Podcast Summary: Camp Gagnon

Episode: The Former Nazi The CIA Wanted NOTHING To Do With

Host: Mark Gagnon
Guest: Dave Frank
Date: November 4, 2025

Overview of the Episode

This deeply personal and gripping episode features Dave Frank, a man whose life trajectory spans violent neo-Nazi gangs, time spent in the underbelly of Los Angeles and international conflict zones, and eventual redemption through sobriety and purpose. Host Mark Gagnon guides listeners through Dave's raw and unfiltered account, focusing on his upbringing, immersion in hate groups, criminal activity, journey to sobriety, moral reckoning, and eventual mission to fight on behalf of the "good guys"—including attempting, unsuccessfully, to join both the U.S. military and intelligence communities, and later taking up arms against drug cartels and extremist groups overseas.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Upbringing and Early Exposure to Chaos

• Roots in San Fernando Valley, LA: Dave describes the environment where he grew up as rife with crime, sex work, and drugs (02:24).
• Family history: His mother was a "pot-smoking hippie" heavily involved in the counterculture and narrowly avoided ties to the Manson murders, recounting chilling anecdotes about Charles Manson (03:26–04:40).
• Fathers with complex backgrounds: His biological father became a post-op trans woman and was a Vietnam tunnel rat—"If you know anything about that, you have to go into the tunnels in Vietnam and dispatch people in hand-to-hand combat in the dark." (06:00)
• Disrupted childhood: Moved from rural Iowa back to LA at 14, where violence and gang activity became unavoidable (09:16–09:23).

2. Entry Into Gangs and Neo-Nazi Culture

• Violent environments shaped choices: After being attacked and robbed by a gang, Dave retaliated violently and soon fell in with white power skinhead groups for safety and belonging (09:29, 12:00).
• Gang initiation: Reading racist literature and attending meetings, the culture demanded acts of violence—“A set of lightning bolts is that you've shed blood for the white race. They expect you to stab or kill people.” (23:09)
• Lasting marks: Dave began removing his hate tattoos later in life, recognizing the weight of what they symbolized (00:00, 11:44).

3. Criminal Activity and Turning Point

• Violence and attempted murder charge: Dave recounts his involvement in violent crimes, including a case where someone’s throat was slit during a robbery (13:57):
  • “Nothing I can ever do is going to make what happened that night okay. ...I apologize with all my heart and you don't owe me any forgiveness or anything.” (15:17)
• Jail experience: Shares brutally honest details about survival and violence in LA County Jail (16:48–19:34).

4. Hitting Bottom and Path to Sobriety

• Escalation and brush with death: Multiple brushes with death—from shootouts to gang vendettas—culminated in a standoff where he realized, “Is this how my life is really going to go? I'm going to kill this guy right in front of all these people and spend the rest of my life in San Quentin, or he's going to come in and kill me. And that's just the end of my pathetic existence.” (28:09)
• Catalyst for change: Participation in rehab brought him into direct conflict and then friendship with Andre, a black Nation of Islam member:
  • “He told me, if I'd been born white, I would be just like you. ...if I'd been born black, I would have been just like him. And I thought to myself, everything in your life, every failure, is your fault.” (35:55, 41:02–41:40)

5. Self-Awareness and Redemption

• Embracing responsibility: Reading Malcolm X profoundly shaped his worldview—“Malcolm X ...helped save my life, man. ...you do for self.” (41:40)
• Leaving hate behind almost cost him his life: Former associates turned on him after he denounced white supremacy (45:05–47:11).

6. Attempts to Serve - Facing Institutional Roadblocks

• Military rejections: Despite exceptional test scores, his criminal record and violent past blocked him from enlisting—even after multiple attempts (47:13–49:42).
• CIA & foreign intervention hopes dashed: Dave’s eagerness to fight extremists overseas led to frustrating calls with the CIA and unsuccessful attempts to join the French Foreign Legion and other organizations (47:13–49:42, 54:36–55:57).

7. Taking the Fight Abroad

• Daniel Pearl’s death as motivation: After viewing the beheading of the American journalist, Dave decided he would fight extremism directly, venturing to Russia and seeking entry into their security service to battle Al Qaeda (49:42–51:51).

