Combat Story (Ep 48): Ray McPadden [Part 1] | Ranger | Purple Heart | Valley of Death | We March at Midnight
Combat Story30 Okt 2021

Combat Story (Ep 48): Ray McPadden [Part 1] | Ranger | Purple Heart | Valley of Death | We March at Midnight

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we hear Part I of the Combat Story of Ray McPadden, a former Army Infantry Officer who survived four deployments that included leading troops in one of the most dangerous valleys of Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division and as a Ground Force Commander in the Ranger Battalion.

Listeners really appreciate our interviews with Special Operators and it's easy to see why. Many listeners have asked to hear a few more stores from the conventional side of the house. Today's episode focuses entirely on the conventional side of Ray's career and fighting that his Battalion Commander at the time promised would be harder than anything he would go on to do in the Rangers.

Ray's experience in the Pech and Korangal Valleys will be eye opening to many who had no idea forces were fighting in this unforgiving terrain and in these isolated conditions. Many have seen Restrepo and the Hornet's Nest and can appreciate just how difficult that fighting was. Ray and his men fought to build the positions and fortifications that would later become the backdrop of those movies and books.

We use Ray's own fantastic book - We March at Midnight - as a guide to walk through the first half of his career and will pick up in part two with his time in the Special Ops community. I hope you enjoy this first of two Combat Stories and his fight in what was known as the "Valley of Death" as much as I did.

Find Ray Online:

Instagram @raymcpadden1 https://www.instagram.com/raymcpadden1/
Book We March at Midnight https://www.amazon.com/We-March-Midnight-War-Memoir-ebook/dp/B08W2NQF4H

Find Ryan Online:

Follow on Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
Follow on Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
Email ryan@combatstory.com
Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes

0:00 - Intro
1:11 - Guest introduction
2:03 - Interview begins
5:10 - Reenacting Sniper (the movie) as a kid
12:54 - Texas A&M and learning from NCOs for the first time
18:50 - "Actions not words" and leading by example
21:14 - Mood in the Army in 2004-2005 starting out
24:05 - A life in the mountains
25:12 - Donkey and mule training
35:43 - The real side of a military spouse - "They go to war with you"
39:30 - Afghanistan and the Pech Valley
42:00 - First Platoon Sergeant - "The key person" for new LTs
45:22 - Reality of Mountain Warfare
47:22 - Combat Story #1: First big fight
1:21:40 - Combat Story #2: The counterattack
1:27:37 - The Korongal (Korangal aka Korengal) Valley and Restrepo and Operation Red Wings environment (Restrepo Info for those interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvUdruvbdmI)
1:30:01 - Combat Story #3: Initial fight in the Valley
1:44:04 - "War is Freedom"
1:50:13 - Delivering some of the hardest news possible
1:54:29 - Combat Story #4: The Last Firefight - "War is horrible"
2:02:10 - Conventions vs Special Operations
2:03:25 - Listener Comments and Shout Outs

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(225)

From Iraq to Firefighter | The Weight of Service

From Iraq to Firefighter | The Weight of Service

What happens after the uniform comes off? In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Army combat veteran, firefighter, MMA fighter, and author James McDevitt for one of the most hones...

25 Maj 1h 48min

"We Thought We Were Going to Die Every Night" | Ramadi Veteran Story With Marin Raider Joshua Shores

"We Thought We Were Going to Die Every Night" | Ramadi Veteran Story With Marin Raider Joshua Shores

Today on Combat Story, we hear the story of Joshua "Josh" Shores — Marine infantry combat veteran, Purple Heart recipient, former Marine Raider, retired firefighter, entrepreneur, and author of Counti...

11 Maj 2h 6min

He Was in Vietnam Before the War Began | Reconnaissance Man Ep. 1

He Was in Vietnam Before the War Began | Reconnaissance Man Ep. 1

Before Vietnam became the war America remembers, James Lyle Steele was already in it. In Episode 1 of Reconnaissance Man, "Good Morning, Vietnam," Steele takes us into the earliest days of America's i...

27 Apr 36min

The Secret War Before Iraq | Green Berets, Kurdish Fighters, and the Northern Front

The Secret War Before Iraq | Green Berets, Kurdish Fighters, and the Northern Front

Before the Iraq War officially began, a different fight was already underway. U.S. Army Special Forces teams were operating in Northern Iraq, linking up with Kurdish fighters and preparing to open a s...

13 Apr 2h 56min

FBI SWAT Sniper: The Shot That Saved His Team | Jeremy Rebmann

FBI SWAT Sniper: The Shot That Saved His Team | Jeremy Rebmann

What does it feel like to make a decision that saves your teammates… but stays with you forever? In this episode of Combat Story, AJ sits down with Jeremy Rebmann, former FBI Special Agent, SWAT snipe...

30 Mars 3h 16min

Marine Scout Sniper Alexander Lemons on Iraq, Hidden Wounds, and the Real Cost of War | Combat Story

Marine Scout Sniper Alexander Lemons on Iraq, Hidden Wounds, and the Real Cost of War | Combat Story

Former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Alexander Lemons joins AJ to talk about Iraq, the confusion and chaos of the initial invasion, and the hidden damage war leaves behind. A Bronze Star recipient and co-a...

16 Mars 2h 4min

The CH-53 Mission to Recover a Downed Night Stalker Helicopter | Ret. Lt. Col Isaac G. Lee

The CH-53 Mission to Recover a Downed Night Stalker Helicopter | Ret. Lt. Col Isaac G. Lee

A downed U.S. helicopter in Afghanistan. Forty-five knot crosswinds. No power margin. In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Isaac G. Lee, a retired U.S. Marine Corps CH-53 heavy ...

2 Mars 3h 25min

0321 Day Special Edition | Marine Recon Brotherhood, Gold Star Retreat, MRF  & The "Recondo Hundo"

0321 Day Special Edition | Marine Recon Brotherhood, Gold Star Retreat, MRF & The "Recondo Hundo"

0321 Day is more than a date. It's a gut-check, a brotherhood check-in, and a reminder that no Recon Marine (and no Recon family) is ever alone. In this Combat Story Special Edition, AJ Pasciuti sits ...

19 Feb 41min

Populärt inom Vetenskap

p3-dystopia
dumma-manniskor
allt-du-velat-veta
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
medicinvetarna
rss-ufobortom-rimligt-tvivel
svd-nyhetsartiklar
rss-spraket
det-morka-psyket
rss-vetenskapsradion
sexet
halsorevolutionen
paranormalt-med-caroline-giertz
dumforklarat
rss-vetenskapsradion-2
rss-arkeologi-historia-podden-som-graver-i-vart-kulturlandskap
vetenskapsradion
rss-ronden
4health-med-anna-sparre
rss-italiensk-dagbok