Security Halt!
Welcome to Security Halt! Podcast, the show dedicated to Veterans, Active Duty Service Members, and First Responders. Hosted by retired Green Beret Deny Caballero, this podcast dives deep into the stories of resilience, triumph, and the unique challenges faced by those who serve.
Through powerful interviews and candid discussions, Security Halt! Podcast highlights vital resources, celebrates success stories, and offers actionable tools to navigate mental health, career transitions, and personal growth.
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Security Halt!
Chuck Ritter on mastering Leadership and Overcoming Failure
In this powerful episode of Security Halt!, Deny Caballero sits down with Charles "Chuck" Ritter to dive deep into the fundamentals of military leadership, mastering the basics, and the transition from junior to senior NCO roles in Special Operations. They explore the crucial role humor plays in maintaining morale, the power of authentic leadership, and the lessons learned from overcoming failure. Chuck shares real-world experiences from his Green Beret career, emphasizing mentorship, self-reflection, communication, and staying true to personal values.
The conversation also highlights the transformative journey from the battlefield to podcasting, revealing how vulnerability, health, and community support are essential for long-term personal growth. Whether you’re a service member, veteran, or leader looking for real talk on resilience, leadership, and personal development, this episode delivers both hard-earned wisdom and a few well-earned laughs.
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Chapters
00:00 The Importance of Mastering the Basics
02:58 Transitioning from Junior to Senior NCO
06:05 The Role of Humor in Leadership
09:10 Personal Values and Authenticity
12:00 The Journey from Failure to Success
15:02 The Impact of Mentorship in the Military
17:59 The Influence of Leadership on Future Generations
21:05 The Role of Humor in Special Operations
24:08 Shenanigans and Team Dynamics
25:52 Team Room Wars and Memories
27:17 The Power of Podcasting
28:39 Overcoming Speech Challenges
30:30 Creating Authentic Content
32:49 The Impact of Real Conversations
34:35 Self-Reflection and Growth
39:36 Prioritizing Health and Well-being
42:08 Intentional Living and Training
46:54 Turning Adversity into Wins
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LinkedIn: Deny Caballero
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Produced by Security Halt Media
Security Odd Podcast. Let's go. The only podcast that's purpose-built from the ground up to support you Not just you, but the wider audience, everybody. Authentic, impactful and insightful conversations that serve a purpose to help you. And the quality has gone up. It's decent and it's hosted by me, danny Caballero. It's decent. It's hosted by me, denny Caballero.
Speaker 1:Looking back on my career, when I went to SLC, you were our first sergeant and you gave one of the best speeches for the importance of being well-rounded as an SF guy. Because what's the one thing we always shit on? Administrative task and the knowledge that goes into basic, basic building blocks of being a good NCO. And you know I always talk about my. My first senior frigging little bill dude was like one of the greatest NCOs because he he knew the basics.
Speaker 1:Like you got to do the tactical shit, you got to do the cool guy shit, but you got to do the tactical shit. You got to do the cool guy shit but you got to do the paperwork. If you don't know how to do the administrative shit, like none of that stuff matters when you become like a leader on the team, because how are you going to get them out there to go do the cool stuff. You've got to be able to sell yourself doing administrative things and then going to slc and seeing you up there and that's what you talked about because in in the auditorium you could feel and see the guys that had the gripe of like fucking it's not a shooting school where the fuck gotta go, soc stupid.
Speaker 1:And it's like you come up there and there's big chuck, fucking barrel-chested freedom fighter, combat proven leader telling you like nah, dudes, you can go out there and shoot all day and be cool and have the combat hero stuff, but you're not going to get to where I'm at unless you sit down and you focus on the basics and you're good at it. And all of us at that point remembered like finally, oh shit, yeah, we're supposed to be masters of the basics. So today, man, I want to dive into your story, not just the cool guy hero stuff that we see on YouTube. But how did Chuck even find himself in that frame of mind where he's like I'm going to be a Green Beret, I'm going to go after this?
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, let me start off like yeah, I was up at SLC as the first sergeant saying that stuff, fully knowing that when I was a young E7, I was the exact same same way. I'm just up there being a hypocrite, right, because I'm like this is all stupid and I'm wasting my time now. When I went to slc, it was like a four month long course too. So, yeah, but that's, I think that's one of the things we need to learn in life. If you're not being a hypocrite, you're probably not doing it right, because you should learn like, damn, now I gotta tell my kid not to do the exact same things I was doing, right. And my kid called me out on it.
Speaker 2:Like, not too long ago I was yelling about his grades and he found all my report cards in the attic. Right, my report cards are not good. He was like what the heck? He's like man, you didn't you did you pass anything? He's like how are you yelling at me? I'm like man, if I would apply myself in school. Like like, why am I so ignorant? Like I should be this stupid at this stage of my life, but it's cool. But yeah, I think it's cool like standing up at slc telling everybody exactly like I know you guys are, exactly like I was and you're pain in the ass. You don't care about this stuff, but anyway, so sorry to take that. Did you realize from that?
Speaker 1:no, that's, it's perfect, though that's the truth. Like you have to be willing to sit up there and know that, like I know you little assholes, I know I was right there, but damn it, if you just apply yourself, you will be up here, you'll be able to do this, and you're right, like sometimes it means having to understand, like I hated doing this shit too, but it's good for you. Take your medicine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's important right, like I mean, I've always been a guy about the basics, like I think my young infantry career in hawaii set me up for success because I was a turd coming in and I had to read a lot of doctrine to where I could like just quote, like FM7-8, which is the infantry Bible basically you know now it's 321-8 and N-10, but it kind of instilled into me like, hey, you can be this barrel chested freedom fighter all you want, but the reality is you also have to have the theoretical understanding of, and be able to visualize it.
Speaker 2:So as a leader, when you're applying it, you can do the thing. But then you can also did I give you guys the chess speech at SLC? I might not have created that yet, but you gotta go from being that chess piece and being really good at your individual job to being that chess player, to where you understand how everything moves and eventually become that chess master, to where you can do the thing but you also understand the backside of it and how everything, even even all the stupidity that goes with, like how that functions, so you can just put it all together and it's flawless. Yeah, you know, and you get to embarrass officers because they generally don't know what the hell they're talking about. They can say the buzzwords, but you're like now let's actually get deep into that, right.
