April 1, 2026

When The Mission Is Unclear

When The Mission Is Unclear
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
Castro podcast player badge
RSS Feed podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player iconSpotify podcast player iconCastro podcast player iconRSS Feed podcast player icon
Season 5

Orders come down fast, but the emotions hit faster. We’re back with Retired 1st Sgt. Reginald Adams for an unfiltered talk about what service members and their families carry when a deployment is looming, and the purpose feels hazy. Reginald pulls from his time as a first sergeant to explain the headspace troops live in: anxiety, faith, responsibility, and the quiet mental math of “what if I don’t make it back.”

We also wrestle with a harder problem than gear or training: mindset. How do you prepare to face an adversary who doesn’t plan on returning home? That question takes us into Vietnam comparisons, the limits of winning hearts and minds, and why complacency is deadly even in moments that look calm. From there, we talk leadership and trust, including what happens to morale when soldiers feel like the people at the top won’t challenge bad orders.

Then the stories open up. We revisit Fort Benning and Gulf War era Saudi Arabia memories: unit culture, integration, code switching, the absurdities of customs and regulations, the “E4 Mafia” solutions, and the kind of chaos you only believe if you lived it. The most vivid moment is the Scud night, the Patriot intercept, the blast, the scramble for gas masks, and the uncomfortable truth that faith looks different when things start exploding.

If you care about military deployment, veteran experience, leadership under pressure, or how war reshapes people, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the question you can’t stop thinking about after listening.

00:00 - Welcome Back And Why Talk Now

00:46 - Deployment Anxiety And Family Pressure

03:18 - Answering The Hard Why Question

05:18 - Fighting An Enemy Who Accepts Death

07:08 - Leadership Changes And Unlawful Orders

08:36 - Flags In The Ranks And Unit Culture

14:34 - Ranger Stories And Code Switching

21:12 - Reunion Nostalgia And Benning Chaos

28:31 - Saudi Life Prayer Time And Hustles

32:38 - The Truck Drift That Hit The Fence

37:55 - Customs Rules That Made No Sense

42:03 - Cobart Towers And Seeing Real War

44:19 - Scud Night Panic And Pure Luck

52:12 - Faith In Combat And Empty Chapels

56:06 - Ammo Can Cowards And Being Unready

59:07 - Back Home Anger Cars And Legends

01:06:00 - E4 Mafia Logistics And Found Equipment

01:10:50 - Present Day Doubts And Supporting Troops

WEBVTT

00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:01.840
My man, Reginald Adams.

00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:02.640
Reginald.

00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:02.879
Hey.

00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:03.600
Good to see you.

00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:04.959
Good to see you.

00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:06.080
Welcome back, man.

00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:06.879
Welcome back.

00:00:06.959 --> 00:00:09.359
Uh appreciate you coming back to hang out with me.

00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:10.160
Anytime.

00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:15.679
So, you know, I told you I wanted to chat with you about um some current events.

00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:17.359
Because there's a bunch of them right now.

00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:21.120
There's a bunch of, there's a bunch, there's a bunch going on right now.

00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:24.800
And you know, it's funny because I don't even know what you call current anymore, right?

00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:25.519
Because every day.

00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:25.920
Yeah.

00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:27.920
Every day is something new, right?

00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:32.399
So a few weeks ago, what was current was some files, right?

00:00:34.479 --> 00:00:35.600
Now you don't have nothing about them.

00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:36.000
Right.

00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:38.960
I don't that that was current a couple weeks ago, right?

00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:41.759
Now we uh we're talking about something different.

00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:46.240
And um, so but I think that's that's right up our alley, right?

00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:51.119
So I want to I want to get your opinion on, you know, troops getting deployed.

00:00:52.479 --> 00:00:53.759
So think back, man.

00:00:53.920 --> 00:01:03.119
Think back to uh to the good old days and just tell me what you think uh are going through these these uh service members' minds right now as they prepare to deploy.

00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:10.640
Well, fortunately for them, majority of vast majority of them, they probably have deployed before.

00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:23.519
We are still, you know, we still fresh from although it's been some years, but there are still gonna be some remnants of people who have deployed before, Iraq, Afghanistan, or whatever.

00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:35.760
They, but for somebody who haven't, uh little fear, a little trepidation, um, and and that would also depend on your faith level, you know, whoever, whoever they pray to, you know.

00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:48.560
But definitely anxiety, fear, you know, worry, and because there's no definite this particular incident, incident says there's no definite way forward.

00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:50.640
It's just go over there.

00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:53.920
You know, you don't know what you that's basically what was happening.

00:01:54.239 --> 00:02:02.640
They loaded up them folks, the Marines, put them on the boat, and they put 82nd in airplanes, and you know, they're like, you know, what's our objective?

00:02:02.959 --> 00:02:22.479
You know, they're not gonna tell everybody on TV too, but still, um, yeah, that's that's definitely what's going through their minds and the family, especially with new new families, or with brand new babies or pregnant wives or whatever, they definitely got a whole bunch of mixed emotions going on in their brain.

00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:36.400
But we we had, I think one thing would be I don't know how close knit they are in their units now, because it's all kind of crazy stuff happening with these in these units that never, never would have happened.

00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:38.719
Uh I'm I'm a first sergeant.

00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:44.319
Just had brag when the guy killed a girl, you know, put the girl in the case and put her in the car and drove her off.

00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:46.879
I was like, yeah, that would have never happened in my era.

00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:51.599
I'm considered a dinosaur, but as a first sergeant, yeah, that that would have never happened.

00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:56.879
So I'm seeing a lot of lacks going on and complacency.

00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:01.199
And we had a sign as we left the fob in Iraq, it said complacency kill.

00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:04.159
And so it reminded us every time you went outside the wire.

00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:09.439
And yeah, I'm thinking people getting complacent, but they about to get a groude awakening shortly.

00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:14.560
Because we don't know now, we really don't know the cut capability of who we're supposed to be going against.

00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:17.199
But those people have been fighting since biblical times.

00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:18.400
Let me ask you this though.

00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:28.400
Like as a first sergeant, you know, what do you say in a situation like this when a young soldier asks you straight up, looks you right in the face, and says, Why are we here?

00:03:28.639 --> 00:03:35.599
We would normally have some better intel than what they're putting out on, well, all the intel than they're putting out on TV.

00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:39.919
You know, so we I have to tell them we're here to do our jobs.

00:03:40.080 --> 00:03:40.800
Plain and simple.

00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:47.360
We you the same job we did in garrison, same job we're gonna be doing uh wherever we're going, because I was combat support.

00:03:47.520 --> 00:04:06.960
So it did probably a different thing for the uh the fighters, but for us, it was like, hey, we're gonna be doing the same, we're gonna be offering the same top-notch support to the fighters, beans, bullets, and tires, you know, and I would try to refocus them on that aspect of it and reassure them that uh, hey, this is what we signed up for.

00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:09.599
This was the possibility that we signed up for.

00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:11.439
It wasn't all just to go to college, you know.

00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:14.960
It's a possibility that you're gonna have to go somewhere.

00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:15.360
Right.

00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:20.879
And up until this point, now this wasn't no surprise to the deployed units.

00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:23.439
You know, they get, you get all this stuff way out.

00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:25.920
So they've been training and practicing and and all of that.

00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:28.560
Say, hey, uh what they call the pet chart.

00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:32.319
You know, they're on the wall, and they're saying, hey, these are the this, these are the people that's going.

00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:34.560
Everybody get those warning orders, it trickles down.

00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:36.560
So yeah, they they knew they were about to do something.

00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:40.079
So they are gonna be prepared for whatever.

00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:45.519
It kind of, the media kind of makes it seem like they just told them yesterday, hey, pack your bags.

00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:45.920
Uh-oh.

00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:53.439
You know, yeah, but they they're fully prepared and have rehearsed and practiced and and and for whatever they're doing.

00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:55.040
But yeah, that's what I would tell my guys.

00:04:55.199 --> 00:04:59.279
We're gonna do the same top-notch job we in garrison, we do when we deploy.

00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:18.480
Well, have you noticed that um here in in the United States, when we deploy, you see the images, right, of families hugging these, you know, these uh the service members and looking forward to things when they get back, praying that they come home safely and that sort of thing.

00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:22.240
But on the other side, they don't think about coming back, right?

00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:26.399
You're going against somebody who is like, there's no coming back.

00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:26.800
This is it.

00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:28.720
So it's a different mindset.

00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:29.759
Yes.

00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:32.560
And the question is, how do you prepare for that, right?

00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:37.680
How do you prepare for someone who we're getting ready to go against someone who they don't care nothing about getting back?

00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:45.759
Yeah, that's that's the rub right there, because I've been talking about this to other people, and the closest we've ever come to this was Vietnam.

00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:58.959
And it's that's why we honestly pulled out because it's extremely difficult to defeat a an adversary who is not will who is willing to die for what they believe in.

00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.000
It's ex Excuse me, it's extremely difficult.

00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:08.800
Because now we, you know, we're all about winning hearts and minds and having the people turn on or be on our side.

00:06:08.959 --> 00:06:11.920
But when everybody, you know, that that's difficult.

00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:12.639
Difficult.

00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:19.279
I I don't even know how you could prepare for this because nobody's seen this since Vietnam.

00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:21.439
We we've always been the dominant.

00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:27.920
And um always we all we laughed at the Iraqis and and all of them, and they've throwing rocks at Titus.

00:06:28.240 --> 00:06:29.920
You know, like we got upper armored vehicles.

00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:31.279
He's like, they throwing rocks.

00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.000
I said, that's that's somebody who's convicted.

00:06:34.079 --> 00:06:34.160
Right.

00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:37.040
They believe in what they believe in.

00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:39.199
And it's difficult.

00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:44.319
And just like they they pulled out of Afghanistan, um, Russia pulled out of Afghanistan for the same reason.

00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:46.160
Because we know we had some help.

00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:48.959
But they was like, hey, this is dirt over here.

00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:50.720
We we can't grow nothing.

00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:50.959
Right.

00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:52.319
So we're we fighting for it.

00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:53.519
And they pulled out.

00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:54.399
So yeah.

00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:56.399
I think it's gonna be interesting.

00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:02.560
We probably won't, hang on, we shouldn't do the boobs on the ground thing for no long period of time.

00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:04.639
First of all, what they're trying to go to is an island.

00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:06.560
You don't can get so many people on there.

00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:08.079
So um, I don't know.

00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:14.639
It's more of a um show of force to me with this administration, uh, a lot of bluffing.

00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:20.240
You know, uh, unfortunately, the leaders who would have opposed all of this, he got rid of them.

00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:20.560
Right.

00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:26.959
Every head of every organization, every every branch of the military, they've they've all been replaced.

00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:29.759
And there's no way our generals would have.

00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:48.560
Because his first term, I don't know if you remember, the chairman of the joint chief, he had all the other chiefs on a platform and they did a press conference, and he said, We will not follow unlawful orders, and we are, we have been sworn to defend the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:52.879
He said, I promise you, we're not, and that's why he got rid of all of them.

00:07:53.279 --> 00:07:54.560
Because they made that statement.

00:07:54.639 --> 00:07:58.639
Now he got people up there, they saying, he say go, and they just send people.

00:07:58.800 --> 00:07:58.959
Yeah.

00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:00.560
So it's gonna be different.

00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:18.079
Even at the lower ranks, man, when I think back, back in the day, 598, Fort Benning, not gonna mention any names, but there was some who I'll just say would have been with it and would have supported this all the way.

00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:20.560
It's always gonna be those.

00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:24.240
Um they were at in our time, they were lower ranking.

00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:26.399
Now all of them are at the top.

00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:34.480
So when you weed through the people who would oppose you and you bring your people up at the top, that that's where we are.

00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:35.679
That's where we are.

00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:41.759
I think, you know, I I think back to um like when I first got to Benning and I met you guys.

00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:56.159
When I got there, I'll never forget, man, I still had a duffel bag and I'm walking from the parking lot to the CQ desk, and this cat had a flag hanging out his window.

00:08:56.639 --> 00:08:57.919
You know, I'm talking about.

00:08:58.159 --> 00:08:58.559
Oh yeah.

00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:02.080
So now, here's the thing.

00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.600
He definitely would have been one who would have been in support of, right?

00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:08.559
I didn't know him, I didn't know anybody else, or what have you.

00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:11.120
Saw the flag, and here's what's crazy, right?

