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Ranger K9 Handler Julian McDonald | Mike Ritland Podcast Episode 125
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ส.ค. 2024
- Staff Sgt. Julian McDonald served nine and a half years in the army, predominantly as a Ranger and a Ranger K9 Handler, with eight deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan, and a Purple Heart to match. He's also Layka's handler, who, if you haven't heard, is one of the most famous dogs to come out of the military in recent memory.
With Julian in tow, MPC Layka's graced the cover of National Geographic, been the subject of an HBO Documentary, and even helped Hollywood actor Channing Tatum make a little movie called 'DOG'. But when you ask Julian just what makes Layka so special, it's not just the dog, but Benno - the one who showed Julian the way - that really counts.
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Seeds of Terror
10:00 - Childhood Memories
12:00 - First the Gym, Then the Sauna
16:00 - Born at Cannon Air Force Base
19:00 - Grandpa Beat Us on the Bus
24:00 - So Then I Got Expelled
31:15 - I'd Like to be a Ranger
39:00 - Baptized by Gunfire
43:30 - SEAL Team 6 & A Family Reunion
49:30 - Civilian Contractors On Target
56:30 - An Offset Infil
1:02:45 - Two Deployments in Tikrīt
01:11:00 - A Dog Handler in 2009
01:19:30 - My First Dog Benno
01:30:00 - Two Bravo
01:43:00 - Fentanyl Lollipops
01:54:30 - Surviving an IED, Barely
02:33:00 - Practically Full-Time Training
02:20:00 - A Tunnel Bite Story
02:25:00 - What Made Benno Exceptional
02:44:00 - The Dog Takes Drugs
02:48:00 - This Is It
02:58:00 - Benno's Last Deployment
03:17:30 - And Then I Had Layka
03:24:00 - Layka Gets Shot
03:36:00 - A Seven-Hour Amputation
03:44:00 - Adoption Papers
03:52:00 - Becoming a Symbol
03:57:00 - Two Years Sober
04:01:00 - Withdrawals on Deployment
04:05:00 - Finding Myself
04:11:00 - Mike on Rico
04:18:00 - Giving Gifts
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Support Julian McDonald:
Website - MPC Layka Statue Fund - www.scottswish...
IG - / trent_k9
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Sponsors:
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I am. 72 yr old Viet Nam aircraft loadmaster. I have listened to every podcast and about a year ago all the podcasts have become more and more relevant. I have to say I had to start and stop this podcast more than any other, I just couldn’t see through my tears.Mike, your an angel sent to all of us veterans. Thank you for what you do!
if you dont have a wife and you ever make it out here to las vegas ill pay for you to have a great time at the bunny ranch.
Thank you for your service man. I’m hella thankful I was born in the states and proud to share my country with warriors like you🇺🇸
Thank you sir and God bless 🇺🇸
I know I'm late. Thank you for your service and most importantly the sacrifices🇺🇲🇺🇲
Thank you for your service
Had the honor of serving with both, Trent & Benno! Great warriors!!
Thank you for your service!
Were you scared of the dog?
@@genore1993 at first, absolutely. He was a loose cannon @ first! Many of us made it a point to socialize with him, in hopes that he'd remember our scent & not latch onto us, especially after it occurred the first time.
Trent did an amazing job of working with him tho & Benno became a great asset for us.
RIP hero!!
@@LTSRIDE24 that is awesome dude. Hope you are doing well!
@@genore1993 I'm well. Thank you very much for that! 🤜🏽
This man's loyalty and honor is overwhelming and a joy to know his willingness to payback an animal he had no attachment to. Not many men like him
One of my all time favorite Mike Ritland interviews. Just two legendary warriors sharing the important stuff to each other and all of us lucky enough to be on the other end. Mike Ritland is such a great example in being a humble badass. Julian McDonald is also an inspiration for many in his sobriety and courage to share the challenges that many have. Thanks Mike and Julian for a very special conversation that will have its place going forward.
Incredible interview. As a dog lover and proud American I cannot thank you both enough for this interview. These dogs are American citizens and we should treat them no differently than any other military person.
