.jpg)
Constant Combat
This veteran-led podcast highlights the experiences of Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, starting with their harrowing 2004 deployment to Ramadi; a 9 month combat tour which resulted in the highest casualties in a single deployment - a deployment that most Americans have never heard about. Through candid conversations surrounding these events, the series also explores earlier experiences that shaped the Marines, emphasizing their grit, humor, and humanity while aiming to honor their stories authentically.
Constant Combat
A Ground Pounder in the Gun Line - David Escalante
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Its a flurry of moments from David Escalante to trace his path from a half rations private to a combat-tested Marine in Ramadi in 2004. He talks us through the moments that are still clear in his mind, from incoming mortars and raids, to taking contact on the bridge posts.
• landing in 81s without mortar training
• pre-deployment training memories
• the flight over, Kuwait heat, and the convoy into Iraq
• arriving at Hurricane Point and settling into task cycles
• first KIAs, early missions
• firefights, door kicks
• raids with Army soldiers and the confusion of who gets credit
• bridge watch, seeing air support, and hearing the fight from a post
• hooch life, smoke breaks, cards, workouts, and calling home under incoming
• the round that hits his flak jacket and what it felt like in the moment
• IED pressure, EOD waits, wire hazards in turrets, and tough QRF recoveries
• coming home, delayed processing, and leading junior Marines on later deployments
----------------------------------------------
If you like what you heard, please subscribe on your favorite podcast service or follow our webpage for direct downloads @ https://www.buzzsprout.com/2525088
If you are a member of Weapons Company or someone with a story about Weapons Company 2/4 in 2004, please come tell some stories with us - 20 mins or 20 hours! Help paint the canvas of an archival story for others to know what it was like. Contact us @ RamadiPodcast@gmail.com, or via the podcast website above.
All music used with permission by soundbay: https://www.youtube.com/@soundbay_RFM
Meeting David Escalante
SPEAKER_03Alright, man. Let's tell everybody who you are.
SPEAKER_00Alright, I'm David Escalante with uh 2-4, 81's platoon, sledgehammer, and I was uh a PFC when I was uh with them in 04 Ramadi.
SPEAKER_03Nice. There you go. Cool man, we'll start off where start off wherever you want, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean uh so when I I joined uh the Marine Corps in uh 2003, uh June 16th. So that was boot camp. And then uh from boot camp, I remember uh the crucible time. I remember I for some reason my hip popped out, so I went in like at 145 pounds, and then from uh there they put me in like the fat body, so then I during my training time there I dropped down to like 118. So holy cow that's kind of crazy, right? Yeah, so when I got with you guys, uh yeah, I was like 118 pounds, and what I was only like 5'4, so I was gonna say when you said that you were 145 pounds, I was like, that does not sound like the escalante that I remember. No, no, I was I was pretty scrawny or it looked scrawny, I don't know.
SPEAKER_03Light and fast, man, light and fast.
SPEAKER_00What else? Where'd I go? Yeah, yeah. So um, yeah, from um boot camp, I remember going to SOI. Um from there, I remember uh you know we did the training. I was I was originally just gonna be an 11. And then uh for some reason they they were like, hey, you know what, you're gonna be in 81, so I didn't even get any training on the mortars. And so when uh when I was we're going to uh 2-4 with 2-4, uh Emerson Fagos, he he came over with a Humvee, and it was like me, Chachi, and I think Lloyd was with us. He like picked us up in the Humvee and drove us um over San Mateo area, and that's when we uh when I got introduced to the fleet with 2-4.
SPEAKER_04Wait, so so you only did the 11 spec?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, school of infantry. I was just uh straight up the 11. I don't know if you remember when I came to you guys. You're like, oh yeah, we can uh no no uh what is it like bad habits? I don't remember if you remember that muster.
SPEAKER_04I had forgotten about it. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, well uh I was like, what is what is 80 was? I never could trade for this, so uh yeah, I didn't I didn't know what I was gonna do. I was probably gonna go with like Espinosa and all those guys from Echo Company or maybe golf. I don't know. I could have been with one of those uh companies instead of weapons company. So uh for whatever reason I got selected to go with you guys. So they're like, yeah, they think they needed uh bodies over there, so got sent to you guys.
SPEAKER_04Well, I'm glad that it happened.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, same likewise.
SPEAKER_04So so we when would you have gotten to two four? Would it have been was that were you one of the December drops or was that more in January?
SPEAKER_00I want to say December because I don't know, I don't remember how long uh the school of entry took, so it was like 13 weeks of training from June, so September.
SPEAKER_04Do you remember doing the March Air Force base?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, I was there for that.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00Me and Gloy were there. I think there's a picture I have of of Gloy or something like that. Or with the 81 tube and something like that. So yeah, we did the March Air Force training. Uh did we ever do Sears course before we headed out to Romani or was that afterwards?
SPEAKER_04That would have been afterwards. I we did I did Sears, I did a Sears course in 2002 to get SOTQWALD to go on to the 31st. But we would have went we would we didn't need to get SOTQWalled to go to Iraq. So you guys would have done that for your second the deployment to Oakie after we got back.
SPEAKER_00So okay. Yeah, I wasn't sure we did any of that training for down pilots or anything like that before I or that wasn't none of that was.
SPEAKER_04I mean you might be partially thinking about the fact that we did go up to Bridgeport, but I don't think you were there for Bridgeport training.
SPEAKER_00I wasn't there with you guys.
SPEAKER_02Okay, yeah. Fair enough. That makes sense.
SPEAKER_04What do you remember of uh any other any other training that you specifically remember prior prior to us going? I mean you were pretty I mean being that boot and uh whatnot, you were probably your head was still spinning, so it's probably hard to remember anything, but uh Yeah remember being trained uh har as of the ammo man for 81s, learning the motor tube and all that.
SPEAKER_00So just remember that stuff, and then uh we did that March uh what was it the the Air Force training that we did? And then the Mount Town. I remember that. So we did some of that. Uh I remember Sergeant Condi. He was uh as we were going into the room, like he he like corrected us and showed us like a better way or or how to how to enter that. So that kind of uh set that for me for that. I kind of remember that that part from him. So yeah, and then after that, that was that was all I can remember for our training.
SPEAKER_02That's fair.
