{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"speaker":"Nicholas Moore","startTime":0.07,"endTime":1.614,"body":"And he starts explaining, you know, what"},{"speaker":"Nicholas Moore","startTime":1.652,"endTime":3.594,"body":"happened and if you're here where's everybody else?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas Moore","startTime":3.632,"endTime":5.206,"body":"And he just points up on the side of the mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas Moore","startTime":5.218,"endTime":5.91,"body":"He goes, there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas Moore","startTime":6.02,"endTime":6.98,"body":"They're up there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas Moore","startTime":7.31,"endTime":8.31,"body":"They're dead."},{"speaker":"Reporter","startTime":10.83,"endTime":14.074,"body":"Her capture by Iraqi insurgents and rescued by U. S."},{"speaker":"Reporter","startTime":14.112,"endTime":16.898,"body":"Special Forces back in 2003 captured"},{"speaker":"Reporter","startTime":16.934,"endTime":18.086,"body":"the attention of a nation."},{"speaker":"Reporter","startTime":18.158,"endTime":20.338,"body":"One of the most extraordinary stories of"},{"speaker":"Reporter","startTime":20.364,"endTime":22.286,"body":"bravery from the war in Afghanistan."},{"speaker":"Reporter","startTime":22.358,"endTime":24.382,"body":"A team of Navy Seals was sent into the"},{"speaker":"Reporter","startTime":24.396,"endTime":27.85,"body":"mountains, but only one Seal came out alive."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":43.45,"endTime":45.894,"body":"Welcome to heroes behind headlines."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":46.062,"endTime":48.35,"body":"I'm your host, Ralph Pezzullo."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":48.67,"endTime":51.174,"body":"If you haven't already, please subscribe,"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":51.342,"endTime":53.68,"body":"download and leave us a review."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":54.07,"endTime":56.594,"body":"Our guest today is Sergeant First Class"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":56.692,"endTime":59.81,"body":"Nicholas Moore of the 75th Ranger regiment."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":60.13,"endTime":62.214,"body":"He's going to tell us about two historic"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":62.262,"endTime":65.006,"body":"hostage rescue missions that he took part in."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":65.188,"endTime":68.87,"body":"First, the rescue of Jessica Lynch in March 2003"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":68.92,"endTime":72.354,"body":"in Iraq, and secondly, the rescue of Navy Seal"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":72.402,"endTime":77.286,"body":"Marcus Luttrell in Afghanistan in July 2005, a dramatic"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":77.358,"endTime":79.854,"body":"mission which was the subject of the best selling"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":79.902,"endTime":83.102,"body":"book Lone Survivor, and the highly popular movie of"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":83.116,"endTime":85.674,"body":"the same name, starring Mark Wahlberg."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":85.842,"endTime":88.074,"body":"Today, Nick is going to give us his unique"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":88.122,"endTime":91.022,"body":"perspective on both missions as someone who was actually"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":91.096,"endTime":94.01,"body":"on the ground and executed the rescues."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":94.39,"endTime":96.606,"body":"He's also going to talk about his riveting"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":96.678,"endTime":99.546,"body":"memoir \"Run to the Sound of Guns\"."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":99.738,"endTime":102.206,"body":"We're honored to feature Sergeant First Class"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":102.268,"endTime":105.258,"body":"Nicholas Moore of the 75th Ranger Regiment"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":105.354,"endTime":108.71,"body":"as today's hero behind the headlines."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":112.01,"endTime":114.294,"body":"So I was born and raised in a small"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":114.332,"endTime":118.422,"body":"town in Kansas and grew up hunting, fishing, and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":118.436,"endTime":121.258,"body":"just doing all the normal Midwest outdoor activities."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":121.354,"endTime":125.922,"body":"And we just kind of always felt there was a little"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":125.936,"endTime":128.07,"body":"bit higher calling for what we are supposed to do."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":128.12,"endTime":130.954,"body":"And so junior year of high school, my brother decided"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":131.002,"endTime":133.314,"body":"that he was going to talk to the recruiters and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":133.472,"endTime":136.014,"body":"sign a contract, and that's what he wanted to do."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":136.052,"endTime":138.702,"body":"And I kind of mulled over for about a"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":138.716,"endTime":141.978,"body":"week and decided that I should go, too."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":142.004,"endTime":143.922,"body":"And we didn't know anything about the Rangers at"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":143.936,"endTime":146.24,"body":"the time that we signed at 17 years old."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":146.93,"endTime":150.078,"body":"But speaking to the recruiters and the recruiter station, and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":150.164,"endTime":152.298,"body":"they knew that we played sports and we were really"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":152.384,"endTime":155.538,"body":"active outdoors and stuff, he goes, you're going to have"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":155.564,"endTime":157.158,"body":"fun in the army, but you're never going to be"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":157.184,"endTime":159.202,"body":"happy if we didn't pursue your career."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":159.226,"endTime":160.974,"body":"And they kind of told us how to work"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":161.012,"endTime":166.618,"body":"that through the map station where you go as"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":166.644,"endTime":168.67,"body":"a kid and sign all your paperwork and get"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":168.72,"endTime":170.786,"body":"your contract and all your legal documents."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":170.858,"endTime":173.35,"body":"And so that went through."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":173.46,"endTime":177.562,"body":"And then we graduated high school."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":177.636,"endTime":180.542,"body":"And then a week after we graduated high school, we're"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":180.566,"endTime":182.938,"body":"sitting down at Fort Benning, Georgia, for basic training and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":182.964,"endTime":186.062,"body":"then ride over to airborne school and then the Ranger"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":186.086,"endTime":188.074,"body":"Indoctrination program as it was then."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":188.112,"endTime":190.74,"body":"Now it's the Ranger assessment selection program."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":193.63,"endTime":195.314,"body":"Yeah, that was all 1999."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":195.412,"endTime":201.038,"body":"So that was June through December of 99, and then both"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":201.064,"endTime":204.158,"body":"of us got assigned to Second Ranger Battalion out here at"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":204.304,"endTime":207.014,"body":"Fort Lewis, Washington, which is now a joint base."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":207.052,"endTime":209.87,"body":"Lewis McCord both assigned a Bravo company."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":209.98,"endTime":211.958,"body":"I went to first platoon and he went to third."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":212.104,"endTime":216.494,"body":"And after about a year, I think he was asked"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":216.532,"endTime":219.582,"body":"to go to the sniper selection in the battalion."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":219.606,"endTime":220.802,"body":"And so he got picked up to go"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":220.816,"endTime":222.422,"body":"over to sniper platoon and I stayed on"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":222.436,"endTime":225.11,"body":"the line and we continued to work together."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":225.16,"endTime":226.766,"body":"And in that capacity he was a"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":226.768,"endTime":228.998,"body":"sniper assigned to the company or at"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":229.024,"endTime":232.878,"body":"times are platoon and through training scenarios."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":232.914,"endTime":238.298,"body":"And then in 2001, it was my"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":238.324,"endTime":239.426,"body":"turn to go to Ranger school."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":239.488,"endTime":241.982,"body":"So I went down to Ranger school in"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":242.176,"endTime":244.322,"body":"August to do the pre Ranger course at"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":244.336,"endTime":249.414,"body":"the Ranger regiment and passed that on 911."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":249.462,"endTime":250.96,"body":"And I was in Ranger school."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":252.49,"endTime":254.942,"body":"It's kind of a joke that we have amongst guys in"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":254.956,"endTime":258.805,"body":"battalion prior to 911 actually happening was that something's going to"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":258.808,"endTime":260.562,"body":"kick off in the world and we're going to be stuck"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":260.586,"endTime":262.902,"body":"in the one place where we can't go participate and we're"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":262.926,"endTime":264.062,"body":"going to kind of get left behind."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":264.136,"endTime":266.858,"body":"And so that actually happened."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":266.944,"endTime":269.954,"body":"And it was kind of a comical moment when I got back."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":270.052,"endTime":273.218,"body":"But the battalion hadn't deployed in"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":273.244,"endTime":276.146,"body":"support of Operation Enduring Freedom yet."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":276.328,"endTime":278.678,"body":"The battalion was actually deployed forward in"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":278.764,"endTime":282.05,"body":"Germany in graphenver doing the big"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":282.16,"endTime":283.578,"body":"training center over in Germany."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":283.614,"endTime":286.07,"body":"And when 911 happened, it froze everything."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":286.24,"endTime":289.214,"body":"So then go through Ranger school, pass the"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":289.252,"endTime":291.158,"body":"first phase of Ranger school, and then go"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":291.184,"endTime":292.658,"body":"up to the second phase of Ranger school."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":292.684,"endTime":294.494,"body":"And the Ranger instructors at the time"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":294.532,"endTime":296.618,"body":"were kind of, well let me back up."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":296.644,"endTime":297.746,"body":"So 911 happens."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":297.808,"endTime":299.066,"body":"It's like the second day of the course and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":299.068,"endTime":302.174,"body":"we're standing in formation waiting to go do land"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":302.212,"endTime":305.474,"body":"navigation and some other check the box training things"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":305.512,"endTime":308.27,"body":"that you have to qualify for to continue to"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":308.44,"endTime":312.702,"body":"progress through the course and running around scurrying."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":312.726,"endTime":314.042,"body":"And we're standing formation, kind"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":314.056,"endTime":315.614,"body":"of going, what's going on?"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":315.652,"endTime":317.682,"body":"And time hacks are being missed."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":317.706,"endTime":318.878,"body":"And we're like, well, we're getting"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":318.904,"endTime":319.722,"body":"out of here kind of late."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":319.746,"endTime":321.95,"body":"And so they come out and they ask if anybody"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":322.0,"endTime":323.75,"body":"has family that works at the World Trade Center."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":323.8,"endTime":325.598,"body":"And we're like, what does that"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":325.624,"endTime":327.57,"body":"have to do with anything? That's weird."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":327.69,"endTime":329.498,"body":"And then about a half hour 45"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":329.524,"endTime":330.758,"body":"minutes later, they come out and say,"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":330.784,"endTime":334.226,"body":"hey, seriously, this is a legitimate question."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":334.288,"endTime":336.182,"body":"We're not trying to lie to anybody who"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":336.196,"endTime":337.89,"body":"has parents at work at the Pentagon."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":338.01,"endTime":339.338,"body":"And so one kid raised his hand."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":339.364,"endTime":341.08,"body":"He said, you need to go inside and call."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":342.07,"endTime":346.274,"body":"And so luckily, that one Ranger, his"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":346.312,"endTime":347.978,"body":"dad was out of the office because"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":348.004,"endTime":350.942,"body":"the plane actually destroyed his office. Oh my God."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":351.016,"endTime":354.542,"body":"And so his dad was in Virginia at the time. Wow."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":354.736,"endTime":357.482,"body":"And so he got lucky on that one."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":357.496,"endTime":359.054,"body":"But he was kind of a mess for about"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":359.092,"endTime":361.286,"body":"a few days until his dad called the school."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":361.348,"endTime":363.938,"body":"His dad's a colonel at the time and called"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":363.964,"endTime":365.318,"body":"the school and said, hey, no, please tell him"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":365.344,"endTime":367.062,"body":"that everything is okay and I'm good and I'll"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":367.086,"endTime":368.354,"body":"talk to him when he gets the chance."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":368.452,"endTime":370.01,"body":"I know you guys are in the course."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":370.18,"endTime":372.58,"body":"So that was good for him."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":373.57,"endTime":375.722,"body":"Pass the first phase of Rangers and go"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":375.736,"endTime":377.018,"body":"up to the second phase of Ranger school."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":377.044,"endTime":379.89,"body":"And now we're looking at the end of September. October."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":379.95,"endTime":384.518,"body":"And so finish all Ranger school for that phase and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":384.664,"endTime":387.558,"body":"we're getting graded in evals and so the RIs wheel."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":387.594,"endTime":389.714,"body":"The TV out on the cart and so"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":389.752,"endTime":392.318,"body":"this is right when Third Ranger Battalion is"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":392.344,"endTime":396.09,"body":"making the jump onto a Kandahar objective rhino."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":396.27,"endTime":398.282,"body":"And so they let us watch and so all"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":398.296,"endTime":400.302,"body":"the guys from Third Battalion are crying because they're"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":400.326,"endTime":402.474,"body":"missing it and they're mad and upset."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":402.642,"endTime":404.982,"body":"It's kind of funny because we had gotten"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":405.006,"endTime":407.102,"body":"word that a First Battalion hasn't gone yet"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":407.116,"endTime":408.434,"body":"and Second Battalion hasn't gone yet."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":408.472,"endTime":409.862,"body":"So we're just kind of sitting there laughing at"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":409.876,"endTime":411.94,"body":"us like we haven't missed our chance yet."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":412.27,"endTime":415.142,"body":"And so we pass and go on down"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":415.156,"endTime":417.698,"body":"to Florida and wrap up Ranger School."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":417.784,"endTime":421.574,"body":"Three weeks later, graduate, come back and get ready to"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":421.672,"endTime":423.854,"body":"go on our deployment in the spring of 2002."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":423.892,"endTime":427.922,"body":"And so it was interesting because we kind"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":427.936,"endTime":431.022,"body":"of got lessons learned from what 375 experienced"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":431.046,"endTime":433.398,"body":"in their initial push into Afghanistan."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":433.434,"endTime":435.122,"body":"And then when First Battalion came over"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":435.196,"endTime":438.098,"body":"that's operation andacona in the early part"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":438.124,"endTime":441.534,"body":"of 2002 with Roberts Ridge and Takagar."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":441.582,"endTime":443.742,"body":"And that was a huge deal and the lessons learned"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":443.766,"endTime":446.702,"body":"and it was really interesting to talk to guys that"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":446.716,"endTime":448.538,"body":"I had been arranged school with and friends that I"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":448.564,"endTime":450.918,"body":"had at first the time that I went through basic"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":450.954,"endTime":453.542,"body":"training and Airborne School and rip with and said."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":453.556,"endTime":455.802,"body":"Hey man. We're on that mission. And said. Hey dude."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":455.826,"endTime":456.71,"body":"What was that all about?"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":456.76,"endTime":460.442,"body":"And so to hear that story firsthand account was kind"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":460.456,"endTime":463.022,"body":"of eye opening as to what could be happening."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":463.096,"endTime":467.042,"body":"And unfortunately for us, Operation Anaconda kind"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":467.056,"endTime":469.286,"body":"of pushed everybody, all the fighters back out of"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":469.288,"endTime":472.322,"body":"Pakistan because they were expecting us to play the"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":472.336,"endTime":474.59,"body":"same way the Russians did and we didn't."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":475.27,"endTime":478.562,"body":"So that first appointment was kind of a bust, if"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":478.576,"endTime":480.506,"body":"you will, for us because we didn't really see anything."