188 - ATF Director, Medal Of Honor Recipient And Also Clint Romesha | Unsubscribe Podcast Ep 188

Oh, dear. No, no. I just remember calling back to Gregory, and I'm like, you guys have got to move, and you got to move now. I cannot hold this position. Sanders are kind of really strong. I would love to see what kind of **** you got to do to get a Medal of Honor in the Space Force. You ****n alien. Do you want to pull it out real quick? You want him to whip it out on your podcast? Oh, yeah, we'll whip that **** out. Didn't see this podcast go in this direction, man. If I'm being perfectly honest. What's up, everyone? Holy freaking mother of God.

We are at, we'll just say $72,000 in money raised for veteran non-profits. I'm just truly thankful for being able to do this, and that is because of this amazing community. We are $72,000 to go to three amazing non-profits, veteran non-profits, and it's all thanks to you all, so thank you so freaking much.

That is from the entire team. It is a blessing to be able to do something like this or for autism or for anything that we want to make a difference in. And that is such an impactful, amazing thing. So thank you from the bottom of all our hearts. Let's blow this out of the water.

Just keep kicking ass. Let's keep these cells going for Veterans Month. And again, 100% of this one, which y'all love that shirt and undiagnosed 100% of proceeds are going towards those veteran nonprofits. And then percentage of everything on store will also be going towards those amazing nonprofits. And we have Turkey Bay coming up for some amazing sales, which will be automatically applied for this stuff. So cool.

Thank you all. Thank you so freaking much. I hope each and every one of you know how amazing you are and that difference you guys and gals make and individuals lives through just that community-based aspect of hanging out, talking, interacting with each other, being able to see that in person is one of the greatest gifts you guys could have given us. So thank you so freaking much.

And now for one of the big episodes with Mr. Clint Rombuchay. Love y'all. Dude! Oh! So happy you're here. We haven't got to hang out in so long. So long, I forget you existed. We've told many of stories about you. Angry cops, where are you? Where are you met? Oh God, I forgot about that. Jack, he didn't break on him.

Probably I threw it at someone it was already broken, but I didn't tell them that and I humchucked it Adam We made fun of them so much fucking broke it

That was basically my introduction to you was chucking the metal with me. I'm like, oh god, I think I physically started sweating. Oh, I don't know if you can emotionally sweat, can you? Dr. I was going to figure out a way. Oh, I'm so excited. We're so excited. Cody, you want to kick this bitch off? Oh, yeah. Oh, wait. We got to do this first. Ready? Everyone get you can't. You got to pop it out. Three, two, one. Ready? Hold it up to the mic. Three, two, one.

Mm. Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Unsubscribed podcast. I'm joined today by Eli Double Tap, Clint Romochet, Brandon Herrera, myself, Donut operator. We love you and we're happy you're here. What's up? Well, this is one of the last episodes for the Veterans Day month. So fucking the way to do this one. Our boy, our boy, and Brandon. Thank you. I love you. Brandon. You're embarrassing me in front of the wizard.

I know this is an episode where it's like fuck do it. Oh god. Oh, it's an honor and then a nightmare at the same time. Oh, this is going to be a really cool podcast also Eli. He was going to make this awful.

Started as a joke and they took you two minutes full circle here. We are and we're gonna close this chapter after this amazing episode on This joke the forced valor saga dude our our live tours called force valor or stolen I don't know First are stolen stolen next that's the third we'll do force the third

Man, how? Okay. Introduce yourself. So all the beautiful people out there that might not know who you are. I'm glad I drink bushlight.

Oh. Name one interesting. Name one interesting fact about yourself. What instrument do you play? The Bush Light. The Bush Light. It kind of goes like this. Thank God Nick is back in town. Geez. I haven't had a Bush Light in so long. All right, then.

48 hours since my last bushlight, but that's because I was out in Philadelphia and I they don't really have them out there I'm sorry. What do you are right now on to it? I don't even know where to start. This is okay. So long a lot I met you how long ago 2018 2017 would it have been?

I'm trying to remember the first time we did meet. Was it on range 15? Maybe, actually. That might have actually been, yeah. That's what I still didn't realize what all this inner web stuff was. And still to the same.

You are a true, you literally just live out in North Dakota still. Yep, mine out North Dakota went up there, got out of the army chasing oil fields thinking this is going to be my life. Because I was out for two years before I even got that call.

And I'm sitting there in the oil field one day, minding my own business. And I get this call on my cell phone, look down. And it's like, oh, it looks like a telemarketer number. I'm a field safety specialist at the time. So I'm like, I got time to kill. I'm going to around with this guy. And I answer it. And all of a sudden, it's this is Colonel Davis, G1 of the Pentagon. It's like, oh, fuck what they do. What did I do? The war crimes are coming back. It's like statue limitation should be up.

No, you have the wrong number No, you get the windex

Curls just like he had his family. That's fine. What is this stuff? No, I mean, I know did 12 years in the army. I'm joined in 99 just like a lot of guys did back then. And in the course of that did three three deployments to Iraq, one to Afghanistan, Afghanistan, oh nine. October 3rd battle of cop Keating from there.

We had a little bit of a hectic day that day, to say the least, but with the help of the 50 other Americans, the two Latvian soldiers, and 15-hour firefight after getting almost overran, pushed out for the actions of that day. I don't know if it's nominated or recommended, but for the Medal of Honor, which is, again, something you don't ever wake up thinking you're going to try to achieve go-do. I'll be honest, that day was

One of the worst, but yeah, best days of my life because I got to see so much awesome shit from the guys to my left and right. So much love and just so much just dedication for something more on yourself. So I might have got selected to wear it, but I'll tell you time and time again.

It's for those not not for me and always humbled to kind of state that That's what I think you truly go above and beyond and you exemplify what that means is you still to this day even on the call you're like You were like I that's not no, and it was your guys that told you like hey, mother Hey, you did something. You're like, oh, man Well, I mean what was really cool though um

Like the recommendation came, not initially, the recommendation initially came because my commander put me in for a DSC. And at that time, like I said, we were just, yeah, distinguished service cross. And at, you know, that time, we were three months into a 12 month deployment. And I remember just kind of looking at Stoney Portis and like, hey, sir, we got nine more months left. Let's get these boys home and worry about awards later.

And we got through that next nine months. So proud of those guys because not a single guy from Red Platoon said this was too tough for me. I couldn't do it. They pulled up their big boy pants and they pushed through.

got home, I'd already made the decision to get out of the army. Used the last 12 months, made that transition. I said, I hadn't heard anything. Like I said, back in my mind, I was just trying to get on with life. So then I went chasing oil fields in North Dakota. And then like I said, two years later, get this random phone call, do two years later, they call you up.

I don't know if you've ever been around military process. What's the most expedited thing unless you owe them money? We're those pants that you left. It's the only thing the government's good at. Dude, what's the first thing you said to them? After all, when they called you up,

Well, the first thing, talking on the phone to Colonel Davis, he's like, hey, we need you to come out to DC. We got something to tell you. And in the back of my mind, I'm like, statue limitation should be up.

They had taken two years to track me down here in North Dakota. No, no. But like I said, initially in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, OK, that DSC, the distinguished service cross, my commander said he was going to put me in for. It's probably got downgraded to maybe a Silver Star or something. I'll probably have to go to DC, shake a few hands, probably get a free, freaking desserts for the defect for life award or something like that.

But I told Colonel Davis, I'm like, hey, you know, just tell me over the phone. He's like, no, you got to do it in person. I'm like, well, I'm working six to seven days a week in the oil fields at that time, making some awesome money. I was like, let me talk to my boss and I'll get back to you.

hung up the phone, immediately called, I can't remember if it was Raz or Lars, one of the guys and I called him up. I'm like, hey, just got this really weird phone call. You guys know what's going on? And I'm like, no, hadn't heard anything. Haven't you ever gotten an award for that day? And I'm like, nope, nothing yet. But maybe something's coming down the pipe.

I went and I talked to my boss. It was about two weeks later. It was kind of processing everything. And I finally went and talked to my boss. I'm like, hey, I need kind of a weekend off. I got to go to DC for this thing. So cool. What thing is it? I'm like, I don't really know. Hopefully I'll be back on Monday. But if I can have a couple of days off, the army's going to set travel up and I'll go out. So it wasn't until I got out to DC.

show up, first thing I do when I come off the plane, I'm looking around before I clear security to see if there's MPs hiding. Oh, I'm still thinking. You like these motherfuckers are trying to trick me. And all of a sudden I see this full bird kernel in fricking class A uniform. And I'm like, oh, okay, so this is real. This is serious. Well, I go up and I introduce myself and

He said, all right, well, we gotta head to the Pentagon. I've never been on the Metro before in my life. That's scary shit.

Like, I don't like being underground, but we got on the Metro and headed straight to the Pentagon, the DC Metro, too. I know. Then from Dulles? Or Dulles? Reagan. Reagan and Reagan got it. Beautiful. It's great people. I'm not known for as rental eyes. I was more terrified of that frickin' Metro ride than anything, because it's just not natural. That's how you got your second medal. Yeah.

Well, so we show up to the Pentagon that poor Michael Jackson impersonated.

Why is that so funny Eli? So we show up at the Pentagon. And I realized, OK, maybe it's not so bad because we didn't even go through security. Like they had a secret door for us to kind of just breeze on through. Didn't go through metal detectors. And I'm like, oh, this is interesting. And in the back of my mind, I'm still sitting there thinking it's like, OK, they're going to hand me maybe a broad start with the years. So something got downgraded. They're just going to.

do a quick ceremony, shake my hand, send me on my way. And they pull me into this room, and there's all these kernels, all these frickin' generals and stuff, and they're just like, oh, congratulations, Sarvomache. Awesome, and I'm like, still have no idea what's going on. Until I set down, and as I look across the way, they get the PowerPoint presentation going on, because the Army's never gonna do nothing without PowerPoint, and right in front of me. I'm just like, you still hate the military. Damn it.

sitting in front of me are these three posters. And one is of Saljunta, the first living recipient since Vietnam, the next one's Leroy Petri. Yeah. And then the third one was Sergeant Sebo, possibly, and it's all Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor, Medal of Honor. And I just remember kind of sitting down and looking, and they're giving their brief and the power points going on. And I'm not hearing a word they're saying. And I don't know if I was looking down for maybe two minutes or 20 minutes. I find they look up and I'm like, hey, time out, boys.

And the room, room gets quiet and I go, what is all this metal of honor stuff? And one of the kirtles kind of looks over and he's like, oh, you don't know some room and shit. And I'm like, wouldn't be asking a question. I knew the fucking answer to like, well, what is this? I got, I know you said that too, which is my favorite. Thank you.

