{"id":38523,"date":"2023-08-29T17:00:57","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miamiheatnation.com\/?p=38523"},"modified":"2023-08-29T17:00:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T17:00:57","slug":"real-life-john-wick-single-handedly-took-down-26-terrorists-and-survived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miamiheatnation.com\/world-news\/real-life-john-wick-single-handedly-took-down-26-terrorists-and-survived\/","title":{"rendered":"Real-life John Wick single-handedly took down 26 terrorists \u2013 and survived"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A former US Army Green Beret took down 26 Iraqi terrorists in a bloody two-hour running gun battle like a scene straight out of John Wick.<\/p>\n<p>Veteran special forces operative Tony Cowden served over eight years and had 28 deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and other Central Asian and African countries.<\/p>\n<p>But he was always trained to fight as part of a unit. In summer 2011, he had to fight the fight of his life alone.<\/p>\n<p><b> READ MORE: Ukraine&apos;s elite &apos;Shaman&apos; special forces &apos;always shoot Russians in the balls&apos;<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Tony was ambushed as he was driving through Mosul, Northern Iraq in an unmarked civilian vehicle with a military buddy named Ben.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30813929.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_ny_cowden__347285792_18366553423037890_2922742787155556103_n.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>They were trying to keep a low profile, he told podcaster Shawn Ryan, but were spotted by a local insurgent.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;We made a U-turn and this dude comes running out with an RPG,&quot; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m already on the gas I was driving and um probably 55, 65 miles an hour\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the getaway wasn\u2019t quite fast enough and the rocket-propelled grenade slammed into the car\u2019s engine. <\/p>\n<p>He recalled: \u201cThat made the steering not work and we went into one of those big metal light poles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30813933.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_tony_cowden__324392615_157962067028262_5699975610835291121_n.jpg\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<figure data-mod=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30752305.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458\/1_killlller.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<p> Terrifying night entire village dropped dead \u2013\u00a0with even flies falling victim<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/@trinitymirrordigital\/chameleon-branding\/publications\/dailystar\/img\/logo-schema-dailystar.png\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tony was dazed by the impact, but Ben shook him and told him to get out of the car. He did so, but then realised his friend wasn\u2019t following him.<\/p>\n<p>He continued: \u201cI could see his legs still in the car his door was open so I ran around there and\u2026 he was he was done. <\/p>\n<p>&quot;The round that went through him hit me in the back. The only reason I know it was that round is because I had blood on my back and I had no other time in this fight that I could have gotten blood on my back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30813931.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/2_tony_cowden__353773410_617132927037695_8025554075022396540_n.jpg\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<figure data-mod=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30731829.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458\/0_Spacecraft-designer-and-astronaut-saw-five-UFOs-like-nothing-weve-ever-seen.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<p> NASA scientist\u00a0and astronaut &apos;saw five orange UFOs hovering over Texas&apos;<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/@trinitymirrordigital\/chameleon-branding\/publications\/dailystar\/img\/logo-schema-dailystar.png\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tony dragged his mortally wounded pal across a motorway, and took cover in a shop.<\/p>\n<p>He had a pistol, an assault rifle, and a SAW [light machine gun]. Massively outnumbered, he decided to try to even the odds with a long burst from the formidable SAW.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI pulled up the SAW and went on a 200 round burst\u2026 I used almost an entire drum with three bursts \u2026 and that was very helpful because now these dudes have got a couple of their buddies that ain&apos;t fighting any more,\u201d Tony said.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30813937.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_US-marines-of-the-35-Lima-company-carry.jpg\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<figure data-mod=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30724723.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458\/0_Mafia-hitman-put-a-gun-in-my-mouth-and-told-me-I-had-to-work-for-them.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<p> &apos;Mafia sent hitman to my house for running world&apos;s most exclusive poker tournament&apos;<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/@trinitymirrordigital\/chameleon-branding\/publications\/dailystar\/img\/logo-schema-dailystar.png\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But he had some problems too. He had left his phone in the car and his radio had stopped a bullet, so he had no way of calling for backup.