Nov. 15, 2025

EXPERIENCE 243 | Marshall Spring - Founder of Combat Recovery Foundation

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Season 5

In today’s episode, I sat down with Marshall Spring, Founder of Combat Recovery Foundation.  

Marshall is a combat-disabled Marine Corps Explosives Detection Dog Handler, former police officer, private-security entrepreneur, and suicide prevention expert. 

This is an intense conversation with an insightful guy, and I know you’ll enjoy my conversation with Marshall Spring.  


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Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Transcript
WEBVTT

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In today's episode, I sat down with Marshall Spring, founder of Combat Recovery Foundation.

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Marshall is a combat disabled Marine Corps explosive detection dog handler, former police officer, private security entrepreneur, and suicide prevention expert.

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This is an intense conversation with an insightful guy, and I know you'll enjoy my conversation with Marshall Spring.

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Let's have some fun.

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Welcome to the Loco Experience Podcast.

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On this show, you'll get to know business and community leaders from all around Northern Colorado and beyond.

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Our guests share their stories, business stories, life stories, stories of triumph and of tragedy.

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And through it all, you'll be inspired and entertained.

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These conversations are real and raw, and no topics are off limits.

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So pop in a breath mint and get ready to meet our latest guest.

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Alright, welcome back to the Loco Experience Podcast.

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My guest today is Marshall Spring and he is the founder and CEO of Combat Recovery Foundation, which is a organization focused on suicide prevention, especially in the combat, um, the veteran space post military space.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Thank you so much, uh, for having me on Kurt.

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Yeah.

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Uh, really love, uh, the Loco Think tank and, uh, you know, the work that you guys are doing up here.

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So I'm really honored to be a part of this podcast.

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Well, thank you.

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I, uh, try to bring interesting community stories to light once in a while and, and yours certainly is that, um, maybe just set the stage for listeners.

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Um.

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Tell us about Combat Recovery Foundation, what you're up to, what kind of, I know you do a lot of like retreats and events, but to with who, where all across Colorado.

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Yeah.

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Tell me about it.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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I guess we'll get started with like the, uh, a hundred thousand foot view and just kind of go from there.

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So, combat Recovery Foundation is focused on evidence-based effective suicide prevention for veterans.

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Um, I founded this organization, uh, September 11th, 2023.

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Okay.

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And we officially opened for business August 18th of 24.

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Oh, wow.

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And so as of right now, while to get the

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nonprofit status and all that kind of stuff, yeah.

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You

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have to get the status and, and you have to get your funding in place and your programming ready to go.

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And so there's a lot that needs to go into getting it set up.

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So, um, we've, we've officially been open for business just over a year Right.

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As we stand right now.

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Right, right.

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Yeah.

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Okay.

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So we don't really know exactly what we're doing.

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We're doing a lot of stuff.

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We're doing a lot of stuff.

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We're doing a lot of stuff.

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So, um,

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but we'll probably do a lot different stuff three years from now or five because

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our, our, um, still young, our approach to suicide prevention is, um, is we basically have three buckets, if you will.

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Okay.

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And, uh, the first is one-on-one peer coaching.

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Hmm.

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And, um, so I, I, the, the peer part because, um, lived experience is, is more effective than education educational experience.

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Sure.

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And so, um, putting someone across the table from someone in crisis who, who has lived through that and survived that gives them an opportunity to see what the path through that storm looks like.

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Mm-hmm.

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And, and what thriving on the other side of it can, can be for a person.

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And so, so that, that's why the peer part.

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And then are those coaches volunteers?

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Are they trained?

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So we have an in-house training certification for peer coaching, and then the coaching piece is about, um, helping individuals to, um, to thrive rather than just survive.

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Sure.

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So it's, it's about way more than suicide prevention.

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So you're not

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just pulling'em out of the.

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The depths of despair, you're, you're pointing'em towards something.

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Yeah.

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So, so you know, the crisis piece of it, that's, that's a component, but it's, it's about how do we ensure that this person doesn't continually end up in crisis, and how do we make sure, make sure this person is thriving, because then we know that, that, that they will do that for the people around them.

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Yeah.

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That's, that's the thing about, um, veterans and why we focus on veterans is because, um, at some point in their life, I know that person signed their line, signed on a line to, to put their life on the line in defense of a stranger.

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Yeah.

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Right.

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And, and for me, there's really no more compassionate thing that a person can do than that.

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Well, and like their rate of suicide is like five, I remember a 22 a day or something was a number.

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Is that, is that still true or, or worse or better, but I know the rate of suicide is much higher among veterans than it is among.

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Average population.

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Yeah.

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So, um, talking about the rates of suicide, um, the number 22 gets thrown around a lot.

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I

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remember it was years ago now, so I'm too, it's wrong,

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right?

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Yeah.

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Well, it always has been.

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Okay.

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Yeah.

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And we'll talk about that.

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And so, so the VA will tell you, uh, 17 and a half, uh, a day.

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Okay.

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And also inaccurate.

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Um, so the problem is that, um, when, when a, when a, when a death is investigated, it's, it's the coroner that, that determines how that person died.

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Yeah.

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And so if there is not a clear cut, um, suicide note, I think a

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note.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Then it probably won't get ruled to suicide.

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Hmm.

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Um, also there can be a ton of pressure put on the coroner's office.

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Yep.

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Not to rule a famous suicide.

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Must've his gun.

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Exactly.

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And, and coroners are elected.

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Just like sheriffs.

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Yeah.

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So they care.

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So whatever

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the numbers are, it's vastly they care about their constituency under the real actual

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number.

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Another issue is there's no database that you can plug a person's name into to identify whether they were a veteran.

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For real, for real, for real.

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Oh wow.

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So if there's no clear cut indicators, indicators, that person served in the military, again, not gonna get ruled a, a veteran suicide.

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Interesting.

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And then suicide doesn't account for deaths of despair.

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So un un unchecked, you know, episodes of, of extreme depression and unhappiness and, and, you know, loss of purpose and loss of belonging goes unchecked for so long.

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It can result in a death or even a

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DUI car crash.

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Exactly.

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That would be a perfect example of that.

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Yeah.

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A perfect example of that.

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That's not a suicide, but it's absolutely a symptom of, of, of the same type of contributing factors that end up in suicide.

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So the bottom line is, number one, we do not know how many veterans kill themselves.

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Yeah.

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That's, that's the truth.

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Uh.

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We, uh, the, the math and, and, and, and what we do know indicates that, um, veterans are four to six times more likely to kill themselves than the average person.

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Fair.

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So that was, there was one that was, it kind of derailed you, but that was one pillar you started talking about was the one-on-one peer coaching.

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Yeah.

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On the three, I think, right?

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Yeah.

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So

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we have the one-on-one peer coaching.

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Okay.

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And then we've got education and advocacy, and that's what I'm doing right here today.

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Right.

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Just getting the word out about it.

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Right.

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Fair.

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Because we, you just talk to a rotary club or this or that kind of thing.

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Right.

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Well, and you

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just set me up for it.

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Right.

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You asked about the rate of suicide.

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I got to talk about it Now.

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That's information that your listeners have that they didn't before.

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No.

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You can write off that bottom or, or maybe they did, but you know that, that that's what, that's this is a part of what we do here.

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Yeah.

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Okay.

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And then, and then the last piece, and this is really where the rubber hits the road for our organization is, um, building resilient communities.

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And we, we get involved in community, in, in serving the community.

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And so what that looks like is.

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We, um, work in the back country and we get involved in wildfire mitigation and recovery work.

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Uh, we help build trails.

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We get involved in habitat restoration and we protect the watershed.

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We also do, uh, counter poaching activities.

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Wow.

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Because these are problems that we have here locally in Larimer County, wildfire poaching watershed.

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Like these are really, really what are cool

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poaching

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elk.

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Oh, we have the, we have the largest elk probably just for their

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horns even

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we have the largest elk or meat too.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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So.

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We have the largest elk herd in the world here.

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And, um, and, and, okay.

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And, and so because that falls within our borders, we are stewards of, of that herd.

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Yeah.

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And so in ensuring that they're not being poached is a way that I can, I can help service the community, help veterans to experience purpose and belonging by having a mission and a team to execute a mission with.

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Yeah.

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There's a, there's an old book that I've read and discussed recently and becoming more relevant, I think, but Join or Die.

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Are you familiar with that?

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No, I haven't heard of it.

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It's kind of the notion that in the decline of organizations like jcs and Lions Clubs and churches in general and stuff.

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Oh.

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Like there's just this real lack of community and lack of connection and what you're talking about here and, and, and, and the real outcome of that is.

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People maybe, maybe don't die like suicide themselves, but they, they die before like a grape turns into a raisin, you know, they shrivel up kind of.

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Yeah.

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And you're expanding those.

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Those, uh, opportunities for real purposeful engagement.

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Yeah, yeah.

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Absolutely.

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With community, really clever title, uh, for the book, by the way, now that I understand the, uh, context.

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So yeah, the, uh, the, it's, it's, it's the, the, we're losing those third spaces Yeah.

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Where, um, we used to spend so much time and, and those are, those are going away and, and many have gone away.

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And so that's exactly what we're doing is, is we're creating a space for people to come together, be together, and, and get them out of the isolation.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And especially in the church of the outdoors.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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And yeah, being outdoors, just augments the, uh, impact and value of it all.

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Yeah.

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Cool.

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What, uh, what inspired you to create this organization?

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And like, were there other organizations doing what you do or was it because there wasn't that you started this or talk to me about that.

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Yeah, so.

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Um, in 2019, uh, my business partner, who was a Marine, uh, very unexpectedly shot himself.

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Okay.

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And, um, not to interrupt, but what

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kind of business?

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Oh, a security company.

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Okay.

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So I, I, I, I worked in, um, the security industry for, um, about 20 years.

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Okay.

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Um, after the Marine Corps.

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Oh, you're that old?

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I am.

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I thought you were like 37 or something.

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I'm 42.

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Okay.

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Well, just about Anyway.

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Yeah.

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So I, well, I've, for reference, I've been outta the Marine Corps for 20 years.

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Yeah.

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Fair.

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So, um, so.

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We, uh, so, uh, yeah.

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Um, so my business partner, you know, uh, took his life and I, I got really frustrated with, uh, the VA and, um, the, the extraordinary rate of veteran suicide.

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And, um, so just as a point of reference, so, so the VA is, can,

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can you set the stage like Yeah,

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absolutely.

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So the VA is a$470 billion, uh, healthcare organization and they are sitting on top of the highest rate of suicide in the history of our species.

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Yeah.

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Um, that, that, so.

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It's, they're evidentially ineffective.

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Yeah.

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Um, and, uh, and the military, I'm sure they

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just try to put a pill on it and whatever your problem is, in most cases,

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the military doesn't do a very good job of, of, of transitioning people.

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And, and there's a, the military and, and the VA both come under a lot of criticism for that.

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And, and so, you know, in, in, in working through how, how can we improve this, it kind of occurred to me that really historically it has never been the responsibility of militaries to rehabilitate war fighters.

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Yeah.

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We as communities who are sending our young people out into the world to fight wars for us, it's on us.

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Yeah.

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To bring them back home and to invest in them because they're worth it.

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Yeah.

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I mean, I, and there is to some level, at least an investment in them, a.

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From the government, you know, they've skill upskilled'em, they've, they've given'em in some cases of retirement or different opportunities or whatever.

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So they've, you know, uh, and, and, and from a federal program level, it would be hard to, for a, for a federal program to reintegrate people into a local community.

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Right.

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It almost has to be done Exactly.

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A local level.

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'cause they don't know what they're doing.

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They're, yeah.

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Um, so you saw that absence of like a, a way to feel and be integrated.

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Is there a timeline?

00:12:28.552 --> 00:12:36.442
Like are you reaching out to, to recently release veterans or is it like, like, it sounds like your business partner was probably out for quite a while as well.

00:12:36.591 --> 00:12:36.772
Yeah.

00:12:37.312 --> 00:12:37.491
Yeah.

00:12:37.491 --> 00:12:39.741
So, uh, we will work with any veterans.

00:12:39.922 --> 00:12:43.611
Um, and we have veterans who just, just transitioned.

00:12:43.611 --> 00:12:46.851
We have, we have actually active duty members who haven't transitioned yet.

00:12:47.631 --> 00:12:52.402
And then, um, and you know, I think our oldest participant is in his nineties.

00:12:52.731 --> 00:12:53.272
Wow.

00:12:53.902 --> 00:12:55.101
And it's about having community.

00:12:55.581 --> 00:12:56.542
Yeah, absolutely.

00:12:56.662 --> 00:12:59.841
So you were set the stage, your your business partner?

00:13:00.052 --> 00:13:00.322
Yeah.

00:13:00.501 --> 00:13:01.192
Killed himself.

00:13:01.251 --> 00:13:08.662
So that, and then, um, I, I, I went and worked for a nonprofit and Okay.

00:13:08.662 --> 00:13:14.361
I stood up their, their veteran suicide prevention, um, wing or Okay.

00:13:14.361 --> 00:13:14.511
Or

00:13:14.511 --> 00:13:14.932
effort.

00:13:15.111 --> 00:13:16.192
Is that something you can talk about?

00:13:16.432 --> 00:13:17.182
Is it organization?

00:13:17.182 --> 00:13:17.241
Yeah.

00:13:17.331 --> 00:13:17.751
Oh yeah.

00:13:17.782 --> 00:13:20.662
It was, uh, the Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County.

00:13:20.692 --> 00:13:21.466
Oh, sure, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:13:21.591 --> 00:13:36.922
And, um, so I, I, yeah, I worked for them for a couple of years and, um, I, in, uh, I had the opportunity to identify where all the gaps in, in the, um, in the suicide prevention for Veterans apparatus exist.

00:13:37.461 --> 00:13:38.601
And, um.

00:13:40.267 --> 00:13:45.922
Uh, found orchestrated solutions and, you know, started this nonprofit around that.

00:13:46.011 --> 00:13:46.072
Yeah.

00:13:46.131 --> 00:13:46.522
Gotcha.

00:13:46.611 --> 00:13:47.152
Interesting.

00:13:47.631 --> 00:13:57.201
Kind of a bunch of research on the front end and, uh, well, and like the, to the credit of Alliance for Suicide Prevention, they're talking about everybody, right?

00:13:57.201 --> 00:14:06.201
They're trying to serve every demographic and, you know, we had a few years ago a kind of a spate of teenager suicides in some of the schools around the region.

00:14:06.682 --> 00:14:14.062
And, you know, I'm sure at least to some extent, they were like, Hey, let's help make that not happen more, uh, as well.

00:14:14.062 --> 00:14:15.442
So Interesting.

00:14:15.471 --> 00:14:21.111
So it was kind of a, a, a weaving together of different learnings and based on kind of a passion pursuit for you.

00:14:21.292 --> 00:14:21.562
Yeah.

00:14:22.221 --> 00:14:22.701
Um.

00:14:23.572 --> 00:14:25.942
So, what's your team look like?

00:14:25.942 --> 00:14:27.922
Do you have kind of both?

00:14:27.981 --> 00:14:30.922
Uh, do you have employees, contractors, volunteers?

00:14:30.922 --> 00:14:31.761
All of the above.

00:14:31.971 --> 00:14:32.182
Yeah.

00:14:32.182 --> 00:14:34.131
So we've got an amazing team.

00:14:34.282 --> 00:14:38.091
Um, so my, uh, Elena is my, uh, chief of operations.

00:14:38.091 --> 00:14:43.282
We've got Alexander, he's our, um, filmmaker, uh, documentarian.

00:14:43.432 --> 00:14:43.491
Okay.

00:14:43.491 --> 00:14:49.642
We've got, um, uh, Mitchell James, who's a really, really talented, um, rapper.

00:14:50.241 --> 00:14:50.272
Okay.

00:14:50.272 --> 00:14:54.501
In fact, he's got this multi-country European tour coming up.

00:14:54.501 --> 00:14:56.812
He's gonna be in all kinds of capital cities all over.

00:14:56.812 --> 00:14:58.282
Just coming up in the end of the month.

00:14:58.761 --> 00:14:59.272
I'm smiling

00:14:59.272 --> 00:15:01.162
because I have a good friend named James Mitchell.

00:15:01.282 --> 00:15:01.822
Oh, okay.

00:15:01.822 --> 00:15:03.596
So he just, yeah, just switched it.

00:15:03.596 --> 00:15:06.442
Anyway, I mean, it was nothing funny that you said it was just me thinking about him.

00:15:06.532 --> 00:15:06.951
Yeah.

00:15:07.072 --> 00:15:07.552
So, well,

00:15:07.552 --> 00:15:08.542
what does James Mitchell do?

00:15:08.631 --> 00:15:12.922
Uh, you know, he's both, uh, a real estate guy, but also him and his wife.

00:15:12.922 --> 00:15:15.951
Do like couples marriage retreats kind of thing.

00:15:15.951 --> 00:15:16.162
Stuff.

00:15:16.162 --> 00:15:16.461
Super

00:15:16.461 --> 00:15:16.642
cool.

00:15:16.642 --> 00:15:17.302
Where do they do that?

00:15:17.481 --> 00:15:18.741
Uh, here, Northern Colorado.

00:15:18.802 --> 00:15:19.221
Nice.

00:15:19.432 --> 00:15:19.581
Yeah.

00:15:19.701 --> 00:15:20.032
All right.

00:15:20.062 --> 00:15:22.042
I forget what he calls, but how long, how long have you known him?

00:15:22.971 --> 00:15:24.711
Over, over 10 years.

00:15:24.741 --> 00:15:25.131
Wow.

00:15:25.251 --> 00:15:25.672
That's pretty

00:15:25.672 --> 00:15:25.971
cool.

00:15:26.662 --> 00:15:26.871
Yeah.

00:15:26.932 --> 00:15:27.261
Yeah.

00:15:27.381 --> 00:15:28.881
Anyway, continue with your team.

00:15:28.881 --> 00:15:30.081
I don't mean to derail this.

00:15:30.682 --> 00:15:30.981
Okay.

00:15:30.981 --> 00:15:32.062
Or is there more on your team?

00:15:32.451 --> 00:15:35.721
Um, so yeah, I don't, I don't, I, I think I lost track of what we're talking about,

00:15:35.841 --> 00:15:38.871
who we were talking about, who's, who contributes to the combat recovery.

