Becca: 0:09

All right, hey y'all, we are back for the 14th time. It's our 14th episode of the Flatbill Pastor Podcast. Hey.

Clint: 0:18

What's up?

Becca: 0:20

I am Becca. I'm your host today and I've got over here. Brooke, my co-host, good morning, and Clint, over here, what's up?

Clint: 0:32

What's poppin'?

Becca: 0:33

What's poppin'? We're talking about some tough things today, some heavy things. This is 9-11, and I've got some few friends, some veterans, that we want to speak on today, 9-11. Yeah, so over here I've got my friend Matt.

Matt: 0:57

Hello, how are you Great?

Becca: 0:59

Awesome. So can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Matt: 1:04

Yeah, I'm from Peachtree City mostly and I joined the Army shortly after 9-11 and served in Iraq during the invasion and now I work for Fayette County Fire. Still live in Peachtree City Wife, two beautiful daughters.

Becca: 1:26

Oh, awesome.

Matt: 1:26

Sums me up succinctly, oh yeah.

Becca: 1:29

Yeah, that's all.

Matt: 1:30

That's it.

Becca: 1:31

Well, we're happy you're here, Thank you. Thanks for coming on, and then to this side of me. You just make your hands like this If I do this, you see the L.

Clint: 1:42

It's like like left side that way, that's it, it's fine, it's subjective, that's right If you're doing dangerous fingers.

Bryson: 1:51

That's right, and you're like wait a second?

Becca: 1:52

It's fine. I'm just not going to look at Clint anymore. He's trouble. But to my left so proud of you I left is my husband of 10 years too. Bryson Wood, thanks for coming. You're so welcome, you didn't really have that much of a choice. Didn't have a choice, but.

Bryson: 2:14

I'm glad I'm here now, voluntary, voluntary.

Becca: 2:17

For sure. When we were doing this, I was like, oh, he's on it. He doesn't know it yet, but he'll be here Tell me. Last night yeah, by the way, you had a podcast On the way here, by the way, that's right. No, but give us a little intro.

Bryson: 2:33

Yeah for sure, like you already said, been married 10 years the infantry and served in Afghanistan opposite of Matt. We were more Afghanistan area, we did not get to go to Iraq, but after that shortly we came back at our knucklehead, logan, and then, shortly after, olivia came along and we were born and bred here in Noonan. So we came back here to stay. Where are we at now? Yeah, I guess, in contrast to Matt, I just finished about five years with Grady EMS and now I am at Piedmont, noonan, as a paramedic. Nice, yep, super excited Day four.

Clint: 3:23

That's good Right, I'm pumped that y'all decided to jump in and be a part of the podcast. We were looking at significant things that I think our community should have more conversations about. We looked at the calendar for the fall, and September 11th obviously is one of those dates that always sticks out in any American's mind, and so we said, hey, we should use our platform and have a conversation with some folks that we would know have a relationship with. The 9-11 played an important role in decisions they made that have shaped their entire lives, which both of you fall into that category, which we'll get into those decisions in a second. But let's start with where were you on the morning of September 11th? Just walk us through the details.

Clint: 4:12

For me it was senior skip day, and so I was in bed. My dad called me and I was like so my dad knew it was senior skip day and so I was like bro, you know I'm sleeping in like leave, so I didn't answer the phone. He calls back again. I'm like nobody calls twice, so we'll put him on silent right. Third time. It's like good gracious alive. So I answer the phone like yes, dad, and he's like turn on the news.

Clint: 4:39

No, no, no, no, senior skip day. I don't want to watch the news. He's like turn the news on and of course I just high school senior me. Uh, I was like what's happening. He's like someone flew up a plane into the world trade center and I was like where is that? It was was like New York city and I was like hold on Aren't there, are there two of those, like the twin ones? He's like turn, turn on the TV. I'm like, okay, I turn it on and, sure enough, like I'm watching, and then boom tower two hits, and so I'm sitting in my living room in, uh, at the time, stock bridge, georgia. I'm Stockbridge, georgia. I was a senior in high school and that's where I kind of watched it unfold. So how about the two of you and ladies also, like let's just all kind of weigh in? I think everybody, when they listen to this, will be thinking about their particular morning, what you got, yeah for sure I remember I was in sixth or seventh grade, mr Reynolds class, math class.

Bryson: 5:40

Mr Reynolds class, math class, and similar to you. Somebody ran in and said, hey, they just hit one of the World Trade Centers and being a sixth and seventh grade, I was like where is even New York?

Bryson: 5:56

So, it didn't have a huge impact on me the first time, but then they wheeled a TV in and we all kind of were around the TV and we watched the second plane hit the second tower and being young and in seventh grade, naturally you're like this is obviously an accident, this is, you know, you kind of go through, you start to try to rationalize and then as I got home, you know my father was big into current events, especially military operations and stuff, because both my granddads had served in the military and so we were very aware by that evening what had happened. And that made an impact on me, just because at a young age you're still trying to figure out why somebody would do this and generally cause pain to somebody else.

Clint: 6:48

I think that was my biggest question that I had was why somebody did this, and I'm sure that was most of everybody's question right off the rip is why, as a sixth or seventh grader, what are the reasons that you, if you can remember that you would have thought somebody would have done this to the country I live in?

Bryson: 7:08

I think right off the rip I was thinking, probably again in my seventh grade mind, that there was somebody important, one single person that was important in that building that they were trying to hurt, and then when you figure out that it's more on a global scale, on a terroristic scale, that they weren't targeting any one person, it was this mass attempt to cause pain and agony and then to wrestle with that Because again, in sixth and seventh grade you have bullies, you have people that you don't like, but to globally hate a certain type of people you know, to hate the West or to hate Americans, that was totally foreign to me and as that started sinking in, you know, your mind and the way that you think about things almost kind of gets opened up a little bit, because you're like, wow, there's people out there that really do hate a group of people, oftentimes for no reason.

Clint: 8:07

And it's wild that you know just to like push pause on the 9-11 thing, but just to make sure, contextually, everyone's listening and gets the frame of reference. You know, obviously it's like 2001, but the key thing you said was they rolled a tv in. Yeah right, so, yeah, so that? So that's a completely different mindset.

Bryson: 8:25

No smart board.

Clint: 8:26

If my kid were to listen to you say that, right, he's 13. If he were to hear you say they rolled a TV in, he'd be like they rolled a TV in.

Brooke: 8:33

Yeah, from? Where?

Clint: 8:33

Like why wouldn't they just turn on the smart board that's hanging, the huge, enormous screen?

Bryson: 8:38

Ted's screen yeah.

Clint: 8:40

Or they roll one in Right. That's wild.

Brooke: 8:42

Probably one TV for the whole hallway.

Bryson: 8:45

You have to check out from the media center. Correct, it wasn't even one per class. It'll be here in 30 minutes. We'll roll it in.

Brooke: 8:50

Right, right, all the classrooms come to here to watch. We had to substitute that day.

Clint: 8:54

Yeah, that's right.

Bryson: 8:56

That's right. Couldn't find a TV anyway, we're watching Bill today.

Bryson: 9:05

That's honestly what I thought. I mean truly. You know, we were the, the, the, the first tower was hit and then they started wheeling a TV and I was like man, somebody's really mad. I guess we're going to do a movie day. It hurts somebody's feelings. I had, no, I had no concept of what was going on. Um, and I think that probably made the biggest impact on me again once I got home and the and the days to come, the gravity of that situation and how just unaware and naive I was Again, seventh grade, you expect it, but the impact that it made obviously brought us here today, yeah as well.

Clint: 9:35

Yeah, becca, where were you?

Becca: 9:37

I was also in class, not thinking super what grade? Were you in? Yeah, I guess sixth grade, yeah, sixth or seventh.

Clint: 9:45

Okay, so I'm the senior in high school great. And then sixth and seventh grade it's fine, You're not?

Becca: 9:52

We were also in class Stop. I'm sure it was a similar scenario with the TV situation. It was actually grandparents' day, so I was super irritated because my grandparents were supposed to come and bring me lunch. Like we had this whole thing planned out, I was getting checked out.

