Episode 14
Held Hostage for 31 Months, Revenge on a Magician, Haunted Hospital
What happens when a magician’s assistant takes revenge in front of an audience that has no idea what is happening, a doctor hears voices coming from an empty hospital hallway, and a six-week IT assignment becomes 31 months in captivity?
On Episode 14 of I Used To Work There, seven true workplace stories take us from laughing behind the curtain to wondering how anyone could survive what comes next.
Day Shift opens with a magician’s assistant whose onstage smile hides a very personal act of revenge. In an Ohio dental office, an innocent instruction becomes something a dental assistant will never live down. At an Alberta campground, an abusive customer refuses to leave, only to discover that karma apparently works the night shift. And Dr. Shawna Pandya shares what happens when a spacesuit test aboard a zero-gravity flight takes an extremely uncomfortable turn.
When Day Shift ends, Night Shift introduces us to a newly qualified lawyer whose boss sends him into court without mentioning one important detail: he is about to be asked to handle an attempted-murder trial. Then, in Galveston, Texas, a doctor looking for a snack hears a conversation in a hospital unit that should be empty. What she later discovers above that floor makes the experience even harder to explain.
Finally, we meet Peter Moore, an IT worker who travelled to Iraq for a six-week assignment and was taken from his workplace at gunpoint. Held hostage for two years, seven months and one day, Peter shares an extraordinary account of captivity, uncertainty and survival, with moments of humour you would never expect. He also remembers the men who did not make it home, and the advice they gave him that helped him stay alive.
It is one of the most powerful stories we have shared on this show.
Every story you hear on I Used To Work There comes from real people and real workplaces because the truth is almost always stranger than fiction. Whether you have had a terrible boss, an unbelievable customer, a paranormal experience, or a day at work you will never forget, this show is built around stories just like yours.
If you are enjoying the show, please follow us on your favourite podcast app, leave us a five-star rating and written review on Apple Podcasts, and text this episode to someone who loves a great story. To the more than 9,000 people already following us on Apple Podcasts, thank you for helping this show grow.
🎙️ Have a story? You can submit it two ways.
Pull out your phone, open the Voice Memos app, tell us what happened, and email your recording to HR@IUsedToWorkThere.com.
Prefer to be interviewed? Complete our guest intake form.
You can share your story openly or remain completely anonymous.
🏆 Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition
What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you at work?
Presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels, the Night Shift Story Competition is open for submissions from September 1 through October 31, 2026.
Submit your true scary workplace story for your chance to win a $1,000 USD cash prize. The winner will be announced during the first episode of November.
Haunted buildings, unexplained encounters, terrifying customers, dangerous situations, or anything that still gives you chills years later. Your story does not have to involve a ghost or happen at night. It just needs to be a frightening experience connected to work.
Voice memo and interview submissions are both welcome, and you may share your story anonymously. Submit using the email address or guest intake form above.
🏨 Night Shift Story Competition Sponsor
The Employee of the Month Night Shift Story Competition is proudly presented by Edmonton’s Best Hotels.
Plan a fall getaway to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. From golden leaves in the river valley to live music, theatre, restaurants and Halloween attractions, there is plenty to build a weekend around.
Find hotel discounts and discover things to do this fall through Edmonton’s Best Hotels.
Support Foxx’s Fight
If you have been looking for a way to support Foxx, Shelby, Kelly and their family, the greatest gift you can give is sharing their GoFundMe. Every share helps their story reach someone new and means more than words can express.
Support Foxx’s Fight and share their story.
🚗 Title Sponsor
I Used To Work There is proudly brought to you by Atlas Elite Lifts.
Building car lifts so cool they would make Batman jealous, Atlas Elite Lifts delivers premium automotive lifting solutions for home garages, professional shops and serious automotive enthusiasts across North America.
Whether you are restoring classics, wrenching on weekend projects, or running a professional service facility, Atlas Elite Lifts has a lift built for the job.
Learn more at www.atlaselitelifts.com.
Connect With Our Storytellers
Tommy Savitt: Learn more about Tommy’s comedy and connect with him at tommylama.com or on Instagram @thetommylama.
Peter Moore: Peter welcomes questions about his story and has offered to answer them in the episode comments. You can also reach him on X at @bd504840.
Transcript
We're driving along, light siren going, and I still think at this point we're under arrest.
Speaker A:You know, maybe ID badges out of date or something like that.
Speaker A:And then they started taking my clothes off and throwing them out the window.
Speaker A:And I thought that was a bit weird.
Speaker A:And in my shirt pocket I had US$500.
Speaker A:And that.
Speaker A:That's enough to get you out of most, you know, difficult situations in South America, let's say.
Speaker A:So I tried the.
Speaker A:The bribery bit and I. I passed the $500 to the Iraqi police officer in the front seat who was sort of in charge.
Speaker A:He looked at the dollars, threw it out the window.
Speaker A:At that point, I knew that this was an abd.
Speaker B:Welcome back to I used to work there.
Speaker B:My name is Kelly Kennedy.
Speaker B:And whether this is your first episode or you've been with us from the very beginning, thank you so much for being here.
Speaker B:I used to work there is built around real workplace stories from real people.
Speaker B:The funny ones, the unbelievable ones, the awkward ones, and the stories that still give you chills years later.
Speaker B:The things you tell your friends about only to hear.
Speaker B:There's no way that actually happened.
Speaker B:Today we're going behind the curtain of a magic show where the audience has absolutely no idea what is happening between the magician and his assistant.
Speaker B:Later, we'll enter a hospital where doctors hear people talking in the hallways that should be empty.
Speaker B:And before this shift is over, you'll meet Peter Moore.
Speaker B:Peter went to Iraq for a six week IT assignment.
Speaker B:He was taken from his workplace at gunpoint and held hostage for 31 months.
Speaker B:You heard a moment of his story at the beginning.
Speaker B:What happened next and what it took to get through it is something you won't soon forget.
Speaker B:Those are just three of the seven stories waiting for you today.
Speaker B:Our night shift story competition is also underway.
Speaker B:Presented by edmonton's best hotels.
Speaker B:We want your scariest true workplace story.
Speaker B:And one storyteller will win a $1,000 USD cash prize.
Speaker B:All right, people, it's time to grab your punch cards and we're clocking in for the day shift.
Speaker B:For our first story.
Speaker B:It is my pleasure to welcome Darby calling from Edmonton, alberta, Canada.
Speaker B:Working with your fiance can test your patience.
Speaker B:Working with your fiance when he's a magician and you're the one being put inside the box.
Speaker B:Well, that's a whole nother story.
Speaker B:Darby, welcome to the show.
Speaker B:Tell us what happened.
Speaker C:Oh, gosh.
Speaker C:Okay, so I know that being a magic assistant is not your typical career path and not one that many people can say they've had, but yes, it Was an interesting life.
Speaker C:So the one story.
Speaker C:This is so embarrassing, but also hilarious because nobody cannot relate to this to some degree.
Speaker C:So, yes, I was a magic assistant for the better part of 10 years.
Speaker C:I was engaged to the magician, which tends to happen because, you know, you're on the road together all the time.
Speaker C:Like it just.
Speaker C:Yeah, it just kind of becomes a thing.
Speaker C:So I was engaged to him.
Speaker C:And I mean, when you're living together and you're traveling together and you're working together non stop, there's going to be some animosity at a certain point in time.
Speaker B:Right, Fair enough.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:And so I think whenever people are watching like a magic show or any type of entertainers, they have no idea what's going on behind the scenes.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker C:But there is a lot of shit talking on stage because you're fucking fed up with each other, like all the time.
Speaker C:So it's like I'd be smiling at the audience and he'd go to spin me into the illusion and the second my back was turned, I'd be like, fuck you.
Speaker C:And then I'd get into the box and he closed the door and I'm smiling and waving and then he'd close it and be like, fuck you too.
Speaker C:You know, like, so whenever you watch it, like even the Wiggles, dude, I went to the.
Speaker C:Took my kids to the Wiggles one time and I could see them talking to each other on stage because I know what to look for.
Speaker C:I'm just saying anytime you go to see any type of entertainment, there's a whole lot more going on behind the scenes.
Speaker C:So anyway, I ca.
Speaker C:We were performing in.
Speaker C:It was somewhere in Texas and I don't know if you've ever been to Texas, but the food there is incredible.
Speaker C:But it will destroy your stomach if you play your cards right.
Speaker C:So we had gone out to this Mexican restaurant with clients of ours and I ate, I shit you not, the world's biggest taco.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:And we're talking like, this is authentic tacos, right?
Speaker C:It was not taco time.
Speaker C:Like, it was amazing, but I still have a picture of it somewhere.
Speaker C:It was literally the size of like, my head.
Speaker C:And I ate the whole thing.
Speaker C:This is before show.
Speaker C:Not.
Speaker C:Not recommended.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:And so whatever.
Speaker C:Then later, as the day goes on, we.
Speaker C:We got into a fight about something.
Speaker C:Like, I was really pissed off at him and I can't really remember why, but not that that matters.
Speaker C:So it's hot.
Speaker C:We're performing outside.
Speaker C:Okay, so it's hot.
Speaker C:It's summer in Texas.
Speaker C:And so we have this one illusion where it's.
Speaker C:It's a wooden trunk.
Speaker C:And we're talking it's 35 degrees outside, right?
Speaker C:And humid.
Speaker C:And you're.
Speaker C:Yeah, you're in a wooden trunk, and then inside the trunk is a bag, and you're tied into the bag.
Speaker C:So basically what happens is he puts me in the trunk, he ties me up in this bag, he puts the lid on the trunk, and then he stands on top of the illusion and throws a curtain up.
Speaker C:And by the time it falls, I'm standing on top.
Speaker C:He's now in the bag in the trunk, Right?
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:So I'm in there and my stomach is turning so bad from this giant taco.
Speaker C:And I'm like.
Speaker C:And like, normally, you know, I could have probably held in this flatulence.
Speaker C:I totally could have.
Speaker C:But I was pissed off at him.
Speaker C:So I'm like, again, you're like, hot boxed inside this fucking thing, right?
Speaker C:Like, you're in this bag and you're in a box, and it's so hot outside, and I just like, let it rip.
Speaker C:And so we do this switch and I'm like, dying inside because I'm like, you're now like, hot box in the bag, in the trunk, right?
Speaker C:And it's awful.
Speaker C:And so we do this switch and the curtain falls and I'm smiling ear to ear because I know he's trapped in there in just hell.
Speaker C:And as soon as.
Speaker C:So I jump off the trunk and I had to go around to remove all the locks to lift the lid up, and all I hear is, you, you fucking bitch.
Speaker C:And I'm like.
Speaker C:And the audience can't hear it because we have like, music playing.
Speaker C:But I'm crying, laughing at this point.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:So I'm like going around and removing the locks and like, like, audience is looking at me like, what?
Speaker C:Why is she finding this so funny?
Speaker E:Right?
Speaker C:And I opened it up and I took my dear sweet time untying that bag, right?
