In fact, he pushed two young girls, his daughters, in front of him, which created some chaos. In an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep, McRaven describes what should have been a "routine parachute jump." Well, because I was tumbling, the pilot chute came out and wrapped around one leg, and then another part of the parachute called the riser came out and wrapped around my other leg. Distance?. She's been in the hospital for two months and has years of . And the SEALs entering the room did absolutely the right thing and shot him, not knowing whether or not he was wearing a suicide vest or what was happening at that instant. But I would go in every day to check on him. Commentary. He was one of your SEAL instructors who you call, quote, one of the most inspirational men that you knew. And every day when I would come in, he would try to engage me. McCraven is best known as the Navy SEAL commander who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. I mean, he was, to me, the gold standard in Navy SEALs. On Sept. 11, 2001, McRaven was recovering at home in Southern California from a freak parachute accident that had nearly killed him four months earlier, crushing his back and pelvis. Making your bed as easy to do. He also explains how giving up isn't an option no matter what you're going through. William H. McRaven. McRaven: He went from being pompous and arrogant to frankly, just being, : The first people I want to thank are the SEALs. Yeah, well, having done thousands of missions before, you know, this was not an overly complicated mission. MCRAVEN: Yeah, he wasn't in a real good position to negotiate. You wrote in your book. McRaven's special operators, meanwhile, are flying high. Im listening to the radio. But it wasnt the first time Id had a, quote, premonition. You know, Ive heard you say that you are the quote biggest fan of the millennial generation and generation and Gen Z. It was going to be a staff job at . So I reflect back on that 10 years ago and Im just proud to have been a small part of it. "I said to him, 'You can grow up to be 007.' Yeah, I couldnt hear any of that. Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations, quote, I was having one of those feelings, again, inexplicable, powerful, eerie, one I couldnt shake and I certainly couldnt rationalize. False, Marcinko says. Judge plans to appoint Special Master to Dominion, Fox News . NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to retired Adm. William McRaven, who may be best-known as the Navy SEAL commander who oversaw the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, about his new memoir. A hard landing off to the side. MCRAVEN: Yeah, it was interesting. 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. "All in all, a pretty good year," McRaven says, "but frankly it has been a big year for us really since 9/11.". And that little bit of levity kind of helped me through the rest of the night. And to this day, Moki oversees the triathlon that we run every year as part of our underwater demolition team and our SEAL fraternity. Theyre the superheroes. Meanwhile, JSOC carries on with those 2,500 commando raids a year, an average of seven per night. Theyre the superheroes. He also led the . As you point out. on. Admiral William H. McRaven is the ninth commander of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). He was later memorialized in an eponymous film starring Tom Hanks. Rochor exit ECP traffic accident involving a van and a car on 15 February 2017 around 9.34am. Marcinko fired the 27-year-old McRaven after a year. University of Texas System Chancellor William H. McRaven, a retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral, leads one of the nation's largest and most respected systems of higher education. I mean, if thats not service, I dont know what is. 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. The date that seared itself into their collective memory is April 24, 1980. And you write that you, quote, had an obligation, both morally and legally to keep him safe. I mean, it showed that we as Americans can do the hard things and do them well. It will give you a sense of accomplishment that you will want to continue to feel throughout the day. McRaven: Basic SEAL training was a lifetime of challenges crammed into six months. HOOVER: That night, you watched the raid from the Joint Operation Center, where you sat in a small closet with a view of the entire center while communicating privately with the White House. I think he still felt that he would come back into power. HOOVER: Admiral, youve led sailors through harrowing missions. 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. HOOVER: This past May marked 10 years since the historic and heroic mission that you orchestrated, Admiral, what is it like for you to watch President Obama say those words now, 10 years later? And I really didnt have any relief in terms of the mission until after all the helicopters had come back across the border, the Afghan border and were landing at the back at our base. The sentiments appear to be mutual, for McRaven and his special-operations units. Now, I would offer that I use the word premonition, but it was probably the fact that my brain was connecting the dots. "One of the things we made clear to the President and the national leadership was, This is what we do," he told TIME. Capture him if you can, but if he presents a threat at all, any threat whatsoever, kill him.. MCRAVEN: Yeah. And as I would find out later, it wouldnt be the last time. Admiral, tell me about that premonition. Toward the end, with the assault team moving from room to room, McRaven stepped unexpectedly away from the screen. His father, a career Air Force officer, was stationed at Pope Air Force Base, now known as Pope Field, part of Fort Bragg. MCRAVEN: You know, nobody goes through life and is successful all on their own. But they do know you as the make-your-bed guy. They are concerned about these things. "If I were to react to a ship takedown in a foreign port or an embassy in a foreign country, the Eagles would stick out like a" O.K., well, that's as much of the quote as you get in TIME. And so I proudly have the opportunity to display that tape measure at the Special Operations Command. I wonder what you think we can do to convince more people to make their beds every morning? 