<\/p>\n<p>Making his way into a shop, he rolled his mate\u2019s body up in a carpet and stashed it in a stairwell, before planting a booby-trap in the doorway and making for the roof.<\/p>\n<p>But he soon started taking fire there too, and with no available cover he decided to jump to lower roof next door.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30813934.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_ny_cowden__347582624_18368864857037890_2250257654185491462_n.jpg\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<figure data-mod=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30710150.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458\/0_MBP_CHP_150823Journalist-Shares-the-Story-of-a-14-Year-Old-Sicario-Hitman-Who-Beheaded-4-People_16856.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<p> Cartel hitman aged just 14 beheaded four victims as Mexico&apos;s lawlessness exposed<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/@trinitymirrordigital\/chameleon-branding\/publications\/dailystar\/img\/logo-schema-dailystar.png\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That was Tony\u2019s next problem. \u201cThat part of the roof didn&apos;t exist so I went running and jumped off thinking I was going to land on it and missed, falling all the way to the dirt,&quot; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Two stories. God, that hurt!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There he ran into two more of his pursuers. The first one didn\u2019t see him, but then \u201chis buddy runs up behind him, and keeps keeps going past a little alleyway and I hear him hitting the brakes&quot;.<\/p>\n<p>Tony went on: \u201cHe saw me out of peripheral vision and he came back and put his head around the corner so I dumped him his buddy sees it happening and I start to move to the corner and we almost run into each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30813939.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/1_Soldiers-from-the-first-battalion-24th-r.jpg\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<figure data-mod=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30708718.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458\/0_MAIN-Untitled-3.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<p> Bouncer reveals chilling reason he always wear same black T-shirt on job<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/@trinitymirrordigital\/chameleon-branding\/publications\/dailystar\/img\/logo-schema-dailystar.png\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>He shot that man too. One by one, he was whittling down the terrorists\u2019 numbers, but Tony was still cornered.<\/p>\n<p>With no way of calling for help, and dwindling supplies of ammo, he was planning to fight his way down to the river and swim to safety.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was managing my ammo,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI was using my pistol inside and switching a rifle outside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI threw two PDMs [booby traps] both of them went off I and I just laughed. I thought \u2018um like y&apos;all are gonna kill me today but I ain&apos;t going alone\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30813938.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_IRAQ-US-ARMY-ATTACK.jpg\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<figure data-mod=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk\/incoming\/article30697648.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458\/0_I-should-have-died-on-911-suicide-flight-but-was-saved-by-a-story.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<p> &apos;Terrorist put AK-47 to my head on flight but I survived \u2013\u00a0years later he told me why&apos;<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/@trinitymirrordigital\/chameleon-branding\/publications\/dailystar\/img\/logo-schema-dailystar.png\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>He had nine bullets left for his pistol when the first search helicopter flew overhead.<\/p>\n<p>Soon, more reinforcements arrived and the remaining attackers made themselves scarce.<\/p>\n<p>The rescuers identified the bodies of 26 terrorists that had died in the gunfight with Tony.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was nuts,\u201d he said. &quot;That day made me think I was immortal\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailystar.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/real-life-john-wick-single-30813892\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A former US Army Green Beret took down 26 Iraqi terrorists in a bloody two-hour running gun battle like a scene straight out of John Wick. Veteran special forces operative Tony Cowden served over eight years and had 28 deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and other Central Asian and African countries. But he was always trained [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Real-life John Wick single-handedly took down 26 terrorists \u2013 and survived - miamiheatnation.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/miamiheatnation.com\/world-news\/real-life-john-wick-single-handedly-took-down-26-terrorists-and-survived\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Real-life John Wick single-handedly took down 26 terrorists \u2013 and survived - miamiheatnation.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A former US Army Green Beret took down 26 Iraqi terrorists in a bloody two-hour running gun battle like a scene straight out of John Wick. 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