Constant Combat

Have a Plan - John Mark Lopez (part 2 of 2)

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Part two with John Mark Lopez and trace a four-man team’s cordon-and-overwatch role, the shift from highbacks to up-armored, and the thin line between luck and skill. Leadership, loss, and life after service tie the story together with hard-earned lessons that he carries on to his personal goals and civilian career.

• rooftop overwatch and night raids
• improvised armor in highbacks moving to up-armored Humvees
• IED near the train station
• cordon missions with thin numbers and decisive movements
• stress management
• leadership of Lt Stephens and Staff Sgt Coleman
• reenlistment, DI School, and training standards by example
• First LAR mortar employment and Lopez's leadership
• post-service path
• enduring takeaway: young Marines’ capability and relentless preparation




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Setting The Scene With John Mark

SPEAKER_01

This is part two of the community with John Mark Lopez from Mobile Assault Platoon 2.

SPEAKER_00

I remember a lot of our raids, the government center. Just because we spent hours at them damn places, and of course we had to provide Overwatch. And yeah, those were a big one. And I and the other thing too, my brother spoke about it too, and I totally forgot about that until he mentioned it in his podcast where we ended up going to that rooftop of that house.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you guys sneaking around.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, snuck in. Family was in the house, nobody even realized we were there, make it up to the rooftop, provide our overwatch, and then I do not remember. I remember somebody hitting something or somebody made a noise. Somebody who was on the the last man, but I I don't know if it was my brother or not. But that's where they seen us and then somebody got hit. It wasn't my guy, so but yeah, then we end up extracting. But it was pretty cool being on that roof the entire time and not anybody even realizing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you feel like a ninja, man. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Because it's hard to get around with that crap, man. Yeah. Yeah, no, man. Uh yeah, I just remember a lot of time. Well, the soccer field. Um, I just remember all the night raids we were doing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's quite a lot. Uh you know what uh we had a conversation with somebody else, and I I'm been meaning to ask more people, did you ever take any contact inside a house?

SPEAKER_00

No contact in the house.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Majority of the time they would hit us with those IDs and then the small arm fire. Right. And I just remember just dismounting and running toward wherever contact, you know. Yeah, who do we have on the gun? Monroe, I remember Monroe being on a gun.

SPEAKER_01

In the high back, it was Monroe most of the time. Yeah, Monroe is a 50 cal gunner all almost the whole deployment.

SPEAKER_00

Man, I was so ready to jump on that thing. I was all spun up, ready to go for the mark. And you know, after just leaving squall leaders course, I'm like, I was motivated. I'm like, give me all this, you know. And honestly, when I still have pictures of our high backs, and uh when I first got there, they're like, This is what you're gonna be riding in. I'm like, what the hell is this thing?

SPEAKER_01

You know, like we just had to put it put together whatever in the hell we we could find, uh you know, to to reinforce this thing, and I'm like, holy crap, but yeah, yeah, it was nice when we finally got those up armored Humvees and transitioned away from the highbacks, but I mean we still ran a couple highbacks, even in the company. I think, you know, because the mortar guys had mostly highbacks, they still had some up armored and highbacks, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And it's funny because uh there's a guy here I don't know, he's with he's in the air force, he's like a sergeant major in the in the air force, and uh he's like, So, you know, where have you gone? What have you done? And I told him about the Ronnie stuff, and I showed him the vehicle. He goes, You actually wrote in that? I'm like, Yeah, he goes, I've seen this in like movies. He's like, There's no way you wrote it. I'm like, Yeah, this was our vehicle, like that was in the back of this damn thing, you know what I mean? He goes, Y'all are crazy. He's like, What was on the floorboard? A bunch of sandbags, and that was about it.

SPEAKER_01

Yep, yep, sandbags, a little bit of plate steel. If we had extra, that was it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, luck and prayers, luck and prayers.