Speaker 1:That's always a good reason to just like all right, let me.
Speaker 2:Let me embarrass this major in front of his boss because he's saying the words, but let's see if he knows what the words mean. Like god damn it, chuck, don't make me look bad. And people didn't like that they. Well, I'd come in with this binder full of like my little binder, all tabbed out and highlighted like shit. Here comes chuck with all the regulations and all the rules and he's going to use these as a weapon. Like yeah, that's why they're there.
Speaker 2:I don't have to be constrained by them, but I'm going to use them to to support my cause. Like, hey, I need this a hundred thousand dollars, and I'm not making this up, it's just this is this is what the army says. Like I think it's be out in the sun and do this stuff you've asked me to do this is what the army says it takes.
Speaker 1:So I don't know I need this much money, this much this money, ammo, and that's something that I've realized um that all the best ncos do they utilize the system.
Speaker 2:Hey, this is the system yeah you wrote it guy yeah, I didn't make the rules, I'm just. I'm just trying to follow the rules. You can't get mad at me, me for that. I'm just trying to be a man of good character and rule-abiding citizen like.
Speaker 1:It's not easy. There's there's always a. A few guys have this big like. I had great friends that loved being a junior. They didn't want to take on the responsibility of leadership, which means and there's no shame in that right yeah just do that there's no shame in that man.
Speaker 2:I would love to have stayed in these. Like now, looking back on my career, like how cool would have been if you just stayed in e6 your entire career. That'd be awesome. Like you don't realize, like a lot of this responsibility is not that much fun. You know, when you're down there and all you got to worry about is your shit and performing, that's pretty cool, right and how do you find that like?
Speaker 1:how did you find the success in, in moving up and upgrading, if you will like? How did you go through that transition of like fuck, like it's not all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows.
Speaker 2:Now I have to like go down to like staff sections and now I have to be a leader within the nerd culture, if you will I actually like that kind of stuff because I'm a nerd hard right, like if you looked over here at my my model collection with warhammer 40k I follow you on twitter and I do a lot of reading and I like and even to this day, even though I'm three months out from retiring, I still read doctrine on the shitter, right like it's.
Speaker 2:I like to stay in touch with what we're doing so that when I'm reading online or thinking about things I can understand the kind of back side of it. But yeah, I wouldn't say I was truly successful. Right, I never made command sergeant major. Right, I went to I tried out one time and I and I went there like with this huge ego. I was like because I didn't try out.
Speaker 2:I was going to get out and I had had a bunch of surgeons at my back fusion and I knew I had to get, uh, my hips replaced. I'm like, I'm just I'm not going to be able to perform at the level it takes to see a scene. But then when I got my back fusion, I was like I just took an ACFT, I feel pretty good, I'm going to submit for this board. I got three Valor awards, I got three Purple Hearts, I've got great interviewers, I'm a shoo-in right. And then the board results came out and I wasn't on them. I was like oh, chuck, it's not really like what you've done. He's like, but your personality is not as such. It's viewed that you'd be a good organizational level leader at these levels. And at first I was pretty pissed off about it. But I thought I was like no, they're absolutely correct and I'm fine with that. And if I'm going to be a CSM, I need to change some things. I was like but I'm not prepared to do that, so I'm just not going to do it. So that's the only time I ever competed for the CSL.
Speaker 2:You know, cause some of my core, some of my core values, which I have like every morning when I, when I wake up, I got my little notebook here, right, but there's a and this needs to come out. But you know, I got my little mission statement, but on the back I've got my, my core, my personal values, and there's a couple that are just. I will never sacrifice One of those authenticity, right, which can be a pain in the ass If anybody knows me like I can definitely be a real pain in the ass, even for myself. Humor, right, I'm never going to sacrifice. I think that you can have a great time. You can do your job really well and still, you know, have a great time. You can do your job really well and still, you know, have a great time doing. People hate that like joke, not everything's a joke, okay, well, can you give me an example where the humor like actually stopped some excellence? Well, no, but I just don't like it. Like that's.
Speaker 1:that's a fucking personal problem, um right like well, too many people get wrapped around the axle, trying to be serious and everything and and if you look back at our, at our soft dna, at the worst moments in our career, I'm sure you experienced it now. Firefight, you're hurt or somebody's hurt.
Speaker 2:We've always interjected a little bit of humor it brings you back to right, especially when you're about to. You think you're about to die. You're like, oh well, I might as well go out with a smile on my face, right, uh. But but the last one that's non-negotiable for me is personal courage. Right, it's an army value. I think a lot of senior leaders like say some of the army values, but they wouldn't know personal courage and duty and stuff like that if it bit him in the ass. But that's a real thing for me and the way I live my life on the battlefield and I've got valor, words and purple hearts for for making some decisions that obviously got me shot I think they're the right decisions. But I live my way, my life back here too, like I fully believe that you need to be willing to sacrifice everything and burn in for what you believe is right, regardless of the consequences. Right, and sometimes that's making decisions as a leader to where you're putting yourself in the line of fire. You're doing something that could be risky, but if it's the right thing to do, that's fine. Man, I can you know my deathbed I can be like man, you know I didn't make the right decision there, but at least I kept my career Like I'm not going to be fulfilled there, but I'm like you know what? I lost my career, but that decision was the right decision, right, and that took personal courage. No, that's that's how I'm going to be fulfilled. So I think that that's yeah, that's important. And then you add some humor. And I learned early in my sf career and robin sage that, um, humor helps the team too, right? I remember robin sage, we've all been there. Man, we were making it was a ridiculous movement. We got blown out of our fire base and, man, we were so tired in this. The cadre made us like, take all the pots and pans and shit too, so it was like 120 pound packs. And he made us take this, this g, that I don't know where this g came from, but he'd been pissing the cadre off. So he made us walk with this cat, this dude, and he made him take the m60. And this dude already had an ad in this farmer's field.
Speaker 2:At two o'clock in the morning the lights came on. You know, there's like people coming out with shock bends and stuff. We're like, you know, crazy, like, and it was just a bad night, um, and we hit this electric fence and I was the lead guy and I came up with this electric fence and I didn't know it was electric. With my ruck I hit the electric fence and it shocked me and then my ruck was on the other side. I'm like son of a bitch. I'm so demoral, like man.