I'm like, I got told I got put in for like a DSC or something by Stoney Portis. So what's all this Medal of Honor stuff? And they're like, well, you've been recommended for upgrade. Short of the president signing the award, you'll be receiving the Medal of Honor. And I just remember kind of looking back at the guy and I'm like, for what? I didn't do anything special.

And like I said, I made that trend. I'd been out for two years. I thought I'd put all that stuff in a little box and put it in the back of my mind. And I remember just as I was talking to the guys almost every day, driving to the oil fields, the guys they served with, they would bring kind of that stuff up. And that was kind of my processing where I thought I had it all, all kind of behind me. And then all of a sudden it was the next frickin' day I had a Wikipedia page. And then everybody knew, I mean, when I got back to work,

I was overseeing the pipeline crews at the time. And one of the pipeline guys comes up to me, Hispanic fellow. He comes up and he's Mexican. He comes up and he's like, hey, why don't you want me to take that hire? You look straight. I was going to say, he comes up to me. And he's like, hey, I heard what you did in the Army. My uncle has been kidnapped by the cartel in Mexico.

They want $250,000 for his, for, uh, uh, his, now I'm spacing work stuff. You were fucking John Rambo. Like you were just going to vote down. He was like, he's like, my uncle, Kirtel kidnapped him and it was holding this ransom. Yeah. $250,000 ransom for his uncle because the cartel knew a lot of the Mexicans were coming up, working the oil fields in North Dakota, making that good money. So they would kidnap their families that they were leaving back there.

And so they literally came up and he's like, hey, we'll pay you the money if you want to get your guys together and go down to Mexico to go get my alcohol. I just like to see you on the news and like, the white boy at work. Well, he's a bad ass. Bring him a nine. Well, it's what we call a culture barrier. I called up. I called up razz and a couple of buddies. I'm like, hey, do we got contacts in Mexico? Like, we got a quick way to make it.

Well, the problem was, and I know Avalos is going to hate me for saying this, but Avalos was our fister, and he's like the one Mexican that can't speak Mexican.

So me, Brandon and I were like, man, we could get Avalos. Oh, no, he's not going to be an interpreter for us. And we don't have a solid team together. What's up, bitches? Most of us Americanized Mexicans are barely monolingual. Yeah, struggle busing. I just like the first idea was like,

I bet he can save my... He's a hero. We'll just send him down there. We'll... Half. We're just there whittling like wood, just like, I don't do that life anymore. That's behind me. I don't want to turn that back on. You don't want to see that. It was my war.

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Go to pdsstep.com slash on sub. Go now. I'm going. So when you were so fast forward, you get that. And then everyone else, what is that experience? Like afterwards, because we'll rewind to the story. I want to hear more of like some of the other stuff you've done, because you, you were in two ID initially. And then and that was we were I didn't realize I was two ID. So I never knew we were part of like, we just you were in Korea. And then I was you're up. Lewis. Yep.

Yeah, that was shoot. That was because you're up in Lewis and oh four. Oh, yeah. Five to just standing up. They stood up in oh six. So it's two CR and they stood up to then we switched to infantry. And then it was like, OK, two CR to infantry from oh six to oh, and then whatever they did afterwards. But that's I was like, Oh, shit, I didn't realize that. And then you came aboard as a tanker. And then yeah, well, yeah, initially I joined the army as a as a tanker because

Here's how motivated I was. Like I said, when I joined the army, I grew up in a tiny town in Northern California. I was tired of just milking cows and digging fence posts. Like that was my motivation to go in. Like I'm tired of smelling like frickin' bag bomb. I grew up in this town of 100 people, went to school in a town of like 500. Yeah, I graduated in the top 15 of the 14 kids at my senior class.

Holy shit. So you go up like actual like small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small small

He had an impressive kind of resume himself. My oldest brother, he started off in the army, had a break in service, Air Force, he actually just retired down here two years ago, out of the Air Force. Oh shit. And I was second oldest brother, which, yeah, my wife reminded me, he's like, God, if you're gonna be down there, maybe you go see your older brother. I'm like, I seen him two years ago when he retired.

But that's how I think a lot of us are. We're like, why? I FaceTime in like three months ago. That's like saying. No news is good news when it comes to family sometimes.

And my second oldest brother, he joined the Marines. So there was always kind of this lineage of military service in the family generations. But really for me, I was just like, it's 99. I want to go see the world and I'll get that GI Bill. Maybe I'll grow up and finally get educated enough to actually want to go to college. I hope nothing bad happens in two years. Yeah. So hold the foresight.

Well, that's and that my dad because I was 17 I went up to dad and I'm like hey You got me luggage for my graduation present like I understand the task here

And that's actually, that's a real story. That was my graduation present from my parents was frickin' Samsonite frickin' luggage. Which I think they spent like three or four hundred bucks. They were pretty impressed on that stuff. I thought that was an expression at first. That's an old farm town. So proud of you. Get the fuck out of my house. You're gonna pay rent.

or go to college, join the military, join the military. So when I, yeah, I went to my dad at 17 and I'm like, hey, dad, I got my plan. I'm going to join the army. You just got a sign for me. You got the recruiter already ready to sign, you know, have all the paperwork set up and dad looked at me and he's like, hey, I'm not going to do it. Back in my mind, I'm like this son of a bitch. He went on the youngest of the three boys. He wants me around for one more summer of free, frickin' labor.

And he very quickly followed it up with, hey, it's clinics in 1999. There's not a lot going on in the world. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not in 20 years. But if you put that uniform on, you might have to go and do and see things that no one should have to go do and see. So growing up,

I knew my dad had served in Vietnam. I knew my granddad had served in World War II. But all of the stories they told us, none of them had to do with combat. Not a single one about combat or any of the things they seen over overseas and stuff like that. It was always the stories of the shenanigans they got in with their buddies.

And in my mind, I'm like, Dad, you had a great time in the army from all the stories you were telling me. I didn't really realize what he was actually trying to say then. And then, of course, join that August, ship off, get to my first duty station in Germany. Well, I got a backtrack a little bit when I when I did turn 18 and said, Hey, I'm going to go down and sign the only advice my dad gave me was like, don't go infantry.

go find a job in the army that you can do afterwards. Be a welder, be a plumber, be something like that. And I'm like, no, I want to go combat arms. And he's like, well, just please, son, don't go infantry.

So I decided to sign up for tanks because I'm lazy and I don't like to walk. So I can't come back and I told my dad, I'm like, I didn't go infantry. I'm going to be on tanks. And he just looks at me, he's like, why the hell would you do that? You're just the biggest target on the battlefield, the idiot. I like your like, don't join combat. It's like, do something that will help you outside the military, like tanks. Yeah. I mean, those are just, I mean, they're just up and down the street. I mean, if we had more kill dozers, that'd be a popular. Yeah.

What? We don't. What we should. That's why he's starting a new guy. His new nonprofit. It builds, it builds, kill, does, or prevents. We get AR 500 plate donated. The He-Myer Relief Fund. Why is this working so well? I'm just shipping him out.

So many still plates today. We've taught 95 veterans how to weld. Do you need to learn how to hook up cameras?

Eliminate your blind spots. You've been really cool. Don't go to the library today. Where did it go wrong? I think it's a great idea. Oh, I love it. So that, I mean, that was kind of my, my introduction to the army and my pathway in was through all that. So I said, I never, honestly, when I came in, I was like, if I can do four years, maybe make corporal and not go to leavenworth, that would be the high achievement of my life.

I like that was your goal. It's like, you gotta set them low. I just eat the bull things. I don't want to break big rocks into little rocks. You get past that. Hey, okay. And then your college is paid for. You're like, hey, then 9-11 kicks off. You do that. What was that experience? Because we've talked to a couple of people, but everyone's experience is different. You're in your unit now, a year, two years at that point. Just over two years, like I said, was on tanks.

9-11 kicks off, and of course right away, it's like, we're going after Bin Laden in Afghanistan. It's like, oh shit, I'm on tanks. The one place we learn from the Russians that tanks don't mix is Afghanistan. So kind of new right away, it's like, fuck! I'm gonna miss it.

We'd gotten, you know, right shortly after 9-11, we were already scheduled to go back to Kosovo for another Kosovo deployment back then. And in my mind, I was like, well, shoot, I'll ride my time out here in Germany. Probably get out, but we just had 9-11, but that's what you joined up for. You want to go to war. And I've been young and naive at the time, you know. It sounds so cool on paper. Oh, man, it looks awesome in those Rambo movies.

I can't stress it now. We've talked about it a couple of times. It is the idea. It's like war sounds. So we'll only tell one bullet. I think you're like, oh, man, that is no socks. No, no, wow. It's like paintball, but that kills me. They're way worse. I'll walk in that one off. He liked it. There you go. This is way worse.

I don't know why this is about you. Let's talk about you. Yeah, we can go on to yours. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You're the real hero. You

I will say, yeah, the running joke is for the year. Brandon, you explained it because it's done to you. It was a fine Veterans Day. I'll say that. Last year, for Veterans Day, Eli's like, hey, do you want to jump on a podcast real quick? We're going to record an extra podcast with. I blew his crispy and Jack Mandeville. Yeah, sure. I'd love to. I just jump on real quick. I live right down the road.

jump on the podcast, and Eli didn't tell me the opening bit of the podcast is going to be him attempting to pin his purple heart on me for Veterans Day. And I am, of course, I have lived my entire life avoiding any claims of stolen valor like plague, because I never, I was never in the military. I didn't do any of that stuff. He didn't want to be a Tim Malls. Yeah, exactly. I didn't want to, you know, claim what when I was overseas. Well, I never said that.

But he, good thing we'll never have to hear his name again. But, and then Eli comes over and attempts to pin his Purple Heart on me. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no.

That like became the running bit and then the internet took off with it because of course the fucking internet did and Now I think I have three medals of honor 42 purple hearts Pretty sure a couple of iron crosses. I am searching a rarer military Imagine never serving Everything in the world

What's funny is it's mixed in with real photos though, which is really bad. It's all Eli's fucking thing. One year this joke on your thing.

So we were like, we'll close it out with a proper close out. This is the episode. There's only one way you have to. If you're going to kill a joke, you have to kill it, in my opinion, anyway, within the universe that it exists. So the only way possible that I think would be fitting would be in as Eli has proclaimed it Veterans Day month with an actual Medal of Honor recipient. So I think that's the only appropriate way.

That circle full circle and it's embarrassing and it's still something like a Friends like these

And it's just best, it did bring a lot of good light and negative light in the election, but past that it was really good light. Everyone's a good sport about it. Even on social media, he has so much people, like we did a veteran's day post with it's like us and like us in service. And it is now on some best performing post ever, which is something to say about like, it's hey, like, uh, uh, all the hosts.

