SAVANNAH, HODA, BACK TO YOU. >> OKAY, GOOD.
>> OKAY, GOOD. THERE WOULD BE AN INTERNATIONAL
THERE WOULD BE AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT OTHERWISE.
INCIDENT OTHERWISE. >> BILL, THANK YOU.
>> BILL, THANK YOU. WE ARE JOINED BY TWO MEMBERS OF
WE ARE JOINED BY TWO MEMBERS OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE WHO WERE
THE U.S. AIR FORCE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THAT RESCUE, MAJOR
INVOLVED IN THAT RESCUE, MAJOR CHARLES HODGES WAS ONE OF THE
CHARLES HODGES WAS ONE OF THE MISSION COMMANDERS AND MASTER
MISSION COMMANDERS AND MASTER SERGEANT DARRICK ANDERSON WAS
SERGEANT DARRICK ANDERSON WAS INSIDE THE CAVE DURING THE
INSIDE THE CAVE DURING THE OPERATION.
OPERATION. GOOD MORNING, GENTLEMEN.
GOOD MORNING, GENTLEMEN. I’M GOING TO START WITH SERGEANT
I’M GOING TO START WITH SERGEANT ANDERSON.
ANDERSON. TAKE US INSIDE THAT CAVE,
TAKE US INSIDE THAT CAVE, SERGEANT ANDERSON, TELL US ABOUT
SERGEANT ANDERSON, TELL US ABOUT THE CONDITIONS AND WHAT IT WAS
THE CONDITIONS AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE FOR YOU AND WHAT IT FELT
LIKE FOR YOU AND WHAT IT FELT LIKE WHEN YOU FINALLY SAW THE
LIKE WHEN YOU FINALLY SAW THE FIRST BOYS COMING OUT.
FIRST BOYS COMING OUT. >> INITIALLY WE THOUGHT THE CAVE
>> INITIALLY WE THOUGHT THE CAVE WASN’T GOING TO BE AS COMPLEX OR
WASN’T GOING TO BE AS COMPLEX OR LONG WILL GETTING IN THERE AND
LONG WILL GETTING IN THERE AND SEEING OBSTACLES AND TIGHT
SEEING OBSTACLES AND TIGHT POINTS AND YOU ADD ON TOP OF
POINTS AND YOU ADD ON TOP OF THAT COLD WATERS WITH ZERO
THAT COLD WATERS WITH ZERO VISIBILITY.
VISIBILITY. I THINK QUICKLY WE REALIZED IT
I THINK QUICKLY WE REALIZED IT WAS GOING TO BE A MUCH MORE
WAS GOING TO BE A MUCH MORE COMPLEX MISSION THAN WE
COMPLEX MISSION THAN WE INITIALLY THOUGHT.
INITIALLY THOUGHT. >> MAJOR HODGES, DO I HAVE THIS
>> MAJOR HODGES, DO I HAVE THIS RIGHT THAT AT THE VERY LAST
RIGHT THAT AT THE VERY LAST MOMENT, THERE WAS A COMPLICATION
MOMENT, THERE WAS A COMPLICATION WITH THE OXYGEN.
WITH THE OXYGEN. REALLY, NOT ONLY WERE YOU
REALLY, NOT ONLY WERE YOU AGAINST TIME, IT TURNED OUT
AGAINST TIME, IT TURNED OUT THOSE BOYS WERE RESCUED JUST IN
THOSE BOYS WERE RESCUED JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME.
THE NICK OF TIME. >> YEAH, WE KNEW THAT THE OXYGEN
>> YEAH, WE KNEW THAT THE OXYGEN LEVELS IN THE NINTH CHAMBER WERE
LEVELS IN THE NINTH CHAMBER WERE SLOWLY BUT SURELY GOING DOWN.
SLOWLY BUT SURELY GOING DOWN. WE KNEW THE SUSTAINMENT, COURSE
WE KNEW THE SUSTAINMENT, COURSE OF ACTION THAT WAS A POTENTIAL
OF ACTION THAT WAS A POTENTIAL OPTION WAS FOR LONGER AN OPTION
OPTION WAS FOR LONGER AN OPTION BECAUSE WE KNEW THEY WOULDN’T BE
BECAUSE WE KNEW THEY WOULDN’T BE IN THERE FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS.
IN THERE FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS. WE THOUGHT ORIGINALLY IF WE
WE THOUGHT ORIGINALLY IF WE DIDN’T ACT WHEN WE ACTED, THERE
DIDN’T ACT WHEN WE ACTED, THERE WAS NOT GOING TO BE A SUCCESSFUL
WAS NOT GOING TO BE A SUCCESSFUL RESCUE.
RESCUE. WE KNEW IF WE ACTED SOON, WE HAD
WE KNEW IF WE ACTED SOON, WE HAD THE POTENTIAL TO RESCUE THEM BUT
THE POTENTIAL TO RESCUE THEM BUT WE DIDN’T HAVE THE OPTION TO
WE DIDN’T HAVE THE OPTION TO WAIT.
WAIT. >> MAJOR HODGES, WE CAN’T
>> MAJOR HODGES, WE CAN’T OVERSTATE HOW DIFFICULT AND
OVERSTATE HOW DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS IT IS, A FORMER THAI
DANGEROUS IT IS, A FORMER THAI NAVY S.E.A.L. DIED DOWN THERE.
