The Last Plane Out of Kabul: Air Mission Commander Reveals What Really Happened | Col(r) Alex Pelbath

Marine to Green Beret to Delta to CIA: The Man Who Hunted bin Laden | Gary Harrington

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401946/fan_mail/new] At Tora Bora in December 2001, Gary Harrington sat on one of the closest American observation posts to Osama bin Laden — close enough, he says, to watch the bombs he was calling in streak past the ridge sideways. Then the war handed him to the CIA, and he spent the next decade hunting the same enemy from the inside. Harrington is the rare operator who wore the uniform six different ways: Marine Corps infantry officer, Marine Recon, the second officer ever to graduate the Marine Scout Sniper Instructor course, Green Beret 18-Delta Special Forces medic, Delta Force operator (ODA 572 / Task Force Dagger, Bronze Star at Tora Bora), and CIA case officer. Over nearly eight hours, he walks through the entire arc — from a poor childhood in the North Carolina mountains, to the caves of Tora Bora, to the cables of Benghazi — and the night on Black Mountain he says set the course for all of it. It's a story about war, tradecraft, and the long road home: what the job cost him, the forgiveness it took to come back, and the line he uses for both halves of his life — "I wore wolf's clothing so long, I became the wolf." In this conversation: • The 9/11 morning that turned him toward the war — and the climb to the OP above Tora Bora • Calling in strikes near bin Laden's position, the daisy cutter he says "did nothing," and why he believes the body was hidden • Nate Chapman, the first American killed in Afghanistan — and the helicopter Harrington was told not to get on • Standing up firebase Coast: warlords, duffel bags of cash, and the plot to take out Pacha Khan • Running smugglers in Iraq — and the hidden camera that confirmed Jessica Lynch • Hugging the Taliban to feel for suicide vests, and a black Toyota he walked away from two minutes before it detonated • The strike that answered the Camp Chapman bombing • Reading the Benghazi cables in real time — why he says "that was fire for effect" • Beirut, 1983: the barracks bombing, and the day he refused a U.S. ambassador's order • Delta Force selection on a broken compass — forced out on an unjust evaluation, then clawing his way back • The glowing light on Black Mountain at his lowest moment, and the words he says he heard: "Do not be afraid… I have a purpose for you" • Faith, forgiveness, meeting his wife Kim, and the mission behind Power Prudence ⏱ CHAPTERS 0:00:00 Welcome & introducing Gary Harrington 0:04:55 The Inner Ring: the drive to belong to the elite 0:07:10 Appalachian poverty, moonshine & a kid written off 0:25:38 The glowing bubble on Black Mountain 0:34:23 "I get paid to work out": becoming a Marine 0:56:59 Into 2nd Recon Battalion 1:09:48 Beirut, 1983: surviving the barracks bombing 1:14:52 Scout sniper instructor & crossing to Army Special Forces 1:36:23 The road to Delta Force selection 1:46:17 Delta selection: the broken compass & "I trained less" 2:02:11 The negligent discharge — the press check he skipped 2:16:00 Kicked out of Delta — & the commander who swore to end him 2:25:21 Clawing his way back into 5th Special Forces Group 2:35:35 Yemen, Ambassador Bodine & the USS Cole report the embassy killed 2:54:43 9/11: the diner, the second plane & turning toward war 3:16:12 Tora Bora: the climb to the OP & bombs flying past sideways 3:28:11 Why Bin Laden's body was hidden — & briefing McChrystal 3:45:03 Coast & Nate Chapman: the first American killed in Afghanistan 4:01:35 Warlords, duffel bags of cash & the plot to kill Pacha Khan 4:24:39 Running smugglers in Iraq: the hidden camera & Jessica Lynch 5:07:56 Hugging the Taliban to feel for vests — disrupting a suicide-bomber cell 5:29:34 A black Toyota, two minutes from death 5:33:19 The strike that answered Camp Chapman: "Predator, party of one" 5:52:07 Reading the Benghazi cables, CIA infighting & betrayal 6:39:39 The reckoning: faith, PTSD & "I became the wolf" 7:18:39 Power Prudence, situational awareness & "we're stained glass" 🏠 NuWave Anchor | Veteran-focused home loans https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwall?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=gary_ep37&utm_content=sponsor_nuwave 🔥 Hoplite Nutrition | Code VANGUARD15 — 15% off Subscribe & Save https://hoplitenutrition.com?utm_source=buzzsprout&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=gary_ep37&utm_content=sponsor_hoplite 📲 Follow Gary Harrington (The Power of Prudence): YouTube @thepowerofprudence · IG @therealgaryh · X @GHarringtonCo · FB TheRealGaryHarrington · LinkedIn gary-harrington 📩 The Weekly SSE (free intel brief): https://intel.thevanguardwall.com 🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast 🎥 YouTube (watch the full video): https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall 🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com ⚔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297 📧 Connect/Sponsor: thevanguardwallpodcast@gmail.com Patreon advertisment                                                               🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast                                                       🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com (code VANGUARD15)   🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall                                            ⚔️ Patreon (early access + Discord): https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall   📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/                                 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297   📧 Sponsor Inquiries: thevanguardwallpodcast@gmail.com                                                                                                       💪 Hoplite Nutrition — veteran-built supplements made in the U.S. Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off    Subscribe & Save → https://hoplitenutrition.com