00:15:38.961 --> 00:15:39.292
Okay.

00:15:39.292 --> 00:15:39.831
Sounds good.

00:15:39.981 --> 00:15:46.251
So, uh, yeah, we've got a huge team, uh, a, you know, bunch of people that, uh, that help us achieve mission every day.

00:15:46.282 --> 00:15:46.731
Dabble

00:15:46.731 --> 00:15:50.662
some, mostly couldn't do it without'em, volunteers as well.

00:15:50.692 --> 00:15:50.841
Mm-hmm.

00:15:51.081 --> 00:15:51.831
Tons of volunteers.

00:15:51.831 --> 00:15:52.101
Yeah.

00:15:52.731 --> 00:15:52.942
Okay.

00:15:53.361 --> 00:15:58.011
And what, uh, like, describe like a customer journey.

00:15:58.011 --> 00:16:09.022
You've got, you know, I know those three pillar pillars, but like if I am, oh, put me in, uh, you know, I was in Colorado Springs for a long time and definitely super high number of.

00:16:09.456 --> 00:16:17.496
Uh, post-retirement military down there in comparison, we have quite a few here with, uh, you know, Cheyenne here and stuff, and it's just a nice place to live, right.

00:16:17.947 --> 00:16:24.397
But in Colorado Springs, it was like every fourth house was a retired military, 40-year-old person kind of thing.

00:16:24.876 --> 00:16:38.496
Um, I mean that space, I, you know, I'm, I'm a realtor, part-time realtor, but I'm still struggling to really integrate well, been depressed, whatever I decide to engage with your program.

00:16:39.096 --> 00:16:40.356
What's that look like from there?

00:16:40.567 --> 00:16:40.956
Okay.

00:16:41.256 --> 00:16:41.466
Yeah.

00:16:42.192 --> 00:16:44.736
Or, or is that how, how you engage typically?

00:16:44.736 --> 00:16:47.076
Is it just a person that kinda looks you up, finds.

00:16:48.886 --> 00:16:49.527
I, I, from,

00:16:49.532 --> 00:16:50.542
from a client perspective,

00:16:50.601 --> 00:16:53.631
sorry, I'm, um, there was, there was a lot to take in there, so

00:16:53.631 --> 00:16:57.022
I don't, if I'm that person that needs your services mm-hmm.

00:16:57.261 --> 00:17:00.292
As a, I've been feeling depressed, I'm a veteran.

00:17:00.621 --> 00:17:00.892
Okay.

00:17:01.312 --> 00:17:03.711
I knock on your door or I call you up and get an appointment.

00:17:03.981 --> 00:17:06.711
Like what's the, what's the interaction like?

00:17:06.771 --> 00:17:07.132
Okay.

00:17:07.281 --> 00:17:07.491
Yeah.

00:17:07.892 --> 00:17:13.561
So, uh, when, when someone contacts us, it really, it, it has a lot to do with where they are.

00:17:13.592 --> 00:17:13.801
Yeah.

00:17:14.192 --> 00:17:17.342
And so in, in some cases, you know, um,

00:17:17.372 --> 00:17:21.332
in my case, I'm 40, I served, uh, 15 years.

00:17:21.571 --> 00:17:21.932
Okay.

00:17:21.932 --> 00:17:22.892
Did some combat.

00:17:23.372 --> 00:17:25.442
Uh, and now I'm having a hard time really integrating.

00:17:26.281 --> 00:17:26.612
Okay.

00:17:27.122 --> 00:17:27.541
I'm impressed.

00:17:27.541 --> 00:17:30.632
That was the story I set, I set up the stage, but I didn't make it clear.

00:17:31.051 --> 00:17:31.531
Okay.

00:17:32.642 --> 00:17:32.912
Alright.

00:17:34.531 --> 00:17:40.711
Sorry, I didn't mean to chase that trail into, uh, I'm just, I was remembering our days in Colorado Springs.

00:17:40.801 --> 00:17:40.951
How

00:17:40.951 --> 00:17:41.852
was Colorado Springs?

00:17:42.362 --> 00:17:48.092
Eh, you know, like seven adjacent communities to each other that didn't like each other that much.

00:17:48.182 --> 00:17:48.991
What'd you do down there?

00:17:49.321 --> 00:17:50.251
I was in banking.

00:17:50.461 --> 00:17:50.821
Okay.

00:17:50.852 --> 00:17:51.811
How long have you been doing that?

00:17:52.622 --> 00:17:56.011
Well, I did banking for 15 years total before I did whatever I do now.

00:17:56.011 --> 00:17:56.071
Is

00:17:56.176 --> 00:17:57.511
that, that what led you to the think tank?

00:17:57.781 --> 00:17:58.321
Kind of, yeah.

00:17:58.321 --> 00:17:58.682
Okay.

00:17:59.102 --> 00:18:02.582
What, what was your, what was your purpose for starting this think tank?

00:18:02.582 --> 00:18:03.872
What were you trying to accomplish with it?

00:18:04.082 --> 00:18:11.432
Um, you know, one for me, if I wanted a place where I could figure out how to become a business person Okay.

00:18:11.432 --> 00:18:13.051
After being a banker for a long time.

00:18:13.142 --> 00:18:13.412
Okay.

00:18:13.832 --> 00:18:17.011
Um, and then two, um, I noticed that.

00:18:17.642 --> 00:18:28.352
In, um, my banking career, a lot of people had kind of a peer advisory group, a peer community that would help them do the hard things that it takes to make a strong business.

00:18:28.501 --> 00:18:28.832
Okay.

00:18:29.162 --> 00:18:34.021
And, uh, whether they paid a bunch of money for it or not, that I noticed that similarity.

00:18:34.021 --> 00:18:40.082
And so I imitated that model, but made it more kind of community driven, if you will.

00:18:40.172 --> 00:18:40.471
Yeah.

00:18:40.471 --> 00:18:40.981
That's awesome.

00:18:41.071 --> 00:18:41.132
Yeah.

00:18:41.132 --> 00:18:42.932
So, uh, how long have you been doing this podcast?

00:18:43.501 --> 00:18:46.021
Podcast is coming up on the end of the fifth season.

00:18:46.741 --> 00:18:47.582
So five years.

00:18:47.672 --> 00:18:48.152
Five years.

00:18:48.156 --> 00:18:48.297
Yeah.

00:18:48.301 --> 00:18:48.511
Five

00:18:48.511 --> 00:18:48.781
years.

00:18:48.781 --> 00:18:50.461
And you've done hundreds of these episodes?

00:18:50.461 --> 00:18:51.811
Uh, like 240.

00:18:51.932 --> 00:18:52.561
That's a lot.

00:18:52.892 --> 00:18:53.942
So that's pretty cool.

00:18:53.942 --> 00:18:55.382
So what is, what is your goal?

00:18:55.382 --> 00:18:56.491
Where are you trying to take this?

00:18:56.491 --> 00:18:57.451
Where are you going with this?

00:18:57.692 --> 00:19:03.662
Um, so Loco, think Tank Uhhuh, um, stands for local Community Think Tank.

00:19:03.692 --> 00:19:03.991
Okay.

00:19:04.471 --> 00:19:13.741
And so my, my theory is, is that there really should be loco think tanks in whatever Lincoln, Nebraska, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, and.

00:19:14.132 --> 00:19:27.511
Uh, Steamboat Springs, um, wherever there's kind of a give back minded business veteran that wants to be engaged in their community and help provide some structure and leadership to other people growing their businesses.

00:19:27.541 --> 00:19:27.632
Mm-hmm.

00:19:28.382 --> 00:19:37.622
And whether it's correct or not, I think the Loco Experience Podcast could be a digital leader in that space.

00:19:37.711 --> 00:20:00.541
I, I don't quite understand how quite to do it, but maybe I can attract facilitators in other marketplaces or, you know, even other, like, people that open regions can put some of the facilitators stories on my channel, you know, interview those awesome business veterans that want to add back to their community because it's really a, a volunteer ish, you know, I pay them, but not too much.

00:20:00.541 --> 00:20:07.112
They better have their, their finances in order what we call our local facilitators, which would be like a, the chair of the, of the meeting.

00:20:08.041 --> 00:20:10.321
Um, and I just love.

00:20:11.356 --> 00:20:20.656
Meeting people and hearing their stories, kind of, people have always shared their business journey with me as part of my banking career, and so I think it's an inspiring thing.

00:20:20.656 --> 00:20:35.207
I'd like to inspire more people to start something instead of just, you know, it's, it's easier in some ways to just go get a job at a big corporation, but, you know, that's not really a lifestyle that most people really want either.

00:20:35.957 --> 00:20:36.076
Okay.

00:20:36.076 --> 00:20:40.217
So if we could have more local, small businesses, I think the world will be a better place.

00:20:40.426 --> 00:20:40.936
I hear you.

00:20:41.176 --> 00:20:44.507
So are you, are you celebrating any, uh, big successes recently?

00:20:44.507 --> 00:20:46.997
Have you had any, anybody you got any reach, any benchmarks or anything?

00:20:47.356 --> 00:20:47.896
Mm.

00:20:48.467 --> 00:20:49.846
You turning this cables on me here?

00:20:49.876 --> 00:20:50.086
Yes.

00:20:50.086 --> 00:20:50.926
Becoming the interviewer?

00:20:50.987 --> 00:20:51.166
Yes.

00:20:52.817 --> 00:21:10.126
Um, you know, our, uh, our next level three chapter has, uh, three strong, uh, candidates that would bring us up to seven, which is, uh, we've been kind of bopping off the bottom in that chapter and that.

00:21:10.412 --> 00:21:15.571
Transition from, from four members to seven would be pretty momentum building.

00:21:15.781 --> 00:21:16.231
Yeah.

00:21:16.321 --> 00:21:16.741
For it.

00:21:16.862 --> 00:21:17.251
Yeah.

00:21:17.342 --> 00:21:22.172
So what do you think, what do you, what do you think is, uh, your biggest challenges are in this space?

00:21:23.011 --> 00:21:23.672
Hmm.

00:21:26.491 --> 00:21:29.041
Everybody's always selling everybody something All the time.

00:21:29.041 --> 00:21:29.642
All the time.

00:21:29.642 --> 00:21:30.182
That's tough.

00:21:30.362 --> 00:21:41.402
You know, and especially if you're the, the CEO of a, of a multimillion dollar business especially, or even just of a$1 million business, like everybody's trying to sell you something all the time.

00:21:41.791 --> 00:21:45.632
So it sounds like there's a lot of, lot of, lot of noise, lot of noise, and it's hard to break through.

00:21:45.692 --> 00:21:46.112
Correct.

00:21:46.142 --> 00:21:47.701
What do you think your differentiators are?

00:21:49.807 --> 00:21:56.432
Uh, you know, there isn't really an experience like loco there.

00:21:56.432 --> 00:21:57.721
There are other experiences.

00:21:57.751 --> 00:22:02.582
They're pure advisory, but that experience is, um.

00:22:04.172 --> 00:22:04.862
When crafted.

00:22:04.951 --> 00:22:05.372
Right.

00:22:05.372 --> 00:22:11.041
And, and curated in intentionally with the right kind of people is really powerful.

00:22:11.521 --> 00:22:26.612
And my discernment is probably one of one of the biggest differentiators in terms of finding facilitators that are cut from the right cloth and can deliver the goods well as well as fellow members that aren't annoying.

00:22:26.882 --> 00:22:27.001
Hmm.

00:22:27.571 --> 00:22:48.241
Um, so, and that comes from my 15 years of banking, you know, kind of trying to keep the, keep the upwardly mobile kind, uh, open people in the groups and, and keep out the, uh, dumpster fires a little bit and, and just people that won't really vibe or put'em in the right spot.

00:22:49.172 --> 00:22:55.501
So what do you think is one, one thing that if, if you had, would just hit the gas on, on this whole project?

00:22:55.682 --> 00:22:56.102
Hmm.

00:22:56.612 --> 00:22:57.961
On the loco think tank growing?

00:22:57.991 --> 00:23:01.082
Yeah, that's an interesting question.

00:23:02.432 --> 00:23:04.652
I don't think there is like a magic bullet.

00:23:06.031 --> 00:23:17.852
You know, I think loco grows one relationship at a time, one, um, community at a time, ultimately one member at a time.

00:23:18.602 --> 00:23:27.721
Um, and, and probably the best thing that we could do to enhance growth is to reduce, uh, uh, departure rate.

00:23:28.622 --> 00:23:38.221
You know, increase our, our, our, our rate of acceptance, but also add so much value to our members' lives that they can't even think about not continuing on.

00:23:38.432 --> 00:23:40.801
What are your departing members, um, expressing?

00:23:44.672 --> 00:23:49.382
Um, sorry, I haven't had somebody, uh, turn the tables on me so much.

00:23:49.442 --> 00:23:54.902
Um, what would be the biggest things?

00:23:55.862 --> 00:23:57.481
I mean, a lot of times they say no time.

00:23:58.892 --> 00:24:00.567
Uh, a lot of times it do.

00:24:00.571 --> 00:24:01.711
Do you think they're telling you the truth?

00:24:01.711 --> 00:24:02.221
No.

00:24:02.221 --> 00:24:05.791
I mean, everybody can make time for the things that they want, they really value.

00:24:05.791 --> 00:24:06.092
Right.

00:24:06.092 --> 00:24:07.892
So, so what they're telling you is they don't want it.

00:24:07.892 --> 00:24:08.192
Right.

00:24:08.281 --> 00:24:08.971
Right, right.

00:24:08.971 --> 00:24:25.622
And a lot, and, and the departing ones, if I'm honest, a lot of'em signed up for, but don't really want the authentic, uh, somebody telling me what they think about my, me and my business kind of experience that it requires.

00:24:26.461 --> 00:24:29.701
Um, that's some others, you know, I don't know.

00:24:30.182 --> 00:24:32.882
Um, I would have to, uh, go into it.

00:24:32.882 --> 00:24:37.471
But you're still, you're trying to deflect from, uh, my question.

00:24:37.832 --> 00:24:39.932
I am, are we tying it back?

00:24:39.991 --> 00:24:40.592
I am.

00:24:40.682 --> 00:24:43.412
I am following the path that you led me down.

00:24:43.801 --> 00:24:44.132
Okay.

00:24:45.241 --> 00:24:48.271
Um, do you remember where we jumped off?

00:24:48.372 --> 00:24:49.392
Oh, the customer journey.

00:24:51.497 --> 00:24:52.511
Journey, yes.

00:24:53.291 --> 00:24:57.192
So, um, I'm going to set the stage here.

00:24:58.001 --> 00:25:03.852
So I'm just gonna imagine a person that might connect with your organization, um, and paint that picture.

00:25:03.971 --> 00:25:05.412
I'm, whatever.

00:25:05.412 --> 00:25:08.471
I was a 12 year veteran, had some combat time.

00:25:09.672 --> 00:25:13.271
I'm out, I'm a real estate agent.

00:25:13.271 --> 00:25:13.961
I'm doing okay.

00:25:14.231 --> 00:25:17.801
I'm married, I got a couple kids, but I've been depressed.

00:25:17.862 --> 00:25:23.981
I've been struggling a little bit, have some trauma stuff, dreams, whatever.

00:25:24.372 --> 00:25:25.932
And I decide to, to give your.

00:25:26.307 --> 00:25:27.567
Your organization a call.

00:25:27.717 --> 00:25:28.106
Got it.

00:25:28.287 --> 00:25:28.707
That's me.

00:25:28.711 --> 00:25:34.586
Now, that's not me, but that's the, that's the imaginary person now who's,'cause I imagine every journey is a little bit different.

00:25:34.707 --> 00:25:35.007
Hmm.

00:25:35.636 --> 00:25:35.817
No.

00:25:35.817 --> 00:25:36.987
Yeah, yeah.

00:25:36.987 --> 00:25:37.497
Certainly.

00:25:37.497 --> 00:25:38.606
So set that stage for me.

00:25:38.606 --> 00:25:38.876
That's,

00:25:38.876 --> 00:25:39.686
that's who I am.

00:25:39.987 --> 00:25:40.557
I'm Bob.

00:25:42.237 --> 00:25:42.537
All right.

00:25:43.166 --> 00:25:47.906
Well now I know why we had the conversation that we had, because that's what I would do.

00:25:48.416 --> 00:26:02.067
So we start by identifying goals, and then we identify obstacles, and then we identify, um, mechanisms to overcome those obstacles so the individual can achieve their goals and become the best possible version of themselves.

00:26:02.067 --> 00:26:03.656
Funny, I didn't actually lose you after all.

00:26:04.076 --> 00:26:08.007
It turns out, it turns out I was more on topic than I was aware of.

00:26:08.336 --> 00:26:08.457
Yeah.

00:26:09.267 --> 00:26:10.497
Um, okay.

00:26:10.946 --> 00:26:15.146
So, so it's really custom based on that person.

00:26:15.146 --> 00:26:21.507
And in that picture I painted, I've, you know, been having a hard time connecting, been depressed.

00:26:22.406 --> 00:26:31.317
Don't really have much going on outside of my job, which I don't really find nearly as compelling as my explosives ordinance officer job at when I was in the Army.

00:26:31.946 --> 00:26:34.106
Um, and like, what did

00:26:34.106 --> 00:26:36.507
you like about your explosive ordinance job when you were in the army?

00:26:36.567 --> 00:26:37.467
It was exciting.

00:26:37.977 --> 00:26:38.426
Okay.

00:26:38.517 --> 00:26:38.846
Yeah.

00:26:39.477 --> 00:26:41.576
And, um, what else did you like about it?

00:26:43.047 --> 00:26:49.076
You know, I developed a level of trust for my team that was really, um, incredible.

00:26:49.166 --> 00:26:49.467
Okay.

00:26:49.826 --> 00:26:50.426
Anything else?

00:26:51.326 --> 00:26:51.896
Um,

00:26:52.227 --> 00:26:54.717
you know, I knew people relied on me.

00:26:55.257 --> 00:26:55.557
Okay.

00:26:55.916 --> 00:26:56.076
What else?

00:26:56.092 --> 00:26:57.836
I feel like sometimes they don't anymore.

00:26:58.797 --> 00:27:05.457
I, you know, I think just the, uh, the, the adrenaline of it.

