0:00:00 – Opening.
0:02:36 – The story of Jason Dunham, with Bill Hampton, Kelly Miller, John Ferguson, Trent Gibson.
3:34:07 – Final thoughts and take-aways.
3:38:20 – How to stay on THE PATH.
4:12:00 – Closing Gratitude.
203: One Man Can Make a Difference. USMC Corporal Jason Dunham and The Ultimate Sacrifice
November 13, 2019
|In Podcast Episodes
Deeply impactful podcast. Thank you for having the difficult conversations.
Maybe add indiegogo link to show notes:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-gift-documentary-film#/
Very inspirational story, had me on the edge of seat at times and at other times it was hard to not break down. Thank you for sharing that story and keeping the memory of Jason Dunham alive.
Amazing!!!
Thank you for this podcast, Jocko, and for your continued service! I am a civilian Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse and am always interested to hear about the medical aspects of the military. You frequently discuss aspects of the medical care our veterans receive and the sacrifices the medical staff make for the wounded. I believe your listeners would greatly appreciate to hear you interview a nurse or doctor that has worked from a forward operating hospital. Thank you again!
Jocko,
Hi! My name is Joel Maart and I live in Lindstrom, MN. I am about to finish this episode of your podcast. I’ve listened to several of your podcasts and absolutely enjoy them. I’ve never served in the military, but I’ve been reading about WW2 and the military since 5th grade. They are two of my favorite subjects. I had a great uncle killed in WW2 and is buried in France. So, while I’ve never served, I have The Highest Respect for those who do – especially for the kind of Marines presented in this episode.
This episode was extremely, extremely powerful! Wow! I appreciate how you took the listener through the entire process, including sharing the private moments of when Jason was taken off of life support. I was – and still am – in tears hearing that powerful story.
One other item from this podcast that connected with me was by the Marine who was injured in both arms and ended up having what sounded like 20 surgeries. I don’t remember his name. He said after the explosion when he was waiting to be evacuated that he wasn’t thinking of himself. He said he was thinking of Jason and his fellow Marines. I immediately thought of Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Also, John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
I have two sons, 12 & 9. The youngest especially likes the military and asks me all the time about the different branches, battles, equipment, etc. I shared with my boys the story of Jason, the Marines who said he didn’t care about himself, and these two verses.
First of all, I want to teach my boys Biblical truth as it teaches us how to live and think. In this case, these verses teach us about sacrificial loving and caring for others.
But secondly, I wanted to show my boys a real-life example of these verses lived out and what I feel makes the US military so special. For my 9-year old who keeps talking about going into the military one day, he needs to understand these principles now, both for life in general and in particular if he ever serves.
Thank you for this episode! Thank you for Marines like Jason Dunham and the four others in this podcast. Thank you for their service, their patriotism, their honor and professionalism, their commitment to duty, and for their life example I can share with my two boys. God bless Jason’s family and so many others who have suffered loss like this.
I will never forget it!
Mr. Willink. Jocko Podcast 203. I know you are a leader that has suffered loss so I believe #203 must have been one of the hardest podcasts for you to tough out. I am humbled by the humanity you showed through your emotions and leading of this interview of these brave men. The final thoughts of your guests were so REAL and delivered great personal impact for anyone listening. What an honor it must be for you to continually meet and speak with guest after guest that are such extraordinary people. I found myself praying for you and the men you were talking with in #203 as if the interview were happening right now and in front of me. Thank you for providing the forum in which these vital stories are told. God bless you sir.
Mark Imel
USN
7/82 through 11/91
Jocko,
Long time listener.
Prior Marine – 91-97
Cpl Dunham interview was breath taking. By far , the most moving story you and Echo have had the opp to share. So important for both civilian/military pops to be exposed to what it ‘s really about. Selflessness, honor, and the love of your fellow brothers.
Thank you for what you do.
SF.
J Ambrose
Heart wrenching, but amazing words by all.
Wow what an episode….. I’m in Law Enforcement and was trying to work and listen to this at the same time. Needless to say not a lot of work got done today…
Jocko,
You have had some incredibly moving episodes. This is at the top for me.
It is so impactful to hear how these men recall the events as if they happened yesterday. In parallel the emotion they carry with them every day is deeply moving. I was inspired, again….
One thing I heard, was what it took for Jason’s parents to get the resources to meet him when he returned to the states. That worried me, when it literally could have been a matter of minutes. No one knew.
Is there an organization that helps parents or spouses or partners of wounded heroes stop their lives and make that time-critical trip? I would love to know.
Thank you again for another life-impacting episode.
Art
Outstanding episode, Mr. Willink! An amazing story of a tremendous Marine, and beyond moving to hear it from his fellow Marines that knew him so well.
First I want to say that I have been going back and listening to your podcasts from the beginning to try to “catch up” and occasionally listening to a newer episode if something catches my attention. It has been fascinating to listen to your skills as an interviewer expand and blossom over the years, and this episode in my opinion, is the greatest example of that at it’s peak. You did an outstanding job of husbanding this episode along, letting the Marines do most of the talking, engaging them with pertinent questions when appropriate while also not being afraid to let silence settle in occasionally. Your questions and handling of what was obviously a tough process for your guests as well as yourself was extraordinarily well done, keeping things light when needed but also not afraid or unwilling to address the heavy emotional moments of the story you all were telling. Just an outstanding job on your part and one to be particularly proud of.
Second, if possible please pass on to your guests my deeply humble appreciation for their service and sacrifice for our country. Their stories and love for each other were and are deeply moving. I had the privilege of working as a civilian in Iraq from 2006-2008 (I was too old and too fat for the military by 9/11 unfortunately, so that was as close as I could get) and serving the military to the best of my ability. I was and still am amazed by the great men and women that volunteer to serve and fight for us. I worked on coalition (primarily Polish) and US bases there, and while the other countries were terrific, the US military was a cut above. These men on this podcast remind me of those feelings of pride, satisfaction and gratefulness I got from that experience, and working to try to make the lives of our deployed military as good as we could.
Again, great episode, and thank you for providing a venue for stories like this to get told in depth.
That podcast was inspiring on many different levels. A lot of lessons to take away from that podcast. I really appreciate your podcasts and all the information you provide to learn from.