My favorite is that's Eli's face there And all the comments are just talking about Brandon's like is this is what dude one of them got me the one that got me the most was it was Brandon has oak leaves on his medal of honor I was like bro you go hard if you have like two or three oak leaves on that medal I was like oh boy has earned his breath

As you can tell he despises this. Yeah. And it almost went away. And then Rich brought it back. Fucking dick kick.

And then it's up there. Someone sent their purple heart in for it. And I just can't. I feel like the only way to do it is to lean into it for the live shows and just be like General Zuko from the death of Stalin. Just throw off the cloak to have like a North Korean general uniform full of fake medals. Well, when your grandkids start going through some of your stuff to learn about you later, though, you think they're going to open that trunk up when all they have is the internet.

If I keep that I was saying like if I keep that in the fucking attic

Need to I need to keep it with a post-it note explaining to my kids the joke like by the way If you google this you're gonna get some conflicting information. They'll probably reply with what's google never never bring it up Just have a an actual trunk hidden for your like great-garen kids. It's like a uniform a fake metal of honor and it's like ribbons and they're like

Yo, grandpa used to go around like a safety deposit box three hundred years. Wow, grandpa really like Wolfenstein. Look at this. The cosplay scene. Wow, he's got the armbands and everything. That's it. It's got a crazy. He's got a cheap book about the final solution. Dude, this dad looks crazy. I didn't know dad spoke German.

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is here to stay, so trust Manscaped to keep those views at bay. Welcome to the vodka. Dude, Clay Show got me. He's like, ah, because we've asked for a while to have you on. But you're not a big social media guy. You're like, fuck that. Yeah, you can tell it's my social media. Just look at the picture and you're like, what the hell is this random stuff? It's like, no, that's probably Clint. And there's been no activity in nine months. That's how you know it's me. You are. Now, are you still doing oil fill stuff or the military stuff with it?

Uh, powered away from the oil field quite a few years ago, um, before doing the book and then getting more involved with, uh, cause, well, that was the other thing with receiving the metal. I said, at first I was super embarrassed. Um, just blatantly honest. It was, it was super embarrassing cause everyone's sitting there calling you a hero saying, Oh, what amazing things you did. And back in my mind, I'm sitting there and I'm like, didn't bring eight guys back.

like those dudes are the heroes. Like I was a warrior, I was fighting alongside other great wars, but to be called a hero and then all of a sudden have that be the center of attention just was super awkward to deal with and process.

That's something that I'd love to go back to a little bit if we can kind of reverse back to where you were saying that you were in that you were watching that that PowerPoint government issued PowerPoint and You were basically you were informed it. That's what they put you in for What was your reaction to it in the moment in the moment? I just shut down I just like everything just I turned everything off and just got to stop there set their thinking internalized and it's just like

maces in here, gayegos isn't here, Kirk isn't here, like those dudes were frickin' badasses. And they gave up more than anything I ever did. So why am I gettin' acknowledged? And that's just kinda what I gravitated back toward was why, you know. Those guys literally gave up their life.

for me to be here. So why the hell am I getting the acknowledgement and the attention because I made it through. I got to come back home. I got to continue to live my life. And I know

You know, the nation does need heroes and things to look up to, but as I continue to kind of gravitate back to, I hated being, I still hate being called the hero. Cause for me, those are the guys that don't come home. Like I was a warrior. And I'll tell you, like I said, it was bittersweet that day. Cause as nasty as things were, it was also one of the best days of my life. Cause I felt like I went through the most ultimate man test with some of the coolest guys I've ever been around. And we made it out on top.

And that's also what I'd reflect back to. It's like we used to talk Kind of that last nine months in country the year getting out when we would talk about the awards process and stuff like that of guys getting silver stars and Certain other guys talking about how cool or how badass they were that day but the rest of us kind of like mmm were you though and Would sit there and I remember you know talking to Larson and Raz and they're like hey, yeah

We know what you did. Yeah, well, I know what you did. And like, that was just all we had to say sometimes would be set there. Colorado Springs hanging out, drinking at tutors or something like that. You just kind of share those quick moments where you just look over it or over at one of your buddies and you just knew, I know what you did that day and I don't need any public attention.

There's no metal that you'd pin on our chest that would equate to what the same meaning was of that look between each other. So in that all, like I said, came to kind of the limelight. I wanted to just put my head in the sand and turn away. But I also realized I've also been given something that so many veterans never get. That's a platform. And that's the ability that when I

For whatever reasons, I keep going back to DC to go up on the hill. I get doors open and I get to go get in front of congressmen and senators and it's like, hey, look, fucktards, here's that's, you know, not getting taken care of first time that you use that exact language. That's what goes on in the inner monologue. Yeah. Normally there's a filter process. I think more of them need the internal monologue to become the external monologue.

Sorry, I meant retarded. I mean, you retard. It's like a dine back. It is it is politicians don't go to heaven. Sorry. So I was like, you guys are all going to get along so good with.

with the client, oh boy, loves the government so much. Oh, the big flex I had was when John Boehner was still a speaker of the house. Oh boy, you know, fucking smoking in his office. I was. You smoked? Yeah, yeah, because John Boehner smoked like a freaking chimney too. So I got to go smoking the, well, he had already just gotten done smoking or something. But yeah, I got to smoke in the speaker of the house's office. One guy that's kind of cool.

It doesn't fly anymore, I don't think anymore. This is dope. Going back to your feelings towards it, because it is one of the hardest things to put into words for a general person. It's not wanting to accept something because it is like, no, I did nothing for that, especially you yourself as a very selfless individual and to have that.

where all the lights aren't you, they fly you out and then come to find out your battle buddies are the ones that also put in word for it, right? So that's what I didn't realize till years later. It's like when I would talk to some of the guys going to and from the oil fields catching up with them, we would talk about everything under the sun and not once did they ever mention that they had been approached or talked about an upgrade.

And so after I'd got notified, I'm sitting there calling Raz and Larson and them up. And they're like, hey, did the army call you and tell you guys anything? And they're like, oh, yeah, they called like about a year ago or something. They just asked, they believe you did something good that should be should be awarded. They never said for what or what award. And we just said, yes.

I'm like, well, that was kind of part of that. I didn't think you'd mention that all of a sudden I'm getting recommended for upgrade and you've got someone to call you from the Pentagon eight months ago that said, hey, you think Sergeant Romerche should be recognized for what he did on October 3rd?

Oh yeah, yeah, you should be. That was like their whole conversation. I'm like, that would have been nice to know. They didn't say, and forget to tell you. Yeah, they didn't say, well, do you think some of our mistakes should be recommended for the Medal of Honor?

No, they just said, do you think he should just be recognized for his actions? That's semantics right there on what they're really asking or not. But that was also part of the humbling thing was to find out that the upgrade recommendation came from the guys that were actually there beside me. Like I said, it was very tough to accept it in the first place, but it was kind of

really smoothed it over hearing that it was because of their recommendations, their firsthand accounts that kind of kicked it up over the edge. I mean, I still sat back to this day, and I think honestly, the two guys that deserved the medal from that battle was Hart, because when he left out the back of those barracks to try to go get Gallegos, that was the last time I'd ever see that dude. And unfortunately, with the awards process system,

is you've got to have, especially for the Medal of Honor, you've got to have two living eye witnesses that see you do what you did and have to be able to read and write English to write that firsthand sworn statement account. And when Hart pushed up there to go get

uh mason larson and them and his humvee got hit with that rpg the only guy that survived that was falconer um but falconer came back immediately got medevac came back to the states and falconer was dealing with some demons

prior to that deployment after getting shot in Iraq previous, and he ended up overdosing. So there was no eyewitness account, and it sucked because hard. All we could get him was a Bronze Star that day. Just by army regulation, since we didn't have those two eyewitness accounts, and I'd already always kind of argued, no, him leaving out the back door, finding that 50-cal ammo, taking those guys over there. That was the action right there. I said,

I don't know how the whole awards process goes, but that was my kind of argument with it. And the other one, for sure, was Brad Larson. Larson, I truly believe, deserved the other Medal of Honor that day. He was stuck up at that Humvee with Gallegos.

and Mase and Ty Carter and Sartan Martin. When those guys pushed out, he was trying to provide cover. Him and Ty were trying to provide cover for him, wasn't able to do it. When Carter goes up and brings Mase a little farther back to cover and puts the tourniquets on him, Larson's providing cover for Ty, and then him and Ty bring Mase back to the aid station. But then Larson comes back to me for the fight.

Larson gets checked out, he shows back up at the front gate area, and he's the one that tells us, hey, Griffin's just outside the door here. Last I seen Martin was here, last I seen Gallegos was here, had no idea where Hart was, and Larson then came back out in the fight, recovered Griffin, helped recover Martin Gallegos, brought him back, and then when we couldn't find

When we couldn't find Hart's body, Larson was the dude that three times that day left his weapon, left his body armor, left his Kevlar to run and do the frickin' bullet dance around that outpost to try and find Hart's body. And three times he just wasn't able to find him. And on the fourth time, I finally told him he couldn't.

Um, so that was the other thing that's always been in the back of my mind. It's like, you know, me and Ty Carter is the other living recipient from that fight, but I've always looked at it. I've always thought that that Larson and Heart should have been the two guys right there. And that's it. This is like going through that and it's it's

like it is something humbling to hear because again like anything I've done will never equate to that and I never want to be a put in that position and you're lucky to be here because you stood up and then overcame crazy odds to

I mean, even save as many people as you do. I know it is that hard mindset to break. It's like, hey, this sucks because I lost as many people. Instead of looking at it, it's like, hey, I save as many people because it was through your actions and your. I just, I just had a, I had a, I just had a stupid idea though. It was like, man, we're getting our asses kicked. Let's, we can do something. It's like, oh, here's an idea. Let's go counter attack. These guys got us out gun. They've got us outnumbered. They've got the high ground. And honestly, when I came up with that idea, it was just like,

Well, if we're going to die, let's kind of dictate it on our own terms. And again, that's what truly impressed me was I had those five guys that volunteered like, hey, we're going to go do this thing. And and razz Delaney, Danley, Miller and Jones, like those five guys are like, well, we're going.