Air Force PJ: He Was Told to Stand Down. Cole Condiff Was Never Found. | Aaron Love

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401946/fan_mail/new] Senior Master Sergeant Aaron Love — Air Force Pararescueman, 22 years, five combat deployments — is the first PJ ever on The Vanguard Wall. Fewer than 500 people have earned the maroon beret. The pipeline carries a 91% attrition rate — the longest special operations selection pipeline in the DoD. In 2002, Aaron quit on a pool deck at Indoc. He'd made it through Hell Night. He said three words to an instructor and walked out. What followed was five years in aerospace physiology, waiting for a cross-training window. At a poker game with PJs, his friend looked him dead in the eye: "What the hell are you doing at this table?" He went home. His wife was feeding their four-week-old daughter. She said: "Put the packet in. But don't come home unless you graduate." He graduated. In 2019, Aaron was standing four feet from the open door of a C-130 over the Gulf of Mexico when Staff Sergeant Cole Condiff was ripped from the aircraft. He ran dive operations for two days. Side-scan sonar returned two shapes that looked like parachute canopies with a body mass behind them. Divers went down. They were two boulders. Cole Condiff has never been found. ⚔️ THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS (#sponsored #ad): 🏠 NuWave Anchor — Veteran-focused home loans. Built for this community. → https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwall?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=ep36_aaronlove 💼 Ridge — One thing to pack, five ways to power. Get 10% off @Ridge with code VANGUARD at https://ridge.com/VANGUARD #Ridgepod 💪 Hoplite Nutrition — Supplements built for veterans and operators. Code VANGUARD15 → 15% off Subscribe & Save → https://hoplitenutrition.com 🎟️ Patreon (24-hr early access + Discord): https://patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall CHAPTERS: (0:00) Cold Open: Aaron Love & The Cole Condiff Story (6:04) Aaron Joins the Show (8:34) What Is a Pararescueman? (91% Attrition Rate) (9:51) Growing Up in Barberton, Ohio (19:01) Ohio State, Factories & Hitting Rock Bottom (27:57) 9/11: "This Is My Generation's Moment" (29:05) Discovering Pararescue: The Air Force Recruiter (35:04) Air Force Basic Training: Lackland AFB (41:49) PJ Indoc 2002: Day One (49:22) Hell Night — Extended Training Day (53:32) "F*** You, I Quit." — The Decision That Cost Five Years (1:00:43) Reclassified: Aerospace Physiology & HALO Support (1:06:58) The Poker Game With PJs (1:09:33) "Pass or Don't Come Home" — His Wife's Ultimatum (1:13:00) Going Back: The Second Run at Indoc (1:40:48) Dive School & Earning the Beret (2:28:42) "The Only Spec Op You Need One Of" — PJ Identity (3:19:24) Pedro 66: Knowing the Men Who Died (3:32:45) "I Made the Decision to End My Own Life." (3:53:30) Konduz: Mike Cathcart & Dignified Transfer (4:09:00) "We Wrapped Him in the Flag Before His Brothers Walked In" (4:20:48) Are You Gonna Kill Yourself? I'll Be Awkward. (5:50:59) The Cole Condiff Stand-Down: Four Feet from the Door (6:05:30) "Get Me the F*** Out of This Aircraft" (6:21:42) Two Boulders. Cole Condiff Has Never Been Found. (6:31:55) Calling the Air Force Out in Front of 200 People (6:38:12) "I Was Hammered on the Plane Home. I Was Done." (7:16:00) Sobriety, DMT & Becoming Someone New (7:56:25) "The Black Pill Is a Lie. Have Hope." CONNECT WITH AARON LOVE: Ones Ready Podcast → onesreadypodcast.com Instagram → @aaronlovesamerica or @onesready Patreon advertisment                                                               🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast                                                       🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com (code VANGUARD15)   🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall                                            ⚔️ Patreon (early access + Discord): https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall   📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/                                 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297   📧 Sponsor Inquiries: thevanguardwallpodcast@gmail.com                                                                                                       💪 Hoplite Nutrition — veteran-built supplements made in the U.S. Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off    Subscribe & Save → https://hoplitenutrition.com

