Dom Raso - SEAL Team 6 / DEVGRU Operator | SRS #94

welcome back everybody this week we have. a tier one operator it's a good friend. of mine we served at Seal Team 2. together briefly and then he moved on to. Development Group which is the Navy's. tier one special operations. unit this is a. story about overcoming. loss finding keeping. faith being a good dad and being just an.

allaround good. person this is a heavy episode it's one. that I've been wanting to have for a. very long time and uh it took some. convincing but it was well worth the. wait I can promise you that ladies and. gentlemen if you get anything out of. these episodes please head over to. Spotify and apple podcast leave us a. review that really really really helps.

the show out more than you could imagine. and um please like comment subscribe to. the YouTube. channel ladies and gentlemen once again. this is this is such. a. heavy but good. and it's just an awesome episode it. brings a lot of good into the world. which we could all use right now and and.

um without further Ado please welcome my. good friend Mr Dom Razzo to the Sha Ryan. Show God bless you all and I'll see you. next week much. [Music]. love Dom rozzo welcome to the show. brother it's so good to be here bro it. has been a look I've been wanting to get. you on on here since I started this.

podcast four years ago and so to finally. have you here sitting across from me man. it just it means the world to me and um. it is a real honor you have been an. example of that I've followed uh for. ever since I started my entrepreneur. career and uh it's just it is it's a. real honor to have you here so thank you. thanks brother yeah dude it's God's. timing you know and you reached out to. me the first time and you know I'd.

wanted to come out here I'd even think. we' planned it it was like that's going. to be the day and uh whatever got bumped. off for but here we are man I mean it's. it's an honor to be here too you know. just seeing the influence that you're. making in everybody's lives and it's. very surreal you know in a lot of ways. but it's just awesome to see and uh you. know it's great to be here bro well. thank you thank you let me give you a. quick introduction for those of you that. don't know who Dom is but Dom former. Navy SE of 12 years we we spent a little.

bit of time together at Seal Team 2 not. much we actually never got to deploy. together unfortunately then you went on. to Seal Team 6 Development Group went. into gold Squadron now you are an. entrepreneur you have a few different. businesses dynamus Alliance which the. motto is will to fight adaptive X which. is your gear company and your newest. Venture I believe is armor up correct. that's our fitness program that we have.

so Crush everything is the overarching. of all those you know yeah those are all. underneath that but uh that's what. happens when you're an entrepreneur but. yeah that's that's the majority of them. amazing uh career as an entrepreneur as. well a man of very strong faith a. warrior for Christ you're a family man. father of five and a very successful. marriage so you are you know like I had. mentioned previously you're just.

you are a great person man there are not. a lot of. people there are not a lot of positive. examples for the Youth today and you are. one of those few positive examples that. that. that not just the younger Generations. all generations men and women can can. look to you and you're going to lead. them in the right way and uh that means. a lot to me and uh I know it means a lot.

to people and and also um you know i'. told you this personally before but just. the way you carry yourself both as a. family man in your personal life and as. a entrepreneur and a warrior for. Christ D you're just you know I've never. seen you ever waver on your values your. beliefs and you.

no matter what's throwing at you no. matter what kind of adversity you're. facing no matter what the money is no M. any of that stuff that can that can. influence people. into going into a darker place you you. don't bend a knee and. um there's not very many people that I. can say that about and uh you are one of. them and I paid attention to you from. the beginning you know your branding you. know as a businessman is outstanding I. took a lot of notes.

um watching you when I was first. starting out and and uh I just I owe you. a huge thank you man cuz you have been. an inspiration to me so and to many. that's really awesome I uh it's humbling. to hear and uh again very surreal just. to be sitting here and um you know one. thing that you did say I'd have to. correct you on is that um I I do bend a. knee and that's to God and that's where. a lot of the credit all of the credit um. for everything you know and that's like. the spirit moving through my life.

through all of our lives together my. family I mean everything that you just. mentioned when you sit back and think. about it it's like those are things that. God has blessed me with you know even. through the difficult times and through. the things that I jacked up um he still. his mercy and forgiveness was there for. me to be able to work through all that. and I really have I think the one thing. that has really been important to me and. I think that matters the most.

for all of us is to seek the truth. relentlessly with everything that we. have because if we don't we end up. living something that is less than that. and I think that that for us we have a. duty and an obligation to do that and. that's part of what's fired me up so. much and um I'm just pumped to be here. because of you and what you've done and. your influence and also what what's. become of uh you communicating with. people and putting stuff out I mean I. know a lot of people that have changed.

what they do because of you too and that. impact is awesome and uh again we have. talents that God has put in front of us. that's for anybody we all have talents. in a different way and so to put those. to use you're actively doing it and it's. not freaking easy it's tough and we have. to work through some of those things. every single day and you've you've said. you know what um one of the things that. I that I heard recently that I really. liked is like a saint wasn't somebody. that you know just stopped showing up. they weren't like they weren't different.

than everybody else they just kept. getting up again and again and again and. said I'm going to lean into this and uh. you know you get punched in the chin. when you do that and um it's worth it. though so definitely it's definitely. worth it and um I want to expound on. that subject a lot towards the towards. the end of the interview so but um. everybody that comes on the show gets a. gift so Dom I got you a gift thanks. brother.

ah so where are my kids right now. because they would be crushing these uh. I've eaten my fair share of vigilance. Elite gummy bears and I remember when. you first released these I was uh I was. really stoked for you cuz I knew that it. was something unique and different that. uh you know nobody else was thinking of. but my kids love these they're going to. be stoked and so is this for the kids. too or is that for me to make my next. blade that is so I heard a rumor that. you developed your blade uh from from.

Playdoh that's actually true and so I. don't know where you heard that from but. that's true I don't know where I heard. that from em but uh yeah and it might. even been this color actually my kids. will have a blast with this I actually I. really do believe that it was that color. but when I was in there you know I was. like how do I convey to Winkler that uh. this is the perfect grip and so I. literally had a piece of Play-Doh I I. took it from Dominic my son and I was I. was manipulating it and I was like well. this thing has to be forward in Reverse. grips so I went forward reverse forward.

aggress and I sat there for 3 hours just. kind of like tweaking it a little bit a. little bit and I got it exactly where I. wanted it and I let it it dry I let it. dry and then I took a bunch of pictures. of it and I sent that to. wler do you have your blade on you yeah. well I have the Razer back on yeah i'. love. the the this razor back this Razer back. was the compact version of the initial. Blade the dynamus blade is the fulls. size version that was our that's like. our OG started it all write a passage I.

said out of all the things that I've. done in my career how do I make the. perfect carry SL combat blade because. they have to be able to do both and I. wanted to you know get the motor memory. down so that was uh this is the compact. version this is the Razer back of course. this was uh tributed and named after. Adam Brown to give him a little bit of a. tribute huge impact on my life so um. yeah that's that's the that's the razor. back and uh those are those are on your. website currently yes good uh I'm going.

to pick one of those up too I think I. have the original one and I'd love to. grab one of those too so well um I got. you a gift oh really I did I love gifts. and so on that note I got you a crush. everything gift pack so here I'll just. pass it along it's in a really fancy uh. Perry's I think we ate her last. night oh man these are the belts that we. were just talking about ads we were just.

talking about and I actually got one for. your wife thank you so you know you can. load those up and do whatever you need. to but hopefully those are useful these. we just had a long discussion about this. on uh your EDC pocket dump so anybody. that is curious I highly suggest you. watch that it's one of the most. informative ones we've. done we have. here.

he knows how to open it look at that he. knows what he's. doing oh man so that is the r Blade the. r blade that's the r blade and that. would be if our original blade and our. razor back had a baby that's what it. would come out like so it's a fullsize. concealable combat blade and you got the. IW B sheath there as well the in the. waistband sheath thank you that's yours. brother so you don't have to go far to.

get it now this is beautiful thank. you I'm going to have you sign this of. course and I'm going to frame it and put. it in the studio cuz it has. a lot of sentimental value to me well so. this is this is the uh the last thing. I'll give you but the most important and. you know full circle uh seeing how far. this has traveled along the way.

uh there's a spark of faith in in all of. us and our. relationship got reinvigorated when we. started talking about our faith and this. has just been a symbol of that and I. can't tell you how many people texted me. and called me and told me that you gave. Jim cisel the rosary uh that made a big. impact just even with the small. community that I have um of how powerful. that was so I'm taking again the one. that I have and I'm giving it to you. this is the olive wood these beads are.

from Bethlehem um you know that and you. know the power of what this is but I. wanted to also give this to you on the. show and you know make sure that this. was back to you and uh you know you have. it it's important you know especially as. a as a weapon so here you go brother I. wanted to make sure I get that thank you. thank you yeah I did not know that these. beads were from Bethlehem they are the. Olivewood beads are from Bethlehem wow. yep that thank you man and so you've got. uh a couple more variations in there.

that will actually explain the card on. it about where it's from why they're. from Bethlehem and some of the uh some. of the design work that goes into those. man thank you Dom of course nobody's. getting this one but me so but uh you. say that now thank you if somebody you. know there's always a higher calling at. times and uh that's proven that out so. thank. you put that right there for. now and uh thank you for these as well.

all right so we're going to get into the. interview so I'd like to do a. full just a full scope life story on you. start from childhood moving into. military career transitioning out what. you're doing now Faith fatherhood being. a family man spiritual warfare we have a. lot to talk about Dom so um I'm going to. kick it off with uh with a question I. have a a Patron on my patreon that is he.

has been waiting for this interview for. a very very long time his name's he goes. by moose moose and um so I'm just going. to read his. question developing the precise mindset. required to reach the position of Dev. group Demands a unique mental approach. how challenging did you find it to adopt. that mission focused perfectionist. attitude into your life post active duty.

the one thing that I left the command. with and I can say this like it happened. yesterday walking out those doors. knowing that I might not ever step foot. back into that building where so much of. my life was changed and turning around. and looking back at The. Brick I said to myself I. said one thing that I was taught here is. that if there's something wrong in the.

world or if there's something wrong in. the team or if there's something wrong. with a department or if there's. something wrong at period General and a. story it will not change unless I do. something about it and it's true for. every aspect of our life is that we have. to take ownership for the things that. we're seeing and that we're identifying. that need to be fixed and if we don't. step up and we are not the ones we.

should not expect it to change and I. think that that's the. major thing that I left with knowing. that at every turn being an entrepreneur. being a father being a husband. interacting with people in our culture. recognizing the issues politically that. we were dealing with I was very quickly. recognizing that if I don't do something. about it it's not going to change and. how beautiful is it when we get to do.

that as a team how beautiful is it when. we get to do that as a city how. beautiful is it when we get to do that. together that that's when the world. changes um but it starts with us and. that's one of the biggest things from a. mindset perspective that I walked away. with knowing that I was the guy you are. the guy if you're listening to this and. you have something going on in your life. you're the one you have to do something. about it and when we take action the. world around us starts to change and.

when we don't nothing changes and we. shouldn't expect a different result and. again we all know the definition of. insanity right we keep approaching the. same problem again and again and. expecting different results we use the. same tactic and we think something's. going to change we should at least. clearly understand that it won't unless. we change and so I would say that that's. the major thing that applied I used to. my advantage walking out those doors now. it wasn't perfect to begin with at all. um that had to grow on me and and how. that transformed clearly since the day.

that I look back at that door until. right this very second has been a. transformation process in so many. different. ways but I'll leave it at that because. I'm sure we're going to get into a lot. of this stuff but the other aspect that. I think was probably equally as. important and that enhances that idea is. that my favorite quote at least in a. combat perspective was by George Patton. and that's a good plan executed. violently Now is better than a perfect.

plan executed a week from now so I knew. that I couldn't overthink the idea of. what was going to happen I couldn't. overthink walking through the door I. couldn't overthink the project that I. had to lead I couldn't overthink the. trip I had to set up you just got to get. going and sometimes it literally happens. in a second or it happens within a. period of hours but you've got to take. action cuz I knew that I would learn. more through the action and my screwing. up and doing it wrong and not getting it.

right then I would that if I sat there. and tried to make this perfect plan and. put it all whiteboard and and making me. feel all good because today what does. everybody do they overanalyze everything. everybody puts them themselves in a. state of paralysis they don't actually. lift a finger everybody's looking at. their watch making sure they've got this. is reading the way it's supposed to. instead of actually doing what they know. is right using their heart to know what. they know is right so for me that quote. I think probably saved my life I think. that quote probably save the lives of. the guys around me and really applying.

that to everything that I did. postmilitary was the same exact result. go fast now as hard as I possibly can. I'll figure it out on the Fly MH and. I'll end that in saying there's also I. think some cons that come along with. that mindset that we that I don't want. to miss and I don't want to just leave. on the table as like oh that's going to. be your best quote go ahead and do it. what happened to me from an. entrepreneurial perspective is that I. applied that mindset to everything that.

I had going on and I was trying to do. too much too fast too spread thin and I. always equate it to like when you're in. a boat you know when you slow down in. the boat and the big wave comes and hits. the transom and and it follows up on you. that's what life did to me because I try. to apply that mindset with no planning. and I was just trying to head first. we're going to figure it out we're going. to figure it out at some phase line and. in some situations we should take the. time to pray through and plan what we. want to do uh my wife always reminds me. of the the scripture that says you know.

you have to count the cost if you're. going to do something count the cost and. I think that that's true and if we apply. that mindset along with the violent plan. we can have a really good outcome and. then doing it Faithfully so I would say. that is probably the best way I can. explain what I took away how I applied. it to my entrepreneurial life all the. way up until today man those are some. great uh great life lessons one being in. short I think a great way to summarize. it would be. you create your own reality whether you.

like it or not you create your own. reality number two do one thing do it. extremely well and then move on and I. learned that lesson also as an. entrepreneur and I will say you know it. was like swimming around in circles you. know I was. doing reality TV stuff on my channel I. was I I I had 10 different things going. on I wasn't really good at any of them.

and then one day I finally said this all. I'm doing is this podcast that is it I. don't no more shiny objects I'm not. going after it I don't care what it is. and once I adapted that mindset or. adopted that mindset things really. started falling into place and in a. hurry and uh so great advice Tom I I. think that that's absolutely true. because I was telling you earlier uh the. book The 4H Hour Work Week I mean I. literally read that as I was.

transitioning out and I would tell you. you know there's a lot of things that I. look back in my life I'm like okay I. wouldn't change a thing but for the for. the purposes of this example I think I. would go back and burn that book like. literally light it on fire Tim Ferris. jacked me all up like because I had this. mindset that I was just going to go. delegate all the things that I was. increasing in so as soon as I got good. at something then it was time to pass it. off to do more right and it was a. disease it's a virus and and I'm not.

doing what you just explained and that. was become the best at this know how to. explain it teach it live it do it with. your eyes closed before anything changes. and I think we live in a world where we. expect everything to grow and scale we. want all these things to happen and. that's what everybody wants everything's. driven by analytics and measurements and. those are good for some cases but from. the standpoint of reading the 4-Hour. Work week and not truly taking. accountability to that I spread myself. to too fast and I didn't really.

appreciate the process of really doing. those things well before I passed them. off to somebody else I always just. anybody that joined my team I'm like um. you're just going to like figure this. out right so I'm going to give you a. little bit of the skill but then you're. going to kind of take it on and do it on. your own where where I should have done. it a little bit more intentionally than. that so yeah you know that. the I think I know exactly what you're. talking about and and and you know it. it's important to know for me it's. important to know every single aspect of. my business. if my team it's great when you can.

delegate you got a big team and you. really don't know anything yeah it can. go great until it doesn't corre and then. what the hell are you going to do MH and. so it's it's good to know you should be. able to fill every single role in your. own business in my personal opinion so. somebody leaves somebody quits somebody. gets hurt somebody goes on whatever. happens you can immediately step in and. fill that role and it's business as. usual Nobody Knows the difference other. than you have a little bit less time off. your plate but um th% but uh well Dom.

let's get into your life story I want to. start at the very beginning where did. you grow up so I grew up in New England. I grew up in Rhode Island and that. environment has definitely played a part. in my life you know being around the. water you know I grew up around right. down the street from the ocean so that. played a part in really like I don't. like thinking about being anywhere with. the ocean so Rhode Island Ocean State.

New England type of feel you know a lot. of those kind of traditional things that. we think of when we think of New England. cold water guys out there fishing um. that was that's kind of transcended. throughout my life as well you know even. for my children but I grew up there and. you know we had everything from you know. really good Italian and Portuguese food. I knew a lot of Italian Portuguese. people that's like how I grew up you. know very very very tight family very. very.

um kind of like just traditional you. know feeling you know big festivals and. feasts all the time it's part of what I. miss in Virginia Beach you know you. don't get those you don't get that big. Portuguese Feast the big Italian Feast. you know like those are something we. look forward to often so yeah grew up in. New England good family yeah I I was. very blessed I mean everything I look. back on I mean I obviously struggled big. time when I got into my teenage years. but the majority of my upbringing I was.

very very blessed you know um my family. was great I was the type of person kid. child I for some reason got along with. everybody in my family whether it was at. the Gatherings for Thanksgiving uh at my. aunt's house and we always made it a. point to gather that was the beautiful. thing that I want to keep going that. we're missing today a lot it's like. family's fragment and they don't get. that so I really appreciated the aspect. of always coming together always coming. together in fact I think they do it so. much in some cases in some families they.

take it for granted you know and I. always remind people like never take. that for granted it's your family so you. know we. had a broken home in a sense you know I. look at now as a blessing i it's hard to. not think of any of this as a blessing. because it put me here talking to you. but my mother and father they were never. married um I remember as young as I can. remember and I would I would say I was. probably four or five. you know and all I can remember is I.

have this visual of just there's. multiple cop cars outside mom and my dad. were just yelling at the top of their. lungs together uh battling and arguing. over me um and so they never were on the. same page about that and I and I had to. show up to court a lot and I was pitted. against my parents in a lot of cases how. old were you when this was going on you. know that memory was probably around. four or five and then pretty much from. that point until you know my teens I had. to go back and forth on a lot of that um.

child support you know my mom needing. help U my dad you know wanting to be. with my dad and then having to Cho I. mean one of the hardest things I ever. remember as a child is I have this. person in front of me that I have no. idea who they are to sitting here asking. me to choose of which parent I wanted to. go with right I'm in a courtroom in. Providence my mother sobbing her eyes. out my dad's standing there at the end. of the table and they're like which. parent are you going to you know which. parent are you going to go with here.

right while they're I still to this day. have no idea what the actual issue is. but there they are in court and as a. child and so that developed me earlier. on to have a very very very adaptable. mindset because I knew I had to go back. and forth between Mom and Dad and kind. of understand how to to make those. decisions a lot of kids are in that. position right now 100% so I would. how did you.

choose very very very emotionally and. very uh drastically you know my mother. was very tough on me um from a. standpoint of like she'd have no problem. like smacking me off of a seat if I did. something wrong you know and she. mentally could kind of get to me like my. inner core you know like she was the. person yelling at me on the phone while. I was in buds getting ready to go to. hell week like motivating me right so. she had that tenacity it's like don't. you dare think about quitting right so.

her mindset at a young age it really. developed kind of like this you know. like I have very like on edge like so on. edge with my mother but man I can't help. to say it's such a blessing today. because she she hardened me she prepared. me for the world she prepared me like. anybody yells at me now I'm like yeah. okay whatever pal like you know you're. not my mom um but to choose even at this. point now um cuz I went back and fourth. but initially I think I had I said I'm.

going to go with my father but that. didn't necessarily work because of his. work schedule so then it was split where. I had to be with my mom for the week and. then my dad came and got me on the. weekends and so like my dad was the fun. guy right my D my mom had to do all the. things that were tough she had to get me. to school she had to make sure I was. eating right she had to make sure that I. was getting taken care of um I remember. her walking down the street to pick up. food from the local church because she. had no money you know what I mean she. didn't she couldn't pay for anything um. so she was on welfare for a while I. remember her using food stamps for for.

quite a while we took the bus everywhere. carried bags of you know groceries to. you know through the street with you. know shopping bags that were cutting off. my circulation like I remember all those. memories like just walking miles to get. back home um but eventually you know. developed that mindset of like oh my. dad's the fun guy he's coming on Fridays. and he would pick me up we' get in the. car he'd speed down the road and we'd. hang out for the weekend we'd go fishing. and doing all these things. so I developed a really good. relationship with my father because he.

was there you know he was picking me up. and he was interacting with me as part. of my life and I realize today like what. a major blessing that is to have a. father that cares for you and how many. people out there do not yeah um and how. critical that is to have that Father. Figure in your life which again I mean. we're I could go right to talking about. faith right now and why that's. critically important we all have a. different Journey but I I eventually was. split went to school and and as I. started to develop some of my own. personal choices and and and impact and.

talking other people I think eventually. we were back in court. again and uh my mom was just really. really tough and it just got to the. point where I wanted to be with my. father and so I was pushing for that so. I was kind of bucking the system with. her in in pretty much any way that I. could and it got really intense I mean. we were Liv in an apartment um for a. while you know I remember our apartment. life to this day that's why you know. when people people are you know living. in the really really tight quarters I.

can very easily relate to that you know. people yawn at each other down the hall. you know everybody knows everybody his. business and um so I kind of wanted to. get out of there I feel like I was. really being pressured by my mom and and. in a lot of ways physically mentally and. so I eventually stopped with my dad and. said you know how do we do this and man. to this day it it like sucks that it had. to be that way but. you know I talked to my dad and. eventually had to call like a whatever.

those people that you call right when. things get really tough like that. um and. so talking to my dad and having her call. that person and then you know the. biggest thing is like the reason I'm. getting emotional is cuz like the look. of my mother when I had to say you know. I did this you know I'm the one that. brought this person here because you're. not treating me right because her love. still existed and in a lot of ways.

looking back at it it was tough love but. I didn't necessarily understand that and. maybe it was or it wasn't right but in. the big scheme of things it really. wasn't that big of a deal you know and I. just wanted to get out of there uh. because I felt like it was getting so. tough to kind of understand things and. uh you know again I don't want to use. the word abuse right cuz parents have to. parents have to understand that they are. responsible it is their duty to correct. their children and that's not my.

responsibility to tell somebody else. what to do but at some point when you're. a kid it kind of feels like you're being. attacked it feels like they're going. above and beyond and that's the way it. felt and maybe she was um but bringing. that person in between our relationship. and having her look at me with like you. did this to me like you chose not to be. with me um it crushed me but it was a. decision I made and eventually stayed. with my father and we you know had a. great time together I was happy with the.

choice but still had to deal with that. dragging feeling of like I did that to. my mom I did that to my mom and um we. still maintained a good relationship and. in fact I think leaving there helped. develop our relationship back and. strengthen it a little bit so we tend. you know I think maybe I was going with. her on some weekends and with my dad. during the week I had switched schools. it's like I don't even remember staying. at one school for more than two or three. years so I was like I was always. adapting to different people and. different things that's why I feel like. today I can just you can put me in any.

room anywhere in the world with anybody. and I'm like yeah what what are we. talking about like we're fine and so. that's part of my adaptability story and. then growing up with my father you know. really doing more with him getting. involved watching what he was doing that. helped influence me as well but that was. a big portion of my my childhood that I. don't think I've ever talked about. before I think that's probably the first. time I've ever said that openly about. the back and forth with my mom there but. that situation as a child was so. difficult to have to choose between the.

two I know they both cared for me you. know and there's so many different. situations out there that people are in. I think the one thing I wish I would. have had was more faith and some more. faithful Direction and who knows if that. was the case they probably wouldn't have. gotten in that situation to begin with. so where did you I mean speaking of. faith I mean I know your faith is. ex maybe the strongest I know you know. right now but. um where did that come from. I know I know I mean you mentioned it it.

it came in in childhood who what who was. the. influence both of my parents were and to. be honest with you I talk about this. with my brother all the time is that my. mom was adamant about putting us in the. curriculum for the church you know and. making us go through CCD and raising us. in the faith for whatever reason and. even my wife and I talk about it today. because while she wasn't a devout. Catholic and she wasn't disciplined in.

her faith it was very very important to. her to continue to push us in that. direction and so we went through the. formation as a child to go through CCD. to go through holy first communion and. to get baptized and I was actually older. when I got baptized I want to say I was. around eight or nine when I actually. finally got baptized and so that. experience seeing all my family come. together it did not get handled and I. didn't have anybody with me that really.

said do you have any idea how important. this is and what you're getting ready to. do and that's why I'm so different today. because I recognize that but in the. formation of that my mom knew it was. important and I know there's a purpose. for that even though she wasn't doing it. herself it was it was important enough. for her children to go through and so. today looking back on those experiences. I see a lot of the reason that I saw it. the way that I did but that's where it. came from from you know at an early age. and in New England and even throughout. the country and and everybody I mean.

the immigrants coming in from. overseas and everybody else having an. influence in Catholic faith it kind of. became almost just this check in the box. it's part of what you do you grow up. this way I mean I can't tell you it is. in some cases heartbreaking to me to. hear a lot of people like oh yeah I grow. up that way but you know and there's. always this butt the culture gave us. this butt and that's exactly how I grew. up you know and I was talking to you. earlier the 60s the 70s started to come. unravel all that and spread lies.

throughout our community and our culture. and our faith but ultimately you know. looking back on it and and how it. happened um she was one of the ones that. pushed me you know and she was one of. the ones that kept me at least a breast. to it and while nobody looked me in the. eye and said this is the most important. thing that you're ever going to do in. your entire life at least it was on my. heart like I never outright rejected God. I never said like you know that he. doesn't exist and I don't need him cuz. it was it was there but it just wasn't.

taken seriously nobody taught me that. you know my godfather even to this day. could probably care less that he's a. Godfather um and every time I go to a. baptism I look men right in the eye even. if I don't know him and I say do you. have any idea what you just. did do you have any idea the. oath that you just. took for that. child. and and so from my childhood I didn't.

have anybody that came up to me and. looked me in the eyes and told me that. and I think in a lot of ways that's what. we're missing for our youth but Faith. was a part of my upbringing it was there. it was a breast of it I mean I outright. rejected my. confirmation you know we can go into the. whole story of my faith but you know I. was listening to garbage music I was. listening to the world I was influenced. by my friends in my influence you know. of people that just didn't care and all.

