Uncle Si Meets the Gamer Who Took ‘Call of Duty’ Into Real Life

Summary

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Duck Call Room – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Uncle Si Meets the Gamer Who Took ‘Call of Duty’ Into Real Life

Release Date: August 19, 2025
Hosts: Si Robertson, Justin Martin, Jace, Hunter, Blake Cook (guest), with John-David Owen, John Godwin, Jay Stone, and Phillip McMillan
Special Guest: Blake Cook (Army Veteran, former gamer)

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Overview

In this lively episode, the Duck Call Room crew welcomes Army veteran Blake Cook, who famously went from being obsessed with “Call of Duty” and video game culture to enlisting in the Army and experiencing real combat. The crew and Blake share hilarious stories, discuss the reality of military service versus pop-culture expectations, the importance of honoring veterans, and riff on everything from video games and army recruiting to westerns, wild college days, and the surprising twists life throws your way. The conversation is heartfelt, humorous, and often unexpectedly deep, celebrating camaraderie among service members of all stripes.

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Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scorching Weather & Morning Routines

• The crew opens the show complaining (and sometimes loving) how hot it is, poking fun at early morning temperatures in the South.
• Uncle Si insists on staying inside with the AC, while Martin admits he'd rather sweat than be cold.
  • “At 8 o'clock this morning, it was 100 degrees!” – Uncle Si [00:55]
  • This sets a breezy, bantering mood.

2. Westerns, TV Habits, and Family Life

• Uncle Si shares his discovery of a Western TV channel, and the group launches into a discussion about spaghetti westerns and classic TV.
• Si praises the genre’s music, horses, and scenery, and laments his wife slashing the cable bill.
  • “They do have like three good things. The music is good... beautiful horses... the country that they're filming is also just drop dead gorgeous.” – Uncle Si [02:25-02:49]
• Jace jokes about hiring only "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" fans because “they’re the best workers.”

3. Technology & Parenting Rants

• Si and the boys get agitated about kids and tech.
  • Si declares that today's smartphones are “evil,” and jokes he’d never give one to his own child until they finish college.
  • “You give a nine year old child this... he can get into anything instantly. With his finger.” – Uncle Si [05:38-05:49]
• They riff on the dangers of AI and the possibility of computers running amok.
• The crew debates when they got their first phones and how it changed.

4. Veteran Camaraderie & Honoring Service

• Blake Cook is welcomed by Uncle Si, who gives a heartfelt thanks for his service and reflects on his own career.
  • “I served for 24 and a half years... the guys that actually were in combat, they are truly my heroes.” – Uncle Si [12:39-14:14]
• Both men share the deep emotional scars and mutual respect all service members experience, not just those on the front lines.
  • Blake: “Anybody that signs the dotted line, you know, takes that risk... there’s still the chance of you getting hurt or your life ending.” [13:25]

5. Blake Cook’s Wild Backstory: From Gamer to Infantry

• Blake Cook recounts his journey from small-town West Virginia, college football drop-out, and pro-gaming hopeful to Army infantryman:
  • Flunked out due to gaming—“That was back when Call of Duty had Nazi zombies, bro.” [18:31]
  • Failed at community college, spent days gaming and nights at Applebee’s, until his mom threatened to kick him out.
  • Attempted job-hunting, got rejected at Hibbett Sports, and then—by fate—met an Army recruiter who jokingly asked, “You want to do [Call of Duty] in real life?” [24:26]
  • Joined as 11 Bravo infantry.
    • “I had no idea. Got to basic, all these people were like, ‘Oh, man, I got airborne contracts...’ I didn’t get any of that. My recruiter sucked. That dude sucked me in.” – Blake [27:59]

Notable Quotes:

• “All I wanted to do was freakin’ play professional Call of Duty. That’s all I wanted to do.” – Blake Cook [43:41]
• “You want to do it (Call of Duty) in real life?” – Army recruiter, relayed by Blake [24:26]

6. Life-Changing Combat Experience

• Blake describes being blown up by an IED in Afghanistan:
  • “I saw this, like, super bright flash... Like super slow motion, you could see the chunks of dirt come up... It broke my back plate in half...” – Blake [37:31-38:00]
  • Recalls waking up post-blast, chaos of evacuation, miscommunication where his family believed him dead, and a long road through recovery.
  • “I did speech, memory, and physical therapy for almost 24 months.” – [41:23]

7. Return to Service & Absurd Bumps

• Despite severe injuries, Blake is pushed to requalify and jump again as a paratrooper:
  • His comically harrowing first jump (“tears start coming down my eyes”) and getting kicked out the aircraft [43:26-44:57]
  • “Why did I buy a 5 hour energy shot for $100? Why did I listen to the recruiter...?” [44:39]
  • “This eight year old kid is cussing me out, talking to me about my mom.” – On trying to return to Call of Duty post-military [46:06]

8. Shared Experiences, Brotherhood & Faith

• Discussion of bonds between veterans and mutual friend Chad Robichaux.
  • Jace: “You talk about when you meet another veteran, you feel like you’ve known them for a long time.” [35:21]
• Blake explains how both loss and shared sacrifice unite veterans, regardless of role.
• Deep discussion of how faith (“the one and the 99” parable) relates to personal recovery:
  • “I’m the one that he left the 99 for. And there’s nothing more beautiful than the love that leaves the 99.” – Blake [53:51]

9. Signature Duck Call Room Antics

• Si’s fish-in-the-desert story returns, with Martin confirming “it’s true” after fact-checking [48:10-48:14]
• Friendly ribbing about who’s worst at Call of Duty and how Martin “spent his time in the trenches of the grocery store.”
• Stories about Si’s book and Jace narrating the audiobook:
  • “I was so mentally exhausted and delusional after I read that book.” – Jace [41:05]
  • The group pokes fun at Si’s unique storytelling, eye movement “tells,” and the struggle of reading his life story.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “At 8 o'clock this morning, it was 100 degrees!” – Uncle Si [00:55]
• “You give a nine year old child this... he can get into anything instantly.” – Uncle Si [05:38]
• “Anybody that signs the dotted line... takes that risk... there's still the chance of you getting hurt or your life ending.” – Blake [13:25]
• “You want to do it (Call of Duty) in real life?” – Army recruiter, per Blake [24:26]
• “All I wanted to do was freakin’ play professional Call of Duty.” – Blake [43:41]
• “I’m the one that he left the 99 for. And there’s nothing more beautiful than the love that leaves the 99.” – Blake [53:51]
• “If you sign the doc that serve the nation, your service matters.” – Blake [55:00]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:37–02:50: Banter on the heat, Westerns, and TV
• 04:53–06:51: Technology, kids, and AI fears
• 12:23–16:14: Honoring veterans and service
• 17:01–27:59: Blake’s journey from gamer to Army enlistee
• 37:29–44:57: Blake’s combat story, injury, recovery
• 46:22–50:24: Duck Call Room randomness – Si’s stories, audiobook tales
• 52:24–54:43: Blake’s favorite Bible verse (“the 99 and the 1”), closing thanks

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Language & Tone

• Casual, country, candid, and frequently self-deprecating.
• The hosts tease each other mercilessly, break out in laughter, spin long tales, and balance humor with moments of raw honesty, especially regarding service, trauma, and faith.

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Conclusion

This episode of Duck Call Room blends cliffhanger stories about war and wild youth with belly laughs, family jabs, and sincere appreciation of the sacrifices made by those who serve. Blake Cook’s journey from gamer to soldier stands as both a cautionary tale and an ultimate thank you to all who sign up to protect and serve.