From Selling Plasma to 8 Figures: Marine Vet Johnny Raushi's American Comeback

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401946/fan_mail/new] Marine vet Johnny Raushi joined the Corps at 17 for a free skateboard sticker. Four years later he came home broke, picked up change in a gas station parking lot, and sold his plasma twice a week to fund the first batches of a pomade he was perfecting on his stovetop. That pomade became Johnny Slicks — an 8-figure American manufacturing company employing 30+ people out of a North Carolina facility, fully U.S.-sourced. Asher and Raushi cover boot camp, the in-unit suicide that happened seconds after he walked away from his armory window, the Accutane spiral that nearly killed him, the six-day phone call with Marine Raider Nick Koumalatsos that turned a kitchen-table pomade into a brand, and his first book "23 Virtues in 23 Days" (Aug 2025). ⚔️ THIS EPISODE'S SPONSORS (#sponsored #ad): 🏠 NuWave Mortgage — built for vets, by vets. VA loans, refinance, home purchase. → https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwall?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=ep35 [https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwall?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=ep35] 💼 Ridge — One thing to pack, five ways to power. The 5-in-1 Travel Power Bank with built-in cables. Get 10% Off @Ridge with code VANGUARD at https://ridge.com/VANGUARD [https://ridge.com/VANGUARD] #Ridgepod 💪 Hoplite Nutrition — veteran-built, made in the U.S. Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off → https://hoplitenutrition.com [https://hoplitenutrition.com/] 🛒 TVW Merch — Built for the mission. https://thevanguardwall.com [https://thevanguardwall.com/] (code VANGUARD15) 🎟️ Patreon (24-hr early access + Discord): https://patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall [https://patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall] CHAPTERS: (00:00) Welcome (03:30) Growing Up in NJ and the Poconos (11:00) Faith, Questions, and the Church (22:30) The Recruiter and a Sticker (27:00) Bootcamp and Brotherhood (37:00) Marrying Rebecca and Camp Lejeune (41:00) The M9 Pistol Eureka Moment (51:30) Deploying With BSRF-14 to Romania (1:02:00) Losing His MOS and Earning It Back (1:17:00) Suicide in the Ranks (1:22:30) Knee Injury and Leaving the Corps (1:41:00) Hair Loss and the First Pomade (2:00:00) Selling Plasma and Picking Up Change (2:14:00) Six Days With Nick Koumalatsos (2:35:00) Hurricane Florence and Moving In With Nick (2:55:00) Scaling Johnny Slicks (3:15:00) The Accutane Spiral (4:00:00) Building an 8-Figure Business (4:30:00) Leadership and EOS (5:00:00) Plant Medicine and Healing (5:45:00) Marriage and Trust (6:15:00) 23 Virtues in 23 Days (6:30:00) Closing Thoughts CONNECT WITH JOHNNY: johnnyslicks.com | IG: @johnnyslicks | @johnnyraushi Patreon advertisment                                                               🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast                                                       🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com (code VANGUARD15)   🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall                                            ⚔️ Patreon (early access + Discord): https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall   📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/                                 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297   📧 Sponsor Inquiries: thevanguardwallpodcast@gmail.com                                                                                                       💪 Hoplite Nutrition — veteran-built supplements made in the U.S. Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off    Subscribe & Save → https://hoplitenutrition.com