SPEAKER_00Or uh or the speed reloading too, I guess. Reloading and uh doing all that stuff.
Training And Getting Assigned Weapons
SPEAKER_04So yeah, going into the backyard and just doing that for a while, yeah. So moving on to us getting over there, um crazy plane ride over and uh the early part of uh in Kuwait. Any uh specific memories of uh that first phase?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh they were we on the C-130 when we're flying over and that uh propeller caught on fire or something like that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Yeah, we lost an engine.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that was fun. Uh didn't know if the pilots were gonna leave us or uh let us go for that or or turn back around. So glad that they uh they didn't abandon us. We'll get to uh what was that, New Jersey for the ice, all the snow?
SPEAKER_03Mm-hmm. Yeah, uh Meguiar Air Force Base, I think it was called.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah, kind of kind of remember that.
SPEAKER_04Um once we get to Kuwait, uh, do you have any memories of uh being in Kuwait?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I remember being in those tents. Um we just had got there, it was kind of like Arizona hot, 110 to 120, I don't know, pretty hot there. So getting uh acclimated to that temperature coming from uh the California weather, and then out there's a desert weather, so yeah, a little bit of acclimating to that. Uh a little bit of PT, a little bit of running with our flax and all that, trying to get back into just acclimation uh out there, getting ready for Iraq. So Ramadi. Um where was that? That uh that one Marine too that was in the end of shooting himself. I remember getting that story and um uh can't remember too much from that, but I just remember hearing about that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, just uh I guess a lot of guys um were just feeling the pressure and stuff getting into that. So it's kind of makes makes it kind of like, oh, here we go. Like, are are we you guys ready? Are we gonna be ready and all that?
SPEAKER_04So So now remind me, did you end up uh what how did you get up to Ramadi?
SPEAKER_00Uh we we drove up in the convoy, so we were in the back of a seven-ton, so had our rifles with us, uh just just as uh watching outwards as we drove by and then I think uh sleeping for most of the time. I don't remember I don't remember stopping at any cities and stuff like that. I just remember one hearing when once we got through Fallujah, I remember we we kind of like did a pause and then we're just like just just watching out and getting ready for any kind of contact or maybe some kind of activity. And then uh I remember vividly like this white car that was there that was kind of all burnt up, and it was just like eerie quiet, and there's like no nobody there, so it's kind of like oh okay or whatnot. And so kind of glad we didn't we didn't get into any confrontation on our way getting to Ramadi, so that was kind of nice. So but I don't remember how long that that drive was or anything, so I just remember people yelling about getting excited about when they saw some camels or something like that, but for the most part it was just plain desert.
Hurricane Point Arrival Under Mortars
SPEAKER_04Sure. Yeah, that was some very open uh open drive in there for a while, that's for sure. Any uh any specific memories of coming into uh Ramadi specifically or Hurricane Point?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh so as we get into Hurricane Point, I remember um we were being welcomed with motor rounds, and then I'm right underneath one or something and run right into it. So we were just joking about that right away, so remember that part. Then uh then we see our tents where we're gonna sleep the uh be living in for for a while. So I remember that. Uh we had our Humvees ready, we had what our our our guns and all that on the on our Humvees and stuff like that. So I remember those Humvees that we're driving around in. Yeah, you do you remember that part? Were you there with us, Wester, when that happened?
SPEAKER_04When which happened?
SPEAKER_00Uh when that uh when we're we got there, we're offloading and then the motor routes were coming and and do you remember uh Sedleman running around or anything like that?
SPEAKER_04No, I don't remember that, no. I think you guys might I I'm not sure I'm not sure if we came up in separate convoys though. So I might have uh because I don't rem I I remember the second convoy having some more 81s in it.
SPEAKER_01Oh maybe I've been part of that one. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I remember seeing Jonathan Wade, you know, Corporal Wade there, stuff like that. So I don't I don't know what else.
SPEAKER_04Well he if Wade if Wade was there, I was there because uh Wade was my A driver, but on on the on the drive up. But I I don't remember I don't remember the first uh incoming.
QRF Rhythm And First Losses
SPEAKER_00Okay one uh the one mission, uh well not one mission, but I remember we were what we roll rotate qrf? Yep, day qrf, my qrf uh what else? Day taskable, night taskable on bays. Yeah doing all that uh see that first uh KI that I remember that that stuck with me too was uh I thought we were there for that engineering you guys saying it was uh Dang, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Lance Lance Corporal Dang.
SPEAKER_00Raymaker were out there, Lance Corporal Dang. Yeah, that one stood out uh for to me for that one. Um we got out there and we posted security and then uh they were just cleaning up all the the area, securing the area, just remember being there to secure that area.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, that was pretty early in the deployment too, because we drove up March 6th and 7th, and then uh Lance Corporal Dang was on March 22nd. So you'd basically been in country two weeks, and uh that was the first KIA.
SPEAKER_00Yep, and got our k our first KIA.
SPEAKER_04Yep. And then a little bit before that was when Worth got hit.
SPEAKER_03Yep, two days before that. Worth got hit by the bike IED.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah, I had totally forgotten about that until I heard you guys on the on the podcast. So I remember being on that vehicle. On the not in that vehicle, but in the I don't know, a couple of vehicles down when that happened during that explosion.
SPEAKER_04What do you remember some of the early missions? Do you have many memories?
SPEAKER_00Uh some of the memories are are kind of like a blur. So a lot of stuff um I don't I don't remember a lot of the stuff. But uh just remember a few things here and there.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, a lot of those early mentions kind of things that I can remember.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, just like you say, we're uh doing like care packaged, handing out soccer balls and things like that for to the kids. Um and then that that went cell pretty quickly.
SPEAKER_03So being uh being pretty new to the unit and new to the Marine Corps and all that, were you were you nervous? Were you excited? Did what what were you thinking while we were going on some of these early missions?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I was pretty uh pretty nerve-wracking, pretty I don't know, anxious and uh I don't know, just keeping uh keeping a lookout for everything really. Looking up uh top of buildings, windows, areas. I mean there's trash everywhere, so yeah. Looking at every little thing, everybody, so it's like uh your mind's kind of running through and racing, and you're just trying to figure out the city, trying to see who who the bad people are and who who's uh who everybody is, really.