Don't have to and they're like we'll follow you anywhere. It's like well. Why don't those five guys get acknowledged for and I mean and I'm not saying they never got their awards or anything But I mean I was just so impressive to see that you could get guys that would I mean that was truly a token of of on a personal level of

I felt like I was a good leader when you get five guys that'll say, I'll follow you anywhere. And that did it, that came up, recaptured the ammo supply point. Was able to push the enemy out of the front gate, the surer building area. You know, that's truly special as, like I said, as a leader. That's, like I said, in the back of your mind, you're like, you're always thinking, I call it like that Braveheart moment. Like, could I ever be tied to that board? Is there a fricking rip in my guts out? And would I set there and scream freedom into the face of those fuckers? Like,

For me, that was those moments that day where I look back and it's like, man, that was going through the ultimate man test to say I could kind of check that block. Even leading to it, for the people out there that don't realize even how shitty that fighting position was, and then you guys ran drills in your head where you're like, ah, if we did this, this is how we would do this. Like, which probably led to a

For those who don't know, because we were just talking about this earlier at brunch, like just how bad that fighting position was. No, yeah. For people who don't. Dude, you were in a f***ing bowl. Yeah, you're just... I mean, it was so bad. Like I said, my granddad had passed away by then, but like I said, I'm old school, I don't do social media, but I'll still write... I still pay all my bills by check and mail them. Ah, times have changed!

Anyway about a strategic lighting position. So I wrote my grandma a letter home when we first got there and it was just a simple quick letter of, hey grandma, we're here, we're settled in, the guy's morale is high, everyone's looking good, we got 12 months here and we'll be home soon. This place is so gorgeous, it reminds me of growing up in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Every morning I get to look up and see these beautiful mountains. And I sent that letter off and a couple weeks later, grandma sent me a letter back that just said,

What the hell are you doing looking up? Everybody knows you take the high ground. Grandma, you're the Grand Grand New. Like, that was not the most ideal location. I mean, you just set at the very bottom of that valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. Every time we'd go out and do patrols and stuff, you'd get just 100 meters up on the hillside. And you'd look down and you're like, man, I can see everything. I can see Elrass, too. I can see the front gate.

This is a badass fighting position. I can just bail over the back here. You'd never be able to shoot me. You'd go freaking 20 feet the next direction. It's like, oh, this is even better. So that's how Graham Graham got a consulting job at the Pentagon.

Way better than that strategic fighting point. What was their mindset? Do they just pick up? I don't know how that came to be. So initially, from what I understand, like I said, I was a staffs aren't that I didn't make foreign policy. I just.

We got told where we needed to be, right? Yeah. But the research I've done since then was it was just supposed to be this kind of stopping area in the natural terrain where they could get refuel, refit, and stuff going to the forces that were supposed to be continuing to attack north and understand. But so that happened about right before 2003, they were pushing up in the understand and

What ended up being known as COP Keating was just really a grid spot coordinate that they could drop supplies in. Well, we kick off 2003 with shocking on Iraq. Now we're fighting a two front war.

And there's not enough beans and bullets and everything to fight to front war. So they pause the attack in the north in Afghanistan or stand area. And instead of giving up that terrain, they decided, well, we'll just hold on to this. We'll get back to this eventually.

Well, eventually was six years down the road where we found ourselves there So they didn't want to give up that stuff. That was our default for and what year did they Say hey, we don't want to fight for this like 2003 years thing. Yeah, we shortly after it was like 2003 2004 six years later is when it was like oh, yeah, we're still there and like man Man, that is the US military or government in a

in a nutshell. He's, well, I mean, even my dad would, when he kind of found out, he's like, oh, I see, we haven't learned anything from Vietnam. Hamburg. I was telling the guys about Hamburg Hill. I was like, like we will take a, we will have a 90% casualty rate to take something that has no significance on the battlefield just to say we did it and then leave it after a week. You're like, yep. We did it. You're like, there's like everyone's heart right now.

Nick, man, we got it though. Yeah, I mean, well, you seen that with the pull out. I mean, that's exactly what the pull out ended up being should never pull out. Yeah, I'm not feeling anything going out as a couch. There we go. I'm glad all of us feel the same way.

No, no, no, this table pulls out. That's six kids. Holy shit! Bro, pull! Bro! You didn't learn either! My fucker can't pull out of his own driveway. That's why I back in.

Oh. So strategic 2009, right? I mean, we were two weeks away from closing that place down and getting out of there. Like, for bringing it up, Jamie, bringing it up right here on the screen. Thanks, Jamie. Jamie, thanks, Jamie. This is how ridiculous this fighting position is that you're looking at right now.

They did not consult Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Episode three had come out by then. That was there's no excuse. No, it worked the first time for Obi-Wan though when he was fighting Darth Maul. He didn't have the high ground. Oh, that's true. Oh my god. My guy's a nerd. For not internetting, but you still got some nerd knowledge, my god. Get them DVDs. Don't lie. It's a VHS. Laserness. You're still rewinding it after watching it.

So bad fucking literally the worst positioning possible. Imagine a fishbowl and the bottom of a fishbowl is where you guys are based out of. And it's a cob, right? Yep. So the only way in and out was by helicopter at that point. And oh, by the way, I did not know that. Holy. What the road? Well, that's how the outpost got named was by Lieutenant Ben Keating. They were trying to move. I believe it was the LMTV.

back to phobostic, rolled over and killed Lieutenant Ben Keating, giving the name to the outpost, and that road was no longer serviceable logistically for the U.S. Army. Taliban had taken it over at Ben II narrow. It was just too treacherous. So helicopter was the only way in and out. And oh, by the way, our landing zone was outside of our perimeter.

And it was in between two rivers that converged together. And so you kind of had to land in this peninsula. It kind of reminds me of like a less advantageous Harpers Ferry if you ever seen that area. But not to oversimplify too much. I don't even know. Harpers Ferry, Virginia, like that area.

Where there was a there was like a military arsenal there during the Civil War. Oh, okay. I was like, right? Are you just just not naming just a random place? It was just before strategic point in a war. Crawford'sville, Indiana. Yeah.

I was like, oh, no, not Gary. I'm Gary. But not to oversimplify it. But with what you just said earlier, wasn't the whole point of that location being chosen, that it was a convenient middle ground for running supplies and things? Yes. That's initially how it started. With no way to get in or out, except for helicopter. Yep. Just making sure I'm up to speed up. Imagine that is. And that it's the military. Like, this is whoa.

Yeah, logistics

This seems like a lot of logistics to get in and out of it. So it's funny because, like I said, the Chinook pilots, and we're at Elevation 2, so we could only really get Chinooks and Apaches only had enough kind of power to fly at that elevation. You know how cargo you could lift with an Apache? Well, enough to bring 25 Mike, Mike, and Hellfires. We don't need you through your cargo, boys.

So when they would resupply us though, those pilots knew that was a crappy spot to be and at elevation not having the power, a lot of times they would make every excuse not to resupply us. And we were pissed.

We would not get resupplied for ammo. Well, we'd normally get ammo and fuel and stuff, but any of the creature comforts, like they would make every excuse not to drop them and would go weeks on end without getting resupplied with frickin' care packages or razors or hot meals. Hot meals, you're probably like literally every what, three weeks? We got a hot meal kind of once, we got one meal once every three days and it'd be either a breakfast or maybe a dinner.

We got a shower once a week, because our water supply issues were, yeah, not the most ideal. But we were, like I said, we were always so mad at those shoot-up pilots, like, oh, you frickin' weenies. You don't want to come here. You guys aren't hard. You can't say other things than weenies. I'm trying to be brandy and use a nice word.

I don't feel like I'm in any place to call him anything, but like, well, back in the day, there was a website called poopcenter.com. So we got on poopcenter.com and we sent them elephant dong. Oh, shit. Yeah. Because they're like, you guys are not bringing us supplies. So we thought, hey, so a better thing. Now we fast forward. And Brad Larson gets direct selected by, I believe it was McChrystal to go OCS. And Brad ended up being a Chinook pilot.

And so once he graduated school, went on his first half game deployment, flying helicopters, I got to ask him, I'm like, come on, dude, tell me the truth, you're at cop-kating. Were those guys little bitches? And he's like, I went through cop-kating, and I'd tell you guys to go fuck off. I would not fly a Chinook into that valley. He's like, those guys were so badass to even show up the times they did to resupply us. Because what is your sea level? We were at, now you got me thinking, I think we were

like at 9,000 feet. Jesus. And you're talking like for the people that do not know this like helicopters. They're not like planes where they can just kind of you're looking at less air movement. They become unstable. Fuck. It's the old saying it's like engineers hate helicopters because like okay planes use the air.

helicopters beaded into submission it's like that it makes no sense like it theoretically helicopter should not work but somehow they do and everybody's too afraid to ask questions as to why cuz it's a gas air like all those little things even think when you're a two stroke engine when you're like dialing in like how much air is taking into not

run too rich or anything. All that goes into account just the engine. And then the blades don't have enough air density to push to keep the lift. And then with, like I said, with that valley and those two rivers, like any sort of wind gust that would knock them left or right, they're putting their blades into the side of a mountain.

And also think anyone will say you do not ever camping overnight or anything in the wilderness. It is not camping the valley because that's the coldest that's where air travels through every that is the issue for everything. So helicopter the least favorite place is right there at 9,000 feet of elevation and trying to fight that and deliver one more mill.

Yeah. Yeah, that was, like I said, wait, in hindsight, it was so amazing to see what they did at the time. It was like, fuck you guys, you're getting elephant dung.

So they're dealing with that. You're dealing with that. And they're like, okay, well, here we are looking up this beautiful mountains. I mean, if Afghanistan could ever get their together, that would be some of the best white water rafting, the best snowboarding, like those mountains. I've still to this day, one of my favorite kind of memories to look at those mountains and think about them.

mr mr mr you be fine go down right after mr mr well we did we might have had an incident where one of the local villagers were bathing their kids and they lost it in the river and all we could do is just call down to fall boston 30 kilometers away and it's like hey if you find a baby floating through they wait baby they were bathing and and come you know the the big water rush time like

You might accident if you lose. Yes. And that was part of Larson's plan when they were stuck at that Humvee and they thought all of us were dead. Their whole plan was they were hoping for night to hit and they were going to try to sneak to the river and just float back to fah-bostock. No shit. Yeah. So leading up to like everything you had, you were getting popped off like once a

Yeah, about once a day, you know, and like I said, every day was a little bit different, but typically it would be about six o'clock in the morning. We ended up calling that kind of our Taliban alarm clock. Some days it would just be a couple of rounds of AK fire, just like

and then something else over there and then I mean some sometimes they'd hit you with the little sporadic AK fire on the east and then all the sudden RPGs mortars be 10 hitting you on the west.

Like every day was something, not every day was too intense, but it could be. And in fact, we found out right away, it was actually better to be outside the wire on the patrol than it was to be down in the outpost. We only took two engagements, direct fire engagements outside of the wire, the three months we were there.

