Part 4 of my Interview with Sgt. First Class Brian Eisch
Father, Soldier, Son - Netflix Documentary
Brian’s three critical pieces of advice that can help our veterans transition back home.
1. FIND AN IDENTITY 2.FIND PURPOSE 3. DO SOMETHING YOU LOVE
Douglas
Anybody else been really inspirational to you and helpful to you since you've been back?
Brian:
I have a couple of friends that, now that I've reconnected with Jared Gripe, my medic that saved my life. I think he's helped a lot.
Douglas:
Do you still talk to your unit?
Brian:
Talk to my unit?
Douglas:
The guys you served with, sorry.
Brian:
Not really, no. Not a lot of them. Some of them have reached out, I reached out to some of them. Well, the unit, the platoon I took over, I took over mid-tour. So I was a heavy weapons platoon Sergeant. I had 18 misfits and I call them misfits because when I got to Fort Drum, that platoon was just created and I said, give me three or four soldiers from each platoon to create this fourth platoon. And they weren't exactly going to give me their stars. So, I called them the band of misfits and they were probably the best 18 soldiers I've ever had in my life because they're just a bunch of misfits.
But we were close and tight and I loved Delta company, fourth platoon. They were awesome.
But mid-tour, I was told I was taking over the scout platoon because I had a ranger tab and it was a mess. There was, I don't want to throw anybody under the bus, but it wasn't the best situation to be in, especially in the middle of a deployment. I'm close with some of the, most of them.
Douglas:
What do you feel about the pulling out of Afghanistan right now?
Brian:
I had an elder in Afghanistan tell me what would happen when we pulled out. Same thing that happened when the Soviets pulled out. He said, put your machine gun there not here because they're going to attack from here, and oh, by the way, when you leave in three or four days,
I'll support you until then but when you leave, I'm going to have to support them or they're going to kill me.
So when we left, I tried giving them 50 of their money, I tried giving them Afghan money and it was $50 worth of our money out of my own pocket and he's like, no, no, no, no, no, no.
That was enough money, that was more money than he made in an entire year. And he refused to take it because he said that if they came and searched his house and found that he was dead because he knew that they know where it came from. So they just live such a simple life. That they're just surviving and they're going to go back to surviving unless, if we can teach them annotation and plumbing, oh my God, that country would be gorgeous. But when , I know why they're wearing man dresses, they just walked down the middle of street and boost through their business and move on. It's a very nomadic country and it could be so much better.
Douglas:
All I care about is that you guys are given a voice and are respected and are appreciated for the service.
But we'd been there, I came out of the North Tower during 911. And so, I don't know if my son will serve or not, but I definitely don't want him going to Afghanistan in some conflict that happened 30 years ago. It seems kind of crazy how long we've been over there. We've been there for so long, that at some point...
Brian:
At some point, they need to take care of themselves. Our mission, I was part of Obama's surge. Our mission was to train the Afghan police to take charge of their own area. But you can't just say, oh, okay, we're leaving. but, you ever tried to get an Afghan to do a jumping jack? I'm not saying they're dumb, but you the education isn't there. I think it's more than we could do. I don't know. And there's so much corruption over there. I had so many police chiefs go. You give me a bottle of whiskey, I'll tell you where all the Taliban commanders are. And I'm like, you, you can't, oh yeah, we can, it's okay, it's okay. And it's just wow, wow.
Douglas:
I'm sure I can trust your Intel. I'm sure it's good Intel.
Brian:
Yeah. So...
Douglas:
I don't know what that answer I, I don't know. And I'm sure you have a very different response to it, but I just, at some point, I've had conversations with other guys, guys from Iraq and Afghanistan. Yeah. I'm just like,
I mean at some point we have to come home, don't we? At some point we have, I mean we got to come home.
Brian:
The people with a lot more authority and pay than I get are going to make that decision. Unfortunately or fortunately, however, you want to look at it.
Douglas:
I've heard and I understand that argument, what you're saying. I understand that. And that's a fair argument. As a nation, we just, we spent so much money training you guys to go over there and which I'm fine, completely fine with.
I just think we also need to spend the same amount of money for you guys coming back home. And I wish the nation would do more of that as well.
Brian:
Yes. For those that need it and want it, not for those that want it for free.