00:27:05.547 --> 00:27:06.596
I don't really get that anymore.

00:27:06.717 --> 00:27:06.987
Okay.

00:27:07.076 --> 00:27:07.676
In my life.

00:27:08.007 --> 00:27:08.396
What else?

00:27:10.106 --> 00:27:10.376
I don't know.

00:27:10.527 --> 00:27:10.797
Okay.

00:27:11.067 --> 00:27:14.771
So it sounds like you told me that, um, you enjoyed having, um, purpose.

00:27:15.777 --> 00:27:17.517
And, and making an impact on the world.

00:27:18.297 --> 00:27:23.757
Uh, you told me that you, um, you miss being with your friends and you enjoyed the comradery, so you liked having a team.

00:27:24.027 --> 00:27:24.386
Yeah, for sure.

00:27:24.386 --> 00:27:27.116
So, um, so belonging, can we call that belonging?

00:27:27.116 --> 00:27:27.176
Yeah.

00:27:27.176 --> 00:27:28.047
Does that resonate with you?

00:27:28.106 --> 00:27:28.287
Yeah.

00:27:28.497 --> 00:27:28.797
Okay.

00:27:29.487 --> 00:27:31.767
And, um, oh, the adrenaline.

00:27:31.946 --> 00:27:34.076
So you like doing things that are dangerous.

00:27:34.707 --> 00:27:35.247
Turns out.

00:27:35.277 --> 00:27:35.576
Yeah.

00:27:35.636 --> 00:27:35.967
Okay.

00:27:36.386 --> 00:27:46.346
Well, um, what, uh, what, what can you do in your day to day where you will experience, um, purpose, belonging, and adventure?

00:27:47.426 --> 00:27:47.606
Hmm.

00:27:49.227 --> 00:27:55.287
You know, as you know, I've been, you know, at the real estate office for a few years, but I don't really go to the office that much.

00:27:55.317 --> 00:27:56.787
'cause there isn't that much to do there.

00:27:56.787 --> 00:28:00.807
I should just be out, you know, finding clients or showing houses or whatever.

00:28:00.807 --> 00:28:04.616
But, um, so not a lot there.

00:28:04.767 --> 00:28:04.886
Mm-hmm.

00:28:05.126 --> 00:28:10.047
And, uh, so that's maybe, probably the first thing is.

00:28:10.991 --> 00:28:19.692
I haven't really found a new purpose, you know, between my military retirement and selling two or three houses a year, I have enough income.

00:28:19.692 --> 00:28:22.271
You know, my wife works, kids are mostly grown now.

00:28:23.561 --> 00:28:23.652
Okay.

00:28:23.652 --> 00:28:24.461
Kind off in their own.

00:28:24.461 --> 00:28:25.721
So what is my purpose?

00:28:26.412 --> 00:28:26.771
All right.

00:28:26.771 --> 00:28:31.211
So we've definitely identified that that, that finding purposes is, is a priority for you.

00:28:31.541 --> 00:28:34.602
Experiencing belonging is a priority and doing adventurous stuff.

00:28:35.051 --> 00:28:35.382
Yeah.

00:28:35.531 --> 00:28:35.801
Okay.

00:28:36.162 --> 00:28:44.652
So I used to ride motorcycle when I was in high school, but once I crashed that first time, mom took the keys away and I didn't, haven't ridden since.

00:28:44.741 --> 00:28:44.951
Okay.

00:28:45.672 --> 00:28:56.352
So, um, are you aware of any organizations that provide, uh, purpose, belonging and um, uh, adventurous activities to veterans?

00:28:57.071 --> 00:28:57.701
Um.

00:28:58.332 --> 00:29:01.241
Well, I thought maybe you guys, based on the website, we do.

00:29:01.902 --> 00:29:02.201
We do.

00:29:02.201 --> 00:29:03.311
Is that something you would like to be

00:29:03.311 --> 00:29:03.731
involved in?

00:29:03.731 --> 00:29:03.971
Sounds

00:29:03.971 --> 00:29:04.241
good.

00:29:04.511 --> 00:29:06.432
I kind of set you up as an ideal client there.

00:29:06.432 --> 00:29:06.612
Huh.

00:29:07.301 --> 00:29:10.692
So that would be kind of how one of those conversations can go

00:29:11.442 --> 00:29:15.582
and probably like purpose, belonging, and community.

00:29:15.852 --> 00:29:19.781
Uh, and maybe adventure are like three.

00:29:19.781 --> 00:29:23.682
You're out of the top five for almost every man that was a veteran.

00:29:24.432 --> 00:29:24.672
Uh, yeah.

00:29:24.672 --> 00:29:25.392
In some respects.

00:29:25.422 --> 00:29:25.721
Yeah.

00:29:25.872 --> 00:29:26.051
Right.

00:29:26.051 --> 00:29:27.551
There's a, if someone joined the military, you

00:29:27.551 --> 00:29:30.491
can probably guarantee that, that all those things resonate with them.

00:29:30.491 --> 00:29:30.672
Yeah.

00:29:30.731 --> 00:29:31.031
Yeah.

00:29:31.721 --> 00:29:40.541
Um, so what's your imagination for where combat recovery goes, uh, you know, in, in terms of its journey?

00:29:40.541 --> 00:29:45.192
Are you, are you serving Northern Colorado clients only now and like.

00:29:45.777 --> 00:29:46.737
Is that the plan?

00:29:46.737 --> 00:29:48.656
You're, you're a community based organization?

00:29:49.136 --> 00:29:53.126
So, um, we serve anyone anywhere.

00:29:53.186 --> 00:29:53.487
Okay.

00:29:53.517 --> 00:29:56.126
But, uh, we tend to bring people here Sure.

00:29:56.186 --> 00:29:57.866
So they can get involved in what we're doing here.

00:29:58.977 --> 00:30:21.596
And then ultimately my goal is I, we've, we've, we send, we send our young people off to war and then, um, they get hurt and then we, uh, we medicate them, hand'em a video game controller, uh, barely enough money to survive and, and, you know, say, just sequester yourself for the next 70 years and stay outta the way.

00:30:21.717 --> 00:30:22.017
Yeah.

00:30:22.977 --> 00:30:26.727
And really at the end of the day, that's a huge wasted resource.

00:30:27.146 --> 00:30:40.106
So what we are trying to identify here is that if you activate your veteran population on a problem that you have locally, they will solve that problem for you and be an asset to your community.

00:30:40.166 --> 00:30:41.967
Is that really what a lot of veterans are doing Is.

00:30:42.027 --> 00:30:44.396
Just playing video games in the basement kind of thing.

00:30:44.396 --> 00:30:44.517
Yeah.

00:30:44.846 --> 00:30:45.176
Really?

00:30:45.297 --> 00:30:45.567
Yeah.

00:30:45.626 --> 00:30:47.336
Just medicated out their gords.

00:30:47.517 --> 00:30:47.846
Wow.

00:30:47.967 --> 00:30:48.207
Yep.

00:30:48.567 --> 00:30:50.307
I mean, not, not all of them.

00:30:50.517 --> 00:30:50.606
Sure.

00:30:50.612 --> 00:30:51.297
By, by any stretch.

00:30:51.297 --> 00:30:57.446
But even if it's 10%, but a lot over 20 percent's, there's, there's a lot, there's a lot of dudes just wasting away Yeah.

00:30:57.446 --> 00:30:59.096
Not, not being utilized.

00:30:59.336 --> 00:30:59.396
Wow.

00:30:59.396 --> 00:31:00.477
Drinking themselves to death.

00:31:00.537 --> 00:31:00.807
Yeah.

00:31:00.866 --> 00:31:01.737
Or pilling themselves.

00:31:01.737 --> 00:31:08.096
So get, let's give them a mission and let's, let's utilize their desire to be impactful.

00:31:08.217 --> 00:31:08.396
Hmm.

00:31:08.696 --> 00:31:09.116
Interesting.

00:31:09.656 --> 00:31:11.636
So, uh, to continue on, so you're.

00:31:12.317 --> 00:31:13.457
You're open to growth.

00:31:13.757 --> 00:31:29.057
Uh, so the goal is to prove that concept so that other organizations, municipalities, local governments can, um, learn from us, subscribe to your program almost, and, and, and create their own solutions for their, for their veterans.

00:31:29.146 --> 00:31:29.326
Okay.

00:31:29.416 --> 00:31:34.787
So we will, we will go and we will help them set this up, um, whatever, whatever it looks like for them.

00:31:34.787 --> 00:31:39.017
But I, I don't, I'm not trying to prescribe solutions for people in Florida.

00:31:39.346 --> 00:31:40.067
Right, right.

00:31:40.517 --> 00:31:42.376
I'm, I'm prescribing solutions for people here.

00:31:42.376 --> 00:31:43.757
There's no help to protect in Florida.

00:31:43.906 --> 00:31:44.416
Exactly.

00:31:45.076 --> 00:31:53.446
And then you do some alligator hunting, and then if you, uh, want to like take what we've done and go apply it to your own.

00:31:53.747 --> 00:32:00.557
You know, problems, your own space, then let's use veterans to protect manatees or, uh, affect beach erosion.

00:32:00.797 --> 00:32:00.886
Yeah.

00:32:00.886 --> 00:32:08.596
Or, um, oh, uh, they have, they have, uh, invasive, uh, you know, pythons, pythons and, and lionfish in Florida.

00:32:08.596 --> 00:32:08.747
Right.

00:32:08.957 --> 00:32:11.957
It feels like python hunting would be a very fun, it's kind of a no

00:32:11.987 --> 00:32:12.767
brainer, I think.

00:32:12.767 --> 00:32:13.126
Yeah.

00:32:13.186 --> 00:32:19.487
So there's a lot of, um, problems that veterans can solve for people.

00:32:19.696 --> 00:32:28.936
So we are, we are creating the model by which other people can ask their veteran populations for help.

00:32:29.836 --> 00:32:33.346
And how, how about your funding model, if I may?

00:32:33.436 --> 00:32:33.797
Oh, yeah.

00:32:33.797 --> 00:32:34.817
That's a great question.

00:32:34.817 --> 00:32:34.876
Yeah.

00:32:34.876 --> 00:32:35.176
Thank you.

00:32:35.176 --> 00:32:50.027
So when I, um, worked at the Alliance part of, um, what I struggled with was, um, there were approximately 12 employees and one person prevented suicide.

00:32:50.757 --> 00:32:51.356
Okay.

00:32:51.416 --> 00:33:03.386
Uh, everybody else did, uh, wrote grants, did fundraisers, um, did all the backend grant compliance work, and most of them were afraid to talk to suicidal people.

00:33:03.717 --> 00:33:03.957
Mm.

00:33:04.616 --> 00:33:10.436
Um, I didn't think that that was really advantageous for the population that we were trying to serve.

00:33:10.856 --> 00:33:20.096
So, um, one big difference is we don't take government grants because they come with a ton of red tape and, and paperwork.

00:33:20.096 --> 00:33:20.307
Yeah.

00:33:20.311 --> 00:33:20.382
Yeah.

00:33:20.576 --> 00:33:22.826
And they'll straight up require you to hire people.

00:33:22.856 --> 00:33:29.576
So that's part of why you're a private grant rather than a We are a 5 0 1 C3, like any other 5 0 1 c.

00:33:29.576 --> 00:33:30.267
Okay.

00:33:30.267 --> 00:33:31.376
There's no difference there.

00:33:31.376 --> 00:33:31.586
Okay.

00:33:31.797 --> 00:33:36.207
Uh, it's just like I said, we don't, uh, we don't, we don't take the time.

00:33:36.821 --> 00:33:39.102
To pursue grants from the government.

00:33:39.162 --> 00:33:39.372
Yeah.

00:33:39.551 --> 00:33:42.912
And we don't take the time to be in compliance with the grants that Sure.

00:33:42.912 --> 00:33:43.692
You know, we don't want.

00:33:43.692 --> 00:33:43.751
Yeah.

00:33:43.872 --> 00:33:50.652
So that, that frees up a lot of, um, time and effort for people to focus on the mission.

00:33:50.892 --> 00:33:51.102
Okay.

00:33:51.402 --> 00:33:59.501
So, um, the way we, um, fund ourselves primarily is we create brand collaborations with other, uh, businesses.

00:33:59.801 --> 00:34:00.011
Okay.

00:34:00.071 --> 00:34:11.681
And so the, the business creates a product for us and um, and then we drive sales in their direction, and then they donate a portion of those sales to our organization.

00:34:11.681 --> 00:34:12.041
Is that right?

00:34:12.161 --> 00:34:15.461
So the idea is I'm not asking for money off your bottom line.

00:34:15.911 --> 00:34:15.972
Yeah.

00:34:16.001 --> 00:34:19.391
I'm asking to add to your top line and just take my fair share.

00:34:19.916 --> 00:34:20.786
And that's just business.

00:34:20.887 --> 00:34:24.907
So if you might give, gimme an example of one of those kind of product elements, if you will.

00:34:24.967 --> 00:34:25.237
Yeah.

00:34:25.237 --> 00:34:25.686
Happy to.

00:34:25.686 --> 00:34:30.456
So, um, one of our collaborations is with a local coffee, uh, roaster named Wander Coffee.

00:34:30.516 --> 00:34:30.786
Okay.

00:34:31.146 --> 00:34:35.797
And so they roast a, uh, a coffee flavor for us called Rising Phoenix Roast.

00:34:35.827 --> 00:34:36.126
Okay.

00:34:36.277 --> 00:34:43.297
And then when you purchase that coffee, when you buy it off the shelf and it's on store shelves, um, 10% of that, uh, goes to the non-profit.

00:34:43.387 --> 00:34:43.717
Okay.

00:34:43.867 --> 00:34:44.047
Yeah.

00:34:44.047 --> 00:34:44.407
Interesting.

00:34:44.407 --> 00:34:49.896
So we've got, uh, coffee, we've got chocolate, hot sauce, um, spices and rubs.

00:34:50.317 --> 00:34:50.407
Oh.

00:34:50.407 --> 00:34:55.177
And then you can kind of put those on your website to drive like traffic to their product as well.

00:34:55.867 --> 00:34:56.257
Yeah.

00:34:56.257 --> 00:35:02.436
So, or on your website or within your social media channels, like you mentioned kind of driving business to them as well is getting.

00:35:02.556 --> 00:35:03.666
A money stream back.

00:35:03.757 --> 00:35:15.876
So the, uh, the idea is that we do, uh, we do a brand collaboration video with them, put it out on the social media, and then we encourage, um, everyone in our network to, um, support that business.

00:35:15.876 --> 00:35:15.936
Yeah.

00:35:15.936 --> 00:35:25.297
And then I, I, I mention them whenever I can in podcasts on the radio, and if I'm on the news or whatever interviews I'm doing, I'll, I'll, I'll talk about our collaborations Interesting.

00:35:25.297 --> 00:35:27.967
And so that those businesses get, um, recognition.

00:35:27.967 --> 00:35:32.077
And so we have Wander Coffee, we've got Ranch and Rifle Spice.

00:35:32.556 --> 00:35:32.646
Okay.

00:35:32.677 --> 00:35:35.887
Um, we are working with, uh, nuanced Chocolate.

00:35:35.981 --> 00:35:36.322
Oh, sure.

00:35:36.327 --> 00:35:36.697
Um, yep.

00:35:36.697 --> 00:35:37.717
Brand new collaboration.

00:35:37.717 --> 00:35:39.097
I've got a meeting with them next week.

00:35:39.126 --> 00:35:40.387
Really excited about that.

00:35:40.387 --> 00:35:41.257
I love chocolate.

00:35:41.856 --> 00:35:45.666
Um, and then, uh, we've partnered with, uh, sweetheart Winery Oh.

00:35:45.666 --> 00:35:49.746
To create a completely, um, branded line of cis.

00:35:50.197 --> 00:35:51.456
Called Patriot Press.

00:35:51.577 --> 00:35:52.056
Oh, wow.

00:35:52.146 --> 00:36:00.157
And then, so, so if you, if you get that on tap or you, you know, get it in the store, um, again, 10% of the proceeds benefit the nonprofit.

00:36:00.157 --> 00:36:00.757
Interesting.

00:36:00.757 --> 00:36:00.817
Yeah.

00:36:00.817 --> 00:36:01.146
Is that

00:36:01.146 --> 00:36:02.737
their whole line of ciders then?

00:36:02.797 --> 00:36:05.737
Yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's a complete cider line.

00:36:05.766 --> 00:36:06.217
Yeah.

00:36:06.217 --> 00:36:06.226
Yeah.

00:36:06.226 --> 00:36:08.137
That's, that's themed toward the military.

00:36:08.286 --> 00:36:08.677
That's cool.

00:36:08.706 --> 00:36:11.257
And, um, and that's, that's a great collaboration.

00:36:11.257 --> 00:36:14.436
And then we also have, um, that's pretty smart branding too, because

00:36:15.007 --> 00:36:19.387
cider, cider, but, you know, patriot press, that sounds pretty cool.

00:36:19.387 --> 00:36:21.036
And you press those apples to get that cider.

00:36:21.157 --> 00:36:22.027
Pretty good branding.

00:36:22.086 --> 00:36:27.246
And then we also partner with Colorado Colorful Creations, which is our hot sauce.

00:36:27.306 --> 00:36:27.817
Uh, friends.

00:36:27.847 --> 00:36:28.657
Oh yeah.

00:36:28.661 --> 00:36:28.711
Yeah.

00:36:28.717 --> 00:36:31.416
I actually, I think I.

00:36:32.181 --> 00:36:35.811
Connected with that person on LinkedIn recently or something.

00:36:35.811 --> 00:36:36.922
They do a bunch of different stuff.

00:36:36.922 --> 00:36:39.472
They've got a hot sauce company and this company and that company.

00:36:39.476 --> 00:36:39.717
Yeah.

00:36:39.802 --> 00:36:39.981
Yeah.

00:36:39.981 --> 00:36:41.601
He's got a handyman company.

00:36:41.606 --> 00:36:41.797
Yes.

00:36:41.856 --> 00:36:45.742
Um, yeah, Derek night camp, he's a very, very talented guy.

00:36:45.742 --> 00:36:46.762
He is always doing something.

00:36:46.762 --> 00:36:47.271
Yeah.

00:36:47.277 --> 00:36:47.356
Yeah.

