February 17, 2025 • 43 mins
In this week's podcast episode, Abby brings us a story nothing short of a movie. Abby Boretto is a resilient advocate for community, volunteerism, and storytelling. Raised in a historic Connecticut town with deep family roots, she developed a lifelong dedication to service and making a positive impact. For 25 years, Abby dedicated herself to raising her three children in California, becoming a pillar of her community while balancing parenting, civic activism, community volunteering, and bold personal reinvention. She held the title of Mrs. California All-Star United States, became a trailblazing silver-haired model, and most recently, produced The Ring and The Mountain, a powerful documentary exploring legacy, connection, and grassroots nation-building. Through every endeavor, Abby continues to inspire, proving that reinvention and purpose have no limits!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
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Speaker 1 (00:41):
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But before I introduce you to her, I want to
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(01:03):
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There's always new books being added into our library for
you to enjoy and just be a reader. Okay, go
out there, read a book, open your mind and explore
(01:24):
what's in here. Already it's all in your head, so
go read a book. Now. This next guest, it's kind
of like a fun sad story to talk about, okay,
because it happened fifty something years ago, but it's still
very fresh to my guest, Abigail Barretto, who it goes
by Abby, and so welcome to our show, Abby.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Thank you so much for having me today. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
And not to just jump the gun, but I mean it.
It happened about fifty years ago. What we're going to
talk about, and that is the ring in the Mountain,
the story of your father and his I don't want
to call it a training accident, but please go ahead
and go into a little bit more detail about what
we're going to talk about.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Okay, Well, at the core of this is a story
about a daughter meeting her father for the first time
postmously through the lens of those who knew him. So
back in nineteen seventy two, during a NATO training mission,
my father's helicopter crashed along with four of the Marines
and they all tragically died that day. And my father
(02:32):
was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and
he was wearing his room that day, and it was
a piece that was not recovered and really unbeknownst to
us that Rainy sat up on the mountain in Norway,
two hundred miles within the Arctic Circle. For twenty two
years before a hunter found it and return and bring
(02:53):
back to me.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Hans is his name right? The hunter was a doctor
named Hans. I don't want to butcher his last name,
so I was going to call him Hans.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Okay, that's fine, it's cross dad. It's not too hard
on you know it.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Crow Stat, Yes, doctor Krowstat. Doctor Hans Grosta, out on
a hunt in the mountain, says, I'm gonna go two
hundred miles into the Arctic today.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Well, he does live in the in the region.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
So he went across by ferry to the island of
Brutia where he was hunting.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
For gross that fall afternoon all those years ago, nineteen
ninety three.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
And here he is probably looking, you know, and just
moving around looking for his uh, you know, his prey,
his hunt, and he probably saw something just reach out
to him and say, come to me, like the precious
he probably had just really.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
So, my father's a star staff and it was listening
and he and that's where taught Hans is. You can't
believe that it was wedge between two rocks on this
this incredibly rock ranter ring.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
It really looks like the moon up there. Well, what
I would imagine I did to look like and yeah, yeah,
it is just.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
It's miraculous that he found this, I mean twenty years
after after Norwegian winters.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Right easy. So did they ever, so when the crash happened,
did you find out at all if they were like
on the scene as soon as it happened, or was
this delayed by weather? Or do you know what the
actual cause the black box situation of that crash? Can
you explain to us a little bit, maybe from your
point of view from a daughter?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Sure, well, he did die when I was fifteen months old,
and I did grow up not knowing too much about him.
And honestly, I I think that was really during a
time where military didn't.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Necessarily tell you the whole story.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
And so I'm not sure that I know my mother
knew or any of my end of the family knew half.
But over the last years of investigating, we have figured out.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
What happened, and it was really due to weather. The
fog rolls into this mountain like.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
It is actually unbelievable howth how quickly the weather change
in this region.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
So they were going up onto a mountain to.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Do some recon of some other Marines and the fog
rolled in, and I think they couldn't be easy.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Yeah. Yeah, I've been in some really dense fog where
it just came out of nowhere, because you know, just
to kind of relate in the mountains here here in Utah,
my wife and I are always going up into the
mountains to go snowboarding, and so we're always driving into
the weather purposefully. And then when the one day it
was just like, all of a sudden, this cloud hit
us and we were just sitting fine in front of us,
(05:58):
and it was just like I almost came a complete stop.
I was like, I can't even see anything. I know
him on the road, I know that their car is
like twenty five feet in front of me, but I
couldn't see anything anywhere. So I can only imagine if
you're on a helicopter, right and you're this great pilot
doing your gig, and all of a sudden it just
comes out anywhere. You're like, well, I got to kind
of slow down and get my own bearings, and it's
like it's just altitude win lift drag fog. That's right,
(06:22):
unhospitable terrain, you know, boy, you know, and sorry, thank you? Yeah,
you're welcome.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
It's you know, it's interesting because I never felt like
I was missing out.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
I guess. I guess growing.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Up I always knew there was a hole or I
was different or but it really isn't the last in
the last three years that my dad has been by
my side the whole time. Yeah, and I for sure
feel it tremendously now. But I think I believe I felt.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah, his arms around you. Yeah, that's right, that's right.
I don't want to say, but you know, he was
always with you, Abby, he was always there, Abby.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
And now I have the understanding so much more now.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
It's actually it's a tremendous feeling to know that I
feel covered.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Well, let's see if I can give their his colleagues
that passed away with him some respect and say their
names correctly. Okay, I'm gonna give a shout out to
the to those that passed with them. Right here. So
we have Gerald Mercklinger, First Lieutenant HML dash one sixty seven.
We had Henry N. Pilger. Is that right?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
You did it good?
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Okay? First First Lieutenant h m L Dash one sixty seven,
also a KA Cat and easy at his Annapolis class, Right,
we were kind of like talking. Okay, okay, I learned
that about him. That's very cool, right. P. M. Rodriguez
Lance corporal HML Dash one sixty seven. James Skinner, James L.
(08:16):
Skinner maybe lieutenant colonel. He was in mass Dash one one,
excuse me, mass Dash one and then he had Raymond W.
Riser captain and he was also part of Mass Dash
one and all of them perish that night on that
mountain side. And that was what night, September twenty third,
nineteen seventy two is when that took place. I was
(08:40):
not even thought about my dad and mom. I was
in seventy seven. That's when I came around, all right, yeah,
you know, I was just to kind of put it
out there, so just like you know, and then it's
five Marines that perished. There's a docu series, right? Is
that going on? Right now? What's going on? Is there
a movie? A book? Can you tell me a little
(09:00):
bit more about what we're going to find out about
this ring?
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
So there is a documentary about the discovery of this ring.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Ring.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Me meeting Hans for the first time to thank him,
uh me visiting the crash guy me honoring not just
my father but the.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Four other Phone Marines who died along him that day, and.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Meeting some of his childhood friends family. I was able
to find the next Canada four other Phone Marine so
they are.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Part of this is own.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
My friend Rocky, Rocky Shaw, who was a marine, he
tracked me down.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
He was on this mission with me, with me, I
was on the mission.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
You know, I got you know it's here.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Yeah, yeah there.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yes, we're going to let that slide. That's fine. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
But rock was instrumental in helping me understand what Operations
Strong was the time terrier and it was also instrumental
in helping and buying the Mexicano for the fal Marine epic.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
What's Strong? What was that Strong Press? What is that?
