Special Forces Team Sergeant in Iraq | Green Beret | Grit to Glory Author | Darrell Utt (Rd 1)
Release Date: 11/09/2024
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Combat Story
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Life Changing Moment in Combat | Leads to Life of Service | Force Recon | Non-Profit Founder | Jake Harriman
Combat Story
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SEAL Troop Commander | Tech Founder | Josh Thurman
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Our Combat Story today is former Navy SEAL officer Josh Thurman, who spent over 12 years serving in the SEAL Teams, including at the elite level. Over the course of 11 deployments in the post-9/11 era, Josh led high-stakes special operations missions and nearly lost his own life on countless occasions. Join the AngelQ Waitlist to get a special offer and be one of the first to get access to this amazing product that keeps kids safe online: https://bitli.pro/2pvxr_9464bab7 Josh almost never joined the military and, instead, thought of becoming a religious leader, which we talk about...
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Europe’s New Perspectives on Russia, China, Energy, and Economic Security from Italian Veteran Roberto Toncig
Combat Story
Today we sit down with Roberto Toncig, a retired Italian Army and former Government Executive with 40+ years of experience in the field of Defence and Security. He spent over two decades in steeped in International Relations and Security, most of them spent in challenging positions at various Italian Embassies abroad. In addition to Italian and fantastic English, Roberto speaks German, French, Serbo-Croatian, and Russian. In his post-government work, Roberto is an advisor at Leonardo focused on Regional Security for this global defense, security, and aerospace giant. We connected...
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Wargames for Peace and How to Not be Part of Watergate with Ambassador David Miller
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In this episode, we sit down with statesman and Ambassador David Miller, who shares his expansive and storied career, starting from his early days surveying economic impacts in Vietnam to his intricate experiences with the National Security Council and various international postings. We’re joined by Glenn Corn, who spent a career, much like Amb Miller, in service to the United States, but on the CIA side of the house and you get to hear what it’s like when Chiefs of Station and Ambassadors truly work together. Ambassador Miller recounts tales of working closely with influential figures...
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Ukraine, Russia and Military Weapons and Ammo with Arms Expert Tamerlan Vahabov | Drones, Arms Deals, Ukraine’s Future
Combat Story
Today’s Combat Story is a Frontline Perspective with Tamerlan Vahabov on Ukraine's Defense, Challenges, and Future. In this interview, Tamerlan tells us about his work as a former advisor to the Director of Defense Procurement and the Minister of Interior in Ukraine. He shares his compelling journey from Azerbaijan to Ukraine, highlighting his roles in government, law enforcement, and his direct experiences with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We dig deep into drone warfare and the intricacies of defense procurement, the challenges faced by the Ukrainian defense industry, and his ongoing...
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Expert Analysis Feb 18 on Russia Ukraine War w/ CIA Expert Glenn Corn | Battlefield, Geopolitics, New Russian Intel Unit, North Koreans in Russia, Russians in North Korea
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Today we talk to CIA Senior Intelligence Service officer Glenn Corn who is calling in from Ukraine and dive into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, with on-the-ground insights and analysis. We touch on Ukrainian concerns about being excluded from international peace talks, the mixed reactions to diplomatic efforts at the Munich Security Conference and in Saudi Arabia, and the potential implications of new Russian intelligence tactics. We also hit on a new Russian intel covert unit, possible involvement of North Korean troops supporting Russia, recent prisoner swaps, and the evolving role of...
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Inside the Command Post in Pakistan During the Bin Laden Raid | Earthquake Relief | Leadership Lessons | Vice Adm (ret) Mike LeFever
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Today’s Combat Story is with our first Navy Vice Admiral, Mike LeFever, who spent 38 years in uniform supporting US National Security across the world. Rising from an Annapolis wrestler to a surface warfare officer, Mike was selected to command a strike group, would serve at the US Embassy in Pakistan as the head diplomatic officer (during the Bin Laden raid), and finished his military career as the Director of Strategic Operational Planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ Try it risk-free...
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Killing 3 Enemy Tanks in 10 Seconds | HR McMaster | Army General & National Security Advisor | Battle of 73 Easting
Combat Story
Today is an amazing Combat Story as we sit down with the legendary retired three star General HR McMaster whose 34 years of service included everything from spearheading the last great tank-on-tank engagement in the famous Battle of 73 Easting to serving as President Trump’s National Security Advisor. McMaster has been a dream interview for our program for years and it does not disappoint. We cover so much in this episode from exactly what it felt like in the tanks on that fateful day taking on and destroying the Tawalkana Division of the Iraqi Republican Guard in minutes to leading a...
info_outlineToday we have round one of a fantastic two-part Combat Story with a former guest: Darrell Utt, a long time Green Beret and retired Master Sergeant.
Darrell just finished writing a book (Grit to Glory) going into great detail about one deployment when he was a Team Sergeant with ODA 043 in 2006 to Iraq that includes all the highs and lows of leading a team of elite Green Berets.
We met with Darrell two years ago for an episode (#74) watched by over a 100K+ people and this time around we get into more of the moments, experiences, and emotion in some of the fighting that Darrell has unearthed while writing the book.
If you pre-order his book before Veterans Day (2024), you get a signed copy of the book and one of the coolest challenge coins you’ll find. Pre-order the book at ballastbooks.com/purchase/grit-to-glory/. You can find Darrell on the socials at darrell.utt on Instagram or darrell-utt on LinkedIN.
If you haven’t seen the first episode, don’t worry, you’ll get all the context you need in this one to be up and running and I’m sure you’re going to enjoy his very real, raw, and down to earth storytelling as much as I did.
Darrell on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/darrell.utt/?hl=en
00:00 Intro
00:35 Darrell Utt Bio
03:09 Writing the Book: Challenges and Inspirations
10:12 Morgue Day: A Haunting Memory
19:26 Growing Up: Building Grit and Resilience
21:15 Family Struggles and Finding Strength
32:44 Military Path: From Humble Beginnings to Special Forces
44:53 The First Marine in the Family
45:16 Mentorship and Military Service
45:48 Challenges in Joining the Marine Corps
47:48 Receiving the Green Beret
50:28 Reconnecting with Influential Figures
54:08 Operation Ugly Baby: The Initial Invasion
01:06:05 Cultural Encounters and EPW Camp
01:18:03 Navigating Mosul and Military Strategy
01:26:13 Strategic Reflections and Military Planning
01:27:18 Looted Infrastructure and Insurgency
01:29:04 Early Signs of Trouble in Iraq
01:31:11 The Ba'ath Party Dilemma
01:33:22 WMDs and Misconceptions
01:35:27 2006: A New Team and Mission
01:47:20 Challenges and Leadership Decisions
02:03:57 Owning Up and Moving Forward
02:07:44 Conclusion and Upcoming Content
#usarmy #veterans #combat #specialforces