Combat Flags, Combat Stories, USMC Veteran, Green Beret 18 Charlie, RIP SSG Adam Thomas

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GRP 48- Rest in Peace to Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Adam S. Thomas, 31, was killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot during an operation against the Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan, defense officials said. I'd like to have everyone send prayers and positive energy to retired Special Missions Unit Major, and author of "Kill Bin Laden" Dalton Fury. The Major is battling through a tough situation and we want him and his family to know that we support him.

Back on the podcast is Dan, the owner of Combat Flags. James a Marine Corps Combat Veteran of Iraq, and Mike a Special Forces Green Beret and veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq. We discuss Combat Flags, the careers of James, and Mike during and post-military. Mike works for an organization that fights child sexual exploitation, and James is a full-time Firefighter. We talk combat, PTSD, military specialties, and helping war fighters when they come home. Below is an excerpt from the episode.

John: James can you talk about your experiences in the United States Marine Corps?

James: My friend John and myself joined the Infantry. My friend Alex joined the Combat Engineers. Josh joined Intel. We all got deployed to different units. While I was in training down at 29 Palms I got a Red Cross message and my friend John was killed in action in January 2005 in Iraq. He was in the battle of Fallujah. I was able to get home for his funeral. We deployed to Iraq. Our op tempo was through the roof. Running patrols in and around Haditha Dam. We Ran patrols near the Syrian border. 

We got called for a High-Value Target. Hit the house and didn't find a thing. The Mosque gave a call for prayer. The hair stood on the back of our necks. Something wasn't right. A round hit right between me and my buddy. We were on the outer cordon team. Headed back to our trucks. Saw a flash to my right and an RPG landed about a foot from where I was standing. I finally came to. I see tracers flying everywhere. I ran behind this pile of rocks. I realized that things didn't feel right. Had a hot piece of metal in my mouth, and I couldn't talk. Tried calling for help. I put my gun up scanning for targets. Our Corpsman ran 100 yards over open grounds to get to me. I tried to get up and when I got up they shot me right in my knee.

Combat Flags:

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Instagram:Combat_Flags

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GRP 47-Stu Pearson, Kajaki, Green Berets, Arsenal Democracy

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GRP 47-Co hosting for this episode is retired Army veteran, Nick Betts. I interviewed Stu Pearson a retired British Army soldier who served for 20 years with 3 Para. The Parachute Regiment is an elite British Infantry Battalion that has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. Stu was on a rotation to Southern Afghanistan and was tasked with protecting the Kajaki Dam which provided power to a large number of people in the region.  

A Para sniper saw enemy activity that was out of effective targeting range so they planned to move to a concealed position closer to the enemy. En route to this position the sniper who was leading the movement stepped on a landmine. They'd walked right into a minefield. The Para's quickly stabilized him. They'd chosen flat ground not far so the MEDEVAC helicopter could extract the Para Trooper. While clearing the path Stu Pearson stepped on a landmine.  Seven men were seriously wounded at Kajaki. Three of them lost legs, while Corporal Mark Wright, of the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, suffered fatal wounds. The 27-year-old died after displaying bravery so ferocious that he would be posthumously awarded the highest of honors, the George Cross. Three of his comrades were also decorated for gallantry.

We had a conversation with retired U.S Army Special Forces veteran David Pavlick.  Pavlick is the CEO of Arsenal Democracy which specializes in Aerospace/Defense Research and Development. He served in Special Forces for 12 years with multiple deployments. Below is an excerpt from our conversation.

David: Myself and a teammate wanted to conduct a 3-day sniper recce operation to overlook a pass and catch guys planting IEDs. We knew that it was going to take too long for approval or get shut down. I submitted a plan for a STANO. The nature of high-ranking officers is to never act like you don't know something.  STANO stands for Surveillance and Target acquisitions, Night Operations. I knew most of those guys didn't know that. We probably did like 3, or 4 before they caught on.  Sometimes you have to be unconventional in dealing with some of your own Command. It's not breaking the rules. We submitted the paperwork and got approved. That's what SF guys and unconventional guys do. Use your brain. It's your 3-pound weapon.

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David Pavlick: https://www.arsenaldemocracy.us

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Nick Betts: https://www.kruptostrategic.com

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GRP 46-Leo Jenkins, Special Ops Medicine, Team 5 Foundation, RIP FDNY Battalion Chief Michael J. Fahy.

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GRP 46-First and foremost I want to send my deepest condolence's to the family of FDNY Battalion Chief Michael J. Fahy who was killed in the Bronx, New York today. Chief Fahy died responding to a reported gas leak from a house which subsequently exploded killing the Battalion Chief and wounding several others. He served for 17 years and was considered to be a rising star within the Fire Department. At the end of the episode, I added some audio as a small tribute.

On for this episode is retired 3/75 Army Ranger Medic, and author Leo Jenkins. Leo served with Ranger Battalion for several deployments and played a role in the rescue and recovery effort of the fallen SEALs from the ill-fated Operation Red Wings. We discuss Leo's current lifestyle as a modern day nomad who travels from country to country mixing it up with the locals. It's a lifestyle and way of thinking Leo's embraced that really helped him deal with his post-military struggles. We discuss his involvement with a unique organization called The Team 5 Foundation which deploys to high-risk locations globally teaching medicine and treating the local population. Leo recently deployed with Team 5 and we discuss what that was like.  Below is an excerpt from the episode.

John: One of the pictures you took, to me was an iconic image showing Rangers taking IV fluid in a rush to find the missing SEALs from Operation Red Wings.  You guys were on your movement moving through harsh terrain in very hot weather.