Becca: 10:15

So, like in the backside of my mind, I was like this is like super cramping. My style I was you know, you're egocentric at that age too Like you're not even thinking about what else could be happening. You're in this like little naive world and I start we were watching it. I didn't even it didn't click and I'm like, oh, something bad's happening far away. What does that have to do with me and where I live? Are we in danger? We're not in danger. This is super far away. And in my mind I'm thinking well, these people are going to get saved, they've got firefighters on the way, everything's fine. And then it changed when I started seeing people jump out of the building and after that like nothing else mattered. You can't wrap your mind around that at a young age, why someone would do that and why are they letting us watch this. So many thoughts were going through your head at that young of an age. I can only imagine my kids watching that and what they were thinking if that could ever happen. So I mean.

Clint: 11:29

What school were you going to?

Becca: 11:32

It would have been. I think I was in. You know what, madras?

Clint: 11:36

You were in Madras, yeah, okay.

Becca: 11:38

Yeah, I'll think about that for a second. Yeah, so it was just crazy yeah. Yeah, so it was just crazy. But yeah, just to think that thought process as a young age, to process what's going on, live while it's happening and not understanding why the adults in your life at that point your teachers are so distraught and upset and calling everybody. So it was chaos.

Bryson: 12:03

Yeah, yeah, I think that was the biggest thing too, so it was chaos, yeah, yeah.

Becca: 12:05

Yeah, I think that was sorry, no, you're good.

Bryson: 12:08

I think that was the biggest thing too, and it reminded me that several adults in our school were running down the halls trying to call people that they knew that either worked in the World Trade Center or were in the area of New York City at the time. And then that was another aspect of it, that again, seventh grade, you're so far removed and, like I said, you're so egocentric. But when you see teachers that you love, you know and that you're with, you know all school year, you see them so heavily distraught trying to call their loved ones and see if they're OK. It broadens your scope of who it affects and it almost forces you to be less egocentric in that way that I mean you know you have a teacher that you care about and they've got a family member that's in New York or, you know, in that part of the city. I mean it does affect you on that side of things for sure. Yeah, no doubt.

Becca: 13:01

How about you, Matt?

Matt: 13:04

I was also a senior in high school. I didn't skip school ever Ever. Goody two-shoes, goody stars Is that true Senior skip day or not, I was there, but for real.

Bryson: 13:16

I was in economics class.

Matt: 13:17

I believe I was in economics class. The teacher had the TV on like C-SPAN or something all day because of the class, but it would be on mute.

Brooke: 13:26

We were doing our work City money.

Matt: 13:29

No TV on wheels in 2001.

Becca: 13:33

It had it in the corner it had a mount.

Clint: 13:37

But it was one of those square TVs right Probably weighed 600 pounds Tube TV. Yeah, they had to get a GC to come in and put that thing on Wall anchors?

Matt: 13:45

yeah, no doubt, and uh, but it was on mute all day, you know for because the nature of the class, it was like c-span or whatever the program was. But it switched over to the live feed of the first tower being hit and the smoke coming out and for, I think, most of the world was, well, okay, why, what's? What is this? This could be 100 different things, and then, as the day progressed, the other tower was hit.

Matt: 14:16

It became pretty clear this was intentional. Um, I think initially they tried to hey, let's just keep school going on as normal, and then it just devolved into kind of not chaos. But no one's paying attention to the economics lesson or the history lesson anymore. We're watching history, so we're going to watch it. I believe they sent us home early that day Half a skinnier skip, I believe we went home early. I remember turning it on at the house and hours on end just following along and watching history in the making, really Trying to make heads or tails of it.

Matt: 15:06

Knowing that it was super significant. Yeah, even at the time like this is big, that's good yeah and you were at which high school?

Clint: 15:14

McIntosh, peachtree City, brooke? Where were you?

Brooke: 15:19

a little bit similar to your beginning of the day, but also a lot different. Um, it was my off day. I had already graduated from the high schools, so I was working at Noonan Pediatrics, the way the schedule ran. I had an off day during the week because I worked on Saturday, so I think it was a Tuesday, maybe. I think that was my off day then, and I was sleeping in because I was young, and that's what you do when you're young.

Brooke: 15:50

Um, so my mom was blowing up the house phone because she couldn't get me on the cell phone, so she just kept calling and calling and calling and calling and calling, and so finally I was like geez, rebecca, what, what is what? What is going on? And she was like don't turn the TV on. So, the exact opposite of what you guys had. She's like don't turn the TV on, but I need you. I know she was like I need you to come up to the office. Uh, something pretty bad happened, but I don't want you to go through this alone, I want you to be with people. So get ready, come up in your pajamas, I don't care, but don't turn the radio on, don't turn, don't turn the TV on. Just come up here and because I am a good child, I did just that.

Brooke: 16:36

I got dressed real fast and went to the office and everyone it was like the whole office had just stopped there were. It didn't matter that the waiting rooms were completely full of sick and well children, everyone just stopped and we were all gathered into the two waiting room spaces at the front of the office just sitting watching everything happen. And I remember just just like it just felt like it was a movie gone bad, like it was at any moment they were going to come on and be like, oh, this is a prank. Like it just didn't feel real um at all. And again, very much so like your question why, why in the world would anyone do this? Like what is happening?

Clint: 17:27

um, so it just definitely it was just shocking to the core yeah, now, obviously, you know, matt and bryce, we have the two of you here because that day played a significant role in some decisions that both of you made, that's, I mean, honestly impacted every part of your life. You know, moving forward and not that and I were, some significant decisions made that probably are more impactful than simply experiencing or going through it or witnessing it on TV, and then you know the emotions that come with that. The two of you decided to do something a little bit more, with that being the cause. So, matt, why don't we start with you? Because you were a little older and a little closer to that decision? Walk us through from that day to how you decided. I think I want to join the army.

Matt: 18:42

That's a big question. I never really had a lot of direction, my especially my senior year. You know, mackintosh being the type of school it is got people going to all sorts of great schools and going on to do great things and I didn't have the best, didn't really know what I wanted to do. I was working at Wendy's, you know, working fast food and just kind of lost, Not lost, but you know that typical senior with BC average- what do I want to do for the rest of my life?

Matt: 19:24

Yeah, and I showed up at work one day. I worked with a buddy, chris, and and he is just beaming like chris, what's, uh, are you so happy about this man? I just I just joined the army man and I got signing bonus and I want to go be a wheeled vehicle mechanic and get money for college.

Matt: 19:48

And he told me how 9-11 kind of drove him to that and I kind of really clicked and got the wheel turned. And he said, well, what are you doing after high school? It's only a few short months away, and I don't know. And he said, well, you want to go talk to the recruiter? I was like, yeah, so that that afternoon I wrote a note to my mom on the counter. Back in the day we wrote notes, remember. I'm going to talk to the army recruiter. Be back later. That went over, yeah.

Brooke: 20:22

Yeah, like a lead over, yeah, so good.

Matt: 20:24

Yeah, like a lead balloon, yeah, like a fart in church.

Clint: 20:27

Not great. Did she call you in the middle of? I didn't have a cell phone. Okay, no cell phone. She drove up there. Did you have a pager?

Matt: 20:35

Just messenger pigeons.

Clint: 20:36

No, I didn't have none of that Messenger pigeons Nothing.

Matt: 20:45

You were set. We just did notes on the counter and scooted on off to the Army. Recruiter Just left BRB joining the Army so I joined what's called the Delayed Entry Program. You go through some of the preliminary processes with a contract.

Clint: 20:58

Is that because they weren't sure about you, or you weren't sure about them Because I hadn't graduated yet?

Matt: 21:02

Okay, no, so joined the delayed entry program. You know they send you to take the ASVAB. What does?

Clint: 21:13

ASVAB stand for.

Matt: 21:14

Armed Services. You're going to put me on the spot.

Clint: 21:16

Armed Services. You can make up whatever you want. I will have no clue. I got you on this one. Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Dude you heard it here first, nailed it, I promise you. So good. I guarantee that people listening to this the overwhelming majority will, for the very first time in their life, hear what that stands for.

Brooke: 21:35

For some people, maybe the first time they've ever heard of the ASCAP.

Matt: 21:40

Right, I did not take the SAT. I couldn't tell you what that stands for Armed services vocational aptitude battery. And what that basically does is it scores you and tells you what you might be good at in the military, so they can kind of get a gauge of where we can put you. I scored well and the recruiter said you can almost pick any job, any duty station, if it, if it exists, we'll make it happen. And I said okay, well, I want to be at Fort Benning, georgia, and I want to join the infantry. And he was like, eh, we've got to give that to the low-scoring guys. And I was like, no, I want to Fort Benning infantry. And he's like, okay, I guess you're low-scoring, so you know, got through the delayed entry program and shipped off August 8, 2002 to basic training.

