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.
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Security Halt!
From SEAL Ambition to Entrepreneur: The Ben Wallick Story
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In this episode of Security Halt!, Deny Caballero sits down with Ben Wallick to unpack his journey from aspiring Navy SEAL to entrepreneur and founder of Vanilla Gorilla Security. Ben reflects on how Hollywood shaped his early motivations, the realities of BUD/S and SEAL life, and the importance of authentic storytelling within the military community. They discuss the challenges of transitioning into civilian life, the role of family in shaping careers, and how physical fitness, discipline, and tactical expertise helped Ben build a successful business in the training and contracting world. This episode is a mix of humor, honesty, and hard-earned wisdom from a life lived at full throttle.
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Produced by Security Halt Media
Security Hyp Podcast is proudly sponsored by Titan, position wellness group at your Liberty Lab. Ben, welcome to Security Hyp Podcast. How's it going, man? Thanks for having me, buddy. Dude, it's an absolute pleasure, dude. Um, it's uh I've been trying to make this happen, and then COVID came and kicked my ass. Uh after getting back from Washington, having a great time with some fellow SEALs out there. Um, amazing tournament. Uh, cannot wait to do it again next year. Hopefully I don't catch COVID because I'm spacing it now. It's uh not the SEAL Future Foundation. Um the Frogman Classic. There we go. Now I'm up to edit that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I'm not I'm not much of a golfer. A buddy of mine, a buddy of mine, I was asking to go to the range, a swap buddy of mine. He's got he's like, I got a golf tournament this Saturday. And then I had to send this reel where it's like a dude talking about like going to the range and and all that. And like, dude, uh the other dude thinks he's talking about golf, you know.
SPEAKER_01:No, dude, I used to I used to shit on golf all the time. And then thanks to my buddy uh Alex Buggy, another great seal, he hit me up. He's like, hey man, come out to the the um frogman classic. And I'm like, dude, absolutely always have a blast with you. There's no way I'm gonna say it. And but I never played golf. So I got online and uh luckily I found a great commercial for Sticks Golf. Um very the the price points, like if you've ever looked at golf clubs, they can get pretty freaking insane in price. I mean, I don't I don't I don't got that top money, but I had I had enough to buy a nice decent set from Sticks. And uh, dude, best fucking fun I've had in months. Really? I spend so much time on in front of this camera recording podcast or on the production side, editing video, audio for other shows, and I am just constantly working nonstop. And that tournament was a break from God Himself. It was so much fun, man. Because we're with our our our type of people, man, Green Beret seals, and the people that support the golf tournament are amazing. I remember I walked up, I was like, fuck, dude, I'm gonna get partnered up with some of their big sponsors, and uh, I'm not gonna know what the fuck to do. And I'm like, hey guys never played golf. They're like, we don't give a flying fuck, dude. We're out here to have fun. And they were totally awesome. Like the greatest people on earth learned so much about different industries, all the different sponsors that were out there. But uh yeah, shout out to anybody that's uh thinking of getting into golf. Check out sticks, go get yourself a decent pair of golf clubs and go out there and uh and play, man. Because I'm telling you, the there's so many missed opportunities that are going on on golf courses around the world.
SPEAKER_00:They always say the biggest frigging, you know, executive corporate deals are made on golf courses. Yeah. Dude, I I golf. I went out, there's uh uh rocking with the SEALs as an organization. I was last spring break, last March, I was out at Trump International.
SPEAKER_01:Nice.
SPEAKER_00:They held it there, and I went golfing on Trump International. And it was the same thing. I just like, I'm like, dude, I don't golf guys and they're like, come on, and I hit some fault that looked like a retarded snow chimp. Um and then there was a there was a waterfall. There was a waterfall there, and like I I I I didn't want to get too wild because I'm like, I want to climb that waterfall, but I'll get kicked out.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I could do this.
SPEAKER_00:Not today. I want to climb the waterfall, jump down in the in the water, and then crawl out in mud like Predator. That's what I was doing. Another great movie, dude. Oh, yeah, that's well, that's that is my top movie of all time.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I I I think those movies influence the whole culture of American men or young men to become great warriors, man. Well, they do.
SPEAKER_00:But um, dude, Danny, I almost I almost went into Green Berets. No way. Yeah. Because of that, because of Predator, honestly. Because it was like a spot when I was like seven or eight. And and I wanted to be like a Green Berry out of foot brag like Jim Hoppo. And uh that that was like my after I saw that, I'm like, I am going to be, but I don't know if I think they were more like CAG guys with Arnold's crew or like you know, some sort of agency dudes or something, but like, you know, it was like it was very Green Beret uh focused. And I was like, yes, that's what I'm doing. And then my whole you know, grade school, everything, like Green Beret, Green Beret, Green Bray, and then I saw Navy SEALs and Charlie Sheen, and I was like, oh, wait a minute. These guys are pretty cool too. I mean, they're jumping off brid they're jumping off of bridges. I like jumping off of bridges. They they like rushes, I like rushes. I've because like I basically lived my whole life around dopamine hits. And uh and then I started reading the books, and then you know, it was like Buds, you know, buds is really hard and has a high attrition rate, and I ended up going the Buds route. But yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Dude, that's uh it's funny how American entertainment fuels the drive for so many of us to join the military.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, there's so many dudes that are like you were in the teams, like like, why are you here? Maybe seal, trail shame. Why not? I mean, like that's why I'm here. And then and then you get there and it's like, this is nothing, I don't, this is nothing like the movie. What we don't like. We don't like alcohol. Well, uh we some dudes do light alcohol and five on the bar, but like it's like I mean, you know, I mean you know full well with the spec ops community. It's like what your what your your your what you think it's going to be and then what it really is real time is just not as sensational as not even close to as sensational as the movies.
SPEAKER_01:Dude, it's targeted, man. I was just watching um the first Transformer, and that came out like right at the very beginning of GWAT, and the amount it was just all it is is a giant propaganda film for special operations, like the first. It's just highlighting soft dudes in the desert fighting a giant robot, and I'm like, man, how did we not know that this was propaganda?
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Well, or like that, or that you know, the the the the Navy SEALs movie that literally were act Navy SEALs actors. I mean, you know, stuff like that is like you know, obviously that was more of like a piece to like get people, you know, to go in the military, but yeah, yeah. I'm actually working one of the actors of that movie, Act of Valor. I'm working with AJ next week on training a SWAT team.
SPEAKER_01:So that's what it was, Act of Valor. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, it's uh movie unlike anyone you've ever any movie you've seen before.
