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Today we hear Round 1 of a two part Combat Story with former F-15E Strike Eagle Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) Mike “Pako” Benitez. In this episode, we follow Mike’s very unlikely path to the cockpit that begins with a career in the Marine Corps as a helicopter mechanic and aircrew member in the very first push into Afghanistan to fighting in Iraq during Fallujah II.

Mike’s path is anything but direct as he found his way to becoming an expert tactician and aviator in the F-15E. Since retiring, Mike has gone on to create 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 (Stinger mentions a crusty older Weapons Officer during his interview who made Stinger look info up as opposed to handing it to him - that was Pako). Stay tuned for a follow-on episode after Rounds 1 and 2 with Pako to hear both Pako and Tom “Gunny” Moser be interviewed together about their experiences in Afghanistan and Syria leading units together.

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.
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🔗 Find Mike Online:
- The Merge https://themerge.co/
- The Merge Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@TheMergeMedia

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- Merch https://www.bonfire.com/store/combats...
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- Facebook @combatstoryofficial https://fb.me/combatstoryofficial
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- Learn more about Ryan www.combatstory.com/aboutus
- Intro Song: Sport Rock from Audio Jungle

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
00:52 - Guest Profile: Mike Benitez
02:13 - Start of Interview
02:37 - PAKO Callsign
07:45 - Finding Aviation
10:03 - Family Military Background
11:17 - Recruitment
13:43 - Bootcamp
21:29 - Time in Marines
23:43 - 9/11
33:23 - Hello Fresh Ad
34:37 - Time As A Mechanic
40:15 - First Raid Outside the Wire
50:25 - Reenlistment to Weapons Officer
01:06:30 - Mint Mobile Ad
01:07:51 - Transition From Marines to Air Force
01:11:12 - Path to Strike Eagle
10:18:24 - Welcome to First Air Force Unit
01:20:00 - First Operational Squadrant
01:39:07 - First Danger Close
01:42:02 - First Fatality
01:42:03 - Listener Feedback