Human Events with Jack Posobiec, November 10th, 2025

Summary

Episode Overview

Title: Human Events with Jack Posobiec, November 10th, 2025
Host: Jack Posobiec
Guests: Dan Caldwell (Marine Corps veteran, former Pentagon official), Lt. Gen. Paul K. Van Riper (USMC, ret.), Gen. Tom Dry (USMC, ret.)
Theme:
The episode is a live broadcast from Philadelphia commemorating the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Jack Posobiec is joined by Marine veterans and generals—many of whom served in Vietnam—for a spirited discussion of the Marine Corps’ legacy, reflections on the Vietnam War, lessons for future U.S. military involvement, and the enduring values and camaraderie of Marines. The episode intertwines personal stories with historical analysis and commentary on current U.S. foreign policy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Context: The Birth of the Marine Corps

• [03:18] Jack Posobiec pays tribute to the Marine Corps:
  • The USMC was officially founded on November 10, 1775, in Philadelphia at Tun Tavern—making it older than the country itself.
  • The first commandant, Samuel Nichols, led recruiting in the local tavern, gathering 300 men by March 1776.
  • Philadelphia was both the literal and symbolic birthplace of the Corps.
  • “The United States Marine Corps was not founded through debate society... it was founded by men of action.”
  • Posobiec draws a through-line from these founding days to every moment of crisis in American history, emphasizing the Corps' reliability in “the nation’s darkest hours.”
  • Notable quote:

    "The United States was not fund founded through debate society... the United States of America was founded by men of action." – Jack Posobiec [05:20]

2. Commemorating the Vietnam Veterans

• Posobiec is attending a reunion of Marines who served in Vietnam, emphasizing the weight and intensity of that conflict, and the sacrifices made by his guests and their units.
• The names of the fallen from a single company take “seven pages, single spaced.”
• Posobiec and guests reflect on the crucial but often overlooked history of the Marine Corps in Vietnam.
• Notable quote:

  "There is nothing more serious and there’s nothing more deadly than a Marine in combat." – Jack Posobiec [07:50]

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3. The Vietnam War: Experience, History, and Lessons

Dan Caldwell’s Perspective

• [13:08] Caldwell highlights the legacy:
  • Vietnam veterans “walk in the shadows of giants.”
  • The intensity of the Marine experience in Vietnam is unmatched, particularly for units serving in I Corps—the northernmost region, closest to the DMZ and enemy supply lines.
  • Battles like Khe Sanh and Hue City were defining moments.
  • Marine history in Vietnam is not sufficiently highlighted.
  • Notable quote:

    "We walk in the shadows of giants. And the Vietnam Marines were definitely those giants for us junior Marines...It’s really nothing compared to that [in Iraq/Afghanistan]. It was significantly worse by every measure." – Dan Caldwell [13:25]

On Sending Marines into Harm’s Way

• Both Posobiec and Caldwell make the case that the existence of a powerful fighting force should not mean it’s deployed everywhere:

  "Just because you have a highly trained, well equipped, lethal United States Marine Corps does not mean that you should send it around the world to fight in every conflict or solve every problem." – Dan Caldwell [16:06]

• Policy-makers should remember that military force is a last resort and interventions for unclear or questionable ends (like in Iraq or Syria) often backfire, costing lives and achieving little:

  "We need a well trained Marine Corps... But we should absolutely use them as a last resort. And just them existing isn't a reason that we should send them around the world to serve as the world’s policemen." – Dan Caldwell [16:50]

Reflections on Communism and Vietnam

• The defining rationale for Vietnam service:

  "When you talk to the men who came back from Vietnam...that is the number one reason they give for why they fought. They said, 'I was fighting communism.'" – Jack Posobiec [18:05]

• Caldwell: In Cold War terms, Vietnam can be “better argued for” than Iraq [19:31]:

  "Regardless of how bad Vietnam became... you can make a better argument for Vietnam in the Cold War context than Iraq in 2003."

  • The "warrior vs. war" distinction is often misunderstood by the American public. Anti-war sentiment was unfortunately directed at service members.

On the Outcome and Aftermath

• [24:49] Caldwell recaps the post-war landscape:
  • The Soviet alliance with Vietnam did not lead to ultimate victory for global Communism.
  • Vietnam has since “come around to our side,” and now aligns with the US on some key issues.
  • A military defeat (like Vietnam or the Afghanistan withdrawal) does not spell the end of American power if lessons are learned and military readiness is restored.
• Posobiec:

  "It has nothing to do with the valor and the bravery and the courage of the men who fought, has to do with, with the political decisions made both before, during and after the conflicts. And that is always where the problem seems to be." [27:20]

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4. Firsthand Reflections from Vietnam Commanders

Lt. Gen. Paul K. Van Riper (USMC, ret.)

• Combat and Recovery [33:10]

  • Two tours in Vietnam. Wounded in 1965 as an advisor and rapidly medevac’d thanks to Army helicopter pilots and medical advances.
  • Medical innovation made the “golden hour” a lifesaver; being stabilized and evacuated quickly meant survival against previously fatal wounds.

• Returning Home & Anti-war Sentiment:

  • Returning home was “not pleasant,” facing direct hostility.
  • His parents and wife received harassing correspondence and calls because of his service.

  “My wife had to change her phone number to an unlisted number because she got harassing calls. Just things that were. Shouldn’t have been done.” [36:58]

• On Command & Camaraderie:

  • Despite casualties, commanding a rifle company was “almost a dream come true.”
  • The reunions are emotional, underlining the deep bonds among Marines regardless of background:

  "It’s actually a love, a love for each other...there's no way to really explain it unless you’ve lived it...You are a United States Marine, and you’ve been in combat together. That’s what counts." – Van Riper [38:38]

Gen. Tom Dry (USMC, ret.)

• Commanding “Mike 3-7” [45:15]

  • Describes company commander as the "best job in Vietnam" and “like a father-son relationship.”
  • Quoting Sun Tzu:

    “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys...they will be with you even unto death.” – Gen. Tom Dry [45:48]

  • The mutual loyalty and love extended “till we die.”