SPEAKER_00:There's no shortages of team guys, you know, selling action figures of themselves and uh doing stupid uh crap, in my opinion. So not that not that the guys in the movie were doing stupid crap because they were kind of talking with AJ, they were forced to do it, type of thing.
SPEAKER_01:That's what I heard. Yeah, it was like a it was a big like because it really was the recruitment thing.
SPEAKER_00:It's it's uh but there's no but there you get my point. There's no shortage of guys out there freaking peddling, basically pimping the trident for freaking cash, man. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's it's everywhere now. It's everywhere. It's it's you know, it's weird because I I mean you talked about it just a little bit ago, the books, the books that the uh the the the prior generation wrote about, you know, whether it's like Desert One or Vietnam conflict. Like a lot of us wouldn't be here if it wasn't for those books, like reading about Mac V. Sog, like what those Green Berets did. But I feel like those stories weren't written in a way of like being a cash grab or to it was really to tell the the insane stories that these men found themselves in. Whereas our generation, sure, we have those stories, but they're not as abundant as people think. And I think now we've gotten to the point where people are like, well, I gotta come up with a story. I gotta sell a real good story. I mean, there there's there's not that many Toras, and there's not that many speech.
SPEAKER_00:But like, like, yeah, it's it's not like it's more like you said, it's more like like they were documenting history in a way. Yeah. Because I was like obsessed in high school once I decided to go to the buds route with reading Patches Watts and Vietnam seal books. Yeah, the men with green faces and all that. Like that was, you know, literally that's all I did. I didn't even my senior year, like my senior year, I didn't even bring any books home. I was just reading those books and working out. But but uh but yeah, it's it it's definitely because of the social media thing and the the and dudes just freaking sell out for money. And it's sad when you see it's sad when you see a guy that you worked with that was seemingly a good dude or you know, at least a okay dude, you know, and then you just see him this lying about stuff and just making money, and they've separated themselves from like all the dudes that they worked with, because as you know, when you cross that precipice of actually lying about a story, like you know, most of the time the story, unless you're Tim Kennedy, you know, the story itself has has merit, you know, but they're themselves in positions they aren't in and situations. The story's true, but they're making themselves, like you just said, they are making themselves the hero for the accolades, for the likes, for the, you know, and and the podcast thing, you know, I, you know, it's like I I don't have a really a problem with podcasts, but you know how it goes. It's like once a dude gets fame on social media, they do the round robin, you know, podcast thing. And, you know, it's you know, some of these well-known podcasters out there that I worked with, you know, I've texted them like, hey, uh, I wouldn't have that dude on. He's a freaking liar, you know, and and they don't care, you know, because it's it'll give views. Yeah. It means it means freaking cash flow for him. So yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And I think the the the truth and what we really need to understand is like stories are important. Being able to share and inspire the next generation is truly important. But is your story just self-service, or is it promoting the best aspect of the military, of your service, highlighting your brothers and sisters around you and the great situations you could have found yourself in, or the funny situation you could have found yourself in. Because every story matters, and I don't that one thing I've realized is there's it has the when we start finally pushing back. Some people might say, Well, okay, well, if his stories aren't real, then why do my stories matter? It's like, wait a second, no, no, no, dude, your story matters, not this guy's this shit's sci sci-fi. If honestly, if he would have just approached it from the sci-fi point of view, it would have probably been okay. But um, people are just getting so wrapped up around the idea that they have to have the next great war story and hero story rather than just telling an authentic true story.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And I like funny stories, like you know what I mean? Like like that, like I like storytelling, but I like telling funny stories that, you know, that of situations that I mean, I like that, but you know, it it but like you just said, it's it it's it it you know, you don't want to take away from like dudes that actually have like good stories, but any I guess I could say any tactically astute individual, obviously guys from our community, can watch a dude on a podcast and know within five minutes of whether or not that dude's a douched cadoo. Like just by the way he's you know the the the voice inflection and the way he's saying stuff, it's just it's very easy to to tell a tall tailor. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. And it it gets uh man, and and everything lives on forever. It's a cautionary tale, though, uh for everybody. It's like, look, what you say will get brought back into the light. Oh yeah, and people will find it, they will archive it. Yep, exactly. But diving into your story now, like you you found yourself attracted to this life, this idea of becoming a uh a Navy SEAL. Oftentimes when you're a young man, you know, you can dream, you can have these big aspirations, but what was the defining, like final like nail in the cough? And what was the driving force that finally said, you know what? I'm gonna go do this, I'm gonna raise my hand, I'm gonna enlist.
SPEAKER_00:Uh well, I mean, obviously, you know, the the the predator thing and the and all the action movies I grew up with, my dad showing me. Um I mean, my childhood was like my dad is a very interesting individual. He's he's on the spectrum a little bit, like a little bit of Asperger's, like he he's he's kind of like the accountant, like just doesn't show any emotion. And but like he did tons of stuff with us, like he took us fishing and hunting. Like I grew up going out to up to Ontario to Quedeco National Park, backpacking and and you know, canoeing between lakes, and he'd make me carry heavy stuff. And I I I like loved just dopamine and adventure because of the the structure that my dad had raised us in. I mean, I mean, he had weird games. I mean, just he he wasn't like out back throwing a baseball. Instead, it was like, hey, you and your brother go hide in the basement, pitch black basement, and then I'll go down there and find you, and he'd have a wiffle ball bat, and then he'd find us and hit us with a wiffle ball bat. And and you know, like that that like seems very weird to people, but like that was like how my dad played with us. Like, and honestly, like to this day, I still remember like listening, like trying to skip breathe and and be real quiet. And I know he's down there because I heard the door close and he finds my brother, and that sound of that plastic hitting the skin. And my brother's like, No, dad, no, and then I know he's after me, and I'm like, my, you know, I'm having a rush. And it was it was fun, actually. Like, I mean, there's no point to the game, but that kind of stuff, uh, you're just growing up in that in that way, and you know, wanting to, you know, be around men that liked to do wild stuff, you know. I mean, it's like not not just the teams, any soft community is like the greatest thing ever when you get around these guys because you think you're weird with like normal societal people. You know, like you're like you they don't understand your humor, they don't understand why you want to like jump off a bridge from a from a from jeep, you know, and then you get around these dudes and like you're like a very normal person, like because every other dude is like that. And you know, when I got into high school, I I'd already I mean, I I'd wanted to do the commando, like be a commando, but I I did it wasn't like till high school to where I was like, okay, what does this actually you know look like other than just like being an action movie commando here, you know, guy? So that's when I did the research and looked at the different programs and and I ended up choosing the the BUDS program. Um, at least from the books that I was reading, you know, it was like Buds has the highest attrition rate because of Hell Week, you know. What in my high school, you know, my young high school mode, I'm like, oh, okay, well, I gotta go to that. I gotta go do that. And uh, which I didn't really like the water really, I mean, I wasn't like into like swimming or anything like that. Like, I went to the Navy recruiter and it was a skinny little rail dude and like skinny little rail guy, and he's like, and I'm like, hey, I want to be a SEAL. And he's like, All right, well, you gotta join the Navy, and I'm like, why don't I be in the Navy?
