November 12, 2024 • 34 mins
Jon Stewart dissects the recent election fallout for the Democrats, offering insights into what went wrong and why the pundits may be missing the mark. Thomas J. Brennan, retired U.S. Marine and founder of The War Horse, an award-winning nonprofit newsroom spotlights the human impact of military service. Brennan discusses his latest film, “Shadows of Fallujah”, and opens up about the intense memories, struggles with survivor’s guilt, and the journey to healing from the Battle of Fallujah.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Comedy Central.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Damn from the most trusted journalists at Comedy.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Central is America's only sorts for news.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
This is the Daily Show with your host Shown Stewart.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
Yeah, yeah, Welcome to the Daily Show.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
I am your host, John Stewart. Haven't you you know
what you know what? Come? Come, come here, come here,
con he.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Welcome to the Resistance. I promise here.
Speaker 5 (01:15):
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
(01:35):
the camera. I will be relentless or well they will.
I'm here, mondays, really not even that many. There's a
dark weeks holidays, and the point is this, you can
count on me for truly about fifteen hours of resistance total.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
All right, go back down to the thing.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Welcome to the show, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
Later I'll be talking with after.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
We do the show this evening.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Oh what did that time?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
I'm going to be talking with Thomas J. Brewnn.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
And he's the founder of Warhorse, a nonprofit military reporting organization.
They do fabulous work, you know, gentlemen. The audience asked
me a little bit earlier, said.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Hey, last week, what happened.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Now he may have met 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 thumping. Now, part of the disorientation of
the Democrats losing the electoral vote and the popular vote
(02:56):
and losing ground in the cities and the areas around
the cities and the areas around those are I guess you'd.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Call it America, was.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
That we had all been told by many of our
best prognosticators it was going to be closed. We ran
the results in the computer one hundred thousand times. She
won fifty thousand and one, He won ninety nine, ninety
nine and nine. But in this coin flip country, I
(03:30):
was confident because the Democrats had a secret weapon in
a close election, perhaps the most important weapon.
Speaker 7 (03:39):
Since joining the race, the vice president has raised an
eye boggling one billion dollars.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Call me eyes boggled.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
See, the Democrats in a fifty fifty election had a
billion dollars a war chest to be spent on data
analytics and consultants and very clearly texting.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
There's a lot of text thing.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
A lot of that money went to how the fuck
did they just text me I'm in the tub.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I don't even have my phone. It just came through
the water.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
And while, of course maybe just giving away a million
of it every day would have been the smarter, more
efficient plan. Now the billion dollars went towards the one
thing Republicans didn't have, couldn't have that would put the
Democrats over the top.
Speaker 8 (04:34):
And the Harris campaign has a massive ground game, fifty
thousand volunteers.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
If volunteers, knocking on five million doors in Pennsylvania alone.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
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
(05:07):
two or three times.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
To talk politics.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Even though everyone from vacuum salesman 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.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
You know, what Democrats should do.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Whatever money is left over, send those same people back to.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Those voters' doors.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
And just knock again during dinner, and when the homeowner
comes to the door, go what.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
The fuss got? I thought we connected?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
But the reason why, and I give them some shit
for their strategies was a method to the Democrats madness.
Democracy and freedom are on the belot, Our democracy is
on the line. We have to protect democracy.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
We have to work even harder to make sure that
we defend our democracy.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
We don't get to choose when we're asked to defend democracy.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
We just have to do it. And this is not
a drill noble words.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
And I'm glad to say Democrats did protect democracy.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Just for the other.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
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. The Harris
campaign has built probably the most sophisticated, robust, impressive voter
protection program in the history of presidential politics. We have
(06:50):
millions in the bank ready, with lawyers all over the
country that are ready. Democrats have been put planning on
every one of these options for four years.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Are Democrats ready?
Speaker 9 (07:00):
They are we have the county courts ready to go,
Secretaries of state ready to go.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
So it's all lined up. What are we forgetting people?
