Chet Ingram & Ryan Johnson: Remembering Navy SEAL Nathan G. Ingram — A Warrior Who Dove Into Darkness to Save a Brother

Oh, it's important not to let it change you. Resist the temptation to totally uproot your life, you know? I'll still do all the same things I did before. I'm still... me. It was 25 pounds you won, wasn't it, Maz? Yeah. You can't beat that winning feeling. With NS&I Premium Bonds, saving can mean winning. Every month there are chances to experience all the excitement of picking up a tax-free prize, from £25 to £1 million. Search NS&I Premium Bonds.

Minimum investment, 25 pounds. I want his foundation to represent what he would have been, what I knew him to be, how he was raised to be. And like I said, being validated through a lot of the actions and stories that are coming back from other people like that. I think I'm on the right path to basically just be a damn good human.

All right, everybody. Welcome back to the TNQ Podcast. I'm your host, Marcus Luttrell. Every week, it's my job to fire you up, to ignite the legend inside of you, and to push you to your greatness. Join me every week as I take you into my briefing room.

with some of the most hard charging people on the planet. They're going to show you how to embrace the suck of life, teach you the values of working your ass off, and charge through whatever life throws at you. This is the Team Never Quit podcast. So buckle up, buttercup.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of the Team Never Quit podcast. As always, thank you guys for listening and watching. And please don't forget to hit that like and subscribe button wherever you're getting this show. So today, before we get to our special guests. Let's kick it off with our weekly Patreon question. And this week we have got, if you could fly anywhere in the world for dinner tonight, where are you going? Marcus is the dinner guy. Yeah, Amsterdam.

Those are some good spots right there. There's three that we go to that I'd fly to to hit. And then that restaurant in Japan that we can never figure out. I know, we can't remember the name of it. In Tokyo, there was a steakhouse that was like... Both of them are steakhouses. Yeah. If I had to fly there. There's one in the States, though. In Charlotte, North Carolina. Okay. Yeah, Mert's Soul Food Restaurant. I mean...

You want to go right now? I'd fly right now to go eat there. My pick was going to be Mary's Cafe and straw and get a chicken fried steak. Best. atmosphere is great as soon as you walk in there Mertz is what it's called yeah and I found it on a whimsical man just walking around in downtown anytime I happen to be flying through there for any event I make sure I put a front and back end hour just so I can go eat there yeah

That would have to be the top, Mertz. Although, man, we had a great steak at that hotel in Dallas the other day. Cool. At the Fairmont. At the Fairmont. Yeah. If you're ever in Dallas, go to the Fairmont and get a steak. Solid. Hidden gold mine. We sat down. This lady comes walking up and she's like, you guys look hungry. I bet you could use a steak.

I mean, I was speaking my language right there. And I was just like, all right, sister, bring it on. And she did. And it was whipped potatoes, a piece of broccoli, and that freaking steak, man. So good. And it was really good. I mean, great. It was great.

Fairmont. Fairmont. Yeah. Couldn't believe it. Check that out. Sorry I missed y'all at that. Yeah, you were there at the Navy SEAL Foundation dinner? Well, no, I was supposed to be. Oh. I had an opportunity to promote the foundation at another event with...

It's American Airlines pilots called 100 Vets Who Give a Damn. Oh, nice. Is that the name of it? Yeah. That's pretty good. Yeah, they're all retired pilots, and they give me an opportunity to speak from them and make a little money for the foundation. I like it. still promote it so i i chosen to go do that uh over that event i went to it last year that was right after gauges of ceremonies

Roller whistle. We went last year and this year they invited me to it, but they didn't tell me what all they were doing. I'm kind of mad I wasn't there. That was a good one. But I had to take an opportunity to promote, so I did. Yeah, of course. What about you? My favorite restaurant? This is not a fancy restaurant by any means in the world, but to me it's like... It feels like home is in Cottonport, Louisiana. There's a tiny little restaurant called Bernard's Seafood.

And every time we go see my grandma, I get the fried shrimp bladder. For every meal. Yeah. And I might eat the hush puppies just for a meal, too. It just reminds me of my family. It's hometown cooking. Yeah. When you walk in there, it's... It's a tiny, itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny little place. Those are the best. And... It's consistent. You always have good fried shrimp no matter when you go. Yeah, that might have to be Bernard's in Cottonport, Louisiana. What about you, brother?

Man, probably. We're still young, so give us some time, right? Still young, yes, sir. Man, probably Chipotle. I love me some Chipotle. You don't have to fly there, bro. We got one right down the road, man. Drive down the road. We can drive really fast, but we're not going to fly. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, a place that comes to mind, I actually wouldn't have to fly there either, but George is in Waco. I don't know if y'all have ever been up there.

It's great, yeah. It's kind of a mom and pop. Kitchen field? Oh, nice. Yeah, it's fair. Old school. They've got two locations, one in Hewitt, which is just the town over, but it's solid. Chicken fried steak. All kinds of good stuff. We're driving back that way, you know. Yeah, we could stop by today. If we weren't, we are now. Right, yeah, exactly. Come on, let's go. All right, what about you, boss? I was thinking...

Oh, the Mary's. Mary's and Strawn, best shake in the world. I don't know. I'm a foodie guy. Yeah. I will try anything, anywhere, especially the no-name back alleys. Those are the best. Yeah. that's awesome hunter you're our world traveler you've been more places than any of us Yeah, well, I've got two. One crazy destination that I loved was the Beef Bar in Santorini. That was really good. Great sunsets over there, too. Beautiful views.

That was really good. That was actually really, really good. They had like a corn side dish that was like a corn elote that was so good. And it's called the beef bar. Yeah. I mean, you know you're walking into something good when that thing... And side note, we were mad at Hunter for picking it because we thought it was too far of a walk and we had just gotten there and we were tired and we just wanted to put our bags down and lay in bed and eat.

It was an 11 minute walk. It was. When you say it like that. Santorini is really steep up and down, up and down like a goat. So, and we had. like 12 of us so it was a lot of kids it was just a lot we're like hunter where are you taking us but once we sat down and ate it was actually really good and i apologized for complaining

It's worth flying over there to eat there. Yeah, because the way that mountain's set up, or the island, excuse me, how everything, just the way it feels. It was really good. And food overseas is twice as good as ours. Yeah. Probably three to four times better, actually, and better for you. Even their junk food's better for you than our healthy food. What's the other one? The other one, if you are driving from Texas to Louisiana or vice versa...

You stop at Billy's Boudin. Oh, that is something else right there. Where's Billy's Boudin? It's right off of I-10 in Louisiana. Not Scott's. No. Everybody likes Scott's... Billy's... doesn't want to go to. That's Scott's brother, Billy. That's his competitor, his cousin. I'm getting hungry now. I said, man, I could use a snack before I get in there. Stop at the only donut shop that doesn't have donuts down the street.

Oh, my gosh. Hey, we got a mom and pop down the road called Miss Kitty's. And I go there every Friday and then periodically throughout the week. I got one of those great cheeseburgers that when you bite into it, it bleeds down your arm, kind of juicy. Love it. Yeah, all that. Love it.

And home cooking. When you walk in here, it smells like it, feels like it. It's great, yeah. All right. Good Patreon question. Yeah, that was a good question, actually. It was. All right, let's get started. Thank you for coming out here. Thanks for having me.

You bet. Thank you, too, brother. So the way we like to do this to introduce you to the team and everybody is get a little backstory on where you're from. So tell me, where'd you guys come out of? Well, I'm from Quanah, Texas, out on the southern, southeastern end of it. Tell us what that is.

Quanah? Quanah America. It's not the edge of the world, but you can see it from there. Quanah is a town of about 2,200 people. It's around the Oklahoma border between, I would say, right between Dallas and Amarillo. So flat farm country out there. Maybe you've heard it before. It's flat enough to see your dog run away for two days if you want to. Beautiful sunsets. Just raised a farm boy. My dad was sheriff all my life.

Brothers County Judge there. I'm one of 10 kids in that town. Yeah, I just grew up on farming all my life and working in a cafe kind of fit that question. Yeah. Became a foodie that way. Had a granny that had a cafe, and I started washing dishes at five. I love that. I hadn't stopped working since that day. Went on a lot of wheat harvest.

Every summer. I was going to ask you what kind of farm is that up there? Cotton and wheat, most of all. Peanuts got incorporated way back before I left there, but we were trying to bring peanuts into the area. Sandy land on the north end of the county, tight land on the south end. crop is at that point in time but uh good hunting back when i was growing up i moved to the big city did everything i could when i was

2021 to get to the big city and get those opportunities and got here and realized that I'd taken for granted everything that everybody who lives in the city wants. Hunting, fishing. I drove a tractor all the time. I was looking for air conditioning my entire life. So getting back out there. Spent all my life getting to the big city. Now I'm spending the rest of it getting back. So there's a lot of that. We can talk about it later about what we're looking to do in that area.

But yeah, moved to the big city and what I thought was a really important job. What was it? I went to work for a tax management company and I did appeal hearings with the Texas Workforce Commission, so I kind of argued for a living. Okay. I got married, had my oldest daughter, Jacey, and then Gage came along. Then I became a house dad. That's a great job, actually. One of the toughest I've ever had. That's a great job.

I got to pull that duty for a little while. It's not bad. One of the toughest I ever had. I tell people all the time, I said, don't take that lightly. Your life is dictated by what that little fellow wants, you know? So, yeah, it was the toughest job I ever had. And then just started working my way into...

Other jobs, Home Depot was a big deal back in a thousand years ago when I was in that age. And I thought, man, I'm going to live and die right there. So I'm going to go work there. I did for a while. And then I graduated through a friend of mine into global logistics. For about the last 30 years, I've been involved in international air freight, global logistics, still am to this day, in Fort Worth. What about you, brother? Where are you from? So I grew up in Trophy Club, Texas, which...

kind of opposite of Chet. It's just the suburbs. So I was very, very blessed at a young age to live in a pretty safe and great town. yeah i've met gage in kindergarten actually so we kind of grew up going to elementary school for a few years and then i changed schools came back and uh you know middle school high school together and um yeah i went to college came back and would you go to school

So I actually went to a JUCO in Waco, played golf there for two years, and then went to a school in Augusta, Georgia for two years after that, and then came back down. Played golf there? Yes, sir. All right. Yeah. It was a good spot to play. Big golf family here. Oh, really? Oh, yeah. Come on. I was telling him, I said, he's working on his cue card right now.

Yeah, that's awesome. Good to see you, man. And our daughter's on the golf team. I want to be a pro golfer so bad. Really? Every time she comes home from school, I'll make her hit. Yeah, come on. And then we're talking about putting a simulator in the barn. That's...

