Constant Combat

Loyalty over Safety - Mike Martinez and Jason Adams (part 2 of 2)

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A story can be both absurd and sacred, sometimes in the same breath. That’s the energy in this conversation with Mike Martinez and Jason Adams, two Marines whose memories from Ramadi are stitched together by dark humor, grit, and the stubborn will to stick together. From taser “experiments” and a rescued dog to transporting fallen snipers and sprinting down a trigger man. Leaving Iraq and being able to carry the lessons forward without sanding off the edges.

• Tasers, welding improvisation, and small mercies
• Transporting fallen snipers and museum-triggered grief
• IED strike, chase, and the shot not taken
• Negligent discharges, QRF scenes, and NCIS questions
• Checkpoints, a translation misstep, and brutal heat
• The Fanta story and an arsenal under mattresses
• Mud-stuck Humvee, compound entry, and teamwork
• Kuwait downtime, a bad wrestle, and homecoming
• Haircuts, a roadside stop, and civilian friction
• From mailman to teacher, passing on lived history





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SPEAKER_03:

This is part two of our conversation with Mike Martinez and Jason Adams. Fifth Marines combat replacements to Sledgehammer Platoon.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you guys remember when we got those uh some I don't remember how we got them, but we got tasers. Were you guys around for this? Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh and we oh, yes, we're Mike. We're we're tasing each other, tasing like the um oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yes. Uh now I yes, I remember getting tased. I remember tasing myself.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, we uh we got bored and uh we definitely uh tased ourselves. Uh I remember doing uh quote unquote science experiments while trying to see like how much could you wear? Can you get it through your boot? Can you, you know, I I found out uh I think actually I think it was you, Mike, that I had you uh tase, I had my boots on, I had you tase me through my heel.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, I remember this.

SPEAKER_02:

And I remember it didn't hurt except for I could feel the the the pulsing of the taser in my brain. Like it didn't hurt, but I could feel the electricity kind of like pulsing in my head. I was like, yo, you need to stop.

SPEAKER_00:

Because it was a it was a long pulse of a yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I remember then I took down the ballast, so I had the tube light, and I was holding the the tips, and I had you and I think Wade tase me in my in each arm to see if we could light up the light bulb.

SPEAKER_00:

Failed, it didn't work. Wade, I forgot about Wade. Wade's a fucking dude. That dude was a fucking tank. He was a fucking well-made machine of a fucking human. Yeah, yeah, he's a badass.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I haven't heard about this for a million years. I have I have a random fucking old school picture of him somewhere downstairs. Um, and again, everybody's playing poker or something, and he's just like like flexing and screaming in the air. Um yeah. I'll I'll have to send you a picture to send you that picture. I'll just show you.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I have I have some pics of uh you and Jason. I gotta find them and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00:

But I'd love to see that because I I don't I don't there's not a lot of pictures of me that I've seen around.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, the one the one that I have, uh it's the three of us. I think it's the three of us. I know it's you, at least you, Mike. Uh were down by the Habaniya Dam. Um, and uh we were doing a patrol down there and we had took a picture. Um it was when that um uh it was when remember that dog that got caught up in the uh the fishing net?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I do remember that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and we cut uh we cut him loose and then he like he fouled us around for like the entire day.

SPEAKER_00:

Because you were you're always such a fucking like a good guy. Like you were like the good guy, good guy. Like you did like so if there's something good to do, and honestly, I kind of I try to emulate that now in my fucking in my real world where I try to do good by people. Um but uh but yeah, I remember that shit because I remember you saving the dog. I remember you being again being nice and being like a genuinely nice guy, so it was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02:

I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00:

So I don't know if that I don't know if that matters in the Marine Corps world, but it didn't it didn't take me very far.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean I would you know I would I would fight when that the fight needed to happen, but uh I didn't say you're I didn't say you're a pushover, but you're just a you were nice, you know. So that was cool. The 81 Splatoon didn't necessarily appreciate that. I think the the rest of the weapons company appreciated it a little bit more.

SPEAKER_03:

It's your Eagle Scout coming out.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh dude, the Eagle Scout, you're an Eagle Scout, really? Yep. Uh you know, so I remember one of my first memories of you though is when we had to go and up armor the Humvees by hand, and you were welding shit. And I remember you getting like sunburned by the by the welding through your camis, and like your arm was like your whole bicep was just like blistered uh from it. I I remember that vague, like very like strongly, like just how much you like fucking blistered. I was like, oh fuck.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that that fucked me up. Yeah it cooked it cooked the inside of my arm so bad that it I I actually still have like like slight nerve damage in there. Like it still doesn't like if you touch the inside of my arm, it still feels a little bit different. It like doc rake, I had to go to the company doc for that. Like he he he he addressed it. It looked it felt like do you remember this? Like I had people touch it, it was it felt like cooked chicken.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, like I remember that.