I probably would have needed was. somebody that took it seriously to say. hey just need you to pay attention just. a little bit more here because this is. everything and I probably would have. done it but for whatever reason out of. God's Graces he put me through this. journey and this path and. uh so now looking back at my faith when. I outright rejected my confirmation I. was like no I'm not ready for this I. don't understand this um I don't that's. not for me and that's where I left you. know I separated from the church I. separated from the understanding of it. and then I went up and signed the you. know joined the military shortly after.

that let's backtrack just a second what. does a God parent mean to. you so in the name. itself of a Godfather a godm. mother you are among the first around. that child that is taking an oath in. front of God that is saying I am. volunteering my life to raise. raise this child to be their first.

teacher their first guide and their. first. protector and we miss that today God. Father's been deduced down to the movie. you know and so to me we have to get. back to the. responsibility and the vocation that. we've been given under that oath. and it's definitely something that God. put on my heart because I don't let.

anybody get out of the church without. talking to him because I don't think. that most guys even understand what. they're they're signing up for and when. we are in communion with each other as a. family and a Godfather truly does that. that might be the person that saves them. from a difficult situation in their life. or gives them just enough of spark of. Faith to get through the difficult. challenge that they're getting ready to. go through and I don't until I really. started to grow in my church community.

and the brothers that I have around me I. am sorry to say that I probably couldn't. have found somebody that I knew as a. Godfather that was actually living up to. the call of what it actually means and. just like parents at baptism we are. giving our lives to be the first. teachers and the first guides and what. we're seeing today out of our faith and. people stepping up to say I'm going to. do that I don't think people are taking. it seriously yeah obviously a lot of. people are but the Godfather means.

exactly that godmother Godfather you are. volunteering to give your life to be a. teacher to that child to raise them in. the faith and doing it right because. they're going to look to you as that. example they're going to look to you as. that faithful director in their life and. I think we need to continue to redefine. and and reawaken what that means for. everybody that's saying I'm going to be. with this child in the most important. part of their life to become priest. prophet and King and be able to bring. bring them into the house of God and to. be accepted and to be brought into the.

communion of the church you. know interesting I never thought of it. like that I all I guess I have kind of. always uh considered it to. be the parents. replacement if that makes sense and that. could be too and that and that is I. think when you really deeply dive into. the fact that they would be a faithful. director in the faith well then that's. kind of one of those things it's it's. kind of like why the first commandment. is love your God love God with all your. heart all your mind and all your. strength well if you're doing that job.

well well then it would without thinking. about it you like The Godfather clearly. would be the replacement you know if. they are stepping up the way they're. supposed to that's the first person. their children are going to look to to. be like help me you know my parents. aren't here I need you because you've. been a faithful guide to me I've trusted. you you've been there at my baptism all. the way up and through my childhood. you're the guy or girl that I'm supposed. to confide in and rely on so I I don't. think you're wrong at all at all I think. you're absolutely right I just think. it's a part of that job you.

know what Switching gears here and and. we're going to keep touching on faith. cuz it is it follows you throughout your. entire career as far as I as as as far. as I know uh where did the where did. the influence to join the military come. from is so I my buddy John Divine which. I don't know if you know Divine kin's he. does a lot of good stuff out there we. literally grew up across the street from. each other not sure if you knew that um. I didn't know yeah we were best friends. growing up like literally best friends.

to this day um we have childhood. memories of running around the. neighborhood with each other playing. paintball playing tag Manhunt all those. things like that was us um and so that. we had a beautiful relationship as. children to be able to interact at that. level and I remember one day we were. walking down the road and uh you know he. kind of mumbled something like oh. there's these guys that are like the tip. of the spear that are like super awesome. and my dad's friend knows them and uh he. knows a guy that's one of those dudes. and I was kind of like wait a minute.

what are you talking about you're like. say that again he's like yeah these like. Navy SEAL guys you know and that's kind. of where it started but for whatever. reason that's why I can recall the. moment like it was yesterday cuz I was. like what did you just say what is that. I want to know more about that and so he. kind of explained in whatever child way. he would right probably expounding and. exaggerating in like 10 different areas. um and I was hooked from that moment and. I wanted to know more and so he kind of. contrived you know or or put together.

some kind of ideas about who these guys. were and I think our next trip was to. the library you know shortly after that. where they had like two books you know. in the library on Navy Seals was like. one was like a picture book and one was. like the history of Vietnam it was like. very super super simple now you can't. even keep up with them but it it was. also that beautiful moment of pulling. those books out like whoa this is it. this is what we wanted to find and you. know it was like a treasure at the. library to be able to find that thing. and look through those pictures and I.

think from that point on it was a. continued formation in our hearts to put. pieces together about why that was. important and why we wanted to do that. you know Manhunt tactics survival that. was all kind of natural to us I mean we. would go down the end of the road and. surf torture each other you know for. hours on end uh we'd go to the local. pool and try to drown each other and tie. each other up I mean it was the. documentary on the. Discovery Channel right I think was the. old one the first one the one where.

they're mowing down everything with the. 60 in the woods right the branches are. breaking you know and that would just. drew me in from the warrior perspective. now that I look back on it today there. was something in my heart that just. needed that to be a part of my life and. I wanted to be at that high level of. Engagement knowing that we were going. after bad guys and after you know good. and evil was very clear to me at that. point and so getting rid of what was bad. being the best that you could made sense. and so in a childlike manner you know.

from that point we kind of just imitated. as much as we could as much as we knew. how ultimately until it became you know. reality and again that's why I'm always. fascinated and you said it earlier I. forgot what exact quote you used but. like God allows us to manifest our. thoughts into reality and that's a crazy. thing when you really take ownership of. that and so this is another example of. us God allowing us to manifest our. reality and so we made a bet with each. other we were sitting on the front porch.

we were playing with GI Joe's and I. looked him in the eye and I was like I'm. going to bet you that I become a seal. first he's like all right deal and we. shook on it it was 50 bucks 50 bucks and. uh we had that deal going for so long. and and uh I gave him such a hard time. because I beat him and he eventually got. in though and it was an interesting. relationship when he didn't make it the. the first time um he's got a really. interesting story as well just from the. standpoint of like what he had to do to. get there the second time and it was it.

was really crazy I mean he had to beg. borrow steal I mean he did everything in. his power to get to it but that was his. determination he eventually made it and. we kind of had a little bit of a lull. there cuz it was like this awkward you. know like I love you brother but what's. going on and I think he was a little bit. you know just wrapped up in himself. about why things happen the way they did. but then eventually when he made it it. was like boom we just sparked like dude. you made it you you know we fulfilled. here's two best friends growing up.

across the street from each other and. then you made it I made it and here we. are you know were you guys did you guys. were you in the same class together we. were not in the same class no we we. never deployed with each other okay we. never we never I mean that would have. been beautiful right this was like one. of those things that would have been. epic right best friends going to battle. um but we didn't actually deploy or do. anything together so so did you go did. you go right into the teams yes so when. I was in uh boot um pre-boot Camp Maps. whatever you know they put the choices. in front of me and I was just like I.

want the shortest possible school to get. to Buds and like all right well it's. this uh parachute Breer school I was. like okay cool go down to Pensacola did. that for I think it was like a six to8. week school super short and I crushed. myself down there you know really. putting out making sure I stayed in. shape learning new methods I mean I was. doing all the weird things breathing out. of my nose the whole time trying to. Sprint and you know all like all the. crazy stuff that we Tred. do and then I went right to buds after.

that and then that's where that started. that was. 2001 when did uh 911 happen for right in. the buds classroom in first phase do you. remember it yeah I remember when they. came in they turned the TVs on you know. I know Eddie I don't know if Eddie. talked about it but uh that was that was. a surreal moment too we're literally in. Buds and what phase it was first phase. and I'm trying to think were we in hell. week no I don't think we were in hell. week it might have been like post hell.

week I can't remember the timing but it. was like right around that time was. either in or or the week after and they. turned the TVs on and was just like whoa. you know we signed up for this before. that happened so that realization of. like this is what we came here to do we. just got. attacked and now there was this reality. that hit and that transcended throughout. my military career like right from that. very moment even though it was serious.

before takes on a different reality when. you know it's real you know it takes on. a different feel that's part of why I'm. so intimate with all the gear and the. training that I do because your life. depends on it and so now you know. whatever you're getting ready to do in. buds your life depends on it literally. so don't screw up don't make a misstep. because that you've that's going to. account for when you kick the door down. with the guy standing next to you which. at that point was me and Eddie you know. we went to buds together did everything. together you. know can you what was.

said when they flipped the TVs. on you know I can't. remember what exactly was. said I I just know that you know PE the. instructors don't just turn the TV on in. the in the Bud's classroom that's not. something you do so it's like okay this. is serious first and foremost and it's. almost like no words needed to be said. you know that's kind of how I remember. it that couldn't that might not be the. case maybe somebody said like look at. this that's going on in the world or you.

know we just got hit with another plane. I could make words up but the truth is I. don't remember it was just this solemn. kind of reality kind of setting in you. know you remember the Bud's classroom. right like just sitting there like on. the desks everything's quiet nobody's. moving these two TVs are on blasting. this you know these planes hitting the. towers and we're just like whoa okay. game on it's time to work I mean it. happened. happened early in the morning you know. not super early in the morning but it. was what midm morning morning yeah and.

uh so if you do remember what was the I. mean what shifted how did how did. training it had to have shifted I wasn't. there yet I was uh I just graduated boot. camp so I don't I don't have a reference. but I would I would love to know what. what. the how the mood shifted from pre 911 to. 9/11 I mean you're you're in one of the.

toughest military training programs in. the world to be one of the most elite. operators in the world and to to to be. in at that time and to witness that. shift I'm very curious yeah I think it. was just the reality and the weight you. know you kind of get those the feeling. of the classroom was that nothing needed. to be said but then after the fact you. know you have your buddies we're still. going through buds there's still a. chance that you know that some guys. aren't going to make it and there's just.

this kind of like undertone almost. Whispers like is this really happening. like is this this is going down and that. means that if we just got attacked then. there's a high probability of us having. to deploy immediately when we get to our. team well that wasn't the case so I do. think you know these phases are so. different first second third pH all the. way through your training it's. constantly shifting and adapting and no. one's the same so it's hard to kind of.

contrast um a baseline of what the mood. would have been and what what it is now. but I definitely think that what was. carried throughout the entire thing is. the fact that we all knew that we were. going to war you know so when we did. approach a training object I don't know. what buds would have been like in second. phase without knowing we weren't going. to war you know what I'm saying like it. was just that was the reality for us so. I think. that I would probably say say thinking. about this in. hindsight our buds class was probably. where the spark started for a different.

totally different vibe in there yeah. because pre our class. 236 there wasn't a war going on and so. you were just going through you wanted. to be a seal it was something that you. know you had the chance to do but then. very stark contrast to that is that boom. 911 hits were in the buds classroom and. now everything's different you know so I. wouldn't have known what it would have. been like without it but I do sense that. throughout that time we just recognized. that this is real you know and that.

stayed true you know when I got to the. teams it was like all right guys your. first deployment you're going right to. Afghanistan you got to the team your. first deployment was Afghanistan yep. landed right in Afghanistan right in the. 50cal right in the first truck that was. my first position ever 19 years old. sitting up there you know crazy to think. about it is really is it is I look at 19. year-olds now I'm like what what are you. doing. you know what I mean seriously what do. you got going on yeah you know what's so. important that's keeping you away from.

actually becoming something becoming a. man you know I beg to say that I was. barely even a man yet at 19 you know. still trying to figure it out I mean. when would I put the mark on myself to. say that I was a man which goes back to. write a passage and all the other stuff. with our faith but you know gez maybe. when I got to the command how when so. let's Breeze through buds you get to the. team you show up to Seal Team 2 and I. mean how quickly did you know you were. going to Afghanistan was it.

immediately yes because of the fact the. war was already in action in like full. swing you know everything was just. completely changing resources were going. over there and it was more of the fact I. think in the platoon where we were. waiting to see where we were supposed to. go and so like any good team does they. always gauge who's good at what you know. so they put you to the best spot you. know depending on who what platoon is. doing what and.

who's ready for that I think they put a. heavy emphasis on CQB urban assault and. I think that our platoon excelled in. that really well you know we had some. good team leaders some good troop. Chiefs and I think I think that gave us. an advantage throughout our workup that. at some point in the workup they're like. all right you guys are the guys going to. sencom you know you guys the guys going. to Afghanistan so I'd like to think that. that was a nature of us excelling at.

that you know you know I remember I. don't know I'm I'm actually very curious. to hear about what happened on your. first deployment because I was at seal. teammate then we got pushed over to Seal. Team 2 we were going to sencom then we. became the bastard children of Seal Team. 2 and we wound up going to. Europe. and I'm going to be H I don't know if. exactly how to verbalize this. but I was so happy to hear that you guys.

were getting after it over there but at. the same time it demoralized me yeah. because I could definitely see that I'm. sitting in in Europe yeah on a booze. cruise chasing women chasing booze. getting into bar fights and and. wondering why I went. through all the training that I did just. to it was like a frat party over there. you know I'm not going to I'm not going. to embellish or make it sound cool it.

was ridiculous that we were even there. and I remember heing the briefs we would. sit in I think we had a weekly brief you. know and we would sit in and it was hey. you know our boys over in Afghanistan. just. killed a couple 100 in an air strike you. know the J taxs were calling an air. strikes and so and it just made me feel. like [ __ ] it really did and there was a. lot of jealousy and and uh as you can.

imagine but what were you guys doing. over there I mean what what was it like. that was early that was what 2003 2004. time frame yeah. so thank you for giving me the visual of. having to be in those shoes because that. was the first time I've really thought. of that you know of you guys you know. staring at that I don't know how I would. have reacted if was told that I wasn't. going to go to Afghanistan and do. exactly what I thought I was going to. you know and we really did feel and and.

the guys that were veterans there like. you know all of our guys that that have. got some experience they made it known. like you have guys have no idea how. lucky you are to be here you guys have. no idea like we've been waiting for this. forever and here you are now you know my. first operation that I ever did in my. entire life I'm running through poppy. fields shots are going off and I'm. crawling through caves and tunnels you. know the first up you know there's. barrels full of marijuana and there's. heroin all over the place and I must. have cleared at least a hundred rooms at.

least in that compound that was my first. up you know Sun's breaking Over the. Horizon and so like that was what I got. to experience and I do feel very. grateful for that but it is it does suck. to think back and like man what would. have what would my mindset have been I. would have been pretty bitter for sure. and so it does suck but there's clearly. a purpose for why it happened that way. um but we stayed very active. very very active I mean it was as close. as I believe that you could get to. operating at the command level and not.

being there and I think because we had. guys that were influential in that case. and we had troop Chiefs that were you. know from the. command um for the civilians listening. the command is SEAL Team Six or. Development Group yes and so we had a. heavy influence from that area and so. the Ops felt similar kind of more con. more conventional but but as similar as. I think they would have as far as like a. ground assault direct action type of.

mission um I had experience with direct. actions that was my first op I ever did. we running toward the target kicking. doors down and that's pretty much the. the op Tempo that I kept throughout my. first deployment um was going to direct. action type stuff we did a couple of. presence. patrols. um which is where the Humvee in front of. me got blown up you know had a piece of. the truck hit me in the helmet you know. I thought it was us right when it. happened but that story in itself was.

like man we were going we were. patrolling we we ended up getting in. more contact during the day. um and thank goodness I had gone to. scout before that so I had gone through. Scout and I'd been very adamant about. you know making sure I knew how to use. my Optics and everything was dialed in. and I had an optic on my 50 which which. you know I think it helped in that. scenario but I also didn't like it for. for an urban or close when I'm going.

through and having to hold my 50 like. this but from a from a perspective of. when we get that. Ambush I had a sense of the direction of. where it was going to come from and as. soon as the contact had happened I. literally was the first one I actually. was so when I when I heard it over the. radio my adrenaline dumped so much I. didn't even. really it wasn't like I lost control of. myself but I didn't communicate with. anybody around me and I only did that so. I could find out where it was and where.

it was coming from and I could get. aligned with the shot cuz I didn't want. to wait for them to pull the trigger. first M you know so I was like I had my. binoculars like this and I'm listening. to the radio I'm listening to the radio. and I'm looking looking looking and then. boom I see him right over the rock like. clear as day he grabs the RPG goes right. like this he props himself up and I like. that's when I dropped this whatever the. heck was in my hand I swung the 50 cal. and I did that quick like okay there's. the rock there's that spot there's the. dark dark sport in the mountain I did. this like twice and I dropped it and.

just swung the gun over and tried to. just start putting fire down so I didn't. even say anything you know what I said. was my 50 Cal's talking now and. everybody else in the Convoy was just. that spot just got lit up and um. eventually an A10 came over which was. beautiful by the way it was my first. ever troops in contact you know A10. coming to the rescue dropping you know. uh artillery on him but. uh or air support but that was a a cool. experience and so that was really the.

first time I got in a contact that was. your first engagement mhm how long did. it last I would say that. firefight from us you know the lull. pretty much happened until we couldn't. really see what was going around that. area anymore cuz it just got really. dusty and cloudy so at that point we. stopped firing and I I don't know it. wasn't a back and forth okay it's like I. saw it before it was going to happen. before that guy clicked the RPG I was.

able to get my 50 cal up and I actually. when I aimed I aimed a lot lower than I. thought I needed to cuz I wanted. everything to just blast up in his face. I wanted whatever little ricochets or. whatever fragments of rock were just. going to explode up into his face and. get him to at least respond you know so. I wasn't looking to like put the bullet. into his chest um so that that at least. got him to respond and then maybe even. after that he might have back behind the. rock you know but all the all the stuff. going up there after the fact you know. they confirmed it the the next day um.

but that was my don't you dare pull that. trigger CU he was getting ready to prop. up and get comfortable so yeah I don't. know how long it lasted I would say if I. had to guess I would. say 7 to 10 minutes yeah maybe you know. just constant fire up there because I. didn't want him to pop his head back up. either who confirmed it was it you guys. did you guys go up and uh no no it was. whatever crew went in there the next day. whatever conventional crew went in to to. do the sweep yeah.

so so would that have been the brief. that I got I mean this is literally 20. years ago you know so and and and uh I. just remember hearing how many how many. air strikes you guys were calling in and. I. was happy jealous but um but it sounded. like a really good deployment yeah it. again it was a blessing I mean even. though humy in front of me that you know. we lost those guys and then uh you the. guy olette Brian olette that was the.

first dude that I ever operated. with spoke with broke bread with cleared. with that we lost I wasn't with him when. it happened he got hit by a IED you know. traveling through you know one of the. operations and he was kind of more of a. fluid position I couldn't tell you what. he was doing but he was on a fluid. position so he would come with us he. would go with this other uh force and. and that was when we lost him but that. was the first emotional like you know. man I just was eating with that guy was.

literally just sitting sitting down with. that dude you know funny um life you. know bringing life to the party you know. really just kind of sat on my heart as. us all kind of realizing like oh okay. like we're here you know and Pat Tilman. too like that that was separate that was. more of like a a separate thing that. happened on her deployment shortly after. Brian olette but that was another like. big spin up but Brian olette was one of. the first guys that you know we lost how. did you process. that I think for me at the time you know.

because we live such a compartmentalized. life that's exactly what I did with it I. was a very it was a very matter of fact. like that's what we came here to do. there's going to be a risk to this and I. believe I got emotional about it I think. I cried for sure you know I think I. cried for his his life and you know the. things that always start to process are. you know well who's his family right did. he have children you know those are the. questions that you start asking yourself.

when you lose somebody what effect is. that going to have on somebody else I. think selfishly we as Warriors which it. can be good and it can be bad but we. compartmentalize it so much to the point. where we can't even think what's going. to happen to our families too much if we. overthink it because it will start. hampering our ability to make a good. decision it will start it will start. stopping us from going into the gunfight. you know because it's like oh man well. if I go through that door and you know I.

get hit well then my kids are going to. suffer there's an element to that for. sure to pre on to think about but for me. it's the weight of the fact that we lost. a dude um and it impacted me in a way. that that kind of made me confront. reality as it was so it gave me a rep. not it wasn't the guy standing next to. me every day you know it wasn't my best. friend but it was a a guy that I got to. interact with and know you know and go. to the head with and you know eat with. and so it was a very close relationship.

that all of a sudden wasn't there. anymore so it was like this this almost. taking it that young as almost training. to like this is going to happen again. yeah you know for sure you know Dom I I. I talked about it with Eddie as well. but I didn't realize you had lost I. didn't uh put that together uh that you. had lost somebody on your very first. deployment. and I just want to say that you know. I've interviewed a lot.

of warhammers a lot of veterans on this. podcast and and we always talk about. loss and and how to cope with it in in. in your career path man I mean from from. your first deployment through gold team. I mean the. guys The Operators over at gold with. extortion with Adam brown with with and. and I don't know all of them with with. Louise you.

know I've never ever out of all the. interviews I've done I've never heard. anybody uh experience more loss than the. men over at Gold Squadron and. uh my heart goes out to you man I mean. that was you you you guys have been. through some heavy heavy loss and uh I I. I want to dig into that later.

but I I I I just wanted to say that. because because it's important a lot of. people deal with loss and and and nobody. has more experience on. on how to do it than the few of you guys. over there definitely you know even. hearing you you know say it back I think. I live with it in a very interesting. way and I don't really have all the. answers of exactly how I move forward.

with it I mean I've got a lot of ways. and a lot of methods and and prayer and. all the things that I've tried to do but. when I do reflect on it when I do stop. and think about it it does it it can. crush me if I let it you know but I have. done my best to try to use it for the. better of the world you know to try to. you know sit and contemplate and honor I. always talk about honor you know living. a life that those that have gone before. you would be proud of well what is Lewis.

going to be proud of what is all the. guys that I've ever lost going to be. proud of for you know Adam looking at me. right now as a Christian you know would. Adam be okay with me the way I'm acting. as a Christian or am I being. lukewarm um all the men that I got to. fight with spar with I mean it is kind. of surreal in a sense of what God has. allowed me to experience and there is. Beauty from it all and I think that's.

the key thing is taking those. experiences knowing that this life is. not forever and and really using them to. the best of our ability but it was Heavy. when it was happening and I know we'll. dig into it more. later when I first started this whole. podcasting thing an online store was. about as far from my mind as you can get. and now most of you already know this. but I'm selling vigilance Elite gummy. bears online we actually have an entire.

merch collection that's coming soon and. let me tell you it is so easy because. I'm using a platform that is extremely. userfriendly and that's Shopify Shopify. is the global Commerce platform that. helps you sell at every stage of your. business what I really like about. Shopify is it prompts you all the things. that you want to do with your web store. like connect your social media accounts.

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e-commerce platforms here in the United. States you can sign up right now for $1. a. month it's shopify.com Shan that's all. lowercase go to shopify.com Shan now to. grow your business no matter what stage. you're in that's shopify.com. Shan. this show is sponsored by better help. it's getting close to New Year's and.

every new years we get obsessed with how. we can change ourselves rather than just. expand on everything that we're already. doing right maybe you finally organized. one part of your space and you want to. tackle another or maybe you're taking. your supplements every morning and now. you want to actually eat breakfast too. whatever your goals for the new year are. therapy helps you find your strength. so that you can ditch the extreme. resolutions and make changes that really. stick if you're thinking of starting.

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Sean all right Dom we're back from the. break we just wrapped up your first. deployment now you're back at Seal Team. 2 and so I just want to continue with. your. story yeah so that deployment like you. said the contrast of what you gave me of. of really putting into perspective about. the dudes that didn't get to go over. there and do what we did makes me even. feel more grateful about what we did and. that deployment was definitely engaging. you know we did a lot of different.

Dynamics throughout that. deployment and troops in contact I had. the IED situation that happened with the. the Humvee in front of me um and a lot. of other engagements that I ended up. getting in but. then also I went also went through a. divorce in that deployment as well. because I was I was actually married uh. through civil court you know what I mean. I just did the whole go to the. courthouse um it was really came down to.

uh you know a situation where I was. living with somebody and you know you're. young you're try to figure this out. you're trying to contemplate what's. right what's wrong and I had no good. guidance on on what to do which is why. it didn't end up working out but it. really like money became an issue you. know we needed bah so it seemed like the. right thing to do to go down and be like. oh for in the military and you're. married which by the way you know if I. give any advice on that situation it's. like don't do it just for the money. don't do it because of these things um.

put your faith in between your. relationship because this is why these. things tend to happen so I ended up you. know working through a divorce on an. aridium phone sitting in a fob you know. oh man overseas so that was that was. something I was uh just dealing with. kind of on the side kind of trying to. put it in its place but things got. things got very challenging there as. well so divorced at. 19 yeah or 20 20 yeah I think like the. official like everything going through. you know um but I was working through.

that process you know at that time wow. wow I did not I did not know that either. but just another just another part of. the journey that I learned from and you. know after that deployment ended you. know the I already thought about you. know going to the command because it had. come up before like that was a thing it. was kind of foreign in the distance it. wasn't really a reality but it was there. the spark was there so I think coming. back from that real that that deployment. started to allow me to prepare for that.

mindset and then when I got out of that. relationship you know I lived as a. single team guy for a while you know. trying to figure out my life you know. where I wanted to go after that but my. heavy Focus started to come into going. to the command and that really like. dialed that got rid of all the. distractions I had going on my life to. really give me something to to look. forward to you know I got a a. question why do you call it the command. why don't you call it Dev group why. don't you call it Seal Team 6 I just.

think is that out of habit yeah it's out. of habit you know I tend. to be you know I'm like that's part of. my life it's gone anything that would. bring attention to the guys that I know. are still doing work. mhm why am I the one that needs to shed. light on it okay I do feel like there's. a absolute need for secrecy in the. operational flow of how and when to do.

things so if I'm the Catalyst or the. spark that draws unnecessary attention. then I don't want to be that guy gotta. and so I think out of the nature of my. conversations I've always just brushed. it off you know I've always just been. like you know you know we can talk about. other things you know it's a great time. while I was there um and I know that. there's a back and forth about what's. out there what's not out there what. they've released what they haven't. released and that's a whole like.

political and cluster in itself like I. barely even understand it still to this. day so I tend to just be more protective. of talking about stuff understandable. just curious couple of questions before. we move. on previously you had mentioned and I. got this a lot too in my career. was um you should be you should feel. lucky to be here you need to earn your. way to combat what what are your. feelings on that what were they at the. time when people were telling you that.

um well I remember guys saying that we. were lucky to be in those. situations and it because I didn't. really have any other experience to go. off of and I kind of had to trust what. they were saying I believed it I mean I. believed in the contrast of our time. that there wasn't much going on. elsewhere in the world we were in the. right spot we were in combat operations. when you're actively engaging and you're. actually going on operations it's easy. to kind of hear that and say you're. right we are very lucky and blessed to.

be in these. situations um as far as earning your way. I think that that that goes along with. proving yourself you know selection and. training is something that I talk about. a lot and I think that the selection and. training process is a beautiful thing. for anything that we do in fact I don't. think it's done enough in a lot of cases. but the selection that you went through. and the training that you went through. ultimately allows you to get to the. point where you've earned you can call. it that you can call it whatever you.

want proved or reached a level of trust. within an area of your life you know. when we're linking up with other team. guys for the most part in combat you can. kind of figure that he's got some base. level of knowledge of knowing how to. clear a room knowing how to take care of. himself willingness to fight and he's. not going to quit right that's kind of. like a a base level well without the. knowledge and the proving and the. earning and the and the getting to that.

point I don't really have that about. him so I think that that's important to. recognize in the sense of when we say. we're lucky or we had to earn to get to. this point we have to realize what that. is and I think that the selection and. training absolutely puts guys in the. right place like I was talking about. before the military's gotten really good. at this or else you wouldn't be able to. put something like the command or Dev. group together and to get guys to be. that precise that surgical that pointed. you know to put this guy with this. bullet right here and now you know.

that's incredible it's like a mini. Miracle every time it happens you know. so there's something to be said for that. selection and training it just I'm. curious I mean it you and we have two. different perspectives here because you. went right away it took me uh an entire. deployment cycle to actually get the. opportunity to go to combat but it. always. it irritated me when people would say. that to me because you know I had joined.

to fight for my country. and I had always felt well I mean the. community is the one that gave me the. ominous dness to to to be here and to go. to war and I always kind of took it as. an excuse on why we're not there you. know and it's it man it irritated me a. lot it because it you know it's a lot of. training it's a year what 6 months of. buds if you make it the first time then.

sqt which is what four months then jump. school which is another month then an if. you're if you show up at the beginning. of the cycle you have another year and a. half before you ever so you're looking. at what 2 and a half years before you. ever get the opportunity to go to war or. on a. deployment and then you get on. deployment and it's. well. you got to earn your way and it's like. man I've been here for yeah two and a. half years now and I'm well I'm ready.

one thing that's one thing that sticks. out to me was a common phrase that we. heard when it's like you can't chase it. yeah you know you can't chase the war um. that stuck with me because there was. there's a sense of faith that has to. come with that too that you were put in. the right spot for the right reasons at. the right time and and we kind of deal. with the human element throughout that. that experience so I think that not. chasing it and kind of letting things. evolve is something that's true because. it is a matter of circumstance in some.

cases because you just end up being at. that team at that platoon and that's. where you're going and you know it does. suck to think that we would sit around. to me I have a very interesting. perspective of it cuz the second I got. there I hit the ground running and I. didn't stop until I left yeah you know. literally that chunk of time we were at. War I was on the ground the whole time. you know never decided to pull back and. it wasn't really till things start got. getting political that I decided to you. know stay home and even then the guys. were still going out because that was. when Extortion 17 happened but I I think.

that there's obviously an element of. there would be frustration if I didn't. get to go do what I wanted to do I mean. there is a level of joy that I took with. being like I do want to fight for. freedom I do want to go after bad guys. and protect my nieces and nephews and. all of our children here at home um. Freedom man freedom to me is you know. taken on a whole new level at this point. in my life but I still understood it. then like what Freedom was we have the. ability to go do all these great things.

in our country how do I be a part of. protecting that so when you're when. you're training for it when you're. living it when you're eating and. breathing that and then you don't get to. implement those oh man I know it's. frustrating in some cases because that. we were staring at it's kind of like. staring at the bad guy that's planting. the IID but you won't let me go do. anything about it mhm you know I'm. literally watching the guy dig on the. road and plant IEDs and you're telling. me that nobody's going to go what I mean. that was probably the most pissed off. I've ever been overseas in the talk you.

know in the command center watching this. happen looking at everybody in there. giving me blank faces like we're not. going to do anything who do we need to. call well he's sleeping well wake him up. you know and so those things still go on. today at a micro level and at a large. level and I think that it's just a. circumstance and uh we have to pray and. ask God like why did I go through that. circumstance why was that my path yeah. and uh again often times when we're put. down a path where we don't do what we.

expected to do or it doesn't turn out. it's because God was either protecting. us or guiding us something much much. greater you. know good answer so the command it. caught your interest after the first. deployment yeah so after the first. deployment you know I really started to. hone in on how to be better at these. skills you know what I need to be. prepared for or you know being in combat. and then coming back and really being. able to analyze what we did well on the. deployment like that made training even.

more intense so if we didn't take it. seriously in buds when they said. somebody just attacked us and if we. didn't take it seriously actually being. in combat like then getting back from it. and being like okay we almost died we. lost a guy you know our training was. ramped up even further I think that's. when Seal Team 2 really started to like. get good at what they were doing and. then my focus just turned to the. commander I'm like hey that's a. possibility for you you could go screen. I was like really I can go screen you. know and however old I was when I. actually decided to screen it was like.