Speaker 4 (07:07):
What we got? The lawyers? We got the protecting the
Why do we go to? Oh got Jimmy? Did you
bring the voters?
Speaker 8 (07:16):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (07:17):
I no you ever bringing the voters? I brought the
hate has no homier posters. Nobody brought the voters. One
of the voters.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It turns out the election was stolen by more people
voting for Donald Trump.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
It's quite a caper Ocean's seventy four million.
Speaker 10 (07:34):
But there.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
So now as many on the left fear the future
as they should, many others threw the past.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Joe Biden should have dropped out earlier.
Speaker 11 (07:59):
There should have been in an open primary.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
People never got to know Kamala Harris. They spent too
little time talking about the economy.
Speaker 10 (08:07):
Wildly overestimated the power of the abortion issue, chose the wrong.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
VP, managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, abandoned the
working class.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Democrats need a new way to talk about urban America.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Do that, Joe Rogan podcast. Trump spoke, Trump.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Spoke to the people.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Democrats never once mentioned Arnold Palmers, never once, yet focus
group after focus group said, got anything.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
On Arnold Palmer's car?
Speaker 2 (08:41):
If not, can you at least stand there and sway
to ave Maria for.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Like an hour? Can you at least do that?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
But it's a delight to hear about why it happened
from so many people who were.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
So wrong about what was going to happen. And everyone
has their own.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
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.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
To the left on transgender rights.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
You have to say, they know, you have to do this,
stop with a virtue signaling.
Speaker 6 (09:16):
Step away from woke, focus less on who is woke
and more on who is.
Speaker 11 (09:23):
Broke social justice issues, and take a back seat when
your son is in the basement vaping and playing video
games and can't find a job.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I feel like that last guy was really venting more
about his son everybody else. That's sort of a broader point, but.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
His was just so specific.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
You really got to focus on, let's say, a kid
in your basement vaping and just jerking.
Speaker 12 (09:56):
Off all over the couch night after night.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
The point taker everyone's talking about this wokenness theory, from
cable news to the op ed section, and sometimes the
op ed section being read on cable news.
Speaker 7 (10:21):
We want to get to the Maureen Dowd piece from
Loreen Dowd's piece for the New York Times entitled Democrats
and the Case of Mistaken Identity Politics.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Ooh, that was Morning Joe host Mika Brazinski 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
(10:51):
way to make this less entertaining.
Speaker 7 (10:53):
We're going to read the entire piece, but it's worth
it about wokeness.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I couldn't even stay woke through that whole thing. Won't
you read us the word? 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.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Sharon Brown is working to fix our border.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Crisis, and Monday Jones is working to secure our border.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Pat Ryan is restoring order at our southern border.
Speaker 11 (11:33):
I'm Laura Gillon, and I'm here at the border of
Nassau County. We're two thousand miles from Mexico, but we're
feeling the migrant crisis almost every day.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
In Nassau County.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
By the way, Suffolk County make my fond day. You
want a piece of our strip balls, you're gonna have
to go through Laura Gillon.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Those are the Democrats. The Democrats. I gave the police
more money than they even wanted.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
I gave them planes and tanks.
Speaker 6 (12:10):
I built a mold around the country and filled it
with alligators in Chlamydia. They didn't talk about pronouns. They
didn't say Latin X. It was the opposite.
Speaker 7 (12:24):
We can't let China steal Wisconsin jobs, benefits for.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Legal immigrants, no way blocking support for white farmers.
Speaker 8 (12:32):
I mean, look at me standing with law enforcement against
defunding the police.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I've owned a gun my whole life.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Let me be clear. I don't want boys playing girls' sports.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You all know me. I've never pushed for sex changes.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Well that's just a weird one at the end there.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
God, guys, you know me.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
It's like George Bailey and it's a wonderful life.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
I'm not the guy I wish your sex shit I'm
in your shops every day, Mary, Mary.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
It's me, George Bailey.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
I'm not trying to get you to get her sex change.