SPEAKER_02:

Like it was disgusting.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I dude. I I remember that shit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, and actually, it wasn't that it cooked through my camis. What had happened was uh we didn't have we had a stick welder and we were welding it onto the side of the truck, and uh we didn't have welding masks and aprons or anything like that. And I remember when I was doing it, it was uh the the slag was coming off and burning little holes in my in my camis, and I was like, well, I can't get a resupply of camis here, I can't ruin my camis, but my skin grows back. And so I I was welding in my shorts and a t-shirt because I wanted to save my camis from getting holes in them. Oh, that's and and so I would put my and because we didn't have welding a welding mask, I would line the stick up to where I wanted to be, and then put my elbow on the side of the truck, and then right before I hit the stick where I wanted it, I would turn my head and just draw straight lines as best as I could. Well, the heat was just bouncing off of the metal and coming right back into my arm because I had it propped up like that. And I was doing that for like two hours or something like that. And then finally I was like, oh man, I can't move my arm right.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, because I know I'm I'm like a big retard, so I'm just over there. I'm like the one holding the fucking metals up, you know. And you're like and you're like, you know, doing that. And I'm just like, and I'm just a turn of my face, like, don't look. That's all I know. Papa taught me not to look at the fucking world.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, that's all I knew. And you're and yeah, I'm just a big dude. Oh, hold.

SPEAKER_02:

And you're just like, Yeah, that messed me up. That that hurt.

SPEAKER_00:

I remember, I've yeah, I thought it was camis. No, that's the that was what happened with the camis. You took them off so you didn't burn them. Yeah, yeah, that was a that was a fucking dude. That was a lot of crazy ass experiences with you guys, like yeah, eagles get out.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh man. Let's hear. I'm trying to remember some of the other ones that we would have done together. Uh well, let's see.

SPEAKER_03:

Here's the other big events that happened, probably right around that time frame. Uh, I mean, obviously we had the snipers that were killed. You talked about that right now.

SPEAKER_00:

So that was weird for me and Jason. I'll jump I'll jump into that one real fast. Yeah, please. So again, we're we're nobodies, right? We're just we're here to help. And our job, we were the the the QRF or whatever to go, and we had to go transport the bodies back to that Air Force base. And Jason and I are in the back of the Humvee. I don't remember who was driving, but we're in the back of the Humvee with two bodies, and uh and we are and as we're driving, or as they're driving, we're sitting in the back, and the the heads of the snipers are on the on the floorboard of the of the Humvee. So Jason and I sit on the ground and cradle their heads the entire ride. And it wasn't I don't remember it wasn't a short ride.

SPEAKER_03:

I remember it being like you went from Ramadi all the way to Alasad. I mean, that's hour, hour, two hours almost.

SPEAKER_00:

It's like a two-hour drive. So we cradled we cradled their heads the entire way, so that's kind of one of my one of my like the bad memories, you know. Yeah, just that just doing that was was pretty wild. And then of course that we go back to Operation Drawfire, but me and Jason go ahead and fuck around at the army camp.

SPEAKER_02:

That would have been that would have been my truck, I think. Um I think you guys were riding with me at that day. It makes sense.

SPEAKER_00:

We normally we normally did ride with you, obviously.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I just remember it sounded like someone was knocking on a watermelon at a grocery store. Um made me sick to my stomach, you know. Uh it still does when I hear it.

SPEAKER_00:

It's fucking gross. Yeah. So when I I some I went to uh the Marine Corps Museum in uh Triangle, Virginia. I don't know if you either any of you guys remember. It's amazing. Yeah, so they have the sniper rifle now.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, dude, when I saw that sniper rifle, I just fucking just bawling, dude. Like it was like a like like a bitch, dude. Like just I couldn't stop. And uh I took I took Fox with me uh back in May, and we went to go see it again and same. I I mean it's like the every time I see it now, it's like oh shit. But you know, it's just it's pretty it's pretty crazy uh that to be able to see that rifle again.

SPEAKER_03:

And it was it was it was your guys that I mean obviously it was years later, but it was your guys that recovered it, right? 3-5?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, 3-5 recovered it, yeah.

unknown:

Damn.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so kind of full circle kind of thing, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

No, I remember that was a that was a rough day. Uh we I remember it was my truck because I remember helping load the bodies in and equally the the first body that got put in there, it got put down a little too hard. And uh I just was like, ah no, no, no. And I went around and making sure that the heads didn't get dropped when it first got put in. Uh I remember because I remember it was you, I don't remember Jason, but obviously he would have been in there. But I remember Rocha uh was also in the back uh with with with that ride. Yep because he was he was not pleased that he was having to ride in the back uh with uh with with with the with the Marines.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. We were with you and Rocha like most of the time. Like when once we got there, we're with you guys followed, like on you with your guys' vehicle like almost all the time.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. I liked I liked having you guys roll with me. I can I try I trusted. I trusted you.

SPEAKER_00:

I we're just fuckers enough to do the right thing.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right.

