Free Burma Rangers - with writer and producer Noah Nelson
Hard Parking with Jhae Pfenning · Jun 19, 2023
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I know this is hard parking sponsored by r100, Right? Toyota out of Scottsdale,
Arizona, on your host Jay pinning.
We are finally at the episode with mr.
Noah Nelson, I've been talking about this now for a few weeks Noah recently, went to Burma. There's a war going on.
On in that little country, he went over there as a journalist, to get some ideas and interview, some people and take some photos and ended up getting caught in the middle of the conflict.
And you tell us some very scary and compelling stories and something like that changes Who You Are.
Or brings out who you really are as a person.
And I purposely left a few pauses, a few ohms because I want you to feel the thought when I asked him a question and he responds and thinks about recounts, his trip over there and what it was like to be immersed in such a such an environment where you're walking sometimes running for your life, you have no idea where the gunshots are coming from people around you. We're getting shot, people are
Angry, and believe it or not, we actually do get into a little transportations because this is a non-automotive automotive podcast. As with all my interviews, this
is brought to you by cell shop Wireless services, that sell shop.you S no Nelson in. His Burma Story coming up, Jay
finding here. I want to tell you guys about
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No one else and welcome back to the It's been a long time.
This is the first time we're actually on video I looking good like the facial stuff that's going on.
How you been? I think good man.
I've been good. Yeah you missed it.
I actually was growing like a really long like a white beard and I went back to this kind of half mustache.
You look and half not mustache? You look because I felt like
with the beard, unlike you like it's all white.
So it's straight up Papa Smurf and I'm like, no I tried to upload a black and white I think selfie and I Cat.
And I go yeah no it's all got to come off so but you're looking good, man. Thanks, brother.
Yeah, it's it's a different look for sure.
My daughter hates it. But I think she enjoys calling
me old more often because I got the the white.
But yeah, I like it kind of helps hide my double chin.
So you kids, you know, we have the same problem here.
Every time, my wife changes, something she goes.
Well, I go ask me what I think of your husband, don't ask the kids because they're going to tell you.
They don't like it because it's not what they're used to.
So, how long ago was it when you went to Burma?
Let's talk about Burma a little bit because I know it's, it's, and it's, it seems like it's changed you a little bit just on the social media level and then maybe we should talk about the writer strike as a writer strike that's going on right now.
You know, how is it? Impacting seems like every time
we talk something's going on, I think last time it was 2020 when we talked officially Yeah, I went to Burma last year, feels like around. So, around this time I think it
was May that the beginning of me think.
Yeah, it's around this time. Yeah, this is a beginning of May
and I did two missions with the free Burma Rangers.
David Eubank his family for the purposes of conducting research.
Boots-on-the-ground research about their operations in Burma.
and his family in particular, for the purposes of a TV show, developing a TV series, And it was, you know, it was life-changing, you know, in a lot of ways and, you know, I didn't know what to expect. I David who's a former major for
the alarming Army's elite special forces of Army Rangers is a pretty fit guy. Even for like, I think he's in
his late 50s now, and He's just a stud and he told me to get in shape, he said be prepared in shape and you know, honey, California guy feel like I'm in pretty I felt I was in pretty decent shape but I stepped up the notch on the treadmill you know I put it up a couple more levels went from Two and a Half to four feet that that's why my face now.
Yeah but then I got there and it was like men It was embarrassing. I didn't know what to expect.
I had talked to him had conversations with him, but he keeps things pretty close to the vest because of how they get you into Burma. And also, what's going on over
there? And he certainly doesn't want to
elude or give any information where his Camp is or some of their operations. But it's so I flew in it Shang
by and then middle of the night, drive drive, drive, four hours, don't know where you are. And then I, Really talk about it
but they smuggle you in, right? That takes a while and that's an
experience. And then you show up in this
sort of like place and your you meet, Dave, and you're taking in a truck and they drive on the Slick road is not barely drivable. And then you finally get to this
River and then you have to hike. And, and it's humid and it's the
jungle. Mmm.
It's real man and so it's about eight miles.
So you had to hike about eight miles.
Once you cross this. Yeah, once you cross the river
and then it's eight miles and it's like it's steep, its not like 8 miles. It's not like an eight mile hike
Through the Jungle it's like 8 Mile up mountains, down mountains. It's like and it's not it's
intense and so I couldn't do it. I Quit.