Thank You Benno, Layka, Julian and Mike. Gut wrenching, emotional roller coaster, great podcast. Thank You all for Your Service!! Blessings
Gentlemen, Gentlemen, Gentlemen, that was so raw and vulnerable. Thank you both for sharing your stories.
My God.... That was Amazing to listen to. I'm so sorry for your losses , Julian and Mike. 🇺🇸 . GOD BLESS THE AMERICAN TROOPS AND THE WARFIGHTING DOGS. YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!!!!
I've watched every episode and this guy is easily in the top 10.
I laughed and cried. I'm so thankful for men like Julian - we need more like him in the world.🇺🇸 Julian, thank you for your service. Thank you for taking care of, advocating for, and loving Benno and Layka so hard. I am in awe of your strength, compassion, tenacity, and resilience. All the best to you and yours!
Mike, thank you for doing this interview and for sharing about 💔Rico.
What pisses me off the most about the withdraw from Afghanistan is the higher ups gave the command to intentionally leave those dogs there, those dogs just wanted to be loyal, something the people that decided their fate could learn from them
yeah, exactly. special place in hell...
The military left working dogs behind in Vietnam as ‘equipment’. I don’t believe they left behind trained $500k dogs to be shot.
That's like leaving a fellow soldier, wtf.
they're bastards@@chillhard430
😡😡😡A heartless thing to do that completely enrages me. The Commander in Chief is a bumbling corrupt puke.
Mike I am a dog lover I’ve had Shepard and Dobermans my entire life. This example of war dogs is nothing short of stunning. Having spent time over there in USMC I have personally witnessed what these dogs are capable of and I’ve experienced my ass being saved on numerous occasions by war dogs. They deserve every bit of respect that we have to offer!
I just watched the History Channel story about Benno, Layla and Julian several days prior to this episode airing. I still sat here in anticipation of hearing this story again. Listening to an uncensored version added to the enjoyment I felt. Wish Julian all the best in his sobriety and all his endeavors in the future ! Thank you Mike for sharing your story of Rico, it’s hard to open up about those things. Thank you both for your service ! Keep releasing fantastic content !
Dogs are truly man's best friend. There honest and loyal.
Thank you both for your service.
holy shit what a great interview thank you Julian for telling your story you have no idea what an honor it is to just sit here and be able to listen! And thank you mike for continuing to have such great guests on, just keep doing what your doing thank you both!
I remember seeing him in the show "The warfighters: a soldiers best friend". Was a tear jerker for sure.
God Bless you Mike. God bless our warrior pooches that serve our country daily, and God Bless the United States of America! 💪🏽🇺🇸👍
“You don’t have to fight for me anymore,” almost had me in tears. Thanks Trent, amazing podcast.
Hell Yeah, I remember Benno. He has badass combat K9 photos online. Good to see his handler do an interview 💯🇺🇲
What a warrior, a man, a true American. Thank you so much for your service. You and other veterans are in our prayers every day and every night. We pray you come to terms with the fact that not one of us are perfect, war is not susceptible of perfection, we love and appreciate you and so do all of your fallen brothers. Make peace with your family. It will help you heal and keep you healed going forward. Take good care of yourself and love yourself. Thank you again so much. God bless you, comfort you, watch over you and you use your,life experience to heal others, teach others, love others.
It was truly an amazing experience to watch and listen to this. I don't know that I've ever smiled or had a tear in my eye just about the whole damn podcast like I did for this one.
Thank you both!
Great episode. Rest in power Katz, Cookie Davis, Benno, and Rico. Thank you Julian, Mike, and Layka for all you do
Another great episode, Mike. Nothing but the best for Julian, thank you for your service. Yes I cried, for Julian and his special dogs. I love dogs, they are so special.
Mike if you’ve never watched the movie “Dog” with Channing Tatum you need to watch it. One of the best military movies ever. I actually cried multiple times watching that movie. Dogs just hit different.
Thanks to both of you men for all you have both done and continue to do. It is appreciated
This might be the best one yet. There were laughs and tears on my end. What amazing dogs. Thanks Sir for having this interview.