Speaker 2:We got to go miles around this electric fence and I was like, no, we're gonna go over it. Right, it's gonna suck, I'm not gonna cut it. But we just sat down in the rucksack flop and I started singing the titanic theme song, the near far right, and everybody started singing it and for some reason that boosted everybody's mood and we got up and then we had like the actual rest of the. The trip was great, all because we just went into this other mode of of just being silly, manly, right, and we got done. That was actually on my end, of course, critiques like man. You know, like that was like the defining moment for me. It's like when you started singing the titanic theme song, we were all like about to quit and to me I was like man, something that simple can right, there's some power there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't even know how we got on that story.
Speaker 1:No, that's perfect. And like that, that's absolutely perfect, because every grunt, every soft guy can identify with that. I touched on that in the 82nd man. Like you're doing like an unknown distance movement and you're sucking, your friends are sucking Like dude. I hear on the other side of this hill we're gonna stop for mcdonald's and look it just keeps going like yeah, we're gonna, we're gonna stop for mcdonald's, we've got all gonna get ice cream. It's gonna be an ice cream social and they're like, before you know it, you, you forget like all about the suck and you have these little moments of like humor. And growing up, did you always have that, did you have that ability? Like even as a kid? When you're going through tough times, like reflect on what made you laugh or like try to move forward with humor, like was that brought in by the military?
Speaker 2:no, I was always like that. I think that's from my dad both my parents in the military and when I was younger I I couldn't figure out, like I didn't know if my dad was gay or not, because he'd always like make gay jokes and embarrass me like mcdonald's, like you know, stuff like that right. And then now the military is like okay, just being very inappropriate, just that's just the culture I get in that. But I was always worried about his sanity and he would do the same things I do now, which my son hates me for. Which is man, I like to, I like to just sing around the house. It's horrible singing, but you know I do it for a couple reasons. A, it makes me feel good. It'd be. If there's ever like russians or chinese surveilling me, like whoever's assigned to me is going to have some serious mental problems, it's going to cost that state a lot of money for, you know, whoever it is, I feel, seen right now, my watch.
Speaker 1:I feel I have those moments where I'm doing the same thing, but then I pause and I realize the things that I am saying. I'm like my wife probably thinks I am insane, I don't know.
Speaker 2:She's still with me right, yeah, but you know it goes back to like why would you want to be normal? Normal just means you're boring, you're like that's, that's the average. Like you don't want to. You're gonna be in the middle of bell curve. Maybe you either be impressively bad or impressively good at something. Don't, don't be in the middle, right, whether it's with humor or whatever I mean. You know, I don't mean no for being average. I want to know him for, like man, you really sucked at that which I did in school. I was like the worst, like physical specimen you could ever possibly imagine oh, no shit oh yeah, I was, I was a little fat, just yeah, I couldn't.
Speaker 2:I couldn't even like kickball, like I couldn't even kick the ball, like um, I couldn't do any of this. That I failed music class because I couldn't play a recorder I mean, I feel like, I felt like college one of the reasons I joined the army is bowling class. College failed. I was like shit. If I can't even pass bowling, what am I gonna do with my life?
Speaker 1:I think also, I think you have the best, one of the best, basic training photos. You're right, it's pretty good right I'm actually gonna borrow it. I'll splice it here for all you to enjoy on youtube yeah, it looks like a young Peter Griffin, right? A very slender fit Peter.
Speaker 2:Griffin, not even. No, I wouldn't fit man. They briefed that first PT test in basic training. When they briefed like hey, you know you can walk, but it's not recommended man, I took that to heart. A 24-minute two-miler Matt took that to heart. A 24 minute two miler. It was a 93 or 94 points out of possible 300 on my very first PT test.
Speaker 1:That was interesting. To be fair, that's pretty impressive. I've never seen somebody take the walk option and succeed.
Speaker 2:Like I said, either be impressively bad or be impressively good at what you're doing, like choose one, don't choose the middle.
Speaker 1:Just seeing the guy with the stopwatch as you're briskly walking by, yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean my parents they had a bet in basic training. My dad bet that I wouldn't. There's no way I was going to be able to pass basic training, you know, yeah, and at the end the drill sergeant was like man, I was really worried about you, oh man.
Speaker 1:So how do you go? How did you go from that physical specimen to going? You know what I'm going to go? I'm going to try out for selection.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I mean, if you go left of that, that I'd actually failed my first drug test, for the military too oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So I was so bad in school, such a bad kid, that I had to go to the special school that was designed for pregnant teens, or if you're just, if you're like in uh what it was it called, uh, juvenile hall. Then you went 20 hours a week and and I was messing around and I had this one algebra class I needed to do, but instead of doing it I would just go and sleep under the desk for like four or five hours for whatever I don't know. And this army recruiter kept bugging me because I worked at this radio shack that was right next to the recruiting office and I'd get in trouble for a radio shack because I'd come up a $70,000 credit card fraud thing, that's, you know, it's whatever. Anyway, the recruiter and I got busted for it, but it still haunts me to this day on security clearance checks. Anyway, the recruiter had been bugging me about joining the army. I'm like, yeah, I'm still in school.
Speaker 2:So my parents were making me live in this this like fifth wheel mobile home for a week outside, because they didn't trust me in the house and I wasn't allowed in the house. When they were in a town they were out of town. But, um, me and one of my friends found like an open window, so we snuck in with this huge party that weekend and this, this party, was epic. I got some pictures. It's great, they had these frozen salmon in the freezer. My dad had three frozen salmon and there's just pictures and like there's us in the hot tub with this fish and these ladies and there's a picture of me with a fishing pole, like fishing out of the toilet, and the salmon ended up in the yard. The next morning I cleaned it off and put it back in the freezer and then my dad cooked it like a week later for some important people and it was real nasty and I actually didn't tell him the truth about that until like a couple of years before he passed. I'm like, hey, let me clear the air on the salmon issue, but anyway, so I threw this epic party. But anyway, so I threw this epic party.
