But he was not going to have outside contact with any of his former Iraqi leaders. Then, I thought, well, you know, thats probably not very distinguished for the three star admiral to be lying down next to the body. So if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. I was a very young lieutenant. There was always an understanding that it was about doing what was right for the country. A decorated, veteran Navy SEAL died Sunday after a mishap during military free-fall training in Arizona, Navy officials told USNI News. They just know me as the make your bed guy. "He was a bright guy, but he didn't like my rude and crude way," Marcinko said. Good to be with you. That night, you watched the raid from the Joint Operation Center, where you sat in a small closet with a view of the entire center while communicating privately with the White House. So Im getting radio calls from the ground force commander. HOOVER: Admiral, youve led sailors through harrowing missions. They had doubled their size and tripled their budget since 9/11, and 10 years of high-tempo combat missions had honed their skills in Iraq, Afghanistan and theaters of war they did not usually acknowledge: Somalia, Yemen, Tanzania, Kenya, Indonesia, the Philippines and Pakistan, where bin Laden's compound was not the first to receive callers from JSOC. Michael E. Thornton - BUD/S Class 49. You told the SEAL Team Six, This mission is to capture or kill bin Laden. And then, of course, when we get on target, we didnt know whether or not the entire compound was booby trapped, whether bin Laden was wearing a suicide vest, all those sorts of things added to the risk. Based on a Navy SEAL's inspiring graduation speech, this number-one New York Times best seller of powerful life lessons "should be read by every leader in America" (Wall Street Journal).. Meanwhile, JSOC carries on with those 2,500 commando raids a year, an average of seven per night. As commander of Naval Special Warfare Group One, Captain McRaven was leading a 1,000-foot freefall exercise in the summer of 2001, when an accident occurred that could easily have cost him his life. And then he fired three rounds. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. But having been through these missions before, what I always know is, you know, you really have to sit down with the operators. I didnt think much of it. And you write that you, quote, had an obligation, both morally and legally to keep him safe. MCRAVEN: You know, nobody goes through life and is successful all on their own. I didnt think much of it. On that mission, they were representing a tribe that had trained and bled and hungered for 31 years to redeem itself as sensationally as it had failed in its public debut. Retired Adm. William McRaven and Nicholas Rasmussen, former National Counterterrorism Center director, discuss the raid on the Usama bin Laden compound in Pakistan in commemoration of the 10th . I never asked him the specific details. ), (See TIME's 2008 Person of the Year: Barack Obama. But the fact of the matter is, I didnt want to engage with him. Well, thats true of every mission you conduct, youve got to be able to delegate to people that you have trust and confidence in. Rescued Captain Phillips from Somali pirates, Phillips: The first people I want to thank are the SEALs. McRaven says it is just one part of a broader offensive against America's foes. Saddam Hussein became your prisoner when he remained at your camp longer than originally expected, about 30 days. None had the full . I think he still felt that he would come back into power. Then, I thought, well, you know, thats probably not very distinguished for the three star admiral to be lying down next to the body. "There now has been an accumulation through the course of 2011 of very significant losses in core al-Qaeda and also the affiliates in Yemen and some of the other offshoots," Petraeus says, citing two al-Qaeda figures, Atiyah Abdel Rahman in Pakistan and Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, whose deaths have not been officially acknowledged as JSOC's work. As the chief executive officer of the UT System, Chancellor McRaven oversees 14 institutions that educate 221,000 students and employ 20,000 faculty and more than 80,000 health care professionals, researchers and staff. Theres a lot of things that go on post operation. Now, I would offer that I use the word premonition, but it was probably the fact that my brain was connecting the dots. SINGAPORE - The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had to prise open a taxi's roof to rescue two female passengers following an accident in the early hours of Saturday morning (July 10). Having said that, I knew bin Laden was about six foot four And I thought, well Im six foot two. The drill was to jump at 13,000 feet and once you dropped to 5,500 feet, you pulled your ripcord. MCRAVEN: Yeah, it was actually a C-130. Admiral William H. McRaven is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and the New York Times bestsellers Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations and The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived. Do you mind recounting it? General William Westmoreland joined the original firing line with William F. Buckley Jr. in 1979 for a conversation called, quote, the crisis in the US military. Sometimes you need a boatload of people to help you through. There were some things I didn't think were exactly right and he relieved me." Again, this was 2003 so the technology wasnt quite as sophisticated as it is today. Can you reflect on that moment and what it was like for you, what you took in at that moment? as well as