Brooke: 22:33

Okay, that was my next question. Where's basic training for?

Matt: 22:36

the Army, all infantry goes through Fort Benning, georgia. Now it's called Fort. What is it called?

Bryson: 22:42

It will always be Fort.

Matt: 22:43

Benning, it's always Fort Benning.

Bryson: 22:44

Okay, it does not matter what it's called Fort. What is it called, it will always be Fort Benning. It's always Fort Benning. Okay, it does not matter what it's called right now.

Clint: 22:49

So basic training, and your station is Fort Benning, correct? Am I understanding that right yeah?

Matt: 22:55

I chose my duty station after basic training to be Fort Benning, Georgia that's cool. So once I graduated basic training in November of 2002, right yeah, I had like a few weeks off and then went to my actual unit assignment at Fort Benning, which was the 3rd Infantry Division 3rd. Brigade let's go Rock of the Marne.

Clint: 23:20

So what was the?

Matt: 23:21

last part Rock of the Marne, that's their motto.

Clint: 23:23

Rock of the Marne. Yeah, it comes from.

Matt: 23:27

World War I, all right, world War I. I believe Somebody might correct me on that.

Clint: 23:31

So when you say infantry, that feels to me like a vast selection of weapons, sure.

Brooke: 23:41

Yes, so it's like hey.

Clint: 23:41

I can go shoot some guns, I can shoot some tanks, I can do some mortars. Yeah, I can be a sniper. Yeah, I can be like anything in that is. Am I in the right?

Matt: 23:51

ballpark. So for me it was. You know, when you're a kid, you run outside and you're playing with your friends. No one's playing, cook, no what no one's or mechanic no one's playing mechanic you're holding the flashlight for your dad, so you're like I'm not going to be me, so if I'm going to join, I want to do the army stuff. I want to do that. And so 3rd Infantry Division is a mechanized infantry unit. So you have mechanized infantry. What does mechanized mean Airborne? Essentially, you have vehicles, you have tanks, bradleys armor.

Clint: 24:28

Bradleys are a tank, sort of Okay.

Matt: 24:34

It's a mix between an armored personnel carrier. A tank doesn't have infantry in the back. Gotcha, it's a very angry tank that spits out six or eight dudes out the back it's a spicy tank. When you make it mad, it's like a A spicy tank. A spicy tank, it's like a Yellow Jacket's nest of tank Gotcha. It's got a 25-millimeter chain gun as its main gun and then some other bells and whistles. But yes, it has tracks like a tank. It has a three-man crew Gunner, bradley, commander, driver and then six to eight angry fellas.

Clint: 25:10

Any chance you know who the Bradley is named after? General Bradley From World War, something or other.

Brooke: 25:18

Do you know? I don't know.

Clint: 25:20

You asked, like you knew the answer.

Brooke: 25:21

I know For sure General.

Clint: 25:22

Bradley, general Bradley. So when I hear infantry I know For sure General Bradley, general Bradley.

Brooke: 25:25

So when I hear infantry, I think immediately like frontline, right, right. So like it's crazy to me that you'd be like, yeah, I'm looking at this list of opportunities, sign me up. This is the one.

Matt: 25:41

They do a really good job of selling it Okay, they ought to. They got cool, really good job of selling. It Okay, they ought to, they got cool videos and posters and a tank, yeah, and the tanks coming across the battlefield and they really sell you on the infantry and it looks really cool and sometimes it is Most of the time it's not yeah, so it's very much um frontline so what was your specialization?

Clint: 26:11

where'd you end up falling in?

Matt: 26:13

um, mostly I was a machine gunner on the m249 light machine gun, the saw is it on?

Clint: 26:21

is it mounted on a vehicle? No, no, no, okay, you carry this one with you. Yeah, got the little kickstand on the front. Bipod, yeah, bipod.

Matt: 26:28

Bipod on the front Kickstand bipod. My squad leader took my strap off because it made me stronger.

Clint: 26:36

Okay, can verify Right.

Matt: 26:39

Took the strap off. You're just going to carry that thing all 140 pounds of mat at the time.

Brooke: 26:45

Bob, you're just going to carry that thing, all 140 pounds of mat at the time, and how much did you weigh?

Matt: 26:49

at the time, depending on pre-Iraq, during Iraq, during Iraq I probably got down to like 125 pounds. Jeez yeah, just dysentery and whatever else you catch over there. So the light machine gun, the SAW, and then .50 Cal gun, machine gunner on Humvees, and then I drove Bradleys. I also did.

Clint: 27:13

How fun is that? It's great there's no roads. I'm assuming there's roads, but when you get over there, when you get into the battlefield type of thing, it's not like, hey, there's roads, we're just driving this wherever I want, cross country and there's very few things I would imagine that can say no, you can't take a Bradley here.

Matt: 27:30

It's true, yeah, but I got them stuck. Okay, you'd be surprised. All right, yeah.

Clint: 27:35

How do you get a Bradley unstuck?

Matt: 27:38

You leave it. It's like in the movies you've got to blow it up and leave their sewage system in Iraq isn't what we have here, so it's more just creeks, so to speak, and you can't really see the right side of your vehicle. You're relying on the guy in the turret to see. I got too close to one of those creeks and really kind of buried that Bradley in the we'll call it mud.

Brooke: 28:04

Okay.

Clint: 28:05

Yeah.

Matt: 28:05

Up to, basically, the top of the brand.

Clint: 28:08

Okay.

Matt: 28:09

Do you get out of the top? Yeah, so the driver gets out of the top guys in the back not happy because they start seeing water and stuff in their little view and stuff not and the Bradley's listing listing to the right greatly.

Becca: 28:26

That wasn't in the videos I showed you.

Matt: 28:28

No no.

Becca: 28:29

Look at this that was my second tour.

Bryson: 28:32

You want to get stuck? We got the job for you.

Matt: 28:35

That was my second tour in Iraq and drove Bradley's a little bit my second tour in Iraq and, yeah, got it stuck. That ruined the mission we were on for the day. Okay, double-edged sword. So some people were like, well, okay, I had to get in the creek and hook up the toe. Shackle, not fun. Yeah that's yeah, that's the part they don't tell you about in the videos for sure. So um overall, yeah, um machine gunner, bradley driver yeah infantryman extraordinaire do you have a great picture?

Clint: 29:08

I didn't ask you this ahead of time. Uh, bryce, same question for you do you have a great picture that we might be able to share on social media of you deployed overseas, like I don't know, just in some type of gear type thing that would just show the difference of, hey, like 130-pound, you just feels tiny.

Matt: 29:31

Yeah, it is. I'm about 220 now. You're a grown man Big difference, that's right. Yeah, I do.

Clint: 29:40

I can show you that. That'd be cool. Bryce, do you have one that we could post? Yeah, I'm sure I've got yeah for cool.

Bryson: 29:43

Yeah, bryce, you have one that we could post. Yeah, I'm sure I've got. Yeah for sure, absolutely.

Clint: 29:45

Maybe we could post it just so that people can see.

Matt: 29:48

Yeah for sure, these grown men slash little boys.

Becca: 29:51

Yeah, I could blow you away when you got back.

Bryson: 29:54

Oh, you really yeah Like just like little. Yeah, it's interesting. Even the body weight like it seems like when you're deployed 130 to 145 is pretty much healthy. It was pretty much where you sit between the missions that you're running and stuff like that. You just burn all that. I mean it doesn't matter what you eat. I mean 130, 145, I probably came back around what 135, 140, 128, something, you know something like that for sure.

Becca: 30:21

Yeah.

Bryson: 30:22

Yeah, yeah.

Clint: 30:24

So now, that's how you jumped in Bryce. How did you jump in or make that decision? How did 9-11 play a role in that?

Bryson: 30:32

So I had a period really of eight or nine years waiting, obviously because I was in seventh grade.

Clint: 30:40

So they don't do the delayed program for eight years.

Bryson: 30:42

No, I'm sure that if I signed in seventh grade they'd be like hey, dude, at 18, we're coming.

Brooke: 30:47

For sure, yeah, for sure.

Bryson: 30:49

Hey, remember in seventh grade.

