Team Never Quit

Today, we bring an unconventional podcast to the Team Never Quit table. We are in San Diego and joining Marcus, Melanie, and Hunter is our favorite Texan, former Governor Rick Perry. Governor Perry brings an incredible knowledge of Texas history, which ties right in to Marcus’ idea of adding a few minutes in each week’s podcast to Texas Tidbits, where we talk about historical info, fun facts, Texas recommendations, food suggestions, Texas etiquette, etc. And who better to kick off Texas Tidbits than the longest serving governor in Texas history. We talk Texas Tidbits, and take a deep dive of the first time Marcus and the Governor met, exactly 17 years ago in San Diego. Sponsors: - NavyFederal.org - Factormeals.com/TNQ50 - Policygenius.com Studio Location: - Loft 100 Studios in Carlsbad, California In this episode you will hear: • [Marcus] Longest serving governor in Texas history, then Secretary of Energy. (4:30) • Agriculture has an inordinate impact on me, as it does on the state of Texas. (12:08) • The greatest governor in Texas history. Nobody even comes in a close second, in my opinion – Sam Houston. (14:02) • [Sam Houston] could probably have been elected President of the United States, had he stayed in the race in 1860. And had he won, I don’t think we would’ve had a civil war. (14:24) • [Sam Houston] brought Texas into the nation. (15:33)  • When he left his house, [Sam Houston’s mother said to him: “And remember, my son, the door of the cottage will be forever open to a courageous man of honor, but it will be closed forever to a coward.” (16:22) • The second greatest governor, in my opinion – Dolph Briscoe. (18:41) • He [Dolph Briscoe] helped put into play the Farm to Market Road system, and helped put into place the Screwworm Eradication Program. (19:19) • Eisenhower put into place the Interstate Highway System. For every 5 miles, you have to have a straight 1mile piece of road. (22:42) • Governing’s not hard: Don’t overtax, don’t over regulate, don’t over litigate, and have a skilled workforce. (24:52) 

What do you do when you witness a Chinook helicopter with 31 guys you know get shot out of the sky by an RPG, enter into spiraling depression, fail your team, as well as yourself, and then experience a horrible accident that causes you to lose your hand and forearm? In Aaron Kendle's case, who refuses to be defined by failures, you pick yourself up, and lean on a never quit mindset to live life to its fullest, and achieve an incredible life. Aaron is a retired Navy SEAL where he served as a specialized medic, sniper, airborne leader, and jump school instructor. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, a father, a husband and a Scottsdale Charro. Mr. Kendle is a decorated member of the United States Navy, served as a member of SEAL Team 7, NSWG-1 Training Detachment, and Naval Special Warfare Development over a 15-year career and has dedicated his post-military professional career to helping his fellow brothers in arms transition back into civilian life. Aaron comments: “My resume may read great — but what they don’t see is all of those fails between the lines. For me, those failures stay between the lines.” Sponsors: - Iherb.com/TNQ - MySheetsRock.com/TNQ - NavyFederal.org Photo Credit: Methodist Hospital Aortic Center In this episode you will hear: • Obstacles and failures aren't your defining moments. It's everything that comes after that you grow from. • Major physical injury doesn't define you. • When major things change your life in the physical, figure out ways to do things the best you can. • Make every day better that the day before. • You can dwell on how great Plan A would've been. But when Plan A fails, you gotta come up with a plan B. • Never leave a human hand in the freezer of your hotel room, where the cleaning staff can find it. • After a devastating accident, the prevailing thought should be “I'm alive”. • Terrible occurrences in your life can actually be used to give others, who are in despair, hope and encouragement. • Perspective, attitude and determination go a long way in life. • There's a lot more to life. You just gotta figure out what it is. • You don't get any better that the SEALS mentorship program. • Everything we accomplish in life is based on failures. • Pain and suffering unites us all. • If there's one thing I think we're good at is stuffing emotions. • Watching a Chinook helicopter with 31 guys you know get shot out of the sky with an RPG, is like watching a horrible movie.