The Last Plane Out of Kabul: Air Mission Commander Reveals What Really Happened | Col(r) Alex Pelbath

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401946/fan_mail/new] The last C-17 lifted off Kabul's runway at 11:59 PM on August 30, 2021. The man who gave the order — and made the radio call "Math Safe" that officially ended America's longest war — tells the full story for the first time. Colonel Alex Pelbath (USAF, Ret.) commanded SOUL-2, the only C-17 Special Operations unit in the world, and served as Air Mission Commander for the final flight out of Afghanistan. In this episode, he reveals the moment the Abbey Gate bomb went off, the suspected suicide bomber on his own aircraft, the Taliban press conference that Biden then agreed to, General Milley's coin he handed right back, and the bureaucratic fight that nearly grounded the last flight before it ever left the ground. Born to a first-generation American family — his grandparents fled communist Hungary through a minefield in 1956, survived a Russian soldier's mercy, and spent a year in an Austrian refugee camp before an airlift brought them to America — Pelbath's story is a 65-year generational arc that ends with him commanding the largest airlift evacuation in modern history. Over nearly 7 hours, he covers his entire career: growing up with a blind mother on a construction worker's wages, earning a last-minute wrestling scholarship to the Air Force Academy, flying 22 years of C-17 combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, a near-fatal black hole effect landing on NVGs that almost killed his crew, being hand-selected to brief the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, shaping two national defense budgets inside the Pentagon — and the full firsthand account of Kabul: the chaos, the failures of leadership, and the men and women who held it together when the generals couldn't. Now running for Congress in South Carolina's 1st District, Pelbath explains why the same broken thinking that produced Kabul is still inside the building — and what he intends to do about it. Follow Alex Pelbath 📸 Instagram: www.Instagram.com/ap_alexpelbath 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pelbathforsc/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0utyp0-5TzeLBWoRTTgtHw 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-Pelbath-for-Congress/61579768019800/ 🌐 Website: https://pelbathforcongress.com Sponsors: Thinking about buying a home or refinancing? Nuwave built a dedicated page specifically for Vanguard Wall listeners so you can connect directly with the team assigned to our audience: https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwall Serious supplements “For Those that Run Towards” www.hoplitenutrition.com Use Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off 🔗Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast 🏪Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall   ⚔️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/ 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297 📧 Connect/Sponsor: thevanguardwallpodcast@gmail.com Patreon advertisment                                                               🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast                                                       🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com (code VANGUARD15)   🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall                                            ⚔️ Patreon (early access + Discord): https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall   📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/                                 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297   📧 Sponsor Inquiries: thevanguardwallpodcast@gmail.com                                                                                                       💪 Hoplite Nutrition — veteran-built supplements made in the U.S. Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off    Subscribe & Save → https://hoplitenutrition.com

They Said "We've Been Fine Without You." He Proved Them Wrong. | Dr. Nick Barringer