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":480.568,"endTime":482.222,"body":"When we had one gunfight for"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":482.236,"endTime":484.19,"body":"the platoon, it lasted 5 seconds."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":484.57,"endTime":488.25,"body":"What was your first impression of Afghanistan?"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":488.43,"endTime":490.274,"body":"Well, as a kid, I'd never been"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":490.312,"endTime":492.87,"body":"to, like, West Texas or New Mexico. Arizona."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":492.93,"endTime":495.65,"body":"I have no idea what the desert was other than"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":495.76,"endTime":501.534,"body":"pictures or whatever, but to experience that kind of dry"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":501.582,"endTime":505.338,"body":"heat and experience because we came from Washington in April"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":505.374,"endTime":508.622,"body":"and it was in the then we hit Afghanistan and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":508.636,"endTime":514.289,"body":"it's in the high ninetys and hundreds in April"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":514.47,"endTime":517.453,"body":"and it's just getting hotter as the summer goes on."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":517.491,"endTime":520.898,"body":"And so that was definitely eye opening, right?"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":520.924,"endTime":521.846,"body":"And what about the people?"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":521.908,"endTime":524.74,"body":"Have you ever seen anything as primitive oh, no."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":525.19,"endTime":527.38,"body":"Even today, I've been there."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":528.13,"endTime":529.802,"body":"I was there back and forth for the"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":529.816,"endTime":531.194,"body":"better part of 15 years of my life."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":531.232,"endTime":534.134,"body":"And it's just you never get"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":534.172,"endTime":536.214,"body":"used to that primitive lifestyle."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":536.262,"endTime":540.114,"body":"And I guess for us as a Western culture, it's weird."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":540.162,"endTime":541.9,"body":"They're okay with that."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":542.47,"endTime":546.17,"body":"They're huts and chunky cars."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":546.67,"endTime":549.446,"body":"There's one paved road in Afghanistan, and it runs from"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":549.508,"endTime":553.742,"body":"Kandahar to Bagram up to Kabul, and then up to"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":553.756,"endTime":555.81,"body":"Bagram, which is not very far outside Kabul."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":555.93,"endTime":557.942,"body":"And that's it."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":558.016,"endTime":560.87,"body":"Everything else is just country, dirt roads."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":561.85,"endTime":562.85,"body":"That's how they live."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":562.9,"endTime":565.06,"body":"And it's like man. Yeah."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":565.69,"endTime":567.29,"body":"It's like going back in time."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":567.46,"endTime":568.646,"body":"Yes, it really is."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":568.768,"endTime":570.182,"body":"You can still go over there, and if you know"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":570.196,"endTime":571.958,"body":"where to look, you can still find stuff from, like,"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":571.984,"endTime":575.298,"body":"Alexander to Great that's still left from the Romans."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":575.394,"endTime":576.998,"body":"Yeah. That's crazy."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":577.084,"endTime":579.678,"body":"And it's odd."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":579.834,"endTime":582.99,"body":"And at that point, there was almost no resistance."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":583.17,"endTime":586.046,"body":"No, there wasn't anything."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":586.108,"endTime":588.002,"body":"Everybody was great, they were happy."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":588.076,"endTime":591.878,"body":"And even later in the winter of 2003, we went"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":591.904,"endTime":593.702,"body":"over there, and we were kind of up in the"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":593.716,"endTime":596.462,"body":"Konar and up in the mountains and stuff."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":596.596,"endTime":599.258,"body":"There are still people that at that point, and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":599.284,"endTime":603.51,"body":"I'm sure there are people farther up in Nangahar"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":603.63,"endTime":605.298,"body":"and the provinces up in the mountains."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":605.334,"endTime":607.826,"body":"I still believe the Russians are there. Yeah."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":608.008,"endTime":610.658,"body":"Because they don't get any news."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":610.744,"endTime":615.122,"body":"So it was odd to go, oh,"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":615.136,"endTime":617.538,"body":"you're here to chase the Russians away. Congrats."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":617.694,"endTime":620.02,"body":"Thank you for you guys, and thank you for helping us."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":620.77,"endTime":622.442,"body":"And then you come back just a couple of"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":622.456,"endTime":624.58,"body":"years later, and kids are throwing rocks at you."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":626.71,"endTime":629.378,"body":"They're happy 1 minute, and they're mad the"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":629.404,"endTime":631.602,"body":"next, that now you're here and you're occupying"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":631.626,"endTime":633.23,"body":"them the same as the Russians."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":634.69,"endTime":634.982,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":634.996,"endTime":637.634,"body":"And it's hard to understand things from their point"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":637.672,"endTime":640.95,"body":"of view because it's so very different from ours."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":641.01,"endTime":643.91,"body":"Right, well, and they're a country that has basically"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":644.02,"endTime":647.018,"body":"always been invaded by somebody and occupied by somebody"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":647.104,"endTime":648.94,"body":"whether they want them to or not."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":649.39,"endTime":650.57,"body":"So there's no way they"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":650.62,"endTime":652.758,"body":"understand the bigger, like."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":652.794,"endTime":654.998,"body":"No, you can try it and explain it"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":655.024,"endTime":656.966,"body":"to them, but it's like trying to explain"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":657.028,"endTime":659.286,"body":"something to somebody from the American old west."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":659.358,"endTime":661.6,"body":"They just aren't going to get it right."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":663.43,"endTime":667.802,"body":"Okay, your deployment in Afghanistan ends, and then a"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":667.816,"endTime":672.806,"body":"few years later, you end up in Iraq. Yes."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":672.868,"endTime":675.76,"body":"So we finished our deployment in"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":676.09,"endTime":678.014,"body":"2002, and we thought, okay, great."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":678.052,"endTime":679.382,"body":"That's going to be our only the whole"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":679.396,"endTime":680.742,"body":"thing in Afghanistan is going to be wrapped"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":680.766,"endTime":682.322,"body":"up in like, six months or so."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":682.396,"endTime":684.386,"body":"We're just going to call it done and good."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":684.448,"endTime":686.486,"body":"And so then we came home, and then everything"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":686.548,"endTime":690.122,"body":"started winding up with Saddam Hussein and everything in"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":690.136,"endTime":692.21,"body":"Iraq, and we're like, oh, okay, great, awesome."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":692.26,"endTime":695.14,"body":"I guess we're going to go over here and play."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":696.55,"endTime":698.838,"body":"So then everything started to fall apart"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":698.874,"endTime":703.0,"body":"there around Thanksgiving, Christmas time, 2002."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":703.57,"endTime":705.854,"body":"So everything started coming along that, hey,"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":705.892,"endTime":707.006,"body":"look, this is going to happen."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":707.068,"endTime":708.578,"body":"And we're going to go."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":708.664,"endTime":712.96,"body":"And so we started leaning forward for all the planning and"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":713.59,"endTime":717.338,"body":"prepping to be a part of the invasion for Iraq, which"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":717.364,"endTime":720.59,"body":"was for us, it was kind of cool because like, okay,"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":720.64,"endTime":722.03,"body":"great, we're going to go play somewhere else."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":722.08,"endTime":724.346,"body":"We let the monster out of the box"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":724.408,"endTime":726.4,"body":"and we're not going to contain it now."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":727.99,"endTime":730.0,"body":"So pushed over."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":730.63,"endTime":736.674,"body":"We were initially launching out of cross border"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":736.722,"endTime":741.302,"body":"ops into western Iraq and stuff, and so"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":741.496,"endTime":743.114,"body":"there was no resistance out there."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":743.152,"endTime":746.978,"body":"And that was for the first couple of weeks of"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":747.064,"endTime":749.86,"body":"the invasion, maybe the first ten days or so."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":751.09,"endTime":754.014,"body":"And then we come back off a 24 hours patrol."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":754.062,"endTime":758.262,"body":"So at this time that's like a third ranger"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":758.286,"endTime":761.246,"body":"Battalion made another combat jump into H one"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":761.428,"endTime":764.682,"body":"and some of the other outlying places."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":764.706,"endTime":767.486,"body":"And so our job of that last patrol that we did"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":767.608,"endTime":770.442,"body":"on vehicles was to go bring them back because they didn't"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":770.526,"endTime":773.766,"body":"have to escort them and make the convoy bigger."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":773.898,"endTime":776.198,"body":"And so we went and tied in with them, turn"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":776.224,"endTime":779.322,"body":"around, drove the trucks back on a 24 hours turnaround"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":779.466,"endTime":783.062,"body":"and got back in, drove the trucks right up to"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":783.076,"endTime":785.918,"body":"the tent and the company CP is right there."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":785.944,"endTime":787.742,"body":"And then we're all climbing off the trucks and the"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":787.756,"endTime":789.638,"body":"commander's like, hey, you got 3 hours and we're getting"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":789.664,"endTime":792.71,"body":"ready to, we're going to go do a POW rescue."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":794.17,"endTime":798.494,"body":"On March 23, 2003, shortly after the US."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":798.532,"endTime":800.918,"body":"Led invasion of Iraq, US"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":800.944,"endTime":803.378,"body":"Army private first class Jessica Lynch was"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":803.404,"endTime":805.562,"body":"riding in a convoy of the US."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":805.636,"endTime":809.738,"body":"Army's 507th maintenance company near the city of"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":809.764,"endTime":813.998,"body":"Nasiriya, 250 miles southwest of Baghdad, when they"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":814.024,"endTime":816.498,"body":"took a wrong turn and were ambushed."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":816.654,"endTime":819.158,"body":"The Humvee Miss Lynch was riding in was hit by"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":819.184,"endTime":822.89,"body":"a rocket propelled grenade and she was seriously injured."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":823.39,"endTime":825.942,"body":"She and five other soldiers were taken prisoner"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":826.026,"endTime":829.242,"body":"and another eleven were killed in action, raped."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":829.266,"endTime":833.058,"body":"And sodomized during her 1st 3 hours of captivity, ms."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":833.094,"endTime":835.622,"body":"Lynch was later moved to a hospital in"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":835.636,"endTime":837.782,"body":"this area where she was treated for a"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":837.796,"endTime":841.338,"body":"broken arm, broken thigh and dislocated ankle. Ms."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":841.374,"endTime":843.93,"body":"Lynch's capture immediately became headline"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":843.99,"endTime":845.86,"body":"news across the United States."},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":846.19,"endTime":848.138,"body":"Her rescue was the subject of a"},{"speaker":"Ralph","startTime":848.164,"endTime":851.75,"body":"popular TV movie called Saving Jessica Lynch."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":854.27,"endTime":857.01,"body":"I'm a 21 year old smartass."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":858.05,"endTime":860.698,"body":"I'm in the gunners turret on a march 19."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":860.734,"endTime":862.042,"body":"And I climbed out of the turret"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":862.066,"endTime":863.67,"body":"ring and jumped down on the hood."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":864.05,"endTime":866.722,"body":"I'm dog tired and looked at the commander."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":866.746,"endTime":870.546,"body":"I was like, oh, that's funny, I'm going to bed."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":870.728,"endTime":872.73,"body":"And he's like, no, seriously."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":873.77,"endTime":876.678,"body":"So my squad leader comes in and he's like,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":876.704,"endTime":879.57,"body":"hey look, the commander is not joking."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":880.07,"endTime":881.998,"body":"He's being serious. We're leaving."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":882.034,"endTime":883.534,"body":"In 3 hours back your crap."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":883.642,"endTime":885.318,"body":"And I was like, where are we going?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":885.464,"endTime":887.074,"body":"He's like, well, we're going to Nazarea."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":887.122,"endTime":888.802,"body":"And I was like, what is in Nazarea?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":888.826,"endTime":890.24,"body":"That's where the marines are."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":890.99,"endTime":893.202,"body":"They're getting handed to him up there because we were"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":893.216,"endTime":895.038,"body":"getting all the battle updates and it's like, how come"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":895.064,"endTime":897.426,"body":"we don't ever get anything where anything's fun."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":897.548,"endTime":899.142,"body":"We're out here patrolling through the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":899.156,"endTime":902.06,"body":"open desert on a highway. Yeah."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":903.71,"endTime":906.186,"body":"Did you know anything about what had happened?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":906.368,"endTime":910.03,"body":"We knew that the convoy had gotten disoriented and lost"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":910.09,"endTime":913.174,"body":"and then they kind of got off the route somehow."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":913.342,"endTime":915.222,"body":"And I'm thinking to myself, how is a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":915.236,"endTime":918.38,"body":"maintenance unit getting ahead of the forward line?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":918.89,"endTime":921.02,"body":"I was like, how does that happen?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":921.77,"endTime":924.762,"body":"You stop thinking about the reality of, okay, now we"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":924.776,"endTime":927.79,"body":"have missing Americans and we have one confirmed POW."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":927.85,"endTime":929.478,"body":"And you start thinking, how did"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":929.504,"endTime":931.758,"body":"the circumstances lead to this?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":931.904,"endTime":933.558,"body":"You start trying to figure that out"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":933.584,"endTime":936.378,"body":"and it's like, it's nothing against her."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":936.464,"endTime":938.18,"body":"It's just things happen."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":938.63,"endTime":939.69,"body":"It really is."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":939.8,"endTime":941.84,"body":"Well, you're in a strange place and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":942.23,"endTime":943.686,"body":"you don't know where anything is."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":943.748,"endTime":949.602,"body":"Well, at the time so 2003 support elements, not all"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":949.616,"endTime":952.39,"body":"of them at the time, had not all the units"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":952.45,"endTime":956.758,"body":"had the funding and the equipment granted for night vision"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":956.794,"endTime":959.238,"body":"goggles so that everybody can see they're still driving the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":959.264,"endTime":964.246,"body":"same way that guys are driving old school blackout lights."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":964.318,"endTime":966.706,"body":"And then you just drive really slow."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":966.898,"endTime":968.994,"body":"And so we're used to as a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":969.032,"endTime":971.674,"body":"combat unit, special ops combat unit."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":971.722,"endTime":975.318,"body":"So we have all the latest gear, got the best"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":975.344,"endTime":979.53,"body":"night vision that's available, lasers, optics, all this stuff."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":979.58,"endTime":982.698,"body":"And they're still like mid 90s"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":982.724,"endTime":984.298,"body":"technology for the support units."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":984.334,"endTime":986.178,"body":"And it's like, how do we invade the country?