That's handy right there, especially those winter months when it's cold and windy. It's good to get in there. I wish we had you for a couple days because we got Blue Jack right down the road. Oh, that's right. Yeah, Tiger's Course. I've never been out there. And a few snopes is the opposite direction. Man, you go out there pretty often? Sure do. Wow. We go out to both. Yeah, both. Come on. I've heard Blue Jack's great. I'm pushing golf and bowling.

Everyone in the family should be able to do those two sports, man. Golf especially because the scenery is beautiful and no one's trying to kill you. You know what I'm talking about? And you can go out and play until you're old. And you can do it on vacation. And vacation. Yeah, it's therapeutic in a way.

It is. I mean, it's frustrating both, right? Right, yeah. It can't create a stress point, yeah. It doesn't get frustrating until you get good. Yeah, exactly. That's the weird part. Then you bite off more than you can chew, and it can be kind of irritating. It's great. And little plug, we love our PXG golf clubs.

I didn't have to become a professional golfer to get sponsored by it. There's other ways to do it, man. We got some great PX. So we're all swinging the PXGs over here. What are you hitting? So I've got some Mira Irons and then Ping Woods predominantly. You should go to PXG, they're the best.

marine nothing yeah bob parsons right yeah he's big how about that guy yeah he's he's get out and reinvent golf pretty pretty crazy and a lot of tour guys play it i mean a lot of big time schools play it i know oklahoma is sponsored by them and some other schools so

yeah he's done really well for for setting that whole thing up it's been pretty it's unbelievable yeah a couple of those guys getting out and doing reinventing uh coffee we got coffee guys and golf i mean stuff you never think that you could step into but just did and got it done man i love that

Speaking of golf, we are going, where are we going where we're shipping our clubs? Lake Tahoe? Oh, to Lake Tahoe, to the Matt Axelson Golf Tournament. So this summer is the 20th anniversary of Operation Red Wing. A lot of different events going on this summer. The Danny Dietz Memorial, it's like a rodeo. thing indicators coming up um yeah on friday we'll be there we'll be there friday um but another one is the matt axelson golf tournament which has been going on for years

That was actually one of our first dates, first couple of months. But anyway, that's going to be near Lake Tahoe in Genoa, Nevada. And we're shipping our golf clubs with what? What's it called? Shipsticks. Yeah, Shipsticks. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So, another sponsor. We got something for everything now, man. Yeah. No kidding. All right, so tell me about... You got any... Tell us about your son. Yeah.

And do you have history of military in your family? I do. All right. Yeah. But while we're on golf, October 6th, Nate Gagingham Golf Classic, Trophy Club Texas. Oh. Please join us. Oh, for Gages, for the foundation? Yeah. Okay. It's the first event we ever had. All right, say the date again? Yeah, say that again. October 6th in Trophy Club, Texas. What's the golf? How do they sign up? Website?

So, yeah, it'll be on the website. I'm terrible about keeping up with that. I'm kind of a one-man show right now, but I know a lot of smart people. Okay, we'll plug it. But it's on the webpage right now. We're about to fire that up. I was waiting for... A lot of things going on Memorial Day. Yeah. Ross Pro's event, all kinds of stuff that we're speaking at and whatnot. But as soon as that's done and over with and we can focus on go ahead and get this thing sponsored and moved on.

You'll be ready to sign up. We'd love to have anybody and everybody come out in honor. A lot of the boys want to play in it. Played in it last year, so we'll take care of it. And October is a good time for a golf tournament in Texas. Great time, actually. Yeah. Beautiful. Couldn't have happened any better. Last year, my dad, Gage's granddad, who he's named after, it was his birthday we did that. So it was our.

Ironic that it happened that way, but it had a great time. It was a lot of work, but, man, it paid off well. Yeah, they're fun. It helps us out a lot. That's awesome. Yeah, tell us about Gage. Gage, where do you start? Like I said, A year ago, I couldn't even look at a picture. Couldn't even talk about Gage. Out in West Texas, me and a group of my friends. And I'm that dad that when the kids are four years old and they're looking for a soccer coach.

I volunteered. So I'm still coaching to this day. Oh my gosh. I teach biomechanics and fast pitch softball. Do a little college recruiting for girls. And long story there. But still doing that. Coached Gage with every sport. That he played except for basketball. We were just joking about that. That's the one thing that I will step up to the front and say, no, no talent whatsoever. I was put in to foul out and get the ball back. Did a good job, right? That's a role. Yeah.

So Coach Gage threw all of that, and Gage was small. He wasn't very big growing up. Didn't start growing until his senior year. Yeah, probably. Height-wise and whatnot. Definitely. But he was good. They played basketball, and because of his... Being vertically challenged. He loved basketball. I didn't see the two fitting, but, man, his heart said, I'm playing basketball. Ryan and all the buddies would always play this game outside of the three-point line. You couldn't shoot inside of it.

saw him playing basketball in junior high or whatever, in JV, if he could get you inside that three-point line, he'd be waiting for you at the other end. Same with a lot of his friends. They just played that game, and it was a benefit. Never heard of it, but they were creative.

But yeah, had a lot of heart, played football, still the smallest guy in the world. But believe me, he would, as a cornerback, he would fight you for that ball. He'd just, he'd wait till you jumped and he'd time his jump with yours and then he would deflect or intercept. Good. Aw. Soccer. Oh, yeah. I'm from West Texas. We play football and we farm. That's it, period. Yeah. Didn't know what that thing was, but I thought, you know what? Let's go. Let's play. So we just.

watched, observed, found the angles, and key words was kick, kick, kick. I was playing money ball. We kick five times more than the other team does. The average is that we made something with. We were pretty successful, but Gage was a little phenom at that age. He really was. But again, he didn't start growing until junior, senior year in high school, and then he just kept growing. Went off to Texas Tech on the five-year program.

There's nothing wrong with that. Got to have that first year. Especially up there being a Red Raider. Yeah. That's a great university. Reckham, yeah. But, yeah, he went out there and participated in all the near mural sports that he could. Delivered a few pizzas along the way.

That town's great, too. I love it. Man, a town. That town, that universe. You've got to be lost or wanting to go there to get there because of where it's located, but it's something. When you're there, it's... I always wondered why there were so many people from the Metroplex that went out there.

Turns out it was one of the furthest places you can get from your parents to still be on the state tuition, right? They had a lot of fun out there. You can have a lot of fun at Tech. But growing out there, that was one of the deals. Grandparents went to school there, and it was just always going to be something we wanted to do, or he wanted to do it. Got him there and graduated 2019 in August 2019. And then he went into this little thing called the Navy on September 25th.

So when year did he start there? In Buds or Tech? At Tech. 2014. 2014. So that's when you were there. Coach Leach was there? Oh yeah. Marcus did a, they had in 2014, they did a lone survivor bowl. That's when the sponsorship came out with Under Armour. Yeah, they had all the gear, the football uniforms. It was really cool. We were there for that game. That was a really good game. Under Armour was a big sponsor. But anyway, I was a strength coach there, man. We grew up together.

And he would bring me up there all the time. Or I'd go up there to see him and we'd just hang out at the field with all the guys. It's kind of actually when I got into the speaking world. Started up there. Yeah. At Texas Tech. Yeah. It was Bobby Knight was that got me doing that.

He started my career in this. Really? If you knew that. I was wanting to go to medical school and he got me in and he's like, I got you in med school at Texas Tech. It's fine. I got you an apartment over here. I mean, this guy, dude, he grabbed me around the neck. He's like, come here.

I got you. He's like, you're going to go to school here. I'm not having it any other way. I was just big at it. I don't get it. He was such a docile, calm guy. Just walking me around. He's like, it's going to be great. He goes, you should talk for a living. And so I started, and they brought me to talk to the teams. I started right there at Tech. That's where I kind of got my first education. Sweet. Yeah. What a connection. I haven't thought about that in a while.

That's where it started with Benny and Bobby Knight. And Coach Leach. Pirate. I miss that guy. I was wondering if Gage was there that year that they did the loans for Pepper Bull. That's cool that he would have been there. So how did he get interested in the Navy? He was watching this movie one night.

At his house. It was a different guy's house, but I was there. Yeah. Interrupted club, and he watched this movie, and he said he was going to go for a four-mile run in the ice. Came back, says, guys, I'm going to be a Navy SEAL. I'll let you guess what movie it was. Yeah, it was probably 2 a.m. maybe. We watched it all the time, and it was our favorite movie.

Well, which one? Lone Survivor. Was it really? Lone Survivor? Oh, my gosh. Okay. I told him, I said, how are we going to segue into that? Especially senior of high school. I think it came at the end of my junior year, maybe. Our senior year, that's all we talked about. Like, go to the gym, play the soundtrack, everything. He's got a good soundtrack. Yeah, it was great. And we were just watching it one night, and school was canceled maybe because it iced over or whatever.

2 a.m. He just gets up starts walking off. I look at the other guy I'm like, what is he doing? You keep in mind at the time as Chet alluded to earlier gauges like five nine hundred and forty pounds like so not what you'd think a frogman would look like

Which, by the way, there are a lot that look like that. They all look like that. Yes. But at the time, I didn't know. And he just says, hey, I'm gonna go running. I'm just like, what is he talking about? So he takes off running. We actually go and follow him. We're like, what is this guy doing? He runs like four miles, like you were saying, comes back, and he looks at us. He's like, I'm going to be a Navy SEAL. I was like...

no chance. I was like, no way, but I'll support you. Yeah, no way. But sure enough, he worked crazy hard from that point on through tech. I mean, I remember I came through Lubbock one summer and we went and worked out and we went and snuck onto some track and we're running and he was laughing me. And I was like, oh man, this guy like, but I mean, not like I'm some sort of physical specimen, but I was still like, that's.

impressive and i mean he beefed up especially once he got deployed he was huge and that happens Yeah, his deployment-sized seals are completely different than garrison-sized seals. Really? You can always tell who's been on it. Yeah. And been out the door. Oh, it started in boot camp. That was during the COVID time, so they didn't have the regular food sitting out.

but they had peanut butter sandwiches, and I think he ate three or four of those just waiting in line for chow. Yeah. And that Ingram neck showed up pretty quick. Got no neck on him? Or no neck, yeah. Yeah. That's all. Yeah, that'll do it. That's what I was a hard gainer, too. But the whole Navy idea at this point in time in his life after college.

You know, the guy who's taken out the loan to send him to school, that's the last thing he was going to hear because there's this other way he could have went, right? Yeah, right. So I thought, you know what, little fellow? Anything worth doing, right? If we're going to do it, we're 100%. Don't forget. And we're overdoing. Absolutely. And we were playing that before we even knew what the toast said. So here we go. If we're going to do it, let's go. Let's find a recruiter and let's go down.

And let's talk to him. You asked about family of military. So my dad was Navy. He was on the USS Bennington. My brother was on the Navy. He was an AB on the Midway. Oh, right on. Yeah. And they went on to Enterprise when they retired that. Yeah, yeah. Older brother of his army and younger brother of his army. Oh, you had it all through the family. Oh, nice. This guy tried twice. But I was going to go to the college route, see how that went.

I didn't know anything about Pell Grants. I didn't know anything. I was paying my way right out of my pocket. Money from the farm went right to the school. And got to the point where it's hard to afford that. I thought, you know what, I'm going to sit out, go make some money, and come back.

pay for it again. And my stepdad ran a cotton gin in Childress, Texas. And I don't know if you're familiar with the environment of a cotton gin is, but it is nasty. Lint, dust, wake up every morning, your eyes are mad as shut. It's a dirty job. It's nasty. I'm going to do this Navy thing. Went to MEPS and went through the entire process just to find out that through x-rays and whatnot, they thought I had asthma. I tried to explain it to a guy from New Jersey what a cotton gin was.

he tried to explain back to me we didn't understand each other but I took that and I thought that's a sign let's go back to college so I attempted to do that went back to college he told me to wait two years before I tried again um it's TSTI in Amarillo and I thought you know it's been two years Let me see if I can't hook up this unit up here and spend two weeks in Hawaii every year, be a CB. And I went back and tried it. And I've always lived my life beyond a reproach, right?

Chief Petty Officer in there said, hey, you still get in the Navy, still get in the military, even if you're flat-footed, and if you have asthma. And I thought, okay, cool. Then when I asked the question, you ever tried this before? Absolutely, I did. But, you know, I can explain later, this, that, and the other. Went through MEPS again.

Just to have the chief call me in there and said, why did you write that? Oh, gosh. Chief, come on. You're not going to. I said, just tear it up and start over. Government document, you can't. So another sign from God. So I didn't get my chance. Gage Borden made up for it for me. So I've always been, of course, a huge fan, big patriot. I've always told people I was a fan of this program and that brotherhood that you're a part of way before Gage was a twinkle in my eye.

And to have my son achieve that, that was incredible. So that's when you raise the kiddos. You're the guiding light all your life. But Gage and I had hit that point where the teacher became the student willingly. to learn. He's a part of that, and I want to know more about it. I want to know everything there is about it. To this day, and part of this foundation, it's all about wanting to be in that, wanting to help. I wouldn't finish raising Gage.

So I want to be on bonus status, my softball girls call me, and see if I can help the young guys going in. I know there's expenditures and things that they don't get, and it could be a burden on them and all this stuff. being one of 10 kids and poor all my life. I didn't know it, right, until I moved to the big city. And I've been lucky enough financially. All I ever asked God for was to be comfortable, never more than.

I deserved it. And he blessed me with that. And through that, I was able to get Gage into college, which I never could do, you know, and Jaycee. And just providing things that he needed and some of the things they needed when he got to Bud's. right and uh take for instance the boots they were going to run in before thinking thinking hey dad they got these boots they run in and coronado and you know is there any way we can i said

Absolutely. Find out what they are, what the brand is. Bought them, got them to him. He was able to run in them before he got out there and try them out. Bought a pair of myself. Black house shoes are great. But things like that. And he would cheap out like a college student would. And I said, no, no, no.

Get the best stuff. Whatever those guys are. I said, life's on the line. As far as I'm concerned, little fella said, get the stuff. Whatever it's going to cost, let's get it. Because we want it to be in shape. Maybe when you quit using it or you graduate from it, maybe we can. helped the next guy in line and um just kind of always thought and drove him in that direction so um but yeah that's you need to write a book on how to be a great dad i know it's uh

It was an honor ever since they were little. So you make that promise, right? It's your job. So I've only had one job. Got a lot of jobs. That's the one I took really, really seriously, and I'm still doing it. Yeah, part of the foundation is to see if we can't be a bonus to that kind of situation and help out where we're allowed, when we're allowed. But if nothing else, just stay in touch with those boys and keep Gage's legacy alive.

in the environment every time i get a chance to go to coronado i am on the next thing smoking out there man yeah not to mention the weather compared to where i'm from i feel like texans when we get off the plane in san diego coronado it's like a home feeling

It's the only other place when I step off the plane I'm happy to be there. And somebody left there on. Yeah. Yeah. People say, what's it like out there? Well, it's kind of like... the moon if you're in shade you're cold if you're in the sun you're burning yeah you decide how you how you vary it that day so but no I love it and I go out there every chance I get anytime I can go out and you know I met so many people through this whole thing

that maybe I eventually would have known, but folks on are engaged and want to know a story more about him. I take every opportunity. Now, like I said, a year ago, I couldn't even look at him. I couldn't even talk about him. I had... First scholarship I was going to award out in Turkey, Texas, at Bob Wills. We've been going for a lot of years. The Funkles I was mentioning earlier are all the dads of all the kids I used to coach, and they all grew up.

Got degrees, got married, matured. We didn't. We're still hanging around. And so they're called the Funkles, and we go out to Bob Wheels every year. About 20 years running now, and we've been so long, and everybody knew about Gage. you know everybody was so proud about gage and and then when that happened they uh decided they wanted to name the bob wills scholarship the it's a one nathan gage ingram scholarship so the foundation helps fund that every year and and uh

offered to a deserving kid from the community. It's a very small area out there in Hall County, Valley, Texas, Valley Patriots. It's one of the primary schools that it... It covers, and I had an opportunity to go out there and talk to their senior class a while back when we were on the way to Lubbock last November for the Veterans Day game, which I didn't plan it like that, but the president was at Gages.

President Chauvinet was at the Gage's ceremony out in April, out in Coronado. Oh, wow. And at Rosecrans. And he said, want to bring you guys out? Is that where he's at? His marker is. Yeah, I'll check. No remains. Oh, yeah. They never recovered. Silver lining. We'll get into that. They determined it, yeah. But second he said that, there's a bunch of Red Raiders around him, and we didn't let him leave until we secured a date, and we wanted Deion Sanders.

in the new conference. So we picked that game, not necessarily thinking about the date, what turned into the Veterans Day game. And then they honored Gage at that game and the coin they flipped. I got it out in the truck. I'll show it to you. But Gage's picture was on the coin they flipped for that game. They did that. Kent Hance was a former chancellor there. And after this all happened last January, I got a call from Kent Hance.

And I've known him from the political platform back when he was in Austin quite a bit. And then he's at Texas Tech. He just called and he said one of the coolest things, and I don't want to discount anyone else. I'll tell you all fair, but it really impacted me as to how this impacted everyone else. But he gave Gage a lot of props over a lot of folks who had been at Texas Tech, and he started a $100,000 scholarship in Gage's name.

Wow. Still got that going, still raising funds to make that food. But it's endowed, so we've awarded it last year to a very deserving individual. And we're getting ready to award it again this year. That's so cool. But it'll be there forever. So he's on the walkway at Texas Tech, and they've really embraced Gage, and I'll be honest with you, all Patriots, every vet out there. I didn't realize they were so invested in all that, but it was.

enormous and dangerous ceremony that we planned and executed in the rain last February or February a year ago. Headed out to Northwest ISD Stadium there in Roanoke, the Trophy Club area. And then it was raining that day, and then we had Gage's reception, so we had to get a bunch of amphibious types on a bus and get them out to Lubbock.

And that was interesting. Foot of snow the next day. Oh my gosh. But everybody was saying, this is just crazy. I said, no, that's gay. That's a gay sense of humor. Has buying a car ever completely stressed you out? I remember looking for mine and I just kept asking myself, is this even a good deal or am I about to get played? I just had no clue what was going on. That's when I found car gurus and man, this cleared everything up. Their site breaks it all down.

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His wife is from Hawaii, and a lot of her relatives were there, and this might have been the first time they were seeing such a thing. It's not that this is Gage's sense of humor right here, so you've got to laugh at it. We were looking at him as though he was sitting in the car with us then. He was giving his hell on the way down here. He married a Hawaiian? A country boy from Texas got a hold of a Hawaiian. You know how hard that is? That's Gage.

He's the guy that would go. He must have been something because they don't give them up easy. Especially the white boys. He would sit in a hallow. He's the kind of fellow where he'd see what everybody else is doing and then... You catch him going the other direction, he'll catch you at the end. I'm going to try this over here. You boys go that way. But now I fell in love with Jewel, and they got married. He was married about five months.

And Jewel, still working her butt off. Is she back on island? No, she lives in San Diego. Okay. Yeah, still lives there, but mom is on the island. Oh, sure. Yeah. Probably all of them, right? Majority of them, she's not. full hawaiian dad's from guam mom's from japan she was raised that's the splice yeah she was uh raised in hawaii so yeah no we were just talking this morning i was trying to get a i said this ryan's not going to give me the kind of bow i want so i

I want a bio from you. Her name's Jewel? Jewel, yeah. Jewel of the Pacific, huh? Good for him. Good job, Gage. Yep. All right, so when did he go through Buds? 2019. Well, all right, graduated November 2019.

Oh, it's a winner. Shipped out to San Diego. For summer guys, right? Yeah, it was R.I. Tech. Yeah. Right on. Shipped out to San Diego in November, right afterwards. Do you remember the Bud's class number? Oh, yeah, 346. 346. Okay, we just got a text the other day that said... Oh, 370? It's in the 370s now. Right? So I was out there for Geary's retirement. Oh, yeah, yeah. So I went to class 3366s.

The three sixes? Yeah. Three sixes is graduation class. Okay. And then Brad's retirement was on the same grounder just an hour later. Okay. And so 372 was out there working around. Yeah, three... One of our friend's sons is in 370 right now. Yeah, I talked to a kid last night. He was in second phase. He said he had Drager Helwig coming up.

Yeah. If there was any advice, all I've said was it sucks. It's like, hey, it's just one of those you got to get through that, man. You'll be fine, son. Yeah, you'll be fine. Don't worry about it. If not, they must have changed it since I was there, right? Yeah, exactly. But no, yeah. 346. Brad Geary was the one who penned him. Their other favorite movie was their act of valor.

Which came out at the same time. It was like a year before or something. Within the year before. All those guys in that movie were badasses. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Dave Hanson was a man match chief. Big Dave Hanson fan.

Yeah. Always have been, always will be. You know him? Well, so Back to Valor was another big movie that we liked, and whenever Gage said, hey, I want you to come out for graduation, so I went out with... chet and a couple other people and uh so we went out there to the grinder and sure enough dave hansen is there with gary during the graduation and i'm like

man that's a big deal that's the guy from act of valor like he walks right by me and i'm just like staring at him and so chet and gage thought it was just so funny to try to embarrass me in front of All the team guys saying, oh, this is man crush. He loves Dave Hanson. I still haven't met Dave Hanson. You didn't get a chance to meet him? No, I haven't met him. I got a man crush on our team, man. He's pretty great, too. Not because I haven't tried. You didn't get a chance to talk to him?