SPEAKER_03And I know you guys switched up truck teams a lot, but who was in your squad? Who is your squad leader and who was in your squad?
SPEAKER_00Um we we rotating trucks. Uh I was dismount for for a lot of it until the later in. So you know, I just remember being with Chachi a lot with Hernandez.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh I think I had been with Man and Osboss too at some times. But yeah, sometimes I would be with Rocha, sometimes I was with Wade, and sometimes I was with Muster, so kind of rotating a lot. So back and forth between you know, we dismount and then full security and just walk with the vehicles, and then at other times, uh I'm up on the gun, so kind of rotated like that.
SPEAKER_04Did you have a preference of what you were uh doing? Do you like to be dismount or up on the gun or uh yeah, dismount was pretty fun.
SPEAKER_00I mean, we would be going through the homes and and then we'd clear them out and things like that, or post security. But uh I think later on I was with the the 240 and I remember having that. So I think uh I don't know what happened that uh there was a 240 and somebody was like uh I think it was Staff Sergeant uh Cook said that who wants the who wants the saw and I raised my hand up right away and I was like I'll take it. I had more more uh ammunition, more uh fighting power than just my my rifle. So sure.
SPEAKER_04So did you ever engage off of uh off of the 240?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. This well it was uh yeah, the side did that one time we were doing a convoy, uh I mean security security for the convoy, and we were at combat outposts, and then on our way to somewhere else that uh they reticked contact, and then I remember Andretti had had been firing at it one direction, so I followed suit and started firing towards that uh top of that building. Okay, and uh I can remember because we had the what is it that that uh burnt in the middle, those big old uh concrete in the jersey barriers, yeah. Yeah, those jersey barriers. And then I think I remember Rocha and some other guys dismounted, and when there was uh shooting going on, they were like hiding behind a like a chain leak fence like for cover, and we're like, what the hell are you guys doing?
SPEAKER_04I remember I remember that. Yes. No, I'm gonna go. He's all stacked all stacked up on the other side, and I think I think Stadleman was I think Stadleman was kneeling underneath me, and I remember looking across and it's like, what you're taking cover behind a chain link fence? Like that's not neither cover or concealment.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So I was like watching that happen while I'm laying down some cover fire. I was like, oh god. And I think you guys um ended up clearing that that building and capturing that um that one guy that was, I don't know, what was he, the the army or regime or something like that?
Raids With Rangers And Strange Visitors
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he was some guy, I can't remember. But no, I remember he Yeah, he was something he was something. I can't remember what it was exactly, but and he he pissed he was he thought he was getting away with something because he had gotten he tried to get rid of his weapon, but um we still took him. I remember you on a couple I remember you on a couple of door kicks. I think that was earlier on though. You coming in with me on some of those raids.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. I think uh no, we had those big bug hunts, and then we had that uh other mission with the with the Rangers, I thought they were.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00And uh we got intel saying that there's gonna be like I don't know, fifty fifty people with armed up and uh people that were gonna be on the rooftops just uh waiting to I don't know, just just a security for us before we got there. Uh just remember we like one team goes in and then I I I don't know if I was a second or third team going in, and so one team goes straight into that to the to the house, and then there's like another living area to the right, and this was like dark time, and so like me and Chachi go and clear that area, and there's like two or three floors that we have to clear out. Then um then you guys secure all those people inside that house, and then uh Oliver North was with us too that time, I believe. And uh I remember I remember the go the those Ranger guys or or whoever they were were trying to take credit for for that, and then Oliver North was like, no, though you guys didn't do anything, so these you guys are the ones that did all the all the clearing out and got those guys and remember joining those guys up into the Humbies and whatnot.
SPEAKER_04So that is kind of that is one of my favorite memories ever, is is uh it because it it it I I'll take it one step further because those guys were trying to get into Ollie's Oliver North's shot. And he like face palm them out of the way.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_04That was also that was also that was also the hit that um there was some uh assets there that um uh intelligence agencies that were in Iraq came in and took their assets out before we took everybody to get interrogated. That was a that was a new experience too. Because they it was just two it was these two random guys that came got through the cordon, obviously. With their credentials and stuff like that, but they were they looked Iraqi, they were wearing local garb, and then they came to the the gate. And I don't know who I think it was Gloy. Maybe that was kind of holding the gate, and he called me over because they were asking for who was in charge, and I was and so he called me over. And he was like exactly what we got some guys in here that we need to take, and I was like, Nope. And then they made me go get um cook and staff Tarant Cook got I think I think Captain Wyler was out there. Captain Wyler came over and he was like, No, let him let him get what we need some uh monster. So grabbed everybody back, they kept like they kept picking up the bags and looking at their faces, and then they found the two guys and they're like, Where's our debt? And we had to give it back, and then they walked off left and walked down the street with their two guys.
SPEAKER_03The one fellow was uh they were both, but the one fellow was uh definitely the palace. He was a white guy. Uh and he wore makeup and had like whatever duck for diapers or whatever. But when he took off his whole costume when he was meeting with uh Colonel Kennedy at the Palace, I mean he was clearly like a white dude from Illinois, like not a or wherever, you know, but he was not definitely not Arab in any way.
SPEAKER_04That's too funny. So any other uh raids that you remember or any other missions?
SPEAKER_00I mean yeah, I mean through the bug hunt we we were just going through house to house, cleaning through houses, uh donkey kicking those doors open and whatnot, and using using just force to go through a lot of those doors when we had to, and uh just cleaning through the through the city.
SPEAKER_04Now, correct me if I'm wrong, were you with me when uh we were holding it was at the beginning of one of the bug hunts, and we were we were on outer court on and we were holding like this elevated road, and uh I mean the the long story short is the guy ended up running our checkpoint because he didn't have any brakes. Um but uh but the beginning of that was when we got uh when we got mortared. The rounds were coming down next to us, and if I remember correctly, it was it was you, me, and Doc on the back side of the berm when those rounds first started to land. And uh I remember tucking into a very small, the smallest possible little pill bug I could possibly make and just hope that those rounds weren't gonna walk in on us.
SPEAKER_00You're talking about the one where uh they were going into the mass with the interpreter and the camera guy, or or a different time?
SPEAKER_04Different time. Different time.
SPEAKER_00Different time.
