Special Ops vs Regular Infantry: Who Gets PTSD More Oftern?

[00:00:00]That's the ultimate sacrifice. We've all heard the stories and that's like the the most badass man thing you can do is to put your life on the line for the guy next to you. Um, but it is I think it is sad that we don't [snorts] use that same mentality, that same mindset and apply it to our own lives.

[00:00:16]It's like everybody's, you know, we're just as important and the guy next to, you know, next to you fighting next to you. Um, I wish we could apply that same mindset to, you know, when it comes to mental health, trauma, seeking help or whatever, but I just think that we're we're stubborn bastards, man. We're just stubborn.

[00:00:37]>> Absolutely.

[00:00:38]>> By nature. [laughter] >> I got to ask you, Jay, I got to step and ask you both a question as y'all are, you know, top of the tier special operators, man. I was just a regular infantry grunt guy. Do you see more mental health problems at your all's level, you think, because of all the intensity and training that y'all go through, or do you think it's any no different than with guys on a regular front line unit? Man, cuz I see y'all like y'all are so mentally tough and mentally strong >> for what y'all do and endure, man.

[00:01:06]>> That's a good one, man. I think I think you see it more on like the line levels and big army and and it's because >> typically by the time you get to soft you're a little bit more >> like you're a little bit older, right? I didn't get to group until I was 26, >> you know, and you figure um I had already been in big army had experienced some trauma already. I think a different level in the amount of deployments that the average special operation guy has.

[00:01:36]Like in my unit, you know, guys, 11 deployments, 14 deployments, I got out with six, you know, and when I got out watching the guys continue to go, you know, and they got 12 deployments and stuff, but bro, I think it's just that the way you guys operate, how long you're over there, um, and just the sheer amount of guys that you do have in that unit, uh, makes it seem that way. I think it's the same, though. I think it affects both the same.

[00:02:02]>> Yeah. I think just the fact that you guys are so young >> is what gets to majority of the guys cuz I remember serving, you know, in big army with some guys in IEDs just >> blow and kids dudes are 18 years old, 19 years old. You know what I mean? Some of them got >> hit. Yeah.

[00:02:18]>> Dude, exactly. Could you imagine your your [clears throat] brain is just getting to the point where it's starting to form and you're starting to come into yourself and then bam, trauma. You know what I mean? And the biggest thing with special operations, and it's one of the reason why I left big army, was because I felt like I was just a sitting duck all the [ __ ] time.

[00:02:38]>> Like I was just out there just to get hit. And I was doing route clearance.

[00:02:42]>> Oh yeah. You got something goes boom.

[00:02:44]>> Exactly. Right.

[00:02:46]>> So I [clears throat] got tired of getting blown up, you know, and I was like, dude, I need to be proactive.

[00:02:52]There's got to be people out there that are hunting these guys. Mhm.

[00:02:55]>> And the switch went from, hey, I'm I'm out there all the time getting [ __ ] hit to now I'm actually doing the hunting, you know, like now I'm proactive. And when you're doing that type of mission where you're, >> you know, hitting targets all the time, >> um, in my opinion, the the room for trauma is a lot less because one, the likelihood of you getting hit and getting [ __ ] up is a lot less, right?

[00:03:22]because you're actually going after bad dudes and you can choose the route that you go. You can choose the manner that you attack that target. You're part of the planning >> as opposed to big army. Dude, we're just driving and boom, ID goes off.

[00:03:32]>> We go on patrol, ambush, boom, a bunch are dead. And now you have a bunch of 18, 19 year olds seeing it.

[00:03:38]>> Um, >> it does affect, like I said, special operations also to Nick's point, but it's just not as prevalent as it is in big army.

[00:03:46]>> You know what I mean? So, I don't know.

[00:03:48]What are your thoughts, Dex?

[00:03:50]In in your opinion, who who who gets it the uh the worst?

[00:03:58]>> Did you hear me, Dex?

[00:04:00]>> Me or uh Nick?

[00:04:02]>> No. No. I was asking you, Dex, like in your opinion, like, >> man.

[00:04:05]>> Who gets it the worst?

[00:04:06]>> I thought you zoned out for a minute, bro.

[00:04:08]>> Oh, yeah. I was I thought he said Nick.

[00:04:10]My [laughter] bad.

[00:04:11]>> Got the thousand yard stare on the podcast. Think about the past.

[00:04:14][laughter] >> Yeah, man. I would I would definitely probably say big army front line guys, man, because like we do a lot with less.

[00:04:23]We don't get the cool gear, man. And like you said, bro, we're just >> movement to contact. You're just moving till somebody shoots at you. And you know, when you're always behind the power curve, bro, you got to play catch-up.

[00:04:34]>> It's just it's just not a fair game, man. This is just not a fair game.

[00:04:37]That's why I'm very I was so s so shocked and surprised that all of us made it back from Iraq alive. Yes, we got one guy got shot in the head by a sniper, man. But it was like and then me and my arm and but that was it, bro. I was just like, >> this is a very >> rare occasion for war, especially in Iraq in ' 04, >> ' 05, bro. Like, everybody was getting it, man. It was, >> you know, gunfights and all this, man.

[00:05:00]And yeah, like I said, just being so young. And I mean, and the thing is, you come in with this, I don't know why, but we have this grandiose belief of war and like we dream about it like just watching Blackhawk damn like, damn, that looks fun as hell, bro. But like, you know, when you when your buddies start getting hurt, it ain't fun. I still remember the first ever IED we had go off and I seen the vehicle behind me disappear, man.

[00:05:23]>> And the smoke cleared. I saw my boy boy post on the ground, just blood bleeding out, and he survived, but man, the shrapnel tore him up and it was just like, man, this ain't fun no more. And I remember Staff Sergeant Pedro, he was in Afghanistan with the 101st. And I remember being like in Iraq, so eager to get into a gunfight, so eager to get some and you know, pop my cherry, man.

[00:05:44]And he was like, "Shut the [ __ ] up, bitch." I was like, "Why?" He was like, "You know what? Do you know what it's like to see your friends die, man?" I was like, "No." "Do you know what it's like to get shot at?" "No."

[00:05:55]>> He's like, "Yeah, I do. And guess what?

[00:05:57]I hope nothing happens."

[00:06:00]And I was like, damn.

[00:06:02]>> I still want to get some though. Sorry.

[00:06:03][laughter] >> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:05]>> Until you got some. You >> got some.

[00:06:08]>> I see what he's talking about.

[00:06:10][laughter] >> Yep.

[00:06:11]>> A life story is just a collection of memories unless it becomes a lesson, a warning, a inspiration for someone else. Jackie Robinson wrote that quote. I wasn't supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be sitting in front of you guys providing inspirational content, influencing, motivating. I'm not supposed to be here. I came from Haiti with nothing.

[00:06:46]I learned the English language. I witnessed 911. I joined the military. I spent 20 years total, 15 of it. in special operation operating at the very tip of the spear. I spent over six years in combat theaters. And throughout all those chapters of my life, I learned one hard truth. No one is coming to save you. Doesn't exist.

[00:07:20]No one is going to write your story for you. No one is going to jump into the deep end to get you out of trouble. No one. And that hard truth is the motivating factor behind No Excuse.

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