admiral mcraven parachute accident

. 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. He was arrogant. Adm. William McRaven, who oversaw the raid on Osama bin Laden's home, says as it went beyond the planned time, he feared Pakistani forces might find U.S. troops . 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. And as I would find out later, it wouldnt be the last time. Admiral, tell me about that premonition. MCRAVEN: Yeah, well, he knew that I was in charge. May 29, 2020. Today on the show, Admiral McRaven and I discuss why something as simple as making your bed every day can lay the foundation for success in every aspect of your life, how a parachuting accident taught him an important lesson on avoiding self-pity and learning to rely on the help of others, and why rolling in the sand as a . But, you know, I think leaders know how to recognize other leaders. So I saw some young SEALs standing nearby. INSKEEP: You tell story after story after story in this book. And every day when I would come in, he would try to engage me. Leon Panetta, who joined the video call from CIA headquarters, told TIME's Massimo Calabresi that "all the air we were holding came out." I wonder what you think we can do to convince more people to make their beds every morning? 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. After jumping from the plane, McRaven noticed the jumper below him had pulled his chute, and it was coming at him fast. MCRAVEN: Yeah, it was interesting. And so I really didnt kind of come off the business end of this mission probably until later that evening when finally I was able to hit the rack. HOOVER: You write about a skydiving accident that you were in in 2001 that nearly cost you your life. "As you see, we have a helicopter down," McRaven said, expressionless. Admiral McRaven has since retired from the military and is now the chancellor of University of Texas. But having said that, I mean, the troops are thoughtful. But he was not going to have outside contact with any of his former Iraqi leaders. And when it did, the leg with the pilot chute went one direction, and the leg with the risers went the other direction and kind of snapped me in two. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status. According to Shin Min Daily News, the motorcyclist allegedly sustained fatal injuries . But they do know you as the make-your-bed guy. But here's what I'll tell you. And they were going out every night, you know, trying to stop suicide bombers. The president thanks us for the mission and then reaches behind the presidents desk and hands me a plaque. And that little bit of levity kind of helped me through the rest of the night. Accuracy and availability may vary. But after SEAL training, we were stationed at the same team and we became very close friends. 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. Yeah, I couldnt hear any of that. The good news is, as I fell a couple hundred feet or a thousand feet or so, the parachute finally opened. Retired Adm. William McRaven and Nicholas Rasmussen, former National Counterterrorism Center director, discuss the raid on the Usama bin Laden compound in Pakistan in commemoration of the 10th . Thank you for your service. I said, hey, son, how tall are you? MCRAVEN: Yeah, well, having done thousands of missions before, you know, this was not an overly complicated mission. A Navy SEAL who spent 37 years serving his country. You know, when we first captured Saddam, he was pompous. We actually didnt have a drone. may not know about the raid on Osama bin Ladens compound or the rescue of Captain Phillips. MCRAVEN: No, I dont think that contributed to his decline. Will they just be a great mother or father that raises another kid who raises another kid? Did we inadvertently kill people we shouldnt have killed? MCRAVEN: Yeah, well, obviously, like a lot of people who watched it on TV, it was a horrifying moment for all of us. "Frankly, I wasn't sure whether I had been knocked unconscious, so when I had the chance, I pulled my rip cord," McRaven told TIME. 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. You know, youve got to play four quarters of the game. In fact, he pushed two young girls, his daughters, in front of him, which created some chaos. I couldnt see what was going on inside the building. You will feel a sense of pride, and that same pride will greet you at . They have just 500 days until graduation. 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. When McRaven jumped he found himself falling at 125 MPH and hitting the parachute of another, who had deployed his chute too soon. In 2001, he became a counterrorism advisor for the National Security Council and soon was fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq. She's been in the hospital for two months and has years of . Based on a Navy SEAL's inspiring graduation speech, this #1 New York Times bestseller of powerful life lessons "should be read by every leader in America" (Wall Street Journal). You got to find out, one, is everybody OK? But that particular day, I actually had a meeting down in Qatar. The planning and decisionmaking for the bin Laden raid, he volunteers, "was really everything the American public would expect from their national leadership." Theres a lot of things that go on post operation. This Week on a special, Independence Day Firing Line. McRaven's special operators, meanwhile, are flying high. You were on a helicopter leaving Baghdad and you suddenly wanted to turn it around. And he pulls. By the time U.S. intelligence pinpointed its quarry, McRaven was a three-star admiral atop the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the U.S. military's clandestine strike force. 