Election Fallout and Fallujah Reflections with Jon Stewart and Thomas Brennan

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition – Episode Summary
Episode Title: Election Fallout and Fallujah Reflections with Jon Stewart and Thomas Brennan
Release Date: November 12, 2024

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Introduction

In this insightful episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition, host Jon Stewart engages in a profound discussion with Thomas Brennan, the founder of Warhorse, a nonprofit military reporting organization. The conversation navigates through the tumultuous aftermath of the recent election and delves into the poignant reflections on the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Fallujah. The episode seamlessly blends political analysis with heartfelt military narratives, offering listeners a comprehensive understanding of both contemporary politics and military journalism.

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1. Election Fallout: Analyzing the Recent Victory

Democratic Strategies and Their Impact

Jon Stewart opens the conversation by dissecting the Democratic Party's strategies during the recent election. Despite predictions and extensive polling, the Democrats faced a surprising defeat. Stewart attributes part of this outcome to the Democrats' substantial financial resources and grassroots campaigns, which, while formidable, were ultimately insufficient.

• Campaign Expenditure:
  Thomas Brennan highlights the Democrats' significant investment:

  "The Democrats in a 50-50 election had a billion dollars, a war chest to be spent on data analytics and polling and consultants" ([04:10]).

• Ground Game Efforts:
  The Harris campaign's massive ground operations, including 50,000 volunteers knocking on 5 million doors in Pennsylvania alone, were emphasized as a crucial factor in their strategy:

  "The Harris campaign has a massive ground game. 50,000 volunteers with volunteers knocking on 5 million doors in Pennsylvania alone." ([05:04] – [05:13]).

Critique of Democratic Tactics

Brennan critically examines some of the Democratic strategies, suggesting that repetitive door-knocking may have led to voter fatigue without yielding the desired results:

"If there's one thing people love more than someone appearing randomly at their door once, it's that same person coming back two or three times to talk politics." ([05:13]).

Reflection on Missed Opportunities

Both Stewart and Brennan reflect on what the Democrats might have overlooked, such as focusing excessively on social justice issues at the expense of addressing economic concerns:

"Stop with the virtue signaling... More on who is broke." ([09:44] – [09:51]).

Quotes Highlighting Election Analysis

• Stewart emphasizes the Democrats' preparedness and voter protection efforts:

  "We have built probably the most sophisticated, robust, impressive voter protection program in the history of presidential politics." ([07:12] – [07:30]).

• Brennan underscores the disconnect between Democratic messaging and voter priorities:

  "Social justice issues take a backseat when your son is in the basement vaping and playing video games and can't find a job." ([09:54] – [10:08]).

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2. Fallujah Reflections: Honoring Military Sacrifices

Introduction to Warhorse and Its Mission

Transitioning from politics to military journalism, Thomas Brennan introduces Warhorse as a dedicated nonprofit newsroom focusing on the human impact of military service. The organization produces long-form investigative reporting and training seminars for veteran writers.

• Warhorse’s Foundation and Goals:

  "The Warhorse is a team of seven full-timers... focused on the human impact of military service." ([17:29] – [17:45]).

Documentary on the Battle of Fallujah

Brennan discusses the creation of a documentary commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Fallujah, highlighting personal stories and the enduring psychological impacts on veterans.

• Personal Connection and Storytelling:

  "I want to tell our story. I want to show the American public what happened during Phantom Fury from our perspective." ([22:09]).

• Survivor’s Guilt and Healing:
  Brennan and Stewart explore the emotional struggles faced by veterans, including survivor's guilt and the journey toward healing:

  "We've all... struggled with Survivor's guilt." ([23:27]).

Impact of Military Reporting

Stewart reflects on the importance of military-focused journalism, noting its scarcity and the vital role it plays in shaping public understanding and policy:

"Less than 5% of all journalism focuses on the military and national security... it's our number one budget item in this country." ([25:02] – [26:43]).

Highlighted Emotional Narratives

A poignant moment in the episode features a clip from the documentary, where the mother of a fallen Marine speaks about her son's sacrifice and the support received from the community:

"She treats me as if I was... part of her own." ([28:07]).

Stewart elaborates on the significance of these personal stories in fostering a deeper appreciation and support for military personnel:

"We just had their back under fire, and... our platoon felt the impact of Fallujah... It's a vital part of the conversation that's just missing." ([25:02] – [26:43]).

