Special Operations Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan | Ranger Movie on Amazon Prime | Operation Red Wings | David Waterhouse

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/COMBAT and get on your way to being your best self and HELP the show.

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!

This episode is also sponsored by 4Patriots. Create your own stockpile of the best-selling 4Patriots Survival Food Kits handpacked in the US. Go to 4Patriots.com and use code COMBAT to get 10% off your first purchase on anything in the store.

This episode is also sponsored by Ten Thousand, a clothing brand for tough, durable gear for the outdoors, working out, and a more active lifestyle. I just took mine to Alaska and they held up like a champ. They also use former Special Operators to test and improve their clothing! Check out https://tenthousand.cc/combatstory and get 15% off and help Combat Story continue to grow! I got their long sleeve t-shirt and it was awesome.
.
.
Today we hear the Combat Story of David Waterhouse who was part of 2nd Ranger Battalion for six deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. David had the honor of serving alongside his fellow Rangers for years and the challenge of being on the ground to recover the bodies from the wreckage of the Operation Red Wings crash that we all know from the Marcus Luttrell Lone Survivor story.

David and his friend Sean Spencer cataloged David's combat experience in a documentary now streaming on Amazon Prime aptly titled "Ranger" in which David recalls his service in Iraq and Afghanistan. The description notes that this is seen through the eyes of a Special Operations soldier and a first hand account that documents the brutality of combat, and the raw nature of killing and death. It's a journey of innocence lost and the scars of war etched into the minds of service members.

As David and I discuss in this episode, the documentary, like so many Combat Story episodes, tell the story of David but, at the same time, tell a story so familiar to so many veterans and family members.

David and I get pretty deep on the concept of the brotherhood that exists between veterans and some of the scars this experience can leave behind and I hope you enjoy this Combat Story as much as I did.
.
.
Find Ryan Online:
- Ryan's Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
- Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combats...
- Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
- Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
- Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
- Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
- Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Find David Waterhouse Online:
- Ranger on Amazon Prime https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0B8T8RRSD/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-waterhouse-56134047/
.
.
Show Notes:
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Guest Introduction (David Waterhouse)
01:52 - Interview Begins
02:00 - Making the Ranger Documentary
06:04 - Talking about outside the wire stories
08:40 - Wearing the Red Socks Cap in Ranger
10:32 - People who have reached out
16:20 - Bullies and joining the Military
22:39 - Knowing what you want to do
30:51 - Sterotypes of Second Unit
32:27 - What were your wants from the Military
34:12 - Friendships in the Military
38:15 - First time downrange
56:20 - The first deployment
01:04:12 - First gunfight
01:09:32 - Craziest Operation
01:12:41 - Composure during Combat
01:18:18 - Fastrope onto target
01:24:00 - Redwings 2
01:35:17 - Advice to former self
01:37:30 - PTSD
01:38:46 - Life after war
01:45:24 - The last mission
02:00:38 - Transition out of the Military
02:02:04 - The Ranger movie
02:02:56 - Sentimental items
02:05:53 - Would you do it all again
02:05:53 - Listener comments and shout outs