Glenn announced the upcoming departure of two of his staff members for the Middle East on his TV show Wednesday night. Glenn's head writer, Dan Andros, and his chief researcher, Jason Buttrill, made the decision to travel there so the audience could visually experience what it means to be a Christian in that part of the world.
"I'm going to be hobbling here for a couple of weeks because two people that I depend on to help me put this show together every day are going away," Glenn said. "This is the first team that we're sending over in the next 8 to 12 weeks."
Glenn described Jason - a former Marine previously on Glenn's personal security detail - as a "warrior," both in the physical sense and spiritually.
Dan was quick to point out, "I'm not a warrior. I am going to be standing behind Jason at all times."
Requesting prayers on their behalf, Glenn said they're going to be "literally on the front lines with ISIS."
Why would they want to do something so potentially dangerous?
Dan explained he felt moved after reading what one refugee said after being kicked out of his community by ISIS.
"He just said, 'I feel like nobody cares,'" Dan said. "My hope for this trip is that you get to meet these people and that it moves more of the country into some sort of action."
Jason agreed, saying, "We want to show everyone that there is something that you can do. Everyone can play their role," Jason said.
Glenn's response?
"This is what I've been saying that we're at a time of heroes," he said.
Watch the dialogue below.
Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors.
JASON: On this issue, now, full disclosure here, we’re not journalists.
GLENN: Good.
JASON: Dan’s a writer, and I’m a researcher. I’m a former military guy. I’m basically a Marine that does research now, and Dan’s a writer. We’re basically just like the audience is. We’re the same. But I think that the whole reason for this is to get two guys that are not journalists, we’re not part of the mainstream media, but we want to show you the same thing that The Root was designed to show, which is what is going on. We want to take the audience on a trip with us to the front lines right there. We want them to say who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys?
GLENN: There are good guys there.
DAN: Because that’s what the media does is they just show you the wreckage. That’s all they want to do is show you the wreckage. What we want to do, since we’re not going in there as one of these guys to just sit there and point to the carnage that’s going on, we want you to see who the good guys are, meet them.
GLENN: They’re heroes.
DAN: Honestly, it’s not like, I know Jason’s just been chomping at the bit to get over there, but it’s not been my dream to go on the front lines against ISIS. I clearly drew the short straw here. But I’ll tell you though, what turned it for me is when I see quotes like, there’s one quote actually in the media that stuck out for me where they interviewed some refugee who got chased out by ISIS. He just said, "I feel like nobody cares." When you just watch the wreckage and you just see some shots and some explosions, it’s easy not to care because it’s just so far away. But when you meet the people and when you get to know them, that’s what my hope is for this trip is that you get to meet these people and that it moves more of the country into some sort of action.
GLENN: This is what I’ve been saying that we’re at a time of heroes. Dan, I’ve known you for 15 years. You’re no hero, and I’m not a hero, not even close.
DAN: We’re not heroes.
GLENN: You’re closer to a hero than we are. We’re not heroes. Can you believe we’re here, where not for money, not for fame, not for anything else, just because I do care, and it’s time for somebody to stand up? That’s amazing.
JASON: And that’s part of the purpose of this trip. We want to show everyone that there is something that you can do. Everyone can play their role.