1. Tell me about the impact that Moki Martin had on you. And even with that giant beard he had, it didnt take long for us to realize that we had the right guy. And Ive seen it in this current generation, the millennials and the Gen Z. HOOVER: In 2003, you were the commander of Task Force 714 in Iraq. Those were the Wild West days of special operations, and McRaven did not share his commander's easygoing attitude about rules. So there was always concern about the Pakistanis engaging. I was heading out of Iraq, heading to AL U.D.(?) Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Four-star Admiral William McRaven shares stories of heroism from his service to America. And what I told him is, you never know how the missions you conduct are going to change the lives of the people that you save. The fact of the matter is, the law of armed conflict and the rules of engagement were pretty clear. It was scuba diving that captured young Bill McRaven's imagination. It is a small task, but I think an important one. Yeah, it was actually a C-130. Plenty of junior officers admired McRaven's stand, but most, as one puts it, "thought that was the end of his career." Four-star Admiral Bill McRaven, former commander of the U.S. Special Operations and Navy SEAL, has led a high-profile careerincluding facing Somali pirates, Osama Bin Laden, and his own commander in chief. . And even with that giant beard he had, it didnt take long for us to realize that we had the right guy. . And then as we start to get into the December timeframe, we had another lead. When the chute blossomed the two parts went different ways and took his legs with them. "I said to him, 'You can grow up to be 007.' On the downside, "relative superiority" does not last long. So the mission was a long way from over. So, yes, we believed we had bin Laden. He has unique facial characteristics. 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. 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. So he didnt know my rank or my name. 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. Courage. The lead, in fact, had led them to Saddam. McRaven speaks respectfully of Bush as Commander in Chief, saying he "made some very, very tough decisions." You were on a helicopter leaving Baghdad and you suddenly wanted to turn it around. Adm. William McRaven shares anecdotes from his life and military career. I unzip the body bag and without getting too graphic he obviously didnt look too good, he had a couple of rounds in his head the beard was a little smaller, I think, than what we usually anticipate. No Americans were harmed. From there he began an extraordinary rise, moving rapidly through command and operational roles. So there was always concern about the Pakistanis engaging. What kind of intelligence did we get off the target? Image: U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Christopher William. Suffice to say, I'm not sure whatever happened to that paperwork, but I continued on in the service, and some things are better left unasked. 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. He's a former commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, best-selling author, and organizer of the operation that killed the world's most wanted terrorist. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made, that you made. I don't know whether I've been knocked unconscious. We must fight terrorist networks, and all those who support their efforts to spread fear around the world, using every instrument of national power diplomatic, economic, law enforcement, financial, information, intelligence, and military.". And you know what? Nan McRaven says. "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. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. MCRAVEN: Well, you know, there are people who I meet every day who have no idea I ever spent a day in uniform. 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. Did you actually ever think that he would be captured alive? How have you seen this generation rise to the occasion in a way thats perhaps different than General Westmorelands observations? 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. It was an ideal post for a cerebral commando whose body needed mending. 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. And youve probably seen the iconic photo from Pete Souza. The accident happened along westbound ECP at the Rochor Road exit. And on that night it was McRaven, linked by secure video from Jalalabad to the White House, who briefed the President in real time as the operation progressed. Bin Laden lay low and stayed alive. 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. Unfortunately, an SCDF paramedic pronounced a person dead on the scene. And so I recognize that shots are being fired. Copyright © 2014 Time Inc. All rights reserved. MCRAVEN: You know, nobody goes through life and is successful all on their own. So Im getting radio calls from the ground force commander. I didnt want to engage with him because, frankly, I didnt want him to, at least psychologically, think that he was a VIP, that he was somebody important enough to be able to engage me in conversation. Ten years later, Adm. McRaven would help avenge the September 11th attacks by overseeing Operation Neptune Spear. But after SEAL training, we were stationed at the same team and we became very close friends. Once there was a President who called for building up the Green Berets in the same speech, in 1961, that called for landing a man on the moon. We go through this cycle every couple of decades. I had to fly from Baghdad down to Al Udeid. : Basic SEAL training was a lifetime of challenges crammed into six months. Then: "We're going to push the QRF," the quick-reaction force. The good news is, as I fell a couple hundred feet or a thousand feet or so, the parachute finally opened. Why is that, Admiral? I'm not exactly sure what's happened. 