NAVY S.E.A.L. DIED DOWN THERE. SO DESCRIBE WHAT YOU THOUGHT THE
SO DESCRIBE WHAT YOU THOUGHT THE ODDS WERE INITIALLY.
ODDS WERE INITIALLY. >> SO AS WE LOOK AT MISSIONS
>> SO AS WE LOOK AT MISSIONS LIKE THIS, WE PUT THEM ON A RISK
LIKE THIS, WE PUT THEM ON A RISK MATRIX.
MATRIX. THIS ONE DUE TO THE EXTREME
THIS ONE DUE TO THE EXTREME PHYSICAL HAZARDS, DUE TO THE
PHYSICAL HAZARDS, DUE TO THE FATIGUE HAZARDS, DUE TO THE
FATIGUE HAZARDS, DUE TO THE FACTORS OF IF ANY EQUIPMENT
FACTORS OF IF ANY EQUIPMENT BREAKS DOWN, THAT’S LIFESAVING
BREAKS DOWN, THAT’S LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT AND IT COULD HAVE
EQUIPMENT AND IT COULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC RESULTS IF THAT
CATASTROPHIC RESULTS IF THAT EQUIPMENT DOESN’T HOLD UP, WHEN
EQUIPMENT DOESN’T HOLD UP, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT ON A RISK
YOU LOOK AT THAT ON A RISK MATRIX, IT COMES OUT AS BEING
MATRIX, IT COMES OUT AS BEING EXTREMELY HIGH RISK LEVEL.
EXTREMELY HIGH RISK LEVEL. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT HISTORICALLY ANYONE EVER DOING
HISTORICALLY ANYONE EVER DOING THIS, THERE’S NO PRECEDENT
THIS, THERE’S NO PRECEDENT THAT’S BEEN SET.
THAT’S BEEN SET. WE LOOKED AT THIS AND WE THOUGHT
WE LOOKED AT THIS AND WE THOUGHT THIS HAS A LOW PROBABILITY OF
THIS HAS A LOW PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS.
SUCCESS. I FELT LIKE I WAS BEING
I FELT LIKE I WAS BEING OPTIMISTIC WHEN I TOLD THE
OPTIMISTIC WHEN I TOLD THE GOVERNOR OF CHIANG RAI WHEN HE
GOVERNOR OF CHIANG RAI WHEN HE ASKED THAT IN MY MIND THE
ASKED THAT IN MY MIND THE POTENTIAL CHANCE OF SUCCESS WAS
POTENTIAL CHANCE OF SUCCESS WAS ANYWHERE FROM 60 TO 70%.
ANYWHERE FROM 60 TO 70%. WE WERE FULLY EXPECTING
WE WERE FULLY EXPECTING CASUALTIES.
CASUALTIES. THE MULTINATIONAL EFFORT
THE MULTINATIONAL EFFORT ABSOLUTELY KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE
ABSOLUTELY KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK.
PARK. EVERYBODY CAME TOGETHER ON THIS.
EVERYBODY CAME TOGETHER ON THIS. IF THERE WASN’T TEAMWORK COMING
IF THERE WASN’T TEAMWORK COMING FROM EVERY SINGLE DIRECTION,
FROM EVERY SINGLE DIRECTION, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A
THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A SUCCESS.
SUCCESS. >> AND MY FINAL QUESTION TO YOU,
>> AND MY FINAL QUESTION TO YOU, SERGEANT AND, YOU WEREERSON, YOU
SERGEANT AND, YOU WEREERSON, YOU THERE.
THERE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE PART OF THIS INCREDIBLE
PART OF THIS INCREDIBLE HUMANITARIAN EFFORT, SO MUCH
HUMANITARIAN EFFORT, SO MUCH COURAGE FROM SO MANY PEOPLE FROM
COURAGE FROM SO MANY PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES RALLYING
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES RALLYING AROUND THIS CAUSE OF 13 YOUNG
AROUND THIS CAUSE OF 13 YOUNG BOYS.
BOYS. >> I MEAN, I THINK WE CAN ALL BE
>> I MEAN, I THINK WE CAN ALL BE PROUD.
PROUD. LIKE THE MAJOR SAID, EVERY BIT
LIKE THE MAJOR SAID, EVERY BIT OF EFFORT FROM EVERY PART OF THE
OF EFFORT FROM EVERY PART OF THE WORLD, THOSE BOYS ARE HEROES.
WORLD, THOSE BOYS ARE HEROES. THEY WERE EXTREMELY BRAVE TO GO
THEY WERE EXTREMELY BRAVE TO GO THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I’M REALLY GLAD EVERYBODY AT THE
I’M REALLY GLAD EVERYBODY AT THE END OF THE DAY CAN WALK AWAY
END OF THE DAY CAN WALK AWAY WITH A SMILE TO INCLUDE THE
WITH A SMILE TO INCLUDE THE RESCUERS, FAMILIES, BOYS.
RESCUERS, FAMILIES, BOYS. >> MAJOR HODGES, SERGEANT
>> MAJOR HODGES, SERGEANT ANDERSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND