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SPEAKER_00:Like, can I go in the army and then go to BUDS? You know? And he's like, no, no, you gotta go. You gotta okay, well, what's the fastest track that I can get to BUDS? And you know, at the time they had a SEAL challenge program. I mean, I'm s they probably have that now still, but you know, I signed up the contract, you know, contractually they have to allow me, you know, to go to Buds. It was like it wasn't like the an actual billet, it was just the in boot camp, they gave you the opportunity to you know take the screening test and all that kind of stuff. You know, I like like I said, that senior year, I didn't take any, I didn't care about like after football season, like I had to maintain a certain GPA for football. But after that, I didn't care. You know, I basically graduated myself mentally from school. And I did I did these ridiculously, I mean, I look back at it now and I was like, that was like the most over-the-top workouts. Like, I mean, ridiculous. Like five days a week going home from like swimming in the morning at school for an hour and a half during my gym class, going home, running three miles, taking a canoe canoe down to a river and paddling up the river, going to the gym, you know, every like all in one day. And because I was like, well, you know, this is how the shape you have to be in to make it through Buds. And then you get into boot camp and you're taking a screen test, and you're like, oh, these guys are just average dudes. I mean, most of them. You know what I mean? They're they're just average dudes. And then you show up to Buds and you think like all the dudes are gonna look like John Matrix, you know, from Commando, and and you're looking at dudes, and you know, obviously dudes have that have brown shirts have made it through Hell Week, and you get there, and you're obviously size sizing dudes up, and you're looking at guys and you're like, what? Like that, oh I I'm doing this. Like that dude has a brown shirt, you know, and because it's it's it there is no like one, and I don't care if it's buds, I don't care what it is. Any you name the soft, you know, group, there's no like one mold that fits all. I mean, you don't you tend to not have a ton of dudes that look like Schwarzenegger, like a ton of just giant muscle bomb dudes because it's not it's not operationally fun, you know, it's not absolutely dude. I say it all the time.
SPEAKER_01:The the Hollywood idea is completely off the mark. It it's like the the wiry like hybrid athlete kid, like that's the majority of like the top performer dudes. Like and uh everybody else that wants to just be a uh a meathead, and you for us, you end up on a free fall team. Yeah. Yeah, it's just it's not it's they make them big and dumb in Planet Freefall.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I've known a few big muscle bound dudes that weren't weren't good in the air, that's for sure. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, it was it was yeah, it was like that's I, you know, that was my world. That was, you know, it's all you always get the question of like, you know, how how'd you make it through buds? It was so hard. And like I honestly like said it was like for me at 19, it was fun. Like I like I liked the excitement of what was happening. You know, I had this thing that with growing up where I always wanted to impress my dad, you know, with anything. Like I was the kid that was like, Dad, look at this. You know, I don't go I'm doing a wheelie off of you know a ramp or something, or I built some treehouse and I'm jumping out off into a bush or something. Like, and so like I like to, you know, I guess impress my dad. And so I get to buds, and then now the buds instructors are like these father figures or or deranged father figures, you know, and and I'm like, uh, and I want to impress them. So I'm like, oh, this is fun. Like they're gonna they're gonna make us do an opsile course. I love this. Like, you know the best day ever. I mean, it's like to say that like stuff didn't suck, you know, like Hell Week sucks, but it was still like I I I I I I like I like situations where it's just out of control. Like I I don't have control over the situation. Like I just like that because like I'm I'm I like the unknown of like, oh, what's gonna happen next? And so for me, all through buds, especially during Hell Week, like I didn't stick around and not quit because I'm like super tough and you know I'm just a badass friggin' you know, like some of these team guys out there, like I stuck around in Hell Week because I wanted to see what was coming next. Like, you know, like I was I was like, what's gonna happen next? Like someone could die doing this. Like if they keep us if they keep us in the surf zone, you know, for for much longer, like someone's could die. Like I like I don't want to miss that. Cause like I like in high school, I was like, you know, if you mixed like I'm a little more different in my 40s, but like in high school, if you mixed like Tweeter from varsity blues and stifler together, that was kind of me. So I was just like, I won't mix. Yeah, it's a weird mix, but like, you know, I I I wanted to always be at the life of the party or be around the action. And so I was like, I didn't want to quit because I was like, I don't want like what what are they gonna do next? You know, and then and then when you you know, I try to tell there's been a few young men that I've you know tried to give some tips about buds and how we can stuff. And if if you if you think along like just it embracing the moment of the evolution and like, you know, this is what's going on, like and you don't and and you don't focus on like you know, Thursday, or you know, you're just like this is gonna end. What you know, what's gonna happen next? Oh, and then you just take that evolution. It's when you because like I mean, obviously you probably heard like the majority of guys quit Hell Week in the first 48 hours, and you're not that beat down yet, you know. You're not you're not that bad. You're not like a frickin' walking zombie by day five. Like, so the reason for that is because it's mental and because the instructors know how to play those mental games and make students think, because obviously the first 24 hours is like, you know, insanity, running down to the L stages with the boats, you know, all this surf torture that first night and all this stuff. And so guys are thinking to themselves, like, if this intensity is five days long, there's no way that there's I can't do this. You know, you know, and and obviously they're they're like, you know, it starts Sunday night, like, but like Sunday night in the surf zone, they're like, Don't worry, all you got is you know, Monday morning, Monday afternoon, Monday evening, Tuesday morning, you know, and guys are like processing that like mentally, and they're like, no way, no way. And I and I was just and again, I'm just thinking, like, oh, what could possibly happen on Thursday? I I don't it could be interesting, like so yeah, that that's how how most of Bud's work for me. And I was and I was like in phenomenal, like I mean, you know, I was the top, I I had the top O course time and top runner in my class. Like I was in the shape that I wish I was in now, which I'm totally not, but I uh you know, kind of like you can't hurt me type thing, you know, shape. So yeah, that's that helped. It's not the end all be all, but it definitely helped because you know, it it i the other thing is is and I'm sure it's the same in your selection, you want to like gain the trust of the instructors or have the instructors like look at you as like that's a good dude. He has potential for you know, someone I would want to work with at the team and go to combat with. And so they they they do play favoritisms and or not not necessarily favoritisms, but like if they don't like