Highbacks, Up-Armored, And Close Calls

SPEAKER_00

You know, I do remember us going on a patrol in an RP round, like landed right in front of our truck. You remember that? Well, it's it happened a few different times, but yeah, it was an IED actually, but I remember seeing that, and then like it didn't get anybody, but in my mind, I'm like, man, if that RP would have landed on anybody, it would have messed us up.

SPEAKER_01

That specific one was when uh there was two different platoons out there. I'm gonna I think it was Rainmaker just because we had similar scheduling. And we were out by the train station, and I don't know if you remember, there was a train that actually still ran. Even in the middle of combat and everything else, there'd be a fucking three-car train going back and forth. I don't know what the hell they were humbling, but there was a train that I think it was a passenger train, wasn't it? It was. Yeah. It had been in a cargo command in a passenger train. There were people on it almost. Among all the numbers of the day, there'd be a train.

SPEAKER_03

This is right. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

We had heard they were gonna blow up the tracks. And then it was, you know, we're again, we still had no matter how much combat we took, we still had a little bit of a sense of a moment where we were gonna make sure the infrastructure stayed in tight. So we always checked on the hospital, we always checked on the power station, we always checked on the fucking dam, and we move checked on this this train station and the police station. And we went on to this train station, there was a little elevator road we were driving down, and that's what you're talking about. They had chained up a bunch of yeah, a bunch of phosphorus renams, and that damn phosphorus renum went off and it let you read it it landed right next to the high back and burned the front of it and burned a hole in the armor. It didn't hit anybody, but it burned about a good 50 cent piece size hole in the armor.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. I'll remember I was like, holy crap, but that would have landed on us, we would have screened. And of course, my trunk is probably laughing there in the back, like the way he does, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

But yeah, yeah, I have a picture somewhere of uh Staff Sergeant Coleman holding up the tail fins of it and it was still smoking.

SPEAKER_00

Crazy for grabbing a hold of it, yeah, yeah. That thing's probably still cooking, you know what I mean? Yeah, oh man, that's funny. No, man. Uh you know, my mind, everything would just because when you're overwatch, you know what I mean? Most of the time, you know what I mean? We're dismounting, we're just providing security wherever they wanted us, you know. Uh, you have all the squad leaders and stuff who were going inside. So me going, I don't really remember going in much in these houses. I remember wherever we went, we're like, whatever corner they put us into, we were just there providing overwatch for the majority of the stuff. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I felt like our platoons mission was more of a like the cordon portion of those raids. We didn't do a lot of the inner work, yeah. A lot of the inner work was done by again a lot of the mortar guys, just a lot of sledgehammer and rainmaker, just because they had the numbers, they had more numbers to go in the houses. We we had you four, and that was it. Uh that wasn't a lot.

SPEAKER_02

That wasn't even a lot of tour kicks.

SPEAKER_00

Man, I remember those long days though. Like when we did take contact and we were going, and me and Miranda are going through and we're clearing houses, and I'm like, two of us, and him, knife, and what is that other kid's now? I can't even remember his name. Uh Cohen. Cohen. Going, you know what I mean? Or not it was me and Cohen, because he was what a Lance Corbut during the time. He was, yeah. Yeah. Um I just remember like, fuck it, let's do this. You know what I mean? I'm ready for all that crap, man. I was I was gone home, ready to go, and he's like, You're ready? I'm like, let's go just kick in the door and vomitos, you know, not knowing what the hell's on the other side. But I enjoyed doing that. I I enjoyed being at the spot that I was at, you know what I mean? So yeah. But yeah, I do remember us doing a lot of overwatch. Every time we went to the government center, they're like, All right, ominous hear me uh us for jumping out and going wherever they needed us, you know, going to the high spots and providing overwatch. We didn't get all the lucky stuff and going into the house and right there. Yeah. That's for sure.

Trains, Phosphorus, And Infrastructure

SPEAKER_01

Do you happen do you happen to remember any times when anything went bad? Any big failures other than not calling in like an I or the IED that we called in and it didn't get called in?

