CS#61: Fighting ISIS in Syria and Russia in Ukraine Freedom Fighter | Fought ISIS in Syria | Fought in Ukraine | Ukraine Military
Combat Story
Ryan Fugit
4.8 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2022
⏱️ 95 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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Aiden was not part of the British military. He simply decided the people in Syria being terrorised by ISIS needed more support and found a way to get down range to help.
During his multiple deployments into Syria fighting with other westerners against ISIS and nearly dying, Aiden had been following events in Ukraine. He again decided, instead of sitting safely in the UK, to step up and fight for people who needed help.
Today, Aiden is officially part of the Ukrainian military. We had to record this particular interview quickly before Aiden deployed to the frontlines again, where he is now.
His Instagram account (cossackgundi) is worth a look too where’s amassed 20K followers and describes himself as a “British guy Rocking it out in the Ukrainian marines” with what he calls “Warzone Photography” and “Conflict news”.
I hope you enjoy this humble and understated Combat Story of someone who left everything behind to help others in two vastly different conflicts as much as I did.
Find Aiden online:
Instagram @cossackgundi https://www.instagram.com/cossackgundi/
Twitter @cossackgundi https://mobile.twitter.com/cossackgundi
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
Email [email protected]
Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle
Show Notes
0:00 - Intro
0:50 - Guest introduction (Aiden Aslin)
1:56 - Interview begins
2:16 - Current location and mindset getting ready for another deployment
5:04 - Childhood and working with adults with special needs
11:55 - Leaving safety and social work to go to Syria
19:46 - Deciding to go to war and getting into Syria
34:19 - Training and first time on the frontline making contact with enemy
41:03 - Combat Story #1 First real contact and feeling positive after the outcome
45:52 - Combat Story #2 A friendly fire incident that left him with panic attacks
1:05:31 - Returning to Syria despite traumatic experiences
1:11:35 - Combat Story #2 Ukraine conflict and joining Ukrainian Marines
1:25:32 - What did you carry into combat?
1:26:13 - Would you do it all again?
1:28:47 - Advice for someone considering this type of path
1:32:57 - Listener comments and shout outs
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Me and Danny, when the foxes were wandering like, |
| 0:04.2 | where's this at a strike? |
| 0:05.7 | Like this jet's flying around. |
| 0:07.0 | Like, it must have been 10, 50 minutes. |
| 0:09.8 | And we can see it like circling and we're like, |
| 0:11.4 | why isn't it fired yet? |
| 0:13.1 | And then all of a sudden, like, my friend Danny, |
| 0:15.7 | like, he pulls me down. |
| 0:16.9 | And he started screaming, like, get down. |
| 0:19.8 | And like, as he said that, like, you can hear like this, |
| 0:22.5 | this wash, like, no sooner when we got down. |
| 0:25.6 | Or these like explosions started going off, like, |
| 0:28.0 | and the ground and like, everything was vibrating. |
| 0:31.4 | Welcome to Combat Story. |
| 0:32.7 | I'm Ryan Fugid, and I serve Warzone Tours |
| 0:34.8 | as an Army Attack Helicopter Pilot and CIA officer |
| 0:37.6 | over a 15-year career. |
| 0:39.4 | I'm fascinated by the experiences of the elite in combat. |
| 0:42.8 | On this show, I interview some of the best |
| 0:45.0 | to understand what combat felt like on their frontlines. |
| 0:48.2 | This is Combat Story. |
| 0:50.4 | Today, we hear the combat story of Aiden Aslan, |
... |
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