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":986.264,"endTime":988.186,"body":"Not everybody has the correct equipment."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":988.318,"endTime":990.042,"body":"And it's just the funding wasn't there"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":990.056,"endTime":991.88,"body":"and the equipment hadn't been built yet."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":992.57,"endTime":998.274,"body":"So we've jumped on and flew up to the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":998.312,"endTime":1001.47,"body":"Marine controlled base outside nasarea on the airfield."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1001.53,"endTime":1006.474,"body":"And basically, I will call it was a down and dirty"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1006.522,"endTime":1008.846,"body":"helipad 24 hours plan on how this was going to get done."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1008.908,"endTime":1013.898,"body":"And in football terms, we kind of sent one of the companies"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1014.044,"endTime":1017.222,"body":"from 175, kind of did an end around, and they went all"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1017.236,"endTime":1020.87,"body":"the way east of the city, way out and around."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1020.92,"endTime":1022.898,"body":"And then they came in and dropped in from the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1022.924,"endTime":1026.99,"body":"north to kind of lock everything off from the north."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1027.369,"endTime":1030.733,"body":"And then our plan was to jump on Marine Corps forty"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1030.771,"endTime":1035.897,"body":"sixes and just ten minute flight across the river, drop"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1035.934,"endTime":1042.518,"body":"west of the city and then run and lock down the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1042.544,"endTime":1045.602,"body":"main roads leading in and out of hospital and just kind"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1045.616,"endTime":1048.51,"body":"of own that as an exfiltration route."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1048.569,"endTime":1052.742,"body":"A helipad so as we're launching in on the first push of American"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1052.816,"endTime":1057.854,"body":"forces to do this, the Seals are launching in on a Black"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1057.892,"endTime":1062.978,"body":"Hawk to land on the hospital and then come down and pull"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1063.004,"endTime":1064.79,"body":"her up right on the roof of the hospital."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1066.01,"endTime":1067.142,"body":"I couldn't see it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1067.216,"endTime":1070.18,"body":"I don't remember exactly that part of their plan,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1070.99,"endTime":1073.802,"body":"but I believe, yes, that is because there was"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1073.816,"endTime":1076.49,"body":"a hill pad on top of the hospital."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1077.71,"endTime":1085.254,"body":"But yes, we had human intelligence from I can't"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1085.422,"endTime":1088.502,"body":"remember the name 20 years later, but the guy"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1088.516,"endTime":1091.142,"body":"that came across and told Americans, hey, there's an"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1091.276,"endTime":1093.822,"body":"american being held hostage in the hospital and she's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1093.846,"endTime":1095.57,"body":"in this room on this floor."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1098.45,"endTime":1100.542,"body":"The whole thing happened from the time we landed on"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1100.556,"endTime":1102.226,"body":"the ground to the time the Seals hit the hospital."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1102.298,"endTime":1103.602,"body":"They were exfilling her by the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1103.616,"endTime":1106.17,"body":"time we established our blocking positions."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1106.91,"endTime":1113.354,"body":"It was fast, precise."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1113.402,"endTime":1117.062,"body":"And so then it was a whole operational"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1117.146,"endTime":1119.77,"body":"lasted about three and a half hours."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1119.82,"endTime":1123.67,"body":"And what made it take that long was because we were"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1123.72,"endTime":1127.546,"body":"trying to find where the rest of that convoy element was."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1127.728,"endTime":1131.398,"body":"And so it led to searching and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1131.424,"endTime":1133.682,"body":"digging and things along those lines."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1133.706,"endTime":1135.322,"body":"And then we had accountability of everybody."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1135.456,"endTime":1137.186,"body":"And they had been killed. They were dead."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1137.258,"endTime":1138.226,"body":"They were dead. Yes."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1138.288,"endTime":1139.838,"body":"She was just recovering survivors."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1139.874,"endTime":1142.558,"body":"So it's just a recovery effort to make sure"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1142.584,"endTime":1144.562,"body":"that they were accountable and got to come home."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1144.696,"endTime":1148.102,"body":"So then we called exfill and that was it. That was it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1148.236,"endTime":1148.534,"body":"Yeah."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1148.572,"endTime":1153.482,"body":"Well, we've come back from it and as"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1153.496,"endTime":1155.09,"body":"a 21 year old, you're not really thinking"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1155.14,"endTime":1158.38,"body":"about not the ramifications but kind of the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1159.13,"endTime":1161.454,"body":"significance of what you've just accomplished."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1161.562,"endTime":1165.426,"body":"That was the first successful POW rescue since Vietnam."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1165.558,"endTime":1167.27,"body":"Yeah, it was good news."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1167.38,"endTime":1170.57,"body":"And so everybody was all super excited about it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1170.62,"endTime":1176.042,"body":"And guys that were my leadership, the magnitude of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1176.056,"endTime":1180.122,"body":"what we just accomplished and the fact that for"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1180.136,"endTime":1182.31,"body":"the most part we didn't fire any shots."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1182.49,"endTime":1185.958,"body":"There were just a few shots that were fired."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1186.054,"endTime":1187.482,"body":"So there wasn't much resistance."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1187.566,"endTime":1189.64,"body":"There wasn't any resistance at all."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1191.05,"endTime":1192.59,"body":"Okay, so the hospital people"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1192.64,"endTime":1195.678,"body":"just the hospital was empty. It was empty."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1195.714,"endTime":1200.034,"body":"We had eyes on the intelligence gathering."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1200.082,"endTime":1203.394,"body":"Marines were watching the hospital from their positions"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1203.442,"endTime":1205.382,"body":"and there were lots of people going in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1205.396,"endTime":1208.682,"body":"the hospital and military people going in the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1208.696,"endTime":1210.734,"body":"hospital and then turn around and there was"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1210.772,"endTime":1212.766,"body":"a lot of civilians leaving the hospital."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1212.838,"endTime":1214.058,"body":"So what we were figuring is they"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1214.084,"endTime":1215.978,"body":"were going in and taking off their"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1216.004,"endTime":1218.022,"body":"military uniforms and basically surrendering."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1218.046,"endTime":1220.55,"body":"And then they were just dispersing into the population."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1222.95,"endTime":1224.47,"body":"They didn't want any trouble."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1224.53,"endTime":1226.506,"body":"Yeah, they didn't want any part of it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1226.688,"endTime":1230.042,"body":"And so we got back and everybody's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1230.066,"endTime":1233.438,"body":"kind of high fiving and back slapping."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1233.594,"endTime":1238.546,"body":"The great part of it was and we got to be"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1238.548,"endTime":1242.47,"body":"a part of that successful piece of history that had happened."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1242.52,"endTime":1244.606,"body":"And it didn't really hit me for a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1244.608,"endTime":1247.99,"body":"few years that that was something super significant."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1248.37,"endTime":1250.522,"body":"And I hate to say it this way, but this is kind"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1250.536,"endTime":1252.694,"body":"of the way that we all feel about these kinds of things."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1252.732,"endTime":1255.466,"body":"It's just another day at the office for us. Right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1255.528,"endTime":1259.294,"body":"And so as time has progressed, I think of the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1259.332,"endTime":1262.2,"body":"significance of what I got to be a part of."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1263.97,"endTime":1267.73,"body":"On the night of April 1st 2003 US"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1267.78,"endTime":1270.526,"body":"Marines staged a diversionary attack to draw"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1270.588,"endTime":1273.514,"body":"Iraqi troops away from the hospital where"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1273.552,"endTime":1275.47,"body":"Jessica Lynch was being held."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1276.09,"endTime":1281.062,"body":"Meanwhile, Joint Operations Task Force 121, comprised of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1281.076,"endTime":1284.378,"body":"members of Delta Force, Special Forces and Army"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1284.414,"endTime":1288.01,"body":"Rangers, including Sergeant Nick Moore, swung into action."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1288.33,"endTime":1291.182,"body":"According to Sergeant Moore, special Forces cleared"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1291.206,"endTime":1293.318,"body":"the hospital while he and the Rangers"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1293.354,"endTime":1296.014,"body":"held the area with blocking positions to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1296.052,"endTime":1299.882,"body":"prevent potential enemy reinforcements and provide additional"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1299.966,"endTime":1301.99,"body":"muscle in case of a firefight."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1302.55,"endTime":1305.83,"body":"Moore and the Rangers faced only light resistance."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1306.57,"endTime":1309.698,"body":"Inside the hospital, green berets discovered that private"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1309.734,"endTime":1312.694,"body":"first class jessica lynch was the only US"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1312.732,"endTime":1314.306,"body":"Captive still alive."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1314.498,"endTime":1316.162,"body":"The rest of those killed during the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1316.176,"endTime":1318.67,"body":"ambush had been buried in shallow graves."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1318.99,"endTime":1320.758,"body":"Recovery was left to the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1320.784,"endTime":1323.318,"body":"first Ranger battalion to rescue."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1323.354,"endTime":1325.918,"body":"A private First Class Jessica Lynch turned out to be"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1325.944,"endTime":1329.422,"body":"the first successful rescue of a serving member of US."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1329.496,"endTime":1333.01,"body":"Forces in approximately four decades."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1334.63,"endTime":1338.838,"body":"So push forward and then we established the operating bases"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1338.874,"endTime":1342.482,"body":"there in Baghdad and sped up the initial footprint and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1342.496,"endTime":1344.75,"body":"then running around chasing the deck of cards."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1345.37,"endTime":1353.102,"body":"The original 52 Saddam Qusay the rest of the players in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1353.116,"endTime":1356.68,"body":"the deck and I wish I still had one now."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1358.03,"endTime":1359.726,"body":"They're worth a lot of money, I bet."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1359.788,"endTime":1363.242,"body":"Yeah, well, just kind of put it up on the wall."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1363.376,"endTime":1365.5,"body":"I got to do this."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1367.91,"endTime":1369.202,"body":"Victory is declared."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1369.286,"endTime":1372.87,"body":"And that didn't really mean anything"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1372.92,"endTime":1374.718,"body":"because operations are still going on."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1374.744,"endTime":1377.082,"body":"But presidents declared victory. Right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1377.156,"endTime":1380.48,"body":"Victory was declared and then the war started. Yeah."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1381.35,"endTime":1383.54,"body":"And it went on and on and on."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1384.89,"endTime":1386.43,"body":"Same in Afghanistan."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1388.07,"endTime":1390.306,"body":"It was kind of over in 2002"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1390.368,"endTime":1395.0,"body":"and then it started building up again. Right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1398.25,"endTime":1400.886,"body":"One of the companies in the battalion got tasked."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1400.898,"endTime":1404.774,"body":"So we went to Iraq with what we call Battalion Minus."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1404.882,"endTime":1406.402,"body":"So we went with two of the companies and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1406.416,"endTime":1408.862,"body":"then one of the companies ended up going over"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1408.876,"endTime":1411.79,"body":"to Afghanistan and they were tasked with shutting down"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1411.84,"endTime":1414.842,"body":"those Special operations footprint in Afghanistan."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1414.926,"endTime":1416.902,"body":"And so then they packed everything up and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1416.916,"endTime":1418.474,"body":"it was ready to shut it down."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1418.632,"endTime":1421.51,"body":"And then they said, no, unpack it. We're staying."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1421.83,"endTime":1423.298,"body":"And so then they had to turn around"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1423.324,"endTime":1425.95,"body":"and unpack everything and reset everything back up."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1426.0,"endTime":1429.382,"body":"And then we figured out that we were kind of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1429.396,"endTime":1431.11,"body":"going to be in this for the long haul."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1432.21,"endTime":1435.694,"body":"But at that point, early 2003, 2004, and even"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1435.732,"endTime":1439.066,"body":"in 2005 in Afghanistan, we would go over there"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1439.068,"endTime":1440.82,"body":"and it's like, what are we doing here?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1441.27,"endTime":1444.54,"body":"We would spend a lot of time just training."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1445.65,"endTime":1448.066,"body":"And what it was is that we just didn't have the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1448.128,"endTime":1451.622,"body":"same way to target in Afghanistan as we were in Iraq."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1451.706,"endTime":1456.05,"body":"And there was a technological difference in the infrastructure"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1456.11,"endTime":1460.318,"body":"in the countries that led to things kind of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1460.344,"endTime":1462.374,"body":"being slow there for a while in Afghanistan."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1462.422,"endTime":1465.826,"body":"And you go from Iraq and Iraq is a super fast"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1465.888,"endTime":1470.378,"body":"paced it's like running and gunning every night on a SWAT"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1470.414,"endTime":1472.63,"body":"team in the States and in any major US"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1472.68,"endTime":1473.65,"body":"Metropolitan city."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1473.7,"endTime":1476.35,"body":"I mean, it is busy for us."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1476.46,"endTime":1480.214,"body":"Like, cops are serving search warrants and doing"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1480.252,"endTime":1482.198,"body":"all their thing on a nightly basis."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1482.234,"endTime":1484.762,"body":"Now you might not see it as the general public"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1484.836,"endTime":1486.358,"body":"and that's kind of the same way that we were"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1486.384,"endTime":1488.422,"body":"in Iraq is we're just running through these cities and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1488.436,"endTime":1492.242,"body":"we're just scooping up bad guys and trying to dive"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1492.266,"endTime":1495.37,"body":"into these networks and cells as all this stuff is"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1495.42,"endTime":1500.278,"body":"starting to develop for resistance, fighting against everything."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1500.424,"endTime":1501.202,"body":"And then you go to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1501.216,"endTime":1503.89,"body":"Afghanistan and you're like, crickets. Crickets."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1504.69,"endTime":1506.146,"body":"Because the targeting was different."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1506.208,"endTime":1508.682,"body":"It was a lot of human intelligence based targeting"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1508.706,"endTime":1512.158,"body":"and Afghanistan, so you have to vet all that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1512.184,"endTime":1515.222,"body":"information through multiple sources and some of it pans"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1515.246,"endTime":1516.718,"body":"out and a lot of it doesn't pan out."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1516.744,"endTime":1518.482,"body":"And then we would spin up on a lot"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1518.496,"endTime":1520.978,"body":"of missions and then we'd get halfway to the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1521.004,"endTime":1523.86,"body":"target and they would say, no scratch come back."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1524.25,"endTime":1526.822,"body":"And so it's like kind of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1526.896,"endTime":1529.342,"body":"irritating on the shooter's part."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1529.416,"endTime":1532.32,"body":"All the boys that are amped up to get on target, right?