SPEAKER_00

No. I think the only failure we had is when we lost Cundy that day. I don't think we should have been down route in Michigan.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I think that was a bad call in my own opinion, but um Yeah. I spoke with Cundy a lot. I hung around with Matt Map3 a lot because of Deversell or Lachard. You know, me and Lachard are great buddies. I still remain in contact with him now. Heck, I was in his wedding when he got married, and and of course, me and him were always to when I got there, boom, the first place I went was over there to say what's up, you know. And I was like, What's up, Leech? You know, you can't barely understand a damn word he says, but but he was a great dude and we were always competitive, you know, and everything. Who's gonna have the fastest PFT? Who can do the most pull-ups, who can do this, who can do that? But yeah, I I talked to a lot of those guys in uh in map three Langham. Still remain in contact with him as well, you know, on Facebook, but I'll see, you know. But yeah. Yeah, I don't remember the eighty one side. Nylon, what is your MOS? Me, I'm a tow gunner. Are you? Yeah, man. Oh 352. Damn, I didn't even realize that until now.

SPEAKER_01

See, yeah, you didn't know, yeah. You didn't know you talked to me every day. You played cards with me most days when you're cheating.

SPEAKER_00

And spades, but makes sense though. You were an I81.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, that's what it was.

SPEAKER_00

Uh that's funny.

SPEAKER_01

Uh so now you talk about it a little bit in little bite-sized snippets, but did you did you feel a lot of stress and pressure while you're over there? Or and if so, how did you deal with it?

SPEAKER_00

Honestly, no. Um, I wasn't stressed out at all. I was ready for whatever happened, you know what I mean? But that was my mindset. I was just me just time to myself is really how I coped, you know what I mean? I wasn't a big talker, I didn't really communicate too much, you know, when we were together, then yes, but that's why I would just go to my my little corner and sit down, and that's how I you know dealt with my issues, like but I really wasn't stressed out at all. Um, not even worried about dying. I'm like, whatever, we're here, let's do it. You know what I mean? But I believe that's just the the mindset we had, you know. I remember joking with people in the truck, like, all right, who's gonna die today, Margaret? You know, yeah, but other than that, that's just the way you cope, man. You know, but yeah, I didn't really I wasn't too stressed out then, man. I I believe we were in a good platoon, so I didn't I really did stress out. I got along with all of y'all, you know. The one I forgot about until I listened to the podcast was Randall. Yeah. Yeah, always serious, and I'm like, yeah. But it was a different type of series. I don't know. I just can't explain it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I was real close with Randall. We we we did a lot of stuff back in the you know, back in the states and stuff like that. But unfortunately, he's fallen off the face of the earth. I haven't been able to touch base with him for absolutely years now.

SPEAKER_01

But so far as I so far as I know, he worked for the federal government in uh something in the intelligence community. I have no idea anything further than that. I don't even know what agency he worked for, and outside of that, I I don't know if I'll ever speak to him again, but I hope so. I uh I like that dude a lot, hung out with him quite a lot.

Cordon Missions And Thin Numbers

SPEAKER_00

He was very smart too. Very smart dude. Of course, Tweeter, Swede. Yeah, we had a good group, man. So I really didn't have too much to stress about, you know what I mean? Uh we had good leadership. I thought pissed off that I wasn't in one, but yeah, but I still took charge, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you remember much about Lieutenant Stevens? We haven't talked about him much. It seems like you know, everybody tells individual stories of of the enlisted dudes because that's who you interact with the most.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, I liked him a lot, very motivated to me. Um not afraid to make decisions, though, that's for sure. And uh I think he's on my Facebook.

SPEAKER_01

He he may be, I would be surprised. I don't think he uses much social media, but he might be.

SPEAKER_00

I think he's on there, but he doesn't post nothing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. I talk to him on the phone about every year or two, not very often.