They didn't want to fuck with us if we were actually out on patrol moving around and stuff So we always loved being on patrol week because then you could kind of set the tempo and try to go after them But yet when you're only sitting there with 18 guys We were very limited on how far they would let us patrol and it was everything was straight up the frickin mountainside so even though like the the village of Camdesh as a crow flu on the map was like a kilometer and a half and

to actually navigate the terrain, ended up being almost nine kilometers.

because there was one time they went after Sarn Kirk, and the guy who goes and then went after that B10 recoilless rifle they kept pounding us with. And of course, I'm a seasoned staff, Sarn, I know better. I got a Mark 19 position that I'd set up to help support them. And I'm like, I'll sit here on this and you boys go. You guys are still clear.

So I gotta ask everybody who's ever operated one did you love or hate the mark 19. It was always a love hate relationship over in every time. You just had to you just had to know how to treat her. And then when you didn't she let you know.

You never knew what it was going to be. Like, my bitch ex-wife. Damn. Thank you, Catherine. If I ever buy a Mark 19, that's what I'm going to engrave on it. Bitch ex-wife.

No, that's interesting because every I've never had anybody who's ever said like it was okay. They always say they either love it or they hit it. Yep. I'll depend on the day. I know you can shoot 64 consecutive rounds out of it before you get yelled at. That's the real. That's a very short reel.

I know this much wisdom from Cliff Roman shit 2024 Just like it reminds me that's the sort of wisdom is like the the Ron White bit of Like I know I've learned two things in my career One you can't unfe the babysitter and two anything's a DUI checkpoint when you crash your car into it

It's solid like the mice. Oh, that was so much fun.

Just peek. So you're looking around. You're like, OK, here's all this shit. And again, what was the elevation change from from your point to the top of the mountainsides just for reference for the people of that? Because this is insane. I mean, there is there was part of the mountain where you could look at and trees were no longer growing.

You hit the tree growth line. Like 2,000, like 3,000 feet, like true. I thought tree growth was like a, what was it, 16,000 or? So 5,000 feet, you're looking at elevation, you cannot. You're like, oh, this can look down at us. Well, and sometimes it would be a little ambitious when we first got there and like, oh, we'll go to the top. Oh, we can see the top right there. And four hours later,

They're like, I'm not even halfway to that, but now that I can see that is not even the top. That is not even halfway to the top of the top. Like they just went forever. And in fact, when we're and they're doing some overwatch stuff, we have the spot and scope out and we're looking where the trees aren't growing. And there was a family that was raising goats up there.

It's like, how do you raise goats? There's no vegetation. How the hell do you get water up there? I bet they hadn't seen human contact in a generation. Imagine that. Like, that's what I was watching a classic film last night about warfare, Lord of the Rings. True water, there's a lot of mountains, like large mountains in that.

I mean literally what? They were at Helm's Deep. My Helm's deep within a sheet of your bowl. And then it was drawers on every side. Aaron Helm's deeper. Helm's deeper.

Dude, Helms Deeper, the Battle of Helms Deeper. Well, that's on Wikipedia now. Those Yurikai are everywhere. You're Wikipedia for your... Shooting the Mark 19. You fucking Yurikai. Yurikai. Sand Yurikai, really strong.

Not that I do sit-ups, but I'm definitely not gonna have to do sit-ups after this Well, that's the what 43rd slur we've invented on the podcast saying you're

We're alarmingly good at that. That's a great new shirt. It's a picture of a Tuscan Raider with an AK. It's like, I don't know if I regret this. It's like, I was on Fox News yesterday. Fuck.

Oh my god, I love this song. Right back at home, right? Right back at home. All right, not to press on the MOH thing too much. I just, I had one serious question for you. I didn't get to ask it to you last time. We were together. So Eli, he has a Purple Heart. He gets his little gay ass parking space. All right. All right. What do you, what benefits do you get with MOH?

Um, it states the state, like I know here in Texas, like you can get a license plate. Um, but it's your number is based off what recipient you are in the state of Texas. Really? Yeah. What's yours?

I don't live in Texas, I don't know. Damn it. Yeah, so I can't remember. If it's 69, you need to move. Yeah, I would do it. Yes. I do it just to register and then leave. Thank you. Just be hanging on the wall afterwards. Yeah. So while we get invited to inaugurations, that's so that's a well, the last time wasn't a cool perk, but this time is ready.

This is going to be pretty red. The sun's going to be... Do you get a plus three? He's my service support Eli. He's not barking. He clearly is wearing a vest that says don't pet. He's working.

my service. You get our priority priority on space available flights to another, I guess, perk. Thanks, Delta spirit. When you always like, you know, if there's space you get first class, you know, no, no, no, I mean, for like, military flights, space, beautiful flights, and I'll jump on a board on those ones. And then other than that,

You get, uh, you get, uh, try care for life. Um, so you get a retirement, um, the bare minimum medical care. You got to pay for your own debt on this. Yes. Wait for real? Well, it's just like being retired. Uh,

retired you like you have jk st you start taking the team back

Yeah, and if this is the best country on the planet, I can't imagine how bad the rest are, man. I always make that joke from like, man, I just know all the gripes and the failed logistics of the American military and all the things that we just suck at.

Imagine having to rely on the Indian military

I'm going to get a medal for calling a service. I mean, 810 on the... Hello, my name is John with 810. I'll call for 5 for 5 hours.

Didn't see this podcast going this direction man perfectly honest I kind of want to go I kind of want to go in bed with the enemy and now I get on a radio

They're asking you for help. You're like I'll try turning it off So perks flights and shit to college

So a lot of it's actually driven from the states depending on what state you live in. Kind of depends on what kind of additional benefits you get.

honestly it's so that's one of the weird things when you meet someone that has no clue what the middle of honor is the first thing they come back with this was that like a purple heart kind of that's what you would like but i mean but i mean that a lot of the benefits that it's given out either by the federal government of the states are all kind of tied to the purple heart stuff uh... so i can see definitely the confusion on

I mean, it's such a rare award. And you know, we go out and we talk about ourselves all the time. I'm totally brag about. I got a burp. Bless you. Oh, that's got some hang time. So like, we just whipped it away real quick.

Um, so we don't do a good job of really kind of explaining to the average, I think, civilian that doesn't have kind of a direct connection to the military of what really the Medal of Honor is. They've got this idea, but since

I said everything they think about is, you know, purple heart or Navy seals or, you know, green braid stuff like that. It's hard for the average, I think, civilians sometimes to wrap their head around what the Medal of Honor truly is as you look at the numbers.

And I'm going to I'm given general numbers here don't go off Clint's actual thinking ability and statistical points. I think there's been about 26 million that have worn the uniform of the US out of the 26 million. It's what 30 just under 3600 have received the medal. 3600.

And out of that, 60% hadn't been awarded it posthumously. Yeah. So it's such a 40% that's alive. And right now, I think we've got 1,400 living. Like there were issues from civil war till now that ever lived. In the last 200 years, you've had 1,440 people actually alive receive that.

to put that perspective of how rare that is. Again, out of how many, 30 million, you were saying 26 million? Yeah, it was like 26, 28 million, I think that. You were saying that the Medal of Honor was first created in the Civil War? Yes. Came out of the Civil War after the Andrew Raiders. They stole a locomotive from the south, ran it up north destroying the rail lines. Was that the great locomotive chase? Yeah, okay.

And I want to say, I think the Navy was the first awarded or developed it, then the Army came, because each branch of service has their own.

I did not know that it's still to this time. Yep. So each of the three or not three branches, but the army. Army Marines and Navy have their own and their designs are a little different. Of course, Navy Marine Coast Guard fall under that Air Force. Now, I think can incorporate the Space Force and then the armies had theirs. I would love to see what kind of shit you got to do to get a Medal of Honor in the Space Force.

Oh, that's going to be rad. You're an alien. You're a Ripley. Yeah, exactly. Oh, wait, the alien fucks you. Oh, I think you downloaded the wrong alien movie. Damn it. Not again. You know, I know the Navy's Medal of Honor is a giant penis, so.

Other than that, I don't know what the other branches would be. I'm actually, I'm learning a lot. I didn't know that about each branch having their own Medal of Honor. It would help me learn it a lot better, though, if you put this into a concise PowerPoint project in the back. I would really absorb that information a lot more. If we could just get our PowerPoint behind a C-line and learn everything, we're going to charge a lot of money for that. Next slide, charge. Overcharge.

This is lots of money dumped into that. Okay, until we get so much viewership once we turn to power slides. This is what? I don't know.

Yeah, they, so each, what was that going? You don't want to know what the internal monologue was saying. Oh, I would love to. Moving on. The audience at the road also love that. Just thinking of a Tuscan Raider with an AK. The sand people. Those fucking sand, you're a guy. That's so hard. My thing is anything can be a slur if you put you.

I'm just saying. Oh, God. That does good. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. You fucking spoon faces. He's just making up slurs, and he's got like a crowd of panel. Yeah, the panel. Who finds this? Raise your hand if you find this offensive. Just made up slurs.

We're going dirty. The sand. You're a guy. Anybody find out. Raise the hands. Spoon face does sound very in the back. Hands hand. Show me those hands. All right. Not you, Anakin. Hand.

I never knew. I'm like, where'd we go? I was like, how'd we put it back on the story? Past is like here. We've had our nice, fun breaks. It's always funny seeing the graph of where a conversation goes and unsubscribes. Like, where do you think it's going? Where it goes? Michael J. Fox, draw that line. It's my favorite quote, I think, from his book. He's like, advantages of having Parkinson's. Like, I don't have to buy an electric toothbrush.

Always look on the bright side of life, you know Oh He's living his best life fuck. Okay, we'll go back on to You

Like how we can, you kind of talked about it. You're telling a story you've told it many times. You gave a different accounts of it even here. Like, hey, at the end of it, this is my buddies. This is where they were placed. And then you because your actions throughout that is going into a leadership position. You were how much of a leadership role were you before that event? So I'd been the senior scout in that scout platoon and section sergeant for

Four years? I was not an overachiever. You're not fine here, brother. Then ask you to, brother. You want to go up? Well, and so that day, I was the acting Petunzarn, because our Petunzarn had already rotated back on a mature leave. No shit. Oh, what?

If you, okay, for people in the military that deployed, that is fucking wild to have that happen during mid to relief for a NCO in that position. And well, the double entendre of that, I hope I'm using that correctly, was my lieutenant. I dropped that high school. My lieutenant was the on the scene commander that day because our troop commander, Stoney Portis, got taken away the night before.