Speaker C:Cause I was like, I just want you to stay in there, you son of a bitch.
Speaker C:So, yeah, as soon as I open it, the look on his face I will never forget.
Speaker C:It was like the best revenge I think I've ever had in my life.
Speaker C:And that's so embarrassing to talk about, but yeah, like, it.
Speaker C:That's just.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:When it comes to entertainers and all the crazy shit that goes on and no one has any idea what goes on behind the scenes, but it is pretty funny.
Speaker B:That is absolutely hilarious.
Speaker B:That would be absolutely horrible.
Speaker B:That's so funny.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And then there.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:There was, like, one other time, because, again, you're just.
Speaker C:You're traveling and you're, you know, you're going out every night, and people are always wanting to entertain you and you.
Speaker C:And there was another time where we went out and just got absolutely shit faced with a couple of our clients.
Speaker C:And then the next day, like, as a magic assistant, I have to get crammed into a box, which, when you're super hungover, like, not fun when you're being contorted in a box and it's hot and.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I remember just, like, getting out and smiling and then going backstage, opening the back door, puked, and then turned around and came back.
Speaker C:It may look glamorous and beautiful and fun.
Speaker C:There's a lot of crazy shit that's going on behind that curtain, let me tell you.
Speaker B:Amazing.
Speaker B:Well, that is our very first magic anything on the show, so thank you, Darby, and we will have you back again soon.
Speaker C:Sounds good.
Speaker C:Thanks, Kelly.
Speaker B:It absolutely makes you wonder what the heck all your entertainers are saying on stage from this point forward.
Speaker B:Thank you so much, Darby, for a hilarious story.
Speaker B:Well, from a magic show mishap to a dental office word slip, it is my pleasure to welcome back to the show Tracy from Ohio.
Speaker B:You had a very interesting day at the office and a conversation you won't soon forget.
Speaker B:Tracy, tell us what happened.
Speaker F:All right, so I do still work at this office.
Speaker F:So it's not I used to work there.
Speaker F:It's I'm going to work there forever because I love them and there's nothing they can do.
Speaker B:Yeah, that is absolutely valid for this show.
Speaker F:So we were working.
Speaker F:This was probably, I don't know, 10 or 11 years ago, because I've worked at the same dentist for about 15 years.
Speaker F:And we were both really young at the time because we're the same age.
Speaker F:And we were doing a surgery on a patient where we were placing some implants.
Speaker F:And if you've ever had a dental implant done, you know that it can.
Speaker D:Be kind of invasive.
Speaker F:You usually get some sutures afterward.
Speaker F:And we were at the end of the appointment where we were.
Speaker F:The doctor was suturing, and I would have the pleasure of protecting the patient.
Speaker F:That's as a dental assistant.
Speaker F:I'm supposed to protect their tissues, whatever, be a second set of eyes, second set of hands.
Speaker F:So he was suturing using both his hands.
Speaker F:And I would hold the cheek back and then snip the end of the suture so that they were short little tails and wouldn't drive people crazy once they were home.
Speaker F:And Healing.
Speaker F:So this particular gentleman who did actually follow us from the old office, so it must have not been too much of a bad impression on him what had happened.
Speaker F:But we were doing the last of the sutures up, and I couldn't get the scissors to snip the end of the suture because I don't know if you ever have an old pair of scissors that where sometimes you have to use a little further up on the scissor in order to get them to cut.
Speaker F:So when my boss was, like, seeing that I couldn't get it to work, he was.
Speaker F:He does this nice thing where he'll make it seem like, oh, hey, I'll get that from another angle.
Speaker F:Not to be like, tracy, you can't make this happen.
Speaker F:Give it to me.
Speaker F:So I hand him the scissors.
Speaker F:And as I hand him the scissors over the patient, I look at him and I say, deadpan, you have to use more than just tip.
Speaker D:Because in my head, it was the end of the sutures or the scissors.
Speaker C:You couldn't.
Speaker F:You had to insert the suture further.
Speaker F:And he legit rolls back, does the kabilame.
Speaker F:Like, ugh, I can't believe you said that.
Speaker F:And he can't say anything because we're being professional over a patient.
Speaker F:But, yeah, I told my dentist to use more than just the tip in front of the patient.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker B:Did you get any reaction out of the patient?
Speaker F:No.
Speaker F:And he's our age too, so I don't know, maybe he was either zoned out or he chose not to.
Speaker F:Cause, oh, man, I would have died.
Speaker B:You don't wanna say anything when someone's in your mouth like that.
Speaker A:No, no.
Speaker F:And he was a little emotional too, I think, because he was getting his smile completely restored.
Speaker F:And he was the type of person who, like, didn't really smile when everything was finished and delivered months later, he wouldn't even look in the mirror.
Speaker F:He said he wanted to do it at home.
Speaker F:Cause I think it was something that was real emotional to him.
Speaker F:So to this day, he's still a patient, like I said.
Speaker F:And we've joked about it, so I know he heard.
Speaker F:He just was trying to save me some face.
Speaker F:I think so.
Speaker B:Amazing.
Speaker B:Amazing.
Speaker B:Well, you know what?
Speaker B:You're our first person from dentistry on the show, and I just want to say thank you so much.
Speaker B:You know, I am absolutely.
Speaker B:You have an incredible profession, a much needed profession, and we are all lucky that you do that.
Speaker F:I appreciate that.
Speaker F:Thank you.
Speaker F:And I love listening to podcasts, so.
Speaker D:Thank you for doing what you do too.
Speaker B:My Pleasure.
Speaker B:I love what I do.
Speaker B:Thank you so much, Tracy, for another incredible story.
Speaker B:And if you work in a dentist's office or in a hospital and you have stories like this, we absolutely want to hear them.
Speaker B:Thanks again, Tracy.
Speaker B:We'll.
Speaker B:We'll see you on the next one.
Speaker F:Take care.
Speaker B:From an Ohio dentist's office to an Alberta campground where a camper gets the karma they might have deserved, it is my pleasure to welcome Kathy to the show.
Speaker B:Kathy called in with a story.
Speaker B:Tell us what happened.
Speaker G:Okay, so I once worked for a very popular campground in southern Alberta.
Speaker G:And I was in the front office and I had a customer come to the front desk and they had arrived sometime after 1 o' clock in the afternoon, which was the check in time.
Speaker G:And I must say it's probably around close to suppertime at this point.
Speaker G:And he says, when I looked at my receipt, I didn't have a particular discount that should have been applied.
Speaker G:And I said, well, unfortunately, you're not eligible for that discount.
Speaker G:And I gave him the reasons why.
Speaker G:And he threw the receipt back across at me and said, I am so eligible for this discount.
Speaker G:You're going to put it on my.
Speaker G:On my tab.
Speaker G:And, you know, proceeded to be very rude and disrespectful.
Speaker G:And I said, well, I'm sorry, sir, I cannot give you the discount.
Speaker G:My system won't even let me do it as the manager.
Speaker G:So unfortunately, you're not going to get that discount because you're not eligible for it.
Speaker G:And he called me a bunch of very not nice names that started with an F and the other one was a C. And I just said to him at that point, okay.
Speaker G:So I said, that being the case, that is unacceptable behavior to treat anybody in our office that way.
Speaker G:I said, it will not be accepted.
Speaker G:And you're going to pack up your stuff now.
Speaker G:I will refund you for the remainder of your nights.
Speaker G:And you're leaving.
Speaker G:You have 30 minutes to pack up and get out.
Speaker G:He basically called me these names again and was screaming and yelling at me in the office, at which point I said to him, I will be calling the police.
Speaker G:You are now trespassing.
Speaker G:So I picked up the phone, I called the police.
Speaker G:The police said, we'll come out as quickly as we can.
Speaker G:But I knew it was very busy in the city and that there were a lot of things going on and so not to count on them being there for a while.
Speaker G:However, the man left the office and I politely said to him, please do not step back in this office again or the police will come immediately.
Speaker G:And he left, went back to his trailer.
Speaker G:About an hour later, some of our staff went out because they weren't doing anything to get ready to leave and knocked on their door.
Speaker G:And the wife comes out and the person says to them, I'm sorry, but you have to leave.
Speaker G:Our manager has told you that you were given 30 minutes to vacate the property and that you are now trespassing.
Speaker G:And the wife's like, completely bamboozled.
Speaker G:She has no clue as to what's going on.
Speaker G:And so she calls her husband and he comes out and she's like, what's going on?
Speaker G:Like, why do we have to leave?
Speaker G:And he kind of was, you know, hesitant to say anything.
Speaker G:And the staff person basically said, well, he yelled and screamed at our manager in the office.
Speaker G:And she basically told him that you now have to leave.
Speaker G:You can't talk to us that way.
Speaker G:And the police have been called, so you do have to pack up and leave.
Speaker G:You got 30 minutes.
Speaker G:And she looks at her husband and he, she says to him, you didn't.
Speaker G:And he goes, well, yeah.
Speaker G:And she goes, you couldn't have.
Speaker G:Like how?
Speaker G:Like, really?
Speaker G:And then she, our staff member said, she, she just reached across and slapped her husband with the back of her arm across his chest.
Speaker G:And he kind of looked her, and he says, don't, don't worry about it.
Speaker G:You know, like, we'll stay and it's going to be fine.
Speaker G:Don't worry about it.
Speaker G:And our staff member said, no, you, you best leave because you are now trespassing.
Speaker G:They left and got to be about 9:30 at night, and they started bedding down for the night.
Speaker G:They put away their lawn chairs and stuff and went into their trailer and the lights were on for a little while.
Speaker G:And I said to some of our staff, I said, bet you 10 to 1 they're going to bed.
Speaker G:Lights went out.
Speaker G:Yep, there they went.
Speaker G: ,: Speaker G:And that's exactly when they showed up.
Speaker G:And so the police got there and they talked to us for a while and they said, okay.
Speaker G:And I said, they're trespassing and I have the right to refuse service at any point, and I'm refusing service.
Speaker G:So they went and they knocked on the door, woke these people up, and basically told them, you now have to leave.
Speaker G:And you were told that you had to vacate several hours ago.
Speaker G:And that's, you know, on you.
Speaker G:And so now the guy's trying to negotiate with the police, saying, well, can you Just give us till the morning.
Speaker G:We'll leave first thing in the morning.
Speaker G:And the cop said, nope, you're leaving now.
Speaker G:So, of course, the guy had to get out and start packing up, and, well, where are we going to go?
Speaker G:Not my issue.
Speaker G:Not my issue.
Speaker G:And so the police basically told them they could go to the casino parking lot and they could park in the parking lot there.
Speaker G:And so these guys start packing up.
Speaker G:And in the meantime, I'm standing upstairs on the deck overlooking that part of the park from our main office, and I said to some of the staff that were with me at the time, I said, oh, wouldn't it just be pure justice if all of a sudden the outdoor sprinklers went off?
Speaker G:And with that, literally all of the sprinklers in the area that were around this man went off.