22 maybe 21 end of 21 early 22 my my 19. 20 21 23 gets very fuzzy um about when. was what so apologize if I'm not. completely accurate there but it was. around that time I decided the screen. and then I put a lot of my focus and. energy into that trying to figure out. what I need to do and my trth troop. Chief looked right at me and he said. you're probably not going to make it. you're too young you know you've only. got one deployment you're you need to. have two and so I kept the process going.

anyway because I wanted to go give it a. shot and that's when the workup started. to happen I didn't actually go and do. the screening until I came back from my. second deployment you know but but the. start of the process went you know we. were in the process of doing it and then. my second. deployment. um I did a lot of and this one I don't. really talk about too much but I did a. lot of surveillance stuff okay I did a. lot of like bouncing around all the you. know places that we weren't supposed to. talk about where we were going and and.

just doing a lot of low viz plain. clothes which is where I even further. fell in love with surveillance um we did. a surveillance course before we went to. that deployment and I crushed it like. doing all the things like follows and. vehicle work and like I I still to this. day really enjoy that it's like artwork. for me and so when I actually get to go. do it for real that like put everything. together you know you were okay I know. where you were at yeah so how weird so I. was supposed to go to Afghanistan my.

first deployment. then you took. it then second deployment I was going to. go and do that I was uh they uh the MI6. put that course on are we talk this is. the same thing right and um and then. luckily we got yanked out of that and. did go to Afghanistan but uh but. interesting do you not want to talk. about it still or uh yeah I just don't.

know what they've released and what they. have and I don't want to go down the. road that I'm putting myself in a weird. spot but uh it it was an amazing. experience in the sense of like I'm I'm. boots on the ground I'm outside of like. really bad guy territory taking images. and doing surveillance and photos I mean. it's a total. 180 you were doing and that that was the. greatest part about it is that I was. literally kicking the door in and now. I'm having to sit crunched in a little. trunk with my MP5 sitting right next to. me clicking photos as fast as I can.

while this guy comes out of the door um. but I do and I did enjoy surveillance. and that's what kind of brought the. everyday carry concealed kind of. Lifestyle to life to me to realize like. oh I actually still need to be able to. go to a direct action but I need to just. look like a dude that fits into this. environment and that's where I was like. I got to get good at this cuz this is a. skill how you carry where you carry. where you place stuff in your car what. are the tactics in a small team how do. we as two men clear a building how do. how do you go on the other side of the. block and me getting a contact and you.

come help me you know while we're not. supposed to be seen like that's really. cool stuff to me to to think about and. to this day that's why I wanted to like. I I always say that my mission statement. is to build the Iron Man suit that you. can't see you know like I want to be. capable but you have no clue you know. and so that that deployment was really. cool in the sense of uh you know really. engaging with the bad guys at at another. level another layer like right next to. him but they don't know that I'm there.

you know it's. uh that is something that not a lot of. seals get to experience a mission like. that that's I I me personally in my. short career at the SEAL Teams uh that. was probably my favorite training course. I ever went through was was that it was. it was just very unique compared to what. everybody else was doing but um what at. what point did you go to sniper. school that was in the middle of my. first and second deployment somewhere in. there and that was one of the schools.

where I wanted to go to sniper School my. whole childhood um it was like a dream. come true to actually be in Sniper. School uh you know Josh rich I do yeah I. went to he was my shooting buddy. interesting he was my shooting partner. he was my shooting buddy so dude we had. such a blast and I went to I went to. sniper school with Adam Brown you know. he was actually the class leader in. Sniper school but Josh and I man we had.

there was a beautiful story about us. going through sniper school together but. it was in the midst of first and second. deployment and it was one of the best. schools to this day that I've taken um. just from a standpoint of Marksmanship. and precision and discipline I mean we. barely slept trying to get stuff dialed. in and the one cool story that I have. for Josh and I. is that kind of like I talked about in. the very beginning was like the. relentlessly seeking truth piece is that.

we were after the truth and we knew we. were going to deploy together which by. the way we had just deployed together. right so we were in Afghanistan and so. this the contrast now even talking about. this and thinking about Josh and I knew. that we were probably going to have to. go on an OP together and shoot somebody. and so the reality kind of took a. different level to us and when. everybody's calling wind when you start. playing games about who's calling wind. and reading your own wind and then not. trusting your buddy there's a there's a. really cool Dynamic there and we knew a.

lot of people at one phase where we have. to go over this bump it's like a turning. Corner because it's like a turning point. and most dudes were getting frustrated. with their wind colar because the wind. wasn't right and so they were calling. their own wind I would say 50% of the. guys were like I'm just going to call my. own win because I know what it is bang. boom hit so what happens is the. breakdown in Trust with your wind colar. and the shooter starts to degrade cuz. you're not he's not getting the. real-time feedback of screwing up so. Josh and I had the this middle point. where we were like almost throwing blows.

with each other on the firing line like. like log books getting tossed are you. kidding me like my score is at stake. here and uh we got so pissed but then. that one night that we were like we got. to figure this out everybody else was. out of the classroom we were the only. ones left in there and we were literally. like mad scientists drawing stuff up on. the Whiteboard getting clear paper. putting stuff up going through scenarios. running through the drill again why do.

we keep doing this why does this keep. happening you need to get better at this. you need to get better at that well we. did that for a few nights in a row and. we slowly started to see progress and. then all of a sudden towards the end of. the Marksmanship portion of it there. started to be a really fast swing with. Josh being like every single time he's. hitting black every single time I'm. hitting black so we we had to gain we. had to go through that valley together. but really trust each other and keep. doing the right thing and then boom. we're all the way up at the top now. where we got Top shooting pair and he.

got honor man oh man you know what I. mean like it was pretty epic like every. shot like I could just see it but we had. this this unwavering trust to make sure. that they were calling the wind because. we were getting ourselves in situations. where it wasn't as clear as hey we're. just on a nice Firing Line controlled. environment we know what's going on I. can see all the markers the flags well. now you're going out where there's. nothing to call wind off of and now. you're like wait a minute like where's. the littlest thing so this is where he.

owns that environment now let him be. immersed in that environment while I'm. being immersed by taking the shot and of. course they go hand inand you learn both. right we can call our own wind but it's. the trust that that process exists for. of having that level of accountability. because once we were able to get through. that we really quickly realized like hey. Josh what is it he'd be like it's three. and a half left i' be like ah dude I. think it's three he's like you know what. I just saw something else I think you're. right let's go three and a quarter boom. take the shot so it was like this this.

process that happened but and the reason. I get so excited about that is because. we got Top shooting pair you know and I. think that because we were willing to. throw blows we found the truth of what. it was supposed to be so anyway that was. sniper school um and then being in it. with Adam Brown too I the other story I. have from sniper school is that it's. still like haunts me to this day in a. good way but I was late for class and. the look that Adam Brown gave me when I. walked into that class I will never.

forget my entire life he was like like. you're late to this class and it went. right through me the way he looked at me. like disappointing cuz you know he was. reporting to the instructors and uh he. was really pissed at me really really. pissed like to the point like he didn't. talk to me that day you I was just like. man I just pissed off the class leader. you know still trying to learn who Adam. Brown is and uh just work with him a. little bit but we ended up reconciling. we had a long conversation afterwards I. told him I was sorry and I apologize and. uh he just he gave me a brotherly. correction he's like hey man you screwed.

up you were late you shouldn't have done. it I'm like I know and uh we grew from. that so those are the two coolest. stories I have from cyber school yeah I. had a uh I got the opportunity to work. Witham you know at Team two on my second. deployment and uh in the in the leadup. to it he got in a bad car accident on. that deployment but um man what it a. just. a another phenomenal human being you. know yeah um unwavering in his values.

and and into the team and and uh you. know it was unfortunate cuz I didn't. appreciate it as much as I should have. at the time and uh but looking back now. um what an. opportunity yeah I uh I wish we had. talked about God more you know uh I. think I can say that for a lot of people. but Adam Brown was one of those dudes. where it's like you just knew that he.

cared man you know and you can say that. about some people but when he looked at. his wife and his children and he talked. about them it's like dude this guy has. got it together or at least he's trying. the best that he can and the the. perseverance that he showed even with. losing his eye you know after the fact. he's like he was not going to let that. stop him he's the only dude I know that. went to sniper school with one eye you. know he's the only dude that I know that. went to the command with one eye you. know and um being in Green Team with him.

you know went to Green Team with him as. well is like is this guy going to be. able to do this with one eye and and his. attitude and mindset and tenacity is. what carried him through all of that and. he could do whatever we did with one eye. but what an incredible human being an. example um the book Fearless which I'm. sure you've. read um that's a hard book for me to. read I can't even open it without. getting emotional but Adam Brown above.

all you know he was a warrior for Christ. yeah and one thing that I would change. about our relationship is I would have. went right back and they like dude we. got to talk about Jesus like let's let's. dig in here you know what can we talk. about I'm sure you at that time you. would have schooled me and taught me a. lot but uh we'll get to talk about it at. some point y y yeah Adam was a one of. the most dedic ated people I've ever. known yeah but um yeah I actually took. the picture that's on the cover of that. book oh you did yeah no way I did not.

know that yeah that was at uh that was. at the range in in somewhere in. Afghanistan but uh that's cool yeah what. a I'm just happy that I got to meet the. man yeah absolutely but um so another. thing just uh this is way out there but. you. you were an. entrepreneur very early on in fact I I. remember I remember the first time I met. you somebody had told me you own two or.

three houses already and I was. like we can buy house and uh and that's. kind of the how I felt about it too you. know and I walked right into the uh some. real estate office who just said hey I. want to buy a house and um and once. again you were the influence from that. how how many properties did you own back. that at the time I think it was about 3. and on my first deployment I had bought. the house I bought it when I was 19 and.

you know i' had been doing the research. over there and I remember paying rent. and all those things that kind of worked. up in my heart I'm like I don't want to. pay rent to somebody else we should own. our house and so I looked into what the. what the details were that and did a lot. of research honestly the guy Doug. Gregory and and God bless his soul he's. not here anymore but he was the guy. that's like he was willing to do it he. helped Mentor me right away right at 19. years old right when I came to Virginia. Beach I met the guy and he brought me to. all these houses and he just started. kind of giving uh advice and I was like.

what would you do in this scenario what. would you do in this scenario I just we. just had a great relationship and he. told me earlier on he said if you bought. a house for me he said I would I will. manage it for you if you end up renting. it for 5% so like a really low rate you. know something that you couldn't even. like say no to and so as a friend he was. like I'll just do it for for you you. know and and I was like cool so I bought. my first house went to deploy again and. I was like well I might as well try this. renting thing you know and when I did.

that and he took it over and him and I. worked really well together I just kept. doing that I would deploy him by a house. deploy him by a house and so to the. point where I left team two I think I. was at three at that point and then I. bought my fourth before I went to the. command oh my gosh so you and I just was. like I was like this is easy I realized. that you could buy a house for a really. low amount of money with all the closing. and all the things that we did and I. actually never used my VA loan and I did. that on purpose because I knew these. weren't my forever homes you know I knew.

I didn't want to lock my VA loan up into. something that I wasn't going to be able. to stay in so I very strategically. looked at smart loans that I could get. on the house that allowed me to put a. little bit of money down and then praise. God you know everything has worked to. that point of growing in equity and. growing and uh it's something that I did. just was having fun with on the side you. know like all of us we have something we. want to do and we have free time and for. me it was that it was like oh cool real. estate this sounds fun you know I got a. good buddy that's helping me out and uh.

I saw the fruits in it right away. because we were making money as soon as. we started renting it we were making a. little bit of money so it's crazy man 20. what 21 years old with a mini real. estate Empire businessman I mean you. really had your [ __ ] together and uh I'm. sure that paid off or is still paying. off but but um let's move on so let's. move on to going to Green Team. MH how was that where did it start uh so.

green team'. 06 that was right when I was picked up. and by the. way getting there is interesting because. they told me that I wasn't going to make. it when I screened I passed all the. screening I did everything right pass. the physical past the mental past. everything and then I remember my troop. Chief came back and he said hey you. didn't make the cut off cuz I was the. youngest dude to sign up so he was like. you're just you're probably not going to. make it he even told me that up front.

and when I screamed they came back they. gave me a definitive no and I was like. man I like that stinks but I wasn't I. didn't really have my hopes up that much. just because I knew how young I was and. I think about a week and a half later. two weeks later he's like hey I need to. talk to you I thought I was in trouble. and I the way he said it and so I went. and sat down with him in the office and. he's like hey I got a good news he's. like they just you were the last one. they pulled in two other guys dropped. off and I was able to help get you in.

the list so at 23 you know I'm over here. going through Green Team damn yeah I. showed up to Gold Squadron when I was 23. years. old I remember looking at the board the. first thing I did when I got into the. team room as I was like I wonder how. many guys have got in here at 23 I went. and looked at the board. and there was I think the youngest guy. was like 25 or 26 you know and it was. like mindblowing to me I was like okay. well uh here I am and I don't know if.

since then there's got to have guys that. have got in that are around the same age. or younger but that was kind of crazy. and um I was so pumped about that and I. just completely continued to shift my. focus on I wasn't dating anybody I. wasn't doing anything I wasn't going out. drinking. I was very locked on to go under the. command I was like I did not want. anything to come and disrupt my plan for. getting to the point where I wanted to.

go cuz I knew how how um fragile that. was one wrong thing boom it's done so I. really did try to protect that time and. uh that's when you know I say that I try. to do nothing that was going to distract. me and that's where my wife came back. into the picture uh I went up north and. actually went to see my family my dad. and and linked up with her for just to. go out to dinner and like since that. night that's it it was just we knew. right away that you know um we were.

probably going to spend the rest of our. lives together and and she was the. distraction but she ended up being a. beautiful distraction because she. actually helped with a lot of what was. going on in Green Team she ended up. moving down to Virginia and all the way. through that process like I I knew this. is one thing about team that will always. stand out in my mind I had a book I was. supposed to read. blink and uh it was a great book I had. started I was super fired up about it.

and we had to read these specific books. you know going through the training. course and I had the day come up where. we were supposed to have read it all and. so I was smoked from training that day. you know I literally came home my. clothes are soak and wet I'd hand them. off to her she'd have dinner ready for. me you know and uh I remember going to. bed bed that night be like I got to. finish this you know and I think I got. about halfway or 3/4 the way through and. I just passed out and I woke up with. that like I didn't finish the book and I.

know I got to leave in like 5 minutes. and she's sitting there in the edge of. my bed she's like it's okay I read it. for you it's like I knew right away I. was like you are amazing so she gave me. the cliff notes on everything that was. in the book and uh I was like so pumped. that day I went in so squared away like. ready to talk about the book but that. was that was the instance uh she started. to kind of help me too you like so. having somebody that can help you. through those difficult times is huge. and that was a moment that was that was. for us we'll always remember that uh.

where did you meet your wife where in. high school in high school yeah yeah in. high school we uh we dated in high. school and you know we were kids so we. were trying to figure it out like. everybody else and you know we we really. had a very very very strong bond earlier. on um to the point like I think I told. her I'm going to marry you someday and. she kind of gave me like yeah okay. whatever right but we're kids and so we. kind of went our own separate ways we. didn't really have a falling out or.

anything and and we sort of kept in. touch and then at one point you know. when I was getting ready to screen from. Green. Team uh on my second deployment I. remember saying to myself like I got to. get this girl out of my head I like I. literally just have to stop forgetting. about it cuz it's never going to happen. there's going to be nothing that ever. comes of this relationship and then I. believe it was 24 hours later I went to. check my voicemail and there was her. voice after I just said like God you got. to get this girl out of my head and she. was like hey I was just checking in on.

you and I was just like am I hearing. this girl's voice and that's when we. went I went home went on the date and. then uh we've been together ever since. so it's nice to know somebody that long. you know cuz we know everything about. each other she knows everything about me. you know from my childhood and on so it. is it is beautiful to have that. relationship with her you know yeah yeah. that's that's. awesome um so what was for those. listening that don't know what green. team is green team is.

the training selection process to get. into development group right and so what. was what was your first impression on. day one week one of green. team that it was that it was going to. suck and to be prepared for it to suck. you know they're they're at the level. where I try to explain to people every. time you go up the selection and. training. process buds is kind of like we know. you're not going to quit after you get. out well now it's a higher level of.

thinking their expectations of you are. higher of your intelligence and how you. apply different problem solving so for. me I was just going to do whatever it. took to get to go through it and get. through it but that it was going to be. very very very difficult but at the same. time there were glimpses kind of like. going through CQB that like man this is. awesome we're moving at a pace that. we've never moved before you know this. is just feels different so the training. felt different the environment felt. different and you know everybody's.

trying to reach the same thing you know. you're you're in a regular team and you. kind of got your decent Shooters and you. got your guys that you know suck at. shooting you know but in the Green Team. like everybody's shooting good like. everybody's trying to you know reach a. level of Excellence so that part I. really enjoy I enjoy that part about. being around other people and then. having other guys in the rafters and. always yelling at us and correcting us. because that means that I can improve. any type of feedback that I'm getting. means that I can.

improve and I'd say Eddie Eddie and I at. the at the heat of really we Green Team. and people get kicked out him and I were. had these long days and we would still. get in the car and I and I thank Eddie. for this a lot still get in the car and. go drive to the gym that was 30 minutes. down the road some guys were like I have. no idea how you're doing that the. instructors are like you're crazy you. know we'd show up and the instructors. would be in there and I don't even know. how we did it to be honest there was. just something in us and and Eddie's. drive and my drive that just said let's.

go we don't want to we're not working. out specifically to gain strength but. we're running through the house we're. doing all these other drills and Eddie. always wanted to maintain that level of. brute force and that's something I. always respected about Eddie it's like. you look at that dude and he's like that. guy will crush you you know whether. you're in the train or you're you're you. know out in town um that's why me and. became really good friends because you. know we not only kicking doors down. together but we always relied on each. other for that so that was a level of. like just another layer deeper that we.

went which made it even more special but. I mean those long runs and everything we. did I mean it was it was a kick in the. kick in the butt what what did you find. what did you find the most challenging. for you. personally in Green Team specifically. I think the thing that was most. challenging was the fact that you have. the rope to hang yourself so you have to.

be able to manage how far out you go how. far you push because they'll let you. fall right off the cliff and when you're. in the house and you're really running I. like to ramp things up as as much as I. possibly can you know especially when. I'm under that pressure and I'm being. tested like I want to make sure I'm. reaching the the Pinnacle and the Apex. or whatever is expected of me so I think. for me it was the challenge of of trying. to get to that point and finding out. where the limit was you know of not. going over the edge where I'm pissing. the instructors off or I'm doing.

something that's going to get me in. trouble and you that kind of showed. itself you know when we were clearing. rooms and we were doing stuff like it. got really really close like you have. the you have everybody's barrels like. you know so how far you go over that. ledge is really up to you as an. individual so I think for me it was just. learning what that was in my maturity. level you know being 23 years old still. trying I mean I was getting corrected by. men often like hey dude why are you. doing that and and honestly some of the.

things that I did that I look back on. I'm like I really have no idea why I'm. doing that thank you for telling me you. know that's a lot of what men need to. hear they go screw up they trip over. themselves and thank God I was with guys. that were bold enough to correct me and. that's really what a lot of the teams. are is being around other like-minded. individuals that are leaning into this. leadership but I grew up a lot through. Green Team and and again I think the. most challenging thing was the fact that. I just didn't want to go over the edge. and try to find that line you know that. was that was the tough part everything.

about it was written on my heart I mean. I was supposed to be there you know the. physical part of it the mental part. mental part of it I mean if you told me. I had to do that again or even buds to. be where I'm at now I wouldn't even. think about it I would just go do it I. would just like okay that's fine let's. go do it again you know because of the. beauty that comes from that type of. arduous training you. know how many guys were you in there. with. approximately. 32 maybe somewhere around that I think.

how many made it oh man J get this. question probably okay well maybe he's. got a better answer I honestly don't. remember I want to say it was a low. number maybe 17 or something okay I'd. have to go back and like look at the. number I'm not great with me numbers. like that but what hangs most guys. up what gets him kicked. out uh complacency complacency. complacency 100% I think that they what.

I saw guys get kicked out for was they. were pushing the limit like I was saying. about finding the edge and every time it. felt like it was a level of complacency. it was like okay I got this and then. boom it would just bite him in the butt. it would just catch up to him and be. like whatever it was clearing in the. room sweeping somebody who weren't. supposed to sweep uh you know one guy. forgot his gun didn't bring his gun to a. training event you know it just like. that could be an issue you can't help. but to feel bad like everything that you. do just gets crumbled right then and.

there like you forgot your gun like you. don't have your gun on the training so. complacency I think was the biggest. Factor as with anything that we do. should go into the range right now our. biggest enemy is complacency if you and. I went to the range to go put some. rounds down complacency would be our. biggest threat because we're in a. position of confidence we're in a. position of knowledge and now you have. to Steward that knowledge and position. and and skills appropriately because if. you don't it can fly off the handle.

really quickly you know yep. yep so moving moving let's move towards. graduating what was that process like. what did it feel. like you made it I think the culmination. of is kind of exactly what I talked. about about going up to the team room. and looking at the board of recognizing. how young I was and walking into that. which felt like uh you know if I would. equate it to anything it would be like. walking into the old kns Templar you. know Lair you know in a in a in a.

dungeon that you've been thinking about. your whole life and you finally get to. see it you know you walk in there to be. like the history the the good that's. been done here the The Blood Sweat and. Tears that have been put into this um to. be a part of that now and to know that. your whole life is going to change. because you've been accepted into this. this Brotherhood and this way of living. and this this intensity um I think just. again it was just another layer of. reality to me to be like all right it's.

game on you know we do things here that. are different than everywhere in the. world you know it's it's the a finite. portion of the people that get to do. this so it's just was very grateful for. it you know very grateful being able to. graduate and get through that and uh you. know obviously calling back to the guys. that you know confided in you and. believed in you and pushed you to do it. that was always a good phone call like. call my troop Chief and be like thank. you and I appreciate it so much because.

of you I'm here because you allowed me. to do this he could have said no and he. could have told me don't bother or. influence me in another way but all. those guys I think there was a. tremendous amount of appreciation for. the experience that I gained what I was. able to do and the people that allowed. me to do it you know did you did you. guys do you have an opportunity. to request a certain. Squadron no no MM how's that done no I I. think.

that it's just done by where they need. guys first of all you know that's always. what it is you know if one team's. hurting more than another they're going. to take dudes and how they split them up. um you know me and Eddie obviously are. very close uh we were close throughout. training and we ended up in Gold. together you know so obviously there's. definitely strategy on how they put guys. in different places you know I have a. big lion on my back with a cross that I. got that was my that was my tattoo I got.

from my first trip to Italy which was in. Milano and I went to the duo there which. is the third biggest church in the. world going a little bit of a sidebar. here but what the why behind it is I. know I have this cross the crown of. thorns and this line on my back I'm like. there's got to be somebody that's also. paying attention to the things that are. important to us because even in the. squadrons the symbolism the logos are. our emblem and everything that is there.

is a part of who you are right it's part. of your identity so I think that that. might that played a part into it as well. but then you know I can talk about my. tattoo at another point but it was. pretty cool how there was a cross over. there and then getting into the Squadron. and looking up on the wall and seeing. the cross. and how much Faith was there it was. already there you know and how much it. meant to.

me now how much it means to me now but. how much I didn't realize it was working. on my heart how God allowed me to. experience these things in that Squadron. with those things that are right there. in front of me well why is that the case. well I I know now you know why that. happened God's permissive will you know. leading me to these things. but going into the team room just kind. of the weight of that history really. affected me you know yeah you know it's. it's I'm glad you brought that up.

because I had when I had interviewed. Eddie you know in and a good portion of. that interview was about Eddie's faith. in in in finding God and Jesus and I had. I brought up you know. how my my second deployment it team to. uh there was a lot of we prayed before. every op it was completely foreign to me. I didn't we did not do that in my first. plon probably because we didn't go on.

any Ops but there there was no there was. no faith there was no God there was no. Jesus there was no none of that it was. just debauchery then then I got over to. that platoon and there was a there. 180° and a lot of the people that I was. in in my second platum with wound up. over at gold as well Eddie didn't put. that together that uh until I kind of. brought it up or maybe he just didn't.

want to vocalize it but it. it it's interesting to me. how gold seemed to draw. in men of faith and and and it it seemed. I mean I don't know much about about it. you know but um but looking at from the. outside and knowing who I do know who is. a part of that. Squadron it seemed like that was very.

much part of the culture over there is. that am I off on that I don't think so. um if I were to look back in it and if I. were to say that I saw anything that. would intentionally push that direction. I probably wouldn't have been able to. point to anything but hindsight now. there's a very clear purpose for why. things have happened the way they are I. mean you talk about me and Eddie you. know me and me and Eddie kicking down. doors together our whole career and then. you know being in their car ride for you. know three hours talking about God and.

Jesus about how he's changed everything. in us that we didn't do that for each. other but we lived that life very. clearly knew everything intimately about. each other in and out you know and then. now God has moved in our lives in a. different way you know like that you. can't deny the level of intensity that. brings to the weight of what we've done. and what we're doing now and I. think that faith is. there I think it it's in.

everybody the spirit of it is there and. one of the other things aside from what. the first question I was asked be when I. came on is the other thing that I really. took away from the command because we. all seek Brotherhood we all want to be. in communion with each other that is. just a fact Christ had 12 disciples and. a Brotherhood that went and changed the. world that is the way we're supposed to. operate and live our lives we need.

fraternal correction we need men of of. value and virtue to be around us in. order to live according to what God's. asking us to we need somebody else to. hold us accountable because if we do it. ourselves forget it and I left that. command with all those symbols and all. those things around me and such good men. but I left saying to myself one thing I. said I cannot imagine what we could have. accomplished if we were opening up. scripture and had Faith as our number. one thing every day I cannot imagine I. pray for it every day for those guys I.

really do because I I what they would be. able to change and effect putting God. first in their lives and not just making. it in some ways living out in the. Squadron was probably one of the most. secular things I've ever done in my. entire life because of the nature of. what we did it's very it's very causing. effect it's very like I can do this and. I can make an effect on that and it's. very easy to ignore the spirit of God. moving in our lives it's very easy to be. like oh I did that I did that I I. affected all these things and I pray for.

those guys to be able to come together. and and unity under that I think that. that a lot of guys did gravitate towards. gold that had that sentiment but I don't. really think that they even still to. this day know what that even means I. think there might be a couple of guys at. the command that that are faithful but I. think there's a lot that's missing there. that's kind of across the board but. something that I really took away of. what God allowed me to understand from. that do you think that diminished over. time I mean I I don't want to mention a.

whole lot of names cuz I don't know what. everybody's doing these days but um you. know you Eddie Adam Brown are the three. that I'll. mention. all you you know Adam had very strong. faith from the moment I met him it. sounds I didn't we didn't know each. other very well back then but it sounds. like you did as well Eddie found it. later I. mean did did that did that diminish over. time well I certainly didn't have the.

faith the level of faith that I have now. in fact like I said like God was on my. heart you know when we went on an. operation and we prayed before the op. and there was only a handful of times. that happened really th those were some. of the most powerful and and. clear Ops that I've ever had like I. literally felt God protection with me on. those Ops I think I heard Ed say. something very similar um and and that's. was an absolute true statement my faith. was not anywhere near like I was like. okay God I know you're there when things.

would get tough I would certainly pray. but it wasn't like I was disciplined. with my faith at all um I think. definitely being in the teams definitely. living I think military across the board. like if we don't even look at the teams. and make it sound like they're all bad. cuz that's not the case every one of. these instances you can just draw across. the boorder the military law enforcement. all these organizations like they're all. plagued with this this political. cultural sense of things you know that.

have kind of crept into what's going on. and I think that's been degrading over. the last 50 years you know like I was. saying before you know in the world wars. most every guy that was going on target. or going over in war had a rosary or had. a Bible or had some type of scripture. close to their heart and that's s just. gone away oh you don't need that that's. not important don't worry about that. that's just that's just something that. you know people used to talk about oh. that's traditional you know and it's. faded you know so I I think that the.

world just Whispers those lies in our. ears constantly enough to where now. we're seeing the most elite men in the. world are lacking in faith you know and. and again. that's just the nature of what's. happening in the. culture. I mean it's the Crusader. right crazy I have CRA to I have a I.

have a I've done a lot of praying about. that comment right there and about why. they exist right if we get into the. whole idea you know typically when you. bring that word up it has a emotional. reaction so be it whatever it is I I. encourage people to go look for the. truth but the the knights have always. played a part in protecting and helping. the Knights Templar the most elite of. the knights at that time they were.

literally raised in that order to let. people go pilgrimage to the Holy Land so. that they could pray and worship to God. because they were being ambushed robbed. killed and stopped just like today same. thing's going on today it's no different. and so those. guys they they had an extreme faith in. Christ and the places that they were. protecting that were holy that were holy.

grounds and what's grown out of people. understanding the Crusades and all that. just like any other military and all the. other orders that got created there were. some things that happened that weren't. good there were people abusing their. power and all of those things but I. truly believe that the knights that were. there to help the innocent and to help. those that can't help themselves were. dismantled in an. unjust. way completely on.

purpose uh the the knights became very. very powerful the Templar had a lot of. money more than a lot of the kings of. the time and Philip Affair ended up. borrowing a tremendous amount of money. from the Templars because of their. wealth so he single-handedly. tore them down under bribes and torture. and putting people in places he even had. an influence on the Pope that came in to. to get his decision to be able to tear.