Matt: 30:51

You signed this Every year just a friendly reminder, Bryce Harper of the Army.

Bryson: 30:53

Yeah, exactly yeah just yeah, no, I mean. So 9-11 happened. We already spoke about how that impacted me. We already spoke about how that impacted me, but where it really got nailed home for me was as I was leaving high school junior, senior, and then my first year in college.

Bryson: 31:19

I was in classes with these dudes that had served and were now using their GI Bill to go to school. And every one of them that I met that was in the infantry or special operations or ranger battalion or something like that. I was like these dudes hung the moon, this is where it's at. And I had always wanted to do like Matt said. I've always wanted to be hey man, if we have this job to do, let me be in the front doing it.

Bryson: 31:48

And so I spoke to some guys at University of West Georgia again who had come back from serving already and now were taking advantage of their GI benefits. I was like, hey man, I want to join the Army, I want to join the infantry specifically. And they kind of were saying, hey, well, this is what it's going to look like and, like Matt said, they do a great job of painting a picture of the be all. You can be. Hey, you can shoot this gun. You're going to look cool all the time. It's going to be awesome. You know, chicks dig it, the whole deal right.

Becca: 32:22

I did not.

Bryson: 32:26

Ch. Whole deal right, I did not. Chicks don't dig it. Yeah, this chick did not dig it, I did not, she dug something.

Clint: 32:29

Oh yeah, I mean I came back. It was more of a me thing.

Bryson: 32:30

It was obviously, you know. So I got my first year of well, first semester of college done and I remember just wanting to go, wanting to serve, wanting to be a part of something bigger than myself. I had grown up in Noonan and Carrollton my entire life and I knew nothing outside of Noonan and Carrollton and I did want to place my life somewhere that serves somebody or something bigger than me. And I remember sitting in it was a 30s music appreciation class 30s, Like like 1930s.

Bryson: 33:10

Yeah, like how the 1930s impacted theater and vice versa. And I remember sitting there doing our you know final exam and I'm on question six or seven and I'm like there's no way I'm fit, no, I'm not, I'm not doing this anymore.

Bryson: 33:27

And so I walked up to the front of the class and gave her the test and she looked at me bewildered and I was like, uh, I'm gonna go join the military. This is not for me. And I left and I walked out and I remember telling her and I was like I was like, hey, man, we done, I'm gonna go join the army and did you leave a sticky note on the counter? No, I went the not good kid way. Yeah, I went to the recruiter without my parents knowing.

Clint: 33:56

Or me.

Bryson: 33:57

And then I took the ASVAB without them knowing. And then I got my results back and the guy he comes bumping down the hall. He's like hey, man, you scored this. You got like crypto lingo, you got all the smart kid stuff and I'm not a smart kid, but we can talk about how the ASVAB is geared towards certain people. And he was like crypto, you can do language, you can go to Germany, you can go to. I mean you can do biological stuff can go to germany, you can go to. I mean you can do biological stuff in antarctica.

Bryson: 34:26

And I'm like, similar to him. I was like I was like infantry, and he was like no man. And I'm like, yeah, and he's like. He's like dude, you gotta put your name on the paper to be an infantry. I was like, and I did that and I'm like. I was like and I told the recruiter I said, hey, look, dude, I won't ever have this, but if I ever did have my degree, I would still want to join the infantry. Nothing is going to steer me away from that.

Bryson: 34:53

Um, the men that I met prior to enlisting, hearing their stories, it echoed what I was looking for. And throughout that time you've got to remember, like from 2001 to 2010 or 2009,. You know time frame, we still had, you know, attacks that were being carried out and so, unlike Matt, who was already actively serving, I got to see that on the news, on YouTube, on WikiLeaks, on all those platforms that show you that, hey, this is not going away, and it kind of solidified my decision that I was going to help stop this. Not that the people before me weren't or couldn't, but I wanted to have my foot in that door to be a part of history, truly. I mean, because this was you hear it a lot with dudes like Matt and me this was our war, our parents had Vietnam, and so you just keep going back.

Bryson: 35:58

And so I enlisted, I went all the way through MEPS without telling anybody what is MEPS. You're the acronym guy MEPS, so I'll explain MEPS. Okay, you go through MEPS, you basically do.

Bryson: 36:12

You basically. So it's horrible and it's hilarious. I mean, anybody listening who's been through MEPS? You're like, yeah, I saw that in MEPS. You see some things that, especially if you're sheltered, that you would not see, and it is almost like a shock to your system. You're like, wow, there's people out there like this. But MEPS, it's a medical screening. You do a battery of different medical and physical vision, all the kind of things that would get you ready for a job in combat arms or just in the military in general.

Matt: 36:47

Military Entry Processing Station.

Bryson: 36:50

There's my acronym.

Brooke: 36:51

I would love to hear more about this because, for sure, the things that my two boys had to go through with MEPS, I feel like, is significantly different than you guys post COVID, like I think they had to record themselves doing like the all the sit-ups and pushups and all that kind of stuff.

Bryson: 37:07

This was obviously face to face. You're in like a holding pattern.

Matt: 37:12

You're not sure when you're going to your unit or to basic, your basic training date. So you're you're kind of stuck with all. These guys are just have all this nervous energy. You're about to go through basic. They don't make you do pt or anything like that.

Bryson: 37:28

In meps we're not really well, so meps is meps is different for, for you and I so why, well.

Bryson: 37:35

So meps for me, me was all the preliminary documentation that says medically and this, that and the third, you're good to go. And then when you leave Mets, you leave to go to basic training. And again, matt and I mirror each other. We both were at Fort Benning and I remember getting to Fort Benning and they're like you know, you're going to go to 30th AG. I don't know if that rings a bell.

Bryson: 37:58

So 30th AG was a very clear delineation that you are not technically at MEPS anymore, you are in the military. Now we're processing you from being a civilian to being in the military and I remember we got separated from and Matt can echo this it's the Army. Well, let me rephrase, it's the infantry, then it's everybody else, and that becomes a source of pride and a standard that you hold. And so I remember sitting there and there's like 200, 250 of us kids there, you know, and we're, you know, real tightly packed, packed close to each other on this wall, going down the deal, and there's these real sergeants and they and or you know, and they're just, they're screaming and yelling the wildest obscene things that you can ever hear, and there's kids behind me crying, kids in front of me crying, you know, and I'm sitting there like this is where I'm supposed to be, like this is it man? Like I have found my home, yell at me more, yeah, yeah, I mean, I was like hit me.

Bryson: 39:08

You know, I was like let's do it, you know and so, but I've always been that way, I've always been. You know the crying kid. I would be too Terrified, yeah, but I mean, like they broke, you don't even oh no, don't get it twisted. I cried like a baby, like a baby.

Matt: 39:28

Like a baby. Like a baby.

Bryson: 39:31

But, like I was still like this is where I'm supposed to. I have never felt more at home than I did in the military, truly, Um, and so I know you love hearing that, but um, but then we left, um, we got through basic training, Um, and when I tell you I loved every millisecond of basic training, that is not a lie. I mean you. You, you can change your viewpoint and you can change your outlook, but at the end of the day, you're getting paid and fed to dress up in camouflage and run around with some of your new best friends that you're never going to forget, ever and shoot weapons and crawl on the ground and throw grenades and yell and scream and fight and just do all these boy things.

Bryson: 40:22

Play in the mud and play in the mud, but throughout basic training, there is no confusion. You're training to this caliber and they're doing these checkoffs, whether that be squad automatic weapons, handguns or your M4, you are doing this in preparation that you are going to go, in my case, to Afghanistan to kill the enemy. And we were very clear on why we were doing what we were doing. And so again, for somebody who's already hungry, all you're doing is stoking the fire. So I left Fort Benning around Christmas time, right after Christmas time, and we went to Fort Carson, colorado, and I was with 212 Infantry out of 4th ID. So Matt was 3rd ID, I was 4th ID. What is ID Infantry?

Matt: 41:14

Division Okay.

Bryson: 41:14

So 4th ID I got there there and I thought that I was going to mechanized unit. I'm like, cool man, we're going to be in the back of Bradley's, we're going to be, you know, I'm going to be back there, just super cool. They're going to drop the gate and I'm going to run out and I'm going to do my job, right? False, very false. I found out the hard way that the 4th Infantry Division at the time was what's called light infantry. So we walked and ran everywhere with everything, and so I've never stepped foot in a Bradley, I've never been inside of a tank to that capacity, and so you know, but that was what I wanted. I wanted to be light infantry, I wanted to carry the big guns, just like matt said, and do the cool things.

