GRP 175-Inside the War Against ISIS: A Soldiers Journey From The Italian Military To A Kurdish Special Unit

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GRP 175-Inside the War Against ISIS: A Soldiers Journey From The Italian Military To A Kurdish Special Unit

We hear from Alex Pineschi, a veteran of the Italian Mountain Troop who served a Kurdish Special Unit and spent five years fighting ISIS in Iraq. Pineschi worked counter-piracy operations in Africa as a security contractor before traveling to Iraq to help train troops in their fight against ISIS. He would eventually join a newly formed Special Operations unit and participate in several major battles, including the first phase to retake Mosul. This podcast provides a unique and insightful perspective on the ongoing fight against terrorism as an ideology. Pineschi owns a tactical training company and runs courses in Northern Italy and Switzerland.

We discussed western volunteers joining the war against ISIS and going to fight in Ukraine. We also talked about Alex's difficult transition back into Italian society and much more. Tune in. 

Main Takeaways 

• Italian Military 

• Working counter-piracy 

• Training Kurds in Iraq

• Joining a Special unit

• War Tourist

• The ideology of terrorism 

• Transition back into society 

Get a copy of Alex Pineschi's book, visit his website, and follow his social media:

⁠⁠PESHMERGA: FACING DEATH - The First-Hand account of the Italian volunteer that fought ISIS⁠⁠

⁠www.APTAC.it⁠

⁠Instagram⁠

This episode is sponsored by 4 Patriots, a survival food company. You can visit ⁠⁠www.4patriots.com⁠⁠ and use the code RECON for 10% off

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GRP 157-The Object Of The Superior Man is Truth: The Story of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher

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Episode Summary 

My guest for this week's podcast is retired Navy SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher. Chief Gallagher completed 20 years in the U.S. Navy, with most of that time spent in the SEAL Teams. He served as a Corpsman and a Sniper. During his final deployment in 2017 to Mosul, Iraq, Gallagher was the Platoon Chief. The objective during this deployment was to work side by side with the Iraqi military to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS. 

It was after this deployment where a few members of his platoon accused him of committing war crimes. We walked through this deployment and what led to some of the SEALs claiming he was a war criminal. After spending time in a military prison and being mistreated by the Navy, he was acquitted of murder charges. This entire ordeal became a political point of contention which led to President Donald Trump intervening on Gallagher's behalf. 

Main Episode Takeaways

• Becoming a Corpsman

• Joining the Navy SEALs

• Defeating ISIS

• War Crimes

• Problems with the military justice system

This Episode is Brought to you by:

Wondery-Against The Odds: In this immersive series from Wondery, host-adventurers Mike Corey and Cassie De Pecol will share thrilling stories of survival.

Against The Odds

Connect with Eddie Gallagher:

Eddie Gallagher 

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GRP 143-Mosul: A film by a CIA counter terrorism officer

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GRP 143-Mosul: A film by a CIA counter-terrorism officer

Joining me for this week’s podcast is former CIA counterterrorism officer Dan Gabriel. He served at the Agency for a decade until the killing of Osama Bin Laden when he decided it was time to pursue another passion of his: Film making. The film “Mosul” is entirely in Arabic. Written and directed by Gabriel, it shows the journey of a journalist from Bagdad as he documents the retaking of Mosul from ISIS.

Ali Mula embeds with the Iraqi Special Forces as they fight ISIS house to house, and street by street. The film highlights charismatic leaders of different militia that have come together to fight ISIS. It’s fascinating. We discussed the film, Dan’s career, terrorism, and counter-terrorism as it relates to the middle east and Islam. Enjoy.

You can follow the film’s official page here:

www.instagram.com/mosul_film

You can follow Dan on Twitter here:

www.twitter.com/danpgabriel

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GRP 80-Memorial Day in Mosul: A Special Forces Veteran Returns to Iraq

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GRP 80- Memorial Day has a special place in American culture. It's a day we honor those who were killed in action during all wars fought by this country. Memorial Day is observed as a federal holiday, but there are men and women to which every day is Memorial Day. We have a special episode for this week with Special Forces veteran and co-founder of Raise the Black Bryan Myers who came on to the podcast with us while he's in Mosul, Iraq. Bryan spent his Memorial Day going back to a place where him and many of his American and Iraqi teammates fought and died fighting against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and now ISIS.