SPEAKER_00

Is he gonna come on the podcast?

SPEAKER_01

So far, he's he has declined, but we'll see. I'm hoping I can sweet talk him or I don't know, bribe him or something.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but being in a lieutenant position, you know what I mean? Like it's probably better just to keep your mouth shut.

SPEAKER_01

Well, that's I mean, that is why we always say you can talk about whatever you want, man. And uh, you know, you know, if you just want to talk about how weird it was to be around a bunch of stupid grunts, that'd be great too. Uh you know, whatever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But he probably has a lot to say, especially being a platoon commander during that whole you know deployment. Yeah. Yep. Probably pretty stressful for the for all the leadership up there during that time, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I don't envy them in any way. Uh, I do credit them with our success by far because we had amazing leaders, 100%. But uh yeah, I I don't envy their position of stress at all.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, uh damn good, you know, platoon commander. Uh I liked him a lot. And then of course we had a good platoon sergeant too, with with Coleman.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, I love Staff Sergeant Coleman. Yeah, yeah, he's great people, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

For sure, for sure, but he spent a lot of his time with my brother. Yeah, yeah. That's what truck he was in. Yeah, so you're riding with me. I'm like, I remember that. I'm like, good. I was happy with it too. I was I you know, when they're like, You're gonna be in the basket back of this thing, I was happy with it as long as my brother went into Humve. He you know, he got the armor Humvee, I do believe, right?

SPEAKER_01

They did, they were the first ones to get the armored Humvee. They had the armor Humvee, so I was happy with that.

SPEAKER_00

But being the older older one, you know what I mean? Like I didn't care as long as my took care of my brother, you know. Um, yeah. Well, the one thing I do remember too is walking out of the hooch when we got hit by the motor attack. It was a lot of mortars. And I was walking out and then my brother was walking to his truck and I just see the you know, rounds hit and I'm like, holy shit, and like you can't do anything, and I'm like, what am I gonna do? You know what I mean? And I'm watching my brother trying to run to this damn humbi, and all these rounds are hidden, and yeah. I well, thinking about it now, I think that was the only stressor thing that I had during this deployment, is wondering if anything is gonna happen to him.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I I can't imagine that. I mean, I I'm an only child anyway, but even if not, if any of my family was there and I was worried about them, that would drive me insane. You guys are balls out for that. I I don't know. That's that's it's cool because you guys had a special bond and I enjoyed I enjoyed the both of you immensely because I hung out with you most days. But God, that uh that had to been hard.

Stress, Coping, And Brotherhood

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, uh thinking about it now, that was the only stress thing I really had. And then the other time where he almost got hit, uh machine gun fire. Uh believe we were I think we were open like bumping across the open area or something. And then the machine gun fire happened, and then it went right past him. And of course, I'm coming up, and then I see it, and then my heart just drops. I'm like, fuck. And then yeah, I can't remember who's who took it, took the machine gun out. According to your brother, it was uh Neil.

SPEAKER_01

Neil, uh Neil got out there and and took a knee out in the middle of the road and and shot him.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, doesn't surprise me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Oh Neil, man, that was another good dude, man. Very quiet.

SPEAKER_03

Well, and you you know his story, right? He did uh he did the first Persian Gulf War.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, he was there in 9091 and then came back in for round two.

SPEAKER_00

I remember seeing him back when y'all were in the garrison before the even ever thing happened, and he was in the child hall, and he was like a Lance Corporal with a stack, and we're like, Yeah, who's this guy? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who's this little dude with the child hall with the little stack going on in the combat action room? And we're like, what the fuck?

SPEAKER_03

He was probably on restrict, it was probably one of the times he's on restriction and having to wear like bravos or something like that.