you, like if you don't put out and they see weakness or they see something that it is, you know, at first when I the day one of Buds, like, because I'm so freaking pasty and white, you know, I had my shirt off in those UDT trunks, and they were making me do flutter kicks, and I and they were like, I had three instructors like screaming at me, like, are you albino? And I was like, um, and I'm like doing these flutter kicks, and I'm like, no, no, no, I'm not albino, I got blue eyes. And uh and and and they're and they're like, We don't like weak jeans, you know, and so at first they were on my ass because they thought I was like somehow, you know, genetically defective. Um but like you know, you gain their trust and they they they know you're a good dude, and then they kind of, and I'm sure like I said, it's the same with you guys, they they lay off like the the personal because you because like if if a in a doesn't like a dude, I don't care how much of a badass you are or how in shape you are, they'll just smoke you in until and then you do like before the run or before the swim, and you physically won't be able to pass it. So, you know, if you if you again like the deranged father figure thing, if they if they're on your side and they look or not they they think you're a good dude, it it does work out to your benefit. You know, it was hard for me because I'm so freaking white and we have our shirts off all the time. Like, you know, I to my social media I've I posted many, many, many clips from my bud's class, from class 242. Our for some reason our proctor, I don't even know why he was allowed to do it, because as far as I know, I mean there's little clips of SEAL training, you know, and things, but as far as like raw, a lot of raw footage, there's not like that you have the Discovery Channel thing, the 234 thing. But he filmed with like an old school camera. Our Proctor just walked around and filmed like most of all of our first phase. And then he gave us a DVD after we were done with first phase, and like I lost, I didn't know where the thing went. And like a couple years ago, two years ago, I was in my parents' basement. My mom's like, hey, I got old mil your stuff, old military stuff, and I found the DVDs and I was like, holy crap, you know, my bud's DVDs, and I had them transferred to digital, and I posted, you know, not raw, I haven't posted a ton of raw footage, just a lot of like reels and different things like that. But like you can if you, you know, all the stuff that I'm posting with me in it, it is like, oh my gosh, what the heck is that freaking M light doing in the middle of the of the of the pool? So they would see me, you know what I mean? If I if my back wasn't straight, like you look out, I got videos of like all the dudes on the grinder doing PT, and you can look over all the dudes, and you know how like every dude with a shaved head looks kind of similar, and you just right there, just a giant, there's a snow chimp right in the middle, just glowing. So they would know like they'd be like, literally, there'd be like every dude around me without their back straight, they'd be like, Wall, get your back straight. And I'm like, what the heck? This is racial profiling. Yes, yes, this is white man profile. Oh man. It was it yeah, it was, you know, I mean, even when I show up to the pool, they would I mean, my biggest fear, Danny, like going like from high school when going into buds, wasn't like really any part of the training that I was conc concerned about. It was if they don't let me put sunblock on, like out there at the pool all day in those little, you know, little UDT trunks, gay UDT trunks, like I'll die. Like I'll get so burned that I'll die. And and so I was that was like a big worry for me. And like because I'm like, I'm not gonna say, like, hey, I need sunblock or I can't do this. You know, I'm just gonna have to deal with it. But like they made obviously they made me put sunblock on the that zinc oxide stuff, you know, the good stuff. Yeah, and like they made some dude usually like they'd bring me fun and front and center, and they'd make some dude like put it over me all like centrally and stuff, you know. They'd be like they'd be like, apply screen to him.
SPEAKER_01:You that you're his oil boy. That's what I love about instructors. They they make anything uh ten times more fun by going by the book. If they if anything has to be done so like procedural step by step, they will find a way to make it hilarious, usually at your expense as a student. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I would I would have loved I would have actually loved to be a buds instructor. I never took the billet or anything or had the opportunity, but like I think it would be fun. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah, that's what that's another thing. I I looking back, I wish I would have gone and uh done some swift time and uh maybe done selection. Because um you you have the ability a hundred percent you can impact the the rest of the force um for generations to come just by being there, being a good uh good steward and selecting the right person to come through and and watching and advising and and um you know those people make it through, they become NCOs, they become leaders in organizations, and so on and so on and so forth. And if you were able to assess the right candidates and get the right people in the right jobs, and next thing you know, like you're you're creating next generation of leaders. Just uh but it takes a uh it it really does take a mature, dedicated senior leader to see those those positions as being valuable. Yeah. Because when you you know it the moment you get on the team, you get operational, you're like, I don't want to fucking leave.
SPEAKER_00:No, well, especially like I I don't know when you went through uh Q cult uh like when I was in BUDS in 2002, like the instructors there like wanted to go to war. You know what I mean? Because like things just started happening, and like most of these guys are all 90s eras dudes that did nothing. I mean, that's one of the things like people don't realize is that like pre-9-11 guys didn't and again, I'm not taking away from like the dudes that served during that time period, because here's the deal any any soft dude or team guy, like you put them in combat, they're gonna do the same thing everyone else does, which kind of goes back to like those war stories. Like every dude, at least that I worked with, would do the same, would react the same way, would do the job the same way, and would accomplish whatever needed to be accomplished. And some guys were just put in, you know what I mean? Like, like we had this one particular guy in a platoon that like he he just somehow found the action all the time. Like he was shooting these guys over here, nothing was going on over here. Like, I don't it was like he was like an action magnet, you know. And but that it's but it but it's like any other dude in the platoon would do the same thing, like they they would react the same. So, like even those you know, the 90s guys, they would do the GWAT, they'd be totally, you know, and when many of the guys went, you know, off to war. So it's not taking away anything from them, but you know, when you're going on booze cruises all the time on deployment, you know, or I'm sure like you know, Green Beret, you know, SF dudes were probably doing a lot of stuff and you know, training, you know, Jundy's stuff, like you want to do the job that you signed up for. So, you know, obviously. Those buds instructors were like, not only did they not really someone want to be there because they wanted to go to war, but then they were like, you know, we're going to war now. You know what I mean? It was like this, like, now we need to make things even more crazy as shit. Like, you know, and buds is hard enough in itself, but now it's like, we're going to war. Like, you know.
