Dave Parke | Ranger, Paramilitary Contractor, ODNI Intel Medal | Ep. 53 Combat Story

Dave's Combat story appearance with Ryan Fugit
(Original Air Date- 12/04/21)

Check out Ryan’s channel Combat Story:
   / combatstory  

Today we hear the Combat Story of David Parke, a former Army Ranger and Sniper Team Leader, Navy diver, and Paramilitary Contractor, who spent almost 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan post-9/11.

During his time down range as a contractor, he earned the ODNI’s National Intelligence Medal for Valor, which the ODNI describes as being given “in connection with an Intel Community mission to national security” and awarded on a “highly selective and rare basis.”

David now co-hosts The Team House, which livestreams interviews with special operators, intel professionals, and more. I’m a big fan of the Team House and you can check out our Combat Story interview with David’s co-host Jack Murphy (Episode 13    • Combat Story (Ep 13): Jack Murphy Ran...  ).

David has written two books and appeared in several TV shows as an actor. I hope you enjoy this Combat Story with another battle-tested fighter as much as I did.

David also wrote the book "Coach with Courage: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Your Fear and Supercharging Your Coaching Practice" and co-authored "Counseling People who have Killed Other People: A Guide for Professional Counselors and Social Workers". He’s also appeared in several TV shows as an actor.

Today, David works in the corporate intel space, consulting and advising clients on how to mitigate risks in a variety of domains. I hope you enjoy this Combat Story with another battle-tested fighter as much as I did.

Show Notes

0:00 - Intro
0:41 - A word from our Sponsor (LoanSteady)
2:09 - Guest introduction (David Parke)
3:02 - Interview begins
3:27 - Getting attacked on a NYC subway in 2020
13:30 - David as a kid, his natural curiosity, and life before the military
18:08 - Why the Marines?
21:04 - From Marines to Navy Diver
26:59 - Going through Army boot camp at 27 years old
34:46 - His transition into linguist role
43:06 - Being in DLI training when 9/11 happened
46:49 - Fear of Missing the War
51:18 - What interrogations at Guantanamo were actually like
59:32 - Early mission sets in Afghanistan
1:11:23- Combat Story #1 - An unexpected (and funny) outcome in Iraq
1:15:43 - Combat Story #2 - the mission where David earned the ODNI National Intelligence Medal for Valor
1:27:54 - Combat Story #3 – The lighter side and things you can’t help but laugh at
1:28:58 – Team House origin story
1:44:54 - What did you carry into combat?
1:46:02 - Would you do it all again?
1:47:27 - Listener comments and shout outs

#armyrangers
#teamhouse #combatstory