GRP 169-What War Did to Us Ukraine: My Conversation with Marine Corps Veteran Nick Laidlaw

You can access the full episode on Apple Podcast (Apple users), or Spotify, and Anchor (Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you. 

Joining me for this week's podcast is Marine Corps veteran Nick Laidlaw. Laidlaw spent seven years in the Marine Corps as an 0311 Rifleman and Security Forces Marine. He wrote the book "What War Did To Us: Ukraine." Providing first-hand accounts of all aspects of the conflict in the first 150 days of the war. Nick runs the popular Instagram account Battles. and.Beers, where he posts photos and videos of war stories from civilian and soldier perspectives. We discussed talking with veterans from both sides of a war, including Ukraine and Russian soldiers, plus much more. Tune in. 

Here is a short story told on the podcast by Laidlaw. It is of Anton Kryll, a Ukrainian soldier who fought at Mariupol's besieged Azovstal steel plant. They were surrounded, entirely out of food and water, and medicine.

" Anton, what do you want to do when the war is over?" He replied, "Here in short, we are always relying on each other. We are in history now, and we have done everything possible and impossible. After we are pulled out of here, I will immediately marry my girlfriend, and everything will be Ukraine. " Anton Kryll was killed the next day on May 14th, 2022.

Main Takeaways

• Stories from Battles and Beers 

• Making it a point to speak with all sides of a conflict

• Being contacted by a member of the Taliban and having an honest discussion 

• Talking with Russians fighting in Ukraine

• Documenting the heroism displayed by Ukrainian forces at the besieged Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol 

This episode is sponsored by 4 Patriots, a survival food company. You can visit www.4patriots.com and use the code RECON for 10% off

Follow Nick Laidlaw on Instagram: Battles.and.beers

Check out his book here: What War Did To Us Ukraine

Connect With John Hendricks

www.globalrecon.net

www.instagram.com/igrecon 

Music provided by Caspian:

www.caspian.band

GRP 110-And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free:CIA Case Officer Duane Evans

Click the buttons below to access the full episode on ITunes(Apple users), or Soundcloud(Android users). Be sure to like, share, subscribe, and download the episodes. Thank you.

GRP 110-The author of Foxtrot in Kandahar former Special Forces Officer and veteran CIA Case Officer Duane Evans joins me for this podcast. Duane began his career as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army and serving in 7th Special Forces Group. Evans joined the CIA where he worked for almost two decades before the September 11th attacks.

Duane did everything he could to get on a team that was heading into Afghanistan alongside Army Special Forces Green Berets to spearhead the effort in destroying Al-Queda and their leadership. He became the lead officer for a CIA paramilitary team callsign Foxtrot. They were the first Americans to enter Kandahar, and played a very important role during the beginning of the war. Duane shares his eperiences of his time there including a story of when his team captured Osama Bin Laden’s bodyguard and driver Salem Hamdan

Duane Evans book Foxtrot in Kandahar is available everywhere books are sold. Check out the link below:
https://www.amazon.com/Foxtrot-Kandahar-Afghanistan-Inception-Americas-ebook/dp/B074P4DKZ1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520477777&sr=8-1&keywords=foxtrot+in+kandahar

0:00-Intro

3:27-Military Intelligence officer. 82nd Airborne, 7th Special Forces Group

5:54-CIA Case Officer. Insertion into Afghanistan in 2001

19:34-ODA 574. Mullah Omar 

30:38-The capturing of Osama Bin Laden’s bodyguard and driver Salem Hamdan

This episode is sponsored by my friends over at Biowave. BioWave is the non-opioid way to block chronic or acute pain at the push of a button.

VA recognized, VA prescribed, FDA cleared and made in America, BioWave is used by over

30 VA’s and even professional sports teams.

If you are a veteran or active military that needs help managing pain, visit BioWave.com and

learn how to get treatment at no cost.

www.BioWave.com

Follow my co-host and my pages on social media. Links below.

Global Recon:

www.Globalrecon.net

https://www.instagram.com/igrecon

https://www.instagram.com/blackopsmatter

www.twitter.com/igrecon

https://www.facebook.com/GlobalReconPodcast/

HP Lefler:

https://www.instagram.com/4runner.freyja

Chantel Taylor:

https://www.instagram.com/mission_critical

https://www.instagram.com/altern8rv

Music provided by Caspian:

www.caspianmusic.net

GRP 24-Special Forces Team Under Fire, RIP Navy SEAL Charlie Keating IV, Warrior Mindset

GRP 24- The U.S. service member killed near Irbil, Iraq, by ISIS gunfire was a Navy SEAL. The Associated Press later identified the casualty as Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) 1st Class Charlie Keating IV. From all of us at Global Recon, and Field Craft we want to extend our condolences to the Keating family during this difficult time. Fair winds, and Following Sea’s  

Below is an excerpt from the episode from Special Forces operator Chuck Ritter:

“In the video you see me coming around the corner shot. So basically we under estimated the enemy force present in the area. Our partners were the Afghan Commando’s, and we had very few Americans on the ground.  We came in at night, and it was clear all night. Then in the morning right when the sun came up the enemy actually closed to within 5 to 10 meters of our battle positions, and started throwing hand grenade’s over the wall, and were really lighting us up.

So we were going out trying to push these guys back off our perimeter. The fact that the terrain was very maze like allowed them the freedom of maneuverability to move on us. Aerial imagery, and everything else didn’t paint the right picture on the ground. An overhead drone spotted an ambush, and the operator was telling us that there was an enemy ambush set up a couple hundred meters away. We were trying to flank that ambush, but in reality the ambush was right there. We turned the corner, an Afghan Commando got shot took a round to the leg, and it blew off some fingers. A good majority of the rest of the Afghan Commando’s ran away.

It was me, my medic, and EOD guy. All of the fast movers moved off station, so the only thing I had overhead was Apache’s. So I started working fire to provide cover for this casualty.” If you have any questions about anything you heard on the podcast send an email to Podcast@globalrecon.net

John Hendricks website: www.globalrecon.net

John Hendricks Facebook: FB Recon

John Hendricks Instagram Accounts: IgRecon, GlobalRecon_INC

John Hendricks Twitter: IgRecon

Music provided by Caspian: www.caspianmusic.net

Click the buttons below to access the episode: