He previously served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command from 2003 to July 2007. But he was not going to have outside contact with any of his former Iraqi leaders. When I went to visit guys in the hospital, they always said, I want to get back in the fight. And now I'm tumbling out of control towards the ground. On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. we are two days after veterans day and that was the occasion for this event. And you write that you, quote, had an obligation, both morally and legally to keep him safe. What were you feeling in those moments? . And I took the opportunity to call up my boys and say, you know, my daughter was with us and explained it to her as well, that her life was about to change for dad. I mean, if thats not service, I dont know what is. I had received an intelligence brief the night before from one of the great noncommissioned officers that was part of the Saddam hunt. "He walked again, which was amazing," sister Nan recalls. William McRaven was tumbling from the sky, and there wasn't much sky left. He was later memorialized in an eponymous film starring Tom Hanks. Youre watching PBS. 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. 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. Police in Goulburn, a city in New South . I went back to my little headquarters area, got back on the video with the president and the president said, OK, Bill, let me get this straight. MCRAVEN: You know, I think the military guys - what I know is, you know, we go where the nation asks us to go, and we do what the nation requires us to do. We actually didnt have a drone. hour.s about an mr. axelrod: admiral, great to see you again. McRaven: He went from being pompous and arrogant to frankly, just being, : The first people I want to thank are the SEALs. Then, as commandos set explosive charges around the wounded aircraft: "We're going to destroy the helicopter.". s parents, as guardians, as teachers, as mentors, as coaches, encouraging the youth of America to develop healthy, happy, good routines is important for the future of this country. And you know, after a couple days, they pinned me and plated me and got me going. But at the end of the day, you have to confirm the jackpot. 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. But that particular day, I actually had a meeting down in Qatar. The standard-issue AMC Eagle wagon was no kind of ride for commandos. Take a look at this video. on. And I think he was probably glad I didn't ask him. The New American Commandos (0:01-1:46) Source. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, // A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. to meet with the CENTCOM commander. It was going to be a staff job at . 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. MCRAVEN: I had a moment of relief, you bet. You were hit by a fellow divers canopy. Admiral William H. McRaven, USN. 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. And if its any indication from the people that have talked to me since that speech, I think its of some value to getting your day started right. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Why is that, Admiral? MCRAVEN: No, I dont think that contributed to his decline. And you know what? Well, the mission wasnt over yet. 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. Then: "We're going to push the QRF," the quick-reaction force. Or, I have to be careful, Im not sure From the time the mission started I think maybe its 15 minutes when I got the call from the ground force commander, for God and country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo. And Geronimo was the code word for bin Laden. HOOVER: In your account of the rescue. I didnt think much of it. William McRaven delivered MIT's 2020 Commencement address. I was heading out of Iraq, heading to AL U.D.(?) She was seriously injured in a parachute accident. He has unique facial characteristics. MCRAVEN: Yeah, he wasn't in a real good position to negotiate. He kept tabs on the SEALs who had gone to war without him. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider So he didnt know my rank or my name. McRaven, who served as the ninth commander of the U.S. Special Operations command from . The bad news is, when a parachute opens, it blossoms.". Retired Adm. William McRaven earned fame for leading US special-operations forces on some of their most well-known missions. HOOVER: And you think that contributed to his decline in custody? 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. 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. 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. So while I didnt know at a young age that I wanted to follow in my fathers footsteps, I dont think it took me long before I realized that this was the path that was the right fit for me. MCRAVEN: 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. And they were going out every night, you know, trying to stop suicide bombers. 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. I knew that there would have to be some sort of follow on action against Al-Qaeda. Did we inadvertently kill people we shouldnt have killed? 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. So I get hit. "I want to confirm we have a call of 'Geronimo EKIA,' " he said evenly. So he lay down next to the body and sure enough, the body was about two inches longer. 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. McRaven has a long, storied history with the military. it showed that we as Americans can do the hard things and do them well. 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. HOOVER: Admiral William McRaven, welcome back to Firing Line for a special edition episode honoring Independence Day. MCRAVEN: Yeah, well, obviously, like a lot of people who watched it on TV, it was a horrifying moment for all of us. "There now has been an accumulation through the course of 2011 of very significant losses in core al-Qaeda and also the affiliates in Yemen and some of the other offshoots," Petraeus says, citing two al-Qaeda figures, Atiyah Abdel Rahman in Pakistan and Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen, whose deaths have not been officially acknowledged as JSOC's work. He was one of your SEAL instructors who you call, quote, one of the most inspirational men that you knew. ET. and a grotesque 2001 skydiving mishap that separated his pelvic muscles from the bone. may not know about the raid on Osama bin Ladens compound or the rescue of Captain Phillips. 