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Jocko Willink

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Jocko Willink
Birth nameJohn Gretton Willink, Jr.
Born (1971-09-08) September 8, 1971 (age 53)
Torrington, Connecticut, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Navy
Years of service1990–2010
RankLieutenant commander
UnitSEAL Team 1
SEAL Team 2
SEAL Team 3
Battles / wars
AwardsSilver Star
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Alma materUniversity of San Diego (BA)
Websitejockopodcast.com

John Gretton "Jocko" Willink Jr. (born September 8, 1971)[1] is an American author, podcaster, and retired United States Navy officer who served in the Navy SEALs and is a former member of SEAL Team 3.

Willink's military service includes combat actions in the Iraq War, where he commanded SEAL Team 3's Task Unit Bruiser,[2] the unit that fought in the battle against the Iraqi insurgents in Ramadi.[3] Willink was honored with the Silver Star and Bronze Star Medal for his service.[4] He achieved the rank of lieutenant commander.[5]

Willink co-authored the books Extreme Ownership and The Dichotomy of Leadership (with fellow retired SEAL Leif Babin) and co-founded the management consulting firm Echelon Front, LLC.[5] Willink hosts a weekly podcast with Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Echo Charles, called the Jocko Podcast.[5] He holds a B.A. in English from the University of San Diego.[5]

Early life

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John Gretton Willink Jr. was born on September 8, 1971, in Torrington, Connecticut.[6] He has two siblings.[7] Jocko played soccer in high school.[7]

Military career

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Jocko Willink and Thomas Dzieran after a boarding operation on Russian tanker Volga-Neft-147

Willink wanted to be in the military from an early age, and he enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 19.[6] After Navy recruit training and Radioman (RM) "A" School training, Willink reported to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) training at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. Willink graduated BUD/S class 177.[8] Following SEAL tactical training (STT) and completion of six-month probationary period, he received the NEC 5326 as a combatant swimmer (SEAL), entitled to wear the SEAL insignia. Willink served eight years on active duty, as an enlisted Navy SEAL with SEAL Team One and SEAL Team Two.

Willink was part of the SEAL team that seized the Russian Tanker Volga-Neft-147 in the Gulf of Oman, which was carrying Iraqi oil in violation of a United Nations economic embargo.[9] Willink earned his commission via Officer Candidate School and served as a platoon commander. Willink completed multiple deployments to Asia, the Middle East and Europe.[6]

During Operation Iraqi Freedom he deployed to the Iraqi city of Ramadi in 2006 with SEAL Team Three as commander of Task Unit Bruiser, which included Leif Babin, Seth "Stoner" Stone, Marc Alan Lee, Michael Monsoor, Jonny Kim, Kevin Lacz, Ryan "Biggles" Job, JP Dinnell, Tony Eafrati, Jason Hogan and Chris Kyle.[6]

Willink also served as a Navy SEAL instructor during his career. He retired in October 2010 after 20 years of service.[10]

Post-Navy career

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After retiring from the Navy, Willink co-founded the leadership consulting firm Echelon Front along with Leif Babin, who served with him in the SEAL Teams.[11] The firm hosts conferences and seminars to teach leadership skills.[12] He and Babin also co-authored the leadership manual Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win.[13]

In addition to his work in consulting and authorship, Willink instructs jiu-jitsu at Victory MMA & Fitness in San Diego and co-owns Origin USA, a company based in Farmington, Maine, which produces lifestyle apparel, nutrition supplements, and fitness equipment,[14] as well as being one of the only manufacturers of jiu-jitsu gis in the United States.[15] Willink has a chapter giving advice in Tim Ferriss' book Tools of Titans.

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu career

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Willink started Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Fabio Santos while in active service and continued training after retirement from the military. He obtained his black belt from Dean Lister.[16] Since then, Willink has been a prominent figure in the sport and has taught many grapplers. Willink promoted his own daughter to blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in September 2022.[17]

Writing

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Willink has authored numerous fiction and nonfiction books. His 2015 book Extreme Ownership has been on the New York Times Bestseller List,[18] and was praised by critics.[19] The book teaches leadership lessons using examples of real-world missions and combat encounters.[20] In 2017, he published Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual, which is a collection of healthy living routines and mindsets for productivity.[21]

He authored the children's book series the Way of the Warrior Kid, which is intended to present the life lessons Willink received from SEAL training in a way that is digestible and applicable for children.[22] The Way of the Warrior Kid is being adapted into a feature film starring Chris Pratt and scripted by Will Staples.[23]

Podcast

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After appearing on the podcasts of Tim Ferriss, Joe Rogan, and Sam Harris to publicize his book, Willink decided to start his own weekly podcast, The Jocko Podcast. On December 28, 2015, Willink launched the podcast on YouTube with an accompanying website.[24][25] His YouTube channel currently has 1.8 million subscribers.[26] Willink films the podcast from his studio in San Diego.[27]

Personal life

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Jocko is married to Hellene Willink.[7] They have four children and live in San Diego.[7]