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3. Bridging Politics and Military Service

The Intersection of Policy and Personal Sacrifice

The episode adeptly bridges the discourse on political strategies with the personal sacrifices of military service members. Stewart emphasizes the need for the public to engage more deeply with policies affecting veterans and active-duty soldiers:

"What I really want from the American public... is for them to actually care about the policies that are put into place that are going to affect veterans and military families and active duty service members." ([27:28] – [28:35]).

Call to Action for Audience Engagement

Both hosts urge listeners to move beyond performative displays of support, advocating for substantive policy changes and ongoing support for the military community:

"Be proactive in this conversation because, like, if it ever comes to the point where we get to a draft... it's too late to actually care." ([28:35] – [28:39]).

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Conclusion

In this episode, Jon Stewart and Thomas Brennan provide a compelling analysis of the recent election's fallout, critiquing Democratic strategies while highlighting the critical importance of meaningful voter engagement. Simultaneously, they honor the sacrifices of military personnel through Brennan's work with Warhorse, emphasizing the need for dedicated military journalism and compassionate policy-making. This blend of political insight and heartfelt military storytelling offers listeners both a critical understanding of current events and a profound appreciation for those who serve.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Thomas Brennan on Democratic Campaigns:

  "The Democrats in a 50-50 election had a billion dollars, a war chest to be spent on data analytics and polling and consultants." (04:10)

• Jon Stewart on Voter Protection:

  "We have built probably the most sophisticated, robust, impressive voter protection program in the history of presidential politics." (07:12)

• Thomas Brennan on Election Strategies:

  "Social justice issues take a backseat when your son is in the basement vaping and playing video games and can't find a job." (09:54)

• Jon Stewart on Military Sacrifices:

  "We just had their back under fire, and... our platoon felt the impact of Fallujah." (25:02)

• Thomas Brennan on Public Engagement:

  "Be proactive in this conversation because... it's too late to actually care." (28:35)

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Resources Mentioned

• Warhorse Organization: warhorse.org
• The Daily Show Streaming: Watch weeknights on Comedy Central at 11/10c or stream on Paramount+
• ParamountShop Discount: Use code "TDS20" for 20% off at ParamountShop.com

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This episode serves as a vital reminder of the intricate connections between political strategies and the personal lives of those who serve in the military, urging listeners to foster a more informed and compassionate society.

Transcript

[Seth Doane]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Jon Stewart]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doane]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at.

[Thomas Brennan]

That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple Podcasts.

[Thomas Brennan]

You're listening to Comedy Central.

[Jon Stewart]

From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, Jon Stewart.

[Thomas Brennan]

Yeah. Welcome to the Daily Show. I am your host, Jon Stewart. And you're. You know what? You know what? Come, come, come here, come here, come here. Welcome to the resistance. I promise you. Actually being facetious, but okay. I promise you for the remainder of the next four years, I will only speak to you in this tone of voice this close to the camera. I will be relentless. Or, well, they will. I'm here. Mondays, really not even that many. There's dark weeks and holidays and vacation. The point is this. You can count on me for it's really about 15 hours of resistance total. All right, go back out to the thing. Welcome to the show, ladies and gentlemen. We got a good one for you tonight. Later, later. I'll be talking with, after we do the show this evening. Oh, look at that tie. I'm going to be talking with Thomas J. Brennan. He's the founder of War Horse, a nonprofit military reporting organization. They do fabulous work. You know, a gentleman in the audience asked me a little bit earlier, he said, hey, last week, what happened? Now, he may have meant it rhetorically, but if you remember, the last time that we spoke, it was midnight on election night. And it seemed even at that moment, very clear. Donald Trump had won the election in a bit of a thumpening. Now, part of the disorientation of the Democrats losing the electoral vote and the popular vote and losing ground in the cities and the areas around the cities and the areas around those areas, I guess you'd call it, America, was that we had all been told by many of our best prognosticators it was going to be close. We ran the results in the computer 100,000 times. She won 50,001. He won 40,000 in 99, 90, 99. But in this coin flip country, I was confident because the Democrats had a secret weapon in a close election, perhaps the most important weapon.

[Jon Stewart]

Since joining the race, the vice president has raised an eye boggling $1 billion.

