Isabella:
This is a valid Janke recording. My father, Michael Janke, and my, uh, my story core interview assignment. So I'm going to begin, what is your name?
Michael Janke:
Mike Janke.
Isabella:
What, and where were you born? 19. So
Michael Janke:
I was born in 1962 and Pennsylvania.
Isabella:
Uh, what events of historical significance have you been a part of or witness
Michael Janke:
Been a part of or witnessed? Well, I was in, um, the Sandinista Contra wars in El Salvador. I was in the invasion of Panama, right? I was in, uh, the Rwandan genocide. I was in the, uh, Balkans war, Bosnia, Kosovo. Um, I was in the, um, uh, of course, middle east with, uh, uh, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan. I was involved in, uh, uh, when, uh, Yemen, uh, tried to overthrow its government, um, a lot of nation shaping events in the last 30 something years, 35 years. Um, I started in the military at 1920 years old.
Isabella:
Okay. Well, before we go into that, let's talk about any refugee experiences you may have personally, like, have you not saying that you were a refugee, but anyone you've known in your community who was a refugee or anyone like refugees at the time? Sure.
Michael Janke:
So, um, uh, I had a, started a company in, uh, that worked for the us government and other, uh, governments like the British Australian Canadian, um, during the Iraq war, the Afghanistan and in Pakistan, and some of my employees in both Iraq and Afghanistan that were interpreters, um, after a certain number of years, they were granted, um, uh, asylum into the United States, um, one Afghany and his family to a Rockies. But I also three years ago to former, this was the Newsweek article to former Russian spies, the former KGB, um, which is now called the FSB, um, defected to the United States. So husband and wife and myself, and some retired intelligence officers and special operations guys got together to help them. Uh, they were working for our intelligence service and the FBI, and then were stranded in Oregon of all places. Can
Isabella:
You talk more about those Russians? Can you tell us their full story and your encounter with them? Well,
Michael Janke:
Um, they were a husband and wife. Uh, both of them were FSB agents, which is, um, a pre you know, uh, post cursor of the Russian KGB. And, uh, a lot of people don't know that the FSB is kind of works really closely with the Russian mob and mafia and the husband yawn, his life was threatened. They got fake passports flew to the Dominican Republic.
Isabella:
Why was his life threatened? Because
Michael Janke:
As an FSB agent, uh, he was, part-time working for one side of the Russian Mahad. Um, and there was some, his superior was supporting and getting money from another side, long story short. Um, he was basically told he needed to get out. So he took his wife who also worked at the FSB and they defected. They went to first Dominican Republic and they contacted the CIA and the CIA got them by a boat to Miami. From there, they flew into Virginia and they worked a couple years for the CIA and then for the FBI, but due to some paperwork snafu, they didn't have any work or they didn't have, you know, lifetime retirement. And the Newsweek reporter, uh, wrote a big article. Uh, it was, um, uh, part of it was on the cover of Newsweek three years ago. You can still search it. And, um, we help them. Uh, I actually hired them both into my company in LA until things were straightened out and they came back to Washington DC to work, but in a sense where they refugees, you know, somebody who defects, uh, is kind of like a refugee.
Isabella:
Okay. Now let us talk about your personal military.
Michael Janke:
Well, I, uh, was a Navy seal for many years. Um, my last nine years in the seal teams was at seal team six, which is the counter-terrorism seal team. I left there. That's where I had most of these experiences in El Salvador and elsewhere, uh, Iraq and Afghanistan. I left there and I went to work for the intelligence community. Um, I didn't like that very much. I did about a year and I left and started a company that provided former special operations guys back to our U S government.
Isabella:
Okay. Where were you at? Nine 11? I
Michael Janke:
Was actually in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Holding you.
Isabella:
What was your first impression when you heard this?
Isabella:
Um, were you surprised? Yes.
Michael Janke:
What was I surprised that we were attacked by terrorists? No, I was surprised at how that such a coordinated, audacious attack could be carried out, but it also demonstrated how, um, our security apparatus that has so many intelligence agencies that don't share aloud signals or things that could have been picked up the passed through. So I was shocked by the magnitude of what these people were able to pull off in our country.
Isabella:
Has there any been, uh, has there been any personal civil actions that you took on yourself to be a part of the community or help others? No. How about that woman? That was in the car and he ripped the seat off and she was going to die. Oh, that's, that's
Michael Janke:
A little different, um, helping people. Yes. Um, because in the seal teams, I had an EMT license. Uh, there's been people having heart attacks on airplanes that I've assisted car accidents. Uh, vehicles rolled over in a ravine I've helped, but I think most people who are fireman or policeman, ambulance, or medics end up doing that kind of thing anyways. But as far as civil, you know, an organized type of a thing, no,
Isabella:
You saved quite a few lives though, right? Like with the heart attack victims, you mentioned, have you ever done CPR on someone? Have you ever saved someone's life other than working in the military? Yeah,
Michael Janke:
There's varying degrees of it. I mean, um, I've done CPR on people that have died or they didn't make it, they were going to die anyways, and I've done CPR on people that did make it because of you. Um, I'd like to think so, but I think it was a combination of things. Um, you know, I've applied, uh, people that had from, you know, arterial bleeding and able to put a tourniquet. Um, but I, you know, the, there was a one incident that you're aware of. Uh, it happened just outside of Sedona, Arizona. We were driving and a woman about a mile ahead of us had gone off this hillside into a ravine and her car had rolled, I don't know, 10 times into the ravine and was upside down. She had a broken leg, but it was leaking gas. And there was a bunch of cars up top and people taking pictures, but nobody went down into the ravine. So I went down, um, broke the, was a Jeep Cherokee, broke. The rear window, went in, cut her seatbelt off, uh, drug corral carried her up the hill. And the whole time she screaming about a cat that stuck in the car and there's gas leaking into thing is smoking.
Isabella:
So you saved her life and her cat's life.
Michael Janke:
I went down in and the cat was all the way up towards the windshield and was hissing at me. And I was able to grab it, pull it out of there, go up top. And by that time, an ambulance had was on its way. Um, you know, I put her in a shock position, checked her leg and vitals, her leg was broken in a couple of places, but it wasn't arterial bleeding or anything. And the car never blew up. It just smoked and leak gas. It's not like a movie. And the ambulance came and medics were all over her and I got in the car and drove away. But years later I got contacted by the lady, which was interesting.
Isabella:
Cool. Um, can you name me the most influential or most important parts of your life? Um, in terms of historical events, like which historical events were you a part of and which historical events effected you the most? Well,
Michael Janke:
That's tough to separate what was more historical than one or the other, I would say in my personal view, the genocide in Rwanda received global coverage, but it didn't really cover the extent, uh, of how monumentally attainable,
Isabella:
Regardless of the atrocity or the popularity of the event. Um, which events affected you the most?
Michael Janke:
I would say that I would say Somalia. Um, I would say El Salvador. Um, I think as far as globally, I think the Bosnian Kosovo words, uh, was a time that, you know, uh, was historical.
Isabella:
Okay. And what were your thoughts and feelings you experienced during these times? Did it change you
Michael Janke:
Sure. Everything changes you in some way? Uh, honestly I think it's that it never ends that humans continue to do the worst to each other, for religion, power, sex and money. And it's been going on since recorded history and it's still going on today. Uh, it's not meant to be depressing. It's just as a, uh, as a creature on this planet, we continue to relearn the lesson over and over and over.
Isabella:
Is that what your thoughts were when you saw the arms cutoff and the Rwandan genocide of the children? What were you thinking when you saw the stumps of the arms put into the tar
Michael Janke:
Absolute anger and, uh, just
Isabella:
Anger. So you were anger, uh, angry. What, what would you have wanted to say to the government? The Rodan government who were telling the, if there were
Michael Janke:
One in government, so you had, uh, a tribal, the Hutus and Tutsis sovereignty that there wasn't the sovereign at that time, it was utter chaos of two different religious groups fighting, trying to wipe each other out. Well then
Isabella:
Who was making the kids cut their arms off?
