June 13, 2026 • 14 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Michael Berry Show. It is our Saturday Bonus podcast.
Before we get to that, I get to do this
show because sponsors support us, and because you support our sponsors.
I am always very happy to help connect you with
anyone who provides any service that you might need. And
(00:23):
if I don't have someone in my stable of show
sponsors who does that, then I'll just respond sorry, I
don't have anyone, but nothing lost. If, however, what you're
asking for is you know the name of my trainer
who can train you virtually wherever you are across the country,
and he now does for our listeners. I will personally
connect you and him or any number of other services
(00:46):
our listeners provide, whether that's your wanting to sell gold,
or you're wanting to put your taxes in order, or
your financial advising in order, or you want to you
need some estate planning, whatever that may be. I am
delighted to connect you with my people. It gives me
(01:08):
great joy, it helps their business, and it should provide
you with the person who gives you better service than
you would otherwise get. And that's the goal. When that works,
When that triangle works, then our business model works and
we get to do this and hopefully you enjoy the
process as well. That's important. One reminder, you can always
email me directly. Through the website Michael Berryshow dot com.
(01:30):
You can sign up for our daily Blast. There you'll
see how to follow me on Facebook. I'm pretty active
on Facebook. That's where I put up the personal pictures
and the family stuff if for some reason you want
any of that stuff. I also post some opinions. I'll
post articles that I can't share during the show. And
then we do a weekly a daily Blast that comes
out every day. Now used to come out just weekdays,
(01:50):
but it comes out every day and it's midday. It's free.
We don't share your emails, we don't spam you, we
don't sell your emails, none of that nonsense, never have,
never will. All Right with that, our Saturday Bonus podcast,
You're going to hear the powerful story of a native
Iraqi who risked everything to help America by fighting alongside
(02:15):
our Navy seals after the United States invaded Iraq in
two thousand and three. He goes by the pseudonym Johnny
Walker to protect his identity, but his bravery not only
changed his own destiny, but also secured an unlikely future
for his family in the United States.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
What I what could the Americans? I saved one thousand
Iraqi andcent people. I'm proudly it's my legacy. My name
is Johnny Walker and this is my study. Grew up
in Iraq, north of by that beautiful city, nineteen sixty four.
(02:54):
My real name is riad Ahmed Alahmedi. We are poor
family and we have a masic relationship. I have three brothers.
One died when he is ten years old and another
brother killed by Kaida because he support the Iraqi army.
(03:17):
And they still have only one now and three sisters
who up with a lot of I don't call it violent,
but I call it like kind of trouble maker. Have
my slingshot. Everywhere I go. In my neighbor there is
like tough kids. Like one time they surround me and
(03:37):
another neighbor and they put me in the wall. It's
like assassination wall and they start beating me with slingshot.
It's painful and it has helped me so bad. You
build hostile environment around you everywhere you go. When you
born and raised in a hostile environment, you have to
(04:01):
start to proven yourself and find yourself. My family asked
my cousin, who's playing basketball. It's like, hey, can you
take Johnny. Maybe he can't find himself through the basketball.
When you play basketball in my time in Iraq, you
follow the American dream without you think about it. Because
(04:21):
when you play basketball, you have to watch Harlem team.
From Harlem team, you have to listen to country music
Kenny Roger. And this is kind of establish positive feeling
inside you. And I remember I have my New York
tea shirt, jeans and live the American dream. I build
my own word away from everything. I think. This is
(04:44):
what has saved me and make me who I am
right now by release all the anger through the basketball.
From nineteen seventy, when Iraq started to stayble lize people,
they start have good job and Western life. They start
(05:07):
have open minded for Western culture to come. But after
nineteen eighty and sud Dams and i at Allah when
the war comes in has destroyed everything and gol War
in nineteen ninety one of the beautiful things happened un
as they lead the world to liberate Kuwait, which is
(05:31):
beautiful things. And this is match my personality, kick the
bad guy away to protect the weak and as Ad people.
In two thousand and three, when American they came, I
didn't feel there my enemy. I feel those people they
give us future. That's why I work so hard to
(05:52):
have opportunity work with Americans. I went to the airport,
I help American infantry with my basic English language. I
help him out, and they says, hey, you want to
work with us, Like yeah, So I started working with
the American Military Police as translator and we did a
(06:12):
lot of amazing things. We trained the Iraqi police. I
went to the jail. I stay in the jail undercover,
just to find if there's any corrupt police or judge.
One time we were going after a bad guy, the jackpot.
The jackpot is the target and this is from the
(06:32):
major military police. He says, all the Iraqi police they
can wear white hat. Like I raise my hand. It's like, buddy,
this is stupid. Far'm selling weapon and I saw that
I'm gonna run away. Says no, no, no, you don't know. Okay,
maybe they know something I don't know. I am a translator,
I'm not officer. And the Iraqi police they go to
(06:55):
the coffee shop and they found a big guy inside.