SPEAKER_00

But I remember seeing him at the child hall, but what's strange is coming back and then being in the same platoon as him. I'm like, Well, shit, dude. I'm gonna I seen you at the damn child hall. Like, this is the oldest fucking Landiscorp Who I've ever seen in my life. Yep, but the dude's got a wreck on him, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, uh, he was he was good people, and he was I mean, he was a damn good shot and super calm under fire, which is I mean, I guess you know, I don't know, he was a hundred years old, so I guess he was didn't have to worry about shit.

SPEAKER_00

Well, he he ended up going with uh Sergeant Major Booker doing all that stuff with him.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, he did, yeah, yeah, yeah. He did that, and then he also got um selected with uh Sakaki and those guys and went with the uh the Delta dudes, yeah, with the ODA guys, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yep. I remember that because I was pissed because we were already only four men, and then they ended up taking his ass, and then it dropped us down to three, and I'm like, fuck, here we are, dismounting with three damn people every time we took contact. That was another thing that pissed me off. I'm like, what the hell? Yeah, he was like, I'm like, that's like one of our best dudes here, and you're taking him. I understand he's good, but you're leaving us with nothing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's how it felt all the time. I mean, we deployed with 20 people, like it was it was fucking stupid. Yeah, we were so short, so short. Now, I'm trying to remember the end of so I didn't remember your brother leaving early. Did you leave early too? Or did you stay all the way to the end? I I you stayed all the way to the end.

SPEAKER_00

Remember, I told you I had a plan when I left 3-5. Yeah, I put my re-enless re-enlistment package in while I was in country. Nice. Oh, okay. I ended up re-enlisting with the multiple of four while we were in Ramadi. Nice. So I yeah, but then I called the monitor while we were there. Before we were, it was like a month out before we left. I re-enlisted, called it, called the monitor, you know. Hey, you know, what's my plan here? And he's like, I'm sending you to D i School or whatever. I did know that. Yeah, I think you went to the graduation. I got pictures of your ass there. I think I don't maybe sweet. I had to look through my pictures, but I'm pretty sure you went.

SPEAKER_01

I don't remember going, but I did go back to Camp Pendleton and went down there a few times. So maybe I was I was in California.

Leadership Memories And Loss

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, um, well, and yeah, I'll re enlisted and I'll stay with y'all. Uh, I know Robert stayed stayed back because everybody ended up leaving and Hampton stayed, and I'm like, what the hell are you still doing here? You know, and he's like, I'm not leaving you by yourself. I'm like, he's like, I extended another year. I'm like, what the hell? So yeah, me and Hampton ended up staying back, and then of course my brother went home, which he was pissed off that he was having to go back. But I'm like, dude, go live your life. I'm I'm gonna re-enlist either way, you know. So, you know, I did my reenlistment there, and then yeah, I went back with y'all.

SPEAKER_03

Did you pull out of Hurricane Point with the main body and go over to Junction City for that time period?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I went with the main body. I mean, stay back. Well, hell, we were just the dismount guys. I figured they would leave us back a little bit with them, but they didn't. Um I think it was just all the all the squad leaders, neck and all the y'all had to stay back, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it was me, uh, me, Jordan, Randall.

SPEAKER_00

Uh yeah, the whole the left seat, right seat stuff.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Staff's aren't and lieutenant. Yeah. Yeah, that was uh fun but a bit of business. But uh so well, then you flew back with us. Did you stay with 2-4 for a little bit afterwards or when did you report to DI school?

SPEAKER_00

Uh January 1. Okay. We got back what September or something? Yeah. Well, 29th, but yeah, 28th. Yeah. Yeah, we got back. Next thing you know, because he gave me order for January 1, and I was pissed because I was like, That's literally I'm barely getting back. I'm not gonna have enough time to prep for DI school. He goes, No, you'd be fine, devil dog. And he's like, January one, you report to DI school. So I didn't stay stay much longer with y'all. So as soon as I got there, tell we went on our uh our leave after we got back. And then hell, I was ended up reporting back into D i School right after that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that was a short transition. Did you did you go home when you came home on leave? Did you take the leave after we got back?

