Fire Exchange in Afghanistan

FIRE EXCHANGE IN AFGHANISTAN
DeLonge discusses how 'Mad Dog' Mattis saved Lue's Life

On January 15, 2018, I had a honor to interview Luis Elizondo – former point main of the Pentagon’s UFO program AATIP - Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. It was the first extended 60-min interview with Lue that I did back then for the Croatian Public Television. I subsequently released uncut form of that interview on February 8, 2018, over YouTube.

Lue discussed with me the history of UFO investigations under AATIP. During the interview he also talked about General James Mattis, who served as the 26th US Secretary of Defense from January 2017 to January 2019. Lue stated the following from the 05:15 minute mark.

LUIS ELIZONDO: I was in the Army for a fairly short period of time. Once my obligation was up, I was then brought into a Special Operations program, special program on the civilian side and so I worked with the intelligence community, and the Department of Defense, the rest of my career as a civilian. And living abroad in places like Latin America, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and whatnot. So, prior to September 11, most of my career emphasis was on Latin America. So, Central America, South America, the Caribbean. But immediately following the events of September 11th, my career shifted and I focused primarily on the Middle East. So, I spent a good deal of time there, and I was able to serve with some fantastic human beings like Mattis. So, James Mattis, who is the Secretary of Defense, I had the honor and privilege to serve with him in combat. And it is there that I was able to observe myself, the type of person, the truly incredible person that he really is. If you were to ask me and others that served with him, we would all tell you he is truly an American Hero, and he is the very best of the best that we have.

From 53:37 minute mark, Lue also discussed his October 4, 2017 resignation letter that was directed to Mattis.

LUIS ELIZONDO: I never provided my resignation letter to anyone outside, to the media. It was always to the department. It was a copy of a letter that went in to my leadership, and what I've been told is somebody - either current or former DoD - provided a copy of my letter to the media. It was never me. So, the media came to me and the New York Times said they were going to write a story one way or the other about my resignation letter. So, at that point I realized I had a choice. I could either give them my perspective or they were going to write my perspective for me. But that letter was intended to secretary Mattis. I think he deserved to know the truth. My familiarity with him - secretary Mattis - has always been a man who wants more information, not less. And if anybody could break down those silos and stovepipes, he was a man who could do it. Believe me. I've seen that man in combat. If there is one man who can change the system for the good, it is him. And you know, that's what happened. From my understanding there were folks even within the department that didn't even want to share my resignation letter with the secretary which is again indicative of the problem.

On October 11, 2018, investigative Las Vegas journalist George Knapp was a guest on The Phenomenon radio show over KGRA with researchers Linda Moulton Howe and John Burroughs.

From the 20:01 minute mark Knapp replied to Linda’s question whether Secretary Mattis discussed UFOs. Knapp mentioned several off the record and also subsequent public talks with Luis Elizondo where he had the opportunity to ask about the same topic. The general sense was that Mattis didn’t initially know about the resignation letter and that Lue’s immediate Pentagon supervisor didn’t know about the AATIP assignment. However, the person above his supervisor knew since he was overseeing the program. That person also reports to Mattis. Apparently, Lue’s resignation letter never immediately reached Mattis until the night before the NYT AATIP article. Knapp says his understanding is that Mattis was on the social event where someone pulled him outside and told him about the resignation letter and Lue’s upcoming AATIP quotes in the NYT article.

After his resignation from the Pentagon, Luis Elizondo moved to the company “To The Stars Academy” founded by Blink 182 rock star Tom DeLonge.

Back on May 15, 2020, DeLonge was interviewed over Instagram video by Jon Adler from the radio station FM102.1 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At one point he was asked about his TTSA colleague Luis Elizondo. DeLonge discussed Lue’s former Pentagon role and subsequently explained how Jim Mattis saved his life arriving in a Bradley fighting vehicle during the fire exchange in Afghanistan. Biography over DoD website states that Mattis led an expeditionary brigade in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attack in 2001. Here is the transcript of the relevant segment from the 04:26 minute mark.

JON ADLER: It was exactly a year ago I talked to Luis Elizondo - Lou - from “Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO investigations” from Nat Geo. I'm sorry, History Channel.  And we had a great talk, and he had nothing obviously but glowing things to say about you. And I could talk to that dude for days, man he is--

TOM DELONGE: Yeah, me too.

JON ADLER: He's a guy that could easily-- Yeah, he's guy that could easily be, like, very, I don't know, boastful and isn't. He's a very humble guy, but you know he knows a lot.

TOM DELONGE:  Oh, he, I can't say some of-- I can't say why, but when you deal with, like the most secret stuff in the government--

JON ADLER:  Yeah.

TOM DELONGE:  This guy was like-- Where he was placed and what he had access to-- I don't want to go any deeper than that, but yeah. And he's also fun because, you know, every once in a while-- Like I have enough knowledge of this stuff to know more than I'm supposed to. And every once in a while, I'll say something just to test the waters, and the eyebrows that go up on him or like--

JON ADLER:  [LAUGH]

TOM DELONGE: Do not say another word, we're not going there, you know. I always feel like I've won. It's like this game. Can I say something? - where Lue looks at me with stern eyes, you know. . . . Lue came up as a Special Forces operative like a soldier, you know, he fought--

JON ADLER: Yeah.

TOM DELONGE: He fought the Taliban in Afghanistan, like a month after 911 with a secretary of defense Mattis, General Mattis, Mad Dog Mattis.

JON ADLER: Yeah.

TOM DELONGE: Mattis saved his life. Lue got pinned down in a huge machine gun fight. And he called for air support. And they said there's nothing in the area and he said: “I looked at my friend.” - [Lue] said - "We are going to die. We're dead. There are like 100 of them shooting and they pinned me at a rock.” And he heard something on the radio and Mattis comes flying in, like in one of those Bradley vehicles saying - and big door flies down - “Get in boys!” He is in the T-shirt. “I am busy, I'll get to you in a second.” He's on the automatic grenade launcher just wiping people out, you know . . . Lue said he's on the ground just looking up at this guy in the sunset kind of thing. "Who the f*** is this guy?"-- you know, and he saved their, his life, you know so-- So, Lue came from like really being in war, to moving up to a place where he had a lot of responsibility with a lot of very sensitive things and, so he's not boastful, he's not-- He's seen too much depth.

--- End of Transcript ---

M3 Bradley / Cavalry Fighting Vehicle (CFV) / Armored Reconnaissance Scout Tracked Combat Vehicle
Photo Source: https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=125

According to DeLonge, Mattis' sudden arrival on the battle field saved Lue's life. Important career continued which subsequently lead Lue to become the point main of the Pentagon’s UFO program. On December 16, 2017, entire world learned about the AATIP. The rest is history.

Giuliano Marinkovic
August 17, 2020
https://omnitalkradio.weebly.com/pentagon-ufo-study-media.html