Speaker 2:I'm cleaning up on a Sunday and I'm hung over. All my friends of course they didn't help clean up. I get this knock on the door on a Sunday, so I come to the door in my underwear and I'm all hung over. You know, a broom or a mop in my hand, I don't know. And it's this recruiter. He's in uniform and he's like hey, man, you know you hadn't finished school. I'm like, yeah, it's still the case. He's like well, check it out. He's like he had my transcripts and my diploma in his hands, like the school's agreed that you've graduated. All you gotta do is go to maps with me tomorrow. And you've graduated. I'm like oh shit, okay, so I'll see you at six o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 2:So he left and I called over one of my buddies like hey, uh, how much weed do you have? He's like why? I was like I need you to come over right now because I got a drug test I gotta take tomorrow that I can't pass. And he's like man, why would you not want to pass a drug test? Does it make any sense? I mean, shut up. It makes perfect sense if you don't think about it. So that's what I did went to maps, got my high school diploma, my transcripts. It was like in my head, it was like two days later it was probably the end of the week, of the next week where he was like hey, man, you failed the drug test. Like you can't join the army. I'm like, oh, that's crazy. I've never done drugs before it.
Speaker 2:Um, I got what I needed. But then, like a year and a half later, when I got my shit together and I didn't get my shit together at all because I failed bowling class, obviously, and I was like man, I was like I need to do something. And when I went to actually join the army, I get letters from congress, congressmen, local officials, because you know, I had multiple things. I had the credit card thing and I had to fail a drug test and luckily the Army accepted me and I was able to go in the infantry and actually gave me my station of choice and I got a pretty sweet bonus. So that's pretty, pretty awesome, yeah. So then in my first unit, man, I had some really good leaders that that probably shouldn't invest it in me, but they.
Speaker 2:At one point I was taking a PT test every week to like cause when I graduated basic. I actually graduated with like a two, something like a little bit over 200, which I thought was great in my head. But I signed into my unit and you know it's an infantry unit. They're like, bro, you can't have it. And they're like bro, you can't have below a 210 in the infantry. This is nasty, what are you doing? You got to have like a 270 at least. So they invested in me maybe do a lot of studying a shitload of PT and I got to where I could score 300 on the APFT and that was pretty awesome and it was all because people invested in me and took their time to make sure that I didn't continue to be this, this weird fat Peter.
Speaker 1:Griffin looking dude. That's the one thing that I love about our military. We kind of forget, but when you get on this side of your journey, you reflect back on all the people that poured in. You get on this side of your journey, you reflect back on all the people that poured in you and then you realize that, even though you might have forgotten or not always paid attention and and share gratitude for it, you did the same thing. Like you pay it forward, like I've yet to meet I know they're out there, but I've yet to meet an nco that didn't pay it forward and didn't pour into the guys that he was leading.
Speaker 1:And, and that's the beauty of it, those lessons stick with you and for a lot of us, like if you didn't have a family or support structured before the military, that becomes your way of like being mentored for the first time and like learning like, oh shit, like this is how you care about somebody, you pour into them. And it's not lost on me the amount of amazing leaders I had in SF that even though, like I had plenty of time to develop everything in 82nd, they still pour their time and did a lot to help me succeed. And now that you're on this side of your journey, when you're looking back like does it hit you the amount of influence and the amount that the impact you've had on our regiment? Because, just like me, just like I shared earlier that little story of like seeing you, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of Green Berets that have interacted with you and have been able to take away just a little bit from what you have to offer as leaders it's always interesting.
Speaker 2:I was, I live my life to have a positive impact. There are many that like to twist that like oh, look at Chuck being an influencer. Like, or trying to be an influence, like it's like man, I'm trying to have a positive influence or be a positive influence as many people as I can daily. And if, if you find, if that's a problem to you, like maybe you need to evaluate, like, why would you not want to do that? And it's, and it's, it's, I don't know, I think it's pretty cool. I people just reach out to me out of the blue all the time like hey, you know, this happened at this point in time. Let me think differently. Like, can you share something else with me? Like the other day, when somebody I haven't heard from in a while because it's been some all I reached out to me, he's like hey, you know, moving over to s3 star major position, can you help me? Like what, what doctrine do I need to be read up on before I get there? You know, it's like man, when you get back, man, we'll actually make you a whole book, uh, on exactly what you need to be smart on. But stuff like that. I think it's just cool that you know you gotta have the right impact. I'm not trying to be like, hey man, you gotta like have grit, because I don't I don't believe in that, like I'm not I'm not a dude waking up at 4, 30 every day's having grit. I think it's important, right, but being smart is probably, uh, being intelligent and intentional. What you're doing is probably a bit more, you know, important, but it's. It's cool when you see it play out and those people that you invested some time in are successful too. That's, in fact, uh, there's a team starting right now and in my company he was my engineer man. If we could just clone this dude like and that was every SF guy, right Like that'd be awesome. He's like smart, you know, super hardworking. He was a wheel mechanic too when he came over. So I think it's a good testament that you don't have to have a combat arms background. If you apply yourself, you can be a super successful green beret and a great leader. But watching him be successful in his current job is awesome. Yeah, you know it's.
Speaker 2:And obviously you know I'm sure I showed up just as many things not to do as to do because, again, hypocrite like I, I was that guy. When I was a young guy I would wait until the company um meeting was going on. You know I'd walk in there naked. I guess what I got. Like stuff like that, right, like you could never get away with that stuff nowadays probably inappropriate back then too. But or, like you know, I'd come back from the shower and I'd wrap the towel around my upper half but not my lower half, and I'd stop in people's team rooms and talk to them like it's just weird stuff. Like you know, this was a long, long time ago. There was no females in the in the units back then. But still, right, you could, you could. I would never do that like, as you grew up and rank, you can't do that anymore, which, again, that's why it's kind of cool to be an e6, because you can get away with a lot of stuff you certainly can't oh my god.
Speaker 1:Yeah, those are, and that that's it still happens to this day. It's still still. The shenanigans continue. I think when you have the the type of job that comes with being in special operations, you have to have some humor, you have to be willing to be an oddball. I have not met a Green Beret that Doesn't enjoy good humor and has that exact sense of humor of just walking in naked to another team room.