SPEAKER_00

I took a week, maybe. I didn't take the whole 30 days like everybody else did.

SPEAKER_03

So did you uh so you you you did DI school on the West Coast, right?

SPEAKER_00

See when we got back, don't you remember Sergeant Major Matt calling me out? So I had to march the entire company back up. Oh wait, that was oh shit. Yeah, so when we go back and we turn our weapons in and stuff in, you know. Yeah, like where you at, Lopez? Well, Sergeant Major, you know, and he's like, Where you at? You going to DI school? He said, You you're taking us up to the barracks, and I'm like, What the hell? So he made me go out there and march the entire freaking platoon or the entire company all the way back out to the barracks. So yeah, that was me, man.

SPEAKER_02

I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, oh man. I'm like, really? Really? I'm like, I guess uh corporal course and sergeant's course uh paid off then, huh?

SPEAKER_03

That's too funny. Yeah, yeah. Oh man. So so did you stay with the uh did you stay with the platoon then too during that transition period, or were you just trying to transition and were you because you were able to stay in housing on Pendleton? Because you were since you were married, were you?

SPEAKER_00

I was married, so I stayed in base housing, so I was there for a week to go check in, but uh y'all had what a whole month off. That's right. And I didn't take because my previous deployment already used most of my when we got back, I used my lead time then.

SPEAKER_03

So I put a bit of leave, and I only took like a week or two whenever I uh when I got well they were giving us trash, they were giving us trash can leave.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I don't remember. I only remember taking about a week or two.

unknown

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

Well then we would have and then and then you stuck around for the ball, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yep. Went to the ball, okay, did that, that was a good time. And then pretty much after that I ended up going to the i school uh there on uh San Diego. Well, myself and Emerson went with me as well.

Reenlistment, DI School, And Aftermath

SPEAKER_03

So how so how long did you end up staying in total? Was that how long did you stay in total? Uh ten years. What did you do where where did you end up after DI school then?

SPEAKER_00

After DI school, so I stayed at the depot for three and a half years. I got extended uh six more months after some incidents happened on the depot. So uh I was at Etch Range at the time, so I got fapped out. So I did seven platoons in my final platoon. Uh I was lucky I got to they started taking away the sergeant platoon, you know what I mean? But the battalion commander liked me, and he's like, I'm gonna let you be a D uh uh a senior as a sergeant. So I had an all sergeant during that time. So I got to finish my senior cycle with the all sergeant team, which was great, you know, and uh but then they needed somebody who was an O3 at Edson Range, so then I got sent to Edson Rings as you know as my rest period, you know what I mean? As I got back out out there and uh it was good. I stayed out there getting ready to transition out, but then they're like, we don't have anybody else to stay out here. We had things like nine hats from Fox Company that got relieved. So like we're extending you. I'm like because I already had orders, which originally I think I was supposed to go to Hawaii, but then I got extended six months later. Called the monitor back. I'm like, hey, my six months is up. Am I still getting my orders? And he was like, Hell no, Devil Dog, you're going to first LAR. I'm like, what happened to my original orders? You know what I mean? He's like, that should terminate when they extend it to you. And I'm like, here we go again. I get uh get screwed over again. So I end up going to first LAR after that.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, and that's where you finished up.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, finished up there, went to Afghanistan, and then came back and then do some stuff after that. Um let me think. I actually got to uh to the to work all the the motor platoon there too. It was it was great going into the uh first LAR because uh they haven't ever used their motor system. They know they didn't know how to actually work the motor or how to even uh use it on the LAV. So I had the task of training the entire battalion on how to work the motor system actually in the LAV. And they're like, We don't understand this whole thing. I'm like, well, you got to use your rear asmond. They're like, What? I'm like, you can't see through the front. So your plotting board is actually just the opposite, and you're using the stakes out the back, and they're like, Okay, we didn't understand that, so yeah, it was cool having to teach it. I went I deployed as a uh platoon commander, so I had my own platoon, and and then yeah, it was it was great.