SPEAKER_03:

That's what you want, man. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I I I kept I I I had a I I had a reputation of uh being able to take some misfits, and so there was uh quite a few times that I was getting my truck was made up of people that I was like, oh man. And then so when when you guys came on, I was like, Yes, I finally have some like comp I have some real competency here that I can trust because I kept having get because I kept getting pulled away from the truck with my uh because of my Arabic. And so so so I would hand it off to I think it was you actually, Mike, that I would just be like, Hey, you you know, you have you know, you're you you hold while I go off with gunny or whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I do remember that. And yeah, so I remember one time that happened, you got pulled off, and I was left with the f with the truck, but where we where the truck stopped at, we were like, I looked off the side, I walked on the side of the road and there was like a freaking ditch under the the the road under the truck, and I'm like, oh no, and who was our who was your driver?

SPEAKER_02:

Um at that point it probably was either Stadleman or Mann.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah, I remember man. Good kid. Uh yeah, so probably one of them, but I was like, I think we need to move the truck off of this freaking hole. It just doesn't seem like the right place for us to be parked right now. So nothing, nothing happened, but I just I do I just remember that. Sure, sure, sure. There was another kid. What was his last his name name started last claim started with an A. Um A Pons? Ape. Aponte? Aponte. He was with Rainmaker. Yeah, I I remember him though. He was a he was a good kid.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. We had um oh shoot, what was his name, Nyland? He came over, he was uh uh Alderedi.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh yeah. One of our platoon, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, he sometimes, depending on how which truck we I took, he was sometimes the gunner. Um and then uh and then uh let's see who would have been. I mean, we uh we uh we didn't have solid truck teams. I was gonna ask you if you like if if it I knew you guys rode with me a lot, but I wasn't sure if you remembered who else you had. Did you guys usually go in the same truck or did you guys get split up a lot?

SPEAKER_00:

We would get split up also. Um I I know one day we got hit by IED. I I can't remember the kid's name, the driver, but uh Rocha was on the gun, and when we got hit with the IED, his foot got stuck in the in that makeshift um uh bracket that was uh that was holding the the machine gun up. Um but who was the driver? Um little white kid. Um Winder. Yeah, Winder. There it is. So Winder's he's driving. I'm there was no room in the Humvee this day. I'm sitting in the freaking, I'm sitting on a ice chest on the in the back. And uh so the but Jason's sitting next to a fucking combat engineer who almost shoots him in the knee on accident. Um it was it was a it was a fucking day. And and so Winder, so our truck gets hit, like actually gets hit, but I don't know what's because again, I'm facing I'm facing the the road and the truck's going the opposite direction. I just remember the truck like hits the brakes hard, bam, and I fall on my back. I'm on an ice chest, I fall on my back, I'm looking at the sky, and I'm like, the fuck's that black thing like over me, you know? Um and I this is all slow motion, obviously. And I remember I sit up and I fall back down, and now that's when I hear the boom and all the freaking debris and hot metal is falling all over me, and I'm just like taking like all this freaking uh shrapnel and shit falling all over us, and that's when that that uh um combat engineer almost shoots Jason in the knee. Like he pulls the trigger when this all happens and almost shoots Jason in the knee. And Rocha gets his foot stuck in the fucking uh mount, and he's like, get me out of this thing, get me out of this thing. We're like nobody knows what the fuck's happening, nobody got hurt. No, nobody in our truck got hurt, but we still like the windshield gets bashed in.

SPEAKER_01:

That was Rocha that almost shot me. It wasn't the promise. Was it? Yeah, but uh yeah, promise it was Rocha.

SPEAKER_00:

Or was it was it the fat fuck, the fat fuck engineer who almost who was who would like land it on you? What was it? It was something like that. Yeah, he landed on my knee. Gotcha, that's what it was. Okay, Roach almost shot you.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, that was a different time. I was talking around and everybody's like, I just got hit. I was like, no, that fat fuck landed on my knee. And I looked at him and he looked like he was just sad, like he was like he felt so bad.

SPEAKER_02:

Because he was a fat fuck combat engineer, like he was just I don't know why he was in our truck, but I if if this is the same one that I'm remembering, it was it was this the one that was the like it was a it was a it was a daisy chained um like 155, it was like two or three of them in a row.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

If if it's the same one where they when they popped it, it it hit exactly in between the trucks. Yes, like all they had them spread out, and it was just by the happen chance of how we were running our trucks in in an open in in an open convoy style, it hit in the in-between, and a lot of people got peppered, but no like if it would have hit while we were like broadside to it. But that's also the time that the uh that the trigger man was like out in the middle of the field and he stood like he stood straight up and like nothing else near him, and he's standing there watching it happen. You can see that he's holding the phone in his hand.

SPEAKER_00:

Was this dude like sped or some shit, or had like a fucking crippled leg or something?

SPEAKER_02:

Like Yeah, because then I because then I ran him down. Um and and I I was surprised I was catching up to him, but it had because he had a gimpy leg.

SPEAKER_00:

And so I uh I tackled him and yeah, so so I climb up on this little hill right there. I aim in at him with uh with the the A4 with the with the um what the fuck was our scope?

SPEAKER_02:

Um with the A cog.

SPEAKER_00:

And I I aim in and as I'm I finger uh weapon on fire, finger's about to pull, and and through my ACOG, I see you tackled him, and I'm like I was about to take the shot, and you yeah, you you you saved the dude's fucking life, honestly.

unknown:

Sorry.