I haven't. No, he's got this freaking accent, man. Straight from New York, man. Yeah, I kind of noticed that in some of the videos. Staten Island. Yeah, Staten Island boy. He seems like a pretty awesome guy. He is. Yeah, great dude, man. Oh. It's funny as I'll get out. Yeah. And love him to death. He knows he works for Charlie Keating, so I would go to their Dallas event all the time, and every time I see him out there, I got to talk to him.

One of his brothers were trying to get that electric mother thing rocking out to celebrate Gage around his birthday. Didn't pan out, but we'll get it there. But they're all saying that Staten Island accent. My mom, born and raised in Manhattan, New York.

Oh my gosh, really? You wouldn't think with the accent and all this stuff, but I'm cultured. Yeah. I did the Frogmans from up there last year. Oh, you went up there? To bring Gage after boot camp. He met me and his sister in New York. We're going to do some bucket list stuff, which we got to do.

And, you know, Rockefeller Center at Christmas. Things my mom always talked about. Oh, that's the best. Yeah. You got to do that? Oh, absolutely. That's the best. Plaza Hotel. That should be a bucket list for every American. St. Patrick's Cathedral, FAO, Schwartz, you know, all the good stuff. Oh, I love that. Fifth Avenue.

It wasn't any snow, but it was good. Oh, you did a good one. That was a good run. Great time, and got to see the side of, you know, we're raised out in West Texas where Daddy's from, and got to see his stories, and got to hear Mother's. So I took JC and Gage up there to do some of those bucket list items and got to check that off. And he didn't get to meet all his cousins. Still up there, right? So last year, when I was offered the opportunity to attend these Gold Star events.

I said, I don't get rubbed in the back or patted on the head. I'm either going to help you work or I'm going to participate in whatever the event is. Well, I haven't got to work. So I've been participating in these things and I trained with a couple of Gage's brothers, some of the OGs from... from buds and uh i did the new york city's frogman swim last year you actually swam i got how was it it's kicking the shorts it swimming i can swim swim is not an easy deal i mean swimming was easy

When I was little and I was taught to swim, swimming was easy. Getting out of the toe sack at that age, that was hard, but there's a joke behind that. But no, it was putting fins on, first of all. that's cool you did that at the country club swimming pool because it made you go faster than the other guys but you were faster for 50 feet up there it's like good lord so gage and i did some endurance sports growing up a lot of i used to ride long distance bike

At age 12, 13, I trained Gage to do the Hotter and Hell 100 in Wichita Falls. Biggest bike ride in the world, pretty much. 14,000 people. It's the only place in the world, Wichita Falls, flat as Quanah, where I'm from, that the wind blows in four different directions the same day, and it's always in your face. But yeah, Gage and I did the 100K, 62.3 miles, and we did it just under four hours.

you are super dad well we that i think was the launching pad to show him what his mind and his body could physically do mentally do that hopefully that's what those are for yeah and so uh it was great and we did it and he ended up taking

my back to college i don't know how much he wrote it but i'm just telling him in the back of my pickup i said i'm sanding this thing down because they want to honor gauge this year at that ride so i gotta get this found my back that he had taken that sold to another buddy and sanding it down i'm fixing it

Printed out and I was just showing him some designs. I was going on the frame of this bike and I don't know exactly how we're going to honor him but I'm going to go ahead and train up again to see if I can't knock out that 6.2.3 again. Oh, how fun. Got a lot of pictures from that deal.

Did I answer your question? Three, four, six? Yes. It was his Bud's class. I'll go 26 different directions, but I promise you, you stay with me, I'll get right back to you. Yeah, no, that's so interesting. That's how Texas talks. Yeah. So when does he graduate, where did he go?

When he graduated? Buds. Buds. He stayed right there in San Diego. He was in San Diego the entire time. What team? What team did he go to? Three. Yeah, three as I thought. Three Charlie. Three Charlie. And that's where he's a permanent member. He's on the coin. He and Chris, Mansoor, and several of the other boys. It's a badass team. It is. Great team. Heck of a team. I mean, the reputation. You don't ever hear about them.

But Team 3 coming up, man, those are the gunfighters. Because back before they separated, how it works now, man, they were always getting into something. Always. I tried like hell to get there. I mean, like, dude, they had that place so stacked full of hard dudes, man. And, I mean, it was awesome. I tried, like, decades to get there, man. I tell people all the time, I say, if you ever hear any stories about these...

Something happening, you know, six has got its notoriety, right? For obvious reasons. For obvious reasons, yeah, they earn it. You're hearing anybody getting dirty, dirty. Chances are... Team three. Yeah. Absolutely, 100%. Not just in comm, everywhere. No matter what they did, man, they had an aura about them. Yeah. You knew when you were, because I'm a club five guy. So, you know, with volleyball and nets and stuff like that and beer kegs on Friday. But team three, like it's no fun one.

They're real. Stalag won. They're all about that. There's a reputation that goes with that, man. But three, some gunfighting fools, man. That's what they were all about. For sure. Every time I get a chance to go out there and hang out with the boys, I do. It's whatever we can do. Yeah, dude, them freaking guys, man. Yeah, he got his orders right there on the grinder that day. Good for him. Yeah. What an asshole.

You know what I'm talking about? New guy going straight there. FNG. Hey, man. Yeah, he rocked it out. But he loved it. The best one was like if you went to three to six. Yeah. Like them guys. And there's a lot of those guys trying. Yeah, absolutely. It's like our pipeline from there, because East Coast, you know, they pull it from everywhere, man, but it was usually three to six. Yeah. One of Hunter's friends did that, that he grew up with. Went from three to six. Wow. Yeah.

So as a dad, did you get to, because a lot of these guys, they go and they don't talk to their parents. They're too cool for their parents. Did you actually get to go into Coronado and meet with his teammates? And get to know some of the guys he worked with? We talked every day. Oh, good. Aw. Even on deployment, not sure of anything. But, yeah, we talked every day. I mean, it was just.

I wanted to be a part of it, and I'm still coach, too, right? Mm-hmm. So I'm not going to say I was the nicest coach in the world, but I got the best out of my people. You're not supposed to be a nice coach. I'm telling you. these little girls that do softball with me, I said, I think if you talk to them, you'll get a different story. There are the ones that are stayed that are still here with me, right? And then the ones that just didn't make it. It was just, I just, man, if you're going to.

You got to do it the right way. It's not whether you win or lose, it's whether you win. It's not whether you win or lose, it's whether you win. Period. But no, it was just, I'm hard. I'm hard. I'm not now. I got off. I've got a lot of pet names for my students, and they can all be pretty cute girls like that, but you take them on a softball tournament, they are nasty. They play four or five games a day in the 1,000-degree weather over here. We play tons in Houston, right?

And, you know, they all look pretty and everything like that. But, man, when they're done with the day, they go to bed. Then you hope they hose off, but maybe you get it. Yeah. New makeup, tie in the ribbon. Let's go play balls. Loved it.

quite successful at it but so yeah with gauge it was it was you know if we're gonna fail at something it's not because we didn't try and we're not gonna be dumb about it so let's put forth every effort we can let's see what we can do i mean they were hell even feel

The phases, land warfare and whatnot, Gage had to roll. He went in as enlisted for good reason. He broke his legs. That's the only way to do it. Broke his legs. Even the officers will tell you that. Yeah. In the beginning. The crossing over is one thing. He could have done that. Yeah. But going in and enlisting the teams with your degree is a lot of guys do that. Yep, yep. But, yeah, glad he did it. I didn't understand it at the beginning, but wise choice, little fella.

Yeah, he used to tell me that, because I used to ask him, like, why would you do that? And he used to say they just respect it more. That's the best. Yeah. 100%. Yeah. Especially if you got that degree, because then the officers are standing there. And our academy guys, we have a couple of state school guys, a lot of Mustangs and stuff like that. But just what the schools that you rack up. Yeah. And the longevity.

And then right when you get to the age, there's a cusp. There's a cutoff. As soon as you get to that, you throw that package in. And they'll be like, sure. Done. My brother did that. He had a plan. It's absolutely the way to go. He had a plan. Yeah. And that's a good one. And we all know that you want to do that. That's the cool part about it. So then you'll get groomed. Yeah, they'll groom you for that. Yeah, we take care of our own man for sure. Absolutely.

One thing about all this, I always tell people, I said, you may see it on TV and read books about it, but until you're part of it, you don't really appreciate it. That's what we let you see. And I'm here to tell you what I've witnessed and what it is and how freaking amazing it is to be a part of that. Engage. He loved every bit of what it was and what it represented and was super humble that he got to be a part of it. So he was a super good guy. Gage was average, but very unique.

If that makes any sense. Those ones you want? Yeah. Super humble. Did you get to go visit him? I did, yeah. We went out there for, I think the first time I went out there was for his graduation.

uh which was really cool because i was a huge team guy fan and just to go this is before they redid the grinder too so i got to go to the old brand new now oh man it was so cool and i still couldn't believe he did it i mean i remember He had called me when he was in Buds because all I ever talked about was Hell Week. I'm like, I can't wait until you go through Hell Week. That's a good best friend thing to say, right? Yeah.

But he said, hey, I think it's coming up. Some guys are saying, I think it's going to be maybe this next week. He goes, you might not hear from me for a few days, but I'll holler at you when I'm done. I remember that whole week just checking my phone, looking to see if he texts me, thinking he's going to quit. And then he texts me, I guess, is it Friday? Friday morning. Friday? Yeah. And it was just one word. It said secured. Ah, how cool. And I was like, that is crazy. I couldn't believe it.

yeah after that after graduated went up there and then uh went out there again for his wedding with jewel which was really cool and a few other times father ran No, no, not at all. He married Jewel and Gage. Oh, you did? Yeah, it was a cool little deal. Yeah, just a small group of us, and they went out to Torrey Pines, actually.

uh because that's where jewel works over this big cliff and yeah it's kind of a kind of a crazy deal some of the paragliders tried to mess with us during the ceremony and gauges gauges dog was going crazy and we got on video it's actually a pretty funny Pretty funny memory, but yeah, it was cool. Here's a funny for you. I appreciate this. So being from Texas, I told Gage, man, love for you to get married on Texas soul.

But I get it, man. Go do your thing. You want to be home, you want to be private and quiet like that. So I was out there. We're getting ready for that event. It's right there at Glouder's Point over Black's. And I thought, all right, they're getting ready to do their thing.

Everybody's getting their spots. And I thought, wait one second. So I walk out right where they're going to stand and I open up my little Ziploc bag. Good for you. Good for you. How did you do that? It was out of my buddy's horse lot. Great dad. So you thought. You thought Pong the dog would nap with those guys. Wait till he got to smell it.

