Combat Story (Ep 53): David Parke | Ranger | Paramilitary Contractor | ODNI National Intel Medal for Valor
Combat Story
Ryan Fugit
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 4 December 2021
⏱️ 109 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
[Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by Loansteady LLC. A small-by-design lender, Loansteady believes in bringing a much-needed dose of humanity to the mortgage process. They are waiving all lender fees for Veterans in 2021. Visit http://www.loansteady.com/combatstory to request a rate quote or start an application. Loansteady LLC, All rights reserved, NMLS# 1701910, (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/), Equal Housing Lender. For more licensing information, please visit https://www.loansteady.com/licenses-and-legal.]
During his time down range as a contractor, he earned the ODNI’s National Intelligence Medal for Valor, which the ODNI describes as being given “in connection with an Intel Community mission to national security” and awarded on a “highly selective and rare basis.”
David now co-hosts The Team House, which livestreams interviews with special operators, intel professionals, and more. I’m a big fan of the Team House and you can check out our Combat Story interview with David’s co-host Jack Murphy (Episode 13 https://youtu.be/ScqnGbPSfhY).
David has written two books and appeared in several TV shows as an actor. I hope you enjoy this Combat Story with another battle-tested fighter as much as I did.
Find David Online:
Instagram @d.parke https://www.instagram.com/d.parke/
LinkedIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveparke11b/
The Team House Podcast
Find Ryan Online:
Ryan’s Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
Instagram @combatstory https://www.instagram.com/combatstory
Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
Send us messages at https://m.me/combatstoryofficial
Show Notes:
0:00 - Intro
0:41 - A word from our Sponsor (LoanSteady)
2:09 - Guest introduction (David Parke)
3:02 - Interview begins
3:27 - Getting attacked on a NYC subway in 2020
13:30 - David as a kid, his natural curiosity, and life before the military
18:08 - Why the Marines?
21:04 - From Marines to Navy Diver
26:59 - Going through Army boot camp at 27 years old
34:46 - His transition into linguist role
43:06 - Being in DLI training when 9/11 happened
46:49 - Fear of Missing the War
51:18 - What interrogations at Guantanamo were actually like
59:32 - Early mission sets in Afghanistan
1:11:23- Combat Story #1 - An unexpected (and funny) outcome in Iraq
1:15:43 - Combat Story #2 - the mission where David earned the ODNI National Intelligence Medal for Valor
1:27:54 - Combat Story #3 – The lighter side and things you can’t help but laugh at
1:28:58 – Team House origin story
1:44:54 - What did you carry into combat?
1:46:02 - Would you do it all again?
1:47:27 - Listener comments and shout outs
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | rounds were hitting I mean literally like an inch from my head and I thought they were coming from |
| 0:05.6 | one place and so I was firing into that place but actually they were coming from another place |
| 0:10.6 | that we hadn't even seen it was like basically a sniper hole that we hadn't identified and after |
| 0:17.2 | the battle we realized that this guy had like a dead beat on he was just missing. |
| 0:22.2 | Welcome to Combat Story. I'm Ryan Fugid and I serve WarZone Tours as an Army attack helicopter |
| 0:26.9 | pilot and CIA officer over a 15 year career. I'm fascinated by the experiences of the elite |
| 0:32.5 | and combat. On this show I interview some of the best to understand what combat felt like on |
| 0:37.7 | their front lines. This is Combat Story. As regular listeners know we love stories of commitment, |
| 0:43.8 | sacrifice and perseverance. I choose guests carefully to find these traits and I take a similar |
| 0:49.0 | approach to choosing sponsors for the show which is why I'm proud to share that this episode is |
| 0:54.0 | sponsored by Loan Steady. Company that fights to get you the best position on your home loan. |
| 0:59.2 | I've known Moe and Hayden the two owners of Loan Steady for over 10 years and watched them |
| 1:04.5 | grow the company from a four person group, crammed in a small office into a multi-million dollar |
| 1:09.7 | company doing business in dozens of states through hustle hard work and sacrifice. I also know they |
| 1:16.0 | do right by veterans offered some of the best margins on VA loans you can find. I've personally |
| 1:21.3 | referred to family members to Loan Steady in the past year and both had great experiences |
| 1:26.4 | and I plan on using Loan Steady and the coming year myself. If you're in the market for a home loan |
| 1:32.1 | interested in refinancing or taking cash out for a project or home improvement particularly |
| 1:38.0 | while rates are near historic lows check them out for a special offer for our listeners. |
| 1:43.6 | Before the end of 2021 go to www.loansteady.com slash combat story and apply and Loan Steady will wave |
| 1:52.8 | all lender fees like those for processing and underwriting. Moe and Hayden will take care of you |
| 1:58.5 | and keep you safe. It's Loan Steady LLC NMLS number 1701910 and equal housing lender. |
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