SPEAKER_00:

He was too gibby to fucking move, so that we brought him back.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I was so mad because if we I that was when uh I think Gwizdak was my gunner on that one, and uh he got hurt and I was not happy.

SPEAKER_01:

Guzzy got hurt, and so it was definitely Roach that almost shot me though. Yeah, dude. I I forgot. I remember that now. Yeah, it was it was Roachan, but that was a different time. So he was sitting he was sitting next to me and uh that shot went off, and everybody was like, Oh, we're getting we're getting hit. So we all jump out, and if nothing happens, we're like, what the fuck? So we get back in the thing, and I noticed there was like a little bullet hole next to the bench next to my leg. And I was like, Did you fucking almost shoot me? He was like, fuck, I'm sorry, man.

SPEAKER_02:

That's uh I remember that one too, because that was we were we were just rolling down the road and uh he had an he had an he had that ND and uh he was he was like right behind me and we were in in the uh high back and he was right behind me. And so when it went off, it it's it was like r right behind my ear. And I remember I got back, I got on the hook and I was like, you know, like we took a we took something, you know, like something, you know, like like it might have been a grenade, it wasn't that big of an explosion, you know, like whatever. And so you know, we go through our our procedures and stuff like that, and we dismount and we do all our stuff, and then Gunny Cook comes comes over to me and he's like, just get back in the trucks, let's go. And I was like, Well, you know, like all right, you know, and what had happened is like think Roach had gone over to Gunny and told on himself that he that he had his he had his booger hook on the boom switch and it went and it went off.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh fuck. Uh anyways. Dude, I was lucky. My I I I never had an MD in in combat or even in training, but one time uh off the during training, I was doing mount training um in Mounttown, and I just I chose to be op four. And uh so I'm I'm op four, I'm in one of the buildings, and I I remember my boot was untied, so I leaned my rifle against the wall so I can tie my boot. And as I lean it, the rifle starts to slip. So I just reached over to grab it to stop it, and my hand went right into the freaking trigger guard and pulled the trigger. The fucking it was it was one of the sim rounds, shoots, hits the roof, and now everybody knows where I'm at, and they're gonna they come and fucking kill me. Dude, I was not ready for the fight. I got my ass whooped and fuck. So that was my only time like with the ND, but you learned quick.

SPEAKER_03:

So the next big thing I remember Ramadi-wise uh would be June 30th, Condi was killed. And then not too long after that, that was when the police station was supposed to open on July 2nd, then it was blown up and destroyed on July 3rd. Uh the advanced team from 2-5 came July 14th, and then probably the next big one you'll you'll definitely remember because I know you guys were out there for that, because you were the first response uh was OP Library was attacked with explosives, and they blew the whole top floor out trying to kill the guys on the top of the OP. Remember that at all?

SPEAKER_00:

I don't. I is it was that no, the one that when I remember when Condi got killed, and I mean we weren't there or anything, but I remember standing in the formation for his for his uh final roll call.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Um that was my first time hearing a final roll call. Even with our guys who died before, I I never heard one. So that was my first time, and it was like the hardest freaking hit. Like, I mean, that that's the craziest thing to hear, right? Um, but and I don't remember the library. I remember the police station, I remember that. I remember just being because I mean we're I mean everything's going crazy. Like nobody, no, no, nobody knows shit. We're on rooftops, like just fucking not sure who's bad, who's who's what. But I remember one night there was uh we were QRF and there was a patrol that got hit. Um, and we went out to go support it, but they took out everybody who tried to hit them. It was like a quick ambush, and we went out there to go check it out, I guess, or help out. But it was and what what was it? Like a freaking it was like an LAV or some shit like that that was that we had.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I skipped that. That was earlier though. That was in uh that was in June. And that was that was actually General Mattis's uh LAV that was that was attacked on Racetrack Road, and they fired everything the main gun, the coax, yeah, everything.

SPEAKER_00:

So I remember getting out there that night because we were QRF, we get out there to go support, and it was everything was done. Like there's nothing for us to do. And I remember one of the docs, I don't remember which doc it was, was trying to do some kind of life-saving support on one of the bodies. And um, but he had dropped his rifle to go help him. So I went to grab his rifle and I grab his rifle, pick it up off the ground, and as I have it in my hand, I'm like, what the fuck is this like ramen noodles or what is it? This fresh ramen that like I'm holding on to. Turns out it was a fucking dude's brains that were laying next to the rifle.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Doc like dropped because it was nighttime. Doc just dropped his rifle. It was the dude he was working on didn't have the top of his head. Um and so, oh shit. So that was that. Like having your hands full of brain was weird. Um, and then I remember there was uh like a one of the pickup trucks, um, and there was a dude laying there, and or not laying, he was sitting in the front seat of the of the pickup truck, and the bottom part of his mouth was missing, and his brain was sitting in his lap. And I was like, fuck, double brains one day, pretty good. Um, there was not again, there was not much for us to do, just a whole lot of fucking new sights for me.