• Advice for Today’s Marines [46:56]

  • "Just be proud of being Marine. Our core values are courage, honor, and commitment."
  • Every role is important; the Corps is a true team.
  • "Once a Marine, always a Marine."

• On “Devil Dogs” and Integrity

  • Explains the famous nickname “Devil Dogs” given by German forces in WWI as a mark of ferociousness in battle.

  • Defines the essence of a good Marine:

    "The number one thing is integrity, and that is you're always expect[ed] to do the right thing for the right reasons." [48:27]

  • The Vietnam experience—mixing up the “war with the warrior”—was a fundamental error in public perception. Despite this, Marines “did their job... we got over it.” [49:37]

  • On taking and holding ground:

    “When the bayonets went on, this amazing resolve came over the company...we’re going to smash or slash or beat to death another human being. And at the end of this, at one end of the rifle, at the other, there’s going to be someone alive and someone dead." [50:39]

  • Final thought on the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday:

    "The first thing should be the gratitude for having a corps of Marines that is most ready when the nation is least ready... all of that depends on one commodity, and that's the Marine who is holding that weapon..." [52:05]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The United States was not founded through debate society...the United States of America was founded by men of action.”
  – Jack Posobiec [05:20]

• “We walk in the shadows of giants. And the Vietnam Marines were definitely those giants for us junior Marines...”
  – Dan Caldwell [13:25]

• “The only two good jobs in the Marine Corps are the one you just came from and the one you’re going to.”
  – Gen. Tom Dry [45:15]

• “It’s actually a love, a love for each other…there’s no way to really explain it unless you’ve lived it…you are a United States Marine, and you’ve been in combat together. That’s what counts.”
  – Lt. Gen. Van Riper [38:38]

• "The first thing should be the gratitude for having a corps of Marines that is most ready when the nation is least ready."
  – Gen. Tom Dry [52:05]

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Important Timestamps

• [03:18] – Jack Posobiec on the founding of the Marine Corps and its significance
• [07:50] – “There is nothing more serious and there’s nothing more deadly than a Marine in combat.”
• [13:08] – Dan Caldwell discusses the intensity of Vietnam and Marine heroism
• [16:06] – Cautions against reckless military intervention
• [19:31] – Contextualizing Vietnam vs. Iraq; “protesters became policymakers”
• [24:49] – Caldwell: Aftermath, lessons, and current U.S.–Vietnam relations
• [33:10] – Lt. Gen. Van Riper relates combat injury and medevac
• [36:58] – Homecoming hostility and harassment for Vietnam veterans
• [38:38] – The emotional core of Marine camaraderie and reunions
• [45:15] – Gen. Tom Dry on company command and his philosophy of leadership
• [46:56] – Advice to new Marines: honor, courage, commitment
• [48:27] – Defining “a good Marine”: integrity above all
• [50:39] – Close combat, bayonets, and the grim realities of war
• [52:05] – Gen. Dry on vigilance and gratitude for the Marine Corps on its birthday

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Tone & Style

• Patriotic, reverential, unapologetically in favor of American and Marine Corps values
• Personal, emotional, and often candid—especially when discussing the costs and legacy of war
• Mix of historical storytelling, policy commentary, and brotherly banter among veterans (e.g., jokes about crayons and branches of service)

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Summary

This episode is a stirring tribute to 250 years of the United States Marine Corps, broadcast from its birthplace in Philadelphia and animated by both historical context and firsthand accounts. Jack Posobiec leads heartfelt conversations with Marine veteran Dan Caldwell and two decorated Vietnam commanders, Lt. Gen. Van Riper and Gen. Dry. The discussion honors the Corps’ origins and traditions, explores the searing experiences and misperceptions of Vietnam, and distills hard-earned lessons about U.S. military interventions. Above all, the episode is a salute to the enduring spirit and sacred bonds of those who have put on the Marine uniform—emphasizing the importance of integrity, readiness, and treating the warrior apart from the politics of war.

Transcript

[Jack Posobiec]

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[Jack Posobiec]

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A commentator, international social media sensation and former Navy Intelligence veteran.

[Jack Posobiec]

This is Human Events with your host Jack Posobic.

[Narrator/News Reporter]

Christ is King Sunday's vote was the first clear sign that a bipartisan deal had been reached. After a roughly 40 day stalemate, the Senate voted 60 to 40 to back a revamp the GOP funding bill that would keep the government open until the end of January. Eight Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill, including Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, Senators Tim Kaine, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jackie Rosen, among others.

[Jack Posobiec]

Overnight, the aviation industry facing its worst day of cancellations since the shutdown began.

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I was coming from Tampa and that flight got delayed.

[Jack Posobiec]

Delayed, delay. Then it was canceled. Almost 8% of flights canceled as of Sunday night.

[Narrator/News Reporter]

New backlash as the Trump administration moves forward with a plan to introduce 50 year mortgages over the weekend. Trump sharing this image comparing the proposal to the 30 year mortgage policies Trump championed by FDR nearly a century ago. The move could potentially kick start the now stagnant real estate market.

[Dan Caldwell]

You said affordability is. You didn't want.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

You said last night you didn't want to talk about.

[Event Supporter/Commentator]

I talked about it. When did I, when did I not want to talk about? I talk about it all the time. We are much better than Biden and all of them now, just so you understand. Do you remember that the Biden administration had the highest inflation in 48 years but most people say ever recorded. Do you remember that right? Do you remember it? Did they have the Highest inflation in 48 years did they? Just answer me the question. You know the answer. The answer is yes.

[Narrator/News Reporter]

In a social media post, President Trump says people who don't support tariffs are, quote, fools. Trump says the US Is taking in trillions of dollars and will soon start paying down $37 trillion in debt. He also says a dividend of at least $2,000 would be paid to including high income people.

