>> NOW TO D CLASSIFIES ONE OF THE CIA IS FIERCEST OPERATIVES IS NOW OPENING UP TELLING THE
PREVIOUSLY TOP SECRET STORIES
ABOUT FIGHTING TERRORISM
AROUND THE WORLD. RIC PRADO IS
NOW 70 YEARS OLD LIVING IN
SAINT AUGUSTINE BEACH IN
TEACHING SECURITY TACTICS. HIS
CAREER SPANNING 3 DECADES, PUT
HIM IN SOME OF THE MOST
DANGEROUS AREAS OF THE WORLD
TRACKING TERRORISTS, INCLUDING
OSAMA BIN LADEN. FOR THE FIRST
TIME LOCALLY, PRADO IS TALKING
ABOUT HIS COURAGEOUS CAREER
WITH NEWS, 4 JAX ANCHOR VIC
MICOLUCCI.
>> I WORK WITH THE DRUG
ENFORCEMENT GUYS. YOU DON’T
HAVE A WALL LIKE THIS FILLED
WITH ACCOLADE AND METALS
WITHOUT TAKING BIG RISKS. I’M
ONE OF THOSE BLESSED
INDIVIDUALS THAT CAN SAY I
NEVER WALK UP IN THE MORNING
AND SAID I GOT TO GO TO WORK
TODAY. WORK FOR RICK PRADO.
THEY WERE THE LOBSTER DIVER.
SO I YOU KNOW, COMPASS, WHIMS,
ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF WAS A
LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN YOUR
TYPICAL 9 TO 5. I THINK THE
BIG QUESTION HERE IS HOW DID
YOU GET INTO THE CIA? WELL,
LIKE MOST THINGS IN MY LIFE
WAS A IT WAS BACK YES, THE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY,
THIS CUBAN BORN FORMER STREET
GANG MEMBER BECAME ONE OF THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT’S TOP
OPERATIVES. WHEN GOD PUTS A
PATH IN FRONT OF YOU, HE ALSO
FORGE IS YOUR MEDAL ALONG THE
WAY. PRADO GREW UP LIVING
COMFORTABLY UNTIL FIDEL CASTRO
TOOK OVER BRINGING COMMUNISM
AND VIOLENCE TO THE ISLAND OF
CUBA. I WAS 7 YEARS OLD. THE
SECOND TIME THAT THEY TOOK
OVER MY TOWN AND I SAW PEOPLE
GOOD SHOT, RIGHT? FOR ME. IT
WAS LITERALLY A FIREFIGHT
RIGHT FROM MY HOUSE. A FEW
YEARS LATER, HIS MOTHER AND
FATHER MADE THE DIFFICULT
DECISION TO PUT HIM ON A PLANE
TO ESCAPE TO THE UNITED
STATES. MY DAD.
>> THE BET. THE BIGGEST LESSON
THAT I CAN SAY HERE GAVE ME
USE HIS CONVICTION FOR FREEDOM
BECAUSE MY DAD IMAGINE TAKING
YOUR ONLY CHILD. WHO’S 10
YEARS OLD AND PUT IT AN
AIRPLANE TO A COUNTRY THAT
YOU’D EVER BEEN MAY NEVER EVEN
BE ABLE TO AND I DON’T KNOW
THAT I WOULD HAVE.
>> THE COURAGE TO DO THAT. HIS
PARENTS EVENTUALLY MADE IT
OVER AND THE FAMILY SETTLED IN
HIALEAH NEAR MIAMI. PRADO GOT
IN AND OUT OF TROUBLE BEFORE
LEARNING ABOUT THE MILITARY.
HE JOINED THE AIR FORCE
SPECIAL OPERATIONS. THEN THE
NATIONAL GUARD. BUT WHEN HE
APPLIED FOR THE CIA AT FIRST,
THEY DENIED HIM. THEY TOLD ME
WERE FIRING NOT HIRING UNTIL
THEY NEEDED A SPANISH SPEAKER
TO GO UNDERCOVER IN NICARAGUA
TO FIGHT THE SANDINISTA. HE
LIVED IN THE JUNGLE, BLENDING
IN WITH THE RESISTANCE
FIGHTERS FOR MORE THAN A YEAR
AND NARROWLY AVOIDING
ASSASSINATION ALL IN HIS FIRST
COUNTERTERRORISM JOB. THEY
DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MARCH OR
LENIN. THEY JUST KNEW THAT.