Speaker G:And here he was in his pajamas, racing around, trying to get everything disconnected from his trailer.
Speaker G:And he was getting soaking wet, and he was getting madder than a hornet because now he was.
Speaker G:Now he was wet and trying to do this in the middle of the night when he wanted to be sleeping.
Speaker G:But the police basically were sitting out at their car laughing and saying, look, Buddy, you got 20 minutes.
Speaker G:Pack it up and get out.
Speaker G:By the time the man got in his car, he looked like a complete drowned rat.
Speaker G:And we were at the top of our building quietly giggling because it was really quite funny because you could see his flashlight bouncing all over the place, trying to undo his.
Speaker G:His hoses.
Speaker G:And he forgot to turn the water off at the hose because he was being sprayed by all of the water, so he had coming out of everywhere.
Speaker G:And of course, you know, we did have a little bit of a sewage spill we had to clean up in the morning.
Speaker G:But really, in all things, it was.
Speaker G:It was worth cleaning it up because it was really funny watching this couple try to pack up everything while the sprinklers were going off and they were getting soaked and wet and they were in their pajamas, and they had been dead to the world for a couple of hours by the time the police got there.
Speaker G:So, yeah, it's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Speaker B:Thank you, Kathy, for an absolutely incredible story.
Speaker B:And you know what they say, karma, it's a bitch.
Speaker B:That's an amazing story.
Speaker B:And, you know, as somebody who spent a lot of time camping across Alberta, I'm Alberta Canada, born and raised.
Speaker B:Spent a lot of time in Jasper, spent a lot of time in Banff, some of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Speaker B:If you have not been to Jasper or Banff, Alberta.
Speaker B:Google it.
Speaker B:Take a peek.
Speaker B:They are absolutely incredible.
Speaker B:Thank you so much, Kathy, for a great story.
Speaker B:Well, from an Alberta campground to the edge of space, it is my absolute pleasure to welcome Dr. Shauna Pandeya to the show.
Speaker B:Dr. Shauna is calling from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where this show is coming to you from.
Speaker B:And she is an astronaut.
Speaker B:Dr. Shauna, tell us what happened.
Speaker D:Yeah, so what I do and where I work depends on the day.
Speaker D:But we do a lot of work in zero G and parabolic flight in preparation ahead of space flight.
Speaker D:So it's really important for us to get familiar working in microgravity and practicing payload or science operations together so we get a sense of how we move.
Speaker D:And so our workhorse for preparing for spaceflight is something that we call parabolic spaceflight, Sorry, parabolic flight.
Speaker D:And so you may have heard of this as the vomit comet, as it's sometimes colloquially known.
Speaker D:And so the way you get to zero G is you don't actually have to go all the way up to space.
Speaker D:When we fly, we fly out of the National Research Council Flight Research Laboratory in Ottawa, and we fly out of a.
Speaker D:An aircraft called the Falcon 20.
Speaker D:And so we fly at 10 to 20,000ft.
Speaker D:By comparison, a transatlantic flight to, say, London or Paris flies about 39,000 or 40,000ft.
Speaker D:And the way you achieve zero gravity is through physics.
Speaker D:And so just like when you're peeking over the crest of a roller coaster and you feel your heart lift up into your.
Speaker D:Into your throat for, for a minute, it's because you're falling at the same rate as your ear, your vehicle, and your wait list for a minute.
Speaker D:So when you do that in an airplane, you're accelerating upwards in a parabola uphill at 2G.
Speaker D:And then you level out, and then you're falling at the same rate as your aircraft.
Speaker D:And that gives you 18 to 22 seconds of zero G at a time.
Speaker D:And then you stack those parabolas so you can put them back to back to test out science or protocols or just key technologies that might be tested in space someday because it gives you data on safety and functionality and things you have to think about.
Speaker D:So I've done a lot of these.
Speaker D:I've done 18 of these to date.
Speaker D:You know, it's the feeling never gets old.
Speaker D:If you ever have the opportunity to be in zero g, I highly recommend it.
Speaker D:So I've tested spacesuits, I've tested biometric devices, I've tested VR headsets.
Speaker D:We do a lot of cool science and tech testing and so let's come back to the name.
Speaker D:So the Vomit Comet is called as such for a reason.
Speaker D:And, you know, it's some people are just made of steel.
Speaker D:One of my friends tries to make himself sick.
Speaker D:He very superstitiously and regularly and consistently orders the Wendy's combo number three before flight.
Speaker D:We don't recommend anyone else does that.
Speaker D:He has never been sick, so he's a bit of a mutant.
Speaker D:The rest of us, everyone's variable.
Speaker D:Some people will get sick, sick every flight.
Speaker D:Some people might get sick their first flight and think it's not for them.
Speaker D:I historically fly pretty well, but on one of my, let's say, third or fourth or fifth flights, you know, we were flying with a brand new aircraft, a brand new provider, brand new airfield, and we're testing a brand new spacesuit.
Speaker D:So there were so many unknowns that we wanted to set ourselves up for success.
Speaker D:And so the veteran, the most veteran flyers from our institute were asked to fly, fly that campaign, and that included myself.
Speaker D:And as I boarded the aircraft that day, I just felt something was off.
Speaker D:And I thought, walk it off.
Speaker D:You have a job to do.
Speaker D:You have a spacesuit to test.
Speaker D:And so we got about five or six parabolas into this 30 parabola flight.
Speaker D:And the flight test director took one look at my ashen gray face and called to knock it off.
Speaker D:Pulled me out of the suit, and 30 seconds later, I threw up.
Speaker D:And I will spare you the mental image of what it's like to throw up in zero g. Suffice to say, it's, it's nice, kind of gross.
Speaker D:You know, gravity does do a lot of work that we don't appreciate.
Speaker D:And then when you're in the spacesuit with the visor down, it actually poses a very real asphyxiation risk.
Speaker D:So there's a safety threat there.
Speaker D:So I felt terrible because I had one job to do and I had lost us over 80% of our data.
Speaker D:And, you know, it just, I, I, I kept apologizing to the team.
Speaker D:I kept apologizing to the flight test director.
Speaker D:And he said at one point, like, you have to stop apologizing like it happens.
Speaker D:And in that moment, I realized he was right.
Speaker D:I realized that when we fail, there is a way to be hard on ourselves in a way that is destructive or a way that is productive.
Speaker D:And, you know, taking that lesson, I realized that it didn't have to be dwelling on failure.
Speaker D:I could take the lessons learned as to why I had a off nominal flight.
Speaker D:And so, you know, I think the Biggest thing for me was I was overheated that flight.
Speaker D:So I took all of the lessons I learned from that flight.
Speaker D:I made sure I was well rested, well hydrated, really focused on the mission, and most importantly, not overheated.
Speaker D:And my next flight went bang off perfectly without a hitch.
Speaker D:And so all of that to say is, if you fly microgravity or even if you have a suboptimal outcome in life, the failure isn't the ending.
Speaker D:There's that quote that says, success isn't final, failure isn't fatal.
Speaker D:It's the will or the courage to go on that counts.
Speaker D:And I really internalize that.
Speaker D:And anytime I have a suboptimal outcome, I take it as a learning point or a learning experience to see how I can do better in the future.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Well, that definitely sounds like advice from an astronaut.
Speaker B:So I find that super cool.
Speaker B:Also, if I look at my life and the things that worked out for me, there were usually lots of failures along the way, like, you know, micro failures, you might call them, that always give you that learning moment and let you learn something to make you more successful the next time around.
Speaker B:So, you know, I mean, this show might even be a great example of that.
Speaker B:So it's one of those things.
Speaker B:It's the little things you learn along the way, and most of the time, you don't learn from the easy stuff.
Speaker B:You learn from the stuff you didn't get so right the first time around.
Speaker D:That's exactly it.
Speaker D:You know, if we start thinking about success and failure as not polar opposites, but as part of a spectrum, we realize that we can learn from our successes because successes rarely are completely perfect.
Speaker D:And then failures, you know, there's always something to learn from for the future.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Well, I just want to say thank you so much for coming on the show.
Speaker B:I also want to wish you the absolute best of luck if we don't get to have another conversation.
Speaker B:But you are actually training to go to space very soon.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D: As early as February: Speaker D:So we're essentially waiting on them to build us a spacecraft.
Speaker B:That is so cool.
Speaker B:And I cannot wait to get you back, Shauna, after this.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for coming on the show.
Speaker D:Thanks for having me.
Speaker B:Well, most of us have had a rough day at work, but very few of us have had one at zero gravity.
Speaker B:And with that, the day shift comes to a close.
Speaker B:Things are about to get a little stranger, a little darker, and a whole lot Harder to forget.
Speaker B:We are heading into the night shift right after a quick word from our sponsor.
Speaker B:Welcome back to I used to work there.
Speaker B:Before we turn down the lights, what is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you at work?
Speaker B:Our employee of the month night shift story competition is underway.
Speaker B:Presented by Edmonton's best hotels.
Speaker B:One storyteller will win a $1,000 USD cash prize.
Speaker B:And yes, storyteller, it could be you.
Speaker B:We're looking for true workplace stories.
Speaker B:Haunted buildings, unexplained encounters, terrifying customers or a situation that still makes you think how differently that shift could have ended.
Speaker B:Your story doesn't have to involve a ghost and it doesn't have to have happened at night.
Speaker B:It just needs to be a frightening experience with a connection to work.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:You can share your story openly or remain completely anonymous.
Speaker B:Will announce the winner during the first episode of November.
Speaker B:And if someone you know has that story, the one they tell every time the conversation turns to strange things at work, please send them our way.
Speaker B:A huge thank you to Edmonton's best hotels for making this competition possible.
Speaker B:If you're looking for a fall getaway, there is plenty to explore in Edmonton, alberta, Canada.
Speaker B:From live music and theater to fall festivals, Halloween attractions and a night out at one of the city's incredible restaurants, you can build a whole weekend around the things you love.
Speaker B:And with the river valley's leaves turning gold, make some time to get outside and enjoy the fall colors While you're here.
Speaker B:Visit edmontonsbesthotels.com to start planning your trip.
Speaker B:We'll have a link in the show notes for hotel discounts and things to do this fall in Edmonton so you can find a great place to stay and make the most out of your visit.
Speaker B:And of course, if you're here, you're only three hours from the beautiful rocky mountains.
Speaker B:All right, turn down the lights.
Speaker B:We're entering the night shift for our first story.
Speaker B:It is my pleasure to welcome Tommy Savitt, calling in from Los Angeles.
Speaker B:Before Tommy made a career out of making people laugh, he was a newly qualified lawyer and the man who hired him had a very different idea of what on the job training should look like.
Speaker B:Before your boss asks you to cover for him, you'd hope he'd mention a few important details.
Speaker B:Tommy, welcome to the show.
Speaker B:Tell us what happened.
Speaker H:So I went to Brooklyn law school.
Speaker H:I was doing comedy while I was going to law School.
Speaker H:So I met my future employer in the comedy clubs.