Speaker 4 (10:28):
It was called Operation Strong Express. It was NATO's largest
missions and built to day by thousand service members from
all over the world who participated in NATO were converged
on this area in Norway.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Oh wow, yeah, so it was it was there winter exercise.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Yeah, it was a joint exercise. So this was like
a total joint exercise, multiple nation involved. They were doing
their gig, they were pulling their routines and the fog
rolled in and just that's what happens.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Unfortunately, just scrash happened in the last moments of this operation.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
It was a clean up time, the operation was over sure.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Going back up on the mountain, doing some recount of
the men that were up there. That was why the
Mass one Marines were on the flight. They were their group,
and it's it's just really unfortunate in those last those
(11:32):
last moments.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Yeah, day, Yeah, they're just like doing picked up and
clean up and lasting of detail and just you know,
making sure and probably given it seems like the colonel
and the captain maybe overview of whatever that might have been,
you know, you're as there as they were. Probably were
they the passengers h Riser Riser was a passenger. Lieutenant
(11:53):
Colonel James Skinner was probably also a passenger because they're
from mass Dashed one, right, so they're probably like hey,
and then so you your father was pilot, correct, it
was co pilot, co pilot, and Gerald Merklinger was also
a pilot. Piland and command Highland and command and Rodriguez,
I'm sure it was going to be crew chief or
you know the guy that's like move the you're too
(12:16):
close to the mountain. You know, he was watching, you know,
so if these guys all with their keen sense, right bam? Yeah?
Was was was their recovery of the remains? Was that
something you know that was able to be done? Was
there left?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:31):
You know, so the big problem that day was the
bigger helicopters were going up there to see fift threes,
but they couldn't land. Yeah, So they brought up a
hue which was really new to the fleet then, and
it really just came out into this was a new
(12:52):
helicopter in addition to this this big event, right right, Yes,
And so anyway later a lot of radio chatter I've
been able to talk from the other highlights, and they
said we couldn't land, So they fired up this bird
and they got it up there, and that's when the
fog and the wind just just sedupped tremendously. So the
(13:18):
helicopter crash in early evening block they were unable to
be recovered until the following morning.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, So it's just that's kind of their
that was the peril right there. It's just exposure mountain,
you know, if there was any chance it was just
not gonna they're out of it already, probably knocked out
or something. I'm so sorry lost their lives. I mean,
that's the that's that's the that's the real nature of
the business of being in the military. Right. We go
(13:48):
into a room and raise our hand and give an
oath to say, hey, cash a check up to us,
our whole entire body and soul. And you know how
many times we hear it's a training, it's a training,
it's been a training accident, or you know, it was
just a mishap, you know, and things like that. Those
are those things happen. You know, you get guys that
(14:09):
go into training and still like they go through these
Navy Seal trainings and they drowned in the pool just
trying to qualify, you know, they're just pushing themselves so hard.
So it's not unexpected that this could happen to somebody
in those positions. They all probably have it in the
back of their mind. We're playing with fire all the time,
flying and you know, but I'm glad that there was
(14:32):
some closure to be able to be brought to your
family and you know, and to Rodriguez's family and to
everybody's family's here with you know, this ring just shining
in the rock and all of a sudden, you know,
everything that's kind of like just put behind you. Oh
you haven't. Oh yeah, huh it's like an eye yeah yeah,
(14:55):
oh wow, how beautiful.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Exactly return to me. I mean years you're in Norwegian elements.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Oh yeah, you're wearing it on a necklace. Yeah yeah, yeah,
that's fingers just a little big. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
It made me a little bit larger, you know.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Yeah for sure, me too, me too. I'm six foot five,
two seventy and yeah, yeah, just I'm just a little thing.
Thank you, thank you. Now, also, from one military brat
to another, this is my father's ring right here. He
was a Green Beret. It wasn't as a tragic of
(15:39):
a situation as he passed. He was kind of like
after the military and hearts. But my mom gave this
to me because he died like on my birthday, and
so like my birthday present was this ring from my mom.
And uh, since twenty thirteen, I've always warned on my
right hand and I just wanted to let you know
that a ring means so freaking much. This because my daughters,
(16:03):
my son, like, can we see a ring Dad and like, yeah, oh,
it goes on our thumb, you know, and they're like
putting it on them, and I'm just like, yeah, put
the ring on, put it on there.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I have to say, it's pretty magical. I think carrying energy. Yes,
it's symbolic, there's circle, it never ends.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
There's no other way for me to explain.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
The magic of this being returned after all of that time.
I mean, as you can't imagine this was a tragic event.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
I mean an explosions. Yes, you know, these these men
were not full body, so.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
For this to you know, have flown away. And I
can only say that it was a spiritual and ghostly maneuver.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
That someday it would be bounced.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
The story and yeah, crazy, that's wild how it got
to where it was at my story.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
Yeah, but but now you know, it's it's our story,
these other four Marines, you know, I was able to
find their families like that, and we share something that.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
Not many people can relate to or understanding.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
So I feel like two hundred miles.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Within the artcharcraple, these men lived and die together in
the short period of mine and then sadly I've forgotten.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Yeah, it's it sounds like a documentary obviously would happen,
you know, and going up the mountain for you with
a crew, I mean, what was that hype like? Was
that was it like? Did they crashed towards the peak?
Was it like at the middle of the saddle of
the mountains? It like on a what was that hulp
(18:02):
to get up the hill? Like for you to realize
where they were laid to rest.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Basically, yeah, I got to tell you, the hyke was.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
A big deal, a big deal.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
It's the twenty feet you know sea level that's straight up,
which altitude wise, is very very high comparisons to say,
places in the Utah.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
I'm sure where you see and things like that.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
But when you're climbing this and it's vertical feet it
takes three and a half hours. You go through four
different types of vegetation when you get to the top.
Speaker 7 (18:35):
And the vegetation is the fun these rocks or the
size of volkswagons wagons, so you know, it's terrain you
really got to pay attention to.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
You've got to watch your footing. So it was a
tremendous feeling to get to the top of there.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
When you got to the crash site right when you
personally got there and you start to like become your
own detective, like I would be. I'd just be looking
around saying, Okay, here's the mountain right, and here's the
crash site somewhere towards the top. Was it almost to
the top where they almost over it? Where they at altitude?
Is that what makes you think like it came fog?
Because what made him hit that mountain? It was it?
(19:16):
Were they just like one hundred yards off the peak.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
It's it's hard to say.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
I do have a group of good understanding of where
the marine leanings were stationed that they were going to
pick up.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Do you have an understanding.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
It had to have been a couple of hundred I mean,
there's a lot of peoples in the valleys within this island,
and in the backside of this island is sheer.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
And then there's a valley and then it goes up again.
So you know, like I said, the fog just rolls in.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Caught them, and you just.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
This is a fog in the wind. Yeah, So there's
there's no barrier there, right, It's not like the trees
were cut in the wind or anything. There's nothing up there.
So you know, you get.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Helicopters and I'm sure you understand, and I'm sure a
lot of your listeners understand. But there's a volatile machine.
They're delicate and so many things can go wrong.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
They can be lifted with wind, Yes, the wind can
really what you think.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Really what happened into the fog because they got the
fog and.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
They said you've got to turn around, and then the
wind lifted, and.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
That's what you know, put it into perspective. There's a
reason why in La right now, there's a lot of
fires happening as we're filming this podcast, and a lot
of air crews are grounded because of the track of
the winds. They are like this, the winds will just
blow us away as well. So it's like if you
think just for a second, you know, you're flying in Norway, uh,
desolate mountain ranges and the fog rolls in. Wow. Yeah,
(21:01):
you know, there's only so much that you can do.
And then now that they do, it can change. Oh
just like that. Just like I said, I was driving
up the mountain and the fog hit us out of nowhere.
Just mother nature. Yeah, she seems to be all over
the place.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Everywhere.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
I was like, she seems to be everywhere. Yes, you
don't really want.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
To mess with her. She's a phenomenon. But yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Oh she could wreak havoc obviously, right, I mean, geez wow, Yeah,
I just can't you know, think about like there's a
situation out here in Utah where there's Antelope Island and
that's in the Great Salt Lake. In early nineties, there
was a black Hawk that went down off just a
training mission, like from Hill Air Force Bace. It was
like four miles away from the tarmac whatever the case is.