Bryson: 42:01

Um, I was fortunate enough that shortly, relatively shortly after um I joined, we deployed and we can get into that later, which is her favorite part of what we're going to talk about but, um, but, yeah, I mean that was that, in a nutshell, was my entire experience was a giant push of just. I mean, that was what I wanted to do and so, like I said, I've never felt more sense of purpose, as I'm sure you can echo that you had what you were doing every day and you knew that you were doing that every day and why you're doing that every day, every day? And you knew that you were doing that every day. And why are you doing that every day? And for somebody that didn't have a whole lot of guidance necessarily, I mean, you make life too easy for a dude who's 18, 19. You say, hey, man, this is what we're going to do every day, this is why you're doing it. Go do it.

Clint: 42:54

Yeah.

Bryson: 42:54

And so.

Clint: 42:55

When, for sure, both of you don't have to share or you can both just say hey. I'd prefer an answer to the question. Is there a moment in particular that you remember, when you're deployed, that 9-11 pops into your mind in the middle of a mission? It's like, man, this is a big part of why this whole thing is happening, a big part of why this whole thing is happening. Maybe it's in the middle, or maybe you just completed an assignment and you're like. You know, we told you we were coming.

Matt: 43:28

I can recall, just before the invasion of Iraq, 3rd ID was part of the, essentially the unit that took iraq in the in the early days that so where were you?

Clint: 43:45

the 21?

Matt: 43:46

days to baghdad. I was waiting at the border for a few weeks which border kuwait, iraq border. Um we got moved out of our camp. We got pushed out to an area called the Tactical Alpha Alpha, which is an assembly area, alpha, alpha.

Clint: 44:04

Yeah.

Matt: 44:05

We sat there for weeks, living in tents, waiting for the word. We didn't know when that was coming. There was just rumor. You're just sitting in the desert in the middle of nowhere and there's a berm and that berm is the delineation, that's the line. And then the word came down we're going.

Clint: 44:30

That was a huge moment when the word came down, did you know what you like to the extent of what was about to happen? Or was it just like, hey, our first mission is just to have a presence and to scare someone? Or like like what was in your mind when you say, hey, we're going, we're going to do what we we knew it was a full court press.

Matt: 44:50

Yeah, we were going to take that country over, yeah, and we knew we were gonna see combat. We were gonna do we were about to do all of the things. And so, um, it was not gonna be a, you know, show of force, it wasn't gonna be, um, some little you know two-day skirmish, it was gonna be the fights on, yeah.

Clint: 45:16

So you're waiting for that bell to ring and did you leave in the morning or at night, oh, or middle of the day, and?

Matt: 45:23

I, if I recall.

Clint: 45:25

I think it was in the middle of the night, you know two oh dark 32 how much time did you have when they said, hey, we're going to wheels up? I want to say hours, yeah, okay yeah, yeah, just hey.

Matt: 45:37

The bush said let's go, yeah, and and we um the engineers, the guys who do all the explosives, um blew a giant hole in that berm and we see, when you said berm, immediately my imagination like saw, like a sand dune hill.

Brooke: 45:55

Yeah, big giant 20-foot sand dune, so they blew a hole in a dune.

Clint: 46:00

A hundred percent, and you just, bradley, tanked right through them.

Matt: 46:04

The entire 3rd Infantry Division and 1st Marine Expeditionary Division were the two first units in, so we went straight through that gap?

Clint: 46:14

Did you technically beat the Marines in?

Matt: 46:18

Oh gosh, I don't want to, you know, compete. But yes, we started the march to Baghdad and took 21 days from. You were driving a Bradley. No, I was in the back at the time, so the guys in the back are called dismounts Pretty self-explanatory. When the ramp Bradley door drops, they dismount and they go handle it.

Clint: 46:44

So you were in the back of a Bradley yeah.

Matt: 46:46

Gotcha, can't see what's going on.

Clint: 46:48

Yeah, it's loud All right Got no windows, no window.

Matt: 46:53

There's a periscope. You really can't see anything. Periscope, you really can't see anything. It's hot. There's no AC.

Clint: 46:59

And you Well, you'd naturally take off your gear while you're inside and like, yeah, just camp out.

Brooke: 47:05

Yeah, because you have so much time when they're ready to just put everything back on. There's so much communication.

Matt: 47:10

So the drivers of the Bradleys actually it gets very hot. You're up there next to the engine. Having been a Bradleyadley driver a little known secret of bradley and tank drivers, half of them are pretty much in their underwear because it's so hot and a little bit of body armor is probably not going to help you. So if you see a bradley or a tank in combat in like a video, it's a good chance that that driver's solid yeah, yeah.

Clint: 47:37

So, as you're heading in, when does the 9-11 thoughts, kind of as you're going, how long that take.

Matt: 47:45

You get those speeches from your commander and stuff. Hey guys, we're going to go do this and you know, kind of the rah-rah, let's get pumped up. The kind of the rah-rah, let's get pumped up.

Brooke: 47:58

Get that adrenaline going.

Matt: 47:59

At that time in history. Everyone was so gung-ho patriotic. You know, we were going to go get our get-backs so to speak. So we were chomping at the bit and 9-11 was just always just in the back of your mind. The front of your mind about that. You know it was. We're gonna go get revenge you know, for that and it's not gonna be a fair fight, right like yeah, yeah, we're mad, we were mad.

Clint: 48:37

Yeah, yeah, and so we did how long did it take for, from the time you blew up the berm until your part was like, hey, we're, we're done?

Matt: 48:51

oh so my first tour was from january to july of 03. Um, but from where they blew the berm to US forces have control of Baghdad and all of Iraq was 21 days, 21 days and you were in country all 21 days.

Clint: 49:09

I was yeah.

Matt: 49:12

And then, after we took Baghdad, we remained in place and did combat operations until we redeployed back home and were relieved by other units. But we my first tour wasn't a full year because I guess, hey, 3rd ID, you guys did your part time to pack it up, don't worry, you'll be back. So second tour was 05. I was there for a full year, 05 to January, 05, january 06.

Clint: 49:45

Yeah, what was the most like when you think about, hey, my dream of, and my like desire and hopes of, what I think I could be as a soldier, and then what it actually ends up being right, Because both of you have talked about, hey, the recruiter, you know, really sells this thing, but then you actually become the real live version of the poster, of the figurine that you played with as a kid or the guys you watched on in movies. Like, from that experience, what was the most satisfying moment? Um, Matt, for you that was just like hey, this is this is what I wanted to do, this is this was worth it.

Matt: 50:33

Hmm, I think for me, the first time you go through a firefight, a real live this isn't the range, this isn't make-believe with blank rounds against your buddies, that first time you hear rounds going by you and they're not friendly, like a switch happens in you, right for the. Actually, the first time we got shot at, I didn't know what being shot at really sounded like. Yeah, so you're like what is that? You know, yeah, and then you're oh, it's, it's real. What does it sound like? Well, that depends how. How close is it? Sometimes it's like a whistle, sometimes it's like a crack, and sometimes it's hitting two feet from you and throwing dirt on you. So, uh, an ak-47 is a very distinct report. It's uh, unmistakable.

Matt: 51:35

And anyone who's fought, guys who have used those. You'll never forget that sound yeah. So when that first firefight happens is when it's like oh, I'm GI Joe now.

Clint: 51:53

I'm that guy.

Matt: 51:54

And this is real, and all the things I've trained to do. The basic training makes you almost robotic to react to it. They drill it so much, so hard, that when it happens, you're oh, I know exactly what I'm supposed to do and so does he Second nature. And so does he, and it works. Things start clicking. But war and firefights are obviously. You can't really recreate that anywhere.

Matt: 52:28

And they talk about the fog of war. It's very real, it's very confusing, it's not a clear like I'm here, bad guy's there, type of thing. So it's an interesting experience, to say the least. I think that for me is when it really stuck that I'm a machine gunner in the infantry and I'm in a firefight.

Clint: 52:58

you know, and you were how old when that first firefight happened 18.

Brooke: 53:02

18.

Clint: 53:04

My son's 13. I cannot imagine him in a firefight five years from now.