[Thomas Brennan]

Call me eyes boggled. See, the Democrats in a 5050 election had a billion dollars, a war chest to be spent on data analytics and polling and consultants and very clearly texting. There was a lot of texting. A lot of that money went to. How the. Did they just text me? I'm. I don't even have my phone. It just came through the water. And while of course, maybe just giving away a million of it every day would have been the smarter, more efficient plan, no, the billion dollars went towards the one thing Republicans didn't have, couldn't have, that would put the Democrats over the top.

[Jon Stewart]

And the Harris campaign has a massive ground game. 50,000 volunteers with volunteers knocking on 5 million doors in Pennsylvania alone.

[Thomas Brennan]

This is the first time some Democrats have told me they've ever heard of people knocking on the same doors a second time or a third time. You know, if there's one thing people love more than someone appearing randomly at their door once, it's that same person coming back two or three times to talk politics. Even though vacuum salesmen to Jehovah's Witnesses. No, that's a losing strategy. In fact, they've known that for decades. Let's just spend a quarter of a billion dollars on it. You know what Democrats should do? Whatever money is left over, send those same people back to those voters doors and just knock again during dinner. And when the homeowner comes to the door, go.

[Jon Stewart]

What the.

[Thomas Brennan]

Scott, I thought we connected, but the reason why. And I give them some shit for their strategies. But there was a method to the Democrats madness. Democracy and freedom are on the ballot.

[Jon Stewart]

Our democracy is on the line. We have to protect democracy. We have to work even harder to make sure that we defend our democracy.

[Thomas Brennan]

We don't get to choose when we're asked to defend democracy. We just have to do it. And this is not a drill. Noble words. And I'm glad to say Democrats did protect democracy just for the other side. Because when all is said and done, we had a free and fair election in which the Democrats had been prepared for almost every scenario but one.

[Jon Stewart]

The Harris campaign has built probably the most sophisticated, robust, impressive voter protection program in the history of presidential politics.

[Thomas Brennan]

We have millions in the bank ready with lawyers all over the country that are ready. Democrats have been planning on every one of these options for four years. Are Democrats ready? You bet they are.

[Jon Stewart]

We have county clerks ready to go, Secretaries of state ready to go.

[Thomas Brennan]

So it's all lined up. What are we forgetting, people? What we got the lawyers, we got the. Protecting the. What do we got? Oh, Jimmy, did you bring the voters? Oh, I thought you were bringing the voters. I brought the hate has no home here. Posters. Nobody brought the voters. Where are the voters? It turns out the election was stolen by more people voting for Donald Trump. It's quite a caper. Oceans 74 million. So now, as many on the left fear the future as they should, many others rue the past.

[Jon Stewart]

Joe Biden should have dropped out earlier.

[Thomas Brennan]

There should have been an open primary. People never got to know Kamala Harris. They spend too little time talking about the economy. Wildly overestimated the power of the abortion issue, chose the wrong vp, managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, abandoned the working class.

[Jon Stewart]

Democrats need a new way to talk about urban America.

[Thomas Brennan]

Do that. Joe Rogan podcast. Trump spoke. Trump spoke to the people. Democrats never once mentioned Arnold Palmer's. Never once yet focus group after focus group said, got anything on Arnold Palmer's? If not, can you at least stand there and sway to Ave Maria for like an hour? Can you at least do that? But it's a delight to hear about why it happened from so many people who were so wrong about what was going to happen. And everyone has their own pet theory. But there's one theory that a lot of people seem to be coalescing around. They were too woke, insisting that people use the term Latinx too far to the left on transgender rights. You have to say they. No, you have to do this.

[Jon Stewart]

Stop with the virtue signaling.

[Thomas Brennan]

Step away from woke. Focus less on who is woke and.

[Jon Stewart]

More on who is broke.

[Thomas Brennan]

Social justice issues take a backseat when.

[Jon Stewart]

Your son is in the basement vaping and playing video games and can't find a job.

[Thomas Brennan]

I feel like that last guy was really venting more about his son. Everybody else had sort of a broader point, but his was just so specific. You really gotta focus on, let's say, a kid in your basement vaping and just jerking off all over the couch night after night. But point taker, everyone's talking about this wokeness theory. From cable news to the op ed section and sometimes the op ed section being read on cable news.