00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:12.480
I'm from up north, right?

00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:13.200
DC.

00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:15.759
That flag didn't really impact me.

00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:16.480
Right, yeah.

00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:17.120
Right?

00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:20.799
I was I looked at it, first thing I thought was Dukes of Hazard.

00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:22.159
I used to watch that, you know.

00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:23.200
I used to watch that.

00:09:23.279 --> 00:09:25.759
I like that show on Luke Duke and them, you know, all of that.

00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:30.879
But then when we got over in the desert, because you remember, well, soon after I got there, we was out.

00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:35.360
And we got over to the desert, things went left, and they they dealt with it.

00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:36.240
Calmed down.

00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:37.600
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:09:37.919 --> 00:09:41.039
They calmed down or, yeah, they got got serious.

00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:42.320
Yeah, they dealt with them.

00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:45.360
And and I'm talking lower, lower enlisted, right?

00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:45.840
Oh, yeah.

00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:47.120
Our peers at the time.

00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:47.600
Right.

00:09:47.759 --> 00:09:50.159
Our peers at the time dealt with dude.

00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:54.000
And what was funny was I was questioning why.

00:09:54.080 --> 00:09:55.279
Why y'all tripping about him?

00:09:55.360 --> 00:10:04.000
Like, why y'all, you know, and it took for brother Spike, remember Spike pulled me to the side, and he was like, here's what the problem is.

00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:05.759
Now, he explained it to me.

00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:06.639
It made sense.

00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:08.240
You know, Spike from Jersey.

00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:14.559
So I'm thinking, I'm thinking, what, you know, you even tell you telling me secondhand stuff because you didn't experience certain things.

00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:17.440
But he broke it down and helped me to understand.

00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:31.120
So my point is this, like you said, they're all have been promoted now, but you still have those who are at the lower enlisted, the lower ranks that are probably not with this right now, or are like those that you mentioned earlier.

00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:34.960
I was trying to go to school, you know, college, whatever.

00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:44.320
And, you know, again, my concern for them is there doesn't seem to be an umbrella of protection for individuals who may not or may oppose.

00:10:44.639 --> 00:10:46.639
Well, I mean, they have op they got options now.

00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:48.000
They can they got options.

00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:52.399
I do think from our time to more time now been out nine years now.

00:10:52.480 --> 00:11:00.320
So from our time to to now, when I became a senior enlisted, the lower enlisted were getting closer.

00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:03.039
Only one of the reasons was because you stayed lower enlisted longer.

00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:07.840
People weren't popping up the ranks and stuff like that, and and switching MOS's and and stuff like that.

00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:17.519
And now, even now, these kids coming in, they are um, you would stick out if you were a uh rebel flag waiver.

00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:18.000
Really?

00:11:18.159 --> 00:11:18.240
Now.

00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:22.399
Yeah, these kids now, uh, a white and a black kid now, it's just my friend.

00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:26.879
And and I've seen that transition, especially when they switched to the don't ask, don't tell.

00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:29.519
I had a kid in my in my shop.

00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:31.840
I'm a battalion motor sergeant.

00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:33.759
And it was a Hispanic kid.

00:11:33.840 --> 00:11:36.320
And who ain't cut, I mean, it's good looking cat.

00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:38.480
Funny, we we laughing, joking.

00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:46.320
And towards the end, before I right before I got promoted, the other soldiers came to me and was like, Well, you didn't know he was, you know, he was gay.

00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:48.799
And I was like, no, I had not at all.

00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:53.519
I mean, and it was like, oh yeah, those soldiers, they love that boy.

00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:58.399
And they would hurt somebody if you said something disparaging about him.

00:11:58.559 --> 00:11:58.799
Okay.

00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:02.720
And I when I saw that change, I was like, well, okay, they different.

00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:06.080
They wasn't idle, they wasn't isolating or none of that.

00:12:06.159 --> 00:12:07.519
It was, they were embracing.

00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:12.399
And it was, it became, and I I fostered a family environment to hey, this is our, you know, this is our family.

00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:14.240
Don't let nobody come here and mess with our family.

00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:21.600
But uh, yeah, they've they've changed, and all of those flag waves, like them, yeah, they they they stick out.

00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:29.120
And what ha what had happened was they have all been crowded into specific MOSs.

00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:30.000
Okay.

00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:33.360
So that's what I started looking at and said, oh, okay.

00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:34.720
It was the infantry.

00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:35.039
Okay.

00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:40.720
Because it was no people, it wasn't a lot of people of color in the infantry when we when we first came in.

00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:41.840
Then that changed.

00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:43.360
Then it was Rangers.

00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:47.039
See a black guy, a black ranger was like seeing Santa Claus.

00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:49.840
You know, like, oh, he he a bad dude.

00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:52.960
If you saw a black ranger back in the day, that boy was mad.

00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:54.399
Because he he went through it.

00:12:54.639 --> 00:12:54.879
Right.

00:12:55.039 --> 00:12:59.759
And and that all changed, and and it became still artillery.

00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:01.919
Uh, that's because it's a very tight-knit.

00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:06.000
They only got several, only uh one or two bases that they go to.

00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:08.320
So they see each other their entire career.

00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.679
And those, those type of, that's what it has happened.

00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:25.360
Because uh integration, more of people of color was coming in, at least for the army's sake, um, they we kind of pushed all of them away or to the side or whatever, and they were really for themselves.

00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:30.960
We all you only saw how somebody truly was at were as company function.

00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:39.679
For family day, we had kids walking up, golf, but the black makeup and the black me high booth with all them buckles, you would have never known.

00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:41.360
The buckles, buckles and spectrum.

00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:42.240
All the buckles.

00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:47.200
Oh man, all the buckles and four-inch heat, I was like, wow, okay.

00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:54.720
And and all the cowboys, and and you would have never known because they don't, every time I went to a duty station, it the demographics change.

00:13:55.120 --> 00:14:01.600
It either changed, it was it was all one way when I got there, and it slowly changed, or the other way.

00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:03.360
And kind of like public schools.

00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:12.480
Well, it's not a lot of, there's not a lot of public school shootings, because they took all the monsters and put them in the suburbs and see public schools, we kept them at bay.

00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.919
So you would have never known this kid was thinking this kind of way.

00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:25.759
But when they when they went out to the suburbs, they corraled all them monsters together, and they have no, they ain't have nobody that to calm them down, and you you get what you get.

00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:29.440
But they was like, oh, I want metal detectors at my school and blah, blah.

00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:32.240
Now those people, them kids say, hey, I want to go to the black school.

00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:33.600
Yeah, they're safer.

00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:45.440
You know what, man, you you mentioned black rangers, and it and it reminded me of when I went through PLDC, there was uh in my squad, there was a black ranger.

00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:47.679
Matter of fact, my squad was wild, man.

00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:54.639
I had a there was a black ranger, a bunch of white guys, rangers, and then there was a uh Hispanic dude, infantry, U.S.

00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:56.480
Army pistol team, as a matter of fact.

00:14:57.039 --> 00:15:02.480
So I went through with some dudes that, I mean, they had me, you know, I I had to keep up, right?

00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:08.639
And so, but but what you what you mentioned about the integration, this is, you know, what, 30 years ago, right?

00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:09.279
Mm-hmm.

00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:10.159
Here's the thing.

00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:16.159
Um he's in PLDC and he was part of the Rangers, that Ranger Battalion that was out there.

00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:16.559
Yeah.

00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:24.320
I don't know if I don't know if he had completed the entire you know, course, you know, all the different uh phases they have to go through.

00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:25.279
I don't know how that went.

00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:26.720
Here's what I noticed though.

00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:32.159
That brother, he was well integrated with them, and he had to code switch.

00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:33.759
He was my roommate.

00:15:33.840 --> 00:15:36.240
So, you know, two to a room, we would talk.

00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:41.840
But as soon as his ranger buddies came around, I was like, you know, he he got real different.

00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:46.000
And that that has been our existence since they brought us here.

00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:46.879
Right.

00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:53.039
And these kids today, with this gentle parenting, they don't have to do that.

00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:54.480
You know, and they don't have to do that.

00:15:54.559 --> 00:16:00.320
You have to go to specific places, like million places to find kids that talk like us.

00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:04.000
Now, these kids, you would think they was born in a suburb.

00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:05.120
Well, here's the thing, man.

00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:06.320
They don't have that struggle.

00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:07.200
He got put out.

00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:08.320
He flunked out, right?

00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:09.039
He didn't make it.

00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:14.240
And I feel like just the interactions, I feel like his Ranger buddies did it to him.

00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:15.200
Ooh, really?

00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:15.759
Yeah.

00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:18.240
I felt like, because it was like this.

00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:25.600
They were comfortable with slinging the N-word around, but would do it and say things like, I grew up in the hood.

00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:29.039
You know, like, I grew up, you know, and that's what it would make make a difference.

00:16:29.440 --> 00:16:30.399
He would accept it.

00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:33.679
And me and him talking, I'm like, yo, I'm a man.

00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.279
You know, like, what's that about?

00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:37.200
No, no, they're cool, you know, whatever.

00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:40.799
But it seemed like he's bouncing around with them, you know, PLDC.

00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:42.720
We we we we trying to all make it.

00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:44.399
But he always seemed to be the one.

00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:45.840
They were treating him like a pet.

00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:46.320
Mm-hmm.

00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:48.639
And then trying to hold him to certain standards.

00:16:48.799 --> 00:16:53.200
And I think they were the ones who felt like he wasn't up to.

00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:57.600
Traditionally, Rangers flunk out of PLDC because of land nav.

00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:01.039
Because they already have their, they already come in with their run and pace count.

00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:06.720
You know, they already have all this little cheat stuff, and PLDC talks, the basics.

00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:09.440
And traditionally, that's what get them out of there.

00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:14.160
That's why they always say, hey, I know y'all got y'all stuff, but do it our way and you'll pass.

00:17:14.319 --> 00:17:16.799
When you get out of here, you can go back to doing it how you did it.

00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:17.119
Right.

00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:17.359
Yeah.

00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:19.279
Well, you know, and I probably knew that guy too.

00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:23.200
Well, you know, he he uh only a handful when we were there.

00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:25.440
So we knew we knew most of them.

00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:26.319
That's the thing.

00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:28.640
He he he didn't flunk land nav.

00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:29.680
That was a crazy thing.

00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:32.319
He flunked some clerk some classroom stuff.

00:17:33.039 --> 00:17:39.039
And and because when it came to land nav, and my buddy is Perez, the the the Hispanic dude.

00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:42.079
They taught me the little run and pace count thing while we was out there.

00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:43.119
I couldn't do it.

00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:49.359
Right, you know, because you know when they when they hit the go, them jokers would take off and got them beads, the range of beads.

00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:56.240
I'm with my little comfort, like, hold up, you know, and them cats would take off, hit all their points, and then come back for me.

00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:59.759
You know, like I'm like, y'all, man, y'all are crazy.

00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:11.279
But but the point is he had to that that integration thing, he it was like he was the one who was being, you know, there's always give and take.

00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:13.680
It felt like he was giving, nothing but giving.

00:18:14.000 --> 00:18:18.880
Back then they were, they were very, it was, it was not a lot of people, not a lot of them.

00:18:19.039 --> 00:18:27.039
So they would get like really, they could they'll get messed up over there behind the fence because, you know, you had to punch in the cold to get over there where they was at.

00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:30.960
So I I definitely feel them, but it changed over time.

00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:32.319
Now they got women, you know.

00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:32.880
Right, right.

00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:33.440
Ranger.

00:18:33.680 --> 00:18:33.839
Right.

00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:35.920
But uh, yeah, it definitely changed.

00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:37.839
But back then, yeah, cold switching.

00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:45.279
Yeah, and and it was crazy because, well, Perez, he was uh he was infantry, you know, he wasn't with them.

00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:51.680
So Perez was like, I'll knock all y'all out, you know, like it was a they had a rivalry, infantry and ranger, yeah.

00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:53.039
Yeah, he was a different dude.

00:18:53.200 --> 00:19:04.240
But um, you know, and I and it PLDC gave me a a an added level of respect for them because you got to see how they got down, you know, especially when we were out there doing stuff at night.

00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:10.799
You know, Perez was like, all right, remember the cat eyes on the back of the watch my cat eyes, stay with me.

00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:11.839
And I'm right behind him.

00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:13.039
All I see is pitch black.

00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:17.200
I see nothing cat eyes, and then my man's cat eyes dip and disappeared.

