Former Action Guys Podcast

(00:00:00) Tactical Air Control Party School | Napalm (00:06:17) Almost Got Charged (00:15:59) TACP School Check-In (00:21:49) Going to Jail (00:35:12) 2nd Battalion 1st Marines Garmsir (00:40:56) Evaluation (00:48:03) Garmsir Targets (01:13:39) Taking Pilots on Foot Patrols (01:21:58) MSOT 8133 in Puzeh (01:54:19) MSOT 8133 Green on Blue (02:14:15) Aftermath (02:27:32) Leadership Replacements George Mills is a Marine infantryman turned fire support man and joint terminal attack controller. In this second interview, George talks about TACP school, 2nd Battalion 1st Marines deployment to Garmsir, and Marine Special Operations Team 8133 green-on-blue incident in Puzeh, Afghanistan that costs three Marines their lives. Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys George's site https://www.divelogix-scuba.com/

Rusty Bradley served as an Army infantryman, Ranger, and Special Forces Officer. He deployed eight times to Afghanistan and wrote the Book Lions of Kandahar. Subscribe to be notified of our follow-up interview! Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com https://www.patreon.com Rusty's Book https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553807579?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

(00:00:00) Intro | Joining the Navy (00:10:19) Greenside Corpsman | Marine Corps Regulations (00:14:16) Recon Corpsman Pipeline | Basic Reconnaissance Course (00:23:30) Special Operations Combat Medic Course (SOCM) (00:26:53) Live Tissue Training (00:37:33) Field Amputation (00:44:22) Dive Medicine (00:46:44) 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion (00:52:02) Marine Special Operations Team (MSOT) 8211 (00:55:23) Iraq Contract Gig (00:58:27) Training For Afghanistan (01:02:34) Afghan Biker Gang Part 1 (01:05:22) First Casualty (01:12:57) Afghan Biker Gang Part 2 (01:23:20) First Deployment Engagements (01:43:50) Keep Fighting (01:45:50) Mental Health Discussion Jordan Wilkins joined the Navy with his goal to become a Hospital Corpsman in special operations. Following his graduation from Navy boot camp and Field Medical Training Battalion (FMTB), Jordan attended the grueling Basic Reconnaissance Course before beginning his special operations medical training. After three years of training, Jordan was ordered to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion where he completed three deployments to Afghanistan. Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys Jordan's links https://www.karmatms.com/ https://www.brotherrecon.com/product-page/the-untold-stories-of-valhalla-2nd-edition

Matt Cavanaugh was a senior at West Point when the country was attacked on Sept. 11th. He would graduate college in the spring, then complete his artillery training and find himself participating in the invasion of Iraq within a year. After his second deployment to Iraq, Matt earned his Masters degree and found himself back at West Point teaching strategy. Matt is now an author, ultra-marathoner, and kidney donor. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com Matt's Books https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/authors/ML-Cavanaugh/240364864 00:00:00 Intro | Minnesota Hockey | Joining The Army 00:04:47 From West Point To Iraq 00:11:39 The Best Thing I've Ever Done | Donating a Kidney 00:17:31 Invasion of Iraq | 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment 00:24:31 Ramadi and Fallujah 00:37:39 Would You Do It Again? 00:46:27 2nd Deployment To Iraq 00:56:22 Jennifer Lopez is Dead 01:01:17 Teaching At West Point

George Mills has one of those career paths so unique that it’s almost hard to believe. He enlisted as an infantryman and soon found himself holding a Yankee White TS security clearance, which he later lost after an off-duty incident. From there, he moved on to the newly formed Anti-Terrorism Battalion for a deployment to Iraq before leaving the Corps to work as a contractor. Eventually, he missed the Marine Corps and joined 4th ANGLICO as a reservist, where he gained fire support experience across multiple deployments before becoming a JTAC with the Marine Raiders. Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com George's site https://divelogix-scuba.com/ 00:00:00 Intro | Military High School 00:05:22 Joining Marine Infantry | Security Forces 00:10:05 Presidential Security | Yankee White 00:21:31 Security Forces vs Special Operations 00:25:47 Fired From Presidential Security 00:29:56 Anti-Terrorism Battalion 00:33:44 Israeli Military Training 00:40:33 Deployment to Iraq 00:44:54 Afghan Culture Shock 00:57:44 Security Contractor 01:05:04 Iraq Contract Gig 01:11:03 Rejoining the Marines | 4th ANGLICO 01:36:43 MARSOC Fires 01:43:51 Joining a Marine Special Operations Team (MSOT) 01:54:28 MARSOC Fires vs ANGLICO

