F-15E Weapons System Officer | Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient | Mike “Pako” Benitez (Round 2)

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In this second round interview with Mike “Pako” Benitez, we dig deep into a series of combat experiences in the air that you won’t believe, including a low pass to danger close strafing run covering two troops-in-contact almost simultaneously to Pako’s description of the operation where he earned his Distinguished Flying Cross (you’ll feel like you were in the cockpit with him).

Mike now creates and distributes The Merge (themerge.co) newsletter - which has 20K subscribers - and podcast - which has 40 episodes as of this airing. The Merge brings defense and tech news and insights in a more lighthearted and interesting approach that I’m confident most listeners of Combat Story will appreciate!

We only found Pako thanks to former guest Ryan “Stinger” Fishel who was a beneficiary of the tough love and tutelage of Pako (listen to the end to hear Pako’s commentary on Stinger - it will come as no surprise to those who listened to Stinger’s interview). Stay tuned for a follow-on episode next week with Pako and Tom “Gunny” Moser interviewed together about their experiences in Afghanistan and Syria leading units.

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This episode was sponsored by Give Legacy. Listeners can use the code COMBATSTORY to get 10% off everything on the site You can find out more by going to www.givelegacy.com. That’s givelegacy.com. 

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Join hundreds of others with our weekly Combat Check-In Newsletter (www.combatstory.com/newsletter) to get a short email from Ryan each week about the show, life, and the military.

👇 Show Notes: 00:00 - Introduction 00:55 - Guest Profile: Mike Benitez 01:52 - First Fatality During Deployment 13:20 - Tough on New Recruits 20:47 - Harrowing Flights 28:23 - Give Legacy Ad 29:45 - Earning The DFC 01:00:57 - Time in Syria 01:09:54 - The Merge Newsletter and Podcast 01:15:10 - Sentimental Items 01:16:32 - Would You Do It All Again? 01:16:55 - Story About Ryan Fishel 01:18:20 - Closing Thoughts 01:18:49 - Listener Feedback