And he was a brand new lieutenant first time over overseas He ended up being on the scene commander so for anyone out there. This is a mad Cody that for you guys here imagine Fuck how do I put this in turn it? What the you put in the backup quarterback and this is like if we had Shane Gillis on the podcast and none of the core hosts were here and

Yeah, almost. I mean, yeah, you're you're having these individuals that have You've been here forever forever. We have chase actually good example chase

is just editing for a day. He comes to the podcast, we're like, hey, we're tapping out. And then all of a sudden it's like, we need a podcast done. And then also we just hired a brand new person that no one's ever heard of. And then they also have to then step into a leadership position and be like,

Uh, hi. Hello. You all have to record a podcast. This is your manager stepping away for two weeks with like, it's a preconceived two weeks, but then a new manager that is secondary is stepping up also at the same time that you just met that day. That is how that works. It is brand new bosses are in this role. One, you kind of know you being that one.

But it is a somebody not meant for that to stand up and be like, hey, now you're in control of everyone, plus this new dude is also standing up in control of everyone. Your analogy makes me angry. It should. This is I mean, it is I don't it's probably because I did it bad, but also it's new people just standing up. No, I think about the analogy in general makes me

That you didn't explain that better to me because I'm a retard. He's just no understanding exactly. He's just bad. You're talking to me. I know. I will. You do. He's like. You only stop. I got hit with the beer. No, the brain and the Browns are talking. I'm surrounded by. Why do they talk? You're wondering why don't talk? I speak English. God damn it.

You can speak American, that'd be really cool. Get seems in office now. I'm gonna load you up in that tribuchet over the wall. You're aborting me and Brad. I'm like, T-minus two months, you fucking granny. I'm so happy. Anyways, officers fucking out of my brush there.

That's a synopsis. It is putting people in charge of like one kind of nose, but it's not too valuable. And the other is brand new guys. It's just like thrown into the voice. They just fucked off and left you. They don't have a chance. It's actually maybe. No, it's not. Like I said, it's one of those things. When things go bad, it's not just because one or two things happen. It's a multitude of things. And Butterman, who was my lieutenant, so he was a senior officer for us.

on Combat Outpost Keating at the time. And because we had leave and stuff and guys rotating through, it's just the way it happened to be. And the day before, Stoney Portis, our new commander had just gotten there, he was taken over the troop, he was doing sensitive item inventories, goes up to OP Fritchee, helicopter gets shot at, they won't bring him back to us. He calls up Bunderman the night before and he's like, hey,

You've got you've got the outpost until I get back in about a day or so and then zero six o'clock in the morning

The next day, that's when Bunderman, all of a sudden is he's the commander, like I said, he'd been, he'd been in for, well, we had the advantage that we worked together in that train up going to Afghanistan for almost a year, which was pretty rare to have an officer that long, especially in a platoon leader position. But, you know, it's one of those things you just, you don't think you're going to be that guy until you're that guy and Bunderman ended up being our guy.

And I'll tell you to this day, I wouldn't have anybody else in that tactical operation center besides him. I mean, he came to the point at one time, I remember going in and he's, he's sitting there and he's got like this book. And he's reading this book. And of course, I'm like, hey, sir, what the fuck you doing? Reading a book or kind of, we're kind of getting shot at right now. You dumb lieutenant. And as he looks up, I can see he's reading the army's call for fire manual.

And he's like, hey, I'm about to start bringing 500 pounders 100 meters away from our position. It was like a good 90% chance because of sitting in that bowl. It'll probably land on us.

And I just remember looking at him and were like, I'd rather it be our bombs than theirs. And he's like, OK. And he started him in a shroud, started calling in 500 pounders, dropping them 100 meters away because they also knew that the Taliban was trying to get in tight on us. And typically coalition forces wouldn't call for artillery or indirect fire on yourself.

But because of them doing that, it gave us just enough breathing room. They couldn't continue to kind of tighten that noose around us. And it was at risk versus reward. And I know, like, what a freaking what a pair of balls you got to do to do something like that. And and Bunnerman had those balls, big brass ones that it banged them together and stormy weather and. Yeah.

Make that sound that is again. That is a good and that's a butter bar at that time No, he'd been promoted to first lieutenant by them first lieutenant so in in the military for a year So this is for reference you have been in college for four years and then you are in service one year and now you are doing that kind of level of color you like hey

When your NCOs are telling you, it's like, what the fuck are you doing? Because a lot of officers, even captains, you're listening to your NCO. You're listening to, you're higher enlisted and you're like, hey, like, uh, what should I do right now? And for him to be like, I'm calling for fire for Jay, Jay dams. I'm assuming. Yeah. Yeah. I'm in a hundred at a hundred yards. Yeah. Yep. Is wild.

Those who we've talked about in the podcast like we'd be in the strikers like call for fire We'd call Jaydams in to drop bombs on like bridges or or houses and we'd all stand up 500 yards like oh wow Yeah, and you guys were like yo Don't worry you don't have to look it's gonna run and see wherever this bitch lands. So he was so ballsy I

that he might because that you know we've gotten our radios taken out they knocked out our generator sort of FM comms were didn't exist anymore so we were talking most of the day on tax that and of course anybody in the world that's tuned in the tax that can listen in and in fact a lot of

A lot of our former buddies and rear detachment guys back at Fort Carson were hearing all the radio transmissions live and in real time back at Fort Carson. Because the only link we had for help was on the Afghanistan's tactical satellite frequency. No shit. Yeah, so Bunderman's talking on that. And he might have said, allegedly, shake and bake the village of our mole.

And he brought in a B1 bomber as we discovered that Larson and Carter were still alive with Mays. He brought in a B1 bomber to give some bomb support and coverage as they grabbed Mays to bring him back to the aid station with a B1 that went Winchester

800 meters away from our position. And I think a B1, the bone carries like 26,000 pounds of munition. They just dumped it. They just dumped it on that village. And I'm going to caveat that village was cleared out. The Taliban had kicked all the civilians out of their taking that town over that morning. There were no civilians in that village. It was all enemy, but he dropped literally 26,000 pounds of bombs.

in the village of our mole to give Larson and Carter that freedom of maneuver to get Mase back to the aid station. Because you got a call saying like, hey, because you thought you lost about like two individuals. And then you got a call. It's like, hey, we have them still. And you're like, what the fuck? Yeah, we'd been cut off. Like I said, things went from bad to worse. And at that point, when we started the counter assault,

We'd been cut off from Larson. Guy goes from that. Those guys out to the West for like six, seven hours at that point. Thought they were all gone. Thought the enemy had had either taken their bodies or, you know, the worst was happening. And as we pushed up, got to the ammo supply point, kicked the enemy off that, opened that up to feed everybody else ammo and then got up to the front gate area. We're sitting there kind of in a holding pattern waiting to make our next push.

when we get the call thinking that Larson who I'd served with on my second Iraq deployment, like I said, me and him were, I mean, boys, actually, I'd just seen him last week in Omaha. What's up, bro? Actually, I'm going to give a highlight story. So that was October 3rd. Larson just had his youngest son, Solomon, October 3rd of this year to tie back in.

you know, great things still happen coming into the future. So when he gets a look at October 3rd now, he gets a look at his son Solomon and think look at look at the great things that are happening. But to caveat back, thought Larson had long been dead. I said love that brother to death. Thought he was just over and done with hadn't heard from him in hours and hours and hours.

And then I get the call on the radio. Bunderman's like, you won't believe this, but Larson and Carter are still alive. Nace is badly wounded. If you can provide covering fire to the north, I'm going to bring in a B1 bomber to the village of our mole to the west.

and as soon as the bombs as soon as you hear the bombs drop when they call shot over over the radio push out provide covering fire to the north and they'll bring mace back and sure shit we hear shot over waiting for splash we push out

Start engaging off to the north and bombs start hitting I mean, it's like it was like being a the frickin base drum at a Metallica concert Like it was lifting all those bombs hit and was just lifting that rooftop off that building We were trying to take take is kind of some cover and then Larson and Carter come running through with mace on a stretcher Larson gets back to the aid station

calls me up a few minutes later and he's like, hey, medics have checked me out. They say, I'm good to go. We're at and what do you need? Like I said, this is one of my, I just, I remember this moment so vividly after I said, all the other stuff that has gone on is Larson calling me up and saying, Hey, where are you at? What do you need? And I'm like, it's been a long day. I'm kind of thirsty and I haven't had a cigarette yet.

And like five minutes later, here comes fucking Larson with a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper under one arm and a cart and a camel light. And he shows up and we give each other just a big ass hug, open up the Dr. Pepper's crack one of those, start drinking, spark up a smoke, and it was like, okay, this is gonna be, we're gonna make it out of there. Like that moment, just sitting there in that sure building,

I mean, there's still shit going on. I just was like, yeah, it's just going to be all right. I don't think people understand like the average person understands the level of ordinance you're talking about.

26,000 pounds of bombs for one, but the other that I'm still hung up on is you're talking about dropping a 500 pounder of high explosives a Football field away from you. Yeah, that's insane to me like that's that is There's danger close and then there's whatever the fuck that is. Yeah. Well, so

Danger close, I mean, is you think about it for every pound of explosive, you want a yard of distance. That's kind of the rule of thumb. That's how you're well. You are well beyond danger close.

Holy shit. And he's like, that's like eating avocado at the end of the day distance. Like it's very distinct taste. Yeah, I just like it is so military in that midst of everything. You're just like, Oh, man, it's Dr. Pepper. It's just want to smoke dope dog. That cherry burning bright and you don't give a

Ah, it's middle of the day. It's time for me. I don't think I don't give a fuck. They haven't hit me yet. It's lung cancer. There's no cancer. It's going to get me. Same mindset across everything. When you're in that situation, you're like, I don't give a fuck. Shit. This sucks so bad. They're going to have to drag my body back. I'm too tired to walk to shoot me right now.

Holy fuck, dude. That is, I mean, and then it is, how long was that actual full engagement for everything to be done before they were like, hey, cause they were inside the camp at this point. They were inside basically within the first hour. They are inside the,

cob at this point. That's what's crazy is it's not like they're pushing in. They are already inside having these battles inside the cob. Yeah. And you're how big is the cob in total? You're talking about the whole cop was East the West was the longest, maybe about 200 meters.

And then north to south was maybe about 125 to 150 meters. So not a very big, not a very big space. And they're already inside the and wire at that. And like I said, within that first hour, they'd breached with by kind of that two hours, they had started burning down most of the buildings. We only owned Red Platoon Barracks, the tactical operation center and the aid station for most of the day.

You said that it was like 30 or 40 percent. It was under your control. The rest was under enemy. Enemy control. They cut us off from a, like I said, the mortar position out to the west we had. We'd lost contact with Sergeant Brady and his guys out there. Cut us off from Gallegos. Reach that whole front gate.

and then toward the east was where we had about 35 afghan afghan army guys and that was kind of their side of the base first contact most of those guys just dropped their weapons and walked away so let that whole east and that's where the first breach came through was a whole eastern side they just

walked on through because there was no one there to defend it other than we had a copus who uh... was one of our young specialist he would end up being the only gun left in the fight that day on a mark nineteen holding off that whole eastern side of the camp uh... he sat in that home v for fourteen fifteen hours and most of the time by himself

just because we couldn't really put, normally would put someone kind of out there by him to help provide like some covering fire when he was reloading. But in the position you had to normally kind of, you could get away with putting him in, was so triangulated and surrounded. Anybody outside of that up armored Humvee was going to get blasted.