(21:53):
They got too low and crashed. I mean, anything can
take out that's a modern black Hawk.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
Yeah, you know, I know, like I said, I mean,
it's just a machine.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
But it's a tricky one.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Yes. And it was a hue Yeah, two blades on
the top. Okay, god dude, that's so wild. Now, now
you and Hans, and Hans is still with us today, right,
Hans is still around? Yes, and you guys have a
great relationship and just to become best of Facebook friends. Well,
(22:29):
I don't mean, I don't.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
But I will tell you that.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
This journey, journey the Norwegian people and the journey journey
took place place.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
These people are no longer friends. I mean, they really are.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
You know, I've gone back every year since I filmed
the documentary. I brought the documentary their first show. I
have a lot of admiration and a lot.
Speaker 7 (23:01):
Of loyal.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
To these folks, you know.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
I say in my film, But I changed my life life,
and it took time. The time was needed. It was
not mature enough of twenty three years old to probably
have handled the magnitude one of the story, but also
two of filming a documentary.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
It wasn't ready.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Yeah, now, yeah, well I see that. You know, your
dad didn't only just leave you behind. He also left
you know, probably brothers and sisters, you know, and parents
you know, who had to deal with and cope with
their son and you know, having been lost, and so
that's a tragic thing, but there's got to be you know,
(23:46):
how was he in an Annapolis? What was your thoughts
of him in school? Did he just seemed to glean
in a certain class, like, you know, physics or math?
Was he just like excelling all the time.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
He was he wasn't. Nickadella's sure.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
I think from a very young age he knew his half,
and he made it happen.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
He was a mathematics major, by the way.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Oh yeah, yeah, something I did not inherit a little bit.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Maybe me and numbers are not friends.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
But he yeah, Okay, that's good. That's good. That's good.
That's good. That's good. That's good. Yeah, Math's not the
easiest thing. And this is the sixties seventies that he's
a young man thinking finishing going to college. So high
school he was probably just doing really well, excelling in
high school, and he's like, I'm gonna go to Annapolis.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
He was the class president.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
Okay, you know, he was involved in every civic community,
volunteer activism, popular.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
I think that was a very popular Yeah, the ladies
loved him.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Sure, yeah, obviously you're here, I'm here.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Yes, major accomplishments in twenty four years.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Yeah, twenty four years.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Huh, twenty four years, and.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
You're probably his greatest I'm sure of that. I'm sure
he thought one hundred percent, a million, thousand percent about
his grace accomplishment with you. I bet a bajillion, but
I bet all the money that in the in the
entire galaxy on that. Well, yes, yes, yes, yes, because
That's how I feel about my daughters and my son.
(25:40):
It's like, no matter what you do, I've got them
to hopefully make me rich. I'm blowing for money about
a math. Come on, kids, get your college done. What's
a check book over draft? That's a thing. Yeah, that's
(26:03):
a thing. Let me tell you. I know we were
all nineteen years older with than a bank account that
had checked at that time. I was like, huh so
the money is still in there, right, Oh, the money's
not taken out yet. I've been through checks today. It's
still in the bank. Two weeks later, still in the bank.
I'm like, hey, you know that three hundred dollars goes
(26:24):
a long way. Oh my gosh. No, your dad would
be very very happy with you, and he would want
his story to be told about him and his homies
that were on that ship. You know that that aircraft,
you know that helicopter.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Again, I do believe the rain was left behind. I
firmly believed he probably did that on purpose.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Yes, that some time these men's stories in there like
come back to life. That It's quite honestly, for fifty
years they sat up there unattended, and.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
There might still be some of them up there that
have not been recovered. That is just their permanent you know,
burial site for them. Uh, you know, in all in
all respect, you know, if you said the crash happened,
how it did, and they tried to probably gather everything
they could. But if the ring went somewhere, I'm sure
there was other you know, like a digit or two
(27:24):
here and there too, you know, and so and so
that's kind of cool in a weird morbid way that
a piece of them is still there to represent it,
you know. Uh, and and the and the solemn rock
that has the plaque on it. I took a peek
at your documentary, you know, in that area right there,
it just is the gentleman on the microphone is probably
(27:47):
the gentleman you were mentioning Rocky, right, Is that who
it was? Okay, he was probably talking. Was that him
in the flight jacket? Oh?
Speaker 3 (27:54):
You know that another Marie who did this? Are an
Asian male? Yep.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
And so he was the president of the alumni. So
when my husband and I started really investigating, he was
a real champion of the story. And I'll tell you
within the h m l m l A organization, this
has been a mystery to them.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
So again, it's just an interesting chain of events that.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
This is.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
This happened, We got in touch with them, h M
l A got him involved, slicks.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
His name case. Yes, he.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Got on an airplane, did not ever meet me, and
met me in Norway to represent the United States coming war.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
You first stand up when you go and watch that
trailer for the documentary and you listen to him say,
you know, being in your presence is enough here to
know the presence kind of thing. I felt that from
him when he says that, you know, you guys are there.
It's like just something about being there. I'm getting chills
right now just thinking about him talking about just the
(29:15):
presence and being around you guys. You know he probably
misses him too. You know. It's like, you know, in
that aspect if he's you know, he knows these names,
he knows these traits of these guys, and yeah, that's
really cool of him to show up and just be
there and meet you. That seems like a marine right there,
Like what do you mean to say?
Speaker 3 (29:37):
You know, they're really no man left behind me?
Speaker 1 (29:41):
I feel like and always faithful and always.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Well they really heaven go on me as part of
the crew. Everything.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
Yes, I'm welcome. It's a it's a tremendous feelingly to
know that after all these years that I am and
I am the family.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Just because my father is, he doesn't mean.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
One hundred percent you are one hundred percent. I say
the same thing. You know, the son of the s
F dad was green Berey. You're the daughter of the Marines.
You're the daughter of a marine and you know, boy
was that his first So like, let me ask you
something about your dad. What do you know about him
prior to that? Did he go to Vietnam?
Speaker 3 (30:32):
No, he didn't. In fact, it's interesting you asked that because.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
My mother apparently he was sad at it.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
He on this Oh yeah, because.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Like Norway, nobody dies.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
And you don't know nobody dies, right everybody, but he's dying.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Your sweet mom, Yes, you know you knew, you knew somebody, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
Who had lost somebody? So what if for.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Her, especially as a helicopter pilot, right, because those guys
are getting shot at coming into landings and these LZ's,
these landing zones that are all hot and like peppered
with enemy fire coming at them, right, And so I
mean she's like Okay, he's just gonna go fly a
training mine. That's fine. It's not Vietnam. Yea. He knows
what he's doing. He's a math whiz. He's super cute.
(31:29):
He'll be fine. Well, you know, let's just say something.
All right, It's twenty twenty five, and if I look
at a picture of your father right now, he is
a handsome gentleman in his suit right here, with his
smile so dapper and his hairline, and I encourage everyone
to go and check out, you know, go look up
(31:50):
Henry N. Pilger, first Lieutenant, and you'll see kind of
what you can find out about him and reading he is.
I'm looking at his picture right now, I'm looking at you,
and you might have his head like his his skull. Okay, airline, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I bet either gonna like. I'll say it as I
(32:11):
see it. I'm cool, I'm open and honest. I say though,
it's a beautiful thing, right and so yes, yes, so
you know see, and that's very awesome. So he's definitely
all around you. You're him. He's he's like, if I
can do anything on this earth of me, it's you.
So there you are. Yeah, yes, so you got you
(32:32):
gotta own it, and you got to be the best
you can and you got to be the best steward
with what you have to steward in your life for
him and your family's sake, and you're doing it. And
so is this going to be a So forgive me
if I'm oblivious to this, because I got the trailer right?
Is the documentary? How is the documentary along? Where can
we find that documentary?