[Jon Stewart]

We want to get to the Maureen Dowd piece, Maureen Dowd's piece for the New York Times entitled Democrats and the Case of Mistaken Identity Politics.

[Thomas Brennan]

Ooh. That was Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski discussing a New York Times column by Maureen Dowd on how to escape the liberal bubble. I guess I'll just have to get the Times and read it myself. Unless there's another way to make this less entertaining.

[Jon Stewart]

We're going to read the entire piece, but it's worth it.

[Thomas Brennan]

About wokeness. I couldn't even stay woke through that whole thing. Why don't you read us the wordle? I only have one problem with the woke theory. I just didn't recall seeing any Democrats running on woke. Shit. These were the commercials I saw for the Democrats. Sherrod Brown is working to fix our border crisis. Mandare Jones is working to secure our border. Pat Ryan is restoring order at our southern border. I'm Laura Gillen and I'm here at the border of nassau county. We're 2,000 miles from Mexico, but we're feeling the migrant crisis almost every day in Nassau County. By the way, Suffolk County. Make my day. You want a piece of our strip malls, you're going to have to go through Laura Gillen. Those are the Democrats. The Democrats. I gave the police more money than they even wanted. I gave them planes and tanks. I built a moat around the country and filled it with alligators and chlamydia. They didn't talk about pronouns. They didn't say Latin X. It was the opposite.

[Jon Stewart]

We can't let China steal Wisconsin jobs.

[Thomas Brennan]

Benefits for illegal immigrants. No way. Blocking support for white farmers. I mean, look at me, standing with.

[Jon Stewart]

Law enforcement against defunding the police. I've owned a gun my whole life.

[Thomas Brennan]

Let me be clear. I don't want boys playing girls sports. You all know me.

[Jon Stewart]

I've never pushed for sex changes.

[Thomas Brennan]

Well, that's just a weird one at the end there. Come on, guys, you know me. He's like George Bailey and It's a Wonderful Life. I'm not the guy who pushes sex Check. I'm in your shops every day.

[Jon Stewart]

Every.

[Thomas Brennan]

Mary. Mary, it's me, George Bailey. I'm not trying to get you to get a sex check. I'm just wishing I was dead. And don't forget about Kamala Harris. It's not like she was exactly waving around her NPR tote bag. I have a Glock. They didn't do the woke thing. They tried. They acted like Republicans for the last four months. They wore camo hats and went to Chaney family reunions. Do you know how dangerous it is to wear a hunting hat around Cheney's? Do you have any idea? Thought I had one more rip in me. I didn't. Democrats were mostly running against an identity that was defined for them based on a couple of months of post. George Floyd, defund, the police, MeToo, Instagram post from four years ago. What happened was the country felt like government wasn't working for them. And the Democrats in particular were taking their hard earned money and giving it to people who didn't deserve it as much as them. And so the Democrats got shellacked. I'm sure any robust examination of better policies is very welcome, but I just want to please assure people this isn't forever. This is the map in 1984 when Ronald Reagan won. That's the map. The only state the Democrats won was Minnesota. Yeah. Everyone thought that's the end of the Democrats. But eight years later, there was a Democrat back in office. We don't know what's going to happen in four years at all. The only thing that is certain is this. You all know me. I've never pushed for sex changes. When we come back, Thomas Brennan. Don't go away.

[Seth Doane]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Jon Stewart]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doane]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

[Jon Stewart]

Like none of this stuff gets looked at.

[Thomas Brennan]

That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Seth Doan of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts.

[Thomas Brennan]

Hey, welcome back to the Daily Show. Micah. Tonight, we're delighted to have him on. A decorated veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is now a journalist and founder of the award winning nonprofit newsroom the Warhorse. Please welcome to the program, retired U.S. marine Corps Sergeant Thomas Brennan. Sir, nice to see you.

[Jon Stewart]

Thank you for having me.

[Thomas Brennan]

First, I want to congratulate you. What Thomas has created with Warhorse. Just very briefly, tell them it's such an impressive organization and idea. It's a very small organization, but it's about military journalism in a different way. Tell us what that is.

[Jon Stewart]

So the Warhorse is a team of seven full timers. Right now that we're a nonprofit newsroom focused on the human impact of military service. What we do is we publish long form investigative reporting. We host writing seminars that train the next generation of writers that are veterans and military family members.

