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MCRAVEN: Well, the mission wasnt over yet. Or, I have to be careful, Im not sure From the time the mission started I think maybe its 15 minutes when I got the call from the ground force commander, for God and country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo. And Geronimo was the code word for bin Laden. Did you actually ever think that he would be captured alive? I need to go personally identify the remains before I can kind of come back and tell you for certain its bin Laden. We put the body bag on the hangar floor and its a rubberized body bag. In April 2011, while you were serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, you were gearing up to take down Osama bin Laden. Why is that, Admiral? And so I recognize that shots are being fired. Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is made possible in part by and by Corporate funding is provided by And so I proudly have the opportunity to display that tape measure at the Special Operations Command. McCraven is best known as the Navy SEAL commander who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. You know, Ive heard you say that you are the quote biggest fan of the millennial generation and generation and Gen Z. He never had his hands raised. So I understood pretty quickly that the guys were a little banged up, but they were OK. And so we went from plan A to plan B. And every day when I would come in, he would try to engage me. HOOVER: So upon reaching the third floor, the raids second SEAL, Senior Chief Petty Officer Rob ONeill, came face to face with a, quote, tall, thin man. Admiral William H. McRaven is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed and the New York Times bestsellers Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations and The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived. To be a good leader, you have to be a good communicator. A small group of men would fly nearly 200 miles through the dark, and then they would kill, or fail to kill, a mortal foe. I mean, who in the world is going to join the military for relatively low pay, to put your life at risk, et cetera, et cetera? INSKEEP: You're in a command position in Iraq, in a senior position in Iraq. . But it wasnt the first time Id had a, quote, premonition. Having said that, I knew bin Laden was about six foot four And I thought, well Im six foot two. Well, the mission wasnt over yet. I had to fly from Baghdad down to Al Udeid. MCRAVEN: Yeah. "He was climbing the steps, and it was agony, step by step. "It has been since 9/11 that both their utility and then their expertise have become the cutting edge.". Admiral Bill McRaven left command of U.S. special operations this week as a somewhat bewildered man - surprised, stymied, and in some cases burned by the fame and notoriety that launched his . "He was a bright guy, but he didn't like my rude and crude way," Marcinko said. You know, there are people out there, Admiral, who. You wrote, quote, as long as I could wiggle my toes, I was going to stay a SEAL. You share the story of Moki Martin, the Vietnam era SEAL, who was partially paralyzed from a head-on bike accident. So I saw some young SEALs standing nearby. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status. Over the next two years, McRaven became principal author of Bush's National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. HOOVER: Its quite striking because you write that the command center breaks into cheers, but you, quote, had no sense of relief, no internal exhilaration, no feeling of victory. HOOVER: Admiral William McRaven, welcome back to Firing Line for a special edition episode honoring Independence Day. Do you mind recounting it? So I get hit. Yeah, it was actually a C-130. In April, a month before the bin Laden raid, Obama tapped McRaven for his fourth star and nominated him to lead the U.S. Special Operations Command. I never asked him the specific details. And the reason that I am so impressed with this generation, because the 9/11 generation, these young men and women that signed up after September 11th, that raised their hand and said, Im going to join the military, knew that they were taking on the risks, knew that they would probably go to war. Yeah, I would say its a little surreal, but, you know, I go back to that whole operation and Ive offered to the American people, regardless of what side of the political aisle you might be on, you know, you would have been proud of the national security team the president, the vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, director of national intelligence director of the CIA all of these men and women that came together to do what was right by the nation. And so I proudly have the opportunity to display that tape measure at the Special Operations Command. This Week on a special, Independence Day Firing Line. So upon reaching the third floor, the raids second SEAL, Senior Chief Petty Officer Rob ONeill, came face to face with a, quote, tall, thin man. . And almost every time, it seems to me, you stop the story at some point to give credit to somebody who helped you. Then McRaven swung back into the picture. On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Marcinko acknowledges that he arranged for female companions at the hard-drinking beach parties he threw on Navy property, but it would not be politically correct, he says, to call them "ladies of the night.". Long before the bin Laden raid, the special operators came to believe they had rebuilt themselves as a stealthy, lethal and strategically potent military force. 