00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:20.079
I'm like, yo, and he had gone down a ditch.

00:19:20.880 --> 00:19:21.680
I didn't know that.

00:19:21.759 --> 00:19:22.880
You know, I couldn't see the ditch.

00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:24.799
I'm like, man, I can't see that.

00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:28.480
But he he was he was moving at night.

00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:39.440
So I I guess my point is, you know, that that stuff that the the skill level that they had had transcended race, you know, you had black, white, Hispanic, and they were getting it.

00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:45.519
And me, with my little sophisticated stuff, with my little compass trying to just keep up with these jokers, reading the map.

00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:46.960
I think this is my point.

00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:48.480
Should I should I click it?

00:19:48.640 --> 00:20:00.480
Because if I if I hit the wrong one, I'm out, you know, like and these jokers, man, you know, so but when you mentioned, you know, the whole integration thing and things changing, you know, I I I've got no problem with that.

00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:08.240
Um, to the extent that one side of things is not being subservient to the other, right?

00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:11.680
And what I witnessed with this brother, it broke my heart, man.

00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:14.480
I mean, because you know, 30 years ago, look, look how young we were, right?

00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:15.279
What what can you do?

00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:15.599
Yeah.

00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:26.480
You know, it's just like, ah man, that's really uh and um I did a little stint with the special forces, and they are are way better at the integration thing.

00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:29.279
They are called quiet professionals, and they are.

00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:34.480
Uh and and we have been taught, if you ever see black anything, that that's a bad boy.

00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:43.359
Because he's not only had he had to do what they had to do, he had we always, anything we do, we gotta be ten times better than others.

00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:45.279
So them bad boys.

00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:50.559
But uh yeah, those special forces guys and Delta, Delta guy, special forces guy, you see a black one?

00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:54.400
Well, you ain't gonna know he delta unless you in the in the community, but yeah.

00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:56.960
Them cat guys, ooh, it's something else.

00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:01.039
Yeah, but it was I felt that what you felt too back then.

00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:03.599
I think that's probably why we were so tight-knit.

00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:12.480
Um, I know you came right before we bounced, but you know, for those of had got there, we had a little camaraderie and Saudi just brought us all together.

00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:13.680
Yeah, definitely.

00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:21.039
Because we still uh we got a uh chat group that we still we just had a reunion, you know, at Benin.

00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:22.160
Yeah, yeah, I remember.

00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:24.079
We just had that re we just had that reunion, man.

00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:27.920
They're talking about doing it again in um 27, so be on the lookout.

00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:30.160
I gotta be on the I gotta I gotta come to that one, man.

00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:30.720
Yeah, man.

00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:31.359
It was great.

00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:32.880
Man, it was great seeing those guys, man.

00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:37.680
Bringing back them stories and people mind man, I can't remember what I did two minutes ago.

00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:40.240
I gotta remember stuff way back then.

00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:51.920
Look, man, and you know what's funny is, you know, I vividly remember when I f again, when I first got there, it was an advanced party that had already left, I guess litting them on the boat, right?

00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:53.920
Then there was another advanced party.

00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:54.880
SSA.

00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:56.720
Yeah, SSA flew up first.

00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:04.960
Well, so all I know is I got there, I still got, you know, I got, I got, I don't even have TA 50 yet.

00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:05.200
Right.

00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:05.599
Wow.

00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:06.640
I don't have nothing.

00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:09.119
And it was about a week after I got there.

00:22:09.279 --> 00:22:10.720
Next thing I know, I'm on a plane.

00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:44.720
I never forget I'm with with uh the guys from um a few of the guys from uh from uh tech supply I meant tech supply yeah you know um I'm on the plane sitting next to these dudes and somebody I don't even know who it was somebody had to come get me they were like why are you on like I I don't know I I just went where y'all told me to go you know I'll never forget man I'm sitting next to the Willow Brown and you know and all of them and I'm sitting and they snatched me off the plane because I didn't have I had nothing.

00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:54.160
And my goodness I didn't know that I was about I'm you know I'm I'm looking at all these cats carrying rucksacks and duffel bags and I don't have none of this stuff.

00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:58.160
Gas mask, you need that I don't have like I ain't have nothing.

00:22:58.319 --> 00:23:03.359
And so I got off the plane they took off and I think we went what like 30 days later or something like that.

00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:04.400
Yeah or something like that.

00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:08.640
And but while they were there for that week you know them boys was wild.

00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:12.799
There was I forget the name of that club that was on post not the NCO but the other one.

00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:34.799
There was another one Hidden Door Hidden Door, okay and this brother you remember Courtney tall guy light skinned dude um anyway he wasn't in our platoon he was one of you know one of the other platoon I just remember Courtney like I just knew his last name didn't know his first name and some stuff jumped off in there vividly remembered this cat Courtney wilding.

00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:40.720
I mean he was swinging because it was you know I I started seeing faces that's how I began to learn y'all's faces.

00:23:40.799 --> 00:24:00.640
I'm like you in my unit here my unit yeah and this cat Courtney you know I don't know if I should have said his name but he he was in there just throwing hands and you know once I started to see okay that's us well you gotta throw hands too you know like like it will and I got keys.

00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:06.079
Yeah yeah so anyway you know I just came from Korea and that was the rule.

00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:32.880
Yeah we down we in the same we in the same unit okay and you know whatever and that probably um that probably put you in the group right now I was like oh we okay you know and I think I might have caught one that night you know like okay you know but but you know back then though it was you throw hands you you get all a little dusty and then you go home right it everything was cool and but I just remember him because he was throwing hands to the extent that I think he got locked up.

00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:43.039
He he did a little too much like you you know come on bro you did a little too much but and and back then especially back then a lot of that was the anxiety from about the deploy.

00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:46.720
Yeah that was coming out in every swing.

00:24:46.960 --> 00:25:00.960
Yeah yeah and and it was crazy because what I wasn't used to was we on post there's this club I'm not a club dude right I don't drink so I'm real sober when looking at all this and there were civilians in there.

00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:11.119
And so it was civilian cats that they were you know and so you know when you say vividly remember I had no choice but to remember because I just got there.

00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:11.599
Right.

00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:14.240
You know and somebody took me to this spot.

00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:21.359
Yeah which is gone now it's totally they tore it off yeah it's grass that you you can't even tell the building was there.

00:25:21.599 --> 00:25:43.279
Hidden door is that what it's called yes hidden door okay that sounds familiar I don't know man but Yeah that was the so yeah you you know it wasn't the NCO club it was definitely the hidden door then it's the enlisted club the it was the hidden door okay okay that was the stuff and then and I would I would hear y'all talking about it all the time like y'all would run it.

00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:56.240
Bro we was there every weekend we was we was we was club whores we were there every weekend praise and then because my my she wasn't at the time but my wife's best friend worked there.

00:25:56.640 --> 00:26:31.359
Her name was Didi big Mick girl okay Didi called Beasel so that she ended up becoming uh when we got married she ended up becoming my kid's godmother okay you know and uh coincidentally I left spinning went to Bragg and then went to Hawaii and then from Hawaii I got sent back to 598 yeah it was crazy uh they tore all the buildings down gutted them new buildings and and all all the leadership wanted to know was how was it when you were here before you know it was weird they was looking at me like I'm a kind of superstar or something.

00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:39.519
Well is is anything was it wasn't something and then I was uh E5 and they had NCO barracks.

00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:40.480
I had never heard of that.

00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:42.880
So I said no man I I ain't living in no barracks.

00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:44.720
You know I'm thinking barracks how we did it.

00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:46.799
And the barracks are so nice like a little apartment.

00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:48.480
I said yeah I think I I think I can do this.

00:26:48.559 --> 00:27:04.319
Yeah yeah yeah yeah so I stayed in the barracks we had a uh on the hangar um inspection by the colonel he came through he wanted nothing about the that he wanted to know how was five down back in the day.

00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:29.920
Wow there are so many stories and that's how they they they was such nostalgia but it was we it was crazy going back and you know seeing all the new and then old uh stuff like that but uh like the motor pool they stopped using that and everybody was at third shop you know third shop was over there by the jump I mean Airborne school so all of it all the sections was over there and um that that that was the biggest difference.

00:27:30.079 --> 00:27:33.680
The motor pool was everything was over in the in the third shop area.

00:27:33.839 --> 00:27:41.839
Tech supply was still where uh they had they was still over there but all the other shops was in one area so but the purse was all new everything.

00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:59.200
I think um 598 had a had a reputation that spanned continents because when people found out where I would just come from I get to Germany and Caps was like you know like you you was with them you know you was with them.

00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:17.200
Oh yeah they was off the head and then then us we just went right on in you know especially after we got back from Saudi oh man that wasn't tell us nothing that wasn't even cool what y'all did the Columbus man that was that wasn't even that wasn't even cool.

00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:31.440
No you you know what was what was wild is too boys was wild but respectful I'll say it that way right there were a few who you know because once you become too stupid then you don't even want to be dealing with no cats like that.

00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:49.680
I could you know I can only I could say that I only ran into one or two that was like I'm not fooling with him but but I don't know if you remember when we got to Saudi and we would once we found our way around town and found the malls and and the chicken places and the, you know, and they would go for prayer time.

00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:56.400
I'll just say this well gave us what maybe a month or two them jokers started buying padlocks.

00:28:56.480 --> 00:29:09.359
They would just take off and leave everything unlocked for prayer time and then I heard Masterlock made a killing over there because we I couldn't believe they've even three or six thousand dollar Persian rugs outside.

00:29:09.680 --> 00:29:11.920
Just out just leave outside just leave.

00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:43.039
They said yeah man you ain't gonna mess with them I said but y'all don't know who we man you know and I'm not saying that we we alone did that but I'm just saying Oh yeah it was some stuff going it was some stuff that went down yeah yeah yeah um for y'all drinkers oh I wasn't a drink I don't drink either so I never had so I was the designated driver because when I found out that was hard for me too being a non-drinker non-smoker uh because they always thought I was CID and uh when I found out that at the club the designated driver get free soda oh I was in there.

00:29:43.119 --> 00:29:48.000
Wow all you had to do is take care of the bartender and I was drinking Sprite all night.

00:29:48.160 --> 00:30:17.359
Well you know I uh they had that Will Amina over there that that's what I was gonna say I wasn't no drinker um but I was uh I was somewhat of an entrepreneur let me just say it that way most definitely you know I didn't I didn't partake right but I don't know who it was man who hit me to the hole because since it looked like water you might as well water it down you know and And and it wasn't no watering that down too that was some Right.

00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:27.039
So you you can you can water it down and stretch it still make you make your little you know because remember they they gave us the little camouflage bags to well anyway.

00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:38.960
So yeah I guess we can talk about that stuff now man because um you know they We had to pass the time some kind of way bro we had to pass the time yeah you know and having them having them females there didn't hurt either.

00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:39.920
Didn't hurt.

00:30:40.079 --> 00:30:41.359
Well didn't hurt at all.

00:30:41.599 --> 00:30:55.279
Here's the thing you know um it wasn't y'all who was it that uh when our truck got tore up coming through the fence who fixed y'all did do you know who who would who had they had to fix the truck and fix the fence up and what uh platoon would have done that?

00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:56.880
Third shop.

00:30:57.519 --> 00:31:15.680
Yeah it'd have been third shop uh uh them guys over there with what um Jomo Daniels light skinned guy with the with the the crazy eyes yeah yeah his shop yeah okay his shop would have had to do all that and uh S and R probably with the because they welded if they had to do any welding SNR was them guys doing all that stuff.

00:31:15.920 --> 00:32:38.240
Well you know um we had some guys get extra duty because of that incident and um it was funny it was uh they was in extra duty I'm talking about top had them out there sweeping sand they were sweeping sweeping sand yeah that that frustrating me sweeping that sweeping that concrete pad off the sweaty would blow on we would we would uh they're on extra duty you know they in uniform for hours after you know they ought to have been I'm in there eating and I'm sitting next to like because guys I hang with they all on extra duty so I ain't got you know so I'm sitting with other folks and I'm listening to them speculate as to who was in the truck who was in it who came through that fence who was driving and all that I'm sitting right next to him like you know because then nobody think I was you know Rose he don't do nothing because you're not on extra duty yeah so I'm sitting there looking at him man and you know I'm I'm thinking this is quite cool like to just be able to you know it's like camouflage like um yeah for for you know we tore the truck up and you know and and had to climb out the windows because the doors wouldn't open my God the doors wouldn't open what happened I guess that's the statute of limitations is done.