Speaker 2:Right, just, I mean, we used to have team room wars. I remember there was one three month period where the company ceremony tried to get involved to where, um, one of our guys it wasn't me and it taken some human poop and like hit it in this other team room to where they had to like pull everything out to find it. So in retaliation, that team put a bunch of raw chicken breast behind our fridge on the coils, which ended up catching on fire and was burning because it shorted out the fridge. And then so the sergeant major's getting pissed. And then I'm a new guy at the time and we just stood up as a mountain team and there's all this mountain stuff on the floor and I look over at the door and it was two doors.
Speaker 2:There was like this nozzle that shot in and like one of the other team members was spraying bear spray through there, like into the team room, right, and it got all over the floor, got out, was a new guy, like I didn't know any better. So I go in there after it's all, like finally dry, and I go in there with a hot mop bucket. You know, it just reactivates it. So then clear out the entire company and the start was like all right, it's enough, no more team room wars. Right, like because, because back then we'd all go to lock picking classes and stuff too. So we're all very good at like yeah, it was, it was an exercise for us too like, hey, can I sneak into the secure room and do these things? Yeah, it was, that was, that was yeah, go back and bd6, just do this stuff all day long.
Speaker 1:It'd be cool those are the memories, that's the things that you have to cherish. But you know, along the way, like you've, you've, um, you've maintained a lot of like awesome ideas that have like really flourished. Um, podcasting is something that became super powerful in a way to connect with not just like the older generation of soft guys, but a new generation like how did that become something that was like all right, I'm gonna do this thing we're talking specifically about the Pineland Underground podcast.
Speaker 2:We're still out there. It's still going. I think that that's cool to have something that and we didn't build it. It existed, but when I came on board, it existed for a year and a half and it had 187 total downloads. Right, yeah. And the general, general Roberson, was like I don't think they understand. Yes, they've given me a podcast, which I asked for, but I want a good podcast that people are listening to. So when I came on board there one of the reasons why I did it as I was a guest they're like hey, we need to take this thing off. We want you to be on one of our first real episodes and I have problems speaking.
Speaker 2:So in 2008, I got blown up like really bad. It took four years to get returned to duty from that because from here down they had to rebuild all this. Over the course of four years I looked like a hockey player for a while. I didn't front teeth until 2012. Damn In that time period.
Speaker 2:But it caused a lot of cognitive issues and one of the issues that it really impacted was my ability to speak properly, not stutter. It's almost like I'm dyslexic when I'm speaking, not stutter. Not, it's almost like I'm dyslexic when I'm speaking. So I have to wake up every morning and I literally have to dedicate time in the morning to practice speaking, just to make sure my brain is firing properly. A little bit of writing. If I don't do that, then I speak all weird and I still, like you know, have little tics or all like my S's sometimes are kind of weird, but I have to consciously work on that and that was a way. So really getting to that podcast because I pitched it to the guys like hey, man, I think I should be a part of this, we can make this thing bad-ass. It forced me to get past some of that fears and I had done a lot of speeches for us all seeing what not got there, but still it was always that fear. So it was a way for me to push past that and get through it. And I know at the time too, like podcasting is kind of the future. If you look at the most recent election, whoever you voted for, not like.
Speaker 2:One of the reasons why Trump won is because he went on a ton of podcasts, because it is the new media, it's it reaches the most people, it's it's it's it's radio of the future is what it is, and we took pilot underground top 1% of all podcasts nationwide. That's like where, if it wasn't a military podcast, it's where people pay some big money for sponsorships. That was cool. To see it still survive is awesome. I mean they put a it's like on a pause right now with the new administration for whatever reason, but it'll be back and it's just a cool platform because it's powerful and you can have awesome people on and you can go over real topics.
Speaker 2:And it was cool for military podcast because we got the permission from the boss. He's like hey, man, make it, make it raw, because we breached and we did a legit risk assessment like this is our plan and everything was very much methodical. But it seemed like people like, oh man, we're gonna listen, like what's chuck gonna say today? It's off the wall, right, but that would always be played in there, like you know, taking jabs at officers and you know, because who wants to listen to a sergeant major in a major like I know?
Speaker 1:I don't exactly exactly looking at one specific podcast right now. You guys suck, suck two, four thumbs down.
Speaker 2:So you gotta. You gotta make it real. And people don't want to. They don't want to listen to all this uh afn type like hey, I'm the leader and here's some good, like nobody gives a shit about that. But no, get some real stuff out there. Be a person, um, you know, and that's kind of what we did there and I thought that was that's pretty awesome. Right now and now I get to executive produce and produce a new podcast, which we just released, our eighth episode for no shit. Yeah, the most recent one has the uh, the head mental performance person for the Philadelphia Phillies on there. She's on our board of advisors and she's great.
Speaker 2:But again, the whole purpose is to provide content that can help people or inspire people or make you think about something in a different way. It's not, you know, this podcast isn't? It's got some humor in there. I'm not the host of it. I got another one of my good friends and mentors the host of it, a guy named Mike Larrario, but it's cool, like right now. I mean, before we logged in, I had a bunch of stuff to do.
Speaker 2:I was editing a podcast and I'm I'm guest hosting it, obviously sometimes too, with a guy named Terry Peters who's a soft legend and it's just cool to do it, and I'm sure you see it, man, you get that good feedback from somebody like, hey, man, I really appreciated that or made me think about this, and you're like, ok, well, that's all the, that's all I need. Right, I don't need to make money from it or anything. But when you get at least just one or two people that come back with something positive about how you know it impacted them in some way, I mean how cool is that? How cool is that when you, when you, when you, when it comes your way, like right, like, yeah it it.
Speaker 1:The greatest thing about this whole journey is like I've said it before I will, I found a way to make this my nine to five and I don't need to generate a single dollar from this, and I will do this, whether I have to do it in a cardboard box at the back of a bread van, I will continue doing this for exactly that same reason. On this show, we dive in and we talk about some real things that can be of service to others. And when you get that message from somebody saying, hey, man, I was on the brink of doing something stupid and having your guests talk about what they went through showed me that I can go through it and I can get help, thank you. Or, like I always, I always give out my my email frigging. People know how to get ahold of me and they're like hey, how do I get to lower Ridge? I got you all day, bro. Here we go. Like we forget that it's not always this giant mechanism. Sometimes it's as simple as being able to send a meme, be a real person on the phone and text back a message of support. At the end of the day, that's. That's how we got through some of the worst times, like and, and.