[Jack Posobiec]

For 250 years, Marines have celebrated their birthday on November 10th. This day has always been a time to celebrate our history. But at every pivotal moment in our country's history, when our nation has needed the might of the Marine Corps, Marines have celebrated with a true fighting spirit, period. Well, ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard today's edition of Human Events Daily live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am here in Philadelphia, right where I grew up, on November 10, 2025, Anno Domini. And why are we here today? Because I'm not the only one from the Philadelphia area. Because Today is the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. One is born right here in Philadelphia, not very far from where I sit right now. Now we're down here at Penn's Landing. And if you hear the cacophony around me, that's because I'm at a gathering of Marines who are Vietnam veterans that are here celebrating their, I believe it's their 41st reunion, that they've come together, their entire company has come out. And we're going to be on with some of the generals, actually Marine generals that served in Vietnam that are here today. And I'm so gracious and honored to even be invited to cover an event like this. But let me tell you a little something about the story of the founding. So back in Philadelphia, remember, the Second Continental Congress is getting done. This is pre, even before the Declaration of Independence, the Marine Corps is actually older than the country itself. The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, dedicating a landing force to serve at sea and on shore. That resolution was approved November 10, 1775 by the Second Continental Congress, which is of course, right down the street from where we are at. And if you see right behind me, you can actually see the great battleship New Jersey. And that's the Delaware river across. You're looking into Camden, New Jersey, right there. First commandant of the Marine Corps was Samuel Nichols. The resolution commissioned him, who was a prominent local innkeeper and as the first commandant and captain of the newly formed Marine Corps. Now, this is the, this is the part where it gets really good. Right down here, just blocks away from Where I'm sitting at an alley near Penn's Landing on the quarter of Water street and Ton Alley, there was an establishment called Tun Tavern. And Tun Tavern, which was owned by Nicholas's friend Robert Mullen, when he went in there. And he walked in to this tavern that evening, which they saw as a natural gathering place for the colonists, for the Americans. And of course, as the story goes, he walked in looking and went into that tavern on that night, November 10, 1775, and said, we're looking for a few good men to serve in the Marine Corps of the United States of America. And of course, Hundreds of men, 300 men by March joined up for the United States Marine Corps, where the very first recruiting drive was held in a tavern just blocks away. And you can imagine the colonists sitting there pounding their ale, saying, you know something? We're going to get in there, we're going to go and get in the fight. That's the people of Philadelphia. That's the people, the United States Marine Corps. Those are the men that founded this country. The United States was not fund founded through debate society. The United States was not founded by, by people, you know, just arguing out in the marketplace of free ideas. No, the United States of America was founded by men of action. And when George Washington was looking for men of action, who did he turn to? He turned to the United States Marine Corps. And when you look at our country and when our country has faced its darkest hours, its darkest moments, whether whether those moments were here at home, like the battle for our own revolution, our own independence, War of 1812, World War I, World War II, who did the United States turn to in all those times? It was the United States Marine Corps and yes, even in Vietnam. And we're going to talk about Vietnam today because we're here with the Vietnam veterans and we're going to talk about the fact that the amount of KIAs and we were at the memorial service which was held this morning outside of the Vietnam Memorial. The amount of KIAs with this unit and I've got, got. Oh, the brochures. It's over here. I was showing it this morning on War Room. Seven pages, single spaced of men killed in action. We need to take it seriously because there is nothing more serious and there's nothing more deadly than a Marine in combat. We're right back. Jack Wisovic Live, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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[Event Supporter/Commentator]

End in our way and our golden age has just begun.

[Jack Posobiec]

This is Human Events. With Jack sober now, it's time for everyone to understand what America first truly means. Welcome to the second American Revolution. All right folks, Jack Posobic. We're here live back Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Human Events Daily. Today is the birthday United States Marine Corps which is born. Which is born. Born in Burke. The first recruiting drive just blocks away Ton Tavern right here at Penn's Landing where we're all sitting right now. And I'm, I'm in a room surrounded by, surrounded by Marines. So I'm simultaneously in the safest place I've ever been and the most dangerous place I've ever been. But folks, did you know that in the last six weeks 86 million AT&T users had their name, address and Social Security numbers leaked? Or that the CCP is harvesting massive volumes of Americans personal data to train deep seek and other AI system? Now, while you're online doing the work like I am, you need digital camouflage. And that's why I've partnered with our newest show sponsor, Patriot Protect. Patriot Protect removes your personal data from the Internet. Whether it's Google, Amazon or Apple. Your personal data will be wiped so that scammers and cyber criminals and swatters like the ones that tried to come after the Posto family will not and cannot find your data. And you could take back your security and privacy. Once Patriot Protect scans and scrubs your personal information, they'll continuously monitor your info to make sure every new incident instance of a possible data breach is eliminated immediately. I'm talking 24, 7 protection for the cost of keeping the porch lights on. The only thing that's worse than getting hacked is knowing that you could have stopped It. But you didn't take action when you could have gone to patriot-protect.com poso and use promo code POSO for 15 off a yearly subscription. That's patriot-protect.com poso, and use that promo code POSO for 15 OFF a yearly description. Patriot-protect.com/boso. All right, now since, since we're here on Human Events Daily and we've, we've always got a Navy veteran, believe it or not, there's been a Navy veteran on almost every single episode of Human Events Daily. However, today's all about the Marine Corps, which is a certain lesser known Department of the Navy. Just got to get that in there. But of course, I wanted to bring on one of my good friends. You guys know him, Dan Caldwell. He's a former senior adviser over at the Pentagon, the Department of War, and of course, a proud United States Marine veteran. Dan, how are you?

[Dan Caldwell]

I'm doing great. And Jack, you set it up, so I just got to go for it. When you say we're part of the Department of Navy, you're correct. We're the men's department of the Navy.

[Jack Posobiec]

Now, Dan, I just wanted to let you know that when you're in the green room here at Human Events Daily, I know you might get a little bit hungry. So I've let out a couple of packs of Crayola crayons for you to gnaw on if, you know, if you get your, you get your appetite up a little bit.

