The Song of Scott and Johnny

By Pete A Turner

Today on the Break It Down Show, Jon and I feature American Sniper author Scott McEwen along with Code Name: Johnny Walker author, Johnny Walker.

For the uninitiated, Johnny Walker (not his real name, and I usually call him JW) and I worked together in Mosul, Iraq in the mid-OOs. JW and I have a long history and the kind of shorthand that comes from hundreds of hours talking to one another. He is family to me and we’ve had conversations no one wants to have to have with someone you love.

While, Jon and I prefer to keep conversations positive and free from politics, sometimes the guest is best served breaking those rules and getting to some darker, harder truths.  

In the case of JW and Scott, we got more political in our conversation. I know they are open about their anti-Hillary Clinton stance and I elected to not betray that in the show’s most heated moments.  

From Scott and JW, the audience needs to hear their perspectives. JW’s experience as an Iraqi working with me, but more commonly as an interpreter with SEAL teams, provides insight that is not present in our national presidential campaign.  His view is real, founded in pain and death.  That pain and death occurred in his country, in his family and amongst his professional SEAL brotherhood.

Scott McEwen, has become the AP Carter of the SEAL community, collecting songs in Coronado. His book American Sniper (co-authored with Chris Kyle and Jim DeFelice) was a #1 NY Times bestseller, and the movie from the book grossed $550 million. His latest book American Commander, with provides further detail into the responsibilities and life of being a tier one asset (SEALs, Delta, Green Beret etc).

Scott and Johnny are what I call men of destiny. They are like Lewis and Clark, who cut a unique path that was beset with trouble and death. When we debate politics, and social issues on Facebook or wherever, we often disregard the opinion of others and call them names like “Idiot.” With Johnny and Scott, this is not the case.

When Scott says, “Hillary Clinton killed my friends,” he means it and gets to say it.  He sings the song of Ty and Glenn, reminding us what happens when our leaders fail.

When Johnny says he endorses Donald Trump, it comes from a guy that is a “legend” in the SEAL world.

LEGEND.

Their tales and experiences do not make them right, but then again neither do yours.  In reality, being right is really only part of the equation. The real test, is can we be civil, can we respect one another long enough to learn to understand. There are no free paths and our decisions, no matter what political choice we make as a nation, we will leave our tier one guys with a task, a machete, and a thicket.  

Choose whomever you want to be President. Just understand your choice comes with a burden for your conscience and Johnny and Scott get to tell you about it.