>> THEIR THEIR CHURCHES WERE
BEING BURNED. THE PRIEST WERE
BEING BEAT UP AND THAT THEIR
WIVES WERE BEING MOLESTED.
>> FROM THERE, PRADO WOULD
MOVE AROUND THE WORLD. A
WARRIOR WORKING IN THE SHADOWS
FROM LATIN AMERICA TO THE
MIDDLE EAST TO ASIA AND
AFRICA. SOME ASSIGNMENTS STILL
CLASSIFIED. HIS JOB WAS TO
DOCUMENT THE MOST DANGEROUS
ORGANIZATIONS IN THE WORLD.
>> WAS THE CLOSEST EVER CAME
TO BEING CAPTURED OR KILLED.
THERE’S THERE’S 4 TIMES THIS 4
TIMES WHERE I WAS AND THAT
HARMS WAY.
>> PRADO WRITES ABOUT HIS
BRUSHES WITH DEATH IN HIS NEW
BOOK, BLACK OPS, THE LIFE OF A
CIA SHADOW WARRIOR.
>> IT CHRONICLES HIS RISE TO
THE CHIEF OF COUNTER TERRORIST
OPERATIONS WHERE HE AND OTHER
OPERATIVES TRACKED OSAMA BIN
LADEN LONG BEFORE THE
SEPTEMBER 11TH ATTACKS. MOST
PEOPLE IN THE AGENCY, WILSON,
PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES
HAD NEVER HEARD THEY BEGAN
FOLLOWING HIM IN 1995. WITH A
PLAN TO TAKE HIM OUT, WHICH
PRADO SAYS WENT ALL THE WAY TO
THE WHITE HOUSE BEFORE GETTING
DENIED. THAT WAS MY QUOTE VERY
EARLY ON THAT HE WAS LIKE THE
GODFATHER OF TERRORISM WITH
THE BENEFIT OF TWENTY-TWENTY
HINDSIGHT, IF WE WOULD HAVE
BEEN ALLOWED. TAKE HIM OUT OF
BUSINESS IN WHICHEVER WAY WAS
LEGAL. PERHAPS THE COAL WOULD
HAVE HAPPENED.
>> CHANCES ARE THE BOMBING OF
OUR EMBASSIES IN AFRICA
SIMULTANEOUSLY WOULD HAVE
HAPPENED. AND PROBABLY 9 TO 11
WOULD HAVE THAT HAPPEN.
>> WHILE HIS TASK FORCE
ULTIMATELY LEAD SEAL TEAM 6 TO
BIN LADEN, NOT GETTING HIM
SOONER IS ONE OF HIS BIGGEST
FRUSTRATIONS TO THIS DAY.
ULTIMATELY A MAJOR FACTOR IN
HIS DECISION TO RETIRE FROM
THE AGENCY AFTER 25 YEARS
THROUGHOUT YOUR TIME IN THE
AGENCY.
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS?
WHAT YOU’VE DONE ANYTHING
DIFFERENTLY?
>> I THINK THAT I PUSH A
LITTLE SOME THINGS. YOU KNOW,
I I WILL ALWAYS DO WHAT I WAS
ASKED TO DO OR VOLUNTEER FOR
THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE
WOULDN’T VOLUNTEER FOR.
>> PROUD OF WHAT HE’S DONE. A
FIERCE FIGHTER FOR FREEDOM.
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WE HAVE IN
THE UNITED STATES IS THAT WE
DON’T KNOW HOW GOOD WE HAVE
IT. IT’S MADE OF HUMANS. AND
THERE’S CORRUPTION AND THERE’S
ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS. BUT IT
IS STILL THE BEST COUNTRY IN
THE WORLD. YOU DON’T SEE
PEOPLE HERE. BUILDING WRAPS TO
TRY TO GET TO CUBA. PEOPLE TRY
TO COME TO THIS COUNTRY
BECAUSE IS THAT ONE GLIMMER OF
HOPE FOR THEM TO HAVE A BETTER
LIFE?
>> THE CIA ACTUALLY HAD TO
REVIEW AND APPROVE RICK
PRADO’S BOOK BEFORE IT WAS
PUBLISHED. THERE ARE PARTS OF
HIS LIFE THAT HE’S STILL NOT
ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT. BUT HE
SAYS HE WANTS TO MAKE THIS
CLEAR WHILE IT’S NOT PERFECT,
THE AGENCY IS FILLED WITH
PEOPLE WITH GREAT INTEGRITY
AND AN EVEN GREATER LOVE FOR
OUR COUNTRY. VIC MICOLUCCI