SPEAKER_04No, we we were it was a it was an outer we were at a it was an outer cordon and uh we were way up north. Um and uh it was an elevated S curve coming near. It was there's some palm trees. There were some people on the other side. Uh I know um Sergeant Escovel was on the other side of the road, and I was on a berm, and then there was like a ruined house that another element was at, and then we were we were holding that position, and it started with uh it was one of the times that they started the uh bug hunt by dropping mortar rounds, and they dropped it right on our heads.
SPEAKER_03That specifically was the first bug hunt on uh on April 10th.
SPEAKER_04And then later on, then it was the tow truck driver that ran our checkpoint, but that's because we didn't have any brakes. Every last one of us opened up on um on that poor bastard. And he got shot to hell, but he lived. Like not a single one of the bullets hit him in a vital position. Um but uh but I th I thought it was you that came that was I thought it was you, me, and Doc that was behind the burn because we were make we were supposed to be a contact element and uh coming up on that dude. That poor guy was he was uh he probably got hit 30 times, but again, not not a single one of them hit him in the head or in the chest. So I don't know how we've managed to it was all in his hands and his legs. So we got him patched up as best we could and got him off to the hospital.
SPEAKER_00Maybe, yeah. I I can't remember if that was me or not. That one that one doesn't really build a me. That's crazy, yeah.
Bridge Watch And Hearing The Fight
SPEAKER_03Well, kind of kind of sticking with that same time frame. What do you remember from uh from around that time, around April 6th through 10th?
SPEAKER_00Uh I think I think for the most part we were we were on guard on guard duty about that time, so we were I was pretty much stuck on uh guarding the Euphrates the Hurricane Point. Sure on bridge and I think I was on on watch at that time. And remember hearing hearing everything going on and just being like, oh man, like like I wanted to get out there too as well. I wanted us to go out there and help out, but I think at that time we were told we had to stay.
SPEAKER_03So and were you on North Bridge primarily or or were you on South Bridge some too?
SPEAKER_00The so it would be Which one would be? If you're looking inside base, it would be the one on the right. Is that the South?
SPEAKER_03That would be South Bridge, yeah. That's the one in between Camp Hurricane Point and uh Junction City.
SPEAKER_00Right, that's the one I would uh I was always on.
SPEAKER_03Okay. And so from Southbridge, could you could you see anything? Did you ever see anything up there while everything was going on?
SPEAKER_00Uh I think the one time, it was probably like later on because uh the cobras. I remember seeing that happen and then um shooting into into one of the areas and I remember seeing that part.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00And then I was like, wow, that that's awesome. Because it was uh one of them cobras um from the Marine Corps, so I I thought that was pretty awesome seeing that happen from the bridge.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But still stuck on on watch, so but yeah, no, there was I think we were told uh some something about Intel that they were gonna have uh they were trying to breach into into our bases and stuff like that. So we were just kind of getting ready for that type of invasion or something like that, but uh I think we no, we we didn't really receive any contact at um at Hurricane Point at that time.
SPEAKER_03And then obviously we just talked about everything with the first bug hunt, and then you did a lot of house-to-house searching and holding a north part of an or the outer cordon. Uh you remember much of the fallout of all that? Do you remember any of the memorial services or any anything else or any of the guys that got wounded?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, it was it was hard to to get all the information. I I I know there was a lot of uh us from like boot camp that that we served together and and just hearing the just hearing the news from from some of those guys, like uh I remember Kalau. Uh he was one of the guys I served with in boot camp and then a bunch of there's a bunch of them that like the technical company that that I was with to the drives and all these other guys. So yeah, it was kind it was kind of hard to hear all that. Uh yeah, just just to be on base. So yeah, it's kind of kind of devastating for all that.
SPEAKER_03Were you close with Halal in boot camp or did you just happen to know him from your platoon?
SPEAKER_00He was he was just like the like we were all what I was I was only 18 at the time and then uh uh and so he was like the the older older guy, the older guy in the boot camp, and he was just you know that that guy that had uh he was just dark like humor. He was just very funny person, make us all laugh and stuff like that. So nice. Those are some of the things that that come smiling for me.
SPEAKER_03Were you guys in the same SOI class too or no?
SPEAKER_00I can't remember. Can't remember who he was. He we we we sh I'm sure we were, but I think we were like in different, I don't know, teams or something like that.
SPEAKER_04So sure, yeah, yeah, yeah. So coming out of the the back side of uh of of all of that, we ended up uh doing a lot of uh escorts. Um we were we ended up going out on a lot of uh specific raids and stuff like that. Um coming into the next part. And I mean we I'm I I'm trying to remember if we were a part of the uh any any specific missions coming into May, but prior to uh Savage getting uh killed, do you have any specific memories or any uh any things back in in back in the hooch?
SPEAKER_00Uh before that, I still I still remember being QRF for um for the Morris one. When Morris got hit with the RPG, I remember we went out there for that one.
SPEAKER_03Okay. That'd be the night the night of April 4th.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so that one was pretty tough, I know. Uh we were on watch or something like that. I think I was he was next in line on the hooch for for me to wake him up or something like that. And I don't know what happened, but I don't know, there was some kind of issue between me and him, and I and then uh thinking I don't know what we were fighting about or what what set him off, but I remember he he had mentioned something about man, I wish I wish you would die or something like that, and then I sent the same back to him, and so and then I felt bad like he passed away from from being over there, so that was kind of hard. I don't even remember what we were fighting over you're talking about Morris? Yeah, Morris.
SPEAKER_03When did when did this happen? Was this a yeah?
SPEAKER_00It was back in the hooch. I don't know. I think we were doing like watch or something like that for calm or listening to the radio. I don't I don't remember.
SPEAKER_03Interesting. I mean it's because our put our he was in my platoon, our two platoons weren't together too often, so that's that's an interesting uh interaction. I'm I would love to know when that I mean obviously if you don't remember, but I'm that's interesting, yeah. I mean you guys could have been on a gear watch together, that's definitely possible. There was always times when when Gunny had random people doing all kinds of things.
Hooch Life And Passing Time
SPEAKER_00That could have been it. I don't I can't remember what it was or what happened, but that was kind of that was so devastating to have that happen, man. But yeah, because we I I would interact with different like all the different people and in the different uh platoons and all that too. So we had our smoke bit out there and all that, so yeah.
