Today we hear the Combat Story of long-time Special Forces veteran, Ranger, and sniper Darrell Utt, who spent 26 years in the service, most of that in special operations across 10 deployments.

Call to Action: For former military, government and law enforcement, if you're looking for a high paying and meaningful job, check out our Trust & Safety Institute at www.trustsafetyinstitute.com.

Darrell tracked down PIFWICs (Persons Indicted for War Crimes) in Kosovo, was part of one of the craziest infils into Iraq you’ll ever hear, used a honeypot to lure out an HVT, developed a devastatingly effective HUMINT network, and led countless kill/capture operations, taking down dozens of HVTs and detaining hundreds of extremists and their leaders.

What’s great about Darrell is that he always put himself in harm's way ahead of troops, which is not always the case. His ODA unit earned the coveted Larry Thorne award which goes to the best Special Forces unit for the work they did during one deployment to Iraq. Darrell himself earned the MG Robert T. Frederick “Top Operator” Award, which goes to the top Special Forces NCO.

Since leaving the service, Darrell has taken on a role helping to build the future of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, which is on a mission to deliver “education, leadership, and inspiring spaces for learning and reflection, to preserve, share, and harness the stories, lives, and impact of Medal of Honor recipients.”

I couldn’t imagine anyone better to represent the stories and lives of our Medal of Honor brethren than Darrell. I hope you enjoy this interview chalked full of creative and gut-wrenching combat stories as much as I did.

Find Darrell Online: 

• National Medal of Honor Museum https://mohmuseum.org/

Find Ryan Online:

• Trust & Safety Institute - Jobs/Careers, News, Training, Policies
• Patreon Community
• Combat Story Merch
• Ryan’s Linktree
• Instagram @combatstory
• Learn more about Ryan
• Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

Show Notes:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:47 - Guest Introduction (Darrell Utt)
• 2:28 – Introducing The Trust & Safety Institute
• 3:17 - Interview begins
• 7:04 – Growing up in West Virginia from humble beginnings
• 13:16 – The significance of Camp Dawson training center in West Virginia
• 17:02 – Wanting to join the Marines and what led him to the Army
• 24:23 – Joining in 1990 as Light Infantry and feeling like he was missing out on Gulf War
• 27:36 – Tracking down PIFWICs (Persons Indicted for War Crimes) in Kosovo
• 39:04 -  The transition into Special Forces ODA
• 42:52 - Combat Story #1 - Operation Ugly Baby in Iraq
• 59:58 - Combat Story #2 - Operation Thor's Hammer
• 1:16:04 - Combat Story #3 - Darrell’s “Happy to Be Alive” day story
• 1:49:30 - Combat Story #4 - Toughest day in Adhamiya ,Iraq in 2006
• 1:56:09 - Combat Story #5 - Carnage and violence in Adhamiya in 2007
• 1:59:49 - His work today with The Medal of Honor Foundation
• 2:07:08 - What did you carry into combat?
• 2:08:37 - Would you do it again?
• 2:11:28 - Help connect those who served with meaningful and great paying jobs after service
• 2:14:08 - Listener comments and shout outs