00:32:38.400 --> 00:34:56.800
So what happened was me You don't want to get no names I just talking about the actual Yeah yeah right so me me and two other guys were in the in the um in the truck right cut V and I don't know if you remember how the compound was situated but so you had the front gate but then down the fence line I don't know if that's where the hole ended up being by that other gate guard there's a guard post elevated right on the tower yeah yeah on the tower so coming to the to the camp to the compound there was a road that went straight to that to that elevated guard post and then you had to turn left to get to the front to the main gate yeah there you go so we all would make a joke of it every time we would be coming back to the compound we're on this dirt you know it was dirt dirt road and that was crazy yeah and it right so whoever would be driving you know it was it was like the whole point was we would try to hit that corner and dip it we would all holler out dip it right dip it so you would turn the wheel and try to you know I guess drift around they call it drifting we could call it hook slide and right there you go so that's what happened we were so you know look here I never had a license right but I would you know yeah anyway I learned I learned how to drive a stick ship over there there you go right so so I think earlier in the day we had driven two other times one of those earlier times I was driving dip it hit my little slide you know going in well we I had to stop get out let somebody else get up front because I couldn't drive wasn't supposed to be driving second time somebody else was driving did it okay third time I guess my man wanted to get some extra because when he came around he didn't slide so he gunned it trying to get some extra and then so the the wheel went one way and then he tried to overcompensate and come back over because we was about to go into the ditch to the left so we had to come back right and that's when we went straight through the fence right right below the guardpost right so we're right below the guardpost and here's what's funny we came through the fence and there were two trailers sitting there and we ended up in between the two trailers.

00:34:56.960 --> 00:35:21.039
That's why y'all couldn't open the door that's why we couldn't we had to climb out we had to climb out because we was between the two trailers which was a God send because had we hit one we'd have a we wouldn't have we wouldn't have been here right because that thing I know y'all ain't had no seatbelt songs but yeah well but that thing would have taken off the top of the truck and you know what I mean so we we went between the two and we were stuck and one of us had a bag of tapes.

00:35:21.280 --> 00:35:34.559
You know we used to go get tapes from music and whatever have all that Arabic writing on it but a picture of Rocky M or something you know right so anyway so we all got out dipped and the guards never even knew it.

00:35:34.719 --> 00:36:09.679
That's just how bad they were like they they was up there sleeping we had to make a run back to the truck to get them my man was like yo I left my tapes so we like all right get on back got got the stuff made it back to the room and then everybody changed up like put on you know pajamas and like we was there all time and then it was a big to-do and they knew it was our truck and then they saw who signed the dispatch last but here's the other part the dispatch was signed like the day before like we nobody had nobody had signed it nothing that day.

00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:14.239
So that changed a whole bunch of stuff in terms of rules you know because of us.

00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:22.159
Well that was why that happened yeah we we drive because I ain't gonna lie man with us it was like who got the keys?

00:36:22.239 --> 00:36:33.360
All right let me get done after that we started to have to have an SEO in the truck so it was like we would just throw the keys around like who got the keys and I got the we had to have an SEO.

00:36:33.519 --> 00:36:42.400
Well because I didn't have a license I had to wait until we got down the road before I could get behind the wheel and uh probably only reason why you didn't go on extra duty too because you didn't have no license.

00:36:42.559 --> 00:37:55.599
I didn't I didn't I wasn't on extra duty matter of fact it was one time they was out there sweeping I grabbed the broom chop was like you know put it down all right my bad you know so yeah man that was that was that was wild times man that was wild times but that's the that is the that's what kind of wild these cats were you know and man it's that's that's a tip of the iceberg yeah yeah yeah that was I was I was like I can't believe certain individuals are doing what they're doing over here and and the wildest thing was when we got back they just spread all in scenars and and went and go get it converted you know look my uh the supply folks the supply folks are my heroes let me just put it that way who cats and supply of my heroes man not gonna mention no names 10% off the top that's what we call 10% off the top yeah they my heroes man yeah and I was telling people the first time I when I went to Iraq how they how it was so different because when we went to Saudi they were breaking people was bringing out cases of liquor in their vehicles but it had changed prior all my we had full customs.

00:37:55.760 --> 00:38:28.559
Full full customs you had to go through when we went to Saudi we got on the plane it took off you know when we got back we came out the plane on the runway uh and and see your family oh no right it is they come to your now they come to your unit you know you gotta bring all your stuff out and and they go through it in country and then when you get to the airport whatever you're carrying they searching that I was like wow the stupidest and weirdest craziest story and I I had to make the person admit that it was stupid.

00:38:28.719 --> 00:38:44.400
We then get ready to go through customs we're carrying our M16 M4s right you got a bolt block in it uh and everything we're carrying M4s and they say oh you can't have this fingernail clipper with the file you know how you got the the toenail clipper with the file on it?

00:38:44.559 --> 00:39:01.920
Yeah yeah oh you you can't take that I say excuse me you you can't take that oh it could be used as a weapon I said you're gonna let me on the plane with an actual weapon but you won't let me straighten my toenail clipper with the file on it so I can clean under my fingernails because you think it's it could be used as a weapon.

00:39:02.079 --> 00:39:03.360
Does that make sense to you?

00:39:03.519 --> 00:39:08.480
Well and he was like no actual what you think could be a fingernail file.

00:39:08.639 --> 00:39:11.760
Yeah that was if they had got a little overboard yeah that was crazy.

00:39:11.920 --> 00:42:02.639
Well you know again those those those cats from supply first of all the combination of the two like how they put them two together like how that you know but but uh but Spike Spike wasn't in Spike no he was a mechanic no no yeah he I think yeah he definitely wasn't no he was a third shot mechanic okay I can tell you it was it was it was uh biheas and games right how they put them two together um my god you know and and uh oh my god you know it it it's it's funny how eighty one and two the boldness of you know they they had help yeah there were some others but the boldness of some of these others man I'll never forget it was like um one of them had me to roll with him uh come on Rose I need I need I need you to ride a shotgun in a uh five ton pulling a trailer full of tires let's just say we came back with no tires no with no trailer dog the whole the whole trailer yeah yeah yeah yeah that was that's what they were doing yeah yeah I I was like you know I I didn't see no transaction I didn't you know but given given the time of night it was given what we was wearing boldness it didn't feel like this was you know it didn't feel like it was legit and no but but here's the funny thing so I didn't you know I'm in the truck I see the person that they're meeting driving a Peugeot right how about the next day one of our boys got the keys to a Peugeot parked right outside the gate you know what I mean like they let the wrong people come over there boy five and eight woo like how you can imagine what was going on at Cobar Towers but still good grace man cobar yeah I think I I went over there one time yeah cobart towers off the hedges yeah when over there went to that them girls was over there selling more than cookies it was tough that people was making the they'll take the ACU they make a short set you know they cut the pan make short embroider stuff and selling it I'm like yo serious well ACU short set uh I mean a we went over there to visit uh to hang out with uh the Silva and crew one time and um when we got there like I remember going up the stairs like what is this and going into this apartment like this how y'all living man what I was I was heated I was heated they sent me they sent me up north uh to a truck stop in the desert and they got to go to Cobar and selling clubs.

00:42:02.960 --> 00:42:16.000
Yeah they was they was in that apartment and I remember so that was an experience to see how how they were living and then I think it was called that thing up north point canni cannibal cannibalistic something something point.

00:42:16.480 --> 00:42:36.559
And um I went up there for some like I never stayed I went riding with somebody I think that's the first time I experienced a we're at war to see some of those damaged vehicles that they were pulling the parts off of and like uh yeah because nothing we're talking about right now would suggest we were at war.

00:42:36.880 --> 00:42:38.559
Oh yeah no that's what I'm saying man.

00:42:38.639 --> 00:42:47.199
It was like not until I went to the camp point and saw the damage and you could tell like I think it was a Hummer that had a a toe dragon on the back.

00:42:48.880 --> 00:43:20.639
But um yeah man that was that was my first experience of uh seeing that we were at a at where of course air raid sirens didn't help I mean y'all are y'all they sent me also to quote um to the um exp what is the place called oh my god we we we slept there one night when we first got there the um expo session expo yeah yeah they said I was over there on guard duty with the MPs and my shift was I had the night shift basically and I just basically had to drive around and check on the guard points.

00:43:21.039 --> 00:43:38.719
Make sure they had water, you know weight, you know and all that stuff they I thought they did that to us on purpose because they split it's basically they split I thought they split the troublemakers up, you know they said uh Bohanan went to UAE to drive trucks.

00:43:38.880 --> 00:43:43.760
They sent the silver to um Cobart Towers and they sent me over.

00:43:43.920 --> 00:43:47.280
It sent a bunch you know they were sending people I don't know it's great.

00:43:47.599 --> 00:43:51.280
But uh they I thought I say man this is messed up I was over there for like thirty days.

00:43:52.239 --> 00:43:59.840
If I'm over here it was all right but yeah I th I thought they did it they bring it up the troublemakers Yeah I think I remember being at the expo

00:44:00.320 --> 00:44:02.480
For a good little while before we moved to the compound.

00:44:02.639 --> 00:44:03.760
They didn't know what to do with us.

00:44:03.920 --> 00:44:04.239
Yeah.

00:44:04.400 --> 00:44:07.920
Um that was that was that was an experience in itself.

00:44:08.000 --> 00:44:08.400
Yeah, man.

00:44:08.719 --> 00:44:09.679
A little bit of everything.

00:44:09.920 --> 00:44:19.039
Well, you know, when um that night the uh scud hit, giving as close as we were to that spot.

00:44:19.360 --> 00:44:21.280
We used to send people over there to take showers.

00:44:21.440 --> 00:44:23.280
That that's what I'm that's what I'm saying.

00:44:23.440 --> 00:44:25.039
Like we were right there.

00:44:25.840 --> 00:44:30.000
And and uh I'll never forget, you know, me and the cats.

00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:34.800
You know, we just we just sitting around outside and watched the thing come in.

00:44:35.199 --> 00:44:35.599
Mm-hmm.

00:44:35.920 --> 00:44:38.480
Like looking up, looking up at it, just watching it come in.

00:44:38.639 --> 00:44:42.800
Just never forget somebody cussing me out because I was like, everybody was trying to figure out what it was.

00:44:42.960 --> 00:44:43.840
Is that a plane?

00:44:43.920 --> 00:44:46.639
Is that a you know, we we trying to figure it out.

00:44:46.800 --> 00:44:51.440
And um, I remember my goofy self saying something like, that's a flare.

00:44:51.519 --> 00:44:53.840
And man, man, I got cussed out, man.

00:44:53.920 --> 00:44:56.559
That ain't no flare, you know.

00:44:57.440 --> 00:45:03.679
I mean, because because of the angle that it was coming in, it was coming straight at us, so you just saw the flickering behind it.

00:45:03.840 --> 00:45:05.199
So I thought, flare.

00:45:05.360 --> 00:45:08.880
Well, when it got real close, it just it just well, I don't know.

00:45:08.960 --> 00:45:13.760
Where did you wherever, you know, where y'all's rooms were, were y'all outside watching it like we were?

00:45:13.840 --> 00:45:14.400
Or what was y'all?

00:45:14.719 --> 00:45:22.320
Yeah, yeah, I saw because we always track you when you saw the Patriot take off, then you was like, okay, let me look in front of the Patriot.

00:45:22.639 --> 00:45:24.320
We always would try to see where it hit.

00:45:24.480 --> 00:45:24.639
Okay.

00:45:24.880 --> 00:45:30.320
But this particular time, the Patriot hit the scud on the side instead of the nose.

00:45:30.400 --> 00:45:35.360
Well, and it broke the warhead off, and that's what hit that warehouse with those National Guards.

00:45:35.440 --> 00:45:36.239
It was the warhead.

00:45:36.639 --> 00:45:44.480
From from our angle, and and everybody I've told, I was like, no Patriot went off that night.

00:45:44.719 --> 00:45:44.880
Right?

00:45:45.679 --> 00:45:46.239
That's what happened.

00:45:46.320 --> 00:45:53.679
The Patriot hit it, but it hit it on the side, and it tore it broke the warhead off, and then the warhead fell and and hit the building.