SPEAKER_03Did you did you smoke or chew tobacco or what what'd you do while you're over there?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, yeah, I ended up smoking. Uh boy, we had Markle Reds and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03So did you smoke a smoker before that? I was gonna say, did you smoke before? Yeah. Yeah, that's everybody, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Smoke breaks. There was a bunch of smoke breaks, so I caught on, so figured I'd do the same.
SPEAKER_04Were you uh a reader or uh a movie watcher while you were over there? Or card player like how you didn't pass your time?
SPEAKER_00We play a little bit of cards, um movies. There's some season called Lost or something like that. We're all into. So I remember doing all that. Um and then the gym. So remember me and Chachi would be in the gym a lot and working out in the game. Another another one that comes to mind, uh remember that mission with uh QRF or uh what was it, H and S when uh the guy in the RPG was shooting and uh Sergeant Major Booker shot him.
SPEAKER_02Sure.
SPEAKER_00And so we got called out there or didn't show up. And I didn't remember you must think we're like, oh, we gotta follow him. And so I think it was me, Chachi, you, Rocha, I think we we ran we ran with you guys and we followed that trail uh into that house. Yeah, and uh we get to that house, and then um one of the so like one of one of the teams, I think this you're part of the first team, goes and clears that uh the first floor, go upstairs, and whatever, and and then me and Chachi go in next or or last or whatever. And me and him are setting guard at the entry of the door, and uh and so you guys are upstairs, and me and Chachi are like looking at we're by the stairs, and and to the left is the opening of where we entered, and then all of a sudden behind us we just hear me and Chachi turn around, we turn on our flashlight, we just see this guy just uh coming walking towards us, and we were like, oh my god! And that's where we uh ran into that uh got that whole family and turned that light on and got them um separated, like the men and and the women and inside. So yeah, that was a I remember that being uh pretty pretty creepy, like if that was the enemy, uh I'm sure we would have been gone.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. No, I remember I do remember that one. Um because we found we found the body between the uh they they had pulled it. I don't remember who somebody had found it. One of the other teams found it. Um I think that was a I think that was around the same time that we caught those uh uh those other guys, and we had to run them down um up in the Sophia area. I'm trying to remember more of that one. You sparked my thought on that. You chased them down the street and we went into a couple different houses, but I can't. I don't remember I don't remember who was with me.
Curfew Chase And Being Alone
SPEAKER_00I do remember that one time where it was uh the curfew and uh the martial law, and we ran up on those guys, and Steph started cooking. The the interpreter took off running. I'm on the highback at this point, and I'm like, are we all gonna go with them or what? Should I go with him? And I jumped off and I had to stop the moment, and I just jump off and I start running behind them, and they're running down that alley, and it's just like empty, and then me behind, and I was like, and I'm waiting for everybody else to come, and I'm like kind of just keeping an eye on the alley, and I can't remember if if between one of those guys at their chasing trick went into one of the houses or what? So I opened the door and looked, and then it was like a two story and I don't see anybody, and I'm like, oh shit, I'm not gonna go clear that house by myself. So I come back in, and then um this lady opens her the door and like steps out, and I'm like ready to shoot, and then I got scared, and she got scared, and she goes back in, and I'm like, oh my goodness. So then I see somebody at the other end of the alley like what's going on, and so like we all meet up with uh down the other street with Stashard Cook and the interpreter, and that guy's was shot, and he was there laying on the on the floor. And uh Doc Doxie was with us on that one and started eating, and we were all there um surrounding his body and seeing him like because he got shot in the head, so he's pretty much done for. So that was that was kind of crazy that moment right there, like yeah, you guys said everybody's separated and all that. So that was crazy.
SPEAKER_03Dude is a it is a terrible feeling to f look around and be like, I am by myself. This sucks.
SPEAKER_00Especially like everybody, thankfully, everybody.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, we uh we definitely learned our lessons early on to uh be a little bit more uh not just to go off running.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Oh me, what else?
SPEAKER_04So do you remember that uh patrol that we did uh north? It was uh it was uh on route Nova. It was way, way out, and uh like we were way out, and someone I for some I can't I I can't remember the details well enough of why this happened, but we were dismounted out, and then there was this young boy doing something weird, and so we we captured him and he was real young, and we were trying to get some information out of him, but somebody had dismounted and walked off into like there were some like palm trees or date trees growing, and there was just this uh ammo dump. It was uh it was like uh anti-aircraft uh munitions, and it was just like a hundred cases of it just just piled up there, and it was like one of our it was one of the first like I don't know if you want to call it a cachet, but it was one of the first ones found. And it was just a completely like I think somebody wandered over there to go take a piss type thing and found all these all these ammo boxes full of anti-aircraft.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, man. Yeah, and all this time I can't remember us finding uh large conversation cachets like that. I was always uh I don't know, I guess wanted to be competitive and find find those and be like the one like, oh yeah, we found this one and all that, but yeah, no, I don't remember that one, that cachet. So that's good.
SPEAKER_02What else?
SPEAKER_03Well, shifting gears a little bit, man. What did uh what do you remember from Hooch Life? I know there's always crazy stuff going on. What uh what kind of things other than just lifting weights in the gym? What else did you remember uh from people passing time?
SPEAKER_00Uh well just you know, just 12 bit of time, just hanging out there. Um those ants, like those those long-legged ants, try to step on them and they wouldn't die. And I just remember those. Uh we're just you know, see the guys uh playing cards all the time, um watching movies, um listening to music, stuff like that.
The Round That Hit His Flak
SPEAKER_03So did you ever contact home at all? Do you ever have anybody you were trying to keep in touch with?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, I did call home a few times. Um I remember telling my mom like uh no news is good news, so don't hear anything from from us. You know, we're okay.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's a pretty good tip.
SPEAKER_00And uh I think I was on the phone one time with her and uh you know she heard like some order routes coming in, and I was like, oh okay mom, uh we gotta go, love you. So kind of leaving her in the air for that time. And we're like, oh god. And uh thinking about that, that just brought up uh another memory of the time I was on South Bridge too, and uh the I don't know where it came from, but I got ended up getting shot up there on that on that one and uh freaking out, thinking like what we got snipers or something like that. So I think we called that in and they took a look at that factory out there. Yeah, and didn't find anything, and so I kept that round still. I I saw that that round that hit me in my flag jacket. So oh and telling my mom about that, and so clean in about that situation, make sure that I remember I remember when you got hit.