Final word from Uncle Si: “Thank all those that serve. Okay. The ones in the warehouses. Oh, yeah, truck drivers... That’s what makes America great.” [54:43]

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Transcript

[Blake Cook]

You say you'll never join the Navy, that living on a submarine would be too hard.

[Uncle Si]

You'd never power a whole ship with.

[Blake Cook]

Nuclear energy, never bring a patient back to life.

[Uncle Si]

Or play the national anthem for a sold out crowd.

[Blake Cook]

Joining the Navy sounds crazy. Saying never actually is. Start your [e-mail] America's Navy forged by the sea.

[Hunter]

Welcome back to the duck call room ladies and gentlemen. We are back in here on this fine Thursday afternoon recording. Thursday it is. What is it? Is it? Yeah, it's Thursday.

[Jace]

It's been a weird week.

[Hunter]

Yeah, it's been a weird week. No man. And it's. It's hot as Hades outside. So glad not that bad. It's hot.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah but what are you talking to bad? It was 8. At 8 o' clock this morning it was 100 degrees.

[Hunter]

What were you doing up at 8?

[Uncle Si]

Oh, I was not. My wife come in and said, you know, she said this is stupid. I said what? She said it's 100 degrees outside.

[Jace]

It was 85 at 6:00 o' clock this morning.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah.

[Hunter]

Grief it is that kind of heat. You walk outside and you just instantly get pissed off in. I mean you know what?

[Uncle Si]

I don't, I don't go walk outside you.

[Martin]

I love it.

[Uncle Si]

Going to stay indoors with the air on.

[Jace]

You love it.

[Martin]

I, I'm in the every time, every winter people are like oh rather this and that 100 degrees. And I'm over there complaining about how cold it is. So I, I'm, I, I'm right now I will sweat if I go sit outside for more than three seconds and just. I love it compared to being cold.

[Hunter]

Really.

[Martin]

I do not like being cold.

[Hunter]

That's interesting. What are the fishermen say about. Are people still fishing?

[Blake Cook]

Oh yeah.

[Martin]

Goblin called me yesterday. I was guiding right now actually. Oh two people from Oregon.

[Hunter]

But sigh. You were telling us before we got rolling you found a. You've got a new tv.

[Uncle Si]

It is a western channel. Oh if you say and it's spaghetti Westerns. Okay. So hey there is a lot of killing. I didn't just. And the acting is so bad.

[Martin]

What's a spaghetti western?

[Hunter]

I don't know the ones with the music.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah.

[Jace]

Well these, the directors were Italian.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah.

[Jace]

And they're. They call them, you know but they.

[Uncle Si]

Do have, they do have like three good things. They got. The music is good. Okay. And then they've got beautiful horses.

[Blake Cook]

Okay.

[Uncle Si]

I'm talking about all of them. The gray steel palominos. All, all different ones. And then the country that they're feminine is also Just drop dead gorgeous.

[Jace]

Have you seen Trinity?

[Uncle Si]

Huh? Yeah, yeah. Now the blind guy?

[Jace]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

Oh no, he's in some of them I've been watching.

[Jace]

Oh yeah, he's good. Well, it's funny you say that. Spaghetti western. When okay started working in the call shop with me, he wanted to watch spaghetti westerns. And I thought for a 19 year old kid to want to watch spaghetti western, that boy's got some good qualities.

[Uncle Si]

Well, I was fixing tell him to go And I'm on Dish. Okay, so it's 091.

[Jace]

We don't have Dish 6.

[Martin]

You're one of the seven people left in this country that.

[Uncle Si]

Oh no.

[Hunter]

0916. What is that?

[Blake Cook]

That's a channel.

[Hunter]

Hey, whatever happened to like channel 200? Like.

[Uncle Si]

Well no, no, I used to have all that. Okay. And my wife went on a TV slashing because we was paying too much. Well, we were.

[Jace]

Sigh.

[Blake Cook]

Do you need some money?

[Uncle Si]

I only got a few shows and.

[Jace]

I told told Michael said don't hire anybody unless they like Star wars or Star Trek because they're the best workers. Wait, you know the nerdy types.

[Hunter]

So Hunter, you feel seen over?

[Jace]

Yeah, I'd be really good at building proud. Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

Your type is a good worker.

[Jace]

Yeah.

[Martin]

Star Trek's weird though. Well, hey, Star wars is awesome.

[Jace]

But it was one of those new hands was was watching the YouTube on how to cast wizard spells. I found that very.

[Hunter]

I've never been happier to not be in that.

[Jace]

Interesting.

[Uncle Si]

This stupid.

[Blake Cook]

What if it works?

[Martin]

Don't break it.

[Uncle Si]

And that stupid thing.

[Martin]

It's my computer.

[Uncle Si]

You can get into anything. You want to get into a black box. Okay. That thing. Hey. And hey, here's the thing. I know it was meant when whoever made it or come up with it meant it to be used for good.

[Martin]

Yeah, you did. See the other day we ordered a pizza.

[Uncle Si]

But just like everything in in the humans get involved in, somebody is going to go the opposite way and treat it and use it for evil. And that's just life.

[Hunter]

Wise words from life.

[Uncle Si]

Okay. Them things are dangerous.

[Jace]

Oh yeah.

[Hunter]

I've never seen kids.

[Uncle Si]

If I had kids now, they would not get a phone until what age?

[Hunter]

What age is it okay, when they.

[Uncle Si]

Start driving after they get out of college.

[Hunter]

After they get out of college.

[Uncle Si]

Hey, I'm serious. That thing is evil.

[Martin]

How are you supposed to.

[Uncle Si]

You can get into human trafficking? I mean there's nothing.

[Hunter]

Oh, we go down the road here.

[Uncle Si]

Hey, you give a nine year old child this.

[Hunter]

Oh, I'm aware.

[Uncle Si]

And he can get into anything instantly. With his finger.

[Hunter]

That's it.

[Uncle Si]

No, I wouldn't give him one.

[Martin]

Yeah.

[Hunter]

Oh, I wouldn't say it.

[Blake Cook]

Nine.

[Hunter]

Mine is more. So like, I got one.

[Martin]

There's somewhere between nine and 22.

[Uncle Si]

Well, it would be. No, it would be. Okay.

[Hunter]

I got one when I started driving parents.

[Uncle Si]

Okay. The judge, you know, how mature.

[Hunter]

Yeah. I didn't get one until I started. Until I started driving around this town because then they wanted me to be able to call in case anything happened.

[Uncle Si]

Well, no, no, I got to drive. That's what it was meant for.

[Hunter]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

Okay. Like, mom broke down on the highway, have a flat tire.

[Hunter]

Yeah. You call somebody, get some.

[Uncle Si]

Go fix it. And fix it for. Just saying. My wife said it. She said the same thing that people when I was in the army, when the computer would go insane on me, they say, what did you do, Robertson? I look at him and I said, hey, look, I'm not smart enough to do anything but follow directions. I said, this thing has run amok. When God gets sick of this human race that he created, the computer's gonna kill everybody.

[Martin]

Boy, they should make a movie about that.

[Uncle Si]

Well, I'm serious. Cause look. Hey, how many of them are there? Donald Trump has got a red button sitting on his desk. If he pushes it, nukes start flying. Okay.

[Martin]

I think it's a different.

[Uncle Si]

Oh, hey, one of these days that's gonna happen because this thing hit. The Bible says it, this thing is going to melt down.

[Blake Cook]

It's going.

[Uncle Si]

Guess what better way to melt down than fire about 3,000 nuclear weapons.

[Hunter]

Okay, Prognostications from S. You heard it.

[Martin]

We hope you enjoy your day.