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1533.13,"endTime":1534.598,"body":"And then it's like, why"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1534.624,"endTime":1536.7,"body":"is the helicopter turning around? Yeah."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1537.75,"endTime":1540.01,"body":"And then you go, we found out it's bad"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1540.06,"endTime":1541.594,"body":"intel, and so we're going to start over."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1541.632,"endTime":1546.698,"body":"And it's like following Sergeant Nick Moore's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1546.734,"endTime":1550.45,"body":"first deployment to Iraq in 2003 came"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1550.5,"endTime":1553.958,"body":"multiple deployments to both Afghanistan and Iraq."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1554.114,"endTime":1557.194,"body":"As the fighting ramped up in both places and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1557.232,"endTime":1559.87,"body":"the role of the Rangers started to evolve."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1560.31,"endTime":1562.858,"body":"The 75th Rangers, of which Nick was"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1562.884,"endTime":1565.694,"body":"a member, was considered an elite airborne"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1565.742,"endTime":1568.846,"body":"light infantry combat formation within the US."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1568.908,"endTime":1571.15,"body":"Army Special Operations Command."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1571.71,"endTime":1575.942,"body":"Previously, 75th Ranger deployments added muscle to Army"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1575.966,"endTime":1579.662,"body":"Special Forces, Delta Force and teams of Navy"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1579.686,"endTime":1583.118,"body":"Seals in order to provide security and blocking"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1583.154,"endTime":1586.43,"body":"positions, while the Tier One operators executed surgical"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1586.49,"endTime":1588.806,"body":"strikes on high value targets."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1588.998,"endTime":1591.802,"body":"But as the pace of deployments quickened and the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1591.816,"endTime":1594.554,"body":"Rangers earned the respect and confidence of their Tier"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1594.602,"endTime":1598.69,"body":"One counterparts, they ran more side by side missions."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1599.31,"endTime":1601.286,"body":"The pace was relentless."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1601.478,"endTime":1603.874,"body":"Typically, the Rangers were running four"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1603.912,"endTime":1605.82,"body":"to six ops a night."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1606.57,"endTime":1609.598,"body":"By 2005, Nick was a 24 year"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1609.624,"endTime":1612.842,"body":"old staff sergeant and Ranger squad leader."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1612.986,"endTime":1616.126,"body":"In late June, he received word that a four man team"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1616.188,"endTime":1619.714,"body":"was going out on a reconnaissance mission known as Red"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1619.752,"endTime":1623.71,"body":"Wings in the mountains of Kunar province of Afghanistan."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1624.39,"endTime":1627.298,"body":"At first mention, it seemed to Nick that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1627.324,"endTime":1629.662,"body":"a four man mission in a mountainous area"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1629.736,"endTime":1632.71,"body":"controlled by the Taliban was ill advised."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1635.05,"endTime":1638.786,"body":"We were in the transitioning point as far as what the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1638.848,"endTime":1642.758,"body":"roles of the Rangers were, what was being asked of us."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1642.784,"endTime":1646.674,"body":"Instead of being more of the Special Operations support element"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1646.722,"endTime":1650.102,"body":"to go in and plus up the Delta Force and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1650.116,"endTime":1654.338,"body":"the Seal teams to provide them outter security, now"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1654.364,"endTime":1656.874,"body":"we're being asked to kind of run the same target"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1656.922,"endTime":1661.61,"body":"decks as them because through the course of that year"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1661.66,"endTime":1664.242,"body":"we kind of shown that, hey, look, just because it's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1664.266,"endTime":1667.538,"body":"not our task, we can do this."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1667.624,"endTime":1670.898,"body":"We just bring more people to the table when we do it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1671.044,"endTime":1674.114,"body":"Seal team is going to run in there with about half"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1674.152,"endTime":1676.178,"body":"the numbers that arrangeable team is going to run in there"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1676.204,"endTime":1682.178,"body":"with and so we just bring more people when you talk"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1682.204,"endTime":1685.946,"body":"about a Ranger platoon, you're talking like 20 guys or no,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1686.008,"endTime":1689.282,"body":"Ranger tune is typically somewhere between 45 and 50."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1689.416,"endTime":1690.1,"body":"Okay?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1690.55,"endTime":1692.678,"body":"And So Seal team is going to run in there"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1692.704,"endTime":1695.26,"body":"with a lot less than that, and the same with"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1696.19,"endTime":1699.194,"body":"Delta Force guys, but we can do the same thing."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1699.232,"endTime":1701.882,"body":"And so we started to work through the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1701.896,"endTime":1704.858,"body":"progression of that and so we started to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1704.884,"endTime":1706.902,"body":"operate on some of the same target decks."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1706.926,"endTime":1708.65,"body":"So, like 2005 rolls around."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1708.7,"endTime":1710.126,"body":"There's still not a whole lot going"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1710.188,"endTime":1713.27,"body":"on in the late spring, summer 2005."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1713.32,"endTime":1718.454,"body":"And so Marcus Luttrell's  field team with"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1718.552,"endTime":1721.83,"body":"Mike Murphy, Danny Dietz and Matt Axelson."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1721.89,"endTime":1726.038,"body":"And those guys, they were chasing a target set that had"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1726.064,"endTime":1729.318,"body":"been beaten the crap out of the Marines out in Konar."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1729.414,"endTime":1732.71,"body":"And there was several fatalities from that."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1732.88,"endTime":1736.55,"body":"Konar is northeast."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1736.87,"endTime":1740.01,"body":"It's kind of east near the border."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1740.13,"endTime":1742.202,"body":"Yes, that's where the mountains kind"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1742.216,"endTime":1743.79,"body":"of start climbing up north."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1743.85,"endTime":1745.382,"body":"North of Kabul. Right?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1745.516,"endTime":1749.882,"body":"It's northeast of Kabul and kind of north of like a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1749.896,"endTime":1753.59,"body":"Asadabad and the little combat outposts that are there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1753.7,"endTime":1756.53,"body":"So you're getting into the serious mountains."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1759.05,"endTime":1763.554,"body":"They came in and had this reccy plan"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1763.712,"endTime":1767.898,"body":"to get eyes on, what is it?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1767.924,"endTime":1768.93,"body":"Ahmed Shah."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1771.75,"endTime":1774.66,"body":"And he's a high level, mid level guy."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1775.05,"endTime":1776.722,"body":"He was the leader of his"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1776.796,"endTime":1779.086,"body":"little Taliban element out there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1779.148,"endTime":1781.15,"body":"So he had between two and 400"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1781.2,"endTime":1782.77,"body":"fighters that were fighting for him."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1782.82,"endTime":1786.158,"body":"So he's commanding quite a large element."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1786.254,"endTime":1788.854,"body":"So they worked out the plan to do"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1788.892,"endTime":1792.382,"body":"this reconnaissance mission and they briefed it, and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1792.396,"endTime":1793.702,"body":"then we got the briefing on it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1793.716,"endTime":1797.894,"body":"And our reccy platoon had kind of got that strange"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1797.942,"endTime":1800.374,"body":"look on their face like, you're going to go in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1800.412,"endTime":1803.398,"body":"here right in the middle of this where they just"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1803.424,"endTime":1806.506,"body":"killed like 14 Marines a week before, and you're going"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1806.508,"endTime":1808.2,"body":"to go in with four guys."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1810.27,"endTime":1811.834,"body":"It was like, okay, well, great."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1811.872,"endTime":1812.774,"body":"You're Navy Seals."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1812.882,"endTime":1814.054,"body":"You can do what you want."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1814.092,"endTime":1815.11,"body":"You can pitch that plan."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1815.16,"endTime":1818.662,"body":"And so we always talk about if it was our"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1818.676,"endTime":1821.054,"body":"mission, what would we do sitting around the dinner table."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1821.222,"endTime":1824.954,"body":"And so I asked one of the reccy platoon sergeant,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1825.002,"endTime":1827.974,"body":"who is I've known him for several years at this"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1828.012,"endTime":1831.502,"body":"point in my career, and I was like, hey, what"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1831.516,"endTime":1833.198,"body":"would you do if this was your mission?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1833.234,"endTime":1833.842,"body":"How would you do it?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1833.856,"endTime":1836.438,"body":"He's like, Well, I'd go in with a full reccy element"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1836.534,"endTime":1838.942,"body":"with the whole reccy section, and I'd have one range of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1838.956,"endTime":1843.418,"body":"rifle platoon sitting three to 5 km off that way."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1843.444,"endTime":1844.81,"body":"It's not just four people."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1844.86,"endTime":1846.67,"body":"He said that's kind of ludicrous"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1847.05,"endTime":1848.378,"body":"for this type of mission."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1848.414,"endTime":1851.846,"body":"He says the train is terrible, communications"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1851.918,"endTime":1856.418,"body":"is even worse for satellite communications via"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1856.454,"endTime":1859.754,"body":"radio, and it's hard to get rescued."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1859.862,"endTime":1860.89,"body":"He said it's just hard."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1860.94,"endTime":1863.062,"body":"And he said if you take a large element in, but"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1863.076,"endTime":1865.006,"body":"you don't take it all the way to the target, you"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1865.068,"endTime":1870.286,"body":"still have the ability to either fight forward or fight back."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1870.408,"endTime":1870.922,"body":"And then you."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1870.936,"endTime":1872.998,"body":"Have a stronger element to be able to take these on."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1873.024,"endTime":1874.09,"body":"I said, okay, great. Awesome."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1874.14,"endTime":1876.442,"body":"It sounds like it makes sense to me."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1876.636,"endTime":1878.902,"body":"And so we didn't think anything else of it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1878.916,"endTime":1881.062,"body":"We heard they were going, and so"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1881.256,"endTime":1883.27,"body":"they were infilling, and we're like, cool."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1883.38,"endTime":1887.58,"body":"I guess we'll watch it on the TV through the feeds, and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1888.93,"endTime":1891.01,"body":"we were supposed to go to the range the next day."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1891.12,"endTime":1892.282,"body":"So we loaded up in the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1892.296,"endTime":1893.858,"body":"trucks and started business as usual."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1893.894,"endTime":1898.942,"body":"In the morning, we're in Bagram, and so"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1898.956,"endTime":1901.73,"body":"we used to go out to mountain range."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1901.79,"endTime":1903.602,"body":"We call it east river range because it's east"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1903.626,"endTime":1905.182,"body":"of the base, so you have to drive through"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1905.316,"endTime":1908.122,"body":"the little town room to get off the base."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1908.316,"endTime":1909.898,"body":"And then you just kind of drive for a few"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1909.924,"endTime":1911.714,"body":"more minutes, and then you're out on this big flat."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1911.762,"endTime":1913.282,"body":"And so we just throw the targets, and then the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1913.296,"endTime":1917.498,"body":"mountain range was the backstop for the bullets, and we're"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1917.594,"endTime":1920.162,"body":"driving along and getting everything set up, throwing target stands"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1920.186,"endTime":1922.046,"body":"and targets off the truck, because that was the easiest"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1922.058,"endTime":1923.458,"body":"way to do it, is just drive down the line"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1923.484,"endTime":1925.034,"body":"and start throwing the gear off the truck."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1925.082,"endTime":1926.518,"body":"And then you just hop off, and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1926.544,"endTime":1928.13,"body":"everybody spreads out and we start shooting."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1928.25,"endTime":1931.102,"body":"And we had no sense throwing all"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1931.116,"endTime":1932.438,"body":"the targets and everything off the truck."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1932.474,"endTime":1933.962,"body":"And they said, hey, get back on the truck."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1934.046,"endTime":1935.134,"body":"We're going back."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1935.292,"endTime":1937.198,"body":"I was like, well, are we picking this stuff up?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1937.224,"endTime":1938.482,"body":"They said, no, leave it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1938.676,"endTime":1940.702,"body":"Just leave the targets there. Just leave it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1940.716,"endTime":1942.778,"body":"And I was like, okay, what's going on?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1942.804,"endTime":1944.146,"body":"They said, we got to go back."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1944.268,"endTime":1946.44,"body":"I was like, well, what's going on?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1947.91,"endTime":1949.942,"body":"Why are we going back? And they're like, shut up."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1949.956,"endTime":1951.05,"body":"Get on the truck."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1951.23,"endTime":1952.378,"body":"Why are we going back?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1952.464,"endTime":1954.526,"body":"Asked the two main questions. And they're like, we had a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1954.528,"endTime":1955.87,"body":"helicopter that's been shot down."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1955.92,"endTime":1958.81,"body":"I was like, are you serious?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1960.27,"endTime":1962.078,"body":"Nick learned that on the night of June"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1962.114,"endTime":1965.906,"body":"28, 2005, the four man Seal red wings"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1965.918,"endTime":1970.498,"body":"reconnaissance team had encountered heavy taliban contact near"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1970.524,"endTime":1973.15,"body":"the surreyac valley in kunar province."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1973.77,"endTime":1976.462,"body":"A quick reaction force comprised of members of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1976.476,"endTime":1980.458,"body":"seal team ten attempted an immediate rescue, but"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1980.484,"endTime":1983.254,"body":"as they approached, their chinook was shot down"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1983.292,"endTime":1985.09,"body":"and all aboard were killed."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1985.47,"endTime":1988.958,"body":"Sergeant nick moore was among 30 heavily armed rangers"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1988.994,"endTime":1992.522,"body":"who were tasked with securing the crash site, recovering"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1992.546,"endTime":1995.998,"body":"the bodies, and searching for any remaining men from"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":1996.024,"endTime":1999.36,"body":"the original fourman Seal reconnaissance team."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2000.11,"endTime":2001.686,"body":"He would soon learn that one of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2001.688,"endTime":2003.63,"body":"the four seals was still alive."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2004.25,"endTime":2007.258,"body":"That badly injured man was Seal petty"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2007.294,"endTime":2010.686,"body":"officer Marcus Luttrell, subject of the very"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2010.748,"endTime":2013.23,"body":"popular book and movie lone survivor."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2013.73,"endTime":2018.99,"body":"Nick was among the first rangers to reach him, and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2019.04,"endTime":2021.714,"body":"I thought it was really stupid that they weren't giving"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2021.752,"endTime":2024.498,"body":"us any information because they're calling us back to be"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2024.524,"endTime":2027.15,"body":"on quick reaction for us to go in and still"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2027.2,"endTime":2028.542,"body":"going to find out soon enough."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2028.616,"endTime":2033.366,"body":"Yeah, well, I would figure this out"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2033.488,"endTime":2035.226,"body":"a few years down the road."