[Thomas Brennan]

Right. And they've done great. Kelly Kennedy, who is part of your team, the reporting that she did on toxic exposure was, I think, instrumental Kelly's.

[Jon Stewart]

Impact on the veteran community. And as far as raising awareness about toxic exposure, as I think, you know, really helped you and other advocates.

[Thomas Brennan]

Oh.

[Jon Stewart]

Have a tremendous impact on the veteran community and make sure that future service members that are poisoned by the Department of Defense get the healthcare that they deserve.

[Thomas Brennan]

Yes. And they will be. That's kind of how that's how they operate.

[Jon Stewart]

It's kind of their thing.

[Thomas Brennan]

What did you think when you started it? What were you not seeing in military reporting that made you think there is a better way to connect these stories to veterans themselves and to active military service members?

[Jon Stewart]

So when I first got off active duty, I worked as a local reporter outside of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. I was the last full time military reporter in 2014 when I left to go to journalism school. So there hasn't been a military reporter in eastern North Carolina at the second largest Marine Corps base in the world since, well, for 10 years now. So what I noticed at the boots on the ground level was I was covering stories of national importance. And because of the decline in the military or in the journalism ecosystem, those stories weren't being picked up. People weren't hearing about them. And it wasn't until I published one story about the NDAA, the National Defense Authorization act in 2013, where they were cutting suicide prevention care for active duty service members. I wrote a story about that. The Secretary of Defense, within three days, reversed the furloughs, restored mental health care to full capacity. And it was a moment in my career where I felt like I really saved a life. And at that moment, I asked myself, like, how can there be a national newsroom that focuses on these topics and help increase awareness among the American public to the issues that veterans and military families face?

[Thomas Brennan]

Yeah, it's. I have to say, it's a remarkable what you guys do now. The tough part is here's the part that makes me crazy. So it's a nonprofit.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes.

[Thomas Brennan]

Which most of news is now not by choice. But how difficult is it? This is such an important service to the military community, to the nation as a whole, and yet you've got to go out there and raise the money to keep just seven people out there being able to do that. How difficult is it to even get funding for these things?

[Jon Stewart]

Warhorse was brought to life by 550 donors on Kickstarter back in 2016. That was back when I was just myself with an idea.

[Thomas Brennan]

It's just a web thing.

[Jon Stewart]

It was just a web thing. I went to journalism school at Columbia, graduated, and I left with no plans of having a job. You know, I just wanted to start the War Horse. I figured I was young enough and I had. It was an opportunity for me to have what I thought was a massive impact on the military and veteran community. And I just decided to run with it. And then those people wound up investing in me and investing in the idea. And at that point, I just couldn't give up. I had to keep going.

[Thomas Brennan]

You weren't just sitting in your basement vaping. You know, that's a thing that's going around now. A lot of kids these days, they sit in the basement vaping. Don't answer that. Don't answer that. Along with the work that you did. So I think what's remarkable about your story, and I've known you for a long time, and I'm just such an admirer of your dedication, but I didn't know your whole story, to be frank, until recently. This is now the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Fallujah, which I think Americans, for the most part, have heard of because it was considered one of the just most bloodiest, dangerous battles. That was. Was it November? November. Is the anniversary of that battle, correct?

[Jon Stewart]

November 7th of this month was the 20th anniversary of Operation Phantom Fury.

[Thomas Brennan]

So you've done something, I think, that must be incredibly difficult for you as a journalist. You generally are outside of the sphere of the story, but this is something. You were there.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes.

[Thomas Brennan]

What made you decide to want to tell the story of Fallujah and the group that you were with at that time and to tell it now?

[Jon Stewart]

For 20 years, I have watched as the conversation about war and the experiences of the men and women who actually execute those wars on the ground be controlled by public affairs officers and senior military officials, whether they're generals or officials at the Pentagon. And I had a very. I have a platoon that I served with in Iraq, and I have very unique access to be able to talk to them about our experiences. So around the 19th anniversary, I went back to them and I said, I really want to tell our story. I want to show the American public what happened during Phantom Fury from our perspective. And without hesitation, all of the Marines and corpsmen that you see in the film that we created jumped at the opportunity and never hesitated for a moment to hop on camera and share their story with the American public.