[Uncle Si]

Hey, have what's left of your life.

[Martin]

Joy of the Lord will be your strength.

[Uncle Si]

You better. You better find Jesus and find him.

[Martin]

Quick, because Donald Trump's about to press a button and incinerate it. I don't even know. I was trying to look up that Will Smith movie where he was fighting the robots.

[Uncle Si]

Wait a minute.

[Hunter]

Right there on the tip of my tongue.

[Uncle Si]

Hold it. You hadn't seen the one that they filmed in Japan going berserk?

[Martin]

Was it a spaghetti western?

[Uncle Si]

No, this was a. AI computer that started to beat the people up that was working in there.

[Martin]

How's a computer beat up somebody?

[Uncle Si]

Hey, he went crazy. And just what with whatever he had that they put on him. Arms.

[Martin]

No. Hey, there's a lot of things that.

[Uncle Si]

Can beat me up, I'm telling you.

[Martin]

But a computer ain't one of them.

[Uncle Si]

Hey, one of them. Hey, one of them went berserk in Japan. And started beating everybody up.

[Jace]

A robot did.

[Uncle Si]

A robot? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. It was on the news, on tv. I watched it.

[Hunter]

Well, who was controlling the robot?

[Martin]

We got to get back to this.

[Uncle Si]

Nobody was controlling it. It went berserk.

[Hunter]

Nobody was controlling it.

[Martin]

No, it got. It became self aware. That's what everybody's afraid of.

[Uncle Si]

No, no.

[Martin]

Computers are gonna realize they're smarter than.

[Uncle Si]

Us and they're gonna kill us. Was talking about this last night on Fox News.

[Hunter]

If a computer sneaks up on me, I deserve to die.

[Martin]

Have you seen. But they're starting to make computers to, like, walk around.

[Hunter]

I like my chances.

[Uncle Si]

I can't remember what his name is. Wears a big stethon. Who?

[Martin]

Jimmy Durandi?

[Uncle Si]

No, no. They named him because he said, my name is so and so. And he's walking down the streets of New York. Computer.

[Martin]

A computer.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah. I need to watch more TV and news. Boys, you need to. Y' all are not in.

[Hunter]

You need to watch news. No more spaghetti Western.

[Uncle Si]

Well, no. Hey, it's half and half.

[Hunter]

Right now it feels like it's leaning more like a 75.

[Uncle Si]

Oh, no. I got to keep up what Trump's doing. That's just because at any moment, he.

[Hunter]

Can push that button.

[Uncle Si]

You never know. You ain't promised tomorrow. Matter of fact, you ain't promised the next minute.

[Hunter]

That's right. And I'm not promised another minute in here today. We have a special guest coming in. Blake Cook is here joining us. And I'm leaving. Are you tired of looking at me?

[Uncle Si]

Huh?

[Hunter]

You tired of looking at me?

[Uncle Si]

Why you. I'll leave. It's a wiggy. Just me.

[Hunter]

No, you ain't leaving.

[Martin]

We get paid less if you leave.

[Hunter]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

Hey, get him in here. He was a veteran, too.

[Hunter]

Yeah. You put rear ends in the seat.

[Uncle Si]

That he won a medal.

[Martin]

Yeah. We're gonna have three veterans and me.

[Uncle Si]

Okay.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah.

[Hunter]

Y' all got a lot in common. So good luck. Go army, beat Navy. And I don't even know where I'm going, but I'm out of here. We'll see you.

[Uncle Si]

Wait a minute. Leave Navy alone. They're good guys.

[Hunter]

It's no secret. We're all handgun owners. And when you own a handgun, the key is keeping it somewhere safe, away from your kids or away from somebody you don't want to have it. But also readily accessible.

[Martin]

Watch this.

[Hunter]

Just accessible. Readily Access. And that's where the Stop Box Pro comes in.

[Blake Cook]

Right.

[Hunter]

Like one super easy. No locks, no keys, no codes. None of that. All mechanical. Reach over.

[Martin]

Because if you need your gun, Martin? You can't say, excuse me, Mr. Bad Guy, let me type my code in.

[Hunter]

That ends up with you having an extra hole where it shouldn't be. And. And nobody wants that.

[Martin]

Look, I have all the holes I want in me.

[Hunter]

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[Uncle Si]

Well, hey, first thing, I'll sir welcome you you here. Okay. It's an honor for you to be here. Yo, thank you for serving our nation.

[Blake Cook]

Oh, thank you.

[Jace]

Did you get that? It's an honor for you to be here.

[Martin]

Oh, no, that's a real. That's how.

[Uncle Si]

Robert.

[Blake Cook]

That's an honor for J2.

[Uncle Si]

Well, no, no, I've had. I've had the honor of actually being with veterans. Okay. I served for 24 and a half years, and, you know, but I actually have been with the SEALs, black ops, all. All of my heroes. Okay? These are people that have been baptized in war, okay? And they treated me like I was an equal, which I am not. Okay, I served, but I didn't ever get any. Into any bad stuff, and I thank the Almighty for that.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

So the guy that actually were in combat, they are truly my heroes.

[Blake Cook]

I think anybody that signs the dotted line, you know, takes that risk. You know, it's. You know, you can be front lines, or you could just be on a FOB somewhere helping. You know, there's still the chance of you getting hurt or your life ending.

[Uncle Si]

No, no, because you said the same thing that I. I can't remember his name, but he was a Medal of Honor winner in Vietnam. He was on. He come, and I met him. Okay. And he actually gave. He said, here, some of this belongs to you.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

And I went, whoa, whoa, no. And he said, yeah. He said, you served, right? I said, well, yeah, I served, but, hey, you did this on your own, son. So now he said, hey, look, if you was in the war zone and you served and wore our nation's uniform, this is partly yours.

[Blake Cook]

I agree with that.

[Uncle Si]

And you said the same thing he did. Well, I look at it a different way. I know I served, and I know I was at risk when I was there, but the guys that actually went through it and seen buddies get shot up, get wounded, die, all this stuff. Well, I didn't. I didn't have to go through that. Okay? So my heart and my mind, okay, you truly are a hero. Appreciate that for going to war for our nation.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah, I appreciate that.

[Uncle Si]

Loud. You know?

[Blake Cook]

You know, so I really appreciate, like, what you do for the veteran community and how, like, vocal you are. Like, that was some of my favorite episodes with Doug Dynasty was. Anytime you mentioned, like, the veteran community, it was. Man, it was so cool to hear that and to see somebody, you know, honoring our service and your service, it was awesome.

[Uncle Si]

They actually done that right here in Monroe to me. Okay. Because if you go to the airport, okay, they honor me with serving, and they've got my uniform on a mannequin.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah, we're going to. That's one of the things that came here to see.

[Uncle Si]

Look, my take on that, and I actually said it on Duck Dynasty, is that everybody just ever wore our uniform, men or women deserve their own museum.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

Because, hey. And especially those that gave their life or limbs or body parts, you know, because every time I see a vet that gave, you know, man, what a price to pay.

[Blake Cook]

I think what people fail to understand is a lot of veterans, they might not have the physical wounds, but, man, you start messing with the ones that have that emotional.

[Uncle Si]

Well, no, no. Even I Had. I had the emotional screw up in. Up here.

[Blake Cook]

That's dangerous.

[Uncle Si]

People don't realize what a veteran goes through. It's bad enough to go to a friendly foreign country and serve.

[Jace]

Well, Blake, what was your MOS in the military?

[Blake Cook]

I was 11. Bravo.

[Jace]

Okay.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah, yeah.

[Uncle Si]

So no, see, he's a ground pounder.