SPEAKER_02:

That was that was uh that uh ended up becoming a bigger problem uh down the road. Was it yeah?

SPEAKER_03:

So eventually uh that was investigated by Naval Criminal Investigative Services that they had shot a bunch of people who were not involved. Uh that was what that was what they were asserting, or at least uh I don't know. Uh they in they interviewed a whole bunch of us, including me. They came and found me in I was living in Washington, DC at the time. This was 2008.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh shit.

SPEAKER_03:

And they came and interviewed me, bought me lunch, which was very nice of them on the federal government's dime at a very fan, very fan now, very fancy restaurant.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I felt big D's dollar menu, best you can get.

SPEAKER_03:

I felt very underdressed and they were in suits. And uh the only thing I could tell them is like there were two weapons on the ground. I I don't know, you know, they weren't ours. One was a Glock pistol, there was an AK, but they could have been police weapons. Like, I have no idea where they came from, but there were weapons. And and they said, and and they asked what else, and I told them the same stuff you just said. Like, there were multiple dead people around. There was a shepherd that was dead, his sheep were dead, there was buildings that were hit, and there was a truck that was on fire, but I don't know anything else. I don't know what was there. I wasn't there to see what happened. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

No, dude, like like I said, I I remember a couple bodies, but I mean but I and I I don't I don't I don't remember, but I don't remember paying attention for where their weapons were. Like it it wasn't important to me. But we also got there later. I don't know if they were already picked up or whatever, whatever, you know.

SPEAKER_03:

I don't know. We got there about the same time you did. We both went out together. They they did like an all call because it was Mattis, right? Yeah, and so they fired everything and they bugged out. And when they left, we sh like as they left, maybe minutes afterwards, we pulled up it, but there was nothing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah, I don't I don't know. I don't know either. But I didn't but I didn't get lunch for it.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah. Sorry, sorry, I missed out.

unknown:

Damn.

SPEAKER_03:

But yeah, they ended up interviewing me, uh, the lieutenant from my platoon, uh, another sergeant from my platoon, all about like what we saw and stuff. It was it was weird, it was weird. But and they were they were trying to be very nice doing that uh like oh you can trust us type thing. And I was like, I don't even have any information for you, but you're welcome to butter me up. Feel free.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh do you guys uh I remember holding a lot of checkpoints with you guys. Um do you guys remember the because I know I I don't know if you were there for this one, but I uh I was trying to make small talk with uh I was practicing my Arabic more specifically with one of those Iraqi policemen. But I mistranslated like I was trying to say that I was like it was too hot, but the direct translation that I did was basically that I was hot for the guy. Yeah, you know, he he it created a little bit of an incident, and then he finally figured out that I wasn't like hitting on him, and then he started laughing and brought over like brought over the the other the eye other policeman and then he then told the interpreter and then the interpreter told everybody. And so uh that was uh that's when I learned that you can't just directly translate things. You can create international incidences.

SPEAKER_00:

I am not hot for you, I apologize.

SPEAKER_02:

No, it's just fucking hot. It's 130.

SPEAKER_00:

I think what was it? I think 138, I think was the highest we saw, or some shit like that. Like it was wild, something stupid like that. I don't know. It was it again, if you weren't there and like to tell the stories, um, people don't understand it. It doesn't make a lot of sense. Um, so it's it's interesting to be able to talk to people who were who actually burned with you. Yeah. So talking about that heat though, so one day walking out of the out of the hut, um, somebody left a fucking Fanta, like a can of Fanta on top of uh a five-gallon jug. And we're walking out of the hut, and as we walk out, my fucking, I'm having my rifle slung and my rifle hits the hits the five-gallon jug, the can of Fanta falls, pops because it's so fucking hot all over me. And and we're we're going on this mission and we're out all day long, and I'm covered sticky in orange Fanta. To this day, my family is not allowed to touch Fanta. We don't care. 20 21 years later, my family could not touch it's it's banned in this household.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm glad that the I'm glad the uh the double brains day didn't bother you, but fuck Fanta. Like Fanta.

SPEAKER_00:

This is not a sponsored ad. Fuck Fanta.

SPEAKER_02:

I can handle anything sticky, not sticky.

SPEAKER_00:

Dude, no, sorry God, couldn't I I can't do sticky stuff. Like my my wife hates it. Like if I get my hands sticky, I have to have tons of napkins because I can't I can't be sticky. It grosses me out so freaking bad. No fantasy.

SPEAKER_02:

That's good.

SPEAKER_00:

Jason, I remember you were with me, but I don't know if Blake, if you're with me on this one. We we we cleared this house. We heard there was weapons or whatever, and we had to clear this house, and I think it was one of one of the corden searches, and we couldn't find anything. And then um, but you know how they have all their fucking mattresses stuck stuffed up or stacked up in the corner of their living room or their main room. And we searched the whole house, nothing. And the guy's like, no mista, no mista, no guns, no guns. All right, whatever. And we're standing around, just kind of still talking to the guy, asking questions, and me being the jackass I am, I'm like, Well, if you don't have any weapons, what is this? And I like moved one of the mattresses, and there was just a fucking bed full of AKs and pistols and and uh and and I like looked at you guys like I remember this.