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SPEAKER_00:So it it it's it's yeah, it's like, you know, it's not a like you said, it's not like usually a billet guys want to take unless they, you know, usually need a break for family reasons or something like that. But but yeah, um it was, you know, an interesting time to say the least to go through buds. Yeah, right at the beginning of it. Oh man. Like I said, I I I enjoyed I enjoyed Buds. I don't like I thought it was with me, it was it was fun. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And what was it like finally getting on a team, getting operational?
SPEAKER_00:For so like for my guys that graduated in 242, most of those guys stayed in the West Coast. I went to the East Coast because you know, I am just not like West Coast. Too many granole leaders out there for me. I uh I went to the East Coast. Originally I checked into team eight, and then uh I don't know if you remember, there was like this thing called Force 21 that happened in like 2000, early 2003-ish, I want to say. But basically it was like they were deploying a whole bunch of more dudes than usual. There was a bunch of like uh moving around and shifting dudes from this team to this team and and stuff. Like I checked in a teammate, you know, me and the other two new guys that came from my class, and then we immediately we went through like a little bit of the land warfare workup like for a couple like two months, and then we got switched over to two. Uh, and then that's where I stayed until you know my my eight years was all two. Uh so it was we we deployed, you know, sooner we we also did like we only did like a half workup and then we deployed so it wasn't like your typical time, you know, like you know, guys like they show up to the team and they're like ready to go to war, but you do like a year workup. Like you you you do a year workup cycle, and you know, you gotta hit all the blocks, you know, which is like all these different areas that you have to be proficient in, which is why like a lot of the there's a saying in the teams like the jack of all trades, master of none type saying, you know, because it's like you know, you you you you're going to friggin' Hawthorne, Nevada for Humvee stuff for three weeks, like Shaw's in South Hidden, Mississippi for two weeks, Louisville for two weeks, you know, Land Warfare at Chaffee for five weeks. Like, and you're only having like a week in but it is not a and and and I'm sure it's the same with SF, like it is not an environment that is conducive for family. No, like no.
SPEAKER_01:And it they've they worked hard to make it better, but man, the op tempo and the requirements, it's like fuck, dude. Like, how are you gonna master everything under the sun and still have some time to breathe?
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Be home like for a week, or maybe, maybe two weeks at the most, and then you're going on the next trip. And like, even when you're we were home in between these in the workup trips, like I was the ordinance guy, which I wish to God I I had not volunteered for that. Like they had the new guys, and they're like, hey, you guys gotta be in you know department reps. Like, what do you want to do? And I'm like, and like, I don't know, what is there? And they're like, and I like guns and stuff, and they're and they're like, oh, there's ordinance. I'm like, oh, that sounds fun. No. I entire time in the teams, and it's like, you gotta do inventories on every optic, every freaking, every freaking rifle, every you gotta get all the ammo for the trips. You gotta like dudes come, they just come and they they like with like they yard sale their stuff in front of you, like, I need a new this, I need a new that, like, look what happened to this, and then I gotta take it over to the logistics guys and get it fixed. It was horrible.
SPEAKER_01:It's called beat an 18 Bravo. Yeah. Is it it's fun. It's dude, it's fuck. It really, they really undersold that part of the job with like, you're gonna be everybody's fucking arms room fucking bitch. Like, you need oh god, the the amount of times I have to go on to beg, plead, and borrow for fucking new equipment, new furniture for somebody's fucking, I want to have this type of foregrip, and you don't have it, you gotta figure it out. It's like fuck, dude. But the layouts, the inventory is a c fucking the little shit.
SPEAKER_00:And then like the like the snipers all had like five different rifles, which they only used frickin' one of them. And I'm I'm loading these stupid things on every trip, and it was yeah, it was it was kind of annoying, but whatever. Like I took I took advantage of it like this, like in those early days, there wasn't a lot of I'm sure it's way different now, but like there wasn't a lot of oversight with like the guns. Like I literally would go home on leave and I would take my entire weapons box home. Everything. And and and I'd be and I'd be coward hunting with my dad with my friggin' PBS 15s and my you know my PEC two. You know, I I mean, like there was no oversight on breaching charges. There was like no oversight. Like the Wild West. Yeah, like dude, like there was a guy, and I can't remember his name. Some guy like a team two, uh, or maybe it was a teammate. It was like right when I was a new guy and I checked in. It was probably teammate or something like that. I I can't remember specifically, but because there was no oversight, like, you know, I mean, every dude took ammo home. I mean, that's like across the board, like allegedly. But no, like, you know, ammo, like ammo is like, you know, they the logsuit guys, they they give it to you, and then they're like, don't bring it back if you broke it open, you know, and guys go shoot it at the range, you know, all that kind of stuff. But like some guys, you know, took stuff they shouldn't have. And I remember there was like uh a dude that his bro, you know, had a bad divorce and the wife ratted him out and like found a bunch of stuff in his attic. I mean like C4 blocks and grenades and and all kinds of stuff. And then the the CEO, I think it was at two, now that I think about it, like had like a meeting and said, if any of you guys have this, like your houses are being searched, though, which was all like scare tactics type of thing. But he's like, There's a dermo bin in the in the in the locker room. Just put stuff, you know, get rid of it. No questions asked, dude. There was like a law that showed up in there, there was like aids, you know, all this stuff, you know. And um just like it was just it was kind of I'm not saying it was the wild west, but it was a lot different, probably than it is now. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Uh it's we had the same situations. We've had a lot of of of the same unfortunate events, guys going through divorce and things get found. I mean, there's nothing wrong with a couple 556 magazines and a few extra rounds here and there, but there have been some insane shit found during some of these investigations, and it's because you pissed off your wife. Like, it's like, fuck, dude. Like you you you should not have a laser designator at your house. Like that's like how the fuck did you get that? Like, how did you get a Carl Gustav at your house? Like, let her roll, let alone rounds for said Gustav. Like, what the fuck? Just wild shit.
SPEAKER_00:My wife, she won't be all my wife, she goes to authorities.
SPEAKER_01:But yeah, like it's you get one the the hammer drops, and then before you know it, you know, we we you have the the mass friggin' amnesty period, and you go see the amnesty box and it's overfilled with shit, and you're just like, fuck, dude. Like, I'm glad I moved away from the area. Well, let me tell you, yeah, like it's all fun and games, and I remember, fuck. He's still probably he I think he's still in. I remember helping one of my friends, fuck you. I won't say your name, but it's a funny story. I remember having a friend of mine that was was getting out of the military, and he's like, I need to get rid of this stuff. I was like, Well, I mean, don't go crazy. I mean, like, we can go have fun on a weekend. Oh, yeah, let's go shoot. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:There's there's not the ammo thing, like they would typically say, like, don't bring it back. So it's not like, I mean, and you're using it. Like, I mean, it's like a freaking professional golfer bringing golf clubs home or golf balls home from them. I mean, it's like, dude, you're using it, it's part of the job. But like you said, it in those early days, there was it some things.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, when when your friend calls you to do a spendex and it literally like entails the entire back of their truck, it's like, bro, like this is a bit ridiculous. Like, we're these are these are our personal barrels. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Like I'm gonna fucking wait for like the valley of the training for the platoon or something.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it uh some of it did get turned back in. Uh it's like at that point, just fucking bury it. Just just have a cachet.