[Thomas Brennan]

And I thought what was so interesting is you don't ever shy away from the fact that many of you struggled from that, but weren't able really to even share it with each other. And if you don't mind, would you mind telling the story of, you know, your platoon, unfortunately, didn't. Didn't come back intact for 20 years.

[Jon Stewart]

We've all. I think it's fair to say we've avoided the conversation with each other. One of the things that I think is abundantly clear in the film is that we all struggle with Survivor's guilt. Like our Corman blames himself that he couldn't save Bradley Faircloth. I blame myself. I was down the street, and it's completely irrational for me to believe that I should have shot a rocket into that house, but I feel that way. My lieutenant, he was in charge of our entire platoon. He feels like. He feels like he has a burden of responsibility for why Bradley didn't make it home. So it was a healing series of conversations that we were able to have back in August. And I'm just incredibly proud of. I mean, our corpsmen and the Marines that I serve with were willing to just put their heart on display for the American public in the hopes that they would listen to our sacrifices. Like, we are just a dozen Marines from a battle that included well over a thousand of us, and that doesn't include the Iraqis and the British and the other people that participated with us. And whether you were a Mortuary Affairs Marine, an infantryman, a pilot, or admin processing the casualty reports back at the base, every single person who was in Iraq at that point felt the impact of Fallujah. And it's continued to shape how we fight our wars and how we deploy our troops up to today.

[Thomas Brennan]

And the fact that you're able to tell the story. You know, we spoke about this a few times about the moral injury about war being a failure on all levels of human civilization, and the fact that you guys signed up for something knowing the price you could pay and maybe even some of the things that had to be done, but that leaving things on your soul.

[Jon Stewart]

It's easy to look at an army infantryman or a Marine infantryman and say, like, oh, yes, they signed up to go see combat or to go off to war. But there's one thing that I think the average American just doesn't understand is that everybody who enlists or is commissioned in the military, regardless of whether you're admin or you work in a hospital or you fix trucks and turn wrenches or your Special Forces are a grunt. Like, everybody is willing to make that same sacrifice. So it's. I think that we just really need to start paying attention more to what we're asking service members and their families to endure on behalf of us as a country. It's a vital part of the conversation that's just missing, and it even less present in the. In the journalism ecosystem. Less than 5% of all journalism focuses on the military and national security, whereas as you've talked about before, it's our number one budget item in this country. So the disparity of, you know, the conversation that we're having and the conversation that needs to be had, it pales. There's no contest.

[Thomas Brennan]

And I'm always struck also by the kind of almost schizophrenic cultural way that we relate to the military. You know, I watched football all day yesterday, and it was a celebration, justifiably so, of people's sacrifice, but it was so steeped in kind of a numbing patriotism that didn't really explore, as you're saying. And then I watched what you had filmed and the disparity between what the soldiers are experiencing and what their families are experiencing and the kind of rah, rah, it's Veterans Day. Come to Denny's for 10% off. It's really jarring.

[Jon Stewart]

It hurts as a veteran, I mean, it really does. I think I can speak for a lot of us when I say the performative thank you for your services, where somebody just continues walking and continues their day. Me, personally, I'd rather not get that. What I really want from the American public on Veterans Day and every other day is for them to actually care. Like, care about the policies that are put into place that are going to affect veterans and military families and active duty service members. You know, care about the use of force. And when we send people off to combat, don't wait till the 10th or 20th anniversary of a battle to reconnect with the service members who fought it. Like, be proactive in this conversation because, like, if it ever comes to the point where we get to a draft or where we, you know, need to send people off to war, like, it's going to be your son, it's going to be your daughter, it's going to. It's going to be our nation, children who are answering that call. And, like, when that happens, it's too late to actually care.

[Thomas Brennan]

Right. And we need to understand what the true cost of that is.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes.

[Thomas Brennan]

Not just as a budget line item. I want to play something from the documentary. You know, there's something in it. You talked about. You were there with the Navy corpsman, and you talked a little bit about the responsibility. Not just that your whole, you know, platoon felt, but that the Navy corpsman in particular, that they sort of suffer in a strange silence. And this is. It's a little bit from. It's. I believe it's Fairclough's mother speaking about the death of her son and the army corpsman as well. So can we run that real quick? I guess knowing Bradley wasn't Alone when he died was the most comforting. And then seeing how much each one of you cared about him was sort of amazing to me. I don't think I really saw too much of your pain at that memorial service. I was kind of in a state of shock, but I really felt like they were being strong so I'd be strong. My relationship with Kathleen means a lot. She treats me as if I was.