SPEAKER_02:

I actually I forgot about no, they were like like there were like orange, orange and yellow mattresses, right? Yeah, like the thin, yeah. Yeah, oh man, I forgot about that. There was a he had a bunch, he had a shit. And a bunch of magazine, like a ton of magazines.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right. You were with me because you you we were fighting to get the guy arrested or something, and then they ended up letting him keep one one AK because he's allowed to have one to protect his house or whatever.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, he ended up being oh boy, what was the story on that? Because we had to call it in because he had more than he was supposed to, and there was something else going on with it. But then when we called it in, uh, I feel like the pol like something with the police. This is later. Yeah, this was this was like July, end of July-ish, because it was something something to do with like the police or the uh military, the the the military that they were trying to stand up. Like he was some sort of associated, and so he should have gotten arrested, but due to his connections, we were like, fine, you can only keep, you know, you get one one weapon in one magazine, and we took everything else.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. Just it was I always remember that story, just me calling somebody's bluffing. It was just me fucking around, just caught just being a pain in the ass. But and it was just like the whole shock of oh fuck, like seriously.

SPEAKER_02:

I forgot about that.

SPEAKER_00:

That's fine. What's this? It was like straight up a cartoon. It was good shit.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, there was the police station guys, and then there was the we had occasionally we found some random ICDC uh commander or something who had way too many weapons. What sounds like it, if I was betting just based on the time frame, it might have been that guy who was in charge of the there's a political party headquarters because they were ramping up to hand over to an interim. Whatever for the uh Anbar province in Ramadi. And that guy ended up I mean, we ended up raiding his political party headquarters later, uh late in August. I don't know. I don't know if you remember the other stuff, but no, that does sound familiar.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm trying to remember if if it was the same that might have been the same one or not. I mean, I I think um were you guys were you guys on the mission when it was like it was it was was this the house that was like kind of way out in the country or is this one that was more in the city?

SPEAKER_00:

This was like oh okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Because I'm remembering one that was it was a larger compound and it was right after a rain and we got one of the Humvees stuck.

SPEAKER_00:

But I remember that. I remember the Humvee getting stuck.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, we went off we went off road. Sadleman was my driver on that one, and I just remember it rained and it or maybe they had flooded the field. I don't remember exactly which one it was.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but it was wet, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

It was wet, and I remember as soon as we hit it, I felt it, and I was like, Staidelman, don't let up. And unfortunately he panicked and pulled his foot off the brake, and we just went straight down. And we went so deep that we couldn't get the doors open. We had to climb out through the you know, the high the back of the high back. And then you guys pulled us out, and then we still had to do the still had to do the mission just covered in mud.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I do remember that. It was a that was a wild one.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that was a big compound. That was he had a bunch of outbuildings that we had to go through. That was not the the magic trick, but do you do you remember the were you on the one where I I fell off of the wall trying to get into the compound? Like they like they couldn't get the door open and s or the main gate to the the compound, and so I got up on the top and I couldn't quite get over it, and so somebody helped me boost me over, but I swung my leg too far and I just threw myself off of the top of the compound wall, and I just landed in the middle of the compound in the middle of the night. No one else is over there, and wind's completely knocked out of me, and I and I'm just laying there looking up at the stars, being like, I'm in danger and I can't breathe.

SPEAKER_00:

I I think I'm the one who helped you over the wall. That sounds I remember that.

SPEAKER_02:

And I just low crawled over to the gate trying to breathe, and I finally got the gate open and and we came it. Like I yeah, I remember Wade, I remember Wade was one of the first ones in, and I maybe you I can't remember.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I think I'm the one who helped you over the wall, but I then I ended up entering, but that was also the one that had the thick ass door that we couldn't get through. Yeah, so dude, so it's fun stupid shit, but you know, the Marine Corps never leaves you. Um, so because I remember we would knock on somebody's door, give them three seconds, and then kick the door open. Like that was just pretty standard procedure, right? So when I became a mailman, I would knock on people's door, I'd give them three seconds and then I'd leave. Like that would be that would that would my way to do it.

SPEAKER_02:

You didn't kick down the door to deliver the mail.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm not kicking out, it's not that important, but uh, but I would kick that would I would knock three knock and knock and wait three seconds, and if you didn't answer in three seconds, I'm just saying I recognized could answer in three seconds, you should answer in three seconds.

