The Wolves of Helmand | Marine Civil Affairs in Afghanistan | Author | Frank “Gus” Biggio
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- Опубліковано 22 лип 2024
- Today we hear our first Combat Story from a former Marine Corps Infantry Officer turned Civil Affairs Officer Frank “Gus” Biggio. Gus has a very unusual history in that he served his initial five years in the Marine Corps pre-9/11 and then got out to begin a very promising and successful career as an attorney.
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In the years following 9/11, however, Gus felt the need to return to service and support the war effort. So rather than hold onto a profitable and cushy corporate career, Gus did what many of dream of doing and went back in.
He deployed in 2009 as a Civil Affairs officer which you can think of as a local mayor or governor of a particular area - in his case Nawa - where he settled local disputes, funded development efforts, compensated families for losses as a result of the war and far more. This required significant time outside the wire and in harm's way.
Do not be fooled into thinking that this is an administrative role. I spoke to now Sergeant Major David Wilson who led the patrols that protected Gus as he moved around the battlespace and he confirmed that it was anything but quiet and that Gus shifted the balance of power locally, driving significant counterinsurgency wins.
Gus chronicled his experience and the service of his fellow Marines in the book ‘The Wolves of Helmand: A View from Inside the Den of Modern War’ (which is a great read) and is now directing proceeds to a charitable cause supporting efforts in Ukraine.
This is a wide-ranging discussion with the laughs, heartache and nostalgia of someone who gave up everything (including missing the birth of his second child) to be downrange with his fellow Marines and I hope you enjoy his Combat Story as much as I did.
#marines #veteran #helmand #army
Find Gus Online:
The Wolves of Helmand website wolvesofhelmand.com/
Show Notes:
0:00 - Intro
0:34 - Guest Introduction (Frank “Gus” Biggio)
2:43 - Interview begins
5:31 - Growing up, military family, and being a hell raiser
7:04 - Why Marines and the influential people at that time
15:04 - Feeling like he's missing his big war, about Marines, and choosing to walk away
17:45 - Successful career as a civilian and the impact of 9/11
21:30 - Choosing to go back into the Marines in Civil Affairs unit
30:56 - What Civil Affairs is and the mission set
33:22 - Context for Operation Khanjar a.k.a. Operation Strike of the Sword
39:25 - Combat Story - first kinetic engagement in Afghanistan as a passenger in a helicopter
43:35 - Combat Story - first outside the wire engagement on the ground getting shot at including with RPG
52:18 - The conversations leaving law firm to go to Afghanistan
55:23 - Why he kept a journal
57:03 -Civil Affairs operations and how he sees his role supporting the Battalion
1:02:09 - Story of settling a land dispute local farmers
1:05:53 - Using a Polaroid camera as an icebreaker in Afghanistan
1:09:04 - Funny and surreal story of getting paid in watermelons
1:14:09 - Story of a moral failure and how it changed his approach to future engagements
1:23:52 - Still wanting to do more after leaving a second time
1:34:56 - Story of where the name of the book ‘The Wolves of Helmand” comes from
1:38:46 - What did you carry into combat?
1:42:20 - Would you do it again?
1:46:48 - Listener comments and shout outs
This video covers the following subjects:
- US Marine Corps
- Marine Corps Infantry & Civil Affairs
- The Wolves of Helmand
- Frank “Gus” Biggio
Frank (“Gus”) Biggio served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from mid-1993 until December 1997 after graduating from Denison University. He then returned to his native Ohio where he earned a law degree from Case Western Reserve University, then worked in jobs in finance and law in New York City and Washington, DC, picking up a degree from Georgetown University along the way. Nearly ten years after first leaving the service, he rejoined the Marine Corps in October 2007. With his country at war, the same itch that drove him to volunteer in the 1990s drove his desire to serve again. His writing about the military and politics has appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Washington Post, Weekly Standard, and the online journal, War on the Rocks. The Wolves of Helmand is his first book. Through his work, he spends his time between Switzerland and Washington, DC, but has always called Ohio home.
If you would like to learn more about Civil Affairs Officer, Frank “Gus” Biggio I suggest you look into our various other video clips: / @combatstory
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Absolutly loving the Marine episodes keep it up
This is an underrated channel. This particular episode was really good
All the badass secret squirrel guys are awesome. I love their stories. If I could sit down to coffee for a few hours with anyone from the show, it might very well be this guy. At this point in my life I'm trying to gain as much usable knowledge, wisdom, leadership, and pragmatic thinking as I can and this fella oozes all of it.