00:45:53.920 --> 00:46:08.639
Well, and see, and again, from where we were, there was no, you know, the angle that we were at, you know, there was no and and you're right, because if you were on this side of your building, you wouldn't have saw the Patriot take off the opposite side.

00:46:08.800 --> 00:46:08.960
Right.

00:46:09.280 --> 00:46:10.320
There was no nothing.

00:46:10.400 --> 00:46:12.639
All we saw was the thing fall apart.

00:46:13.199 --> 00:46:21.440
So yeah, y'all wouldn't have where y'all were at, you wouldn't have saw the Patriot take off because y'all had buildings and trucks and all kinds of stuff blocking that.

00:46:21.920 --> 00:46:25.760
Yeah, that doggone um that motor pool with all that stuff out there.

00:46:25.840 --> 00:46:26.880
But that maintenance tent.

00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:28.719
Yeah, we had the big maintenance tent up.

00:46:28.960 --> 00:46:34.159
Yeah, we we saw no, like all I saw was, you know, the thing fall apart and then I saw impact.

00:46:34.400 --> 00:46:37.840
Well, I and was crazy because that other piece flew past us.

00:46:37.920 --> 00:46:43.280
It looked like it went um toward the water, and that other that one that came right down in front of us.

00:46:43.440 --> 00:46:48.400
But it was crazy because we're where our room was, we can't call it barracks.

00:46:49.039 --> 00:46:53.039
Well, our room was, I guess we would have been the closest to the impact.

00:46:53.679 --> 00:46:54.000
Okay.

00:46:54.239 --> 00:46:56.880
Yeah, you see, you know, we were like right there closest to it.

00:46:57.039 --> 00:47:02.719
And so, you know, I just remember I saw the flash, then I don't recall what happened after that.

00:47:03.360 --> 00:47:11.199
An instant later, I look up and I'm on the ground, dusty, and everybody's running in different directions.

00:47:11.519 --> 00:47:13.280
Well, and then I couldn't breathe.

00:47:13.360 --> 00:47:15.039
It was like I had the wind knocked out of me.

00:47:15.199 --> 00:47:22.400
But everybody's running, and you know, the the feeling of you can't move with everybody running, you feel like you need to be running too, but you can't.

00:47:22.800 --> 00:47:30.719
So I just never I remember uh I saw the back of um T-Bone, the back of his boot going into our room.

00:47:30.880 --> 00:47:33.840
And I'm like thinking to myself, these jokers left me.

00:47:34.239 --> 00:47:38.960
You know, but logically, you're thinking, man, that room ain't stopping nothing.

00:47:39.039 --> 00:47:42.960
You know, that them little cardboard rooms we was in.

00:47:43.199 --> 00:47:49.760
But they ran, everybody scattered because there was a whole bunch of people who weren't in us in our platoon out there just hanging out.

00:47:49.920 --> 00:47:50.800
Everybody scattered.

00:47:50.880 --> 00:47:57.760
So I got myself up, I get inside the room, and what was funny was everybody's putting on their mop gear.

00:47:57.920 --> 00:47:58.159
Right.

00:47:58.320 --> 00:47:58.719
Right.

00:47:58.960 --> 00:48:03.519
And I had dirt on my face, so I couldn't get a good seal on my mask.

00:48:03.599 --> 00:48:07.599
And I was moving so fast that I didn't I didn't think.

00:48:07.760 --> 00:48:07.840
Right.

00:48:08.159 --> 00:48:12.159
Wipe the dirt off, you know, get like, you know, it was a panic situation.

00:48:12.239 --> 00:48:13.280
It was like, you know what I mean?

00:48:13.360 --> 00:48:18.239
Like so that was just like one of the wildest, um, one of the wildest nights, man.

00:48:18.559 --> 00:48:23.440
That the night before, they we they sent people over to take showers.

00:48:23.679 --> 00:48:29.360
Because I don't know if you remember the our hot water heaters, the compound we was on belonged to this Filipino.

00:48:29.679 --> 00:48:30.400
Filipinos, yeah.

00:48:30.559 --> 00:48:30.719
Right.

00:48:30.800 --> 00:48:32.320
So and there's they're little people.

00:48:32.480 --> 00:48:37.599
So the hot water heaters were small for our our side of the compound.

00:48:37.840 --> 00:48:41.360
So that that warehouse had full-size hot water heaters.

00:48:41.760 --> 00:48:46.559
That's why the cap the commander would let people go over, and they had more showers.

00:48:46.639 --> 00:48:48.800
So, you know, we had to mash joints.

00:48:49.280 --> 00:48:49.679
Right, right.

00:48:50.159 --> 00:48:51.760
They would let more people, more people could go.

00:48:51.840 --> 00:48:56.079
So the night before our people was had went, they only let so many go.

00:48:56.159 --> 00:48:59.519
And I was slated to go that night.

00:48:59.840 --> 00:49:00.000
Okay.

00:49:00.320 --> 00:49:04.800
Well, uh, I was saying, Yeah, I want to, you know, uh get a good shower too.

00:49:04.960 --> 00:49:09.679
And they said, okay, you the this they that's like, you know, when they count and count and count, they stopped right in front of me.

00:49:09.760 --> 00:49:11.679
They said, Oh, you gotta go tomorrow.

00:49:11.840 --> 00:49:12.400
I said, Okay.

00:49:12.719 --> 00:49:16.719
So the next night before that happened, the commander was like, nope, nobody's going.

00:49:17.119 --> 00:49:18.719
And I was like, oh man, I was pissed.

00:49:18.800 --> 00:49:21.199
I was like, man, y'all cut it off on me.

00:49:21.679 --> 00:49:31.280
Well, after everything happened, I went back to him and asked, I said, sir, what made you not let us go that to that yesterday?

00:49:31.519 --> 00:49:33.440
And he was like, I said, was it something?

00:49:33.519 --> 00:49:34.320
He said, I don't know.

00:49:34.480 --> 00:49:36.400
He said, honestly, he said, there was no reason.

00:49:36.559 --> 00:49:38.880
He said, I didn't get no intel or nothing like that.

00:49:39.039 --> 00:49:42.719
He said, I just was like, nah, we we're not going, we're not letting him go tonight.

00:49:43.440 --> 00:49:46.639
And he didn't let let him let us go, and that thing hit.

00:49:46.800 --> 00:49:48.800
I was like, ooh, that's divine intervention.

00:49:48.960 --> 00:49:52.960
Because those people had literally just got there that day, you know.

00:49:53.119 --> 00:49:54.880
And I said, that was the sad thing.

00:49:54.960 --> 00:49:57.280
They had just got there in country.

00:49:57.360 --> 00:50:00.960
And to get there and for that to happen, that was that was a tragedy.

00:50:01.119 --> 00:50:05.199
Well, you know, it it was crazy is some had just got there.

00:50:05.360 --> 00:50:06.719
Some were on the way out.

00:50:07.360 --> 00:50:08.159
I didn't know that part.

00:50:08.320 --> 00:50:08.480
Yeah.

00:50:08.559 --> 00:50:10.400
There was there was some some on the way out.

00:50:10.559 --> 00:50:12.320
They were one week out from leaving.

00:50:12.480 --> 00:50:12.800
Ooh.

00:50:13.039 --> 00:50:13.519
Yeah.

00:50:13.679 --> 00:50:19.519
Um, because uh there was a there was a dude that was actually in the building that had collapsed.

00:50:19.599 --> 00:50:21.599
And he did an interview a few years back.

00:50:21.840 --> 00:50:24.639
Yeah, the brothers um he's he's hurting.

00:50:24.960 --> 00:50:28.000
I think he lost, I don't know if he lost one or both legs.

00:50:28.239 --> 00:50:41.119
And you know, he told the story about uh how the uh civilian doctors that worked on him, he didn't lose his leg or legs, I'm not sure, immediately.

00:50:41.760 --> 00:50:46.400
It happened over time because the civilian doctors weren't used to combat trauma.

00:50:46.639 --> 00:50:46.960
Right.

00:50:47.119 --> 00:50:53.599
And so they evidently sewed him up without properly doing whatever they needed to do inside first.

00:50:54.000 --> 00:50:58.960
And over time, you know, things happened, and I don't know if he had developed something.

00:50:59.840 --> 00:51:00.960
Anyway, he was telling the story.

00:51:01.920 --> 00:51:02.719
Yeah, I don't know.

00:51:02.800 --> 00:51:04.000
Um but he was telling the story.

00:51:04.079 --> 00:51:09.360
I I watched it, uh, and it was this had to been several years ago I saw him on TV.

00:51:09.679 --> 00:51:11.280
Wow, I didn't know anybody.

00:51:11.440 --> 00:51:12.639
I didn't know nobody survived.

00:51:12.719 --> 00:51:13.760
It was like everybody didn't make it.

00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:14.079
Yeah.

00:51:14.239 --> 00:51:14.880
No, no, no.

00:51:14.960 --> 00:51:26.239
It's it's so he, you know, it hit one building, the barracks, uh the makeshift barracks, but from where he was, it still tore up, you know, right where he was.

00:51:28.719 --> 00:51:28.960
Yeah.

00:51:29.039 --> 00:51:37.039
And um, and he when he described it on TV, man, I'm gonna tell you, it was like as he was talking, I could see it, you know.

00:51:37.199 --> 00:51:40.239
Because he was inside the building, you know, we were outside watching everything.

00:51:40.559 --> 00:51:44.239
So he was talking about how he the things he heard.

00:51:44.480 --> 00:51:47.599
And when he was talking, I was like, bro, I I could see that.

00:51:47.679 --> 00:51:48.800
You know, I could see it all.

00:51:49.119 --> 00:51:49.679
That was crazy.

00:51:49.920 --> 00:51:50.320
Vivid.

00:51:50.480 --> 00:51:50.880
But I don't know.

00:51:51.360 --> 00:51:55.840
I remember seeing it, and I was like, watching it go down like a like a streamer.

00:51:56.079 --> 00:51:57.119
And like, boom.

00:51:57.280 --> 00:51:58.079
It's like woo.

00:51:58.320 --> 00:51:58.559
Yeah.

00:51:58.800 --> 00:51:59.440
That was great.

00:51:59.599 --> 00:52:11.679
That that you know and and you know, when we um not we, when I um filed, right, my claim, and you know, it was 20 something years later.

00:52:11.840 --> 00:52:12.960
They didn't even question.

00:52:13.039 --> 00:52:19.039
They were like, a man, like when that I was talking to, he pulled something up like a map.

00:52:19.119 --> 00:52:24.639
And it was like he knew exactly where it was, where we were.

00:52:24.880 --> 00:52:26.719
There was no question, nobody even questioned it.

00:52:26.880 --> 00:52:37.840
They were like, okay, you know, so there were some times there, but it I think it that was the time Lord I did not, that was the only time that I did not go to church.

00:52:38.480 --> 00:52:40.159
Because I was raised in the church.

00:52:40.320 --> 00:52:40.559
Okay.

00:52:40.719 --> 00:52:42.639
I hadn't been baptized or anything.

00:52:42.880 --> 00:52:45.679
I was raised in the church and I knew not to play with God.

00:52:46.320 --> 00:52:51.920
And and I don't know if you remember, but they had this slender chaplain assistant from the um 295th.

00:52:52.079 --> 00:52:53.760
That was a unit that was on the compound with us.

00:52:53.920 --> 00:53:02.400
He would be in there sweeping, because I just remember walking by on Sundays, and he'd be in there just sweeping the, sweeping the and he'll stop and look up.

00:53:02.480 --> 00:53:03.199
I wave to him.

00:53:03.360 --> 00:53:04.400
Nobody was in there, right?

00:53:04.559 --> 00:53:09.280
After them scuds was dropping, it was people standing outside.

00:53:09.440 --> 00:53:11.599
You couldn't, you couldn't see inside.

00:53:11.679 --> 00:53:14.239
It was so many people in that church, in the little chapel thing.

00:53:14.320 --> 00:53:16.079
And I was like, that's what I'm not doing.

00:53:16.239 --> 00:53:26.079
I'm not gonna just run in here just because now, you know, uh, because it we were there for a little hot minute before this first scud thing.

00:53:26.639 --> 00:53:31.760
But that Sunday after the first scud attacked, and I'm telling you, they were standing outside looking in.

00:53:31.920 --> 00:53:32.159
Yeah.

00:53:32.400 --> 00:53:33.920
It was like, man, it was so many people.

00:53:34.000 --> 00:53:38.320
People coming from other compounds to that chap, to our little chapel thing.