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2035.288,"endTime":2037.938,"body":"Why that happens is that when helicopters get"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2037.964,"endTime":2040.674,"body":"shot down, it is a huge deal and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2040.712,"endTime":2044.778,"body":"there are thousands of people that are trying"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2044.804,"endTime":2046.65,"body":"to gather as much information as possible."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2046.7,"endTime":2049.757,"body":"And so the guys who are going to go do"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2049.784,"endTime":2051.882,"body":"something, you don't need to know right now because we"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2051.896,"endTime":2053.418,"body":"don't know and we're trying to figure it out."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2053.444,"endTime":2055.734,"body":"So all we need you to do is to get back"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2055.772,"endTime":2059.179,"body":"here and be on standby to go when we say go."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2060.949,"endTime":2062.658,"body":"So we get back and we're sitting there and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2062.684,"endTime":2065.61,"body":"now we're all amped up because this is real,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2065.659,"endTime":2069.739,"body":"this is happening, but we're not doing anything."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2070.73,"endTime":2073.04,"body":"And it's like, what is taking so long?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2075.389,"endTime":2078.081,"body":"So when this happens, it's not that we're not going"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2078.096,"endTime":2083.362,"body":"to recommit America forces into that space because we are."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2083.436,"endTime":2088.978,"body":"The problem is that we have to get enough assets over"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2089.004,"endTime":2091.79,"body":"there that it becomes an unfair fight in our advantage."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2091.969,"endTime":2095.858,"body":"And so it's getting helicopter attack helicopters and fighter"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2095.893,"endTime":2099.718,"body":"jets and all of these things have to come"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2099.744,"endTime":2105.47,"body":"to bear on station and get coordinated."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2108.41,"endTime":2111.798,"body":"Finally getting towards late afternoon, kind of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2111.824,"endTime":2113.322,"body":"early evening time frame, they said, all"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2113.336,"endTime":2114.546,"body":"right, we're loading up and going."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2114.608,"endTime":2117.234,"body":"And by this point we've been through"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2117.272,"endTime":2119.754,"body":"several rounds of planning on this."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2119.792,"endTime":2121.642,"body":"And they said, okay, well, the altitudes that we're"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2121.666,"endTime":2125.202,"body":"going at, you only have this much weight that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2125.216,"endTime":2126.574,"body":"you could put on the back of the helicopter"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2126.622,"endTime":2127.942,"body":"because it's the end of June."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2127.966,"endTime":2131.358,"body":"And what people don't understand when we talk about"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2131.384,"endTime":2133.758,"body":"aviation in the military is that even though these"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2133.784,"endTime":2136.734,"body":"helicopters are ready to carry a large amount of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2136.772,"endTime":2140.458,"body":"equipment, it becomes an issue with air density."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2140.614,"endTime":2143.362,"body":"And so the hotter it gets outside, the less dense"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2143.386,"endTime":2146.842,"body":"the air is, so there's less lift for these aircraft."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2146.866,"endTime":2148.962,"body":"So we have to cut the weight on"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2148.976,"endTime":2150.234,"body":"the amount of people that we can bring."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2150.272,"endTime":2153.834,"body":"So we were one Ranger of tune going in at,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2153.932,"endTime":2156.102,"body":"I think we were rolling probably, we were a little"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2156.176,"endTime":2159.978,"body":"up on Manning at the time and so probably like"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2160.064,"endTime":2162.642,"body":"55, 60 guys in arrangement platoon at the time."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2162.716,"endTime":2166.206,"body":"And we went in with three squads of five,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2166.388,"endTime":2171.082,"body":"the platoon command unit element, and then machine guns."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2171.106,"endTime":2173.218,"body":"We're going in just two guys per machine"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2173.254,"endTime":2175.522,"body":"gun, and that's normally a three man crew."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2175.546,"endTime":2179.302,"body":"So we're going in like 27 people, spread"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2179.326,"endTime":2182.082,"body":"it across two helicopters and so half the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2182.096,"endTime":2183.87,"body":"young guys are sitting in the back."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2184.04,"endTime":2186.642,"body":"They can't do anything and it makes a cut to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2186.656,"endTime":2190.47,"body":"get on the aircraft and not they did anything bad."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2190.58,"endTime":2192.918,"body":"It's kind of one of those things where you take the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2192.944,"endTime":2196.698,"body":"best guys that you can take and so that's yourself as"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2196.724,"endTime":2200.194,"body":"a leader and then you're taking your next two subordinate leaders"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2200.302,"endTime":2202.482,"body":"and then they each get to take one guy."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2202.556,"endTime":2204.246,"body":"And you're a sergeant at this point."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2204.308,"endTime":2205.162,"body":"I'm a staff sergeant."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2205.186,"endTime":2206.962,"body":"At this time, a brand new staff"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2206.986,"endTime":2210.358,"body":"sergeant, so a Ranger squad leader."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2210.514,"endTime":2213.018,"body":"So I'm in command of between at that time I had"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2213.044,"endTime":2215.538,"body":"like eleven guys I think, but normally it's about nine."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2215.624,"endTime":2218.598,"body":"So it's two fire teams of four normally, but"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2218.624,"endTime":2220.698,"body":"we were running like two fire teams of five."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2220.844,"endTime":2223.83,"body":"Plus myself would make about eleven guys,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2223.94,"endTime":2225.68,"body":"plus or minus, I don't remember."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2226.19,"endTime":2228.81,"body":"You guys are going on the helicopter, right?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2228.86,"endTime":2231.042,"body":"And so we launched to go."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2231.116,"endTime":2235.278,"body":"And so people live in the mountains or they know"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2235.304,"endTime":2237.618,"body":"anything about weather in the summertime in the mountains, you"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2237.644,"endTime":2240.538,"body":"get random weird weather patterns in the mountains."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2240.574,"endTime":2245.094,"body":"So we're flying target and has weather's rolled in and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2245.192,"endTime":2247.95,"body":"we've got rain and fog and all kinds of stuff"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2248.0,"endTime":2250.23,"body":"and so the helicopters can't fly into that."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2250.28,"endTime":2253.158,"body":"They have to be able to have a certain level of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2253.184,"endTime":2256.47,"body":"visibility and so we had to abort infill that night."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2256.52,"endTime":2261.166,"body":"So we diverted over to Jalalabad to stage at Jalalabad"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2261.238,"endTime":2264.714,"body":"and we ended up sitting on the flight line for"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2264.872,"endTime":2268.938,"body":"24 ish hours to be able to launch in that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2268.964,"endTime":2271.942,"body":"next night and launched in just after sunset."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2272.086,"endTime":2275.082,"body":"What do you know about the Seals at this point?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2275.276,"endTime":2278.778,"body":"We knew that the helicopter was shot down the whole"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2278.804,"endTime":2282.498,"body":"time and it was presumed based on the feeds that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2282.524,"endTime":2285.27,"body":"there were no survivors because there wasn't anybody moving around"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2285.32,"endTime":2290.11,"body":"it and that it was a fireball when it crashed."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2290.29,"endTime":2293.818,"body":"There's no communication, there's no communication"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2293.854,"endTime":2294.958,"body":"with anybody on the ground."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2294.994,"endTime":2296.202,"body":"It's crickets on that end."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2296.276,"endTime":2300.702,"body":"There's no communication with Murphy's team and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2300.836,"endTime":2302.998,"body":"there's no communication with that helicopter."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2303.034,"endTime":2305.77,"body":"There's no movement outside of that helicopter."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2305.95,"endTime":2307.866,"body":"You just think it's going and you're going"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2307.868,"endTime":2309.27,"body":"to go in and pick up some. Right?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2309.32,"endTime":2311.902,"body":"So we're going in on basically what we call a combat"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2311.926,"endTime":2316.65,"body":"search and rescue with the anticipation that there are no survivors"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2317.75,"endTime":2320.454,"body":"based on all the activity that we've seen over like the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2320.492,"endTime":2323.682,"body":"36 hours that this has been going on now."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2323.876,"endTime":2327.594,"body":"And so on the board, Mike Murphy's team"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2327.632,"endTime":2330.93,"body":"just kind of gets a question mark because"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2330.98,"endTime":2334.102,"body":"we got to deal with these 16 Americans"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2334.126,"endTime":2336.874,"body":"that have been killed in this helicopter crash."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2336.922,"endTime":2338.394,"body":"We have to confirm, deny any"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2338.432,"endTime":2340.174,"body":"possible survivors out of that crash."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2340.222,"endTime":2343.05,"body":"We have to account for everybody that's in that crash."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2344.57,"endTime":2347.862,"body":"So that's the task at hand, the crashes first,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2347.936,"endTime":2350.442,"body":"it's priority because we know where it is."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2350.516,"endTime":2352.038,"body":"We don't know where anything is"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2352.064,"endTime":2354.08,"body":"going on with Murphy's team."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2354.71,"endTime":2356.994,"body":"So we'll figure that out."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2357.152,"endTime":2358.77,"body":"We knew what we were going into."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2358.94,"endTime":2361.302,"body":"We knew it was going to be, well, we got"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2361.316,"endTime":2364.842,"body":"to deal with this first and hopefully intelligence comes around"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2364.916,"endTime":2368.934,"body":"or if there's any survivors out of Murphy's team, maybe"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2368.972,"endTime":2371.062,"body":"they'll make their way up kind of towards the crash"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2371.086,"endTime":2373.95,"body":"site and we'll be able to link up with them."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2374.06,"endTime":2376.158,"body":"And you also know that there's enemy in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2376.184,"endTime":2378.258,"body":"the area because they got down there. Right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2378.344,"endTime":2381.114,"body":"We know that there's the potential for"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2381.152,"endTime":2383.54,"body":"a large enemy force in the area."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2384.17,"endTime":2387.178,"body":"So we finally get the clearance to launch out of Jalalabad"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2387.274,"endTime":2389.958,"body":"and launch up and they said, hey, we're going to."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2390.044,"endTime":2392.25,"body":"The only insertion is fast rope."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2392.87,"endTime":2395.242,"body":"So that's a big four inch diameter rope."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2395.266,"endTime":2396.822,"body":"We kick out of the back of the helicopter and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2396.836,"endTime":2398.95,"body":"then slide down the rope like a fireman's pole."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2399.07,"endTime":2402.678,"body":"And we try to do it normally in training and in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2402.704,"endTime":2406.47,"body":"all tactical situations, we try to do it at under 40ft."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2409.13,"endTime":2410.202,"body":"It's faster for us."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2410.216,"endTime":2411.69,"body":"And if guys were to fall, it's not"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2411.74,"endTime":2413.11,"body":"they're not going to get as hurt."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2413.17,"endTime":2415.578,"body":"But this one was at 60 plus."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2415.724,"endTime":2417.462,"body":"It started at 60 and then kind"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2417.476,"endTime":2421.446,"body":"of as the helicopter will drift, because"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2421.568,"endTime":2425.13,"body":"static cover for helicopters never perfectly stable."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2425.45,"endTime":2428.022,"body":"They're moving around a little bit and it"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2428.036,"endTime":2430.558,"body":"feels like it's perfectly stable until you're sitting"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2430.594,"endTime":2431.922,"body":"on the ground and you're staring at it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2431.936,"endTime":2434.54,"body":"And I was like, wow, that thing's dancing a little bit."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2435.29,"endTime":2437.578,"body":"But when you're doing that, when you're fast roving"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2437.614,"endTime":2441.57,"body":"in at like 8000ft elevation on the ground and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2441.68,"endTime":2443.742,"body":"you're roped in on the side of on a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2443.756,"endTime":2446.122,"body":"ridge, that rope just kind of drifts."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2446.146,"endTime":2447.798,"body":"And so the more it drifts off"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2447.824,"endTime":2449.814,"body":"the side, the longer the rope gets."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2449.852,"endTime":2453.486,"body":"And wearing leather work gloves that we're"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2453.488,"endTime":2455.478,"body":"supposed to wear, and their hands are"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2455.504,"endTime":2458.278,"body":"getting burnt and they're blisters."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2458.314,"endTime":2461.478,"body":"And so guys, some of the guys get about"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2461.504,"endTime":2464.022,"body":"ten to 15ft off towards the bottom of the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2464.036,"endTime":2465.802,"body":"rope and they can't hold on anymore."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2465.826,"endTime":2467.214,"body":"Their hands are all blistered up and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2467.252,"endTime":2469.28,"body":"so they just drop off the open."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2469.67,"endTime":2470.854,"body":"A lot of twisted ankles."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2470.902,"endTime":2475.362,"body":"And there were a couple of twisted ankles for us."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2475.436,"endTime":2478.002,"body":"The other team that came in behind us, they were the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2478.016,"endTime":2480.462,"body":"actual we were kind of the advanced party, so we were"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2480.476,"endTime":2483.318,"body":"there to fight through any resistance so they could come in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2483.344,"endTime":2488.838,"body":"with the recovery equipment, body bags and the equipment that we"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2488.864,"endTime":2492.678,"body":"carry for smash web crash actions and things like that, that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2492.764,"endTime":2494.47,"body":"have to get brought up on target."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2494.59,"endTime":2498.118,"body":"And that stuff is not popular"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2498.154,"endTime":2499.158,"body":"to what people might think."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2499.184,"endTime":2500.998,"body":"That stuff is heavy and it's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2501.034,"endTime":2502.798,"body":"compressed and it's not awkward."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2502.954,"endTime":2505.402,"body":"A body bag weighs 35 lbs."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2505.426,"endTime":2507.562,"body":"Yeah, around 35 lbs."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2507.586,"endTime":2511.254,"body":"Because it's a thick lined, heavy plastic bag and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2511.292,"endTime":2514.782,"body":"it's waterproof, and because of what's going in, it"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2514.796,"endTime":2520.206,"body":"is biohazard, is human and things like that."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2520.328,"endTime":2523.122,"body":"I don't mean to be grotesque, but you"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2523.136,"endTime":2526.582,"body":"can't have those bags leaking with 35 lbs."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2526.666,"endTime":2528.262,"body":"People are like, oh, 235 pounds."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2528.286,"endTime":2531.538,"body":"Well, strap that onto the other 70 lb of junk"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2531.574,"endTime":2534.822,"body":"that you're already wearing and then let's get out"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2534.836,"endTime":2537.99,"body":"of a helicopter at 8000ft and walk to 10,000ft."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2538.79,"endTime":2539.85,"body":"It hurts."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2541.79,"endTime":2542.83,"body":"We're acclimated."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2542.89,"endTime":2544.902,"body":"I mean, Bagram Air Force Base is sitting at,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2544.916,"endTime":2548.01,"body":"like, 5500ft of elevation, so we're not going that much."