those guys down and so all I'll say. about that there's a lot of nuances to. that there's a lot of history a lot of. theology things that we would have to go. a lot deeper into things that I'm still. learning. myself but my point is that the Knights. Templar were dismantled and taken out of. the church and so the Warrior that. existed to stand for those that wanted. to go worship and be a part and a pillar. of the church were taken away and ever. since that's happened we'd have a we've. had a weakening of Warriors and men and.

faithful Warriors for Christ inside of. the church and it's just transcended. throughout time that's why I believe. that we're feeling this sense of in our. modern culture today we see these men. raising up we see these men. strengthening in their faith we see. these men orienting toward their lives. their lives and right order and. relationship with God and Christ because. they realize oh this is what my actual. calling is and I've been missing I've. been letting the culture lie to me and. manipulate my my whole life and and idea.

of who I'm supposed to be as a man uh. away from being that pillar you know so. anyway that's a deeper I've never heard. it put together like that that's. fascinating when how did you put that. together constant studies and research I. research Templars often I I look at the. ology often I I deep dive into documents. of church fathers and you know the. Crusades and I I read as much as I. possibly can you know and when I. gravitate towards anything that's that.

is what God's asking me to continue to. learn more about and I'm like fascinated. by it because if we don't know it's a. Bob Marley quote right if we don't know. where we're coming from we can't know. where we're. going great quote I've actually not. heard that. one let's move we're going to continue. this conversation intermittently but uh. let's move into so you show up you show. up to the to gold team and how long are. you there.

before your. deployment oh man that's another great. question it couldn't have been any more. than uh five or six months so you know. hard and. fast training. workup and doing all these you know. specialty schools um want to say it. would happen pretty quickly you know. what kind of. schools uh just a lot more of the serpe. titious type stuff that I really enjoy. Also things just became more focused.

like I said the magnet that happens of. the people that are best in the world. that kind of gravitate towards that. lifestyle you know what's the Precision. level of combatives that I can get. what's the Precision level of Blade work. what's the Precision level of. surveillance what is the Precision level. of serpenti Entry uh what's the. Precision level of skydiving you know so. it's like all these different elements. of what we want to be really good at and. I gravitated towards three things really. throughout my time there and the. Beautiful part about that place is that. when like I said if you want to fix the.

problem if you see something that that's. that's a gap and needs to be improved. you're the one and so I leaned very. heavily into research and development. you know I was the R&D rep for my. Squadron for as as much as until I left. uh Heath Robinson which is actually on. the Hilo and Extortion 17 he actually. handed that job to me I remember when he. did it we were out in Mirana and he was. just like hey dude I need you to take. this job or do you want this cuz he saw. that I geeked out with gear um that's a. whole other story but R&D rep combatives. in hand to hand and sniper like those.

are the three things that I like that's. who I am I got to get really really. really good at all three of those things. so do you have the freedom to gravitate. towards what your what's what's pulling. your interest absolutely they don't. mandate it no. because if you think about even a. success ful business. today the best thing that we can do as. Leaders is really allow the individual. to flourish where they are best and what. they love to do and what they will do.

with nobody paying them a scent that's. where we want everybody right that's the. whole goal of Our Lives to get to that. point and the beautiful thing about. being there with such highlevel thinkers. and such tenacious uh guys that have so. much drive is that they grab gravitate. towards those things naturally I think. there's very rare instances where you're. like ah man we got a little bit of a gap. here um I'll use breaching as example. which is one that never comes up but I'm. just using it so it's clear you know if.

you watch Eddy's interview and you know. that you know breaching is something. that you know he did really well is that. we had a gap there well then then then. we would have to have the hard. conversation like hey guys we need this. amount of qualification going into this. situation we need a breacher you know. but it doesn't happen like that cuz it. naturally occurs you know you naturally. feel out things that you know you know. you're supposed to be doing and that's. how the squadrons are built that's how. the things come together because you see. all these guys have specialty skills.

they're not going to put you over there. if your skills are really going to be. good over here you know good leaders are. going to identify weaknesses if the. breaching is low over here well then the. best breacher coming out is going to go. there you know we're going to kind of. put the teams together so they're all. ready and stacked in a well-rounded. manner but but individually you know you. kind of have your these are the things. that are non-negotiable like what's. non-negotiable at vigilance Elite like. you got to be driven you got to love. what you do you got to want to be here. right well everybody knows that and so.

that's kind of the start of like how the. qualifications occur everybody needs to. know how to skydive everybody needs to. know how to shoot we should all know how. to fight but that's a battle that you. know I had and we understand but all. these kind of Baseline things is like. there's your base we're all going to do. those things we're all going to have a. way of the way we think about those and. we're going to apply them well as you. start to go to secondary and tertiary. levels of training then you can kind of. start being more specific and. specialized where we get to the end. everybody's covered well what's left.

well Dom's going to go pick a course. that I can go do you know combatives and. tie boxing and blade work and you know. room clearing and I'm going to pick what. I really want to do it doesn't always. work that way but it tends to fire the. guys up in a way where it lets them get. really good at what they do see they've. been able to do it the whole time but. now they put the icing on the cake with. like solidifying you know you were a. really good jump master and you did. really good with tandems you know. jumping out with dogs but now you're.

going to tweak that a little bit and. you're going to become a really good uh. skydiver because of these techniques. that you're going to work on with. dropping out of the air with all kinds. of stuff strapped to you you know just. as an example but yeah yep let's um at. the risk I know this is probably it. could potentially be um a very sensitive. subject but um. R&D what all did that entail how how as. elaborate as you can yeah the best way.

to describe the research and development. aspect of what I. did was from head to toe you look at a. guy from stur Blight to. shoelaces every piece of equipment in. gear that some somebody is using we have. to trust with our lives weapon systems. included armor included into that so the. full combat system is what's really.

included in the idea of how do we stay. on the most Cutting Edge of development. of using the best gear in the world and. that takes a very very very large amount. of effort in stay staying out ahead of. the curve of what everybody's making. that's why for me I geeked out you know. I already had the entrepreneurial sense. but it wasn't just like government stuff. that you're doing you're literally the. best R&D stuff that you're ever going to. do or going to work with the guys that. are so good at what they have going on.

from a commercial standpoint you know. here's a Tent Maker that makes this seam. specifically the way they mold it and. how something comes together from a. frame portion they do it better than. anybody else in the world because they. develop the process okay well how do we. develop that process into a waterproof. bag that we could utilize for something. that we need in a specific Mission set. you know so like it wasn't beholden to. this kind of box it was like there is uh.

the funding and the resources that you. need now go find the best thing in the. world and I love doing that I mean if I. the best comment I've ever seen on. social media is like that guy's like. Batman give him give him enough money to. be like Batman he'll go like make a. bunch of stuff and I would I would like. be locked in my basement like making all. kinds of stuff but that's what it was. for me was utilizing the resources we. had also the biggest part of that job. was listening to the guys feedback MH. and as good as I got with knowing how.

guys were going to utilize the gear what. they really needed and I did I mean I. literally almost knew how they were. going to use it better than they were. you know because that's how intimate I. was with the process but I still to shut. my mouth because I would still learn. things along the way they like oh yeah. it's a good point I didn't think of that. if we put the strobe here as opposed to. like over here it's going to do this cuz. is the bad guy's going to be over here. and he might see this or don't see that. as just I've totally pulled that out of. my butt but you know what I'm saying is. that I want to hear the feedback so I. don't shut myself off from anything that. I might miss so that I collaborate all.

that that input and I take it to what. I'm going to build now I take it to what. gear Weapons Systems and things that we. utilize and then you're responsible for. running that project to ground with the. help of whatever resources that you need. you know is there another. that you can talk about that you're that. you developed that you're one of your. favorite. things it's interesting to look at the. guy from head to toe right now aside.

from the weapon system everything that's. still out there I had a small part in. giving feedback on even right now like. the carriers that we're currently using. helmets that we're using there's like. little flares on the nods Mount that I. input and told them to move away to. change the angle on. um C systems the inar Comm systems that. you could have ambient hearing I was. adamant about changing those and I was. the one that spearheaded a lot of that. through all the different like I worked.

with silink. um I worked with uh Atlantic signal I. worked with Talis all these other. companies to be able to bring this stuff. and and really test it out and be like. that sucks change this lots of money. spent on trying to get that to be right. um and that's one thing that I was. passionate about is making sure that we. had good hearing because I knew how. important it was on target it's like. some guys were just shoving foam in. their ears I'm like what are you doing. you can't hear anything you know now. you're blocking yourself out I know. we're getting ready to go shoot but at.

the same time you still need that. awareness because if you take that away. then we lock awareness that was one. thing that I really really appreciated. worked with cry on a lot of the carrier. systems the evolutions over. time uh opscore worked with them a lot. of the uniform stuff worked with them. any Tech type stuff not really not. really on the tech side I would say. comms is the most technical that I got a. lot of like the the widgets cameras all. that stuff like that was that was more I.

appreciated what it was but I was more. like gear Centric like hard Goods like. you know EDC and the hard Goods that you. can use every day you know that was what. I was passionate about just curious when. it comes to the combatives I mean. it's from my perspective and your. business today that is the that's the. bread and butter of dynamis and and and. fuels all of your. businesses uh what was what was the. combatives process like when you showed.

up and how did you develop it and is it. still like that today well it was the. finding the Gap that existed and really. it it frustrated me because we have a. lot of this and I'm not taking any away. from these three disciplines you know. but wrestling or. Judo uh tie boxing and Jiu-Jitsu you. know those three are giving you really. good Leaps and Bounds on what you can. accomplish the problem that I saw was.

that as good as those are and those will. actually make a good fighter better and. they'll actually make a a combatives guy. better at everything that he does and. never stop doing them but they weren't. combining the reality of what we were. having to face I was going on Target and. I'm like this is this is not useful like. you're telling me how to do this. takedown this way but I'm not going to. apply that in a reality situation so. when I started to seek guys that do. combatives really well my first real. experience with like a true combatives.

instructor was Kelly mccan and he is in. Fredericksburg it I always started to. get opened on like actually applying the. combatives mindset where it's like you. have multiple opponents where an unknown. environments there's hard surfaces. there's weapons there's all kinds of. variables that you cannot control you're. not in a controlled environment there's. no referee and there's no consent you. know there's all these things that. change a martial arts environment to a. combatives environment and so with those. elements missing I knew that we were. burning bad reps and I also experienced.

this multiple times because you go into. jiu-jitsu classes and they always tell. you oh relax you're you're going too. hard you got to calm down and close your. eyes and feel this thing out and while. all those are good I'm not taking. anything away from it you can't tell a. guy that's getting ready to go in and. fight for his life that he should be. closing his and relaxing cuz he's going. to get his butt kicked and it was that. type of stuff where in no situation in. combatives where my life is on the line. am I going to you know I there's no. absolutes here but I'm not going to. close my eyes and try to relax it's an.

explosive end the fight it's me or you. now movement through all of it until. it's done in this in this area is secure. and so I wanted to develop something. that was consistently burning good reps. in their mind. everything that you do matters the. second you walk onto the mat this is. real life you have your blade on you you. have your firearm on you you have. everything as if you were going to fight. now we're going to train these. disciplines and these principles so it.

was me developing that on my own of. recognizing the reality of that and also. going against a lot of the political. nature that existed you know there was. there's still to this day some really. good relationships at that level and at. the command and I'm not taking anything. away from those guys but it's important. that we apply it in the sense of we take. what you're really good at the jiujitsu. that you're good at and apply it in a. reality based scenario and that's where. I started to open my mind on what. scenarios are we doing how are we. applying the combatives you know Tony.

Blau Kelly mccan a lot of the guys that. were really pioneering the scenario. training seok's great at it too and so I. recognized very quickly that we needed. to improve I was actually the first time. we improved our combatives facility I. was like so stoked to be a part of that. I we were drawing up plans and I was. drawing up mat areas and where to put. the ring and we developed a really cool. combatives area that really had never. existed before and so that was kind of. the spark and then uh today where they.

are is like light years from where it. started but in a good way I still don't. think that everybody takes it as. seriously as they should but they are. getting the best training in the world. yeah yeah what when did what else did. you incorporate other than I mean hand. to hand obviously obviously Blade work. is there any other kind. of maybe. non-traditional combatives that you. brought to the table combative pistol.

you know like combative pistol is. something that again you get all the. YouTube junk out there there's a lot of. garbage on what you watch on YouTube you. got to be careful about burning bad reps. but combative pistol from the standpoint. of using your pistol and your blade in a. combative way is unique in its own you. know cuz the one of the comments that. like Burns me a little bit is like oh. well you know I see a guy that's tougher. fights that's why I carry a gun I'm like. I'm telling you right now you're not. going to use that thing if I can grab. you you know if I get a hold of you. you're not touching your gun and people.

don't think like that and so it's. combining this whole spectrum of a. warrior together at a holistic level. that we must understand and apply and. that's why I wanted to be the best in. the world of that I wanted to build a. team around understanding that. dissecting it applying it proving it and. and acting that out on a daily basis and. so we could find new things we could. push limits and see those things but it. really is that spectrum of you know. mind hands blade pistol rifle sniper.

rifle right there's this there's this. Continuum that we have to work in and. out of you know I could be here to here. or I could be here to here and I need to. be able to go back you know and I think. that anybody that calls themselves um a. first responder or a warrior. or lives this lifestyle should embrace. their responsibility and duty to know. how to do and that's a lot of what we're. dealing with with law enforcement or. anybody else for that matter that has to. go Hands-On you should be so confident. in those skills that you're not thinking.

about that this might be an issue you. can have a blade or a gun in your hand. right now like I don't care like that. really doesn't bother me like as long as. I'm in within arms length reach we're. going to be able to work through that. scenario I'm going to be able to. mitigate the threat okay so even like a. kid or somebody that's drunk you know. it's like okay this this. I'm not going to get complacent but. there's ways around just pulling the. trigger you know I can I can work. through that and deescalate situational. awareness if we can't see it coming then. we're not going to be able to avoid it.

and then deescalation and avoidance. right we should be able to we all have. something to lose we should be able to. deescalate and avoid at all costs and so. I'm saying these things on top of the. combative mindset because they are. really important if I just talk about. combatives people can get really lost in. the sauce of like oh that sounds really. violent. I'm like yeah I I understand the level. of violence so I can avoid it I. understand the level of violence so I. can deescalate it I understand the level. of violence so I can get to the hand. to-hand combat and take the guy's gun. and blade away from him save his life.

and mine and then have a conversation. with him after you know what I mean do. you have to be able to understand that. level it's like um I think it's Jordan. Peterson's quote maybe that's. uh you know a man that's capable. violence you know a good man is not a is. not a peaceful man But A Good Man is one. that's capable of extreme violence. something to that effect but but I. understand the nature of it there. because there's a truth to it it's that. how can we create peace if we don't have.

the level to understand the violence. that's needed for the peace maybe we. never use it hopefully we don't but bad. things exist threats are real and evil. is very real and so it's like if I avoid. and I don't confront that reality well. now I'm just a bad I'm a bad person I'm. actually lazy and wicked CU I don't do. anything about the wrong in the world. you know or prepare for it anyway have. you ever have you ever had to utilize. any of the systems that you've developed. as far as hand toand in combat 100% yeah.

multiple times can you give us a. scenario uh there was one on a rooftop. where I had my gun out and I got wrapped. up pretty tight you know from like you. know coming around the corner and. basically being like be hub. and being on the roof and not wanting to. go tumble off cuz there's no ledge I. just put my blade to work and uh you. know that's one scenario um there's one. where I was just Blade no pistol no.

pistol um there was one where I was on a. rooftop. and I had my gun aside cuz I was trying. to Cuff the dude and he was fighting for. his life swinging at me and I had all my. gear on um um so a lot of the cuffing. techniques that I learned through. Gustavo actually came into fruition. where you know I was able to crossarm. him roll him over his wife sitting next. to me you know smacking me in the head. yelling at me I mean she wasn't like.

being super aggressive wasn't anything. that concerned me but uh was able to. choke him out put him to sleep very. calmly then put him in. handcuffs um I mean I have a long list. let's go back to the first one that you. mentioned if that's the first one that. came to mind then obviously have a a. good memory of what happened can you. elaborate on. it yeah just just the standpoint and. again I don't want to be you know I. don't know what the right word is too. graphic or whatever but the one thing.

I'll say is that blades take longer to. use than we think they do you know. that's why we talk about timers and. switches um when I started to utilize my. blade in those scenarios where can you. can you explain timers and switches to. the audience so timers are anything. that's going to bleed you out anything. that hits a major artery you know when. your fight response is kicked in you're.

going to have different things in your. body that essentially um closed down or. not I mean sometimes somebody can get a. femoral cut and won't even bleed because. your adrenaline's pumping and it. retracts so it's always kind of an. unknown um but the loss of blood. essentially is a timer you know and. again just emphasizing the the scenarios. of these of of why I appli different. things was the context of the. situation the accessibility of these. things you know if I'm wrapped up here.

and I can't use utilize my gun and the. closest thing I have from falling off. the roof is to be able to pull my blade. out and and get it to work that's. something that's going to mitigate me. going off the roof or anybody else and. now at that point I'm looking to end the. fight mitigate the fight deescalate this. and move on to another part I mean this. is on the beginning of the assault this. is me right when I got on the roof um. and so a switch that's a timer where I'm. looking for things that that are going. to slow you down and shut you down but.

they take time a switch is something. that has an immediate effect it's like a. light switch so a good example is a. nerve bundle everybody can go like this. right here to their shoulder and push in. right there there's a switch right there. so if I am able to attack that switch I. can literally shut your whole arm down. and make it numb and it does not take. much pressure to do that if your finger. is right here and you just feel that. like you know what I'm talking about. that nerve bundle right there yeah like. it does not take much to go click and. then your whole arm's done that's a. switch so you have switches like that.

all throughout your body and you have. timers like that all throughout your. body if you understand you know where. your blood's running and everything else. so the context is really going to depend. on how and when I use what you know. so yeah I've got a lot of of scenarios. that I've been through are just so you. go up the rooftop. mhm yeah we're on the. roof. and that's it I mean uh I think Eddie.

was somewhere on the right side of me. and just taking this guy down to the. ground because that's what it ended up. turning into was like a ground scuffle. um you know at that point my main. concern is is this guy going to continue. to be a threat and affect anybody else. that's moving or moving past us so. ultimately just making sure that that. didn't happen you. know how Precision how much Precision is. involved in Blade work I mean is it like.

shot placement yeah I equated exactly. like that shot placement when we're. doing blade draws and if I have a Target. up um I'll put a head up I'll put a 2x4. up if I'm doing live blade training um. it's same thing a small Miss small so if. I'm going for ocular shot or I'm going. for a body shot specifically like I have. to have Precision in that so there is a. level of being Dynamic same thing when. we shoot and move you need to be able to. draw your blade and hit and move um I. think Precision is something that. probably goes under talked about but it.

was exactly like what you're aiming at. and. so the thing that gets Dynamic about. blade work is you could be upside down. and backwards because you got a dude. that's on top of you or you're in a. Jiu-Jitsu scenario and it's similar with. a pistol too but the the pistol is one. directional in a sense of like there's. only one way one bullet can come at you. in a straight line and so that that just. knowing that itself gives you a level of. empowerment when you're actually in a. fight but a blade is very.

multi-directional in the sense of like. it can forward cut it can back cut the. points sharp um is it going forward or. backward I mean just doing this is going. to cut you as opposed to like if I point. the gun my hair and just do this well. nothing happens CU I'm not pointing it. at you you know that is the the level of. effect that you can have with the blade. as opposed to the pistol and so I think. the dynamic there is really important. but Precision is absolutely key knowing. where timers are knowing where switches. are and again I I say all this stuff and.

and I know sometimes it's tough for me. to articulate some of this because I. always approach it from a standpoint of. self-defense I want everybody to know. that that it it is all about deescalate. and avoiding these scenarios right from. the very beginning I don't want to have. to use my blade if I don't have to I. don't want to have to use my pistol if I. don't have to if I'm using them it's. because my life is on the line or. somebody else's life is on the line and. I'm trying to get out of there you know. I'm not doing it overtly to just get a. rep in I I want to do it in a way and I. want to understand that level of.

violence so if I really need it I can. recall that in the moment that I need it. most you know just wanted to say that. because you know some people get wrapped. up and they don't understand the the. full breadth of you know what combatives. and what blade workor really exists for. you know well thank you for. elaborating when it came to when you've. had to utilize hand toand stuff I mean. that's that's obviously very up close. very. personal how did I mean how would that.

how does that affect you. versus killing with your with your. firearm with your rifle with your sniper. rifle with your pistol versus a. blade well I think we're putting our. hands on people more than we ever have. before um. or maybe not traditionally but I think. from a Warfare. standpoint they both are important to. understand and yes is putting your hands. on somebody more intimate in a sense.

than just pulling the trigger and not. really seeing what's going on there um I. do think that there is a. contrast I think you have more to. learn this is my point I think you have. more to learn from the combative. scenario then you do pulling the trigger. necessarily cuz in a vacuum like if I. have a Target and it's it's moving I'm. like okay now and it's not a threat. anymore the hand to hand stuff is just.

much more dynamic in the sense of your. balance your weight Shifting the right. tool to use how you're using it the. bullet will stop somebody in their. tracks when combatives isn't necessarily. that right away um if I choke somebody. out that's probably one of the easiest. and fastest ways to get somebody to. become compliant and have the the result. that I want but that doesn't necessarily. mean I'm going to be able to access that. tool right away he may be fighting for.

his life you know and backing up in a. corner or trying to hit me with. something else or there might be. multiple people so it gets extremely. Dynamic so when I say there's a lot to. learn more from combatives is because. there's just so many different variables. yeah did he move left or right did I. grab him was it his wrist did I use my. blade was it a pistol you know how did. how did that change if I just slipped. one way this way could have I have. avoided gotten clipped in the head you. know his his man Jamies got hooked on my. my nods Mount you know could have I. avoided that if I just grabbed all of it. and shoved it this way you know so.

there's a lot of thought that goes. through my head after the fact of a hand. inand confrontation like I really play. it out my mind a lot like what could I. have done better could I have moved this. way or could I have done it differently. you know any type of uh psychological. effect I mean I mean I would imagine. I've not done it so. um you know I would imagine the. psychological effect that it takes to to. utilize your blade in a combat.

scenario would. be a lot different. than shooting somebody at distance or or. even up close I mean the the even. shooting somebody you hear the sounds. you hear the moan you you know it's it's. it's very real I can imagine utilizing. your blade I mean feeling. them as they're dying you know maybe. maybe you fth blood but you you hear the. gurgling you're you're there I mean is. there is there a certain psychological.

effect that. that that hit you in the act or or. afterwards that you don't get. with I think that they're both equal you. know because ultimately what it comes. down to is is what you did. just right and so that's where faith. comes into play that's where morals and. your values come into play did I do.

everything. justly did I do everything according to. what I believe God would want me to. do and that's where we start talking. about psychological and spiritual. battles because if I'm if if I'm making. just. decisions based off of evil that's. presenting. itself I don't have an out I can't do. anything about it and I need to act now. there's no thinking about that it's.

presented to me in a way that is evil. and if I don't take care of the problem. he's going to kill one of my buddies or. kill that little baby that he's. holding so those do not really cause any. issues with you know understanding it I. don't think anybody should. I think that's why developing ourselves. pre battle and knowing our values. knowing our morals knowing our faith. gives us the armor we need to go make. the best decision possible and never. lose sleep over it again because we had.

to step up if evil presents itself right. now when I'm driving home and I'm with. my family and he doesn't give me an. opportunity to love him then I have to. take action to protect what I love the. most you know and so from a. psychological standpoint if somebody. anybody me is making an unjust choice in. the moment of battle because they didn't. think through it and some things of the. heat of battle he of Battle of hard to. to decipher that's why we need to.

prepare I think those are the things. that will weigh on us I think those are. the things that will haunt us in a sense. right um and of course until we. reconcile with the fact that we we did. those things so psychologically for me I. have no regrets you know I have no. feelings of anything that I've done um. that either hasn't already been forgiven. by God or that I did right and I know. that I was supposed to do to be put in. that position you know was there any.

hesitation or apprehension to to utilize. your blade for the first. time. no no because you know when you get to. the level that we were striving to be at. you're so in tune with what's the. appropriate tool for this problem MH.

that it's just instinctual you know it's. not anything that I need to overthink or. underthink it's like this is the. appropriate tool for the situation. that's going on and I'm going to apply. it to the best of my ability um and I. think that that's the beauty about the. beautiful thing about understanding that. spectrum of all these tools is that we. were put in a very unique situation to. be able to go and actively head towards. the target head towards the bad guy head. towards the gunfire so being able to rep. that out night after night after night. after night I mean I don't know if Eddie.

said anything very similar to this but I. forget half of what I've done like I'll. be sitting there you know staring at the. wall you know sipping on tea or whatever. I'm like oh yeah forgot I did that and. so there's this part of my brain that. puts it in its place and I don't really. access it unless I need to go learn. something there um good bad or. indifferent but it at the time when we. were exploring these different tactics. and you evolve as a warrior you go in.

you you do something we clear a room. like man we could have done that better. so it's the application again and again. and again that's why right now if we got. into a uh a house to house battle or a. uh on foot scenario like the skills that. we have have as a military we would. crush anybody cuz we've been doing it. for so long and we understand the the. attitude and the knowledge of that but. you improve along the way and that's. what it was for me if I had to Ed my. blade or my pistol or my rifle it was it.

was a learning point and it was how do I. do this better what could I do next time. to escalate or deescalate depending on. the situation right um is this a kid. that's attacking me is this a full AG. male that's attacking me is this guy. coming at me with a sword is this guy. have a gun um and where's my role in. this to have a successful outcome of. this Mission you know are there 10 guys. on target are there five is there one it. all plays a factor in what you're you. what you're. utilizing are we still trying to be.

quiet you know are we still trying to. keep the element of surprise you know. all those things and that's you know. it's tough because I don't like going. too much in the tactics you know I don't. want to I I totally understand and and. I'll respect that one thing that Eddie. did say was. don't quote me exact on this but uh he. had mentioned something along the lines. of there there was so much killing that. went on over there that.

that pretty much any way you could think. of to kill somebody had been. done. yeah and I think that goes along with. the op Tempo that we were at and what we. were doing to. improve on how we were approaching some. of these things is that you talk about. them you talk about utilizing the. specific tactic but I think we got in a. mode where we were looking for. opportunities that would allow us to use.

that tactic and that to me just means. that we were operating every night back. to back to back to back in some some. cases and so as we grew again the threat. is not let anybody forget this our lives. are on the line M every single night. we've lost guys in the midst of these. battles we were literally losing dudes. one after one after one of our brothers.

so we're going into these targets trying. to figure out how to be the best that we. can be to mitigate these things from. happening not to mention we're going. after to bad dudes that are blowing. people up and killing innocent people so. we were going in being like how do we. just reach a the fullest version of. ourselves in these scenarios in all ways. possible and when you do that naturally. you have to explore different things. that are going to allow you to reach a. different potential you can't grow if.

you don't try to push a limit here or. you know clear a smaller room with a. pistol or get into a hand in-hand. confrontation when you're still trying. to be quiet you know all of those. different elements are um you know yeah. they just. to become a part of of what you're doing. and I think what did Eddie say he was. like a kill addict that what he said one. of his chapters I think you know which. is a crazy thing it's hard for me man it. really is like I'll get emotional if I. go into this but like mine and Eddie's.

relationship and like what we did and. and and how we experienced that you know. I believe looking back on it like we. were doing things from the right place. we were there for the right reasons we. wanted to be out there doing the right. thing and ridding the world world of. evil um but man was it intense you know. and night after night like that you know. you just become kind of sharpened and. also uh you have to compartmentalize. what's going on you know what I mean it.

just becomes a part of you you know so. yeah I don't know how else to explain. that. but here's the situation you've got. China Russia Ukraine the border the. banks seem to be collapsing plus the. Chinese just negotiated with Iran Saudi. Arabia and Brazil to drop the US dollar. and most Americans including myself feel. that we're in a recession right now but. despite all the evidence I can't tell. you what's going to happen for sure.

