In Episode 29 of the Shawn Johnson Podcast, we dive deep into one of the most harrowing and controversial chapters of the Iraq War: the Nisour Square incident of September 16, 2007. Joining Shawn is Paul Slough, a decorated U.S. Army veteran and former Blackwater contractor with Raven 23, the tactical support team at the epicenter of the chaos.Picture this: A sweltering afternoon in Baghdad's bustling Nisour Square. Paul's team—four heavily armed contractors in armored SUVs—is escorting a U.S. State Department convoy through a volatile intersection teeming with civilians. What starts as a routine patrol erupts into pandemonium. Incoming fire pings off their vehicles; RPGs and AK-47 rounds crack the air. Believing they're under coordinated ambush by insurgents— a constant threat in the insurgency-riddled Green Zone—Raven 23 responds with suppressive fire to neutralize the threat and protect American diplomats.In the fog of war, 17 Iraqi civilians lose their lives, and more are wounded. The world erupts in outrage, branding it the "Nisour Square Massacre." Blackwater, the private security firm hired by the U.S. government to fill deadly gaps left by stretched-thin troops, becomes a lightning rod for anti-war fury. Paul and his teammates—Nicholas Slatten, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard—are hailed as heroes by some for surviving hellish deployments, yet vilified as trigger-happy mercenaries by others.Fast-forward to a U.S. courtroom: Despite video evidence showing vehicles burning and gunfire exchanges, the contractors face a politically charged trial under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act. Paul, who served honorably in the Army's 82nd Airborne before joining Blackwater to support his family, is convicted of voluntary manslaughter and weapons charges in 2014. He's sentenced to life plus decades, torn from his wife and young children, his reputation shredded. "We followed our rules of engagement to the letter," Paul recounts. "We saved lives that day—ours and the diplomats'. But the government hung us out to dry to appease Iraq and dodge accountability for outsourcing the war's dirtiest jobs."Imprisoned for years in federal hellholes, Paul endures isolation, media smears, and a justice system that ignored exculpatory evidence like suppressed Iraqi witness testimonies and ballistics proving return fire. It's a stark betrayal: The same government that deployed them into the meat grinder of Iraq now prosecutes them as sacrificial lambs, shielding politicians from the war's moral quagmire.Then, in a stunning twist, President Trump pardons the Raven 23 in December 2020, citing "gross injustice." Freedom comes, but scars linger—lost careers, fractured families, and a nation divided on private warriors' roles.On this raw, unfiltered episode, Paul opens up like never before. He relives the split-second decisions amid bullets and blasts, the courtroom kangaroo court that weaponized grief against them, and the relentless fight to reclaim their names. "We weren't cowboys," he says. "We were patriots doing America's bidding in a war without end." This isn't just a war story—it's a gut-punch indictment of how America treats its shadows. Tune in for Paul's unvarnished truth, a testament to resilience, and a call to question who really pays for our endless conflicts. Episode 29 drops now—don't miss it. Shawn Johnson & Co. is independent and supported by:Grizzly Coolers: Get 15% off of Grizzly Cooler products with promo code SHAWN at www.grizzlycoolers.comMasterPeace: Get 11% off of High-Grade Zeolite with the code SHAWN at www.masterpeace.healthStopBox: https://stopboxusa.comWays2Well: Get 10% off Ways2Well supplements with the code SHAWNJ at https://shop.ways2well.com/?ref=shawnjFollow Shawn Johnson & Co. on:X: https://x.com/shawnbjohnson Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/shawnbjohnsonofficial/Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3olSL90pkMS1IwaTugOACoRumble:https://rumble.com/c/c-7818264
