C.K. Redlinger was bound to have a few captivating stories of his own to tell.
After all, the longtime Flower Mound resident’s earliest memories were of him sitting in his parent’s living room, staring wide-eyed at a cast of grizzled yet colorful military veterans with ties to World War II, Korea, and Vietnam as they ate, drank, poked fun at each other, and competed for the best stories from their time in the service. This was the land of giants, and they all knew how to grab an audience.
“It was chaos with all the stories and rivalries,” Redlinger said with a laugh. “Mom and Dad were both in the Marine Corps, and my older brother was a police officer. Mom had five brothers, all in the military. My grandpa was in World War II, and my Dad’s brother was a Marine. One of the uncles, Wyatt Butterfield, was among the 10 survivors who endured the fateful sinking of the U.S.S. Juneau, drifting at sea for eight harrowing days. The loss of over 700 servicemen, including the five Sullivan Brothers, was a tragic consequence of a Japanese torpedo attack.
“Naturally, I daydreamed about being a Marine and a cop. I also enjoyed movies and saw myself doing that, but none of it correlated.”
Stories are meant to be passed down through the ages, providing those who listen with valuable life lessons and inspiration to reach beyond their horizons and repair their souls. Whatever young C.K. was chasing in life, he just wanted his parents to be proud of him and trust that he was watching and listening the entire time.
And oh, man — the stories he now gets to tell.
“Everybody’s got a story. My life has been a crazy ride and definitely not planned out,” he said.
For more than 30 years, Redlinger’s life as a Marine Corps veteran, homicide detective, military contractor, Hollywood movie advisor, budding author, and short-story writer has been one exciting adventure and fortuitous twist of fate after the next. Some might argue he’s a prime candidate for a feature-length movie. At a minimum, he could assume the coveted title of the Most Interesting Man in the World.
Now 53, Redlinger served as an assault team leader, explosive breacher, and close-quarters battle instructor before transitioning to law enforcement as a homicide detective. After assignments as a S.W.A.T. sniper and vice unit commander, he joined the Global War on Terrorism as a contractor in Iraq and Jordan between 2004 and 2016. In the midst of it all, he also ventured into the world of stunts, acting, and advising for war movies. This includes the 2012 film, “Zero Dark Thirty.”
He once watched the Super Bowl with Muhammad Ali and has rubbed shoulders with countless celebrities, including Henry Cavill, Chris Pratt, Jon Stewart, and the late Michael Clarke Duncan.
All of it gave him perspective and plenty of fodder for his latest career as an author and short-story writer.
His post-apocalyptic novel, “Georgia Fall,” is already published. The sequel is set to arrive this month.
“When I was ready to take writing seriously, I had good stories and found pleasure offloading the sights and sounds from what has been a crazy life,” Redlinger said. “It’s neat that everything has come full circle.”
Redlinger means it when he says none of what he’s experienced was planned out. He simply set out to follow in his Dad’s footsteps by joining the Marine Corps. After a few years, he took the next logical step in that plan: becoming a police officer. But in 2004, he left the police department and went to Iraq for high-risk protection for ambassador-level dignitaries.
At one point, he was General David Petraeus’ security manager. Four years later, he was one of 11 instructors selected to be at the forefront of the U.S. military’s plans to create a counterterrorism training center (King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center — KASOTC) in Jordan. Around that same time, the production crew for “Zero Dark Thirty,” which was being filmed nearby, asked if they could have their actors trained by real instructors at the facility.
Redlinger spearheaded that initiative, and his film career was born just like that.
“This was around the time that many war films were ranking up. I was doing this on the side while also working for the state department, and they kept coming back to me to train the actors since Jordan was a safe place to film,” Redlinger said. In addition, he developed a vocational pipeline for Jordanians pursuing careers as stunt performers.
“Over time, you start getting asked to do more stuff. They’re like, ‘Can you train actors?’ And when I’d say yes to that, they’d ask, ‘Can you help choreograph battle scenes?’ So then I’d start doing that, and they’d come back and ask, ‘Can you do stunt performances and maybe play this part?’ It kept steamrolling, and it was a lot of fun.”
His film career as a technical advisor, trainer, stunt performer, and actor includes movies and television shows such as “Strike Back,” “”Sand Castle,” “A Private War,” “The Grand Tour,” “Tiger Raid,” “The Rendezvous,” “Remember the Titans,” and “Monsters: Dark Continent.” His IMDB profile also mentions that he was referenced in the book, “Sniper One,” by Sgt. Dan Mills, which chronicled the protracted months-long battle in Maysan Province, Iraq.
Redlinger eventually moved back to America with his wife, Lama, in 2016 to take on a quiet corporate job. But his thirst to share all the stories he had built up over the years was too much to ignore. His novel “Georgia Fall” is about a retired Marine named Charlie who unintentionally becomes the neighborhood’s guiding force, shouldering the responsibility of restoring hope and maintaining order — all while planning a desperate mission to reach his daughter in Canada. Faced with insurmountable odds, the journey to Canada is replete with humbling realities, chilling malevolence, and obstinate tenacity.
While working on the sequel, Redlinger has immersed himself in the writing life. His short stories are on his website, including personal narratives and articles that entertain while highlighting practical philosophies for personal development. Whether your goal is to become a strong leader, build teams, overcome depression and adversity, discover meaning and purpose, or wrestle with the process of growing up, he has a story to feed that itch.
“Again, it’s neat that everything has come full circle,” he said. “That’s what happens when you have the right role models. That stuff sinks in, and you want to follow in those footsteps. It’s been a fun and rewarding life.”
To learn more about C.K. Redlinger, including his short stories and books, visit ckredlinger.com.
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