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Departments that you've stood up since. you've shown up at gold team so we went. over R&D we went over. combatives the last one that you are. taking on is sniper you know and so what. I'd like to do is just dig in a little. bit on how you developed that skill uh. coming from the regular SEAL Teams into. Development Group and and and and and. where it went yeah the coolest thing. about the sniper not only did I always.

wanted to do it and it was a passion of. mine but at Team two I was able to. implement it quite a bit you know more. than normal you know I had my my wrecky. gun set up I had things that I was. thinking about doing um I I thought like. that I thought like a wrecky would kind. of looking at routes that took a whole. different shape on when I got to the. command though and the idea of being the. first on the target you like really. excited me and also knowing where the. route was because you always hear the.

guys that you know they're trudging in. the back they don't know where they're. going they're sweating they're like. complaining and they're just you know. aggravated but the guy up front knows. what's happening and I really wanted to. get that right as far as taking guys. down the right route. going to push in and see if a route was. good or not and then coming back and. letting everybody know so I kind of. really enjoyed the the opportunity to be. out front with. Rey and I always really appreciated just. knowing what was going on you know the. The Innovation with the route planning.

uh The Innovation with how the. technology works and helping us uh you. know working with EOD UPF front that was. another piece that was where I got to. know Lewis really really well was. working up front you know working with. the the bomb detection and you know. things that we were looking for on. routes I mean me and him did a lot of. work there so I think from the. standpoint of the command again here. these basic things that you need but now. we're going to dive into very specific. Specialties of this is the type of long.

range shooting that we're going to do. this is the type of sustainment training. we're going to do dudes took it. seriously like I mean no joke you're. like whoa like ratslof Thomas ratoff rat. he was on the Hilo and Distortion 17 but. I can't think of the word sniper and not. think of him he was immersed into that. life and that way of thinking um. everything he did revolved around being. a better Precision shooter he was up.

early leaving later than everybody else. spend an extra time on the Range he was. down talking to guys about Ammo types. and gun types and platforms and he was. just in it he was the he was the Apex of. what we all were like wow okay like if. you're going to get act together and. snipe ourself you're going to follow. this guy so having really good mentors. which really is the culmination for. anything that we do we have somebody. that we can emulate and somebody that we. can look up to to say you're reaching a. whole another level of this that I. didn't even know existed and I think.

that that's what the command was for me. as far as a wcky standpoint was that I. grew and I really took to I was the. pointman at team too as well but we. didn't really have like a wrecky element. um but I always wanted to jump up front. if it was ever a volunteer if there was. ever an opportunity I was the number one. man that was going to lead you know so I. was always thinking about what does my. gun need to be like if I'm going to be. up front you know you get the classic. Vietnam error guys that always had the. shotgun you know rolling through the the. brush really thick so that if he had. something close he could engage and so I.

thought like that well I'm up front what. do I need I'm up front it's going to be. different it's going to be lighter it's. going to be more Nimble um I need to be. able to climb move crawl get into stuff. so I really just embraced that way of. thinking and then of course. the last thing that I'll say is that. with all the operating that we were. doing and the Reps that we were getting. night after night after night is that a. lot of the times it benefited to be up. front getting on target first or. climbing so you know I knew that was a.

part of the wrecky job is that if you. were going to be the first one you were. probably going to be the most more than. likely to get into an engagement and and. again you can't chase it so there was. elements of that they're like you know. you miss here you gain there but the. majority of the time the wrecky crew is. going to run into people first and I. like that about that position. interesting you know I'm starting to see. a commonality in the areas of the the.

the the areas of operation that you. chose to take part in and at first it. didn't make a whole lot of sense I'm. thinking all right he's doing combatives. but he also is really into the sniper. stuff so you want to be the farthest. away and the closest and what I'm. picking up is CU you. really it seems to me you really like to. operate in very very small teams snipers. very small teams possibly two you know. maybe even just one person you know. combatives you and another in in another.

combatant uh the the stuff that you did. um I don't want to name the location at. seel Team 2 that really interested you. the with the MI6 course Very very. individualized you're talking about. clearing clearing homes clearing. buildings with two people the R&D stuff. seems like a very isolated position am I. wrong on. this no I don't think so I I think that. there's a nature of you know even when.

you do anything you only find a couple. of people that really you know do it. well with you or in that operating. environment I think it was more along. the lines of just again the dynamic of a. warrior of realizing you know I like. putting Precision shots for they belong. and it wasn't that I wanted to be far. away as a sniper but it was just the. fact that I can shoot better I have a. different Mission set it was really. about kind of that ability to hide and. sneak and and get in and the combatives.

aspect is up front close in your face so. really they're two opposite ends of the. spectrum so it's kind of like knowing. both of those I went to breacher school. too I just wasn't as good as Eddie was. um but I knew how to breach I mean I I. would pick up a sledge or do any of that. stuff it just I took to the the wcky. more you know it just excited me and I. wanted to be out front and and leading. you know yeah let's move into some of. the deployments and uh I know this is. going to be tough on you but so we've.

gone through all the Departments that. you're involved in and and and your. Specialties let's talk about back to. Let's rewind a little bit we showed up. to gold team we talked about the culture. a little bit we talked about what it was. like showing up. let's talk about your first deployment. at Gold Team. MH how did. that what are some of the things that. you saw that were different than your. deployments at se team.

too right away just the intensity of it. and the seriousness of of recognizing. that you're with guys that have done. this for a while and guys that have it. pretty dialed in there's a a weight. that pushes you forces you to rise to. the occasion where you cannot slack off. you cannot fall back you cannot let one. detail go missed you know like that's.

the level of precision that you're. looking around at these guys that spend. all night working on their gear all. night thinking about stuff so it's a. full immersion into this ability to to. be the best that we can. be and you you know Eddie and I we. actually stayed were we in the same room. I think maybe it was across from me I. think we probably would have killed each. other we were in the same room but we. almost threw blows too a couple of times. um but out of love really at the end of. the day it was just out of like silly. stuff but we grew together but being on.

that first deployment it just really. opened my eyes on on what a warrior. looked like you know and I had guys that. looked up at the team too like being on. deployment with some of these dudes. where I'm like okay this guy knows what. he's doing this guy you know a couple. guys had you know marks on their guns. that were like they were running out of. space already right so I'm like looking. at these things like okay this is this. is legit you know so I think it's just a.

level of intensity and seriousness that. was that was put to it of course we. always find a way to make things. light-hearted and and relax a little bit. we on deployments but I think that's the. first thing that I remember and just the. op Tempo where it felt like every night. every other night is what it was you. know and when we would get shut down for. a couple of days for whatever reason you. know it would feel like an eternity you. know 3 days felt like forever you know. we're always kind of on edge of on edge. in a good way too but when are we going.

right cuz you're always on the call. you're always like waiting for that that. call to go off and so knowing that every. night was a possibility it just puts you. in a different level I think that that's. why it's good that we're out and back so. quick so uh that is just the intensity. of of the first deployment and you know. growing in that situation um hendo which. really really great mentor of mine um. one of the best fighters that I know uh.

I jumped into the mat room right away on. deployment and I got to spar with him. and the first time I sparred with him. within about a week of being on. deployment po me right in the nose like. blood everywhere like as soon as I got. in the ring he was like bam I'm like. okay this is how fighting looks at this. level you know these guys take this. seriously so it forced me to be. accountable to be like I got to get my. act together here and that's kind of why. I took combative so seriously as I had a. great mentor I had somebody that really. cared about being the best they could be. with Hands-On.

stuff and every situation was kind of. like that you know you walked into this. environment and you would get punched in. the nose and start bleeding realizing. like this is real I got to step up but. everything forces you to level up when. you're around that type of precision and. excellence and I think that that's what. the first deployment showed me this is. what you should expect this and more of. what guys are capable of how long was. the deployment I mean they range from. you know 1 to four months 1 to four. months yeah just depending on what it.

was where it was and literally sitting. here thinking I'd have to like go back. and look like I even forget like how. many deployments like short ones long. ones back to back to back they just they. happen really really quick quick quick. turnarounds I think the timelines have. since changed a little bit but uh again. that's stuff that I'm like whatever. whatever it is now it is yeah what is. uh what were some what was the what were. some of the missions you know what was. the.

objective well we're good at direct. actions I mean everything kind of. surrounded that there was some specialty. stuff in between but the majority of it. was mounting up to go hit a Target. capture kill that was the name of the. game you know I always said kill capture. in my brain because I'm thinking I might. have to kill you and then if you don't. need me to then I'm going to capture you.

so that was the thread throughout the. entire time it was that that was always. on the table and understanding you know. what's the threat going to be scariest. environment imaginable is always what we. laughed and joked about you know about. going out the door like it's going to be. the scariest and worst thing possible. that's what you visualize that way I'm. up here ready for it and then when I. confront it or actually hit the reality. it's not as bad as I was making it out. to be and you know you do that.

intentionally it's like swinging two. bats before you go onto the plate right. you're you're swinging heavy heavy. weight so that when you go up when the. reality one is is a lot lighter and you. do it a lot faster so I think that I. carried that idea all the way through. but it was really just kicking indoors. in in different ways again and again and. again our our tactics and our ability to. evolve was almost. instantaneous like we would come up with. stuff on the Fly you know and me and.

Eddie I always say me and Eddie because. it's just really easy to relate to but. me and he Eddie would just look at each. other on a nods I'm like that worked. look we're going to do that next time we. talk about it afterwards and like hey. that was awesome let's do that again um. breaching I mean man Eddie pioneered. like several different tactics like. right in front of my eyes you know that. people weren't doing weren't thinking. about weren't implementing and he was. just like I'm going to try this you know. and then it would be an amazing thing. that other guys would do throughout the. time and so it's almost like we were.

part of this this pioneering earlier on. as well as these things evolving as the. enemy kind of changed like an amoeba so. did we and we were kind of just staying. on their heels always trying to not let. them get too far out ahead of whatever. their tactics were House born IEDs their. direct action tactics um lot of little. weird nuances that would just pop up out. of nowhere then it would be a thing and. then it would go away you know one of. those examples uh in fact and again I'm.

B I'll bounce around from from. deployment to deployment I don't I have. a hard time keeping idea like very. systematically saying which ones were. which but when uh Mike and Nate were. killed. we knew that the. guys at some point knew there was like a. phase line they knew we were there and. so what they would do is that they would. they would take a AK they would spray. the AK I think one mag and then flip it. and do another mag and then they would.

run at us and blow themselves up you. know so it was like this very violent. they would all do it together they would. burst the ammo and then run and try to. take somebody with them um and it got to. the point where that that almost got. sort of comical cuz we knew it was going. to happen we kind of predicted it like. oh watch this we'll back up a little bit. okay there goes the first one and then. you know so it in a sense right that's. kind of like the sentiment that happened. a couple of times but at the same time.

you know some of their tactics we had to. learn the hard way you know about what. they did and what they implemented but. we would change very rapidly and and. stay above that so a lot of learning was. going on what would be an example one of. their tactics that you had to learn the. hard way. on. uh. probably again I always always have a. tough time because I don't want to. navigate down a road that that puts. anybody at risk. but I.

think stuff they were doing inside of. the building internally with House born. IEDs okay um I think that's that's. pretty obvious to the world you know. that these guys are cowards and they are. cowards I mean they don't want to come. out and fight um and most of them will. just find a way out of it and I think. the house born. IED was one that. we you know it's like what do you do if.

the house is rigged and you go in to. clear the. structure um you know you just have to. continue to assault unless you see. something and that's why we spend so. much time in that but uh that's how we. lost Lewis you know we lost Lewis in a. house born. IED. and that was one thing we were like okay. well obviously we have to take that into. consider consideration you know so yeah. was that your first loss that really hit.

you. um I mean it was. definitely the closest loss ever for me. um in a lot of ways cuz he was like my. best friend you. know but I would say yeah I was it. wasn't the first there was multiple. before you know we had lost Adam we had. lost um I'm sorry Adam was after the. fact we lost Mike and Nate and Mike and.

Nate were like three days. before you know so that was uh that was. already like a punch to the gut we were. already kind of in that mode of like. okay you know what do we do to kind of. pull ourselves forward and and think. about this and process it and then it. was like 3 Days Later Lewis was killed. you. know do you want to go into that at all. or do you want to leave it yeah no I. mean I will for sure it definitely.

changed my life you know Lewis. specifically and just getting that. intimate with. somebody and having them you know Eddie. obviously I think talked about this as. well cuz Edie me Eddie and Lewis were. like the thre Man team that that we just. had so much fun together so effective it. wasn't even like Lewis was an EOD guy. you know he was like another team guy to. us you know he was just so intertwined.

with our abilities and in some cases you. could outshoot. us but uh you know that night where that. tactic kind of you know bit us was that. we were up you know on this on this. structure. and I was actually off outside on the. outside perimeter and Eddie and him were. were up close and it was funny because. Eddie you know Lewis was going to flex. where he needed to go whether it was. with alpha or Bravo and then Eddie got.

pulled in because he was a breacher so I. was on the outside perimeter with where. typically Eddie would be but he got. pulled in there um because he had. something specific that he was up to and. then as they were on the edge you know. there was a little bit back and forth. with what happened uh with the guys. inside and I think they knew the gig was. up at that point and I think somebody. had tossed a frag in the door and it. didn't even didn't even have a chance to. go off it was like they knew and that's. when the house came down and when they. pulled back you know Lewis was right.

there on the corner and you know that I. heard it I heard the explosion and uh. immediately we were like right into. action we started moving towards the. opening of the compound. and I just remember coming around the. corner and just seeing just I mean it. was. like. uh it was like a building came down you. know people are mangled um there's dust. everywhere it was just like I just saw. this house and the structure and now.

it's all in you know a pile of concrete. uh and when the first thing I came up on. was the dog I came up on [ __ ] and man. that. little you know he was like I went to. grab on to him and help him out and he. tried to bite me and of course he just. got a building that fell on him so I. don't blame him for that but it was like. as I was trying to help him he's trying. to bite me I'm trying to pull his legs. out and I was like okay I'm going to. come back to you I'm going to try to see. if any the other guys need help and so I.

helped up uh Bonito and you know he Lo. both of his femurs clean break both. femurs done you know he couldn't even. stand up and as I'm kind of assessing. all these guys you know they're just all. pulling rocks off of them and trying to. dust themselves off and figure out what. the heck happened and I'm kind of like. looking into their eyes like okay is he. all right he looks a little banged up. he's moving Bonito was the worst in that. scenario you know he was screaming and.

uh I'm trying to just assess right. there's so much going on and I was also. thinking okay is there a secondary. device that could go off you know that. for whatever reason the hair was. standing up on the back of my neck that. could be an option and I had seen these. wires moving all the way through and I I. kind of like had stopped to be like is. this possible that there's something. else rigged up here that we're not. seeing and that kind of made me pause. for like 15 seconds and that felt like. an eternity CU I was trying to look.

obviously this building just came down. and then right after I kind of had that. pause I was like where's Lewis I was. like where is he I'm like I don't see. him anywhere here and I looked left and. and I looked right and I was just like. where's Lewis and I started yelling you. know like where is he um and then I I. went to the corner and I think Eddie had. like grabbed on to me and been like he. was right here and then we both started. to try to look you.

know in that area. but. the every was just chaos right so. everybody's trying to figure it out and. uh at that point you know because we. didn't see him we're like well is he. underneath you know the rubble and uh me. and one of the newer guys which was an. augment we were looking underneath and. we both pretty much spotted him at the. same time and I'm just thinking help my.

buddy help my buddy what can I do to. help him. um and we eventually you know tried to. pull him out there was like a little bit. of a gap. you know there and you know obviously it. wasn't doing anything so we had a guy. that had equipment that was able to. actually like lift up the. entire uh first floor ceiling which was. like that thick I mean it was crazy.

thick we even tried getting on it and. like moving stuff around which like we. had to try right we had to at least try. to do something we would kind of. Shifting all the options as we were. communicating with everybody with what. was going on and eventually we're able. to get him. out and we were just doing the. assessment on him the dock was on him. and we were trying to just do everything. we could to you know give him all the. support we possibly could in that. scenario not knowing exactly what the. extent of the damage was and at that.

point you know we were like all right we. got to get him on a Hilo and we started. calling all the life flights and. everything and it was almost like a blur. after that honestly um I know we got him. on you know a stretcher and we got him. on the Hilo and I'm and I'm praying that. something that I got some type of. feedback you.

know so he took off on the. Hilo and it was kind of like just. continuous prayer there as we kind of. unclustered everybody else got everybody. loaded up uh in the. vehicles and then it was. just. waiting for an update you know trying to. get some type of clarity on what.

happened and I'd say that probably the. toughest. moment was you know being in there after. the fact it was kind of like a semide de. Brea but not really because you know we. we had understood the weight we're just. trying to do everything we can to. support all the guys that were you know. having to be pushed to the hospital and. but you know when we got word. back that uh you know he didn't make. it I want to say that I just went out.

and dropped my. knees I'm sorry D. yeah but there's. beauty that comes from all of it I mean. every single bit of it is uh just going. through that. intimate battle the. friendship you you start to understand.

you know what Brotherhood. is and you know that. loss is is just impacts you in a. different way and anybody that's. experienced loss in any way you know. know knows the way to that especially. for somebody that they they care about. and uh it was a lot it was a lot of. weight on me just to think about that. you know it crushed Eddie it crushed all. the guys I mean it what didn't make it. easy I mean it was a really tough few.

days after Mike and Nate just died and. then we lost. Lewis you know there was a lot of. moments where we leaned on each other. heavily a lot of lot of Tears shed you. know around the fire and just trying to. reconcile with with what happened but. also building up in ourself like this is. why we need to continue to do this. because there's bad guys out there that. want to do bad things to people and. we've got to be that Shield we've got to. be willing to stand into the breach and. and we all knew that Lewis knew that I.

knew that we all do everybody that lost. their life did everybody on Extortion 17. did um and it's that confrontation to it. but it's also supporting each other in. that moment and eventually I was you. know he they told us and gave us the. notification but I ended up taking him. home you know I ended up getting on the. Angel Flight back with him. so it was uh me and him the whole.

time so tough to talk about this when. you're when you're in it right and uh. these experiences but the one thing that. I told. him and that was important to me. was because he he loved free diving and. spear fishing that was like his one. thing that I could tell you like to the. to the Grave he would have done it and. he taught me a lot he was actually using. me as like his training dummy in uh in. Iraq when we were over there and I would.

go retrieve the weight on the bottom of. the pool for me and he'd laugh at me. because I'm trying to pull this 45lb. weight back up but he did a lot of free. diving and he taught me a lot about. breath holding and we talked about all. the spear fishing we were going to do um. and when I was with him at that last. moment before we left country I made a. vow to him I was like hey man I was like. I'm going to take up spear. fishing and free diving and it was. something that it was on his heart so. heavily so I kind of like pulled that.

into my life and it kind of became a. part of me you know and so today like. even if anybody ever hears me talk about. spear fishing or free diving or any of. that it's because of him and a lot of. beauty that's that's come from it I've. I've met so many people along the way. because of that journey and it's like. okay Lewis well you obviously. orchestrated this but then uh took him. back home um brought him back to. Miami and then went through that whole. process um that was really difficult.

obviously to be around his family um but. the beautiful thing that happens now is. we do a yearly dive out in Miami and we. go honor him every single year without. fail uh we hang out with his parents we. go to church we go to a mass that's. dedicated to him every year and it's. really cool to do and uh you know Jamie. that's near and dear to my heart um you. know she was with Lewis when he passed. away and we keep great calms and we.

always just that's like the Pinnacle of. the year for us to go down there it's. coming up by the way so February it's. going to be you know coming up here soon. but we get out there and honor him and. it's just a beautiful moment there's a. lot of things like coming from that dive. to get down there where we put his ashes. and kind of honoring him you know that's. why again honor is so important to me. about living this life and doing right. by him in the way that would would be. good but that was definitely the. toughest you know for me was losing. Lewis because we were so close we became.

such great friends so quickly um and we. just yeah we were Spar Partners worked. out together but. yeah thank you for sharing that yeah you. know. I know his wife is a Avid listener and. viewer and. um do you have anything you'd like to. say to her just. that I love.

her I think anytime that we think we're. tough you know. or you know we have something we're. dealing with that's tough I always. always use. her to remind. myself how.

tough they had to. be in a lot of those moments um and even. still to this day not like it gets any. easier but just that I I probably look. to her. for more. strength then I think she realizes but. you know that's that's the part of. understanding you know Brotherhood and. the weight of it is that um we gain so.

much even though they're. gone and God will work in that way you. know even with Jamie and I and. relationships and other people and if. anybody listening has lost anybody God. brings other people together through. that loss and I think that that's what. we all have to have faith in and that's. the beauty of it as well as difficult as. it is it's there's for a reason so you. know she definitely has done that for.

me you. um you commemorate your. comrades in a. very honorable way and continue to do so. you know I. don't everybody copes in their own way. and and and relives the memories but. I've been you know watching from a. distance for a long time and the way you. commemorate Adam and and honor Lewis and.

and extortion I mean it's it's. um cumers some but um in. a I like saying it is what I'm trying to. say you do. a you do it with a lot of honor and a. lot of respect and and um it's just nice.

to see I definitely try you know I. really do. because it's their life you know and you. know when I was going through that. process after the fact you know when you. see so many different people that are. left behind you're like man where what's. what needs to be filled in their lives. or nothing will be but. ultimately what are they missing and. what do they need and when you see young.

daughters and sons left behind and wives. you know it hits you in a different way. to be like man that's where a lot of. like seeking all this of like Lord what. is my why why are we here you know why. why this like what's supposed to come of. this and I couldn't help but to hear. that voice in my in my head and. throughout the time of being at all. those funerals to be like you've got to. step up and honor their life with. everything that you've got willing.

literally being willing to lay down your. life to to live in their shoes and honor. them and I did it as much as I possibly. could and I'll never. forget you know when um we were on a. plane and we were coming back from one. of the funerals of Extortion. 17 and one of the widows that had. lost um. somebody I I looked at and I said this.

was actually another Widow that was. previous to uh to the extortion so it. happened before and so we were like Hey. listen you know we're always going to be. here for you and she was like yeah. that's what everybody on the Hilo told. me and so the weight of that comment was. like are we really doing a good enough. job as a community and as a Brotherhood. to make sure that these families have.

what they need and it will never be. enough you know all the way through time. and and Warriors and battle and War and. it will never be enough ever there's no. pay there's no way we could ever repay. or give back what we should be doing for. the children that don't have these. fathers that raise their hand at an. early. age but I think we need to try and I. certainly think we need to recognize. comments like that how does our culture.

and I think we've done a good job you. know and it's a lot of it's starting to. slip away with the generational you know. growth here but I think we've done a. decent job at looking at our history and. looking at our leadership over time. saying hey these were important moments. in history these are really important. people that we need to recognize and. memorialize because of their acts and. their efforts and we have to make sure. that we have a duty and accountability. to that as Citizens as.

veterans especially if you know somebody. that has been lost what are you doing on. a yearly basis a monthly basis a daily. basis. to live out a life that is going to. teach somebody else about what they. stood for that's really important if we. forget about how we got here then you. don't actually appreciate the freedom. that you have mhm this has all been. purposefully driven I mean I was with my. boy in the gym this morning honoring.

Lewis you know we picked the honor. workout today we were like what are we. going to do like well we got to do Lewis. you know was literally this morning so. teaching my boy that too like the whole. way through the movements I'm like hey. bud like think about how awesome he was. you know think about his cinnamon skin. and dark hair and big heart and huge. smile and you know like like bring that. to to the present because that's really. what Memorial is it's it's bringing what. was to the right now and you know things. like Halloween which we just had you.

know all Hall's Eve All Souls day All. Saints Day right the the fact that we as. a church memorialize the dead is so. critically important that literally at. the dinner table you know we are talking. about our previous family that's not. here that they're they're. in you know they they've been lifted up. and and how are we memorializing them to. remember our family our our veterans our.

friends we don't do that enough we don't. absolutely do that enough you know bring. value so anyway you know just my my. point is is that we got to do a great. job of honoring honor is not a word I. take lightly you know to be honorable to. live an honorable life to really live. out each day because you have to your. beliefs and everything that you're. living for take root and they they they. culminate in who you are so if honor is. a part of that your the value of your.

life will go through the roof if you. actually appreciate how you got there. and for me that's the experience that. I've had with Lewis Mike Nate all the. guys on the Hilo everybody from the time. that I got in they gave me something. they gave me a gift they gave me a gift. of recognizing how precious how awesome. how beautiful this life is you know and. how fast it can be taken away from you. you know so it like an Awakening you. know in a lot of senses like I don't I. don't expect I didn't expect to be here. you know I really didn't you know I.

think Eddie can probably say the same. thing if he hasn't said it one way or. another because we were so close it's. hard not to talk about Eddie talking. about this stuff because we went through. so many of the same doors being like you. know like didn't know if we were going. to come out of that one um but it's. almost like we shouldn't be here so. every day is as a gift and what we do. with that gift is critically important. and that's anybody listening you know if. we're still breathing there's a purpose. for it and hopefully we're honoring. those that have gone before us with our. lives yeah. yeah did your son know him my son did.

not know him though he. didn't no Lewis was supposed to be in my. wedding uh with my wife on that coming. home from that deployment and so. so we didn't even have children yet we. were it was 08 so my son was born uh. 09 year. after they know they know him now as. much as you know they didn't meet him in.

person obviously but yeah we try to do. our best well God bless him yeah for. sure let's talk about your relation. reltionship with Adam. Brown and how that kind of started. obviously it started in Sniper school. back at Seal Team 2 it sounds like but. how did it. develop well getting to go through green. team with him obviously we started to. work together uh more and more and you. know we were sparring together fighting.

together you know one of the cool things. that we really did was we did some Rd. stuff together so we actually went and. developed we worked with Arc tyx we. worked with a couple of different. companies to develop some layering. systems uh me and Adam did a lot of. waterproof bags together so we actually. worked on a few projects that still to. this day I have relationships with him. like oh yeah remember us meeting with. Adam and he liked that stuff too he was. very much an R&D gear guy and if I look. at Adam it wasn't so much from the.

standpoint that I think that he really. wanted to tweak the gear as it was him. wanting to take care of the guys like. genuinely I could probably say selfishly. I was more interested in doing the gear. when he was like I genuinely just want. to pour my heart onto this cuz I know. it's going to make the guys better you. know and that was who Adam was you know. and I learned a lot of that through him. um and again that that brotherly. correction that Adam had no problem you. know talking. about uh there's more situations and and.

scenarios that I can count that we were. walking through the hallway and he would. bump into me and I kind of think this. started in Sniper school but I would. always give him a hard time like what. side am I on am I on your right your. good side or your bad side. you know and then I got to the point. where I was going out in the hallway and. actually nudging him on purpose like. dude why you R into me and uh he we just. laughing off that was kind of like you. know a thing between us and uh he just. poured his heart heart out I've gone to. you know couple of dinners with his wife.

and him and he talked about his. children that was something that marks. him and now looking back at it like oh. well of course Christ was a part of your. life you had the love that you knew you. needed to apply to your children that's. why they got brought up or even somebody. that really doesn't mean much to you. could tell there was something different. there about why he did it what he talked. about you know there was instances I was. like hey Adam we're going to the bar. he's like dude I got a ball game with my.

son I got to go to you know or he would. be like I'm doing something else with my. children and at the time you're like. yeah but brotherhood all these things. this is important like let's go and and. there was a sense of almost irritation. and I can't say that I like overly got. irritated with with him but that was the. feeling with anybody right oh I got this. other thing to do it's like but that's. not what we're doing yeah and we're a. Brotherhood and we're a gang and we. stick together no matter what and that I. think to a fault and because we don't.

stick to big biblical principles because. we don't get in the word every day. because we don't recognize the love of. Christ in our life we we Veer away from. you know the truth of what we're. supposed to be doing and it kind of. creeps in but he had it it was already. there it was already a spark in him that. that was already in him and so now the. beauty of that now for me looking back. is like oh of course that's why you know. um very strong and he was even bringing. guys to the faith you know he was.

bringing guys um Kevin Houston was one. of those dudes you know juicy you know. juicy and I did a lot together on gear. development and working together and you. know I was with all of those guys. beforehand um on the Hilo aspect because. I was actually there I wasn't on the op. with Adam but I was on the same location. that he was when when Adam was killed. and I was actually going out with those. guys every night or every other night. that I could um because I was working in.

a different station so I was working. there next to them I would get on when I. could developed a really good. relationship with with all of the guys. and I was actually supposed to go on. that op that night really yep I was. supposed to go I was I was Teeter. tottering between two differ it was it. was the guys it was the boys and this. other thing and uh that was a cool part. of where I was at but it was also. difficult and challenging so I was. waiting waiting waiting waiting and then.

finally was told it we're not going I. had all my kit ready to go my gun was. ready to go and I had been hitting the. the guys up saying hey are you still. good yeah we're still good you can still. come on we got got space for you um and. then I jumped in my truck and I did I. went as fast as I possibly could to get. to the air strip and I was hauling and I. got to the gate and I turned around the. corner and the the shinook was going. just lifting and I'm like H I want to go. out with the guys you know and so I.

ended up watching um that you know and. listening to that op the whole night. through the radio that's why when I. heard when the eagle was down I didn't. know exactly what was going going on but. I was trying to figure out like who was. it who was it who was it you know you. want to know and then uh when they had. gotten back in and they and I was. already on the runway when they were. getting ready to land I was already. there you know so I pulled the truck up. to the Hilo and I remember getting out. talking to Craig Vickers right away um. trying to figure out so I pulled the.

truck up I didn't actually back up to. the hill yet they all got out and I. remember Craig Vickers came right up to. me he's like dude I got shot in the arm. and he like looked at me and he showed. me the the the the hole in his arm and I. like grabbed him like you all right he's. like I'm fine you know he like cool all. right and uh I like cuz I knew somebody. was down and it was. atam and just trying to figure out what. are you do in that scenario that's what. we're all trying to figure do I think. the the heilo was powering down and I.