[Dan Caldwell]

Well, I appreciate that. I am getting hungry. I hope you have the green. That's my favorite flavor.

[Jack Posobiec]

That's so weird. We keep running out of the greens and now I think I know why. But, but Dan, we're here with, you know, we're here with the Vietnam veterans. We're here with, with my company. And one of the things that this memorial earlier today that really struck with me was the intensity of the Vietnam conflict and how intense it was for the Marines. Seven pages, single spaced of KIAs that they read through. A single bell rung after each one. And it took quite some time to get through the entire list because they read the names out and you realize that, wait a minute, that's just one company. So walk through for me, the intensity of Vietnam for the Marine Corps and part of the Marine Corps history, and also just the understanding that it gives those who have served when it comes to those discussions of perhaps sending Marines into the fire all around the world yet again.

[Dan Caldwell]

Yeah, this is, this is important, Jack. And first of all, I enjoyed watching part of the ceremony that you posted today, I just want to say, you know, when I was going through basic training in the Marine Corps, I was always told that we walk in the shadows of giants. And the Vietnam Marines were definitely those giants for us junior Marines, we always looked up to them. And, you know, we were well educated on our history in Vietnam. And you cannot overstate the intensity of the Marine experience in Vietnam. So first and foremost, it's important to know that most of the Marines of Vietnam served in I Corps, which is the military unit that controlled all the US Military assets in the northern part of South Vietnam. So they were right on the border with North Vietnam, the dmz. And then they also controlled areas all the way out to the border with Laos. That's where you had places like Khe Sanh, where there was a famous battle fought, where the Marines really distinguished themselves, basically held out in a siege for several months. And then out more towards the sea, you had Hue City, where the Marines fought the famous battle in 1968, the Battle of Hue City. So this is where you had the North Vietnamese, the D.C. they were closest to their safe havens, their closest. Their supply lines. So that is where you saw some of the most intense combat of the war. And so that is why you had very high Marine casualties. You had a lot of very intense combat, and you had a tremendous amount of heroism for Marines that served throughout that war. And so it's unfortunate that I don't think a lot of the Marine history in Vietnam has really been highlighted. You've had great books like Fields of Fire, the Nightingale Song, that I've talked through that, but it really. It's nothing compared to what I went through in Iraq. And it's nothing compared to. Again, there's a lot of brutal fighting and heroism in Afghanistan, but it's really nothing compared to that. It was significantly worse by every measure.

[Jack Posobiec]

And so, Dan, when. And I. I could see that from, you know, and it connected with me today because as they read the names, so many of. They also read the dates. They read the dates of. Of their sacrifice. And so many of the men, you know, the dates would line up. It was the same day that they were all killed. And so you realize these battles that were coming back day after day after day were just so intense. And this was totally different from what we even saw. And obviously, I remember the Iraq Afghanistan era as well, but it was just a magnitude larger. Dan, you know, you and I talk about this all the time, but, you know, obviously, United States Marine Corps is willing to go wherever Uncle Sam sends them. But isn't this also on the flip side why we need to be very, very careful and honor their service and willingness to do that if we are to then call them into, say, you know, Iran or Venezuela or one of these places?

[Dan Caldwell]

Absolutely. You know, just because you have a highly trained, well equipped, lethal United States Marine Corps does not mean that you should send it around the world to fight in every conflict or solve every problem. Military force should always be the last resort. And too often, especially in the post Cold War era, our policymakers have deployed not just Marines, but soldiers, sailors, airmen, to conflicts that are not our national interest. And the Marines and all other service members distinguish themselves well in those conflicts. But let's just, you know, Jack, let's just quickly talk about what's going on today at the White House. At the White House today, there is a former leader of Al Qaeda meeting with President Trump. Al Shara, also known as Jelani, is now the president of Syria. I think, to be clear, it's very good that President Trump is engaging with this guy. He clearly wants to do business with us. We, instead of starting another civil war in Syria, we should engage him. And I applaud the Trump administration for doing that. But let's think of the symbolism of that for a second. This guy fought United States Marines in Iraq. He was a leader of Al Qaeda and he essentially joined Al Qaeda because of the Iraq war and because of our overreach in the region. And so we've invested all this blood and treasure in these wars and the end result is our enemies winning. And it's because in most cases, we didn't need to fight those wars. We didn't need to deploy the Marines. So I think that's an important lesson that we should absorb. Again, we need a well trained Marine Corps, well trained Navy, Air Force, Army. But we should absolutely use them as a last resort. And just them existing isn't a reason that we should send them around the world to serve as the world's policemen.

[Jack Posobiec]

And that's exactly right. You know, when, when you have a fighting force that's willing to do that, that's willing to go into harm's way. And by the way, and I'm just going to say it, that you know, even though the Vietnam War, and there's obviously a lot of, a lot of questions about the Vietnam War, many which I hold, but people need to, need to remember as well, the Vietnam War was about fighting Communism.

[Dan Caldwell]

Yes.

[Jack Posobiec]

And that when you talk to the men who came back from Vietnam. That is the number one reason they give for why they fought. They said I was fighting communism. That's why we went over there. And so you don't hear that from, you know, many of the sort of anti Vietnam War stories that are told now. That being said, it also stands to reason that we asked the question did it make sense? And you know, for the conduct of war, etc. Etc. And so when, when you look at all these things together, it's really begs the question, right? It always begs the question of did we get into something for the right reasons or are we going in and creating more problems because of our interventions? And you just mentioned Syria, for example, something where the United States did intervene. Now, obviously we were not directly involved in the civil war, but we certainly were indirectly. And that was a civil war that led to this Al Qaeda, you know, quote unquote, former Al Qaeda leader, now becoming a head of state over there. And there are serious questions about what's going on on the ground of the Christians underneath Al Jelani, and I'm going to continue to call him Al Jelani, by the way, because that's his name. And questions that unfortunately, you know, we're having a lot of trouble getting answers for.

