Episode 10 - Ted Russ (E4)

In this episode we talk to Ted Russ who is author of Spirit Mission.   The book is a true account of how he and company E-4 stole the Navy Goat our Firstie Year; it connects to a fictional story of stealing a CH47 Chinook in Iraq. As a philosophy major, Ted is deeply analytical and introspective about the unique bonds we forged at West Point. On the podscast he remembers the "jarring experience" the first time going to Pete Gaudet's house where he got to see fellow company mates wearing civilian clothes. He reflected on the very different styles and how that might have made them less likely to be friends "on the outside." At West Point, appearances are without the visual cues of civilian clothes, friendships are formed based on proximity, mutual hardship and a common code.