So officially Texas, that place belongs to Texas now. Bingo, there's a flag there. Got our nerd down there. It can secede from the union if it wants to. You're welcome. You're welcome. That's so funny. A little gift from us.

Yeah, we get out there every chance I get, and absolutely I'll stay in touch with every one of the guys. That's the thing about, I keep telling about the brother, and I get a call or a text every week, multiple times, especially if we've got something coming up.

I'm trying to promote Gage's legacy and create some things that would spur interest beyond the norm. As far as clothing that we could do, you guys have that whole... lumberjack cowboy look when you're off duty out there right so how to bring it back to texas i don't have a seaport anywhere close right so how are we going to do that here just got to promote it got to say hey you know everybody

is enamored with the idea about SEALs and everything they do. And I thought, let's bring the softer side into this deal if we can for a little bit, you know, because it's that whole clandestine way of living that you kind of know something. From an Illuminati standpoint, let's put it. And just bringing that in there, building an icon about who Gage was rather than just the foundation all the time. Just trying to promote him.

So I ask the guys all the time for design ideas and whatnot. One thing I learned is, you know, I want Gage to be, bam, present. That's not how you guys work. DL, right? So now I'm in the murdered outlook. Yeah. Says it, but you may not be able to read it, but if you want to read it, it's over there, and if you know, you know. Yeah. Know what you're looking at. Yeah. You know what it is. And then, so, running that route, and that's just one of the veins to try to keep a back channel.

revenue stream going for the foundation so we can operate and get out and help and do what we need to do but yeah to answer your question stay in touch those guys much so again we're done raising gauge these guys are the same age and i want to be there

If I can. All the way through the kiddos and everything. Gage loved the kiddos and the puppies. So that's part of what we also do. Focus any of our funds that we're donating to the foundations that supported us right to the youth programs. If we can. And we always have a golf, Gage's golf tournament. Pong, rescue dog. This is Doug and Jules. Shepherd, Husky, mix. Pretty chill cat, right?

We flew them out for the golf tournament, and I wanted to do something exclusive for Pong. So rather than having a putting tournament at the end when you get all your golfers drunk and free-flowing with those $20 bills. uh get my heckling funcles out there with the buckets and you know give to everybody about how they suck at golf all together but get them lubricated up first and we came up with a little a game where we chipped instead of putted Put a put rubber

Dog shit on the green. Oh my gosh. We had a little contest called Pong's Closest to the Poop Shoot. So it's taken on its own identity and we made a lot of money and we always, we bring out a... That's an original idea. We bring a... That's funny. Bring a dog foundation out, an agency for rescues out to everyone in our events, and we'll continue to do that and everything that event makes. I'll spend more money on that prize than the golf tournament just to get people to participate and give back.

Oh, my gosh. That's what we do for Pong, for Gage, for Pong. So, yeah, Pong's closest to the poop chute. I should put a legal statement in here, right? Disglaver. That's so funny. Ricky Bobby's statement there. Oh, my gosh. Do you mind going into his last appointment at all? Absolutely not. His last appointment was his first. And I can. Investigation's over with.

If I skip over parts, bear with me, I'll come back. I've been over this many, many, many, many times. So I can go off in a different rants in different directions right now because we're not done with a lot of that as far as what's going to be achieved from it. Yeah, he was deployed. Went to Bahrain, right? And so the rabbit, I said, hey, bud, send me, I've done international logistics all my life, but I didn't.

I had every opportunity in the world to travel the world doing that. I worked for UPS and several European companies, air freight manager and whatnot. I had tons of opportunity to travel the world, but being a single dad through their younger years.

If I was offered five extra minutes to those kids, I didn't want to be gone. I would have regretted it. That's that conscience thing I was telling you. It kills me every time. So I never did. I said, you're in Bahrain. I've worked with Bahrainians before. That's probably not the right vernacular for them.

Take some pictures. Show me some stuff. You go around the world, right? Get a damn picture of Riggs at a damn Texas roadhouse in Bahrain. You can have a lot of fun in Bahrain. So you can understand why. What I thought I was going to see was not what I got. Something I could have seen down the road from my own house. Yeah, he's deployed there. And I'm getting, like I said, we talk every day. And they're getting ready to be deployed. And they get deployed onto the puller. Just a puller.

And they're going to the Arabian Sea to do their thing and then come back in, I don't know, three, four weeks. And biggest concern was we had this thing where I wanted him to get me a picture when he's macked out, ready for an op.

or hit one night just put grandpa's sheriff's apartment patch on and give me that picture we're going to send it back to sheriff laffery who you know big fan of my dad's and and um it'd be good because being raised in that environment for those years it's and chester's there forever

Everybody knows him. I said, get that. So Gage and I were both named after my dad. It was going to be a big deal for him and I to have that picture and then to share it with the current sheriff. And I was afraid he wasn't going to get his package. So packages, typical Gage stuff, 20 pounds of beef jerky, 40 pounds of chocolate in that patch. And a Savannah Bananas jersey. Oh, how funny. So, yeah, I sent it out to him.

I guess they sent it out to the ship. They were supposed to come back, but that was an extension. So he got all that because he bitched about the ghost pepper, the ghost pepper beef jerky. Didn't stop you from eating it. Got that patch, and then one thing leads to another. They get deployed on this one operation to go out on January 11th. You have to go out on the hit. There's a question as to...

whether they should have been there during that sea state. That always gets brought up. We'll set that over there. There's questions as to whether it was combat zone or not. We'll set that over there. So let's go straight to the hit. So, yeah, they're out there. Gage is on. He's not the first boat to unload, but he and Chris Chambers, and God bless him, are going to go to board. Gage is.

One Romeo. He's fallen as LPO, Chris Chambers. And in a nutshell, in an attempt to board... A ship attack. The Dow, yeah. In an attempt to board the Dow. I guess there were several attempts because the sea state was unstable, and going up that particularly difficult ladder may have been something that was going to be more difficult than just at the proximity of the boats together, jumped the rail.

which I understand is common practice in some cases. And so Chris attempted that and just didn't make good contact. And so as the investigation would say, he fell nine feet. There is a video, a lot of, I had like three kekos of sun to be doing all this. I'm not going to say I was unstable, but they were concerned. I have a nasty habit of saying what I'm going to do and then doing it.

uh but uh yeah they a lot of the guys i've learned to trust through through all of this uh that saw the video and one of them said hey don't make that your last image of gauge and i didn't want that to be right last thing you would ever want if you know your you know, the result, like, that ended up with Gage, you wouldn't want them to suffer. So stay away from that. Just know that, you know, the thing I want to bring up is...

No matter what award Gage has received, I hope we get into that in just a minute, the biggest reward is between his graduation and boot camp, I asked him to accept Jesus, and he did. Tightening that story back up again, Chris jumps the rail. Something happened there. There's all kinds of conclusions in the investigation and the read back. Engage without hesitation.

disrobing some of the things that perhaps would have helped him out without hesitation. Went after Chris. And like I said, there's the video. You can hear people's versions of it. But if you read the readback, the book is better than the movie. So I never watched the video. I'm not going to watch the video. But I was privy to a picture from, a thermal picture from the event last week while we were in Austin. They had overhead. Yeah. Yeah.

I'm jumping ahead. Gage goes in. Gage tries to get to Chris. They make contact. Gage is going back to the ladder. Turns around. Chris is struggling or Chris is not. not there again gauge goes back a second time goes back to the rail and i believe there's a third attempt by gauge now mind you gauges one romeo he's a little heavier than everybody else he's packing radios batteries and he always brought extra mags for the buds right for his boys

So, Gage 208, buck naked at this point, and he's macking an extra 80, 90 pounds, you know, wearing deck shoes and pitching Cs, and he's somehow, I don't know how, but he fought his ass off. Fought his ass off. At one point in time, he got back to the ladder still after two or three attempts. And the pitch of the sea dipped the boat in, and when it popped back up, Gage wasn't there. He had to be exhausted. So.

Water wings are an issue. We'll talk about that later. Separate detail if you want to. Great detail if you want to. It's part of the deal when the readback came is, you know, what the hell happened, what's going on. Tell me more about this. I can't change the past, but how can I help change the future based on my experience and whatever this dad can do because he's got a lot of passion.

It's going to be the rest of his life. So they found one water wing out of the four that could have possibly been deployed. And as far as we know, those two boys are still kicking water. I joked. egos of these kind of fellows, they could still be sitting in a bar in Djibouti drunk, just waiting for people to come appreciate the fact that they were there for them. We actually have a bar under the sea.

That's where he's at then. Yeah, and Ben Long's wrapped up sitting down there at the edge of all the rest of us. You ever seen that picture? No. Oh, it's awesome. All our guys don't drown. When the sea takes them back, they live forever. Yeah. That's a thing. We've got a bunch of us that there's enough of us that's happened. That's why you never find them. And seals don't die in the water. They just get taken by it. Take them back home.

It's the womb that we're born from, and it's the womb we return to. We've said that our entire lives. That's how you create us, is out of that water. So if she snatched him back, he's still down there. That's what I say a lot. It's like, when you get in trouble out in the water, start calling for them guys. I'll show up. You'll see them. Long for the day, actually. Yeah. But no, that's good. No, that's.

I need to get you that picture. Going to have to wrap that one down. It's got a bunch of team guys drinking underwater. There's an STV in the background. A bunch of frogs getting just drunk, pissed drunk. And then Bin Laden's at the edge of the bar and everybody got their arms around him just kind of doing one of those. Oh, yeah, man.

That's a good one. You've got to tell me where to find that. And all the guys who've been taken back by her are there. They're at that bar. Absolutely. So in the absence of remains, I always tell people in all these talks, every chance I get to talk.

You know, I traveled with Duncan Smith and the Seal Family Foundation all over the country, Navy Seal Foundation, you name it, give me an opportunity. And you're going to have to get me to shut up now. Love to have that picture. Yeah. Pretty creative. That's an image I'd like to see. Not a lot of people have seen it. Joey, nobody's a guy who draws all that stuff up. He's our ink artist that tats all the guys up. Yeah.

He calls you, you don't call him kind of deal. Yeah. He did that. Really? That's too cool. It is. Yeah. But no, I'd love to have that. I'm collecting everything I can. Once you, when did you find out?

On Friday the 12th, January last year, I'm doing my normal Friday thing, man. I live right there on Roanoke, Texas, unique dining capital of Texas, and I am doing my thing. I want you to do it. 421 on Friday, going down to have a beer. I get a call back from my roommate, hey, come back up here. I thought, is he getting another damn dog? So I go back up there, and I start walking down the hall.