What a warrior!, it's comforting knowing men like him exist to protect us all.
Get sum!
This was a great episode! I saw Warfighters episode of McDonald and Benno. It was great seeing you interview him and I really enjoyed and appreciated all he talked about.
I am a cat person and have several. One of them recently died from kidney disease. Hearing and seeing emotions from both of you sharing your stories of losing a pet not only brought tears to my eyes but made me realize how important it’s to love our pets while they’re here with us. Thank you Mike for this episode!
One of the best Mike drops ever! Spent my Saturday night after work listening to this!
Thank You MR. JULIAN MCDONALD. + Thank You MR. MIKE RITLAND For Sharing. And As For Your Service For This Country I Can Never Thank You Guys Enough. Have A Great 2023 Fellas You Are An Inspiration Beyond Your Known Perception.🐕🦺
Mike/Julian thank you for your service. Mike great podcast. I'll be listening to it twice.
This is by far one of the best podcast episodes I've ever listened too
Very hard hitting podcast Mike. Gotta be one of my Top 5.
As a non-military person I find these podcasts the bomb. No pun intended. Thanks much. 🇨🇦
Wow. This interview was one of the best I've heard. God bless our four - and two-legd heroes. Hell of a job, Mike. I'd definitely read a book from Mr. McDonald
God damn this podcast was incredible! Amazing. Mac is a truly inspirational incredible guy. To hear him talk through is addictions struggles is incredibly brave.
Wow. I hit play and could not stop listening. Fantastic episode. Thank you.
I’ve seen his history channel episode so I figured he was an exceptional handler. But man to listen to the two of you and maybe the comfort with Mike and or the freedom to tell his story without considering a tv rating. But man those two war dogs were even better than I realized. I’ve always loved watching a dog work all be it mostly only hunting dogs but enough to know when a dog loves what it does it can be an amazing thing to watch. But to watch one that work that may have to save your life would be another Level of appreciation. Thank you guys for your service.
Sorry for you and your family losing Rocco Mr.Mike,and thanks for sharing this man's story with us.
This is the best episode of Mike Drop I've watched. I don't say that lightly. I somehow hadn't gotten around to watching it until a year after it first aired. Thank you Trent and Mike. I hope Trent is able to start his book and eventually complete it, because it will be an excellent read!
Thanks for another great show Mike !
This pod was unreal. I love hearing about dogs and dog handlers. Brutally honest and heart wrenching. Great watch.
Perfect timing last few hours at work! Great show! God be with you all and strengthen heal and lift us up!
The best i have watched so far, the raw honesty is off the scale.
Another Bad Ass interview, Thanks you both!
3:33:25 I really felt that. As a youth spending every summer with my grandfather on a farm, if an animal has no chance of survival due to injury, I was taught to end the suffering. It hurts to deal with, but it's worth it if you really care and love for the animal. I think it's the respectful thing to do.
Best war dog stories on the planet.
I couldn’t even pause this interview and stayed up until 0200 to the very end!
I understand how you have to become desensitized to death and suffering as I have been an RN for 30 years. (If you don’t- you cannot do your job.)
But you fighting men take it to a different level that I can’t wrap my mind around. I just couldn’t do it. Seeing friends and comrades wounded, maimed and killed but still able to lock it in and complete your mission? Unbelievable. That resolve and bravery is very rare.
I saw a video clip of each soldier helping carry Benno’s body back after he was killed. I had to pause the video while I had a snot slinging bawling session. It broke me down. I know without a doubt dogs are Gods furry angels to love us, console us, assist us, listen to us and protect us. I cannot fathom losing a loyal heavenly companion like that in the middle of hell. Just hearing about Benno , Layka and Rico punched me in the gut. To both you guys, it’s ok to allow your humanity to return. You kept it together and was strong, brave, dependable and devoted. Now you can live life a little easier. God bless you both and every other warrior who gave so very much for their country and brothers. I appreciate you and every MWD. 🐾
This may be my favorite Mike Drop ever. Love him! So enjoyed the Benno stories.