Douglas:
Yeah. No, but you know you can't punish 90% because 10% are going to take advantage of the system, right?
Brian:
Yeah. There's just a lot taken advantage of. I think it ruins the model of what it's intended for. I know of a couple of service members right now that were, that are injured from non-combat related stuff and have service dogs. Now, am I questioning whether they need the service dog or not? No. But what's society's perception of them with the service dogs. That they needed it from something in combat.
Douglas:
So if you had a magic wand, what would you do Brian? If you could snap your fingers and say, I want, this is going to be like this and this is going to be like this, what would you do?
Brian:
Just people be honest with themselves, be who you are. Don't be somebody you're not. Be who you are. Be honest with yourself.
Douglas:
Is there anything tangible, you could do? You would say, we're going to take away that, we're going to add that or add that.
Brian:
This whole gender thing needs to go away. Is that what we're talking about?
Douglas:
I don't know. It could be. If you could fix something, what would it be?
Brian:
And the only reason I bring up this gender equality, not gender equality, but the whole, what was it? Nonbinary. Is that what it's called? All of these fictional weirdo stuff needs to go away. And that goes to where we're below, we're below the base standard. We have to be standard. That kind of stuff I want to go away.
Douglas:
Yeah. I don't know where that comes from, man. I mean everything that I thought was you couldn't change, like being a guy or a girl in the bathroom now it's like, it's being changed. I'm like, ooh, well, when did that happen?
Brian:
It's just, you open so many more can of worms.
Douglas:
I think I learned recently that the Seals now have the term binary in their manual. It's infected the military all the way up into the seals. I think there was a Navy Seal on Rogan's podcast I heard about it. And I was like, you got to be kidding me, man, into the seals. If it's gone all the way up into the Navy Seals, who is the guy in the Navy who does that, writes that stuff, or makes those decisions within the Seals Team.
Brian:
I said storytime.
So in 2008, I was an ROTC instructor and I was told by master Sergeant Herpes that I was going to the NCO of the year competition. And I'm like, I'm 30 pounds overweight, what do you mean I'm going to the NCO of the year competition? So anyway, I started training, and apparently, I was pretty good at him cause I won five in a row. And it's Western region cadet command, I won Cadet Command, then I went to Assertion's Command, Tradoc, I missed one somewhere. But anyway, I go to all the army competitions. So I'm one of them, on paper, one of the top 10 NCOs in the military competing for this NCO of the year competition. And this is 2008. So I get in, I walk, this is the most.
Was an eight. So I get in, I walk, this is the most nervous I've ever been in my military career. I opened these double doors and I am standing in front of the Sergeant major of the army and six division Sergeant majors. Like that's a lot of testosterone in one building or in one room. And I was like, you know, what is this?
I'm like, I know, but I'm so nervous right now. I can tell you, I was just blatantly honest, but one of the questions they asked us, wasn't on the board. It was at, at like a forum. We had a community gathering and they asked me it was an interview session. And they asked me what I thought about females in the military. And this is way before females were even allowed in the infantry. But I said, well, if they were in the infantry, I said, and I was their NCO. And I had a male soldier and a female soldier. And they were both in combat and they both get shot in the same leg at the same time at the exact same spot. Who am I treating first?
I'm going to treat the female. Cause it's human fricking nature. At least I, in my opinion, I'm going to help them.
Douglas:
Yeah, absolutely. For a man or, or the person who's.
Brian:
Is that a problem?
Douglas:
Not for the person who's more injured.
Brian:
Well, that's why I said if they were injured exactly the same at the same time, you know, I would help the female first, no question about it. Because that's my male nature. So if you have females in the infantry, the reason I feel there's a problem with females in the infantry, do I think there are bad-ass females out there? Absolutely. I've been owned by a female. I had a female that beat me in wrestling. I had a female that could run faster than me. That could run better than me. You know, they're there. I don't think the percentage is the same male to female, but we're going to cater to the females more than we cater to the males every time, just because it’s human nature.
Douglas:
Yeah. I mean, that's, I could probably agree with you. I mean, I've talked to some females vets because I'm trying to incorporate a female veteran into my play. After my play, I always get a question why don't you do a female combat vet? The main reason why is because when I created the play, you know, female stories weren't really being talked about, even though America has a long history of females fighting in every single conflict, even going on back to the revolution,
Brian:
Even the Russians.