That scene on TV, you know, a bunch of big blue suits knocking on my door and I'm wearing the same damn cap. Turn around, I start to... Walk away and I said stomp my foot turn back around and then Mindy says Command Master Chief knock on the door says Mr. Ingram and then invite him in and

That engaged part of me that is still in effect and that is everybody okay? What do we do? Let's manage the situation. Let's go. Don't have time for this crap. They're just lost. It's going to be a good story to tell. Better than one of mine, but I'm sure I can embellish it when it happens, when he tells me. And again, with that mindset in play and the lack of remains.

I still feel I can tell that story one day. He could walk in that door. I tell people everywhere he could walk in that door in a minute. You don't know, man. And I get a little piece from that. We joke about it all the time. But yeah, they knock on the door and start explaining what's going on, this, that, and the other. And my concerns are, where's Jewel? Where's Jewel? Where's Jaycee, my daughter?

Are we getting tight? Are we getting this unit together so we can start putting together a strategy? What do we need to do? Tell us what to do. And I'm just that guy. The more intense it is, the quieter I'm sitting over in the corner. Kind of been that way ever since. Next day I'm on a plane going to California with a bunch of big hairy apes.

super great people and the chaplain everyone that was involved there and uh just trying not to let anybody else take it too serious if at all possible trying to you know try to find my peace if you can but you know you're not going to control that and well we get there

And I was supposed to ride in the Fort Worth Livestock Show Rodeo Parade. Me and the Funkles again were going to do this. And we met for breakfast that morning, and I had other places to go. They were dressed for the parade. They took me to the airport. met everybody there and we flew back and i get a text when i'm going down to the luggage carousel that they're on the plane behind us they didn't ride they were coming out so they stayed with us for 10 days of the search back and forth and um

Got there and a lot of more Navy boys are sitting down there waiting on us. And they didn't let us handle anything. Like I said, from where I'm from, do it your damn self. And it was really hard to give up that and make them explain and understand. So I was more.

I was more trying to help them acclimate to me than me acclimate to them or whatever's going to make everybody happy and easy. Let's just get control of this and let's get to the room and let's just wait for the good story to come at the end. And still waiting for the story to end. Still waiting for that part. But back to the hit. Gage went in, did everything he could, and then from beginning to end it was 47 seconds.

And the 10-day search, beyond that, I know immediately the team, the boys went into got a finding mode for the next 12 hours. I got a certain call from a certain individual from the boat. introduce himself and explain what they were doing and i said don't worry get back to work you know and if there's any damn way you can get me there you know because much like yourself you'd probably something wrong with your kid you're going to go wherever they are in the world

And, man, I started asking for coordinates right away. And got those. I never was a tattoo guy. Gage was getting into all that stuff, and I never was a tattoo guy, but I went to the same guy that Gage got his from in San Diego and still go.

And first tattoo is coordinates. So my little national anthem needs a little bit more. But the intent at that point in time, believe it or not, was I'm that asshole. I'm that thick-headed person. And I've got a couple of friends the exact same way that you can look across the room, have a conversation. You never have to say a word.

And it was, all right, Egypt, Cairo. We're going to move on down through Djibouti off the coast of Somalia. Surely there's a ranger bass boat salesman down there somewhere. I said, that's what we got to do. Socotra is the closest island. I said, that's what we've got to do. I've promised my kids I'd do that and that's what I'm supposed to do. It sounds like, you know, it's made for TV. Say what I do. You went there? I don't know.

No. But it's not because I wasn't trained and didn't want to. But it's where I'll be one day, though. Tell him. Tell him to just pour my ashes out there. I'm Catholic. You're not supposed to get cremated. I said it'd be kind of hard to get the body over there, but few have promised to throw my body in there gladly and piss on top of it. But yeah, that's my plan. that's what happened that day and they knocked on the door and uh and we're still living that nightmare ish

Make good out of every bit of it, though, as much as you can. Like I said, Gage is always present with us. He was giving us hell last night in my pickup. It's only less than three years old, and the damn air conditioner's not working. I said, pfft. And I said, you watch. We're going to get right there close to the hotel and light clockwork. That's good. Just messing with us. But the ironies are unending.

And we were just talking about God coming down here. And I said, you know, how can you not, how can you ever be an atheist and not believe, especially in a situation like we're in all the ironies that have taken place. I mean, crazy stuff that just wouldn't happen. And maybe we're more. environmentally aware of certain things than we were before but it's just crazy things happen where you know the presence is he's there you know can't believe it yeah we got rid of coincidences back in 2017.

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It's not how it works around here anymore. We're in kind of a new zone going through that shift. So when you pay attention to all those, for the first time you see it, you just kind of shove it off. Second time it comes around, you'll notice it, but you won't say anything to anybody.

Third time, you probably get scared, right? Think you're losing your mind, but then it just keeps happening. And then eventually you pick it up and you understand what it is. And once that happens, there's this feeling that comes along with it and that's how you know it's real. No. The best is when you got somebody with you who sees it. Well, nowadays, he's talking about people just thinking crazy. Well...

I have to, I look around and one, my reaction is that people probably think I'm crazy. The other part of it is the reason they think I'm crazy is come laughing at something as I just shared a joke with the boy. You know? You look at that. So I just, people ask me, what are you laughing about? I said, you know, but it's unbelievable some of the things. They happen all the time. It'll happen before we get home, right?

Well, that's good. He's with you and you know it, so that's all that matters. Don't lose that. Yeah. Don't ignore it is what I mean. I get so busy sometimes and tired. I'm still on a... as the pad, which I didn't know what that was.

January a year ago. And then I was told what it was. His final dispositions, charge of his ceremonies and everything like that. He'd put me down for that and his executor and whatnot. And we had talked about... how to fill things out and the paperwork before you get deployed. You know, who do you want to do here? You want to see some calamity? Yeah. I see a good time. I mean, you really want to laugh your ass off. Watch us fill out our wills.

That whole day doing that is the funniest thing you'll ever see and hear about. I was with these fricking guys come up with doing their wills to leaving their wills. We talk about, I mean, it's kind of morbid because you're talking about our death, right? But when we're going through that, have to do it every time.

yep really every single time man yeah it was funny gage uh last thing he should have done was ask me for advice on that because you know i can get a little creative but no we just made it super simple uh Do this, do that. They haul their ass up to Everest. And then some guys will leave all their buddies, whatever their buds class number was, like if it was minus 228, like $2.28. Every one of my guys, make sure you pass that out. Then your guys have to haul you.

We got guys who are like, I want flaming arrows and a Viking funeral. And I mean, we got to do it. Yeah. That's our last wish. You got to do it. Absolutely. You should have done yours like Augustus McRae. I had some crazy ones. All the way back from Montana? Yeah, all the way back from Texas to Montana. All the way back to Texas, man. Bury me in that orchard.

Claire's Orchard. But no, it was, yeah, the whole ceremony thing, normal thing is I think the foundation set those up and presented it to the family, and I wouldn't have it. I said, nope, my honor. So I'm sitting out in Del Mar in a hotel parking lot, and I don't want to go to sleep. I don't want to sit in bed thinking about this. And so I just stay up.

legal pads, books, this, that, and other. Funkles are back in Texas, and I'm talking to Dave and that bunch, and we're getting things organized, and we've got to do this, and we've got to do that. I'm sure it looked like a clown parade for the longest part, but we were figuring it out, and we're going to make it right.

And, man, I've got so many people involved. Daddy being sheriff for all those years, super fans of first responders. Uncle up in New York, retired in my PD captain. There's just a long history there. Got them all involved. Got Fort Worth involved, Denton County, you name it, North Lake, West Lake, South Lake, Roanoke, Trophy Club, Keller. And I apologize if I'm forgetting anybody, but the list goes on and on.

Ross Perot was huge in support. Isn't he great? He is a great. That whole family. Absolutely. Great American and Texan. That Texas royalty right there. For real family. Loved his dad. His dad and his book. Just read the book. Great. And I told Ross the first time I met him, I said, you know what? respect the hell out of you of course ross for boss i actually voted for him in the day and i said but you know who i'm most fascinated with i said is your grandma when she told him ross that

He's responsible for those people, and he took it to heart. I was just telling him about the book and the movie yesterday. I said, go read it. You'll get a different appreciation. That's the first time I ever started paying attention to politics when he started running back in the day. Yeah, right. Ran at him. But yeah, he's huge. I live in Roanoke.

And Circle T is right across the 114 from us, so he was always a parent. But, man, he showed up in so many ways. Unexpected, but I'm so proud to call him a friend and neighbor, per se. He's a great Texan. Yeah. Hope to be able to continue that. And we text occasionally, and I tell him, I said, listen, I'm not saying I'm somebody, but he answers on the first ring every time. And he's that kind of guy. He probably does that for everybody. But, yeah, him and the family are so great.

Great Americans, great patriots. Vet himself. Whoever put that discipline in them back in the day did a good job. Yes, sir. And those manners. I think it's got something to do with Grandma. Grandma, yeah. I have so much respect for her. And when she said that to him... Because it stuck. He took it to heart. Yeah, it stuck. Yep. So what's your goal with the foundation? What's your dreams with it? So like I said, I started this out of...

i don't grieve like everybody else i stay busy and i needed to stay busy and we believe me we stayed busy with just getting that ceremony together and kind of worked on a three-hour sleep schedule Did it again last night. I said, somehow this 58-year-old body is acclimated to it. I don't know if it's a good thing, but we'll see. The foundation had to get it up and running.

When we built that program, it was designed around the idea of getting people involved and being able to maybe later on lean on them to help grow this. I didn't. I heard about foundations, contributed to foundations, never knew I was going to be in charge of one. And man, I had so much passion and love that I needed to, I needed an outlet. And the energy putting into that felt good. And there were no.

There were no gates. There were no hurdles that weren't going to get run down. And in all honesty, maybe I didn't see it. Maybe I was moving too fast, but there weren't a whole lot. Still aren't a whole lot. Gage's story and the passion that's associated with who he was. Outside of just being one of the most badass people in the world, like this man over here, there's another side to Gage. Like I said, he's that common guy.

It's got a side to him that nobody ever saw in developing that, who he was, what he was going to be based, if nothing else, on our image and our shared idea of who he was. Got nothing but... incredible feedback and stories from folks that I'm still meeting on a daily basis and who knew Gage was and served and his impact on them in a small amount of time.

There are guys getting out now that are able to talk to me about certain things. It's just incredible about the impression that Gage made on them. So from a dad's standpoint, I said, you know, we knew what we signed up for. This is one of the results. what happened at the end i said where my tears come from is the pride that i get knowing that other people saw maybe it's like being validated as maybe raising your kids you did the right thing and um

people's pride and gauge that never knew him or knew of him. And first impression he made on people. And it means he did what he was told to do growing up. That's one thing we do. At Siltings, man, we gauge you. Absolutely. How will you be gauged? That kind of thing? That's a huge deal with us. And those guys who go out early, that's an immortalization right there. Immortalized at that age. But taking that...

