>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY! WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW"! MY NEXT GUEST IS A RETIRED
FOUR-STAR ADMIRAL AND FORMER COMMANDER OF ALL U.S. SPECIAL
OPERATIONS FORCES WORLDWIDE. HIS NEW BOOK IS CALLED "SEA
STORIES." PLEASE WELCOME, ADMIRAL WILLIAM
MCRAVEN! ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
( BAND PLAYING ) >> Stephen: THERE YOU ARE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. >> Stephen: THANKS FOR BEING
HERE. >> WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WHISKEY. >> Stephen: I WOULD STILL LIKE
IT IF YOU WOULD -- I STILL HAVE IT IF YOU WOULD LIKE A CASE. >> I'M A SAILOR. YOU LEFT ME WATER? ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
THANK YOU, SIR. >> Stephen: THERE YOU GO. PERFECT. >> Stephen: POUR A LITTLE OVER
THE DECK. NOW, YOU RETIRED IN 2014 AS A
FOUR-STAR ADMIRAL IN THE U.S. NAVY, COMMANDER OF ALL SPECIAL
OPERATION FORCES WORLDWIDE, YOU OVERSAW THE CAPTURE OF SADDAM
HUSSEIN, THE RESCUE OF CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, AND THE KILLING OF
OSAMA BIN LADEN. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
THOSE THINGS WOULD LOOK GREAT ON A COLLEGE APPLICATION, BY THE
WAY, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT GOING. ( LAUGHTER )
HAVING SPENT 37 YEARS IN THE MILITARY AND SEEING THE UNITED
STATES GO TO WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST SEVERAL TIMES IN THERE --
>> RIGHT. >> Stephen: -- RIGHT NOW,
CORRECT ME IF I'M I DON WRONG, T A CARRIER GROUP IN THE PERSIAN
GULF. I'M SURE A LOT OF SUPPORT IS
BEING SENT TO THEM IN THE MIDDLE EAST, THERE'S TALK OF 100,000
TROOPS GOING OVER, IN RESISTANCE TO WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS SAYING
IS THREATS FROM IRAN. >> RIGHT. >> Stephen: IT'S REALLY HARD
TO FIGURE OUT EXACTLY, SPECIFICALLY WHAT THEY'RE
TALKING ABOUT. DO YOU THINK THAT THE GOVERNMENT
HAS MORE OF A RESPONSIBILITY TO EXPLAIN TO AMERICANS IN A WAY
THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THEY ARE EXERTING THIS MILITARY
FORCE? >> YEAH, CERTAINLY, IF WE DO A
SURGE LIKE THAT AND IF, IN FACT, THE WAR DRUMS START BEATING, I
THINK THE PRESIDENT AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY TO LET THE AMERICAN PUBLIC KNOW WHY WE'RE
DOING THIS, AND CONGRESS AS WELL. >> Stephen: THE REASON I ASK
IS BECAUSE OF OUR JOB IS WE OBSESS ABOUT THE NEWS ALL DAY
LONG, DIP OURSELVES IN THE RADIO ACTIVE POOL THAT IS THE MODERN
NEWS CYCLE ALL DAY LONG AND I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY. >> HERE'S WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER. I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO MEET THE
INTERIM SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, AND I KNOW WELL JOE DUNFORD,
CHIEF OF STAFF, PROBABLY ONE OF THE FINEST OFFICERS I'VE WORKED
WITH, SO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC CAN HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE. >> Stephen: AND SHANAHAN. OUNDS LIKE A GREAT GUY. >> Stephen: AND JOHN BOLTON. I DON'T JOHN BOLTON. I'M RELUCTANT TO COMMENT. >> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW PEOPLE
WHO KNOW HIM? >> I DO. >> Stephen: WHAT DO THEY SAY. CLASSIFIED. >> Stephen: YOU WILL ADMIT
IT'S A RIDICULOUS MUSTACHE, RIGHT? >> YOU KNOW, TRIED TO GROW A
MUSTACHE WHEN I WAS A YOUNG LIEUTENANT, JR. GRADE, IF I