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Is not public yet?
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Okay, I am distribution. I have found one platform that
isn't going to be showing it. Uh should be out
about ABLA. I do share the film with marine freely,
and I'm happy to share the film.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
That has been a tremendous honor for me because mostly
mostly it's men, and it's mostly the men in the
age group of Vietnam, and if you will, you will
a lot of alumni and night.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
And it's it's.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
I am so honored with the letters they write me
after watching the film. They certainly talk about how proud
they are of me. I mean they don't know me.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
But quit right there.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
Their father ages and they have children of their own,
and so they talk about that, and then they talk
about their experience during their service.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
So you know, I'm really honored to receive those types
of letters. Yeah, it's relatable.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
You know, I'm now in my fifties, so now I
can also succeed because a daughter, but I can also
succeed as as.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Almost the widow figure.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
Sure, I understand sort of both sides of it now,
and I understand my mother.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
A lot more.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Yes, I bet you do.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
Yeah, you know, back then, seventies, eies, even in the nineties,
you know, PTSD was not a phrase or a mental issue.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
It's called shell shock. Shell shock is what we call the.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Shock I mean, which is pretty crazy though.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Yeah, that's what it was, right, Yeah, yeah, but.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
You know you didn't talk about it, and you didn't
work through those things. You didn't seek help necessary.
Speaker 4 (35:00):
You know, you used it your list, smiled and way
and kept on going.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
It's just the way it was. So now I'm understanding
who she was. I mean, she has also passed on,
but I understand who she was.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Does she remarry the way she was? Does she remarry?
She did remarry? Yeah, of course, Well that was nice
of him to understand that she came along with a
lost love. Yeah, yeah, you know that will never be
a whole heart, but as much she can't to him,
and you know, I can only imagine if I had
lost my love at such a young age with a family,
(35:38):
you know, and now she had to be mom and
dad and take care.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Of daughters years old with a baby.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
I mean, what is that that is?
Speaker 1 (35:51):
It's so sad. I'm so sad. I mean, I love
I love it, I love her, I love you. I
think you're great. It's just a sad situation for a
young twenty three year old marine wife. Sure is to
be holding her fifteen month old saying where's my marine?
But other wives that are in her same position at
the same ages. That was going on a lot in
the seventies and the sixties, you know, with Vietnam happening,
(36:12):
and yeah a tragedy.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
Yes also was married and had a daughter. And we're
the same age.
Speaker 4 (36:21):
She's just a couple of months older than I am,
and so it was a fastshood for us.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
It's kind of like her ring too. It's like it's
like they all can justin. They probably have all if
anybody from the families you reach out to, they're just like,
thank you, you know, for well, the ring is.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
The reason why.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
So I'm at the helmet the story. Very honored to
be at.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
The helmet the story.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
But it's no longer just my story. It's our story.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
Yeah, and I you.
Speaker 4 (36:48):
Know, I'm here to share that and I'm proud to
be be sharing any that way.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
We're happy to immortalize it here. Yeah, we were happy
to bring it to like yes, And my listeners are awesome,
And you know, I get letters all the time from
them saying, Rad, you had a great guest on it
was really this or going this way, and and they
give me feedback. I have generals that type to me. Rad,
I'm over here doing I just love your show. And
I'm just like, oh, thank you, sir, dude, sir, it's
(37:16):
been a minute comment on down.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
I've really had the support. NATO is aware of the story.
The Marines came out out of stud Guard Germany. They
send a school team. There's the Marine's done about this story.
It really is an amazing story that really gives you hop.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Yeah, it's kind of healing.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
It's never too late. And like I said, finding the
Nenets of the Kin also has been and probably one
of my greatest honors. The people that have come together
is the best part of the story other than meeting
my father, if that makes sense. I mean, I just
people like like Rockie, all all the other families.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
It almost doesn't have the words in my heart.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
And let me say those names again. That's Gerald Merklinger,
Henry M. Pilger, Pete M. Rodriguez, James Skinner, and Raymond W.
Wise Riser. I just want to say that, right, those
were the souls on board of that aircraft, of that
Huey that perished on that day, and we just want
(38:44):
to say their names one more time, you know, just
to make sure that it's in the show. A simple
as that. Yeah, you're welcome all of our story. You know.
I think you've been a fascinating guest on the show,
and we've really captured of the essence of what we
wanted to put out there. And I just think that
somebody should pick it up and take it to distribution
(39:05):
and we should be able to watch us on you know,
just any of these streaming platforms where you know there's
proceeds that can help benefit anything to do with the
associations you want to be tied with. Right, that's the
goal to help help bring closure to other situations that
can use the same kind of you know, documentary, the filming.
It's just it. I can feel it already from you,
(39:26):
just like you know, sure distribution send it out great.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
Yes, it's so important important everybody everybody's and here is obviously,
but that all five men are represented.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
They all had a story, they all had a.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
Light on the ship day on the tarmac, and then
it's sort of taken off.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
There's a lot of last names right there. That's a
lot of last names. It's a lot of different last names,
a lot of different places. Those people come from a
lot of like we didn't know each other, but we
can fight together as one team on that aircraft.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
That's right, right, And so.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Now there are they just they formed that union to
become you know, I love to say it's U S.
Air Force, U S. Army, US Marines, you know, US Navy,
the US brings it together, right, it doesn't matter anything else.
It's the US first. And so these guys here, what
you serve.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
If you serve you right.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Yeah, exactly exactly take it, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
About what the what men and women are doing out there,
and they are fighting.
Speaker 4 (40:33):
We take for granted, for granted, So that's another awareness
awareness you know, we need to bring in to bring
into Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
And and and we we do take it for granted
as our freedoms, as us citizens of this great nation
that we live in, you know. And and they want
us to because that's the freedom that they want us
to have. They want us to take advantage of being
our own bosses and praying to who we want to pray,
and and just freedom of choice of who we want
to be and everything out there. And so I mean,
(41:02):
you know, we're going to live up to that to them, right,
we should just keep it u s people, that's right, Yeah,
make check payable to overdraft fees. So distribution, Okay, if
(41:22):
you're out there and you happen to have uh you know,
a channel into a distribution or somebody in the industry
that could uh you know, help Abby get that put
into production or out there, then so free to reach
out either to me or through Instagram. Do you have
an Instagram where someone can reach you or any type
of social media?
Speaker 3 (41:41):
I do im Okay, I'm on LinkedIn under my name.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Okay, so LinkedIn would be a good one, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
And.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Always ab fab All right, Well, don't be some rise
if you see rad Rock and following you. Okay, yes,
and I think that I'm going to say thank you
for being on the show today and I hope you
enjoy the fireplace and you know, and the conversation that
we've had this afternoon. I'm discussing your father and the
(42:17):
proud feats that he accomplished and his men stood beside
him as they did their missions, you know, Unwaverly, I
just want to say the best stoically, you know, just
with the most fortitude and just like we got this
and you know, and much love to you and your
family on this day. So and to all the other
(42:38):
families that lost their families. Yes for sure, yes, thanks
so much much, Yes, no problem. Now with that said,
on behalf of myself and Brandon Webb who owns the
company I got to shot him out, and my producer
Callum out of London, and of course me for being me. Okay,
I want to say thank you for listening and joining
(43:00):
our shows and our podcast and if you have a
guest or you feel like you should be a guest,
it's that easy to reach out to us and we'll
go from there. Okay, So again on behalf of Abigail
Barretto aka Abby and my self rad I say Peace.
Speaker 2 (43:33):
You've been listening to Self Red, Ladia
Ut for us.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
If it doesn't work, you're just not using enough. You're
listening to Software Radio, Special Operations, Military Nails and straight
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Speaker 1 (00:41):
Hey, what's going on. This is rad your host for
soft Rep Radio and I have a super cool guest today.