00:36:47.362 --> 00:36:47.601
Yeah.

00:36:47.601 --> 00:36:48.112
Interesting.

00:36:48.202 --> 00:36:48.442
Yeah.

00:36:48.561 --> 00:37:00.262
Um, so I guess that continuing that funding model is, is kind of the, is that's your primary resource or do you get private foundation grants or do you have user fees?

00:37:00.291 --> 00:37:02.121
Do do your veterans No.

00:37:02.121 --> 00:37:03.202
Pay to play?

00:37:03.262 --> 00:37:04.282
No, not at all.

00:37:04.371 --> 00:37:09.621
No, we, no, we don't charge, uh, our, our participants, everything we do is free to the user.

00:37:09.742 --> 00:37:10.972
And can you get any like.

00:37:11.407 --> 00:37:17.286
Revenues for like fire prevention and maintenance and things like that from the state when you do those kind of stuff.

00:37:17.317 --> 00:37:20.496
We are partnered with the watershed and we're helping them out with some stuff.

00:37:20.496 --> 00:37:20.737
Okay.

00:37:20.827 --> 00:37:23.916
And, um, yeah, there will be some, uh, funds coming away from that.

00:37:23.916 --> 00:37:24.157
Okay.

00:37:24.217 --> 00:37:24.516
Okay.

00:37:24.516 --> 00:37:29.376
So it's like kind of, it's volunteering, but here's a little spiff for all the time and trouble A little bit.

00:37:29.376 --> 00:37:29.856
Kinda like

00:37:29.856 --> 00:37:30.577
we,

00:37:30.637 --> 00:37:34.896
um, so, okay.

00:37:35.016 --> 00:37:49.447
Um, and we don't need to know the specifics of it, but, but I mean, it seems clear that you're adding, if you bring a bunch of veterans out to do a bunch of post-fire remediation, like somebody should pay you a little bit or at least buy a lunch, you know, give you a image.

00:37:50.077 --> 00:37:50.376
Sure.

00:37:51.186 --> 00:37:53.976
You know, uh, you're adding a lot of value to the community is what I'm saying.

00:37:53.976 --> 00:37:55.867
Even if you're python hunting Right.

00:37:55.927 --> 00:37:56.677
In the Everglades.

00:37:56.797 --> 00:37:57.067
Yeah.

00:37:57.427 --> 00:38:00.637
So, so it's a pretty scalable funding model.

00:38:01.086 --> 00:38:05.556
Um, overall, if you can kind of find all those.

00:38:06.067 --> 00:38:08.047
Partnerships to, to be a part of it.

00:38:08.197 --> 00:38:08.407
Yeah.

00:38:08.527 --> 00:38:10.927
And I guess that helps to grow the awareness of the organization.

00:38:10.927 --> 00:38:12.036
How do people find you?

00:38:12.817 --> 00:38:20.347
Well, uh, we are set up with over 200, um, veteran serving organizations, local governments, and um, businesses.

00:38:20.556 --> 00:38:20.916
Okay.

00:38:21.097 --> 00:38:22.836
Um, the Actis funnels for us.

00:38:22.927 --> 00:38:23.166
Yep.

00:38:23.496 --> 00:38:32.887
And, um, um, we're partnered with, uh, police departments, sheriff's departments, hospitals, EMS, all that.

00:38:32.947 --> 00:38:35.556
Um, the cos responder program, we work with them.

00:38:36.726 --> 00:38:38.706
Um, and then is that

00:38:38.706 --> 00:38:41.047
how you meet'em sometimes is they're in crisis?

00:38:41.166 --> 00:38:41.467
Yes.

00:38:41.496 --> 00:38:42.277
In some capacity.

00:38:42.367 --> 00:38:43.146
Yeah, absolutely.

00:38:43.327 --> 00:38:43.597
Yeah.

00:38:44.016 --> 00:38:47.286
Whether it's alcohol crisis or mental health crisis or whatever.

00:38:47.976 --> 00:38:48.246
Yep.

00:38:48.336 --> 00:38:49.867
Um, okay, gotcha.

00:38:50.257 --> 00:38:52.867
And so sometimes either probably court referral too.

00:38:52.927 --> 00:38:52.987
Yeah.

00:38:53.496 --> 00:38:57.306
As part of a, well, we, we actually work directly with the courts.

00:38:57.336 --> 00:38:57.396
Yeah.

00:38:57.427 --> 00:39:02.737
Um, we, uh, we're, we're part of the, uh, problem solving court here in Leer County, the Veterans Court.

00:39:02.916 --> 00:39:03.277
Okay.

00:39:03.396 --> 00:39:05.797
And so we advocated to get that started here.

00:39:06.081 --> 00:39:06.202
Interesting.

00:39:06.206 --> 00:39:08.887
And then, um, that took, um, like six years.

00:39:09.456 --> 00:39:09.726
Okay.

00:39:09.757 --> 00:39:11.467
And now it's finally up and running.

00:39:11.706 --> 00:39:24.961
And so, um, we, we, we go to court, we have a whole team of people that go in there, and we go into the, uh, the office hours before court with the judge and the prosecutor and the, um.

00:39:27.202 --> 00:39:38.121
Um, their probation officers and all, all the people that are involved in the, in the, in the justice piece, they're all in that room and they talk about each of the, um, individuals and, and, and what their plan is.

00:39:38.121 --> 00:39:41.181
And then we go into open court and we stand with them in front of the judge.

00:39:41.512 --> 00:39:51.206
And then, um, and then we, we help them to achieve their goals and to navigate that court process so that they have a more, uh, uh, yeah.

00:39:51.211 --> 00:39:56.661
The idea is to decrease the likelihood of recidivism, to decrease the likelihood that they keep bouncing off the system.

00:39:56.661 --> 00:39:57.802
And it's, it's very effective.

00:39:57.802 --> 00:40:01.972
Well, you need to have a system navigator kind of, are you familiar with the Matthews House?

00:40:02.001 --> 00:40:02.512
Yes, I am.

00:40:02.692 --> 00:40:02.992
Yeah.

00:40:02.992 --> 00:40:04.851
I, I was on the board with them.

00:40:04.851 --> 00:40:13.972
And you've got a lot of similar themes that kind of evidence-based and, um, you know, having someone to walk alongside you for a season kind of themes.

00:40:13.972 --> 00:40:14.061
Mm-hmm.

00:40:14.302 --> 00:40:15.621
And maybe it's a, a longer season.

00:40:15.831 --> 00:40:16.012
Mm-hmm.

00:40:16.251 --> 00:40:18.291
Um, and even my wife does volunteering for casa.

00:40:18.442 --> 00:40:18.532
Mm-hmm.

00:40:18.862 --> 00:40:21.411
And having somebody that understands the system and can help.

00:40:22.237 --> 00:40:23.137
People navigate.

00:40:23.137 --> 00:40:23.416
Mm-hmm.

00:40:23.501 --> 00:40:26.541
You know, even if your intentions are good, sometimes that thing will suck you in.

00:40:27.681 --> 00:40:28.461
Yeah, absolutely.

00:40:28.942 --> 00:40:35.782
Um, I feel like it's probably a good time to zoom back all the way to Little Marshall.

00:40:36.322 --> 00:40:36.592
Okay.

00:40:36.681 --> 00:40:39.802
Like, uh, 5-year-old Marshall.

00:40:39.802 --> 00:40:41.632
What was your, what was your setting?

00:40:41.842 --> 00:40:42.681
Where were you at?

00:40:42.681 --> 00:40:43.731
Are you Colorado native?

00:40:44.391 --> 00:40:47.001
So, I was born in Colorado, and I was raised in Oregon.

00:40:47.061 --> 00:40:47.452
Oregon?

00:40:47.456 --> 00:40:47.657
Yeah.

00:40:47.661 --> 00:40:47.842
Okay.

00:40:48.052 --> 00:40:49.041
Uh, rural Oregon.

00:40:49.041 --> 00:40:51.501
Urban Oregon, um, rural Oregon.

00:40:51.652 --> 00:40:51.891
Okay.

00:40:51.981 --> 00:40:52.161
Yeah.

00:40:52.311 --> 00:40:52.702
What part?

00:40:53.001 --> 00:40:53.512
Ashland.

00:40:53.931 --> 00:40:54.922
Ashland Not familiar.

00:40:54.922 --> 00:40:58.822
Yeah, it's on I five, just uh, just 10 minutes over the California border.

00:40:59.032 --> 00:40:59.331
Okay.

00:40:59.331 --> 00:41:00.621
Pa past the border into Oregon.

00:41:00.652 --> 00:41:01.012
Sure.

00:41:01.041 --> 00:41:01.251
Yeah,

00:41:01.911 --> 00:41:02.302
sure.

00:41:02.302 --> 00:41:06.592
So that would be, I guess almost straight east of Portland, but quite a ways.

00:41:07.581 --> 00:41:07.972
Yeah.

00:41:07.972 --> 00:41:12.592
So, um, Portland is, um, on the north end.

00:41:12.681 --> 00:41:14.362
Oh wait, yeah, that's north side.

00:41:14.391 --> 00:41:14.692
Okay.

00:41:14.692 --> 00:41:14.902
Yeah.

00:41:14.902 --> 00:41:18.952
So there's nothing, so Bend is down there kind of closer or whatever.

00:41:18.981 --> 00:41:22.851
So Bend is, um, in like central Eastern Oregon.

00:41:22.882 --> 00:41:23.152
Okay.

00:41:23.152 --> 00:41:25.431
And so Portland is in the north Yeah.

00:41:25.431 --> 00:41:25.552
Way

00:41:25.552 --> 00:41:26.302
Northeast corner.

00:41:26.362 --> 00:41:26.541
Yep.

00:41:27.981 --> 00:41:30.291
And then nothing else in the south really too much.

00:41:31.371 --> 00:41:35.422
So, uh, Portland is, uh, in the north on I five.

00:41:35.452 --> 00:41:35.692
Yeah.

00:41:35.931 --> 00:41:39.981
And then if you travel straight down I five to the southernmost point in the state.

00:41:40.041 --> 00:41:40.132
Yeah.

00:41:40.132 --> 00:41:41.121
That's where my town is.

00:41:41.152 --> 00:41:41.211
Yeah.

00:41:41.211 --> 00:41:41.661
Ashland.

00:41:41.902 --> 00:41:45.081
And there isn't much as far as Urbana around that at all.

00:41:45.081 --> 00:41:48.711
It's kind of Northern Colorado, Southern Oregon, foresty stuff.

00:41:48.831 --> 00:41:48.981
Yeah.

00:41:49.402 --> 00:41:49.762
Fair enough.

00:41:49.851 --> 00:41:50.121
Okay.

00:41:50.572 --> 00:41:57.802
And what was the, the circumstances you got brothers, sisters, um, military family?

00:41:57.981 --> 00:41:59.632
No, not, not a military family.

00:41:59.632 --> 00:42:00.411
And I was an only

00:42:00.411 --> 00:42:00.711
child.

00:42:00.771 --> 00:42:01.311
Only child.

00:42:01.342 --> 00:42:01.461
Yeah.

00:42:01.492 --> 00:42:01.672
Okay.

00:42:02.211 --> 00:42:11.121
And, uh, what were you, uh, up to as a young man in rural Oregon as a hunting, fishing, bikes all over kind of thing?

00:42:11.211 --> 00:42:14.152
Yeah, I, I did a lot of cycling, um, okay.

00:42:14.152 --> 00:42:20.601
Lot of, lot of bicycling, biked all over, um, camping, um, just spending as much time outside as possible.

00:42:20.722 --> 00:42:20.961
Okay.

00:42:21.052 --> 00:42:21.231
Yep.

00:42:21.561 --> 00:42:27.382
And then, uh, when was the first inclination toward a, a, a military engagement?

00:42:27.922 --> 00:42:28.521
That September 11th.

00:42:28.521 --> 00:42:28.791
Interesting.

00:42:28.972 --> 00:42:29.271
Really?

00:42:29.362 --> 00:42:29.661
Okay.

00:42:29.931 --> 00:42:30.831
And how old were you then?

00:42:31.012 --> 00:42:31.402
18.

00:42:31.851 --> 00:42:33.501
Oh, so that was right there.

00:42:33.507 --> 00:42:35.152
I turned, I turned 18, August 31st.

00:42:35.271 --> 00:42:35.842
Oh, wow.

00:42:35.931 --> 00:42:36.472
Interesting.

00:42:36.862 --> 00:42:37.251
Okay.

00:42:37.402 --> 00:42:38.541
And so you signed right up?

00:42:38.811 --> 00:42:39.081
Yes.

00:42:39.637 --> 00:42:41.706
Um, with Army Marine Corps.

00:42:41.706 --> 00:42:42.306
Force Marine Corps.

00:42:42.306 --> 00:42:42.606
Oh yeah.

00:42:42.666 --> 00:42:43.416
You said that before.

00:42:43.777 --> 00:42:46.297
Um, and, uh, what did that look like for you?

00:42:46.297 --> 00:42:47.527
Like, describe the scene.

00:42:47.527 --> 00:42:49.206
You're just outta high school, I guess.

00:42:49.896 --> 00:42:51.396
Yeah, so I graduated high school in June.

00:42:51.456 --> 00:42:51.697
Yep.

00:42:51.726 --> 00:43:01.206
And then, um, August 31st I turned 18, and then September 11th, September 11th, and then I joined the Marine Corps, uh, just about a week or two after that.

00:43:01.237 --> 00:43:01.536
Sure.

00:43:01.956 --> 00:43:08.137
Um, and then I went to bootcamp, then I went to, um, they call it Marine Combat Training.

00:43:08.197 --> 00:43:10.056
And where's bootcamp for MCRD?

00:43:10.056 --> 00:43:10.686
San Diego.

00:43:10.867 --> 00:43:11.166
Okay.

00:43:11.436 --> 00:43:11.646
Yep.

00:43:11.976 --> 00:43:13.266
And then, um.

00:43:14.782 --> 00:43:15.771
After bootcamp?

00:43:15.891 --> 00:43:21.681
Uh, after, after combat training, I went to, uh, military police school to become an mp.

00:43:21.802 --> 00:43:22.402
Oh, interesting.

00:43:22.492 --> 00:43:22.552
Okay.

00:43:22.552 --> 00:43:26.121
And then after that I went to canine school to become a canine handler.

00:43:26.422 --> 00:43:28.731
And how did, like, how did that come about?

00:43:28.731 --> 00:43:39.172
Were you, like, do they sort you, do they ask you which of these jobs you want, like, based on testing or assessments that they think, Hey, this guy should be a mp

00:43:39.652 --> 00:43:50.121
So they, when you sign up for the military, um, they, at least when I did it, uh, they ask you to give your top three preferences for jobs.

00:43:50.211 --> 00:43:50.572
Okay.

00:43:51.052 --> 00:43:57.561
And so, um, I, I did that and I don't remember what my three choices were, but I know one of them was mp.

00:43:57.621 --> 00:43:57.952
Okay.

00:43:57.956 --> 00:43:57.967
'cause

00:43:57.972 --> 00:43:58.672
that's where I ended up.

00:43:58.672 --> 00:43:59.152
Yeah.

00:43:59.152 --> 00:43:59.161
Yeah.

00:43:59.211 --> 00:43:59.452
Yep.

00:43:59.751 --> 00:44:00.112
Gotcha.

00:44:00.532 --> 00:44:07.342
And, um, describe that, that seems like an interesting like role.

00:44:07.612 --> 00:44:09.862
Um,'cause you know, you know, in.

00:44:11.166 --> 00:44:13.626
Fort Collins are everywhere in Ashland.

00:44:14.047 --> 00:44:17.887
Uh, the, the police are a little bit like the other, right?

00:44:17.887 --> 00:44:18.637
Like there's, so it

00:44:18.637 --> 00:44:21.097
was, I did it because I wanted to be a canine handler.

00:44:21.217 --> 00:44:21.786
Oh, interesting.

00:44:21.847 --> 00:44:22.177
Okay.

00:44:22.507 --> 00:44:22.777
Yeah.

00:44:22.777 --> 00:44:22.786
Yeah.

00:44:23.527 --> 00:44:40.777
So, um, that was, what was that like though, being kind of, I don't wanna say the bad guys or whatever, but like, are you, is there any active, like, unless there's fighting and stuff, or what does it look like being a military police person, especially the canine handler?

00:44:40.777 --> 00:44:44.407
Like, what, what is there to investigate what is there to do?

00:44:45.427 --> 00:44:47.077
So, more than, I think perhaps

00:44:47.106 --> 00:44:49.987
what we get involved in is, is called force protection.

00:44:50.347 --> 00:44:50.706
Okay.

00:44:50.766 --> 00:44:52.327
So we protect the war fighters.

00:44:52.942 --> 00:44:53.902
Oh, okay.

00:44:54.081 --> 00:44:54.262
Yeah.

00:44:54.831 --> 00:44:57.172
So like from the backside and stuff or like that?

00:44:57.172 --> 00:44:57.681
Or what do you mean?

00:44:57.862 --> 00:45:01.371
So if you have, like, let's say you have an infantry unit Sure.

00:45:01.702 --> 00:45:06.052
And they need to go on a combat patrol through Ramadi.

00:45:06.322 --> 00:45:06.501
Yep.

00:45:06.532 --> 00:45:07.072
Okay.

00:45:07.072 --> 00:45:07.942
'cause that's where I was stationed.

00:45:08.032 --> 00:45:08.302
Okay.

00:45:08.751 --> 00:45:14.572
So, um, they would, uh, uh, I, I would go with them.

00:45:14.871 --> 00:45:15.112
Okay.

00:45:15.112 --> 00:45:18.052
And walk in front of them to sweep for explosives.

00:45:18.652 --> 00:45:28.552
Oh, I, so when I hear military police, I'm kind of under more of the understanding of like that enforced justice within the ranks almost of the military.

00:45:28.552 --> 00:45:30.322
But that's not really what we're talking about here.

00:45:30.382 --> 00:45:30.501
Well,

00:45:30.501 --> 00:45:32.452
that, that's a component of military police.

00:45:32.452 --> 00:45:36.742
But even really, if you think about it, that that in itself is a force protection role.

00:45:36.771 --> 00:45:37.072
Sure.

