WHY DID YOU JOIN THE MILITARY?
A number of different things made me join. Part of it was 9/11, part of it was I wasn't doing anything that I felt was my calling or my purpose at that time, and also when I went to do relief work in Darfur- it sort of changed my perspective of what it was to be an American, and became patriotic and proud of my country in a way after seeing, not only how fortunate we are here, but through how people in countries in the developing world viewed us as opposed to what the media was telling us how they viewed us.
I remember listening to the radio and hearing about Fallujah go down, and I felt like that was the next thing that I needed to do.
MILITARY EXPERIENCE
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I was in the Special Forces. I joined and had an 18 X-Ray contract, where you can come in off the street and if you passed certain tests with a certain score- some of them were physical, but most of them were mental and psychological- you had an opportunity to go to Special Forces Assessment and Selection after you went to basic training and airborne school. And Special Forces Assessment and Selection was essentially try outs for training to become a Green Beret. So I went in and made it through all of the training, and was in the Special Forces for five years of active duty before going back to college.
WHAT WAS IT THAT DROVE YOU TO THE SPECIAL FORCES?
Mostly with the fact that everything that we do, mission wise, is by, with and through indigenous forces. So that idea of working hand-in-hand with local nationals and training and fighting alongside the people of the country that you need to help was important to me, because I felt like their best interests were at least considered in what we were doing, it wasn't just me being an American and joining a unit that’s going over and sort of just imposing my will on a people. I felt there was more of a partnership. Which was important to me, especially after my time spent overseas before the military. I wanted to give opportunities to people in the developing world that obviously didn't have the opportunities that I had growing up.
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A lot of units work with partnered forces, but Special Forces is the spearhead of that. We were the first back in Vietnam to do that, and now it’s becoming very popular. Every conflict that were getting involved with, were getting more political with everything, and making sure that, that countries best interest for the future are at least being considered.
What is it that gives you this indomitable willpower to try anything and be able to adapt and overcomE?
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
I mean look at Gandhi. He was a little dude. I really believe that with anything. Even things that are very physically demanding. You may not be the best in the world at it ever, again there is a certain amount of given talent involved. But your will and your willingness to sacrifice a lot for whatever it is your going after will get you way further than you ever would have imagined. Its making that choice that nothing is going to stop you and that you’re not going to ever quit. And it’s usually going to take you on a path that you didn't really plan out.
I didn’t even know what a long-snapper was when I made the decision to go play football for instance. But my goal was to play football at Texas, and I made the team, which was great, there’s nothing wrong with that. But I wanted to find a way to get on the field. And I knew I wasn't going to be the quarterback or any of the other positions that require a large amount of athleticism, but I found a way to, I guess through will, to get on the field. I found a position that looked like something that if I worked hard enough, I might be able to have a chance at competing at. And the amount of work and time that I put into it is why it happened, not because I was good at it, and not because of any other reason.
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Once you work hard enough at something and put enough time into something, whether you’re that good at it or not- you become confident that you are. And the mental game with anything goes a long way.
If you talk to people who are successful in law or business or other avenues of life- they're not always the smartest people. They just outwork everybody and they’re confident in themselves and they use the same phrase that I use all the time- “fake it till you make it.” You just put yourself in that situation and believe, and keep pushing and pushing and you’re going to fail a bunch of times on the way, that’s just the way it is, but eventually things will start going your way and before you know it you’re probably going to be successful.
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Thinking of something recent for me, when I went out and played for a few months a Seattle, the GM there John Schneider is an example of that. This guy is completely self-made and he’s a hustler. He went to a small school in Ohio called John Carroll, and he played football, but he wasn't very good and he wasn't very big. But he wanted to work in football. So he finished up school, and he wrote letters and reached out to every NFL team multiple times, and got nothing back. Finally one day, someone in the Packers organization invited him to come out there and do an internship and he just outworked everybody and somehow got a job low on the totem pole.
And by the time the dude was forty he was the GM for the Seahawks. And that’s pretty young for a self-made GM. And that’s just because he just had that drive. And if you talk to him- the dude is not a smart guy. He’s a nice guy, but not a smart guy. He’ll be there for all the guys in the organization, he goes the extra mile for everybody and just hustles man. That’s how it works.
The guy that I kind of live with these days, Jay Glazer, he grew up in Jersey, not really an athletically talented guy or anything like that. He wanted to be an MMA fighter, and he had a few fights and messed his back up. And now just through pure hustle, he’s been on Fox NFL Sunday for years and he’s NFL’s top inside guy.
It’s whatever you want man- it’s yours. In this country- it’s yours if you want it. You just have to be willing to put in what it takes to make it happen, especially if you want something that’s competitive.
Green Beret Matthew McClintock was killed in action just a few weeks ago overseas. As a former Green Beret yourself, what does that sacrifice mean to you?
Click on the photo to visit the GoFundme page for Matt McClintock!
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You know I mean, everyone that joins a unit like that, knows that that is a possibility for that to happen and that there is a potential for that. And it sucks when it does, but it really is part of the job. And I know for his guys that it was a lot tougher than it probably was for him when he was dying. Because someone in that group, who probably shouldn't feel this way, but they probably feels somewhat responsible, like there was something more that they could have done. And we’ve all had that feeling when you lose somebody, like there was something else you could have done. So I really feel for those guys and obviously his family. But there’s not really a clear cut answer to that at all. We know it’s a possibility and inevitably you’re going to lose someone like that. And it’s never easy.