So you're so you're telling me that the hill setting It's on the treadmill. It's not gonna really prep.
No, not yet. But yeah, I thought I was toast
and I was done and David was looking at me like a boy, you know, if you can't keep up with this, there's no way he can go on a missions. And so I was there in Camp for
about almost three weeks and he said to me he goes.
All right. Look, here's the deal.
If you do what we just did today in the morning and you run it without your pack, And then in the afternoon, you do the same thing with your pack and just walk it because you do that every day for the next two and a half weeks, you go see just might be able to survive. So that's what I did and pin it
up. Barely surviving.
Let me, let me ask you this. Let's go back to.
When you when you land there, you said you weren't quite sure.
You know what, to expect you still had to have some kind of an idea and it sounds like whatever your idea was.
This was an it, but Then when you land, you know, describe the airport, I mean, is it just like a 103 gate thing?
Like, I've never been to like a third world, obviously international airport or any maybe not even International and then what's going through your mind as you get picked up?
Yeah. It's not, it's not a third-world
airport. If lion to LifeLink the Shing my
Thailand, oh, that's okay. That's right now.
I don't know time, we're thinking about going to Thailand so maybe I'll find out, it's awesome.
Yeah, I look, man. I'd seen videos.
I heard stories of what was going on in Burma, and I knew what David in the Rangers do. I mean, they provide in addition
to providing medical and relief support to the people displaced people of Burma, they also do rescue missions and that gets pretty dangerous because there's actual battles and And bullets flying and grenades landing and land mines and you know, Jet strafing and it's all out War there right now, so that gets dangerous. So I knew that I was warned that
that mission occur any Mission could get pretty loud and dangerous, but I hadn't planned on being a part of any of that, man. I mean, I'm a camera.
So my thing was I'm going to go there, I'm going to hike, I'm going to stay back, I'm not Get involved with any of that interview. A few people get a story.
Yeah, your pictures and go home. Are ya get to know the family
and you know, get a sense of the place and that's not what happened at all. I mean that happened, but I also
ended up getting directly involved on multiplications to it with stuff and particularly towards the end of the Corinthian Mission. We were, I was hunkered down
with a bunch of the Rangers in the Medics and we were taking they were taking wounded. Soldiers.
They were the resistance Army was launching this assault on the Burma army camp up on this hill and it was straight out of it like a movie from Vietnam movie from the 70s, man.
It was like, here's the jump ball.
Here's these guys and you, and I'm watching them in the bullets are going and mortars landing and it's intense.
And I'm hunkered down in this little Grove of trees, and I'm taking video of them bringing guys in who have been wounded.
So they've got, you know, they're close to death and then They take on them and they try to patch them up as much as they can, and then they take them to another place, which is a second. CCP point is what they call is
casualty collection point. And there is the transport
vehicle where they can be put in the vehicle.
And then taken to a third CCP where there's actual medical staff, that can really sell them up and take the time outside of the direct line of fire to administer whatever Medical Aid.
They need to to these to these guys and women too.
So it's like like it's pretty intense and so I was hunkered down with these guys and I'm right there on the near the Frontline. And next thing I know there's
chaos and people are yelling really loud like and it was funny because right before that happened I felt something fly right by my ear and I thought it was this strange Burmese bug but then another one went by and I was like, hmm, that might not be a bug and then Accepted and it turned out, we were being ambushed by a battalion of Burma army soldiers and they'd come in behind us and they were firing directly in our position.
And so the next thing I know, I'm running out, I've got this all on video by the way, because I was like, how scary was this?
Because as a friend of yours, you know we've sat at the same table you know and had food and I would imagine anybody who follows you actively on social media like we're concerned like I every time you upload it somewhere.
Something I'm like, shit, isn't it?
It's I'm worried. You know but I'm not there with
you. I felt like I was there with you
on a few of those videos. What's going through your head
right now? If anything, are you just
reacting, like, what's going on? Yeah, I'm really, I mean, it was
weird. I've been in a few kind of
weird, kind of things before. So I, The Sounds were just a lot
louder than I experienced. It was a lot closer and it was a
lot more. Meaning because it was directly
at us and and I mean, I'm petrified, man, I'm scared.