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. He kept tabs on the SEALs who had gone to war without him. A natural storyteller, he shared highlights from his high-profile career at a John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum last week. "Look how much of their leadership we've taken apart and how long it's taken, and the movement is still not dead," says Wade Ishimoto, a former Delta Force intelligence officer. But I also knew at that moment that life was about to change. And as we're taking off from the C-130 and we're kind of getting out of Baghdad, all of a sudden it hits me - this is going to be the day we're getting him. What kind of intelligence did we get off the target? Admiral William McRaven should be dead by now, but he's alive, physically fit, mentally sharp and recently retired. Admiral McRaven, in an inspiring speech, addressed the Class of 2015 at West Point to celebrate 500th Night. You know, we had a lot of kind of heated discussions in the meetings I was in, but there was never any rancor. On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. william mcraven on his time in the military and his criticism of president trump. Image: MIT News Office. There were more serious charges, one of which eventually landed Marcinko in prison. 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. to meet with the CENTCOM commander. Moki, to me was this kind of quintessential Navy SEAL. William McRaven delivered MIT's 2020 Commencement address. And so when I got the call from the squadron commander and he said, we have Jackpot, youre always, as the guy sitting in the rear, youre thinking, ok, this is good news. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. He was arrogant. Marcinko rented Mercedes sedans with Navy funds, a friend of McRaven's says, "just because he could." Admiral William McRaven is a retired U.S. Navy four-star Admiral. Like most promising midcareer officers, the 36-year-old McRaven was dispatched to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif. HOOVER: In your account of the rescue. Now, what I am getting, of course, is reports from the ground force commander when shots are fired. But in the end, you never addressed him directly. 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. Can you reflect on that moment and what it was like for you, what you took in at that moment? I was heading out of Iraq, heading to AL U.D.(?) If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. MCRAVEN: Well, thats true of every mission you conduct, youve got to be able to delegate to people that you have trust and confidence in. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to retired Adm. William McRaven, who may be best-known as the Navy SEAL commander who oversaw the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, about his new memoir. WILLIAM H MCRAVEN: And all of a sudden, I realize the guy to the left is underneath me. Late in 2010, you know, we were getting ready to pull out of Iraq by early 2011, for the most part, and yet, my guys were still conducting operations in downtown Baghdad. Yeah, well, he knew that I was in charge. McRaven, who served as the ninth commander of the U.S. Special Operations command from . So for 30 days, I came in every day to check on him and then would leave the small room without engaging him. Good to be with you. Admiral McRaven has since retired from the military and is now the chancellor of University of Texas. Every particular of his missions remains classified. In a new book from TIME, Special Ops: The Hidden World of America's Toughest Warriors, international editor Jim Frederick reports on the secret world of the U.S. military units. So whenever people begin to lose hope about the future of the country and whether or not the men and women will continue to serve, I think weve seen this movie before. Published Dec. 27, 2021 Updated Dec. 31, 2021. You know, when we stood up an all volunteer force, I remember thinking initially, well, this will never work. 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. 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 as I was descending, I noticed that there was . But in the end, you never addressed him directly. And every day that I went in, he tried to engage me in a conversation. "Part of the chute wrapped around one leg, the risers around the other, and the good news is that it opened. But having been through these missions before, what I always know is, you know, you really have to sit down with the operators. "It was hard to watch it from afar, at the White House, but at the time, because I was still broken up pretty bad, I'm not sure I could have done much to help," he says. 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. What happened was the down blast from the helicopter hit this 18 foot high wall, created a vortex, kind of a vacuum over the blades, caused the helicopter to lose lift. There were a lot of people that get you to where you are. And some folks were a little dismissive. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status. Olson was the first Navy SEAL ever to be appointed to three-star and four-star flag rank, as well . And sometimes, you know, not our place to overthink it and to trust and rely on the decision-makers who were elected by the American people. We have had a lot of times in the course of the last 20 years where we thought we had the right individual and then we get them back and we look at everything from their fingerprints to their DNA and we find out its the wrong guy. Steve Inskeep asked him about a routine parachute jump in San Diego in the year 2001. And just something said, hey, we got to turn around, weve got to get back, because, you know, tonights going to be the night. 