Jocko Podcast 122: Fortunate Son by Lewis Puller Jr.

[mynewunit]

122: “FORTUNATE SON”, BY LEWIS PULLER JR.



Podcast 122 page

0:00:00 – Opening

0:01:22 – “Fortunate Son”, by Lewis Puller Jr.

0:11:00 - Dad Retires to Virginia.
0:21:00 - Dad goes to hospital first time.
0:28:00 - Joining the Marines
0:32:00 - Watching Bonnie and Clyde
0:35:00 - Basic School
0:39:00 - Choosing Vietnam
0:50:00 - Vietnam
0:56:00 - Rivera
1:30:00 - Change of Plans
1:42:00 - Going Home
1:56:00 - Fatherhood
2:11:00 - The State of the Country
2:12:00 - Bob Kerrey
2:22:00 - Antiwar Movement
2:36:00 - Dad in failing health
2:40:00 - Law School Williamsburg
3:00:00 - Dad's Passing
3:13:00 - The War Ends
3:30:00 - Suicide Attempts
3:50:00 - Vietnam Memorial
4:00:00 - Life After the book

4:00:56 – Final thoughts and take-aways.

4:10:12 – Support: JockoStore stuff, Super Krill Oil and Joint Warfare and Discipline Pre-Mission, THE MUSTER 005 in DC. Origin Brand Apparel and Jocko Gi, with Jocko White Tea, Onnit Fitness stuff, and Psychological Warfare (on iTunes). Extreme Ownership (book), Way of The Warrior Kid 2: Marc’s Mission, The Discipline Equals Freedom Field Manual, and Jocko Soap.

[Eric Nicholas]

Wow, what a powerful episode! This had to be a tremendously difficult one to complete, but I can’t thank you enough for presenting it in the manner you did. I recall you reading a passage about Lewis being startled by unexpected gunfire and flinching, very early in his deployment. He lamented having flinched, as though it were a cardinal sin in combat leadership. You too commented about the importance of not flinching at the sound of gunfire in combat situations. As a law enforcement supervisor (in your hometown of San Diego, by the way), with no prior military experience, I was intrigued, yet confused, by this, and I was hoping you could elaborate.

In war movies, the battle-hardened leader often shows no reaction to a loud explosion—almost as though it was completely expected, while his FNG’s scatter and hit the deck. This bravado causes his men to be in awe of him and for us to admire him. However, I always suspected that was simply a cinematic plot device, with little truth in reality. I get how much respect that kind of hardened nerve could garner from one’s troops, even in the real world, but it seems closely related to complacency, which we know kills cops just much as it does Marines, sailors, and soldiers. Natural selection fitted us with the sympathetic nervous system to enable rapid activation of the fight-or-flight response. Now, this may give us chronic ulcers, but it is very effective at keeping us alive. Training oneself not to react to something as life threatening as gunfire seems counterintuitive in such context. Could you please help me wrap my head around this concept? Thanks, brutha!

[mynewunit]

Great Question.
Don't flinch doesn't mean don't react. The range of contact they are talking about is a little greater than a traffic stop. If you ever get bored look for head cam footage from the war in Afghanistan. They are typically engaged at over 100 yards. How should you react to shots fired at 100 yards? Look toward them, asses, ready stance, etc.
Don't flinch means react properly. The public should drop or run when contact occurs. The role of public defenders is to react accordingly. That is what Chesty did. He walked from fox hole to fox hole. This is different than an ambush. Not reacting to mortar fire or artillery is like not reacting to lotto numbers. Those rounds are coming from a great distance. Getting hit by one of those is slim. You are going to save more soldiers walking around and giving clear commands than getting yourself some cover. Travis Mills was walking back and forth to give commands to get his soldiers, fixing their fields of fire, rate of fire, etc.
If your men are setting up a perimeter around a situation, you should feel comfortable walking around behind them, going car to car, rather than going back to the office and running it from the radio.
Complacency is another whole problem. Training should bring the adrenaline and heart burn down a notch. Complacency is more about procedure than intensity. Keep you gear in top shape. Check your six. Follow your gut. Call for back up. Don't cross the threshold. Those are the things that get people killed.

Any secret code words to maybe knock down a moving violation if I ever get caught in So Cal?
Thanks for keeping the people safe.

[e15880]

Thanks for the prompt reply and awesome explanation. Yes, this makes perfect sense, and I can now clearly see how it applies, not just in military combat, but for all of us “public defenders” (I like that term, by the way!).

Regarding your own question, I’d recommend not mentioning anything about “the Teams.” Don’t get me wrong, we have the utmost respect for them; however, every drunk sailor we encounter claims to be a SEAL. Every drunk Marine claims to be Force Recon. And every drunk soldier claims to be a Green Barret. Of course, you end up learning they cleaned a SEAL Team’s commode once, years ago, or something, and somehow they think that makes them one. Anyway, that kind of talk immediately pegs our BS meter. Your best bet is to instead play into the friendly competition we have with our firefighter pals. Something along the lines of, “Those hose draggers have it easy; everybody loves firefighters. Real heroes have to earn their love.” Just a thought. 😂

PS, I appreciate your thanks, but to quote Jake Schick, “You’re worth it;” and to quote Leif Babin, “It’s our honor to carry the spear.” You guys are the real deal!

[e15880]

Damn spell-check! That should say Jake Schick.

[mynewunit]

Thanks for joining the site. I look forward to you sharing some knowledge. Next time I am in San Diego I will try to find you, . . . outside a traffic stop.