From pretending to be a soldier at a young age to becoming a Special Forces soldier to becoming an entrepreneur. That’s this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast guest, former US Army Special Forces Green Beret, Mike Glover. With deployments to fourteen combat theaters, Mike worked in the US Army for over 18 years, serving as a weapons specialist, assaulter, sniper, recon specialist, team sergeant, joint terminal air controller (JTAC), and operations SGM. Mike is the founder and CEO of Fieldcraft Survival, and host of the Fieldcraft Survival Podcast on iTunes, and Soundcloud. He is an avid outdoorsman, traveler, and hunter. He teaches survival and disaster preparedness and provides equipment solutions based on his experience in special operations. As an expert at counter-terrorism, Mike says that survival isn’t just technical ability; it is the encompassing of everything he has learned throughout his career: mindset, technical skills, and equipment. Links/Socials: - https://mikegloveractual.com/ - Instagram: Mike.a.glover Sponsors: -  NavyFederal.org - 55% off (Babbel.com/TNQ) - 20% off (Fitbod.me/TNQ)   -  Up to 80% off (GoodRX.com/TNQ) In this episode you will hear: • Common sense is not so common anymore. If more people paid attention to having a little more common sense, most of the things you see go wrong is because of the lack of it. (2:03) • I joined the Army at the age of 17 and started my journey. (6:05) • I was never the disciplinary unless it came to standards. If you wanted flexibility, you had to meet the baseline. (28:37) • My military certainly taught me how to have and develop hard skills – technical skills. The overwhelming majority of me surviving had nothing to do with hard skills, but had everything to do with planning, preparation, attention to detail, culture, physical fitness, health and wellness, as a collective. (32:38) • You have to understand how to operate and be resilient every single day. (33:29) • Resilience, by far, is the hardest thing to teach. (34:36) • Resilience is the act of getting up after you’ve been beat down. (37:39) • “You’re going to rise to the occasion” is a misnomer. You’re going to fall to your level of training. (40:58) • My company is called Fieldcraft Survival. (43:00) • VSO – Village Stabilization Operations. You wanna have access to placement? Well, get into the environment where people live, train and educate them, empower them, and that place will be better. (50:03) • One of the reasons me and Marcus were successful in our military careers is because we had an institution – a culture that was willing to listen to subject matter experts, and we took that information and applied it to our lives. (54:20)

This week, Marcus Luttrell and former U.S. Air Force PJ and combat rescue officer, Jonathan Harmon, pick up where they left off in their last episode, bringing to the table a deep dive discussion regarding the details of how Jonathan was able to reasonably calculate Marcus’ direction and future location during the Operation Red Wings series of events in Afghanistan in June, 2005. Many details of that op are included in today’s discussion. It has now been 18 years since Operation Red Wings occurred. NOTE: “PJ” (Air Force Pararescuemen) are the only DOD elite combat forces specifically organized, trained, equipped, and postured to conduct full spectrum Personnel Recovery (PR) to include both conventional and unconventional combat rescue operations. Listen in as Jonathan & Marcus discuss the details of the efforts it took to bring Marcus home as the lone survivor of that operation.  In this episode you will hear: • He [Matt Axelson] had made it close to a village and ended up being shot and killed. And then a villager took his body even further away and buried it. (4:27) • The best record we have [of Operation Red Wings] is from Marcus’ memory. (5:24) • I think the American public would find it completely fascinating to learn what efforts our government will go to, to bring their people home. (10:24) • What if you had the ability - and we knew there was a television close by - and you’re being held in a foreign country. It [a discrete message] could be so much as just a message on the television as simple as a small American flag on the screen. (11:55) • If you can think of the worst day of your entire