Speaker H:He himself was a comedian and improv artist.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker H:Also was established for many been around the block.
Speaker H:So when I graduated law school, he hired me and I was in Flushing, Queens.
Speaker H:This particular boss of mine was as of Asian persuasion.
Speaker H:So he had the whole Asian Flushing market going down.
Speaker H:Mostly Cantonese and Mandarin.
Speaker H:And what I saw it was, I mean it was a Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul type of situation at the time I come in, I with lines of people want screaming and yelling, trying to get in to talk to him.
Speaker H:And he had a bodyguard whoever became friends with, to protect him because he was.
Speaker H:I later found out he was just taking money of his.
Speaker H:Of other Asians.
Speaker H:And he may do the work, he may not do the work to get your immigration or whatever it was, you know, it came out into the open and he would have like, like Scarface, a mound of cocaine on his table.
Speaker H:He's crazy.
Speaker H:It was surreal.
Speaker H:He had women, he had bodyguards cursing.
Speaker H:And the building was owned by a title company and they were doing business together, which is shady as well.
Speaker H:And they hated him.
Speaker H:They hated him because he was just bad news.
Speaker H:Because clients were, they were referring clients to him.
Speaker H:And he, he do the job or not do the job.
Speaker H:I mean once again, this was very short lived.
Speaker H:This was like a few weeks of.
Speaker H:And I'm like, is this how law works in America?
Speaker H:Like it was a naivete.
Speaker H:This, this can't be right.
Speaker H:Because otherwise he.
Speaker H:How is this allowed?
Speaker H:And I would ask him, I would ask him because I was friends with him, but I never knew this side of him.
Speaker H:I mean he coming with glasses because of all night partying.
Speaker H:I mean it's just wild.
Speaker H:He said he was proud how he defended every bar complaint ever made to him.
Speaker H:So he, he was very intelligent, uber intelligent guy.
Speaker H:But yeah, I mean from Breaking Bad, just of that type of character.
Speaker H:And then one time.
Speaker H:Now I don't know anything.
Speaker H:I'm out of law school, so this is crazy.
Speaker H:So this is my training, okay?
Speaker H:So, so I, you know, you know, when you graduate law school, you don't know anything you learn on you unless you did an internship somewhere.
Speaker H:Yeah, I passed the bar exam and I know concepts, but the practical daily life, you gotta learn.
Speaker H:So one time he goes, I need you to fill in for me at a trial.
Speaker H:I'm gonna come later.
Speaker H:Just represent the firm and I'm gonna come later, just hold the spot, say I'm on my way.
Speaker H:I go there and I sign my name and it's, it's a.
Speaker H:It's a murder trial.
Speaker H:Attempted murder.
Speaker H:And I'm standing next to the guy that's.
Speaker H:I'm represent.
Speaker H:I am representing the guy that was accused of the murder.
Speaker H:And there's the.
Speaker H:The victim is on the stand, and the judge goes, are you ready to proceed for trial?
Speaker H:I go, what goes, yeah, we're moving on with the trial.
Speaker H:That's your client, is it not?
Speaker H:I go, I know nothing about this.
Speaker H:She goes, ignorance will not be your safety here.
Speaker B:Oh, my gosh.
Speaker H:I'm gonna report you to the bar.
Speaker H:I'm gonna get you dislodged.
Speaker H:You're ready.
Speaker H:We're gonna proceed with the trial.
Speaker H:And then the accused goes, you don't know anything about my case.
Speaker H:I go, no, what are you doing here?
Speaker H:I go, I have no idea.
Speaker H:I'm just supposed to hold this spot.
Speaker H:I'm here, so now I'm gonna get disbarred.
Speaker H:I said, you, Honor, then put me, you know, hold me in contempt.
Speaker H:I said to put me into contempt.
Speaker H:I got nothing.
Speaker H:I don't even know about the case.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker H:Finally, he came to his senses.
Speaker H:He let me go because this happens ever again, you know?
Speaker H:But this is the kind of recklessness that I was involved with.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker H:So it lasted a few weeks, and then the title company, they were the landlords.
Speaker H:They had enough of him because it was making them look bad.
Speaker H:So this is unheard of.
Speaker H:They kick him out.
Speaker H:And they said, tommy, this office is yours if you want it.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker H:So I took over the office, and I was making great money, and I was the king of Flushing.
Speaker H:I had lines coming to me.
Speaker H:Predominantly Asian clientele.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker H:And I hired two secretaries that would speak it, you know, So I was.
Speaker H:And I knew nothing.
Speaker H:I'm just.
Speaker H:I'm just wiggin it.
Speaker H:So when the landlord saw that I was making money, they tried to jack me up on the rent.
Speaker H:Now, here's the crazy thing.
Speaker H:I was doing comedy, and that was my passion.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker H:So they go, either you pay the.
Speaker H:The rent, you're making the money, you can afford it, or, you know, that's.
Speaker H:It's take it or leave it.
Speaker H:And they didn't think I would leave it, because there's no way you're going to walk away from this money.
Speaker H:But I did, and I sold the practice to a fellow attorney that I went to Brooklyn Law School with.
Speaker H:He took it over.
Speaker H:So to him.
Speaker H:He calls me to this day a rainmaker.
Speaker H:No, I.
Speaker H:Like I said, fine.
Speaker H:I'm going to do comedy, My passion.
Speaker H:You're not going to rake me over the eyes.
Speaker H:I don't care about the money.
Speaker H:Clearly I don't.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker H:And that's.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker H:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's an amazing story.
Speaker H:Yeah.
Speaker H:This guy was a comedian.
Speaker H:He's no longer with us, this attorney.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker H:But he was a talented.
Speaker H:He was actually a funny guy.
Speaker H:But wow.
Speaker H:The dark side of a comedian.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Well, you know, for the listeners listening and they want to find you and learn a little bit more, tell us a little bit about where they can find your comedy.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker H:So you can find me on my website, TheTommyLama.com or Tommy Llama.com you'll find me.
Speaker H:And on Instagram, the Tommy Llama and Tommy Sabbat on Facebook.
Speaker B:Amazing.
Speaker B:Thank you, Tommy, for an incredible story.
Speaker B:Congratulations on all that you've accomplished and I wish you the absolute best with the future of your comedy career.
Speaker B:Our next story takes us to a haunted hospital in Galveston, Texas.
Speaker B:It is my pleasure to welcome repeat caller Jules to the show.
Speaker B:Jules, tell us what happened.
Speaker E:Oh, hi, everyone.
Speaker E:So I'm like a lawyer follower for.
Speaker E:To the show.
Speaker E:I love it.
Speaker E:So I feel like now I'm going to try to contribute as well.
Speaker E:So just kind of like an introduction.
Speaker E:I'm a gastroenterologist, so I practice in the field of medicine.
Speaker E:And of all the places through my training, I've been through a few hospitals and of course, when no hospital gets dark and creepy at night times.
Speaker E:But this story actually happened during broad daylight.
Speaker E:So I worked at a place outside of Houston called Galveston.
Speaker E:So Galveston is an island right outside of the Houston area.
Speaker E:It's a beach town, but it's not like what you think guys like Hawaii or like, you know, Puerto Rico or anything like that.
Speaker E:It's literally a little barrier island.
Speaker E:It's very skinny.
Speaker E:It used to be like an oil field kind of situation.
Speaker E:But on that island there's a huge medical center called the University of Texas Medical Branch, or utmb.
Speaker E:It's the oldest hospital in Texas.
Speaker E:And if you look it up, the entire island has a very fascinating history about flood and death and stuff.
Speaker E:So it's closely tied to it.
Speaker E: t was that great storm in the: Speaker E:So the island is actually full of all old buildings and lots of paranormal activity, et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker E:You know, it also houses inpatient prison unit for the Texas.
Speaker E:So it's a Department of Corrections is there, too.
Speaker E:So in this island there's an endoscopy unit.
Speaker E:It's located in one of the older part of the Hospital.
Speaker E:So I started like a few years ago and very soon after I started, you know, one of the techs that I work with would always tell me creepy stories.
Speaker E:And he was like, telling me that there's like this morgue right above us, and there are like, unusual like.
Speaker E:Like sounds and noises and how some texts will like, run out in the middle of cleaning scopes because the patient's lights will keep flashing or making sounds.
Speaker E:And I was like, okay, you guys are trying to like, scare me because I'm new and I'm not like, easily scared.
Speaker E:So, no, I'm not gonna listen to you.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker E:So I kind of blew it off.
Speaker E:So then, like, I.
Speaker E:Over time, I started hearing more and more stories, and then I'm just like, oh, those are rumors still.
Speaker E:You know, they probably just don't want to come in or something.
Speaker E:So then on one of the weekend, it was actually like, bright.
Speaker E:It was bright outside.
Speaker E:It was actually summertime.
Speaker E:You know, I went to my office to catch up on a few charting and research stuff.
Speaker E:And around midday, so around noon, I was kind of hungry.
Speaker E:So I remember they used to keep snacks in the endoscopy pre op area.
Speaker E:So I went to look for some snacks, and the unit was like, empty, and it was pretty much dark with no lights, so.
Speaker E:And then I was like.
Speaker E:Started hearing people talking.
Speaker E:They weren't like, you know, like.
Speaker E:Like vague voices were actually like sounds of group of people talking.
Speaker E:And it sounds kind of deep, like they were actually having a conversation.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker E:And I thought maybe like, it's one of my old tech, you know, coming in, like, you know, doing some scopes or something, or maybe they have cases.
Speaker E:So then I was like, oh, let me just go say hi to him, you know.
Speaker E:So then I started walking.
Speaker E:So this endoscopy unit is more like a U shape.
Speaker E:So the pre op is basically on one leg of the U.
Speaker E:And then as I was walking down this hallway, I just as about to make that turn to go into that hallway.
Speaker E:I stopped because I realized the entire hallway is pit black.
Speaker E:There's not one light turned on.
Speaker E:And I'm like, if the techs were here on the weekends getting ready for a scope, first of all, the lights has to be on.
Speaker E:Second of all, why is there all this noise and then there's no light.
Speaker E:That doesn't make sense.
Speaker E:So then I turn around and then, like, I walked out.
Speaker E:Kind of like I got goosebumps and everything.
Speaker E:I basically kind of more like ran out.
Speaker E:And then I was like, oh, if they're having Cases on weekends, they have to have it posted on the OR boards.
Speaker E:So I log on to the medical record system.
Speaker E:It's clean.
Speaker E:There's no.
Speaker E:No, no cases at all.
Speaker E:So I was like, that's strange.
Speaker E:So I just kind of wrapped it up.
Speaker E:I didn't feel too great.
Speaker E:So then I kind of left.
Speaker E:So then on Monday, you know, when I came to work, I found that tag.
Speaker E:Well, I'm pretty sure.
Speaker E:I mean, if it was him, you know, I asked him because he was on call, and he was like, no, we didn't have any cases that day.
Speaker E:So then I was like, no way.