SPEAKER_03Did it stick in your sapy plate or did it where where did you uh or did you happen to skip off of something and just no, it was uh bow the sun. Wow.
SPEAKER_00Um it seems like it was a straight round. It was like the I should have got it down so you guys I can show you guys. But it seems like it's like a seven seven six round or something. I don't know. I want to know if I can get it with forensic and find out. Nice where it came from.
SPEAKER_03Well, did you end up getting wounded from either this round or from another time?
SPEAKER_00No. No, the never got the purple heart. I know. Do you remember uh having uh one of the subjects be like, oh yeah, is he got anything uh going on on your back and it just felt like somebody slapped me really hard and I looked at to my right and I I wanna I was thinking it was Sladdin, David Sladdin. Yeah, but um I remember saying he was up there with me, and Osma saying he was up there with me when that happened, so I can't remember who he was.
SPEAKER_03That's crazy, man. I'm trying to I'm trying to imagine being that sniper and being like, I just shot that guy, and like he's just like brushing it off like it's a mosquito. That's really funny.
SPEAKER_00We look at each other and I thought he smacked me, and I was like, what the hell? Yeah. And then me and him were like, oh no, like we're we got shot. And then I could feel that round coming down my flat jacket. So he's checking me to see if I'm bleeding, and I'm like, no, no, there's no blood. So I'm like, oh thank goodness.
unknownNice.
SPEAKER_00Just thinking about it, just like if he would have gone up higher or what now, that could have hit me right in the neck or something worse. So I was thankful.
SPEAKER_03Did you ever see anything interesting off those bridge posts?
SPEAKER_00No. Yeah, just just looking out of the city. You can see like uh sometimes like the what is it when they're driving from the hug, he's just driving across the bridge and stuff like that. So nothing in particular. Um do you remember that one time we were, I think um it was Martinez and Leilo were on the north bridge, and and we were on base just walking in, and they got hit with an RPG. I remember seeing that when that when I saw that heard that my heart sank thinking like those guys were good. And then uh I just remember them opening them back up with the 240 and like so that was kind of that was kind of good. Yeah, that's kind of kind of uh living in another time that I saw that somewhere happened with combat compos, uh, and winter. And we were we were out with the trucks, and everybody else went into the building like combat compos. And they started getting hit with water rounds, and so like the first two were like whatever you know, but then they kept they kept coming in there and like coming like closer and closer, like freaking out, and they had a burn like a like a big and we tracking up and running to there and get into cover, and Winter was stuck in the truck, like he was freaking out, and he was he was curled up right there in the truck, and he was with with uh with some piece of tanks on there, yeah, chopping him over like he was like that was that was something crazy. That was yeah, and uh and the guys that got hit with RPGs on that were on the on March, and they were returning fire back. I don't think you were gonna go out there as QRFT, but they sent their QRF out and handled that.
SPEAKER_04So that was close to Well, you're saying some of that reminds me that I that we scot I remember going out on a lot of uh what they called the poo point of origin with those uh and having to haul ass out and find uh where they were shooting from and and searching a lot of those areas. I remember doing a lot of that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, outside of that one where you guys recovered the rockets, yeah. Did you ever find anything?
SPEAKER_00Um you're talking about uh um when when we get called out for like when we get mortar and then we're up to QRF out.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh you know what we kind of had a lot for those, and I think I think um later on in on uh documentaries and other stuff that I I watch, that these guys would pick them up in like the back of their like uh mortar and stuff and they would shoot their rounds. So in my mind, I'm we're going out there to find like another mortar team and duke it out like um like a mortar two Vietnam type style. And these guys were were giving enough of their trucks and and bikes and then taking off. So by the time we get out there, they're long gone.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that was that was kind of my point of asking that question. Is like uh we did a few of those too, and I don't remember ever finding shit. You know, if if anything, you found some cigarette butts that were still smoldering and maybe like a water bottle, but usually you didn't find anything. Well, kind of rounding this out, man. Uh any anything else standing out to you towards the end of the deployment?
IEDs EOD Waits And Wire Hazards
SPEAKER_00Um we were doing the showing uh what was it, the the leadership of 2-5 around and stuff like that. And then uh these guys are wanting to like that's over in like the hardbacks, we have the hardbacks now with us. Um get some air in like right down the windows and stuff like that. Like messed up like that. I think much time we're in control how to gunner. I don't know where we were trying to resist. So instead of like reaching up and touching it with my head or whatever, uh I kind of doubt so it didn't touch me, and I got 10 on the back like touch it, and then the explosion uh goes off in the wires, and then uh it freaked out the one of the one of those uh officers that we had with us, and I was just like, yep. Or in for some craziness here in Ramadi, man.
SPEAKER_04Actually, you saying that I completely forgot about how a lot of the a lot of you guys up in the turrets almost got killed several times getting guillotined by those wires, and or having having your uh barrels up too high and it catching the wires and getting getting just especially when we got those highbacks and they were on the turrets and just getting spun around. That ever happened to you? Oh yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um I I don't know, I think usually driving around in the in like through the the streets and stuff like that. Um I think we would just either tear through the lines or something or or uh just come very close. So yeah, I think I think that one specifically just because of the the explosion that happened was just got me uh got me thinking like these guys are trying to different tactics to try to get us, you know, trying to kill us in different ways.
SPEAKER_03So I mean some of it was that, some of it was just getting infrastructure, but yeah. Uh ballasting competence.
SPEAKER_04That's exactly right.
SPEAKER_03Well, question I was asked was if you were if you remembered any EOD missions, because that kind of reminded me of some of the EOD crap where we were waiting for hours and all kinds of weird stuff would happen when you're just waiting for EOD.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah, we we I think we were doing the I don't know, we were out there and uh that call in for that cocaine. I think we weren't gonna wait for EOD, so got the call to just use the 50 cal and then just keep going. Um there was that one, I think there was a propane that was spotted, and we called that in. I think we waited for EOD on that one. Yeah, like you said, it it takes it's gonna take them a long several hours to get to us, and and streamers seen that propane go off with whatever I think they probably use C4 or whatever on that and detonated that, and you can just see that big ball of fire go off. So I mean it was much better than driving and then having IDs go off. So about uh we we encounter like you guys say like 30 IEDs that just us alone, our platoon alone, right? That's insane. I I remember counting like 16 possibly, but 30 that's crazy. I don't think anybody would believe us like yeah.