00:53:38.400 --> 00:53:43.360
And I was the only time I was like, yeah, I'm not gonna, I'm not playing with God like that.

00:53:43.440 --> 00:53:44.159
I I knew better.

00:53:44.239 --> 00:53:45.119
I I had that much sense.

00:53:45.360 --> 00:53:47.280
Thank God I had that much sense.

00:53:47.519 --> 00:53:51.440
Every every place else, oh yeah, I was I was in there.

00:53:51.679 --> 00:53:52.719
You know what's was funny?

00:53:52.880 --> 00:53:54.400
No, no, no, that's not not funny.

00:53:54.480 --> 00:53:59.440
I'll just say, um, I think I was 20, hadn't even hit 21 yet.

00:53:59.599 --> 00:54:01.840
I turned, I think I turned, I don't know what, right?

00:54:02.079 --> 00:54:03.440
I turned 20 over there.

00:54:04.079 --> 00:54:09.280
And I I didn't even know there was a church on the compound.

00:54:09.599 --> 00:54:09.920
Wow.

00:54:10.079 --> 00:54:12.480
That's just how out there I was.

00:54:12.719 --> 00:54:13.920
I was a different dude.

00:54:14.159 --> 00:54:20.320
And it was over there by the motor pool, so if you didn't have to come that way, you wouldn't, you wouldn't have, nobody wouldn't have known.

00:54:20.400 --> 00:54:24.400
But yeah, that I I that's a story I tell often.

00:54:24.480 --> 00:54:28.480
And because people have asked, you know, how is your faith and and combat?

00:54:28.559 --> 00:54:31.119
You know, you got a kid, you gotta shoot somebody and all that.

00:54:31.280 --> 00:54:34.000
And uh I was like, hey, I didn't play with God.

00:54:34.480 --> 00:54:36.320
And there are no atheists in foxholes.

00:54:36.400 --> 00:54:36.960
I promise you.

00:54:37.039 --> 00:54:38.400
That is a true statement.

00:54:38.559 --> 00:54:41.679
Because when the stuff starts blowing up, everybody starts calling Jesus.

00:54:41.840 --> 00:54:43.360
Jesus, oh, wait a minute.

00:54:43.519 --> 00:54:44.079
Wait a minute.

00:54:44.159 --> 00:54:46.320
You you know, oh, now you believe.

00:54:46.480 --> 00:54:46.800
Okay.

00:54:47.039 --> 00:54:50.639
Man, listen, I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna make a confession here.

00:54:50.800 --> 00:54:53.280
If I knew it was there, I probably wouldn't have went.

00:54:53.679 --> 00:54:56.159
I'm just I'm just being honest.

00:54:56.320 --> 00:54:58.320
Like Yes sir, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:54:58.639 --> 00:55:00.480
I was, you know, when I tell you, man.

00:55:00.719 --> 00:55:02.159
We were doing what we were doing.

00:55:02.320 --> 00:55:04.159
I it is hard, you know.

00:55:04.320 --> 00:55:07.360
I can't even put into words when I try to explain to people.

00:55:07.519 --> 00:55:10.079
I was a different dude, man.

00:55:10.239 --> 00:55:11.679
I was so different, man.

00:55:11.840 --> 00:55:15.760
Like, like, and and I'm and and not proud of it at all.

00:55:15.920 --> 00:55:29.679
Like, like, there is nothing to be proud about when it comes to yeah, I but no, I wouldn't, I probably wouldn't have gone and I probably would have talked junk about people that was going in there.

00:55:30.159 --> 00:55:34.880
Yeah, and I definitely did because I saw what I saw what happened.

00:55:35.199 --> 00:55:45.440
Y'all I remember walking by, seeing this guy sweep an empty building, and then when it goes boom, now y'all uh climbing through the windows, trying to be lowered down from the from the top.

00:55:45.760 --> 00:55:46.000
Yeah.

00:55:46.719 --> 00:55:49.199
Y'all trying to get it by any means necessary.

00:55:49.360 --> 00:55:49.679
Right, right.

00:55:49.920 --> 00:55:54.480
And then when the when the um when the threat was over, empty building again.

00:55:54.639 --> 00:55:55.519
I say, see?

00:55:56.000 --> 00:55:57.199
So same people.

00:55:57.519 --> 00:56:06.000
Do you remember the night that uh we was out there and somebody said that a round went off and uh like they locked down the compound?

00:56:06.159 --> 00:56:06.800
Yeah.

00:56:07.039 --> 00:56:10.480
And so we had a connex next to our building.

00:56:10.880 --> 00:56:20.000
And our our, I guess what we were supposed to do was we were supposed to go out and get in between the connects and our building and just wait, wait for further instruction.

00:56:20.159 --> 00:56:30.239
Well, we had a couple of NCOs who decided they were gonna take the ammo can and run out and get up under a truck out in the motor pool while we we over here by the connects.

00:56:30.320 --> 00:56:32.400
And so we're waiting on the all clear.

00:56:32.559 --> 00:56:34.239
We got our weapons with no ammo.

00:56:34.400 --> 00:56:37.440
And I'm not gonna mention their names, but we're signing so-and-so.

00:56:37.760 --> 00:56:38.960
We're signing so-and-so.

00:56:39.360 --> 00:56:44.480
Come to find out both them jokers is out there under a truck with the whole ammo can.

00:56:44.719 --> 00:56:46.320
Now, here's the thing: they got the ammo.

00:56:46.719 --> 00:56:51.599
You know, the ammo can had uh rounds for the 60 as well.

00:56:51.760 --> 00:56:51.920
Right.

00:56:52.159 --> 00:56:52.960
They ain't got no 60.

00:56:53.119 --> 00:56:53.679
Like, what do y'all?

00:56:54.000 --> 00:57:06.079
Y'all just got this big, big ammo can, you know, and you know, remember the ammo can had magazines that were already filled, and then you had the belt for the 60.

00:57:06.320 --> 00:57:07.840
This is not a light can.

00:57:08.079 --> 00:57:08.559
Correct.

00:57:08.719 --> 00:57:17.519
So you y'all jokers had to run with this, or not even run, walk it over, get up under a truck, and which I was gonna hold out, thought we were getting overrun.

00:57:17.679 --> 00:57:20.400
Like, what throw the bullets, yeah.

00:57:20.559 --> 00:57:20.719
Right.

00:57:20.880 --> 00:57:36.320
Yeah, I'm like, yo, and and as I said, I'm not gonna mention his name, but one of the things we discovered quickly, I'm not even sure I should say this, but we're on the side of this building, and you know, by this context, finally I was like, man, I can't take it no more.

00:57:36.480 --> 00:57:46.639
I walk out because it smelled so bad because jokers would go around the side of the building and relieve themselves right there.

00:57:46.800 --> 00:57:46.960
Yeah.

00:57:47.119 --> 00:57:51.360
And so I'm like, y'all lazy jokers couldn't even make it to the to the to the bathroom.

00:57:51.760 --> 00:57:54.079
And so I'm not, I just couldn't do it, man.

00:57:54.400 --> 00:57:55.360
I just couldn't do it.

00:57:55.760 --> 00:57:57.519
You know, now I'm all out in the open.

00:57:57.679 --> 00:57:58.639
Bro, get back here.

00:57:58.800 --> 00:57:59.760
No, thanks.

00:58:00.000 --> 00:58:01.280
I'm not doing it.

00:58:01.840 --> 00:58:05.280
And that's kind of how we discovered that them cats was under the truck.

00:58:05.360 --> 00:58:06.800
Yeah, it was like, hold up.

00:58:07.840 --> 00:58:15.280
And I don't know how the how we got the word that it was all clear or whatever, but I think a round went off in one of the guard posts or something.

00:58:15.519 --> 00:58:15.840
Yeah.

00:58:16.000 --> 00:58:16.320
Yep.

00:58:16.559 --> 00:58:18.400
He probably hit the hit the 50 cal, or something.

00:58:18.480 --> 00:58:19.599
I mean, it hit the 60 or something.

00:58:19.920 --> 00:58:22.880
I don't know, I don't know what it was, but um, I mean, these are.

00:58:23.039 --> 00:58:29.199
Yeah, we we were not compared to my latter uh deployments, we were not ready for comeback.

00:58:29.360 --> 00:58:29.519
No.

00:58:30.960 --> 00:58:31.280
No.

00:58:31.920 --> 00:58:32.559
At all.

00:58:32.880 --> 00:58:33.519
No, man.

00:58:33.760 --> 00:58:34.159
At all.

00:58:34.320 --> 00:58:35.519
We weren't ready at all.

00:58:35.840 --> 00:58:41.440
My thing was too, is if if they get back here, it's already too late.

00:58:41.679 --> 00:58:42.079
Done.

00:58:42.400 --> 00:58:42.719
Yeah.

00:58:42.880 --> 00:58:43.039
Yeah.

00:58:43.199 --> 00:58:44.559
We might as well start speaking Arabic.

00:58:44.639 --> 00:58:46.239
Farse too, whatever.

00:58:46.320 --> 00:58:48.960
We might as well start humdilajs and all that.

00:58:49.119 --> 00:58:49.360
Yeah.

00:58:49.440 --> 00:58:50.960
I was like, yeah, it's it's too late.

00:58:51.440 --> 00:58:54.159
So I that's don't get me wrong.

00:58:54.239 --> 00:58:57.440
I mean, you know, it wouldn't have been a lack of courage.

00:58:57.519 --> 00:59:00.320
It's just, just, we just wasn't, you know.

00:59:01.119 --> 00:59:06.320
We were, we was, man, I can't believe how we was we were some savages.

00:59:06.639 --> 00:59:14.320
Just, I'm like, man, because when we got back, and I don't know, I forgot that cat, that kid's name, dark skinned brother.

00:59:14.800 --> 00:59:19.519
He lived on post, and some kids had vandalized his house.

00:59:19.920 --> 00:59:21.840
They broke in his house, his quarters.

00:59:22.320 --> 00:59:24.320
They didn't steal a thing the first time.

00:59:24.480 --> 00:59:28.159
They did it the second time and they spray painted suck on the walls.

00:59:28.480 --> 00:59:31.119
So we we heard about that before we got back.

00:59:31.360 --> 00:59:35.199
So we made up in our mind that, hey, we're gonna go buy some of them things.

00:59:35.360 --> 00:59:37.199
And uh, we was like, okay.

00:59:37.920 --> 00:59:41.360
So we back, we were back, we were the backpack kids.

00:59:41.599 --> 00:59:47.679
And we used to tell people, if you ever see us, and we all have backpacks, bro, we we got it, we got on us.

00:59:48.639 --> 00:59:49.039
Yeah.

00:59:49.199 --> 00:59:50.719
It was it was serious.

00:59:50.880 --> 00:59:52.159
We I I remember that.

00:59:52.239 --> 00:59:53.760
I was like, man, it was serious.

00:59:54.000 --> 00:59:56.000
You know what sticks out in my mind right now?

00:59:56.159 --> 01:00:04.159
Reggie Adams with the seven series beamer and the bag phone.

01:00:04.320 --> 01:00:05.599
Oh, he bawling.

01:00:06.000 --> 01:00:06.800
Oh, you know what I mean?

01:00:06.960 --> 01:00:08.960
Like, he is bawling.

01:00:09.280 --> 01:00:10.400
What is he doing?

01:00:10.559 --> 01:00:12.880
And he got them them glasses with the gold little.

01:00:13.360 --> 01:00:14.480
I was like, Oh, yeah.

01:00:14.559 --> 01:00:17.440
I was living up, I couldn't beat the allegations that they say.

01:00:17.599 --> 01:00:18.800
I couldn't beat the allegations.

01:00:18.960 --> 01:00:21.519
But uh, people don't know, boy, that car was a money pit.

01:00:21.679 --> 01:00:22.480
I know it was.

01:00:22.639 --> 01:00:26.719
I remember I I I don't think I had that car on the road two good months.

01:00:26.960 --> 01:00:30.159
I remember, I remember the the issues you were having with it.

01:00:30.400 --> 01:00:40.159
I remember um the the the fronting you had to do with the phone, because if you used it, what was it,$17 a minute or something stupid like that?

01:00:40.400 --> 01:00:46.559
I told the fellas, I say, listen, we'll let y'all, y'all can use it when y'all want to, because we know everybody had pagers.

01:00:46.639 --> 01:00:48.159
And I say, I'll let y'all use it.

