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Creation of JSOC and 1st Ranger BN | Pablo Escobar Hunter | Keith Nightingale | Combat Story Ep. 82

Combat Story Ep. 82July 9, 2022
Creation of JSOC and 1st Ranger BN | Pablo Escobar Hunter | Keith Nightingale | Combat Story Ep. 82
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About This Episode

Today we have a special Combat Story that takes us from commanding in bloody fighting in Vietnam to some of the seminal moments in our military’s Special Operations history, all courtesy of retired colonel Keith Nightingale.

Keith served two tours in Vietnam, one as an adviser to the Vietnamese where he learned jungle warfare from one of the most interesting and lethal characters in country, followed by taking command of an infantry company in the 101st that had just been wiped out, literally, hours earlier.

Keith was a founding member of the 1st Ranger Battalion when it was created by Gen Creighton Abrams in 1974-later commanding both that battalion and the Ranger brigade. He then gives us a fly on the wall perspective of the Desert One catastrophe and the subsequent birth and creation of what we know today as JSOC, to include why we have DIA, 160th, Delta and more.

We even touch on Keith’s time as the DoD lead tracking down none other than the Drug Kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Keith has gone on to write three books, “Just Another Day in Vietnam”, “Phoenix Rising: From the Ashes of Desert One to the Rebirth of U.S. Special Operations,” and “A Soldier Looks Back: Memories and Reflections of a Combat Veteran, from Normandy to Afghanistan.”

This was a memorable Combat Story that gives us a look inside some of the most significant moments that created the modern US military we all know and love today.

Show Notes

Find out more about the Creation of JSOC and 1st Ranger BN click: https://www.combatstory.com/

The video is all about the Creation of JSOC and 1st Ranger BN information but also tries to cover the following subjects:

-1st Ranger Battalion -Pablo Escobar Hunter -Vietnam Veteran

Today we have an extraordinary Combat Story that takes us from commanding in bloody fighting in Vietnam to some of the seminal moments in our military’s Special Operations history, all courtesy of retired colonel Keith Nightingale.

Keith served two tours in Vietnam, one as an adviser to the Vietnamese where he learned jungle warfare from one of the most interesting and lethal characters in the country, followed by taking command of an infantry company in the 101st that had just been wiped out, literally, hours earlier.

Keith was a founding member of the 1st Ranger Battalion when it was created by Gen Creighton Abrams in 1974-later commanded both that battalion and the Ranger brigade. He then gives us a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the Desert One catastrophe and the subsequent birth and creation of what we know today as JSOC, including why we have DIA, 160th, Delta, and more.

We even touch on Keith’s time as the DoD lead tracking down none other than the Drug Kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Keith has gone on to write three books, “Just Another Day in Vietnam”, “Phoenix Rising: From the Ashes of Desert One to the Rebirth of U.S. Special Operations,” and “A Soldier Looks Back: Memories and Reflections of a Combat Veteran, from Normandy to Afghanistan.”

So you would like to learn more about the Creation of JSOC and 1st Ranger BN, I did too, and here is the video I created around this topic. The creation of JSOC and 1st Ranger BN interested me so I did some research and uploaded this to YouTube. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Our YouTube channel has various other related videos about the 1st Ranger Battalion, Vietnam Veterans, and JSOC. Please check them out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ _________________________ If you were searching for more info about the 1st Ranger Battalion or JSOC or Vietnam, did this video aid? Possibly you want to comment below and let me know what else I can help you with or share if you have information on the creation of JSOC and or Ranger BN

This was a memorable Combat Story that gives us a look inside some of the most significant moments that created the modern US military we all know and love today.

Featured Guest

Combat Story Ep. 82

Chapters

  • 0:00Intro
  • 0:45Guest Introduction (Keith Nightingale)
  • 2:17Interview begins
  • 2:40What he did in the army
  • 3:24how the military was “in his DNA” and being the first officer in the family that served as a career
  • 7:30Getting orders to go to Vietnam and the most influential person in helping become a battlefield leader
  • 18:10Combat Story #1 - first contact in Vietnam
  • 24:59A “karmic” approach to combat learned in Vietnam
  • 26:57Combat Story #2 - a long night in Vietnam
  • 36:03Going back to Vietnam with Delta company
  • 43:14An intense training in leadership
  • 46:27Combat Story #3 - First time in the field with Delta and his leadership strategy for low morale
  • 56:43The founding of JSOC and 1st Ranger Battalion
  • 1:05:43Combat Story #4 - Operation Eagle Claw
  • 1:32:57Tracking down Pablo Escobar
  • 1:40:42What did you carry into combat?
  • 1:41:54Would you do it again?
  • 1:42:53Listener comments and shout outs