What an incredible guest we have on this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast.
Marcus engages in a compelling discussion with former Force Recon Marine, Chad Robichaux. With eight deployments to Afghanistan as part of a Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Task Force, Chad overcame his personal battles with PTSD after nearly becoming a veteran suicide statistic.
Chad is the founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, serving the active duty, military veteran and first responder communities around the world with highly successful faith-based combat trauma and resiliency programs. He has spoken to over 450,000 active-duty troops and led life-saving programs for over 4,600 active military and veterans at four Mighty Oaks Ranches around the U.S. He has served as an advisor to former President Trump, Congress, the VA, and the Department of Defense.
Another one of Chad’s personal endeavors, Save Our Allies, is focused on the evacuation and recovery of Americans, our allies and vulnerable people still trapped in Afghanistan. His original mission was to rescue his long-time friend and Afghanistan interpreter, but the mission quickly evolved because of Chad’s compassion for people and his servant heart. Since its inception, Save Our Allies has safely evacuated over 17,000 people that were trapped in Afghanistan and he is now helping in Ukraine.
As if that weren’t enough, Chad is a lifelong martial artist. He holds a 4th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and is a former Professional Mixed Martial Arts Champion having competed at the highest levels of the sport.
• My family has 84 years of military service. (11:27)
• I was raised in a very dysfunctional home because my father never recovered from Vietnam. (13:15)
• Our operation was compromised and I ended up being abducted. (26:53)
• On the surface, everything seemed fine. Then I crashed, had an affair, filed for divorce, and attempted to take my life. The some amazing people came around me and helped us to restore my family and my faith. (30:38)
• I tried to build the courage to take my life and I had my Glock 40 caliber pistol, but I was interrupted, and it was enough to pump the brakes. (31:18)
• My wife asked me: “How can you do all you did in the military, but when it comes to your family, you’ll quit?” (32:23)
• You’re gonna deal with anxiety, depression, and anger, but you could respond to it in a better way that could lead you to a better place. (35:35)
• God’s like a centerpiece solution, because a lot of what we deal with are spiritual wounds. (36:29)
• President Bush signed the Opportunity for Faith Mission in 2001, then in 2009, President Obama signed a policy to override that, and take funding away from faith-based programs. (49:47)
• In Afghanistan, people couldn’t go in to help, but in Ukraine you could drive a bus across the border to do mass evacs. (52:07)
• I’ve been getting a lot of heat like: Why are you going over there to help – the governments is corrupt. None of that matters. These people didn’t ask for any of this. They’re being invaded by a super power. (54:48)
• Glen Beck (Radio Show Host) raised 21 million dollars to support our mission. (72:41)
• The White House said there were 100 Americans left [in Afghanistan] but without debate there were thousands of Americans still there. (75:27)
• You don’t leave Americans behind. The White even promised that they wouldn’t but they did. (76:34)
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