But before I introduce you to her, I want to
tell you about our merch store. So you go to
soft rep dot com forwards last merch and go check
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(01:03):
you guys tag us on the internet. We love that,
so keep that up. And also I want to talk
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There's always new books being added into our library for
you to enjoy and just be a reader. Okay, go
out there, read a book, open your mind and explore
(01:24):
what's in here. Already it's all in your head, so
go read a book. Now. This next guest, it's kind
of like a fun sad story to talk about, okay,
because it happened fifty something years ago, but it's still
very fresh to my guest, Abigail Barretto, who it goes
by Abby, and so welcome to our show, Abby.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Thank you so much for having me today. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
And not to just jump the gun, but I mean it.
It happened about fifty years ago. What we're going to
talk about, and that is the ring in the Mountain,
the story of your father and his I don't want
to call it a training accident, but please go ahead
and go into a little bit more detail about what
we're going to talk about.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
Okay, Well, at the core of this is a story
about a daughter meeting her father for the first time
postmously through the lens of those who knew him. So
back in nineteen seventy two, during a NATO training mission,
my father's helicopter crashed along with four of the Marines
and they all tragically died that day. And my father
(02:32):
was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and
he was wearing his room that day, and it was
a piece that was not recovered and really unbeknownst to
us that Rainy sat up on the mountain in Norway,
two hundred miles within the Arctic Circle. For twenty two
years before a hunter found it and return and bring
(02:53):
back to me.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Hans is his name right? The hunter was a doctor
named Hans. I don't want to butcher his last name,
so I was going to call him Hans.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Okay, that's fine, it's cross dad. It's not too hard
on you know it.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Crow Stat, Yes, doctor Krowstat. Doctor Hans Grosta, out on
a hunt in the mountain, says, I'm gonna go two
hundred miles into the Arctic today.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Well, he does live in the in the region.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
So he went across by ferry to the island of
Brutia where he was hunting.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
For gross that fall afternoon all those years ago, nineteen
ninety three.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
And here he is probably looking, you know, and just
moving around looking for his uh, you know, his prey,
his hunt, and he probably saw something just reach out
to him and say, come to me, like the precious
he probably had just really.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
So, my father's a star staff and it was listening
and he and that's where taught Hans is. You can't
believe that it was wedge between two rocks on this
this incredibly rock ranter ring.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
It really looks like the moon up there. Well, what
I would imagine I did to look like and yeah, yeah,
it is just.
Speaker 4 (04:06):
It's miraculous that he found this, I mean twenty years
after after Norwegian winters.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Right easy. So did they ever, so when the crash happened,
did you find out at all if they were like
on the scene as soon as it happened, or was
this delayed by weather? Or do you know what the
actual cause the black box situation of that crash? Can
you explain to us a little bit, maybe from your
point of view from a daughter?
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Sure, well, he did die when I was fifteen months old,
and I did grow up not knowing too much about him.
And honestly, I I think that was really during a
time where military didn't.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Necessarily tell you the whole story.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
And so I'm not sure that I know my mother
knew or any of my end of the family knew half.
But over the last years of investigating, we have figured out.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
What happened, and it was really due to weather. The
fog rolls into this mountain like.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
It is actually unbelievable howth how quickly the weather change
in this region.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
So they were going up onto a mountain to.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Do some recon of some other Marines and the fog
rolled in, and I think they couldn't be easy.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Yeah. Yeah, I've been in some really dense fog where
it just came out of nowhere, because you know, just
to kind of relate in the mountains here here in Utah,
my wife and I are always going up into the
mountains to go snowboarding, and so we're always driving into
the weather purposefully. And then when the one day it
was just like, all of a sudden, this cloud hit
us and we were just sitting fine in front of us,
(05:58):
and it was just like I almost came a complete stop.
I was like, I can't even see anything. I know
him on the road, I know that their car is
like twenty five feet in front of me, but I
couldn't see anything anywhere. So I can only imagine if
you're on a helicopter, right and you're this great pilot
doing your gig, and all of a sudden it just
comes out anywhere. You're like, well, I got to kind
of slow down and get my own bearings, and it's
like it's just altitude win lift drag fog. That's right,
(06:22):
unhospitable terrain, you know, boy, you know, and sorry, thank you? Yeah,
you're welcome.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
It's you know, it's interesting because I never felt like
I was missing out.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
I guess. I guess growing.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
Up I always knew there was a hole or I
was different or but it really isn't the last in
the last three years that my dad has been by
my side the whole time. Yeah, and I for sure
feel it tremendously now. But I think I believe I felt.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Yeah, his arms around you. Yeah, that's right, that's right.
I don't want to say, but you know, he was
always with you, Abby, he was always there, Abby.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
And now I have the understanding so much more now.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, it's pretty amazing.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
It's actually it's a tremendous feeling to know that I
feel covered.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
Well, let's see if I can give their his colleagues
that passed away with him some respect and say their
names correctly. Okay, I'm gonna give a shout out to
the to those that passed with them. Right here. So
we have Gerald Mercklinger, First Lieutenant HML dash one sixty seven.
We had Henry N. Pilger. Is that right?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
You did it good?
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Okay? First First Lieutenant h m L Dash one sixty seven,
also a KA Cat and easy at his Annapolis class, Right,
we were kind of like talking. Okay, okay, I learned
that about him. That's very cool, right. P. M. Rodriguez
Lance corporal HML Dash one sixty seven. James Skinner, James L.
(08:16):
Skinner maybe lieutenant colonel. He was in mass Dash one one,
excuse me, mass Dash one and then he had Raymond W.
Riser captain and he was also part of Mass Dash
one and all of them perish that night on that
mountain side. And that was what night, September twenty third,
nineteen seventy two is when that took place. I was
(08:40):
not even thought about my dad and mom. I was
in seventy seven. That's when I came around, all right, yeah,
you know, I was just to kind of put it
out there, so just like you know, and then it's
five Marines that perished. There's a docu series, right? Is
that going on? Right now? What's going on? Is there
a movie? A book? Can you tell me a little
(09:00):
bit more about what we're going to find out about
this ring?
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Sure?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
So there is a documentary about the discovery of this ring.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Ring.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Me meeting Hans for the first time to thank him,
uh me visiting the crash guy me honoring not just
my father but the.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Four other Phone Marines who died along him that day, and.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Meeting some of his childhood friends family. I was able
to find the next Canada four other Phone Marine so
they are.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Part of this is own.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
My friend Rocky, Rocky Shaw, who was a marine, he
tracked me down.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
He was on this mission with me, with me, I
was on the mission.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
You know, I got you know it's here.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Yeah, yeah there.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yes, we're going to let that slide. That's fine. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
But rock was instrumental in helping me understand what Operations
Strong was the time terrier and it was also instrumental
in helping and buying the Mexicano for the fal Marine epic.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
What's Strong? What was that Strong Press? What is that?
Speaker 4 (10:28):
It was called Operation Strong Express. It was NATO's largest
missions and built to day by thousand service members from
all over the world who participated in NATO were converged
on this area in Norway.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Oh wow, yeah, so it was it was there winter exercise.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Yeah, it was a joint exercise. So this was like
a total joint exercise, multiple nation involved. They were doing
their gig, they were pulling their routines and the fog
rolled in and just that's what happens.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
Unfortunately, just scrash happened in the last moments of this operation.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
It was a clean up time, the operation was over sure.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Going back up on the mountain, doing some recount of
the men that were up there. That was why the
Mass one Marines were on the flight. They were their group,
and it's it's just really unfortunate in those last those
(11:32):
last moments.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
Yeah, day, Yeah, they're just like doing picked up and
clean up and lasting of detail and just you know,
making sure and probably given it seems like the colonel
and the captain maybe overview of whatever that might have been,
you know, you're as there as they were. Probably were
they the passengers h Riser Riser was a passenger. Lieutenant
(11:53):
Colonel James Skinner was probably also a passenger because they're
from mass Dashed one, right, so they're probably like hey,
and then so you your father was pilot, correct, it
was co pilot, co pilot, and Gerald Merklinger was also
a pilot. Piland and command Highland and command and Rodriguez,
I'm sure it was going to be crew chief or
you know the guy that's like move the you're too
(12:16):
close to the mountain. You know, he was watching, you know,
so if these guys all with their keen sense, right bam? Yeah?