00:45:37.402 --> 00:45:49.431
So, so really at the end of the day, military police serve as a, a, a one of the many components that ensure that our war fighters are safe, healthy.

00:45:49.851 --> 00:45:52.311
And ready to do what they need to do.

00:45:52.311 --> 00:45:52.581
Okay.

00:45:53.121 --> 00:45:57.532
So in your case, this canine was not a drug sniffer, but more of a bomb sniffer.

00:45:57.802 --> 00:45:58.702
He was a bomb dog.

00:45:58.762 --> 00:45:59.032
Yep.

00:45:59.032 --> 00:46:02.871
And so you're running around, uh, seeing if, if, what's your dog's name?

00:46:03.141 --> 00:46:04.342
His, his name was Rex.

00:46:04.431 --> 00:46:11.032
So seeing if Rex smells anything suspicious and then like going into buildings, finding IEDs in some cases.

00:46:11.032 --> 00:46:11.121
Mm-hmm.

00:46:11.362 --> 00:46:13.342
Or hidden along the side of a road or whatever.

00:46:13.342 --> 00:46:13.431
Mm-hmm.

00:46:13.672 --> 00:46:14.121
Exactly.

00:46:14.181 --> 00:46:14.512
Dang.

00:46:14.661 --> 00:46:14.961
Yeah.

00:46:15.231 --> 00:46:21.052
Um, um, when was this, like how long after you signed up did you find yourself over there?

00:46:21.411 --> 00:46:23.541
I was in Iraq for oh four and oh five.

00:46:23.661 --> 00:46:24.021
Okay.

00:46:24.322 --> 00:46:25.972
So almost three years.

00:46:25.972 --> 00:46:28.552
Uh, two or three years after you first signed up?

00:46:28.581 --> 00:46:28.762
Mm-hmm.

00:46:29.001 --> 00:46:29.601
A couple years of training.

00:46:29.606 --> 00:46:29.706
Mm-hmm.

00:46:29.786 --> 00:46:31.072
And then, and then here I go.

00:46:31.101 --> 00:46:37.311
'cause that was about the, when, when did the Iraq one invasion kind of thing happen?

00:46:38.242 --> 00:46:39.382
Was it a year later?

00:46:40.177 --> 00:46:42.996
After 2011, I'm, I'm trying to remember my timeline.

00:46:43.056 --> 00:46:43.686
I was, I don't know.

00:46:43.686 --> 00:46:44.257
I was in bootcamp.

00:46:44.467 --> 00:46:44.677
Fair.

00:46:45.007 --> 00:46:45.726
It wouldn't have mattered.

00:46:46.086 --> 00:46:47.646
Uh, but they didn't go right to war.

00:46:47.646 --> 00:46:51.306
It took a little while, right before they kind of went, I think they invaded 2003.

00:46:51.577 --> 00:46:51.847
Yeah.

00:46:51.847 --> 00:46:52.177
Okay.

00:46:52.177 --> 00:46:52.927
That's what I was thinking.

00:46:52.927 --> 00:46:55.536
So you were there a year after, so it was pretty hot.

00:46:56.137 --> 00:46:56.677
Yes.

00:46:57.637 --> 00:46:57.666
Yeah, very hot.

00:46:58.597 --> 00:46:58.657
Yeah.

00:46:58.657 --> 00:47:01.896
Historically it was the most violent time of the conflict.

00:47:02.257 --> 00:47:02.976
Okay, gotcha.

00:47:03.456 --> 00:47:12.726
Um, and can you describe like a, like the scene, the like, um, the base I assume is outside of edi.

00:47:12.996 --> 00:47:13.507
EDI was.

00:47:14.016 --> 00:47:17.452
Was that where like a, a lot of the bad guys were at that time.

00:47:17.512 --> 00:47:20.061
They had kind of taken Baghdad, but EDI was the hotspot.

00:47:20.242 --> 00:47:23.692
Okay, so Ramadi uh, Ramadi was pretty busy.

00:47:23.902 --> 00:47:24.262
Yeah.

00:47:24.442 --> 00:47:27.231
Um, we had, uh, several bases there.

00:47:27.322 --> 00:47:29.061
Um, we call'em forward operating bases.

00:47:29.061 --> 00:47:33.351
So Camp Blue Diamond was there, that, that was built out in Uday Hussein's Palace.

00:47:33.856 --> 00:47:37.251
And that was the headquarters for Marine Corps operations for the country.

00:47:37.282 --> 00:47:43.251
And then right across the Euphrates from that, um, was uh, hurricane Point.

00:47:43.282 --> 00:47:51.501
And then across the street from Hurricane Point was Camp Anaconda, I think.

00:47:51.561 --> 00:47:53.632
And then I know that there was another fob.

00:47:53.902 --> 00:47:56.422
Um, in another part of the city also.

00:47:56.751 --> 00:47:58.521
And those were like secure spots, but

00:47:58.521 --> 00:47:59.152
within,

00:47:59.452 --> 00:48:00.621
yeah, pretty secure.

00:48:00.681 --> 00:48:07.641
Uh, we would get mortared, um, on base, and then we would also, at, at 1.1 of our snip sniper teams got compromised.

00:48:08.302 --> 00:48:10.342
And I mean, by compromised, I mean killed.

00:48:10.402 --> 00:48:10.731
Yeah.

00:48:10.791 --> 00:48:19.012
And then, um, they, they, uh, uh, sniper rifles, oh, uh, radios and night vision.

00:48:19.161 --> 00:48:19.431
Oh.

00:48:19.431 --> 00:48:21.742
All got taken by the enemy.

00:48:21.802 --> 00:48:25.461
And then, so at that point, the enemy started sniping us on base at night.

00:48:25.672 --> 00:48:25.882
Oh.

00:48:26.061 --> 00:48:26.242
Yep.

00:48:26.632 --> 00:48:27.291
That's exciting.

00:48:27.831 --> 00:48:28.342
I'm sure.

00:48:28.911 --> 00:48:38.722
Um, so your job is like you're going out on patrols, like block by block building by building, kind of clearing out the scene insurgency.

00:48:38.842 --> 00:48:39.141
Yeah.

00:48:39.231 --> 00:48:39.411
Yep.

00:48:39.891 --> 00:48:40.161
Wow.

00:48:40.192 --> 00:48:41.032
How long did that go on?

00:48:43.282 --> 00:48:49.132
Uh, well, I was there, um, for just, just under a year.

00:48:49.251 --> 00:48:49.552
Okay.

00:48:49.612 --> 00:48:49.851
Yeah.

00:48:50.181 --> 00:48:51.291
That was your combat tour?

00:48:51.351 --> 00:48:51.561
Yep.

00:48:51.862 --> 00:48:52.342
And then.

00:48:53.197 --> 00:48:55.896
I think I read on your profile that you were combat disabled.

00:48:55.896 --> 00:48:56.407
Is that right?

00:48:56.407 --> 00:48:57.487
Did you get blown up or?

00:48:57.516 --> 00:48:57.606
I

00:48:57.606 --> 00:48:57.876
did.

00:48:57.876 --> 00:48:58.447
Yeah.

00:48:58.507 --> 00:48:58.936
Yeah, yeah.

00:48:59.467 --> 00:49:00.306
Can you describe that?

00:49:00.427 --> 00:49:01.117
Sure, sure.

00:49:01.177 --> 00:49:08.617
Uh, we were traveling, um, southbound, uh, I think it was south, uh, yeah, I'm pretty sure, uh, between Ramadi and Fallujah.

00:49:08.737 --> 00:49:09.097
Okay.

00:49:09.186 --> 00:49:09.427
Yep.

00:49:09.487 --> 00:49:19.657
And, um, we're going over a bridge and, uh, an IED was detonated on the vehicle I was in, um, couple of Marines, myself and my dog were all injured.

00:49:20.166 --> 00:49:26.856
And then we were engaged with, uh, small arms fire, and I think, I think there may have been an RPG involved.

00:49:26.916 --> 00:49:29.137
I don't, uh, I don't know.

00:49:30.007 --> 00:49:32.916
Um, so yeah, and then we do what did you get?

00:49:32.916 --> 00:49:34.146
Like rescued or whatever?

00:49:34.206 --> 00:49:34.626
No,

00:49:34.626 --> 00:49:34.896
no,

00:49:34.896 --> 00:49:35.166
no.

00:49:35.166 --> 00:49:36.456
We, you fought them off.

00:49:36.487 --> 00:49:37.447
We did what Marines do.

00:49:37.476 --> 00:49:37.927
Yeah.

00:49:37.987 --> 00:49:38.257
Yeah.

00:49:38.257 --> 00:49:38.266
Yeah.

00:49:38.766 --> 00:49:39.036
Wow.

00:49:39.217 --> 00:49:39.427
Yeah.

00:49:39.757 --> 00:49:40.387
Um.

00:49:42.231 --> 00:49:45.922
And then hightail it back to base, I guess, and patch you back up.

00:49:45.952 --> 00:49:46.282
No, we just

00:49:46.282 --> 00:49:47.032
went back on mission.

00:49:48.172 --> 00:49:48.202
Okay.

00:49:48.922 --> 00:49:53.152
Um, and was that the end of your military career or did you continue for a while?

00:49:53.152 --> 00:49:54.007
No, that was just the first time.

00:49:54.007 --> 00:49:55.492
No, that wasn't even the end of my deployment.

00:49:55.612 --> 00:49:56.032
Okay.

00:49:56.092 --> 00:49:56.362
Yeah.

00:49:56.692 --> 00:50:03.922
So, uh, what does that look like when it, when it comes time to be career ending, if you will?

00:50:04.072 --> 00:50:06.501
'cause you were did about how many four years of active?

00:50:06.532 --> 00:50:07.222
I did four years.

00:50:07.222 --> 00:50:07.552
Yeah.

00:50:07.641 --> 00:50:08.302
So, yeah.

00:50:08.512 --> 00:50:13.942
And then you, you came outta that into what kind of a, because this is what we're talking about a little bit, right?

00:50:13.942 --> 00:50:19.041
Like what your preparedness, how did, how did you get prepared to reenter society after that?

00:50:19.041 --> 00:50:19.431
Mayhem.

00:50:19.641 --> 00:50:20.001
Yeah.

00:50:20.001 --> 00:50:24.231
Well, there's not a lot, uh, in place that prepares people for that.

00:50:24.231 --> 00:50:26.302
And that's kind of part of what, why you're here.

00:50:26.302 --> 00:50:26.507
We're trying to,

00:50:26.507 --> 00:50:26.907
you're here.

00:50:26.911 --> 00:50:27.231
Yeah.

00:50:27.291 --> 00:50:27.831
Change here.

00:50:28.072 --> 00:50:29.242
So what was that like for you?

00:50:29.242 --> 00:50:30.382
Like, can you describe, yeah.

00:50:30.382 --> 00:50:31.371
Where did you land?

00:50:31.371 --> 00:50:34.132
Where had, you know, did, did you, were you married?

00:50:34.132 --> 00:50:35.152
Did you have a family?

00:50:35.541 --> 00:50:35.992
No.

00:50:36.291 --> 00:50:38.871
Um, I, I went to, uh.

00:50:39.277 --> 00:50:45.246
Uh, Knoxville, Tennessee, and worked for the National Nuclear Security Administration as a canine handler for them for a little bit.

00:50:45.367 --> 00:50:45.757
Okay.

00:50:45.817 --> 00:50:46.117
Yeah.

00:50:46.597 --> 00:50:48.786
Um, and how was that?

00:50:49.476 --> 00:50:50.226
Pretty boring,

00:50:51.097 --> 00:50:52.657
sounds like comparatively.

00:50:52.657 --> 00:50:53.047
Yeah.

00:50:53.106 --> 00:50:54.336
A little bit of lack of purpose.

00:50:54.396 --> 00:50:54.606
Yeah.

00:50:54.606 --> 00:50:55.237
Lack of community.

00:50:55.237 --> 00:50:56.077
Didn't know anybody.

00:50:56.197 --> 00:50:56.677
Exactly.

00:50:57.007 --> 00:50:58.056
Not much adventure.

00:50:58.056 --> 00:50:58.356
Yep.

00:50:58.987 --> 00:51:00.487
Um, what's, what's

00:51:00.487 --> 00:51:01.356
next for you then?

00:51:01.746 --> 00:51:08.436
Uh, then I, uh, went and, uh, moved to Boulder and I worked in a bicycle shop and became a ski instructor.

00:51:08.586 --> 00:51:09.277
Interesting.

00:51:09.306 --> 00:51:09.547
Yeah.

00:51:09.876 --> 00:51:12.757
Kind of we're gonna depart this past chapter

00:51:12.757 --> 00:51:13.626
and do something all

00:51:13.626 --> 00:51:13.987
new.

00:51:14.016 --> 00:51:15.516
I wanted to do something more relaxing.

00:51:15.547 --> 00:51:15.786
Yeah.

00:51:15.786 --> 00:51:16.086
Yeah.

00:51:16.686 --> 00:51:17.407
Which it was.

00:51:17.407 --> 00:51:17.467
Yeah.

00:51:17.947 --> 00:51:20.496
Uh, I've had some community Yeah.

00:51:20.556 --> 00:51:21.817
Uh, had some purpose.

00:51:22.056 --> 00:51:22.266
Yeah.

00:51:22.327 --> 00:51:27.036
You know, comparatively, I suppose, you know, gotta fix this chain, straighten that wheel.

00:51:27.157 --> 00:51:30.367
That was actually, that was the problem, was the lack of purpose in the bike shop.

00:51:30.396 --> 00:51:31.896
That that's why I didn't stay there.

00:51:31.956 --> 00:51:32.766
Yeah, fair enough.

00:51:33.246 --> 00:51:33.817
Um.

00:51:33.876 --> 00:51:37.842
Then did you move into the kind of private security space from there or, yeah.

00:51:37.842 --> 00:51:38.556
Or not right away.

00:51:38.646 --> 00:51:38.856
Yeah.

00:51:39.666 --> 00:51:45.126
Um, and that was kind of a decently long career in that space before, before that tragedy in, in 19.

00:51:46.206 --> 00:51:46.536
Yes.

00:51:46.536 --> 00:51:46.927
Correct.

00:51:46.987 --> 00:51:47.436
Yeah, I did.

00:51:47.527 --> 00:51:47.617
Yeah.

00:51:48.336 --> 00:51:52.956
Um, are there other, so when did combat recovery start?

00:51:53.137 --> 00:51:55.043
You said 20 22 3 23.

00:51:55.047 --> 00:51:55.507
23.

00:51:55.507 --> 00:51:55.597
Yep.

00:51:56.797 --> 00:51:59.257
And, and then you worked for that Alliance of Suicide Prevention.

00:51:59.286 --> 00:52:06.967
Is there things I'm missing in your chapter here that need to be understood to, understood kind of your drive in this mission?

00:52:07.146 --> 00:52:09.757
That's, that's pretty much the overview of how we got here.

00:52:09.907 --> 00:52:10.146
Yeah.

00:52:10.237 --> 00:52:10.597
Fair enough.

00:52:11.137 --> 00:53:07.827
Um, well, I feel like we should call a short break what I wanted to delve into just a little bit, um, because I'm sure.

00:53:09.282 --> 00:53:20.623
It was, uh, you know, it sparked this whole thing, but your business partner, um, his suicide in, in 2019, what was, if you might share, what was the circumstance?

00:53:20.623 --> 00:53:23.742
Was he married, family leave behind?

00:53:23.742 --> 00:53:24.762
Had he been struggling?

00:53:24.762 --> 00:53:26.922
Did you know, was it a surprise to

00:53:26.922 --> 00:53:27.612
you?

00:53:28.242 --> 00:53:28.873
Gimme some of that.

00:53:28.932 --> 00:53:38.952
So I've known a lot of people to have killed themselves over the years, and his suicide bothered me more probably than most any.

00:53:39.643 --> 00:53:42.463
And I think, um, there was a couple of reasons for that.

00:53:42.643 --> 00:53:45.913
One is that, um, no one saw it coming.

00:53:46.123 --> 00:53:46.242
Yeah.

00:53:46.242 --> 00:53:50.143
It was a complete shock and I have no idea why he killed himself.

00:53:50.202 --> 00:53:52.213
And still, and I don't know if anybody does.

00:53:52.273 --> 00:53:52.572
Yeah.

00:53:52.722 --> 00:53:56.802
I haven't spoken to anybody that has been able to illuminate me on that.

00:53:56.983 --> 00:53:57.103
Hmm.

00:53:57.853 --> 00:54:06.373
Um, but then another piece was at his funeral, his stepdaughter, uh, wrote him a letter.

00:54:07.152 --> 00:54:10.123
And the, the person officiating the funeral.

00:54:10.123 --> 00:54:14.983
He, he read that letter aloud to the, you know, people in attendance.

00:54:14.983 --> 00:54:15.043
Yeah.

00:54:15.043 --> 00:54:15.103
Yeah.

00:54:16.092 --> 00:54:20.233
And it, it was, it was gut wrenching.

00:54:20.922 --> 00:54:22.273
Like she loved the snot out of him.

00:54:22.362 --> 00:54:25.422
She loved him and she talked about how his death impacted her.

00:54:26.172 --> 00:54:26.322
Yeah.

00:54:26.322 --> 00:54:31.722
And, and how she doesn't understand why, but he must have been in so much pain, you know, just Right.

00:54:31.722 --> 00:54:33.958
She forgave him even despite not understanding it at all.

00:54:34.003 --> 00:54:34.992
Gut wrenching how he could be there.

00:54:34.992 --> 00:54:35.262
Right.

00:54:35.472 --> 00:54:35.713
Yeah.

00:54:35.952 --> 00:54:48.463
So I knew that if by some stroke of magic, I could take that letter and give it to him before he made that choice, he wouldn't have.

00:54:49.452 --> 00:54:59.922
And there was something about that, that I felt like I was armed or blessed or Ibu with.

00:55:01.047 --> 00:55:03.478
A piece of knowledge, almost like a revelation.

00:55:03.657 --> 00:55:04.197
Yes.

00:55:04.737 --> 00:55:10.677
And that, that I had the opportunity to leverage that to impact others.

00:55:11.878 --> 00:55:16.257
So I'm not sure what the initial question was.

00:55:16.257 --> 00:55:18.748
Oh, you were asking more details around his Yeah.