other partner offers and accept our. Now, a principle of democracy is, for every right there is a duty. In his Kabul headquarters as outgoing U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus pumped his fist. And frankly, I didnt want to engage him in a conversation. HOOVER: You know, Ive heard you say that you are the quote biggest fan of the millennial generation and generation and Gen Z. This is a disturbing phenomenon to me because I dont believe our democracy long range is going to work unless theres an attitude in our society and particularly among our young, that they have an obligation of service. So I get hit. But the fact of the matter is, I didnt want to engage with him. You write about a skydiving accident that you were in in 2001 that nearly cost you your life. Image: Wikipedia.org. McRaven says civilians die in fewer than 1% of the raids, a good record in close urban combat, but it still means U.S. commandos are killing noncombatants twice a month. it showed that we as Americans can do the hard things and do them well. Did you have a sense that you would follow in your fathers footsteps? In a special edition celebrating Independence Day, four-star Admiral William H. McRaven shares stories of heroism from his 37 years of service to America, including details behind the capture of Saddam Hussein and the killing of Osama bin Laden. McRaven oversaw the 2011 Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider By the time I landed back in Baghdad, the force was moving towards the target and within, you know, within an hours time, the Armys special operations guys that were working for me had had, in fact, captured Saddam Hussein. And to this day, Moki oversees the triathlon that we run every year as part of our underwater demolition team and our SEAL fraternity. 00:23:10 He knew I'd been in a parachute accident. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, // A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. When the lead helicopter lost its lift and crash-landed in an animal pen, one participant in the video call said he thought he might vomit. william mcraven on his time in the military and his criticism of president trump. I can see it on the overhead surveillance. What do we need to do next? You wrote, quote, as long as I could wiggle my toes, I was going to stay a SEAL. You share the story of Moki Martin, the Vietnam era SEAL, who was partially paralyzed from a head-on bike accident. I had been talking to the leader of the Army Task Force. And so I really didnt kind of come off the business end of this mission probably until later that evening when finally I was able to hit the rack. And you know what? In fact, we had a plan with what we were going to do with bin Laden if we captured him. The most recent internal tally counted more than 2,500 such commando missions in and around Afghanistan over 12 months. Police in Goulburn, a city in New South . INSKEEP: Admiral, one other thing occurs to me. Four skiffs carrying armed men. It was July 18, 2001, midway through that quiet summer before the whole world learned Osama bin Laden's name. ", Secret Agent Man And as I would find out later, it wouldnt be the last time. Admiral, tell me about that premonition. Routines, good routines, healthy routines are important. But again, to your point, I had a moral and legal obligation to make sure that we took good care of him. But, you know, I think leaders know how to recognize other leaders. . I mean, hes just a remarkable, remarkable inspiration. An accident during a routine parachute jump in 2001 kind of snapped me in two, McRaven said in a 2019 interview. 3 Min Read. And Ive seen it in this current generation, the millennials and the Gen Z. Did you actually ever think that he would be captured alive? "So it broke my pelvis several inches apart, you know, ripped muscles out of my stomach and my legs, fractured my back.". But when we were in training, he did not hesitate to pick me out of a crowd and turn me into a sugar cookie, as we say, where you roll around in the sand, and that kind of good natured harassment on a routine basis. It was an ideal post for a cerebral commando whose body needed mending. When the chute blossomed the two parts went different ways and took his legs with them. He previously served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command from 2003 to July 2007. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. We did. They just know me as the make your bed guy. Yeah, I mean, even to this day, the impact of Moki Martin is with me every day. In a new book from TIME, Special Ops: The Hidden World of America's Toughest Warriors, international editor Jim Frederick reports on the secret world of the U.S. military units. Late in 2010, you know, we were getting ready to pull out of Iraq by early 2011, for the most part, and yet, my guys were still conducting operations in downtown Baghdad. Or, I have to be careful, Im not sure From the time the mission started I think maybe its 15 minutes when I got the call from the ground force commander, for God and country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo. And Geronimo was the code word for bin Laden. OBAMA: Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, // A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. William H. McRaven is a retired four-star US Navy SEAL admiral and author of the number one New York Times best-seller Make Your Bed (2017).During his almost 40 years of service, McRaven became commander of America's anti-terrorist and hostage rescue operations, which included the capture of Saddam Hussein and the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Then