His story with the near fatal jump accident and, before that, the ignominious loss of his first command fit the narrative of setback and redemption in the special-operations community writ large. 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. Why is that, Admiral? In his speech, Adm. McRaven makes use of pathos, ethos, and a strong delivery to make his points about accomplishing small goals to reach a larger one and standing one's ground. 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. 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. 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. Naval Special Warfare Group 1 began the hunt for Osama bin Laden without its commodore, and he soon stepped down from command. Sometimes you need a boatload of people to help you through. McRaven: The SEALs entering the room did absolutely the right thing and shot him, not knowing whether or not he was wearing a suicide vest. This year, a decade later, their paths finally crossed. Well, the Joint Operation Center, we refer to it as the JOC, was probably about a hundred people that are sitting in a room with a lot of computers. He also explains how giving up isn't an option no matter what you're going through. Retired Navy Adm. William H. McRaven has written a new book called, "The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived." McRaven knows about heroic deeds, having directed the 2011 U.S . Capture him if you can, but if he presents a threat at all, any threat whatsoever, kill him.. Unsure of his altitude or even where he was, he still had the frame of mind to reach for his ripcord, and pulled it. Downing wanted McRaven on his staff. But occupied France and John F. Kennedy are not what usually come to mind when special operators look for a reference point. Seconds later, his canopy slammed into McRaven at well over 100 m.p.h., throwing him into a violent spin. The mishap happened when Chief . Well, thank you president Powers, Provost Fenves, deans, members of the faculty, family and friends, and most importantly, the class of 2014, it is indeed an honor for me to be here tonight. "He was a bright guy, but he didn't like my rude and crude way," Marcinko said. Will they be, you know, somebody of importance? 3 commander twice a year. So I was doing a freefall operation out in Southern California outside San Diego. ET. "He walked again, which was amazing," sister Nan recalls. And of course, it started in SEAL training. But I knew immediately the guys were okay. Oh, absolutely. So I think all of those kind of clicked in my mind. One was to parachute in a SEAL . 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. And, oh by the way, the guys are still in the compound. Now, when I walked in, I made sure that my name tags were off and my stars were off. Every particular of his missions remains classified. We actually didnt have a drone. What I would offer is I think when he finally realized that he no longer had his palaces, he no longer had his generals, he no longer had his handmaidens, he went from being pompous and arrogant to frankly, just being, you know, a tired, corrupt old man. . So I understood pretty quickly that the guys were a little banged up, but they were OK. And so we went from plan A to plan B. We go through this cycle every couple of decades. As chancellor, he oversaw 14 institutions that educate 221,000 students and employ 20,000 faculty and more than 80,000 health care professionals, researchers and staff. The date that seared itself into their collective memory is April 24, 1980. Is that right? INSKEEP: You write that somehow your staff sometimes lost people's paperwork. I kind of tumble through the parachute. But they do know you as the make-your-bed guy. 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. Once there were U.S. commando units in World War II. 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. But I also knew at that moment that life was about to change. Retired four-star Navy Adm. William McRaven discusses why he finds it hard to be a Democrat or a Republican with CNN's Chris Wallace. You know, when we stood up an all volunteer force, I remember thinking initially, well, this will never work. And then he fired three rounds. And every day when I would come in, he would try to engage me. We did. As it turned out, in a dark room at night. We always find heroes in the next generation that are more than willing to serve and sacrifice. 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. In 2003, you were the commander of Task Force 714 in Iraq. But having said that, I mean, the troops are thoughtful. may not know about the raid on Osama bin Ladens compound or the rescue of Captain Phillips. And just something said, hey, we got to turn around, weve got to get back, because, you know, tonights going to be the night. I didnt want to because I didnt want him to think that he was somehow important enough to be able to engage El Jefe, as he called me. Today, McRaven calls Marcinko a "charismatic figure" who deserves credit for building an important new unit from scratch. HOOVER: The story of identifying the body is such a memorable one. 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. "We do raids. So I reached for my rip cord, pulled the rip cord, and the pilot chute comes out of the back of the parachute. I mean, we flew the 162 miles really without incident. It was going to be a staff job at . 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. What were you seeing? Tell me about that moment and what you heard come through the radio after that. 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. But they do know you as the make-your-bed guy. Below is the text of the Commencement address, as prepared for delivery, by Admiral William H. McRaven, retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral and former chancellor of . ", Secret Agent Man You wrote in your book, 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. With her father by her side, she laughed off the injury like it was a scratch. Based on a Navy SEAL's inspiring graduation speech, this number-one New York Times best seller of powerful life lessons "should be read by every leader in America" (Wall Street Journal).. But it wasnt the first time Id had a, quote, premonition. 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? HOOVER: We all remember those images of Saddam Hussein the moment that he was captured. . It was an ideal post for a cerebral commando whose body needed mending. What were you seeing? So anybody that claims that theyve got a helmet cam video, nobody was wearing helmet cams. "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. Now available in bookstores everywhere, or go to time.com/specialops to order your copy today. "Well, he pulls his parachute, and I collide with his parachute little bit like getting hit by an air bag. President Trump tried to sidestep criticism from a former top military commander by insisting that retired Adm. William McRaven is simply a political player from the camp . Those were the Wild West days of special operations, and McRaven did not share his commander's easygoing attitude about rules. The story did not end there. I don't know whether I've been knocked unconscious. Distance?. Now, in the case of Saddam Hussein, it was pretty obvious. 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. I mean, hes just a remarkable, remarkable inspiration. No Americans were harmed. McRaven had to watch the American response on television as he recovered. . And that little bit of levity kind of helped me through the rest of the night. Then McRaven swung back into the picture. A lucky break came his way, it seemed, in 1982, two years after the hostage-rescue debacle. william mcraven on his time in the military and his criticism of president trump. According to Nan McRaven, one of two older sisters, their father Claude regaled the family with accounts of his exploits as a fighter pilot in British-built Spitfires during World War II. I mean, if thats not service, I dont know what is. Rescued Captain Phillips from Somali pirates, Phillips: The first people I want to thank are the SEALs. Admiral William McRaven is a retired U.S. Navy four-star Admiral. We werent going to put him in a cell with other people, that his days as the leader of Iraq were over. MCRAVEN: Well, I think its interesting when you think about Westmorelands observation in context. We always find heroes in the next generation that are more than willing to serve and sacrifice. Did we inadvertently kill people we shouldnt have killed? And then, of course, when we get on target, we didnt know whether or not the entire compound was booby trapped, whether bin Laden was wearing a suicide vest, all those sorts of things added to the risk. So, you know, there are times when you have to realize that the work you do, if it is good and honorable and it is trying to save people's lives, you have to take some comfort in the fact that that is good work. Im ok with that. ", A Fourth Star I'm not exactly sure what's happened. But the fact of the matter is, I didnt want to engage with him. HOOVER: Saddam Hussein became your prisoner when he remained at your camp longer than originally expected, about 30 days. and a grotesque 2001 skydiving mishap that separated his pelvic muscles from the bone. Police in Goulburn, a city in New South . MCRAVEN: I had a moment of relief, you bet. "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. So I get hit. So if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. 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. And as I would find out later, it wouldnt be the last time. Admiral, tell me about that premonition. Admiral William McRaven. I said, good, come here and. We all remember those images of Saddam Hussein the moment that he was captured. 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