Great interview!
Appreciate Mr.Gus sharing his story!
Thank you.
Great episode. Awesome to hear these stories. 😂 loving the wolves of Hellmund story.
Yeah epic podcast man. you just continue to do a great job. we went to help those Marines out in 2009 for the surge down there in the Helmand Province. man it was the f****** wild west. it was crazy. we were going out every night. But it was an absolute joy to work with those Marines. They were just funny as hell. We would go out at night hit a Target. We have a whole bunch of detainees. So we call the Marines to come in and pick them up so you'd see these marines with their hats on Sideways John Wayne in their helmets with their chin straps off smoking cigarettes sun's coming up and they're just walking through these fields that have got IEDs and s*** everywhere. I remember one of the Marine Sergeants looked at us and was like what y'all Halo in here or some s***. I just started dying laughing man you'd look at him and go and there's IEDs all through those fields y'all just walked through and they're like whatever dude. RLTW 3/75
I was in 1/6 and everyone we ran into was cool as hell idk what they were delta or contractors or marsoc they walked up to our fob we were like hey American with ball cap just wants water we said hey we just came from there it’s hot that’s were they went 10 min and village is quit after they got there target and gone mrap with 50 and mark19
Sgt William J Cahir. Never above, Never below, Always beside.
being a lawyer and choosing to go to war is heroic as foook
Ryan...You do a very high quality interview....The Men you speak with are our best and you have a very good insight and touch as things unfold. I am certain that CIA wishes you were still with them. Thank You.....John C
55:52 You can hear the collective humming of military intelligence rotating.
You should get Trung Nyugen on this podcast. Former Ranger turned SWAT officer. Owns a business called We Go Home. Another true badass.
Love your podcast, one of the best veteran podcasts I’ve ever heard. I was just wondering why don’t interview many Air Force Special Ops guys. I saw you only have 2 episodes but it would be nice to hear from more of them. Most people don’t even know the Air Force has special ops and I personally think it’s time for Americans and other branches to learn/know about CCT, PJ, AF Special Recon, and TACP/JTAC and give them our respect.
The PJs are total badasses. And the Combat controllers have a medal of honor on their roster. Too bad it was posthumous though. RIP John chapman total badass.
Must be nice having Generals as friends.
I've tried to reenlist 4 times since 2007. Every time was denied for some reason (not taking prior enlisted, no available slots in Reserves, recruiter ghosted me just after he said I was ready to go to MEPS, e5c.).
I was an 0231, so it's not like I was in a low priority MOS.
Ended up deploying as a civilian twice to Afghanistan (Helmand 2010, N2KL 2012).
army hiring
@@coryowens2730 Nope.
Tried joining the Nasty Guard; that was the recruiter who ghosted me. I filled out the online application, including the SF-86 for my clearance as a 35F, and he stopped returning texts and calls shortly after he said I would be good to go to MEPs the next month.
@@Johnny_Cash_Flow army is desperate
What’s the real story cuz you’d think it wouldn’t be that hard….. there must be some detail you’re leaving out? Lol 😝
@@bluev7427 No.
I was an A1 reenlistment in '07.
Marines weren't taking prior enlisted in '09, according to the recruiter.
No positions in Marine Reserves in '14 (after years spent in Afghanistan as civ).
No positions in Marine Reserves in '18 (after years spent in college).
Ghosted by Nasty Guard recruiter at beginning of this year after filling out online application and SF-86.
Now I'm a security contractor making more than a 20+ year E9, so the government is losing money on the deal.
You'd be wise not to assume someone sharing their experience isn't telling the truth, especially when you have no proof. Are you going to ask the Marine in this video what "the real story is" next, because his experiences don't align with your preconceived notions on the reenlistment process for veterans?
Would love to see you interview a foreign fighter fighting in Ukraine
My sons are both interested in the Marines… I’d love for them to talk to you about this…
Awesome American Patriot
not only does jotting things down make you remember past memories, but it also teaches you how to speak clearly. But the down side is, you still sound the same as you did before you started writing, but the only difference is everybody else sounds like they have a mouth full of shit when talk. and it can be extremely frustrating... another thing is, when you see younger kids always texting nonstop and not just calling instead, are actually polishing their spelling. if all you do is talk on the phone instead of having to spell words instead of just talking. when you text, your spelling and talking, kind of like two for one.