Was was was their recovery of the remains? Was that
something you know that was able to be done? Was
there left?
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (12:31):
You know, so the big problem that day was the
bigger helicopters were going up there to see fift threes,
but they couldn't land. Yeah, So they brought up a
hue which was really new to the fleet then, and
it really just came out into this was a new
(12:52):
helicopter in addition to this this big event, right right, Yes,
And so anyway later a lot of radio chatter I've
been able to talk from the other highlights, and they
said we couldn't land, So they fired up this bird
and they got it up there, and that's when the
fog and the wind just just sedupped tremendously. So the
(13:18):
helicopter crash in early evening block they were unable to
be recovered until the following morning.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, So it's just that's kind of their
that was the peril right there. It's just exposure mountain,
you know, if there was any chance it was just
not gonna they're out of it already, probably knocked out
or something. I'm so sorry lost their lives. I mean,
that's the that's that's the that's the real nature of
the business of being in the military. Right. We go
(13:48):
into a room and raise our hand and give an
oath to say, hey, cash a check up to us,
our whole entire body and soul. And you know how
many times we hear it's a training, it's a training,
it's been a training accident, or you know, it was
just a mishap, you know, and things like that. Those
are those things happen. You know, you get guys that
(14:09):
go into training and still like they go through these
Navy Seal trainings and they drowned in the pool just
trying to qualify, you know, they're just pushing themselves so hard.
So it's not unexpected that this could happen to somebody
in those positions. They all probably have it in the
back of their mind. We're playing with fire all the time,
flying and you know, but I'm glad that there was
(14:32):
some closure to be able to be brought to your
family and you know, and to Rodriguez's family and to
everybody's family's here with you know, this ring just shining
in the rock and all of a sudden, you know,
everything that's kind of like just put behind you. Oh
you haven't. Oh yeah, huh it's like an eye yeah yeah,
(14:55):
oh wow, how beautiful.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Exactly return to me. I mean years you're in Norwegian elements.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Oh yeah, you're wearing it on a necklace. Yeah yeah, yeah,
that's fingers just a little big. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
It made me a little bit larger, you know.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Yeah for sure, me too, me too. I'm six foot five,
two seventy and yeah, yeah, just I'm just a little thing.
Thank you, thank you. Now, also, from one military brat
to another, this is my father's ring right here. He
was a Green Beret. It wasn't as a tragic of
(15:39):
a situation as he passed. He was kind of like
after the military and hearts. But my mom gave this
to me because he died like on my birthday, and
so like my birthday present was this ring from my mom.
And uh, since twenty thirteen, I've always warned on my
right hand and I just wanted to let you know
that a ring means so freaking much. This because my daughters,
(16:03):
my son, like, can we see a ring Dad and like, yeah, oh,
it goes on our thumb, you know, and they're like
putting it on them, and I'm just like, yeah, put
the ring on, put it on there.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I have to say, it's pretty magical. I think carrying energy. Yes,
it's symbolic, there's circle, it never ends.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
There's no other way for me to explain.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
The magic of this being returned after all of that time.
I mean, as you can't imagine this was a tragic event.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
I mean an explosions. Yes, you know, these these men
were not full body, so.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
For this to you know, have flown away. And I
can only say that it was a spiritual and ghostly maneuver.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
That someday it would be bounced.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
The story and yeah, crazy, that's wild how it got
to where it was at my story.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
Yeah, but but now you know, it's it's our story,
these other four Marines, you know, I was able to
find their families like that, and we share something that.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
Not many people can relate to or understanding.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
So I feel like two hundred miles.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
Within the artcharcraple, these men lived and die together in
the short period of mine and then sadly I've forgotten.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
Yeah, it's it sounds like a documentary obviously would happen,
you know, and going up the mountain for you with
a crew, I mean, what was that hype like? Was
that was it like? Did they crashed towards the peak?
Was it like at the middle of the saddle of
the mountains? It like on a what was that hulp
(18:02):
to get up the hill? Like for you to realize
where they were laid to rest.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
Basically, yeah, I got to tell you, the hyke was.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
A big deal, a big deal.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
It's the twenty feet you know sea level that's straight up,
which altitude wise, is very very high comparisons to say,
places in the Utah.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
I'm sure where you see and things like that.
Speaker 4 (18:25):
But when you're climbing this and it's vertical feet it
takes three and a half hours. You go through four
different types of vegetation when you get to the top.
Speaker 7 (18:35):
And the vegetation is the fun these rocks or the
size of volkswagons wagons, so you know, it's terrain you
really got to pay attention to.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
You've got to watch your footing. So it was a
tremendous feeling to get to the top of there.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
When you got to the crash site right when you
personally got there and you start to like become your
own detective, like I would be. I'd just be looking
around saying, Okay, here's the mountain right, and here's the
crash site somewhere towards the top. Was it almost to
the top where they almost over it? Where they at altitude?
Is that what makes you think like it came fog?
Because what made him hit that mountain? It was it?
(19:16):
Were they just like one hundred yards off the peak.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
It's it's hard to say.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
I do have a group of good understanding of where
the marine leanings were stationed that they were going to
pick up.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Do you have an understanding.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
It had to have been a couple of hundred I mean,
there's a lot of peoples in the valleys within this island,
and in the backside of this island is sheer.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
And then there's a valley and then it goes up again.
So you know, like I said, the fog just rolls in.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Caught them, and you just.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
This is a fog in the wind. Yeah, So there's
there's no barrier there, right, It's not like the trees
were cut in the wind or anything. There's nothing up there.
So you know, you get.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Helicopters and I'm sure you understand, and I'm sure a
lot of your listeners understand. But there's a volatile machine.
They're delicate and so many things can go wrong.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
They can be lifted with wind, Yes, the wind can
really what you think.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
Really what happened into the fog because they got the
fog and.
Speaker 4 (20:31):
They said you've got to turn around, and then the
wind lifted, and.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
That's what you know, put it into perspective. There's a
reason why in La right now, there's a lot of
fires happening as we're filming this podcast, and a lot
of air crews are grounded because of the track of
the winds. They are like this, the winds will just
blow us away as well. So it's like if you
think just for a second, you know, you're flying in Norway, uh,
desolate mountain ranges and the fog rolls in. Wow. Yeah,
(21:01):
you know, there's only so much that you can do.
And then now that they do, it can change. Oh
just like that. Just like I said, I was driving
up the mountain and the fog hit us out of nowhere.
Just mother nature. Yeah, she seems to be all over
the place.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Everywhere.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
I was like, she seems to be everywhere. Yes, you
don't really want.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
To mess with her. She's a phenomenon. But yeah, you know.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Oh she could wreak havoc obviously, right, I mean, geez wow, Yeah,
I just can't you know, think about like there's a
situation out here in Utah where there's Antelope Island and
that's in the Great Salt Lake. In early nineties, there
was a black Hawk that went down off just a
training mission, like from Hill Air Force Bace. It was
like four miles away from the tarmac whatever the case is.
(21:53):
They got too low and crashed. I mean, anything can
take out that's a modern black Hawk.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
Yeah, you know, I know, like I said, I mean,
it's just a machine.