Douglas:
But so anyway, I've been interviewing some female vets and yeah, they all say they, some of them were pretty badass. I mean, they are so interesting. They all the one common theme with them is they feel like they're not deserving, which is really interesting. All Of them, I talked to, I think Colonel, a Bronze Star, A Purple Heart. It was just really interesting hearing the same common theme that they all feel like they're not deserving.
Brian:
If they don't change the standard and they can do it, I'm all for it.
Douglas:
Yeah. And that's why I bring them up. Cause they all said what they don't want. if a guy's got to do 25, push-ups, the girl's got to do 25 pushups. If a guy's got to do 25 pull-ups the girls got to do 25 bullets.
Women don't want the standards changed. They want to be able to meet the same men's standards.
Yeah, I think it's, I think we're almost wrapping up here.
One last question is, is there anything that I didn't touch upon that I didn't say that you would want to share?
Brian
I don't think so. Just, I mean, we touched on it a little bit. I mean, the United States was created from a war.
I don't think Wars going away. I don't think freedom is free. I think, you know, there's too many Americans are thinking, Oh, he'll do it. You know, like just if more Americans would do their part and what that part is, I can't answer that. It does not have to be the military though.
Freedom to me is a strong military.
Douglas:
A strong military. I always wonder, like, how is war going to change in the modern world? You know? I mean, you know, going through the World War II museum, you know, those days are long gone.
Brian:
It already has. It's changing. It's more computer-based.
Douglas:
Yeah. So like, what is the, but I mean, are we going to need a soldier or are we going to need some guy from Facebook to work for the military?
Brian:
Good point. But I guarantee you they've already thought of that. You already have it. You've got the drone operators, you know, these drone operators sitting behind a computer desk at Joe Schmo, the military base is going to get a bronze star for Valor someday or a silver star or the medal of honor.
And he never once was near blood or mud.
Douglas:
I've never heard of that. Never near blood or mud. Wow. That's a powerful statement. Do you, do you think we'll ever lose the need for boots on the ground?
Brian:
My first active line unit, you know, like new stuff, unit was long-range surveillance, and most of them are disbanded now, because of drones. So long-range surveillance, modern-day long-range surveillance, what would we do? We would go watch an intersection for three or four days completely on hidden. If we came into contact with the enemy we're out of there, we exhale immediately. We break contact and go, you know, we watch a high-value target. We, you know, it's all snooping and pooping. They're all disbanded because drones came about. So do, is the ground soldier going to go away? Probably.
I don't know. I think maybe they may go away with their boots on the ground, but they might be in a machine's boots,
Douglas:
Going through World War II Museum. You look at that and you think, we're getting so close to an AI World now that I just don't know.
Brian:
Or is that already being conducted over a computer?
Douglas:
Yeah. Well, yeah. I guess at some point if you take over a piece of land and you're going to need somebody on the ground there to control it, but maybe you don't. So you can freaking watch it from the sky now with cameras. So you don't really need it anymore.
Brian:
Look at most cities, if you run a red light. A week later, there's your bright smiley face on a ticket.
Douglas:
Yeah, I know. In New Hampshire, I was coming from a show and the cop who pulled me over. II never saw him. He was in front of me. He was in front of me and he pulled to the side and then he pulled behind me and pulled me over. And I said, and I mean, I was, I was speeding. And I said, “ Oh, I was told by the drone above you.”
And I said, well, that's kind of like shooting fish out of a barrel. Isn't it? He says, kind of. And I said, well, that sucks. He laughed. But what happens to when you had be stuck in a tree somewhere, gunning me down, you know?
Brian:
Now they have cameras on the back of the squad cars that face at different angles.
Douglas:
I haven't noticed them.
Brian:
You're driving any past top car, look, they have two cameras that are angled. Like at the daylights, those are actually license plate readers. It'll pop up. Whether they're current or not. Yeah. But I, at the DMV, I had a state trooper asked me why I wasn't getting purple heart plates. And I said, why should he goes, I'll never pull you over. So Brian now has purple heart plates. And I call him, I get, I might get out of jail free card.
Douglas:
Why would you not put on purple heart plates on your car?