life, and how despondent you can be - that’s every day in captivity. (13:17) • He [Marcus’ primary target] - disappeared through an air strike. (18:31) • So I hand my map off, [and proceeds to list his specific findings] and predict where they would end up, and I’m told: “We’re going to Afghanistan.” (23:36) • The two [sources of information - the Army’s findings and Jonathan’s findings] validated one another. So we had a location and we had confirmation. (28:07) • For those that don’t know, we stripped that aircraft down. We took nothing that wasn’t necessary. (30:00) • I like to call it a recovery – not of remains – but of a person because rescue would imply that we are rescuing you from our friendly forces. That’s not necessarily the case. (30:58)  • I think the first thing [that should happen to Marcus after his recovery] is that and he needed to get a full blown medical evaluation. (33:27) • Doc Dickens will convince you that you are superman. You’re the fullest expression of yourself. (38:32) • If there was a father figure for all of us – it was him [Doc Dickens]. (40:29)   • One has to consider the gravity of the circumstances [of Operation Red Wings]. The single most loss of life in the history of the United States Navy SEALS just happened. (42:27) • To be given the clothing of the village elder is a personification of being him himself. (51:10) • [Jonathan telling Marcus] Your adherence to your faith in captivity was unique among all stories I’ve ever heard. (51:48) • If you pull the John Wayne act [while in enemy captivity], you’re gonna get tortured and killed. (53:52) • He [Marcus] rewrote singlehandedly a lot of our resistance posture training because we were fighting a different kind of enemy that we didn’t write manuals for. (56:10) • [Marcus] They would laugh at me because I would fall down, and I just kept trying. I would fail all the time. I can’t believe they kept me. (60:19) • [Jonathan to Marcus] I have a question to ask you and I want you to think about this. Do you want to continue to operate? Or do you want to be a hero? And he thinks about it and says, “Fuck, man. I wanna operate.” (71:58) • We learned early on that asking permission wasn’t gonna work. The very first thing I learned from the SEALS – beg for forgiveness. (87:55)

June 28, 2005 is remembered as one of the biggest losses the SF/SO community has endured. We have seen the portrayal of that battle and the rescue missions in the movie Lone Survivor and in documentaries from the Smithsonian Institute. Hundreds of thousands of people have since found inspiration and displayed high levels of patriotism in honor of the bravery and valor these men displayed. Today, we ask you to get to know the men behind the uniform and join us in keeping their memories alive along with those who knew them best. Say their names to a friend or family member and share their stories with those who may not know. It has been said that when a loved one dies, the family experiences two deaths – once when they leave this earth and again when people forget who they were. Please join us and never forget those who gave all during Operation Red Wings.   In this episode, you will hear from: • Laura McGreevy, Surviving Spouse of Lt Michael M. McGreevy, Jr. • Char Westfall, Surviving Spouse of SOC Jacques J. Fontan • Erin Taylor, Surviving Spouse of SO1 Jeffrey S. Taylor • Patsy Dietz, Surviving Spouse of SO2 Danny Dietz • Cindy Axelson, Surviving Spouse of SO2 Matthew Axelson • Rhonda Lucas, Surviving Spouse of SO1 Jeffery A. Lucas • Norminda Healy, Surviving Spouse of SOCS Daniel R. Healy • Chase Patton, Brother to SO2 Shane E. Patton • Judy Goare, Mother of SSG Shamus O. Goare • Maureen Murphy, Mother of Lt Michael P. Murphy • Claudia Suh, Sister to SO2 James E. Suh Note: Not all families were able to participate in the video calls from which this audio was derived. We will always remember them and thank them for their service. Other Soldiers Who Gave All During Operation Red Wings: • CWO3 Corey J. Goodnature • SGT Kip A. Jacoby • LCDR Erik S. Kristensen • SFC Marcus V. Muralles • MSG James W. Ponder, III • MAJ Stephen C. Reich • SFC Michael L. Russell • CWO4 Chris J. Scherkenbach Marcus continues to honor the fallen and asks that you join him never forgetting their bravery and sacrifice. June 28, 2005 – Never Forget.