00:55:18.898 --> 00:55:20.202
But it was a mystery it sounds like.

00:55:20.242 --> 00:55:21.507
But that, but that it was a mystery.

00:55:21.512 --> 00:55:21.882
But he left.

00:55:22.168 --> 00:55:23.938
But that's why it bothered me so much.

00:55:23.967 --> 00:55:24.088
Yeah.

00:55:24.117 --> 00:55:30.478
And, and that's, that's why, that's why his death inspired me to work in suicide prevention.

00:55:30.628 --> 00:55:30.717
Mm-hmm.

00:55:30.958 --> 00:55:39.807
And really, initially it was only my intent to do this for a couple of years, and then I was gonna go back to being an entrepreneur and just start another business.

00:55:40.557 --> 00:55:50.938
And, but I discovered very quickly that everything I love about entrepreneurship, I can do through suicide prevention without all the stuff that I don't like.

00:55:51.688 --> 00:55:52.407
So.

00:55:52.902 --> 00:56:02.652
It's, it's basically at the end of the day, I, I, I get to spend all day, every day having fascinating conversations and solving problems.

00:56:02.713 --> 00:56:02.952
Yeah.

00:56:03.163 --> 00:56:04.603
And those are my two favorite things to do.

00:56:04.902 --> 00:56:04.992
Hmm.

00:56:05.563 --> 00:56:06.882
What was your security firm?

00:56:07.152 --> 00:56:07.663
Um.

00:56:08.023 --> 00:56:09.072
Precision security.

00:56:09.163 --> 00:56:09.643
Oh, sure.

00:56:09.733 --> 00:56:10.003
Yeah.

00:56:10.422 --> 00:56:13.003
And then I had, uh, Grizz Biz was another one.

00:56:13.003 --> 00:56:13.063
Yeah.

00:56:13.242 --> 00:56:15.882
And, uh, Greene was So, precision

00:56:15.882 --> 00:56:18.103
was pretty strong business at the time.

00:56:18.103 --> 00:56:18.313
Right?

00:56:18.342 --> 00:56:19.092
Well, still, yeah.

00:56:19.092 --> 00:56:20.623
They're they're going very strong now.

00:56:20.623 --> 00:56:20.682
Yeah.

00:56:20.713 --> 00:56:22.063
They're, they're all over.

00:56:22.632 --> 00:56:24.672
Um, so a and I started that company together.

00:56:25.063 --> 00:56:25.092
Okay.

00:56:25.092 --> 00:56:25.182
Yeah.

00:56:25.182 --> 00:56:26.742
And a couple of other guys were involved.

00:56:26.922 --> 00:56:28.693
Um, and then, um.

00:56:29.342 --> 00:56:34.083
I had, I had the first licensed marijuana security company in Colorado.

00:56:34.112 --> 00:56:34.713
Oh, that seems smart.

00:56:34.713 --> 00:56:35.882
And that was called Green Safe.

00:56:35.943 --> 00:56:36.273
Yeah.

00:56:36.632 --> 00:56:43.893
Um, also there was a time when, um, uh, marijuana companies couldn't use the banking system.

00:56:43.893 --> 00:56:44.103
Right.

00:56:44.103 --> 00:56:48.782
And so, um, there was a bank up here in Fort Collins that would Yeah.

00:56:48.782 --> 00:56:50.163
The one down there off college.

00:56:50.193 --> 00:56:51.092
Yeah, exactly.

00:56:51.092 --> 00:56:51.483
Or off,

00:56:51.483 --> 00:56:53.612
uh, uh, kind of boardwalk and harmony.

00:56:53.793 --> 00:56:54.452
Exactly.

00:56:54.512 --> 00:56:54.572
Yeah.

00:56:54.572 --> 00:56:57.092
And so I used to, uh,

00:56:58.172 --> 00:56:59.702
set up shell accounts or something.

00:56:59.733 --> 00:57:00.663
No, no.

00:57:00.663 --> 00:57:01.652
Nothing illegal.

00:57:01.652 --> 00:57:04.623
I used to, um, I used to run their money for them.

00:57:04.682 --> 00:57:05.012
Mm.

00:57:05.253 --> 00:57:14.492
I would go all over Denver, collect hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then run it up here to Fort Collins and deposit it for them.

00:57:14.552 --> 00:57:15.123
Interesting.

00:57:15.152 --> 00:57:15.333
Yep.

00:57:16.023 --> 00:57:16.623
Um.

00:57:17.063 --> 00:57:23.543
Probably, probably nice little, you know, doing things that other people are scared to do is a decent way to make a buck sometimes.

00:57:23.603 --> 00:57:24.112
Well, that's

00:57:24.202 --> 00:57:25.402
what the security industry's about.

00:57:25.672 --> 00:57:25.913
Yeah.

00:57:25.913 --> 00:57:26.632
To a certain extent.

00:57:26.813 --> 00:57:28.253
Well, there's different levels, right?

00:57:28.733 --> 00:57:38.963
Like it's different providing security at a mic waka show with a bunch of stoned hippies than it is carrying a half a million dollars in your semi armored truck.

00:57:39.472 --> 00:57:40.373
Yeah, fair enough.

00:57:40.373 --> 00:57:43.612
And spoiler alert, it was in my soft skin Subaru.

00:57:44.422 --> 00:57:44.842
Right,

00:57:46.163 --> 00:57:47.842
fair, fair enough there too.

00:57:48.353 --> 00:57:51.922
Um, okay, well thanks for, for sharing on that.

00:57:51.922 --> 00:58:04.913
And so you have really had, what, when you started the security company, was it just a couple of dudes and a, and a and a truck or like, what was that entrepreneurial journey like, if you don't mind me asking?

00:58:05.003 --> 00:58:08.902
Yeah, so I started by working for Pinkerton.

00:58:09.282 --> 00:58:10.393
Oh yeah, you've heard of them?

00:58:10.422 --> 00:58:10.842
I have.

00:58:11.172 --> 00:58:14.382
So for anyone who hasn't, um, I know.

00:58:14.532 --> 00:58:16.302
And so did is it will,

00:58:16.362 --> 00:58:17.503
that runs precision now.

00:58:17.563 --> 00:58:18.672
Will Wilford Yeah.

00:58:18.702 --> 00:58:18.882
Yeah.

00:58:18.943 --> 00:58:19.152
Yep.

00:58:19.152 --> 00:58:20.052
I know Will a little bit.

00:58:20.112 --> 00:58:20.233
Yeah.

00:58:20.233 --> 00:58:20.802
Will's a great guy.

00:58:20.862 --> 00:58:21.163
Yeah.

00:58:21.222 --> 00:58:21.432
Yep.

00:58:21.583 --> 00:58:21.913
Gotcha.

00:58:22.753 --> 00:58:35.563
So, uh, Pinkerton, uh, has been around since, uh, the late 18 hundreds and, um, is basically, it's named after a man, and he was the father of modern detective work.

00:58:35.623 --> 00:58:36.043
Interesting.

00:58:36.583 --> 00:58:42.612
Um, in fact, the first detective bureau in the United States was the NYPD.

00:58:43.483 --> 00:58:43.902
Okay.

00:58:44.023 --> 00:58:46.873
And NYPD has a very, very distinctive badge.

00:58:46.873 --> 00:58:48.222
It's called a sun flare.

00:58:48.373 --> 00:58:48.793
Okay.

00:58:48.882 --> 00:58:54.313
And then, um, and then you have this, the, the state seal in the middle and then, and then a little rectangle on the bottom.

00:58:54.492 --> 00:58:54.853
Okay.

00:58:55.182 --> 00:58:59.893
So that is a, a, a dead copy of a Pinkerton badge.

00:59:00.043 --> 00:59:00.552
Interesting.

00:59:00.672 --> 00:59:00.972
Yeah.

00:59:01.063 --> 00:59:02.682
A nod to, to the Pinkerton.

00:59:02.802 --> 00:59:03.103
Yeah.

00:59:03.492 --> 00:59:03.583
Cool.

00:59:03.583 --> 00:59:08.833
So, because Pinkerton stood up NYPD Detective Bureau after he stood up Scotland Yard.

00:59:08.862 --> 00:59:08.983
Huh.

00:59:09.733 --> 00:59:10.182
Wild.

00:59:10.273 --> 00:59:10.452
Yeah.

00:59:10.543 --> 00:59:10.932
Okay.

00:59:11.472 --> 00:59:16.242
Um, and so that's where you learned your stripes, really learn the craft, if you will, the trade craft.

00:59:16.422 --> 00:59:19.813
That's, uh, where, well, I'd say the Marine Corps, right?

00:59:19.813 --> 00:59:20.172
Yeah.

00:59:20.532 --> 00:59:23.773
Uh, taught me the craft, uh, Pinkerton is where I applied it.

00:59:23.922 --> 00:59:24.523
Yes, yes.

00:59:24.523 --> 00:59:24.853
Fair.

00:59:25.063 --> 00:59:25.362
Yeah.

00:59:25.422 --> 00:59:31.932
That was the, uh, legal state side application of some of those skills, or at least, uh, understandings.

00:59:31.963 --> 00:59:35.893
So that's how I got my start in the security industry, was providing services to them.

00:59:36.043 --> 00:59:36.402
Gotcha.

00:59:36.523 --> 00:59:36.702
Yep.

00:59:37.003 --> 00:59:44.592
And then, uh, and when you, did you launch then, the precision security, was that a, were you a founder of that or part early partner?

00:59:44.773 --> 00:59:45.077
Yeah, I was.

00:59:45.237 --> 00:59:50.652
I was, uh, one of, uh, four guys I think at the time that were involved.

00:59:50.713 --> 00:59:50.952
Yeah.

00:59:51.043 --> 00:59:51.463
Um.

00:59:52.608 --> 00:59:54.318
Then, uh, yeah, we stood that up.

00:59:54.318 --> 01:00:06.858
Really the story is, um, so I was, I was doing contracts with Pinkerton and then, um, I met this guy and he was running a bouncing company, so he was doing bar security, right.

01:00:07.307 --> 01:00:10.907
So I would have huge gaps in between my Pinkerton contracts.

01:00:10.938 --> 01:00:13.307
So I would go work bar security from him.

01:00:13.307 --> 01:00:13.757
Gotcha.

01:00:13.878 --> 01:00:16.637
And then if I had a contract where I needed more guys Right.

01:00:16.637 --> 01:00:18.347
I would use him and his best guys.

01:00:18.353 --> 01:00:18.797
Right, right.

01:00:18.978 --> 01:00:27.588
But what would end up happening is, is we would come together and I would work for him for like a month and he'd write me a check for like.

01:00:27.943 --> 01:00:29.083
A couple grand or something.

01:00:29.083 --> 01:00:29.293
Right.

01:00:29.443 --> 01:00:33.177
He'd worked for me for like one, one operation, well, one week.

01:00:33.177 --> 01:00:38.833
And I, I'd write him like one day, like one day, and I'd write him a check for several grand.

01:00:39.552 --> 01:00:45.373
So we, we really quickly found out, figured out that, that the, the money was in the higher end security.

01:00:45.402 --> 01:00:45.702
Right.

01:00:46.032 --> 01:00:48.523
And, and, and we needed to go after those contracts.

01:00:48.552 --> 01:00:54.913
And so that's when we started Precision Security was because we wanted a more reputable name Yeah.

01:00:55.273 --> 01:00:58.182
Than what he was using, which was Big Al's security.

01:00:58.242 --> 01:00:58.393
Oh

01:00:58.393 --> 01:00:58.813
sure.

01:00:58.873 --> 01:00:59.233
Right.

01:00:59.237 --> 01:00:59.458
Yeah.

01:00:59.458 --> 01:00:59.617
Yeah.

01:00:59.623 --> 01:01:03.253
And so, so we wanted something that could go after those bigger contracts.

01:01:03.342 --> 01:01:04.422
So thats how Precision.

01:01:04.483 --> 01:01:05.083
Oh, that's cool.

01:01:05.112 --> 01:01:08.657
Uh, got named and became about, and former military guys and stuff like that.

01:01:08.657 --> 01:01:09.012
Yeah, absolutely.

01:01:09.018 --> 01:01:09.097
Yeah.

01:01:09.103 --> 01:01:09.222
Yeah.

01:01:09.222 --> 01:01:09.402
Cool.

01:01:09.402 --> 01:01:09.853
Absolutely.

01:01:10.273 --> 01:01:10.632
I dig it.

01:01:10.813 --> 01:01:10.992
Yeah.

01:01:11.143 --> 01:01:11.773
Um.

01:01:12.072 --> 01:01:17.202
We have a fun game that I love, games our contestants play.

01:01:17.262 --> 01:01:18.043
It's not really a contest.

01:01:18.043 --> 01:01:18.612
What do I win?

01:01:18.972 --> 01:01:20.682
Um, fun.

01:01:21.072 --> 01:01:21.972
Unlimited fun.

01:01:22.543 --> 01:01:27.132
So you're gonna pick three of these ping pong balls outta here, and they're all each attached to questions.

01:01:27.137 --> 01:01:27.947
Totally randomized questions.

01:01:27.947 --> 01:01:29.202
Oh, this does sound like unlimited fun.

01:01:29.202 --> 01:01:29.682
All right, let's do it.

01:01:29.922 --> 01:01:30.463
Grab three.

01:01:34.242 --> 01:01:34.483
All right.

01:01:34.483 --> 01:01:35.083
13.

01:01:36.132 --> 01:01:36.882
13.

01:01:38.922 --> 01:01:43.362
What is a book, movie or podcast that's had a significant impact on you?

01:01:45.523 --> 01:01:47.893
Oh, uh, rethinking Suicide.

01:01:48.163 --> 01:01:48.402
Hmm.

01:01:48.943 --> 01:01:49.512
Uh.

01:01:51.628 --> 01:01:51.958
Okay.

01:01:52.077 --> 01:01:52.257
By

01:01:52.257 --> 01:01:52.858
some author.

01:01:53.487 --> 01:01:54.478
You can find it with the Google.

01:01:54.568 --> 01:01:54.838
Yeah.

01:01:54.838 --> 01:01:55.557
Sorry guys.

01:01:55.617 --> 01:01:55.978
Sorry.

01:01:55.978 --> 01:01:57.027
Don't have it off the top of my head.

01:01:57.027 --> 01:01:58.347
Rethinking Suicide.

01:01:58.588 --> 01:02:01.288
Also a Tribe by Sebastian Younger.

01:02:01.617 --> 01:02:02.007
Okay.

01:02:02.157 --> 01:02:13.737
Um, those two books together are, are a lot of the ethos and backbone in Combat Recovery Foundation.

01:02:13.797 --> 01:02:13.827
Okay.

01:02:13.827 --> 01:02:23.307
And it's where evidence-based and effective comes from because both of those books are lay out in really, really evidential detail.

01:02:23.487 --> 01:02:23.637
Yeah.

01:02:23.668 --> 01:02:34.018
How the suicide prevention apparatus that currently exists does not work and is not built to work.

01:02:34.083 --> 01:02:34.202
Hmm.

01:02:34.557 --> 01:02:37.347
And that it is absolutely.

01:02:38.338 --> 01:02:42.057
Evidential that we need to adjust our approach.

01:02:42.117 --> 01:02:44.068
It's counterproductive almost.

01:02:44.157 --> 01:02:44.818
Exactly.

01:02:45.478 --> 01:02:49.407
Well, is it as effective as the homelessness prevention stuff in California?

01:02:49.467 --> 01:02:51.478
I would definitely compare the two

01:02:52.612 --> 01:02:53.097
I I.

01:02:53.577 --> 01:02:54.177
You,

01:02:54.597 --> 01:02:55.677
I mean, it sets up a thing.

01:02:55.708 --> 01:02:56.757
You, you, that's the thing.

01:02:56.757 --> 01:03:01.168
A few hundred bureaucrats making$250,000 a year, it's gonna be hard to fix it.

01:03:01.168 --> 01:03:01.498
The pro

01:03:01.827 --> 01:03:02.847
it's your, your spot on.

01:03:02.847 --> 01:03:06.148
The problem is you've created an industry around a problem.

01:03:06.148 --> 01:03:09.568
An industry always likes to grow.

01:03:09.592 --> 01:03:09.813
Yep,

01:03:11.518 --> 01:03:11.788
yep.

01:03:11.878 --> 01:03:13.108
Um, yeah.

01:03:13.288 --> 01:03:13.527
Yep.

01:03:13.797 --> 01:03:16.318
It's a, it's a struggle of economics in some ways.

01:03:16.407 --> 01:03:16.557
Yep.

01:03:16.858 --> 01:03:17.728
Let's do number two.

01:03:19.168 --> 01:03:19.527
I like it.

01:03:19.768 --> 01:03:20.248
19.

01:03:20.487 --> 01:03:21.148
19.

01:03:25.498 --> 01:03:26.518
What's your go-to?

01:03:26.518 --> 01:03:33.867
Excuse when you want to get out of plans with someone if you have that?

01:03:38.382 --> 01:03:40.902
You are gonna tip your hand for future excuses.

01:03:40.963 --> 01:03:41.143
So

01:03:41.143 --> 01:03:41.652
here's the thing.

01:03:42.853 --> 01:03:45.762
Alright, so this is gonna be a long answer.

01:03:45.943 --> 01:03:46.152
Okay?

01:03:46.302 --> 01:03:46.543
Okay.

01:03:46.663 --> 01:03:47.023
I'm ready.

01:03:47.833 --> 01:04:00.163
So the most effective, scary movies don't show the monster because you are way better at scaring yourself.

01:04:00.193 --> 01:04:00.623
Yeah, yeah.

01:04:00.702 --> 01:04:01.242
Than they are.

01:04:01.722 --> 01:04:05.952
So they just, they just put the information out there and let you make your own monster.

01:04:07.152 --> 01:04:10.572
So you're like, something comes up or something's come up.

01:04:10.782 --> 01:04:12.282
So I, I gotta catch up to you later.

01:04:12.313 --> 01:04:18.342
I just say no, and then I let them create the excuse for me.

01:04:20.503 --> 01:04:21.253
Just no.

01:04:21.257 --> 01:04:21.527
Yeah.

01:04:22.228 --> 01:04:24.358
Not even, not even something's come up.