I just wishing out would be.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
And don't forget about Kamala Harris. It's not like she
was exactly waving around her NPR tote bag.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
I have a clock.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
They didn't do the woke thing they try, and they
acted like Republicans for the last four months. They wore
cameo hats and went to Cheney family reunions. Do you
know how dangerous it is to wear a hunting hat
around Cheney's Give any idea?
Speaker 1 (14:01):
I thought I had one more rip in me. I didn't.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
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 me too Instagram posts 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. So
(14:28):
the Democrats got shell ACKed. 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 nineteen eighty four, when Ronald Reagan.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Won, that's the map.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
The only state that 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.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
You all know me.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
I've never pushed for sex changes.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
When we come back, Thomas Brennan, don't go away.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
A lot about in the dark, show my guess tonight.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
We're delighted to have him on.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
A decorated veteran who's 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
US Marine Corps Sergeant Thomas Brennan, Sir, nice to see you.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
First.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
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.
Speaker 8 (16:29):
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 toast writing seminars that
train the next generation of writers that are veterans and
military family members.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Right and they've done.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Kelly Kennedy, who is part of your team, The reporting
that she did on toxic exposure was I think instrumental.
Speaker 8 (16:55):
Kelly's impact on the veteran community and far as raising
awareness about toxic exposure as I think, you know, really
helped you and other advocates 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
health care that they deserve.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Yes, and they will be That's kind of how That's
how they operate.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
It's kind of their thing.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
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.
Speaker 8 (17:33):
So when I first got off active duty, I worked
as a local reporter outside of campla June in North Carolina.
I was the last full time military reporter in twenty
fourteen 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 ten years now. So what I noticed
(17:53):
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.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
People weren't hearing about them.
Speaker 8 (18:05):
And it wasn't until I published one story about the
NBA the National Defense Authorization Act in twenty thirteen, where
they were cutting suicide prevention care for active duty service members.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
I wrote a story about that.
Speaker 8 (18:17):
The Secretary Defense within three days reverse 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.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
And at that moment, I asked.
Speaker 8 (18:28):
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 the veterans of military families face.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Yeah, 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, yes, which
most of news is now not by choice.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
But how difficult is it?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
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.
Speaker 8 (19:12):
Warhorse was brought to life by five hundred and fifty
donors on Kickstarter back in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
That was back when it was just myself with an idea.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
It was just a web thing.
Speaker 8 (19:20):
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 Warhorse. 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
(19:42):
investing in the idea, and at that point.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
I just couldn't give up. I had to keep going.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
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.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Days, they say, in the basement vaping.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I don't answer that.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Don't answer that.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
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 twentieth anniversary
of the Battle of Fallujah, which I think Americans, for
(20:24):
the most part, I've heard of because it was considered
one of the just most bloodiest, dangerous battles that was it.
November November is the anniversary of that battle.
Speaker 8 (20:36):
Correct, November seventh of this month was the twentieth anniversary
of Operation Phantom Fury.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
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. Yes, what made you decide to want
to tell the story of Fallujah and the group that
(21:03):
you were with at that time, and to tell it now.
Speaker 8 (21:09):
For twenty 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 I have
(21:32):
applatoon 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 nineteenth 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 Corman that you see in
(21:54):
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.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
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,
(22:24):
didn't come back intact.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
For twenty years, 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 Fairclough,
I blame myself. I was down the street and it's
completely irrational for me to believe that I should have
(22:46):
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 it was a healing series of conversations that we
were able to have back in August, and I'm just
(23:09):
incredibly proud of.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
I mean, our.
Speaker 8 (23:14):
Coremen and the Marines that I served with were willing
to just put their heart on display for the American
public and 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 Brits and the you know,
the other people that participated with us, and whether you
(23:38):
were a mortuary affairs, marine and infantrymen, a pilot, or
you know, 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 fought our wars and how we deploy our troops.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Up to today.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
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,
(24:23):
and maybe even some of the things that had to
be done, but that leaving things on your soul.