Speaker E:I could have swore I heard some voices.
Speaker E:And then he was like, well, yeah, I told you there are voices.
Speaker E:You know.
Speaker E:And I was like, but I didn't think it was real.
Speaker E:He's like, well, did you go.
Speaker E:I was like, no, I don't go to voices.
Speaker E:It's like, creepy.
Speaker E:Why would I do that?
Speaker B:I go the other way.
Speaker B:Don't worry, I would have, too.
Speaker E:Exactly.
Speaker E:Why would I go toward a dark hallway with weird voices?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker E:Wow.
Speaker E:I kind of like.
Speaker E:And then he goes like, well, I told you there's a morgue.
Speaker E:I was like, no way.
Speaker E:And he was like, yeah, remember that creepy elevator right in the middle of the hallway that no one ever uses?
Speaker E:He was like, that elevator goes directly to the morgue.
Speaker E:I was like, why would you have an elevator goes to the morgue in the middle of endoscopy?
Speaker E:That makes no sense.
Speaker E:But he was like, let me show you.
Speaker E:So then we went to the elevator, and the elevator actually stops right at the fifth floor because endoscopy is on the fourth floor.
Speaker E:And in it, this entire hallway, it's like chairs everywhere, dust everywhere.
Speaker E:Things are broken.
Speaker E:It looks like something through it basically went through it.
Speaker E:It's like a tornado.
Speaker E:Broken.
Speaker E:Went like glass and everything.
Speaker E:And then in the middle of the room, there is, like, a stainless steel.
Speaker E:Like, I guess we can call it a square rectangle.
Speaker E:And then he was like, oh, is that where they store the bodies?
Speaker E:And I looked at it, because my dad's a pathologist.
Speaker E:I've seen.
Speaker E:And I actually was a pathology tech for a while.
Speaker E:I was like, that's not where they store bodies.
Speaker E:I think that's a crematorium.
Speaker B:Oh, wow.
Speaker E:And he was like, no way.
Speaker E:I was like, yeah, open it.
Speaker E:He opened it.
Speaker E:And then there's a rack in the middle of it.
Speaker E:He's like, what is that for?
Speaker E:I was like, come on.
Speaker E:You think we just threw them in there and say goodbye?
Speaker E:So ever since that, you know, it was like, just like so creepy.
Speaker E:And then like, we just kind of like, yeah, let's.
Speaker E:Let's just call it a day.
Speaker E:And then we went back down to endoscopy.
Speaker E:And then I think there was so much like chit chatting about this, like, ghost and stuff.
Speaker E:They eventually told, I think like housekeeping, not housekeeping.
Speaker E:What do you call this?
Speaker E:Maintenance people in the hospital.
Speaker E:And they actually sealed off the elevator.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker E:So now if you walk down the hallway, you'll never even know that elevator was there.
Speaker B:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:That's crazy.
Speaker B:Wow, that's an incredible story.
Speaker B:We haven't gotten a lot of people from hospitals yet.
Speaker B:I think we've had like one or two maybe stories from hospitals.
Speaker B:So be like, jules, if you work at a hospital, you had something crazy happen, give us a shout.
Speaker B:HR used to work there.
Speaker H:Dot com.
Speaker B:Thank you, Jules.
Speaker B:It's a great story.
Speaker E:Hope you guys like it.
Speaker E:But even if, you know, if you guys have a chance to visit or if you're into haunted places or like, you know, just traveling, if you're close to Houston, this is a pretty neat place.
Speaker E:It also has, like one of the oldest, I think, hotels in America.
Speaker E:It's called the Galvez.
Speaker E:And I think room 501 is where that famous person, like a woman killed herself.
Speaker E:And like, it is pretty cool.
Speaker E:It used to be called a baby apple before the storm wiped everything out.
Speaker E:So.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay, Well, I know we got at least a couple ghost hunters listening to this show, so we'll send them your way.
Speaker B:Thanks, Jules.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think I might have left without the snacks as well.
Speaker B:Well, we've reached our final story of the evening, and this is one that has really stayed with me.
Speaker B:You heard a little bit from Peter at the very beginning of the show.
Speaker B:He went to Iraq for what was supposed to be a six week IT job and ended up being held hostage for 31 months.
Speaker B:It's hard to even wrap your head around that.
Speaker B:Peter joins us from the UK and I'm incredibly grateful that he was willing to sit down with me and share his story.
Speaker B:Peter, welcome to.
Speaker B:I used to work there.
Speaker B:Tell us what happened.
Speaker A:Well, I was working in IT in international development after completing my master's degree.
Speaker A:And initially I went to Guyana under a program called Voluntary Services Overseas, which is like the American Peace Corps system.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:But for Europe.
Speaker A:And I was there for four years, I think, working in Guyana.
Speaker A:And I needed to get a job really that paid a better salary.
Speaker A:You know, the volunteer was good for the health but not good for the bank accounts.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I looked around at some jobs and I, I, to this day I, I swear that I saw a job saying an IT expert in the islands, thinking like Caribbean islands, which is.
Speaker A:Guyana is part of the Caribbean.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:So I applied and then I got a phone call from someone who was based in Iraq and I looked at the advert again, it said, yeah, it expert in Iraq.
Speaker A: And this was what,: Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:So there was this big insurgency going on in Iraq and it was, wasn't the best time to really go there, but they needed someone to sort out a problem with their finance system in the Ministry of Finance.
Speaker A:There was a lot of money that was just unaccounted for and going missing.
Speaker A:And it just so happens the Guyana government used the same computer system and I'd got experience of it.
Speaker A:So what they wanted me to do was go over for six weeks to Baghdad and train an Iraqi IT team in how to use this financial computer system.
Speaker A:And I thought about it and I thought, well, you know, it's not too dissimilar to what I'm doing in Guyana.
Speaker A:Yes, it's a bit more risky, but it's only six weeks.
Speaker A:I'll be working with local IT people, I can get them trained up and sort of leave.
Speaker A:That was my plan.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A:And eventually, by the end of April and sort of early May, I was going out to the Ministry of Finance data center in Baghdad, which was actually part of the University of Baghdad.
Speaker A:It was very nice, it had grass, it was very green, it wasn't like being bombed and all this sort of stuff that you saw on the news at the time.
Speaker A:And there was an IT team there and I was training that IT team in how to use the Ministry of Finance system.
Speaker A:And then I've been doing that for about four weeks.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A:All of a sudden I heard someone shout, get down.
Speaker A:And everyone in my room stood up.
Speaker A:So I sort of know from working internationally, don't be the odd one out.
Speaker A:So I also stood up.
Speaker A:Unfortunately, when I did that, it put me right next to the door and the next thing the door opened.
Speaker A:There was Iraqi police officer there from the Ministry of Interior, had a machine gun slung over his arm, had a pistol in his hand and pointed the gun in straight my head.
Speaker A:I put my hands up and what I remember more was not getting my face, but the machine gun slung over his arm, the barrel was pointing right at my groin.
Speaker A:And I just remember thinking, if that machine gun fires, this is really going to hurt.
Speaker A:And with that he said, come on.
Speaker A:So I walked out the building and I had four British armed security guards with me.
Speaker A:And I thought, well, they'll tell me what to do.
Speaker A:And they walked me to the door and I saw my British security guard surrounded by these Iraqis.
Speaker A:And I had my hands up, I said, what do I do?
Speaker A:Thinking some sort of Jean Claude Van Damme, Hollywood movie type escape.
Speaker A:And he just said to me, do whatever they say.
Speaker A:And I remember thinking, is that it?
Speaker A:Is that the best advice you've got?
Speaker A:With that, they took myself, my four guards out to awaiting Iraqi police vehicles.
Speaker A:And they were real McCoy police vehicles with real police officers.
Speaker A:And they put me into the back of this vehicle.
Speaker A:They put the team leader of the security team into the, like the trunk of the vehicle.
Speaker A:It was like a Land Rover type vehicle, a Toyota pickup sort of thing.
Speaker A:And the other two, the other three British guards were put in other vehicles.
Speaker A:And we're driving along, light siren going, and I still think at this point we're under arrest.
Speaker A:You know, maybe ID badges out of date or something like that.
Speaker A:And then they started taking my clothes off and throwing them out the window.
Speaker A:And I thought that was a bit weird.
Speaker A:And in my shirt pocket I had US$500.
Speaker A:And that's enough to get you out of most difficult situations in South America, let's say.
Speaker A:So I tried the bribery bit and I passed the $500 to the Iraqi police officer in the front seat who was sort of in charge.
Speaker A:He looked at the dollars, threw it out the window.
Speaker A:At that point, I knew that this was an abduction.
Speaker B:Holy moly.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:So just no indication.
Speaker B:It's a regular day and they just walk right in.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:They were Iraqi police.
Speaker A:They had police IDs and that sort of thing.
Speaker A:So there was no sort of violence or anything like that.
Speaker A:It was a very, very simple take.
Speaker A:It'd just be like if the police walked into your place now and put you in arrest and took you away.
Speaker B:Yeah, like it's out of the ordinary, but it's not like.
Speaker B:It's not like you don't feel like you're being abducted yet.
Speaker A:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:So you've given him money, he didn't take it.
Speaker B:He threw your money out the window.
Speaker B:What are you thinking in that moment?
Speaker A:I'm thinking I'm gonna Die.
Speaker A:I'm thinking this is an Al Qaeda something or other.
Speaker A:And, you know, at this point we're in our underpants and they've stripped down the other guard on the, on the back seat sort of thing.
Speaker A:And there was an Iraqi next to me and he started talking to me about, you know, Liverpool Football Club and all this sort of thing.
Speaker A:And I was a bit like, this is not helping me, you know.
Speaker A:But I realized I couldn't do anything.
Speaker A:I was going along at very high speed.
Speaker A:And because there were police vehicles, they were going through all the checkpoints immediately, so there was no one stopping them.
Speaker A:So I thought, I've just got to go with it.
Speaker A:Let's see what happens here.
Speaker A:So you see what goes on.
Speaker A:Eventually, maybe only 15, 10, 15 minutes after we got abducted, we stop and we're all transferred into like this small sort of bus.
Speaker A:And that's when I see the rest of the British Guards.
Speaker A:You know, principally, I'm okay, I'm just in my underpants and I'm not blindfolded, I'm not handcuffed or anything.
Speaker A:The other two British Guards, they were sort of handcuffed behind their back.
Speaker A:There was blood coming from their head.
Speaker A:They'd been beaten up.
Speaker A:The guard that was with me had had his hands tied at the front and another guard was put in.
Speaker A:He was handcuffed behind his back.
Speaker A:Generally speaking, apart from the two that had been beaten at and got blood coming from the head, we were principally okay.
Speaker A:And then two Iraqi police officers got in the back of the minibus and we drove off for another few minutes, maybe five, ten minutes out of town.
Speaker A:And then they blindfolded us all and one by one they took us out of a vehicle and put us into the upstairs of a building.
Speaker A:And they took me out last and I, I could hear the other British Guards all speaking to each other.