01:00:48.239 --> 01:00:52.719
But when the bill comes, I'm gonna, we're gonna go down the list and y'all just take off, blah, blah, blah.

01:00:52.880 --> 01:00:58.320
And that first bill I got after telling them that was like, because they used to knock on the door and say, man, let me get the phone.

01:00:58.400 --> 01:00:58.880
Oh, here you go.

01:00:58.960 --> 01:00:59.920
Hey, man, let me get the phone.

01:01:00.000 --> 01:01:01.119
Let me take the phone, let me take it.

01:01:01.360 --> 01:01:02.639
$200 and something.

01:01:03.039 --> 01:01:06.400
I was like, man, that's like$500 in today's money.

01:01:06.480 --> 01:01:07.760
I was like, what?

01:01:08.079 --> 01:01:10.079
Who was y'all talking to?

01:01:10.559 --> 01:01:11.280
Yeah, get my money.

01:01:11.360 --> 01:01:12.400
Y'all ain't using this phone.

01:01:12.639 --> 01:01:13.519
I turned it off.

01:01:13.679 --> 01:01:14.159
Uh-uh.

01:01:14.400 --> 01:01:14.559
Man.

01:01:14.800 --> 01:01:15.360
It was crazy.

01:01:15.519 --> 01:01:20.159
Yeah, I think, I think you had the bag phone, and it was somebody else had the phone in the car joint.

01:01:20.239 --> 01:01:20.559
I don't know.

01:01:20.800 --> 01:01:21.599
Somebody, who was that?

01:01:21.760 --> 01:01:31.039
They had the the gray one that looked like the old World War II, the big we call it the Miami Vice phone.

01:01:31.119 --> 01:01:33.440
They had a Yeah, y'all was bawling, man.

01:01:33.679 --> 01:01:34.800
Yeah, the brick phone.

01:01:35.039 --> 01:01:36.079
Y'all was bawling.

01:01:36.239 --> 01:01:39.360
I I just was like, that's that Saudi money, man.

01:01:39.519 --> 01:01:43.519
Cause uh, you know, I guess you must have done a couple of them trailers or something.

01:01:43.920 --> 01:01:44.719
No, no, no.

01:01:45.760 --> 01:01:46.880
That car was so cheap.

01:01:46.960 --> 01:01:48.880
I think I paid$1,200 for that car.

01:01:49.039 --> 01:01:52.800
And uh I had an opportunity, I it needed an engine and a transmission.

01:01:52.960 --> 01:01:58.000
But instead of doing that, I put band-aids and fixing little things here.

01:01:58.320 --> 01:02:03.920
And um uh I had the music I bought in Saudi, believe it or not.

01:02:04.000 --> 01:02:07.199
They had an alpine store over there.

01:02:07.360 --> 01:02:13.199
So I bought an alpine pull out, um, I bought a preamp, uh, uh, a passive EQ.

01:02:14.079 --> 01:02:17.360
No, I bought a passive EQ and an Alpine pull out.

01:02:17.679 --> 01:02:32.000
And when we got back, I went and bought some JL Audio 12s, six by nines, two 100, two 200 watt, no, yeah, two 200 watt amps and one 100 watt amp.

01:02:32.159 --> 01:02:34.239
And boy, I was beating the block down.

01:02:34.480 --> 01:02:34.800
What?

01:02:34.960 --> 01:02:35.760
Who do you know?

01:02:37.519 --> 01:02:40.000
I remember you in the parking lot.

01:02:40.800 --> 01:02:41.760
I'm in my room.

01:02:41.840 --> 01:02:42.800
I already knew who it was.

01:02:43.039 --> 01:02:47.519
It didn't dawn on me that you could hear it in the barracks like that.

01:02:47.679 --> 01:02:50.239
I'm in my room and I hear it.

01:02:50.320 --> 01:02:51.119
I knew who it was.

01:02:51.280 --> 01:02:57.119
And the crazy thing is, it's like, man, that car loud and sitting still because it can't go nowhere.

01:02:57.280 --> 01:02:57.920
Can't go nowhere.

01:02:58.000 --> 01:02:58.800
I always had the hood.

01:02:59.679 --> 01:03:04.400
I drove it home once and uh fronting with the bag phone because it was turned off by then.

01:03:05.119 --> 01:03:07.679
And it had my pager, it was turned off.

01:03:07.920 --> 01:03:15.840
The phone would turn on, and I was remarkably enough, miraculously enough, I I used it one time.

01:03:16.239 --> 01:03:18.239
And after that, I could never use it again.

01:03:18.400 --> 01:03:19.280
I don't know how it happened.

01:03:19.360 --> 01:03:20.079
I was in Gainesville.

01:03:20.239 --> 01:03:29.039
But anyway, I drove home once, fronted, phone, everything that car was supposed to do for a young entrepreneur Negro, it did.

01:03:29.280 --> 01:03:29.920
Everything.

01:03:30.159 --> 01:03:31.440
Man, the girls was on me.

01:03:31.599 --> 01:03:31.760
Listen.

01:03:32.079 --> 01:03:35.039
So it was like that's a beam off with a stick.

01:03:36.239 --> 01:03:37.119
Yeah, yeah, that's me.

01:03:37.199 --> 01:03:37.519
That's me.

01:03:38.000 --> 01:03:43.920
You had a seven series beamer with some nice rims on the joint.

01:03:44.079 --> 01:03:44.639
What was that?

01:03:44.719 --> 01:03:46.159
Like inkies or something, man.

01:03:46.320 --> 01:03:50.719
Like, man, you know, I think you had the honeycomb joint with the chrome lip, man.

01:03:50.800 --> 01:03:53.199
And I was like, yo, this dude.

01:03:53.760 --> 01:03:56.480
I never thought about what that looked like.

01:03:56.639 --> 01:03:57.360
I said, you know what?

01:03:57.440 --> 01:03:59.280
I couldn't do crimes and stuff like that.

01:03:59.360 --> 01:04:00.159
Because I'd be the one.

01:04:00.320 --> 01:04:05.760
They say, we just got robbed and we did not catch the criminal at the bank robbery for 10 million.

01:04:05.840 --> 01:04:08.320
I'd be the one pulling up in the bright red Ferrari.

01:04:08.480 --> 01:04:08.719
Boy.

01:04:08.880 --> 01:04:09.519
With the mute.

01:04:09.920 --> 01:04:14.719
Boy, no, I'm gonna tell you though, that car, man, that car was like legendary.

01:04:14.800 --> 01:04:16.000
It was like your car.

01:04:16.239 --> 01:04:17.920
And that drug dealer dude's car.

01:04:18.000 --> 01:04:20.159
He was the only other person with the seven series.

01:04:20.400 --> 01:04:23.679
Well, I was thinking in terms of 598, yours.

01:04:24.800 --> 01:04:26.559
And so there was yours.

01:04:26.800 --> 01:04:31.679
It was Litton had that uh pink impulse or something.

01:04:31.760 --> 01:04:33.920
Whatever that was the mauve, whatever it was.

01:04:34.320 --> 01:04:34.480
Yeah.

01:04:34.719 --> 01:04:34.960
Yeah.

01:04:35.199 --> 01:04:39.920
And then he then he got the the the Brom joint later, but he had some beats in there.

01:04:40.000 --> 01:04:43.039
But then Wise had that 190.

01:04:43.280 --> 01:04:43.679
Yeah.

01:04:43.840 --> 01:04:45.199
I was like, y'all jokers, man.

01:04:45.280 --> 01:04:48.400
I here I am pushing the Ford escort.

01:04:48.639 --> 01:04:49.840
I'm pushing an escort.

01:04:50.079 --> 01:04:52.000
Look, at least I had the GT.

01:04:52.559 --> 01:04:53.519
You and Boo.

01:04:53.679 --> 01:04:53.840
Yeah.

01:04:54.559 --> 01:04:56.159
Boo had the card down.

01:04:56.480 --> 01:04:58.480
Yeah, he had the he had the emerald joint.

01:04:58.639 --> 01:04:59.199
Yeah.

01:04:59.840 --> 01:05:02.079
Yeah, mine was white, but he, yeah, that joke, man.

01:05:02.559 --> 01:05:03.360
You did have a white one.

01:05:03.440 --> 01:05:03.760
I remember that.

01:05:04.000 --> 01:05:04.960
Yeah, I had the white one.

01:05:05.039 --> 01:05:07.840
And he had the emerald, but that's where it stops.

01:05:08.079 --> 01:05:16.079
We we was just, you know, I'm just a cat with a regular car note driving a Ford GT though.

01:05:16.239 --> 01:05:16.800
You know what I mean?

01:05:17.119 --> 01:05:19.760
So, man, that that that car was legendary, man.

01:05:19.840 --> 01:05:22.800
It was, it was like, you know, like, okay.

01:05:23.039 --> 01:05:26.639
I can't even imagine what what the what the leadership was thinking of when we got back.

01:05:26.960 --> 01:05:28.400
Boy, bring the dogs.

01:05:28.559 --> 01:05:29.920
Go through his room.

01:05:30.159 --> 01:05:30.719
You know what I mean?

01:05:31.360 --> 01:05:37.599
And then with me not drinking or smoking, everybody had to, I had to be vouched for when I first got there.

01:05:38.239 --> 01:05:39.519
It was like, hey, man, you don't drink.

01:05:39.599 --> 01:05:40.239
No, man, I'm good.

01:05:40.320 --> 01:05:40.719
I don't drink.

01:05:40.800 --> 01:05:41.280
You don't smoke.

01:05:41.360 --> 01:05:42.079
No, man, I don't smoke.

01:05:42.159 --> 01:05:45.760
They be like, hey, hey, hey, y'all need to watch what y'all saying around this cat.

01:05:45.920 --> 01:05:46.159
Right.

01:05:46.320 --> 01:05:51.199
Because they was they was putting C I D in wall lockers, throwing him out the third floor window back then, too.

01:05:51.360 --> 01:05:52.239
People don't realize that.

01:05:52.400 --> 01:05:53.840
I was trying to say it was it was serious.

01:05:54.000 --> 01:05:55.280
They thought you were C I D.

01:05:55.519 --> 01:05:57.599
So yeah, I I always had to be vouched for.

01:05:57.679 --> 01:05:58.719
No, he's good, he good.

01:05:58.880 --> 01:05:59.840
Yeah, no, we were.

01:06:00.960 --> 01:06:01.519
We were goons.

01:06:01.679 --> 01:06:02.719
We were goons.

01:06:03.119 --> 01:06:08.400
And these kids today, I was like, man, I told my son one time, I say, boy, I'm more gangster than you will ever be.

01:06:08.480 --> 01:06:10.079
And I don't even do it no more.

01:06:10.480 --> 01:06:13.199
Well, you know, that and that's the thing, man.

01:06:13.440 --> 01:06:28.559
It's like, you know, I I try not to, you know, dwell because for one, I can't explain, you know, and it takes for somebody to have known us and and and witnessed certain things for anybody to even believe half this stuff.

01:06:29.360 --> 01:06:32.559
You know, and it wasn't like I was I was wilding.

01:06:32.800 --> 01:06:33.440
Right, right.

01:06:34.000 --> 01:06:40.800
I wasn't, but just by, you know, proximity to the environment, you just end up.

01:06:41.039 --> 01:06:42.800
I was guilty by association a lot.

01:06:43.199 --> 01:06:44.159
End up in the situation.

01:06:44.239 --> 01:06:45.039
Like you just in it.

01:06:45.280 --> 01:06:47.519
Just, you know, like where we going?

01:06:47.679 --> 01:06:48.239
To do what?

01:06:48.320 --> 01:06:49.840
Oh man, I gotta drive.

01:06:50.000 --> 01:06:54.400
You know, like so it was like that, man.

01:06:54.480 --> 01:06:57.440
And and Cass would just do some wild stuff.

01:06:57.840 --> 01:07:00.800
And um, but different times, man, different times.

01:07:00.880 --> 01:07:01.920
And I I just think about it.

01:07:02.880 --> 01:07:04.719
We've definitely come a long way.

01:07:06.239 --> 01:07:07.920
Uh yeah, yeah.

01:07:08.079 --> 01:07:09.360
Um goodness.

01:07:09.679 --> 01:07:14.880
And I I am not uh so far, I think I've been able to not uh divulge.

01:07:15.360 --> 01:07:24.079
Nah, man, it's it's it's crazy because like I could be around somebody who might have, you know, might be talking to somebody or you know, like uh during our time.