In this week’s Team Never Quit episode, Marcus has a deep dive conversation with U.S. Air Force PJ, and combat rescue officer, Jonathan Harmon. NOTE: “PJ” (Air Force Pararescuemen) are the only DOD elite combat forces specifically organized, trained, equipped, and postured to conduct full spectrum Personnel Recovery (PR) to include both conventional and unconventional combat rescue operations. Jonathan was instrumental in successfully locating Marcus in Afghanistan with the most miniscule of data which facilitated his subsequent rescue. Listen in to Jonathan’s fascinating details of all that it takes to bring our soldiers home.   In this episode you will hear: • My Aunt was a WASP (Women’s Auxiliary Service Pilot). She flew aircraft across the Atlantic, and trained other pilots. They would test and assure that an aircraft was safe to fly. (10:06) • I had absolutely no intention of joining the military. I was into skating & surfboarding. (16:28) • I loved skydiving. I was with my peeps for the first time in my life. (23:23) • [Red ants] get real pissed off when you do 8 counts on top of them. (29:57) • [In Afghanistan rescue missions] you’re out there rescuing kids and village elders. You want to let them know that you stand shoulder to shoulder with them. You’re not gonna leave ‘em high and dry. (51:09) • It wasn’t that I traded a life for a degree, but that how it felt. I promised myself that I would never allow my education get in the way of my job. (65:33) • One of the best things we learned was that one of the best medicines, sometimes, is lead. (70:12) • Most people don’t know that 1003 Victor became known as Iraqi Freedom. (75:42) • I had the chance to coordinate about 1,000 rescue missions. Recovery missions as well as rescue missions. (76:05) • Reintegration is the process that returns people with homer, helping them transition back from captivity or isolation, back to their units and families so they can become “value added.” (78:18) • We’re seeing Post traumatic stress in epic proportions. (79:26) • As a PJ, we focus on medical – combat medicine. (80:41) • I can’t declare a personnel recovery event, because they’re not my forces. (91:38) • It’s important to know that a report has to come through a channel that is bonafide. (91:47) • [Operation Red Wings - After a series of signals and analysis, I thought] what I feel like is that I’ve got somebody on the run. And I’m really certain it’s an American, because of where they’re running and how they’re running. And it gave me a confidence factor that I had at least one survivor. [97:34) 

From Combat to Creativity. In this week’s Team Never Quit episode, Marcus dives into the inspiring story of his guest, Kelsi Sheren, a combat veteran and artillery gunner in the Canadian military. She was a competitive Tae Kwon Do champion from the ages of four to nineteen and holds a second-degree black belt. Join us as we explore her experiences serving in Afghanistan, her battle with PTSD, and her remarkable transformation through art therapy, at the recommendation of her therapist, which lead to the creation of a successful jewelry and eyewear brand, Brass & Unity. Kelsi's endeavor was to make jewelry from spent shell casings. Twenty percent of net profits go toward helping veterans who are suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Listen in as the discussion details Kelsi's journey to find healing and purpose. Links - https://brassandunity.com/ Socials - Kelsi_sheren - Brassandunity Sponsors - Navy Federal Credit Union  - Hillsdale.edu/TNQ - Fitbod.me/TNQ In this episode you will hear: • When we start something, we finish it. (7:28) • I became a high level competitive fighter and a national-level fighter by the time I was 12-13. (7:43) • I learned a long time ago that Taekwondo was not super applicable in real life if I was being grabbed from behind. (12:24) • That’s how you know you’re living a fulfilled live – if you’re laughing to the point that you hurt. (15:19) • Comedy is levity. (16:19) • [Marcus] PTSD is Pharmaceutical Training Stand By for Dosage. (36:12) • My mom saw the side of me that she didn’t recognize.  