3 commander twice a year. I couldnt see what was going on inside the building. Admiral William McRaven commanded the Special Forces who captured Saddam Hussein. The guy stomped around on the floor and found this trapdoor, if you will. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. The bad news is that when it opened, it split me like a nutcracker, I guess, and just kind of broke the pelvis, broke my back.". The story of identifying the body is such a memorable one. ADM McRaven's 500th Night speech, titled A Sailor's Perspective on the United States Army, was transcribed and released by West Point. I mean, who in the world is going to join the military for relatively low pay, to put your life at risk, et cetera, et cetera? Will they be, you know, somebody of importance? Admiral, youve led sailors through harrowing missions. Take us inside that closet as you watched your SEALS enter Pakistan and clear the compound floor by floor. McRaven: I was just honored to be part of the operation. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. There were more serious charges, one of which eventually landed Marcinko in prison. . I had a medical professional, either a corpsman, a medic or a doctor in the room with him 24/7, along with a security guard. Some folks believe that maybe it was possible. In fact, he pushed two young girls, his daughters, in front of him, which created some chaos. They pull it up, and there's Saddam. Is that right? WILLIAM H MCRAVEN: And all of a sudden, I realize the guy to the left is underneath me. So, yes, we believed we had bin Laden. Years ago the author was badly wounded in a parachute accident and he had to go through months of recovery and rehabilitation. In his thirty-seven years as a Navy SEAL, he commanded at every level.As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. But once again, as I mentioned, with Saddam Hussein, you know, until you can do the forensics on the remains, check the fingerprints, check the DNA, do the facial recognition, you know, Im reluctant to have said, hey, weve got jackpot on this one. "He walked again, which was amazing," sister Nan recalls. And as I would find out later, it wouldnt be the last time. Admiral, tell me about that premonition. He also survived a gnarly parachuting accident that broke his back and pelvis in 2001 during an exercise near . On May 1, with President Obama's go-ahead, it was McRaven who commanded the helicopter assault against the al-Qaeda leader's redoubt in Abbottabad, Pakistan. And frankly, I didnt want to engage him in a conversation. Yeah, it was interesting. An unnerving silence descended as the camera stayed on the admiral's empty chair, his habitual yellow can of Rip It energy drink in the foreground. Still, there was something more elemental in the final transaction. And in the case of the rescue of Captain Phillips, the guys on scene made all the right calls. But I also knew at that moment that life was about to change. "Part of the chute wrapped around one leg, the risers around the other, and the good news is that it opened. US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven speaking at UT Austin's 2014 commencement. And just something said, hey, we got to turn around, weve got to get back, because, you know, tonights going to be the night. What were you feeling in those moments? That was a day that I think motivated all of America to go forth and realize that we had to bring justice to bin Laden, to bring justice to Al-Qaeda and to do what we felt was right for the country. Seconds later, his canopy slammed into McRaven at well over 100 m.p.h., throwing him into a violent spin. You know, he ate as well if not better than a lot of the soldiers that we had. "He was the boss. I said, good, come here and. But when we were in training, he did not hesitate to pick me out of a crowd and turn me into a sugar cookie, as we say, where you roll around in the sand, and that kind of good natured harassment on a routine basis. William H. McRaven was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina. But having been through these missions before, what I always know is, you know, you really have to sit down with the operators. I mean, it showed that we as Americans can do the hard things and do them well. Admiral, Youve just written a book, The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived. And your father served in World War Two, and you share memories of him and his fellow service members swapping stories about their missions. A natural storyteller, he shared highlights from his high-profile career at a John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum last week. So I reached for my rip cord, pulled the rip cord, and the pilot chute comes out of the back of the parachute. Ten years later, Adm. McRaven would help avenge the September 11th attacks by overseeing Operation Neptune Spear. He's sure he would have surrendered to self-pity and . He was the son of an Air Force officer who grew up on Pope Air Force Base and joined the Navy through an ROTC program. Admiral McRaven, on this Independence Day weekend, thank you for your service and thank you for sharing your stories from your recent books, Hero Code, Sea Stories and Make Your Bed. McRaven, who served as the ninth commander of the U.S. Special Operations command from . Updated at 5:38 p.m. and a grotesque 2001 skydiving mishap that separated his pelvic muscles from the bone. Stay up to date with what you want to know. You wrote, quote, as long as I could wiggle my toes, I was going to stay a SEAL. You share the story of Moki Martin, the Vietnam era SEAL, who was partially paralyzed from a head-on bike accident. Well, I think its interesting