SPEAKER_03:

That's it. So rounding this out, you guys left August, and then you so did you fly out of Al-Assad, or how did you leave Ramadan?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, we flew out in some birds. Um, it was some some rotary. I don't remember what kind of helicopter we flew out on.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, and then we go back to Kuwait, and I think I don't I don't think we were on the buses again. I think we got on a C10. We went somewhere else and we got into a C-130. Yeah, we got into a C-130 and went back to Kuwait and then we then we flew home.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And then get it Jason. Sorry, I remember now. I remember we get we were we got off of uh C-130s um in into wherever the fuck we landed before like in when we got to um um Iraq with you guys.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And I only remember that because there was one of our dudes when he they open up the back, it goes down, he when he gets out, he jumps out and shouts Marine Corps, and it made me laugh. I hell of he's like Marine Corps, and it's like nice. I get it, I get the joke. So sorry, yeah, that was earlier. So yeah, so we go back to Kuwait. Um, we wait a couple days in Kuwait, which Brian hates this story. Um, if if he was on this with us. So what so we're getting ready to leave, but not but we're waiting a lot of holdings, you know, sit and wait, hurry up and wait. And I'm sitting, I'm laying on the ground, trying to rest, just minding my own business. And Brian wants to, he's you know Marines, so he's like starts elbowing me. And he's like, hey Mike, let's wrestle. And I'm like, no. He's like, Mike, let's wrestle. And I'm like, Brian, no, I'm tired. He's like, Mike, let's wrestle. I'm like, dude, I don't fuck want to fucking wrestle. I'm fucking tired. Mike, let's wrestle. So I just roll. I'm a big dude. I've always been a big dude. I roll over and I just kind of twist him. And I tweak his back and like fuck up his back, like royally. Like that's one of his major disabilities he has now is his lower back from where I from where I twisted him. And uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Survive survive survive combat that can't get past Martinez.

SPEAKER_00:

Dude, I just wanted to sleep.

SPEAKER_03:

And who all was with you? Was it? I mean, it was obviously you and Jason, but who else was with you guys?

SPEAKER_00:

On the way home? Yeah. Uh me, Jason, Royce, Larson, uh, Brian Fox. Clark stayed with you guys. Um, Hampton stayed with Lopez.

SPEAKER_03:

Yep.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh Gonzo came home and and Colonel came home.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, uh, Hampton, he bit the bullet and chose to stay back with Lopez because Lopez was re-enlisting. Um, yeah, and then um, yeah, Clark was re-enlisting, so he stayed.

SPEAKER_03:

And then walk me through it. Were you guys flew back to California? Or what?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, we we fly back to California. Um, I don't remember it being back. I don't remember it being difficult or anything, anything slowing us down. Um dude, it felt like it felt like the movie Jarhead, like when we got we got off on March Air Force Base and we get back to to Camp Pendleton and like families are there with fucking they're handing us or other Marines were there and they're handing us beers like through the window and we're like drinking beers in the bus. And it's like it's just you know, it was just kind of stupid, turning our weapons and shit. And then we um yeah, and honestly, after that, because that was August when we got out, or my I went on terminal September 30th or some shit. And uh um yeah, it was dude, it was just a whole lot of drinking and bowling. Like that's all I remember doing, like for the next like 30 days, drinking and bowling. Like find again and whoever, whatever, you know, and uh staff NCO that was there with us. Oh, dude, our staff NCO, I'd um I met him in SOI. He was he was like my SOI instructor.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And um, and so we get back, he's just like, I don't give a fuck. Like so basically he was one of the first guys we met joining the Marine Corps, and then he's one of the last guys we see before we leave. And yeah, and he was just he was just super chill. He's just like, just go do your checking out, do whatever. So we go do some checkout stuff, we go drink and go bowling, like a whole lot of that.

SPEAKER_03:

Jason, same for you?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_03:

I assume so, but you know, Mike.

SPEAKER_01:

Funny story, Mike lived with me for a minute when I was married, um, before we got out. What was that TV show you wanted to get on, Mike? That reality show? Um Jerry Springer. You tried to get us on Jerry Springer. This dude called Jerry Springer and uh left him a voicemail talking about how he uh was living with his best friend who was married, but he started having feelings for him, and they uh they got drunk one night and made out or whatever, and he wanted to uh you know profess his love on live television. And they called back and they offered to send us to Chicago for like a hundred bucks and like two hotel rooms for two nights.

SPEAKER_00:

No, no, no. So Jason's like, he's like, dude, it'll be funny. And I'm like, fuck you. He's like, dude, it'll be a great vacation just to do it. He goes, Who cares? They don't even know us. Who cares? I'm like, dude, I'm not going on this fucking show. Yeah, so so 2-4 and so I did live with Jason and his wife, crazy bitch. Um live with them for a few weeks. But so what happened was 2-4 fucking kicks us out of the barracks. There's this like, you can't live in the barracks. Um, people are coming home, you need to leave. So I was living in my fucking Camaro, that Camaro from earlier. Living, I'm living in my Camaro, and Jason's like, dude, just sleep on the couch. I'm like, all right, cool.

SPEAKER_02:

Nayland and I were just saying uh 2005, we uh was was not necessarily one of our uh the high points of uh of uh of our uh no what what what what what word do I want to use? We we weren't the best versions of ourselves in 2005. Oh no, no beacons count at the time? No, no, not at all. That was that was a very alcohol and uh fueled uh uh poor decisions.

SPEAKER_03:

Drinking, starting shit. Not sure how I stayed employed, but I did. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so after that, um come home. Um and then the rest of you guys, you guys came home now at this point, and we're still there. Like I'm just about to leave for terminal. And uh um, you said it was first sergeant Mac?