She saw what war looks like. I was 19. (40:10) • Nobody knew how to deal with mental health at the time. Nobody understood that the reactions I was getting were disproportionate for a reason. (40:48) • Yes, I guess I’m technically an author. My friends are all dying by suicide. And they’re dying at a pace I find unacceptable. How do I help? I don’t know, so why don’t I start helping myself and give myself the tools to then go and help others. (43:52) • [Melanie] Your survival turned into a business. (44:20) • In Canada, we offer medical assistance in dying, instead of treatment. (45:09) • I’ve been screaming about suicide prevention since 2016. (47:53) • Why aren’t we trying fitness? Why aren’t we trying nutrition? Why aren’t we looking at religion? That’s when I found psychedelics. (48:32) • When I left the Canadian Army, I was left. No one called, no one knew where I was, no one cared. (51:37) • Then I did brain treatment. I mean like I’m on some new shit. And when I say it got dangerous, it’s a scary level to feel this good. (53:59) • I don’t care what you need – you just need to ask. (54:20)  • I got to go help some people, and close a chapter in my life that I didn’t get to close because of how I left Afghanistan. (59:05) • It takes someone from within the community to heal the community. No one else is gonna do it for us. (69:25) 

What an amazing guest Marcus brings to the table in this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast.Randy Beausoleil served for 34 years as a Navy SEAL, the world’s most elite fighting force. He earned two Bronze Star medals with the Combat "V", and fought in every major conflict since 1984.In this episode, Randy speaks in detail about a mission he participated in an attempt to take down Panama’s dictator and drug lord, Manuel Noriega. The successful underwater strategies of the SEALS was beyond risky, and the specifics of how it was executed is compelling, to say the least.These days, Randy’s relentless pursuit is to teach mental toughness to those who are willing to do what it takes. He has counseled SEAL platoon commanders and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a skilled teacher, leader, tactical advisor, and President of Old 18 Information Services.Randy’s Book co-written with Brian “lucky” Riley: Unwavered: The Self-Belief of a Navy SEAL and TOPGUN Pilot In this episode you will hear:• I liked it. Jumping out of a Hilo - all that stuff - I’m kinda like “Okay, this it kinda it.” (9:08)• I tell people that BUD/S was the most adult experience of my life. (12:39)• It just a miserable program being in fleet. (12:47)• I hated every second of the fleet part of the Navy. (13:00)• [Manuel] Noriega was the king of drugs and all the other things bad. If you can remove God from society, he did everything that would happen once you do that. (22:34)• President Bush, Sr. made him [Noriega] a target for – let’s just say “extraction.” (22:51)• This was a completely soft-oriented mission- to go down and get Noriega. Everybody went down there to get one guy. To get him out of the country and turn that country over to the next democratic leader. He was just pumping drugs into the US. (23:50)• I loved the whole BUD/S experience. (59:04)• There is no comparison, in my opinion, for any other training on the planet. (59:47)• Once you make it through Hell Week, I don’t want to say you’re a Team guy, but you have really done something. 80% of the other people are already gone. (61:0)• I am full, 100% against body armor. Period. Dot. (75:35)• I don’t think you take a special warfare SEAL, and put him in body armor to do anything. I’d rather move fast and quick with a group of guys. (75:41)• We took all the basic stuff we were teaching and put it in that book, Unwavered. If you have unwavering self-belief, then you can accomplish anything. (90:30)• You’re talking about an all-consuming mindset. That’s the only thing you’re thinking about. And if you allow all external influences (cancers) to weigh you down, you’re never gonna make it. (91:25)• Your ability to survive is based on your ability to fight on their terms, to be sneaky, to know their tactics. It was super challenging. (98:34)

This week’s Team Never Quit guest, Shilo Harris, has an amazing story to tell.  He speaks with Marcus about the details of his second deployment with the U.S Army’s 10th Mountain Division near Baghdad. Shilo’s armored vehicle was struck by an IED, which killed three of his fellow soldiers, injured the driver, and burned a third of his body, causing the loss of his ears, the tip of his nose and three fingers. The explosion also fractured his left collarbone and C-7 vertebrae. As a result, he spent nearly three years recovering and undergoing intensive physical therapy at the burn unit of Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. While there, he was the first soldier to participate in regenerative stem-cell research to regrow his fingers, and later received prosthetic ears, and he has a hilarious story to share about them. Today, Shilo is a motivational speaker, raising awareness for PTSD and serving as an inspiration to fellow soldiers. “Everything in life is a gift. Sometimes it may not