[Dan Caldwell]

Absolutely. I want to go back to something you said about Vietnam. I think it was Senator Jim Webb, former Secretary of the Navy, wrote Fields of Fire. He said that he could make a better argument for intervening in Vietnam in the context of the global Cold War than he could in Iraq. Regardless of how bad Vietnam became, how detached from core objectives in terms of containing communism it became. I believe that you can make a better argument for Vietnam in the Cold War context than Iraq in 2003. But here's something you mentioned, the protesters too. If you think about people who protested that war or avoided service in that war, a lot of them became leaders in the national security space after the Cold War. And like the Clinton administration and the Bush administration, and it was that generation, the anti war protesters were the ones who really drove a lot of our bad foreign policy, whether it was like the humanitarian interventionism or people like John Bolton who proudly dodged the draft in Vietnam, pushing the Iraq war because they never absorbed those lessons, because they never fought. They were too. They're too cowardly to go and serve the United States or in some cases, they thought the communists were the heroes. And so that's an important point.

[Jack Posobiec]

Dan Caldwell, we're on. Today is the birthday of the United States Marine Corps. We're here live in Philadelphia, Penn. Events Daily. Right back.

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[Event Supporter/Commentator]

Talk about influencers. These are influencers and they're friends of mine.

[General Tom Dry]

Jack.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Where's Jack?

[Event Supporter/Commentator]

He's got a great job.

[General Tom Dry]

All right.

[Jack Posobiec]

Jack Posobic we are back live here Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Human Events Daily. We're here for the birthday of United States Marine Corps on this day 250 years ago in a tavern just steps away. The tavern had burned down in the 1700s, but there is actually a a plan afoot to kind of restore it and rebuild it. And of course we'll be checking back in on that as soon as it's up folks. Want to tell you though, ever since COVID millions of Americans have started buying preparedness supplies and especially emergency food. Now that's a good thing because there's a big mistake most people make with their emergency food supply. They don't have any way to cook it in a real emergency when the power goes out. That's why our friends over at my Patriot Supply created their Black Friday Survival special. And yes, Black Friday's coming folks. It comes with a 4 week food supply plus $150 worth of free gifts including everything you need to prepare your emergency meals. We're talking a cook, stove, fuel, fire starter, plus a water purifier, bugout bag and so much more. It's the complete survival kit your family needs to ride out natural disasters, civil unrest or anything worse. It also makes a great Christmas gift. So folks, it's only available through Black Friday. You can get it now. Go through Black Friday, head on over to my patriotsupply.com jack to check out everything that's included. With all the uncertainty in the world right now, we simply can't afford to be unprepared. So go to my Patriots apply.com Jackson Jack and get prepared today. That's my Patriotsupply.com/ Jack, want to go back on with former Pentagon senior official Dan Caldwell, United States Marine veteran himself. And then we were talking about I we're talking about the Vietnam War. Putting it into context. It was certainly done with the context of containing communism. And that is the argument that is done for when we wrote our anti communist history book last year, myself and Joshua Lysak. That's exactly the way that we framed it. And we sort of left the other debate, you know, sort of for another time. But it really does speak, I think, to the conduct not only of how the United States gets into wars and also how the United States conducts those wars once we get into them. Because Dan, when you really look at it, you know, when the United States got quote unquote got into Vietnam, did it really achieve the result that we were looking for?

[Dan Caldwell]

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the war ended with a Soviet allied state controlling Southeast Asia, not just Vietnam, Laos, and then at the after Pol Pot was overthrown by the Vietnamese, you know, Cambodia too, is that the Soviets were able to build a base in Vietnam and they were able to more effectively project power into, you know, the South China Sea. Now at the end of the day, global communism loss and thankfully Vietnam is, is coming around to our side, has in a lot of ways come around to our side. The Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth was there just last week. We're signing military deals and there's an alignment and I think it's a good thing emerging between Vietnam and the United States on some key issues. I, I also think it's one of the important lessons of Vietnam though that a lot of people forget is that in 1975, you go back to that time, a lot of people thought that global Communism is now on the march. You saw a lot of communist victories in Africa to Latin America and places like Nicaragua obviously had Angola and Africa and in 1979, then you had the Soviets move in Afghanistan. What happened 10 years later? The Cold War ended. And so I think the lesson from one lesson from Vietnam is that one military defeat does not mean the end of American military or the end of American power. And that, you know, like people were talking about Afghanistan, the fall of Afghanistan, you know, being this absolute disaster for American power. And it wasn't a great look, it wasn't, it wasn't good for our credibility. And then people try to connect it to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which I believe is wrong. You know, cards on the table. But at the end of the day, it didn't really impact our ability to do things in Europe or to do things that we need to do in the Pacific. That was our own policymakers bad decisions. Luckily, after the, after Vietnam with Ronald Reagan and others, guided by a lot of Vietnam vets I'd noted, the United States military rebuilt, retooled, and by the end of the Cold War had recovered from Vietnam and became a very powerful force that was able to deter the Soviet Union and ultimately help secure victory in the Cold War.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, that's exactly right. And so we look at the history of these things and it should give us pause. I just always think that if you understand the history of warfare in the United States, especially in the Post World War II era, it should always give us pause when, when we question about whether or not we should get involved in yet another armed conflict and especially putting boots on the ground. Because you look at the history of Korea, look at the history of Vietnam, and you have to, and now the history of Iraq and Afghanistan, and you have to wonder, okay, did this make sense? Was the juice worth the squeeze? Was it worth it for all those seven single spaced pages of KIAs in Vietnam to hand the Soviets a support base there in Southeast Asia? I'm not sure. And you talk to a lot of the guys who came out and they said, well, we could have won this thing, but, but we were told to pull back and we were asked about rules of engagement. And it has nothing to do with the valor and the bravery and the courage of the men who fought, has to do with, with the political decisions made both before, during and after the conflicts. And that is always where the problem seems to be. But I'll tell you what, Dan, when I go and I meet with the veterans or even, even the current service members, I don't think the problem is with the United States Marines.

