CS 77: Navy SEAL to Astronaut | CEO Medal of Honor Museum Foundation | Space Walker | Chris Cassidy

Combat Story

Ryan Fugit

History

4.8 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2022

⏱️ 108 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today we have a Combat Story first with our first Astronaut who spent over 377 days in space and completed 10 spacewalks (where he’s actually out in space in nothing but his suit): Chris Cassidy. Before he joined NASA, Chris was a Navy SEAL and was one of the very first sent into Afghanistan in 2001 after 9/11.

There’s very little Chris has not accomplished. He attended the US Naval Academy, received a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has two Honorary PhD's.

As a SEAL, Chris earned a Bronze Star with Valor and a Presidential Unit Citation for combat in Afghanistan. He was NASA’s 14th Chief Astronaut, which is the head of NASA’s Astronaut Corps and is the principal advisor to the NASA Administrator on astronaut training and operations.

Chris is incredibly humble given his accomplishments and it’s no surprise he is now President and CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, where he’s leading efforts to build out an iconic Museum for MOH recipients, a Leadership Institute, and a Monument on the National Mall.

I hope you enjoy this view from Space from such a down to Earth man as much as I did. Special thanks to previous guests Darrell Utt and Mike Hayes who helped us connect with Chris.

Find Chris Online:
-Instagram @astro_seal
-Instagram @mohmuseum
-MOH Museum Donation www.mohmuseum.org/donate

Find Ryan Online:
-To support Combat Story and get exclusive content, head to Patreon www.patreon.com/combatstory
-Ryan’s Linktree https://linktr.ee/combatstory
-Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/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
1:05 - Guest Introduction (Chris Cassidy)
2:31 - Interview begins
8:10 - Childhood and interest in military
19:18 - Path to SEAL Teams
25:20 - About his first SEAL Team, an underwater vehicle team
29:30 - Where he was when 911 happened and how SEAL Team 3 reposnded
38:19 - Combat Story - First time leading troops into an engagement
42:07 - Combat Story - Aha moment while on a mission in the caves of Afghan-Pakistan border
46:56 - Team dynamics in a small unit like a SEAL Team
52:09 - Leadership and the danger of complacency and overconfidence
54:24 - Transition to NASA
1:04:53 - First flight expereince as an astronaut
1:13:15 - First spacewalk experience
1:17:56 - Story of a hairy experience during a spacewalk mission
1:30:14 - Feeling privileged to do the work and the long-term fatigue that can happen
1:31:53 - National Medal of Honor Museum
1:40:56 - Dealing with setbacks along his path
1:43:05 - What did you carry into combat/space?
1:44:21 - Would you do it again?
1:45:46 - Listener comments and shout outs

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	going to space is going to combat with the enemy being the environment and mechanical things.
0:06.2	So it was a very, very similar feeling to me as that razor sharp feeling that you have as a
0:14.9	well-trained ready-to-go, well-briefed, well-informed, well-supported operator stepping out to do
0:21.3	your mission, whether it's an aviator, rolling over to drop the bombs or a helicopter pilot
0:28.4	making that perfect landing in a combat zone or the ground guys stepping off the helicopter,
0:33.8	going left, going right onto a hot zone. It was that same exact feeling like,
0:40.9	bring it off. That's how, that's what I remember thinking, like, bring it. What do you got space?
0:47.4	Welcome to Combat Story. I'm Ryan Fugid and I serve WarZone Tours as an Army attack
0:51.6	helicopter pilot and CIA officer over a 15 year career. I'm fascinated by the experiences
0:57.2	of the elite in combat. On this show, I interview some of the best to understand what combat felt
1:02.4	like on their front lines. This is Combat Story. Today we have a combat story first with our first
1:08.5	astronaut who spent over 377 days in space and completed 10 space walks, where he's actually
1:15.5	out in space in nothing but his suit. Chris Cassidy, four-jointed NASA, Chris was a Navy
1:22.0	seal and one of the very first sent into Afghanistan in 2001 after 9-11. There's very little Chris
1:28.6	has not accomplished. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, received a Master of Science in Ocean
1:34.1	Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT and has two honorary PhDs.
1:41.8	As a seal, Chris earned a bronze star with valor and a presidential unit citation for combat
1:47.4	in Afghanistan. He was NASA's 14th Chief Astronaut, which is the head of NASA's Astronaut Corps
1:54.2	and is the principal advisor to the NASA Administrator on Astronaut Training and Operations.
1:59.9	Chris is incredibly humble given his accomplishments and it's no surprise. He is now President
2:06.0	and CEO of the National Medal of Auto Museum Foundation, where he's leading efforts to build out an
2:11.8	iconic museum for Medal of Honor recipients, a leadership institute, and a monument on the
	...

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