Kurt (2:39)

Yeah, yeah, it's actually German but we went to a few contractor parties and UN parties and had some there. We're all these long haired, we've only been out of the peshmerga, you know, front for like two weeks. We're like just look like crazy and straggling.

Joey (2:56)

Yeah.

Kurt (2:56)

They're all looking at us like we're animals. And like, holy shit, what are these guys? They're not American military. We're all getting drunk and being loud anyway, but. And then ended up not being. I was on the way to a contract with that particular contact and an opportunity came up to come to the Peshmurg unit I'm with now. And we're told they're a very elevated force, more specialized unit. They have better funding. They do more direct action stuff, which has come. Everything's come to fruition. They're very professional. They are almost involved in every offensive we do in the area. So that's very nice. And then we've come into the opportunity of training. But when we got here, they paid us. We didn't ask for it, but it's like. Well, it's like, it's shameful for them to not pay us and have us here because it's.

Interviewer (3:54)

They want to take care of you, right?

Kurt (3:57)

Yeah. It's part of that cultural thing where they're like, you know, it's a shame for them to not pay us and just take us for free. So we get our peshmonger wages. And then through being here and meeting people and doing what I'm doing, coming to a company where we're getting into the private security sector where we do rotations between the two and. Because I won't stop doing what I'm here to do, but to do something on the side and split my time helps me one, live a little more comfortably, which is always nice. It's not a lot, but it's enough for me to live in. Kirsten's somewhat comfortable.

Interviewer (4:40)

You'll have enough Tiger energy drinks, right?

Kurt (4:44)

You know what I mean? Cigarettes. And go out and get a nice meal once in a while. Maybe go out to the bar a couple times during the month or something. Socialize with Joey. That's it. This guy. But it's just funny how it's kind of come to that. It's all. Like I said, we've been very lucky, very fortunate. Just happenstance. And also being a little patient when other guys were going home, packing their bags and saying, I'm calling it quits because there was a lull or it was a tough time. We're like, yeah, we're going to stick around and do our thing and keep. Eventually it'll get better, or something else come along.

Interviewer (5:20)

So develop that relationship with the people here. And I mean, you build trust over time.

Kurt (5:25)

Absolutely. That's a big thing. You have to. For them to really respect you. One you have to show them that you're here for the cause and you're here. You have to show them who you are. You have to invest in relationships and people and be willing to accept cultural differences and kind of almost embrace it a little bit. We joke about going full curd. Actually, one of our pictures, the group picture we took, we were in all kit, but I had my pants, like rolled up to here. Then I had flip flops on and old crouching with an ak and he's like, oh, he's fighting in flip flops. Now he's got full curd. What about you, Joey?

Interviewer (6:02)

What do you think of this phenomenon? Especially that you went from YPG to Peshmerga, you know, getting into some of these other activities.

Joey (6:10)

I feel very grateful and I'd say lucky, honestly, we both. I mean, we were both in ninth together. He came a couple weeks after I did and, you know, we split off and just ended up coming back together here. But, you know, it's nothing I ever expected to happen coming here. And honestly, I don't think that there's anybody else in our position, at least going from foreign fighter to where we're at now, but grateful for the opportunity. I just feel really lucky. You know, I'm able to help on multiple fronts. You know, doing training with the troops who are going to go out there, and then also being able to fight when I'm needed.

Kurt (6:51)

And it's alongside the guys.

Joey (6:55)

Yeah, exactly.

Kurt (6:55)

There's definitely some brotherhood there.

Joey (6:58)

I'm just extremely grateful for the opportunity. Patience played a big part in it. You know, like he was saying when he left 9th of gate, I left shortly or a little bit before he did with a group of guys, got a house in Erbil. Some of the guys went off to do some super secretive stuff somewhere in the world. And we hung back in Erbil, planning on getting a job at a security company fell through. Some of the guys went. Some of the guys went and joined the group. You were at the compound, the security company, waiting on contracts with them. And I just hung around waiting to hear word. Sat in the house for about three months with no money, just waiting around. And this guy gave me a call. He was like, hey, you want to come down where we're at? And then I got here and here I am. I never expected it to happen.

Kurt (7:50)

That was another interesting thing about the Westerners. It's a very tight network. Once you've been here a while, you generally tend to know all the Westerners, tend to know each other. So especially in different groups or you at least know somebody. It's almost like the contractor world, where you're like, hey, man, what are you guys doing? Or like, sometimes they'll call and they're like, hey, what's going on in your ao?

Interviewer (8:08)

That's another question I had. How many foreigners do you think are in the peshmerga? Western or, you know, non Kurdish?

Kurt (8:15)

It's really hard to say, to be honest, because it's. It's, you know, there's so many you don't know as well.

Interviewer (8:19)

Sure.

Kurt (8:20)

But I'd say maybe around 100 right now. 50 to 100.

Joey (8:25)

Including Dwight Nasha.

Kurt (8:26)

Yeah. Or guys like that, Other groups like that, the Christian Moshe groups who work closely with them like that. You're.

Joey (8:31)

You're looking at, I'd say probably 70 or so, just because I can kind of. You can kind of see them on Facebook, pictures of each other. I know that there's only about three locations. Three or four, maybe one, I don't know about that. Have volunteers there. One of the locations, there's a ton of them. The Dweck Nasha guys maybe got about 10. Then you got the guys from ninth. There's like a handful there. And then assuming that there are guys

Interviewer (8:56)

like us who don't post many pictures,

Joey (8:58)

so maybe there's like 75, like something like that.

Kurt (9:00)

Yesterday when we met those. Well, you knew one of them. You knew one of the guys, the Westerners, but they were with a pechemary unit we didn't even know had Westerners. Hey, what's up, guys?

Joey (9:11)

You're American, So cool.

Kurt (9:12)

Yeah, yeah. You guys out of Krakuk? Oh, no, we're out of here. Oh, man, we're all over the place.

Interviewer (9:17)

I think it's pretty amazing that you guys rolled in here and not only survived but thrived in this kind of environment. Not too many people can do it, you know, and in a way, you're kind of living the Special forces dream, going indige. You know, there's not too many. I would say there's not too many Green Berets these days. You can even do that. So, I mean, thanks so much for

Joey (9:42)

your time today and talking to us

Interviewer (9:44)

and good luck out there. Thanks so much.