Two Hours Uphill Under Fire | Josh Walker & Chris Cunningham | Ep. 471

Josh Walker spent 24 years in uniform. He started as a young team leader in 1st Ranger Battalion, left for Florida State and ROTC, then came back as a signal officer and went on to serve in 7th and 3rd Special Forces Groups, logging close to three years in Afghanistan. Chris Cunningham was working as a chef in Vermont when his brother told him not to sign anything that didn't say Ranger. He listened, and served 22 and a half years. In March 2002, both were part of the Ranger quick reaction force sent to Takur Ghar. Neither had been in a firefight. Josh's helicopter, Razor 01, was supposedly headed to a refueling point. It was shot down on the mountaintop instead. Chris's element on Razor 02 landed below and climbed for more than two hours through deep snow, under mortar fire, to reach them. They walk me through the assault on the bunkers, a Hellfire that had to prove itself before anyone trusted it, the wait for exfil, and washing a friend's blood off his rifle before the younger Rangers got back to camp. I also asked why Rangers so rarely tell these stories and about the importance of people knowing the names of those that didn't come home. Today's Sponsors: Mars Men: For a limited time, listeners get 50% off for life plus Free Shipping AND 3 Free Gifts at https://www.Mengotomars.com Surefire: https://www.surefire.com/ Timestamps: 0:00 First combat experience in Operation Anaconda 1:37 Ranger Regiment’s legacy and reunion 6:05 Why veterans avoid reliving the battle 7:46 Chalks mobilize for a missing soldier 12:48 Sponsor: Mars Men 14:23 Flight diverts toward the mountaintop 22:34 Chalk 2 lands and climbs to the fight 39:23 Linking up and assaulting the ridgeline 56:22 Expanding the perimeter and moving casualties 1:10:30 Sponsor: SureFire 1:12:40 Evacuation delays and Jason Cunningham’s loss 1:24:56 Returning to Bagram and after-action review 1:28:11 Training and readiness before Anaconda 1:33:52 Long careers and processing trauma 1:47:55 Ranger legacy, public stories, and unit unity 2:08:54 Awards, recognition, and an imperfect system 2:14:20 Final reflections on honoring the Rangers