#012 - When #endurance makes the difference between life and death - Mike Scotti former US #marine

“There are certain folks who are just born with what I like to call a worrier DNA. That is who they are, whether they are a protector or a fighter, but it doesn’t mean that you’re bloodthirsty or that you hope for war”, says today’s guest of the Endurance Cartel.

 

Mike Scotti joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves while still an undergraduate at the University of Miami, Florida. After graduation, Scotti attended the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and served four years on active duty as an artillery officer and platoon commander in the First Marine Division. He was among the first American troops into both Pakistan and Afghanistan in the Fall of 2001 and was deployed to Iraq in early 2003. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat “V” for actions under fire and then was honorably discharged.

 

But, his fighting days were not over yet, as he found himself struggling to survive his post-war darkness. He found solace in helping others get through their own traumas, and while he was attending NYU Stern, Mike founded the Military Veterans Club. Later on, he was a founding Board of Directors member for the military charity Reserve Aid, which has raised over $5 million and assisted over 4,000 veteran families in need.

 

In hopes of letting go of the past, he decided that the best thing to do is to openly talk about his experiences. He co-produced and starred in the award-winning documentary Severe Clear, using his personal combat footage to chronicle his time in Iraq, and wrote The Blue Cascade: A Memoir of Life after War.

 

Join Javier Pineda on this new episode, and listen to Mike's story of surviving the real battle, the one raging inside.

 

 

In today’s episode:

 

(01:14) Meet today’s guest, Mike Scotti, author, filmmaker, speaker, philanthropist, and U.S. Marine veteran;

(02:38) Joining the Marines and getting the sense of belonging to something bigger than himself;

(07:09) When 9/11 happened he was among the first American troops in both Pakistan and Afghanistan; that’s when he shot the footage that later on was used in Severe Clear- a documentary that explores the Marine drive to Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq;

(18:09) There’s no place for doubts and fear when you’re a Marine- the realities of training for combat and people he would lay down his life for ;

(39:25) Finding the right outlet to help him let go of the past, and helping other veterans face their demons and talk about what they've gone through;

(48:12) The real endurance test- staying focused when knowing that he was responsible for everyone around him going home alive;

(54:51) His father- the man that set the standard in going the extra mile to help others;

(01:01:18) Mike’s advice- “Look back through your life and understand that sense of perspective, understand the current problems through that lens, and harness the power of discipline”;

(01:03:39) Working on releasing a new book and a tv/ streaming series called "Tailspin Finland";

(01:08:53) Are TV shows trying to depict boot camps and endurance training a hoax?  

(01:13:18) True family and brotherhood and mottos that marines live by “Esprit de corps” & “Never Above You, Never Below You, Always Beside You”.

 

 

Quotes:

 

“You train how you fight and you learn your lessons very quickly(...) (Marines) train over and over and over again with live fire, with marines who are their brothers and sisters, who they love. (...) That’s one of the reasons why the marine corps are absolutely vicious in combat.”

 

“You’re not thinking about politics when you’re there. When the bullets are flying, you think about winning the battle which means neutralizing or destroying and killing the enemy shooting at you.”

 

“A good leader leads from the front, a good leader walks the lines and meets the men, no matter where it is.”

 

“For me, the will to fight and do all these other things just comes from a love for fellow veterans. It first started with seeing young marines and young soldiers coming back from the war, and there was that little bit of an echo. There’s a whole generation of young marines and soldiers who have seen sustained combat that need to talk about it.”

 

“She died violently. She was at work (...) young, in her 20’s, living her life,