Brad Colbert is a Recon Marine who served in the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, in addition to multiple Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) deployments. Brad's role in the invasion of Iraq with 1st Recon Battalion was heavily depicted in the HBO mini-series Generation Kill. Check out Brad's podcast at the link below and standby for our follow-up! Support the show https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com Brad's site https://bradcolbert.us/ 00:00:00 Intro | Maj Capers Medal of Honor 00:01:44 Choosing the Marines 00:04:44 Joining Marine Recon 00:13:47 Favorite Part of BRC | Surf Passages 00:17:47 The Boring Reality 00:23:01 Strikes in Iran | Targeting 00:31:54 9/11 Happens | Activate the MEU 00:39:51 Prepping for Invasion | First Marines In 00:44:54 Afghan Culture Shock 00:51:40 The Enemy in Afghanistan 01:01:19 How The World Changed During the Deployment 01:10:24 Home From Afghanistan and Prepping for Iraq 01:23:24 Generation Kill | Evan Wright 01:35:08 Nasiriyah | Fratricide 01:53:12 Recon's Role in the Drone Warfare Era

Chris Janecek was an enlisted armorer with 3rd ANGLICO while he completed college and worked towards becoming a Naval Aviator. Chris got his wish and was selected to fly the CH-46 Sea Knight. He flew the twin-rotor helicopter during the invasion and follow-on deployment to Iraq before being assigned to 3rd Battalion 1st Marines as a Forward Air Controller for his third deployment to Iraq. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com Chris's book https://us.amazon.com/dp/B0GQ4Q87M7/ref=zg_bsnr_g_9681306011_d_sccl_2/000-0000000-0000000?psc=1 00:00:00 Intro | Artemis II 00:03:04 Iran CSAR Mission | Rescue of DUDE44 00:10:09 3rd ANGLICO 00:16:50 Flight School 00:21:51 CH-46 Selection | Training 00:28:49 CH-46 Safety Record | Aviation Risks 00:34:53 Invasion of Iraq 00:51:46 Iraq Air Threats 01:03:00 How The War Changed | 3 Deployments to Iraq 01:14:33 3rd Battalion 1st Marines FAC Tour 01:22:53 CH-46 is Decommissioned

Joshua Shores is a Marine Infantryman who served with 1st Battalion 5th Marines in Ramadi then a MEU. He went on to MARSOC and was part of the first Bravo Company to stand up after the unit's formation. Check out his book Counting on Death at the link below. Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys Josh's links Website: https://www.countingondeath.com Book: https://a.co/d/03jtRhfB 00:00:00 Intro | Tracy Offutt 00:01:51 The Infantry | Joining After High School 00:17:42 Infantry and Pre-Deployment Training 00:23:38 Friendly Fire | Hand Grenades 00:32:51 Ramadi 00:38:22 IEDs and Drones 00:43:22 The Façade of Safety 00:45:07 M249 SAW | First Firefight 00:48:33 Afghanistan vs Iraq 00:52:14 Military vs Civilian 00:59:58 Journalism and Fire Fighters 01:10:36 Security Contractor Opportunities 01:13:43 1st MSOB Bravo Co 01:16:51 The Cost of Awards | Professional Warfighters 01:30:02 Stay In or Get Out

Morgan Lerette is former Airman, and Army intelligence officer, and Blackwater Contractor. We talk about what's happening in Iran as of March 3rd. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com Buy Morgan's Book https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Girls-Greed-Blackwater-Mercenary/dp/B0C7P83DL6 00:00:00 Intro 00:05:18 TikTok Wars | OSINT 00:09:44 Target Identification 00:12:40 Boots on the Ground 00:15:42 Government Succesion | Who Takes Over? 00:21:44 Bombing Campaign 00:29:56 Anti-Drone Tech 00:36:33 Intelligence Wafare 00:40:18 OSINT 00:43:35 Why Did We Attack? 00:52:18 Geo Politics | Cutting off China's Oil Supply 00:56:33 What Happens Next? 01:06:21 US Troops on the Ground 01:22:09 Erik Prince