I went with them and I just hear, hey, there's
something weird. White had I think they are untercover cops.
Run run, run. It's not kids situation. I don't have whopping,
I don't have pistol, I don't have anything. And the
guy the jackpot in front of me, and I paunched him,
(07:17):
capt him and I took a taxi and we went
to the police headquarter and I went to the briefing
with the guy the jack pot, and I told, hey,
he's the guy we're looking for. And the major he
is so happy, and he says, we can announce the
a brave soldier Cup and we can promote him to
(07:40):
be an officer. I told him, so, I'm a Cup,
I am translator. So he's kind of surprised. So this
is how build my name on my reputation. And I
think that's how my name came to the sills. The sergeant,
(08:02):
he says, hey, there's unit called seals. They want you
to work with them. I went back home and I
find the big dictionary, so I start opening it to
find what does seal mean? Seal animal c military police.
They pay me one handred, but they told me they
(08:22):
can pay me five hundred. It's like you know what
they pay me five hundreds. I work with Seal, I
work with well, I will voice shark. I don't care.
So I go to work with the Seals, and it's weird.
They have beard. No one call anyone sir on the mission.
We don't have boss. Everyone doing his job and all
(08:42):
of us family. And I think this is why we
have less casualty in any other branch, because each one
of the Seals is leader. One of the things about
Seals community. If you ask me, are you proud when
(09:04):
you work with the Seals, Yeah, it's my legacy. I
feel I did something. Maybe it's not going to happen
in every day. The way how I work with them,
the positive impact we made, the Seal community, how they
impact my life, it's so beautiful. I have at least
thousand mission. I'm proud when I try to protect my
(09:31):
family from struggling by work with Americans. I became traitor.
Things getting worse, like they put my name on the
mask enemy of Islam. For me, I will stay fight
for my country because this is my desire, this is
my passion mission save do the right things. But what
(09:53):
is killing me is my kids. They have no life.
They cannot go to the school, they cannot go anywhere.
While they live in Mossole area, they live with shame,
fake shame because they're dad enemy of Islam and trader.
But if you look at it to the fact I
saved thousand and thousand Iraqi andcent people, but they cannot
(10:16):
says anything about it. My daughter Lina, she saw a
lot of bloody things. It got so dangerous we had
to leave. So my family is the main reason why
I have to move them and we have to find home.
And we find home in the United States or when
(10:40):
we land. First thing I did, I took most stuff
out my son and he's like, I think forty years old.
It's like, let's go. He says, where are we going?
This is my dream to take my son and just
walk in the street like normal, without anyone a thread
in his life. And we walk and we went to
the target and I remember I bought three eggs, large jeans,
(11:02):
T shirt. I never wear it so big, and I
give the money. I just want to feel I'm not dreaming.
This is reality. And when we flew next day to
San Diego, there's seals with uniform in San Diego airport.
They waiting house is so crazy, like you feel somehow
(11:26):
you belong here. Every day. One of the Seals came
to my house JT. He bought me under a court
crisp by electricity Bill and everyone. He do his thing
until like six months I found a job. Why just
living in an estate is the best things happen to me?
(11:47):
I change generation destiny. My daughter Vena, she's so proud.
She moved to the next level of proud of her dad,
from shame to proud. That's so beautiful, Guessie. Through my
kid's eize. Hope is everything. Hope is why we make
(12:08):
us survive on face any struggle in our life. I
know there is a lot of obstacle we're facing now.
People they start losing hope in this country, but we
need to work our self help to protect that hope.
We are in the best country. They'll enjoy the freedom.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
If you like the Michael Berry Show and podcast, please
tell one friend and if you're so inclined, write a
nice review of our podcast. Comments, suggestions, questions, and interest
in being a corporate sponsor and partner can be communicated
directly to the show at our email address, Michael at
(12:50):
Michael Berryshow dot com or simply by clicking on our website,
Michael Berryshow dot com. The Michael Berry Show and Podcast
is produced by Ramon Roeblis, The King of Ding. Executive
producer is Chad Nakanishi. Jim Mudd is the creative director.
(13:15):
Voices Jingles, Tomfoolery and Shenanigans are provided by Chance MacLean.
Director of Research is Sandy Peterson. Emily Bull is our
assistant listener and super fan. Contributions are appreciated and often
incorporated into our production. Where possible, we give credit. Where not,
(13:38):
we take all the credit for ourselves. God bless the
memory of Rush Limbaugh. Long live Elvis, be a simple
man like Leonard Skinnard told you, and God bless America. Finally,
if you know a veteran suffering from PTSD, call Camp
Hope at eight seven seven seven one seven p t
(14:02):
s D and a combat veteran will answer the phone
to provide free counseling.