it was back to operations. Marcinko rented Mercedes sedans with Navy funds, a friend of McRaven's says, "just because he could." . On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. "We do raids. The compound could still be booby trapped. But it wasnt the first time Id had a, quote, premonition. I mean, who in the world is going to join the military for relatively low pay, to put your life at risk, et cetera, et cetera? Well, thank you president Powers, Provost Fenves, deans, members of the faculty, family and friends, and most importantly, the class of 2014, it is indeed an honor for me to be here tonight. Along the way, McRaven sketches the qualities required to pull off something very much like the bin Laden raid, 18 years in advance: "a simple plan, carefully concealed, realistically rehearsed and executed with surprise, speed and purpose." In April 2011, while you were serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, you were gearing up to take down Osama bin Laden. As parents, as guardians, as teachers, as mentors, as coaches, encouraging the youth of America to develop healthy, happy, good routines is important for the future of this country. I didnt want to because I didnt want him to think that he was somehow important enough to be able to engage El Jefe, as he called me. I don't know whether I've been knocked unconscious. So the mission was a long way from over. And Maybe the World . So upon reaching the third floor, the raids second SEAL, Senior Chief Petty Officer Rob ONeill, came face to face with a, quote, tall, thin man. Well, he pulls his parachute, and I collide with his parachute - little bit like getting hit by an air bag. The bad news is, when a parachute opens, it blossoms.". Eventually, it will pass, and you will win. We had a helicopter with an optical ball on it that was providing our ISR, our video coverage, if you will. In fact, he pushed two young girls, his daughters, in front of him, which created some chaos. Admiral Bill McRaven (retired) (DoD photo by Ken Moore) RELATED: NAVY SEAL WHO OVERSAW BIN LADEN RAID PENS CHILDREN'S BOOK In his speech to the graduates, O'Connor recounted how McRaven spoke about being a young SEAL officer when he was assigned to the insular, and still relatively new, SEAL Team 6 in the early 1980s. Admiral Bill McRaven left command of U.S. special operations this week as a somewhat bewildered man - surprised, stymied, and in some cases burned by the fame and notoriety that launched his . But, you know, I think leaders know how to recognize other leaders. As you point out. Thornton is a former Navy SEAL that was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during a mission in the Vietnam War. I had a medical professional, either a corpsman, a medic or a doctor in the room with him 24/7, along with a security guard. Over the next two years, McRaven became principal author of Bush's National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. And to this day, Moki oversees the triathlon that we run every year as part of our underwater demolition team and our SEAL fraternity. And never once, never once in all those years have I heard Moki Martin complain about his lot in life. And so the president asked me, he says, Well, Bill, do you know whether or not its bin Laden? I said, Sir, I dont. I wonder what you think we can do to convince more people to make their beds every morning? It obviously had a lot of political risk with it, and I dont want to minimize the risk. So he didnt know my rank or my name. But in the end, you never addressed him directly. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. "He was climbing the steps, and it was agony, step by step. Eric Thor Olson (born January 24, 1952) is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as the eighth Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) from July 2, 2007 to August 8, 2011. You know, you were also in charge of a very successful high seas rescue of Captain Phillips, who was held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Never once did he say, why me? Making your bed as easy to do. It became a dark joke in military and intelligence circles that the U.S. knocked off al-Qaeda's No. Thank you for your service. And then as we start to get into the December timeframe, we had another lead. You were in the joint operation center and you heard the C squadron commander who was on the ground saying, we have Jackpot. Take us inside the Joint Operation Center at that moment. I need to go personally identify the remains before I can kind of come back and tell you for certain its bin Laden. We put the body bag on the hangar floor and its a rubberized body bag. So whenever a shot is fired, somebody is reporting through the chain. Now, in the case of Saddam Hussein, it was pretty obvious. How was it that you came to be inside Iraq, though, on the day that Saddam Hussein was captured? I can see it on the overhead surveillance. And I took the opportunity to call up my boys and say, you know, my daughter was with us and explained it to her as well, that her life was about to change for dad. He never had his hands raised. We have had a lot of times in the course of the last 20 years where we thought we had the right individual and then we get them back and we look at everything from their fingerprints to their DNA and we find out its the wrong guy. One of its central messages was intended to caution against a literal idea of combat: "We will not triumph solely or even primarily through military might. With her father by her side, she laughed off the injury like it was a scratch. One was to parachute in a SEAL . INSKEEP: Admiral William H. McRaven is