[Jace]

Oh, yeah.

[Martin]

So quick.

[Uncle Si]

For.

[Martin]

For, you know, those of us that don't speak that language. What?

[Uncle Si]

What?

[Blake Cook]

Where?

[Uncle Si]

Where.

[Martin]

Give us a little backstory on you, Blake, because we went straight into that. Yeah, Our. Our listeners might not know, like, what all you've done. I pulled up your bio. There's a list of about 400 awards here or something like that.

[Blake Cook]

That's not true.

[Martin]

That's not true. There's a lot of awards. You look like somebody from Call of Duty. So you apparently have a story to tell, so I'd like to just hear a little bit of that.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah. So I grew up in southern West Virginia. Real small coal mine town. You know, it was either either playing sports and then hunting after practice, or you're hunting before school and then playing sports. So just a real big hunting town, coal mine. Everybody's family was in the mines and, you know, so there wasn't really a lot of opportunity. It was either either go to the mines or you were smart in school, or your family had money and you could go to college, or you got a scholarship somewhere. And, you know, I got a. I had a football scholarship and didn't work out. You know, I went there and had no responsibilities. Party my way right out, right?

[Uncle Si]

And you know what I did?

[Blake Cook]

Oh, man, that gave me this. This cool little. You know, they. They were nice enough to put this little letter on my dorm door. It was like, hey, man, pretty much like, you suck if you don't take this serious. Like, you're gonna kick. You're gonna get kicked out. And I was like, well, I'm already far behind, so I'm just gonna continue this train, and they're not gonna kick me out. Like, you know that's not gonna happen. Well, three months later, it was like, hey, man, you're done. You gotta be out in a month. So, like, I just balled that thing up, threw it away, and, yeah, they came knocking on my door and was like, hey, it's time to go home. Party's over. And I mean, I was partying, but really, why I didn't go to class was, man, that was back when Call of Duty had Nazi zombies, bro. We were.

[Martin]

Now we're speaking my language. All right, there we Go Black Ops. Two days.

[Blake Cook]

I miss a. I missed my first day of. First day of class because we were playing online, and we ended up playing with a dude from Microsoft. We played for five and a half hours because when you died, he would type a code in to revive you. It was like. My mom's like, hey, she's calling me. I'm not answering. I'm like, dude, I'm playing Call of Duty right now. She's like, oh, how's class? I'm like, oh, it's great. Love my professors. They're so cool. I was like, this campus is great. I'm over here eating, like, ramen noodles, just five hours in Call of Duty, drinking green Monster energy drinks. But, you know, that didn't work out. So I moved back home, and my mom's like. She's like, it's okay, baby. Like, we'll get you in community college. Maybe that just wasn't good for you. And I was like, yeah. I was like, that's awesome. Let's do that. You know, I won't. I won't party as much. We're in a small town, man. I went the first day of school, sat down. Ladies, like, telling me all this, what we're going to be doing. I was like, book on the table and all. I was like, can I go to the bathroom? And she's like, yeah. So I get up, go to the bathroom. Never came back. What my mom didn't know was, you know, Tuesday and Thursday nights or every day, Applebee's had happy hour. And you could party in my small town if you wanted to. Now there was, like, pregnant women drinking and all the rednecks, like, you know. It was at the Applebee's. Oh, yeah, dude. You see people in there drinking margaritas with their kid in the little.

[Martin]

Did Ricky Bobby and his dad ever show up?

[Blake Cook]

Hey, it's two for 20, too. Like, it was great. So ultimately got kicked out of that, right? So I was like, you know what? I suck at school. I'm gonna be a professional gamer. I'm gonna get really good at Call of Duty. So I started playing Call of Duty, right?

[Martin]

I didn't know this part. I like this part.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah. I'm like, I'm balling out. I'm playing with, like, the top. I'm on, like, this team that was like, top 1,000 in the nation. So my mom calls me up one day. I would stay. I'd go to. I'd go to bed at, like, five in the morning, sleep all during the day, get up Play Call of Duty, go to the gym. And my mom was like, hey, man, you gotta get a job. Like, this is. This is pathetic. You're a loser. I was like, all right. I was like, I'll go get a job. She's like, no, if you don't have a job by the end of the day, you're getting kicked out of the house. Like, you're gonna have to learn. I was like, all right, mom, whatever. You're not going to kick me out now. I'm the baby. No way. So like, she calls me up like 12 o' clock and she's like, hey, man, you got a job? I'm like, nadia, I'm going up to Hibbett Sports. I'm gonna go see if they give me a job there. She's like, okay. So like, I'm like, all right, guys, I'll be right back. You know, apply for a job. I have a cut off T shirt on. It's dirty. It's got Doritos stains on it. Like some cut off sweatpants, shorts and some sandals. I walk in HIBBETT Sports, I'm 20 years old and I'm like, hey, you're hiring. The guy's like, yeah, we are. Not you. I was like, I can't even get an application. He's like, nah, man, look at you. I was like, oh, man. I was like, okay, all right, I get it. So I go outside. You speak the truth. In West Virginia, they don't play.

[Uncle Si]

I got nice leather here, boys.

[Hunter]

Where are you going?

[Uncle Si]

Well, I'm going.

[Hunter]

You know what? You can't have a good time and bad boots and you got good boots on, which means you're going to have a good time.

[Uncle Si]

I have a good time.

[Martin]

I got to get me a pair of Jacob as. Those are awesome.

[Hunter]

Actually, funny story. Brittany sent me a deal yesterday that said if you're wondering what I want for Christmas. And it was a link to to Covis. But look, if you've ever wondered if you can pull off boots with your personal style, you owe it to your feet to pull on a pair of to cover. It's about being yourself. And have you ever seen anybody more themselves than Uncle Sigh? Look, find comfort in the traditions of the west and confidence for making it your own. The Covis class quality western boots for everyone from generational ranchers and lifelong cowboys to first time boot buyers.

[Uncle Si]

Most boots are.

[Hunter]

You got to break them in.

[Uncle Si]

You got to break them in. And it's a pain.

[Hunter]

Yep.

[Uncle Si]

But these right here, these are like, I hadn't even got them on.

[Hunter]

That's what I'm talking about. That's because they were made with over 200 meticulous steps for broken in comfort right out of the box. And now to Covis offers professional grade work boots that will bring comfort and timeless style to the job site. They even have slip ons and sandals for some western flair. And there's no compromise between quality and style. With Taco plus. They have the best in the west guarantee. You get free returns and exchanges for 30 days. Right now you can get 10% off at tokova.com when you sign up for email and text. That's 10% off at T E, C O, V A, S.com/doc to covis.com/c site for details. To Covis. Point your toes.

[Uncle Si]

West Point. I see it, boys.

[Blake Cook]

So I'll go outside the store and I'm like, I'm sitting there on the curb and I'm like, man, I'm defeated. I'm like, man, I'm about to be homeless. I'm like, I gotta. I gotta figure out my friends who have WI fi so I can continue this gaming thing. I'm like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I'm like, I got my subscription out for a year. I'm good on my Xbox Live. I was like, but I got if I gotta find somebody with Internet. And dude, I look up and this guy asked me. He goes, hey, man, are you okay? I look up and it's this dude in ACUS and his army recruiter. Man, the next words out my mouth changed my life. I said, yeah, man, my mom's about to kick me out the house. I need a job. And man, his eyes lit up just so bright. He goes, you need a job? I said, yeah.

[Uncle Si]

He goes, he says, have I got a deal for.

[Blake Cook]

He said, son, come in my office. I got a job for you. You start right away.

[Jace]

Play Call of Duty. For real?