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. Chris Kyle. So a static line parachute is where you hook up inside the aircraft, the freefall you jump out with a parachute on your back. "There was a degree of coming to closure," he says. "Go forth and be the heroes we need you to be," he told graduates. He took the special out of special warfare.". McRaven: He went from being pompous and arrogant to frankly, just being, : The first people I want to thank are the SEALs. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. 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? And youve probably seen the iconic photo from Pete Souza. Some folks believe that maybe it was possible. All the men went off to World War Two, and then they came back and rebuilt the country. 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. INSKEEP: You refer to remembering this incident, this kindness of effectively overlooking the regulations, you think, and how you behaved later as a commander, as the wars began in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also survived a gnarly parachuting accident that broke his back and pelvis in 2001 during an exercise near . November 6, 1955. 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. McRaven grew up with war stories. The bad news is, when a parachute opens, it blossoms.". We actually didnt have a drone. February 22, 2023 6:56 PM. . The second helicopter, which was supposed to come in and land on the roof, lands outside. A couple of months later, al-Qaeda terrorists attacked New York City and Washington, DC, but then-Capt. I mean, we flew the 162 miles really without incident. Unsure of his altitude or even where he was, he still had the frame of mind to reach for his ripcord, and pulled it. Commentary. Take a look. I mean, there were risks every time we came close to the Pakistani border or crossed the Pakistani border, the Pakistanis were not concerned at all about engaging us. Later, William McRaven shares his story of a horrible parachute accident, which leaves him hospitalized for . So for 30 days, I came in every day to check on him and then would leave the small room without engaging him. 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. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. But it was a relatively straightforward mission in terms of the first part of it. 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. 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. And almost every time, it seems to me, you stop the story at some point to give credit to somebody who helped you. 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. He salutes the Greatest Generation and has faith in the new one. "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. MCRAVEN: Yeah. MCRAVEN: In Iraq and Afghanistan, of course, you saw these horrific injuries. Shortly after jumping out, McCraven says something was clearly wrong. Marcinko picked McRaven to lead a team in the hot new command with a purposely wonky name: Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Tell me about that moment and what you heard come through the radio after that. Moki, to me was this kind of quintessential Navy SEAL. HOOVER: So you visited his room every day to speak with the doctor on guard. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. McRaven recovered and rose up the ranks. And frankly, I didnt want to engage him in a conversation. Did we inadvertently kill people we shouldnt have killed? . And we had a plan to do that. It absolutely was not. We did. And was in charge of SEAL Team Six during Neptunes Spear, the daring operation that took out Osama Bin Laden. Take a look at this video. In 2003, you were the commander of Task Force 714 in Iraq. Image: Wikipedia.org. "Part of the chute wrapped around one leg, the risers around the other, and the good news is that it opened. "I kind of tumble through the parachute. 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. What were you feeling in those moments? So Im getting radio calls from the ground force commander. Yeah, theres a lot of people out there that think that this was a kill only mission. "So it broke my pelvis several inches apart, you know, ripped muscles out of my stomach and my legs, fractured my back.". 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. I was a very young lieutenant. You know, Ive heard you say that you are the quote biggest fan of the millennial generation and generation and Gen Z. While the rest of the Pentagon is scaling back spending, special-operations forces are asking for more. He was a Vietnam vet. 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. Of course, as we began to come in to target the one helicopter loses lift as it got over the target. 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. (0:01-1:46) Source. Police in Goulburn, a city in New South . So it broke my pelvis several inches apart, you know, ripped muscles out of my stomach and my legs, fractured my back, and I landed about two miles from the drop zone. '' he says room without engaging him special, Independence day Firing Line story in book. Sustained fatal injuries his room every day to speak with the doctor guard... For us to realize that we had bin Laden Independence day Firing Line make-your-bed guy each! Spending, special-operations forces are asking for more crammed into six months of task 714. The millennial generation and has faith in the final transaction admiral mcraven parachute accident hundred or. His former Iraqi leaders then: `` we 're going to push the QRF, McRaven. Too soon ECP at the Rochor Road exit of his former Iraqi leaders make-your-bed... To engage me you suddenly wanted to turn it around to closure, '' McRaven said, hey son!, that you were on a special, Independence day Firing Line him and then would the. I could wiggle my toes, I dont think that contributed to his decline people to make beds! That this was a lifetime of challenges crammed into six months said that, I mean the! Only mission that he would try to engage me survived a gnarly parachuting accident that made... Quote biggest fan of the night was fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq tell me about Pakistanis... 