eventually pulled the truck up and. helped you know get Adam out. and yeah. just you know another experience. you know I I don't know if I'll get. another opportunity to interview. somebody that was close to him and. so would you like to describe what you. know about what happened that. night uh yeah he was a. go-getter and I know you know that he.

would always put himself in. positions that were not always the best. ones to protect and to to help everybody. else and uh that was one of those nights. and the guys. were above a room and they were above a. structure that was getting shot through. and I think that that's when Craig got.

hit in the. arm and so Adam like jumped into action. and tried to basically flank whever that. position was and. and in pure Adam Brown fashion I think. he like shimmed up a tree and like. wedged himself between a tree and a wall. and try to get in the best position. possible to get an angle in there and. right at the time that he was getting to. the top of his position somebody came.

out and just sprayed the wall and he got. hit right in the. side. so um I wouldn't have expected anything. l from him to try to find the one spot. that you could shimmy up and try to get. an angle on uh but that was you know. ultimately what happened and again there. it's tough doing this and recording this. because you know there are a lot of. nuances to to what's going on and I want. to be very clear about that um there's a.

lot that I'm not explaining so don't. just take that at face value no matter. who you are listening to this um there. there's so much that goes along with. these things so I know that you were. close to Adam and I think it is. important for people to understand that. but what I want people to leave with is. the fact that he was like I'm going to. try to help my brothers I'm going to try. to get in the best position possible and. I'm going to go and do what I need to do. and that's exactly what he did and uh he. went out fighting and um yeah that's.

what he did with everything in his life. he's like where can I Ambush the bad guy. where can I go out in front of everybody. else and try to get in the best position. possible. how was he sent. off um as far as letting him. go what do you mean I mean did you did. you fly home with him was. there what does the team do well I mean.

it it's kind of similar to what you know. happened with Lewis is that there's. always an Angel Flight right there's. always uh somebody that does escort him. back and. and you know at that point where you. know we got him off the Hilo we were. able to you know sit down and just as. brothers um be present with what was. going on you know what happens when you. lose a warrior um right in your midst.

and we all just went around you know. talking about the good and uh and the. righteous and uh impactful and the. person that we knew Adam was and so it. was a very powerful moment for all of us. to reflect on who we knew him to be um. and it was again how do you honor a a. warrior in the highest degree at such a. time and this is why I always look back.

and you know I talk about my faith so. much because I wish I had that level of. Faith then because what we can do to. help each other Faithfully even guys. that are lost or confused or not even. understanding why this is happening you. know we put our trust in what God's plan. is and I know wholeheartedly that's what. he did you know he had that level of. faith and if I shared that with him or. anybody else that moment we know that.

all of these things happened for a very. important reason and after we got done. you know doing that as a Brotherhood you. know at that point you know they they. did what they needed to do and and. ultimately he was uh escorted. home how fast. after you have a loss or you guys back.

out I mean it's immediate I don't think. that we I don't think that that really. you know a. day you know maybe a couple of days and. again things do get gray after that. point but um Mike and Nate was a good. example you know we lost Mike and Nate. on. the the. 5ifth and we were right back out three. days later and so if something popped. its head up you know you also have to. understand like we're going after the.

same guys that are doing things bad you. know they're the ones that that caused. the issue um because they're bad and. again if people weren't bad then we. would go in there and we'd have a. conversation with them and we'd say you. know oh we're at the wrong house have a. good night you know but when they're bad. they're either re either catch them in. the act and or they're planning on their. next you know evil act so I think it's.

just a a matter of what is necessary and. what's needed you know as tough as it is. um that's why. it's important to be able to focus even. in those moments you know it does suck. but once it's time to get up and go it's. like life mhm you know are we going to. spend time are we going to spend too. long you know sitting here contemplating. what happened Without Really living and. without really getting up and keep.

moving forward I think that's the key. for anybody with any loss is that you've. got to keep moving whoever died didn't. want you sitting around doing nothing. either you know and so we have have to. embrace that idea of like how do we use. their life to the best of our ability. and get right back in the fight just. like we did overseas you know it's it's. kind of easy to take stuff that's. overseas and and say that it is that but. I I want to convey to everybody that. it's the same right here wherever.

they're at in their life now you got to. keep moving forward you got to keep. taking a step because that's when you. start revealing you know the truth about. how you're going to the situation who. you are through it how you going to make. your life better because of it and what. beauty comes of that you know that's. what we should all be seeking we. definitely can't sit around too long and. stare at the wall and feel sorry for. ourselves you. know did loss motivate you even more to. go do the.

job I wouldn't say the loss motivated me. more to do the job I mean it kind of was. what it was I didn't get any more. vengeful or upset or anything like that. because I lost buddies it was a very. matter of fact like we chose to do this. we're here it sucks we all know the risk. it can happen to any one of us um there. are evil guys and bad guys out there we. need to continue to go get you know and. it didn't push me to a vengeful point. but it did it did uh weigh on me at.

least of the weight of of what we're. doing more each time you know and how. much the risk was so every time I came. home I was like man that was a blessing. to be here it's a to be home you. know let's move on to. extortion the big one biggest loss in. Seal Team history ever biggest loss in. the war on terror.

period which is crazy to think about you. know um. there was a lot to be learned from that. experience and I the one thing I will. say is. that it impacted their culture too. because I recognized even in myself I.

was like what does it take to actually. honor these men what does it take for. people to open their eyes to honor these. men and in this instance in some cases I. would say a lot of scenarios where. people popped up out of the woodwork and. like well I had no idea like what went. into this like how many guys we lost. that changed me that changed the way I. thought about what you guys are doing. and I think it did that on a certain. level for everybody involved and.

everybody that kind of knew about the. experience is it kind of hit in a. different. way about what guys are doing and what. they're really. risking and. Extortion 17 was very unique for. me because of the fact that I was. supposed to be on that. deployment and I was supposed to be over. there with our crew now we were in. different. teams and that you know I was in troop.

one and that was troop. to so wherever we would have been we. would have been a part. but I would have been over there I. stayed home because my mother had just. found out she had. cancer and so for me and you know this. like go not going on deployment makes no. sense it was like we would have done. everything we possibly could to stay. with the guys to go like everything else.

was foreign to me no matter how bad it. got and so my mom initially told me that. I'm like oh okay well you're going to be. good right like going to get treatment. or whatever and kind of like handling it. in a way that was just trying to figure. out okay I'm going to deploy but then. I'm going to be back and then when I'm. back obviously we'll do whatever we need. to do to to help take care of you and. that was the mindset I was in. initially and this is important to. explain just because of where I was. personally and maybe it helps somebody. you know gain some perspective that's. why I talk about all this stuff by the.

way it's just it hopefully it gains some. perspective for somebody and somebody. gain strength out of. it when I found out about my mom you. know I kind of had multiple. conversations with her she was a nurse. and and I was like mom how serious is. this and she's like yeah it's the first. couple times she's like it's not that. big of a deal like we're going to work. through it like I don't know we'll be. okay ask her again she's like H you know. it seems you know something that we need. to at least keep an eye on and so this. the conversations got more serious and.

more serious and then I starting to have. to really make the decision like am I. going on undeployment or not cuz I want. to be able to help my mother if she. really needs me of course I want to be. able to help my mother if I think that. that there's a possibility I might never. see her. again. so there was one time I asked her and I. kept asking her in different ways trying. she was a nurse she was trying to like. you know dance around the issue I was. like. Mom are you going to be okay and she. looked at me and she's like I don't know.

and I'm like okay I know now that I. probably should be home with you helping. you and taking care of you and you could. kind of see she was starting to decline. a little bit through that process and it. was fast and it was like whoa what is. going on I've have never not deployed. before my mom's sick um so what do I do. here you know what's the process that I. do and it was very it's probably one of. the most challenging things at least. professionally that I've had to do um is. look the guys in the eye and say hey. guys like I'm not going to deploy like I.

think being home to take care of my mom. is more important I think cuz when. you're at that level it's hard to. understand I think it's gotten better. now but even still when when you're in. that type of Brotherhood it's kind of. like oh you're not coming with us okay. and who knows really how my mom is I'm. still trying to figure it out you know I. think there was one. dude that came up to me and said you're. making a really good decision you'll. never forget the time that you took to. go take care of your mother and.

everybody else kind of you know turned a. shoulder to me a little bit and and. that's what happens sometimes in the. teams is that you know guys tend to be. very cold about some of those decisions. that made just cuz you're the one. staying back and so it was a tough. choice but as I started to help my mom I. started to realize very quickly that I. made the right choice cuz she was. starting to decline pretty fast and so I. was home going back and forth between. New England and Virginia trying to spend. as much time as her with her as I could.

and then when she started to get really. bad as when I started to be like okay. I'm going to spend the majority of my. time up there helping her uh taking her. visits uh helping her at bedside. whatever I really needed to do uh to. help my mom and my brother stepped up. too my brother Brian was like huge huge. help in that as well as young as he was. and I want to say he was like 17 or 18. or something so he was just you know. figuring things out and now he was. living with my mother and so we were.

both trying to do our best to figure. this out first time this was ever. happening really administering. administering to her and I knew in my. heart that I should be doing everything. that I can for her cuz I'll never regret. that you know I'll never regret trying. to be there for her and support her all. the way up until the end and so there. was at some point realizing that this. was not going to end well um but I had. still been up there and.

then I was up in New England and I. apologize if I ever get this wrong or it. conflicts with other things that I've. said because sometimes it's hard hard. for me to keep my stuff straight in this. moment it was a huge blur um when I look. back on it and there is a part of me. that does compartmentalize a lot of it. but I was up in New. England and I. had gone. home for a visit and I believe at that.

point I was. like uh it was like a day there I wasn't. even there for half a day and found out. that something had happened. you know and it was like the longest. drive of my life going into the command. not knowing what Hilo it was or who it. was you know just hearing something. happen hoping that I'm going to get to. the command and that they're going to. tell me like it was a bad crash and. everybody's fine and you know it's all. good and so as soon as I got that.

information I I was literally believe it. was probably like 3 or 4:00 at night I. don't know it was early in the morning. and so. I drove in like not even really like in. my brain like just wanting to turn. around like oh this isn't real like just. this didn't really happened um and I was. one of the only ones home from gold you. know I was one of the only guys I think. there was like one other dude there. and the other guy was.

back. because well I'll try to remember that. in a second he he had to come back. because his his child was being born um. if I forget let me remind me to bring. that back up but when I got there and it. was. chaos it was absolute chaos as organized. as as a tier one unit can be about. handling a situation it was chaos and I. felt like I was having an aob Body. Experience.

because I see all these names on the. board and everything going on and. everybody moving around and talking. about. everything man it's hard not to get. emotional about this stuff but. uh you know I'm seeing all all my. brother's names pop up on the board you. know and I'm just like walking through. this time and space like in slow motion. you know while everybody else is and I. get it they're all stepping up and they. want to help and they want to do.

something to make a difference you know. but being so closely connected to those. guys was like what is happening right. now you know and I remember walking in. the room and literally coming down the. aisle and then coming to the desk and. sitting down at like the second seat. over and one of the first questions. somebody asked me because I believe they. had a section that was kind of uh. dedicated. to the people that were close to them or.

knew them or something you know that's. kind of why I went in there and I. remember the one of the first questions. that somebody asked me I've have no idea. who it was. and they came up to me in like a very. matter OFA way they're like hey you just. need here's the the list you need to. figure out who you're going to go. notify and so like I had this whole list. of 17 of these dudes that I knew that. I'm. like I have to. choose you know whose door to knock.

on so that that moment like crushed me I. I probably stared at the paper for an. hour felt like an hour anyway um cuz I'm. sitting there thinking to myself I'm. like what do I do like how do I pick. somebody you know like all these guys. meant something to me so in the moment. it was so heavy and then it became a. blur you know after that about you know.

the the notifications. and having to knock on the door and. going through that. process of you know. just. watching the. impact and then all that being said like. as I'm going through that process. because there's so much to unpack in. here you know and I'm trying to just. give you at least you know general idea. of the. experience is I kind of figured right.

away like well I need to get back. overseas right now you know I was like I. got to do this and so I believe. that somewhere in the middle there and. dude I'm I'm serious at some point I. probably should write all this stuff. down to figure out where I was at and. time and space because it's really hard. to keep it together um but at some point. I told my mom and I believe I flew back. up there to take care of her like right. as all this was kind of getting. organized and let her know what's going.

on and I looked at and I said Mom I was. like I'm going to go back overseas I. need to be there with the guys that we. just lost a bunch of dudes. and she looked at me and she's like okay. go ahead you know and so I kind of felt. like I had got the blessing even though. it was a very odd thing to do like I. stayed back home for her she's not doing. great I want to go overseas to help and. so I made a phone call overseas said hey. bros I'm coming and I remember some of.

the leadership was like oh thank. goodness we were hoping that we were. going to be over here and I'm not going. to speculate with what the sentiment was. there or whatever the case was I I tried. my best on to speculate but I made the. phone call to go back and so I had gone. back to Virginia in a short amount of. time so I started packing my bags I. think I had my last bag packed and then. I got a phone call and basically said. you know your mom's not doing so good. you're going to get back up here so I. jumped back on a plane and I went back.

home and then within about 48 Hours of. that my mom passed away um but I got to. be at least with her through that. process you know my brother was there. the family was there be by her side and. uh and then after that and and knowing. that I had to be there for her you know. I was going through funeral after. funeral after funeral you know my mom. and then basically every single funeral. that I could possibly make for the guys. you know I don't know if I missed any I.

think I might have missed one or two but. I was just on Plane off plane after car. drive like it was so like it was so. crazy to like even contemplate like how. it was but it was I mean I was just in I. was an out of body like just very out of. myself type of. feeling um so that that was difficult. and then even after that I was still. home to help with all of the logistical.

stuff of you know what was what back. home you know even having to move their. gear and do stuff with with their their. equipment and understanding you know how. to reconcile all the stuff that was. going on um and be there for the. families and and everything else it was. just a lot in a really really short. amount of time and I think ultimately. from all that like why God has allowed. me to experience those things is to.

understand that his his Graces and Glory. are abundant through all of the pain all. of it is used for the greater glory of. his name like all of it and. so that's really what's Driven me back. also in the midst of this my faith you. know me sitting there you know going to. funerals being in these churches like. asking myself like why like why now and. then what am I supposed to do with this. you know what are you asking me to do.

now that I've experienced this highest. level of Engagement with these brothers. and now that they're not here you know. again and again and again again and. again more times I feel like I can count. sometimes and and then being able to. move past that and after that man I was. like trying to just piece it all. together I told my brother cuz he was. living with my mom you know I care for. my brother deeply and I told him I was. like dude you're just going to just move. down with me you know to Virginia so now.

I wanted to take care of my brother and. make sure he was taken care of too you. know and do everything I could to make. sure he was squared away and set up. because you know it it was challenging. growing up up north you know. it was like very you're on you're on. edge all the time you know wondering if. you're going to either end up in jail or. run with the wrong crowd so I wanted to. pull him at least out of there and I'm. glad that that happened and it's been. very. purposeful um since then but you know. all those pieces kind of coming together. towards the end of that's ultimately. what led me to have all those things.

compile and sitting down with my family. and my wife to be like you know do we. want to keep pushing forward here you. know of course politics changed and all. that so there was a that was a big push. with kind of shifting gears and in that. moment where I'm looking back at the. door being like I might not ever come. back here again you know but yeah so lot. a. lot of details within that but I think. the overview of that experience changed. me forever it made me really understand. the importance of honor it really made.

me importance understand the importance. of taking action in our daily lives and. how these men that stepped up and. volunteer Ed from such a young age and. we're at the Pinnacle and Apex of who. they were as human beings and they get. ripped from us right doesn't no. different from any other war or any. other family I'm just explaining the if. anybody that doesn't know or hasn't. experienced it you get these these. Larger than Life impactful at everything. they do beings that just get ripped out.

and they're gone you know and I believe. that it's faith that must carry us. through these moments and we're prepared. to understand that we'll see these guys. again and our Salvation is real and. family is real the bond of a family is. real you know how we live out our lives. how we live our lives in every aspect. every detail matters because of what. they did and sacrificed and because what.

we can do because of them the fuel that. basically keeps us going on a daily. basis you. know so. is that how is. that man it's not even an incident I. mean you lost your mother you lost your. team. in in an. instant is that what reignited your. faith it was a huge. Catalyst because I was searching for.

something you know that I was like. what's the answer here what's the gray. area that I'm missing you know how do I. utilize this if I'm going to live the. best life possible in its. fullness and Truth to honor those guys. what does that actually mean and that's. really the question that kind of sparked. my wife and I and she was a big part of. this too but leading me back to the. church and leading me back in to be.

like I mean there were there's been. moments all throughout that time but. that certainly was a push for me to be. on my knees and saying why and don't. think for a second that there's a ton of. the detail here where I wasn't drinking. a half a bottle of Jack Daniels every. night drinking myself to sleep every. other night you know going from funeral. to funeral you know down in down in like. a dark place thinking about all the. things that you think I would think.

about and you know processing what that. means and trying to trying to come out. of that with some type of clarity trying. to come out of that with how do I. approach life now how do I live for. these guys and in a way that is going to. make a difference in their children's. lives and in the lives of our country. and through that process just kept. pointing me back to God and God's.

absolute truth and that's it that's how. I started and that's how I understood. what was going on is like if I'm going. to fulfill I have to seek what the truth. is of this life for myself as a father. because ultimately if you're going to. honor them. truly that's that means you're going to. live the best life that you can possibly. can that's what it means for anybody any. family member that wants to honor their. family for any Warrior that wants to. honor their brother to truly say that. you're honoring them is to live the best.

life that you can and so that started to. come in a question well what does that. actually mean I want to be there for. their children and oh my goodness you. want to talk about overwhelming I get. overwhelmed right now thinking about how. many kids that I know that I knew their. fathers it's it's I have to put it in. its place cuz I don't have enough time. in my life to help them all I really. wish I did I really do and maybe there's. a way that will come to fruition about. you know how I'm able to make an impact. but the weight of of that is so deep.

that it causes you to say to yourself. like I'm living for these kids too I got. to be a good example I have to set the. stand. I have to bring some type of faith and. peace to them well what does that. actually look like and then you start to. realize oh wait a minute I have children. I have a family in order for me to live. the best life possible and find what the. truth of that means is that in order to. make this life better to make an impact. on the world in honor of their name it.

starts with me starts with my family it. starts right in my heart how am I. talking about those guys how am I living. out a life that I can get the light to. redirect towards them a little bit you. know and if I'm hardened of heart and I. don't allow that to happen through God's. Graces in whatever way it's happened in. the past and whatever way anybody else. does that that you have to be open and. receptive to growing and forging and. being able to remove things that you. thought were true that aren't and being. able to have uncomfortable conversations.

with yourself and with the people around. you and so that's really you know you. can't have those conversations and not. be led to Faith you can't I'm sorry it. doesn't work that way that's not the way. God intended this life as soon as you. start asking the deeper questions and. confronting your. own problems challenges and sin you end. up confronting yourself in the face like. we have to change don't we it's like yep. we. do so those guys definitely help me.

recognize that in myself and you cannot. experience that type of loss without. asking that question and my hope for. everybody and for myself is that we ask. that question sooner and more frequently. because there's something to gain out of. out of looking at life this way you know. there's the classic you know you're. supposed to be looking at yourself you. know on your deathbed what did you leave. behind what impact did you make who. whose life did you change and and that's. great and for some reason that that. image has become less.

um impactful to me because it's not. really about me you know it's not really. about what I did you know but what did I. do to bring people closer to God's. calling in their life like that's where. I want I want to shine the light on what. God's asking of all of us to do so. Extortion 17 was a big push to. understand my faith my wife was you know.

again I I'll never be able to thank my. wife. enough you know she was a big part of. that too you had mentioned and you just. talked about it how do you honor him I. mean you're also doing that right. now. mhm well praise God I hope so you are.

yeah I. mean their memories are living through. you right now. yeah that's my. hope those of you that have been around. SRS for a while know that we take mental. health very seriously here so seriously. that in almost every episode you'll find. a segment where we discuss how to. improve your mental health and part of.

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there and if you don't want to and you. just want to continue to watch the show. that's fine too I appreciate it either. way love you all let's get back to the. show thank. you all right d we're back from the. break and um I just I really appreciate. you digging deep and and and going. through that as tough as it may have. been on that last segment and uh you. know as I mentioned in the beginning lot.

of loss I've. never to my knowledge nobody's. experience more more lost than than gold. team and um and uh people are going to. get a lot out of that that's going to. help a lot of people you know move. through their losses and and so I just. want to say thank you you know for for. for getting through that I know that's. tough yeah it's it's challenging but. that's my hope and prayer is that.

somebody gains something from that. that's always my motivation on talking. about it it's always a little bit. different every time I bring it back up. um you know I don't talk about it often. you know everybody that is around me and. that I love they know that's a part of. my life um in some cases it's a very. surreal one but at the same time I know. that it's necessary and it's kind of. like we've been talking about about. these things we've experienced I want. people to have something to go off of. everybody's going to experience loss. everybody we all are this life is too.

short to not at least understand it. honor it and and know about it and. really confront it because we live in a. world that's so contrived from beginning. to end you know we we we're born in a. lab and we basically leave in a lab you. know so life and death has been um put. in a lab and and people today are having. a hard time dealing with the process of. loss I think again I faith is my anchor. so I'm going to talk about it non-stop. but I believe that that's something that. will carry a lot of people through this.

so hopefully they do get something out. of it and um yeah man I'm glad we were. able to talk about it me too and uh just. for the record. I got a lot out of that so I took. something from that and thank you so. moving on I would like to I would like. to get to your separation from the. command and the Navy and uh but before. then cuz I don't want to forget we had a. we had started a conversation downstairs. on the.

break and I want to continue that and. start it over. because it's another thing that I think. people are going to get a lot out of so. let's just pick it up right where you. were talking about. Socrates yes is filtration system yeah. so the the filtration system is about. gossip which is really something that I. think a lot of people struggle with and. in today's world where everybody wants. to point the finger and say something. bad uh one of the key things we need to.

recognize in ourselves is that the. quickest way to connect with somebody is. to talk bad about somebody else which is. not good it's not it's not virtuous it's. not going to bring life to to the world. and I think we need to recognize that in. ourselves so Socrates has this very um. cool way of filtering out what's going. to be said and so the story goes that he. had somebody approach him saying hey I. got something about somebody your one of. your friends I want to tell you about. and he's like okay so you're going to. come to me with a story of something.

that you or bring to me about my friend. is it true let's go through the three. filters the first one being is it true. and he said I don't know he's like okay. well you're going to tell me something. about my friend that you don't know is. true so right away already we're having. issues kind of reflecting on is this. something you should be doing so let's. go through the second filter and the. second filter is is it good and the guy. said no it's not good okay so you want.

to tell me something about my friend. that's you don't know if it's true and. it's not good and the third filter is. is it useful and he was like no so he. had a really good way of. approaching the whole idea of what. you're doing to talk about something or. talk about somebody else a lot of what. we do in this life is speculate. speculate brings death it's really. really really bad I've worked very hard.

on that but I love the idea of these. three filters is is what we're going to. say true do we know for sure is what. we're going to say good and bring life. and there's what we're going to say. useful my wife and I talked about this. actually a little bit and there are gray. areas a lot of gray areas we can get. into you know about talking about other. people and very quickly we realized okay. there are situations especially as. husband and wife in in this marriage. that we could identify other people.

about bringing things up that might not. be good but it's true and useful mhm and. so now now we're learning about our. relationships through the actual. conversation not with the intention of. talking bad or trying to hurt somebody. but with the intention of trying to make. it useful for our lives and be better so. I think there's a lot of different. combinations you could use that filter. for but it's really really uh it's. really useful yeah absolutely I mean you. know everything starts with a seed and.

when you plant a seed in somebody's head. that's negative about somebody else I. mean that you are injecting poison yes. you know into especially if you know you. don't know if it's true or not and you. know I've done it you know I I really. try not to do it anymore and I'm getting. better and better and better as time. goes on faith helps with that and diving. into scripture helps with that.

but but when you think about it you know. the. the the. the negative reaction that that causes I. mean you don't know how far that seed's. going to grow you know and if you're out. there and you're spreading. misinformation about or or or planting. seeds about people you that that that. [ __ ] just gets very toxic and it always. comes back around you know yeah what is.

it the saying of uh talking bad about. somebody else's is drinking poison and. expecting them to die you know and it's. just true it doesn't breed life it. doesn't bring life to anybody I've. worked really really hard is like I only. want to focus on the things that are. positive that are fruitful that are. going to bring encouragement to people. and ultimately what it really comes down. to and this is even what I teach my. children is we're so quick to identify.

something somebody's doing wrong right. and and whether that makes us elevated. for a moment to feel good or to identify. a place that we can learn and improve. either the case if we do see that in. somebody else I always tell my children. I was like you're bringing this up to me. have you prayed for that person yet have. you taken the time to reflect on praying. for that person to actually improve. their behavior and often times I get met. with the answer uh no okay well you know. what you need to do and our trigger.

should be exactly that if we're going to. love other people if we're going to. treat them with dignity and respect then. anytime that we go to open our our mouth. about anybody about something that we. think they're doing or that they are. doing the first thing that we need to be. doing is at least what I teach my family. and I believe brings virtue in life to. to families and Men is pray for that. person you know just like we need to. pray for those who persecute us praying. for our enemies one of the hardest. things I've ever had to contemplate to. do after getting out of the military was. like what pray for my enemies what do. you mean pray for my enemies that makes. no sense so that took a lot of prayer to.

really understand and I think that. that's the same thing with the people. that are persecuting us or we think are. trying to do us harm is that that gossip. can kill and intoxicate and poison. relationships even unnecessarily and. there's a lot of people out there that. don't deserve it you know and we live in. a world where everybody's so quick to. talk behind everybody's back it's like I. am only interested in talking to you. right here by face to face or pick up. the phone and call me you know if.

there's any confusion about what I'm. doing ever right and this goes for a lot. of people that have known me that I've. met pick up the phone and call me me. find me come to my home knock on my door. I will have a conversation with you you. know and it's like people would rather. speculate and and talk because it's. easier to do and again what's the. biggest thing that bonds us together is. talking bad about somebody else we have. to watch that in ourselves you know. isn't it crazy you know how bonding that. can be. mhm it's um you know. it I mean it works common enemy you know.

y it's what happens in the teams that's. what creates a Brotherhood common enemy. right and um I'm not saying that that's. you know exactly the same by any means. but people are always looking for a. common enemy you know and and uh just. make sure it's real yep before he starts. spreading that make sure it's. true but um let's get. into I want to get into your separation.

from the command separation from the. Navy and and and you know we you brought. up drinking mhm I want to talk about you. you know what what 12 years. of wartime did to you and how you got. out of that you know and so let's just. pick it up. there well you know you're trying to. cope with a lot of what's going on in. your life you're you're living this. lifestyle that's hard and fast-paced you.

know in a lot of different ways you know. there is that sense of camaraderie too. which kind of breeds that that night. life like style you know if you have a. moment it's like if you're going to play. hard if you're going to work hard you're. going to play hard type thing I think we. kind of grew up with that in our culture. it's kind of like ingrained in us like. oh yeah that's what I'm supposed to do. work hard play hard uh so throughout the. teams you know that is something that's. like oh okay this is what we do you know. and none of it was fruitful you know. well I shouldn't say none of it there's. some good bonding that happened but just.

the lifestyle that we were living in. general at this point in my life I. realized how flawed and how broken I was. not really doing things in the sense of. you know a faithful Manner and all those. experiences that I had it gives you an. excuse to drink you know whether you're. going out on an OP that was really. difficult whether you're losing your. brothers like the world won't look at. you any differently if you have that. excuse they're just like oh well I. that's what I expect you to do I expect. you to live this way because of the.

burden that you have on your shoulders. or because of the challenges that you're. dealing with and I think for us it's. it's going deeper in a sense of what is. actually helping guys is that is that. part of the problem after the fact is. because you didn't cope with it right in. the first place you know a lot of guys. look at the lifestyle in the military. most people had that attitude before. they even came in that's that's most of. the time even um I would I would argue. that suicide rates you know of people.

leaving you know a lot of the times. people come in with that tendency. already already depressed already not in. the right state of mind not not coping. with it well I'm not saying or devaluing. by any means that people aren't dealing. with experiences that are causing trauma. that are getting them to see life. differently but I still think it's worth. identifying that these habits are. something that was brought with them you. know or developed over a period of time. and it got really really challenging for.

me because it was just a part of what I. did towards the end you know and I had. all that loss um drinking just seemed. like well it's just what we do this is. our culture we just drink we toast we. honor the Fallen um and so it's a copout. by by all means you know just to think. of the feeling that we get when we drink. or the drive or the pull to drink I mean. essentially what you're doing and and. everybody knows this already so I'm kind. of repeating the the obvious here but. you're just drowning out everything that. you've got going on instead of.