But the best way moving forward, for all those guys to honor him- whether they’re staying in or getting out of the military- is to honor his death with the way they live their lives. It’s not standing over his grave and pouring half your beer on his tomb, and saying “hey man, I’m thinking about you…” And that’s great, there’s nothing wrong with that, but if you’re not living for him and doing everything you can to continue to honor him through your continued service, then I don’t think that that is the best way to honor him, or anybody.
You are joining the Waterboy’s to raise money for clean water and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
how did you get involved, what the project is as a whole, and what you’ll be doing?
So Chris Long, who plays for the Rams is the one who started Waterboys. And his idea was to get NFL players on board to help raise money for clean water wells in Tanzania. And he went out there on a trip a couple of years ago. And he spent time with the people, and in the villages and whatnot, and he just kind of felt guilty when he was coming back to the States, because he’s leaving a place that doesn't even have clean water. Millions go without it every day. So he wanted to do something about that. So he started this initiative to try to get the NFL involved.
Chris Long (left) and Nate Boyer (Right)
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So the day after I got cut from the Seahawks, he actually reached out to me and asked if I wanted to be involved. And I said, I’d love to, but I obviously I’m not in the NFL anymore, I’m not a player, I can’t be one of the Waterboys. And he told me that he could make a special position for me as sort of an ambassador, and they named me Waterboy’s champion of the year.
So I came up with an idea to take a wounded veteran, a buddy of mine named Blake Watson, he’s a Marine and a single leg amputee. And we’re going to go and climb Kilimanjaro together. And we’re going to raise money for the wells, but also, I don't want to say raise awareness because it’s not raising awareness so much, but just showing off a little bit. Look what we can do when we put our heads together and just take a challenge and go make it happen- I mean you can inspire people to do great things. So that’s basically the gist of it. And what I want to do, and what we need to do is continue to inspire veterans to go do great things, and get out and start their second service.
From left to right- Blake Watson, Chris Long and Nate Boyer
What do you still want to accomplish?
I don’t know. I don’t have like a plan. I don’t have a map. These things kind of come up as I go along. I try to focus on doing the most amount of good for the greatest amount of people. And there’s a lot of different projects that I’m interested in. It’s not that I’m dedicated to only clean water, or only veteran suicide. These things kind of come up, I don’t think them up. People will just have these great ideas and I’m just stealing them from everyone else- I’m not original. But I think that they are all worth going after just because that’s what makes me happy. Continuing to serve, and feeling like I make a difference and doing what I’m doing benefiting society. So that’s really why- selfish reasons, it makes me feel good.
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What is 22 Kill, and why is it something that you support?
So 22 kill does a number of different things. Their main mission or goal is to get that large number of veterans that are taking their lives everyday down to zero.
And what’s interesting is that it’s not that much higher of a number than the civilian suicide rate. But, after everything that these guys went through, sacrificed and survived, to come back here and die by your own hands is… We got to support our guys better…As veterans or as non-veterans, as just a society.
And so that’s what we’re trying to do. 22 Kill benefits a lot of different programs. What they do is they raise money, but they’ll write grants for other programs. So in Texas, there’s a place called the Adaptive Training Foundation- which trains these wounded veterans by pushing them to their limits. So stuff like that and different organizations and retreats around the country that helps bring these veterans out and help them talk through their issues, and re-connect with their families, and help them find purpose again, because without purpose you’re lost.
Watch this video where Blake Watson talks about the Adaptive Training Foundation.
All Video Credit goes to the Adaptive Training Foundation.
You can blame it all you want on PTSD and physical traumas and stuff like that, but that doesn't help the matter, it’s something that’s difficult to overcome and all that. But I’ve also seen on the flip side of that coin, I’ve seen guys that are quadruple amputees that are the most positive people in the world. So getting people to make that decision, to just look at things in a different way, and not be ashamed of your scars, and not let them define you either.
And they sell these honor rings online that you wear on your trigger finger. And it’s for guys who are potentially suicidal to remember that there is a support system out there and that there’s brothers and sisters that they can call. And it’s also for people who are not suicidal to honor veterans both alive and dead. And it’s a conversation starter to raise awareness about that statistic.
22Kill Honor Ring
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But it’s a lot of things. They have a lot of programs, and they have a huge network. Which is great. And the program is not just for veterans who are borderline suicidal. It’s for everybody. It’s a giant network of veterans helping veterans and civilian helping veterans. So I encourage anybody to just sign up and join online, buy honor rings, because all of that money goes to some awesome programs.
what are some other veteran support charities that you support or have respect for?
There’s a brand new one that I’m the executive director of, and it’s just getting off the ground though so we have a ways to go, but it’s called MVP and it stands for Merging Vets and Players. http://www.vetsandplayers.org/#intro is the website. And it’s bringing NFL players and combat veterans that have the same problems and transition issues moving forward. And it matches them up and helps them walk the walk together moving forward.
Watch this amazing video explaining Merging Vets + Players!
Video Credit: Fox Sports
And just like I was talking about 22 Kill it’s the same kind of mission. But were looping in some of those ex-athletes as well. Because they have a mutual respect for each other, when you put them around each other.
So we’re going to be training them out at Unbreakable Performance Center, which is Jay Glazer’s Gym, and help them go through a training program with some of the most elite MMA guys in the world. And we’re going to be training guys of all athletic and health levels. And then just mentoring them and coaching them up, and helping them see things in a different way, and also just building that comrade again. So we want to bring in ten or twelve men groups, where they can build a brotherhood with each other, and hold each other accountable and check up on each other.
And it’s brand new, and I’m the executive director, but we won’t really start a lot of our programs, until probably March, because we’re building the structure right now, and getting funded, and stuff like that.