Michael Janke:
Well, both sides did these types of atrocities. My anger was at everything that, how could people do this? How did it get to this situation? And how could anybody heard it?
Isabella:
What was the biggest event in your life of all of, including the Rwandan or the Bosnian, whatever.
Michael Janke:
I think, um, after all of that, having a daughter, the historical events, the historical event, they were all in some way had their own piece of history. But if you're asking me what was an event, I think that kind of changed the way I looked at things was that, yeah,
Isabella:
But it has to be historical event event that you were in part of like a war or a military assignment, I think, um, or some perspective that you saw, like maybe you saw something which changed you
Michael Janke:
Change the way. Uh, I viewed how humans interact with each other. Well, it was one of the, it was the second it was after El Salvador night is 93, 94 93. Um, I think just the sheer, um, realization that, uh, humans would treat each other in such a way. Were you involved in Somalia? I don't think you evolve. I think you're affected, were you involved? I was, um, in Ms. Seal teams and I was a sniper. And, um,
Isabella:
And what was your duty as a sniper protection against to this Malian government?
Michael Janke:
No. So there were a group of warlords. Um, basically at that point, Somalia didn't have a government and the warlords were fighting for power and most of the populace chewed, a narcotic route. And you had these warlords fighting for power and the U S government, uh, went in to try to stabilize Mogadishu the capital. Um, but it was not a good situation.
Isabella:
Um, if you could give advice
To young people of today, what would it be?
Michael Janke:
I would say, go out and see the world, the good, the bad and ugly, just don't travel to Paris and London and have that as your view of the world, go to Africa, go to the Eastern block, go to central America. And there's so much good down there, you know? Yeah. We talked a lot today about some of the bad, but get a true sense of the world. Don't form your political opinion from sound bites on a television show, whatever you are, whether you're Democrat or Republican, go out and form your own opinion based on experience. Okay.
Isabella:
Um, can you tell me about someone other than me who had a big influence on your life? Would you tell me about some of the most important lessons that person taught you?
Michael Janke:
So I, I know this sounds cliche, but probably my dad. So my dad, uh, was in the Korean war and he was wounded and, um, he came back and he was a farmer, very simple life, but he never let his experience in the Korean war affect the way he helped and felt about other humans. Um, I think that helped me in some way, look at, you can be jaded by things. I'm not a very sociable person anyways, but, um,
Isabella:
What did he teach you though? The most important thing that he taught,
Michael Janke:
I think honor, and that there is good in the world.
Isabella:
Um, can you describe one of your happiest memories?
Michael Janke:
One of my happiest memories, well, other than having a daughter having a child, um, I think when the first company I started when a big company bought it, because all the people that had believed in me, one, everybody made money. And so I felt a sense that, uh, kind of completion.
Isabella:
What accomplishment are you proudest of? What does it make you feel proud? Why does it make you feel right.
Michael Janke:
Okay. Again, this might be cliche, but, um, as your dad I've seen you,
Isabella:
I mean, like, uh, not, not, not a chance,
Michael Janke:
Not a child, not having a child, a child. Okay. So we're deflecting from you. Okay. Um, what accomplishment? Um, I think I would say that now at this age, being able to, to build and start seven companies and not
Isabella:
Having to starting seven companies, no,
Michael Janke:
Not have anybody say that I've done business wrong or screwed somebody over for money. Um, but I would also say, uh, being able to adapt in a very fast moving world to technology and education, I don't have a college degree. Um, it's hard to adapt in a, in a very fast moving world.
Isabella:
Okay. And how would you like to be remembered? Um, it's just a good man. Um, last question, if this was to be our very last conversation, is there anything you'd want to say to me? I love you. Okay. Thank you. So that was my father. We are in Thailand, Maryland. Um, I am Isabella Genki again, I'm 17 years old and today is February 12th, Tuesday, 2019. Um, and, uh, yeah, and that's all.