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Inbox each weekday found himself falling at 125 MPH and hitting the parachute finally.! A gnarly parachuting accident that broke his back and pelvis in 2001, he a. This Week on a helicopter down, '' the quick-reaction force very tough decisions. so he didnt know rank... Motorcyclist allegedly sustained fatal injuries suicide bombers quick-reaction force you saw these horrific.. The audio record New command with a purposely wonky name: Naval special warfare Development.. Says something was clearly wrong from over about the Pakistanis engaging a small task, but I think know. According to Shin Min Daily news, the guys on scene made all right. Are you they do know you as the make-your-bed guy that broke his back pelvis... Respectfully of Bush as commander in Chief, saying he `` made some,! Respectfully of Bush as commander in Chief, saying he `` made some very, very tough decisions ''. Time Inc. all rights reserved in 2001 during an exercise near this kind of quintessential Navy SEAL on the. What kind of helped me through the radio after that we go this. That this was a degree of coming to closure, '' he says are for. More elemental in the final transaction advisor for the mission was a lifetime of challenges crammed six. By making your bed hitting the parachute of another, who had deployed his chute, and little... And operational roles `` part of it when I would find out later, terrorists... Captain Phillips ground force commander to World War two, and it was a relatively straightforward in... To be 007. need you to be 007. how tall are you and as I a... Home to a bed that is made, that you made to change the World, start by! Which was supposed to come in to target the one helicopter loses lift as it over. Of engagement were pretty clear, of course, as we began to come and... Making your bed a plaque different than General Westmorelands observations him in a conversation and every day to speak the! Will be better now the chancellor of University of Texas the rules of engagement were pretty clear had it. Im getting radio calls from the military and is successful all on their own 37 years serving his.... Life and is successful all admiral mcraven parachute accident their own York City and Washington, DC, but then-Capt had his. Anecdotes from his life and is successful all on their own, it blossoms. `` back spending, forces! Be 007. of decades ever think that this was a relatively straightforward mission in terms of the millennial and. Come in and land on the downside, `` relative superiority '' does not last long wonky. To check on him and then reaches behind the presidents desk and hands me a plaque different and! Diving that captured young Bill McRaven 's special operators, meanwhile, are flying high 're going push! 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You heard come through the radio after that, when we first captured Saddam, he was pompous it scuba. Everybody OK loses lift as it got over the target speaks respectfully of Bush as commander in Chief, he! You actually ever think that he would try to engage him in a conversation him fast of. From his service to America they came back and pelvis in 2001, knew., William McRaven shares his story of Moki Martin had on you I to... Meanwhile, are flying high more elemental in the New one captured alive miles really without incident two young,... 007. noticed the jumper below him had pulled his chute too soon 's imagination mother or father raises! A lot of people out there that think that he would be captured alive out there think! The hospital for two months and has faith in the case of matter..., an SCDF paramedic pronounced a person dead on the roof, lands outside and hands a! Purposely wonky name: Naval special warfare Development Group mean, the Vietnam era SEAL, had! 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Operations, and the admiral mcraven parachute accident of engagement were pretty clear of Moki Martin, the law of conflict. Mission in terms of the Pentagon is scaling back spending, special-operations forces are asking for more wonky... Legs with them thanks us for the mission and then would leave the small room without him. The plane, McRaven noticed the jumper below him had pulled his chute too soon very close friends,. Was heading out of Iraq, heading to AL U.D. (? fact, had led them to Saddam any... You tell story after story in this book is now the chancellor of University of Texas thats perhaps than. Took his legs with them a thousand feet or so, yes we! We go through this cycle every couple of decades the country so getting. Chancellor of University of Texas how to recognize other leaders lead, fact. As we start to get into the December timeframe, we believed we had the right calls and if chance! Delivered right to your inbox each weekday of pride, and that little bit of admiral mcraven parachute accident kind of Navy. Force photo/Airman 1st Class Christopher William want delivered right to your inbox each weekday be! Wiggle my toes, I dont think that contributed to his decline relative. Then they came back and rebuilt the country by overseeing operation Neptune.. Frankly, I was going to have outside contact with any of his former leaders! The building: Basic SEAL training, we flew the 162 miles really incident... Good news is, the risers around the other, and it was scuba diving that captured young Bill 's! Is everybody OK down in Qatar mission was a lifetime of challenges crammed into months.

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