness as we continue down this week of suicide awareness week, and for today we're going to dive into mostly detection and treatment.

Ashlie: (00:44)
So just sit back, relax and enjoy today's content. We're going to continue reading from an article that I found on safe.org and one thing that they point out is the different ways that PTSD is detected. Of course, they go on to discuss that a medical doctor, mental health professional, social worker, psychologist, or any other type of psychotherapists are the ones that are going to be able to quote unquote diagnose you with having PTSD. And we know from many things we've talked about in the past that there are so many people that will go undiagnosed

Ashlie: (01:24)
Because they don't want to seek that professional help. They would don't want to have that negative label placed on them to be diagnosed. A person must have all of the following symptoms for at least one month. This says that they have to have at least one re-experiencing symptom.

Ashlie: (01:46)
At least three avoidance of symptoms. At least two hyperarousal symptoms. And symptoms that interfere with daily life such as going to school or work being with friends or taking care of important tasks. I think it's important to point out that if you think you have PTSD or if you are now thinking that you might have symptoms that are attributed to a traumatic situation that you've experienced in the past. This isn't an all for one

Ashlie: (02:22)
I think for most people, if they were to sit with a different medical professional, they're guidelines would be a little bit different. There's a lot of different ways that PTSD is treated. A lot of times patients that have PTSD will go to different cognitive behavioral therapists. They'll use medications or they'll do both. The different types of cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure therapy.

Ashlie: (02:52)
And save.org goes on to explain that this type of therapy helps people to face and control their fears. It exposes them to trauma that they experienced in a safe way. It uses mental imagery writing or it allows them to visit the place where the event happened. Sometimes the therapist will use tools to help people with PTSD cope with their feelings. Another treatment is cognitive restructuring. This therapy helps people make sense of their bad memories. Sometimes people remember the event differently than how it really happened. They might feel guilt or shame about what's not their fault. The therapist often helps people with PTSD to look at what happened in a more realistic way. Stress inoculation therapy is a type of therapy that reduces the symptoms of PTSD by teaching a person how to reduce the anxiety, like cognitive restructuring. This treatment helps people look at their memories in a healthy way and as you sit there, a lot of this might sound like woo therapy and I get it. I get it because that's a part of the avoidance. That's a part of what we're trained to avoid. What we're trying to think is not okay.

Ashlie: (04:20)
What we're molded to believe makes us less than, and I think that's so far from the truth. And Clint, you've shared a lot of details with me about your grandpa and what he experienced in the war and how having some of these outlets might've made all the difference in the world for him and your family.

Clint: (04:45)
Yeah, I remember growing up and hearing stories of how cranky my grandpa was and just knowing him throughout my life, I, I've seen it. I've seen his reactions towards things he’s seen, how he's handled situations and, and until he found a point in his own life where he was able to handle it within himself, I think he suffered from severe PTSD from the Korean War. A little background on my grandpa, he was a Sergeant in the Marines in the Korean War. He served at the Chosen Rreservoir and that alone was taxing on anybody.

Ashlie: (05:35)
They called them the Frozen Chosen.

Clint: (05:37)
Yeah. They're the whole, if you're not familiar with the Korean War and, and the, the Chosen Reservoir, it's it. There was a battle that lasted for months in the middle of winter against the North Koreans along with the Chinese. The Chinese fought that for the many years, saying that they were not in the war, but eventually they came out and said that they were there. But during this, the, the group of soldiers that were surrounded by the North Koreans and Chinese, we're stuck in frigid temperatures of below zero at night and a little above zero at daytime consistently without any new food or clothing or weapons being replenished to them because they were completely surrounded and they did this for months and it kind of just took a toll. And on my grandpa's specifically, as I got older and, and anyone who knows me knows that I'm a war buff. I love learning about Mexican history wars. I started to talk to him about his time at the Chosen Reservoir and every time we'd start talking about it, he would just start saying, oh, it's so cold. And I can literally see him folding his arms across his chest and row, rubbing his arms together like he was in that situation. Again, when it got to that point, when he would just keep repeating, it's so cold, it's so cold and rubbing himself. I would, I would stop asking him any questions and I would kind of change the subject, but I could see even in his older age, I want to say at the time it was in his eighties he still had unresolved issues sitting around that, I want to say one and two soldiers walked away from the chosen reservoir with frostbite, if not, if they even walked away at all.

Clint: (08:10)
And just knowing that I wish I would've known more of the history growing up, but I heard stories of him out mowing the front yard and kids driving by with cap guns. This is of course back in the sixties and seventies so it was when my dad was young and he would react. He would push a lawnmower to aside and jumped behind the Bush and my dad would see him do that and he would just completely freak out. So my grandpa turned to alcohol. He drank for many years trying to numb the pain. None of those because that's not something that he was supposed to talk about. It's not something that he was supposed to share or seek help for. It was something that he was a man, so he just had to rub some dirt on it and get on with his life. Luckily he found his own coping methods as he got older and he was able to live with those traumatic experiences throughout the rest of his life, even though in certain instances you could tell it was brought up for him. That's just one of many signs that my grandpa experience just based off of his combat experience in the Korean War and there's so many veterans going back from World War II to Korean War to Vietnam, to the Iraq war, to the war on terror in Afghanistan to what we're still fighting now.

Clint: (09:59)
These guys are taught just to rub dirt on it and push through. It has gotten better. But that whole concept of just push through, that's what you're getting paid to do. That's what you signed up for.

Clint: (10:16)
That stigma is still there and that stigma needs to break because that's only us holding onto her own egos of what that story is.

Ashlie: (10:28)
I'm really glad that you said that we need to let go of that ego because we had this association with these men and women in uniform, be it a first responder, be at a military member, but we never give credit to what's inside.

Ashlie: (10:48)
And a lot of times there are some hollow pieces that need to be filled back up. It's like they get stolen from you and its okay and important to recognize those hollow pieces. And the reason I say this is because save.org has this huge list of, it's a checklist of different problems or symptoms that people with PTSD might exhibit. And I'm going to post it in the show notes. I think it's important to know that if you do experience these symptoms, especially if they're ongoing, that it's okay for you to reach out and maybe schedule an appointment with a professional. Yes, it's okay to say you're making an appointment with a professional. That's a part of getting over that ego. If you feel like there's something inside that's missing or anything that's preventing you from living your life to your fullest capabilities, you're doing the world a disservice by not allowing everybody to experience who you truly are. And most importantly, you're doing yourself a disservice by not allowing yourself to live the life that you deserve. And I believe that everybody deserves to live their life to the maximum capacity. That's the whole point.

Ashlie: (12:10)
And when you understand that and you know that you're worth it and you deserve it, and if that first step for you means reaching out to Clint or myself, please do.

Clint: (12:23)
Yeah.

Ashlie: (12:23)
And as you sit there, know that if you don't feel like you have anyone in your corner, you do. We are in your corner. And if you have nobody who can wrap their arms around you, know that we're giving you the biggest hug from our studio, straight to you, wherever you're listening to this. And if you feel like you don't have that love in your life know that you have brothers and sisters who are surrounding you that you just might not have met yet. And we love you. You are loved. And when you know that you're not alone, and you do have someone, even if that someone is a simple voice coming to you through your speakers, then you're really able to enjoy your Tactical Living.

Resource: www.save.org

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