Brooke: 53:11

Yeah, I have an 18-year-old and I can't imagine her in a firefight ever.

Matt: 53:17

You turned 19 during that push to Baghdad.

Clint: 53:20

Okay.

Matt: 53:21

The infantry is a brotherhood and on your birthday, at least in my unit, they would jump you essentially. Same. They'd give you a good, friendly beating.

Bryson: 53:32

Okay, like a real beating. I think beating is a gentle word, a beat down is pretty.

Brooke: 53:37

For real they go.

Matt: 53:38

hey, man, we have man, let me see your glasses for a second and you're like huh.

Clint: 53:43

You know it's coming.

Bryson: 53:45

Is it still allowed?

Clint: 53:46

to happen or is the new?

Bryson: 53:47

army.

Clint: 53:48

I hope so yeah it better be. I wasn't sure if the new army was a little more. It probably isn't allowed to happen but does it happen?

Matt: 53:55

I hope so. It's all in how you write it up. It's all out back in the wood line or in areas where Lieutenant Nolder is not looking.

Clint: 54:03

That's right. The good divisions are still doing what you're saying.

Matt: 54:05

That's right.

Clint: 54:06

That's right yeah.

Matt: 54:08

The ones who care about preparing people, but on my birthday. We were in, I think, najaf, iraq or Nasiriyah one of the two. We were taking mortar rounds that day so they were too busy to beat me up, so they had to reschedule. Oh my gosh, pause.

Bryson: 54:28

We hadn't forgotten when you least expect it.

Matt: 54:30

They got me again in 05 when I turned 21.

Brooke: 54:33

Oh.

Matt: 54:34

So I made sure I was remembered.

Brooke: 54:38

So did it not happen? When you are not deployed, it only happens on deployment it especially happens on deployment I don't know really about in garrison, so in garrison at least in our unit

Bryson: 54:51

your birthday you got, you did pt and then you got the birthday off. Birthday day off. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Matt: 54:58

The idea is soft.

Bryson: 54:59

Yeah, you had to PT, you had to PT and then you got the day off, but you were on CQ duty next.

Becca: 55:05

What is CQ duty? It's like a.

Bryson: 55:07

You have to sit at the desk all day. Yeah, you sit at the desk for 24 hours.

Matt: 55:10

What does that stand for, though? Charge of quarters.

Bryson: 55:12

Yeah, basically it depends on if you're staff duty, like the big army up there with headquarters, or you're down in the barracks somewhere doing CQ. Just basically checking IDs for 24 hours You'll sit.

Matt: 55:26

a sergeant and a private will sit at the CQ desk. Anything the company needs, the commander needs somebody to run something over to another unit. The private's the runner. They answer phones and hello, this is the Army, this is Matt speaking.

Clint: 55:43

May I help you?

Matt: 55:43

So to speak. So it's the secretary for that barracks for the day.

Clint: 55:49

Yeah, for that day, the unit of the day. That's wild. So, Bryce, do you have one of those moments where, for you, 9-11 really jumped? I mean obviously blowing a berm, running in like, hey, we're about to take over this entire country in 21 days?

Bryson: 56:03

I mean, I think the first time that we went out on mission, you know when was this? This is Zabal Province, afghanistan, and so it was probably one of our first night missions. Because that's, you watch all the movies, you talk to all the dudes, you know, did you have night vision? Absolutely night missions. Because that's, you watch all the movies, you talk to all the dudes, you know, did you have night vision absolutely?

Matt: 56:22

yeah, absolutely yeah. We didn't have an option.

Bryson: 56:23

I mean most of what the infantry does, yeah 98 of it is in the middle of the night we don't start until eight or nine o'clock at night.

Bryson: 56:30

Um, yeah, I mean going out. So he, you know he's been. He was in bradley's. We were light infantry so so when we traveled in vehicles, we traveled in up-armored vehicles, matvs, and so they're much taller, much more top-heavy than the Bradleys are. They don't have a specified 25-millimeter gun or anything like that on there. The guy in the turret is either on a .50 cal he could be on a Mark 19, which is shooting the grenades out or you could throw a .240, which is a big brother to Saul.

Clint: 57:07

Let me stop you and ask you about the .50 cal. I heard someone telling a story about one time and I don't know if it was exaggeration. That's all I'm asking, and I've never seen a .50 cal fired from the back of anything, except for like on the movies and I'm assuming that's what that thing is a big, the big gun, sure.

Clint: 57:26

But this guy said that he, there was, they, there was a little ambush that happened, uh, they were in a little caravan, guy pulled in front, guy pulled in the back, and immediately they were said hey, they saw it happening. And there was these houses. They were in between these little houses and this 50 Cal just cut the houses in half. I guess he just mowed down the side of this thing and the houses just started to.

Bryson: 57:51

Yeah, especially if it's a crappy little village or a crappy little building in Afghanistan or Iraq. Absolutely that's possible.

Matt: 57:58

That's a big guy. There's not a lot of things in Iraq that stop .50 cal rounds.

Clint: 58:04

I just can't imagine there being these little mud brick houses and all of a sudden you look over and it's like well, it was there it was there.

Matt: 58:13

It was there. It's not there anymore. Devastating that's it. It's been around since the dark ages. It's a devastating weapon. It's been around since the dark ages. It's the workhorse of machine guns.

Bryson: 58:23

I would much rather prefer a 240, which again, for all intents and purposes, it's a bigger version of the 249 squad automatic weapon, which is what Matt and I carried. Our .50 cals seem to jam a lot, which is what Matt and I carried. Our .50 cals seemed to jam a lot, which is no fun, and so the .240 and especially the SAW. They would jam, obviously, but not to the degree that the .50 cal would jam. My favorite weapon to carry was the .249. I mean, even when you fire it, when you fire it, it's amazing, I mean it's the sound.

Bryson: 59:04

Just the sound itself. The sound is one of the most beautiful sounds ever.

Brooke: 59:10

The number of people that are going to immediately hop off this podcast and look up all of these things to hear how they sound to see what they look like.

Matt: 59:19

There's a great YouTube video of a guy stepping into an alley and firing a saw, and it's just.

Clint: 59:24

It's beautiful. The saw is the 249?

Bryson: 59:26

Yeah, and so the 240 is the big brother. So the 249 shoots the 556, which goes in your M4, and then the 7.62 round is what goes in the 240.

Matt: 59:40

So it's a bigger caliber.

Bryson: 59:44

No, I mean obviously similar to Matt. Every time we would go out on mission, especially at night. You play the music. You rile each other up. Did you have a go-to song we played I?

Matt: 59:57

already know what he's going to say.

Bryson: 59:59

To the window? No, can I know what he's going?

Matt: 1:00:00

to say To the window no.

Bryson: 1:00:01

Can I guess what he's going to say?

Matt: 1:00:03

It's Bodies by Drowning Pool.

Bryson: 1:00:04

So that was on the playlist.

Matt: 1:00:06

I can't listen to that song to this day.

Bryson: 1:00:09

But we had a song by Five Finger Death Punch that we played a lot. But Drowning Pool was definitely on the playlist, for sure.

Matt: 1:00:16

There's a lot of butt rock being played.

Bryson: 1:00:18

Yeah, for sure A lot of Butt rock yeah.

Matt: 1:00:22

That's the category for like Five Finger Death.

Bryson: 1:00:25

Okay.

Matt: 1:00:26

That post-grunge era radio stations played nothing but rock. Gotcha Butt rock Okay.

Bryson: 1:00:32

It is Okay, gotcha, I can get on board with that.

Matt: 1:00:38

So we invaded Iraq to Tim McGraw's greatest hits, believe it or not. Okay, somebody wired up a portable CD player, because this is 2003. American girl and the Bradley Commander wired it up into the speaker system inside the Bradley, like our radios, and played one album on repeat for 21 days to Baghdad and to this day refuse to listen to Tim McGraw's greatest hits.

Bryson: 1:01:11

barbecue stain on her white t-shirt you're probably so mad, by the time that thing stops playing, you open the door.

Becca: 1:01:21

It's like finally, yeah, yeah, yeah, You're like, we're the.

Bryson: 1:01:24

Green Grand Crew. Yeah, yeah, just you know no for sure. So Tim McGraw.

Becca: 1:01:29

Yeah, yeah, too funny yeah.

Clint: 1:01:31

That's wild. Do you get to keep your night vision goggles?