01:04:24.867 --> 01:04:25.288
Uh,

01:04:25.347 --> 01:04:28.708
I am a, I'm a huge fan of single syllable answers.

01:04:29.398 --> 01:04:29.818
Okay.

01:04:30.117 --> 01:04:35.097
And, um, yeah, uh, brevity is the soul of wit.

01:04:36.148 --> 01:04:37.018
What's your last number?

01:04:40.887 --> 01:04:44.938
61, 16 or, uh, sorry.

01:04:44.967 --> 01:04:45.538
91?

01:04:45.927 --> 01:04:46.588
No, it's 16.

01:04:50.007 --> 01:04:51.327
Eh, that one's boring.

01:04:51.507 --> 01:04:51.867
All right.

01:04:51.927 --> 01:04:52.407
Pick, pick.

01:04:52.648 --> 01:04:53.307
Oh, wait.

01:04:53.338 --> 01:04:53.967
Quick question.

01:04:54.057 --> 01:04:54.418
Sure.

01:04:55.617 --> 01:04:57.177
What's your favorite question on that list?

01:04:58.077 --> 01:04:58.557
Hmm.

01:05:01.498 --> 01:05:11.307
Um, you know, I don't know if I know for sure my favorite, but the one that I thought about just there was, um, what would you estimate your burp to fart ratio to be?

01:05:12.057 --> 01:05:12.237
Yeah.

01:05:12.237 --> 01:05:12.838
I'm not gonna answer that.

01:05:13.273 --> 01:05:13.552
Okay.

01:05:15.612 --> 01:05:20.277
Um, I'm gonna just find this one.

01:05:23.637 --> 01:05:24.628
Oh, this is a fun one.

01:05:25.648 --> 01:05:27.748
Yeah, this is, I, I like this question a lot actually.

01:05:27.838 --> 01:05:29.277
Uh, what's your death row meal?

01:05:30.418 --> 01:05:34.557
Like your, your last meal, you get anything you want with a great chef.

01:05:34.677 --> 01:05:37.557
Uh, as many courses as you desire.

01:05:38.757 --> 01:05:42.407
Um, but you're getting killed in two hours or three hours, depending on how long it takes you to finish.

01:05:42.422 --> 01:05:42.717
I get

01:05:42.717 --> 01:05:43.737
as many horses as I want.

01:05:44.217 --> 01:05:44.668
Yeah.

01:05:44.757 --> 01:05:45.597
Alright, we'll strap in.

01:05:45.628 --> 01:05:46.887
I want the 86 courses.

01:05:46.887 --> 01:05:50.697
We're gonna, we're gonna do, we're gonna do a, a seared scallop over gra Mm.

01:05:50.788 --> 01:05:53.637
And then we're gonna move into, um, just one

01:05:53.637 --> 01:05:53.938
because

01:05:53.938 --> 01:05:54.898
we don't wanna waste space.

01:05:54.927 --> 01:05:55.137
Yes.

01:05:55.137 --> 01:05:55.467
The ammo bo.

01:05:55.737 --> 01:05:55.947
Right.

01:05:56.277 --> 01:05:59.398
And then, and then probably go to a steak tartar.

01:05:59.788 --> 01:06:04.378
Uh, I prefer that over carpaccio and then probably a, um.

01:06:04.483 --> 01:06:05.983
An arugula salad.

01:06:06.163 --> 01:06:06.432
Mm-hmm.

01:06:06.672 --> 01:06:07.992
Then I'm gonna go to, with a

01:06:07.992 --> 01:06:09.523
little balsamic or something like that.

01:06:09.523 --> 01:06:09.583
Yeah.

01:06:09.583 --> 01:06:10.003
Probably some

01:06:10.003 --> 01:06:12.913
vol, balsamic, little freeze just for the look.

01:06:12.972 --> 01:06:13.333
Right.

01:06:13.393 --> 01:06:20.293
And then I think like some, um, some, uh, roasted beets, but like, but like chopped, like brunoise, super small.

01:06:20.293 --> 01:06:20.413
Okay.

01:06:20.472 --> 01:06:20.742
Right.

01:06:20.742 --> 01:06:22.063
And sprinkled out over the top.

01:06:22.123 --> 01:06:25.302
And then, oh, probably, uh, candied pecans.

01:06:25.693 --> 01:06:25.722
Ooh.

01:06:26.532 --> 01:06:34.032
And then, um, we're gonna go into a, uh, a reverse seared, um, ribeye.

01:06:34.483 --> 01:06:35.413
Okay.

01:06:35.418 --> 01:06:41.143
Fingerling, potatoes, broccoli, and, uh, broccoli.

01:06:41.382 --> 01:06:42.313
Asparagus, chimichurri.

01:06:42.463 --> 01:06:42.913
Yeah.

01:06:43.483 --> 01:06:43.813
Yeah.

01:06:43.842 --> 01:06:45.253
Does asparagus make you pee funny?

01:06:45.612 --> 01:06:46.753
It makes everyone pee funny.

01:06:46.782 --> 01:06:48.432
No, but there's pee smell funny.

01:06:48.702 --> 01:06:52.572
No, it doesn't like 20, 20% of people, it does not make their pee smell funny.

01:06:52.632 --> 01:06:53.472
Oh yeah.

01:06:53.563 --> 01:06:54.163
Fascinating.

01:06:54.163 --> 01:06:54.492
Yeah.

01:06:54.972 --> 01:06:55.422
Broccoli.

01:06:55.693 --> 01:06:55.963
Um,

01:06:55.992 --> 01:06:58.572
and then is that why you don't like asparagus though?

01:06:58.632 --> 01:06:59.202
No, I just

01:06:59.322 --> 01:07:00.072
like broccoli.

01:07:00.072 --> 01:07:00.672
Just, alright,

01:07:01.123 --> 01:07:01.422
then

01:07:01.722 --> 01:07:02.233
we'll move on.

01:07:02.322 --> 01:07:03.793
Um, oh, creme brulee.

01:07:03.822 --> 01:07:04.092
No, no.

01:07:04.092 --> 01:07:04.842
Not creme brulee.

01:07:04.902 --> 01:07:05.563
Uh, tiramisu.

01:07:06.193 --> 01:07:07.213
You could have both if you wanted.

01:07:07.543 --> 01:07:12.222
Probably gonna go with both And then, and then I guess I'll, I'll, I'll just have some cheesecake too,'cause why not?

01:07:12.253 --> 01:07:16.393
Well, and maybe like a nice, um, nice bright coffee.

01:07:16.452 --> 01:07:17.413
You know what they say, right?

01:07:17.413 --> 01:07:17.623
Yeah.

01:07:17.682 --> 01:07:20.472
You'd never wanna go to the electric chair in an empty stomach.

01:07:20.472 --> 01:07:21.402
No, no.

01:07:22.032 --> 01:07:23.083
Not on a full stomach

01:07:23.083 --> 01:07:23.322
either.

01:07:23.322 --> 01:07:23.833
Probably.

01:07:23.833 --> 01:07:24.072
But

01:07:24.612 --> 01:07:26.143
that's, that's someone else's problem.

01:07:26.172 --> 01:07:34.813
So, um, preferred method of, um, execution if, if you had to choose.

01:07:34.842 --> 01:07:37.003
Fucking fascinating answer or question.

01:07:37.032 --> 01:07:37.182
Yeah.

01:07:37.242 --> 01:07:38.172
Fascinating question.

01:07:38.382 --> 01:07:38.623
Okay.

01:07:39.253 --> 01:07:39.762
Preferred.

01:07:40.617 --> 01:07:43.288
Method of execution would be firing squad.

01:07:43.918 --> 01:07:44.307
Okay.

01:07:44.367 --> 01:07:45.177
Live by the gun.

01:07:45.177 --> 01:07:45.898
Die by the gun.

01:07:45.958 --> 01:07:47.007
I kinda like that.

01:07:47.458 --> 01:07:53.038
Um, and like the cool thing about a firing squad is like, not everybody has a bullet, right?

01:07:53.818 --> 01:07:54.987
Like only three or four of'em.

01:07:55.018 --> 01:07:55.257
Yeah.

01:07:55.438 --> 01:07:56.128
That's the cool thing.

01:07:56.128 --> 01:07:56.277
So

01:07:56.277 --> 01:08:02.307
you could well, but if you're, that, if you're the executioner and you chop somebody's head off, like you damn well know you chopped their head off.

01:08:02.338 --> 01:08:02.938
Right.

01:08:03.057 --> 01:08:08.068
But if you're a 21 gun firing squad and only three people actually have live bullets, you're like,

01:08:08.277 --> 01:08:08.608
eh,

01:08:09.987 --> 01:08:11.277
you know, six outta seven chance.

01:08:11.277 --> 01:08:11.938
It wasn't me.

01:08:11.967 --> 01:08:12.507
Totally.

01:08:13.527 --> 01:08:13.547
You know?

01:08:13.547 --> 01:08:13.693
Yeah.

01:08:13.693 --> 01:08:14.788
So you don't have to feel bad.

01:08:14.818 --> 01:08:14.907
Yeah.

01:08:15.177 --> 01:08:15.387
Let, let's, let's

01:08:15.387 --> 01:08:16.917
get that plausible deniability in there.

01:08:16.917 --> 01:08:17.368
Although

01:08:17.608 --> 01:08:20.637
if you're the guy that shot him, you would know it.

01:08:20.967 --> 01:08:21.358
Okay.

01:08:21.358 --> 01:08:21.658
Right.

01:08:21.722 --> 01:08:24.807
Also, like you could tell when you're, the, yours is the bullet that hits the thing.

01:08:24.837 --> 01:08:24.927
I

01:08:24.927 --> 01:08:31.377
just, I really feel like that should be a question on the application to become an executioner.

01:08:32.158 --> 01:08:34.797
Is, is, do you need.

01:08:35.847 --> 01:08:45.747
To have plausible deniability around the fact that you executed a person because Im, or do you find in it, maybe if you find joy in maybe different career field, maybe different career field,

01:08:46.648 --> 01:08:48.747
but do you really want people to find joy in it

01:08:49.137 --> 01:08:50.097
to be on your team?

01:08:50.158 --> 01:08:56.037
I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm thinking maybe we just need to go somewhere in the middle, kind of the more emotional kind of people.

01:08:56.037 --> 01:08:59.297
Like, like, not like I'm enjoying it, but also not like it just doing my job.

01:08:59.297 --> 01:09:00.028
It's gonna destroy my world.

01:09:00.057 --> 01:09:00.177
Yeah.

01:09:00.177 --> 01:09:02.278
Maybe we find people who could just, I

01:09:03.028 --> 01:09:03.537
Wow.

01:09:03.717 --> 01:09:05.728
Who have ethical, like, weird conversation.

01:09:05.847 --> 01:09:06.087
Yeah.

01:09:06.087 --> 01:09:10.318
Um, so you're wearing a wedding ring.

01:09:10.408 --> 01:09:11.488
You, you married guy?

01:09:11.608 --> 01:09:13.797
Yes, I have found a woman to tolerate me.

01:09:13.887 --> 01:09:14.337
When,

01:09:14.337 --> 01:09:15.207
when did you find her?

01:09:15.278 --> 01:09:16.028
Uh, 2012.

01:09:16.358 --> 01:09:16.807
Okay.

01:09:16.898 --> 01:09:17.137
Yeah.

01:09:17.228 --> 01:09:19.177
And she is tolerated you for all this time.

01:09:19.182 --> 01:09:19.462
Yeah.

01:09:19.478 --> 01:09:19.717
Yeah.

01:09:19.717 --> 01:09:20.978
She is a rock.

01:09:21.007 --> 01:09:24.127
She is absolutely an amazing woman.

01:09:24.217 --> 01:09:30.427
And, um, I, I, I couldn't do what I do without her being supportive of that.

01:09:30.518 --> 01:09:30.698
Hmm.

01:09:31.028 --> 01:09:36.068
Um, I walked away from a super, super lucrative career to do this.

01:09:36.068 --> 01:09:36.398
Yeah.

01:09:36.398 --> 01:09:37.297
And, um, this isn't

01:09:37.297 --> 01:09:38.287
super, super lucrative.

01:09:38.318 --> 01:09:38.528
No,

01:09:38.677 --> 01:09:39.097
not yet.

01:09:39.097 --> 01:09:39.457
Anyway.

01:09:39.518 --> 01:09:41.198
It's, it, it, it, it can't be.

01:09:41.257 --> 01:09:42.127
Does she work too?

01:09:42.127 --> 01:09:43.387
I guess by, by definition it can't be.

01:09:43.387 --> 01:09:44.108
Yeah, she works.

01:09:44.603 --> 01:09:47.872
Um, so you're keeping the, keeping the lights on and stuff like that?

01:09:47.962 --> 01:09:51.863
Yeah, no, I, I mean, I mean, we're, we're set up to be, to function.

01:09:51.893 --> 01:09:52.552
You're live and lean.

01:09:52.552 --> 01:09:59.393
But the point is that, that I, I walked away from a lot of money to do this, and she is in support of that.

01:09:59.393 --> 01:09:59.512
Yeah.

01:09:59.512 --> 01:10:02.212
And that is really nice.

01:10:02.273 --> 01:10:02.903
Yeah, for

01:10:02.903 --> 01:10:03.262
sure.

01:10:03.592 --> 01:10:12.533
Um, I had a similar experience, you know, I was a$80,000,$85,000 plus bonus banker, you know, 12 years ago.

01:10:13.403 --> 01:10:17.813
And, uh, you know, that's still a little higher than my salary today.

01:10:17.872 --> 01:10:20.422
Um, and gosh, I'm having a lot more fun.

01:10:20.932 --> 01:10:21.533
That's the idea.

01:10:21.773 --> 01:10:24.292
Um, and does this person have a name?

01:10:24.653 --> 01:10:24.863
Yeah.

01:10:24.863 --> 01:10:25.313
Corey.

01:10:25.627 --> 01:10:26.182
Hey Corey.

01:10:26.813 --> 01:10:27.172
Hi Corey.

01:10:27.262 --> 01:10:28.972
And, uh, what's your favorite thing about

01:10:28.972 --> 01:10:29.332
her?

01:10:30.832 --> 01:10:37.432
Her, um, mellowness and, uh, she doesn't blame shift.

01:10:38.182 --> 01:10:41.273
Um, she, she accepts responsibility.

01:10:41.483 --> 01:10:41.693
Yeah.

01:10:41.903 --> 01:10:42.893
For what she does.

01:10:44.603 --> 01:10:59.842
She can, you can have a conversation with her about a thing that might not be completely comfortable without her freaking out, losing her mind, thinking that she's under attack, deflecting, bringing all this like trauma drama to the table.

01:10:59.962 --> 01:11:00.082
Yeah.

01:11:00.082 --> 01:11:01.972
We, we can just be like, Hey, that bothered me.

01:11:01.972 --> 01:11:02.993
And she could be like, oh, okay.

01:11:02.993 --> 01:11:03.863
What bothered you about it?

01:11:03.863 --> 01:11:06.443
And I'd be like this, I'd be like, oh, well I'll make this adjustment.

01:11:06.443 --> 01:11:06.983
I'd be like, thanks.

01:11:07.193 --> 01:11:07.342
Okay.

01:11:07.342 --> 01:11:08.153
How can I adjust?

01:11:08.153 --> 01:11:10.582
And so it's, it's a really collaborative relationship.

01:11:10.582 --> 01:11:11.932
It feels like we're on one team.

01:11:12.143 --> 01:11:12.353
Yeah.

01:11:12.637 --> 01:11:15.502
And, and, and I've been in a lot of relationships where that's not the case.

01:11:15.502 --> 01:11:15.983
We, uh,

01:11:15.983 --> 01:11:17.813
my wife and I call ourselves Team bear.

01:11:18.082 --> 01:11:18.443
Yeah.

01:11:18.533 --> 01:11:21.893
You know, just to cement that notion that we are on the same team.

01:11:21.922 --> 01:11:22.523
I love that.

01:11:22.882 --> 01:11:23.603
I love that team.

01:11:23.603 --> 01:11:25.372
Spring doesn't have quite the same.

01:11:25.953 --> 01:11:27.332
Ring to it, but it's pretty cool.

01:11:27.393 --> 01:11:28.113
Yeah, it works.

01:11:28.203 --> 01:11:28.863
It's dream springing.

01:11:28.953 --> 01:11:31.143
It's um, yeah, it could be dream springing team.

01:11:31.143 --> 01:11:31.712
Dream spring.

01:11:31.893 --> 01:11:32.222
Totally.

01:11:32.252 --> 01:11:32.733
We'll go with that.

01:11:32.733 --> 01:11:33.243
Spring dream.

01:11:33.393 --> 01:11:33.603
Yep.

01:11:34.743 --> 01:11:40.472
Um, do you, uh, know why she has stuck around with you since 2012?

01:11:40.472 --> 01:11:42.422
Do you have theories or does she tell you Sometimes

01:11:42.573 --> 01:11:49.832
I think that she's a glutton for punishment, discomfort, likes adventure and mystery.

01:11:50.103 --> 01:11:50.372
Yeah.

01:11:50.703 --> 01:11:50.912
Yeah.

01:11:50.917 --> 01:11:51.887
She, she just, she just

01:11:51.887 --> 01:11:53.552
hates it when, like, two days are the same.

01:11:54.153 --> 01:12:00.722
So as we speak right now, um, we're gonna flash into the current events segment as we speak.

01:12:00.722 --> 01:12:05.252
We're in like day 12 or 14 of the US government shutdown.

01:12:05.943 --> 01:12:09.872
Um, I dunno if you noticed, I, I mean, does it affect you?

01:12:10.023 --> 01:12:10.233
No.

01:12:10.592 --> 01:12:13.052
It doesn't affect your retirement pay or anything like that?

01:12:13.052 --> 01:12:16.023
Or do you get pay after four years in military or you don't get Nothing really.

01:12:16.028 --> 01:12:16.563
It, it doesn't affect

01:12:16.563 --> 01:12:16.682
me

01:12:16.893 --> 01:12:18.813
$187 a month or something like that.

01:12:18.813 --> 01:12:18.972
Like the,

01:12:19.113 --> 01:12:20.432
the government shutdown doesn't affect me.

01:12:21.122 --> 01:12:21.993
Well, it, that's the thing.