Sure, and all, and it's hard because it's like, we're running and you're being shot at and All you're thinking all I was thinking about, was getting the hell out of there, you know, as fast as I could, and then I'm recording.
And I'm thinking, I guess also that, you know, maybe if they find my phone or whatever, That at least people will know where I will as always going on. I don't know.
So that's just recording it plus anyway, so we made it out to a, they chased us out into the open and open field was freshly plowed farmland, and that really sucked because now we can't run as fast. I mean, every it's like a bad
nightmare, your every step you take it just sinks into soft.
Better and it just slows your Escape.
It's terrible and pandan. You're like right there, you're
right into the open. And you're here on a bomb
connectivity. Because up on the hill, there's
Burma army soldiers that are firing now down at your position and you're being fired at from behind and you have no cover and that's when things got a lot louder in the video, you can hear it. It's just a machine gun RPGs and
that's what happened. A grenade went past, me and hit
landed. And I turn around and I look and
I just see the cloud of dust and I keep running and their shouts, and it's like it's nuts, it's chaos.
And we get to I got to finally got to Grove of trees and I could look back and one of our guys that lead medic actually snakes silver horn had been hit and he was on the ground and I was with David who's again? He's like 57 years old, he's got
two bad knees to torn hamstrings, and he looks back.
And he sees silver horn and then he sees a couple of our guys, trying to drag him off of the field.
Because there's we're still taking fire and and I just see this guy just start running back and he waves he's like to a couple of Rangers. He's like guys come with me,
help me and they're like no heart.
And and yeah, I was standing there with my camera and I'm recording all this. It was terrible man.
I was standing there. I'm like, well, at least I don't
have to go back there. I mean, what am I going to do?
You know, right? So this kind of weird tap on my
side. My shoulder from from, from what
I can only explain is God saying, hey, dude, what are you doing? And I'm like, touch on that
their lord, I'll die. Any.
And I felt, I felt God say. I felt I didn't hear this but I
felt and say, yeah, you might die but but do you love these people? And I'm like, yeah.
So, I was like, then choose to love over fear and so I started walking back and went back and and, and they had far how far were you in the other Rangers from where the medikit Fallen?
I would say about 50 yards. Maybe 50, 50, 70 yards but they
were all the the Burma army soldiers were all in this tree.
Cover that fire. So it's like it's a weird
sensation going back toward the thing that can kill you and getting closer but, you know, it's like everything in your body says, what are you doing, dude?
You know. But anyway, so I went back and
Dave, they're trying to pull them out and Dave said, look them because we need your help dude.
And he gave me a an ankle to hold because we're having caring. Them out and then David drew his
weapon and provided cover. Fire suppress the fire coming
our way so that we could get him out a little bit further so that he was bleeding out. That was the other thing.
He's bleeding out and he's a medic and so he's communicating with one of the Rangers who who could understand them that if we didn't patch him up there, right then and there he was going to bleed out and die and it was being communicated back to him that if we don't Get you out of here.
We're all gonna die. We're all Gonna Get Smoked but
David felt like he had suppressed.
He could he engage who was one of the army guys are many volunteers who is with us. Could suppress gunfire for the
time being and then they patched him up and we had like two minutes. He asked me to keep time and you
guys you guys have two minutes and then gauge.
Who's a trained Army medic passion my best.
He could to stop the bleeding long enough to get him into a truck. That was the other thing should,
then David turned to me and said, Noah, you run security, which means you stay right here. Don't follow us.
And, and look back. And if you see any Burma Burma
army soldiers, let us know. Gage says, should we give him a
gun? Debbie goes, no, I think he's
good. He's got this and then they took
off with silver horn to the truck.
That was waiting that I really wanted to run with them to weigh out your camera though. Yeah my camera is now office.
My pocket and there's this young kid who's 18 must be II.
Magic is like 18 19 who comes running over to me and he speaks broken English and he goes, I'll cover you and he's got a ride home. And so we sat there and looked
at the tree line, but here's the other funny thing is that I had prescription sunglasses because I'm nearsighted.
So when David in the funny thing was my prescription sunglasses.
I lost just an hour ago when we were diving for cover from mortar. I do down.
They came off. And, and coming back up, and I
start moving forward and I got to the Grove of trees where I was hunkered down. The team and I realized, oh, I
lost and I thought my all I know where I lost them.