[Dan Caldwell]

No, absolutely not. And it's, it's, it is still a fantastic group of, of war fighters and they carry the spirit of the Marines you're with right now in Vietnam. That same spirit that, that motivated Marines In World War II, Korea and Vietnam is still within every Marine currently serving in the United States Marine Corps. You know, there's a lot of this talk about, oh, the Marines of today are softer. And you know, that, that, that stuff's been going on since the founding of the Marine Corps. You know, the Marines that, that we're fighting and you know, World War II, they're probably their salt dog. World War I veterans are probably saying the same thing. It goes back generations. But let me tell you, you have an incredible Marine Corps that's able to do incredible things and their training is superb and they're motivated and on top of that, they're innovative. That's, that's an important part of the Marine Corps history, is that this is the key.

[Jack Posobiec]

Dan, we're, we're at. We're out of time because I got a couple. You off because the general is coming up next. Dan Caldwell. Go give him a follow at Dan Caldwell.

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[Event Supporter/Commentator]

Is Jack, Where's Jack? Where is he? Jack, I want to see you. Great job, Jack.

[General Tom Dry]

Thank you.

[Event Supporter/Commentator]

What a job you do. You know, we have an incredible thing. We're always talking about the fake news and the bad, but we have guys, and these are the guys who'd be getting bullishers.

[Jack Posobiec]

All right, folks. Jack Kazobik. We're back here live Human events daily, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We're here for the birthday to her 50th birthday. United States Marine Corps folks want to tell you if you're a homeowner in America, you need to listen to this. The FBI has been warning about a type of real estate fraud that's on the rise. And this is called title theft. And your equity is the target. Here's how it works. Criminals forge your signature on a signal document. They use a fake notary stamp and file it with the county. And just like that, on the record, they own your home using your ownership. They can take out loans against your equity or even sell your property. And, and you won't know about it until foreclosure or collection notices show up in the mail. That's why I've partnered with Home Title Lock so you can protect your equity. And find out today if you're already a victim. Use my promo code postoamtitleck.com and you'll get a free title history report and a free trial of their million dollar triple lock protection. That's 247 monitoring of your title records, urgent alerts to any changes and if fraud occurs, their US based restoration team will spend up to $1 million to to fix it. Find out why I trust Home Title Lock. Protect yourself like I did. Don't be a victim. Protect your equity today. All right folks, so it's, it's a true honor to be on here today. This special guest that we have, this is Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper. He was the commanding officer of my company during 1968 to 1969. A student of Naval War College up at Newport, Rhode island and, and then later assumed command at the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment before commanding the 4th Marines. Lieutenant General, thank you so much for joining us today.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Good to be here.

[Jack Posobiec]

Reflect with me if you can. What is it? When, when you were, when you got to Vietnam in, and then was, was, was your first time in, in theater, 1968. Was that when you first arrived?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

No, that was my second tour.

[Jack Posobiec]

Your second tour?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

In my first tour I was an advisor with the Vietnamese Marine Corps, was wounded after about four months and evacuated. So this was my second tour.

[Jack Posobiec]

So this was your second tour. How did you. Okay, I see it here. So 65 was your first tour and then, and then 60 and I'm reading this by the way, you, you were wounded while attacking an NVA machine gun in a rice paddy outside of Saigon.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

The Vietnamese unit I was with was the 3rd Battalion. They were going after a base camp of the Viet Cong south of Saigon. And I was with the lead element and as I was calling in army helicopters to try to take this out and got shot in the stomach at that time.

[Jack Posobiec]

Now, now when you got hit with that, they take, did we have in 65, did we have those mass units? Do we have a US military there or was the Vietnamese.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

There was a very brave couple of army war and helicopter pilots, they took that, there was a Huey with guns on the side. They brought it right around, set it down. They took some rounds through the cockpit, picked it up and turned their tail back towards where the enemy was. I crawled over and got in and they took off, Took me straight into the Army's 3rd Army Field Hospital. So I was probably in the operating room within about 30, 45 minutes after I was wounded.

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, that's an, that's an incredible turnaround to be able to, to be able to get in, get out from, from a hot battle zone to, to be able to get to the hospital unit so quickly. And it really speaks, I think, to the competency of the men that were there on the ground.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

I read a manual about the first World War and said stomach shots were always fatal. Yes, it was good to be, be a little further along in time.

[Jack Posobiec]

You were breaking the, breaking the mold on that one, breaking the, breaking the, the odds on that. But that really, and that really also became sort of the story of Vietnam is that there was so much medical innovation that came out of these, these intense conflicts, intense situations.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

We called it the golden hour. If you could stabilize a marine and get them out to a medical facility within the golden hour, the odds of surviving were much higher.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, so that was about one hour. So then you get wounded, you come back. What was it like getting, you know, being on the mend and then coming back three years later as a commanding officer?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Well, coming back to the States wasn't pleasant because that's when the anti war elements were pretty high. My parents, for example, there was a picture of, of me in a local paper. They got that, those papers with obscenities written over sent to them and things like that. So it wasn't pleasant coming back, back into the States, but going back out as a company commander was almost a dream come true. I'd always wanted to, I'd commanded a platoon, I always wanted to command a rifle company. So to have that opportunity, I valued it.

[Jack Posobiec]

And just for, till we get it out. What was your age? 1965. How old were you?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

I was 29 years old. I'd been in the Marine Corps since I was 18. I've been enlisted for a couple of years. So I had a good bit of experience and felt pretty confident.

[Jack Posobiec]

That's incredible. So, and I want to ask about that. So you, you get wounded, you get, you take a wound in a conflict that you didn't start yourself but you'd been ordered to go to. And your parents were getting obscenities about you even coming home after being wounded in combat?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Yes.

[Jack Posobiec]

What did your parents say when they got that?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

I think they were upset. And to give an indication of what it was like when I came home from the second tour with my company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. My wife had to change her phone number to an unlisted number because she got harassing calls. Just things that were. Shouldn't have been done.