when you think about Westmorelands observation in context. On September 1, 2014 . "There was a degree of coming to closure," he says. Plenty of junior officers admired McRaven's stand, but most, as one puts it, "thought that was the end of his career." But here's what I'll tell you. In his Kabul headquarters as outgoing U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus pumped his fist. Just like that, it was over. You said, quote, As a commander, you would like to be in ultimate control of all of the decisions, but the reality is you cant be. And I took the opportunity to call up my boys and say, you know, my daughter was with us and explained it to her as well, that her life was about to change for dad. Distance?. And then two days later, when I was back in Washington briefing the Congress, I get a call to come over to the White House. And eventually, of course, the SEALs execute a mission that all of these guys, in terms of the tactics of it, had done hundreds of times before. Of course, as we began to come in to target the one helicopter loses lift as it got over the target. Lesson #1: Make Your Bed Every Morning. Hes done more from a wheelchair than any men standing erect. Tell me about the impact that Moki Martin had on you. And we had a plan to do that. 10 years after the operation that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, President Obama and Admiral Bill McRaven, the commander of the special operations force. But that was still many hours after the mission was concluded. So he lay down next to the body and sure enough, the body was about two inches longer. Having said that, I knew bin Laden was about six foot four And I thought, well Im six foot two. They shot better with a prosthetic hand.". There he produced an original treatise, "The Theory of Special Operations," that the Navy credits with "considerable impact not only on the special-operations community but on [the Defense Department] at large." Steve Inskeep asked him about a routine parachute jump in San Diego in the year 2001. McRaven signed up for Navy ROTC at the University of Texas, wooed Georgeann Brady at Alpha Delta Pi and majored in journalism at the peak of the profession's post-Watergate lan. According to Shin Min Daily News, the motorcyclist allegedly sustained fatal injuries . Thank you for your service. MCRAVEN: So by the time the helicopters had passed back over the border, now Im on the video with President Obama and his team. With her father by her side, she laughed off the injury . "That was his favorite!" Saddam Hussein became your prisoner when he remained at your camp longer than originally expected, about 30 days. Sometimes you need a boatload of people to help you through. And, oh by the way, the guys are still in the compound. On September 11th, 2001, you were still recuperating from your injuries when you watched the terrorist attacks on this country play out on a television screen in your living room. So there was always concern about the Pakistanis engaging. Unsure of his altitude or even where he was, he still had the frame of mind to reach for his ripcord, and pulled it. But that didn't keep McRaven from rising in the ranks of Navy special operations. Few believe it will be his last. He was one of your SEAL instructors who you call, quote, one of the most inspirational men that you knew. The compound could still be booby trapped. Eric Thor Olson (born January 24, 1952) is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as the eighth Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) from July 2, 2007 to August 8, 2011. ", A Fourth Star Now, I would offer that I use the word premonition, but it was probably the fact that my brain was connecting the dots. Now, in the case of Saddam Hussein, it was pretty obvious. He has unique facial characteristics. As the chief executive officer of the UT System, Chancellor McRaven oversees 14 institutions that educate 221,000 students and employ 20,000 faculty and more than 80,000 health care professionals, researchers and staff. Did we inadvertently kill people we shouldnt have killed? It was going to be a staff job at . INSKEEP: Admiral, one other thing occurs to me. He was later memorialized in an eponymous film starring Tom Hanks. Taking Apart al-Qaeda william mcraven on his time in the military and his criticism of president trump. I mean, we flew the 162 miles really without incident. In his 2014 commencement speech, former Navy SEAL Admiral William H. McRaven offered 10 lessons to the University of Texas at Austin graduating class.He outlined the lessons of the bed, paddle, heart, cookie, circus, obstacle, shark, dark moment, song, and bell. Theyre all kind of crammed into this small room with General Brad Webb, who was my liaison to the White House at the time. So I reflect back on that 10 years ago and Im just proud to have been a small part of it. The family including his two older sisters moved to Texas while William was in elementary school and settled in San Antonio. And you know what? And so I recognize that shots are being fired. He had leadership skills we'd expect from a guy who had 35 years in the military." Rescued Captain Phillips from Somali pirates, Phillips: The first people I want to thank are the SEALs. And youve probably seen the iconic photo from Pete Souza. Michael E. Thornton - BUD/S Class 49. In fact, he pushed two young girls, his daughters, in front of him, which created some chaos. General William Westmoreland joined the original firing line with William F. Buckley Jr. in 1979 for a conversation called, quote, the crisis in the US military. 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