The Michael Berry Show. It is our Saturday Bonus podcast.
Before we get to that, I get to do this
show because sponsors support us, and because you support our sponsors.
I am always very happy to help connect you with
anyone who provides any service that you might need. And
(00:23):
if I don't have someone in my stable of show
sponsors who does that, then I'll just respond sorry, I
don't have anyone, but nothing lost. If, however, what you're
asking for is you know the name of my trainer
who can train you virtually wherever you are across the country,
and he now does for our listeners. I will personally
connect you and him or any number of other services
(00:46):
our listeners provide, whether that's your wanting to sell gold,
or you're wanting to put your taxes in order, or
your financial advising in order, or you want to you
need some estate planning, whatever that may be. I am
delighted to connect you with my people. It gives me
(01:08):
great joy, it helps their business, and it should provide
you with the person who gives you better service than
you would otherwise get. And that's the goal. When that works,
When that triangle works, then our business model works and
we get to do this and hopefully you enjoy the
process as well. That's important. One reminder, you can always
email me directly. Through the website Michael Berryshow dot com.
(01:30):
You can sign up for our daily Blast. There you'll
see how to follow me on Facebook. I'm pretty active
on Facebook. That's where I put up the personal pictures
and the family stuff if for some reason you want
any of that stuff. I also post some opinions. I'll
post articles that I can't share during the show. And
then we do a weekly a daily Blast that comes
out every day. Now used to come out just weekdays,
(01:50):
but it comes out every day and it's midday. It's free.
We don't share your emails, we don't spam you, we
don't sell your emails, none of that nonsense, never have,
never will. All Right with that, our Saturday Bonus podcast,
You're going to hear the powerful story of a native
Iraqi who risked everything to help America by fighting alongside
(02:15):
our Navy seals after the United States invaded Iraq in
two thousand and three. He goes by the pseudonym Johnny
Walker to protect his identity, but his bravery not only
changed his own destiny, but also secured an unlikely future
for his family in the United States.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
What I what could the Americans? I saved one thousand
Iraqi andcent people. I'm proudly it's my legacy. My name
is Johnny Walker and this is my study. Grew up
in Iraq, north of by that beautiful city, nineteen sixty four.
(02:54):
My real name is riad Ahmed Alahmedi. We are poor
family and we have a masic relationship. I have three brothers.
One died when he is ten years old and another
brother killed by Kaida because he support the Iraqi army.
(03:17):
And they still have only one now and three sisters
who up with a lot of I don't call it violent,
but I call it like kind of trouble maker. Have
my slingshot. Everywhere I go. In my neighbor there is
like tough kids. Like one time they surround me and
(03:37):
another neighbor and they put me in the wall. It's
like assassination wall and they start beating me with slingshot.
It's painful and it has helped me so bad. You
build hostile environment around you everywhere you go. When you
born and raised in a hostile environment, you have to
(04:01):
start to proven yourself and find yourself. My family asked
my cousin, who's playing basketball. It's like, hey, can you
take Johnny. Maybe he can't find himself through the basketball.
When you play basketball in my time in Iraq, you
follow the American dream without you think about it. Because
(04:21):
when you play basketball, you have to watch Harlem team.
From Harlem team, you have to listen to country music
Kenny Roger. And this is kind of establish positive feeling
inside you. And I remember I have my New York
tea shirt, jeans and live the American dream. I build
my own word away from everything. I think. This is
(04:44):
what has saved me and make me who I am
right now by release all the anger through the basketball.
From nineteen seventy, when Iraq started to stayble lize people,
they start have good job and Western life. They start
(05:07):
have open minded for Western culture to come. But after
nineteen eighty and sud Dams and i at Allah when
the war comes in has destroyed everything and gol War
in nineteen ninety one of the beautiful things happened un
as they lead the world to liberate Kuwait, which is
(05:31):
beautiful things. And this is match my personality, kick the
bad guy away to protect the weak and as Ad people.
In two thousand and three, when American they came, I
didn't feel there my enemy. I feel those people they
give us future. That's why I work so hard to
(05:52):
have opportunity work with Americans. I went to the airport,
I help American infantry with my basic English language. I
help him out, and they says, hey, you want to
work with us, Like yeah, So I started working with
the American Military Police as translator and we did a
(06:12):
lot of amazing things. We trained the Iraqi police. I
went to the jail. I stay in the jail undercover,
just to find if there's any corrupt police or judge.
One time we were going after a bad guy, the jackpot.
The jackpot is the target and this is from the
(06:32):
major military police. He says, all the Iraqi police they
can wear white hat. Like I raise my hand. It's like, buddy,
this is stupid. Far'm selling weapon and I saw that
I'm gonna run away. Says no, no, no, you don't know. Okay,
maybe they know something I don't know. I am a translator,
I'm not officer. And the Iraqi police they go to
(06:55):
the coffee shop and they found a big guy inside.
