Today on Combat Story we have our first of two interviews with 32 year veteran and retired Special Forces Sergeant Major Randy Surles, who entered the Army in 1987 and retired in 2019. Randy saw combat early on in Operation Just Cause as a Ranger and then again for several rotations post-9/11.
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In this episode, we cover Randy’s experience in Panama and attending Lancero training in Colombia which you can think of as something like Ranger school without any safety nets!
In round two, we dive into his time leading Green Berets in the post-9/11 era. Randy now helps veterans write their own memoirs as a ghostwriter with the aptly titled website the military editor. With that, please enjoy our first interview with Randy Surles.
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🎵 Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Show Notes:
00:00 Intro00:29 Introduction to Combat Story00:48 Meet Randy Searles: Special Forces Veteran01:21 Randy's Transition to Ghostwriting11:36 Randy's Early Life and Military Aspirations12:13 Evacuation from Iran20:00 Joining the Military25:17 Ranger Training and Sniper School29:35 Life in the Barracks31:01 Ranger School Challenges35:37 Operation Just Cause44:23 Injury and Recovery52:32 Transition to Green Beret01:03:44 Struggles with Weapon Assembly01:05:14 Facing the Q Course Challenges01:06:12 Mastering Mortars and Anti-Aircraft01:06:52 Language Course and Deployment01:07:11 Unexpected Armor Duties01:10:08 Volunteering for Lancero School01:20:38 Surviving Lancero School01:32:04 Combat Stories and Future Plans01:33:04 Listener Feedback and Closing Remarks
