What They Don't Tell You About Being a Blackwater Contractor

Morgan Lerette joined the Air National Guard in 1999 for one reason: his grandfather told him the Air Force had the best food. Two years later, September 11th changed everything. Morgan deployed to Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq during the ground offensive — then walked away from active duty and into one of the most controversial jobs in modern warfare: private military contractor for Blackwater.In this episode, Morgan takes us inside the world most people only know from headlines — protecting U.S. diplomats and senators in Baghdad's Red Zone, the total absence of rules of engagement, meeting Erik Prince and Iraq's sitting president, and the moment that got him fired from Blackwater. He also opens up about the slow build of PTSD, why he eventually rejoined the military as an Army Intelligence officer, writing a book Blackwater's leadership wasn't thrilled about, and what he's learned about finding purpose after the uniform comes off.This is a raw, funny, and at times heavy conversation about war, money, loyalty, and what it actually costs to come home.Timestamps:1:40 – Meet Morgan Lerette: Joining the Air Force for the Food 3:59 – Basic Training at Lackland AFB 7:00 – Security Forces Training & Community College 9:01 – Where He Was on September 11th 12:00 – Activated: First Deployments to Oman & Jordan 17:07 – Scud Missiles, Kuwait & the Ground Offensive Into Iraq 22:59 – Coming Home & Hearing About Blackwater 24:39 – The $500-a-Day Call That Changed His Life 31:32 – Selection & Training in Moyock, NC 47:34 – First Missions Protecting Diplomats in Baghdad 55:55 – Rocket Attacks & the Market Bombing 59:05 – A Divided Iraq & Becoming Jaded 1:06:30 – Meeting Diplomats: John Bolton, Colin Powell & Charlie Daniels 1:12:26 – The Truth About Erik Prince 1:18:30 – No Rules of Engagement: Driving Through Baghdad 1:24:39 – Meeting the President of Iraq & Seeing Babylon 1:28:17 – The Scariest Moments Overseas 1:40:28 – Getting Fired From Blackwater 1:44:51 – Coming Home & His Dog Shelby 1:49:02 – Back to Iraq as an Army Intelligence Officer 1:54:06 – What Does "Winning" Even Look Like? 1:57:15 – Coming to Terms With PTSD 2:00:12 – Writing the Book 2:03:24 – Why Blackwater Wasn't Happy About It 2:07:02 – Private Military Contractors Today 2:08:31 – Life Now: Family & Finding Purpose After WarConnect with Morgan: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackwaterdude1?igsi=MXVvaXAyeno0MXd6dg%3D%3D&utm_source=qrTikTok: @BlackwaterDude1 Morgan’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Girls-Greed-Blackwater-Mercenary/dp/B0C7P83DL6/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mkEEmt-2FfH-9tCi7QeOEPCZa-IpA_7bFHYQGqsrC8TGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.mq8h2uvyyrYUNuA75Kke3F64R8r2RhdO2CALCiNnymk&qid=1788289472&sr=8-1ASK A VET Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UvdMjkOkOgoHM2yIckhlhListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ask-a-vet-podcast/id185484https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Girls-Greed-Blackwater-Mercenary/dp/B0C7P83DL6/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mkEEmt-2FfH-9tCi7QeOEPCZa-IpA_7bFHYQGqsrC8TGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.mq8h2uvyyrYUNuA75Kke3F64R8r2RhdO2CALCiNnymk&qid=1788289472&sr=8-1Read the blog: https://curioushumanography.com/Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/curioushumanography/If you're a veteran with a story to tell, or you know someone who should be on the show, reach out at [email protected]#AskAVetPodcast #Veteran #Blackwater #PrivateMilitaryContractor #Iraq #AirForce #Army #PTSD #VeteranStories #MilitaryPodcast