Speaker 8 (24:32):
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 the one thing, 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
(24:52):
you're admin or you work in a hospital, or you
fix trucks and turn wrenches, or your special forces or
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
(25:13):
a country. It's a vital part of the conversation that's
just missing, and it's even less present in the in
the journalism ecosystem. Less than five percent 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.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
So the disparity of.
Speaker 8 (25:34):
You know, the conversation that we're having in the conversation
that needs to be had, it pales.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
There's no contest.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
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
(26:05):
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 ten percent off.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
It's really jarring.
Speaker 8 (26:27):
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
(26:49):
is for them to actually care, care about the policies
that are put into place that are going to affect
veterans and military families and activity service members, care about
the use of force, and when we send people off
to combat, don't wait till the ten or twentieth anniversary
of a battle to reconnect with the service members who
(27:09):
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 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 be
our nation's children who are answering that call, and like,
(27:32):
when that happens, it's too late to.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Actually care, right, and we need to understand what the
true cost of that is. Yes, not just as a
budget line on them. I want to play something from
the documentary. You know, there's something in it you talked
about you were there with the Navy coreman, and you
talked a little bit about the responsibility not just that
your whole you know, platoon felt, but that the Navy
corman in particular, that they sort of suffer in a
(27:57):
strange silence. And it's a little bit from I believe
it's fair close mother, yes, speaking about the death of
her son and the Army corpsman as well.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
So can we run that real quick?
Speaker 9 (28:15):
I guess knowing Bradley wouldn'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
(28:35):
were being strong, so I'd be strong.
Speaker 10 (28:38):
My relationship with Kathleen means a lot. She treats me
as if I was one of her own. 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.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
What did that moment mean to him?
Speaker 8 (29:01):
So that's Ronaldo Ponte. He is our Corman. Corman 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're going to do everything that they can.
(29:23):
As a marine, I cannot understate how much Corman mean
to us. The pain that I have seen Ronaldo carry
for losing faircloth and has been tremendous over the last
twenty years and watching him just we were sitting inside
(29:44):
of the Fallujah exhibit at the National Museum and 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
(30:07):
feel like this film led our platoon. It helped Doc
feel pride in his service again. It helped Doc feel
like he tried his best. It helped it helped all
of us see Doc take a met like a legitimate
(30:28):
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
(30:48):
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 marines in the platoon feel like we
had his back the same way that he had our
back under fire.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
And I just I hope, more.
Speaker 8 (31:11):
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.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Well, Thomas, Uh, 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
(31:44):
we don't leave anybody behind no matter what happens.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You do amazing work. Love you, thanks for being here.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Thomas Brandon, Shadows of Paluza, war Horse, dott Or.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
We're gonna take a book break.
Speaker 4 (31:58):
And that is down Sharper tonight.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Before we go, we're gonna check in with your host
for the rest of the week.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Mister Jordan Clupper.
Speaker 6 (32:23):
Jordan Clapp, Jordan, what we got coming up for the
rest of the week.
Speaker 13 (32:30):
Oh 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.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
Yeah that it was unseasonably warm its.
Speaker 13 (32:47):
Fall, yes, well that would explain the cozy smell of campfire.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
That was actually wildfires, Jordan, New Jersey, Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
From the drought. Everything was pretty much a fly.
Speaker 13 (33:00):
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. You saw
four horsemen, I mean they were they were hooded and floating,
(33:23):
So it's it's hard to tell.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Keep keep smiling up for everybody here.
Speaker 4 (33:32):
It is your moment is.
Speaker 11 (33:36):
Now that good he discussed, and his view could be
unraveled right by a second Trump administration.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Okay, we can't hear Kayla.
Speaker 6 (33:54):
Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by
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Speaker 4 (33:59):
Get your podcasts.