So when we go back, I'll just grab them.
But then we were ambushed were chased out.
So when I was running security and sitting basically looking back, I realized I might know some shit like the worst worst person asked to do this anyway. They finally got him to the
truck so we could leave our security position and then we ran through. Corn stocks that were about as
high as my knees and had been planted over.
Just like two months ago. I was told, it was just all
Papi. They're growing poppy for heroin
production there, but now his corn and the cool that weird thing man, it was really strange running through.
This field was you could hear the bullets whistling through the leaves on the stock of corns but it made this weird with first. I didn't know what it was but it
made this really cool Whistling noise.
Hmm. Realize what it was and it was
but you know, horrific it's now. Did you is that the video?
You would uploaded that. I remember I thought you had
uploaded a video of someone getting kind of hit.
Yeah, I uploaded it for a bit and then I took it down.
I plan on releasing it along with some other stuff.
Later, how long were you totally how long have you over there the whole time soon? Four months.
So the first month, we ran a mission in Burma which we went to a bunch of villages, delivering medical and relief.
And that was really cool and it's just all day hiking over mountains. It's like it's something
straight out of Lord, of the Rings, it's just absolutely breathtaking. Its third world seeing, you
know, water buffalo grazing. And these giant like bamboo
stalks that are stick is like redwood trees.
It's like, it's like, it's like It's just it's spectacular and you arrive in these Villages after hiking all day long.
And these remote Villages that are in the middle of these rice fields and another bamboo huts on stilts, and no running water, and or electricity for that matter.
And people just so happy to see you and see that you care.
And and it's awesome and amazing and, you know, but there's always this looming threat of Burma Army in the area and I was slow. Lowly sort of introduced to that
through the first mission. There was a moment where we
almost got pinned down and smoked and we had to end up running through this field of landmines.
That was a lot of fun. And then the Burma Army had come
back in a position where we couldn't go back the same way we came in. So we had to go back a separate
way, but that required us hiking all day and into the almost early evening, and it was that was Brutal and we did that for like two days straight and and then the current emission was more, it was more violent as louder.
Some more intense, whose it was Is is pretty and it's bizarre, man. Because you like I felt Like, I
felt I felt an immense amount of responsibility when I left.
Because all the story. Yeah.
Yeah. And not just about David and his
family, but about what's happening to these people over there, they're literally just fighting to survive you know and they got nothing. They've got guns that have been
handed down to him that sometimes break, you know, and if you imagine being like, let's say 14 years old or 13 year old boy and your father Gets his leg blown off from stepping on a landmine that the Burma Army planted outside in a church.
And and you're forced to watch your mom being raped by a couple of these guys and then they burn her alive in the fire pit in front of you. And you are you want to do
something? And so you join it up with this
resistance Army and but you're given a gun that can barely work. And, you know, it's in your
afforded little training and it's it's pretty brutal over there and I do think that they're gaining momentum and I do think that they're eventually going to win their freedom, their democracy for that country, but there's going to be a lot of blood that's been shed. I mean, they've been in a civil
war for over 70 years. Ears.
So it's, you know, Ukraine has nothing on nothing, right.
And they don't have any assistance really except for no party is Burma. As far as population, you know,
just I mean this is a generational resistance.
This is generational conflict, you know, like what's actually, what's it going to take and who's the aid there?
Who's the number-one enemy, obviously the Army, but you know, where are they getting their stuff?
And like, What's it gonna be? They're getting their stuff from
China and Russia. So, Barmes it under their shit
barely works. Yeah.
Well I'm Army is getting funded, mostly China and then they buy stuff from Russia. So the fighter jets that they
have are all old Russian migs I believe.
But yeah, it's a part of the problem is that okay so Burma's right on the doorstep of China, so, uh, sending aid over there.
Is picking a fight that we probably don't want everyone ready, uh, with Ukraine, which is tenuous right now anyway, so there's that, there's also no Riddle, natural resource to compel us to get involved over there.
There's like, one oil Pipeline and goes directly into China.
So, and it's between India, Thailand, China, and then there's a couple other countries that forget what they are.
So it's, you know, it's problematic like the, the only A, I think they're going to win their democracy is freedom.
Is by doing what they're doing, which is fighting back uniting, figuring out how to unite, how to fight back, what's at stake, which a lot of them know what's at stake.
