WEBVTT 00:07.429 --> 00:10.710 I was almost like almost in disbelief 00:10.710 --> 00:12.932 because of like how surreal that moment 00:12.932 --> 00:14.930 was because of how close it was . 00:18.260 --> 00:20.427 Cause again , it's like it's either me 00:20.427 --> 00:22.649 or him . Uh , when we got him , like he 00:22.649 --> 00:24.927 would , he had a bunch of bullet holes , 00:24.927 --> 00:26.982 and I don't know how many , but just 00:26.982 --> 00:28.760 like it was like Swiss cheese . 00:41.849 --> 00:43.960 I will say that something that really 00:43.960 --> 00:46.182 sticks out to me was the first patrol I 00:46.182 --> 00:48.293 went out on was a mounted patrol . We 00:48.293 --> 00:50.759 were doing a a relief in place with 19 00:50.759 --> 00:53.750 since I was a 249 gunner saw gunner . 00:53.869 --> 00:55.813 They put me in the lead vic in the 00:55.813 --> 00:57.980 turret on the first patrol I went on . 00:57.980 --> 00:59.980 We went down this road called Route 00:59.980 --> 01:02.240 Dusters , and I remember looking at 01:02.240 --> 01:04.184 every little crack in the ground . 01:05.010 --> 01:07.169 Every little rock and thinking like 01:07.169 --> 01:09.225 there's no way I'm making it through 01:09.225 --> 01:11.529 this deployment , no possible way . I 01:11.529 --> 01:13.769 remember consciously thinking , uh . 01:14.680 --> 01:17.019 I'm going to die a United States Marine , 01:17.190 --> 01:18.269 and that's OK . 01:27.269 --> 01:29.491 I mean , my experience with combat most 01:29.491 --> 01:32.769 of the time was specifically the 01:32.769 --> 01:34.589 Taliban would , they would use 01:34.930 --> 01:37.449 unconventional tactics . They're very 01:37.449 --> 01:40.169 hardened , tactically sound warriors 01:40.169 --> 01:43.209 that you have to respect the first day . 01:43.980 --> 01:46.699 That I physically saw somebody like 01:46.699 --> 01:48.940 site picture site alignment , like 01:48.940 --> 01:51.162 hostile act , hostile intent , positive 01:51.162 --> 01:53.329 identification , hit all the wickets . 01:53.360 --> 01:56.510 And I was um . Surreal would be the 01:56.510 --> 01:59.019 word . I'm like looking over my sights 01:59.019 --> 02:01.550 of the 249 and I see one guy up on a 02:01.550 --> 02:05.199 roof . Uh , like in the prone , and 02:05.199 --> 02:07.519 then like 2 or 3 more just running 02:07.519 --> 02:10.320 around in between the compounds . One 02:10.320 --> 02:13.279 of them made the , this really stupid 02:13.279 --> 02:15.399 decision to just come out up onto the 02:15.399 --> 02:17.679 road , uh , and then , you know , 02:17.919 --> 02:20.960 probably me , my team leader , we 02:20.960 --> 02:23.449 probably all hit that guy and then he 02:23.449 --> 02:25.789 fell down , got back up , fell down 02:25.789 --> 02:27.845 again , then rolled into the canal . 02:28.070 --> 02:30.149 That was my like most profound 02:30.630 --> 02:32.908 experience of that deployment for sure . 02:35.809 --> 02:38.660 I hope that the Marine Corps ultimately 02:38.660 --> 02:42.559 becomes so insanely lethal that 02:43.149 --> 02:46.199 we have peace through strength . Where 02:46.199 --> 02:48.366 nobody wants to deal with this because 02:48.366 --> 02:52.320 they're afraid . There's no 02:52.320 --> 02:54.487 enemy in this world that can go toe to 02:54.487 --> 02:57.869 toe with the Marine Corps . When the 02:57.869 --> 02:59.813 when the full force and Ring Corps 02:59.813 --> 03:01.100 comes down , I pity those people .