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. So the mission was a long way from over. But he was not going to have outside contact with any of his former Iraqi leaders. He has unique facial characteristics. A hard landing off to the side. By way of example, O'Connor recounted a story told by Navy SEAL Adm. (retired) Bill McRaven on St. Patrick's Day in Savannah, Georgia, at a Hibernians Society dinner, "a few years back." (Full . William McRaven was tumbling from the sky, and there wasn't much sky left. 3 Min Read. Admiral William H. McRaven, USN. But at the end of the day, you have to confirm the jackpot. And on the plaque is a Home Depot tape measure. According to Shin Min Daily News, the motorcyclist allegedly sustained fatal injuries . And so what we had to do pretty quickly was to make sure he understood that he was a prisoner of the United States and we were going to treat him well. The Theory and Practice of Special Ops I said, good, come here and. And then. But it wasnt the first time Id had a, quote, premonition. I just didnt want that to occur. While the rest of the Pentagon is scaling back spending, special-operations forces are asking for more. So whenever a shot is fired, somebody is reporting through the chain. Ill lie down next to the body just to see whether or not the remains are a little longer. Why is that, Admiral? It still brings me to tears.". 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. Date of Birth. William Harry McRaven (born November 6, 1955) is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) from August 8, 2011 to August 28, 2014. Did you actually ever think that he would be captured alive? HOOVER: Saddam Hussein became your prisoner when he remained at your camp longer than originally expected, about 30 days. We always find heroes in the next generation that are more than willing to serve and sacrifice. And, oh by the way, the guys are still in the compound. Richard Marcinko, the hard-charging founding commander of Navy SEAL Team 6, the storied and feared unit within an elite commando force that later . STEVE INSKEEP, BYLINE: If I don't mistake this, your boss, Admiral Eric Olson, kind of bypassed a form that would say whether you were physically fit or not. We werent going to put him in a cell with other people, that his days as the leader of Iraq were over. HOOVER: 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. Well, I think its interesting when you think about Westmorelands observation in context. HOOVER: 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. So I grabbed Hank and I said, Hank, turn the plane around; we got to get back to Baghdad. MCRAVEN: Well, the mission wasnt over yet. ADM McRaven's 500th Night speech, titled A Sailor's Perspective on the United States Army, was transcribed and released by West Point. Nan McRaven says. Good to be with you. So anybody that claims that theyve got a helmet cam video, nobody was wearing helmet cams. A lucky break came his way, it seemed, in 1982, two years after the hostage-rescue debacle. Moki, to me was this kind of quintessential Navy SEAL. Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is made possible in part by and by Corporate funding is provided by The New American Commandos He took the special out of special warfare.". And to this day, Moki oversees the triathlon that we run every year as part of our underwater demolition team and our SEAL fraternity. And, of course, that generation, you know, they were children of the Great Depression. As you point out. And as I say in the book, kind of inexplicably, I just had this feeling that this was going to be the night that we got Saddam Hussein. "I would contend he was the smartest guy in the room. I don't know whether I've been knocked unconscious. One of its central messages was intended to caution against a literal idea of combat: "We will not triumph solely or even primarily through military might. Marcinko picked McRaven to lead a team in the hot new command with a purposely wonky name: Naval Special Warfare Development Group. The first of Admiral McRaven's 10 lessons is: start your day with one successful task completed, such as making your bed, and you will find the motivation to tackle others. And just something said, hey, we got to turn around, weve got to get back, because, you know, tonights going to be the night. "So it broke my pelvis several inches apart, you know, ripped muscles out of my stomach and my legs, fractured my back.". Courage. Tell me about that moment and what you heard come through the radio after that. He never had his hands raised. We had a helicopter with an optical ball on it that was providing our ISR, our video coverage, if you will. I had a moment of relief, you bet. But I'm stunned. Well, thats true of every mission you conduct, youve got to be able to delegate to people that you have trust and confidence in. We have had a lot of times in the course of the last 20 years where we thought we had the right individual and then we get them back and we look at everything from their fingerprints to their DNA and we find out its the wrong guy. The story of identifying the body is such a memorable one. "There was a degree of coming to closure," he says. He said, well sir Im six two. The accident happened along westbound ECP at the Rochor Road exit. So he didnt know my rank or my name. n your account of the rescue. You know, he ate as well if not better than a lot of the soldiers that we had. Distance?. " because I was tumbling, the pilot chute came out and wrapped around one leg, and then another part of the parachute called the riser came out and wrapped around my other leg," he said. With otherwise outstanding efficiency reports, however, McRaven won a chance at platoon command in SEAL Team 4. We were holding our breath whether he could make it. "We do raids. And then he fired three rounds. Tell me about the impact that Moki Martin had on you. So I saw some young SEALs standing nearby. Of course, as we began to come in to target the one helicopter loses lift as it got over the target. "He was a bright guy, but he didn't like my rude and crude way," Marcinko said. Now, a principle of democracy is, for every right there is a duty. Routines, good routines, healthy routines are important. Thank you for your service. Around that time came a call from Wayne Downing, a retired Army four-star general. 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