Speaker 8 (34:01):
Watch The Daily Show weeknights at eleven tenth Central on
Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus
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Paramount Podcasts
You're listening to Comedy Central.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Damn from the most trusted journalists at Comedy.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Central is America's only sorts for news.
Speaker 4 (00:14):
This is the Daily Show with your host Shown Stewart.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
Yeah, yeah, Welcome to the Daily Show.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
I am your host, John Stewart. Haven't you you know
what you know what? Come? Come, come here, come here,
con he.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Welcome to the Resistance. I promise here.
Speaker 5 (01:15):
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
(01:35):
the camera. I will be relentless or well they will.
I'm here, mondays, really not even that many. There's a
dark weeks holidays, and the point is this, you can
count on me for truly about fifteen hours of resistance total.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
All right, go back down to the thing.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Welcome to the show, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
Later I'll be talking with after.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
We do the show this evening.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Oh what did that time?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
I'm going to be talking with Thomas J. Brewnn.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
And he's the founder of Warhorse, a nonprofit military reporting organization.
They do fabulous work, you know, gentlemen. The audience asked
me a little bit earlier, said.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Hey, last week, what happened.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Now he may have met 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 thumping. Now, part of the disorientation of
the Democrats losing the electoral vote and the popular vote
(02:56):
and losing ground in the cities and the areas around
the cities and the areas around those are I guess you'd.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Call it America, was.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
That we had all been told by many of our
best prognosticators it was going to be closed. We ran
the results in the computer one hundred thousand times. She
won fifty thousand and one, He won ninety nine, ninety
nine and nine. But in this coin flip country, I
(03:30):
was confident because the Democrats had a secret weapon in
a close election, perhaps the most important weapon.
Speaker 7 (03:39):
Since joining the race, the vice president has raised an
eye boggling one billion dollars.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Call me eyes boggled.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
See, the Democrats in a fifty fifty election had a
billion dollars a war chest to be spent on data
analytics and consultants and very clearly texting.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
There's a lot of text thing.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
A lot of that money went to how the fuck
did they just text me I'm in the tub.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
I don't even have my phone. It just came through
the water.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
And while, of course maybe just giving away a million
of it every day would have been the smarter, more
efficient plan. Now the billion dollars went towards the one
thing Republicans didn't have, couldn't have that would put the
Democrats over the top.
Speaker 8 (04:34):
And the Harris campaign has a massive ground game, fifty
thousand volunteers.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
If volunteers, knocking on five million doors in Pennsylvania alone.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
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
(05:07):
two or three times.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
To talk politics.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Even though everyone from vacuum salesman 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.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
You know, what Democrats should do.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Whatever money is left over, send those same people back to.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Those voters' doors.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
And just knock again during dinner, and when the homeowner
comes to the door, go what.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
The fuss got? I thought we connected?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
But the reason why, and I give them some shit
for their strategies was a method to the Democrats madness.
Democracy and freedom are on the belot, Our democracy is
on the line. We have to protect democracy.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
We have to work even harder to make sure that
we defend our democracy.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
We don't get to choose when we're asked to defend democracy.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
We just have to do it. And this is not
a drill noble words.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
And I'm glad to say Democrats did protect democracy.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Just for the other.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
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. The Harris
campaign has built probably the most sophisticated, robust, impressive voter
protection program in the history of presidential politics. We have
(06:50):
millions in the bank ready, with lawyers all over the
country that are ready. Democrats have been put planning on
every one of these options for four years.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Are Democrats ready?
Speaker 9 (07:00):
They are we have the county courts ready to go,
Secretaries of state ready to go.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
So it's all lined up. What are we forgetting people?
Speaker 4 (07:07):
What we got? The lawyers? We got the protecting the
Why do we go to? Oh got Jimmy? Did you
bring the voters?
Speaker 8 (07:16):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (07:17):
I no you ever bringing the voters? I brought the
hate has no homier posters. Nobody brought the voters. One
of the voters.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It turns out the election was stolen by more people
voting for Donald Trump.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
It's quite a caper Ocean's seventy four million.