be the gift you want, but you realize that your challenges are a new beginning.” In this episode you will hear: • I’ve been extremely blessed. (17:53) • Me being a burn guy, I have a hard time regulating my body temperature, because the scar tissue acts like wearing a jacket all the time. It just doesn’t breathe. (18:50) • [While shopping for a hat, the girl] like a good salesperson, figured she could just size me up. She set that hat on me and popped it down. When she did, both my ears popped off, and hit the floor, bouncing around. (20:06) • I was in a van one day, and there were several wounded warriors, and everybody was missing something. One of the guys looked around and said “Damn, all of us together make like one whole man, maybe two.” (24:47) • My dad, being a veteran, we spent a lot of time at the American Legion. The American Legion out there was kind of like a bar. (25:52) • I knew what I wanted. I wanted combat arms. (33:01) • [In Bagdad] every day, there was an IED that went off in our area somewhere. (39:30) • I could see that my face was charred black, my hair was gone, my ears were gone, my nose was gone, I had blood running out of everything, and I started panicking. (50:29) • I was thinking: “I better get a day off for this.” (51:02) • I spent 48 days in a medically induced coma. (52:51) • [I had given up] and my dad said, “Are you done, soldier?” And it just washed over me, thinking holy crap, I’m a quitter before I even tried to start the fight. Where did my pride go? (55:24) • When he walked out of the room, he [my dad] literally just looked at me and said “Then get your ass up and start doing the work.” And I did. (59:59) • I was actually one of the first individuals to attempt regenerative growth. (66:00) • Faith, regardless of what it is, can get you through your worst days, your darkest moments. (75:17)

In this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus gathers up with the legendary Billy "Soupbone" Shelton, of Willis, Texas, an Army Special Forces veteran who, for over 3 decades, has been providing intense physical and mental training for young men, producing Navy SEALS, Army Rangers and other military Special Forces soldiers. Soupbone’s approach is brutal, physically challenging and very successful.  He prepares fighting men for the harsh realities of combat.One of Soupbone’s gems is this podcasts host, Marcus Luttrell, a Navy SEAL awarded the Navy Cross and author of the bestselling book, "Lone Survivor".Billy Shelton does it because He wants to see his “sons” come home alive.(Also joining Marcus and Billy are Morgan Luttrell, Tommy & David Thornberry, who trained with Billy Shelton.) In this episode you will hear:• Melanie: In the 13 years that we’ve been together we get asked more about you than anybody else. (5:21)• Billy: When I’d pull up and go in the front door [of the gym] they’d run out the back door. (13:07)• Tommy: The new guy’s rite of passage was that they had a harder workout because he [Billy] wanted to put the screws to ‘em to make sure they got it. (25:54)• Tommy: It’s not that we were born that way, it’s that we were made that way. (29:31)• Tommy: Billy looked out his window and this kid [after his workout] was hunched over in his car. Billy asked, “Are you ok?” The kid answered: I feel great. I just can’t lift my arms to drive. (31:02)• Morgan: No matter what shape you were in when you showed up, you’d eventually get us there.• Marcus: You didn’t wanna bring anybody, but if you did, you knew they were gonna get it. (32:55)• Morgan: If one of your buddies came down and they were struggling, it always put you in a position that you had to help them. (33:08)• Morgan: Like in the military, if there’s a weak link, you were forced to get down there and get ‘em. (33:18)• Marcus: To anyone who’s never seen a human being catapult over a wheelbarrow [full of rocks] while running… (40:58]• Billy: I don’t look at em like a Marine or Navy SEAL or a hunter, they’re my kids. I love ‘em. (44:50)• Melanie: No matter what you put Marcus or anyone through, they just wouldn’t quit. (53:09)• Billy: You CANNOT quit. (53:14)• Tommy: If there’s something wrong, you know it. There’s help out there for you. (65:27)• Tommy: I walked in there and there was 8 people. I said “what’s the party for?” They said “sir, we’d like you to have a seat.” I’m like “why? Did you guys find a tumor or something? And they’re like “Oooh” (66:14)• Tommy: Iron therapy is the way I get through stuff. (67:30)• Tommy: One of the docs that was part of the surgical team had Covid, with my skull open. (68:55)• Tommy: We don’t stop – ever. (70:32)• Tommy: Time to get back in the fight. (72:57)