COULD HAVE GROWN ONE LIKE THAT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT. >> Stephen: HE HAS ACHIEVED
THAT MUCH. >> HE HAS ACHIEVED THAT MUCH. >> Stephen: OKAY. YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK CALLED "SEA
STORIES: MY LIFE IN SPECIAL OPERATIONS." WHAT SORT OF STORIES ARE WE
GOING TO GET IN HERE? >> IT'S A MEMOIR OF SORTS, ABOUT
18 SHORT STORIES. THEY COVER THE BIN LADEN RAID,
THE RESCUE OF CAPTAIN PHILLIPS AND THE CAPTURE OF SADDAM
HUSSEIN. BUT WHAT I HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY
IS SOME STORIES OF REMARKABLE HEROES PEOPLE DON'T GET A CHANCE
TO HEAR ABOUT. I NAMED NAMES OF FOLKS ON THESE
MISSIONS THAT REALLY DESERVE THE CREDIT. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE THE
COMMANDER BUT THE GUYS THAT REALLY DID THE LIONS SHARE OF
THE WORK WERE THE YOUNG ENLISTED MEN AND THE GREAT OFFICERS THAT
WORKED FOR ME. >> Stephen: YOU SAT ACROSS
FROM SADDAM HUSSEIN, I UNDERSTAND. >> I DID. >> Stephen: WHAT'S IT LIKE TO
SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH A DICTATOR? I'VE ONLY HAD TO DO THAT ONCE. ( LAUGHTER )
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT WAS INTERESTING WAS I HELD SADDAM
FOR ABOUT 30 DAYS. WHEN WE FIRST CAPTURED HIM, DONE
BY SOME GREATER ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS FOLKS, WE CAPTURED
HIM, REBROUGHT HIM BACK TO OUR HOLDER AREA. THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS, HE WAS
ARROGANT AND POMPOUS, BUT AS THE DAYS WENT ON AND WE KIND OF KEPT
HIM IN PART ISOLATION, AWAY FROM A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE, WHEN HE
DIDN'T HAVE HIS GENERALS AND HANDMAIDENS AND PALACES, HE
QUICKLY BECAME KIND OF A PATHETIC OLD MAN. AND I SAY CONTRAST THAT WITH THE
GREAT CHARACTER OF SOMEBODY LIKE NELSON MANDELA, WHO SPENT
DECADES INCARCERATED AND, BECAUSE HE WAS A MAN OF GREAT
CHARACTER, CAME OUT AS STRONG AS WHEN WE WENT IN. SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS A MAN WHO HAD
NO CHARACTER AND QUICKLY PROVED THAT IN A COUPLE OF DAYS OF
BEING INCARCERATED. >> Stephen: WHERE DO YOU FIND
THE COURAGE TO SAY NELSON MANDELA IS A BETTER PERSON THAN
SADDAM HUSSEIN, SIR? WHERE DO YOU FIND THE COURAGE? ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> MAY HAVE BEEN THE EASIEST THING EEVER SAID. >> Stephen: DO YOU EVER GET
SEASICK. >> I DON'T GET SEASICK. THANK GOD. >> Stephen: WHAT WERE THE
ROUGHEST SEAS YOU WERE IN. >> I WAS IN A THREE FOOT BOAT
THAT FOUND A 30-FOOT WAVE ONE TIME. >> Stephen: WOW. I HAVE BEEN IN 15-FOOT SEAS AND
I WISHED I WAS DEAD. ( LAUGHTER )
>> WELL, THIS WAS ONE DRAMATIC MOMENT THAT THE WAVE WON AND I
ENDED UP UNDERWATER. >> Stephen: CAPSIZED? I DID. THE BOAT GOT UP ENDED, I WAS
TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE BOTH TANGLED IN SHOT LINE FOR A
COUPLE OF MINUTES, AND AS I TELL IN THE BOOK, KIND OF
MIRACULOUSLY FOUND MYSELF UNTANGLED AND CAME TO THE
SURFACE AND WAS RESCUED BY A COUPLE OF SEALS. >> Stephen: YOU DON'T KNOW HOW
YOU GOT OUT OF THAT LINE? >> I DO NOT. >> Stephen: ANY CHANCE IT WAS
A MERMAID? >> NO CHANCE AT ALL. >> Stephen: HAVE YOU MET DARYL
HAHANNAH? ( LAUGHTER )
"SEA STORIES" IS IN STORES TOMORROW. ADMIRAL WILLIAM MCRAVEN,
EVERYBODY! WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A
PERFORMANCE BY THE BROADWAY CAST OF "THE PROM." THANK YOU SIR!