It's but it's brutal, dude. It-it-it's as brutal as you can.
Imagine, I still, I get updates weekly, and I get photos.
Six of the guys that I was with last year, dead.
And let's all you would you would updated at least once about one of them. Yeah.
And you know, I get pictures of fire pits with limbs that haven't completely burned, you know, stuff like that, hit kids, you know, it's it's It really. It's hard because it puts me in
a place of outrage and anger but also fuels my desire to tell us tell the story and are these coming where these images?
I know, I mean you're the experienced sounds terrible, sounds brutal. I mean whether you're running
from the tree line without your glasses or you're running from getting you know, if worried about getting shot in the back and then all you have to worry about where you're stepping to I can't even imagine. The terror.
What? So, when you get back, I mean
how did that? It's I would imagine that would
would have changed you quite a bit and it sounds like it has but you know when you set foot what was that first step?
Or when you look out the window and you're getting ready to land, I'd assume I don't know where you landed in the US where there's LAX or something. You know what was that first
step? Like, what was that thought?
What was your initial thought as soon as you landed or saw America? That's a great question, and
it's funny. Well.
As I explained in my dad. There's something that I mean,
you know this about me. I'm a spiritual, dude.
I felt like there was some surgery that was done on me as a man and done spiritually so I I had this experience and kind of, The culture there is one of the things that the culture there is they live every day as though sir last because it could be so like as one of them put it to me this way.
He said our lives are like water on a leak.
You never know which way it's going to fall.
Well, man. And it's a concept that you here
not being able to understand that at all, right?
It is I'm from LA and writer. I plan as much as I possibly
can. Like, - thanks gifts.
Like these guys aren't thinking about that at all, but after being there for two and a half months, and after being in a lot of really scary, Places with them and experiencing The Joy on their faces and hearing their stories and basically just fallen in love with these guys, you know?
And these people and it being in this incredible difficult, scary petrifying situation where you're given an opportunity to engage in a similar way, that they engage, which is Letting Go Really helps you crystallized. What's important?
And so, getting back to your question when I was touching down in La, I just didn't feel like it was me anymore.
Who's touching down right different guy?
Totally different guy and it was weird because I could not wait to leave dude, so happy, I was happy to get out of there.
I was counting down the days, man.
I miss my family. I missed cheeseburgers, you
know. All right.
I miss not looking over my shoulder and I miss like, The freedom of just being able to do get in my truck and go anywhere, you know, do anything I wanted. So but that said when I came
home as soon as I was walking through the airport at LAX part of me, just wanted to go back. Like a movie Min or so.
Are you looking around at people like you have you just like these people have no idea? Like, how would they accept for
your project that you're working on?
But we get so tied up on things. You know, our experiences are
all relative and what's important to us and what's what's a Bad Day, right? It's got a flat tire.
Is the worst day of my life. Is it that you just came from,
you know, two and a half months of just Water rolling off leaves. Yeah, it's it definitely changes
your perspective about thing's for sure, you know, and also people in about, you know, just being grateful for what you have and being grateful for the day. And You know, it made me want to
get out of Hollywood more than ever, you know.
I made me, you know, where I was sort of like There's a lot of great things that I love about LA and Hollywood and Stein's best friends that I have some credible relationships that have made have been because of this business.
But you know I could care less honestly about this project or that project I mean I care you know sure I get it but but all the stuff that goes along with it it's like I just don't, I just don't care. I care less.
I cared. I didn't care so much before I
left. I care even less.
After I came home and like I said, I, you know, I still miss it, I miss it as being over there.
I just talked to David actually two days ago and he was saying yeah, we got to get you out back out here brother and he goes your celebrity here. Now, you know that your photo up
on the wall photos of you up on the wall and he goes you know, think when they do this movie you're going to have to come back out here. You know that right?
You know, and he's about to go back in.
But it's the action is picked up over there and it's gotten worse. It was bad.
When I was there is it gotten gotten worse when I was there but it's picked up even more so now yeah I can imagine that conversation. It's like went to Key West.
I had a great time. Can't wait to get you back out
here. Yeah, I'm down.
Let's pick a date versus Burma. And everything you went through
was like, we gotta get you back out here.
It's like a guy. I want to go part of me.