Speaker 3 (22:04):
But it's a tricky one.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Yes. And it was a hue Yeah, two blades on
the top. Okay, god dude, that's so wild. Now, now
you and Hans, and Hans is still with us today, right,
Hans is still around? Yes, and you guys have a
great relationship and just to become best of Facebook friends. Well,
(22:29):
I don't mean, I don't.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
But I will tell you that.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
This journey, journey the Norwegian people and the journey journey
took place place.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
These people are no longer friends. I mean, they really are.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
You know, I've gone back every year since I filmed
the documentary. I brought the documentary their first show. I
have a lot of admiration and a lot.
Speaker 7 (23:01):
Of loyal.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
To these folks, you know.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
I say in my film, But I changed my life life,
and it took time. The time was needed. It was
not mature enough of twenty three years old to probably
have handled the magnitude one of the story, but also
two of filming a documentary.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
It wasn't ready.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Yeah, now, yeah, well I see that. You know, your
dad didn't only just leave you behind. He also left
you know, probably brothers and sisters, you know, and parents
you know, who had to deal with and cope with
their son and you know, having been lost, and so
that's a tragic thing, but there's got to be you know,
(23:46):
how was he in an Annapolis? What was your thoughts
of him in school? Did he just seemed to glean
in a certain class, like, you know, physics or math?
Was he just like excelling all the time.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
He was he wasn't. Nickadella's sure.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
I think from a very young age he knew his half,
and he made it happen.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
He was a mathematics major, by the way.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Oh yeah, yeah, something I did not inherit a little bit.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
Maybe me and numbers are not friends.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
But he yeah, Okay, that's good. That's good. That's good.
That's good. That's good. That's good. Yeah, Math's not the
easiest thing. And this is the sixties seventies that he's
a young man thinking finishing going to college. So high
school he was probably just doing really well, excelling in
high school, and he's like, I'm gonna go to Annapolis.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
He was the class president.
Speaker 4 (24:40):
Okay, you know, he was involved in every civic community,
volunteer activism, popular.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
I think that was a very popular Yeah, the ladies
loved him.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
Sure, yeah, obviously you're here, I'm here.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Yes, major accomplishments in twenty four years.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Yeah, twenty four years.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
Huh, twenty four years, and.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
You're probably his greatest I'm sure of that. I'm sure
he thought one hundred percent, a million, thousand percent about
his grace accomplishment with you. I bet a bajillion, but
I bet all the money that in the in the
entire galaxy on that. Well, yes, yes, yes, yes, because
That's how I feel about my daughters and my son.
(25:40):
It's like, no matter what you do, I've got them
to hopefully make me rich. I'm blowing for money about
a math. Come on, kids, get your college done. What's
a check book over draft? That's a thing. Yeah, that's
(26:03):
a thing. Let me tell you. I know we were
all nineteen years older with than a bank account that
had checked at that time. I was like, huh so
the money is still in there, right, Oh, the money's
not taken out yet. I've been through checks today. It's
still in the bank. Two weeks later, still in the bank.
I'm like, hey, you know that three hundred dollars goes
(26:24):
a long way. Oh my gosh. No, your dad would
be very very happy with you, and he would want
his story to be told about him and his homies
that were on that ship. You know that that aircraft,
you know that helicopter.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Again, I do believe the rain was left behind. I
firmly believed he probably did that on purpose.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Yes, that some time these men's stories in there like
come back to life. That It's quite honestly, for fifty
years they sat up there unattended, and.
Speaker 1 (27:03):
There might still be some of them up there that
have not been recovered. That is just their permanent you know,
burial site for them. Uh, you know, in all in
all respect, you know, if you said the crash happened,
how it did, and they tried to probably gather everything
they could. But if the ring went somewhere, I'm sure
there was other you know, like a digit or two
(27:24):
here and there too, you know, and so and so
that's kind of cool in a weird morbid way that
a piece of them is still there to represent it,
you know. Uh, and and the and the solemn rock
that has the plaque on it. I took a peek
at your documentary, you know, in that area right there,
it just is the gentleman on the microphone is probably
(27:47):
the gentleman you were mentioning Rocky, right, Is that who
it was? Okay, he was probably talking. Was that him
in the flight jacket? Oh?
Speaker 3 (27:54):
You know that another Marie who did this? Are an
Asian male? Yep.
Speaker 4 (28:03):
And so he was the president of the alumni. So
when my husband and I started really investigating, he was
a real champion of the story. And I'll tell you
within the h m l m l A organization, this
has been a mystery to them.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
So again, it's just an interesting chain of events that.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
This is.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
This happened, We got in touch with them, h M
l A got him involved, slicks.
Speaker 3 (28:37):
His name case. Yes, he.
Speaker 4 (28:43):
Got on an airplane, did not ever meet me, and
met me in Norway to represent the United States coming war.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
You first stand up when you go and watch that
trailer for the documentary and you listen to him say,
you know, being in your presence is enough here to
know the presence kind of thing. I felt that from
him when he says that, you know, you guys are there.
It's like just something about being there. I'm getting chills
right now just thinking about him talking about just the
(29:15):
presence and being around you guys. You know he probably
misses him too. You know. It's like, you know, in
that aspect if he's you know, he knows these names,
he knows these traits of these guys, and yeah, that's
really cool of him to show up and just be
there and meet you. That seems like a marine right there,
Like what do you mean to say?
Speaker 3 (29:37):
You know, they're really no man left behind me?
Speaker 1 (29:41):
I feel like and always faithful and always.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
Well they really heaven go on me as part of
the crew. Everything.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
Yes, I'm welcome. It's a it's a tremendous feelingly to
know that after all these years that I am and
I am the family.
Speaker 3 (30:08):
Just because my father is, he doesn't mean.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
One hundred percent you are one hundred percent. I say
the same thing. You know, the son of the s
F dad was green Berey. You're the daughter of the Marines.
You're the daughter of a marine and you know, boy
was that his first So like, let me ask you
something about your dad. What do you know about him
prior to that? Did he go to Vietnam?
Speaker 3 (30:32):
No, he didn't. In fact, it's interesting you asked that because.
Speaker 4 (30:39):
My mother apparently he was sad at it.
Speaker 3 (30:43):
He on this Oh yeah, because.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Like Norway, nobody dies.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
And you don't know nobody dies, right everybody, but he's dying.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Your sweet mom, Yes, you know you knew, you knew somebody, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:02):
Who had lost somebody? So what if for.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Her, especially as a helicopter pilot, right, because those guys
are getting shot at coming into landings and these LZ's,
these landing zones that are all hot and like peppered
with enemy fire coming at them, right, And so I
mean she's like Okay, he's just gonna go fly a
training mine. That's fine. It's not Vietnam. Yea. He knows
what he's doing. He's a math whiz. He's super cute.
(31:29):
He'll be fine. Well, you know, let's just say something.
All right, It's twenty twenty five, and if I look
at a picture of your father right now, he is
a handsome gentleman in his suit right here, with his
smile so dapper and his hairline, and I encourage everyone
to go and check out, you know, go look up
(31:50):
Henry N. Pilger, first Lieutenant, and you'll see kind of
what you can find out about him and reading he is.
I'm looking at his picture right now, I'm looking at you,
and you might have his head like his his skull. Okay, airline, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I bet either gonna like. I'll say it as I
(32:11):
see it. I'm cool, I'm open and honest. I say though,
it's a beautiful thing, right and so yes, yes, so
you know see, and that's very awesome. So he's definitely
all around you. You're him. He's he's like, if I
can do anything on this earth of me, it's you.
So there you are. Yeah, yes, so you got you
(32:32):
gotta own it, and you got to be the best
you can and you got to be the best steward
with what you have to steward in your life for
him and your family's sake, and you're doing it. And
so is this going to be a So forgive me
if I'm oblivious to this, because I got the trailer right?
Is the documentary? How is the documentary along? Where can
we find that documentary?
Speaker 4 (32:54):
Is not public yet?