SPEAKER_00:Well, my point with the ordinance thing was like even when we were home in between these little stints, like I would have to go to the team, you know, get all the stuff ready for the next trip. So I was like still at the team from like, you know, seven to four, sometimes five. So I was never home.
SPEAKER_01:Like, yeah. It's it's hard, man. It it's hard. People don't understand everybody has this idea that it's like everybody does 20, 30 years, but the reality is like a lot of people want to have a family, they want to have a life after service, and it's like, look, 14, 15, 13 years, like hey man, like the the op temple was enough. It's time for me to go. Like, when did you figure out it was time for you to leave?
SPEAKER_00:So I uh 2000 and so I like went in went in 2001, showed up to the team 2000 through early 2003. 2010 is when I left active. I did two years of uh SEAL team 18, which was gayer than AIDS. Is that a reserved uh SEAL team? Yeah, it's like 18's the East Coast one and 17's the West Coast. Okay, cool. I didn't know that. Yeah, it's they don't typically like you know, all their deployments and stuff are like fit stuff. Like they're not doing any kind of you know rotations, you know, in real stuff. I mean not to say that they wouldn't, but at least at the time it that it wasn't like that. But um for me it was kind of like what I told you, like the op tempo, you know, was heavy, you know, multiple deployments, uh, you know, just a little getting kind of burnt out. Like, but I I took so I my after my third platoon, I took uh kind of a shore, not it it's technically a shore duty, but like I was gone still, like two weeks at a time. And I was at our assault cell teaching, you know, CQB, tactic, CQC, um down in mid-south in uh South Haven, Mississippi. So we were like there for two weeks teaching whatever task unit or troop came through, and then we'd be back at the beach for like a week or two, maybe two weeks, usually not, and then back at you know, mid-south and stuff. And during that time, you know, so a lot of my good friends, like my close friends, had gone, uh, had already had or were were on their way to screen or had screened for Green Team to go over to Damneck to Dev Group. And I was kind of like torn about like I wanted it, I kind of wanted to stay in, you know, I I but you know, talking with the wife, and obviously like I'm trying to make this a you know a decision between both of us. Um, and you know, my Falouge deployment, I kind of had a little bit of a of a spiritual change or a change in my life where I was looking at things a little bit differently than just like the grind with the bros, you know, and and and and and just staying in the in the war path. But I, you know, decided to stay at Assault Cell, potentially, you know, I that's why like I after my or I I kept extending towards the end of that period. Like when I was at Assault Cell, I'd extend another six months. And then I extended another, you know, six months because I just didn't know if I wanted to get out or stay, and I was in this like torn, you know, like what do I and I had two daughters at the time, and you know, we wanted to have more kids. I have four kids now, but um I just you know, with the wife involved in the decision, I decided to, you know, get out. Which, you know, not to say that dudes that say in and do the careers and my buddies that went over to, you know, damn neck and stuff that they didn't have, you know, couldn't have, you know, good families and you know be good dads and stuff, but it as you know, it's difficult. You're not there. I grew up with a dad that was, like I told you, was always taking us doing stuff. And so I kind of wanted to have that for you know my family. And so I I I left the teams and then didn't know what I was gonna do though, because I'm not gonna, you know, like uh anyway I I've seen other your podcasts and stuff, like the transition thing can be difficult, you know. Um because like if if if somebody said like Ben, you can make$150,000 and sit in this cubicle and write TPS reports, or you can make sixty thousand dollars out back and push a fresh turb in the field back and forth. Like I will push the fresh turb in the field. So um Sir, you had me at turd. Yeah. So I'm like, I can't, you know, I can't even go be sort of corporate, like you don't want me in a corporate world. Like I'm an you know, I will be a uh HR nightmare. Um I can't, you know, I have to it has to be something that is some relatable or you know, something for you know getting out. And so my brother was a fireman um here where I am where I live now, pure I'm outside of Pew, Illinois, but he was a fireman in Pure, Illinois, and I was talking with him, and he's like, he's like, hey, they they like military guys. I get I already talked to the chief, they'll hire you, you know. And I was like, Oh, I can, you know, I can do that, I could be a fireman. Like, you know, I you know, my dad was a part-time fireman as a kid. I remember his bunker gear in the truck, and I'm like, Yeah, I think I could do that, I can make that transition. So I got out with like that in mind, and then they had a hiring freeze for like a year and a half, almost two years, where they won't shit, you know, or they just weren't hiring. Yeah. And so I get out and and he gives me that memo, and I'm like, oh crap, I gotta put food on the table. My wife has always been a uh uh homemaker slash sandwich maker, which you know, even if she was here, I would say that because we joke about it, but because she likes being a mom and doing the mom.
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SPEAKER_00:But yeah, so I I was like, I I gotta find work, and the only thing that I can do is gunsling for money right now. And so I ended up doing GRS. Um, I worked with quite a bit of us dudes on that contract, and because it was a hodgepodge of you know, SEALs uh PJs, combat controllers, and there's all there's also a lot of Force Recon guys on that contract, at least the particular one where I was at and stuff in Baghdad. So I ended up doing the GRS thing. You know, I had got I I got out wanting to like you know be home more, but then I ended up you know doing a lot of trips because dude, you're making bucko bucks. I mean, it was like 21,000 a month, you know, coming in. My wife's like, she's like, she's like, well, we we are gonna do the fire thing. You know, she's like looking at these paychecks, she's like, we we want to do the fire thing, we want to do the fire thing, you know. But but like for now, let's just, you know, do this. And I'm like, okay. Hell yeah. Yeah. So, you know, I just I did a lot of trips back to back and back to back. But yeah, it's just funny, like in the contract world, it's like you take a bunch of these knuckle draggers and you make them you I mean, some of these dudes were doing like 300-day rotations. Lam. Yeah, because like I guess if if you did like 310 days or something like that, it was tax-free, like the money. Um, but you had dudes doing like that amount of time in country. Like they after, I think it was after a hundred days, something like that, you had to leave for two weeks. Like, didn't matter where you went, you just had to leave and then you could come back. But guys were doing like crazy rotations, you know, and they're at the chow hall talking about like their friggin', you know, Raptor Ford truck and their boat, and they you know, you got a bunch of these just these knuckle draggers just like now they're like higher income, higher class people, and it it's a recipe for disaster. Like, you know, some guy talking about like D just got back from Vegas, you know, 50 grand in, and I'm like, just be smart, like save your money. You could you could literally set yourself up for like I mean, and a few guys were you know tactful with that, and they they you know, kind of you know, franchise a Jimmy Johns or like something that they invested it with, you know. But um But yeah, it was it you know, it was a good contract. It was one of the better contracts because the I don't know, did you ever do any contract work at all? No, no, no, no. It's kind of one of those things where it's nepotistic in a way where you just once guys get in that world, you it's like talk to this dude, talk to this, like finding you know, finding the contract that's good, that pays good, that is not some you know, horrible thing you don't want to, you know, standing outside of a gate, you know, for dynacor, you know, in a ferry or something like that, you know. I had a friend of mine that fall victim to that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I'm gonna be a lead contractor. Now you're a gate guard.