Bibliography

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Adult nonfiction

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  • Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win (2015) (ISBN 978-1-76055-820-8)
  • Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual (2017) (ISBN 978-1-250-15694-5)
  • The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win (2018) (ISBN 978-1-250-19577-7)
  • Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Field Manual (2020) (ISBN 978-1-250-22684-6)
  • The Code. The Evaluation. The Protocols: Striving to Become an Eminently Qualified Human (2020) (ISBN 978-0-9816188-2-1)

Adult fiction

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Children's books

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Way of the Warrior Kid (2017–2022)

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  1. The Way of the Warrior Kid (2017) (ISBN 978-1-250-15107-0)
  2. Marc's Mission: Way of the Warrior Kid (2018) (ISBN 978-1-250-15679-2)
  3. Way of the Warrior Kid 3: Where there's a Will... (2019) (ISBN 978-1-942549-48-2)
  4. Way of the Warrior Kid 4: Field Manual (2021) (ISBN 978-1942549666)
  5. Way of the Warrior Kid 5: Letters to Uncle Jake (2022) (ISBN 978-0981618890)

Awards and decorations

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V
 Ribbon of the MSM
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
Gold star
FMF Ribbon
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Badge Special Warfare insignia
1st row Silver Star Bronze Star
with "V" device 		Meritorious Service Medal
2nd row Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
with 1 Gold 5/16-inch star 		Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
with 4 Gold 5/16-inch stars 		Combat Action Ribbon
3rd row Navy Unit Commendation
with 2 Service stars 		Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Battle Efficiency Award
4th row Navy Good Conduct Medal
with 2 Service stars 		Navy Fleet Marine Force Ribbon National Defense Service Medal
with 1 Service star
5th row Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
with 1 Service star 		Southwest Asia Service Medal
with 1 Service star 		Iraq Campaign Medal
with 3 Campaign stars
6th row Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal
7th row Navy and Marine Corps Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
with 4 Service stars 		Rifle Marksmanship Medal
with Expert Device 		Pistol Marksmanship Medal
with Expert Device
Badge Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Badge

References

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  1. ^ Feloni, Myelle; Lansat, Richard. "A retired Navy SEAL says SEALs' blind obedience shown in books and movies isn't anything like real life". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  2. ^ Feloni, Richard. "A retired Navy SEAL commander explains 12 traits all effective leaders must have". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  3. ^ "Ex-Navy Seal calls for "rapid strike" missions to get weapons, allies out of Afghanistan". Newsweek. 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  4. ^ a b c d Gamers, Techie (2022-04-04). "Jocko Willink Net Worth 2022: How Rich Is the Motivational Figure?". Techie + Gamers. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  5. ^ a b c d Sof, Eric (April 7, 2022). "Jocko Willink: Commander of famous Task Unit Bruiser". Spec Ops Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Judd, Charles (September 3, 2023). "Jocko Willink Net Worth – Ex-Navy SEAL & Leadership Instructor". TechieGamers. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  7. ^ V, Rob (2019-02-02). "20 Most Famous Navy SEALS Of All Time". Operation Military Kids. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  8. ^ "Russian Tanker Carried Iraqi Oil". apnews.com. 7 February 2000. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  9. ^ "These former Navy SEALS explain why you should wake up before dawn to win at life". maxim.com. Maxim. January 12, 2017. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  10. ^ "Former Navy SEAL commanders explain why 'there are no bad teams, only bad leaders'". finance.yahoo.com. October 2016. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  11. ^ "A former Navy SEAL called me out for making excuses, and it changed the way I think about leadership". Business Insider.
  12. ^ "Why this retired Navy SEAL commander has 3 alarm clocks and wakes up at 4:30 a.m." Business Insider. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  13. ^ Milliken, Maureen (August 24, 2017). "Origin USA plans to double workforce with new Farmington factory". Mainebix. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  14. ^ "A Talk with Origin…. Pete Roberts, Dedeco, and Jocko". ROLLING TIMES MAGAZINE. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  15. ^ "Jocko Willink: BJJ Facts, Belt Rank, & Career". The MMA Guru. Archived from the original on 2022-08-21. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  16. ^ Burne, Kathrine (3 September 2022). "Jocko Willink Promotes Daughter To BJJ Blue Belt". Jitsmagazine.com. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Audio Nonfiction". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-09-23.
  18. ^ "CTech's Book Review: Adopting extreme ownership in life and business". calcalistech. 16 February 2022.
  19. ^ "The Year's Five Bestselling Leadership Books, And Why They're So Great". Forbes.
  20. ^ "A retired Navy SEAL commander does 2 things every night before bed so he can attack the next day the minute he wakes up". Business Insider.
  21. ^ "Making boys into men the Jocko Willink way". Smoky Mountain News.
  22. ^ "Hot Cannes Package: Chris Pratt & McG Turn Jocko Willink Novel 'Way Of The Warrior Kid' Into Film". Deadline. 25 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Jocko Podcast". jockopodcast.com.
  24. ^ "Jocko Podcast". YouTube.
  25. ^ "Jocko Podcast". YouTube.
  26. ^ "Behind the Brand With Navy SEAL Jocko Willink". Inc.com.
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