He wants to go and part of me, never wants to go again, and it's even worse now. Imagine, so like you said, and
that stuff. So how is it?
Free? Burma project going, it's going.
It's, it's, it's with a company called Kingdom and the person behind Kingdom, one of the people behind kingdoms named John Erwin. He has been producing a lot of
movies in the. He might say faith-based Arena.
Jesus Revolution is one of Latest ones done really, really well. He's a really great filmmakers
director, believe writer too. And so, you know, they were the
ones who finance my trip over there basically and I picked up the project develop as a series they've been talking about developing it as both the movie and a series now which is exciting but we'll see if it happens.
I don't know for waiting, we're in the writers.
Strike right now. So I can't really can't do much.
All right for that to resolve itself.
But, you know, we'll see. It's in God's hands like water
on a leaf. Don't know which way it's going
to fall Min. Will they be maybe no one else?
Enjoy produced documentary? Because I would imagine the TV
show would be very Loosely based on are very strictly based on what you've done and then, of course, the movie is a movie or is that You know, it's funny because it's one of the hardest things to crack about. This is how do you, what your
way into this story is? It's so unique of an experience
has such a unique family. I mean, I haven't even talked
about David and his wife, Karen and their three kids who are part of the rescue missions and and who they were part of a lot of operations in Iraq, when Isis had taken over Mosel and the stories of what they did there in a hundreds of lives that they Skewed the kids included, it's like the Swiss Family Robinson, only their real, you know, and that it's such a unique.
Story. It's hard to just tell it that
way, there that, there's a way into it.
And I think the way into it is, someone like me, who, you know, in some ways, an everyday, Joe, we just goes over there and finds himself in same situation to do one thing.
You know, to write an article to tell a story and then get swept up and into a bunch of guys who are, you know, some of them are military volunteers, you know, from different Marine here, army guy here, right and ends up helping in a lot of ways.
When was like a tears from the Sun Tears of the Sun scenario, you get like a leading leading person to kind of play the role of your your contractor guy and then, you know, maybe that's the Hollywood in, I guess. Yeah.
My dream is Mark Wahlberg. My dream is Mark Wahlberg.
I think you'd be great play Dave.
Yeah yeah I keep seeing him see what happens but yeah I'm sure the rock would do it. I'll do anything.
I love the rock. I think he's a little too big to
play dated but yeah dude nobody knows you know they show the real pictures at the end you're like oh really wow guys like three nike5 switch, 620 pounds, not No, he's not that.
But those guys, you know, believe or not David, we are your sales like because the the muscle guys, they show up here and they think they can keep up and they can't, it's those guys.
He can't keep up the guys at that, that machine, you got to be in such great shape, man. I mean, just incredible shape to
keep up with them. It's, it's, it's intense.
There's probably not a lot of fun Parts about the trip.
Of course there's some great experiences close to Heart.
Let's talk about the overall culture, you miss cheeseburgers, what did you eat there? A lot of rice and sometimes
mystery meat sometimes it feels really good and I'd stop in a village. Amen.
It's farm-to-table, they go out in the jungle and they pick stuff and whatever's growing whatever is in season, they come back and and you know, becomes part of the stood with the rice and whatever it is, is there anything that you had that you may not have known what it was you or you knew what it was?
You're like, wow this is this is I'm going to miss this, whatever this is and I know I don't mean to make it sound like everything is disgusting. I love rice.
I can eat rice with forever. But you know, the mystery means
stuff like that. I mean good.
Food is good food? Yeah, it's funny.
I was not a big rice fan before I left and you know, just by virtue of the fact that you got to eat what you got to eat, man, I became a race fan and since I've come back, I eat rice.
It's like I'm happy eating rice with every meal, it's strange.
Um, also grew up in Hawaii and rice is Big staple there, too.
So that's right. It's just been, I just
eventually I had to accept it and I have I've embraced right ice, but yeah, there they I don't know if I should tell this story. There's a lot into it.
Yeah, you know. Well, you can get creative with
it look man. It's a dip your in a third world
country. So you got to let go of all your
preconceptions and your ideas and you got to understand these people grew with that grew up, without in different part of the world. Peta is not over there, so you
eat whatever you can catch. Each and there are still a lot
of dogs running around sometimes and you know kind of wild though, right? Yeah they all they're all kind
of the same breed. You know there's not like read
dogs say Mexican Street dogs. They have like the super weird
look and they're all kind of the same.