Bryson: 1:01:35

Absolutely not.

Matt: 1:01:36

No.

Bryson: 1:01:36

And then they yell at you when you go turn it in because it's not clean enough or it doesn't work the way that you.

Matt: 1:01:41

The Taliban got to keep it, apparently. That's what I hear. Oh, I went there.

Becca: 1:01:46

Oh my goodness, yeah for sure.

Bryson: 1:01:49

Yeah, now unfortunately, you've got to turn like 90% of your. What was it? Your jacket.

Becca: 1:01:59

I made sure that we didn't find that one.

Bryson: 1:02:01

Yeah, we kept several articles of clothing and then some other stuff.

Matt: 1:02:07

You have your movie.

Becca: 1:02:09

I can't get rid of that thing. You better not get rid of it.

Matt: 1:02:13

I cannot get rid of that I sleep with it every night at the fire station.

Bryson: 1:02:16

So I did when I was at the fire station. That was one of my go-tos, and then my son Logan. He uses that almost nightly I mean he, I'm like please. Logan is super, super sentimental.

Brooke: 1:02:30

I have no idea what this is. Do you know what a Wobie is?

Matt: 1:02:32

No, A Wobie is the best piece of gear the United States military has ever created and issued it. The best piece of gear the United States military has ever created and issued. It's a blanket. It's just made out of polyester.

Brooke: 1:02:42

I guess Do all.

Becca: 1:02:43

So when you sweat you feel the sweat against like that. It's like that material, but in the summer it kind of feels cool to your skin. Yeah.

Bryson: 1:02:51

Yeah.

Matt: 1:02:51

It's like a.

Bryson: 1:02:52

Yeah.

Matt: 1:02:52

It's a field expedient, blanket and affectionately it's called a poncho liner. But it blanket and affectionately it's called a poncho liner but it's affectionately known as the whoopee.

Brooke: 1:03:02

Whoopee, w-o-o-b-i-e Okay, but you don't know if all branches of the military get it. Just for sure. The army.

Bryson: 1:03:07

The infantry does, so who cares?

Matt: 1:03:09

We're the ones who really sleep outside and use them.

Bryson: 1:03:11

I don't know if the Air Force needs a whoopee. That's a big thing too.

Brooke: 1:03:14

Like he's not lying, no like I was going to ask my boys. I was like, hey, what the heck is this? But they're not going to know anything about it.

Matt: 1:03:22

The guys on the Navy ships probably don't have whoopies.

Bryson: 1:03:24

Yeah, they're like no we have electric blankets and night jackets.

Becca: 1:03:26

I have a heating pad Recliners. I heard that they have waterbeds by, for sure.

Matt: 1:03:35

I have a who one on vacation when we go on our honeymoon.

Clint: 1:03:38

You take one as in, you get more, or the same one. I own three, you own three. Yeah, you can only get them.

Bryson: 1:03:44

I have two that were issued to me. If you enlist, are there?

Clint: 1:03:46

like military.

Bryson: 1:03:47

You can buy one on Amazon. Oh no, but obviously like he's saying yours.

Matt: 1:03:50

That's a big deal. My whoopee I use at work is older than guys that are getting hired on the department. I'm that guy, I got socks older than you, you got a whoopee.

Bryson: 1:04:02

I got a whoopee older than you. They're like is this okay to say? You're like, is this?

Clint: 1:04:07

okay to say. What's wild about the two of you is you've got a lot of similarities in terms of the infantry, but then also, like when your military service came to a close, you've both jumped into public service, which is still very front-line-ish in terms of how you organize and you know, orient your life day-to-day, provide for your families, all those things. Sure, how did the two of you? It may be completely different stories, but how did you all get from infantry to where you're at in public service today?

Becca: 1:04:41

Why are you giggling?

Bryson: 1:04:42

I was lied to. That's how? No, no, no, oh gosh, no, no, no, oh gosh. So we I, my lovely wife decided that she did not want to be an Army wife anymore, which is fine, it's fine. It's water under the bridge, it's fine.

Becca: 1:05:01

It's fine, we're still married.

Bryson: 1:05:02

We're still married and so no, but really we sat down and she was like hey, man, I'm not doing this anymore. And I was like but I have this packet that says I'm going to go be a super cool guy and I leave in like two weeks. And she's like guess who's not leaving? And I'm like I guess this guy's not leaving. So I had my SF packet ready, signed off to the PT test.

Matt: 1:05:29

SF means SF Special Forces.

Bryson: 1:05:32

So I knew what I was going to do. I was going to leave the infantry, I was going to go do SF and try to be an SF medic. That was my goal at least.

Becca: 1:05:39

You could have.

Bryson: 1:05:40

I could have just without her, and so I chose, you know, obviously the wiser path and we decided to leave the military path. And we decided to leave the military, um, and I was told that if I got my emt basic, that I would have a job waiting for me when I got out. Um, unfortunately that did not happen, um, and so I spent a few months kind of piddling around with some jobs um security yeah, I did some security gigs here and there, um, and then henry county fire called and we bit down hard on that.

Bryson: 1:06:17

You did security Until 2021,. I officially left, went through paramedic school, got all my fire certs, did all the stuff like that. So you were a firefighter and paramedic.

Clint: 1:06:35

Mm-hmm.

Bryson: 1:06:36

Gotcha. So much like Fayette County. Henry County is what's called dual purpose. Yeah, so the city of Noonan, for instance, doesn't transport patients. Right, they assist on medical calls and they run fire calls, but they don't transport patients. They assist on medical calls and they run fire calls, but they don't transport patients. Henry County, you can transport a sick older lady one call, you can run an extrication the next call, a house fire the next call, and then you're running a pediatric allergic reaction the next. So you run the gamut of what you can do in a 24, 48 hour period. Which I loved.

Bryson: 1:07:13

That was, if you know, I felt like I had meaning and purpose and I was at home in the infantry, in the army. Henry County Fire and the fire department as a whole definitely helped fill that, fill that gap. You know that, fill that gap, you know, and give me uh, you know, give me a new purpose or a new direction. Um, I think the reason that I I went into public safety, or you know, public safety, I guess, um, and, but specifically ems and fire, was because I had a desire and a thought that I wasn't finished. I wasn't necessarily finished serving or making an impact, and I knew that being a police officer for me. I did not want to be a police officer and that's you know. Know, obviously that's fine. Um, I saw paramedics and firemen in the city and then I, you know, had relationships with them on and off when I was in the military and then, obviously, when I got out and they made another big impact on my career path to go be a fireman and then, once I was in that career path, it was just highlighted even more, so that you can be there on somebody's worst day and really, from a Christ follower perspective, try your best at least to show, try to be Christ to that person, least to show, try to be Christ to that person, even though they may not necessarily want it but they for sure need it.

Bryson: 1:09:00

And I think you know, becca and I have talked about this a lot.

Bryson: 1:09:04

You know you'll hear EMS people and cops and even military people, you know say things like oh, you know, I can't stand people, you know, or some variation.

Bryson: 1:09:10

Even military people you know say, say things like oh, you know, I can't stand people, you know, or some some variation of that, you know, can't stand people, um, but at the heart of it, at least 90 of us, I can say with confidence, have a desire to help people, yeah, whether that be through the interest of medicine or the interest of you. You know hazards, you know house fires, execrations with vehicles or anything like that. We still have a severe, deep-rooted river that would run through us, so to speak that we want to render aid and help. And I think, being a Christ follower at least for me, and what you and I have spoken about is, that'd be awesome if you can fix somebody medically or drag somebody out of a burning building or help extricate somebody out of a car. But if you can do that with Christ's love and show Christ through that, that's the icing on the cake, at least for us. That's the icing on the cake, at least for us.

Becca: 1:10:23

And I think being a Christ follower can not tenderize. But it's kind of hard to put in words. I guess how— when?

Bryson: 1:10:26

you know grace you're able to give it? Yeah, for sure. Yeah, thank you, you can just answer all my stuff. Give it, yeah, for sure. Yeah, thank you. You could just answer my all my stuff from from now on, for sure, yeah.

Bryson: 1:10:31

I mean, you know you have grace and mercy and you're able to expound on that and show that to somebody, um, who either you feel doesn't deserve it because you know they're chronically don't take their medication now they're in heart failure, or they're a diabetic patient and their their blood sugar is four and they don't take care of themselves.