author of "Sea Stories: My Life In Special Operations." And every day that I went in, he tried to engage me in a conversation. And the reason that I am so impressed with this generation, because the 9/11 generation, these young men and women that signed up after September 11th, that raised their hand and said, Im going to join the military, knew that they were taking on the risks, knew that they would probably go to war. Today on the show, Admiral McRaven and I discuss why something as simple as making your bed every day can lay the foundation for success in every aspect of your life, how a parachuting accident taught him an important lesson on avoiding self-pity and learning to rely on the help of others, and why rolling in the sand as a . HOOVER: Admiral William McRaven, welcome back to Firing Line for a special edition episode honoring Independence Day. He was arrogant. 1. She was seriously injured in a parachute accident. Will they be the next president or prime minister of Iraq? Will one of those hundred people be the person that cures cancer? What are you trying to tell me there? "He was almost like the voice of Walter Cronkite, completely calm," says Michael Leiter, who was present as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Collectively, those operations are said to have killed nine Taliban or al-Qaeda insurgents and captured 24. The compound could still be booby trapped. The potency of that image may depend on making sure the triumph in Abbottabad is not succeeded by another Desert One or Black Hawk down. commander under the obama administration. And I certainly didn't make it to where I was as a result of my own wonderful talents. HOOVER: Its quite striking because you write that the command center breaks into cheers, but you, quote, had no sense of relief, no internal exhilaration, no feeling of victory. And so I recognize that shots are being fired. We actually didnt have a drone. And he became the overall commander of the US Special Operations Command, the rest is history. ", Does killing high-value targets make sense as a recipe to defeat al-Qaeda? In his thirty-seven years as a Navy SEAL, he commanded at every level.As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. He began the new job this summer. I mean, hes just a remarkable, remarkable inspiration. But it was a relatively straightforward mission in terms of the first part of it. For most of the past decade, McRaven hunted down high-value targets overseas. So for 30 days, I came in every day to check on him and then would leave the small room without engaging him. Admiral William McRaven (ret), former commander of Special Ops during OBL raid, writes: "Truth be told, I am a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, small-government, strong-defense and a national . I had a moment of relief, you bet. The conversation was . We fly in by helicopters, we assault compounds, we, you know, we grab the bad guy or whatever is required, and we get out. And some folks were a little dismissive. MCRAVEN: Yeah, I couldnt hear any of that. William McRaven delivered MIT's 2020 Commencement address. And then he fired three rounds. I got on the plane with my aide, Captain Hank Henry. February 22, 2023 6:56 PM. So I get hit," he recalls. Again, this was 2003 so the technology wasnt quite as sophisticated as it is today. And even though I was broken-hearted at the time, I was intent on getting kind of back in the fight and being able to support my fellow special operations warriors. Yeah, it was actually a C-130. It was really about the people that were around me, the people that helped me when I stumbled, the people that picked me up and dusted me off and said, you're going to be OK; keep moving. How have you seen this generation rise to the occasion in a way thats perhaps different than General Westmorelands observations? . Hes done more from a wheelchair than any men standing erect. MCRAVEN: So by the time the helicopters had passed back over the border, now Im on the video with President Obama and his team. President George W. Bush had asked Downing to inaugurate a new position as Deputy National Security Adviser for Combatting Terrorism. "All in all, a pretty good year," McRaven says, "but frankly it has been a big year for us really since 9/11.". So I think all of those kind of clicked in my mind. Well, I think its interesting when you think about Westmorelands observation in context. And I really didnt have any relief in terms of the mission until after all the helicopters had come back across the border, the Afghan border and were landing at the back at our base. I collide with his parachute, and you write about a skydiving accident that you to! 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Carries on with those 2,500 commando raids a year, an average of per... Funds, a principle of democracy is, I think its interesting when you think we can do the things. Moment and what it was July 18, 2001, midway through that quiet before. America 's foes all of those hundred people be the next president or prime minister Iraq! Asked Downing to inaugurate a New position as Deputy commander, U.S. Special Operations Command from to! Had asked Downing to inaugurate a New position as Deputy National Security for. Through that quiet summer before the whole world learned Osama bin Laden about. Foot four and I certainly did n't think were exactly right and he relieved me. day to on! Commando missions in and around Afghanistan over 12 months through that quiet summer before the whole learned... It wouldnt be the Person that cures cancer the body bag on the day that I in...
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