Speaker A:They were asking, they were checking in, you know, are you here?
Speaker A:Are you here?
Speaker A:And they put me on the opposite side to them.
Speaker A:And I think it was quite obvious that I was a bit different.
Speaker A:They were all security guards.
Speaker A:So they had security IDs.
Speaker A:They were ex military.
Speaker A:They were covered in military tattoos.
Speaker A:I not, you know, I'm pretty unfit.
Speaker A:I'm not, I'm not ex military.
Speaker A:I didn't have any tattoos, so I think they thought I was something else.
Speaker A:They didn't know what.
Speaker A:Over time, they started questioning me as a army officer.
Speaker A:They thought they'd actually captured an officer and four soldiers initially.
Speaker A:So that was the initial line of questioning.
Speaker B:Holy moly.
Speaker B:My gosh wow.
Speaker B:So they.
Speaker B:So you were pretty clearly identified as not a combatant at that time.
Speaker G:Yes.
Speaker A:Something.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And okay, so they have you.
Speaker B:You're in a building now.
Speaker B:Now what?
Speaker A:Okay, so I can hear the two British guards behind me that were in pain.
Speaker A:I thought, want to break his shoulder.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:It turns out that wasn't the case.
Speaker A:And you can hear him, like.
Speaker A:And they.
Speaker A:I hear them stand up and I hear them take him out of the building.
Speaker A:And maybe 10, 20 seconds later, there's a gunshot.
Speaker A:And there's a big debate against the British guards.
Speaker A:Have they just executed?
Speaker A:And what does that mean?
Speaker A:What's happened?
Speaker A:And there's a big discussion about it.
Speaker A:They're saying, I'm not sure, you know, if you got shot in the head, we'd hear gurgling and all this sort of stuff.
Speaker A:You know, I went to university and studied computing.
Speaker A:That was not part of the syllabus.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And with that, they let me pick me up, walked me outside, took me down the stairs and fired a gun off as well.
Speaker A:So I guess it was just a scare tactic.
Speaker A:And from my perspective, it worked.
Speaker A:I mean, I was terrified.
Speaker A:I was scared.
Speaker A:And then they put me in a vehicle and we drove around again for not very long, maybe 15 minutes, something like that.
Speaker A:Took me out of a vehicle and led me down into a basement in a building somewhere.
Speaker A:And I can hear the other British talking.
Speaker A:So I'm obviously.
Speaker A:We're obviously all still together at this point.
Speaker A:We're in this basement half an hour, they take me out.
Speaker A:They put me into the back of, like, a big truck, but they throw me over the back.
Speaker A:Of course, I can't see, so I land on my ribs and my ribs crack and all that sort of stuff.
Speaker A:And then they lead me to the front of this bed and it's got, like, a false compartment in the truck.
Speaker A:Sit me down with my back to the side of the truck, effectively my knees up to my chest.
Speaker A:And then they put another guard, the British guard, with his back on my knees.
Speaker A:And then there was a third British guard put opposite us.
Speaker A:And then they boarded up this secret compartment and we drove off.
Speaker A:And I kind of got brave at this point.
Speaker A:After some time, maybe half an hour, I lifted up my blindfold and I could see sunlight through the cracks in the welds, and I could see that there was two others there.
Speaker A:And I, you know, my head was banging from side to side and I could see there was no way out.
Speaker A:And I just remember thinking Indiana Jones would be out of this by now, you know, so, yeah, so with that, I just put the blindfold down and put my head to one side to stop it from banging.
Speaker A:And I fell asleep at that point.
Speaker A:And then we carried on for probably the rest of the day, like, holy moly.
Speaker B:And, like, is this still day one or is.
Speaker B:Are we into day two now?
Speaker A:This is still day one.
Speaker A:Holy moly.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:All sorts of stuff's going through my mind, you know, I have no idea what's going on.
Speaker B:My gosh.
Speaker B:My gosh.
Speaker B:Okay, so what happens next?
Speaker A:Well, we stop at night and we get given some cake and some water.
Speaker A:I'm still blindfolded, so that.
Speaker A:That was okay.
Speaker A:And then everything goes very quiet, and all I can hear is this ticking, and it sounds like the engine is cooling down.
Speaker A:So I get brave.
Speaker A:I lift up my blindfold, and I can see they've pulled back like a canvas cover off the top of this truck.
Speaker A:And I look up and I can see the stars.
Speaker A:So I lean forward to the British guy in front of me.
Speaker A:I said, hey.
Speaker A:And I lifted up his blindfold.
Speaker A:I said, look at.
Speaker A:You can see the stars.
Speaker A:And he starts, this is one of the security team.
Speaker A:And he's handcuffed behind his back.
Speaker A:He's bleeding from his head, and he's sort of saying, you know, we could make escape for this.
Speaker A:I could steal this truck.
Speaker A:And, you know, it sounds like it's going to blow up.
Speaker A:I said, I think it's just the engine cooling down, you know, I said, just relax, you know, and I put his blindfold back down.
Speaker A:The reality is there was no way we were going to escape.
Speaker A:You know, we didn't know where we were.
Speaker A:They were, too, Iraqis sleeping in the back of that bed with guns.
Speaker A:You know, you've got me.
Speaker A:I'm about as useful as, you know, a brick at this point.
Speaker A:This is way out of my skill set.
Speaker A:The professional people are handcuffed behind their back and blindfolded.
Speaker A:So, you know, how are we going to escape from this?
Speaker A:What's your game plan?
Speaker A:So just sit tight, sweat it out a bit.
Speaker A:Let's see where this takes us.
Speaker A:Next day comes when we all fall asleep at this point.
Speaker A:The next day comes, we get given food and water, and we drive off again.
Speaker A:And it's.
Speaker A:We're really.
Speaker A:It's getting really hot.
Speaker A:So we're in this truck all day, and we can hear.
Speaker A:Eventually we hear cattle grids.
Speaker A:You know, I don't.
Speaker A:If we call them in America, you know, in a road where you've got cows and things, yeah, you have, like, bars in the road to stop the cows from watching over it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:It's not a gate, but it's.
Speaker A:We call it a cattle grid.
Speaker A:I don't know what it.
Speaker A:I don't know what the American is.
Speaker B:Talking in my head.
Speaker B:I don't know the word for it either.
Speaker B:Also not my area.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:But I know exactly what you're talking about, and so do our listeners.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:So someone in the comments can put down what the football was.
Speaker B:That's right, put it in the comments.
Speaker A:So they.
Speaker A:These guys had only just recently come out the military, and they said to me, that's a Qatar grid.
Speaker A:We can hear that.
Speaker A:The only place that exists is in the south of Iraq, in Basra.
Speaker A:And they said, this is Shia.
Speaker A:This is not Al Qaeda sort of country.
Speaker A:To me, that meant absolutely nothing at that moment in time, but they seem to think that was a positive thing.
Speaker A:So that was good.
Speaker A:So we.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So eventually this truck stops.
Speaker A:I mean, we're really hot.
Speaker A:We're given water.
Speaker A:It's really, really hot.
Speaker A:It was given water.
Speaker A:And I'm taken out of the truck, put into a backseat of a car.
Speaker A:We drive off, and only for five minutes, I'm taken out the car, walked into a room, the blindfold's taken off, and I'm with.
Speaker A:I'm in a room with the other two British guards, and there's a big debate.
Speaker A:Oh, did they come down with us?
Speaker A:They think we're in Basra.
Speaker A:I'm like, the others think we're in Basra.
Speaker A:Sounds good to me.
Speaker A:Must be in Basra.
Speaker A:I said, everyone's all down here.
Speaker A:They're only five minutes away, all this sort of stuff.
Speaker A:And that was that.
Speaker A:And then we are introduced to a couple of Iraqis, like sort of officers, I suppose, who give us.
Speaker A:Let us shower, they give us some food.
Speaker A:And they explained that we've been captured by a Shia militia.
Speaker A:And they're not Al Qaeda, they're not going to kill us.
Speaker A:They're going to hold us for an exchange of their leaders that had been captured by the Americans some months earlier.
Speaker A:So that was the start of it all, really.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:So I guess you never know how long this is going to go on, but you had to have been thinking at the moment that, okay, like, this is bad, but, like, it's just going to be like a month, you know, 20 days or something.
Speaker B:You're going to make a trade and I'm out.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, I. I've seen the news up to this Point BBC news and people being executed and all sorts of.
Speaker A:I thought a couple of months dead or alive, this was going to be over.
Speaker A:And I thought the chances of getting out alive would be slim.
Speaker A:I wasn't convinced they would do any exchange deal whatsoever.
Speaker A:We're not military.
Speaker A:The only thing that was good for me was I had kidnapping ransom insurance through my company.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I knew I was good for money, but that's not what they wanted.
Speaker A:And in my mind, I was a bit like, this is typical, you know, I work for a company that's got money that can pay the ransom and I'm taken by a bunch of people that don't want any money.
Speaker A:I'm like, great.
Speaker A:You know, just my work.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker A:So, you know, this went on for months and I kept being moved between the two guards, so I knew that we were still in close proximity.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But when we kept moving houses around, every couple of months we'd move houses.
Speaker A:But I think the most worrying thing, I think for me happened at about month three or four.
Speaker A:So the Iraqi militia that were holding us were quite open.
Speaker A:They were, were Iraqi police officers, but they were also militia.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And one day they handcuffed me.
Speaker A:So the way we were kept is we had a chain around our foot.
Speaker A:We're grilling a wall so we couldn't move, and they'd let us off to go to the toilet a couple of times a day, that sort of thing.
Speaker A:And one day they came up to me, they took me off the chain.
Speaker A:They're blindfolded me and handcuffed me behind my back.
Speaker A:And they did that when they were doing moves.
Speaker A:But all the moves up to this point have been during the night and this one was in the day.
Speaker A:And it was a bit strange, so I didn't know what quite was going on.
Speaker A:So they led me outside and I thought I was going to be put into a vehicle or something.
Speaker A:And they pushed me to the floor and they put a metal thing to my head.
Speaker A:And then there was a click and then there was a bang.
Speaker A:And I just remember everything sort of going black and white.
Speaker A:And because it's a cloth, you can see sunlight below the bottom of this piece of cloth.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:It's not like an official, you know, ISO, you know, sanctioned blindfold, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:It's just a random piece of cloth.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And then slowly this sunlight started to appear.
Speaker A:And I thought, I'm, I'm in heaven.
Speaker B:I've.
Speaker A:I've made it to heaven.
Speaker A:And I'm like, I'm dead.
Speaker A:But it's okay.
Speaker A:It didn't hurt.
Speaker A:It's all right.
Speaker A:And then I heard people laughing and.
Speaker A:Hang on a minute.
Speaker A:No, I'm still handkered.
Speaker A:Hold on.
Speaker A:No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker A:I'm not dead.
Speaker A:I'm still alive.
Speaker A:Oh, my gosh, what's happened here?
Speaker A:Sort of thing.