01:07:24.159 --> 01:07:25.840
Like I can I can chit chat with you.

01:07:26.000 --> 01:07:26.400
Right.

01:07:26.719 --> 01:07:30.800
But there's some other cats that be like, Rose, when you I'm like, nope, stop.

01:07:31.039 --> 01:07:32.000
Nah, bro, for real.

01:07:32.239 --> 01:07:36.320
And as they try to remember stuff, I'm trying to change the subject, you know.

01:07:36.639 --> 01:07:37.519
Nah, man.

01:07:37.599 --> 01:07:39.199
I you know, that was a long time ago.

01:07:39.840 --> 01:07:42.960
Yeah, you know, but people people wouldn't believe.

01:07:43.039 --> 01:07:48.800
I mean, we we literally could write books just about that without saying no names.

01:07:48.960 --> 01:07:52.639
People would not believe, because I was part of the E4 Mafia strong.

01:07:53.039 --> 01:07:54.480
I know, I I can tell it myself.

01:07:54.559 --> 01:08:00.239
I remember we got there and the the XO had forgot a whole generator.

01:08:00.400 --> 01:08:02.159
They left it in Fort Bennett.

01:08:02.400 --> 01:08:09.119
And the commander was already under scrutiny, Hawkins, because he was fat and the higher-ups was on him.

01:08:09.280 --> 01:08:12.639
I don't know if you noticed or not, but he he didn't redeploy with us.

01:08:12.800 --> 01:08:15.840
The colonel was like, I am not sending a fat captain back.

01:08:16.000 --> 01:08:18.399
So he had been on this weight loss June.

01:08:18.560 --> 01:08:22.000
He was out there running with the with the black vest and and all kinds of stuff.

01:08:22.159 --> 01:08:24.560
So he was like, hey, we need a generator.

01:08:24.720 --> 01:08:27.840
And the E4 Mafia looked at each other, what size?

01:08:28.000 --> 01:08:30.000
Okay, because I was a generator mechanic.

01:08:30.079 --> 01:08:32.560
You know, they took me and somebody else.

01:08:32.640 --> 01:08:36.319
We went to the port and we were driving, he was driving, I was looking.

01:08:36.479 --> 01:08:37.520
They got one right there.

01:08:37.760 --> 01:08:38.319
Hook it up.

01:08:38.560 --> 01:08:40.560
Backed up, we backed up to it.

01:08:41.199 --> 01:08:42.880
I hooked that fat boy up.

01:08:44.560 --> 01:08:50.640
And the next day, the uh captain came out there and he was like, we uh hey sir.

01:08:50.880 --> 01:08:51.840
Don't ask no questions.

01:08:52.079 --> 01:08:52.720
Handle your business.

01:08:53.760 --> 01:08:56.399
We had already re-stilled the bumper number and everything.

01:08:56.800 --> 01:08:57.680
I I get it.

01:08:57.840 --> 01:08:58.319
I get it.

01:08:58.399 --> 01:09:12.560
As a matter of fact, um, I know I know of uh a similar tale when it came to a five-ton forklift that I won't won't get into, which I had the pleasure of learning how to drive in that big open field by the warehouse.

01:09:12.720 --> 01:09:13.920
You know, I get it.

01:09:14.159 --> 01:09:15.279
We did what we had to do.

01:09:15.520 --> 01:09:22.159
Yeah, and and and what's crazy is uh when it came time to leave, that stuff stayed right there.

01:09:22.319 --> 01:09:23.359
I don't know who it is.

01:09:23.520 --> 01:09:24.079
I don't know.

01:09:24.399 --> 01:09:26.800
On the side of the road, hey, drive this out there.

01:09:26.960 --> 01:09:28.640
Because that's what shocked me too.

01:09:28.800 --> 01:09:30.399
Units was doing that.

01:09:30.880 --> 01:09:38.399
Hence what what um sparked the uh excess equipment sales, I think we're gonna call that.

01:09:38.720 --> 01:09:39.039
Right, right.

01:09:39.520 --> 01:09:40.640
Of equipment sales.

01:09:40.880 --> 01:09:41.359
Right on.

01:09:41.600 --> 01:09:42.800
Because I was like, hey y'all.

01:09:42.960 --> 01:09:45.119
He said, Oh, maybe we just find them on the side of the road.

01:09:45.199 --> 01:09:45.359
Yeah.

01:09:46.239 --> 01:09:54.159
No, but you know, like um, I was telling you the the Peugeots and the, you know, I mean, I guess everybody was donating to the to the cause.

01:09:54.479 --> 01:10:01.840
And so these, you know, just fields and fields worth of just stuff was coming to the war effort.

01:10:02.000 --> 01:10:05.680
And um there was no, I guess it overwhelmed, you know, the system.

01:10:05.840 --> 01:10:07.279
Yeah, the supply system, yeah.

01:10:07.359 --> 01:10:08.479
They just they put it over there.

01:10:09.760 --> 01:10:10.800
Put the keys under the mat.

01:10:10.960 --> 01:10:12.800
Yeah, let me get them keys real quick.

01:10:13.039 --> 01:10:15.119
You know, and you would snatch it up.

01:10:15.199 --> 01:10:20.399
And if you as long as you was in uniform, Saudi police wasn't bothering you, you know, whatever.

01:10:20.560 --> 01:10:28.399
Because uh, told you, man, when when them keys was getting passed around for that for that one, my boy uh Bryce, he grabbed hold of the keys one day.

01:10:28.560 --> 01:10:29.600
Rose, what you doing?

01:10:29.680 --> 01:10:31.119
Uh no, what you want to do?

01:10:31.279 --> 01:10:32.239
Come on, let's ride.

01:10:32.319 --> 01:10:34.479
All right, turn the AC on.

01:10:34.560 --> 01:10:36.239
You know, like let's roll.

01:10:36.479 --> 01:10:40.159
And and it's crazy to be in uniform.

01:10:40.560 --> 01:10:48.079
Just, you know, once you got outside the compound, you got your uniform on, flip your hat backwards, and you just, you know, like, just wrong.

01:10:48.239 --> 01:10:49.680
Just anyway, anyway.

01:10:49.920 --> 01:10:50.239
Yeah.

01:10:50.399 --> 01:10:53.439
Um, look, I know we've been going almost an hour and a half.

01:10:53.520 --> 01:11:02.640
Let me uh I don't want to, I know I talked you to death, but I think we need to do it again because my intention was to get into some to some some current events.

01:11:02.720 --> 01:11:04.720
But we end up Yeah, anytime, man.

01:11:04.800 --> 01:11:05.199
Anytime.

01:11:05.520 --> 01:11:08.319
So let's let's look to um look up again, man.

01:11:08.399 --> 01:11:09.039
Like real soon.

01:11:09.199 --> 01:11:14.239
Maybe, maybe, you know, within the next, you know, at least next two weeks, we'll uh we'll get back together.

01:11:14.479 --> 01:11:14.960
Yeah, no problem.

01:11:15.199 --> 01:11:17.600
And um, you know, I appreciate the conversation, man.

01:11:17.760 --> 01:11:19.359
Yeah, anytime, anytime, bro.

01:11:19.520 --> 01:11:20.000
Anytime.

01:11:20.159 --> 01:11:26.000
Yeah, because I need to get your thoughts on, you know, the the current state of what's happening right now.

01:11:26.159 --> 01:11:33.359
Having been a first sergeant, I know, I know there's some um, there's some some things going on amongst the ranks.

01:11:33.600 --> 01:11:33.920
Oh yeah.

01:11:34.399 --> 01:11:34.960
I'm shocked.

01:11:35.119 --> 01:11:42.960
I'm shocked that there aren't any, and we can talk about this next time too, but I'm shocked that there aren't any like people like just dipping.

01:11:43.199 --> 01:11:43.520
Yeah.

01:11:43.760 --> 01:11:44.319
You know what I'm saying?

01:11:44.479 --> 01:11:44.640
Yeah.

01:11:45.199 --> 01:11:45.920
No, I ain't doing it.

01:11:46.079 --> 01:11:47.520
I'm going to Canada, you know, something.

01:11:47.680 --> 01:11:49.119
They're just not reporting it.

01:11:49.600 --> 01:11:54.000
But I pr I I know there's some folks out there thinking, like, man, I'm not finna go over that.

01:11:54.159 --> 01:11:54.399
Right.

01:11:54.640 --> 01:11:55.279
For what?

01:11:55.439 --> 01:11:56.079
You know, yeah.

01:11:56.319 --> 01:12:08.560
And then, and, you know, on top of that, it's not like, you know, if it back in the day, if anyone had those types of thoughts, you couldn't say it out loud because you would be called unpatriotic and all this other stuff.

01:12:08.720 --> 01:12:15.520
But right now, people's like, I understand, you know, I get it because I think what it's hard to explain.

01:12:15.840 --> 01:12:22.319
I got a cousin that is uh a Republican, and I used to play with him, mess with him all the time.

01:12:22.479 --> 01:12:25.920
I was like, yeah, it's getting hard to defend now, huh?

01:12:26.960 --> 01:12:28.239
Hard to defend.

01:12:28.479 --> 01:12:28.800
Yeah.

01:12:29.039 --> 01:12:31.439
Because now everybody paying high gas prices.

01:12:31.600 --> 01:12:37.039
And that that particular party is understanding now that y'all are part of us too.

01:12:37.279 --> 01:12:39.039
It ain't just, it's us against them.

01:12:39.119 --> 01:12:42.399
You know, if you ain't a billionaire, yeah, you you out here struggling too.

01:12:42.560 --> 01:12:44.720
It's$4 cash down here,$4 in change.

01:12:44.960 --> 01:12:45.840
Like, Lord have mercy.

01:12:46.000 --> 01:12:48.239
I got a a RAM$1,500.

01:12:48.560 --> 01:13:01.760
Well, and it it puts the country in a weird situation because you, especially if you have you have friends, family who might be getting deployed or what have you, you got to get behind them and feel make them feel we support you.

01:13:01.920 --> 01:13:06.399
At the same time, it's like, I support you, but I don't know why you're going, and neither do you.

01:13:06.560 --> 01:13:19.039
You know, I mean, it's it's crazy because uh as a young man who's being deployed from our church, and uh you should be you'll be boots on the ground any day in in Kuwait.

01:13:20.479 --> 01:13:22.880
And you know, we're praying hard for the brother man.

01:13:22.960 --> 01:13:24.800
We just we want him to to be safe.

01:13:24.880 --> 01:13:26.239
We want God to protect him.

01:13:28.880 --> 01:13:32.239
And dealing with the fact that nobody knows why.

01:13:32.399 --> 01:13:34.560
You know, like my can't even explain it.

01:13:34.800 --> 01:13:37.840
Yeah, they can't, they can't articulate it at all.

01:13:40.000 --> 01:13:45.199
Because if you say what we speculate is for, that's what the conversations are turning into, that denial.

01:13:45.520 --> 01:13:47.199
Okay, then what it is, what is it then?

01:13:47.920 --> 01:13:51.039
And they always say crazy stuff like, well, the president, he's gonna reveal it.

01:13:51.119 --> 01:13:52.880
When a second, here we go.

01:13:53.760 --> 01:13:54.640
He don't know either.

01:13:54.800 --> 01:13:55.920
That's what I'm saying, he don't know.

01:13:56.000 --> 01:13:56.159
Yeah.

01:13:56.319 --> 01:13:56.479
Yeah.

01:13:57.039 --> 01:13:57.680
We know.

01:13:58.079 --> 01:13:58.560
No, man.

01:13:58.800 --> 01:14:02.960
Well, you know, um, we we we need to get into that the next time.

01:14:03.199 --> 01:14:05.840
And as I said, within the next couple weeks, man, let's let's get back together.

01:14:06.479 --> 01:14:08.960
Hey, man, just let me know and uh set it up.

01:14:09.119 --> 01:14:09.359
All right.

01:14:09.439 --> 01:14:11.520
Well, again, brother, thank you so much.

01:14:11.840 --> 01:14:12.479
No problem.

01:14:12.960 --> 01:14:17.199
Well, for sitting down with me and um definitely appreciate your time.

01:14:17.279 --> 01:14:19.600
And again, we'll do it again real soon.

01:14:19.760 --> 01:14:20.479
All right, brother.

01:14:20.560 --> 01:14:20.880
Yep.