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2548.06,"endTime":2550.246,"body":"But it's a big change, it's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2550.258,"endTime":2552.234,"body":"a drastic change, even for that."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2552.272,"endTime":2555.25,"body":"And we're adrenaline going and you're carrying."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2555.37,"endTime":2560.974,"body":"Right, so we finally get in and we start walking"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2561.022,"endTime":2565.098,"body":"and start I'm sorry, this is daylight or night time."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2565.124,"endTime":2567.502,"body":"This is the night of the 29 July."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2567.526,"endTime":2569.922,"body":"Okay, so drop in at night. Yes."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2569.996,"endTime":2571.77,"body":"So the crash happened on june 28."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2571.82,"endTime":2573.762,"body":"And so with the weather delay on the night of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2573.776,"endTime":2576.642,"body":"the 28th, we sat all day on the 29th."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2576.656,"endTime":2578.298,"body":"And so this is the night of the 29th."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2578.324,"endTime":2582.282,"body":"We're finally getting inserted into to be"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2582.296,"endTime":2584.418,"body":"able to put American forces around this"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2584.444,"endTime":2587.406,"body":"crash site and start making accountability and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2587.468,"endTime":2589.438,"body":"giving a visual first hand assessment."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2589.474,"endTime":2591.45,"body":"Is the helicopter still burning at this point?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2591.5,"endTime":2592.64,"body":"It is, yes, it is."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2593.57,"endTime":2597.022,"body":"So we get infilled and so it's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2597.046,"endTime":2598.086,"body":"like, okay, where are we going?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2598.148,"endTime":2600.882,"body":"And they say, you see that fire? Yeah."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2600.896,"endTime":2601.734,"body":"That's where we're going."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2601.832,"endTime":2603.51,"body":"Yeah, start walking."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2604.73,"endTime":2607.078,"body":"Nick from third platoon fast rope"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2607.114,"endTime":2609.99,"body":"from a blackhawk helicopter at 8000ft."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2610.31,"endTime":2612.846,"body":"The Chinook, they soon learned, had gone down"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2612.908,"endTime":2616.11,"body":"2000ft higher at the crest of the mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2616.49,"endTime":2619.27,"body":"Now they had to climb up a small nasty"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2619.33,"endTime":2623.014,"body":"goat trail in the inky blackness of a rural"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2623.122,"endTime":2627.75,"body":"Afghanistan night while carrying their regular combat gear along"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2627.8,"endTime":2630.51,"body":"with heavy body bags and other equipment."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2631.25,"endTime":2633.318,"body":"Once they secured the ridge, they went"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2633.344,"endTime":2636.01,"body":"about the gruesome job of recovering 16"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2636.07,"endTime":2638.6,"body":"bodies from the Chinook crash site."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2639.29,"endTime":2642.226,"body":"The only recognizable parts of the helicopter"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2642.298,"endTime":2645.27,"body":"were the rotor blades and turbine engines."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2645.71,"endTime":2647.286,"body":"Then they split up and started"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2647.348,"endTime":2649.65,"body":"searching for the four missing Seals."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2650.03,"endTime":2653.062,"body":"Nick was leading a 13 man Ranger element"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2653.206,"endTime":2655.494,"body":"that was joined by a special forces A"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2655.532,"endTime":2658.88,"body":"team when they spotted a small village ahead."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2660.89,"endTime":2663.438,"body":"And so we start walking and guys try to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2663.464,"endTime":2666.33,"body":"take off at this rabbit pace and it's like"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2666.38,"endTime":2668.24,"body":"that's not going to work for very long."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2669.65,"endTime":2671.898,"body":"And so that you can see the first"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2671.924,"endTime":2673.518,"body":"little bit, we're walking at a pretty good"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2673.544,"endTime":2675.178,"body":"clip and then you're going uphill."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2675.274,"endTime":2676.59,"body":"Yeah, we're going uphill."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2677.09,"endTime":2678.19,"body":"It's pretty steep."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2678.31,"endTime":2681.022,"body":"Well, it's just off the top of the ridge"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2681.046,"endTime":2683.706,"body":"and we're about halfway up the ridge for this"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2683.768,"endTime":2686.178,"body":"and so I'm back up a little bit."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2686.204,"endTime":2689.382,"body":"So all of this is happening on the 28th"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2689.456,"endTime":2693.198,"body":"and I've just kind of put this in there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2693.224,"endTime":2695.982,"body":"I know I put it in my book as well, but so"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2695.996,"endTime":2699.658,"body":"there was a rifle team that was stationed out of Jalalabad."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2699.694,"endTime":2702.678,"body":"And so when all this happened, they just"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2702.704,"endTime":2704.166,"body":"jumped in the trucks and they took off."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2704.228,"endTime":2705.522,"body":"They said, hey, we're not waiting for you"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2705.536,"endTime":2707.022,"body":"to ask us to go, we're going."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2707.156,"endTime":2710.718,"body":"And so they started driving up there to the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2710.744,"endTime":2713.622,"body":"base of the mountain and so then they're in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2713.636,"endTime":2715.378,"body":"the bottom of the valley, in the big valley."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2715.414,"endTime":2719.238,"body":"And so then they literally started walking up"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2719.324,"endTime":2722.538,"body":"the entire mountain to get to the top."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2722.684,"endTime":2730.194,"body":"And so even with that, a whole 24 hours of that,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2730.232,"endTime":2732.318,"body":"they still haven't even made it as high as we had"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2732.344,"endTime":2738.006,"body":"gotten being inserted and they wouldn't show up for another day."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2738.188,"endTime":2742.098,"body":"Oh my God, that tells you how"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2742.124,"endTime":2743.9,"body":"bad it was walking up there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2745.13,"endTime":2746.542,"body":"And they left all their trucks"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2746.566,"endTime":2748.074,"body":"and stuff down at the bottom?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2748.112,"endTime":2751.062,"body":"Well, no, the gun crews and so the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2751.076,"endTime":2752.994,"body":"vehicle crews, they stayed on the truck, so"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2753.032,"endTime":2754.854,"body":"driver, gunner, and then one other individual."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2754.952,"endTime":2757.818,"body":"And so what they did was once they did the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2757.964,"endTime":2760.966,"body":"infiltration for those guys to drop off, then they turned"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2760.978,"endTime":2764.194,"body":"around and took the trucks back to Jalalabad."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2764.362,"endTime":2766.58,"body":"They could have went to Camp Blessing, I'm not sure."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2768.83,"endTime":2771.75,"body":"It's kind of a moot point where they went."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2771.8,"endTime":2774.32,"body":"I know they didn't sit down there for two weeks."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2774.89,"endTime":2779.262,"body":"So they're walking up and we've finally got infield and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2779.276,"endTime":2781.962,"body":"now we're starting our walk and we're walking towards the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2781.976,"endTime":2785.082,"body":"fire and maybe about an hour before sunrise when we"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2785.096,"endTime":2787.498,"body":"finally get up on the top and kind of push"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2787.534,"endTime":2790.446,"body":"through and secure what we are calling the objective area."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2790.508,"endTime":2793.278,"body":"And so we own the top of the ridge where all"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2793.304,"endTime":2796.486,"body":"this stuff is happening and we've got guys that have swept"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2796.498,"endTime":2799.518,"body":"through and make sure there's no fighters hiding in wait."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2799.664,"endTime":2801.234,"body":"And then we just locked down."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2801.272,"endTime":2803.634,"body":"Our platoon was responsible to lock down the entire"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2803.672,"endTime":2806.034,"body":"perimeter and so we locked it down and then"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2806.072,"endTime":2808.674,"body":"waited and then the sun had come up."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2808.712,"endTime":2811.102,"body":"Now their platoon finally started to make their way onto"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2811.126,"endTime":2814.158,"body":"the objective and there was no rest for them."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2814.184,"endTime":2815.12,"body":"They didn't stop."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2815.99,"endTime":2818.19,"body":"They just pushed through. They pushed through."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2818.24,"endTime":2821.778,"body":"Give the platoon sergeant and PL at the time, they"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2821.804,"endTime":2823.614,"body":"gave the guidance of what needed to be done."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2823.652,"endTime":2825.126,"body":"And the boys started to go to work."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2825.188,"endTime":2830.682,"body":"And come about noon, one local,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2830.876,"endTime":2832.94,"body":"we had everybody accounted for."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2834.77,"endTime":2836.934,"body":"And how many people had been on that?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2837.032,"endTime":2839.54,"body":"There were 16. Wow."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2839.93,"endTime":2841.582,"body":"And they all died. There were no survivors."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2841.606,"endTime":2843.03,"body":"Yeah, there were no survivors."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2843.95,"endTime":2849.87,"body":"And so the next tasking that came was we have to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2849.92,"endTime":2851.514,"body":"make a way for these guys to get out here."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2851.552,"endTime":2855.162,"body":"So we had a small clearing that we could fit a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2855.176,"endTime":2857.586,"body":"small helicopter on, but it wasn't anything big enough to get"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2857.648,"endTime":2860.478,"body":"a transport helicopter in to get the remains out."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2860.504,"endTime":2865.194,"body":"So we ordered a supply pallet of explosives and started"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2865.232,"endTime":2870.046,"body":"blowing trees off the mountain and created a helicopter landing"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2870.058,"endTime":2872.718,"body":"zone large enough for a Ch 47 to come in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2872.864,"endTime":2874.33,"body":"and be able to load the remains."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2874.39,"endTime":2875.418,"body":"So that's the way you do it?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2875.444,"endTime":2879.26,"body":"You just start clearing an area? Yeah."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2880.25,"endTime":2881.502,"body":"Even if there hadn't been a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2881.516,"endTime":2882.702,"body":"clearing, we would have made one."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2882.776,"endTime":2883.794,"body":"And so we had just"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2883.832,"endTime":2886.05,"body":"finished our breachers training course."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2886.16,"endTime":2888.234,"body":"And so we don't always use"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2888.392,"endTime":2890.394,"body":"timber charges and things like that."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2890.432,"endTime":2892.4,"body":"It's very rare that we actually do."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2892.73,"endTime":2894.162,"body":"But since we had just finished the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2894.176,"endTime":2895.866,"body":"course, it was fresh in everybody's mind."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2895.928,"endTime":2897.462,"body":"It's just something that we always train on when we"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2897.476,"endTime":2900.114,"body":"teach people how to do this because it's a very"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2900.152,"endTime":2903.25,"body":"basic task, but it's also a very complicated task."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2903.31,"endTime":2905.538,"body":"It's like being a lumberjack and falling a tree the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2905.564,"endTime":2907.978,"body":"correct way, but instead of using an accident, a chainsaw"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2908.014,"endTime":2910.278,"body":"and wedges, we're using explosives to do it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2910.304,"endTime":2914.19,"body":"So there's a few more tricks to doing it with"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2914.24,"endTime":2918.774,"body":"explosives, but we have a lot of fun doing it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2918.872,"endTime":2921.774,"body":"It's kind of something that kept us from"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2921.812,"endTime":2925.338,"body":"thinking about what had just happened and so"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2925.364,"endTime":2929.274,"body":"far you don't see any resistance at all?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2929.372,"endTime":2930.486,"body":"No, there's nothing."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2930.548,"endTime":2932.958,"body":"I mean, we're not seeing anybody up"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2932.984,"endTime":2934.818,"body":"there, so we're like, okay, awesome."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2934.964,"endTime":2936.62,"body":"I guess nobody wants to play."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2938.39,"endTime":2943.498,"body":"So we finished that up and come late, late"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2943.534,"endTime":2946.494,"body":"afternoon or the evening sun is still up, finally"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2946.532,"endTime":2951.838,"body":"got clearence to bring in the helicopter to load"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2951.874,"endTime":2954.02,"body":"the remains on and fly them out."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2955.67,"endTime":2957.62,"body":"So then they flew out, and then we had"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2958.49,"endTime":2961.998,"body":"got basically the daily intelligence dumped for what was"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2962.024,"endTime":2964.542,"body":"going on, and there was a random push to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2964.556,"endTime":2968.494,"body":"talk that had been triangulated, that it was somewhere"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2968.542,"endTime":2971.154,"body":"down the mountain, like a walkie talkie almost."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2971.252,"endTime":2972.838,"body":"Well, it's one of our radios."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2972.934,"endTime":2975.754,"body":"And so somebody was just pushing the push"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2975.802,"endTime":2979.17,"body":"button to Kia, not Morse code or anything,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2979.22,"endTime":2980.334,"body":"but they were just pushing it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2980.372,"endTime":2983.322,"body":"And so after so many times of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2983.336,"endTime":2985.818,"body":"doing that, you could use technology to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2985.844,"endTime":2988.95,"body":"triangulate the location or an approximate location."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2989.69,"endTime":2991.554,"body":"That location got passed up."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2991.712,"endTime":2996.738,"body":"And we got tasked with two squads and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2996.764,"endTime":2999.558,"body":"our platoon leaders element down the mountain at"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":2999.584,"endTime":3002.366,"body":"night to figure out what was going on."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3002.488,"endTime":3004.01,"body":"And so, like we were saying"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3004.06,"endTime":3005.378,"body":"earlier, mountain weather comes in."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3005.404,"endTime":3006.698,"body":"So we ended up walking down"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3006.724,"endTime":3009.05,"body":"the mountain in this massive rainstorm."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3011.05,"endTime":3013.85,"body":"You haven't slept, right? No, not really."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3013.9,"endTime":3015.902,"body":"I mean, caught a few little cat naps here and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3015.916,"endTime":3021.434,"body":"there, but kind of the best thing to do in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3021.472,"endTime":3024.65,"body":"situations like that is to not stop doing things."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3024.76,"endTime":3026.426,"body":"And it's not because you just want to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3026.428,"endTime":3029.91,"body":"run on adrenaline, but when you have downtime,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3029.97,"endTime":3033.158,"body":"then your mind starts actually thinking about the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3033.184,"endTime":3036.962,"body":"ramifications of what has just happened here."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3037.036,"endTime":3039.498,"body":"And so if you can keep the boys"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3039.534,"endTime":3041.678,"body":"busy and keep them doing things, then their"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3041.704,"endTime":3046.898,"body":"mind doesn't think about what just happened there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3046.984,"endTime":3049.846,"body":"In helicopters."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3049.978,"endTime":3051.93,"body":"We're going to fly out on helicopters."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3054.11,"endTime":3054.69,"body":"Interesting."