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Okay, I am distribution. I have found one platform that
isn't going to be showing it. Uh should be out
about ABLA. I do share the film with marine freely,
and I'm happy to share the film.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
That has been a tremendous honor for me because mostly
mostly it's men, and it's mostly the men in the
age group of Vietnam, and if you will, you will
a lot of alumni and night.
Speaker 3 (33:29):
And it's it's.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
I am so honored with the letters they write me
after watching the film. They certainly talk about how proud
they are of me. I mean they don't know me.
Speaker 3 (33:46):
But quit right there.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
Their father ages and they have children of their own,
and so they talk about that, and then they talk
about their experience during their service.
Speaker 3 (34:00):
So you know, I'm really honored to receive those types
of letters. Yeah, it's relatable.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
You know, I'm now in my fifties, so now I
can also succeed because a daughter, but I can also
succeed as as.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Almost the widow figure.
Speaker 4 (34:20):
Sure, I understand sort of both sides of it now,
and I understand my mother.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
A lot more.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Yes, I bet you do.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
Yeah, you know, back then, seventies, eies, even in the nineties,
you know, PTSD was not a phrase or a mental issue.
Speaker 1 (34:42):
It's called shell shock. Shell shock is what we call the.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Shock I mean, which is pretty crazy though.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Yeah, that's what it was, right, Yeah, yeah, but.
Speaker 3 (34:55):
You know you didn't talk about it, and you didn't
work through those things. You didn't seek help necessary.
Speaker 4 (35:00):
You know, you used it your list, smiled and way
and kept on going.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
It's just the way it was. So now I'm understanding
who she was. I mean, she has also passed on,
but I understand who she was.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
Does she remarry the way she was? Does she remarry?
She did remarry? Yeah, of course, Well that was nice
of him to understand that she came along with a
lost love. Yeah, yeah, you know that will never be
a whole heart, but as much she can't to him,
and you know, I can only imagine if I had
lost my love at such a young age with a family,
(35:38):
you know, and now she had to be mom and
dad and take care.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
Of daughters years old with a baby.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
I mean, what is that that is?
Speaker 1 (35:51):
It's so sad. I'm so sad. I mean, I love
I love it, I love her, I love you. I
think you're great. It's just a sad situation for a
young twenty three year old marine wife. Sure is to
be holding her fifteen month old saying where's my marine?
But other wives that are in her same position at
the same ages. That was going on a lot in
the seventies and the sixties, you know, with Vietnam happening,
(36:12):
and yeah a tragedy.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
Yes also was married and had a daughter. And we're
the same age.
Speaker 4 (36:21):
She's just a couple of months older than I am,
and so it was a fastshood for us.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
It's kind of like her ring too. It's like it's
like they all can justin. They probably have all if
anybody from the families you reach out to, they're just like,
thank you, you know, for well, the ring is.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
The reason why.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (36:38):
So I'm at the helmet the story. Very honored to
be at.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
The helmet the story.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
But it's no longer just my story. It's our story.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:47):
Yeah, and I you.
Speaker 4 (36:48):
Know, I'm here to share that and I'm proud to
be be sharing any that way.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
We're happy to immortalize it here. Yeah, we were happy
to bring it to like yes, And my listeners are awesome,
And you know, I get letters all the time from
them saying, Rad, you had a great guest on it
was really this or going this way, and and they
give me feedback. I have generals that type to me. Rad,
I'm over here doing I just love your show. And
I'm just like, oh, thank you, sir, dude, sir, it's
(37:16):
been a minute comment on down.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
I've really had the support. NATO is aware of the story.
The Marines came out out of stud Guard Germany. They
send a school team. There's the Marine's done about this story.
It really is an amazing story that really gives you hop.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Yeah, it's kind of healing.
Speaker 4 (37:51):
It's never too late. And like I said, finding the
Nenets of the Kin also has been and probably one
of my greatest honors. The people that have come together
is the best part of the story other than meeting
my father, if that makes sense. I mean, I just
people like like Rockie, all all the other families.
Speaker 3 (38:19):
It almost doesn't have the words in my heart.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
And let me say those names again. That's Gerald Merklinger,
Henry M. Pilger, Pete M. Rodriguez, James Skinner, and Raymond W.
Wise Riser. I just want to say that, right, those
were the souls on board of that aircraft, of that
Huey that perished on that day, and we just want
(38:44):
to say their names one more time, you know, just
to make sure that it's in the show. A simple
as that. Yeah, you're welcome all of our story. You know.
I think you've been a fascinating guest on the show,
and we've really captured of the essence of what we
wanted to put out there. And I just think that
somebody should pick it up and take it to distribution
(39:05):
and we should be able to watch us on you know,
just any of these streaming platforms where you know there's
proceeds that can help benefit anything to do with the
associations you want to be tied with. Right, that's the
goal to help help bring closure to other situations that
can use the same kind of you know, documentary, the filming.
It's just it. I can feel it already from you,
(39:26):
just like you know, sure distribution send it out great.
Speaker 4 (39:29):
Yes, it's so important important everybody everybody's and here is obviously,
but that all five men are represented.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
They all had a story, they all had a.
Speaker 4 (39:40):
Light on the ship day on the tarmac, and then
it's sort of taken off.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
There's a lot of last names right there. That's a
lot of last names. It's a lot of different last names,
a lot of different places. Those people come from a
lot of like we didn't know each other, but we
can fight together as one team on that aircraft.
Speaker 3 (39:58):
That's right, right, And so.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
Now there are they just they formed that union to
become you know, I love to say it's U S.
Air Force, U S. Army, US Marines, you know, US Navy,
the US brings it together, right, it doesn't matter anything else.
It's the US first. And so these guys here, what
you serve.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
If you serve you right.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Yeah, exactly exactly take it, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
About what the what men and women are doing out there,
and they are fighting.
Speaker 4 (40:33):
We take for granted, for granted, So that's another awareness
awareness you know, we need to bring in to bring
into Yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
And and and we we do take it for granted
as our freedoms, as us citizens of this great nation
that we live in, you know. And and they want
us to because that's the freedom that they want us
to have. They want us to take advantage of being
our own bosses and praying to who we want to pray,
and and just freedom of choice of who we want
to be and everything out there. And so I mean,
(41:02):
you know, we're going to live up to that to them, right,
we should just keep it u s people, that's right, Yeah,
make check payable to overdraft fees. So distribution, Okay, if
(41:22):
you're out there and you happen to have uh you know,
a channel into a distribution or somebody in the industry
that could uh you know, help Abby get that put
into production or out there, then so free to reach
out either to me or through Instagram. Do you have
an Instagram where someone can reach you or any type
of social media?
Speaker 3 (41:41):
I do im Okay, I'm on LinkedIn under my name.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
Okay, so LinkedIn would be a good one, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
And.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Always ab fab All right, Well, don't be some rise
if you see rad Rock and following you. Okay, yes,
and I think that I'm going to say thank you
for being on the show today and I hope you
enjoy the fireplace and you know, and the conversation that
we've had this afternoon. I'm discussing your father and the
(42:17):
proud feats that he accomplished and his men stood beside
him as they did their missions, you know, Unwaverly, I
just want to say the best stoically, you know, just
with the most fortitude and just like we got this
and you know, and much love to you and your
family on this day. So and to all the other
(42:38):
families that lost their families. Yes for sure, yes, thanks
so much much, Yes, no problem. Now with that said,
on behalf of myself and Brandon Webb who owns the
company I got to shot him out, and my producer
Callum out of London, and of course me for being me. Okay,
I want to say thank you for listening and joining
(43:00):
our shows and our podcast and if you have a
guest or you feel like you should be a guest,
it's that easy to reach out to us and we'll
go from there. Okay, So again on behalf of Abigail
Barretto aka Abby and my self rad I say Peace.
Speaker 2 (43:33):
You've been listening to Self Red, Ladia
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