Yeah, exactly. So one night one night, I got to
Camp is late in the evening. And eaten anything yet.
And one of the volunteers trained, great guy comes walking up to me, he goes not just what's for dinner, I'm like what and goes? It'll be staring back at you if
you open the lid and and it was like, okay basson on better tonight and he goes he goes I'm going to be honest with you I've had some yeah he was he was pretty good.
And I said, yeah, I said, I believe you.
But no thanks. Yes, exactly.
So I said, you know, you camp is you set up a hammock and you set up your tarp over your hammock because it rains every night stop. That's where you sleep, man.
That's why I slept. And that's actually a luxury to
because most of the time, if you are sleeping in height, you're just sleeping on a hard man who. So, anyway, set up my Camp, said
my hammock as about to call it a night.
Engage. I said his name.
Great guy comes. Walking up to me with the shish,
kebab. He's like, are you sure?
And I go. Yeah, man.
Said get that thing away from me because I guess I'm barking up the wrong tree, dude. Vehicles.
I believe you had uploaded a video where you guys are driving in a truck with no windshield. Maybe you were taking fire, I
don't remember. It was a while ago, is that most
Transportation like little scooters and small, like motorcycles, are they just got like in anything miscellaneous?
I'm so, yeah, in this is the automotive portion of this conversation, you know, right, right.
Right, right there. So in some of the more remote
areas, they just started using motorcycles, get around.
It's dangerous because they obviously motorcycles make a lot of noise and expose them to any Burma army soldiers.
That might be in there yet, but they have started using motorcycles. And some of the remote areas, we
had ponies and the first part of the mission.
Go ahead everywhere everywhere. But in the second dish incur,
any, they've got trucks, you've got Toyota Hilux trucks, and They had also stolen which they're really proud of of Burma army truck which had the windshield shattered and, you know, and a gunfight that thing was in and it was not, it was not safe at all, man. It was the funniest thing and we
would motor around on like it. Let me just tell you this from
the moment I showed up in Burma, the very moment to the moment, I left there was not one comfortable.
Minute that I had everything was like you just didn't know it was going to happen, it's Anything could happen.
And so the it was a giant Burma army truck and we would load up the Rangers in the back and I would kind of like help take us around the Helix trucks leaves pronounce Felix, her Hilux, right? Anyway, I've heard it both ways,
I read it is he looks but I had a guest, a 4x4 Estan this at Hilux so he's he probably knows then Hilux tracks.
These thinks she can take a pretty bad beating and beating and keep going and and we use those.
And again, if it was scary gone because you're taking back roads to get into places are you know, because you want to stay away again from the roads that are occupied by Burma Army.
So we're taking these like dirt roads that are all.
If they've just been rained on there, just mud and you're sliding off and there's a drop and Jumping out of the truck because you don't want to go down with the truck.
I mean, it it was, it's crazy. But yeah.
So Toyota Hilux trucks, stolen Burma army truck and then there were a couple of motorcycles that we brought that Peter ewbank, David's son, who 16 at the he was 16 at the time would ride on and he had his monkey Winnie that hang onto them and he would drive behind the trucks when we would go from.
Place to place. Yeah, that was our
transportation. No, I appreciate you sharing
that with me. I've been very curious since you
got back. I'm like oh this is a good
times, it's a good time and always busy going through a lot of stuff, it's a good time. So it was always you know thank
you for being willing to be a part of this.
Will you be joining us on Wednesday anytime soon?
Yeah, you know, try to pop on when I can.
You guys are awesome. And yeah, thanks for having me,
man. Thanks for asking questions
about Burma. I mean, any news that can be,
that can get Out. I'm writing an article right now
about my experience over there that I planned.
I don't, can you hear my dog snoring?
I heard something just now. But that's was that, that was.
I mean, it could have been a chair moving for all I know.
God, so bored. Yeah, I'm writing Arc right now.
That is about my experience over there and the TV series and potential movie. That's going to come out about
it. Hopefully will shed a little bit
more light, what's going on over there?
But yeah, any opportunity I have to talk about it.
I if I jump at, so I appreciate you inviting me to come on and I appreciate your questions. Are great questions and I hope
that you understand. Hey, I didn't have any of them
written down, man. I'm just like God.
