The Indonesian military ate snakes, headbutted bricks, and walked through fire for James Mattis

The Indonesian military performed for James Mattis.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/Paul D. Shinkman)

On Wednesday in Jakarta, Indonesia, a lucky crowd was treated to a display of firewalking, snake-eating, and brick-headbutting. No, it wasn't a carnival or some bizarre game show — it was an exercise put on by the Indonesian military for Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

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Kelly O'Meara Morales

Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.