[Jack Posobiec]

No, it's absolutely things that shouldn't have been done. And you look at the history of it, and I was really. You know, I mentioned before that I was. I was really moved that, you know, when we were going through the booklet here and they read the names, it's seven pages, single spaced, name after name after name of the Marines that didn't make it back and realizing the intensity, and that's. That's just this company.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

It is a lot of casualties now in terms of commanding that company. I often tell folks, if it wasn't for the separation from my family and if it wasn't for the casualties, that would be my Groundhog Day. I would lead that company for my entire life. Some fantastic Marines and Navy corpsmen, they're living on the edge. It's a certain excitement to it. And just some great people around you, both in terms of their professional skills and their courage. So the casualties are obviously something. They're just a tragic. A tragic part of being in the military.

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, that's exactly right. And I appreciate so much that you and the men and the families are still here even today, all these years later that are commemorating, that are standing, and that's. That's. It's. It's. It is about honor, but it's also an active duty, isn't it?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

It is what most folks don't think about. They think about camaraderie in the military, but it's actually a love, a love for each other. And what we find in the reunions is the first time someone comes, they're a little leery. The first afternoon or evening, the second day, they get into discussions, look at photos that were taken there, begin to talk to whatever squad or platoon they were in. By the Sunday morning, when they get ready to leave, everybody's in tears. It's just a real emotional event, but there's no way to really explain it unless you've lived it and have that feeling. But it doesn't matter what your walk of life is, anything about your ethnic or religious background, none of that matters. You are. You are a United States Marine, and you've been in combat together. That's what counts.

[Jack Posobiec]

And you've been United States Marine. Once a Marine, always a Marine. And I would have loved. I know that. The Tavern. They're working on getting it back Together it would be just about a couple of blocks from where we are.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

We are in the city where the Marine Corps was born. In 1775, John Adams had a maritime commission that they were studying whether we needed a Marine Corps. They decided that we did. They informed the Second Continental Congress and there was a resolution that established two battalions of American Marines. And Samuel Nichols was, was the first commissioned officer and he began to recruit Marines, sent drummers and fifers throughout the town and got, got the first Marine. So this is Philadelphia is the home of the Marine Corps.

[Jack Posobiec]

What is it, what does it mean to you that, do you think that, that the Marine Corps, the first recruiting drive was in a tavern?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Well, that's appropriate. That's, that's where it should have been. No doubt about it.

[Jack Posobiec]

Now do you think if we went into Philadelphia taverns today, we'd find some ready and willing enabled Marines?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Well, what the Marine Corps always tells these young men, they're not good enough and then they got to prove themselves. One of my favorite stories is of a recruiter that recruiters from all the services go into high school and each of the other services talk about the benefits, the training, what you're going to get, get out of it. And the Marine recruiter walks up there and looks out over the student body, says, I don't think any of you are good enough to be Marines, but if you think you are, I'll be in the back. Come back and see me. And that's how we get the kind of folks we want.

[Jack Posobiec]

And that's the kind of folks you want. And then, and then, and then the pull up bar comes out and the push up competitions begin and all the rest of it. And it's absolutely appropriate. And that's, that's the Marines cut from a different cloth. But that's how you get the few and the proud. We're coming up on, on a quick break here and, and, and I'm looking, I, I'm looking at the comments here. They, General, are you able to stick with us for another segment?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Stay here as long as you want me.

[Jack Posobiec]

All right, he's staying here. Folks. We're in Human Events Daily. We're here live. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We've got General Van Riper who's here with us. He was the commanding officer of my company there in Vietnam, 1968, 1960, 1969. He's telling a story to the core. He's telling us stories about what it was like when he was there facing off against those godless commies in the Viet Cong. We'll be right back here. Human Events continues.

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[Event Supporter/Commentator]

Jack is a great guy. He's written a fantastic book. Everybody's talking about it.

[Dan Caldwell]

Go get it.

[Event Supporter/Commentator]

And he's been my friend right from the beginning of this whole beautiful event and we're going to turn it around and make our country great again.

[Jack Posobiec]

Amen. All right, Jack Wisobic, we're back here live, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We're on with General Paul Van Riper of Mike, the commanding officer of Mike three seven. And General, I had to ask you. So Mike three seven, am I correct in understanding that this is the most decorated unit for the Vietnam War?

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

I'm not absolutely sure that, but it certainly was one of the most decorated, saw some of the heaviest combat, went into the end of Vietnam in July of 1965 and didn't leave until October of 1970. 1970, and was involved in some of the heaviest fighting. I know when I was there, what we called the post, that offensive, the casualties were pretty high. It was a great unit. Great unit.

[Jack Posobiec]

That's incredible. Well, and General, I want to thank you for your time today. I want to get one of your predecessors here, another former CEO of Mike3seven. But I wanted to say thank you and, and if you don't mind hearing it from a Navy guy, simplify.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Okay. Well, it's a Navy Marine Corps team.

[Jack Posobiec]

That is right.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Tom Dry, here's an old friend. So I'm glad, I'm glad to pass the mic to you.

[Jack Posobiec]

All right. Well, hey, Tom, let's get him in. Thank you, General. Another general coming up here because we've got a number of, number of Marines here joining us at. On Human Events daily today. I want to get him in. And it's. It's just an incredible. And an absolutely incredible. General, thank you so much for joining us here. We'll get you sitting down. Great to meet you as well, General. Get. You get your mic right there, and you could just look right at me. You don't need to worry about looking at the camera, but the people see. I promise, General. Now. So I'm looking over here now, you were the commanding officer. So prior to. It's a. Prior to Paul getting there, you were the commanding officer going back for my company in 1966. So you were there prior to that. Now, let me ask you, who had the tougher job? Was it you or Paul?

[General Tom Dry]

Well, they say in the Marine Corps there's only two good jobs, right? The one you just came from and the one you're going to. But there could be no better job in Vietnam than to command my company.

[Jack Posobiec]

Is that right?