Okay. Okay.
You're not different questions. You're a natural?
Yeah, I have one question for you because last try to get an answer on your NSX like it's how fast it goes from zero to 60, in your kind of kind of evade it. So I'm wondering what, I don't
know, you don't know on the new car.
Yeah, it's it's like sub-2 and sub-3 so I don't know, I haven't timed it myself but some Publications would say like 29-28 some Publications, will say 331, but I feel comfortable saying it's a subtree second. Yeah.
It's awesome. I thought it was.
Hey, next time I come to Gilbert, you know, there's a lot of new houses here. You're looking for a place to
relocate, Gilbert Arizona, man, where it's at.
She's hot for me, you know, gonna be down there.
You know who's in your areas gauge the guys with last year practical? No kidding.
That thing's getting married this week.
He's a I think he's either Mesa or Gilbert.
You might be Gilbert actually, okay.
Yeah, next time down there. I'll hit you up if you're free
of up to grab dinner, Sounds good.
There's anything we can do, you know, people who watch this?
Listen to this, I say watch because this is on YouTube, as well, at some point. But what can we do or do?
We just wait for the article and everything to come out and go from there? No, don't wait, man.
Just as I encourage everyone to educate yourself about what's going on over there and see how you can you can get involved.
I mean, there are places that you can donate money to that.
It can find its way over there, to keep these people fed.
And And also there's a lot of kids, you know that are displaced and put into these camps that need like they're their teachers their but they need school supplies and stuff like that. So you know, money does find its
way there. It's largely through the
churches, Catholic Christian, Christian Church, that's been supported in people over there so you get online.
I'm sure you can find some look up, FBR free Burma Ranger, you know, donate some money to them, see what?
I can do to get involved with what they're doing.
They're a legit organization and what they're doing over there is incredible. So yeah, man.
Just get involved if you can spread awareness.
Thanks Noah. I did thank you again man.
Appreciate it. You better hit me up.
When you come into town I will for sure.
God bless you. As always, want to think Noah
for coming by the show. Its first time he's been on a
couple of years, such a great person.
You can find more, like he said, go to free Burma Rangers dot-org. And you can look up, Dave Eubank
and his family and you can get involved stuff like that.
Not only makes you want to be involved but I loved that conversation so much that's going to be one of those that I probably listen to more than once.
So I look forward to the next time we are able to actually hang out. So that being said, what I think
right handed, right? Toyota or will online.com social
Wireless services and patreon is supporter Korea.
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Facebook group last but not least, share this episode with someone who needs to listen to the free Burma story and just share it with anyone in general as I can't grow without you telling the world how great the show is?
Let's do this to screw the same together.
Talk to you all next week. Shut up.
Now let's tripping. Time.
Ain't nobody got time for that.
About this episode
Noah Nelson shares his harrowing experiences from his recent trip to Burma, where he embedded with the Free Burma Rangers amidst ongoing conflict. He recounts intense moments of danger, including being caught in gunfire while documenting rescue missions for the displaced. The conversation delves into the stark contrasts between life in Burma and the U.S., highlighting the resilience of the local people and the brutal realities they face. Nelson also discusses the potential for a documentary or TV series based on his experiences, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness about the situation in Burma.
Original notes
ep178
Noah Nelson returns to Hard Parking to tell his story after spending 2.5 months in Burma in 2022. Noah originally went to Burma to take photos and document the people of Burma, but instead found himself deep inside Burmese territory taking gunfire from the Burmese army and often running for his life. Along the way helping bring aid to resistance fighters comprised mostly of men, women, and children seeking freedom and independence. This incredible story and the heart breaking conditions the people of Burma are fighting every day is a reminder of the realities people often face in less fortunate parts of the world.
About Noah: Noah Nelson is a writer and producer known for CSI: New York, Hawaii Five-0, Secrets and Lies, and The Oath. He was born in Northern California, but grew up on the Big Island of Hawaii, Arizona, and Washington State. His father is actor Craig T. Nelson and his mother is theater director Robin McCarthy. - imdb
Learn more about David Eubank and the Free Burma Rangers: https://www.freeburmarangers.org/
Contact Hard Parking with Jhae Pfenning:
email: [email protected]
Website: www.Hardparkingpod.com
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