SPEAKER_03So when we first started the deployment, we were making little marks, like little bomb marks on our Humvee for every time we got hit. And when we got to the teens, we just stopped. And that was way early in the deployment, so yeah, it was it was a lot.
SPEAKER_04Well, I I mean just in the in the truck in the truck that I was in alone, I was I got hit with four. And then that's not counting the RPG. It just it's just wild when you actually start asking.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's it's it's today, man. And especially with the gear we had, we're not we're not going around in like uh the tanks, we're not going driving around in the abrams or the what is it, those A-tracks with with the armored.
SPEAKER_03We're running around in Humvees and highbacks, so either soft skin Humvees or or something we bolted some hillbilly armor on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yep. That's right.
SPEAKER_00Uh you reminded me of something about the I remember hearing about the levee and uh out there by the arches, I think. And uh we had a combat engineer there. I think Sergeant Mac was uh Sergeant Major Mac was out there with us. Or first Sergeant I remember.
SPEAKER_03He was first first sergeant at the time, yeah.
SPEAKER_00We had an engineer with us, and all of a sudden he's like, Oh, there's an ID right there, and we're like right there, and we moved out, and he was attending to it and was about to disarm it or something, and and then they that's when it went off on him, and uh think he lost his leg on that one. And the guy ran up to the I was told to go run up the hill and then run back down to to where the arches are, and and then uh they told us like we're we're like a name, and I don't know if they they gave us a picture of like to find this person or whatnot, and we're like checking the vehicles and coming across one vehicle that had a bunch of American money, and I called it in. So it's like it was kind of hard trying to get like can't communicate with the the people and find out like who they are and stuff like that. So that's kind of that was kind of one of the annoying parts of that, and uh trying to find evidence of like who who that could have been and things like that.
SPEAKER_03So you know it's funny you mentioned that because during the invasion and during our deployment, there was no bank system. The there I mean Iraq had a robust banking system, but it was completely defunct and shut down because it was state-run. And so everybody who is major businessmen was running around with suitcases of cash. And so we couldn't figure out who was financing terrorists or who was just trying to hide their money in a too box, or but yeah, you're right. You would find big like drug dealer rolls of money inside suitcases of whatever we found a guy with like a hundred thousand dollars were like and he's like, I'm just I'm just going home, and it's like I don't know what that means. Like it this this isn't this isn't translating.
SPEAKER_00Right, yeah. You're like thinking he's like he's like funding or whatever, you don't know.
SPEAKER_03We have no idea.
SPEAKER_00Yep, and uh yeah, I think what one of the other hardest moments, of course, was uh the savage that I do. I know we were QRF for that. That was a tough one to go out there, get your brother, and uh I think uh so Doxy was attending him, and I think I remember seeing Regelsberger and his face, and then uh I think we got him um evacuated at Junction City, I believe. So I remember that part. And then the other one was at uh the the force the four snipers that got taken out. I know we got QRF with that, and I think before that, I can I can remember uh I think we had Tom Parker with us, Corporal Parker with us, and we had dropped him off on one of the missions beforehand. So I kind of remember we we played cards a little bit. Just kind of kind of eye, you know, just joking around and stuff like that. So that kind of remembered that part, and then just when we got there to QRF, we just we just seen them in body bags and and didn't know like those were were some of uh like that was him and in our high back that we got to drive back to um what was that that airbase in Al Assad or something like that?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, we were we were we were actually day taskable, and so we were set uh bring them up to the morgue.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, that was that was very tough. Uh a very distinct memory too is like we're we're back there in the hump Humvees, and then uh we're just looking out, and then uh and then you can see Reader Morris sit in and one of the bags their arms goes up, and you're just like, oh god, you know. And that that was heart wrenching on that one. Like that was that was just memory that I can they were uh that just sticks with you.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that was that was honestly, that was one of the harder missions for me too. I did not I was I was happy to do it uh for our brothers, but at the same time that was uh that was that was less than fun, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you yeah, I just wanted to get those out there. Uh so I have different memories like those.
SPEAKER_04Uh so it sounds like you sp you sp you've uh you spent a lot of time with uh Hernandez. Was that your uh main guy out there? Or who was uh who were who are some of the people that you hung out with the most while over in Iraq?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was it was uh Hernandez and Osbos. Um Winder, I think all Os four really were like the the ones that hung out the most together. Remember those guys for sure. We keep in touch every now and then I haven't got in touch with Winder, but uh Osboss and Chachi I have. So those those two guys. We do keep in touch. Uh Martinez, a few of the guys.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome.
unknownGood.
SPEAKER_00Hodges, of course. Yeah, the reunion, that 20-year reunion was nice to see that. That was the first time. So that was really good to um see you see a lot of the guys and and go through that.
SPEAKER_02So absolutely.
SPEAKER_00And Momo Savage. So that's that was awesome too. So that was that was really good.
Junction City Then The Flight Home
SPEAKER_03Well, reeling it back just a little bit. Do you uh you kind of remember winding down and the transition away from Hurricane Point and going over to Junction City?
SPEAKER_00Uh a little bit. I remember just being in those little wooden, I don't know, like rooms or something like that. And uh oh the Chow Halls, of course. Remember uh remember a few times being at like during uh Chow Hall, like beforehand and uh and just uh just seeing us as uh yeah, I was trying to remember there there's uh you know you you got you got the the like garrison marines pretty much they have that mindset like we're all kind of filthy and stuff like that and we're all you know just grubbing down and you're just like ah like barbarians there we go.
SPEAKER_03Oh yeah, you know, in the Chaha while everybody's like looking at us, so that was kind of you know man, I remember thinking I remember thinking that food at Junction City was amazing, and I think it's just because the food at Hurricane Point was so terrible. Because I looked at a picture, uh somebody had a picture of the food from Junction City and I found it the other day in some of my pictures, and it it looked awful, man. It looked like the shittiest prison food, but like dude, it was gold us. I I remember being so excited to go to JC.