Speaker A:And with that, they.
Speaker A:They picked me up and took me back into the room where the other British guard was.
Speaker A:And he said to me, what did they do?
Speaker A:I thought, I don't know.
Speaker A:I think they just shot me in the head.
Speaker A:I'm like, you know, and I was really annoyed about it.
Speaker A:I always said that if I was going to be executed, I was.
Speaker A:I was going to show no fear.
Speaker A:I was going to use British stiff upper lip, we call it.
Speaker A:You know, you show it's not getting to you.
Speaker A:But, you know, when they put that to my head and it clicked, I realized it was gun.
Speaker A:And I just started sweating and shaking, trembling.
Speaker A:Never experienced anything like it at all.
Speaker A:And I was so annoyed.
Speaker A:I always had this image.
Speaker A:I thought, if I can remember where I want to be when I'm executed, I could be there for eternity, because eternity is a long time, right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I thought a nice place would be where I used to live as a kid.
Speaker A:At the back of the house was all these fields where we used to walk the dog.
Speaker A:And I thought, if I could remember that image, that's where I'd be if they execute me.
Speaker A:And I was so scared, I forgot the image.
Speaker A:I was really annoyed about that.
Speaker A:I let it get to me.
Speaker A:I was so irritated by that.
Speaker A:And they did that a few times afterwards as well, but that was the worst time it ever happened.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:Nobody who hasn't been there can imagine.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Like, nobody can say, oh, I'd react this way.
Speaker E:Right.
Speaker B:Like, there's no way.
Speaker B:Holy moly.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Oh, I. Yeah.
Speaker B:It's like.
Speaker B:Honestly, it makes me.
Speaker B:I get sad just listening to this story, Peter.
Speaker B:Like, it's.
Speaker B:It's really hard to listen to, especially knowing that, you know, this didn't just end in a couple months.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:The next shocking thing was I got to see cnn.
Speaker A:So they showed us the CNN news article.
Speaker A:This was in December.
Speaker A:So we've been held, what, over six months at this point?
Speaker A:Seven months, something like that.
Speaker A:And cnn, they'd written some hostage videos and they'd released a couple of them to the press, and that's what the press was showing.
Speaker A:So I was watching CNN what they were saying about it, and CNN put up all these images of Foreigners that have been captured in Iraq in, in the last couple of years, and it wasn't that many, actually I was quite surprised.
Speaker A:There was about nine, something like that.
Speaker A:And I thought, well, that, that didn't look too bad.
Speaker A:And then the grayed out, the ones that had been killed and it left like two.
Speaker B:Oh no.
Speaker A:And I just remember thinking, this, this is not going to end well whatever happens, this is definitely not going to end well at this point.
Speaker A:And I think that's when I started to realize that, you know, all I've got to do is make the best of this situation because I'm not getting out of here anytime soon.
Speaker B:Oh my gosh.
Speaker B:So you, you had already accepted that you weren't, you weren't getting out?
Speaker A:Yeah, I think at that point I was, I thought this is not going to happen.
Speaker A:My British guards were still quite optimistic that they would do a prisoner exchange.
Speaker A:They kept saying these prisoner exchange are quite common.
Speaker A:And I was thinking, I'm not so sure.
Speaker A:I don't think they're as common as you think, you know, and I'm not, certainly don't think they common for civilians.
Speaker A:So at that point I actually got separated off.
Speaker A:So I got moved to what they called their north factions.
Speaker A:So I was, I was moved to Baghdad effectively.
Speaker A:And the militia talked about themselves in north and south faction.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And I was moved to Baghdad on my own.
Speaker A:And I never saw those British guards again.
Speaker A:I was held with a couple of American, one American and one, I believe he was, he was Iraqi.
Speaker A:So they had captured this American in a vehicle, ied.
Speaker A:He was a private, ex Marine, private security guard.
Speaker A:And they captured this Iraqi on some checkpoint.
Speaker A:He was working for the Americans as translator and they captured him as well.
Speaker A:And I've got to say, the next thing I know, so this, I'm held what, over a year and a half now.
Speaker A:So I'm seeing news on the BBC.
Speaker A:All the guards have been killed.
Speaker A:My British guards have been killed.
Speaker A:And they've released the number two commander of the militia, a guy called Laydel Khasali who comes to see me.
Speaker A:He says to me, everyone's dead.
Speaker A:I'm the only one still alive.
Speaker A:He says when I try and escape and no rescues attempt made, I'll be released alive once his brother, who's a guy called KS El Khasali, the militia leader gets released.
Speaker A:And I was a bit like, I don't think that's gonna happen.
Speaker A:I can't see them exchanging me for a militia leader.
Speaker A:So that's basically what happened over the next Year and a half sort of thing.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:And so total, total time captured was going very close to three years.
Speaker A:Yeah, it was two years, seven months and one day.
Speaker A: And of course,: Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I. I initially, when I first got captured, I thought, if this is my day of release, every day I live, it's one step closer to it, one step closer.
Speaker A:But over time, I just kept thinking, everything's moving on.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:If you look at my sort of hostage videos, some of them are online.
Speaker A:I start off by saying, we've been held for so many days, you know, so many hundred days, all this sort of stuff, and eventually my final ones are like, I've been held for a couple of years.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I've been held for just over two years.
Speaker A:Yeah, they get very, very vague.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, it's like, at some point, how do you.
Speaker B:How do you even count?
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:And to be fair, my conditions did improve in sort of the final six months.
Speaker A:I had a tv, I could exercise, I was out the chains, I had an ensuite toilet, that sort of thing.
Speaker A:So that was quite, you know, relative to the situation.
Speaker A:It was quite nice.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But it still wasn't Hotel Hill.
Speaker B:So, you know, I mean, I look, I look at the conditions that you're talking about, and I think like, three years, like that might as well be, you know, a life sentence.
Speaker B:Fifteen years in, like a real prison.
Speaker B:You know, like when you're just that confined, you're chained up.
Speaker B:Like, prisoners get, like real prisoners get treated better than you were as a hostage.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So when the number two commander got released, I. I made that point.
Speaker A:I said to him, I said, look, I don't mind you keeping me, but you got to keep me as a prisoner.
Speaker A:You know, you're keeping me like an animal, chained up.
Speaker A:I said, the, the Americans didn't do this to you, so why are you doing this to me?
Speaker A:And he actually agreed.
Speaker A:He said, that's fine, but if you try and escape, we'll kill you.
Speaker A:I said, that's fine.
Speaker A:I mean, I was so weak by this point, you know, I'd been chained up for over a year and a half.
Speaker A:It was.
Speaker A:The chances of me escaping were so slim.
Speaker A:Yeah, it, you know, it would have to be a one in a million kind of event.
Speaker A:You know, I can't even imagine the circumstances that.
Speaker A:Yeah, I could barely walk.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Well, take us to that last day, Peter.
Speaker B:Take us to the exchange.
Speaker B:What happened there?
Speaker A:Well, yeah, so there's been a.
Speaker A:There's been a number of exchanges on the news at this point.
Speaker A:So 100 live militia have been released for two.
Speaker A:Two of the bodies of my guards.
Speaker A:So I'm aware that these things are happening, that Britain started to withdraw from Iraq.
Speaker A:America started to withdraw.
Speaker A: th of December,: Speaker A:So I've been held two years, seven months, one day, as I say.
Speaker A:And I'm watching the.
Speaker A:It was.
Speaker A:It was the night of the 29th, I guess, of December.
Speaker A:And I'm watching local Iraqi news with the Iraqis.
Speaker A:It's in Arabic, not really sure what's happened.
Speaker A:And this car, this 4x4 vehicle turns up and it's being filmed by like CCTV camera.
Speaker A:And they get quite excited by it.
Speaker A:And this guy gets out and they said to me, this vehicle is Blackwater.
Speaker A:Now, Blackwater was like this covert private security operation that the Americans contracted.
Speaker A:It had a really bad name, okay, this image sort of thing.
Speaker A:They killed civilians and all sorts of stuff.
Speaker A:The argument was they'd gone rogue and all this sort of stuff.
Speaker A:Whether that's true or not, I don't know.
Speaker A:And I said, that's not Blackwater.
Speaker A:That's diplomatic.
Speaker A:That's a diplomatic vehicle.
Speaker A:And there was sort of a bit of hership about it and nothing more was said.
Speaker A:So I went to sleep and about 4 o' clock in the morning, it was still dark.
Speaker A:They came in, they woke me up.
Speaker A:They said, you've got to get up.
Speaker A:I said, why?
Speaker A:Why have I got to get up?
Speaker A:I said, you're being released.
Speaker A:I was like, leave me alone.
Speaker A:It's four o' clock in the morning.
Speaker A:I'm going back to sleep because they told me I was going to be released all the time, right?
Speaker A:So I just like, forget it, you know?
Speaker H:Yeah.
Speaker B:You're like, go away.
Speaker A:Leave me alone.
Speaker A:You know, leave me alone.
Speaker A:Where's my breakfast?
Speaker A:You know, I got into the swing of things by this point.
Speaker A:You know what?
Speaker B:I'm a prisoner here.
Speaker B:Leave me alone.
Speaker A:What's going on?
Speaker A:And so this guy came in who spoke.
Speaker A:He was Iraqi, but he spoke good English.
Speaker A:I'd been sort of teaching him English.
Speaker A:The only book he could get in English was Shakespeare.
Speaker A:I was trying to teach him English with Shakespeare.
Speaker A:It's ridiculous.
Speaker A:Anyway, he came and he said, look, you know, you've got to go.
Speaker A:You're being released.
Speaker A:You've got to go to the British Embassy at the midday.
Speaker A:I was like, fine, whatever, you know.
Speaker A:He's like, look, we've got your new Clothes.
Speaker A:You need to go and have a shower.
Speaker H:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I was like a stroppy teenage.
Speaker A:Like, yeah, whatever.
Speaker A:Because I just didn't believe it.
Speaker A:And I thought, at best, maybe what had happened, this militia had had a fight with Al Qaeda, and they were going to exchange me with Al Qaeda.
Speaker A:Now, actually, that would have been a benefit to me because my company had the kidnapping ransom insurance.
Speaker A:They would trade me in.
Speaker A:Unbeknown to me at that time, my company had gone bankrupt.
Speaker A:Oh, wow.
Speaker A:So I didn't know that.
Speaker A:So I go and have a shower.
Speaker A:I put these clothes on.
Speaker A:I have to do this release interview, and I sort of make a statement, you know, what a great time I've had, what a brilliant bunch of militia they are, and all this sort of thing.
Speaker A:And they sort of walk out the room and leave me there.
Speaker A:And I'm a bit like, well, what do I do now?
Speaker A:I'm just in this room.
Speaker A:I'm wearing new clothes.
Speaker A:I'm not chained up or anything.
Speaker A:And they come back about an hour later, and they blindfold me and just leave me out of the room.
Speaker A:Put me in the backseat of a car, take the blindfold off.
Speaker A:And there's two people sat in the front of this car.