SPEAKER_00:Well, even the the static, you know, like the GRS thing had a static side and a mobile side. Obviously, I was on the mobile side, but even those static guys were making like 550 or something a day or something like that.
SPEAKER_01:So that's a lot that's a lot of money. That's a lot of money to uh walk away from, too, though. But um did you find yourself just staying there long enough to get that nest nest uh nest egg up and then uh yeah, pretty much I took a pretty brutal spanking on my house in Virginia Beach.
SPEAKER_00:It was like the Obama, you know it was yeah, so I unfortunately the nested just went to like you know not be out of that situation. Um but yeah, I I eventually the fire thing came up and I took the job and I, you know, I I didn't like say that I'm leaving the contract world. I just took took the fire job and uh you know started it out and and it was i it it it I liked the fire side of things, like you know, extricating people out of cars, cutting holes in roof fire. I did not like the EMS side at all. And that was 90, 80, 90% of the job, you know, going at 2 a.m. for some dude that crap crapped his pants and you gotta move him to his chair or something like that, you know. They sent a giant fire truck to move a dude that fell out of his you know recliner for a lift assist. I mean, it's crazy. Like it would because like growing up, I was like, dude, we wouldn't call 911 unless like you're bleeding from the jugular. But not in not in today's world, not in certain areas, particularly, you know, bad areas of neighborhoods and things. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you know, that's that's a weird thing that we've um we've grown used to is now utilizing our fucking fire departments as uh our for everything. Everybody like the uh the amount of times and it's funny, it's funny, but the the morbidly obese obese person that needs to get help out of their home into their the back of a truck, and it's like it's a fireman. It's like, what the fuck?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's like it's like you have reached a point in your life where you need someone to move you to your next location. Like, I think it's disgusting. Like I hate like obese people, anyways. Like it's a huge thing for me. I think our country's obese. I think that you go to the water park and everyone's obese. I mean, literally, and it like 80% of the people, and you're just like, what the F? Like, what is going on? It is horrible. I mean, I like that there's a reel with the President Kennedy about those gym standards he had in like the 60s, and like, you know, it's it's like dudes like from the clips are like doing pegboards and push-ups and they cut backs and ripped. And I'm like, dude, we are so far from that. Like, we are very pathetic now as it's insane.
SPEAKER_01:If you look at the uh uh footage of just everyday average Americans at the beach in like the 1970s versus today. Oh, holy shit.
SPEAKER_00:Dude, it um it and it's all it's all like, you know, all the I work, you know, I I lift every day and go to the gym and stuff, you know, obviously like you and my whole life, but like I don't have like this particular program and I'm gonna weigh out, you know, I'm gonna weigh out this and weigh out this and like dude, just go put out more than you put in your suckhole. Like that is like diet being in the suckhole and put out you know, it doesn't matter if it's in the gym, go walk, go do something, like just stop being active, stop being sedentary and feeding your suck hole. Like it's it's not hard, like it's not rocket science, like but people just can't stop feeding their suckhole. So I told my wife, I was like, I you know, early on in our marriage, I'm like, I will never have fat kids. Like, I won't. Like they will be running around the block behind my truck, you know, before that happens. I just I I don't like it because it's just uh I think as a society, you know, we're headed towards, you know, getting worse with that.
SPEAKER_01:And yeah, people think it's funny, but it it it really isn't. Um we're we're trending in in a yeah, it it it's it's really sad. It's it's really sad that our general American can't figure out what to eat and that fast food isn't or shouldn't be part of your daily fucking diet.
SPEAKER_00:Like a giant I mean, it's like I'm just gonna get my Coke with my lunch, and it's freaking a barrel.
SPEAKER_01:Like I I mean, it it's it's diabetes shouldn't be a part of your life. It shouldn't be just a natural progression to diabetes and acceptance. Like you you can fight back, you can overcome so many things. You just have to be willing to not be lazy, and it and it's sad to see that so many people are just accepting it. The like the the body positivity movements like no dude, like when people just look gross. Just sorry.
SPEAKER_00:That's just the truth. It is it it is. I mean it's like somebody needs to just but like the thing that bothers me the most, like, and even in in you know, and particularly in in Christianity and and stuff with churches is like, you know, if somebody saw me with like a beer and a cigarette, not that I smoke, but like like if a if a if a church saw like per you know pastor saw me a beer and a cigarette, it'd be like, you know, the the most wicked evil thing ever. But like the pastor up in the pulpit is obese and that and he can just sit there and and you know be obese. Like that drives me nuts. It's like it was funny. You are you're up there like like re representing like you know God's word and like supposed to be a leader and all this stuff, and by what you look like tells me you have no self-control, like you don't have any discipline, and and and and that and I hate it. Like I just can't stand.
SPEAKER_01:It's so fucking true, man. It's so true. But um, how did you find your way into the entrepreneurial space? How'd you figure out that you wanted to actually like create something and and throw your hat in the ring? Because let me tell you, like, it is one of the hardest things I've ever tried doing myself was to come up and and and find my own my own way in this this path of like starting a small business.