To answer your question on the foundation, where do I want it to go? I want to represent Gage in the highest way possible. Like I said, I'm not trying to compete with the big people on the outside. It's hard not to want to, though, because it... They do so many good things, just like Gage. We want to help everybody. I was telling him, I said, you know, I hope Gage was the same way, but the emotion, hate, I never knew what that was growing up. Daddy was Sheriff.

We didn't like everybody. Everybody liked us. We didn't get votes. We didn't eat, right? Never knew what that was, and I think Gage employed that also. He was just a super good human being. in addition to, and I'm being a little biased here. Others would probably have a deeper, more sentimental story, but I'm going to stay on the tough side of it all. But I want his foundation to represent what he would have been, what I knew him to be, how he was raised to be.

And like I said, being validated through a lot of the actions and stories that are coming back from other people like that, I think I'm on the right path to basically just be a damn good human. Believe in your Lord, right? It's going to guide you everywhere. And, you know, the tough side of that is it can get done in time.

A lot of things I've been working on for the last 15 months, we just achieved some really big deals. So kind of on a vacation. You're seeing the vacation side of chat right now because he's kind of coasting right now until the next challenge comes up. But I was telling one of the state representatives, I said, you know.

It's not how I wanted to get this done to achieve some of the things for Gage's legacy. I said, I feel like I'm walking uphill backwards, but at least I'm moving forward if that makes any sense. And it's a good.

We've got that notoriety. I kept telling people, I said, I've got to make Gage famous. I've got to make Gage famous. This is going to make my job so much easier, but how do you make Gage famous beyond the norm? I said, you've just got to put him in front of every platform that offers you the opportunity to talk about that boy.

By the way, thank you for having me here. It was an honor. Mr. Mack Alexander, if you're listening, thank you, buddy. My Mac belt. He came out here and Marcus whipped a, what was that, a cinder block? We're freaking talking about our guys who go out and reinvent stuff and they come up with a belt. Yeah.

I wear it every day. Making dog collar. Yeah. I don't really kick the crap out of any more center blocks with that thing, but I'm freaking out. I'm looking for some windshields, though. Yeah, yeah. But no, he's awesome. Met him in Tampa at the Frogman Swim. Super great guy. He is, man. And he's a hell of a success story. Hell of a success story. Got a great personality. So your next event that's a big fundraiser for Gage is the golf tournament.

That's what we started with last year. Needed to do something. So we got off on that. So no, actually we're trying to, there's so much going on, on the, on the award side to get us here. And I want to be able to tell you what. You know, we've just done the last couple of months. Trying to plan a clay shoot. Fun. Yes, we're done. Hell yeah, we're done. I build ARs. I've done a lot of, I built a lot of ARs for one of the foundations where I've put a lot of gauges.

information on it um we designed guns way back gauge well again we were doing all this while gauges in there and i'll tell you an off-color story about not mixed company about particular name of one gun that we kind of created invented we called our own it's kind of a cqc replica gun that we would want in case uh should there be any stupidity associated with school shootings and whatnot and it just

got under our skin and we uh haven't been primed up 12 cans primed up you know we're sitting there designing this thing with our hands and we came up with a name but i'm not going to say what it is but uh to the point where now we have got a I'm having the first 10 of these lowers and uppers milled right now. It's going to be called the Baker Rifle, model number NGI-346.

initials in his buzz class. It'll be serialized. Those are coming out. What caliber? 5.56 in that platform. 7.62 could be coming along. 300 blackout can come from that. um we've got a little bit of everything we talked that all week uh so yeah we got that coming um like i told you get that gauge gear out there as it comes along hopefully

There's been so many other things happening now as of last week. And if you don't mind, I'd like to tell you. Please. So Representative Ben Baumgartner last year, I had a flower mound. After Gage's ceremony, I kind of knew how politics worked. I've been hanging a lot of binders at the ceremony. Super busy through all that, but I went back and I visited. I thought, all right, how do I do this? So first thing I'm going to do is...

I've got to go at the highest level that I'm comfortable approaching right now. His office was two blocks down the street from me in Roanoke. I asked if I could meet him. Went down there and we talked about Gage. I said, I want to promote Gage. I said, here's the deal.

You're probably talking to me the biggest dummy in the world right now when it comes to this. I'm looking for guidance, right? Ben made some suggestions, and that was well over 15 months ago, and the legislature had to... Get back in session back in January and had to wait, wait, wait. Got the read back in October, the day after the golf tournament from the Admiral.

And that was interesting in and of itself. But waiting, hoping things would come from that. Awards. How can I get... I need to make Gage famous. Where do these... How can I get Gage... on the stage with these awards and recognition and whatnot from folks uh things i think he did deserve but again as a dad we're not going to ask for that if you feel it in your heart by god get it out there you know i want you to do that if not i'm gonna do everything i can personally to to get

people aware of Gage because as tragic as it was, things don't stay on people's minds very long. Through all of this, I've learned that there are a lot of small people that make big problems out of small problems.

So one of the things I always tell my girls all the time in coaching and everything is there are no big problems. I got big problems. But there aren't big problems. It's just how you choose to approach them, right? Look at your life as chapters and always know it. There's another chapter after this one. And look forward to the next chapter. Yeah. Right? Or what's it going to be? And start thinking about that. Think across the horizon. I always say it to the single dads.

The theory is you've got to look way ahead if you're going to afford things. You've got to start saving her sophomore year for her senior dress, right? That's what I had to do. But just think ahead. So through the foundation, getting it built.

how to get it built what my intentions are and not knowing any other way of doing it was to give back to the folks who had just given to us right because if i can refill those coppers that that the foundation spent to cover us god forbid but unfortunately That money can go to another family that we can help. That'll be the first thing Gage would want to help everybody. So doing that. And it got to the point where maybe it's the uniqueness of the situation.

We had the two ceremonies in February, and then we were asked to wait until April for the team to get back, for Charlie to get back from deployment before we had the rose crayons and the command ceremony. So I'm sure I would recommend.

doing that ever again because that just opened up a bunch of wounds um but we agreed to it because we wanted the boys there right the charlie boys so that gave me time to start building on this what are we going to do how are we going to do who are we going to be in contact with investigations visiting with charlie

a lot um at you know keen seeing what he had at the ranch and um the idea around it and that was the i thought okay charlie's doing this that's what i got to do without that stopped you know calibrate and check your resources and see what we can do and can't do. Well, being from West Texas, we have a lot of open land, a lot of opportunities. And I started valuing my upbringing as I met a lot of the team guys, right?

Turns out they're not all from Texas. So when you sit there and talk to them about, you know, weed harvesting and working cattle, right? Uh, hunting. all right we got dove quail turkey sandhill crane um chupacabra we got them yeah foot man we got it all out there everywhere yeah but having all that white tail deer and hogs out the butt

We got a big hog problem. So they're all fascinated with this. I said, I want to come out and play in the playground there because there's a lot of guys out there that probably enjoy knowing what you guys do on the DL, OPSEC's in order.

Uh, but you know, if you want to come out, come on out. And I thought, all right, I can offer medical therapy, but I ain't seen anybody with an issue having a problem when they're having fun. And that's kind of what we do. We work our butts off and we have a lot of fun. We put as much heart into both ways.

Maybe we can make something out of that. And that's what I'm attempting to do. So Gage's Retreat is something we came up with. Adventure Therapy Program is what I'm titled, and I'm sure it's used elsewhere.

found that you can actually get a certification in that too cool for school and uh started uh just a while back so one of the things we did at the golf tournament is we auctioned off a helicopter hog hunt and we just engage that after turkey season was over with you don't want to do it during turkey or deer season went up and got the video and i thought this is it right here this is the stuff and we have a very good friend with a very large amount of land out there who's

I'm going to participate in this, and I want to create a place where the guys can come. Yeah, we're talking about Navy Special Warfare for the most part. Gold Star families, if it's therapeutic, come out and just hang out. do what I always hated to do growing up, right? If you want to drive a tractor, we pay people to drive a tractor, and you want to do it for free. Come on in, little fella. They do, all day. They'll sit in that tractor all day. It's the most...

The most calming thing you can imagine. Therapeutic. Therapeutic. So after I left there and I'd go back out, we had a friend that was working on his place. And I told him, I said, buddy, I'd get... Two pickle wings, a bag of peanuts, my iPod, and a 12-pack of Bud Light. And I would sit on that tractor until the sun went down. And then turn the lights on until I started swerving. Then call it a day. It was wide open. I don't know, Rose. It was a high fence. It's not a big deal.

that's it that's therapy man and uh offering these guys this opportunity to just come out and kind of live the way we did and just Look at it from a different angle, man. Sitting around that campfire at the end of the day at night while something's cooking because you can smell it. Absolutely. All the billionaire kids earn all that money so they can go do that. All the poor kids try to get away from it. It's the weirdest phenomenon.

Everyone I know at the end of the day loves sitting around that fire. Oh, yeah. And eating a good meal at the end of the day. Trying to merge those two worlds. Right there in quantum where we're at, Medicine Mound area. I think it's the fourth darkest place in the nation. historical whatnot charts of the world to the point where i guess i took it for granted growing up but a couple buddies went out there one time and just looked up and nearly hit your head on the on the milky way it just

Wow, I forgot. Living in the city so long, just how beautiful it is and all the stars you can see, but offering all that. Can you believe that? They can't see that in the city. You can see the stars in the cities. It's like you're in space. Out there, you can see everything. Oh, more than everything. Good Lord. You can see everything that Elon Musk ever put up there. Damn Tesla. But no.

Just offering that. There's something I've taken for granted and just kind of reinventing it and offering it to the guys. And if it helps, man, get you away from a problem or even if it's for a minute, to me it's therapeutic. I don't know. I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV. All right. Kidding. I love that. But I think that's a really cool idea. And outside the fact that it's a hell of a fun. It's a blast all the time. You ever want to go? All the time. We've got.

You're funneling guys in there all the time. It'd be the best. A lot of our guys don't know where to go. Believe it or not. I mean, from where we come from, the families, not everyone comes from a great family kind of deal. And they left to get away. But they'll go to places like that. Absolutely. And I'm trying to...

Trying to find that format or that platform in which to communicate, and I'm doing it with team guys at a time. I go to every one of these events, like the same way I've met with Matt. Yeah, wear a mouth and put that up quick. If I hadn't met Matt. I wouldn't be sitting here right now. He's such a good guy and he's so passionate about wanting to promote and having not ever known Gage and his passion for me to be successful at what we're doing. I'm going to forever be thankful.

Taking that into it, another thing we're looking at doing, like I said, the Bonus Dad program, trying to support the guys in any way I can in the legal parameters of being allowed to for those guys. And then if nothing else, like I told the Admiral last week in Austin, I said, I just want to bring some steaks out there and let's go to command. Let's cook right there on that dirt and drink some beer.