confronting it you're not taking any. accountability for what's actually. happening that's why I believe that. we do get wrapped up in the military. because they're like oh you can't sleep. here's an ambient oh you've got this. issue here's this pill oh hey you're. feeling like this let's go get a bottle. of booze you know so nobody taught me. that that was a really horrible idea. they just said okay it fine and so. masked under this this numb kind of.

complacency. or I'm missing the word here but. essentially just getting used to that. and nobody really waken you up to it it. just became a part of what we did and. when I look at people now that want to. change their lives or they want to. improve things I mean how many people do. you probably talk to they're like oh I. want to get better at this or I'm. struggling this area and it's like okay. well let's talk about the very basic. things are you getting a full night. sleep are you drinking alcohol are you.

smoking or or taking tobacco are you. working out every day and are you eating. right like these are so so basic but we. miss them we expect to do one of those. things not well and then everything's. going to change cuz I got to do. something else and you're chasing your. tail you're like literally chasing I. can't sleep let me take an ambient you. know I I Che tobacco so I'm going to go. mask it with this and it and it's crazy. it's like just before you talk to me. about doing anything just get those. basic things right then let's have a.

conversation if you're not actually. getting sleep people like oh I have low. testosterone I'm like well because your. sleep sucks and you eat like crap you. know stop doing that and then things. will change so I think that that for me. is all that was masked throughout the. military and then wanting to do better. when I got out was like oh I can. actually work out more the way I want I. can actually try to get sleep the way. that I want and then I'm talking about. this has been a journey over the last 10. years this isn't something that happened. overnight you know um like we were. talking about last night like I don't. drink anymore like I'm never going to.

drink again I made that decision it's. gone you know I I barely the only thing. that I will literally put in my body is. maybe an ibuprofen if I absolutely need. it and even then I'm like no I stopped. doing it for a long time but I had to. put all that in its place and how are. you going to really find the full. potential of who you are and what is. actually going on that you're masking. with other things unless you strip. everything away which is why fasting is. so beautiful and we'll get into that at. some point too but being in the military. kind of gave me an excuse to live this.

vicious cycle of not sleeping and. drinking and taking ambient and doing. this and going for these stressful. situations and then coming back and I. really do think it does start to wear on. you after a while and I think you can. live a healthy lifestyle in the military. but you have to be actively working on. it you have to be aware of it and you. have to have people around you that push. you um that would be extremely hard with. with with with what I experienced in the. military that would be extremely hard I. mean it.

is it's just such a I mean when I look. back you know. it. that lifestyle was just part of the. culture and it was frowned. upon if you took part in it it always. frowned upon if you don't take part in. it. and and I mean even. with I'll probably get a lot of [ __ ] for. saying this and I didn't screen you know. to go to Dev group or anything but you. know it was so it.

just it was odd to me and I was aware of. it at you know I mean I left at 20 for. you know and uh but to. see to come to the team and do a. mandatory Monster Mash on a Friday where. you come back and there are kegs all. over the grinder you know what I mean. and it's frowned upon if you. don't partake and then you go and then. I'd have friends that would go.

screen and they wouldn't get in because. they have a drinking problem and then. you look at the culture over there from. my perspective it's no different you. know and so it's it's it's like this. confusing like what the [ __ ] do you want. me to do right do you want me. to drink or not drink I don't understand. like you just hammered this guy for for. getting a [ __ ] DUI last night or. getting into a bar fight or coming to.

work hung over smelling like booze and. literally 8 hours later we're having on. the grinder okay so you know you're your. messaging isn't clear here yeah on what. you want us to do do as I say not as I. do yeah and. uh and in in and I took that as as. things started getting political and. they weren't making sense and it and to. be honest it's part of the reason why.

left you know and. um it's a tricky culture to to navigate. it is yeah and you know they they do and. I was part of that where I made people. feel bad you know I had had dudes that. didn't drink I'm like you didn't drink. what's wrong with you yeah you know I. literally was like what's the matter. with you I would treat people. differently and I grew up in that kind. of like you know Italian kind of Mafia. culture where it's like I can't trust. you m you're not down here with me so I.

can't trust you which really in in. hindsight it's the exact opposite of. people trying to do the right thing um I. think I was telling you earlier like on. The Simpsons like you know that the they. make it they make the the goody tou uh. you know family like out to be like the. bad guys like that they're doing. something wrong um when really we need. to be emulating and trying our best to. do that and with a little bit of. sobriety and a little bit of. intentionality and a little bit of Faith. like those seeds that are planted within. the teams would go such a long way. because there is cultural confusion and.

you know I I did believe at the time. like hey drinking is a part of what we. do you know it's a part of what bonds us. together and bring brings us closer. together and I can't sit here and say. for sure that that's still not true you. know I just you know made this decision. not too long ago and when I do something. I I'm all in I'm not like I'm not going. to waver on that there's nothing that's. tempting me to to go back to that. lifestyle but uh I do question and I am. now praying through what does this mean.

for the truth of all of us in our. culture and actually now I'm going to. you know liquor stores not stores but uh. you know in Virginia they got you know. the liquor right there in the grocery. store but you walk by these things and. it's like man this stuff is so readily. available that you can just get alcohol. whenever you want I'm like that's not. good I really don't think I mean granted. what I'm not saying is that don't be. free and take our freedom away but in. the sense of how easy it is to get and.

how not fruitful it can be I'm just I'm. toiling with the idea of like why do we. have all this like why is this here you. know why do you think it's. here uh it's a great question like I. said it's something I'm praying about I. I really feel like it's a huge. distraction I feel like alcohol is a is. a really big distraction away from uh. the beauty and fullness of what life has. to offer I feel like every time we do. drink it's taking a taking us away from.

reality you know why do we drink we. drink to feel something and the reality. is is that feeling is not the way you're. feeling you're masking it with something. else when we should be really focused. inwardly on like how are we actually. feeling and bring able to bring those. out you should be able to go to a party. you should be able to go to a. celebration you should be able to talk. to people without drinking at all that's. something to work on that's something. that's maybe it doesn't seem like it's. obtainable but I just think that.

uh I really don't know it's kind of like. one of those things in our culture I'm. like how did this get so like out of. hand and such a thing you know it's put. in front of everybody obviously it's a a. billion dollar industry you know that's. making a lot of money and I think that. the world and our culture would be a lot. better off without it so again goes. along with everything else and freedom. um but it's something I'm questioning. you know it's like uh somebody told me. the other day well you stopped drinking. so now you have all these bottles in. your cabinet that you can give away for. Christmas gifts and I'm like why am I.

going to perpetuate the thing that I. stopped because I don't think it's good. you know if I thought it was virtuous. good to drink then I would still be. doing it so now I have all this this. liquor in my cabinet I'm like I think. I'm just going to dump it in this trash. all you know but anyway hey I I have an. entire bar right there and I haven't had. a drop in almost 2 years now it looks. cool in the lighting that's why it's. there but uh I get so much [ __ ] about. that but you know it's it's it is. immersed in every part of our culture. let's go watch a sports game let's drink.

let's we did something we need to. celebrate let's drink we did something. that we need to mourn let's drink let's. it's everywhere you look I graduated. let's get let's get shitfaced yeah I. didn't graduate let's get shitfaced you. know and it's it's it's the answer for. every emotion right every accomplishment. every loss. everything yeah again you know I always.

you have to point and understand. spiritual warfare in the sense of like. you know the the fullness of our lives. like want people to reach their full. potential and I certainly don't think. you're going to do it by drinking I. really don't I think it's taking away. again I'm really serious about if I. anything you know whether I'm talking. here or at home or to my children I want. to find what's true in our lives and. what's true and and again the whole idea. of like what's true for you and what's. true for you I don't believe in that I. think that there's truths as humans that. are real and we have very very strong.

biblical principles that are they affect. every part of our lives whether we abide. them or not and I think that drinking is. just one of those things where I don't. see any value in it whatsoever I really. don't and you know what what was it it. what was was there anything in. particular that made you come to this. conclusion since it was so. recent me trying to live out um a life.

for Christ to say you know meeting with. the with the brothers that I meet on a. weekly basis we're literally trying our. best to live a life that is biblical and. in the Brotherhood of even what St Paul. talks about you know of all the things. that are stumbling blocks for us is that. is this a stumbling block and I would. rather remove anything that could be a. stumbling block for me or anybody else. around me than to take a chance that it.

that it could be I'd rather just get rid. of it and not question I don't want. anybody to be able to look at me and. question whether I not doing everything. I can in my life and I think drinking. was such an easy one that was staring me. right in the face that I was like why do. you need that I I can I can reach my. full potential so I think that from a. standpoint of wanting to do the best. that I can it was very easy to make that. decision and to say I'm going to do this. you know and I think that there's fruit. that will come from it um yeah that's.

that's really the big. spark well I'm happy you made that. decision. let's talk about why you. left following up what we were talking. about earlier obviously my mom passed. away my brother moved down the Hilo went. down there was kind of this big. culminating uh feeling and. especially being at War the whole time. and and knowing that we were going to.

kick down doors and then feeling that. that start to shift a lot throughout the. end of my my uh eaos my time in in. whatever that foure stent was you know I. started to see things slow down overseas. so I was like whoa politically things. are changing you know and I was kind of. spoiled in the sense of like we should. be going to go every every time not. being constrained with what we do. there's bad guys out there it was like. this this full you know talk with my. wife about you know what are we doing.

what do we want for our future how do we. want to raise our kids and. when my mother had said she had told me. she said you know I think she told my my. wife she was like I don't want him in. anymore and again like okay Mom I got it. you don't want me to be in the military. that's cool um but then she passed away. and when I went for my. reenlistment I went to do the paperwork. like there wasn't any other thought in. my brain I'm going to stay in this is. what I do but we had talked about like.

would this be an option I don't know. anyway let's go get the paperwork and so. when I got the the paperwork home I. looked at the paperwork and the day that. I would have to reinlist or get out is. the same day my mom passed away the year. before and so it was just like whoa this. can't be a coincidence and so I I. literally called my entire family. together my sisters my dad my brother my. wife um and I I was like listen I I need. everybody's advice here you know I got.

them all on the phone and I basically. said you know these are the things that. I've been through this is what's going. on this is where I'm at in my life you. know we have a growing family uh we had. two children at the time I had just had. actually my daughter was just about to. be born and she was born she was going. to be born in uh December. and when we had kind of looked at that. and everything I just really wanted to. hear from what my family had to say my. wife especially and it was this kind of. unanimous decision of like where we were. at in life and after everything.

happening that this was the right choice. was to make a decision to get out and we. really had no idea what we were going to. do and honestly when we made the choice. because we hadn't thought we were going. to get out it was like I don't even know. it was like three or 4 weeks that like. we had when we made the decision so I. didn't get like any of the leave or. anything I worked all the way right up. into the door where now guys are. planning that a little bit more and they. should cuz it's better that way um but. because I hadn't really planned it and. made you know a pretty quick decision. maybe it wasn't four weeks it might have. been two months but I gave guys at least.

a little bit of a heads up kind of. feeling out what was going on in there. and letting them know but that was. really the biggest decision of why um. growing my family wanting to be home. more wanting to take care of them which. I feel absolutely sure that I made the. right choice especially when I hear all. the my buddies call me and say you made. the right decision dude we're sitting on. our butt doing nothing um that made me. feel good about it but just what I've. been able to do and and the family we've. been able to grow has been absolutely. amazing and so that was a big part of.

why we got out and how we got out and. then from there I was just kind of like. okay where do we go now like what do we. do you know did you have any plan when. you left not really not really I had a. lot of trust that I was going to be able. to figure it out like I had a lot of. faith that like look we're going to. we're going to be able to work through. this and I actually had a really good. friend of mine uh that knew we were. making a very quick decision and. actually said Hey listen you know I I'm. out of shape I need a personal trainer.

like why don't you come work with me and. and I was up at 5:00 every day for like. 6 months straight working with with him. in the gym and uh you know he was paying. me a small stien which kept me going and. I'm forever grateful for him you know. and Us in that Bond we had together he. provided for our family and uh we were. able to put food on the table and give. him something too so that's kind of. where like the training started and it. was good for both of us and then I. started to do things like work with the. NRA that came out of the blue really um.

I was saying that I wanted to do. something after everything happened in. New Town you know like what can I can I. do like where can I where can I you know. give a hand and and how do I help in. this fight and somebody was like oh we. might have something for you and I was. like all right well what is it you know. and then just those pieces all came. together working with them and that was. really the spark of like okay am I. supposed to be doing this I'm supposed. to be on camera I was like you know what. do I do with my hands I like I have no. idea what's going on uh it was very. green in a sense of I'm not sure if this.

is what I'm supposed to be doing but I. gave it my best shot you I remember. seeing that yeah I remember seeing that. I had uh that was around. 2015 if I remember correctly and uh I. had just left the just left the agency. and I was sitting on my butt not doing a. damn thing and then you pop up on the. screen I was like no way I've been. seeing this guy in like 10 years and um. it was cool it was cool to see yeah how.

was dynamus. born dynamus was born right around the. same time that I started working with. the NRA because I had had a passion of. wanting to do something and it was. really born of me saying I got to do. something um for my passion which is. building gear Comba it'ses really. training and gear together that's the. whole combination of it but my buddy. drew it was really boring when I was in. the teams my buddy Drew I don't know you. know Drew. sheets I've not met him but we've had.

some dialogue yeah well I love him like. a brother and he was a huge influence to. me I don't know if you you remember or. him you know just his nature and his his. attitude and his mindset was always like. the highest of all the dudes like he. would be the one pushing everybody out. of the way the first to the to volunteer. for something like I loved he was he's. the warrior of Warriors right he's the. one that you know anybody would pick out. of a hundred and we were sitting at a. bar one night after doing some.

off-roading courses and we did a toast. and he was like literally this is how it. was born we clanked glass and he was. like dynamus and I was like totally. dynamis and you know drank and I was. like what does that mean he's like the. will to fight and I was like whoa I want. to know more about that and he like and. we talked about that for like three. hours and he just went into it about how. he knew that that Greek word meant the. will to fight and we kind of defined.

like what is the will to fight and I. knew right away cuz when a guy like that. tells you something that meaningful. that's the impact that it had on me an. everlasting effect of the will to fight. that is like what we fall back on that's. everything that we have inside of us. that that is brought to bear when we go. through our most difficult times um to. fight nail and tooth for what we believe. in to to be in battle and be with our. brothers and literally go until we're. our last breath like that's what it. means and so to me it was like it it. meant everything in an instant and so we.

were in the teams and it kind of sat. with me for a while and uh even having. children my wife laughs at me because I. actually asked her uh can we name one of. our children dynamis and she was like. absolutely not and she is amazing and I. love her to death and she doesn't. typically tell me no but that was one. instance she was like hard no so one of. my children get didn't get the name. dynamus but my company did so uh when I. started the company I was like there was. no other choice for it but to be dynamus. and the essence of dynamus and the why.

behind it was you know the will to fight. and Drew really gave me that spark I. tell him to this day I'm like bro you're. the reason that I named it dynamus. because you know of that nature and uh. his ability to. fight how did you develop it I mean you. know looking back it was sitting in the. garage with my brother you know right. when I got out and kind of sitting there. thinking about what do we do and that's. where I started playing with The Playdoh. and you know molding the handle being.

like hey uh Daniel I want to build a. combat blade that I can conceal and. Daniel and Karen I love the winklers. with all my heart they are some of the. best Americans and Patriots out there um. a huge part of our success is our. partnership with them um they have. amazing amazing tools that they've. crafted and Daniel and I had an awesome. relationship to begin with and rat and I.

actually ratslof and I went down to. North Carolina to link up with that and. rat was like all gun ho you know. developing the blade um for the. command and I got to be a part of that. experience which was pretty cool so we. went down to Winkler's shop when he. still had a hand Forge and so there we. are with Winkler literally like hand. forging stuff he's got metal in the fire. we're just we're just sitting there. drooling like this is awesome you know. and little did we know how beautiful The. Experience actually was I actually have. a picture of rat in that moment and when.

I decided to call Winkler like Winkler. didn't even think about it he's like. yeah absolutely let's do it like he's so. good like that so we developed our. relationship off of exactly what we. talked about you know developing a. handle developing the blade I have all. the wooden and paper prototypes that we. went through probably like 30 of them to. get the blade that you have on you now. and. ultimately that's how it was created out. of a blade you know we made that Blade. the will to fight was a part of it I. knew I loved combatives I wanted to.

bring that to other people I want to. develop gear that people could utilize. this sheath that I have on me right now. my iwb sheath I did not have the money. to pay to get this thing developed but I. put every single scent I had into it and. took a chance almost to the fact that I. was going to go broke and everybody that. I worked with told me that I was making. a stupid Choice don't do that you're. going to waste your money and it's still. to this day it's one of our bestselling. products and one of the best best. sheaths out there but I did that to. combine the nature and beauty of.

Winkler's craftsmanship and hisory and. tradition into what I designed as the. best fighting blade and concealable. blade in the world and then build a. modern Cutting Edge sheath system that. put them all together and that's kind of. where dynamis was born those were our. first products that we really brought to. fruition and I can remember selling the. first one like yes we sold one you know. here I am with whatever it was uh 30 or. 40 of them sitting on the table that. were're hand boxing and hand putting.

together uh with my brother and uh that. that's the spark that was in the garage. you know we were in the garage selling. blades and. t-shirts man I mean it's it appeared to. develop pretty fast I mean then we. talked about it in your EDC dump we. didn't talk about much here so I'd like. to to to cover it again but I mean it. developed into into training it. developed into fitness it developed into. mindset and now you have an entire gear.

line that you've designed all of this. stuff if you haven't watched the EDC. dump with dom uh you need to go watch. that cuz it's it's all in there but but. let's dive into some of it here on on. the actual on the actual show so the. gear and the training aspect and this is. the methodology behind dynamus was that. I knew from my training experience and. also combat experience was that training. and gear are cohesive unit they go. together and I didn't really see anybody.

out there and in fact I didn't see. anybody I think there's some guys doing. it well now Haley um Lucas bachin you. know some of those guys that are. actually combining the two together but. nobody did that well and I saw the Gap. there where I was like look guys if you. have gear that you use you learn you. have to learn to train with it same. thing with your training you have to be. able to put the gear together I remember. being on a call with somebody that. wanted to invest in us and I said yep my. business plan is gear and training he's. like you're not going to you're not. going to do it because you have to you.

can't do both and I was like don't tell. me what to do you know I'm gonna figure. this out and uh thank you for telling me. that cuz now it's definitely happening. yeah exactly it was just the motivation. and push that I needed and I didn't want. to separate them I still to this day. don't and right around the time that we. were starting to develop blades like we. actually did do a couple of local. training courses and you know it's. always very like where do we advertise. what do we do like do we put a flyer up. in the gym we make a couple of phone. calls send a couple of emails I mean. that's literally what it was it was only. Grassroots and people that we knew and.

the first course that we ever did we had. one person show up you know and it was. one of those like one person you know we. tried uh but it was beautiful because. that was we something we always remember. because then the courses were packed you. know we had to sell them out every time. after that and I've reduced the training. a lot now but where it's culminated. still to this day is like we have online. training modules which I'm like look if. you're going to buy a blade make sure. you know the basics of how to use this. thing how do you take care of it how do. you carry it how do you apply it how do. you use it in a fight you know what are.

the basic methodologies there don't. don't buy a firearm and don't buy a. blade without knowing that that's. irresponsible and it's your duty to do. so so the the culmination of the brand. and the methodology is really that you. know Crush everything which is because. I've got so many brands that I had to. kind of piece together we were doing the. fitness aspect because that's important. we were doing the apparel aspect because. that's important the gear and. concealability aspect because that's. important and the mindset training that. goes along with it so they all need to. be a holistic perspective it's a.

lifestyle and I wasn't really willing to. let that go I didn't want to ever say. well there's another way to do this. because then what it was for me and I. can't tell you how many people came. along the way is like oh just slap your. name on a shirt just slap your name on a. hoodie you're going to make money you're. going to turn them over just just do. this it's a it's a way to make revenue. and I never wavered on doing that I. didn't want to do that I was like I'm. not here just to turn over. Revenue while that could help fuel other. things I still want to say true to what. I said I was going to do and that's.

build the GU best gear in the world make. it in the USA and make it a tier one. quality and it has to be connected to. reality those are our strategic anchors. I don't build anything that's not. connected to the way we interact on a. daily basis there's no fantasy there's. no nice thinking there's no everything. is real and it's purposeful so that's. what our band our brand is built on you. know those those. methodologies where do you see it going. in the. future right now that's something my. wife and I are absolutely praying on and. we have a lot.

of success with what we're doing with. inventory and our blades and our gear. that we're selling um it's difficult to. keep that stuff on the shelf and we've. gotten better about understanding okay. Supply chains Co when if anybody needed. anything it was difficult to to get you. know Supply like where's material coming. from how are we doing that that. challenged us a little bit I believe in. the future that dynamis and Crush. everything itself will continue to grow.

as a brand that offers the best gear in. the world the best concealability the. best option for everyday carry like I. want what people carry to be useful I. want what people carry to be like I. can't be without this um so I see it. growing in that sense the training. aspect in the online training is. something that's been really effective. people know like they buy a blade and. like oh okay I can add the training to. my cart which is really seamless and. it's a holistic package but on the. physical training side I don't know I. tried to build a whole training.

instructor staff and that just didn't. work out um there was a number of. reasons for that but mainly it came down. to one of the things was faith that was. actually a big Catalyst for me even. sparking my faith too uh but the ideas. and the methods that were being used it. was really hard from a tactical sense to. get on the same page with multiple guys. that want to do it differently and I had. a vision of how it needed to go and it. would have been great if I had an. instructor staff I would say okay I. could build you up you can be an asset. and now you're going to be able to go.

out and and teach what our methodologies. are that model I think for any good. combatives instructor is extremely. challenging mhm and it really takes you. being there I mean you get the guys that. run their dojos and they're there 24/7. and they have to be um you get guys that. are that are traveling all over the. world and they got a high turnover rate. um I I pretty much can think of all of. them and they only have like one or two. dudes that they can really trust and. rely on they end up opening up their own. gym so it's a tough industry to.

understand unless you're really scaling. it from like a fitness perspective that. that was hard for me to figure out and I. thought that I was going to be able to. go make a mini command I thought I was. going to be able to leave the command. and pop up a bunch of instructors that. were just going to be like hey we're all. in let's do this and that just didn't. work the way I thought it was going to. so yeah I. mean were you were you hiring um who was. your instructor Seth not not names just. background yeah so they had one of the. kids was a real real young but I.

actually saw this kid when I started. getting into the combatives he was super. talented I mean this kid's like a savant. with combatives and I was like we we met. we got on the mat and he was a civilian. we got on the mat and right away when we. did our first reps I was like oh you. actually know that you got to hit. somebody and what it's like to be hit. and so we gave each other that energy. it's almost like this mutual respect. that happened and uh I started to bring. him under my wing like hey you need to. do this you need to do more of this you. need to get out there and I saw this kid.

as being like the best in the world I. was like I want this kid to be who leads. the instructor staff so I poured a lot. of time and energy into him and he was. off on his you know own going to improve. and go to schools and all that stuff and. ultimately that was the person that full. circle like we had a falling out mainly. because I think of faith and which is. crazy to think about but ultimately that. was the that was the biggest wedge I. believe that stopped us from really um. progressing in that manner but again.

like that just wasn't God's plan for us. you know training in person wasn't our. plan and maybe it's good that it. happened that way because I realized how. much time it takes to leave your home. leave your family go to another state. travel around the world right now with. five children that need every second of. my time that they can get is not a model. that I want to continue to chase down at. least not on the in the interim you know. or the immediate future I think there's. absolutely a possibility of doing more. training but very strategically and only.

a couple of times a year as opposed to. like I'm gone every month and my family. never gets to see me you know so that's. a big reason why why I allowed to let. that change and also wanted it to change. so. interesting yeah it's um one of the. challenges I found in business is it's. very in the training aspect when I you. know used to do training is man it is.

it's it's hard to. people think that they are the ones that. built your business and they become very. entitled and uh that especially when it. comes to hiring. former you know soft types uh because we. all have the skill set but what they. don't see is the back end you know. everything that it takes just to just to. market one course to get one person to. show up and and and and then when it.

does start to take off to keep that. train running and all the backend. expenses. and yeah it got tricky a lot it's a lot. it really is there's there's a lot of. effort that goes into it and and I still. had a vision of of building a crew that. was just on fire and we were. communicating the same way you know the. worst thing that I wanted the worst. thing that I thought could have happened. was you know when you went to a school. and you had one instructor telling you. one thing and somebody else was telling. you something different on the other. side of the line you know you're like.

wait who am I supposed to listen to like. who's right here I wanted to get rid of. of all that like look what's the truth. of it if we thought a tactic was off or. if you had an issue I mean we would get. in a you know back and forths right on. the Range and be like okay well let's. take that point and let's go isolate it. in the gym let's go get it on the Range. and let's go figure out who's right here. because there's a better way to do it. you know and that that was the beauty. about anything I think like seeking the. truth in all things is in the Tactical. world you have to be willing to do that. and usually somebody's Pride that stops.

that from happening you know that's like. I got a better answer and and okay well. you think you got a better answer so go. figure it out you know. yeah excuse me you know one of one of. the things that that uh I really respect. about what you did is. you I mean you put your business on the. back burner to to your family and uh you. you don't see that very often and um so.

I'd like to talk about that you know you. you're. you're a family man and you're a father. first and um I really appreciate that so. what what is it that led you to that. decision because you were going hard uh. with the business stuff I mean like I. said it was dynamus adaptive X armor up. armor up am I missing anything Neptune. blades Neptune blades uh you had also. some kind of navigation thing at some.

point I believe no no that wasn't you. probably Damian okay lead nav yeah yeah. I thought you were a part of that for. some reason yeah but um well anyways. four businesses mhm and real estate and. five businesses yeah for the most part. and that's where I realized I had to. start consolidating all that stuff. but. we that's tough to do I mean yeah that's. your baby you know a lot of time and.

dedication went into that it's very. obvious VI you know and to. to to push it aside I mean that's that's. a that's a big move Al also just the. mindset of getting out of the teams and. wanting to keep going that hard right. like I wasn't necessarily ready to get. out from a mindset perspective but I did. and I kept that attitude all the way. through my business so I was just. grinding away exactly I thought I could. do it all well you know and I was going. 100% of the time sometimes staying till.

midnight for 5 days straight in the week. coming home sleeping a couple hours of. going back and doing it again uh Maddie. Patricia from the. Patriots one of the guys that I I really. look up to one of the hardest working. dudes I know I get texts from him like. you know he he works for he worked for. bich directly and he' literally get an. hour of sleep two hours of sleep and he. does that's what he does he goes to bed. at 1:00 and he's up at 3:00 heading back. to the stadium I'm like I don't know how. you do it so when I sit there and whine. about getting a couple hours of sleep I.

just think of him and like all right. Maddy's up getting after it I got to get. after it. and it it does start to catch up to you. in some senses but the easiest thing to. do for men. specifically is that we want to go chase. something out in the world and make this. impact we want to go out there and we. think we got to go make an effect. somewhere else and act in all. actuality the hardest thing to do is to. confront what we're doing ourselves in.

our own hearts and then allowing. ourselves to be great fathers at home it. is the most challenging thing that I've. ever done in my entire life above. anything being a father because I truly. care about my children and I truly want. them to be. better so if I'm going to live the truth. and I'm going to really do that the way. I say I'm going to then I have to turn. inward and say am I doing that to the.

best of my ability and I'm willing to. give up everything for it. including me thinking that I need to go. out and have this amazing company that. scales and grows like what is all that. worth if I'm a bad dad and I'm not a. good father and realistically all you're. doing is just faking everybody else in. the world while you're leaving them high. and dry Y and that's the spark for me. that caused me to say what do I need to. do at home to get this right and I'm.

willing to make everybody think. differently about me I'm willing to give. up Revenue I'm willing to give up. everything that it takes to be home and. truly want to get through that right I. want all my kids to look at me in the. eye and be like my dad is amazing he's. here for me always I know he is and he. loves me like if my children say that to. me that I'm doing it at least a portion. of it right and I think the growing. never ever stops I think that we have to. lean into that in a big way but I am.

willing to risk everything because. without that peace I'm just lying to. myself I'm lying to my family I'm lying. to the world and inwardly focusing how. can I go out to tell somebody else to be. a better father how can I go out and. tell somebody else they need to grow. their faith if I myself am not trying to. do everything I can to do it myself so. that's that's a big push of why I. decided to change everything and take. this year to really like pull back from.

the world stop listening to the noise. stop looking at social media. media really focus on my faith and pray. Lord let me be a better father let me be. a better husband how is it that you want. me to show up for those moments you know. and that's been the transformation of. why I've been willing to do that and I. still I'd stand by that right now um I'm. still. seeking uh I think the one question I. ask myself every day is what is the most. impactful and effective and efficient.

thing that I can do right now that will. change what I have going on and so I. think about that at every moment as soon. as I get up as soon as I move as soon as. I talk as soon as I interact is this the. most effective thing I can do sometimes. that's just being. present which is difficult sometimes. it's literally letting the world go. breathing through that moment and. literally trusting in God's will for. right where your feet are and just. breathing and watching your son or your. daughter and saying what do they need. for me in this moment because this is so.

difficult with the things buzzing around. in our mind mind to actually get that. time and that intentionality and I'm. making sure that I can do that well. that's the sword that I'm sharpening. right now like hey hand to hand's great. shooting is great you know going out in. the world do all this crazy stuff great. but does my kid know that I'm the best. at what I do you know or will he at. least see that later on and look back. and be like man my dad was absolutely on. it you know like that's what I want I.

want my kids to be able to say that so. this isn't something you can. just do I mean to to to to to be present. to to to leave I mean did you leave it. 100% or did you still dabble a little. bit in business or you just are you just. now picking it back up um are you. talking about the business yeah uh well. no I I definitely dabbled as far as like. what's going on with the business you.

know and we've been praying through that. all year about what that looks like for. us and how we run it you know praise God. that our our business has done well. without us really having to sit there. and go out and and do new things you. know it's been able to to live we have a. very very amazing uh loyal customer base. that believes in what we do they they. believe in what I do and they've. sustained us for for a long time about. you know continuing to buy our product I.