[Blake Cook]

Hey. So I get in there and I sit down at his desk and I'm like looking around. I'm like, all right. Maybe they're going to offer me, like, I could be a janitor here at the recruiting. I got cool. Like, I can do this. This is nice. He sits down in front of me and he's like. He's like, why is she kicking you out the house? I'm like, well, because, you know, I don't. I like playing Call of Duty. He was like, you like playing Call of Duty? I was like, yeah. He goes, you want to do it in Real life?

[Uncle Si]

Yeah. Do you want to do it?

[Martin]

That is a true statement.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah. I said, I can do that in real life. He goes, son, he goes, let me talk to you about something. He's got me all hyped up, right? He's like, man, you do this and this and that. I was like, oh, give it all to me, right? And you know, I sign all my paperwork, I take my prehabsvab test and he signs it up, right? And I'm like, oh, man, I gotta. I was in there for an hour, got me a job, right? Didn't know what the infantry was. I had no idea. He handed me a paper and it said 11 Bravo. It said 11 X. I didn't get 11 Bravo until I got to basic. It's either 11 Bravo is front lines guys with guns, 11 Charlie's, or mortarmen. So I didn't know at the time. I was like, yeah, man, let's do that. That's great. I guess I was like, so stupid. I got like a super low AB score and I couldn't do anything else. So, like, he got lucky. It just gave me that because at the time they were having a hard time getting anybody to do infantry because.

[Martin]

What year is this?

[Blake Cook]

2012.

[Uncle Si]

Okay.

[Blake Cook]

And actually 20. Excuse me. At the end of December of 2010.

[Uncle Si]

Okay.

[Blake Cook]

And I deployed in 2012. And so this dude signs me up, man, I'm all happy. I'm on like Cloud 9. I go home, I'm like, I can get right back on, you know, Throw some pizza rolls in the oven again, right back on Call of Duty. Got my Mountain Dew. I'm like, this is.

[Uncle Si]

This is.

[Blake Cook]

I'm in it, baby. And my mom comes home and she's like, hey, honey. She's like, you're still here? She's like, how the interview with Hibbett Sports go? I was like, it went terrible. She was all right. She's like, you got a job? I was like, I got a job. She's like, well, what'd you do? I'm like, oh, yeah. I talked to a recruiter. I leave for basic training in four months. She loses it. She's like, oh my God, I killed my baby. You don't have to go. Please don't go. I'm like, I called my recruiter up. I'm like, hey, man, mom. I said, my mom is really mad at me right now. I was like, can we like, cancel? Is it like a cancel thing? He goes, oh, man, you got to report to MEPs tomorrow morning, 8 o'. Clock. I was like, oh, man, I screwed up. I was like, there ain't no getting out of this.

[Jace]

It got real, real fast.

[Blake Cook]

I'm like, this isn't no job application I ever had. He's like, nah, man, if you don't show up, like, you're going to be in trouble. I was like, all right, Mom. I'm just going to do it right. And my uncle. Well, I called him an uncle.

[Uncle Si]

He's just.

[Blake Cook]

He's a. He was a friend of my stepfather. He was in the unit, the Delta. Delta Force, And. And he had called me up, and, you know, he was like, man, this might be good for you. Like, you. You kind of suck right now. Like, I'm like, no, dude, you don't understand. I'm so close to being professional gamer. He's like, you know what, man? He goes, you sound silly. He goes, I'll see you. I'll see at your MEPs appointment tomorrow. So he came all the way down, went to the appointment with me, and. And, yeah, man, that's how I got. I saw. I got in the army and then went to basic. I. I had no idea. I got to basic, and all these people were like, oh, man, I got airborne contracts. I got. I got Special Forces contracts. I got all these rangers.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah. Because they got all these shortages.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah. And I'm like, they're like, oh, man, I got a $50,000 bonus. I'm like, I didn't get any of that. I'm like, this. My recruiter sucked My. That dude. That dude sucked me in.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah. He didn't tell you at all. Was vital, Bill.

[Blake Cook]

So everybody in my. In my. In my little platoon has all these awesome contracts. So it's like about two months in, they start giving you, like, where you're going to get station. They're like, cook Korea. I'm like, I'm like, Korea. I'm like, hey, man, I'm from the country. I eat meat, potatoes. Like, I don't eat no Korean food. Like, I'm not going to. I'm not going to survive over there.

[Jace]

Those Korean ribs are pretty good.

[Blake Cook]

No, man, I'm. I'm strictly meat and potatoes. American meat and potatoes. Steak and potatoes. That's it.

[Jace]

Well, you know, Uncle Zion went to sniper school. Do you know that?

[Blake Cook]

No, I didn't know that.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah, for about two weeks. And then they. We wasn't shooting, and I said, hey, I thought we was going to be shooting a gun here. They said, oh, that's like a month and a half away. I said, hey, just on Y' all go ahead. Hey, I'm out. Send me to a unit. I thought we was going to shoot guns. Hey, send me the unit.

[Blake Cook]

You out there crawling through grass and ant hills.

[Uncle Si]

You know, so we're doing all the stupid stuff, y'. All. They done me a favor.

[Blake Cook]

Oh, yeah, yeah. But, you know, that's. You know, I ended up. I bought a five hour energy shot for $100, though. My drill instructor was like, hey, you get a 300 on your next PT test, I'll give you an airborne contract. I just had the flu, so my bunk mate was like, hey, man, I know you got to get a 300 on your PT test. That. That means you've maxed out your push ups and your run. Well, so he's like, I got a five hour energy shot I got from the px. He was our platoon leader, so he had authorization every Sunday to get orders, and somehow some guy at the px sold him one for $100. And he. He sold me one for $100, and I got a 300 on my PT test, got an airborne contract, and that was it. You know, I ended up deploying like seven months later. And, you know, I should have just stuck with being a professional gamer.

[Uncle Si]

It was like, well, no, no, we're not really. Because you did it real, for real.

[Blake Cook]

I did. It sucked.

[Jace]

It sucked, but it molded you into what you are today.

[Blake Cook]

Nah. Yeah, but, you know, I'm a big.

[Uncle Si]

Believer that your start in with college was about. Just about like mine.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah, I mean, you know, it just. At some point, I had to grow up.

[Uncle Si]

Well, no, no. That's why I finally realized, okay, when my mother told me, you know, you're going to college, and I argued with her, and then I said, well, hey, look, bottom line, why am I going to college? She said, because when you 45 and digging dishes, you can't blame mom and dad.

[Jace]

Have you heard my college experience?

[Uncle Si]

Huh?

[Jace]

Have I ever told you about my college experience?

[Uncle Si]

No.

[Blake Cook]

I got to hear this.

[Jace]

I did pretty good in high school, you know.

[Uncle Si]

No. Pretty good grades, you know, pretty decent.

[Martin]

Pretty good pitcher, too.

[Jace]

Oh, yeah?

[Uncle Si]

Yeah.

[Jace]

Well, I played baseball, which wasted time.

[Martin]

But didn't you go to college for baseball?

[Jace]

I did, but I blew that. I didn't do nothing for those two years. I did a lot of what Blake was talking about.

[Martin]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

But, well, see, that's all I did was party.

[Jace]

So I get.

[Uncle Si]

That's the girls.

[Jace]

I get to Louisiana Tech. So. And I said, okay, I'm gonna be an engineer. You know, I was Pretty good in school. So started those engineering classes. And after about one semester, I'm like, nope, not smart enough for this. I said, let me try accounting. After a semester, not smart enough for this. I settled on health and pe.

[Martin]

There it is.

[Jace]

I was smart enough for that.

[Blake Cook]

Bingo.