I went with them and I just hear, hey, there's
something weird. White had I think they are untercover cops.
Run run, run. It's not kids situation. I don't have whopping,
I don't have pistol, I don't have anything. And the
guy the jackpot in front of me, and I paunched him,
(07:17):
capt him and I took a taxi and we went
to the police headquarter and I went to the briefing
with the guy the jack pot, and I told, hey,
he's the guy we're looking for. And the major he
is so happy, and he says, we can announce the
a brave soldier Cup and we can promote him to
(07:40):
be an officer. I told him, so, I'm a Cup,
I am translator. So he's kind of surprised. So this
is how build my name on my reputation. And I
think that's how my name came to the sills. The sergeant,
(08:02):
he says, hey, there's unit called seals. They want you
to work with them. I went back home and I
find the big dictionary, so I start opening it to
find what does seal mean? Seal animal c military police.
They pay me one handred, but they told me they
(08:22):
can pay me five hundred. It's like you know what
they pay me five hundreds. I work with Seal, I
work with well, I will voice shark. I don't care.
So I go to work with the Seals, and it's weird.
They have beard. No one call anyone sir on the mission.
We don't have boss. Everyone doing his job and all
(08:42):
of us family. And I think this is why we
have less casualty in any other branch, because each one
of the Seals is leader. One of the things about
Seals community. If you ask me, are you proud when
(09:04):
you work with the Seals, Yeah, it's my legacy. I
feel I did something. Maybe it's not going to happen
in every day. The way how I work with them,
the positive impact we made, the Seal community, how they
impact my life, it's so beautiful. I have at least
thousand mission. I'm proud when I try to protect my
(09:31):
family from struggling by work with Americans. I became traitor.
Things getting worse, like they put my name on the
mask enemy of Islam. For me, I will stay fight
for my country because this is my desire, this is
my passion mission save do the right things. But what
(09:53):
is killing me is my kids. They have no life.
They cannot go to the school, they cannot go anywhere.
While they live in Mossole area, they live with shame,
fake shame because they're dad enemy of Islam and trader.
But if you look at it to the fact I
saved thousand and thousand Iraqi andcent people, but they cannot
(10:16):
says anything about it. My daughter Lina, she saw a
lot of bloody things. It got so dangerous we had
to leave. So my family is the main reason why
I have to move them and we have to find home.
And we find home in the United States or when
(10:40):
we land. First thing I did, I took most stuff
out my son and he's like, I think forty years old.
It's like, let's go. He says, where are we going?
This is my dream to take my son and just
walk in the street like normal, without anyone a thread
in his life. And we walk and we went to
the target and I remember I bought three eggs, large jeans,
(11:02):
T shirt. I never wear it so big, and I
give the money. I just want to feel I'm not dreaming.
This is reality. And when we flew next day to
San Diego, there's seals with uniform in San Diego airport.
They waiting house is so crazy, like you feel somehow
(11:26):
you belong here. Every day. One of the Seals came
to my house JT. He bought me under a court
crisp by electricity Bill and everyone. He do his thing
until like six months I found a job. Why just
living in an estate is the best things happen to me?
(11:47):
I change generation destiny. My daughter Vena, she's so proud.
She moved to the next level of proud of her dad,
from shame to proud. That's so beautiful, Guessie. Through my
kid's eize. Hope is everything. Hope is why we make
(12:08):
us survive on face any struggle in our life. I
know there is a lot of obstacle we're facing now.
People they start losing hope in this country, but we
need to work our self help to protect that hope.
We are in the best country. They'll enjoy the freedom.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
If you like the Michael Berry Show and podcast, please
tell one friend and if you're so inclined, write a
nice review of our podcast. Comments, suggestions, questions, and interest
in being a corporate sponsor and partner can be communicated
directly to the show at our email address, Michael at
(12:50):
Michael Berryshow dot com or simply by clicking on our website,
Michael Berryshow dot com. The Michael Berry Show and Podcast
is produced by Ramon Roeblis, The King of Ding. Executive
producer is Chad Nakanishi. Jim Mudd is the creative director.
(13:15):
Voices Jingles, Tomfoolery and Shenanigans are provided by Chance MacLean.
Director of Research is Sandy Peterson. Emily Bull is our
assistant listener and super fan. Contributions are appreciated and often
incorporated into our production. Where possible, we give credit. Where not,
(13:38):
we take all the credit for ourselves. God bless the
memory of Rush Limbaugh. Long live Elvis, be a simple
man like Leonard Skinnard told you, and God bless America. Finally,
if you know a veteran suffering from PTSD, call Camp
Hope at eight seven seven seven one seven p t
(14:02):
s D and a combat veteran will answer the phone
to provide free counseling.
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