Copus at least had the advantage of, and I use that term loosely advantage of being in that up armored Humvee, setting down low enough, they just couldn't quite shoot over the kind of side rails of the turret to kind of finish him off if they had the chance. And like I said, he sat there for

14 hours lost radio comms three or four times he thought he was the only person still alive on the outpost for a few hours and But and I said no one would ever blamed him for being like well fuck you guys I'm going home Let me let me sneak back to go find someone else still alive or someone to talk to me or anything. He's he literally sat there just Slinging rounds. Yeah all day God just like that that that

Let me load this bitch again. She's being a dirty whore today. Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't. I haven't made it to the 64 round mark when they yell at me.

63, I'm good. That comes with the yelling. That's the son of a bitch. I don't want to get in trouble now. Holy shit. And then at what point, because you also took a, it was an RPG shrapnel or what hit you and then using your arm, I do.

Yeah, the right side. So it came to a point, like I said, things were going from bad to worse. Still had contact with Gallegos and Larsen and them out toward the west on that RAS2. Larsen and Arty got in the 50-cal blown out of his hands by an RPG, no longer operable. The 240 that was out there that supported two had long ran out of ammo. And basically, those five guys were just in that Humvee kind of holding on.

So myself and specialist Gregory had a machine gun Mark 48 and we were able to sneak over and look out toward the west. We only had about 200 rounds, because like I said, we'd already been cut off in the ammo supply point. This was kind of the last of the ammo we had left for that gun. And threw that up on the like the 60k generator.

and had a Gregory feeding the gun for me. And I remember just looking out, and this is like, this is probably like the first 30 to 45 minutes into the fight at this point. And looking out toward the West, and I mean, you could just see, they're like ants coming down the hill. I mean, every direction you're looking, there's... Jack. He don't run fast.

They weren't sitting the best. They're shitting at our pod racers. Little Annie Green guy.

Sorry, I feel like that needed a little levity. So open up and like, come like your head's down the hill and it's just going from target to target to target.

There's so much going on. It's like, well, I'll just start aiming that way and I'm going to hit something. And at that time, I'm sitting there and trying to call Gallegos in them. Still got FM comms. And it's like, hey, you guys need to move. You can move now, providing covering fire. And Gallegos is just coming back. And he's like, brother, you can't bring enough fire. Like, we need close air support. We need mortar rounds. We need more than just one machine gun.

just for reference sorry to interrupt but if like what's the rough like the the the count of enemies at that point like how many how many dudes you guys going up against versus yourself at that point i mean the ratio i guess

It would have been just looking at thinking of the targets. I mean, there had to been over 50 on that West side going against, you know, our one machine gun, but they get the high ground. They got cover. Um, I know, I know after everything was all said and done, they, they, they said it was probably about 400 fighters that hit hit us that day. Um, and then what was your total capacity on the base? Uh, we were sitting at 50 Americans and two Latvians.

That's what's insane. You have like that many and it's not this is this is firearms and people that are used to fighting in that terrain well, and I mean those guys they're

Those weren't like, you're just, hey, let me grab an AK and show up today and squarters. They're not squarters. Yeah. They are, they're sitting there and they're fixing you and you can see them try to flank your left. They're flank, because that's what ended up happening is we're engaging out toward the west, trying to get guy, he goes from them to move. Didn't realize that they had breached that front gate just off to our right and they snuck in an RPG, RPG team just to our right, maybe 30 yards away.

Holy shit. And luckily that that RPG was made on a Friday or something at the end of work. Because they touch it off and it comes in just a little low and the generator takes most of the blast. So blows me over on to Gregory. We kind of fall down. Remember grabbing him, kind of picking him up, dusting him off. Hey, are you good? You know, he can still move and stuff and

told him just take off-roaded button. And I grabbed the machine gun, threw it back up on what was left of the generator, took care of the problem to the north out by the front gate. He takes off. I throw in the next, the last 100 rounds we got. I just remember calling back to Gregory and I'm like, brother, you guys have got to move and you got to move now. I cannot hold this position. I'm out of, I'm almost out of ammo. And I'm just sitting there just trying to lay it down as hard as I can.

and a guy who goes just calling back and he's like, brother, we can't go anywhere. They got us pin too hard. I mean, they were just getting pounded from every which way. Like I said, I just remember his last little little bit of ammo comes through that feed tray cover and give him the last call. It's like, if you don't leave now, if you don't move now, you've got to move now. And he just calls back and he just gives a simple, well, be here when you get here, brother.

like you just kind of knew that that was going to be what it was and it was just shitty because it's like man these roles were reversed i knew this this mother was coming to get me and i just felt like i abandoned them at that point because it's like

I always had a good mindset of, you know, I used to tell my guys, like, dead bodies attract more dead bodies. I don't want you coming out and trying to save someone, kill the enemy first. Because if you don't kill them and eliminate the threat, if you go out there and ablaze the glory, well, let me go help my buddy that's down. You're just going to be the next guy down. So kill the enemy first, as much as it sucks to sit there and listen to your buddy say, hey, help me come save me.

It makes no tactical sense to do that until you've eliminated the threat. And at that point, I knew I wasn't going to go run across 200 meters to go or 150 meters to go find Gallegos and try to drag them back.

It was just like, I don't have a machine gun anymore. My position's compromised, and I'm gonna go displace back and figure something else out. But just to hear him say, we'll be here when you get here new, gave me that reassurance that he knew I would eventually, if I could still do it, come back to get him. This is our part of leadership, it is.

It's that I'm making the right call because you have to say it is that it is the hardest part of leadership is that a single moment where I'll thank God a lot of people do not have to go through it as the hard choice. It's like, Hey, you want to no matter what. It's like, Hey, I want to do this. It's just strategically the worst option. And that's where you have to like you have to bite that bull and live with it. But understand it is the right choice at the end of the day. There's as I used to say, like,

There's no right choices sometimes, but even a bad choice is better than no choice, like to make no decision to make no kind of decisive movement will get you killed every time, or at least a bad choice or a bad decision.

You can hopefully learn from that, but at least you're doing something to make a difference. And I mean, Butterman, again, going back to him, when he had to make that call of Alamo position, he knew he was going to be isolating like nine guys.

When he made that call, it's like anybody that can hear this, you get back to these three buildings and we'll hold these. But if you don't get back, I'm sorry, we can't send anybody out. We're literally cutting off the mortar position. We're cutting off. Oh, whereas to like, you've got to get back and

If he would have made that call and I know that that weighs heavily like you said on a leader to set there and be like do I continue to try to try to fight this kind of broken shambles stuff or do I make that call to say hey if you can make it back you make it back if you don't you don't but at least the guys I get back I can figure out where to go with them next where the right call is still objectively shitty yeah I mean yeah there's no

There's no right call, but you got to make a call. Yeah, there's the hardest part in any of that stuff and being able to do that. Even for him, like, what? That means he was in for a year at that point. You were in six years. No, I was in. You were a decade at that. Yeah, I was a, yeah. How's the old guy? I was like, I was a whole 20, 28 years old back then, which, while making those decisions at that age, yeah, Bunderman, he'd been

Well, he had been in headquarters, headquarters troop before coming to us. So he did have a little more time than the average lieutenant did. But I mean, yeah, he'd probably only been in it. Maybe three years from the time he got done with ROTC to Bullock and all his officer training stuff. I mean, three years to make those kind of decisions.

It's a lot. And then not, especially officers side, you don't know where you're getting attached to. You're just thrown to the winds of the military. And then was he, did he even have his Ranger tab yet? Perhaps or no? Butterman was not a...

I love that guy to death. But you're like my homeboy made some right choices. Ranger school was not one of the ones he was going to make. He was one of the greatest lieutenants I ever had because when he showed up, he showed up. He's like, I got a history. I've got a major in history. I like the party and have fun.

If you guys don't make me look like an asshole, I'll make sure all the paperwork is taken care of. Like a great officer right there. Like he was not going to be the next general patent or he came in to do his time to get his college paid for and then move on.

Wild and then closing that up you got how bad was your personal and like cuz you took shrapnel from the RPG and then you were just you were good to you were like still fighting with that afterwards and just like a Yeah, it was just kind of a peppering on the right side The major thing was just kind of a hole in the forearm. I wasn't a through and through it just kind of was there That was that was shrapnel. Yeah, okay shrapnel from the RPG and then of course just a

Lingering of they still come out every now and again in the showers It's funny. It's funny Chris be all the dudes It's like yeah, like if they don't blown up by an idea or something it is like oh, yeah, it's still slowly pops out and you're fun

As more time has gone on, less has came out, and it's like, oh, I'm glad most of that generator calling, though, is frickin' aluminum, because that's Don Ferris, and it doesn't detect in a metal detector, but yeah. You just get stopped by TSA, like, look, it is a long story.

So you just fought on right after that. You're like, OK, slide pad up and then push it through. Well, like when I came back, like I said, finished up that 100 rounds the last we had. And I tried to start. I started displacing back the barracks. And that's where my other buddy, Raz, like this six foot five, Minnesota.

He's kind of standing there kind of by the 6'5". Jesus. He's a big fucker. That's why I would put him as number one guy on the stack team so he could absorb all the bullets. These are the tactics for luck in this one. He was the one that when I came down, just placing back, sat there just trying to get a quick sit rep and he looks down at me and he's like,

You got a hole in your arm, dude. And I look and I'm like, oh, shit. So then he pulls out my Israeli dressing, stops the bleeding, gets it all wrapped up. And then we fast forward. It's like an hour or two later. And I'm sitting there in the tactical operations center.

We're still trying to figure out what's going on next. And all of a sudden, I can't feel my hand anymore. So I'm sitting there trying to manipulate my fingers to get him working again. And First Art Burton comes over and he's like, hey, are you all right? And I'm like, I don't know my fucking, I don't think my hands work in anymore.

And he goes, let me look at it. And he pulls my hand to the side. And he starts unwrapping my Israeli dressing and he goes, who the fuck put this on you? I'm like, well, Brad's dead. He's like, he knows this is addressing not a tourniquet. He had put it on so tight that I was losing the use of my hand because of circulation, not because of the injury. Just looking at it. Thank God. It's all aluminum. Otherwise, the MRI would be real awkward.

