clandestine CIA paramilitary operations specialist Ric Prado

[WillBrink]

Long but quite good interview. His book looks interesting and on Amazon:

Ric Prado is a Cuban born clandestine CIA paramilitary operations specialist who worked in the Central Intelligence Agency for nearly 3 decades. His service included 36 months in Central American jungles of Honduras as the first CIA officer living in the anti-Sandinista "Contra" camps.

OUTLINE
0:00 - Introduction
2:36 - Ric’s view of CIA
5:40 - Growing up inside the Cuban Revolution
13:54 - Miami
17:56 - Being “proud” to commit violence / Joining Pararescue
30:12 - Cuba’s relationship with the United States
33:46 - Che Guevara
37:12 - Felix Rodriguez, Kiki Camarena, & Mexican Cartels
47:55 - First job at CIA: Training Contras in Nicaragua
59:49 - The Sandinistas
1:05:40 - Underwater bomb operation
1:12:45 - Kidnapping & rendering 2 rogue commandos
1:21:17 - Argentina's corruption
1:26:21 - Failed bombing mission
1:37:29 - Spy school
1:46:17 - Espionage in Costa Rica
1:51:43 - How Iran-Contra was exposed
1:58:54 - Hunting a Maoist dictator in South America
2:12:58 - South & North Korea
2:22:50 - Working on the Bin Laden task force (Alec Station)
2:26:56 - #1 most legendary CIA Black Ops soldier: Billy Waugh
2:28:49 - CIA vs FBI leading up to 9 1 1
2:35:00 - How Billy Waugh spied on Bin Laden
2:43:18 - Reliving 9 1 1
2:58:34 - Ric’s worldview today
3:03:07 - Russia & China & Nuclear weapons

[Stickman]

Long but quite good interview. His book looks interesting and on Amazon:

Ric Prado is a Cuban born clandestine CIA paramilitary operations specialist who worked in the Central Intelligence Agency for nearly 3 decades. His service included 36 months in Central American jungles of Honduras as the first CIA officer living in the anti-Sandinista "Contra" camps.

Wonder if that is the same Prado I spent time with in the box during Desert Fox. 31 MEU is known for being over there, but PJs, SEALs, UK SAS, NZ SAS and Aussie SAS were there as well. Those were some fun times.

[WillBrink]

Wonder if that is the same Prado I spent time with in the box during Desert Fox. 31 MEU is known for being over there, but PJs, SEALs, UK SAS, NZ SAS and Aussie SAS were there as well. Those were some fun times.

You can't tell by looking at him adjusted for age? He was a PJ first, then went into the CIA apparently. I got his book on audio, not started it yet.

[chuckman]

He is a legend in SOCOM and the PJ community.

[Stickman]

You can't tell by looking at him adjusted for age? He was a PJ first, then went into the CIA apparently. I got his book on audio, not started it yet.

Negative, it wasn't my unit. However, I did have clippers and gave haircuts to plenty of them... as long as someone wanted a high and tight they were good to go!!

I don't comment about Christians in Action or similar units. If I had seen him with some inter agency operation thingy, I wouldn't mention it on a board. I was brought up to be strongly against that. Loose lips and all that.

I'm actually rather shocked that he wrote a book. I know some other people who have written books, and the same question comes to mind. It takes more than an ocean, and some memories are long. I think a lot of SEALS would be good to remember that as well. Everything isn't PTSD, there are legit reasons to be paranoid, especially if people have CONUS kills.

[WillBrink]

Just finished his book Black Ops and it gets highest recommendations. He saw his first gun battle at 7 in Cuba, and had a life that makes James Bond boring. He's obviously biased in favor of the CIA, but dude loved his adopted nation and hates communism and terrorists with a passion. Best part of the book for me at least was his exploits during the support Contra activities against the Sandinista's. He was the first boots on the ground there to train up and support the Contras, which he says were legit freedom fighters with a small % that went rogue and had to be dealt with. Very in depth intel on that I didn't know. He worked with the legendary Billy Waugh and was watching OBL on a daily basis when he was in Sudan and practiced zero PERSEC there, but the limp wristed in the WH would not allow them to deal with OBL, even though he was funding and coordinating attacks on the US pre 9/11. The 9/11 discussion is depressing in that so many missed opportunities existed, and they had their hands tied then, and still do. Finally, after leaving the CIA, he worked for Prince at BW for a time.

[Sam]

So who is more "badass"? Prado or Billy Waugh?

[WillBrink]

So who is more "badass"? Prado or Billy Waugh?

If you asked Prado, I suspect he'd say Waugh, who was operational in his 70s in Afg, one source claims into is 80s!