Speaker 1:People need to understand that this medium is perfect for that. I don't know where it's going to go. I'm excited for doing this every single day. I think more of us are our type of people need to be involved in this, need to find a way to get their message out, because we've always been great communicators. Not just our 18 echoes you guys are great, but every green beret has a way of sitting down and breaking bread with somebody and making them feel better, making them understand that they have everything they need within them. Um, just like you did on those, uh, those talks we had slc. We see the potential in people and we're able to help them see it for themselves. And now more than ever, in this country that's still greatly divided, we need some positivity, and if it comes with some poop and cum jokes, then even better, because that's that's what gets the people going and everybody's got a story that others can learn from, because a lot of people like, well, I don't know how we?
Speaker 2:no, you've had some kind of failure in your life or you stepped in your crank, you've done something stupid, or you've learned from somebody else not to do something stupid, where you have a story tied to that, to where you canTA, journal and we publish content. That's exactly that. And I think that writing is a good medium too, and podcasts are a good medium to reflect on yourself. You. You learn more about you as you're learning about other people and it's just a great, just a great thing to to get in and just afterwards, like I don't know about you, but I'll do a podcast, and it's almost like I blacked out and I'll go back and listen to it. You're like, holy crap, like I don't remember saying into this, but it's, it's almost like you're learning from yourself. At that point, too, you're like, okay, let me think about that for a minute. So it's good.
Speaker 2:I think it's good for self-awareness, but the reality too is, as we get older, right, I might not be able to physically perform like right now. I'm training up for the JFK 50 mile. I'm going to take every services PT test in December. I just had my my 34th surgery. But as I get older I'm not gonna be able to do that. But you know what I can always probably do? I can probably always get on a podcast. I can probably always write yes, right, until the day I die, I can probably do those things, at least attempt it.
Speaker 2:And even if it's just sharing, like hey guys, like here's all the stuff I did that you should probably shouldn't do so please live vicariously through my failures and stupidity and and trying to do these things, whatever it might be and you know, becoming a better writer, too, has been it's awesome, because you can throw something down, just looking at it, and you're like, oh man, you know, this made me think about something. Or you're researching an idea to write it and you're like, man, this is this kind of opened up my own brain to myself, because our ego protects us from ourself all the time. We always it always paints this false picture of either how awesome we are or how stupid we are, and it's that's never the truth, right? So it's yeah, it's a good way to get around all that. I mean, there are people to get on podcasts with a huge ego and, just like I am amazing I'm the greatest operator that ever lived.
Speaker 1:Let's just get that out of the way. Chuck's not that important, it's literally just for me. Yeah, it puts a bad, bad taste in everybody's mouth when you get somebody from a soft background that jumps on and makes it about themselves. But we also have to completely embrace and understand that the psych parameters also select those people that they they have, they're, they're part of our community. Um, they were selected. They've done great things, but they're human too and some humans prefer to make it about them and we, we, we all get to that point too.
Speaker 2:Our egos even me, both me and you like they get in our way a lot. Right, you're like man, I'm, I'm pretty awesome right now, and then you're like I think I think every soft operator needs a, a good ego check, at least once a quarter or more. It'd be like hey man, stop huffing your own oxygen, like you just just a dude man, just stop that's why everybody needs a podcast and a social media account.
Speaker 2:Go in those comments and help yourself right, yeah, I mean you need to pump yourself up too right, like you just look in the mirror like, damn, my hair looks fabulous today or that's great, and then remind yourself like, but I'm also just a human, I'm a dumbass, let's move on. Just a dude, just a dude. I'm going to be wrong. I'm probably often wrong. It's probably going to take somebody else to point that out and then I got to have like this is what happens.
Speaker 1:Somebody points it out and you're like man, that person, and you think about it. You're like, yeah, they're right. Those are great moments too, though. Those are great moments that you can sit back and say, okay, I got too far ahead of myself. Like I, I still have to be humble, and that's the beauty of life.
Speaker 2:Like so with your spouse, or like your girlfriend? Like no, because you'll sit there like man. No, I'm wrong. I'm going to dig in and I don't know why. I don't know why that is, but it's, it's, it's just how it is and there's no way you can get around it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got into trouble a week ago. I won't go into the specifics of it because, boy, it was a doozy, but it's one of those where the rest of the car ride is really silent, like I'm not going to say anything so I can get us home. And then it's I need to own this. And I owned it. But while everybody was silent in the car, my wife was sending me an email. Like a good officer, I'm going to have to frame it someday. Look at it, just have it there and look like, hey, you're a piece of shit sometimes, right there that's, you can avoid that just by being like me.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry, yeah, exactly exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nope, you're right, you're right, you're right. Yeah, we, we have to humble ourselves. It's part of growing up. Like it's part of being a big boy, like you're a man. You're not going to be perfect every day. In fact, you should be perfect, like we were all flawed.
Speaker 1:And, to sort of wrap things up, you're on, the sun is setting on your career and this is a beautiful moment that a lot of us don't get to reflect on. And you're doing a great job. Everything that you're posting on Twitter should be something that, like, we should pass off to our friends. Like, hey, look, when you get to this point in your career, take the moment, like, take a moment and savor it. Reflect not only on the entire career, but like, take a moment to like, look at yourself, get help, because you know, just as I know, there's so many of our brothers that need to get surgeries. They're putting stuff off. And now that you're on this point of your career, looking back, like, what advice and guidance would you give the star majors, the senior NCOs that are out there? They're putting off the surgeries. They're putting off the hip replacements, the labrum surgeries. Like, hey, like, what would you say to that stubborn individual to like put their health first. Like hey, like, what would you say to that stubborn individual to like put their health first?