Bryson: 1:10:50

But but you show grace and mercy and you help them, um, regardless, not only because it's your job, because again, there's a change that goes on in your heart and you have a desire to help people, um, and you want at least in my experience I'm sure Matt's the same way is you don't want the next guy to be able to do it, you want to be able to do it.

Bryson: 1:11:30

You want to be able to be the tool that heals and helps and comforts. And there's a different gravity to that, I mean, versus running into battle, pulling a trigger and living with the things after that, things after that, and it's different of holding a child, you know who's not breathing and doesn't have a heartbeat in your hand, and you're that line. You're the only you're, especially as a paramedic, you're the only one that makes that decision at the back of the truck. Um, there's a different gravity to it, but I think the undercurrent is is to either protect or provide for those that that can't. Yeah, and I think that's, I think that's rooted, at least for us we talk about all the time.

Becca: 1:12:17

It's rooted in faith, you know so yeah, I could not stop you at all. I mean, I just feel like why can't he be an accountant or something? But, yeah, in a safe cubicle somewhere. But like you always had this like burning desire, like, no matter what that meant, you were going to go out and, you know, be that person that on their worst day, be there for them. And I mean now seeing it like it's incredible to watch.

Matt: 1:12:51

So yeah, Ex-infantrymen make outstanding EMTs and medics. You know I want that old grizzled combat vet covered in tattoos coming through the door if it's my family in danger. They're just really good at it for all the reasons that they were good at their job before. It's like this thing about them, thing about us, that just makes us.

Becca: 1:13:16

And they're probably the most calm.

Matt: 1:13:18

Oh yeah, Calm as a Hindu cow.

Bryson: 1:13:22

And that's the thing that we joke about. I mean, I think, matt, you and I Sunday even talked about it. You know, like, how do you stay calm when you know you're holding, you know, a child or another person you know, and they're not breathing or something like that, and you're like I'm not on fire, nobody's shooting at me? Yeah, this is my task and purpose right now. You know, and you know, matt, you're right. You want the guy covered in tattoos that has been shot at, shot at people seen things that this older medic or experienced medic has seen, because you understand that it is to the only degree that they can understand. It is life and death, whether that be shooting and being shot at or saving a life again. You want to answer that call and you understand that when you answer the call, that you're going to be ready yeah, to them it's the most stressful, worst day of their life.

Matt: 1:14:25

For us, it's not even close just tuesday.

Bryson: 1:14:27

Yeah, it's just Tuesday. Not that we're indifferent toward it.

Matt: 1:14:30

It's just this. This is nothing. I can handle this If I could handle every day before this. This is just another one, yeah.

Clint: 1:14:43

As a follower of Jesus. We'll open our Bibles and we'll read in Romans that Paul speaks this principle about how God works throughout all of human history, where he would say, hey, he works all things for good for those who love him are called according to his purpose. And when you look at 9-11, certainly God's not the cause of that. But he did take other human decisions and since then has leveraged the result of those decisions, the result of terrorists exercising their free will to slaughter a number of Americans that day with airplanes, and from that God has birthed this desire in so many individuals inside the United States that makes our country and our community stronger and safer because of it. Yeah, you know I it's hard to sit through an experience like 9-11, almost regardless of what age you were, and not say I should probably do something about that. Sure, and I admire even more guys like the two of you that said, hey, send me to the front. And you know, we look through history and we see how, ultimately, all of those things are kind of intertwined and meshed together, though, you know, nearly a decade apart, in two different countries even. But the role of terror and the role of people that have access to opportunities to harm Americans or honestly just harm anyone that would want to vouch or advocate for human decency in all areas of the world. They would want to stop that.

Clint: 1:16:56

The individuals that said, hey, send me to those places I have a deep respect for, and not to say that, everyone else that, whatever way they decided, whether it was, they gave enormous amounts of money. Many parents gave their children, maybe not willingly, but at some point, you know, wives gave their husbands, husbands, wives. There's a lot of giving that took place, you know, yeah, and I think it's a really good example of how tragedy can breed blessing, when people say I want to do good as a result of seeing evil, and I think all of us are the beneficiaries of that. I know our church is the beneficiary of so many guys that have experienced the things that you've experienced and they don't need the abbreviations explained to them, like maybe the three of us do. But I've been right in the thick of it and I'm incredibly grateful for what you bring to the table and how we can create a community at Foundation that helps guys that maybe aren't as strong in their conviction of faith but they are still just as strong in terms of what they have to wrestle with, with what they saw and experienced and what I found.

Clint: 1:18:39

It's hard for those guys to find a place where they feel safe enough to explore. Could I still have a God that loves me and a Jesus that has grace for me? How do I live in the tension of what war is and this supposed prince of peace that I'm supposed to follow? Right, and because guys like you and a few dozen others are so vocal about the reality of their enlisted experience and their everyday attempts to find and follow Jesus, that makes Noonan better.

Clint: 1:19:28

I think we could probably talk about this for like all day. I have like a million more questions, but I know there's an extent to which podcasts will work, at least in our particular venue. So I think I think we should probably bring it to a close and maybe we'll revisit this at another opportunity. There's a couple other guys I was thinking of that might be fun to have an even more expanded conversation, because I think there's a whole part two to this of what you did see and experience and live through and how do you walk through that with Jesus, and I think it's a really big conversation we should probably have, but I think we would do best by giving it its own episode for sure yeah, um, but I I'm just fascinated with the stories.

Clint: 1:20:16

I think, uh, the bradley is a new thing. I didn't know this whole that I can picture. I think I've seen it in movies. Um, I also have never been in the back of a Bradley. I know my kid loves military museums. We were out in Colorado and we went to one with a bunch of airplanes and stuff and we got to see a Huey Go to Columbus to the Infantry Museum.

Matt: 1:20:40

Go to Columbus, to the Infantry Museum. I've never been there.

Bryson: 1:20:44

It's phenomenal.

Becca: 1:20:45

There's a Bradley there. The Bradley that's there. I cried.

Matt: 1:20:49

The crew. I believe the crew died in combat. Okay, in Iraq. Well, they fixed up that, bradley.

Clint: 1:20:55

Wow.

Matt: 1:20:56

They put it in the museum by crane and then put the roof on the museum, when they were building the museum and all the mannequins that they use. There are actual scanned faces of actual soldiers.

Bryson: 1:21:10

That's cool. I mean like 95% of the things that you see in that museum either have been used in combat or brought back by somebody from that.

Clint: 1:21:23

And it's in Columbus.

Bryson: 1:21:24

I mean it's right.

Matt: 1:21:25

Next to the level of detail, down to like the sweat and sand crusties on the arms of the soldiers.

Clint: 1:21:32

We might just have to do like a staff family's trip and have you all be like tour guides. That'd be nuts.

Bryson: 1:21:37

That'd be amazing. What are you?

Brooke: 1:21:38

doing for the rest of the day it is my. What did you say?

Becca: 1:21:42

Sorry so what are you doing for the rest of the day? Yeah, exactly.

Matt: 1:21:45

What's wrong? Just grab the camera, let's go. So to. Just to close, I didn't start reading the Bible until my first tour in Iraq. Somebody gave me one to take with me. Thank you, you know you have a lot of time on your hands in between missions, so I read it a lot.

Matt: 1:22:03

Two passages to this day still stick with me Isaiah 6-8, which is then I heard the voice of the Lord say who will I send? And I said send me. And then Proverbs 3, 27, which says do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it is in your power to act. So for me that's kind of the two passages. I really just live my life by Send me, and when I get there, if I can do some good, I have to do it.

Clint: 1:22:37

That's really good. That's really good.

Matt: 1:22:40

It really drives me every day.

Clint: 1:22:44

That's legit yeah for sure, thank you for sharing that.

Bryson: 1:22:46

Yeah, that was awesome, cool For sure, good conversation, yeah, thank sure, thank you for sharing. Yeah, that's awesome, cool For sure. Yeah, good conversation yeah.

Becca: 1:22:51

Thank you, guys, for being a part of today. Thank you, like I said I as soon as we talked about doing this and have this conversation, your names were like brought up right up, so I'm so glad that y'all did this.

Matt: 1:23:05

I'm honored. We could probably do this for the next six hours. We could be here all day, that's awesome.

Becca: 1:23:11

Well, anyways, thank you guys and until next time. Deuces.

Clint: 1:23:16

Deuces.