[Jace]

I got that. Seven years.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah. I was like, yeah. I was like, failing.

[Jace]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

Go be a coach.

[Jace]

I might have been smart enough, but I was not putting in the effort. Effort what needed. So I was not disciplined?

[Uncle Si]

Well, no, no. I wasn't mature enough.

[Blake Cook]

No, you have to be somewhat mature.

[Uncle Si]

Like I said, you got to be mature enough and disciplined. That's why I told Bella. She does all her college online.

[Blake Cook]

I couldn't do that.

[Uncle Si]

Computer.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah. Oh, my God.

[Uncle Si]

I said, hey, what if you need to get a PhD? I said, because you're smart enough. Oh, yeah, you're smart enough. Go for it. Yeah.

[Martin]

Martin, you hear that sound?

[Hunter]

I do.

[Martin]

That's the sound of a million ants not getting in my house no more.

[Hunter]

That's the sound of that Pesty.

[Martin]

I had an ant problem in my kitchen. And I said, well, as a guy.

[Hunter]

Who'S been to your kitchen and ate there several times since you had that problem, I can say through power of observation, you no longer have an ant problem your kitchen, thanks to Pesky.

[Martin]

Do it yourself. Pes.

[Uncle Si]

Suckers come from.

[Hunter]

I don't know, man. And at times, like right now, it is 105 degrees.

[Uncle Si]

Yeah, I can see why they're in.

[Hunter]

They come that now is when they're coming. They need water and don't nothing want to be outside when it's 105. They want to come inside and ruin what you've got going on. Which is why you need Pesty. Because it's easy, right? It's easy, it's affordable, and it comes with everything you need. Pesti's kit includes a reusable electronic sprayer, mixing bag, pesticide gloves and instructions. You can complete the application in less than 10 minutes. You can get rid over a hundred types of bugs, from spiders and ants to roaches and stink bugs, with Pesti's customized formula. The best part, kid and pet friendly. We all have both of those.

[Martin]

I like to keep my kids safe and my pests destroyed.

[Hunter]

The pesticides they ship are fully registered and have been used in hospitals and schools all over the country. Plus, with Pesti's 100% bug free guarantee, if the bugs don't go away, they'll give you a full refund. And right now, look, there's a lot of y' All I know it because I am. You're spending. You're starting to spend weekends back at the hunting camp. This is the easiest thing ever. Don't. Don't get bug bombs. Throw in there and run for your life. Don't just get pesty, man. And spray your can.

[Martin]

What Martin did. I mean, what's his name? That guy that we did this podcast with.

[Hunter]

Yeah, Goblins. The one that. And he turned me on to us. And now we spray the camp with Pesty whenever. Whenever we get ready for fall. Look, and if you want to know more about it, now is the time to protect your home from bugs with Pesty. Go to Pesty.com for an extra 10% off your order. That's P-S-T I E.com for an extra 10% OFF.

[Uncle Si]

Back to you and your. Your military career. Was you in black ops or any of that? No.

[Blake Cook]

No, no, no, no. So I was. So I got stationed at Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne, and I loved him.

[Uncle Si]

I was at Fort Bragg for five years.

[Blake Cook]

Really?

[Uncle Si]

Yeah, it was 82nd. Loved them. Now you talking about going to crazy dudes. Hey, when you go to war, that's who you want to go with.

[Blake Cook]

You know, when you got somebody that.

[Uncle Si]

Jumps on what the hell they're doing.

[Blake Cook]

You know, somebody that jumps out of a perfectly good aircraft.

[Martin]

I quit with all your army talk over there.

[Uncle Si]

Well, no, no.

[Martin]

You got a foul mouth tonight.

[Uncle Si]

Well, I know. I apologize for that.

[Jace]

Well, when he gets around veterans.

[Uncle Si]

Well, no, no. Okay. Like I told you, I love these guys. Okay. And I really do. And they are my heroes, 100%.

[Jace]

You know, you talk about when you meet another veteran, you can just. You feel like you've known them for a long time.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah.

[Jace]

And we have a mutual friend, Chad Robichaux.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah, Chad's awesome.

[Jace]

And I tell people all the time, you know, I've met a lot of cool people, you know, having the contacts that we have, 50 years on planet Earth, Chad Rocheau is probably the most impressive human being young man I've ever been around. A young man, this man. And look, there's a lot of guys out there like him, but he lives his life to serve other people. His sole purpose is to serve.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah.

[Jace]

And to do what's right. Well, that's what he's all about. Hey, look. Love that dude to death.

[Blake Cook]

He's solid.

[Jace]

Incredible.

[Blake Cook]

We met him a couple months ago, and again, it's just that veteran connection. It was just. It's like we've known each other forever, you know, he's just a solid guy. Found out that I was coming on, coming to here, and. And I'm unashamed. And, you know, he just was so excited for me because he. We had a conversation just about how much, you know, Duck Dynasty. Just that whole show kept me grounded with Jesus. And it's, you know, it was super cool. And, you know, I told the story yesterday on Unashamed, and all those dudes were crying. Just kidding. I was the only one that was crying. They were all looking at me.

[Martin]

We cry with you there.

[Jace]

Jace was crying.

[Blake Cook]

No, no, no, no, no, no. It was good.

[Hunter]

It was good.

[Martin]

Rare sight there.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah, those boys are good. But, yeah, it's just like, you know, you just have that bond of. In the veteran community and you just click because, I mean, whether you didn't do this or you didn't do that or you did this, you didn't do that, you still went through the suck.

[Jace]

Oh, yeah.

[Blake Cook]

Like, regardless, like, it's, you know, you still had to hurry up and wait. And anybody that can connect on that is. That's a true brotherhood right there for sure. But no, I wasn't in, like, special operations. I had the goals to do that, but I got blown up on my deployment and, you know, that changed the past for me, changed my life.

[Martin]

