Special Forces Green Beret (18E) | 3rd Special Forces Group | Eric Neal

Combat Story

Ryan Fugit

History

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2023

⏱️ 133 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode is brought to you by 4Patriots Survival Food Kits.The kits are compact, sturdy, water-resistant, and stack easily. They have different delicious breakfasts, lunches, dinners. You can make these meals in less than 20 minutes. Just add boiling water, simmer, and serve.
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Also be sure to visit our Combat Story website where you can keep up to date with the latest Combat Story episodes, connect with us, or purchase Combat Story merch at; https://www.bonfire.com/store/combatstory/
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Today we hear the Combat Story of former Special Forces Green Beret Eric Neal. In fact, you’ll hear many combat stories in this episode as Eric recounts his four deployments to Afghanistan in just four years from 2010 to 2014 in very kinetic environments, losing many friends and brothers in arms along the way and learning so much about himself.

Even Eric’s very first combat operation (which jump into in the first two minutes of this episode) was as chaotic as they get with multiple aircraft supporting his ODA going winchester (running out of ammo) trying to suppress the enemy. He would be involved in operations we’ve heard of previously - in one case carrying the bodies of the soldiers we lost in Extortion 17 - and many events we have not heard of, to include one of the largest VBIEDs in the post-9/11 era on the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, that wounded over 70 soldiers and local nationals.

Eric experienced so much of this combat and loss in his mid-20s and, as he mentions, some of these moments are still with him today. It’s hard to imagine one person could experience this much combat in one lifetime, let alone in just four years and I hope you enjoy this gauntlet of trial by fire, literally, and the combat operations and insights he shares, as much as I did.

Find Ryan Online:
- Ryan’s Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
- Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combats...
- Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
- Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
- Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
- Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
- Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Find Eric NealOnline:
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-d-neal/
- Gritr sports https://gritrsports.com/
- National Medal of Honor Museum https://mohmuseum.org/

Show Notes:
00:00 - Intro
01:01 - Guest Introduction (Eric Neal)
02:25 - Interview begins
02:48 - Background with Darrell Utt
04:24 - Medal of Honor recipients before award
06:17 - The importance of 3rd Group
07:55 - First mission outside the wire
21:27 - 4Patriots
24:29 - Childhood and joining the Army
30:00 - The Football Coach
34:54 - Path to Special Forces
39:42 - Combat Story Merch
39:58 - Gaining confidence
43:38 - The Q-course
49:34 - The drive for combat
50:58 - Hazing
56:13 - Loosing a team leader
59:01 - First deployment stories
01:03:14 - First deployment afterthoughts
01:04:49 - Second deployment
01:13:31 - Being on Comms during missions
01:15:16 - First mission back after IED
01:18:33 - A tragic situation
01:33:05 - Second deployment afterthoughts
01:36:47 - Third deployment
01:40:56 - Dealing with losing teammates
01:42:20 - Fourth deployment
02:02:57 - Courageous acts
02:06:56 - Sentimental Items
02:08:17 - Would you do it all again
02:09:28 - Final remarks
02:10:54 - Listener comments and shout outs

Transcript

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0:00.0	I see my PJ come off the side and he's got his start up and he just starts dump and I'm like what the hell
0:07.3	So I'm looking and I'm like what do you shoot? I do what you shoot?
0:10.1	He's like dude it's where off the jacket AK 47 and he's down as soon as I'm looking at him
0:15.4	I'm looking back up at the wall and I'm seeing this compound and
0:19.5	Not all the time but sometimes if you get the right right you can see reflection off pbs
0:24.4	14 or 15s or something like not night vision devices
0:27.8	So I look up over this and I can see a couple night vision devices looking back at me and I'm like
0:34.5	I don't think he had a version of landing yet. He's not my guy
0:37.0	So I get on the radio and like they got not stay got not all of a sudden
0:40.9	Everything opens up welcome to combat story
0:43.6	I'm Ryan fugit and I serve warzone tours as an army attack helicopter pilot and CIA officer over a 15-year career
0:50.4	I'm fascinated by the experiences of the elite and combat on this show
0:54.5	I interview some of the best to understand what combat
0:57.2	felt like on their front lines
0:59.2	This is combat story
1:01.0	Today we hear the combat story of former special forces green beret Eric Neil
1:05.3	In fact, you'll hear many combat stories in this episode as Eric recounts his four deployments to Afghanistan
1:11.6	In just four years from 2010 to 2014 in very kinetic environments with third special forces group
1:18.0	Losing many friends and brothers and arms along the way and learning so much about himself
1:22.7	Even Eric's very first combat operation which we jump into in the first two minutes of this episode was as chaotic as they get
1:30.5	With multiple aircraft stacked above him supporting his ODA going Winchester running out of ammo trying to suppress the enemy
1:37.3	He would be involved in operations we've heard of previously in one case carrying the bodies of the soldiers
	...

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