Kowshon Ye is a Combat Camera Marine who worked as a videographer and photographer for Marine Corps Installations Pacific in Okinawa before assignment to 1st Marine Division. He supported B Company 1st Battalion 5th Marines and 7th Marine Regiment during two separate deployments to Afghanistan. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys https://www.jcramergrpahics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com Kowshon's site https://kowshonye.com/welcome 00:00:00 Intro | Combat Footage 00:02:09 Joining the Marines | Okinawa 00:12:03 Defense Information School 00:18:36 1st Battalion 5th Marines 00:25:37 First Patrol in Sangin 00:28:44 Patrol Loadout 00:31:44 Role in the Patrol 00:39:04 The Battlefield Gets Active 00:52:27 Warrant Officer Program 00:57:43 Photography Setup 00:59:41 Military Social Media

Neal Fauver is a former Marine Rifleman who served with 3rd Battalion 6th Marines in Iraq. Neal is also the co-host of the Tales from the Corps Podcast. Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys Neal's links https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3pIOrn5w9pk4YtERb83Kww https://www.facebook.com/share/1ACVRp858R/?mibextid=wwXIfr https://www.wwiibeyondthecall.com/s/order#most-popular

Mike Francis is a former Marine Assaultman who deployed three times with 3rd Battalion 6th Marines to Afghanistan and Iraq. Mike is also a host of the Tales of the Corps podcast and founder of the Shakker professional networking app. Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys Mike's links https://Shakker.co https://youtube.com/ @talesfromthecorpspodcast?si=7BlL697sedAPpb_K https://open.spotify.com/show/00VJzfAINq7Lofbd8LBw8g?si=1MKPoY5wS0ekW93APxGOOA https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tales-from-the-corps/id1702224913

Lee Deckelman served as an infantryman in the Army before going to the 20th Special Forces Group in the National Guard. He eventually moved back to active duty and went to the Ranger battalions before heading to 3rd Special Forces Group. Following the military, he served as an Air Marshal and was part of the first group of Triple Canopy contractors. Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys Lee's book https://www.amazon.com/INTERNAL-Where-Monster-Mindfulness-Become/dp/B09251YC1K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8W43QET0IIG3&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6ODR0pT1WmAUZR9HuZuZTw.GbQoSzHLQhFIoFaVNxz35DLUTJ5krAqVzee_LE48XH8&dib_tag=se&keywords=lee+deckelman&qid=1763515157&sprefix=lee+deck%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-1#

Michael Pack is an award-winning filmmaker and the producer/director of The Last 600 Meters, a documentary covering the 2004 battles of Najaf and Fallujah. He’s also known for Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words, which premiered in theaters and on PBS. Over his career, Michael has led major media organizations, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the Claremont Institute, and produced dozens of acclaimed documentaries through his company, Manifold Productions. Michael's Sites: https://manifoldproductions.com/ https://palladiumpictures.com/ Support the show https://patreon.com/formeractionguys https://jcramergraphics.com https://ANGLICOshop.com 00:00:00 Last 600 Meters Trailer 00:02:12 Intro | Becoming a Documentarian 00:07:55 Apprenticeship Resurgence 00:16:10 In His Own Words | Clarence Thomas Documentary 00:25:49 The Last 600 Meters | Battles of Fallujah and Najaf 00:32:44 Battle of Najaf | Mahdi Army 00:41:02 General Mattis 00:49:53 Adm Rickover | Nuclear Navy 00:55:17 Military Innovation 01:03:24 War in 4k 01:13:48 US Agency for Global Media | Voice of America