And by blown up, you mean literally.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah, yeah. So one of the Special Forces group had an outpost and they were shooting guns or something outside of their outpost and ended up getting ambushed. And we were QRF to Quick Reaction Force and we got spun up and we were on our way. And the closest or the fastest route to them was a. Was what they called a black road, which means it wasn't cleared of IEDs for, like, two weeks. So they put one of those little. One of the. I forgot the name of the truck, but it's a truck that can detect mines and all that. And I don't know what happened, but, you know, the truck in front of me, the IED went off in between both of our trucks. And it was so. It was kind of crazy because, like, I was the gunner. I saw this, like, super bright flash and, you know, we were all joking. I had a headset on like this. We were playing some stupid music. I think it was like, Party in the USA or something. And we were having a good old time, right? You know, I took my headset off to say something to the guys below, and it went off. And then I remember like. Like super slow motion. Like, you could see the chunks of dirt come up and it's like Whoa. What is this? And then I felt the pressure. The pressure pushed me back. It broke my back plate in half, my armor plate. Then I came forward like this on the machine gun and broke all of this on my side of my face, which is why, like, my nose is all jacked up. I woke up, like, five, ten minutes later on a stretcher, complete chaos. Apaches flying over me. And I was like, man, this sucks. Like, this sucks. I'm in a crap sandwich right now. And, you know, it finally got a Blackhawk to. To come and land down after the Apaches cleared the area out, got us back on the FOB and, you know, I had to stay on the FOB For a whole day because they couldn't fly because the sandstorm. So then the following day, it was just our fathers getting mortared. I'm just laying there because I can't really, like, do much, and these people are just putting, like, armor on top of me, and I'm like, bro, like, get me out of here. This sucks. I'm laying here with armor on. Y' all are running around panicking. I'm like, you know, at one point, I was there for, like, two hours by myself, had no idea where anybody was at. I'm laying on this table, and, like, they're like, oh, you know, they got me all doped up and everything. And I'm like, this is wild. Like, this is. This is gnarly. But I tell you what was even crazy is, like, that following day, the family readiness group actually called my wife that was with my mom and was like, hey, there was a terrible accident, and we believe that your husband was killed. And so, like, it. For, like, a whole hour, my wife and my mom thought that I was probably deceased until somebody was able to give me a phone and say, hey, I know you're doped up right now, but, like, you need to make a phone call. Because somebody messed up. And I called him and, you know, squared that away. But then, you know, you know, I ended up spending a month in a hospital in Bagram Air Force Base. They're trying to figure out they want to send me to Germany or not. And, you know, my body didn't feel right, My head didn't feel right, but I didn't want to leave. So I started telling people that I was okay. Like, I'm okay. I feel great. You know, everything's good. I feel fine. And I went back and finished the last two months, and when I got home, I started seeing failure in my body. Like, we did a whole run One time we just got back, and it was. It was like a two hour run or something. It was like 15 miles, and I didn't. I didn't remember any of it. Then I started having nosebleeds. And then, like, I started, like, just blacking out. And then my legs started getting, like, a really, like, numb, tingling feeling in my legs. And that's when we realized something was wrong. And I went to the warrior transition battalion, went and got help, and I did. My speech was really bad, so something with my brain and nerve. Nerve damages and swelling. I ended up doing speech, memory, and physical therapy for almost 24 months. And. And that's, you know, that set the tone that, hey, you're gonna have to get healthy and get out. But I did that for 24 months, right? And. And they're like, all right, man, cool. You're healed up. You're great. I have, like six months left. I get back to my company, they're like, hey, Cook, you're on a manifest. I'm like, manifest for what? They're like, oh, you gotta jump. I'm like, dude, I'm not. I'm not jumping. I just did therapy for two years. I'm not jumping out of an airplane. We gotta get your current. I don't care about $100 a month. Like, take that away from me. I'm getting. I'm leaving. I'm not coming back. Like, I'm done. They're like, oh, no, no, you're doing it. So I was like, all right, whatever, dude. It was a combat jump, full load, nighttime. I jump, here I am. I'm like, okay, cool, Parachute's open. I'm not dying. This is great. Can't see anything. Bam. Smack the side of a Humvee. So, like, I'm laying, I wake up and I'm like, oh, my gosh, this has happened again. I'm like, I got a real bad headache. So, like, I gather up my parachute, get all my stuff, I go over to where the guys are laying in the prone pulling security, and I started throwing up. My platoon leader is like, hey, like, you got it. My squad leader was, hey, man, you got to go to the medical tent. And. And then bam, right back into the warrior transition battalion. Right back into the tbi. I had to extend my contract a little bit. They're like, why did you jump? I'm like, why are you yelling at me? I was told to do this. It's not my choice. I'm terrified of heights. Like, my first jump ever out of an airplane in Airborne school. I'm terrified of heights. And my first jump, I was like, all right, let me time this out correctly. I'm the last one on the plane. All I got to do is just run out behind somebody. I can do that. I can chase and just send it. What I didn't know and nobody told me was the last one that loaded up on the plane was the first one out of the plane. So I'm like, I sat down, I see the door, and I'm like, I'm pretty close to this thing, man. Like, are they going to cycle around? Like, we're going to loop this around because I can't be the first one out the door. There's no way. They're like, hook up. So we hook up, that door comes open, man. Tears start coming down my eyes. I'm like, I'm sitting there at the door like this, and I see everything. I'm like, I'm about to jump out of an airplane. Like, this is so stupid. Like, why did I buy a 5 hour energy shot for $100? Why did I listen to the recruiter do all this? I'm like, all I wanted to do was freaking play professional Call of Duty. That's all I wanted to do. And, man, I remember seeing a green light and I looked back and I went to ask him, like, is this going to open? And, dude, that dude kicked me so hard in the back, and I went right out the air. And I was like, man, I landed. I was crying, I was kissing dirt, thanking God. I was like, man, thank you so much. I was like, all right, we got that over with. They're like, all right, cool. We got to load back up because you got, like, five more you got to do today.

[Jace]

Good night.

[Blake Cook]

You say you'll never join the Navy.

[Martin]

Never climb Mount Fuji on a port.

[Uncle Si]

Visit, or break the sound barrier.

[Blake Cook]

Joining the Navy sounds crazy.

[Martin]

Saying never actually is.

[Jace]

Learn [e-mail].

[Blake Cook]

America'S Navy, forged by the sea.

[Martin]

I spent my time in the trenches of the grocery store whenever y' all were doing all this.

[Blake Cook]

Hey, that's important.

[Martin]

That is important work. The produce section must be stopped.

[Blake Cook]

Don't you dare downgrade what you did, man.

[Jace]

Man's gotta eat, man.

[Martin]

Gotta eat.

[Blake Cook]

Hey, I appreciate your service to this country.

[Jace]

Hey, look.

[Uncle Si]

No, no.

[Martin]

Why is Hunter laughing so loud? Hunter, you're not even any good at Call of Duty. At least I'm good at it. He knows it's true.

[Blake Cook]

I used to be.

[Martin]

Yeah. No, you're not.

[Blake Cook]

No. Hey, I tried to hook this thing Back up a couple months ago.

[Martin]

N. You ain't. And you're too old now.

[Blake Cook]

Let me tell you something, man. These kids were jumping over top of me. Like, I mean, they were just. They would kill me and then like, I was like, this is. This has changed.

[Uncle Si]

Well, they didn't want. They didn't want you to go to Jesus to get resurrected.

[Blake Cook]

That's right.

[Uncle Si]

Kill them.

[Blake Cook]

Hey, this eight year old kid is cussing me out, talking to me about my mom.

[Martin]

I'm like, call of Duty is a weird place.

[Blake Cook]

Now I'm a dude.

[Martin]

So I played once. They didn't.

[Uncle Si]

No, no. I used to play. Me and my son. Okay. When he was teenager, we played Tiger Woods.

[Martin]

Tiger.

[Uncle Si]

Tiger Woods.

[Blake Cook]

That was so good.

[Uncle Si]

We got where we could get it over the trees and on the green and then make a birdie.

[Blake Cook]

So you tried it? You did it on the game?

[Uncle Si]

Yeah, I did it on the game.

[Martin]

He did the opposite of you. He started with real life and went to video games. You started with video games that ended up on the front line.

[Jace]

You know what you've just witnessed the essence of our magic cast. This is the essence of our podcast. We go. We go from hitting IDs to Tiger woods golf.

[Uncle Si]

Hey, but I love. But hey, here's the deal.

[Martin]

I don't know.

[Uncle Si]

I come up with a lot of stuff. I come up with a lot of stuff. Don't play video games or you'll get.

[Martin]

Kicked out of a plane.

[Uncle Si]

This man, hey. Has got a computer.

[Martin]

Oh, boy.

[Uncle Si]

And he Googles what I've said.

[Martin]

I cannot find the Greg Norman story.

[Uncle Si]

And a lot of times he comes back and said he was right.

[Martin]

Oftentimes he knows crazy things that no one else knows but him.

[Uncle Si]

And no, no. Because here's one that I watch.

[Martin]

Oh, boy.

[Uncle Si]

Okay.

[Blake Cook]

I'm so excited right now.

[Uncle Si]

This is in the desert. Okay.

[Martin]

Oh, boy.

[Uncle Si]

PBS in the desert in India.

[Martin]

Fish on the ground, baby.