Speaker A:The driver and this other guy who turns around.
Speaker A:He's got a camera, turns around to film it.
Speaker A:It's the same guy that took me hostage, the guy that pointed the machine gun at my groin.
Speaker A:I'm like, this is great.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:So we drive off, and we drive through a couple of Iraqi checkpoints, and we get stopped by one of them, and it takes a bit of time to get through.
Speaker A:I thought, this Iraqi security guard's gonna ask me for my ID or something.
Speaker A:I don't know what I'm gonna do.
Speaker A:Anyway, that didn't happen.
Speaker A:The driver said some stuff, showed him id, and we drove off.
Speaker A:And only about five minutes later, we pull into this driveway, and I get out and I walk into this room, and it's a long room.
Speaker A:There's a sofa at the end of it, and it's filled half with people in normal clothing and half in, like, militia gear.
Speaker A:Big machine guns, all this sort of stuff.
Speaker A:And there's a guy sat on the sofa wearing a suit at the end of this room.
Speaker A:He stands up, he says, are you Peter Moore?
Speaker A:He says, yes.
Speaker A:Says, my name's Sami Al Askari.
Speaker A:I was like, no idea.
Speaker A:He says, I work for the Iraqi government.
Speaker A:I'm here to take you to the British Embassy.
Speaker A:And I was like, I don't know if my Situation's improved.
Speaker A:I've been held by the Iraqi police for all this long, and now I'm with the Iraqi government.
Speaker A:I don't know if that's a good move or not.
Speaker A:And with that, I sit next to him and he makes a statement to camera.
Speaker A:I make a statement to camera.
Speaker A:You know, thanks very much.
Speaker A:You know, five stars on TripAdvisor.
Speaker A:Recommend it to anyone.
Speaker A:You know, I don't know what's going on, but I don't genuinely believe in being released.
Speaker A:Right, Yeah.
Speaker A:I have no idea what's happening with that.
Speaker A:The guy in the suit walks off out the building, and I'm sat there on my own, and these are saying, go, go, go.
Speaker A:So I stand up to walk out, and I get near the door and I'm stopped by these two Iraqis, militia dressed up as militia.
Speaker A:They've got face masks on, big machine guns.
Speaker A:They stopped me, turned me around, standing next to me, and there's a third Iraqi with militia gear about a couple of meters away from me.
Speaker A:He's got his hand down his back, and I thought, this is it.
Speaker A:This is where they're going to kill me.
Speaker A:Right here in this room with all these cameras.
Speaker A:You know, I'm going to be filmed as a execution sort of thing.
Speaker A:He pulls.
Speaker A:He pulls out his hand from his back.
Speaker A:He's holding a camera, takes a photo with the three of us.
Speaker A:And then I guess it's for the Facebook page, right?
Speaker A:And then he says, go, go, go.
Speaker A:So I walk out and I. I get in the backseat of this car, and I can see the guy in the suit next to me.
Speaker A:And there's two people in the front with machine guns and wearing suits, twirly things in their ear.
Speaker A:And I thought, I don't know what's going on here.
Speaker A:And I can hear the guy in the suit next to me as we drive off.
Speaker A:He's on the phone.
Speaker A:He's like, yeah, he's with me now.
Speaker A:We'll be there in about 10 minutes.
Speaker A:Just get ready sort of thing.
Speaker A:And he said to me, that was the British Embassy.
Speaker A:They were expecting you in 10 minutes.
Speaker A:And I was like, I don't believe that.
Speaker A:They don't want to talk to me.
Speaker A:And as we're driving along, the traffic's quite slow because there's a lot of traffic.
Speaker A:And I could see the doors unlocked.
Speaker A:And I thought I could try and escape here, but I thought, no, don't do that, because I didn't want to jump out and get shot by the militia that was probably following.
Speaker A:So I Thought to stay there, sweat it out.
Speaker A:If it is Al Qaeda, you know, ransom will be paid, all that sort of stuff.
Speaker A:Anyway, we drive through some black blast walls and into this driveway.
Speaker A:And I step out the vehicle.
Speaker A:I have no idea where I am, right?
Speaker A:And this guy walks up to me.
Speaker A:I mean, I don't know who he is.
Speaker A:He's wearing a bright pink shirt, looks totally out of place.
Speaker A:He can only be a government official from somewhere.
Speaker A:I don't know where from, but he's.
Speaker A:God, you know, it's so out of place, it's wrong.
Speaker A:You know what I mean?
Speaker A:And he walks up and says, you Peter Morse?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Says, this is the British Embassy.
Speaker A:We're here to take you home.
Speaker A:I couldn't believe it.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:And so I thought, you know, I've been.
Speaker A:I spent all these years on my own, and now I'm like, I don't know what to do.
Speaker A:So I couldn't believe it.
Speaker A:So I thought, I just got to go.
Speaker A:I just got to be on my own.
Speaker A:The only place I could think of where I could be on my own was the toilet.
Speaker A:So my.
Speaker A:My first words that I said is, I need a pee.
Speaker C:I was like, what?
Speaker A:You know, why did I say that?
Speaker A:The guy's like, toilets in there.
Speaker A:Went into the bathroom, put my hands on the wall, stopped banging my head on the wall, and I'm like, stop, stop, stop, stop.
Speaker A:You're cracking up.
Speaker A:Get a grip.
Speaker A:And I. I turned around, I splashed my face with water.
Speaker A:And there's this bank of mirrors looking back at me.
Speaker A:I was like, you've done it.
Speaker A:You've beaten the odds.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:Just started crying at that point.
Speaker B:Oh, I can't imagine the emotion.
Speaker B:Like, wow.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:Holy moly.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's just.
Speaker B:It's unbelievable.
Speaker B:Like, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Peter, this is probably.
Speaker B:It's probably one of the darkest stories that has been told on this show yet, I have to say that.
Speaker B:But being a darker story, it has one of the best endings of any story that has been told on this show yet.
Speaker B:So congratulations.
Speaker B:Honestly.
Speaker B:And wow.
Speaker B:You know, it's an unbelievable story.
Speaker B:And, you know, I mean, the courage that you had to have during that time.
Speaker B:I don't think many people are tested that way.
Speaker A:I'm sorry.
Speaker A:I'm sorry.
Speaker A:It is a bit dark, but, I mean, I survived it.
Speaker A:But obviously, we've got to make mention of my British guards.
Speaker A:All four of them were killed.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Two Americans.
Speaker A:I do.
Speaker A:So there's Jason.
Speaker A:Jason, Alec and Alan were the names of the people.
Speaker A:And to be fair, they gave me a lot of advice on how to keep alive and what to observe and what to remember and that sort of thing.
Speaker A:So I've got to give credit to them.
Speaker B:You know what?
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I'm happy you made it out, Peter.
Speaker B:You know what, what happened after that?
Speaker B:You know, what has the rest of your life been like since then?
Speaker A:So after that, I spent two years riding a motorcycle around all of North America, which is something I wanted to do.
Speaker A:So I, I did the whole of the usa, bit of Canada, went in, went into Mexico.
Speaker A:That was great.
Speaker A:I've been a motorcycle to all 48 states.
Speaker A:Took a cruise ship to Alaska, flew to Hawaii.
Speaker A:Brilliant.
Speaker A:Loved it.
Speaker A:And then following that, I actually developed a virtual reality training simulation for the military in what's called Condo Tafta capture to help them survive.
Speaker A:Wow situations.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:And then I fell into working in colleges, so now I'm actually a lecturer.
Speaker A:I teach I t at a college near Stonehenge, in fact, in the south of England.
Speaker A:So that's pretty cool.
Speaker A:And I've just bought a brand new motorcycle, a Royal Enfield Bear 650, which I'm currently breaking in.
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:Getting ready for that next big trip?
Speaker A:Absolutely, Absolutely.
Speaker B:Well, you know, our listeners don't know this about me, but I. I'm an avid motorcyclist myself.
Speaker A:So what have you got?
Speaker H:You know what?
Speaker B:I had to.
Speaker B:Right now I'm just riding a bolt, a Yamaha bolt.
Speaker A:Oh, nice.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's.
Speaker B: ut before, before I had a KTM: Speaker B:So I do.
Speaker B:I do appreciate a good ktm.
Speaker A:Yeah, very nice.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker B:Peter, thank you for an absolutely incredible story.
Speaker B:Congratulations on frankly surviving an almost unsurvivable situation.
Speaker B:And I'm really happy that it seems like you're.
Speaker B:You've taken life by the horn since that time.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I will say if any of you listeners have questions, if they put them in the comments, I will answer them when the.
Speaker A:When this goes live.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And if people wanted to connect with you about the story, what would be the best way for them to do so?
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker A:Probably Reddit or.
Speaker A:Or X.
Speaker A:Okay, now my handle is a bit weird.
Speaker A: It's at BD: Speaker A:It was one of those things that was a good idea at the time.
Speaker B:What I'll do is I'll just put that link in the show notes.
Speaker B:So anybody who wants to connect with Peter.
Speaker B:Yeah, go right ahead.
Speaker B:Incredible story.
Speaker B:Thanks for coming on.
Speaker B:Looking forward to chatting again in the future.
Speaker A:I appreciate it.
Speaker A:Thanks a lot.
Speaker B:And with that, we reach the end of another episode of I Used to Work There.
Speaker B:Peter, thank you so much for sharing that story with us.
Speaker B:I'm so glad you made it home and I'm grateful that you took the time to remember the men who didn't.
Speaker B:That part of the story will always stay with me.
Speaker B:And thank you to every storyteller who joined us today.
Speaker B:From what happens behind the curtain at a magic show to an experience like Peter's, this show exists because people like you are willing to share a part of their lives with us.
Speaker B:If this was your first episode, I'm really glad you found us.
Speaker B:We share a new collection of true workplace stories.
Speaker B:Every two weeks we move from day shift into the night shift and there are plenty more stories waiting for you in earlier episodes.
Speaker B:Before you go, please take a second to hit follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you're listening.
Speaker B:If you've made it all the way through this shift with us, we'd love to have you back for the next one.
Speaker B:And to the more than 9,000 people already following this show on Apple Podcasts, thank you.
Speaker B:If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a five star rating and review and tell us what you love about I used to Work there.
Speaker B:We'd greatly appreciate your support in helping this show grow.
Speaker B:If someone came to mind while you were listening today, send them this episode.
Speaker B:Your recommendation might be how they find their new favorite show.
Speaker B:And of course we'd love to hear your story.
Speaker B:Funny, awkward, unbelievable, scary or completely unexplained.
Speaker B:If it happened during your working life and it stayed with you, I want to hear it.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:You'll find the submission link in the show notes or you can email HRI used to work there dot com.
Speaker B:You're always welcome to remain anonymous.
Speaker B:A huge thank you to our title sponsor, Atlas Elite Auto Lifts and to Edmonton's Best Hotels for supporting this show.
Speaker B:I'm Kelly Kennedy, this is I used to work there and we'll see you on the next shift.
