Special Forces veteran Greg Walker (right) joins the Running Iron team for another fantastic interview.
US Army Special Forces veteran and retired lawman Greg Walker joins the Running Iron team for a wide-ranging interview. The author of 16 books and numerous articles for Soldier of Fortune, Black Belt Magazine, and many others, Greg sits down with Craig & Jim in the historic bunkhouse on the Figure 8 Ranch to talk knives, books, martial arts, his experiences in El Salvador and Iraq, and the art of kissing camels. Finally, Greg weighs in with winner-predictions for a lightning round of no-holds-barred celebrity fistfights. A Poet-Warrior of the Old School, this is an interview that will make you laugh, make you think, and stroke the warrior impulse embedded in your DNA.
Hosts: Craig Rullman & Jim Cornelius
Guest: Greg Walker
Intro: Wendy Rullman
Audio Engineer: Pete “Oil Can” Rathbun
Original Music: “Once We Moved Like the Wind” Written and Performed by Jim Cornelius
“I Ain’t Making This Up” Written and Performed by Mike Biggers
Thumbnail photo is of Sgt. Charles Sanders.
TJ says
Great discussion guys — several subjects (military, law enforcement, politics and martial arts) near and dear to my heart and all wrapped into one. Your observations re California, are spot on as is the “para-military” response if for nothing else, survival. Spent 30+ hours riding with some fantastic North Idaho law enforcement professionals in June. Talk about contrast.
Craig, I love the on-air self triggering diagnosis talking about the job and although you are correct in many of the causal factors and to be fair — you never walked away from a good scrap (physical, or otherwise). Always the wrestler………
A big thank you and respect for the military and domestic law enforcement service gents!
Thanks TJ. So glad you are at our campfire. Lots more good interviews to come 🙂
This was a great episode.
Everyone should listen to it.
Thank you Paul.
Matthew says
Great podcast! A lot of really interesting stuff!
About the Celebrity Fights, it reminds me of the kind of arguments that comic book fans would have like Batman vs. Spiderman, Superman vs. Hulk. Some of these would get real contentious despite, or perhaps because, it involved fictional characters. By the way, I couldn’t tell if you were arguing which actor would when or which fictional character.
Some ideas for other fights:
Johnny Cash vs. Frank Sinatra. This one I’ve actually seen debated online. I’d go with Cash in anything close to a real fight. Despite Sinatra’s tough guy image, I never believed it. He was short scrawny and his little goon squad do the fighting for him.
Ernest Hemingway vs. Robert E. Howard. Don’t know about this one. Both were boxing enthusiasts.
Thanks Matthew. Celebrity fights are always fun and sometimes provocative. Cash would destroy Sinatra. Sinatra was a gangland tough guy, and gangland tough guys only fight in packs. 🙂 Thanks for being here, and stay tuned, some really terrific podcast guests in the offing.
Matthew says
” Cash would destroy Sinatra. Sinatra was a gangland tough guy, and gangland tough guys only fight in packs.”
Exactly. Oddly, I’ve seen people argue for Sinatra.
On a more serious note, one of the things I like about these podcasts is that the people you interview have unique perspectives coming from real experience. I much rather listen to these guys than most of the talking heads on television.
Matthew, that’s music to our ears. Means we’re accomplishing the mission. Thanks.
Saddle Tramp says
Well well boys…
Great podcast. Bill Maher, slide over because the new kids are taking over. The spirit of The McLaughlin Group rises again. Seriously though, this show stirred so many thoughts and emotions that it is really best just to let it speak for itself. The honesty in regards of the toll the fight had taken on Greg as he described it himself was both courageous and palpable. These grim realities being confronted and then overcome are aspirational indeed. Black and white positions never interest me. It is the shadowy nuances where we most typically live that get my attention.That’s where the work gets done. Yes, it is scary as hell out there right now. One needs a very strong arsenal of verbal Judo. The only other fool proof option for total security is a concrete tomb. There can never be enough weapons. We should know that by now but it still goes on. A necessity I know. It becomes a never ending circular argument. I know that too. It’s sources are socioeconomical and cultural along with political ideology and myriad other reasons. Throw in a good measure of ignorance, greed and all human proclivities and you have one helluva party going on with shit sandwiches delivered on silver platters. It’s fun for awhile but then the hangover shows up. It feels like we are getting awful close to overloading the boat. This podcast was very emotionally and existentially charged and spurred a lot of thoughts on many subjects that plague us all. Issues that could be absolutely pivotal regarding our future. What can stem the tide? Awareness is the first step. My fear is that entrenched blindness will drag us along until a mighty fissure breaks open and chaos ensues. I cover a lot of ground geographically and it allows me a strong sense of the tension and frustration that is building. I also see plenty of the weird but I usually get to roll on by. It’s understandable how cops, first responders and combat veterans become jaded and damaged by being deeply immersed in it. One can only stand so many blows to the head and the heart if they are human at all and not be affected by it. This podcast drives that home admirably and tragically. Powerful stuff! Greg’s humor is fortunately still intact though and there’s no better indicator of a mind and soul’s health than that. Great guest! Great show!!
Changing gears I must say the timing of the celebrity fights came at just the right moment and brought in some levity just when needed.
My picks:
• Steve McQueen because as Tom Horn said “I work alone and I’m good at it.” Also because I attend The Steve McQueen Car & Motorcycle Show and fund raising event every year at Boys Republic Ranch in Chino Hills, CA. Their motto is “Nothing without labor.” It turned his troubled life around and he never forgot them. They raised a fortune this year and it all gets put back into the ranch which has been going since 1907.
