Today we have round two of our incredible Combat Story with John Dailey, the former Marine Force Recon operator who was one of the very few selected to help stand up what was known as ”Detachment One,” which would lead to the creation of the Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) that we know today.

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If you missed Round 1, John grew up on the east coast hunting and shooting and, in the ninth grade, visited a Marine recruiter who took him under his wing until it was time to enlist. He went straight into a sniper unit and then served as a Marine Security Guard at Embassies in Hungary and Argentina before joining Force Recon. On 9/11, John was in a bar in Australia with a Marine Expeditionary Unit when he saw the towers come down. He and his Force Recon unit were sent directly to Afghanistan where they took the fight to the Taliban months after the attacks.

This second round interview picks up after John returns from this first deployment and sets the ground for his book that will be released in August 2024, aptly titled ‘Tough Rugged Bastards: A Memoir of a Life in Marine Special Operations’ that describes both John’s experiences and the beginning of MARSOC from his perspective on the ground. I hope you enjoy this experience of combat and the weight of the Marine Corps on the shoulders of a small group of men like John, as much as I did.

Find John Dailey Online:

https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Rugged-Bastards-Special-Operations/dp/163758735X

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🎵 Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

00:00 Dramatic Baghdad Arrival
00:48 Introduction to Combat Story
01:07 Meet John Daly: Marine Force Recon Operator
01:21 John Daly's Early Career and 9/11 Experience
05:26 Training the Next Generation of Marines
07:46 Forming Detachment 1: The Birth of MARSOC
10:22 First Deployment Challenges and Intel Operations
17:27 Hunting High-Value Targets in Iraq
30:45 Guarding the Vice President
31:32 Interrogation and Intelligence Gathering
34:43 The Final Mission
38:42 Reflections on Service
41:39 Writing the Memoir
48:04 The Sniper Story
57:03 Sentimental Keepsakes and Final Thoughts
59:36 Conclusion and Listener Comments