8. Fighting Drug Cartels in Mexico

• Personal vendetta and commitment: His childhood exposure to drugs by cartels drove him to later fight against them, working as a bodyguard for a Mexican general—“When they took away my daughter and the cartels gave me drugs...I'm gonna go confront the cartels.” (56:08–58:13)
• Sense of honor and gratitude: Emotional moments expressing appreciation for his general and the shared purpose with his comrades (58:14).

9. Reflections on Regret, Purpose, and Advocacy

• No regrets, but always striving: Dave acknowledges his checkered past but expresses zero regrets for fighting evil and trying to do good with his life—“If someday someone catches me and I gotta meet a gruesome man...I'll pay that a hundred times over because you're not sending me any place I'm not already going.” (58:14–61:00)
• Future goals: Aims to become a lawyer to help others, motivated by his wife’s support and his own desire to atone and serve (61:36–61:43).

10. Closing Thoughts on Unsung Heroes

• Tribute to journalists and educators: Dave offers heartfelt respect for those fighting evil without weapons—“You have nothing but my deep, undying respect. ...We’re not the heroes with our weapons. You guys are.” (62:43–64:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On his tattoos and past:
  “A set of lightning bolts is that you've shed blood for the white race. ...They expect you to stab or kill people and this is just our whole mentality at the time.” – Dave Frank (00:00, 23:09)

• On family and violence:
  “My mom was a pot smoking hippie that was smoking pot with Charles Manson. ...She missed being involved in the Tate LaBianca murders.” – Dave Frank (02:24)

• On self-awareness and responsibility:
  “Everything in your life, every failure, is your fault. ...You did nothing with it. ...You hate everybody because you hate yourself.” – Dave Frank (35:55, 41:20)

• On sobriety and transformation:
  “If you're a Crip or a Blood, or you're a Latino gang member, or anybody watching this, if you're in a cartel watching this, I want you to know that a miracle can happen for you, too. Because it happened for me.” – Dave Frank (28:09)

• On redemption and regret:
  “If someday, someday someone catches me and I gotta meet a gruesome man...I'll pay that a hundred times over because you're not sending me any place I'm not already going.” – Dave Frank (58:14)

• On his purpose:
  “I'm not gonna quit, man. No way. ...If I have one regret, it's that I haven't done enough. In fact, I gotta get a bar exam so I can help people. I want to help people, man.” – Dave Frank (61:32–61:43)

• On the real heroes:
  “To the reporters that risk your life and your families every day...you have nothing but my deep, undying respect...their weapons [are] the pen.” – Dave Frank (62:43–64:15)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:02 — Dave’s former life in the neo-Nazi underworld
• 02:24–04:40 — Stories of family, hippie life, and near-encounters with Charles Manson
• 06:00–09:14 — Complex father figures and military backgrounds
• 09:16–11:44 — Transition back to LA and immersion in gang life
• 13:57–16:48 — Attempted murder case and reflections on crime
• 19:34 — Violent culture of LA County Jail
• 23:09–24:51 — Symbolism and consequences of gang tattoos
• 28:09–35:55 — Critical moment leading to sobriety and the turning point
• 41:02–41:40 — Insightful exchange with Andre and Malcolm X’s influence
• 45:05–47:11 — Dangers faced after renouncing white supremacy
• 47:13–49:42 — Frustrations with the military and CIA rejections
• 49:42–51:51 — Daniel Pearl’s beheading and the drive to fight terrorism abroad
• 53:08–55:57 — Language learning, Russia, and failed French Foreign Legion attempt
• 56:08–58:14 — Motivation to confront drug cartels in Mexico
• 61:32–61:43 — Aspiration to help others as a lawyer
• 62:43–64:15 — Final tribute to journalists, educators, and unsung heroes

Tone & Final Impressions

The episode is raw, unsparing, and ultimately redemptive, blending street-level realism and violence with emotional vulnerability and philosophical growth. Dave’s candor, unfiltered narratives, and heartfelt gratitude—especially for his wife, mentors, and those risking their lives for justice—anchor the episode in hope and underscore the possibility of transformation, no matter the starting point.

A must-listen for anyone interested in stories of redemption, the psychology of hate and violence, and the struggle to right past wrongs.