And it would fund these different cells to do very specific acts, whether it's surveillance, or sniper operations, or IEDs, or being used to purchase IED material,

about hundreds of hours interrogations to get there.

And he finally opened it up, and we had this huge corner coat of innovation phone from him, and it just connected the dots to like a gazillion different things going on in Europe,

you know, Horn of Africa, you know, all of them at least, he was like, you can't door his box.

He was staring at my pen, his foot's shaking, his foot's shaking really bad, he's just like, I'm grittin' them.

Like, why are you staring at my pencil, it was so intently, and he's like, I'm trying to decide if I'm gonna grab this pen and stab you to death with.

And I was like, really, let me make it easy for you.

So I picked up the pen, I put it right in front of him, I said, you're free to try any time you want, but the meantime you're gonna ask my question.

I was just trying to challenge him, you know, I wanted to basically let him know that you're not in charge, you have no power here.

I have absolute authority and power over you, and we just hoodwink you.

Welcome to Combat Story. I'm Ryan Fugid, and I serve Warzone Tourers as an Army attack helicopter pilot and CIA officer over a 15 year career.

I'm fascinated by the experiences of the elite in combat.

On this show, I interview some of the best to understand what combat felt like on their front lines.

This is Combat Story.

Today we hear the combat story of James Resone, best known as a best-selling author, but who also interrogated terrorists in Iraq on the front lines before picking up the pen.

James was inside the booth, conducting tactical interrogations downrange, and feeding intel on dangerous routes, IED makers, and high-value targets to coalition forces, up to Tier 1 on a daily basis.

Like so many vets, he dealt with a deep regret, a feeling like he didn't do enough and for years, accepting the blame when an American lost an arm breach in a target that he had developed or worse losing a life on the objective.

After leaving the service, James found his calling as an author, in part as a way to handle his PTSD.

We talk about his experience with psychedelics and other treatment options he used to keep his demons at bay.

He's going on to write 26 books, ranging from a memoir titled Interview with a Terrorist to his well-known military and espionage thrillers like the Monroe Doctrine.

He's now sharing his writing experience with other vets to help them become successful authors on their own.

I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the world of an interrogator at the height of the surge to becoming a wildly successful author as much as I did.

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