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3054.8,"endTime":3056.19,"body":"So you just keep moving."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3056.36,"endTime":3057.33,"body":"So just keep moving."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3057.38,"endTime":3062.714,"body":"And so we got the tasking"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3062.762,"endTime":3064.718,"body":"and started walking in the rain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3064.814,"endTime":3069.514,"body":"It's coming down, and it's wet and slick, and we almost"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3069.552,"endTime":3071.318,"body":"lost a couple of guys off the side of the ridge."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3071.354,"endTime":3074.962,"body":"And I was like, hey, we might want to stop"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3075.036,"endTime":3079.154,"body":"for a while because Nate almost fell off the mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3079.262,"endTime":3083.95,"body":"And that's all we need to do is have somebody else."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3084.0,"endTime":3085.246,"body":"Now we have to go find somebody"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3085.308,"endTime":3087.9,"body":"else, one of our own, right?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3088.53,"endTime":3091.066,"body":"So we held up underneath some of the big"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3091.128,"endTime":3093.562,"body":"mountain pine trees there for the last couple of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3093.576,"endTime":3096.25,"body":"hours of the night and just shaking and shivering."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3099.37,"endTime":3101.478,"body":"We're hot and sweaty from walking,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3101.514,"endTime":3102.582,"body":"but we're also soaking wet."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3102.606,"endTime":3105.11,"body":"And then when you stop moving and it's just miserable."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3106.33,"endTime":3108.302,"body":"And so guys try to catch a little bit"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3108.316,"endTime":3110.238,"body":"of sleep, but you can't really catch any sleep."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3110.274,"endTime":3112.706,"body":"And so you just kind of turn in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3112.708,"endTime":3114.386,"body":"your head, looking under your night vision and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3114.448,"endTime":3116.262,"body":"just seeing what's out on the landscape."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3116.286,"endTime":3118.994,"body":"And there were some little spot fires, little"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3119.032,"endTime":3121.238,"body":"camps and things like that, and we were"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3121.264,"endTime":3125.57,"body":"assuming they were Taliban or farmers with goats."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3126.19,"endTime":3127.998,"body":"They'll push the goats up in the mountains"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3128.034,"endTime":3129.782,"body":"and let them graze on whatever grass and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3129.796,"endTime":3131.92,"body":"vegetation is up that they'll eat."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3134.23,"endTime":3135.578,"body":"And all you're going on is"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3135.604,"endTime":3137.558,"body":"this ping of this rate, right?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3137.644,"endTime":3140.382,"body":"And a grid that we had basically walking"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3140.406,"endTime":3141.798,"body":"to a grid down to this little village"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3141.834,"endTime":3149.18,"body":"and trying to find the answer to this"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3150.29,"endTime":3154.17,"body":"American equipment in control by Taliban fighters, right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3154.22,"endTime":3156.654,"body":"Which of course is it just people who just"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3156.692,"endTime":3158.922,"body":"happened to cross it and do they know what"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3158.936,"endTime":3161.554,"body":"happened to the individuals that are still missing?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3161.662,"endTime":3161.934,"body":"Right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3161.972,"endTime":3164.154,"body":"And there's still no word from right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3164.312,"endTime":3168.558,"body":"There's no word from Mike Murphy's Seal team."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3168.584,"endTime":3171.14,"body":"It's just no comms at all."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3171.65,"endTime":3174.33,"body":"And so push down."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3174.38,"endTime":3178.878,"body":"And there was a Special Forces team that had infilled at"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3178.904,"endTime":3181.398,"body":"the same time as the Ranger team, and they have come"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3181.424,"endTime":3187.278,"body":"up a different spur on the mountain and trying to see"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3187.304,"endTime":3191.418,"body":"which way was the fastest split forest type deal."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3191.444,"endTime":3193.314,"body":"And so we tied in with them after the sun came"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3193.352,"endTime":3196.662,"body":"up and the rain stopped and we're kind of trying to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3196.676,"endTime":3198.486,"body":"dry our gear out for just a few minutes."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3198.548,"endTime":3203.322,"body":"We got food coming in on a cargo delivery system, so a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3203.336,"endTime":3205.686,"body":"big pallet of gears get kicked out of the back of the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3205.688,"endTime":3208.098,"body":"C 130 and we're just kind of waiting for breakfast to show"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3208.124,"endTime":3211.47,"body":"up and try our gear out before we keep walking."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3213.53,"endTime":3215.058,"body":"So we tied with them, have"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3215.084,"endTime":3216.654,"body":"a little bit something to eat."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3216.812,"endTime":3219.498,"body":"Got dried off a little bit and get it it back"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3219.524,"endTime":3223.35,"body":"up and then started walking down to the little village."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3225.05,"endTime":3227.49,"body":"What size village are we talking?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3227.66,"endTime":3228.682,"body":"Oh, it's tiny."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3228.706,"endTime":3232.23,"body":"I mean, we're talking maybe one or two city blocks."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3233.39,"endTime":3237.342,"body":"It's nothing big, maybe 100 people, 200 people. Okay."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3237.476,"endTime":3239.43,"body":"And it's all like sheep herders."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3240.05,"endTime":3242.082,"body":"They're farmers, so they terrace the side of the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3242.096,"endTime":3245.646,"body":"mountains and they'll farm in agriculture and that stuff."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3245.708,"endTime":3251.314,"body":"And so we start rangers don't do the nice,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3251.412,"endTime":3253.462,"body":"Ask questions first and then look later."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3253.536,"endTime":3254.94,"body":"We just smash things."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3255.51,"endTime":3257.554,"body":"Special Forces guys? Yeah. Right?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3257.592,"endTime":3259.45,"body":"So we let the Special Forces guys"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3259.56,"endTime":3260.846,"body":"go talk to the village elders."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3260.858,"endTime":3264.202,"body":"And then so me and the boys and my"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3264.216,"endTime":3266.654,"body":"buddy Jason, who's the other squad, later his squad,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3266.702,"endTime":3269.738,"body":"we start kicking in doors and we're speaking English."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3269.774,"endTime":3271.166,"body":"Where's the Americans? Where's the Americans?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3271.178,"endTime":3273.466,"body":"They're speaking Pashto and Farsi and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3273.588,"endTime":3275.46,"body":"whatever else they're speaking over there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3276.45,"endTime":3278.17,"body":"Some things all you can do is just point."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3278.22,"endTime":3280.294,"body":"So we're just pointing on the shoulder to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3280.332,"endTime":3282.946,"body":"our American flag and like, where is he? Where is he?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3283.068,"endTime":3284.16,"body":"Where are they?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3284.49,"endTime":3286.702,"body":"So then they figured out what we"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3286.716,"endTime":3288.118,"body":"were doing while we were there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3288.144,"endTime":3291.938,"body":"And so then the village people kind of helped"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3292.034,"endTime":3295.954,"body":"marcus up from where they were hiding him from"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3295.992,"endTime":3299.422,"body":"the Taliban and they brought him up to us."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3299.436,"endTime":3301.918,"body":"And so when we stopped smashing stuff and went"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3301.944,"endTime":3303.538,"body":"over to the SF guys and we're like, hey,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3303.564,"endTime":3305.21,"body":"you probably got to pay for a few doors."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3305.33,"endTime":3306.78,"body":"Yeah, right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3308.79,"endTime":3312.53,"body":"Then we started asking marcus questions. How was Marcus?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3312.65,"endTime":3314.4,"body":"What condition was he in?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3314.73,"endTime":3315.734,"body":"He was walking."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3315.782,"endTime":3319.13,"body":"I'm sure he had some injuries."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3319.19,"endTime":3323.818,"body":"We knew he had been shot in the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3323.844,"endTime":3327.554,"body":"back end and some bruises and scrapes."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3327.602,"endTime":3330.922,"body":"Yeah, he was pretty bruised up, but"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3331.056,"endTime":3332.35,"body":"he's walking under his own power."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3332.4,"endTime":3335.82,"body":"It's just come to find out later"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3337.17,"endTime":3338.758,"body":"from falling and all that stuff."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3338.784,"endTime":3343.042,"body":"He had cracked a rib right or two or something in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3343.056,"endTime":3346.68,"body":"his back, but he was walking on his own power."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3347.13,"endTime":3348.61,"body":"Was he still armed?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3349.65,"endTime":3350.798,"body":"He didn't have his rifle."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3350.834,"endTime":3355.978,"body":"He had his tactical gear, and then that led us to that."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3356.004,"endTime":3357.566,"body":"Okay, so that was his radio."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3357.698,"endTime":3361.378,"body":"And so the medics went over and kind of did"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3361.404,"endTime":3363.67,"body":"what they could do for him and all that stuff."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3363.72,"endTime":3366.622,"body":"And so then we start asking questions."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3366.816,"endTime":3368.94,"body":"Hey, what happened?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3369.87,"endTime":3372.754,"body":"And so then he starts explaining what happened,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3372.852,"endTime":3375.094,"body":"and then the question is, okay, well, if"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3375.132,"endTime":3376.318,"body":"you're here, where is everybody else?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3376.344,"endTime":3377.83,"body":"And he goes, they're dead."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3378.87,"endTime":3380.686,"body":"I was like, okay, but where?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3380.808,"endTime":3382.438,"body":"He's like and he just points up"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3382.464,"endTime":3384.022,"body":"on the side of the mountain. He goes there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3384.156,"endTime":3385.066,"body":"Up there."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3385.248,"endTime":3387.72,"body":"I was like, can you be a little bit more specific?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3389.01,"endTime":3390.682,"body":"And he's like, no."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3390.876,"endTime":3392.518,"body":"What was his mental state?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3392.664,"endTime":3396.598,"body":"I mean, he was coherent, if that's what you're asking, but"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3396.624,"endTime":3400.018,"body":"you could tell that he was kind of I guess he"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3400.044,"endTime":3404.462,"body":"was in his own thoughts about what had happened, and he's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3404.486,"endTime":3410.102,"body":"trying to think, but he's been in a running gunfight."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3410.186,"endTime":3412.906,"body":"And then he comes in and he tells us that,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3412.968,"endTime":3416.698,"body":"okay, well, while you guys were weathered out and the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3416.724,"endTime":3419.162,"body":"29th, the Taliban actually came down here and they grabbed"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3419.186,"endTime":3420.878,"body":"him up and they took him up on the mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3420.914,"endTime":3423.442,"body":"They showed him all the fighting positions and said, when"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3423.456,"endTime":3425.266,"body":"your friends come in here to get you, we're going"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3425.268,"endTime":3430.202,"body":"to shoot them down, too, and all this stuff he's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3430.226,"endTime":3432.718,"body":"saying that the Taliban had grabbed him. Right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3432.744,"endTime":3434.914,"body":"They came into the village and they grabbed him at"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3434.952,"endTime":3438.382,"body":"gunpoint and threatened the villagers that if they didn't let"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3438.396,"endTime":3443.578,"body":"him take them, but then they were going to kill"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3443.604,"endTime":3446.34,"body":"everybody in the village, so they let him take him."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3446.79,"endTime":3448.93,"body":"But there's part of Afghan culture"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3449.49,"endTime":3451.286,"body":"I don't remember the exact term."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3451.358,"endTime":3453.214,"body":"pashtunwali  Yes, thank you."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3453.252,"endTime":3456.586,"body":"Pashtunwali, where they're responsible for him now"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3456.648,"endTime":3458.99,"body":"because they've accepted him into the village"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3459.05,"endTime":3461.438,"body":"and they've offered him care and attention."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3461.534,"endTime":3463.486,"body":"And so then they are by their"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3463.668,"endTime":3467.818,"body":"culture, they're required to fight for him."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3467.904,"endTime":3470.086,"body":"And so the Taliban knew that as well."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3470.148,"endTime":3472.678,"body":"And so that's why after they did their thing with him"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3472.704,"endTime":3475.642,"body":"and kind of threatened him, trying to intimidate him about what"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3475.656,"endTime":3479.158,"body":"was going to happen when everybody else came in, then they"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3479.184,"endTime":3481.958,"body":"brought it back and they handed him back over, and that's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3481.994,"endTime":3483.862,"body":"when they decided they were to hide him."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3484.056,"endTime":3486.934,"body":"And so he was kind of in a root seller type,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3487.032,"endTime":3491.494,"body":"so the villagers were hiding him right down in the bottom"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3491.532,"endTime":3494.542,"body":"of the draw, and a little root seller type thing that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3494.556,"endTime":3496.562,"body":"they had down there, and they were just kind of keeping"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3496.586,"endTime":3498.938,"body":"him out of the village, but safe."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3498.974,"endTime":3499.858,"body":"And so when we got down"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3499.884,"endTime":3501.334,"body":"there shooting them and stuff, right?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3501.372,"endTime":3505.262,"body":"So we start trading information with him and he's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3505.286,"endTime":3511.298,"body":"explaining all this stuff that's happened, and we're passing"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3511.334,"endTime":3513.55,"body":"information back up the mountain to our guys."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3513.6,"endTime":3516.83,"body":"And so then basically, we're tasked with just babysitting"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3516.89,"endTime":3521.962,"body":"him and securing that village until nightfall, when they"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3521.976,"endTime":3523.906,"body":"can fly into Medevac helicopter and put him on"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3523.908,"endTime":3525.96,"body":"the medevac and fly him out."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3527.67,"endTime":3530.506,"body":"So we're two days into this op now, and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3530.568,"endTime":3534.43,"body":"so that starts twelve more days of us, twelve"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3534.54,"endTime":3539.102,"body":"more days combing this mountainside, looking for three missing"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3539.126,"endTime":3543.13,"body":"Navy Seals who are presumed dead, according to Marcus,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3545.25,"endTime":3547.32,"body":"and he has no idea where they are."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3547.83,"endTime":3550.594,"body":"He knows generally they're up from him,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3550.632,"endTime":3551.642,"body":"so they're up on the mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3551.666,"endTime":3554.398,"body":"So what happened was we had our small element where we"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3554.424,"endTime":3556.63,"body":"were, and the rest of our element was on the top."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3556.68,"endTime":3559.042,"body":"So then those guys were climbing from the top of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3559.056,"endTime":3562.018,"body":"the mountain halfway down, and we were climbing from the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3562.044,"endTime":3564.442,"body":"bottom halfway up and meeting in the middle."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3564.576,"endTime":3568.26,"body":"And so one pass would take about all day."