Green Beret & SOF Operator | Alex Dekker

Alex Dekker looks back on his path from conventional infantry in Ramadi to 5th Special Forces Group, combat in Afghanistan, the Special Forces Combat Diver course, the fight against ISIS, and his final decade in a more specialized Army special operations unit. We also discuss his transition out of the military and how his experiences in Special Forces, intelligence, archaeology, and the Middle East shaped his debut novel, Desert Heist. Grab Alex's book here: https://a.co/d/00h03vHa Find Alex here: https://www.alexdekkerofficial.com/ Today's Sponsors: VAER Watches ⬇️ https://www.vaerwatches.com/theteamhouse  get a free watch roll with your purchase. 20% for active duty, veteran, leo, & first responders  GhostBed ⬇️ https://www.ghostbed.com/house FOR 10% off!  BaerSkin Tactical ⬇️ Text 'HOUSE' to 39612 to get a free rain jacket when you purchase 2 hoodies! Mars Men⬇️ For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off for life plus Free Shipping AND 3 Free Gifts at Men Go To Mars dot com. That’s MenGoToMars.com for 50% Off AND 3 Free Gifts when you checkout. For ad free video and audio and access to live streams... Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️ https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse ___________________________________________________ GRAB JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN"  ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/ Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured "Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio" 00:00 – Start 00:53 – Alex Dekker’s Interest in Archaeology 02:17 – Growing Up as an Army Brat 03:43 – His Father’s Career in Military Intelligence 04:00 – Why Special Operations Was Always the Goal 05:29 – Starting Out in the Conventional Army 06:39 – Deploying to Ramadi With 1st Infantry Division 07:20 – Seeing Special Forces in Iraq for the First Time 08:52 – What Conventional Infantry Life Was Really Like 10:32 – Leaving the Army & Going Back to College 11:00 – Returning on an 18X Contract 12:48 – Passing SFAS & Starting the Q Course 13:58 – Learning Arabic for 5th Special Forces Group 14:41 – Joining a Combat Dive Team 16:28 – Deploying to Afghanistan Six Weeks After Arriving 17:00 – His First Special Forces Deployment 18:16 – The Taliban Ambush That Nearly Killed Him 20:34 – Taking Over After the Team Was Wounded 22:53 – Fighting Through the Ambush With Shrapnel in His Leg 24:44 – Recovering & Returning to Afghanistan With a Cane 26:54 – Preparing for Combat Diver School After Being Wounded 29:06 – Inside the Special Forces Combat Diver Course 31:13 – Drown Proofing & Learning Not to Panic Underwater 32:26 – The 5th Group Guys Watching Everyone Else Deploy Somewhere Nice 33:41 – Sitting in Kuwait as the ISIS War Begins 35:30 – The Early U.S. Response to ISIS in Iraq 36:53 – Training While Waiting for the Mission to Expand 38:28 – Returning Home & Preparing for the Next Deployment 39:10 – Becoming an 18 Fox Intelligence Sergeant 41:15 – Targeting, Intelligence & Building the Battlefield Picture 43:04 – Working the Syria Problem as an 18 Fox 44:41 – Training Partner Forces Against ISIS 46:17 – Why ISIS Struggled Against Professional Forces 48:48 – What Special Forces Is Actually Designed to Do 50:15 – Looking for the Next Step Beyond 5th Group 52:03 – Moving Into a More Specialized Army Special Operations Unit 53:13 – What He Can Say About the Final Decade of His Career 54:48 – Retiring From the Secret Side of the Military 56:39 – The Honor Foundation & Transitioning Special Operators 57:34 – Why Networking Matters More Than Blind Job Applications 59:28 – Meeting His Wife, a Former CIA Operations Officer 1:00:09 – Leaving Two Secretive Careers Behind 1:01:52 – Why Intelligence Officers Struggle With Transition Too 1:03:34 – Writing Desert Heist in Three Months 1:05:32 – Finding a Literary Agent 1:08:00 – Combining Indiana Jones, Special Forces & Real History 1:09:22 – Building Characters From Real ODA Personalities 1:11:06 – Why Veterans Sometimes Miss the Chaos 1:13:03 – The Lost City at the Center of Desert Heist 1:14:28 – Green Berets, Russian Mercenaries & the Bigger Conspiracy 1:16:21 – Turning Desert Heist Into a Series 1:17:25 – What to Expect From the Next Nate Wilde Book 1:19:07 – Where to Find Alex & Desert Heist 1:20:21 – Jack & Alex Compare the Fiction Publishing Process 1:22:27 – Planning Storylines Several Books in Advance 1:23:31 – What Comes Next for Both Series 1:24:07 – Keeping Survival & Combat Realistic in Fiction 1:25:23 – Closing Thoughts   Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support.