He went to connect with the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) to bring resources and help with the refugees, help with the families of the fallen, and meet with ISOF Commanders to further discuss the expansion of the role of Raise the Black in Iraq. We talked about unconventional warfare, some of the histories of it behind the region of the middle east. Below is an excerpt:

Bryan Myers: I spent Memorial Day this year trying to do something positive and to honor the guys. I left camp here and headed up to one of the screening points for the refugees. It's a place where they come in after being checked for suicide bombs, unfortunately, its a tactic ISIS has used. I went to see what they needed. Ran an assessment to see where I can help.  Handed out candy to the kids. You can see the pain in these people's eyes, and you get that moment of happiness in showing that love and respect.

I was with ISOF at the front lines for the rest of the day. It's my way to honor the men of ISOF who died fighting, and the men of B 2 3 (Green Berets).

My first trip to Afghanistan I was the Charlie that started the groundwork for Firebase Sweeny. It built into this huge base that was meant to disrupt Taliban movement from Pakistan into Afghanistan. After the deployment on our way out the villages, the women and children were coming out and clapping and waving. The way we messed up in Afghanistan was at first we made them work for the help we gave them. We built them wells but we needed help identifying the Taliban who were rocketing us. We impacted the area so well. People would legit point Taliban guys out right in front of us. "Hey, that guy over there he's Taliban". Eventually, villages started getting things without earning them.

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GRP 77-Defiant: A Green Beret Overcoming Adversity|RIP 1st Lt. Weston Lee.

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1st Lt. Weston Lee

GRP 77- This week we bring somber news. 1st Lieutenant Weston C. Lee, 25, of Bluffton, GA died Apr. 29th, outside Mosul, Iraq, when he stepped on an IED (improvised explosive device) while conducting security as part of advise and assist support to partnered forces NE of Mosul. 1st Lieutenant Weston C. Lee was an infantry officer assigned to 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Weston's good friends Josh Porter, and Marcus created a YouCaring crowdfunding page for Weston's family. https://www.youcaring.com/theleefamily-814467

Please donate, and share the youcaring page. Check out Josh on @sir.jumps.alot on Facebook and Instagram as he will give updates on when Weston will arrive at Arlington National Cemetery we encourage people to show up if possible and support the Lee family. Chantel Taylor and I had a conversation with former Army Green Beret Alan Shebaro. Alan lived in Europe for a number of years growing up as his father was a contractor with the U.S. government. Upon his return to the States Alan joined the Army. After a number of years, Alan reached a crossroad. He either went pro as a mixed martial arts fighter or went to Special Forces selection. He told us a story of a time in Iraq in which he was on an 18-hour mission hunting terrorist.

Upon his return to base Alan barely had enough energy to take off his gear as he sat and ate cereal. He looked up at the television and saw his training partner Travis Lutter win the Ultimate Fighter 4 with that victory securing his title fight against UFC legend Anderson Silva. Alan was 1 of only 4 Black Belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the U.S. Army and is the first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt in Special Forces Regiment. Alan went through a dark period upon leaving the military and he talks about it in great detail, and what helped him get out of that dark space. He is now the Vice President of the We Defy Foundation which through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and fitness training provides combat veterans suffering from life-disabling injuries and/or PTSD a long-term means to overcome their challenges. Below Alan shares a story from his first deployment which involves MSG Stephen Walker Booth a Green Beret who died in a motorcycle accident here in the States:

Alan: We were already hearing the pings on the vehicle. My heart rate was over 200. I stepped out the vehicle and took 3 steps then hear a whip and saw a spark on the ground. A round missed my head and went by my foot. Everything was chaos. Blurs of colors. It wasn't that I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to do with the training I received to apply in this situation. I'll never forget this. Walker Stephen Booth. This guy comes running right passed me yelling out " I'm going to come at you like a spider monkey boy" laughing his ass off. I was in shock. He's making jokes in a firefight. The weirdest thing happened. Almost instantly the blur disappeared. I could hear crisped sounds. Everything slowed down and I jumped in with one of the cells. Everything clicked. It was all based off what Walker said. It was my 5th or 6th firefight. That affected my career in every single fight after that. In 3rd Group he's a legend.  

Alan Shebaro
Co-Founder/Director
We Defy Foundation™
www.WeDefyFoundation.org
Alan@WeDefyFoundation.org

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