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2401946/fan_mail/new] Thinking about buying a home or refinancing? Nuwave built a dedicated page specifically for Vanguard Wall listeners so you can connect directly with the team assigned to our audience: https://nuwaveanchor.com/i/thevanguardwall If this episode brought you value, drop a comment below — we'd love to know what you're implementing. What does it take to fuel the most elite light infantry unit in the U.S. Army — and earn their respect doing it? Dr. Nick Barringer didn't just study performance nutrition, he built the standard for it inside the 75th Ranger Regiment. Dr. Nick Barringer is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, Bronze Star and Legion of Merit recipient, Ranger-tabbed, airborne-qualified combat veteran, and one of the foremost authorities on tactical performance nutrition in the United States. He holds a PhD in Kinesiology from Texas A&M, co-authored the International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand on Tactical Athlete Nutrition, and spent years embedded with the 75th Ranger Regiment as part of the Ranger Athlete Warrior (RAW) Program — one of the first human performance programs in all of Special Operations. He later served as Program Director for the Army Baylor Graduate Program in Nutrition and as an Assistant Professor at West Point. Most recently, he founded Salvo Gum, a precision-dosed performance caffeinated gum engineered for controlled alertness under pressure. In this conversation, you'll hear: Whether you're a tactical athlete, a serious lifter, a first responder, or someone who simply wants to perform at a higher level — this episode will change how you think about fueling your body and protecting your mind. Follow Nick Barringer: 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/nickbarringer.PhD.rdn 📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/SALVOgum  use code VANGUARD15 for 15% off Websites:  🌐 www.DrNickBarringer.com 🌐 www.SALVOgum.com use code VANGUARD15 for 15% off 🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast  Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/ @TheVanguardWall   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall The Vanguard Wall Merch: ⬇️ https://www.thevanguardwall.com Social Media: ⬇️ The Vanguard Wall Podcast Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/ The Vanguard Wall Podcast Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297 Want to sponsor the show? Email: ⬇️ thevanguardwallpodcast@gmail.com 0:00 Introduction & Welcome 0:03 Salvo Gum First Impression 0:05 Wrestling, Football & His First Nutrition Hack 0:07 The Clemson Strength Coach Who Changed Everything 0:09 9/11 and the Decision to Join the Military 0:19 The Army Dietician Pipeline & Getting Branched Wrong 0:21 The Paperwork Error That Changed His Life 0:28 First Deployment: Baghdad — Managing Media & Interpreters 0:30 How Rangers Recruited Him From a Combat Hospital 0:33 Airborne School to RASP in One Weekend 0:35 The Sergeant Major's Challenge: "We've Been Fine Without You" 0:36 First Days at Ranger Regiment — No Computer, No Desk 0:47 How He Earned Trust Inside the Regiment 0:49 Ranger School — The Graduation Reality Check 0:50 The RAW Program — Origin Story & Vision 1:03 What Supplements He Actually Pushed to Rangers 1:09 First Deployment With the Rangers — Baghdad Round Two 1:28 Texas A&M PhD — How the Creatine Obsession Started 1:32 Omega-3, DHA, and the Suicide Prevention Research 1:37 Vitamin D, Depression, and the Study He Built at A&M 1:53 Afghanistan Food Study — What He Discovered Shocked Him 1:59 Creatine & Sleep Deprivation — The Cognitive Research 2:06 Creatine Timing, Dosing & the Monohydrate vs HCL Debate 2:07 Creatine Myths — Kidneys, Cramping & What Science Says 2:13 Why He Put His 77-Year-Old Mom on Creatine 2:14 His Personal Supplement Patreon advertisment                                                               🔗 Connect with The Vanguard Wall Podcast                                                       🏪 Merch: https://www.thevanguardwall.com (code VANGUARD15)   🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVanguardWall                                            ⚔️ Patreon (early access + Discord): https://www.patreon.com/c/TheVanguardWall   📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanguardwallpodcast/                                 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569106772297   📧 Sponsor Inquiries: thevanguardwallpodcast@gmail.com                                                                                                       💪 Hoplite Nutrition — veteran-built supplements made in the U.S. Code VANGUARD15 for 15% off    Subscribe & Save → https://hoplitenutrition.com