Speaker 10 (07:34):
But there.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
So now as many on the left fear the future
as they should, many others threw the past.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Joe Biden should have dropped out earlier.
Speaker 11 (07:59):
There should have been in an open primary.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
People never got to know Kamala Harris. They spent too
little time talking about the economy.
Speaker 10 (08:07):
Wildly overestimated the power of the abortion issue, chose the wrong.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
VP, managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, abandoned the
working class.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Democrats need a new way to talk about urban America.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Do that, Joe Rogan podcast. Trump spoke, Trump.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Spoke to the people.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Democrats never once mentioned Arnold Palmers, never once, yet focus
group after focus group said, got anything.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
On Arnold Palmer's car?
Speaker 2 (08:41):
If not, can you at least stand there and sway
to ave Maria for.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Like an hour? Can you at least do that?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
But it's a delight to hear about why it happened
from so many people who were.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
So wrong about what was going to happen. And everyone
has their own.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
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.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
To the left on transgender rights.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
You have to say, they know, you have to do this,
stop with a virtue signaling.
Speaker 6 (09:16):
Step away from woke, focus less on who is woke
and more on who is.
Speaker 11 (09:23):
Broke social justice issues, and take a back seat when
your son is in the basement vaping and playing video
games and can't find a job.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I feel like that last guy was really venting more
about his son everybody else. That's sort of a broader point, but.
Speaker 4 (09:48):
His was just so specific.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
You really got to focus on, let's say, a kid
in your basement vaping and just jerking.
Speaker 12 (09:56):
Off all over the couch night after night.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
The point taker everyone's talking about this wokenness theory, from
cable news to the op ed section, and sometimes the
op ed section being read on cable news.
Speaker 7 (10:21):
We want to get to the Maureen Dowd piece from
Loreen Dowd's piece for the New York Times entitled Democrats
and the Case of Mistaken Identity Politics.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Ooh, that was Morning Joe host Mika Brazinski 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
(10:51):
way to make this less entertaining.
Speaker 7 (10:53):
We're going to read the entire piece, but it's worth
it about wokeness.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
I couldn't even stay woke through that whole thing. Won't
you read us the word? 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.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Sharon Brown is working to fix our border.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Crisis, and Monday Jones is working to secure our border.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Pat Ryan is restoring order at our southern border.
Speaker 11 (11:33):
I'm Laura Gillon, and I'm here at the border of
Nassau County. We're two thousand miles from Mexico, but we're
feeling the migrant crisis almost every day.
Speaker 4 (11:47):
In Nassau County.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
By the way, Suffolk County make my fond day. You
want a piece of our strip balls, you're gonna have
to go through Laura Gillon.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Those are the Democrats. The Democrats. I gave the police
more money than they even wanted.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
I gave them planes and tanks.
Speaker 6 (12:10):
I built a mold around the country and filled it
with alligators in Chlamydia. They didn't talk about pronouns. They
didn't say Latin X. It was the opposite.
Speaker 7 (12:24):
We can't let China steal Wisconsin jobs, benefits for.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Legal immigrants, no way blocking support for white farmers.
Speaker 8 (12:32):
I mean, look at me standing with law enforcement against
defunding the police.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
I've owned a gun my whole life.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Let me be clear. I don't want boys playing girls' sports.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You all know me. I've never pushed for sex changes.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Well that's just a weird one at the end there.
Speaker 4 (12:57):
God, guys, you know me.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
It's like George Bailey and it's a wonderful life.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
I'm not the guy I wish your sex shit I'm
in your shops every day, Mary, Mary.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
It's me, George Bailey.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
I'm not trying to get you to get her sex change.
I just wishing out would be.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
And don't forget about Kamala Harris. It's not like she
was exactly waving around her NPR tote bag.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
I have a clock.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
They didn't do the woke thing they try, and they
acted like Republicans for the last four months. They wore
cameo hats and went to Cheney family reunions. Do you
know how dangerous it is to wear a hunting hat
around Cheney's Give any idea?