SPEAKER_01

Very cool. Damn man, that sounds like a good capstone. Did you uh ever talk about Ramadi while you're with uh when you're finishing out your career? Did it any of the lessons from Ramadi uh pay off later?

First LAR, Training, And Command

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because I was still in my mind, you know what I mean? Like everything from Ramadi, like you know, 3-5 was great. We had our combat deployment, but uh the initial evasion is pretty much pushing, you know, you get that sporadic fire. It's nothing like it was in Ramadi. So after Ramadi, all the lessons learned, prepping my kids for it. I'm like, y'all have no clue what you're preparing for, you know what I mean? Like my my my mindset was way different then. So I trained my my platoon hard, like they thought I was crazy. Actually, my my kids call me uh team 1000. I'm like, Team 1000, they're like, Yeah, staff server, you came from the future to kill us. I'm like I think because I was constantly with them. I wasn't that staff NCO that went and well, I should well, whatever. You know how half of those staff NCOs don't even show up to formation or go PT with their platoon. Like I was there every morning. If my guys were doing alpha inspections or uniform, I was there with them, and they're like, Who is this guy? And then a lot of the other guys are like, What the hell are you doing? You're making us look, I'm gonna give a fuck what you look. I'm like, this is my leadership style, and this is the way I am. Like, I always told myself, like, I wasn't gonna be that shitbag leader who didn't do anything, you know what I mean? And then I got there, and like the sergeants weren't running the platoon and because they were always getting their hand slapped by the staff NCOs, and then I pulled all my sergeants, and I'm like, you run this damn platoon. I'm like, sergeants run the freaking Marine Corps. I'm like, I'm just here if you need me, but you have to take care of this platoon, you know. So and after all that, my my platoon loved me, and uh, but yeah, they thought I was crazy, but that was just my leadership stuff, you know. I'll be like, let's go, we're going on the run, go get all the cruise served weapons out. And they're like, What? I'm like, Yeah, we're running with this shit, let's go. And I'm like, give me the barrel, and I would run the entire three miles with the barrel or whatever it was, and I'm like, here, and I'll toss it back to them. I'm like, here, bitches, I don't want to hear y'all say stats staff sergeant couldn't do it, or he would, you know what I mean? Because they'll try to come take it from me. I'm like, get the hell away from me. And he's a little mask carrying it all the way, and uh, yeah, but man, it was a great experience though. But I I got to instill a lot of the stuff that I learned from Ramani to them, and I'm like, you have no clue what you're gonna get into, you know, come Afghanistan and how much you know cardio you're gonna need. I'm like, I was kicking indoors and like going non-stop. I'm like, you have to be ready. I'm like, you just can't be, you know, last dayful, you know, all the time. I'm like, you have to be prepared. So with that, yeah, Ramadi changed my whole mindset even more, and it pushed me to push my platoon even harder.

SPEAKER_01

Good man. It it's interesting to hear all the fingers that that basically went out all the different directions and to all the different places in in the Marine Corps, especially. Yeah, and and people say they all say the same thing. They're like, I I never stopped preparing, right? That's that's a very common thread between everybody who stuck in.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I keep that mindset now, you know what I mean? Like, I'm always a go, go, go, go, go, go, you know, hell, look at me still going to school now, you know. Yeah, on my final course for my master's. Like, people are like, Do you ever stop? I'm like, Nah, I'll keep going and figure something else out. I told my wife I may go get my doctoral, and I'm like, she goes, No, we're not doing that.

SPEAKER_01

You can tell her I agree.

SPEAKER_03

What are you getting your masters in? Huh? What are you getting your masters in?

SPEAKER_00

Uh cybersecurity. Very cool, man. Yeah, that's awesome. I'm a computer nerd if y'all didn't yeah. No, is it think about that?

