Van of Valor

Disclaimer: The upcoming anecdote contains uncensored language that is authentically and hilariously unfiltered. Viewer discretion is advised.

Dr. Kevin Wallace
Van of Valor

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — In the dust and isolation of a forward operating base in Kandahar, an unexpected friendship formed between a team of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers and a British royal. 

Harold, an 18-Delta Special Forces medic, recently shared a firsthand account of his team’s memorable interactions with Prince Harry during the prince’s 2007 deployment.

The encounter began not with royal formalities, but with a near-confrontation. 

Harold recounted arriving at the airfield with his teammate, Sgt. Rick Murillo, to coordinate an incoming aircraft. Murillo, who is known online now as “Ranger Rick,” sporting a new hat with the tags still attached, caught the attention of the young royal.

“Prince Harry was trying to be cool,” Harold recalled. “And he’s like, ‘Oh, is that what you American blokes do? You keep your tags on your hat?’ He used the antenna of his [Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) radio and he touched Rick’s head.”

The gesture did not go over well. 

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“Rick’s like, ‘Motherfucker. Don’t you ever touch my hat,’” Harold said with a laugh, noting he had to quickly intervene. 

“I was like, ‘Hey Rick, calm down, man… that’s Prince Harry,’” said Harold. “Rick just said, ‘I don’t give a fuck who Prince Harry is.’”

Despite the rocky start, the incident broke the ice. Prince Harry “kind of got in line,” and a genuine camaraderie quickly developed. The prince began visiting the American compound daily to drink coffee or tea, becoming a regular part of the unit’s social circle.

The bond was strong enough that the soldiers hatched a plan to get the royal “super drunk” during a party, with Murillo personally securing bottles of booze designated for the prince on a flight from Kandahar. 

Tragically, the plan was foiled when Prince Harry himself was unexpectedly ordered onto that same flight out of the country.

“He got on a plane and he left,” Harold said. “The whole plan was… we’re going to drink, we’re going to party.”

Reflecting on the experience, Harold had nothing but praise for the prince’s character. “He’s cool as fuck shit,” the medic stated. “He’s just a regular dude.”

The story offers a rare, ground-level glimpse into Prince Harry’s military service, illustrating how rank and royalty were often set aside for the shared experience of soldiers in a combat zone.

To read more, visit www.HelpVoV.com

Note: Prince Harry held two main jobs during his two deployments to Afghanistan: a forward air controller (FAC) in 2007–2008 and an Apache co-pilot gunner in 2012–2013. As a FAC and also a JTAC, he was responsible for coordinating airstrikes on Taliban positions from the ground, and as a co-pilot gunner, he flew Apache attack helicopters and operated the weapons from the cockpit.