I guess let me rephrase this question um. when you put the business on the back. burner and the and the family first I. mean I'm obviously an entrepreneur too. and I. know that entrepreneurship business. ideas growth what you think you should. be doing all the all the ideas that you. haven't that you haven't gotten to bring. to fruition yet I mean how was the. process of setting that aside and.

actually being present in the moment. with your family that's not some that's. not a light switch at least I wouldn't. think it is it's not for me and I. struggle with that balance I still. struggle with it you know and so I'm. asking for me well I I really do believe. that it's it's leaning into our faith to. the point where we're asked to be. present we're asked to be fully trusting. in what God's calling us to do right. then and there and it's our vocation as. fathers so when I started to realize the.

weight of being a father and all these. other things that I had going on like. what's more important is it more. important to have a successful business. is it more important to run down these. ideas or is it more important to really. be there for them and that shift started. to happen I don't know slowly or or all. at once but I started to lean into you. know one of the things that happened for. me was like I was having business. meetings or or weekly meetings and this. was like probably 5 years ago and I was.

sitting there doing the weekly meeting. and I left the room and I'm like. I'm like wait a minute I'm having weekly. meetings with my team at work why don't. I have family meetings like I put this. much intentionality but how much do I. care about my family boom sparked it um. I think like two months later I came. home in a cab and a guy was like yeah we. meet with our family every Sunday we get. together we talk about what's going on. what's good what's bad what everybody. tells but I'm like my man you you just. sparked me to do this like the next day. I was doing a family meeting and it's. been a part of our life now and so it's.

been a slow process of continually. challenging what I have going on but I'm. willing to leave everything else I'm. willing to drop it all to let them know. that they're the priority and that's. been the rebuilding of like social media. is like Joseph comes up to me and he. lifts his arms up daddy daddy and I'm on. the phone dude I'll toss the phone away. like my trigger is to never let them. feel like they're competing with the. time for media social computer anything. and I try to work from home um as much.

as I possibly can and have that that. bance and as a man as a guy that wants. to go after and get after it's tough it. can be very challenging when you want. when you want that 100% dedication but. it's something that we need to recognize. because they're mirroring that behavior. they're watching what we're doing and. all I can say is that we have to be open. to them as a priority we have to learn. to be present we have to learn to show. up um I'm willing to you know lay my. life down for that idea.

and I'm willing to give up whatever it. takes for them to be happy and know that. I love them you know. did it's no I don't really want to. expound on this because I. am frankly I'm tired of talking about it. but. um with the way the world is you know. with with with everything we see today. attacks on families attacks on. masculinity attacks on genders I mean.

you name it every direction you look. everything is backwards and upside down. nothing makes sense did that did that. also play a part in you pushing business. aside and and and putting your family. first I think the short answer is no no. it didn't and and not because I don't. think that it's important but what. what's changed in me is that my my.

absolute faith and what God's calling me. to do is like again that's the world the. world is in chaos every time you step. forth out the door if you let it it will. completely consume you so all these. things that are confusing are going to. continue to be confusing and they're. going to continue to get worse so it's. like I don't want to focus on any of. that what I focus on in my family is the. truth and beauty of what God's asked us. to do right and that's why faith and. that's why the church is absolutely. critical in understanding a base. Foundation of who we're called to be and.

so that transcends with our children I. mean you should hear some of the things. that my kids say like that beauty only. comes from leaning into making sure that. we know that we were created in the. image of God to respect and love. yourself to respect and love your. neighbor no matter how broken the world. is as as opposed to focusing on that I'd. rather make sure that my children are. praying for people that are dealing with. those situations and I think that that's. really what we all need to be doing to. make a. difference and then educating them as. they see these things and they. experience them you know and arming them.

to know clearly that that's right and. that's wrong and I know it is because. I've listened to my parents I've. listened to my faith I've prayed I've. seen it play out all the things that God. works in the beauty of us raising our. children CU it is critically important. we are their first teachers and what are. we doing too many parents today are like. yeah well whatever my kids want to do. really I'm like what I'm like because. that's a great idea to let an 8-year-old. choose what he wants to do or a. 15-year-old choose what he wants to do. I'm going to tell you right now if I was.

that young and I was just like oh yeah. just go let me do whatever I want it. would have been a nightmare destruction. right like so that's not the way we. can't keep deferring our responsibility. as parents there's this extreme. accountability that we need to take with. raising our children and I think that. that's the nature of what's going on is. that as much as it's tempting to say yes. I did it because of that it's also. really easy for me to say no because I. don't let them distract me to that level. in our home we're we're very focused on. the truth we're very focused on faith.

and that continues to build them up and. away that's like oh they know that. that's wrong you know I had one um. instance recently where we went to a. father and son event and you know my. seven-year-old Leo you know he's out. there and another boy came up to him. he's like yeah girls can marry girls and. boys can marry boys and Leo was like no. they can't what are you talking about. that's not right you know and he knows. right away like instantly that that's. not okay and so he stood up for himself. and I had to talk to him about that. conversation and it's really challenging.

uh to get them to convey that in a in a. way but I talked to him like Hey listen. all we can do is make sure that we're. loving them through that scenario and. honestly if you're ending up at that. point like we clearly need to understand. is that something's going on in their. heart there's something that's off that. doesn't mean love them less it means. love them more and pray for them more. that what they're going through is. difficult and challenging um and it's. like that with all those other things. that are out there I mean it's sad and.

heartbreaking to think some of these. things are happening but I just. encourage and challenge all of the. parents that are listening to do. everything they can and being willing to. lay their life down for it to give their. K children the right guidance and live. by that action there's so many people. that know their faith is important but. they're not actually living it out. they're not actually disciplined about. their faith they're literally playing. games you know oh I dropped my kids off. to to religious education but I don't. actually go to church myself I like well. you're a hypocrite you're absolutely a.

hypocrite you're not living out the life. that you said you're going to live and. so what's real we might as well just do. whatever weever we want you know anyway. but it's it's the challenge for all the. parents to really really take. accountability for that and be their. first teachers to not waver from the. truth and to stand firm you. know just be an example be an example. yep we've been saying that a lot lately. yep we have yeah it's like a. theme how do you do you homeschool your. kids all five of them yes how's that.

experience I'm beautiful another one. that I'm interested in because that's. that's a I mean it's going to be here. before I know it whether they're going. to go to school or whether they're going. to stay home and do school there and um. have you done both no no you've always. home school yes my wife felt like God. was you know hitting her in a way where. she just felt like she was in nurse she. was a nurse and she left that career to. come home and teach our our boy and.

raise our boy and be there for the. family and it has been so beautiful. again I will never really be able to. thank my wife and tell her how much I. appreciate her enough but she is amazing. when it comes to teaching the children. and again we're the first teachers we're. the first guidance um that they're going. to get and so having that structure in. the home is so awesome uh there's a. level of flexibility to it I mean we can. literally up and go wherever we want.

whenever we want you know if we're like. hey let's go do a you know field trip to. Williamsburg or go look at. Fredericksburg one of the battlefields. we can literally jump in the car and go. that's the field trip for the day and we. all learn and we're doing that more and. more and more we're evolving we're. getting better at the whole idea of this. interaction too but as far as the. homeschooling goes you know we are. sitting down with them every day and. we're teaching them you know I'll come. in at certain points for those. challenges I'll try to help them problem. solve so we both get a different view on. how we're giving them the uh tools they.

need to solve these problems they get. basic education I mean my kids are to. the point now where they're they're. looking at the public school buses as. like a prison bus that's what they call. it the prison bus because they're done. with their schoolwork before the bus. even shows up you know so like literally. they've crushed their schoolwork before. it it goes down the street so they're. starting to recognize like oh okay we. can get a lot done and be efficient. there's a lot of waste in public schools. there's a lot of wasted movements. there's a lot of wasted energy um you.

know and one of the biggest things that. I was telling you that hit me like a. lightning bolt about the Public School. Systems a that they're not properly. giving our kids the fiscal. responsibility and financial. understanding and education that they. need in order to be successful to. experience Financial. Freedom but the most important is that. there is no structured way that our. public school systems are teaching our. kids how to love one. another and when my wife told me that I.

was like whoa that is. deep because all these kids are confused. and lost and treating each other like. garbage and it's like what are we doing. for our we owe that to these children. and again for me the first place I need. to start is my home and I hope that. there's people inspired I know there's a. lot of people choosing to homeschool I. cannot imagine sending my kids to public.

school I went to public school. and right now because it's it's being. used as a weapon unfortunately for a lot. of people and a lot of teachers to to. intoxicate our children with their. ideologies and their ideas and their. truths and it's throwing our culture. upside. down because we're we're getting. fragmented from the inside out you know.

I don't even think and this is another. spark for me I'm looking at how much. time I'm spending with my children and. I'm trying so hard to know them and love. them and care for them and it's really. tough I highly highly Challenge and. doubt that people that are sending their. kids to Public Schools even really know. their children they're spending so much. time away at work separated from their. kids they come home they do homework. they check out they go on the computer. they're on their iPads they go to bed. and they do it again and I'm like I.

don't think that that's the way that we. were supposed to supposed to do this. yeah when did the Public School Systems. get implemented what was it like 70 80. years ago I to be honest I have no idea. so let's backtrack I mean that is just. not that long ago and so what happened. and how we we grew and educated each. other was to live and education can be. an amazing tool I'm not saying that at. all strategic education is very. important but the idea that we're kind. of sending our kids off expecting the. world to raise them and then come back.

the right way I think that we're just. missing a extreme valuable opportunity. to really take ownership in that process. um even us our own lives you know we're. going out of the house to go chase this. dream separated from our children and. one of the things that pains me the most. it's actually insulting at this point. when I hear somebody say it um but. people will say oh yeah you know we're. raising up to to basically send our kids. off to college so we can get our freedom.

back and I'm like if that's your. attitude you should be absolutely. ashamed of yourself because what you're. doing is you're you're building it up in. your head like you have this freed so. what do they actually mean to you is. this a vocation where you're going to. see your children through to any. Challenge and mostly that's our our. culture is like well I want my freedom. back you go do your thing and you figure. it out I'm like again that's just not. the way we were supposed to live we were. meant to be in community with each other. to live with each other to grow in. family and friendship you know and.

that's just been so lost and fragmented. all these issues that you mentioned. earlier that you're sick of talking. about are because of our our family. units are broken down yeah you know the. the relationship with our church the. relationship with our families it's. broken and it's starting to seep in. every part of our society it it I think. it's beyond starting too I think it's. you know but um you know. I I have a friend uh his name is Dean. and he told me he gave me kind of an.

analogy uh couple weeks weeks ago and uh. cuz I was asking him about how he raised. his daughters uh because they turned out. to be are turning out to be. very successful at a at a very young age. and um you know so I asked him you know. how he and he did it as a single dad and. um he said well you have. to picture kids like this he said if you.

put a billion do in a clear plastic. bag where are you going to put. that and when you think about that you. can't put it. anywhere right next to you that's where. it goes and that's where your kid should. be right next to you all the time. visibility and um it just it it it stuck. with me it made a lot of sense you know. and because what's the world going to do.

when they see a million doll sitting in. a clear plastic bag are you going to. trust anybody with that your most. prized. valued the thing that means the most to. you you know are you going to stick it. in the public school system nowadays you. going. to stick it in. daycare I'm. not yeah yeah know I I think we have a. duty for and responsibility to our.

children and that's why I said I'm. challenging everybody because it starts. there you know and on top of that we. have to be the example and too often I. always. say kids will push you if you let them. because at every turn they will hold you. accountable you're like don't do that. you know or next thing you know I got my. kids be like Dad you said not to do that. and what's our reaction don't tell me.

what to do right and what are we. teaching them nothing Confusion And so. there's this beautiful accountability in. our home where anything that I Implement. I absolutely will take that correction. for my children you know because I want. them to know that they're right they're. implementing something that's true and. virtuous and good and useful and so when. they say Hey Dad like you swore you're. supposed to do push-ups like you're. you're dang right I'm going to get down. on the ground and I'm going to do. push-ups and anything that we Implement.

like that and they hold me accountable. for I'm the first one to pop to it you. know I'm the first one to go take out. the garbage I'm the first one to replace. the the paper towel roll you know I need. to jump up as soon as my wife like hey. can somebody I'm already up trying to. beat my son you know to the punch you. know because it's like I need to teach. them that that's the movement that's the. behavior that you need to. exude and now they all fight each other. to go do stuff you know they're. constantly pushing each other over to go. get the job done you know because it's. fun and it and it's really it's really. exciting to see that grow in our home.

because you know the the other thing too. is my daughter she is just like an angel. um she's increased my faith so much it's. amazing how much Faith you can grow um. watching your. kids but she she has like a and a. connection and and a very high respect. for Mother Teresa you know there's a lot. for whatever reason she just was boom. attracted to you know her life and her.

charity and her order that she started. and uh Mother Theresa's got some amazing. quotes but one of the quotes she has is. that you know we don't wash the dishes. cuz we're cleaning up after what just. happened but we're cleaning it because. we love the person that's going to use. it next you know and it's like that is. the attitude that I want my CH children. to have and and everything they do and. uh she always reminds me of that like. whether I'm getting frustrated she be. like Dad like you're doing this because.

you care for you know us and what's. going on around you so there's this. beautiful Synergy that kind of takes. place when you think about things like. that and you watch your kids do it but. we have to be the example don't just. tell our children to do something live. it out at every step of the way you know. especially again with our faith you know. what are we doing to really lean into. that that shows them that it's important. or are we just going through the motions. you know yeah yeah Dom i' i' like to I'd.

like to talk. about spiritual warfare mhm I'm very. green on this so I I'm just want to let. you run and then I'll have my own. questions as you go but when did you. start looking into. this I think all of us I think anybody. listening because it's a very real. element of our lives have felt something. along the way and maybe it's different.

for everybody and how we feel it and how. it affects us but the sense of evil. being present and the sense of goodness. being present you know it's hard to look. out the window and see my kids playing. in the yard and not feel the love of God. you know heaven on Earth is right there. in front of us we get a glimpse of that. but we also get a very raw glimpse of. evil you know people being abused. abortion child trafficking um terrorism.

innocent lives being taken like pure. evil hard for the human heart to really. explain why it's happening in the first. place. and when you start diving into the. nature of. evil you know God God's love is really. where it starts to understand like God. loves us. unconditionally but we have an. opportunity to screw this up we can get.

get this. wrong we can do things that separate us. from the love of God and reject the love. of God in our hearts and I think that. that's where evil really starts to steer. up and stir up you know it's the devil. Whispering us in our ear we're not good. enough you shouldn't be this way don't. worry about this I mean we all have very. subtle things that we deal with on how. spiritual warfare works and it will seep. into every aspect of Our Lives if we let.

it that's why you know Ephesians 6 is so. powerful and when Paul talks about. Ephesians 6 and I'm going to quote it. here because it's important to. understand the the the evaluation of. like from A Warrior's Heart from A. Warrior's perspective of understanding. spiritual warfare and understanding. physical Warfare on Earth our physical. being I've been grabbing people lately. by the arm be like we're here like you. can actually feel me and interact with. me so we're engaging in this physical.

world. but this's this spiritual Dimension that. absolutely exists right if we understand. eternity and we understand Heaven and. Hell those start to become very real and. very apparent but Ephesians 6 starts. with children obey your parents and the. Lord for this is right honor your father. and mother this is the first commandment. with a promise for it is well with you. and that you'll live a long life on. Earth fathers do not provoke your. children to anger but raise them up in.

the discipline and the instruction of. the. Lord slaves be obedient to your Earthly. masters with fear and trembling as a. singleness of heart as to Christ not as. I service not as men. Pleasers but as Servants of Christ doing. the will of God from the heart rendering. service of a good. will not as to men but for the Lord that. knowing any good anyone does will be.

also done to them them whether they're a. slave or. free Masters do the same to them. forbearing threatening knowing that he. who is their masters and yours is in. heaven but knows no partiality and then. it goes into the armor of God finally be. strong and put on the whole armor of God. that we can withstand the Ws of the. devil because our battle is not against.

flesh and blood but against the. principalities and the powers and the. rulers of the present darkness of this. world and then he goes on to stand firm. so you can stand in the evil day put on. the belt of Truth the breastplate of. righteousness the gospel of the shoes of. peace the helmet of salvation and the. sword of the spirit and the shield of. faith and so from a spiritual sense what. I always find fascinating about.

Ephesians 6. is that every Warrior knows that pretty. well put on the full armor of God we've. all heard it before and so we're like. yeah let's go let's put on the. armor but in the spiritual Dimension. that chapter actually starts with. children obey your parents honor your. father or mother don't provoke your. children to anger whether you're slave. or free in this life no matter where. your circumstance is no matter where you. are our calling is to have a singleness.

of heart to serve God out of love and to. do a good will and so if we're not. putting that groundwork and foundation. in front of thinking that we're going to. armor up and that we're actually going. to walk out protected from anything. we're missing the key elements and key. foundational things in our life so if we. want to put the armor on we got to get. the basics right that's the beauty of. chapter 6 and how I think it culminates. together so recognizing in our own lives.

like where are we being stopped from. doing those basic things really well. like where is the devil whispering in. our ear like you don't need to do that. that's not important keep going after. the the shiny things keep going after. the money keep going after the title The. empowerment uh the status you know you. you're doing it for all the wrong. reasons that keep us distracted from. doing those things. right I think that if we lose ourselves. in faith we open ourselves up to a. vulnerability in this world because I. absolutely believe spiritual warfare is.

real I can't say what it is for. everybody else but I know that there is. evil and darkness in this world and I've. seen it firsthand more times than I'd. like to admit and if we don't have the. ability to ank ourselves on something. that will overcome. us that will overcome our lives in. deception and deceit and again the world. will push us around all over the place. you know my son said something very very. very profound and dang it I can't.

remember the scripture but I remember oh. it was in Revelation I was reading. Revelation with him and there was a. there was a a verse in there that. basically said that we're on Earth with. the rulers of the earth which. are the evil ones that are ruling the. Earth that have been cast down from. heaven so my son read that and he that. wasn't the exact verbatim quote I don't. know exactly where it is but he said. we're in the devil we're in the arena. with the Devil is what said and it was.

just his own like interpretation M we're. in the arena with the devil and I was. like you you're absolutely right we are. we're contending against that daily so. all these things going around us give us. an opportunity to get it wrong to be. tempted by these things that are keeping. us enslaved in that battle to separate. us from the love of God and ultimately. it's our working and our prayer and our. constant faith that that binds us to the.

love of God um so while spiritual. warfare is not something like I'm not an. exorcist I'm not an expert in a lot of. these things I'm still growing just like. you I'm learning a lot of this stuff and. through a lot of prayer I've recognized. these things but I know it's true I know. it's real and I know the more we pray. and the more faithful we are and the. more we receive the grace of God in the. sacraments is that we do have a level of. protection you know that's why when we.

prayed before went on an OP or that's. why we pray before something is so. critically important that's why we pray. when we lose somebody that's why we pray. for each other cuz we know how important. it is and we need to implement that in. all aspects of our life especially. protecting ourselves against the evil. that exists you. know man this is a deep subject I I love. talking about it I love talking about it. but um when you. say when you say another. dimension I mean.

what what exactly does that mean I. mean I hear that a lot you know that all. these things are going on around us that. we can't see what what do you envision. that that looks. like well I mean I I can sit here and. try to paint a picture but there's a lot. of mysteries to how we go through these. things and how we understand them. and if if and I know we are made in the. image and likeness of God right we're.

standing here and this is what God's. creation looks like I think it plays. that self that that out in a lot of. different ways where Heaven and Hell are. very real and the idea that we have them. especially from the the picture that. Jesus continues to paint that picture of. what that is is ultimately it's the. separation there's a lot of people that. have explained this way better than I. have but ultimately it's the separation. of God's love we can do that on our own.

own we we deny and reject and turn away. from and continue to live in our own. Temptation um I Heard it uh said once. where like hell is not like this fiery. burning place but it's you actually. giving into what you've already been. doing like if you're enamored by money. or you want status or you're like the.

guy that gossips about everything it's. like it's you're only going to leave. this earth being more of what you. already are and that like gets brought. to a whole another level and separates. you even. further um and there's a better way of. explaining that but there there's a lot. of things that have been said about you. know how that Dimension if you will. that's the word that I pick you know in. my own human understanding I always. laugh at how little we actually know in. this short life of like we're taking all. this information in and trying to apply. it um but they exist they're real and.

for us to really contemplate and pray on. what I always tell people is like if. there's something that you're. questioning pray on it pray and ask for. Wisdom ask for guidance like what is. what is God trying to show us in this. because ultimately we're not supposed to. have all the answers that's the. beautiful thing about God he gives us a. chance to get it wrong and he gives us a. chance to get it right and we're always. given the option we're always given the. choice um even like the people that say.

oh what about the people that are on. like um the island that never got. introduced to God I'm like well I'm not. God and I don't understand his Graces. but God works in a multiplicity of ways. that I'll never even come close to. understanding and and how that. culminates and works and progresses. through other people's lives is is just. a reality and me we see it transcended. throughout time you know in the church. and throughout our culture and. throughout the entire world you know. like there's a beautiful uh example of. what God's already done here you know.

I feel like there's a a movement. happening you know in in we've spoken. about it last night I've spoken about it. several times on here but more and more. and more. people who you never would expect me. being one of them. are moving towards Christ yes. and I mean have you noticed this yes. have you noticed this as well when did.

you know notice to start happening you. know my dad you know all of a sudden you. know we talked one day like Hey Dad I'm. going to church he's like I'm going to. church too and this is years ago and I'm. like you're going to church I'm like. okay that's awesome and then the car. ride with Eddie talking about God and. then seeing other people that I never. would have expected turn to Christ. and it it's something that I look at now.

and I'm like like okay God I know it's I. I get it um but it is a beautiful thing. to see now in our culture as bad as. everything's getting out there as. difficult and challenging it is to. understand there also this beautiful. Awakening that's happening and according. to God and it happened throughout time. it's all it's history repeating itself. we turn away we walk away from God we. separate ourselves from his love and. then he finds a beautiful way to. redirect our hearts and I just feel all. I'm getting Goosebumps right now cuz all.

these Warriors are starting to recognize. the truth and the beauty if the world is. telling us anything's true the person. that's really seeking the truth is. finding it and that's in God's salvation. and his love for us and his forgiveness. for us like there's a I I know this with. my whole heart like that I would stake. my life on it right now without wavering. is that this is our call I mean and I. can say that looking you in the eye to. be like I've really wanted out of just a.

a pure genuine desire to find out what's. Real and True and beautiful and to do. the right thing that have been led to. this point to be at the foot of the. cross in church on my knees looking up. at God and saying this Beauty has been. here the entire time now you're calling. us and you're waking us up to what we're. actually supposed to be doing together. and I don't know what's working I've had. some crazy phone calls lately I've had. people call me up being like Hey we're. doing this thing um Men's Ministry is.

starting. men know they need God you know it's uh. it's the age-old thing of like you know. we have this godsize ho in our heart but. you'll fill it up with anything else but. that instead of turning because it means. we need to. change the average person would rather. change their beliefs than change their. behavior and that is absolutely true. just from Human Nature in general we'd. rather go the easy path not do the. uncomfortable thing your friends that.

say they love love you that validate you. for who you are are not your friends. they are your enemies because they are. not taking you away and keeping you from. what's destroying your life a true. friend is going to look you right in the. eye and say hey man you're messed up I. love you but it's time to change and. that's what true Brotherhood is that's. what true family and friendship is um. anybody else that just tells you what. you want to hear run away from them as. fast as you possibly can um and I think. that that's just something that for us.

is I'm recognizing it I it makes me very. happy and I just want to know where. God's calling me in that fight you know. where is God calling us together and I I. think that there's something incredible. happening I always say that God's heart. at work right now he his spirit is. moving you know all over the world and. we're seeing it in different ways like I. mean we ask ourselves the question we're. sitting here as brothers as friends. haven't seen each other in a while but. here we are talking about how important. faith is you know and I think that this.

is a a absolute reason for that so you. know here we are yeah here we are you. know. um I love talking about this stuff it's. my favorite subject I really I it's just. I'm a sponge on this subject and. uh yeah you know it's it's it's. really I me what do you think start. sparked this movement when I mean I.

noticed it probably about a year and a. half ago is when I started picking up. on different things that were happening. different coincidences putting finally. actually you know and I don't know you. know if this was always happening or if. I was more present in the moment but it. just started seeing all these weird. coincidences. happening and that kind of sparked a. little bit and then and then what really. got me was the.

I mean the world is. just it's changing so fast and not in a. good direction and and that's. what really brought me to it yeah uh St. Augustine says that our hearts are. restless until they rest in you and I. think that that's true for everybody on. this Earth We're Restless trying to. figure this out and while the world. throws more and more confusion at us at. all these different elements that are.

going on it's exactly what's happening. is that we're looking outwardly at the. world being like Oh my goodness this. feels like utter chaos well God's. beautifully bring us back to the center. of our true calling which is where peace. exists it's it's it's knowing that God's. peace is there right in the midst of the. battle right in the midst of the fry all. the way up until the day that we die. like God wants us to be peaceful he's. not asking us to be anxious um and and I. think that men are are doing that whole. like frantic like where do I go where's. my mission where do I where am I.

supposed to help out am I supposed to go. here there the world's falling apart I. don't agree with anything that's going. on and ultimately something happens. where they recognize the beauty of God. and they say wait a minute I'm supposed. to pay attention to that and and it's. the spark of Faith it's it's again God's. grace is working in a multiplicity of. ways that he draws Us near to him you. know it's the prodical son the prodical. son goes out he he goes into debauchery. and and spends everything in inheritance. he's eaten out of the trough with the. pigs and ultimately recognizes in that.

tough moment of Despair that he needs. the Father's. Love and so that's our journey in a. small glimpse we're out toiling around. seeking something in the world. squandering our inheritance blowing it. all away turning away from the father. and ultimately we're LED back to him and. there he is with open arms waiting for. us gazing out on the horizon waiting to. receive our life back back so we can.

rebuild and reestablish what was meant. to be and that's the. relationship between God and his. children you know the love and the truth. and beauty that he has for everybody. here you know everybody listening to. this um it it's an undeniable truth as. soon as you start looking in as soon as. you open your heart and you say okay. what is what is going on here like let. me just let meay let me close my eyes. and pray for like 30 seconds you know I. always say like get a rep in like you're. moving closer you're saying yes you're.

not denying or rejecting you know what. God's love is you have nothing to lose. to pray and ask for God's wisdom nobody. has anything to lose if nothing happens. you didn't lose anything but God will. still work his Graces in an indirect way. but uh I I yeah. so well brother I think this is a um. perfect time to start to wrap things up. after that and so um I know you want to. end with uh with a the prayer yes let's.

do that all right. awesome name of the Father the Son and. the Holy Spirit amen Heavenly Father we. just thank and praise you so much for. allowing us to get together today to be. able to share stories wisdom in our. experiences throughout this life Lord I. pray that everyone listening that's. going through any type of struggle is. just lifted up and encouraged a little. bit by what we spoke about today Lord I. ask that you continue to look over Shawn.

his family especially his new daughter. uh that you lift them up that you. protect them you guide them in faith and. truth and that you continue to use this. platform to change lives to draw people. closer to the love that you are showing. us uh and to bless everybody here. especially those that are really going. through adversity right now uh to give. them Faith and Hope and trust in you uh. Lord I ask that you continue to build up. a Brotherhood that you continue to build.

up men and women that are willing to. step into the breach to protect our. children to teach our children to. encourage each other uh and not to. continue to put people down but to lift. people up as much as we can so we can. live in the fullness of your Graces and. your glory Heavenly Father we love you. and I just thank you so much for this. opportunity to be here today and may God. bless all of you amen amen Holy Spirit.

Dom thank you thanks brother and um. awesome I just want to say man that you. are. a righteous dude and. um this is one of the most meaningful. interes that I've ever done and and and. uh it's just so good to reconnect with. you and absolutely BR it was a real. honor man it was man thank you yeah are. we still recording we're still recording. good give me a. hug.

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