[Uncle Si]

Oh, there's a long range camera that is on something and it looks like oil is oozing through the sand towards you. Well, it finally gets up there about where it's 100 yards. It ain't oil. It's fish on top of sand in the desert just flipping over each other. Thousands of them, about that long. They had come from an underground river, come up on top of the sand, and they're looking for a water hole somewhere.

[Martin]

Do you believe that?

[Uncle Si]

I do.

[Martin]

You should, because we actually.

[Uncle Si]

That's true.

[Martin]

It took me a while to find it.

[Uncle Si]

He found it.

[Martin]

He did find it. And it is true.

[Blake Cook]

He speaks with such confidence with these stories that, like, he could tell me right now that the sky is purple. Well, look, I'm gonna believe it.

[Uncle Si]

I wrote two books. And in the books, okay, I've got a bunch of stories that I grew up, I'm actually telling. The book is telling my life.

[Blake Cook]

I gotta read that book for sure.

[Jace]

Look, I did the audio for size.

[Uncle Si]

First, and he ain't got over it yet.

[Jace]

I had to go to therapy for six months.

[Martin]

I don't know how you did that.

[Jace]

You could tell when. If you look at size. Have you noticed his eyes? When he's telling the truth, his eyes are like this. When he's making something up, they're like this.

[Martin]

100% true. No one.

[Uncle Si]

I'm having trouble with poker. I gotta read, boys.

[Jace]

Oh, you gotta.

[Blake Cook]

Well, you gotta wear some sunglasses. You dialed that in perfect.

[Uncle Si]

I know. But, hey, he did a fabulous job on the audio. Oh, my God, he really did.

[Jace]

That was the most difficult thing I've ever.

[Uncle Si]

They would ever.

[Jace]

I was reading that book and.

[Blake Cook]

Did you do the audio for the book?

[Jace]

Yeah, for size.

[Uncle Si]

They said.

[Jace]

Somebody called me, said, look, we need you to do size audio because he can't pronounce these words right. And we want you to try to sound like Uncle Si.

[Uncle Si]

That stopped him every time. Said, dog, you gotta say it like Uncle Si would say.

[Jace]

And they put me in a glass but box, and I get to reading this crap.

[Blake Cook]

And he said this crap and it would.

[Jace]

Look, it was funny. I was sorry.

[Martin]

I don't know how you did it.

[Jace]

I. I was laughing out loud multiple occasions because there were stories that I've never heard him tell. And I've heard every one of his stories.

[Martin]

It.

[Jace]

It, it was five pound squirrel. Oh, there you go. Did you find my audio? Redneck pets. When we lived in the log cabin near Vivian, Louisiana, there were two big hickory trees in the front yard. If you've cracked open a hickory nut before, you know there's a green nut inside.

[Martin]

There's you. A little taste of chapter three.

[Uncle Si]

Oh, no, no, no.

[Martin]

It's on Spotify. You can go listen to the whole thing if you're included in. It's included in premium.

[Uncle Si]

Our fireplace, okay, had a. A hole. A hole. Now this is concrete. The fireplace where we had took a hammer, put a hacking up there and busted and then ate the nut off of it. And then, I mean, I. It was. You could just set a hickory nut down. And we had done. Done it so much that it was a complete hole for a set of hickory Nut in there and just crack it with a hammer and then eat it.

[Martin]

All I know is my drive home tonight is going to be J. Stone narrating the story of Eagle the pigeon. I'm going to be very happy.

[Uncle Si]

He done a fantastic job. He really did.

[Jace]

I don't know what they paid me, but it wasn't enough.

[Uncle Si]

Wait a minute. I paid you a good, big money.

[Martin]

I believe you, actually.

[Uncle Si]

No, no, I'm gonna tell him. I remember. I remember $5,000 to do that. Yeah.

[Martin]

But the problem with it was what? He got paid by the hour because having to read your stuff was about, you know, $2 an hour.

[Uncle Si]

How long? He told me after he got paid. He said it was near enough.

[Blake Cook]

Jay. Jay, did your therapist $5,000?

[Jace]

Oh, way more than that.

[Uncle Si]

He was in a hole.

[Blake Cook]

He went in the hole.

[Jace]

I was. I was so mentally exhausted and delusional after I read that book. I was just zoned out.

[Martin]

Oh, goodness.

[Jace]

It is a great book, though. Very funny.

[Blake Cook]

He read that book and was smelling colors.

[Martin]

It's four hours and 41 minutes.

[Jace]

Oh, yeah.

[Uncle Si]

Oh, goodness.

[Blake Cook]

You only got paid $5,000?

[Jace]

If I mispronounced a word. I had to start over.

[Uncle Si]

I had to start over. You should have told him.

[Martin]

That's how I would have done it.

[Jace]

Yeah.

[Martin]

That is magical.

[Jace]

Oh, it was. It was torture.

[Uncle Si]

Magical torture.

[Martin]

Well, Blake, that is basically how we do this thing here. We just ramble on till we look up, and we've been doing it for an hour.

[Blake Cook]

I love it.

[Martin]

If you want to check out Blake, he's Blake Cook actual. You spell all those three words exactly how you think you would on Instagram, so go check them out. Blake. We always end every episode, whatever this is, with a Bible verse. Do you have a favorite one that you carry with you?

[Blake Cook]

I do, actually.

[Martin]

Hit us with it. And while you're looking that up, I'm going to say his wife is here. And we always try and make sure everybody knows. And he told a story of her finding out he might have died, which is crazy, but she also served our country at the same time while he was over there just being the woman behind him. So thank you for that and also thank you for his phone so he can get to this part.

[Blake Cook]

It's when Jesus spoke in the parable, when he went from left the 99 for the 1. Yeah. So I actually have that on the back of my watch as like, a. Just a good, good reminder. So Luke 15, 4, 7. What? Man of you having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them does not leave the 99 in the open country and go after the one that is lost until he finds it. And when he is found, he lays it on its shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so. I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the 99 righteous person who needs no repentance.

[Jace]

Amen on that one.

[Blake Cook]

That's my favorite one, because I'm the one that he left in 99 for. And there's nothing more beautiful than the love that leaves the 99.

[Uncle Si]

Everybody ought to look at it that way.

[Martin]

Yeah, well, we've all been in our we're the one moment instead of the 99. We've been at our lowest. Some of our lows are lower than others. But, Blake, it was awesome having you, man. Thank you for your service to this country, as always.

[Blake Cook]

Thank you. And thank you.

[Martin]

Thanks, Stone. Thanks for. And, you know, people like me didn't have to do that because you three chose to do that. So I think I speak for all the people who are out there in grocery stores or wherever you may be in tackle shops in the outdoors, driving a truck somewhere. We all get to do that in the great country that is America because of guys like you three who served this country, fought for our freedom. So thank you for that, and we'll catch y' all next time right here in the duck call room.

[Uncle Si]

And with that, thank all those that serve. Okay. The ones in the warehouses. Oh, yeah, truck drivers. The ones that, you know, brings up the cash when you're buying something in a grocery store.

[Blake Cook]

Yeah.

[Uncle Si]

You know, that what. That's what makes America great.

[Blake Cook]

If you sign the dog that serve the nation, your service matters. Yeah, sure. But, yeah, guys, thanks for having me. This was probably the highlight of my.

[Uncle Si]

Life, so this has been an honor.

[Blake Cook]

I appreciate you guys.

[Martin]

It had to be more fun than getting kicked out of a plane.

[Jace]

Was this better than the unashamed podcast? Don't ask?

[Uncle Si]

No, that's a little more serious.

[Blake Cook]

Sam.