Speaker 2:yeah, do that and make sure. Like I was a dumb ass and decided like I was going to hide most of my medical stuff because I got most of my surgeries done off post, I mean, I really bit many ass trying to like doing all the va stuff now right, like getting everything compiled, so don't do that. But like my back fusion, I was. You know. I got to the point to where twice a year I'd end up in the hospital because I can't use my legs anymore, and that was all due in 2013. I got, you know, shot up and one of those bullets hit my top of, hit me in the top of the back, broke through the brachial nerve complex and the artery, but it lodged near my lower back and a lot of internal bleeding. It just destabilized everything. So I had a lot of back issues. If I go back in time, I would have got that back fusion done four years prior. And they always tell you like, okay, well, yeah, you're, you're going to sacrifice this and that, but the quality of life has been so much better. I can, my mobility and my strength is superior to where it was beforehand. Maybe not my strength that was deadlifting, like 545 pounds, but I have no problems deadlifting the you know 340 for for five times and whatnot. I'm not quite there with this new hip, but I'll be there pretty soon and just just being smarter about, about what you're doing and don't don't be that that fat ass. Sergeant major, at least there's been some times where, like you know, I probably could have been in better shape.
Speaker 2:But I think even in my worst day I was scoring like a 290 or above on the apft and I I've always scored. I took an ACFT three days before my first hip replacement. I still scored a 542, which to me is not good. I couldn't. I just don't run. I had one collapsed hip and one other hip that was. They're both dead. I just couldn't get them to work properly on the run. So it was like a, you know, like an 18, 19 minute run, but I still was able to do the whole thing and do relatively well Right.
Speaker 2:So I think that we set the standard to. You can't be like, oh well, at this level I don't need to do anything. No, no, no, you still need to go do this stuff. You know, I always felt bad because with my back I wasn't able to jump Right. So I always felt bad about that. Right, I mean shit, if I'm not able to do what everybody else can do, should I really be in this position, type of thing. So you know, there could be an argument made there Like maybe, maybe I should have been a company sergeant major at that point in time. So I think we do got to make sure that we are setting the standard. But take care of yourself and train smarter, not harder. You can still be very aggressive.
Speaker 2:You know I like to use what Atomic Athlete calls the four p's. Is all training, because we see it in sf all the time, like random acts of training rats. It's like something that's really cool, that's fun, but it probably doesn't lead to the desired end. State like to avoid that. Be intentional. Have a goal like what am I trying to accomplish? Like I know, right now I'm training up for jfk 50 mile. I've never run that far before in my life. So what did I do I?
Speaker 2:I did a ton of research, I brought a ton of professionals and I built a training plan that my goal is to do this thing. It's very progressive in nature. It uses periodization, so it kind of like right now I'm at the end of my base building phase I'll go into. It's called a base plus phase. I call it cause I'm starting to have some intervals in there and it ramps itself up to where there's D like this is a D load week for me to where I can still achieve what I want to. But it's in a very intentional way and it's, you know it, follows a four piece which is have a purpose, have a plan and have that plan, be feasibly progressive and use periodization Right. But you can apply it to anything in life, like wake up and, instead of doing random acts of life, plan your life out.
Speaker 2:Like you know, I wake up every morning and you know this piece of paper and it says hey, I'm committed to the endless pursuit of excellence to positively impact others, deciding the world. And it says you know how I'm going to do it, through visualization, you know, down to deliberate self-development. Every day I'm eternally motivated by the never-ending journey of going from ignorance to competence, to remind myself like I should be in a state to where I I don't feel like I know what I'm doing and being okay with being incompetent, ignorant, but making sure I dedicate the time to study or practice so I can be competent. Whatever that is. You know, strive to influence people, systems, organizations in ways that promote growth and excellence. You know, whenever possible. That's what like how do I do that so I make sure that I'm not doing random acts of life? How do I do that so I make sure that I'm not doing random acts of life? And then when I'm planning out my week, if those things don't align with that and that's not something I must do, like these VA appointments then it gets put over here in a separate bin, right, like, okay, if I can get to this, then I'll get to it, but I had to prioritize these things first so that I'm doing that.
Speaker 2:I would say just take more ownership of your life. We agency make sure you're driving your life and you're letting life drive yours and then embrace the journey. Man like and it's gonna suck like life is always going to take every opportunity to kick you right in the balls, and as it should, because that's life like in. You know you're. If you're a christian, whatever your domination maybe look just in the new testament. Like every apostle, except for john, the the apostle pretty much died a horrible death, right, and you're like man. Why would I want to be a christian at that kind of stuff. But the whole point is like, life is about suffering but overcoming, but obviously willing to suffer through things that are worth it, for something that you believe in. And like you know, like even yeah, I've been shot three times. I've died on the operating table.
Speaker 2:In a couple of years ago I was in 13 tabloids, right, but I've managed to take all that and turn each one of those things into a win. I think with the tabloid issue right, that's the soldier that put me in those those articles um, I ended up reconnecting with rishat and we had a some long, hard discussions and you know, about six months after um, he was going to court with this crazy con artist person. You know he was like man, he's like. You know, when you fired me from the team in Syria, you know, I really I just thought you're trying to screw me over, he's like.
Speaker 2:But you told me, you said that you were doing that because hopefully it would check my ego to the point to where I could adjust what I was doing in life. And he's like, and you were right, and that's what needed to happen. He's like. You know he's because he he had to leave the army. He lost his f-tab. He's like man, but look it back on it like I. I did that right. He's like and I have to own that. And this is where I'm at and for the first time in my life, I can actually do that that's a success story to me right, that takes balls.
Speaker 2:It takes balls. So, yeah, he ended up in where he he ended up, but he's doing really well right now. He's got a great job, he's spending more time with his kids and, you know, he's not that guy that's on the verge of suicide and that's okay. And a lot of people like professionally, like you can't deal with this guy that held it against me, you can't do anything, like that's going to jeopardize whatever. It's very risky, like it's very risky, like it is risky, but it's the right thing to do and I'm gonna do it right. Um, like, well, you can't do x, y and z tell me like you can't defend yourself online. I'm like I'm gonna, I'm gonna wait, I'd wait like a year or so, but I'm gonna do that right and I'm gonna. I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do and here's the regulations and the rules and right, and I did it and I got all that stuff removed and that's what it it is.
