About this episode
Send us a text Let’s get one thing straight—Charlie Faint isn’t just an intel officer. He’s the intel officer that made it through JSOC, the 160th, and now West Point without once becoming a PowerPoint nerd with security clearance delusions. In this episode, we dig into his warrior-scholar journey—from nearly drowning in a flight suit during selection to launching the Havoc Journal and mentoring cadets who think Platoon is a recruiting video. We cover everything: JSOC mythos, combat intel screw-ups, the Rangers' OPSEC paranoia, mentoring Gen Z cadets with TikTok attention spans, and what happens when your daughter accidentally drops a no-strike target’s name over a monitored call. You’ll laugh. You’ll learn. You’ll probably get flagged by the NSA. 🔥 Key Takeaways: How Charlie nearly failed selection because of a buoyant flight helmet—and why he refused to quit. What it's really like to work intel inside JSOC and the 160th . Why the Rangers are more scared of OPSEC violations than combat. The origin story of Havoc Journal and how it became the literate grunt’s favorite blog. How West Point cadets are smarter than we were—but still need a “bull elephant” mentor to stay on track. What Call of Duty and Predator drone feeds have in common (hint: team bonding). Why trust is everything, and how an imagery guy named Smitty saved an entire air mission with a gut call. ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro and “we swear he’s the smart intel guy” 01:30 – Charlie’s military lineage and why he joined 05:00 – JSOC family tree and childhood revelations 08:30 – West Point cadet trends and “the military caste system” 13:00 – Getting humbled in Green Platoon 18:00 – Intel guy vs. underwater harness test (spoiler: fail) 22:00 – Why 160th included him in real ops 28:00 – Trust, Smitty, and a 75% landing risk 33:00 – Havoc Journal origin story 38:00 – OPSEC horror stories: Ranger edition 43:00 – Mentorship and why Gen Z is gonna be just fine 50:00 – Advice for future leaders: “Get in the damn box first.” 59:00 – Final thoughts and where to find Charlie’s work Support the show Join this channel to get access to perks: HERE Buzzsprout Subscription page: HERE Register for our Operator Training Summit: OperatorTrainingSummit.com Collabs: Ones Ready - OnesReady.com 18A Fitness - Promo Code: ONESREADY ATACLete - Follow the URL (no promo code): ATACLete Danger Close Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY DFND Apparel - Promo Code: ONESREADY Hoist - Promo Code: ONESREADY ...