Leo Jennings: I think I started lines on five, or six of our guys during those four days. These aren't guys coming off the couch. These are guys who maintain a very high level of fitness. Dudes were taking IV's but quitting was not an option. Guys really sucked it up because they knew that fellow U.S service members were out there in harm's way. Even if it was to recover their bodies those guys from those units will walk until their feet are bloody nubs. Let's keep this going until all of these Americans are recovered. Never shall I leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy. That's the most important thing. If you're a little bit hot or tired you suck that up and drive on.

Send questions or comments to podcast@globalrecon.net

Leo Jenkins books can be found on amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/leo-jenkins/e/B00Q5VIQ68/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1475021807&sr=1-2-ent

Search Leo on Instagram @leo_Jenkins

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GRP 45-SF Medic, Traumatic Brain Injury, President George W Bush Military Service Initiative

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GRP 45-My guest on for this episode is retired Green Beret Medic Sergeant First Class Michael Rodriguez. Michael spent 21 years in the US Army with his first deployment to Somalia with the 10th Mountain Division, to his last deployment to Afghanistan with the 7th Special Forces Group. We discuss Special Operations medicine, the advances in technology as a result of war. First Sergeant Rodriguez was medically retired due to sustaining several TBI's (Traumatic Brain Injury) from IEDs.

He sits on President George W. Bush's Military Service Initiative Advisory Council which engages in a wide range of activities that support veterans. Last but not least he's the Chief Ambassador at the Green Beret Foundation. Below is an excerpt from the episode:

John: Now for the Special Operations medical course the individuals going through are Rangers, SEALs, or Green Berets it's a course that all SOF attends. Was it like that during those days?

Sergeant First Class Rodriguez: It was. The way it was when I went through it was two courses. Special Operations Combat Medic(SOCM), and then Special Forces Medical Sergeants Course(SFMS). We had PJ's , Ranger Medics, and SEALs go through SOCM. The only people who went on through SFMS the more advanced stuff were 18 Delta's Green Beret Medic's or they would send back seasoned SEALs the IDC's (Independent Duty Corpsman) those guys were seasoned veterans going through that portion. Now it's a bit different but there's still somewhat of a distinction for the 18 Delta's.

John: You are medically retired with several injuries throughout your career. You've had TBI's and you're very vocal and open about it. That's a good thing.

Sergeant First Class Rodriguez: I was fortunate that every time I got blown up, or whatever it was that rang my bell that day I kept all my pieces. Me being an 18 Delta I recognized what was going on. Conducting combat operations on my last rotation I received three TBI's. I knew what was going on but I didn't say anything. I knew I was jacked up , I knew there were issues. My life changed on that deployment. A couple guys saw with this IED, in particular, they asked me if I was ok, and I responded with "I'm fucking fine". Brain injuries are a cumulative effect. Every time you get concussed your brain releases a protein called a Tau protein that's very corrosive.

Sergeant First Class Michael Rodriguez:

Email-Michael@greenberetfoundation.org

www.greenberetfoundation.org

www.bushcenter.org

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9/11’s Fifteen Year Anniversary, Major Rusty Bradley, Counterinsurgency

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 GRP 44- In Reflecting on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks it led me to think about what level of progress has been made in this Global War on Terror. Are we safer than we were 15 years ago? Are we any closer to defeating this ideology shared by many that are doctrinally hell bent on setting the world on fire?

Back on the podcast is retired Special Forces Major and Author of the best-selling book "Lions of Kandahar" Rusty Bradley. The Major served for 21 years and was medically retired for wounds received in combat. Major Bradley is one of only 40 service members in US history to receive the Medal of Valor from the Canadian Prime Minister. Below is an excerpt from the episode.

John Hendricks: I recently read a book called Hammer Head Six, about a Special Forces ODA who went into Afghanistan early in the war. They set up what is known as a Special Forces A-Camp. Can you give the audience some background on what an A-Camp is?

Major Rusty Bradley: The term A-Camp comes from the US Special Forces teams in Vietnam. The A-camp is essentially a self-supported, self-supplied base with which Special Forces have the ability to conduct operations by with and through the indigenous people. Doctrinally they're supposed to have all of their own assigned capabilities. Indirect fire, helicopter support lift assets. Indigenous units. If you imagine what is now understood by a lot of people as a Forward Operating Base by conventional forces. If you take that platform you place it in an extremely remote location that is exactly what a Special Forces A-Camp is.

 Dozens of these A-Camps were set up all over Afghanistan in order to allow us to be able to coordinate, and link up with tribes in order to project US combat power into the insurgent-held territory.

 John Hendricks: One of the reasons the A-Camps are successful is because it removes the ability for the insurgents to live amongst the people and to operate and that what the insurgent needs to survive. This method should have been what spearheaded the efforts in countering an insurgency but it didn't. Can you explain why that is?

 Major Rusty Bradley:  The Green Berets are the only US Special Forces by doctrine. The US Special Forces, are the only force on the entire planet that can either build a nation or destroy one. Commanders expected conventional infantry forces to conduct the same kinds of missions as Green Berets without proper training, or support.  A lot of the issue comes from a control mechanism by senior members of the Pentagon and the US Army. All SOF falls under the control of regular Army commanders.

 These conflicts are not being led by experts who trained their whole lives to fight those types of fights. Policy changes need to be made that allows Special Forces commanders to control conflicts that are determined to be light or medium intensity conflicts. You've got a battle space owner that's a regular commander that knows how to fight with a regular army unit that they're in command of.      We're mitigated to a very small space because doctrinally you have a full bird colonel who doesn't want to have to answer to a Special Forces Captain

Lions of Kandahar:https://www.amazon.com/Lions-Kandahar-Story-Fight-Against/dp/0553386166/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473815328&sr=1-1&keywords=lions+of+kandahar

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