Nick Jones' Military Experience and Lessons

Introduction

• Nick Jones: Marine Raider with MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command)
• Service: 12 years in the Marine Corps, 8 years with MARSOC
• Current: President and Founder of Talon's Reach Foundation in Bozeman, Montana

Personal Background

• Grew up in Olathe, Kansas
• Troublemaker in school, nearly didn't graduate
• Arrest and Probation: Turning point, called the Marine recruiter from juvenile detention
• Enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 2010

Choosing the Marine Corps and MARSOC

• Chose Marine Corps for its reputation as an elite fighting force
• Tried out for MARSOC: Viewed it as the top tier within the Marine Corps and made it successfully

Incident on July 10, 2017

• Training Exercise: Unit involved in a close air support training package in Yuma, Arizona
• Tragedy: C-130 malfunction, crash in Mississippi
• Casualties: 16 Marines, 7 from Hotel Company, including a Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman (SARC)
• Notification: Nick had to notify the family of his friend Talon

Coping With Loss

• First experience with real trauma: seven funerals, deployment 6 months later
• Coping mechanisms: drinking, working harder, longer hours
• Annual remembrance: Hard workouts and sharing drinks to honor lost comrades
• Life lesson: Importance of living in the moment, being present

2020 Deployment to Northern Iraq

• Political Sensitivity: Region was politically sensitive with ISIS reduced to an insurgency
• Cave Clearance Mission on March 8, 2020
  • Larger mission, heavy intelligence updates about enemy fighters
  • Ground elements including snipers and French Commandos inserted beforehand
  • Close air support with bombs to target cave entrances
  • Finding unexpected cave structures and encountering fierce firefight

Engagement and Casualties

• Detailed account of clearing caves, encountering heavy resistance
• Lost team members in the firefight
• Personal recount of dealing with chaos, making strategic decisions under fire
• Injured in the leg during the operation

Recovery and Realizations

• Lengthy recovery involving multiple surgeries, including reconstructive surgeries
• Dealing with severe pain and a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Decision to undergo surgery to fix nerve issues

Personal Loss and Sobriety

• July 10, 2020: Received news of best friend's death on 5th anniversary of plane crash while at the airport
• Decision to stop drinking, has been sober since then

Post-Recovery Achievements

• Improved physical condition, ability to engage in outdoor activities
• One-year milestone: Climbed and ran up Sacajawea Peak

Final Words

• Importance of team support: Don't face struggles alone

Key Takeaways

• Anything can happen at any moment, live in the moment
• Significant personal growth from struggling individual to Marine Raider and founder of a veterans' foundation
• Emphasis on support systems, whether in military or civilian life