Speaker 1 (14:01):
I thought I had one more rip in me. I didn't.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
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 me too Instagram posts 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. So
(14:28):
the Democrats got shell ACKed. 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 nineteen eighty four, when Ronald Reagan.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
Won, that's the map.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
The only state that 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.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
You all know me.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
I've never pushed for sex changes.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
When we come back, Thomas Brennan, don't go away.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
A lot about in the dark, show my guess tonight.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
We're delighted to have him on.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
A decorated veteran who's 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
US Marine Corps Sergeant Thomas Brennan, Sir, nice to see you.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (16:12):
First.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
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.
Speaker 8 (16:29):
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 toast writing seminars that
train the next generation of writers that are veterans and
military family members.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Right and they've done.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Kelly Kennedy, who is part of your team, The reporting
that she did on toxic exposure was I think instrumental.
Speaker 8 (16:55):
Kelly's impact on the veteran community and far as raising
awareness about toxic exposure as I think, you know, really
helped you and other advocates 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
health care that they deserve.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Yes, and they will be That's kind of how That's
how they operate.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
It's kind of their thing.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
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.
Speaker 8 (17:33):
So when I first got off active duty, I worked
as a local reporter outside of campla June in North Carolina.
I was the last full time military reporter in twenty
fourteen 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 ten years now. So what I noticed
(17:53):
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.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
People weren't hearing about them.
Speaker 8 (18:05):
And it wasn't until I published one story about the
NBA the National Defense Authorization Act in twenty thirteen, where
they were cutting suicide prevention care for active duty service members.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
I wrote a story about that.
Speaker 8 (18:17):
The Secretary Defense within three days reverse 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.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
And at that moment, I asked.
Speaker 8 (18:28):
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 the veterans of military families face.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Yeah, 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, yes, which
most of news is now not by choice.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
But how difficult is it?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
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.
Speaker 8 (19:12):
Warhorse was brought to life by five hundred and fifty
donors on Kickstarter back in twenty sixteen.
Speaker 3 (19:17):
That was back when it was just myself with an idea.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
It was just a web thing.
Speaker 8 (19:20):
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 Warhorse. 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
(19:42):
investing in the idea, and at that point.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
I just couldn't give up. I had to keep going.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
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.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Days, they say, in the basement vaping.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I don't answer that.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Don't answer that.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
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 twentieth anniversary
of the Battle of Fallujah, which I think Americans, for
(20:24):
the most part, I've heard of because it was considered
one of the just most bloodiest, dangerous battles that was it.
November November is the anniversary of that battle.
Speaker 8 (20:36):
Correct, November seventh of this month was the twentieth anniversary
of Operation Phantom Fury.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
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. Yes, what made you decide to want
to tell the story of Fallujah and the group that
(21:03):
you were with at that time, and to tell it now.
Speaker 8 (21:09):
For twenty 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 I have
(21:32):
applatoon 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 nineteenth 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 Corman that you see in
(21:54):
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.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
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,
(22:24):
didn't come back intact.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
For twenty years, 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 Fairclough,
I blame myself. I was down the street and it's
completely irrational for me to believe that I should have
(22:46):
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 it was a healing series of conversations that we
were able to have back in August, and I'm just
(23:09):
incredibly proud of.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
I mean, our.
Speaker 8 (23:14):
Coremen and the Marines that I served with were willing
to just put their heart on display for the American
public and 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 Brits and the you know,
the other people that participated with us, and whether you
(23:38):
were a mortuary affairs, marine and infantrymen, a pilot, or
you know, 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 fought our wars and how we deploy our troops.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Up to today.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
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,
(24:23):
and maybe even some of the things that had to
be done, but that leaving things on your soul.