SPEAKER_03

You know, have you been doing that since you got out then?

SPEAKER_00

Computer science stuff? I'm a retired uh police officer right now. So I I got uh end up joining the PD here and did that, worked homicide. I was on SWAT, retired from there, and then now uh during that time, I got into digital forensics a lot and doing a lot of mo mobile forensics and then computer stuff. And I'm like, man, I I was always a computer nerd, but I never did tell anybody. So of course I started going to school more for it while I was with APD. So when I retired, I just transitioned to the jobs, and heck, that's what I do now full time.

SPEAKER_03

Nice. Congrats, man. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, for sure. For sure.

SPEAKER_01

Well, you kind of touched on it a little bit, but uh let's put a little capstone on this. Uh, when you look back on Ramadi specifically, because that's what our podcast is about, but uh and probably in general, your service all all over. What does it mean to you? And what do you tell people about it? People that are outside the Marine Corps, I guess. Or even other Marines.

SPEAKER_00

You know, like thinking about Ramadi and you know, the the situations we were in, the gear we had, the equipment, the age of these kids, you know what I mean? Like, when I tell people about it, I'm like, y'all have no clue the capabilities like these young people have, and like I'll sit there and I I think about that. Now that I'm older, I'm like, man, look at us. We were a bunch of kids there, and we had 18-year-old, and I thought I was like 21 during that time, maybe you know what I mean? Like for the little that we had and the abilities that these kids, you know, did everything without any questions, ready to die. I'm like just seeing it, it's just it's unbelievable. And then sitting back and thinking about everything and everything that we've been through, I'm like I tell people that story all the time. Yeah, I don't really talk much about my three five stuff. When anybody asks me anything, I talk about the two four department because it's just amazing, you know what I mean? Like, you know, the hell that we went through um and then you know, just the mindset and the way how everything is and how everybody builds that camaraderie with each other, and everybody's just looking after each other, you know. It's not about yourself, you always want to protect everybody else around you, and you know, and I think that's a big part of it. And people will never understand that unless they're there, but yeah, it's it's it's yeah, it's strange to me, man. Like uh, it's unbelievable what what these kids can do, honestly. It really is.

SPEAKER_01

That's a good way to wrap it up, man. I like that.

SPEAKER_00

Well said.

SPEAKER_01

Well said. Cool, man. Any final thoughts or anything before we uh sort of shut it down? This has been fucking fantastic.

SPEAKER_00

Shit, man. It's past my bedtime already.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's what happens when you get a bunch of old men together.

SPEAKER_00

Hey, I'm up at 5 a.m. in the gym at 5 30.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So if y'all want to come PT with me, again.

Lessons From Ramadi And Leadership Style

SPEAKER_01

No, man. I'm I'm I'm probably more fit than I've ever been in my life, but uh I still don't think I can hang with you.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I'm still I'll slow down a lot after the cancer meeting. So no man, uh nothing. I just appreciate y'all, you know, giving me the opportunity to be on here. You know, I don't remember much, like I don't take detailed notes like my brother does, but you know.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I blame it on the Keaton chemo brain.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. So this has been great though. I mean each each each each of these podcasts ends up being unique because they each individual brings you know what they want to tell of the story, and so it's each one's been great. And yours has been great too.

SPEAKER_00

Different perspectives, man, especially for the Knobab replacement guys, you know. For sure. 100%.

SPEAKER_03

Because we're a huge part of our success.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. That's couldn't possibly be stated more. We we would have fucking never been able to do anything because we were still running 20 against.

SPEAKER_00

Unbelievable, man. Yeah, we're still doing it though.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. I mean, well, we'll talk soon anyway, because I'd talk to you pretty often anyway. But uh take care, man. It's good to see you.

SPEAKER_00

Good seeing you, old man. Take it easy, buddy.

SPEAKER_03

All right, bye-bye. If you like what you heard, make sure you subscribe for future episodes on your favorite podcast service.