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3569.01,"endTime":3571.858,"body":"And so then we were combing through all"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3571.884,"endTime":3575.77,"body":"of this and leadership is keeping track of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3575.88,"endTime":3578.15,"body":"what sections of the mountains that we've covered."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3578.21,"endTime":3581.674,"body":"And we thought we were going to be real quick"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3581.712,"endTime":3587.53,"body":"about it because the first day that we actually search"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3587.58,"endTime":3592.15,"body":"so it'd be like the 30th as we're searching through."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3592.26,"endTime":3594.84,"body":"Or actually it's probably July 1."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3597.15,"endTime":3599.222,"body":"We make our first push halfway up the mountain"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3599.246,"endTime":3601.438,"body":"and tie in with the guys coming from the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3601.464,"endTime":3604.102,"body":"top down and high five and hey."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3604.116,"endTime":3605.82,"body":"I've seen a couple of days. How's it going?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3606.33,"endTime":3608.614,"body":"Kind of have a five minute break and just talk"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3608.652,"endTime":3612.154,"body":"with your friends and stuff and then split back."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3612.192,"endTime":3613.322,"body":"They go back up the mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3613.406,"endTime":3615.49,"body":"We turn around and come back to the bottom."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3615.54,"endTime":3616.702,"body":"And as they're going back up to the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3616.716,"endTime":3620.026,"body":"top, they stumble across two of them."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3620.148,"endTime":3623.918,"body":"And it was just stupid luck."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3623.954,"endTime":3626.04,"body":"Somebody happened to slide into a little"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3626.49,"endTime":3629.194,"body":"wash, lost his footing and fell in."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3629.232,"endTime":3631.402,"body":"Unfortunately for him, he's like, laying on"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3631.416,"endTime":3632.76,"body":"top of them face to face."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3635.17,"endTime":3636.878,"body":"So I felt bad for those"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3636.904,"endTime":3637.922,"body":"guys because they had found him."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3637.936,"endTime":3640.502,"body":"And so they're still going up in"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3640.516,"endTime":3642.518,"body":"elevation to get back to the top."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3642.544,"endTime":3645.702,"body":"So now they've got to carry two sets of remains"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3645.786,"endTime":3647.462,"body":"all the way up to the top, and then they"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3647.476,"endTime":3650.034,"body":"have to carry them down the ridge to the helicopter"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3650.082,"endTime":3651.99,"body":"landing zone, and then we've got to get the helicopter"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3652.05,"endTime":3656.742,"body":"back into Medevac, those remains out, and then now it's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3656.766,"endTime":3660.11,"body":"looking for one person on the side of a mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3661.81,"endTime":3665.2,"body":"So we just searching, searching, searching, and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3665.53,"endTime":3669.038,"body":"there's a little small spur kind of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3669.064,"endTime":3670.394,"body":"in the middle of this bigger draw."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3670.432,"endTime":3673.238,"body":"The big draw is kind of wise as"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3673.264,"endTime":3675.578,"body":"the mountain came up, and so we had."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3675.604,"endTime":3677.834,"body":"Searched for a couple of days on the side"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3677.872,"endTime":3679.926,"body":"where the village was, where we picked up Marcus."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3679.998,"endTime":3682.514,"body":"And so we thought, well, maybe we need to take"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3682.552,"endTime":3684.638,"body":"part of the element and shift over to the other"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3684.664,"endTime":3687.59,"body":"side, because he couldn't remember where anybody was."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3687.64,"endTime":3690.278,"body":"And guys get separated in this type of a gun fight"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3690.304,"endTime":3692.202,"body":"and this kind of terrain, and if he slipped and fell"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3692.226,"endTime":3694.478,"body":"and nobody saw it, he might be over here."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3694.504,"endTime":3696.41,"body":"So we were spending on the other side."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3696.46,"endTime":3699.242,"body":"And so we just spent a day or so and kind"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3699.256,"endTime":3702.566,"body":"of searched that other side and said, well, he's not here."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3702.688,"endTime":3705.026,"body":"And so then we just kept continuing the search."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3705.088,"endTime":3709.518,"body":"And so at this time, in the big picture"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3709.554,"endTime":3713.474,"body":"of everything that's going on, our deployment window had"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3713.512,"endTime":3715.902,"body":"ended, and we're on the side of this mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3715.926,"endTime":3719.114,"body":"And so our replacement Battalion third"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3719.152,"endTime":3720.77,"body":"Ranger Battalion had just showed up."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3720.82,"endTime":3722.534,"body":"And so they were getting kitted up"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3722.572,"endTime":3724.226,"body":"and briefed up on what's going on."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3724.228,"endTime":3728.246,"body":"So you were supposed to leave Afghanistan. Yeah."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3728.308,"endTime":3731.834,"body":"And so we're ten days into"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3731.872,"endTime":3736.346,"body":"this now, and we're worn out."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3736.528,"endTime":3739.118,"body":"Some of the guys have gotten sick because"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3739.144,"endTime":3740.75,"body":"at this point, we're not getting bottled water"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3740.8,"endTime":3742.13,"body":"dropped in for us or anything."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3742.18,"endTime":3744.062,"body":"We're just kind of trying to purify our"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3744.076,"endTime":3745.962,"body":"own water through the mountain stream systems."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3745.986,"endTime":3747.578,"body":"And I think some of the guys didn't quite get"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3747.604,"endTime":3752.69,"body":"the mix of iodine drops to quarts of water. Correct."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3752.74,"endTime":3755.838,"body":"And so they kind of got in the runs."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3755.934,"endTime":3756.962,"body":"Yeah, that's not good."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3757.036,"endTime":3759.702,"body":"And upset stomach, and I got sick too, but I had eaten"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3759.726,"endTime":3763.838,"body":"a bad MRE, so I had food poisoning for about 14 hours."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3763.924,"endTime":3764.666,"body":"Oh, God."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3764.788,"endTime":3766.526,"body":"So all this is going on three of the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3766.528,"endTime":3769.658,"body":"times, getting their stuff together and getting straightened up,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3769.684,"endTime":3772.118,"body":"and we're trying to work out the relief and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3772.144,"endTime":3775.61,"body":"place on the mountain and all this stuff."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3775.66,"endTime":3777.194,"body":"And finally the call comes"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3777.232,"endTime":3779.45,"body":"that, hey, you're out tonight."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3780.37,"endTime":3782.342,"body":"And so we pushed over to where we could get"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3782.356,"endTime":3786.854,"body":"a helicopter in on our location, and Third Battalion guys"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3786.892,"endTime":3792.362,"body":"jumped off, we jumped on, flew back, and after everybody"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3792.436,"endTime":3797.654,"body":"had gotten back from our platoon and our company was"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3797.692,"endTime":3802.0,"body":"probably about maybe 8 hours, they had recovered the final"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3802.99,"endTime":3805.25,"body":"missing American that and it just happened."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3805.3,"endTime":3807.758,"body":"It just wasn't a place that we hadn't looked yet."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3807.784,"endTime":3810.506,"body":"And they were fresh eyes, and we weren't taking"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3810.568,"endTime":3813.242,"body":"the assumptions that we were from first hand account."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3813.316,"endTime":3815.99,"body":"They were just kind of going, okay, yeah, right."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3816.04,"endTime":3820.762,"body":"And they're looking at it like first Platoon"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3820.786,"endTime":3823.194,"body":"and Third party Charlie Company have searched this"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3823.232,"endTime":3825.702,"body":"much area, and so there's well, there's no"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3825.716,"endTime":3826.626,"body":"point in searching that again."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3826.688,"endTime":3829.786,"body":"So let's look just outside of where they searched,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3829.798,"endTime":3832.58,"body":"and they found him pretty much right away."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3835.83,"endTime":3836.978,"body":"These guys had died."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3837.074,"endTime":3839.758,"body":"Just gunshot wounds. Yeah. Okay."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3839.904,"endTime":3844.582,"body":"So from your perspective, was it a"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3844.596,"endTime":3846.646,"body":"big battle that had taken place?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3846.768,"endTime":3850.154,"body":"Was there, like, evidence of a lot of combat?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3850.322,"endTime":3854.46,"body":"No, not from our perspective of what we had seen,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3854.91,"endTime":3858.778,"body":"according to what was passed over on the radio from"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3858.804,"endTime":3862.706,"body":"Murphy when everything was first jumping off for them versus"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3862.838,"endTime":3864.886,"body":"even when the helicopter got shot down."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3864.948,"endTime":3868.498,"body":"We found a lot of Soviet brass and things like"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3868.524,"endTime":3871.462,"body":"that from machine guns and them shooting, but not so"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3871.476,"endTime":3877.894,"body":"much on the NATO American five, five, six and four"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3878.052,"endTime":3881.04,"body":"ammunition or pistol ammunition or anything like that."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3882.87,"endTime":3885.96,"body":"It wasn't there, or at least we just didn't see it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3887.25,"endTime":3890.51,"body":"So they were probably it sounds like they encountered"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3890.63,"endTime":3892.858,"body":"the enemy and it was over pretty quickly."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3892.944,"endTime":3896.17,"body":"It wasn't like a prolonged battle that went on."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3896.34,"endTime":3898.81,"body":"You can still pull up some of the feed."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3899.13,"endTime":3901.73,"body":"Some of the video clips are still available on YouTube."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3901.91,"endTime":3903.862,"body":"You can search it and you can actually see"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3903.876,"endTime":3905.82,"body":"it and hear the gunfight that's going on."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3908.17,"endTime":3910.242,"body":"It's nothing graphic, nothing's shown."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3910.266,"endTime":3911.322,"body":"It's just from the Taliban's"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3911.346,"endTime":3913.48,"body":"perspective of what they're doing."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3917.15,"endTime":3918.51,"body":"So that was that."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3918.56,"endTime":3922.41,"body":"Now, when you saw the movie, what was your reaction?"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3922.73,"endTime":3927.02,"body":"Oh, I fought not watching that for a long time."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3932.19,"endTime":3934.09,"body":"I was at an Advanced non commissioned officers course."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3934.14,"endTime":3938.122,"body":"When I finally decided to try and read Marcus book, because"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3938.136,"endTime":3940.822,"body":"we had a school got shut down for a day and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3940.896,"endTime":3943.694,"body":"I went into town and sat at Barnes and Nobles drinking"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3943.742,"endTime":3946.366,"body":"coffee, and I was like, well, let's give this a try."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3946.428,"endTime":3951.034,"body":"And I was like, well, tried reading it and I read a little"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3951.072,"endTime":3953.086,"body":"bit of it and I put it back on the shelf and I"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3953.088,"endTime":3955.44,"body":"was like, Well, I don't need to read it, I lived it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3964.55,"endTime":3968.89,"body":"I give Hollywood credit, dramatize"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3968.95,"endTime":3970.34,"body":"things and add things."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3970.85,"endTime":3972.534,"body":"It's based on a true story."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3972.632,"endTime":3975.058,"body":"But I think the end of the movie"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3975.094,"endTime":3977.42,"body":"is not the way it should have been."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3977.81,"endTime":3980.082,"body":"I think you had a better dramatic effect if you"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3980.096,"endTime":3983.502,"body":"actually had a shown the actual course of events that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3983.576,"endTime":3988.678,"body":"happened and the amount of effort that went into finding"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3988.714,"endTime":3992.06,"body":"him and yeah, well, just recovering everybody."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3992.99,"endTime":3996.258,"body":"Not just helicopter, but the amount of effort that was"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":3996.284,"endTime":4001.562,"body":"put into finding not only Marcus, but Murphy, Dietz and"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4001.576,"endTime":4004.42,"body":"Axelson, and making sure that they came home."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4005.89,"endTime":4009.34,"body":"Did you ever see Marcus after that? No."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4010.03,"endTime":4013.994,"body":"I did the warfighter segment on this piece a few years"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4014.032,"endTime":4019.034,"body":"ago with the History Channel and just timing work out."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4019.192,"endTime":4022.49,"body":"He filmed his piece the day before we filmed ours."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4024.79,"endTime":4029.86,"body":"Myself, Brian and Mario came in and filmed it."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4030.73,"endTime":4032.978,"body":"I personally don't hold any animosity to the guy."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4033.004,"endTime":4033.986,"body":"No, of course not."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4034.108,"endTime":4039.338,"body":"He was clearly deeply affected by whatever happened."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4039.424,"endTime":4047.694,"body":"Yeah, that story, from my perspective, on my side"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4047.732,"endTime":4051.942,"body":"of sitting there on the ground and enjoying two"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4051.956,"endTime":4053.43,"body":"weeks on the side of a mountain."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4057.33,"endTime":4060.61,"body":"After rescuing Marcus Luttrell and confirming his"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4060.66,"endTime":4064.09,"body":"identity, nick and his fellow Rangers asked"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4064.14,"endTime":4066.154,"body":"him about the location of the rest"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4066.192,"endTime":4068.926,"body":"of his four man Seal reconnaissance team."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4069.108,"endTime":4072.542,"body":"Luttrell told them how the Seals had shifted their observation"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4072.626,"endTime":4076.834,"body":"post early on to better see their target, but that"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4076.872,"endTime":4080.198,"body":"he and his teammates had been compromised by goat herders"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4080.234,"endTime":4082.45,"body":"who had stumbled upon their new location."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4083.25,"endTime":4085.942,"body":"Their decision to release the locals would,"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4086.016,"endTime":4089.35,"body":"Marcus inform them, have dire consequences."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4090.27,"endTime":4093.622,"body":"Luttrell was unable to give them even the most general"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4093.696,"endTime":4097.149,"body":"location of where the Seals had encountered the enemy."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4097.71,"endTime":4101.158,"body":"Still, Nick and his Ranger colleagues scoured the"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4101.184,"endTime":4103.834,"body":"mountain for two more weeks until they were"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4103.872,"endTime":4107.098,"body":"able to identify and recover the bodies of"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4107.124,"endTime":4112.334,"body":"Luttrell teammates petty Officer Danny Dietz, petty Officer"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4112.381,"endTime":4117.01,"body":"Matthew Axelson, and team leader Lieutenant Michael Murphy."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4117.569,"endTime":4122.282,"body":"We thank Nick Moore for his incredible tenacity and bravery"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4122.426,"endTime":4125.83,"body":"and his wonderful book Run to the Sound of Guns."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4126.149,"endTime":4129.67,"body":"He is today's hero behind the headlines."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4131.189,"endTime":4132.47,"body":"Thanks for listening."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4132.59,"endTime":4134.569,"body":"I'm your host, Ralph Pezzullo."},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4134.689,"endTime":4137.518,"body":"Please subscribe, and don't forget to tune in to"},{"speaker":"Nicholas","startTime":4137.544,"endTime":4140.5,"body":"the next episode of Heroes Behind Headlines"}]}