Speaker 8 (24:32):
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 the one thing, 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
(24:52):
you're admin or you work in a hospital, or you
fix trucks and turn wrenches, or your special forces or
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
(25:13):
a country. It's a vital part of the conversation that's
just missing, and it's even less present in the in
the journalism ecosystem. Less than five percent 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.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
So the disparity of.
Speaker 8 (25:34):
You know, the conversation that we're having in the conversation
that needs to be had, it pales.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
There's no contest.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
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
(26:05):
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 ten percent off.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
It's really jarring.
Speaker 8 (26:27):
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
(26:49):
is for them to actually care, care about the policies
that are put into place that are going to affect
veterans and military families and activity service members, care about
the use of force, and when we send people off
to combat, don't wait till the ten or twentieth anniversary
of a battle to reconnect with the service members who
(27:09):
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 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 be
our nation's children who are answering that call, and like,
(27:32):
when that happens, it's too late to.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Actually care, right, and we need to understand what the
true cost of that is. Yes, not just as a
budget line on them. I want to play something from
the documentary. You know, there's something in it you talked
about you were there with the Navy coreman, and you
talked a little bit about the responsibility not just that
your whole you know, platoon felt, but that the Navy
corman in particular, that they sort of suffer in a
(27:57):
strange silence. And it's a little bit from I believe
it's fair close mother, yes, speaking about the death of
her son and the Army corpsman as well.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
So can we run that real quick?
Speaker 9 (28:15):
I guess knowing Bradley wouldn'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
(28:35):
were being strong, so I'd be strong.
Speaker 10 (28:38):
My relationship with Kathleen means a lot. She treats me
as if I was one of her own. 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.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
What did that moment mean to him?
Speaker 8 (29:01):
So that's Ronaldo Ponte. He is our Corman. Corman 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're going to do everything that they can.
(29:23):
As a marine, I cannot understate how much Corman mean
to us. The pain that I have seen Ronaldo carry
for losing faircloth and has been tremendous over the last
twenty years and watching him just we were sitting inside
(29:44):
of the Fallujah exhibit at the National Museum and 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
(30:07):
feel like this film led our platoon. It helped Doc
feel pride in his service again. It helped Doc feel
like he tried his best. It helped it helped all
of us see Doc take a met like a legitimate
(30:28):
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
(30:48):
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 marines in the platoon feel like we
had his back the same way that he had our
back under fire.
Speaker 3 (31:07):
And I just I hope, more.
Speaker 8 (31:11):
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.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Well, Thomas, Uh, 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
(31:44):
we don't leave anybody behind no matter what happens.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You do amazing work. Love you, thanks for being here.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Thomas Brandon, Shadows of Paluza, war Horse, dott Or.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
We're gonna take a book break.
Speaker 4 (31:58):
And that is down Sharper tonight.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Before we go, we're gonna check in with your host
for the rest of the week.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
Mister Jordan Clupper.
Speaker 6 (32:23):
Jordan Clapp, Jordan, what we got coming up for the
rest of the week.
Speaker 13 (32:30):
Oh 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.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
Yeah that it was unseasonably warm its.
Speaker 13 (32:47):
Fall, yes, well that would explain the cozy smell of campfire.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
That was actually wildfires, Jordan, New Jersey, Brooklyn.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
From the drought. Everything was pretty much a fly.
Speaker 13 (33:00):
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. You saw
four horsemen, I mean they were they were hooded and floating,
(33:23):
So it's it's hard to tell.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Keep keep smiling up for everybody here.
Speaker 4 (33:32):
It is your moment is.
Speaker 11 (33:36):
Now that good he discussed, and his view could be
unraveled right by a second Trump administration.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
Okay, we can't hear Kayla.
Speaker 6 (33:54):
Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by
searching The Daily Show wherever you.
Speaker 4 (33:59):
Get your podcasts.
Speaker 8 (34:01):
Watch The Daily Show weeknights at eleven tenth Central on
Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus
Speaker 4 (34:14):
Paramount Podcasts
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