[Jon Stewart]

One of her own.

[Thomas Brennan]

I can feel that she loves me just as much as a mother could love one of their kids, and that means a lot. She's constantly telling me it's not my fault. I need to stop blaming myself. What did that moment mean to him?

[Jon Stewart]

I. So that's Reynaldo Aponte. He is our corpsman. Corpsmen are why Marines run into fire. They are why we stare down machine guns. They are why we are willing to kick indoors. It's because we know that they might not save us, but they are going to do everything that they can. As a Marine, I cannot understate how much corpsmen mean to us. The pain that I have seen Ronaldo carry for losing Faircloth and has been tremendous over the last 20 years and watching him. We were sitting inside of the Fallujah exhibit at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. And what a lot of people don't realize is that Doc was kicked out for smoking weed after we got back from Iraq, and the Marine Corps publicly shamed him and told them that he lost his honor and that he shouldn't be proud of his service. And I feel like this film led Art Platoon. It helped Doc feel pride in his service again. It helped Doc feel like he tried his best. It helped all of us see Doc take a, like, a legitimate step forward in his healing. And like I said to the Marine Corps, when I thanked him for letting us film, there was like, Doc and our entire platoon left that exhibit with our packs much lighter. Listening to Kathleen read her son's final letter in there. Listening to Doc claim what the Marine Corps did to him and how it's left a mark on his life. It may sound selfish, but it made the Marines in the platoon feel like we had his back the same way that he had our back under fire. And, yeah, I just. I hope more than anything as I continue moving forward and as this film continues to build up steam and is that Doc continues his journey to healing. Because if there's anybody in our platoon that deserves it, it's him.

[Thomas Brennan]

Well, Thomas, I can't tell you how incredible the work is. It's not selfish at all. It is everything that I think the Marine Corps stands for, which is we don't leave anybody behind, no matter what happens. You do amazing work. Love you. Thanks for being here.

[Jon Stewart]

Thank you.

[Thomas Brennan]

Thomas Brennan, shadows of fallujah warhorse.org we're going to take a quick.

[Seth Doane]

When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Jon Stewart]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doane]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at.

[Thomas Brennan]

That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple Podcasts.

[Thomas Brennan]

That is our show for tonight. Before we go, we're going to check in with your host for the rest of the week, Mr. Jones, Jordan Klepper. Jordan Klepper. Jordan, what do we got coming up for the rest of the week?

[Jon Stewart]

Well, John, I'm choosing not to dwell on our grim future. There's lots to be happy about. In fact, I spent the weekend enjoying all this beautiful summer weather.

[Thomas Brennan]

Yeah, it was unseasonably warm. It's fall.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes. Well, that would explain the cozy smell of campfires.

[Thomas Brennan]

That was actually wildfires. Jordan, New Jersey, Brooklyn, from the drought. Everything was pretty much a flight.

[Jon Stewart]

Okay, okay. I'm trying to be optimistic, John. Just this morning, I saw a horse and carriage ride by. Actually, there was no carriage and technically there were four horses.

[Thomas Brennan]

You saw four horsemen.

[Jon Stewart]

I mean, they were, they were hooded and floating, so it's, it's hard to tell.

[Thomas Brennan]

Keep, keep smiling. Georgia Clapper, everybody. Here it is. Your moment is end.

[Jon Stewart]

Now that good he discussed and his view could be unraveled right by a second Trump administration. Okay, we can't hear.

[Thomas Brennan]

Kayla.

[Jon Stewart]

Explore more shows from the Daily show.

[Thomas Brennan]

Podcast universe by searching the Daily Show.

[Jon Stewart]

Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime.

[Thomas Brennan]

On Paramount plus.

[Seth Doane]

Paramount podcasts. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

[Jon Stewart]

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

[Seth Doane]

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at.

[Thomas Brennan]

That's what's incredible.

[Seth Doane]

I'm Seth Doane of CBS news. Listen to 60 Minutes. A second look. Wherever you get your podcasts.