[General Tom Dry]

Yeah, absolutely. I loved them. They're tremendous. I still talk to them to this day. We met each other in 1963, and we kind of grew up together, so it's just a. Many ways of. Father, son relationship. I. I quoted the other night there from Sun Tzu. Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Treat them as your own beloved sons, and they will be with you even unto death. And that's the relationship that we had with. With my company. They, in many ways, were my son before I had children, but they're my sons and will be till we die.

[Jack Posobiec]

Amen. And you went into those valleys and you went into those jungles with them, and they went with you all the way.

[General Tom Dry]

Absolutely. But it was just an honor to command a company like Mike and to be a part of, you know, to make history.

[Jack Posobiec]

Oh, they're asking me if you can hold the mic just a little.

[General Tom Dry]

Okay, sure. Okay.

[Jack Posobiec]

Better audio. When. When. So when. When you're with the veterans, when, when you speak to Marines today, when you, you know, people who are thinking about getting into the Marine Corps or, or maybe, you know, the, you know, your. Your E1s. What. What advice do you have to them as someone who's seen it all?

[General Tom Dry]

Just be proud of being Marine. Our core values are courage, honor, and commitment. And those are the things that we expect and are produced by the Marines. Great training out of boot camp, preparation for whatever your assignment will be in the Marine Corps. And every MOS is important. So I was an infantry officer, but we had to rely upon artillery and aviation and tanks and all the rest of them. So it's a truly a team. And you know, once a Marine, always a Marine, just always the case.

[Jack Posobiec]

Oh, that's right. And they, they say that. And, and, and you, you'll have to correct me if I've got the story wrong. It's coming from a Navy guy, but if I remember correctly, it was German dispatches in World War I that were intercepted. And they said there's a new kind of fighting force that the Americans have sent over. We're not sure who they are. They're not. They're not soldiers and they're not sailors, but they fight like a pack of Devil Dogs.

[General Tom Dry]

Toyful London. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

[Jack Posobiec]

And that. And who. And who was that again? And that was the United States Marines.

[General Tom Dry]

Oh, yes. Yeah. The Toyful Hunden.

[Jack Posobiec]

The Toeflhunden.

[General Tom Dry]

Yeah. So that Devil Dogs.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, and that. And that, of course, has gone and become. I said the Marines found that. And they immediately adopted that as the nickname throughout time because that was the. Even the German Huns were willing to say that.

[General Tom Dry]

Yeah. What a great nickname, huh?

[Jack Posobiec]

Oh, it's, it's incredible. And it, when, when you, when you look for what, what makes General, what makes a good Marine, what would you say?

[General Tom Dry]

Well, the number one thing is integrity, and that is you're always expect to do the right thing for the right reasons. And that integrity expands to those that you're serving with your. Your fellow Marines or now sister Marines as well, but that they can rely upon you and you can rely upon them. And I mentioned last night that in the summer and fall of 1966.

[Lieutenant General Paul K. Van Riper]

Over.

[General Tom Dry]

Half the company was wounded or had been wounded. So just tremendous actions. And General Van Riper has described some of them already all the way until 1970. And my company was always in the thick of it. And again, we're not sure who's the most decorated unit, but as far as I'm concerned, the one that was dear to my heart and will be until the day I die is my company.

[Jack Posobiec]

Mike 3, 7. When, when, when you look out there and you look back at the history of it, what do people get wrong about the history of the experience of the Marines of Vietnam?

[General Tom Dry]

I think, and I taught a course on Vietnam. I think what the problem is that for many Americans, they mixed up the war with the warrior. And if they didn't like the war, they had a tendency to take it out of the warrior, and that's just wrong. And the way some of the veterans were treated when they returned you know, is inexcusable. But, you know, we got over it. People understood eventually that we had a job to do, and we did it. So I think that's one of the things that always stayed with me is when you send, when you want somebody to fight, you send in the Marines. I mean, there's not. And we can do demonstrations and feints and all the rest of it, but when it comes time to fix bayonets and charge, as I once said, that opportunity to get that command, then you fix bayonets and you charge. You expect it to.

[Jack Posobiec]

Well, you were, you were. Hold on a second. You were still using bayonets in 1966.

[General Tom Dry]

Oh, yeah, that's a great weapon. When it came time to take position, that reinforced battalion and my company going up against it, used every supporting arm I could. Artillery, aircraft. So sun is going down. You don't want to attack a position where they know where they are, but you don't know where they are. So I said, there's only one thing we could do is fix bayonets. And when the bayonets went on, this amazing resolve that came over the company. It's like, this is as grizzly as it's going to get. You know, we're not going to shoot somebody at 300 yards or we're going to smash or slash are beat to death another human being. And at the end of that one, at one end of this rifle, at the other, there's going to be someone alive and someone dead.

[Jack Posobiec]

Oh, and. And you hear story. And I've. I've read so many accounts of the close quarters combat, the tunnel combat that does happen.

[General Tom Dry]

Tunnel rats.

[Jack Posobiec]

Yeah, the tunnel rats. Yeah. I've, I've read quite a bit that some of the. And it doesn't get more harrowing than being up close and personal. And you know, bayonet is not exactly effective at 300 yards. More. About three feet.

[General Tom Dry]

Yeah. Or less.

[Jack Posobiec]

Or less. General, we're just about out of time. Final minute to you. What does it mean that, that, that America is turning its face towards the Marine Corps today on the 250th birthday.

[General Tom Dry]

I think that the first thing should be the, the gratitude for having a corps of Marines that is most ready when the nation is least ready. And in these days, when we can't predict the future, we just have to be absolutely ready for the next step. And that means staying prepared, staying trained, staying in shape, modernizing equipment and so forth. But all of that depends on one commodity, and that's the Marine who is holding that weapon, operating that drone, whatever the case may be. And that's where they're our confidence must be. And it's our duty to make sure that our nation always has that confidence in us.

[Jack Posobiec]

Amen to that, General. The power of a single Marine rifleman defending the United States of America means the United States will never fall. Ladies and gentlemen, as always, you have my permission to lay ashore. This is an iHeart podcast.