SPEAKER_00:So I did the fire thing. The wife looked at the paycheck, she said you uh she's like, this isn't gonna work for us. And I was like, really? And she's like, you gotta find and most firemen have like other jobs and things, you know, and so because it's 24 hour, 48 hour hour shift. But I ended up staying in the contract world and I would trade time. I I started, you know, figuring out like, could I be gone for a month, go make a bunch of money, and then come back and just trade 10 shift days and you know, use vacation time and you know, all that kind of stuff and move stuff around. So I that's what I ended up doing uh, you know, to supplement the the lack of because you you don't realize like, and I'm sure you know SF's the same, like you make a decent amount of money in those in those units because you have all these special pays, you have all this stuff. I didn't realize like as a senior E6 who actually took the Chiefs test, you know, they didn't promote me because I didn't stay in how much I was making, you know, with all the pays. And I just thought that that translated to the fire service, and it didn't. But uh so I stayed in the contract world, you know, and the fire thing, got kind of burnt out from shift work, uh, with I had some you know major, pretty significant sleeping problems uh from shift work and from the the schedule that I was doing. And I uh I decided to, for my own health, to leave the fire service. And then I was like, okay, am I gonna just do contract work now? And I kind of was, I don't know, like, you know, the kids were getting older, we were going on lots of trips, you know, rock climbing trips and camping trips would go on all the time. And I was like, I don't want to really go overseas anymore and be gone. And so I was like, what do I, what can I do stateside? Um, and so I started working with uh uh some guys that I was with at Team Two in the early days, and some other buddies that I had that work for a company called Tomahawk Strategic Solutions. Um, and I worked, they offered me to be a contractor with them, just go out and train SWAT teams in CQB and CQC. Um so I started doing that. And uh, you know, they're that is a fantastic. I mean, honestly, it's one of the best companies out there uh for training because it's all friggin' tier one dudes that run, you know, that run the company and that go out on trips and all kind of stuff, um, either Delta guys or or development group guys. And so I was doing trips with them, you know, as a contractor, and you know, I was getting trips and it was, but again, I got four kids and like I gotta take out a loan to friggin' go out to dinner, like type of thing. And it was this economy, it was it it was rough like to cover the bills, and so I kind of asked them if I could start my own local thing in Illinois, you know, and they didn't have an issue with it. And so I I took the so when I did the contract work, I had to have an LLC, anyways. Um, that's kind of how you got paid and all that. And like years ago when I started the contract work, the wife was like, What do you want your uh you know, your business name to be? And I was like, because it was on paper, you know. I was like, Vanilla Gorilla Security, you know, because like vanilla gorilla was one of the many nicknames of mine in the teams, like Snowchimp and Powder and Almighty Whitey and those types of things. So I could so I started the business, I started the LLC, and that's how I did the contract work. So I already had it, so I was like, huh. I'm gonna just like get some guys that want to train up law enforcement, you know, and civilians that are local to me and uh create a logo and a website and do it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Fuck yeah, man. That's that's the first step that everybody has to get out there and do. And I recommend going with a registered agent. It's one of the hardest things to do is figure out all the fucking paperwork. Don't struggle on your own. Get a registered agent. Friggin' Northwest registered agents would I use. Check them out. I'll put a link in the bio for you, make it easier. Check them out. It's one of the number one things I always hear from people who go, I don't know what the fuck to do. It's like, well, can you follow a step-by-step checklist? Of course. I'm like, well, you can start an LLC. Because it's literally that fucking simple. And if you fuck up the name, guess what? There's a form they can submit to fix it the next time you come up with a better name. Because that happened to me too. Prestige worldwide. Wait a second, I can't make a missus out of this.
SPEAKER_00:Well, the only downside is that like for law law enforcement groups, they see the name and they're like, that's friggin' weird. Like I was at a law enforcement conference like two weeks ago in in Tinley Park, Chicago, and you know, they see the security thing and they're like, well, I don't, you know. But the the I I probably should have said I should have changed it maybe vanilla grill tactical, but whatever. It is what it is. We're not a security company, we're you know, tactical training company. But um, but it it's it's like on one side, it's like, what the heck is that? That's super weird, quirky name.
SPEAKER_01:But on the other side, it's like people remember the name because it's exactly yeah, and once and once they meet you, they're like, oh, it makes sense. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Well, at that conference, like I had multiple people come up to the table saying, like, I assume you're the vanilla grill. I'm like, and I and I'm just like, I'm like, bam pow. Yes. You were too correct, sir.
SPEAKER_01:You're very astute astute. You're very astute. Just one time just be like really shocked, be like, how dare you? That sounds that sounds racist, sir.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. Well, that's the other thing I struggled with. I was like, is this gonna like I asked some of my buddies, I'm like, you think this was like a racist name? And they're like, how? Like, how is it racist? And I'm like, yeah, I'm just not. Like, if you it I mean, there's a I'm not gonna go into the story, but there's a thing, poo story of me and the teams that you know comes from the gorilla thing. And we had a we had a a character thing of our platoon made where it's cartoons and like my body is well, my head is normal, but my body is a gorilla and I'm throwing poo. And uh so there's you know, there's backstories behind it. But um, but my w I mean, my wife would legitimately say that she does live with a gorilla. So yeah. Yeah, it's a fitting name, my man.
SPEAKER_01:I'm a dirt ball. Well, Ben, if people want to check you out and uh find you on social media or check out what you got going on with your company, where can they go?
SPEAKER_00:They can go to basically if you put in vanilla gorilla security, you're gonna find everything. Um the website's vanilla grillsecurity.com. Uh my Instagram is vanilla grill security, YouTube is vanilla grill security. Uh my Facebook's my just Ben Wallach, but I'm pretty sure even if you put Vanilla Grill Security on Facebook, it'll my stuff will come up. So um But yeah, uh, you know, you can register for our courses online. You can see all the uh on our website, like the courses we are running. Um most of most of them we haven't ventured out to, you know, outside of the Illinois uh area yet with with stuff, but uh, you know, we we would like to in the future, but um it's all kind of local to uh Chicago, Peoria, Illinois, you know, kind of areas.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I can't wait. Uh I've got some uh some folks you should uh link up with and uh do some training with. But uh I'll let you know offline. If you guys do me a favor, go ahead and happen to uh go ahead and pause, head on over to the episode description, click those links, and uh do me a favor, send Ben a friend request and uh check them out. Be nice. Now do me a favor, head on over to the episode description, click the links there, subscribe, like, share, and follow us wherever you go on social media. I appreciate it. Do me one more big favor. On Spotify, we have this awesome new text feature. Send us a direct message. Let me know what you think of this episode or any of the other episodes. It'll go directly to me. I greatly appreciate it. I'm Denny Caballero. Thank you for tuning in. We'll see you all next time. Till then, take care. Boom. SecureDob Podcast is proudly sponsored by Titan's Arms. Head up the episode description and check out Titan's Arms today.