One of best podcasts I’ve listened to especially as a veteran & dog lover. 👍👍💪💪💪👍👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
What an amazing interview. I'm sorry for your loss, Mike.
Best yet. Thanks to both of you.
This was a solid episode. One of the more entertaining ones in my opinion. Love hearing stories about dogs on target.
Glad to see you back Mike !
Another excellent pod Mike, thank you! It was great to hear you speak about Rico❤
Just getting started and I already vibe with this dude. We who are born of and raised by multiple generations of service and live the nomad and bizarre life of military brat just cut different . Already can tell this one is going to be extra epic.
You’re going to really enjoy it!
Absolute phenomenal podcast. We need more men like these. The good the bad and the ugly. Every person has their own in Life.
Mac thank you for your sacrifice & service in the military. Thank you for being human! I was humbled & inspired by you story! This interview was awesome thanks Mike! Mike thank you for your sacrifice & service in the military! God bless you guys & your families!
Wow! My boy has gotten me through some very hard times as a firefighter. Yes Mike, I thoroughly from the bottom of my heart enjoyed this episode. Thank you both very much for sharing.
WOW! Thanks for sharing.....Big love mad respect......
God damn! i could've listen to this podcast for an extra 4 hours! thank you guys.
Thanks guys what a show ! Totally moving can't say enough.
Thanks
Absolute awesome interview!!! Thank you both for the experience.
What a wonderful podcast. Thank you !!!
What a damn good story from this ranger!! Im happy to see that this man fell and built himself back up!!! Keep it McDonald!!! RIP Benno!! Thank you for your hard work and service. Thank you and Layka for your service as well!! What outstanding stories of these rocking fur missles.
I've watched most of Ritlands podcast. By far this is the best one. I know Ritland sat there with a hard on hearing the stories of this dog. It amazes me how you can get a dog to do the things they do.
As per the conversation about Benno dying. You nailed it Mike with your comment to him about his reaction……getting pissed at the vets because they were showing sadness……..was only for him to stay unemotional with the whole thing. Having said that, you’d hope either then, or later, he would have shown the vets some compassion for what they were feeling. Honest to God, the vets love these animals (maybe in a different capacity from this solider), and surely don’t want to see any harm coming to the dogs. They are not desensitized like some (most) of the soldiers.
Mike Glover recounted how SAS and Delta Force soldiers lined the runway and saluted as one of their task forces dog's bodies was returned to base from a raid.
The dog was covered with an American flag and carried by a CAG Operator (his handler) who was openly crying.
It's genuinely one of the most moving examples I've heard of the bond before working dogs and humans.
Absolutely LOVE the relationship with the warriors and dogs, trained well by professionals like you Mr Ritland's and Mr McDonald makes the difference. I have two Rhodesian Ridgebacks and I was stopped by a world war 2 veteran (He was 91 years young at the time) and he said he loves RR's in there camp guarding in Africa, he said, when the sirens went off we got up and out fast...When the stelth like RR's barked we got up and out faster.
Been waiting for this since 11/11/17, helllls yeah!
Ranger Macdonald is a living breathing example of how skewed the system is in terms of medals,men like him earned the Medal of Honor on a daily basis
One of the best podcast you have done. So powerful. So sorry for your loss Mike.
Hands down one of the best interviews you have done!!
That was awesome, thank you both.
Agree it is vital for a boy to have a man in his life. Can be an uncle or older cousin or grandpa even a loved and permanent friend of family. Something. The single thing I can say I see in every struggling and violent boy on wrong path in the hospital is no man in his life. Raising a decent man no small task.
It’s always a bit intimidating when a new episode comes out that is 3 or 4 hours long, but I suck it up and press play. I have not been disappointed in any of them. Great job Mike in getting the goods out of your guests. The honesty, openness, and raw emotion from everyone makes those hours fly by. Salute.
That was totally captivating. This has got to be my favorite Mike Drop dog content so far! Amazing animals you guys have both had the opportunity to work with. Thank you both for your service and sharing! Good Luck on your book Julian, looking forward to reading it when you write it.
