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Today we hear our first Combat Story from a military intelligence linguist and signal interceptor, Clay Jensen. Clay deployed six times to both Iraq and Afghanistan and has spent considerable time helping to get our Afghan allies out of Afghanistan.
Clay was in a Blackhawk when it was shot out of the sky while trying to identify the location of Al-Qai’da’s then #2 leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan. Clay was also forward deployed in 2007 to identify the location of Bin Laden during what became a failed raid to capture AQ’s leader at the time (listeners will recall that our former guest Mike Rutledge was also on that operation).
Clay supported clandestine and Top Secret operations working alongside NSA and other three letter agencies in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Latin America as part of both the 82nd Airborne and 7th Special Forces Group in a Special Operations Team - Alpha (or SOT-A).
I hope you enjoy this first ever Combat Story from a signal interceptor who we, as Apache pilots, relied on regularly to triangulate targets, as much as I did.
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- Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Find Clay Jensen Online:
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/clayton-jensen-793b468b/
Show Notes:
00:00 - Intro
01:02 - Guest Introduction (Clay Jensen)
02:15 - Interview begins
02:48 - Impressions on Iraq 20 years later
04:57 - Japanese upbringing
09:24 - Bilingual for Defense Language Institute
11:31 - Interest in the Military
12:58 - Joining the Military
14:57 - Recruitment
18:15 - Working with Agencies
19:24 - Training for the Signals and Intelligence
23:38 - Joining the 82nd
24:40 - Linguistics in regular MOS
28:08 - 9/11
31:05 - 1st Deployment to Afghanistan
37:28 - Supporting the battle as a Linguist
40:08 - Navigating the outcome of a battle
44:06 - Transfering to Special Forces
46:11 - Proving yourself
47:20 - Definition of SOT-A
49:33 - Difference between standard MOS and Special Forces
51:21 - The Raid for Zawahiri
01:09:33 - Columbia
01:16:59 - The importance of Vocabulary
01:19:37 - Funny things
01:24:19 - Relationship with Interpreters
01:27:03 - Getting involved in the Afghanistan Evacuation
01:34:57 - Most courageous act
01:38:26 - Best and worst MREs
01:40:07 - Sentimental items
01:41:22 - Would you do it again
01:43:09 - Listener comments and shout outs
Brutal Fighting in The Arghandab River Valley with the 82nd Airborne | Andrew Bragg | The Devil’s Playground
Swedish Special Operations Soldier | Arctic Ranger | Special Purpose Unit | Intelligence | Number 788 | Max Lauker
Special Forces Sergeant Major in Afghanistan | Military Memoir Ghostwriter | Randall Surles (SGM, ret.) Round 2
Breaking a Leg on a Combat Jump | Special Forces Sergeant Major Turned Military Memoir Ghostwriter | Randall Surles (SGM, ret.) Round 1
CIA PDB Briefer to President Trump | Senior Intel Analyst | Beth Sanner
Creation of MARSOC | Tough Rugged Bastards | Marine Raider and Force Recon | John Dailey RD 2
Tough Rugged Bastard and the Creation of MARSOC | Marine Raider and Force Recon | John Dailey | RD 1
Unit X Co-Founder & F-16 Fighter Pilot | Battles in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Pentagon | Raj Shah
4th of July Tribute to Veterans | President Reagan | Medal of Honor | RRC | Marine Recon | SpecOps
USASOC Special Missions Unit Sergeant Major | 75th Ranger Regiment | Sean Hagerty
Inside the Green Beret and Ethics on the Battlefield: Dan Pace's Journey and Modern Warfare Challenges
Inside the President's Daily Briefing: A Deep Dive with Senior Intel Officer Michelle DiGruttolo
Unmasking China Intelligence Threats, Capabilities, and Structure w/ China Expert Nicholas Eftimiades, 34 Year Intelligence Professional
How to Live a No Shortcuts Mentality w/ former Marine and Navy SEAL Kevin Seiff | Vet Collective | Helping 100K Vets
Inside the Iron Triangle | Vietnam Combat in Pictures (from the time) | Kent Hillhouse Rd 2
FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) Operator | SWAT & FBI Agent | Drug Squad | Bicycle Bandit | Operation Black Widow | Shaffer Security | Greg Shaffer
Commanding Tanks in Vietnam | Silver Star Mission | Armored Cavalry M48 Tanks in 'Nam | Kent Hillhouse (MG, Ret)
Operator Syndrome Impact on Vets, Active Duty, Law Enforcement and the Special Operations Community | Chris Frueh
Last Great Tank-on-Tank Battle | Battle of 73 Easting | Armored Cavalry | M1A1 Abrams | Tim Gauthier
Navy SEAL Sniper | UNSEALED | Hardest Experience Losing a Fellow Frogman | Enlisted & Officer | Mark Greene
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