Whatever. I just, I don't know. That's all you need. That's it. That's all you want to do. That's it. Let's cook a pig. Let's cook a cow. Let's do whatever. Drink some beer. Kill something. Cook something. Eat something. Drink some beer.

Wait until somebody who thinks they're super talented and wants to play, and we'll make fun of them. We'll have stories to tell. Video it. It's about memory, right? Make your memories. I don't have to have anything. That's why I'm so rich in Gage's world is because I didn't have to have everything. Got my memories, right? Fun stories and the ability to sometimes tell them in a clever way. But that's what we got. So bonus dad program, adventure therapy program.

And then still strategically placing funds in bigger organizations. I want to say strategically focusing on youth programs and things that we want to see get attention in any way, shape, or form. It's very liberating. It feels free to be able to say, wow, I've got the ability to actually do that. But it's through the foundation. It's through the gift of others, through the memory of a gauge, right? So I sit and juggle all these things all the time.

and try to figure out how would you just sit that and let that flow and it comes out different every stinking time like i said i tried to write gage's name down and read something one time couldn't get past it and i've never done it again so speak from the heart walk out of the room

Until I hear this again, I'm not going to know what the hell I said when I get my pickup in a minute. But the foundation is there. We want to be different. I tell everybody, I said, I kind of want to help what everybody else is doing-ish. I don't want to do it differently.

So not that there's gaps in anything, but there are things that need some attention paid to them. I would like to think, because in my situation, I thought, what if we'd had little kids? What if we had a teenage girl, like the ones I coach and everything?

What if it was primetime? What if someone was getting ready to go to state and this strategy befell them? How do we try to help those kids make what they can best out of a bad, super bad situation and maybe just maintain some memory for this that's good?

From this age and this time in their lives. And maybe focusing on that. So they got the prom dress. Does he have a bat? That's a huge one. What do they need? Kids that make it in. They qualify for some stuff. They can't afford to go.

All of a sudden something shows up like, oh, hey, we got that. A lot of times you just don't know about it. Absolutely, that's a bonus dad deal. I have no problem giving money in that direction and helping anybody. Even kids that are in the foster system that are wanting to go to the SEAL teams.

Joey Han. Yeah. He was a Texas boy in the foster system. Wanted to go to college and... family he said this on our podcast so I can repeat it his family uh or the family he was staying with just wanted him to stay there and help on their I don't remember if it was a farm or what but they didn't want him going off to college just yet

And didn't help him at all. Did not take him to the SATs. He had to have a ride to go to take his SAT. They were not assisting him at all in achieving his next chapter of life. Someone, he ended up doing it anyway, but think about if they had, if he would have had a... Bonus dad. Bonus dad that... He didn't live with them, but he could text and say, look, I want to go to college. I want to go to the military.

I just don't have the resources to get there or to make that next step happen. That would be awesome. That's what SEAL teams are, one big orphanage. Yeah. Imagine if we had a SEAL orphanage. Like, you sent kids there? Like, hey, where's that place at, man? I'd like to run that. You know what I'm talking about? Yeah. I got in the middle of nowhere.

Like a Hogwarts. Call it Frogwarts. Like, hey, man, if you want to go SF, you freaking bust it up. Send his ass out there, man. Did you just come up with that? You know what I'm talking about? Why doesn't that exist? That's genius. That's great. That's genius. Yeah. But no.

Go for Hogwarts. Yeah, go for Hogwarts, man. And then identifying in greater detail that, you know, in order for a kid to get that, they want, you know, this generation is, got to have it right now. Get them mentally straight as to... this is how it's going to layer and work thing is is you got to understand that with that generational understanding at this point in time you have to show progress more frequently than maybe in days gone by

just to deal with them. I think the world's changing in that aspect from a coach's perspective for the better. Yeah, we're definitely changing. But just identifying in great detail what those things are. And another thing I was talking to Robin King about. I really love, I think Gage was all about fitness and getting into that world and being one of those frogman type kind of guys and the warrior fitness program.

Oh, and there's fire and ice frogs right now too. Have you met with those guys? I just need to draw it together. Fire and Ice Frogs is a team guy that started a fitness and wellness program where they do saunas and cold plunge at retired. I think it's retired special forces, people's houses. Like Miss King, she runs the empire. She's the king. She does. Queen. King's name. So many little things that are out there now.

Kevin Mangini, so he runs that out in San Diego side. You know, it's Virginia high performance through these guys, but it'd be great. And having done biomechanics for so many years, I worked for a PhD for most authority on the planet.

in helping train these kids, sat on a bucket for seven years, watching ankles, eyes, hips, feet, toes, ankles. I can tell a kid's hurt before the kid knows they're hurt. And the idea is to prevent them from having injury, especially these girls who are pitching them.

I want them to be able to pick up their own kid one day. And tore them ready to try to cuff and labrums and lower back problems and blown stride legs are good. So being a mechanical sound in that was the thing we focused on. It's the only thing I knew.

and i was telling him like that yesterday i said you know it's kind of unique i have every kid i've ever coached i've got to college on a scholarship um and i've never lost one to injury that started with me not one i even threw a five-year covid program They got master's degrees on them. Did therapy, return to throwing programs for a lot who didn't employ that beforehand, but then they did and they stayed.

mechanical sound and healthy they're able to pick up their kiddos so uh that was super important so we can see the the mesh of taking care of youth because you know what at my age they're gonna be the ones taking care of me in a couple years i'll think about that too yeah It's like, we've got to get these suckers right. Yeah, at least me. But, yeah, focusing on that and that program out there, it'd be something we'd like to participate in. Kevin and I met, and there's a piece missing in there.

When you get ready to leave, you're ready to leave. Is your family ready for you to come back? I mean, I don't have a choice, but how do we make that transition? Kevin pointed out to me, I thought, you know, if it starts with a coloring book and a happy meal, we've done something.

so maybe that's something we can put our foot in from gauges angle to assist that program still gotta do a lot of talking got a lot of things going on but your wheels are turning yeah every day every day it's where that four-hour sleep comes in but what i was going to tell you is uh

Some of the things that we were able to achieve the last 15 months, working with Bimbom Garner and Tan Parker, Center Hancock, Veterans Board in Austin. We were talking about you. You were just down there. But I was there a little over a month ago, and ACR 46 was presented by Ben to the Veteran Affairs Subcommittee, Senate Subcommittee.

Been presented, I was able to testify, and they voted immediately to move that resolution to the Senate floor for vote to make January 12th for the next decade Nathan Gage Ingram Day. Aw. Congratulations. And in addition to that, a recommendation was made and a nomination was made for Gage to receive the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor. I was going to ask you about that. I was just in Austin with... That would be a huge deal.

It's done. You know, it's Texas boys, man. That's bigger than the other one. That's what I was telling everybody. I've never heard of that. That's a straight up thing. I was like, I've got another Melavonna boys running around here, man. I was like, if somebody creeps in with that Texas Melavonna.

Big deal. I didn't know there was a Texas. Sure is. No one has it. A lot of people said, I never heard it before. And I said, oh, you will. Man, it's, yeah. Buckle up, buttercup. That's the reason you don't see around. Because they're going to do a big thing. It's some engaged.

When it gets completed and Abbott's going to present it, they're going to have a big pechanga. Thank God I finally got one out of there. And then it's sealed, too. That's good stuff, man. They're going to have a big pechanga in Austin, and they're going to bring in...

Well, I understand I don't want to talk too far in advance, but because we have the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum up in Arlington. Yeah, it's a brand new. Yeah, beautiful place that they want to bring anybody who'd won a Congressional Medal of Honor from Texas is now going to get the... Turns out that they get to get the Texas legislature. Very cool. They worked their way up. Well, good job on the legislature. They're doing great things, man. So we got that next squared again.

Getting Gage that awareness and how to make Gage famous. I'll do it. Nailed that down. Please, brother. Nailed that down last Tuesday. Good job. I take a break. Let us know when they're going to do the signing of that. Absolutely. If we're around, we'll go help.

bring some presence to it. Well, absolutely. I would appreciate any notoriety, any discussion about Gage anytime in the world. That's so cool. But that's it in a nutshell. I have a bunch of stuff I probably wrote down in notes and I'm forgetting. I sent to Hunter and I just...

Well, we can add it to the YouTube on that. What's the website? How can people go on? The website is www.nathangageingram.org. Okay. And I know that's a lot, but if you go to .com, because we had a printing mistake on some t-shirts, it's also at .com also. Okay. How'd you get that typo? That will, yeah. That will take you to the webpage. It'll give you a brief story about Gage. And again, I promise folks, it'll be way better, more cooler, if that's a word, down the road as we get.

through more of these awards and some of the things we're working on. Gage also, I don't know, I missed this part back in April. Year to the date of Gage's ceremony at Fort Rose Trans, Gage was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Medal at Coronado. And that's quite the honor. Yeah, the big ones take some time. Yeah, yeah. We're not done yet, though. Yeah. Not done yet. I've got the rest of my life, and I need more to work on. And you said Jules doing all right?

She's strong. She's strong. She's five foot old, but she's a strong little girl. She is super proud of her. She's part of the Widows now. And them ladies are very strong. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well...

He's never going to be forgotten. He's in and no matter what awards, nothing matters more than a dad's love. And you have that and you have that passion and he'll never be forgotten. So. God bless you, man. Thank you. If you were to say something on how you want him to be remembered, what would you say? Man, that's a good question. It's that deep tart. It's getting way in there.

I would say two answers. Obviously, a hero, which is probably the typical answer for that. But it's just crazy for me because when I think back to that time that we were watching Lone Survivor.

You know, I never thought any of this would actually happen. And, you know, you hear about the details of the mission and all that, and it's like, man, that's my buddy that I was playing soccer against when we were five, you know, and he's... he's a pretty big deal now and you know gave his life for his country and his brother and and you know that's uh there's no greater love than to to lay down one's life for his friend right so pretty

Pretty spectacular deal. 15-13. That's right, sir. Yes, sir. But, yeah, the second answer would be just he's a goofball. You know, a lot of people, a lot of those guys are goofballs. At least the guys Gage just buddies with. yeah he you know and that's what we talked about it at some of his ceremonies was that uh the common theme was that uh you know people always remembered him laughing

And he never thought he was better than anybody else. He always treated people with love and respect. And he was just such a nice dude. So I'm certainly a proud brother, for sure. More to come on that guy. Because that's the sad.

It's the side that's not totally apparent yet. If I do my job right, you're going to get to meet Gage in real time. That's our goal. That's awesome. Thank you so much for hearing about him. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Hunter, thank you, sir. Oh, it's important not to let it change you. Resist the temptation to totally uproot your life, you know? I'll still do all the same things I did before. I'm still me. It was £25 you won, wasn't it, Buzz? Yeah.

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