This one is Top 3 all time on the Mike Drop Podcast. Just amazing.
Another great show. Amazing guest with amazing stories. Lots of laughs and tears. Thanks for the podcast
One of my favorite interviews of yours, Mike.
I’d get a long so well with this guy.
I appreciate y’all.
Absolutely incredible.
Great story, thanks for sharing and for your service.
Mike , thanks for bringing Mac on to talk about the dogs. Some of our greatest unsung warriors . Also , the talk about the dog thinking he is responsible for the bad guy dying is just fascinating !
I wasn't prepared for the emotion of this episode. So sorry to hear about Rico
Julian and Mike thank you so much for this podcast sharing your story along with Benno and Layla I lost my all black Shepard Diesel he was 7months old 80# I used your book Mike to help me train him when he was 10 weeks old I had him train sit stay down here on hand commands anyways I lost it when he passed I need another or I would lii ok be to get a Belgian Mal I need it to help heal again that what he was to me i turned to drinking bourbon every night damn near I’ve been realizing lately I need to change my ways seeing this podcast with you two has helped want and need to change for me for my family been through a lot in life nothing like what you guys have been through though Thank you again so much for inspiring me and for helping me I’m trying to and have been trying too find help and this episode has helped so much and thank you both for your service 👊🏻🇺🇸
Bawling my eyes out over Benno. 3:06:00 I love that Julian won't talk about Layka without talking about Benno. That is how it should be.
Thanks for sharing your story as well, Mike.
Fantastic interview as always brother, definitely one of the best thus far
Best podcast I’ve ever listened to, hands down. Just truly incredible and inspiring. I shed some tears 👏 👏 WARRIORS 🇺🇸
Amazing interview. Very articulate and definitely should write his book.
Great interview definitely up there as one of my favorite Mike Drop podcasts 👍
Christ, that was a phenomenal episode. Had everything. Early on I doubted if he had any humble in him, consudered bailing and just taking my dog for another walk... by the end he was an open book and he'd more than humbly bared his entire big soul. Amazing. Gotta write a book, he needs to read it himself on audio version. Be proud of yourself big guy.
Mike, find the perfect pup. No time to not have a key dog in your life. Do another one proud in Rico's honour. You'll see him again, imagine how good that'll be!
Thanks to both of you! These podcasts done by REAL people are highly significant to mankind. I am inspired to live better and more bravely by your efforts to share your experiences. Keep up the honesty of life's greatest lessons. Thank you.
John Arciniega
I just happened to watch the history channel episode. Sgt. First Class Benno Hero 🇺🇸💜
Great video. Great interview. Loved it
Great interview. As a current LEO K9 handler, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories from this interview.
Fascinating Interview for many reasons. Thanks to you both!
Stay on the path Julian, you are an amazing example. Thank you.
Holy shit Mike. That might be the best one so far.
That was awesome! Great interview
Good straight out interview. Onya lads much love from Australia
Everything happens for a Reason, I have seen way to much death in my day as a First Responder for 23 in a seriously bad area where we ran calls nonstop it seemed like everyday. I miss the Hell out of the Adrenaline Rush, when them Endorphins Explode, my Doctors have said when those Endorphins spike like that they actually take several Hours to sometimes days to settle down. So for 23 years I literally had the crazy Rush blowing up 24 hours a day for those 23 years. But it took its toll physically, Cancer Twice, lost most of my Right Lung, every joint in my body has Arthritis from falling, having roofs come down on me and my partner several times. You name it’s beat up on my body, I go tomorrow fora Heart Conversion back to normal Sinus Rhythm. I am in the process of getting a Companion Dog, I chose the Old Dominion/ Decker Rat Terrier which with get right at Fifty Pounds. I truly wanted a Dutch Shepherd but i decided against because I can’t physically keep that Dog as Active as he should be. I have Worked Dogs all my life so this Ratty will fit right in with me.
Mike Ritland is a pioneer and legend of the Podcast Game Great episode as always ... P.s this guy is awesome ☕ 🇺🇸