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JSOC vs Taliban Camp | RRC | OMEGA | Ambushing the Enemy - Mike Edwards Round 2

Ambushing the Enemy - Mike Edwards Round 2December 23, 2023
JSOC vs Taliban Camp | RRC | OMEGA | Ambushing the Enemy - Mike Edwards Round 2
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About This Episode

Join our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan for people who love and support our veterans, service members, and their families. It has info on a significant event in military and/or intel history, a funny military joke, an update on a current event I'm following, something I'm doing that week in my life, a book I'm reading, a look at an upcoming interview, a reflection on a past episode and more!

Today we have the second round of our two part Combat Story with Mike Edwards, a former Regimental Reconnaissance Company (RRC) operator and longtime Ranger with 18 combat deployments.

Mike was one of the few to serve in the Omega Program, which the Washington Post described as “units comprising CIA personnel and troops with JSOC…using co-mingled bases in Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen” and “mostly designed against specific high-value targets.” Effectively, Omega was some of the best and most elite operators and intelligence officers paired up downrange to bring the full weight of both JSOC and the Agency.

Mike served alongside former Combat Story guest Rodney Brown, a former Navy SEAL and member of the Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group (or DEVGRU which is often referred to in the press as SEAL Team Six). In this episode, Mike describes an operation taking on an entire Taliban camp with Rodney that Rodney also described in his interview. Be sure to go back and listen to Rodney’s and Mike’s account of this same operation to get a more complete picture of the event from two vantage points!

If you missed round one I would highly recommend listening to hear about Mike’s start as an 11M and transition into Ranger Regiment, his combat jump into Iraq, and how he earned a Purple Heart and Silver Star.

Once again, special thanks to our brothers Jack, Dave, and Dee at the Team House for introducing us to Mike! And with that, please enjoy this second interview with Mike Edwards.

For more information on the Omega program, check out the Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/06/06/seal-team-6-the-cia-and-the-secret-history-of-u-s-kill-missions/) or Wired Magazine (https://www.wired.com/2011/09/cia-killing-machine/).

Show Notes:

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Featured Guest

Ambushing the Enemy - Mike Edwards Round 2

Chapters

  • 00:00Introduction
  • 00:57Guest Profile: Mike Edwards Round 2
  • 02:33Start of Interview
  • 02:41Route to Regimental Reconnaissance Company
  • 06:43Tough Ops. in Rangers
  • 07:51Training and Selection for (RRC)
  • 12:30Difficulties During Selection
  • 20:14Skydiving and Freefalling
  • 23:31Human Tracking
  • 28:23Relationship with Rodney Brown
  • 37:30Mike's MI-47 Helicopter Crash
  • 41:54Interrogations
  • 44:08Difference Deploying With A Child
  • 46:39Mike's MP7 Op.
  • 58:06Challenges With Mental Health and Religion
  • 01:04:40A Tough Op.
  • 01:12:15Battlefield Interrogations
  • 01:17:20Most Courageous Act
  • 01:20:58Post Service Recovery
  • 01:23:46Religious Community
  • 01:26:54Exedous Relief
  • 01:30:01Plans for the Future
  • 01:34:18Sentimental Items
  • 01:36:00Would You Do It All Again?
  • 01:36:38Listener Comments and Feedback