Dave James is a former Force Recon Marine who served with 1st and 3rd Reconnaissance Battalions. Check out our other interviews on Eps. 063 and 065. Support the page https://jcramergraphics.com https://ANGLICOshop.com https://patreon.com/formeractionguys 00:00:00 J Cramer Graphics Ad 00:00:21 Texas Floods 00:04:19 Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer 00:08:00 Tim Kennedy Drama 00:21:29 Ranger School 00:24:36 3rd Recon Battalion 00:26:35 SFARTAETC 00:31:39 Force Recon Weapons | Teams 00:36:23 From Army Engineer to Marine Recon 00:44:45 Filming of Heartbreak Ridge 01:07:57 Insights from the Qualification Course

Brandon is a veteran of the Air Force Security Forces Chris is an Army Special Forces soldier. They are both part of the I Came With Fire Podcast and we get into artificial intelligence, foreign conflicts, and debate the alleged decline of America. Support the show https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys I Came With Fire link https://rumble.com/user/I_Came_With_Fire_Podcast

Blayne Smith is a former Special Forces soldier that started his career off as an Armor Officer after graduating from West Point. Blayne deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan before leaving the service and writing Perseverance Is Greater than Endurance. Support the show https://patreon.com/formeractionguys https://jcramergraphics.com https://ANGLICOshop.com Blayne's links Company: https://www.appliedleadershippartners.com/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-Endurance-Resilience-Adversity-Together/dp/163774627X 00:00:00 J Cramer Graphics Ad 00:00:30 Journey to West Point 00:06:08 The History and Heritage of West Point 00:11:59 Transitioning to the Army and Armor Branch 00:14:47 Pre-9/11 Military Training and Mindset 00:20:56 Iraq Combat Ops and Recon Missions 00:35:27 Surveillance and EOD Escort Missions 00:42:32 Combined Arms 00:46:54 Special Forces Selection Process 00:52:50 Moral Ambiguity in Special Operations 00:59:15 Insights from the Qualification Course 01:10:23 Building Team Cohesion | Team Dynamics and Training 01:14:48 Deployment Decisions and Responsibilities 01:19:09 Mission Objectives and Local Forces 01:24:53 Engagements and Tactical Challenges 01:32:22 Ambush Experiences and Lessons Learned 01:38:18 Leadership Under Pressure 01:43:09 Reflections on Loss and Moving Forward

Retired Army Command Sergeant Major Bart Womack shares his journey from basic training in 1977 to deployments in Korea, Turkey, and Germany. He recounts a firefight in the Korean DMZ, his service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and his experiences during the September 11th attacks and an insider attack in Iraq. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com

Brandon Young joined the Army and immediately tried out for a spot in the 75th Ranger Regiment when the opportunity presented itself at the Basic Airborne Course. Brandon's unit was one of the first to respond to the 9/11 attacks and he deployed to Afghanistan 3 more times. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com Brandon's links Book: https://www.perseverancebook.com Website: https://www.applieleadershippartners.com 00:00:00 J Cramer Graphics Ad | Military Gear Discussion 00:03:11 Volunteering for the Army Rangers 00:06:08 Ranger Indoctrination Program 00:09:11 Evolution of Ranger Training and Readiness 00:12:01 Deployment Experiences: The Reality of Combat 00:18:01 75th Ranger Regiment Structure 00:20:48 Life Events During Military Service 00:26:56 Connecting Veterans with Civilian Communities 00:44:28 Navigating Military Responsibilities and Personal Life 00:47:06 Understanding Moral Injury in Combat 00:49:41 The Complexity of Combat Decisions 00:56:01 Reflections on the Afghanistan Withdrawal 01:04:19 The Struggles of Mental Health in Veterans 01:10:00 The Value of Journaling and Reflection 01:26:15 Understanding the Battlefield 01:27:57 First Deployment to Afghanistan 01:32:21 Chasing Ghosts: The Reality of Combat 01:36:46 The Evolution of Combat Experience 01:39:44 The Impact of Casualties 01:52:58 The Weight of Loss and Reality

Justin "Hasard" Lee is a F35 and F16 test pilot who makes social media content that focuses on the life of a fighter pilot. We discuss the future of fighter pilots as drones become more advanced in this clip taken from Ep. 170. Support the show https://www.patreon.com/formeractionguys https://www.jcramergraphics.com https://www.ANGLICOshop.com