Episode Details

On September 11, 2001, America was attacked. Nearly 3,000 lives were lost. As night fell, the world waited as America planned their response. Within weeks, a small force of Green Berets, CIA Paramilitary Case Officers, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment flight crews and Army Rangers would launch one of the most extraordinary unconventional warfare campaigns in military history.

The first Special Forces units who touched down in Afghanistan would forever become known as the Horse Soldiers.

Twenty-five years later, their legacy stands at Ground Zero, where a lone Green Beret on horseback remains in permanent overwatch of the Twin Towers, their memory and the legacy of all those lost.

From the base of the Horse Soldier statue in New York City’s Liberty Park, Fran Racioppi sat down with retired Lieutenant General John Mulholland, who commanded 5th Special Forces Group on September 11 and led America into Afghanistan. LTG Mulholland shares his firsthand account of the attacks, the mission into Afghanistan, and the extraordinary effort to bring America’s Response Monument to Ground Zero.

Also joining us is Dave Holland, Green Beret and founder of Longtab Brewing, whose personal connection to 9/11 and service in Afghanistan inspired Strength And Honor, an American Strong Ale honoring the Horse Soldiers and their legacy.

This is America’s response, a tribute to the men who achieved the impossible, and a promise that their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. 

Strength and Honor! De Oppresso Liber!

Highlights:

00:00 Introduction

02:00 General Mulholland’s 9/11 Response

05:41 The First Infiltrations into Afghanistan

08:37 The Horse Soldiers’ Legacy

10:02 The Story Behind the Statue

14:13 Bringing the Monument to Ground Zero

18:40 The “Strength and Honor” Beer Tribute