You make him do push-ups You put two feet on that is you're tugging The job oh that feels way better. Thank God. It's my right arm that I use for everything We call that the finisher The left is a sustainer

You've unlocked the mysterious stranger perk. Holy shit. This is where I want to transition to. You actually brought this. You actually introduced it by throwing it Brandon before you even shook a hell of an introduction out of the way. That's a pleasure to meet you. Would you get tossed at Brandon?

I don't

No, um, so the original one's the one that the president gives you and then you get the duplicate as a backup. Right. And for me, my original, I donated it back to fourth ID. So it's setting that fourth ID division headquarters. Oh shit.

That's why I rocked the duplicate cuz I don't I don't have the original anymore fourth that may be good send that to the unsubscribe podcast That's brain

No, that's that's actually really cool. I didn't know what the protocol was like what what people did with it Yeah, that's I said you only get you only get issued a total of two And like I said the the first one that's issued as your your name your rank your location of action and then the date it was issued And that's the one to keep hitting this damn microphone

That's the one the president actually puts around you. And then the Duke gets as a backup. Are you able to buy more duplicates later? Like if you've lost it, you can get more ribbons, but the actual award itself now. Got it. No shit. You're bad at you. And now I feel really good that I caught it. He was surprised he caught it, but they do. Wow, you caught it.

But they do have an FBI task force, though, if it gets lost or stolen. That will go trash. Oh, yeah. Oh, no. So if you're mad at someone, you'll just leave it in their car. It's not a Apple air tag, but like, well, it is. It's not. It's a last year. That might have happened where I'd met. I'd met a National Guard first arm. We were at the the Masters.

And we'd met after going to the Masters having a great time hanging out and I Decided to drop it into his gift bag Thinking he was coming back to where we're having this after party out. I didn't realize he was driving 45 minutes in a different direction Much you don't give a fuck

where we might have had to call him, and he's like, hey, I can't remember the kid's name. I'm so terrible at space. And I'm like, hey, where's first or not? I thought he was going to be here. I'm like, oh, no, he had to go back home at the. I was like, oh, well, he might have my Medal of Honor in his gift bag.

So needless to say, he had to drive two hours out of his way. It's going to question you. Where's your gift? Better for no first. You call. It's going to make you shit back then. Whoa, whoa, big. Whoa, clap. Like mother. Where's your gift back? Oh, I threw it away, man. Why are you asking? I don't know. Left it a while ago.

Needless to say we didn't have to call the FBI on that one. That's why I say- You could have though. Self-inflicted. This man stole this money. He's got a real- Holy shit. You're a stolen valor. You're one of those force valor guys. Fuck those guys, man.

He was stolen, I know one of them, for a true American era. He did literally for a period of two hours steal valor. Well, is it really stealing if it's unbeknownst? Then it's forced. No. He got you. Yeah. He got you, and that's why. Forced valor once again. I just like, you're like, I got this motherfucker, and you dropped it.

And they're like, yo, where's that dude at? It's like, where's Frisarnat? And they're like, oh, you went back home. Where does he live? Oh, like an hour north of Augusta. I was like, oh, we're not even close to there. We're so bad. Now, one of my favorite things is you bring it everywhere, wadded up in your pocket. It has gone to the wash more times than it should have.

You guys wonder why I love this man moments like that ever since I've met you you just like you've been who you are which is an amazing human

And you brought today, you toss it to Brandon. So I only caught it. Thank God. Yeah, I would have felt like the biggest asshole in the world, which I'm pretty sure is why you threw it. But well, and I tried to humchuck it. I tried to earhole you like a hockey goalie to get that glove side up. But you're surprisingly got quick hands.

A little nimble, quick hands is what they used to call me in high school, for sure. When did you actually get it awarded? Like what year was that? It was February of 2013. Okay, got you. Okay, so you've managed to keep up with this one for 11 years. Yep, same one. Had to do quick math there. It's a blind state, E3D printed days. I lost that bitch years ago. Oh, that's just the one I got on eBay.

Do you want to pull it out real quick? Well, I mean, you want him to whip it out on the podcast. Oh, yeah, with that bitch out YouTube blur this. I love that was in your pocket. God damn. We'll pass it around.

Prane, you're gonna wear this. Thumbnail. For the thumbnail, he's painting this on. And we gotta double salute you. Hey, you guys, man. Do you want this joke to die or not? This is how the joke dies. I know what I have to do. I just don't know if I have the strength to do it.

uh god dude is such it is so wild compared to every other military even the distinguished service cross which is like the second highest one and you're like oh they're downgrading it and then you're like why are they supposed to downgrade it i thought it was gonna silver star and then you walk in you're like what the

Fuck. Because of basic, don't lie. Basic training, you look and you're like, that's crazy. Yeah. Like coming up through the ranks, you're always thinking like, oh, metal, that's an oddie Murphy. That's, I mean, just bigger than life.

these heroes and warriors that you think about that, you know, the Desmond Dosses and, I mean, the links and the, it's hard to conceptualize. Like any of those stories and to be part of that story for eternity. Cause it's not something it's like, as you're saying, like what, you said 1600, how many people have it? 1440 living 3600 total. Yep.

period have ever had that. And that's the thing too though. It's also not a popularity contest and it's not a lifetime achievement award. That was one of the reassuring coolest things when I met some of the other recipients. They talked about just because you've received the medal doesn't mean that is your life. Learn how to say no, but you're still who you are.

And that's what's crazy about it. And if we put it right there. No, God, no. I just need one doing this myself. I just did it right there. It's like, no. I just need one clip for myself wearing it saying, I got this fight in the sand, you're a guy. That helms deeper.

Even on the microphone it makes me so uncomfortable

Home's deeper. Now, home's deeper is where I found the guys who are remodeling my kitchen. I told you. I was like, I hope he knows what he's getting into on this podcast. As I pictured the military, and that's it. We call them border gear. Border gear.

They should put up a wall for them, guys. Brandon's your third one. I got nothing, man. I mean, you're going to have to go to clothing and sales to get a third Oakley cluster. I'm walking up. I've never seen a silver Oakley cluster through the middle of honor before.

of military people are dying. Do you know how hard it is to make me speechless? I got something for everything, man. That's... Oh, shit. The forest highest of valor have ever... I mean, how many promotion points do you need? Cody, please send me that picture.

Oh, this is what would be the best way for the thumbnail, because the thumbnail is definitely going to be you doing this to him. We want to recreate your photo. But he is now you. So immortalized in all of that. You guys are having a shot every time with this man.

I think I might actually be physically blushing. How much did he tell you? Right now you look like my ex-wife, Trennis. No job. You don't even want to get close to that. I grew up.

Holy shit, I'm so happy. Oh god. So we lie on one throwaway bit a year ago. I was going to go this far. I'm so good. It peaked.

This is officially peaked. This is how we close this chapter and all of this is going to be. What would be the most respectful way from your end to put it on him? Or do we put it on him? You let me know on the respect program, because I have zero. I gave him my purpose. That's just like this. And he was like, stop, push away from me. I was like, why are you being gay? And then in that moment, Eli sensed weakness.

Ooh. Ouch. I know how to ruin your next year. And then Krispy and Jack who got shot but didn't give purple heart. Aw, we're trying to give you a purple heart.

This man that hates veterans over here. Apparently. Oh, by the way, that was... I hate veterans so much that, you know, all of my friends are veterans, you know, and that's one of those. Do you know what they used against him for his, uh, Congushion? Oh, wouldn't that... He hates... What are you talking about? You hate veterans that commit suicide? I see you watch the news.

It was, I literally, I quoted a joke that Eli was like, oh, you need to make this joke. Because we, earlier that day, we had just done a veteran suicide prevention panel.

And he lies like, hey, you need to make this joke. And I'm like, nah, that's a little too far. And then I said the joke on the podcast that I didn't make while we were doing a veteran's charity benefit that morning. And they clip that one seven seconds. They're like, look at this guy. He thinks veteran suicide is funny. I'm like, all the shit I've done, really? And now, OK. That's the one. That's the clip you're going to use.

Us laughing they cut that out just Brandon hates veterans like well when you get $12 million to spend it you can make anything look like anything

politics is so fun. It's amazing. When are you getting back into it? Hopefully never, man. Hopefully, hopefully they just vote right. Wait, what are we doing? Are we doing no? Are we saying no? Well, to what? Are you not getting back into them? What are we doing, Brandon? Are we allowed to talk about this on the podcast? Chase is right there. So we can tell them to edit this out.

Well, the funny part is the most recent thing, by the time this comes out, either is going to be a thing or it really won't be. So we'll see the ATF director thing.

Which, if we had an HEF director, this is the number one low. It started very tongue-in-cheek and then turned it very serious very quickly, which is kind of wild. I started getting a lot of calls from DC. Like if the Trump administration is based enough to even consider this, I am so excited for our incoming administration and our tax stamps. It's $200. So dope. It might be cheaper.

I'll just say I've got some ideas. I got a plan. You're like, fuck. I can't wait. Metal, how would we do this? For a thumbnail would be the most respectful rate to do that and then do branded service and show for the for the lols. Trying to think what would be? This is why you're in the position of not me because I just put it on.

But I want to do everyone at the actual respect. Brian's like, he's sweating. He's like, I was more comfortable when he was throwing it at me. He didn't get him another drink. He was straight with gear. He's got a literally fucking glass of whiskey. Oh, man. Welcome to the podcast. Join my podcast, he said. It'll be fun.

Like why is this like you're bearing the weight of responsibility? No, I have like a flavor-flaved chain. We can then hang it like super low. Oh my god. Do we have a chain? We have to have a chain of some type. Jake, shut the fuck up. No, we don't. No, no, we don't take out the cross and then we put it around the cross.

Dude, the more fucking rosary. And then we take off the cross, and then it's very Mexican, because you've got rosary breeds. And the metal hanging right here. Or it's way more offensive. It's more of the other. You're either good at this. Piss off a lot of Mexicans, or a lot of veterans.

You know, there's like five or six moments where you just have that realization in life. You're like, I shouldn't be doing what I'm doing. This is one of those. Thank you. Dear God.

This is what we could compromise and redo it where we present it to your microphone, which you've been talking in for the last 12 months. The metal won't turn it around. We have. This is the morning. We end it. We're going to do the ceremony before it. We're going to do the joke, right? Yeah, we're making a joke. So that's why I want to respect, because I know you're going to be big on respecting that. And I just want to respect that.

So we will figure this out. And if we just put it on Brandon's mic, which will always forever be the Medal of Honor microphone. Got the Medal of Honor for having to put up with listening to me for hundreds of hours. Do you want to pin it? You can. You do this. Brandon, turn your microphone around. Nope. Nope. Whoa. Turn it that way. There we go. Yeah.