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. William H. McRaven. But it was a relatively straightforward mission in terms of the first part of it. And as I would find out later, it wouldnt be the last time. Admiral, tell me about that premonition. They have just 500 days until graduation. And you think that contributed to his decline in custody? If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. Published Dec. 27, 2021 Updated Dec. 31, 2021. Why is that, Admiral? There are costs. But I knew immediately the guys were okay. I mean, he was, to me, the gold standard in Navy SEALs. Shortly after jumping out, McCraven says something was clearly wrong. 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. And youve probably seen the iconic photo from Pete Souza. "He was climbing the steps, and it was agony, step by step. The fact of the matter is, the law of armed conflict and the rules of engagement were pretty clear. "One of the things we made clear to the President and the national leadership was, This is what we do," he told TIME. 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. Four-star Admiral William McRaven shares stories of heroism from his service to America. Distance?. I dont know, as a young boy, whether I thought I would follow in my fathers footsteps, what I knew was I loved the camaraderie. (See TIME's 2008 Person of the Year: Barack Obama. He began the new job this summer. Yeah, well, obviously, like a lot of people who watched it on TV, it was a horrifying moment for all of us. Do you mind recounting it? Did we inadvertently kill people we shouldnt have killed? The fact of the matter is, the law of armed conflict and the rules of engagement were pretty clear. Ill lie down next to the body just to see whether or not the remains are a little longer. We were holding our breath . In fact, we had a plan with what we were going to do with bin Laden if we captured him. Will they be the next president or prime minister of Iraq? "The SEALs were happy, I was happy, and nobody was getting in trouble except Bill McRaven," he says. Theres a lot of things that go on post operation. When the chute blossomed the two parts went different ways and took his legs with them. And every day when I would come in, he would try to engage me. He was arrogant. Thank you, Margaret. And now the Pakistanis, of course, are waking up to the fact that were there. 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. Tell us about that. 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. So he lay down next to the body and sure enough, the body was about two inches longer. Did you have a sense that you would follow in your fathers footsteps? Capture him if you can, but if he presents a threat at all, any threat whatsoever, kill him.. 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. MCRAVEN: Yeah, I mean, even to this day, the impact of Moki Martin is with me every day. 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. I didnt think much of it. Yeah, well, having done thousands of missions before, you know, this was not an overly complicated mission. You were on a helicopter leaving Baghdad and you suddenly wanted to turn it around. It is a small task, but I think an important one. I mean, it showed that we as Americans can do the hard things and do them well. Downing wanted McRaven on his staff. And youve probably seen the iconic photo from Pete Souza. Distance?. Well, thats true of every mission you conduct, youve got to be able to delegate to people that you have trust and confidence in. Some folks believe that maybe it was possible. And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. Thomas O'Connell, then Assistant Secretary of Defense, paid him a visit, and the two shared cigars just outside the former Iraqi President's prison cell. 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 . commander under the obama administration. Michael E. Thornton - BUD/S Class 49. Admiral McRaven: ( 00:00) Thank you very much, thank you. Then, I thought, well, you know, thats probably not very distinguished for the three star admiral to be lying down next to the body. But the fact of the matter is, I didnt want to engage with him. But that was still many hours after the mission was concluded. Along the way, McRaven sketches the qualities required to pull off something very much like the bin Laden raid, 18 years in advance: "a simple plan, carefully concealed, realistically rehearsed and executed with surprise, speed and purpose." But in the end, you never addressed him directly. Bin Laden was in American hands, status adjusted: "enemy killed in action." "He was the boss. Television, film and video games have infused popular culture, and the political debate, with the power of special warfare to get the job done on the cheap. 00:23:10 He knew I'd been in a parachute accident. Admiral William H. McRaven, Address to Class of 2015, 18 January 2014. William McRaven retired from the US Navy as a four-star admiral, as the commander of the United States special operations command and as the longest serving Navy SEAL in the history of our country . 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 . And, of course, that generation, you know, they were children of the Great Depression. 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. Making your bed as easy to do. In fact, he pushed two young girls, his daughters, in front of him, which created some chaos. And at one point in time, a senior chief petty officer, Navy SEAL senior chief petty officer, he said, Admiral, I don't get it; why are we still doing this? You know, youve got to play four quarters of the game. But, you know, I think leaders know how to recognize other leaders. 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. None had the full . Eventually, it will pass, and you will win. WILLIAM H MCRAVEN: And all of a sudden, I realize the guy to the left is underneath me. Then McRaven swung back into the picture. Operation Neptune Spear stripped al-Qaeda of its iconic leader and offered a kind of recompense for the traumas of 9/11. McRaven says it is just one part of a broader offensive against America's foes. William H. McRaven. A hard landing off to the side. HOOVER: You write about a skydiving accident that you were in in 2001 that nearly cost you your life. In 2014 Admiral William H. McRaven gave the commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin. She was seriously injured in a parachute accident. Not your color, not your ethnic background, not your education and not your social status. " 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. 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