• Sean Connery because as Jim said he knocked out Johnny Stompanato after wresting his pistol away from him and for all the other reasons too. Took a weapon without the use of a weapon. Nobody rules the desert winds. Unconquerable!
Sam Elliot is great too. A favorite of mine and he married Kathrine Ross too. That’s worth fighting for ain’t it? This is not fair damnit. An ethical dilemma. I took a test like this once. You cannot win for losing.
• Winston or Calamity? You really know how to put somebody between a rock and a hard place don’t you? You might need to establish weight classes or more closely matched categories, but what would be the fun in that. I have to say I would go with Calamity. She ran with Wild Bill and that’s enough reason for me. Besides, she might have been even tougher when drunk so that gives her enough of an edge to make book for my money. Thank God for Winston though.
• Frank and Johnny. Another tough corner. In a song fight I consider them both heavy weight champs in respective genres and an even draw. In a street fight, Johnny takes it hands down and fists up. He just grew right out of the Arkansas soil tough. My guess though is that they would both be such admirers of each other’s talents they would never raise a hand against the other. I would hope anyway. Just ask Bob Dylan.
• Einstein and Sagan. Definitely Einstein because of course he had all the “energy” in his corner. I doubt however that he would ever use it as a weapon. Plus, he gets the weird eccentric genius award as well. Einstein is a favorite of mine for all kinds of reasons.That is not to say that Carl Sagan was by any measure a slouch. Space. The final frontier. This gives a entire new definition to badass.
• Hemingway and Geronimo. Hemingway may out write him but I doubt he could out fight him, so I go with Geronimo. For reasons I am aware of, Hemingway’s boxing prowess does not match his writing prowess. Geronimo had a Cadillac too. Who can argue with that?
— ST
Via: The Flying J Near Donald, Oregon. Came through Sisters this morning with a load of White Hulled Millet from Sterling, Colorado going to GloryBee Foods in Eugene, OR. Had a 12:30 pm delivery appointment today and made it with 20 minutes to spare. Ran U.S Hwy 20 all across from I‑84. Nice ride. Stayed over at Leathers Truck Stop in Burns last night. That’s as far as I could get last night. What a view this morning just west of Brothers. Did not even have time to stop for a photo of the Brothers Stage Stop and Post Office. I regret it now. A beautiful morning. First time through Sisters in daylight. A bustling town. Thankful that they made the traffic circle truck friendly and I did not have to off track the trailer tandems over a curb like with so many others. Saw all the the coal black charred trunks with ghostly silver limbs west of Sisters. You cannot argue with nature. It was a beautiful drive on a beautiful day along the McKenzie River this morning with deep blue clear skies above. I can understand the appeal.
A fortunate lifestyle you all enjoy. You guys are definitely on a roll. Hats off to Oil Can for delivering the goods to our thirsty ears…
Heading up to Longview, WA and for a load to Spanish Fork, Utah…
P.S. And I did most definitely laugh…
So glad you enjoyed the pcast ST. We have more on the way on a wide variety of topics and subjects that will, if we do our job, keep you interested. Having Greg was a real treat for us and you are right, he has incredible fortitude to power through and push forward and to resurrect himself by helping others. Our kinda guy. GloryBee…I buy beekeeping supplies from the bee side of their house. Good selection, decent prices. The roundabout is a funny tale of a small-town trying desperately to come to terms with growth. Several years worth of fights over the project. Stop signs? Traffic signals? Roundabouts? Do nothing? The roundabout works about as well as can be expected, and one, or two, are sorely needed on the other end of town when the tourist crush hits. Fun stuff. That country out near Brothers gets very interesting very fast. Lots of critters. Safe travels friend.
Chris says
Great podcast.… You guys bring some very interesting folks to the table and they bring some tremendous insight to the listeners. Great work as always. By the way Conn Conagher would take everyone in the celebrity fights, reminds of the scene where he is bandaging up the gut shot kid and the kid says you’re a hard man and he says it a hard country.
Chris
Thanks Chris–and you nailed it, one of my favorite movie lines ever. Conagher brought grit to the equation every day. Another fine moment is when the kid asks him who gave him the black eye. “Nobody gave it to me kid, I earned it.” Great stuff. Thanks for being here Chris, much appreciated.
Saddle Tramp says
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Just stumbled onto this. Since humor and Churchill were integral to this podcast along with a recent FP post on Smokin’ Wimmin’ Smokin’ , I thought this piece of history might fit in. It includes another icon of cigar twirlers with some historical comments (hell, I believe him) to boot. He also shares some of Sterling Hayden’s traits. You can guess for yourselves. Maybe you might consider consolidating efforts into one Frontier Partisans RIR Bunkhouse all-in-one mix and match. They are all interrelated in my opinion. However, it’s your show. Maybe it’s all for tax purposes [sic] …
Either way, I will try to keep as focused as possible.
Hope you enjoy this reasonably short clip:
https://youtu.be/un8EUJbTHqY
Saddle Tramp says
Just stumbled onto this. Since humor and Churchill were integral to this podcast along with a recent FP post on Smokin’ Wimmin’ Smokin’ , I thought this piece of history might fit in. It includes another icon of cigar twirlers with some historical comments (hell, I believe him) to boot. He also shares some of Sterling Hayden’s traits. You can guess for yourselves. Maybe you might consider consolidating efforts into one Frontier Partisans RIR Bunkhouse all-in-one mix and match. They are all interrelated in my opinion. However, it’s your show. Maybe it’s all for tax purposes [sic] …
Either way, I will try to keep as focused as possible.
Hope you enjoy this reasonably short clip:
https://youtu.be/un8EUJbTHqY
I’ll fire that up.