SPEAKER_04:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

So first Sergeant Mac, this is my last day in the Marine Corps. I'm I'm leaving on terminal. So I get a haircut and I come to formation, and first sergeant Mac's like, hey Marine, are those sideburns? I'm like, uh yeah, yes, first sergeant. He's like, go get a fucking haircut. Yes, first sergeant. So I go get a haircut and I now I get a high and tight haircut. But by this point, I already pissed him off. So I get a haircut. So then I get the second haircut, shave off the fucking thing, get the get the high and tight, right? So it's my second haircut of the day. Get my haircut, come back, I'm like, hey, first sergeant, can you sign my paperwork? He's like, your hair's too long. I'm like, uh first sergeant, I got I got a high and tight. He's like, it's too long. Get a better haircut. So Jason and I go back into, we go into town. I'm in, I'm in uniform. I go into town, get a fucking haircut. And I'm just like, shave my head, I don't give a shit. I'm going home. And some fucking dude in civilian attire starts chewing my ass because I'm in Cammis in town, obviously. No that's wrong. And he's like, he's like, he's like, who are you, Marine? I'm like, you don't know me. He's like, well, what what battalion are you with? And I'm like, if you don't know me, you don't know. Like, I'm not gonna tell you. Dude was having a fucking fit because I wouldn't tell him who I was. So whatever. He wants to call my command, and I'm like, I'm fucking going home. Leave me alone. So I shave my head, completely skin head, and I say that for a reason. Skinhead, I go, first sergeant's like, okay, fine, signed my shit. I get in my car, me and Jason uh say goodbye. I'm out. I start heading home. I'm heading home, but I didn't know while I was getting before while I was going to Iraq, my wife went to get the radiator um flush in my car, and they forgot to put fluid back in. So driving home, my my car overheats, and this is a four-hour drive. I'm halfway home, the car overheats in the grapevine by six flags. And uh, so I stop, I put get put water, blah, blah, blah. I'm like, fuck. So I get all the way home. I'm I'm literally five minutes from home, but I'm out, I'm out in the country, kind of, and uh, I get pulled over by a sheriff. And the sheriff pulls me over and he's like, he's like, hey, you uh you look uh you look like a troublemaker. And I'm like, sir, I'm not a troublemaker. He's like, I'm pretty sure I've seen you before. Are you a skinhead? And I'm like, no, sir. I they made me shave my head today. He's like, Well, what do you mean? And I'm like, and I kept my I kept my cat. So I show him my cat. I'm like, I'm getting out of the military today. I I'm just trying, I'm trying to get home. He's like, I know you're a troublemaker. If I ever see you again, I'm I'm gonna, you're gonna be in a world that hurt, this and that. And I'm like, sir, I promise you, you will never see me again. And so I get home finally with a fucking shaved head, tired and just dead. And it's funny because I never saw that dude again. I've I'm since then, I've never even been pulled over since then.

SPEAKER_02:

That's the that's the two four cloud, baby. Like you got uh you brushed up against it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yep. Yep. Well, I'll just I'll add I'll finish my part of just saying, yeah. So I come home and I so again I told you I was a mailman for 18 years and working for the federal government fucking sucked. So uh that was so it's funny because I as much as I hated the post office, or as much as I hated being in war, obviously. I I hated the post office. I was a mailman, just delivering mail daily, and I dude every day I'd be like, I'd rather be in war. I'd rather be in war. This this place sucks. I'd rather and it was just dealing with stupid civilians was the fucking worst thing ever. And then during that time, I decided I went back to school and I and I got my degree and I became a freaking history teacher. So now the stories I got with you guys, I actually tell that kind of stuff to my students now, and obviously more of a PG version, PG 13 version. I'm a sophomore, so a PG 13 version. Um, but dude, like the kids like and I tell them, I'm like, hey, you guys are gonna get a different version of history than the other history classes. Like you're there the the all the teachers are great, but you're gonna hear a little bit different stuff. So, you know, they get to hear what you know what brains actually feel like. Like it's not a you know, so right now, like I'm teaching about World War One and the trench warfare, so I'm telling what brains feel like the kids, you know, the other teachers don't know that. So so thank you, gentlemen. Absolutely talking to you guys, I remember some really good times. It was good shit. Like I learned a lot with you guys. It was definitely fucking difficult. It was definitely a different war than so it's too it's funny being in two different wars, really, in the same time frame.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and we we thought we had our ship together when we showed up there too. We're like, fuck this, we already got it down. And we're like, oh my god, no, we don't.

SPEAKER_00:

Dude, fucking boots, fucking fresh boots.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it was a learning curve for us too.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, we were you guys in Afghanistan first?

SPEAKER_03:

No, no, no, no, no. We spent we spent uh a year in Okinawa. Oh gotcha.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, we got involuntarily extended for almost six months. Yeah.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, definitely appreciate you guys coming on and having a conversation.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks for having us, man.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, absolutely. If you like what you heard, make sure you subscribe for future episodes on your favorite podcast service.