SPEAKER_00They had the nice PXG. We didn't have at Hurricane Point or any other place. Did you buy a bunch of stuff while you're over there? Or was you know what I was saving money for a car, and that's what I what I ended up doing. So yeah, yeah, didn't really buy a bunch of stuff while there.
SPEAKER_03Nice. What did you buy a car when you got back?
SPEAKER_00I did. What what'd you buy? I ended up getting like a Scion TC, man.
SPEAKER_03Nice. Uh that's definitely a that's a good Lance Corpal car.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly, man. Well, I always wanted a truck, but then I was looking at gas, gas prices, and all that. Well, not even gas price, just uh how much gas I would take and all that. And I was like, no, I'll just stick with the car. Kind of glad I didn't even go the motorcycle route, T. Coming back uh after all that it was this, I don't know. A little Lance Corporal or P T V PSC with uh with the bike and all that, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so coming back home, you remember any of the uh any of the flights back home or any of the transition back home?
SPEAKER_00We took like a commercial flight back this time, not not uh C 130, so that was kind of nice.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_00Uh we got to the barracks, no, everybody everybody was had their family like waiting for them, so so I had I like my family didn't come out to to any of that, so so I I would uh I wouldn't see them until I uh flew back home for that. So sure. So just kind of at the barracks with everybody else and hang out the with the Marine Brothers.
SPEAKER_03Nice. How'd you feel when you came back? Were you excited? Nervous? Didn't know what to do with yourself?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I was I was kind of uh happier to be out of there and uh and be back on on US soil and and back home and yeah, just kind of I don't know, I I guess didn't really process everything through yet. So I think all that just kind of hit us later on and you know, just having to think about all that and then uh Yeah, just going through a lot of a lot of the things like anger and uh and uh I don't know, it was just kind of crazy when I was when I was home, so a lot of late nights and drinking and uh uh you know just going through all that. So and then just keeping in touch with with uh with each other for like as we were on on leave and you know things didn't know how to process all that, I guess. So took some time, took years.
Becoming The Senior Marine Later
SPEAKER_03Well that was you actually led me to my next question. So obviously all of us disappeared, and now you're the senior Marine. You gotta lead Marines on your next deployment. How'd you feel uh kind of kind of taking control and and did you teach any lessons of Ramadi or or what did you tell your boots about what everything happened?
SPEAKER_00Uh we we kept the we kept the 81s live and uh you know we just talking to some of my boots, uh they would say that some sometimes they wanted uh to kill us because the way we were we were pretty pretty rough with them and harsh with them, I guess is what they said, or I don't know. But uh yeah, we we wanted to prepare them, but um all our leadership from before, you know, a lot of them um either ES or you know went to different um battalions and stuff like that, so it's different. We we had uh very new leadership or fresh leadership and and so on that I think uh yeah, we were the senior marines and we had one combat tour with us and we went did our Oki tour and then oh six we ended up going back out there with with two four and so like half the unit got split up with Which half of us went back to Vermont, and half of us was there in Baruana, Hadipa area.
SPEAKER_03So Yeah. Well, since since you were the most cross-trained Marine, because you were an O three eleven, they got stuck in a mortar platoon and then also firing a 240 machine gun. Did you ever finally get to fire mortars? Did you finally learn about uh yeah, you know what?
SPEAKER_00I I ended up becoming uh a squad leader at one time before I got busted down. Nice man. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. And uh so I had that leadership role for a little bit, so I so I made from the ammo man to was it the gunner or the a gunner the one and then uh at one point and so that was kind of nice. And then just you know, now is my time to teach teach these guys how to to run the mortar system and all that, so nice man. But uh I think that position ended up uh being relief for me when we went out the uh the second time and going to uh Osboss and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03So nice.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that was that was kind of a a different uh change when we went out there and being out there in Barwana was we're in my mind I was expecting the same kind of type of scenarios and situations like Ramadi, but uh wasn't wasn't anything uh as as crazy as that.
SPEAKER_03So yeah, that seems to be the common sentiment sentiment among uh the guys who stayed in.
SPEAKER_00So so thankful for that. I mean uh thankful because uh some of our guys that uh that wear our boots uh after that uh that they ended up going to Afghanistan, some of them and stuff like that. So I'm hoping like our uh our leadership and and what we taught them was passed down to them and and they were able to to get through those areas. So so yeah, yes, that does feel good that they were we were able to come back and have most of our guys come back.
Making Sense Of It 22 Years On
SPEAKER_03So that's good, man. Well, kind of wrapping this up and putting a bow on it. Uh I I've asked most everybody the same question. I'll ask you the same thing. When you look back on this, it's 22 years later. Uh what do you tell people and what does it mean to you?
SPEAKER_00Um I just tell them about our time at Ramadi and then uh talk to you to them about this podcast and you check it out, and then uh how you guys are uh do interviews with us and you know.
SPEAKER_03Nice, man. Thank you. Thank you for the plug. I actually meant more like what what about your personal feelings, man? What do you uh how do you how do you explain all this to everybody? Going through heavy combat and all that and and really kind of I mean you said it was kind of tough to process later. I'm I'm just curious how do you ex- I mean explain it to either other Marines or or to your family or anybody?
SPEAKER_00Uh it it's hard to it's hard to explain. I mean it's it's like um you can't you can't really like you try to sh you try to share some of your stories, but it's sometimes it's hard to get it out, so so sometimes like doing this with you guys, that's kind of like uh helps helps us out and uh hopefully it helps other people out. And uh I don't know. I mean it was it was a tough time to get through that and make it out and uh just keep uh I don't know, just keep pushing forward.
SPEAKER_03Well looking back on your time in the Marine Corps, how do you feel about it? Are you happy? Hate it? Ashamed of it? What what what do you uh how do you feel?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, I'm I'm pretty happy for for what signing up and then uh I mean I only did four years. Um some of the guys are still in there and and and kicking. You know, there's yeah. So that I applaud them and it's it's it's just crazy, you know. But um no, I'm I'm very fortunate for for for my four years with them, for you with you guys and and just serving.
Subscribe And Closing
SPEAKER_04If you like what you heard, make sure you subscribe for future episodes on your favorite podcast service.