01:12:21.993 --> 01:12:24.603
It doesn't really seem to affect most people unless it really affects you.

01:12:25.207 --> 01:12:25.988
Yeah, I don't, right.

01:12:26.108 --> 01:12:32.108
I don't, I I, I am perfectly happy with the government being a shutdown as much as possible for as long as possible.

01:12:32.233 --> 01:12:36.427
The go, the government's purpose is to create problems and not solve them.

01:12:37.148 --> 01:12:41.137
And so as long as they're not operational, they're not causing problems.

01:12:41.198 --> 01:12:41.828
Fair.

01:12:42.368 --> 01:12:42.608
Okay.

01:12:42.967 --> 01:12:43.268
Alright.

01:12:43.268 --> 01:12:44.467
We're gonna get along just fine.

01:12:45.818 --> 01:12:50.377
Um, talk to me about, uh, like war.

01:12:51.127 --> 01:12:51.457
Okay.

01:12:51.547 --> 01:12:59.528
Um, Trump was apparently narrowly edged out by, uh, a lady we never heard about from Venezuela for the Nobel Peace Prize recently.

01:12:59.677 --> 01:13:02.347
You think that was, uh, uh, appropriate?

01:13:03.337 --> 01:13:04.328
I don't, didn't, didn't know.

01:13:04.328 --> 01:13:05.438
Notice it, have any information on that.

01:13:05.443 --> 01:13:06.007
He was lobbying.

01:13:06.007 --> 01:13:07.478
You can't really lobby for it and get it.

01:13:07.478 --> 01:13:08.707
That's also a truth too.

01:13:09.127 --> 01:13:09.488
No.

01:13:09.488 --> 01:13:13.868
Um, but what do you think about like, right now, the hot news, right?

01:13:13.868 --> 01:13:14.137
A week.

01:13:14.318 --> 01:13:16.957
A week, not even a week old is the Israel.

01:13:17.677 --> 01:13:19.507
Palestine ceasefire thing.

01:13:19.537 --> 01:13:19.627
Mm-hmm.

01:13:19.898 --> 01:13:21.997
Any, any reflections on that?

01:13:21.997 --> 01:13:26.858
Should the US military be involved in peacekeeping in the future over there?

01:13:28.177 --> 01:13:33.728
'cause it doesn't seem like either of those guys can keep their heads on straight, uh, when left together.

01:13:33.922 --> 01:13:34.212
Yeah.

01:13:36.863 --> 01:13:37.868
I'll ask you anything.

01:13:38.018 --> 01:13:39.247
This is a hard show.

01:13:40.177 --> 01:13:43.957
We've got a very powerful military.

01:13:45.007 --> 01:13:47.228
We have the first and second largest armies.

01:13:47.228 --> 01:13:49.957
We have the first, second, and third largest air forces.

01:13:49.957 --> 01:13:52.087
We have the first, second, and third largest navys.

01:13:52.717 --> 01:13:55.807
Would you say first, second, and third, like we've got multiple army divisions.

01:13:55.807 --> 01:13:57.457
That would all be the biggest ones, or remember?

01:13:57.457 --> 01:13:57.518
No.

01:13:57.698 --> 01:14:00.188
So the largest navy in the world is owned by the army.

01:14:00.787 --> 01:14:03.278
The largest air force in the world is owned by the Navy.

01:14:03.757 --> 01:14:04.207
Gotcha.

01:14:04.358 --> 01:14:13.837
The, uh, largest, uh, the second largest navy in the world is the United States Navy.

01:14:14.768 --> 01:14:17.287
The third largest navy in the world is the United States Marine Corps.

01:14:17.573 --> 01:14:17.693
Hmm.

01:14:17.948 --> 01:14:21.247
The second largest Air force in the world is the US Air Force.

01:14:21.247 --> 01:14:24.488
The third largest Air force in the world is the U US Marine Corps or the US Army.

01:14:24.488 --> 01:14:26.078
And the fourth is US Marine Corps.

01:14:26.497 --> 01:14:29.587
The first largest army is the Army, and the second largest army is the Marine Corps.

01:14:29.978 --> 01:14:33.037
The, the, in terms of people or in terms of like Yeah.

01:14:33.097 --> 01:14:34.537
People, weapons and stuff.

01:14:34.717 --> 01:14:36.578
Especially so, so let me, lemme break this up.

01:14:36.637 --> 01:14:39.938
The Army has more boats than the US Navy.

01:14:40.328 --> 01:14:40.627
Wow.

01:14:40.778 --> 01:14:49.478
The US Navy has more boats than the US Marine Corps, and the US Marine Corps has more boats than any other military in the world.

01:14:49.537 --> 01:14:49.957
Oh shit.

01:14:50.557 --> 01:14:58.148
The, and I, I could be, I could be a little bit off on this, but I'm pretty sure the Army has more aircraft than the Air Force.

01:14:58.747 --> 01:14:59.047
Really?

01:14:59.047 --> 01:15:00.488
Aircraft has a second amount.

01:15:00.997 --> 01:15:01.818
Most aircraft Oh.

01:15:01.818 --> 01:15:01.858
Because they've got, got

01:15:02.618 --> 01:15:02.807
so many helicopters,

01:15:02.807 --> 01:15:08.262
especially, and, and the Navy has the third amount, most aircraft and the Marine Corps has the fourth amount most aircraft Wow.

01:15:08.262 --> 01:15:09.247
In the world.

01:15:09.278 --> 01:15:12.547
And then after that, we look at foreign nations and their.

01:15:12.938 --> 01:15:14.408
Military sizes fair.

01:15:14.408 --> 01:15:14.707
Right?

01:15:15.068 --> 01:15:27.307
So we, we have more people in, we have the same number of people in the, in the US Army than, uh, lemme back up.

01:15:28.177 --> 01:15:31.597
We have more people in the US military than there are in Australia.

01:15:32.408 --> 01:15:35.408
So should we like so downsize our military.

01:15:35.408 --> 01:15:37.837
So the point, do we need that much excess capacity?

01:15:37.837 --> 01:15:50.978
The point that I'm making is that the, the US military possesses massive unmatched capacity to achieve mission.

01:15:51.757 --> 01:15:51.997
Okay.

01:15:53.618 --> 01:15:59.738
What missions we achieve and how we go about achieving it, and whether or not we should Yeah.

01:15:59.917 --> 01:16:01.358
Is the question totally.

01:16:02.377 --> 01:16:12.068
But the bottom line is if there is an unsolvable problem on this planet, the US military is the most equipped group to address that.

01:16:13.627 --> 01:16:13.837
Okay.

01:16:14.528 --> 01:16:14.858
Alright.

01:16:16.417 --> 01:16:31.268
Um, so that, that problem seems the most unsolvable, like the Russia, Ukraine thing seems a little more solvable with conventional means in some ways because the, I don't know, maybe not.

01:16:31.688 --> 01:16:33.188
'cause the Ukrainians are pretty crazy.

01:16:33.307 --> 01:16:35.047
Uh, they were, everybody's crazy.

01:16:35.078 --> 01:16:35.467
Right?

01:16:35.587 --> 01:16:37.837
Except for me and you and I'm not so sure about you.

01:16:40.507 --> 01:16:41.108
What's the question?

01:16:41.497 --> 01:16:42.337
There isn't a question.

01:16:42.337 --> 01:16:43.148
It was a joke.

01:16:43.207 --> 01:16:43.417
Okay.

01:16:43.898 --> 01:16:45.127
You like that one though, kind of, right?

01:16:45.938 --> 01:16:48.997
Um, what would you like to ask me?

01:16:58.268 --> 01:17:00.518
What do you want this podcast to turn into?

01:17:01.448 --> 01:17:01.747
Hmm.

01:17:03.847 --> 01:17:07.747
You know, um, a, uh, a, a cash.

01:17:08.363 --> 01:17:09.773
Machine would be perfect.

01:17:10.042 --> 01:17:10.912
Um, so you wanna

01:17:10.912 --> 01:17:11.422
monetize,

01:17:11.693 --> 01:17:13.493
eh, no, I mean, yeah.

01:17:13.552 --> 01:17:13.733
Yeah.

01:17:13.823 --> 01:17:14.212
It'd be nice

01:17:14.212 --> 01:17:14.752
to monetize it.

01:17:14.813 --> 01:17:16.432
What's your shortest path to monetization?

01:17:17.507 --> 01:17:18.983
I, I don't want to do this again.

01:17:19.462 --> 01:17:19.672
Oh.

01:17:19.733 --> 01:17:20.573
Um, alright.

01:17:20.632 --> 01:17:21.502
I won't ask you a question, sir.

01:17:21.502 --> 01:17:24.832
Yeah, I, that it just doesn't seem like the right format for it.

01:17:25.313 --> 01:17:25.717
Um, you,

01:17:25.733 --> 01:17:27.622
you did ask me to ask you questions.

01:17:27.622 --> 01:17:32.783
The short, the shortest path to monetization would be, I suppose, sponsorships and, and more listenerships.

01:17:33.443 --> 01:17:41.393
Um, but it also might include like, not doing a long form because then you get a lot more listenerships and have a lot more higher chance.

01:17:41.393 --> 01:17:44.962
And I don't wanna not do a long form, so, you know, I kinda wanna do what I wanna do.

01:17:45.443 --> 01:17:47.662
Uh, so that's also true.

01:17:48.592 --> 01:17:50.122
But Joe Rogan did it, so Dammit.

01:17:50.182 --> 01:17:50.783
I can do it.

01:17:51.533 --> 01:17:51.802
Okay.

01:17:52.703 --> 01:17:57.863
Um, what I think I wanna do is move on to our closing segment.

01:17:58.012 --> 01:17:58.283
Okay.

01:17:58.643 --> 01:17:59.693
The Loco experience.

01:17:59.932 --> 01:18:00.172
Okay.

01:18:00.832 --> 01:18:06.472
It's the craziest experience that you're willing to describe to our listeners.

01:18:07.568 --> 01:18:08.648
Um, might be a moment.

01:18:08.887 --> 01:18:12.908
You already talked about getting blown up a little bit and continuing on with your day.

01:18:13.448 --> 01:19:06.353
Um, but in this journey or past chapters, uh, when I say, what's that craziest experience of your lifetime that you're willing to share?

01:19:06.953 --> 01:19:08.002
What, what did you think about?

01:19:09.172 --> 01:19:12.353
Well, it would be, it would take a while for me to quantify that.

01:19:12.353 --> 01:19:15.412
So I will tell you about my most recent crazy experience.

01:19:15.472 --> 01:19:15.773
Okay.

01:19:16.342 --> 01:19:19.792
Um, yesterday I, uh, got back from Australia.

01:19:20.422 --> 01:19:20.722
Okay.

01:19:20.783 --> 01:19:35.573
Um, and, uh, I was down there to, uh, create an international coalition of veteran suicide prevention organizations that can come together annually in, uh, what we're gonna call, what they call.

01:19:35.662 --> 01:19:44.212
And, you know, now that we're building the group, uh, the Veterans Games and, uh, so it's, oh, it's a lot of obstacle courses and stuff.

01:19:44.243 --> 01:19:46.073
Kind of like adventure races or something.

01:19:46.073 --> 01:19:46.432
Exactly.

01:19:46.432 --> 01:19:48.863
Except that you go through it, uh, in a team of eight.

01:19:49.252 --> 01:19:49.733
Okay.

01:19:49.882 --> 01:19:59.092
And you do, um, uh, you know, challenges and obstacles and, and, and have to work as a team to get through the evolution together.

01:19:59.097 --> 01:19:59.518
That's cool.

01:19:59.518 --> 01:20:07.643
And so, uh, yeah, so we're creating, um, an international coalition of, of, of people to focus on.

01:20:07.943 --> 01:20:13.703
The idea is that our governments bring us together in dark corners of the world to kill people.

01:20:14.363 --> 01:20:19.677
Well, what happens when we come together and, um, you know, focus on in sunny spots?

01:20:20.148 --> 01:20:21.078
Yeah, yeah.

01:20:21.297 --> 01:20:21.877
In, uh, yeah.

01:20:21.953 --> 01:20:30.893
On the Gold Coast of Australia and focus on building community purpose, belonging, eliminating isolation, and serving our communities.

01:20:30.953 --> 01:20:31.222
Yeah,

01:20:34.283 --> 01:20:35.122
I'm excited about that.

01:20:35.453 --> 01:20:35.813
Me too.

01:20:35.903 --> 01:20:37.643
And, uh, I wish you very much.

01:20:37.643 --> 01:20:39.953
Well, I think that sounds extraordinary.

01:20:41.932 --> 01:20:48.773
Like, I don't know quite how to ask this question, but it, it feels like you're, your perception of.

01:20:49.537 --> 01:20:53.707
War and our government's use of force and stuff has shifted over time.

01:20:53.707 --> 01:20:57.127
Like how would you have them use it?

01:20:57.518 --> 01:21:02.978
I mean, you mentioned it's the strongest, most powerful military, but should it be used, should it be shrunk?

01:21:04.328 --> 01:21:09.578
Do we need to have that to keep China from being the bad guys of the world and whatever?

01:21:11.467 --> 01:21:13.807
I know it's a very reflective question, but you've had,

01:21:16.358 --> 01:21:21.488
we over utilize our military and we do not.

01:21:21.938 --> 01:21:28.358
Um, when we utilize it, we do not give our war fighters a clear, uh, defined, uh, mission.

01:21:28.568 --> 01:21:28.747
Hmm.

01:21:29.108 --> 01:21:33.278
Uh, a goal set, uh, or an end state.

01:21:33.847 --> 01:21:34.028
Mm-hmm.

01:21:34.627 --> 01:21:41.677
And so that the result of that is, is protracted decades long engagements.

01:21:41.677 --> 01:21:42.847
Some of the Afghanistan thing is.

01:21:43.478 --> 01:21:44.917
The most obvious example, right?

01:21:44.978 --> 01:21:45.188
Yep.

01:21:45.547 --> 01:21:50.228
So, so here, do you know when the last time the United States declared war was,

01:21:50.978 --> 01:21:54.007
um, was it World War II or Korea?

01:21:54.007 --> 01:21:54.278
Yes.

01:21:54.337 --> 01:21:54.728
World War ii.

01:21:54.997 --> 01:21:55.448
Yeah.

01:21:55.537 --> 01:21:55.747
Yeah.

01:21:56.377 --> 01:21:56.917
So, which is

01:21:56.917 --> 01:21:57.608
pathetic.

01:21:57.818 --> 01:22:00.127
Everything since then hasn't been a war.

01:22:00.158 --> 01:22:00.518
Yeah.

01:22:01.118 --> 01:22:07.778
Um, which is dumb and you're not, you're not supposed to be able to deploy the military right.

01:22:07.898 --> 01:22:09.787
Outside of a declaration of war.

01:22:09.787 --> 01:22:11.738
But we've seemed to figure out how to do that.

01:22:11.797 --> 01:22:12.007
Right.

01:22:12.457 --> 01:22:14.768
But this is what I think is really interesting.

01:22:15.247 --> 01:22:18.247
A lot of people like to point the finger at politicians.

01:22:19.207 --> 01:22:19.717
Here's the deal.

01:22:20.768 --> 01:22:28.568
Uh, state of Virginia just had a ballot initiative where, um, you can't deploy the Virginia National Guard.

01:22:29.243 --> 01:22:30.863
Without a DEC Declaration of War.

01:22:31.403 --> 01:22:31.432
Mm.

01:22:31.523 --> 01:22:35.783
You can send Army, Navy, Marine Corps, air Force, and every other National Guard in the state.

01:22:35.783 --> 01:22:43.132
You just can't send the Virginia National Guard without a formal declaration of war just to draw a line in the sand somewhere.

01:22:43.162 --> 01:22:43.552
Yeah.

01:22:43.703 --> 01:22:45.412
That, that's great.

01:22:45.412 --> 01:22:46.523
Bill did not pass.

01:22:46.912 --> 01:22:48.863
Oh, the people voted that down.

01:22:49.042 --> 01:22:49.462
Interesting.

01:22:50.122 --> 01:22:51.382
So here's the, and it was probably

01:22:51.382 --> 01:22:52.403
used in part to be like,

01:22:52.523 --> 01:22:53.842
so here's the takeaway from that.

01:22:54.023 --> 01:22:55.103
Here's the takeaway from that.

01:22:55.132 --> 01:22:55.403
Yeah.

01:22:55.643 --> 01:23:10.103
There is no shortage on the part of the American population of, of, of their willingness, their hunger, their desire to send our young people into combat.

01:23:11.542 --> 01:23:16.162
So we have got to get better about rehabilitating them when they come home.

01:23:17.063 --> 01:23:17.302
Hmm Hmm.

01:23:18.323 --> 01:23:20.662
cause you think that that war fighting is just gonna in you,

01:23:20.962 --> 01:23:21.832
well, evidently,

01:23:21.893 --> 01:23:22.313
right.

01:23:23.302 --> 01:23:24.023
Um.

01:23:25.148 --> 01:23:27.818
Yeah, it's an interesting, you're, you're a hundred percent right.

01:23:27.847 --> 01:23:31.148
Like, if we're gonna keep doing that, at least we gotta do this.

01:23:31.207 --> 01:23:31.387
Yep.

01:23:32.347 --> 01:23:37.057
Um, I, I, I tell people all the time, the very best thing you can do for combat veterans is stop making us.

01:23:37.507 --> 01:23:37.957
Yeah.

01:23:38.018 --> 01:23:39.728
But that is not happening.

01:23:39.757 --> 01:23:39.908
I mean,

01:23:39.908 --> 01:23:41.557
is that part of your mission almost?

01:23:41.557 --> 01:23:42.637
Is to advocate for that?

01:23:42.667 --> 01:23:43.207
Yeah, absolutely.

01:23:43.268 --> 01:23:43.568
Okay.

01:23:43.988 --> 01:23:50.528
I wondered, it feels like it's within your conversation, if not within your, uh, mission statement.

01:23:50.677 --> 01:23:52.658
So Marshall, it's been fun.

01:23:53.078 --> 01:23:53.347
Cheers.

01:23:53.497 --> 01:23:54.037
I'm thankful.

01:23:54.097 --> 01:23:54.247
Thanks

01:23:54.247 --> 01:23:54.457
for having

01:23:54.457 --> 01:23:54.518
me.