Speaker 2:It's taking this shit situation, turn it into a win. But how do you do that with everything? Like because life is, it's going to, it's going to happen again, like there's going to be adversity every day. I think the key is like taking it and just like, walk a, like what can I do with this? Turn into a win man? When I wake up every morning and pray all the bullshit along with all the blessings because those are blessings, right, because you learn from them and a lot of times we create our own friction too we just gotta like am I creating this friction? Am I? Is it my dumb ass decisions doing this again as a hypocrite, like I've done? You know shit in my life that I'm shameful for. Like that I was like, oh man, you know I could hurt that person to this, but then how do you learn from it? Like, how do you actually take that and do something with it? You know, and and make yourself better.
Speaker 2:I think, like, take that time to invest in yourself so you can be a more valuable human being, to where you can actually be selfless. So when you're investing in others, you're actually, you're actually worth the shit. So, yeah, it's kind of like sum it up like you know, look at everything you've done, be honest with your own mistakes. Right, we got to own our shit, which is hard for all of us because our ego gets in the way. We all have ego. Ego is healthy. Ego is just a sense of self-worth.
Speaker 2:Make sure you're not in a band with the hubris or over on the other side, the extremes, where you don't have self-confidence right, and invest in yourself and embrace the journey. The journey is all we got. Man like I forgot where I heard it, but if you're just looking for the end state or when it's good, you're gonna be missing out on like 98 of life. So take all the bullshit and turn into a win man like. Appreciate that too, because it's life and you're human and you're gonna get kicked in the nads and you gotta cherish those.
Speaker 1:Nad kicks the kiss from god. I always look at it like okay, like one.
Speaker 2:Am I responsible for this, because oftentimes we are and and two like okay, even, either if you weren't or weren't like, what can I do with this? And then how can I use this not just to help me, but to also help somebody else?
Speaker 1:absolutely, man, chuck you just. Uh, you continue to amaze me, man, you're a fucking great dude through and through, and this is, uh now, one of my favorite conversations on the show. I can't wait to put it out there, so that you guys can pick on it yes, yes, throw it out there kegels, do like 15,000 kegels a day, man.
Speaker 2:Because, seriously, um, if you're ready for prison, you're probably ready for combat, right, because if you do enough kegels like, you could break off like two or three number two pencils in there and then you're good, like nobody's getting in there. So you're, you're ready for prison. It's great for your pelvis, obviously, and then you'll have like a little six pack on your tank too, right, and that's good, because if you do lose power or something, man, you can, you still have the ability to wash your clothes. So it's just good practice, it's healthy. You're ready for prison. It's preparedness. Prepared it, prepared it, I don't know.
Speaker 1:It's prepared. Yeah, if you're a true prepper, then this is something you need to put in your routine.
Speaker 2:Oh, powers up, Honey. I got this. Get a wash basin. I'll sit up here spread eagle on the table Skit.
Speaker 1:My God, your toes.
Speaker 2:Why is it so tan? Don't worry about that.
Speaker 1:I value sun exposure in the early mornings with vitamin D.
Speaker 2:Just sitting outside my upstairs window facing the sun.
Speaker 1:It's, in fact, the best way to absorb the sun's rays. It's a health thing. Chuck, if folks want to check out your new podcast and what you got going on these days, where can they go?
Speaker 2:Go to wwwobjectiveRTAcom. Our podcast and our blog is there, and we're looking for writers too. Again, do you have to be a great writer? We'll help you out. We've got a great editor. If you've got a message, man, let's put it out there. Our realms are on there spiritual, mental, physical, like even financial stuff, like that's all in there. Or you can find me on Twitter, chuckritter92. It's always my Twitter's all. I think it's entertaining, right.
Speaker 1:It's primo. I can attest it's a chef's kiss Right.
Speaker 2:But if you go on our website too, send me a message, you get a contact contact. I'll go directly to one of the emails I check and, you know, help us to create a better product. Our mission is to have a positive impact on the next generation and my metrics for success are like if I've, if I put fifteen thousand dollars in this company in five years, we don't exist, but we've legitimately helped 300 people, then awesome, because we got some stuff coming out in the summertime where we're going to offer some some courses, where, if you're going to do you're going to put some serious self-investment into yourself it's not like this Grifter bullshit to where we're going to yell at you. We're going to do some serious self-evaluation. We're going to do some courses and bring in some professionals and really look at what do you want your ideal self to be? But where are you right now? Let's formulate a plan to get there. It's really the's cool. It's an excuse for us to continue learning and we get to share that with other people. But yeah, look me up on there, you know, send us a note.
Speaker 2:Check out our podcast. It's on all platforms. It's also on YouTube, but the links are on there. Again. We just released our eighth episode. We got one on there with Joe McCormick from the Brief Lab talking about communication oh nice Greek dude.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then the one from CeCe Craft. She's, you know, the head mental performance coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. That's brilliant. There's obviously ones with me. And Mike Larrerio. He's an author. He's written a couple of books Leadership and Balance and Management and Balance. Just some great stuff in there. They're shorter content, they're more geared towards like, hey, let's put out some stuff that's important. Maybe not as much humor, but you know, when I'm guest hosting some of them, I'm sure those will have some humor in there, right?
Speaker 1:We can only hope, chuck, again, I can't thank you for coming on. Everybody listen. Go ahead and pause. Go to the episode description, check out those links. Put them in your number one podcast app and check them out. Trust me, if you haven't listened to Chuck's previous works on Pile and Underground, you're going to love this. I know it's going to be influential and great for you, so check it out today.
Speaker 1:And one more thing do us a favor. Head on over to Spotify, apple Podcasts and YouTube. Give us a like, follow or share. Drop us a comment. I don't care what you put in there. Put Denny Sucks bananas or fuck you. Just do it for us so you can help the algorithm. I'll greatly appreciate it. I'm Denny Cabrillo. Thank you for tuning in. We'll see you all next time. Until then, take care. Thanks for tuning in and don't forget to like, follow, share, subscribe and review us on your favorite podcast platform. If you want to support us, head on over to buymeacoffeecom. Forward dot com. Forward. Slash SecHawk podcast. Buy us a coffee. Connect with us on Instagram, x or TikTok and share your thoughts or questions about today's episode. You can also visit securityhawkcom for exclusive content, resources and updates. And remember we get through this together. If you're still listening, the episode's over. Yeah, there's no more Tune in tomorrow or next week.