Brian:
I don't know. I just wanted to feel normal, but I'm a decal junkie. I got stickers all over my truck.
Douglas:
Okay
Brian:
I have a mobile DD, two 14.
Douglas:
What does that mean?
Brian:
My military record. I put a lot of my military crap on my truck.
Douglas:
They know you, they know you're military?
Brian:
I guess. I don't know why I do it.
Douglas:
I think you should put a purple heart on there.
Brian:
I got a purple heart license plate.
Douglas:
You Do?
Brian:
Yeah.
Douglas:
Good. I think you, I think you've earned that brother.
Brian:
I can literally go as fast as I want past Wisconsin cops. They just waived. I get the rental. I'm like, oops. I need to slow down.
Douglas:
Anything you've read recently or, or listened to that really was inspiring or watch.
Brian:
Inspiring?
Douglas:
Yeah.
Brian:
Yes, I actually on the airplane, back from Seattle, I watched Harriet Tubman.
Douglas:
Harriet Tubman. I don't know what that is.
Brian:
It's the movie about the underground railroad area? Devon slave, escaping the South.
Douglas:
Oh.
Brian:
That was motivating For me, I was like, she's a badass.
Douglas:
Yeah. I know. I used to work out with her at my gym. Really nice. She was really nice. In fact, one of my father passed away. The day he passed away, she was working out in the gym and she noticed that I was down. She asks me, Are you okay?
I said, just lost my dad and so I'm just trying to process it all. She goes, I could tell something was wrong. And she gave me a hug and, and she was really sweet. She was really nice.
Why don't you go ahead and mention your two organizations?
Brian:
Oh, I just was advised to create a website. So it’s www.msgbrianeisch.com. And on that site, I'm trying to get into the public speaking thing. But on there, there's Joey's big heart fund. Joey’s Big Heart Fund
And what that is we've been doing it out of our own pocket for five years. Joey was a very good teammate on his low youth wrestling team. And he's had a big heart, always cared about his other buddy wrestlers, but Joey was not a good wrestler. He was three and 33 the year he died. So we created the big heart fund to help keep that going because it got expensive. But basically every year, the Sandy Creek youth wrestling program picks a wrestler on their team that most exemplifies Joey, meaning he's got to be a team player.
He's got to help out the team. He's got to be cheering on his teammates, but he just doesn't win all the time. And it's not a participation trophy because he's working for it. And then he gets $300 worth of personalized wrestling gear. And then we mirrored that program with the Luxembourg Casco, Wisconsin, youth wrestling. So we're doing it here because Joey or Joey's little brother Jackson is going to wrestle for Luxembourg Casco. So I asked him if we can do that award here as well, just my way of honoring Joey and trying to help out
Douglas:
Those funds, go to the kids to help them wrestle and or are give them gear for wrestling, right?
Brian:
Yep, Absolutely. And then we have, Brian's pay it forward fund. Pay it Forward Fund I wanted to create a fund that I could pay it forward. My son was killed crossing a highway going through it. And there's parking on one side, but not one on the other side. So I want to build a park. I want to have the town donate a lot. And then I want to pay for the park. Those are the kids on this side of the highway. Don't have to cross the highway to go to the park. So to do stuff like that. So I want to, I created the pay it forward funds to hopefully...
Douglas
So that paid for, to help create the park on the other side of the road?
Brian:
And the other stuff, whatever the committee decides. I'm not a very intelligent person. I was an infantryman. I'm not saying that infantrymen. are not smart, but accounting and math, I was not good at. So we umbrella under the Greater Green Bay foundation. So they are managing the funds for us for a very small fee. And they have their committee and board that approves or denies everything.
Absolutely awesome organization.
Douglas:
Yeah. Well, this was great, man. I'm also going to try to re I'm going to reach out to some people and see if we can get us on stage together. Cause I think your story and my story together, it'd be really interesting to see if we can share it.
Brian:
Yeah.I think there's something.
Douglas:
Well listen, this has been an absolute privilege and it's been an honor, man. And I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me and I'm just going to wrap this up. I'm going to share all this stuff.
Brian:
Thank you very much for having me.
Douglas:
All right.
Father, Soldier, Son - Netflix Documentary
Brian’s three critical pieces of advice that can help our veterans transition back home.
