The Scuttlebutt: Understanding Military Culture: Recent Episodes
Veterans Breakfast Club
Welcome to The Scuttlebutt, a weekly pre-recorded program presented by The Veterans Breakfast Club. “Scuttlebutt” is a military term (specifically Navy) for talk or gossip around the watercooler below decks. And this is what our program is all about: we have informed conversations about the military experience, past and present. We want to bridge the divide between those who serve and those who don’t. We look at headlines, we tackle important topics, and we ask questions. Join us on this journey of spreading the Scuttlebutt!
We welcome helicopter pilots in Vietnam to VBC LIVE to discuss their service with these iconic machines. Nothing, in fact, is more closely associated with the Vietnam War than the helicopter.
More than 12,000 helicopters served in Southeast Asia, carrying troops into battle, evacuating the wounded, escorting convoys, directing artillery, scouting enemy positions, and providing close air support. For the men who flew them, every mission demanded skill and courage, plus some luck.
Joining us are Army helicopter pilots whose combined experiences span some of the most important aircraft and missions of the war.
Barry Lloyd flew UH-1 Huey gunships and OH-23 Raven scout helicopters during two combat tours in Vietnam. Twice wounded in action, he survived being shot down before going on to a distinguished civilian career as Chief Pilot for CAL FIRE.
Barry Desfor flew UH-1 Hueys and AH-1 Cobra gunships in Vietnam before returning as an instructor pilot. After the war, he founded HeliValue$ and created The Official Helicopter Blue Book®, the worldwide standard for helicopter valuation.
Gil Ferrey flew OH-23 Ravens and UH-1 Hueys, first in Korea and then with the legendary 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment during its deployment to Vietnam. As a command-and-control pilot, he witnessed firsthand how helicopters transformed modern warfare.
Together they’ll discuss what it was like to fly low over jungle canopies, insert troops into landing zones, escort convoys, search for enemy forces, and survive one of the most dangerous jobs of the Vietnam War.
If you flew helicopters in Vietnam or served in Army aviation we especially invite you to join us and share your own memories and questions.
Among the helicopters we’ll discuss are some of these icons of the war:
UH-1 Iroquois (“Huey”) – the workhorse utility helicopter used for troop transport, medevac, command and control, and gunship missions.
AH-1 Cobra – the Army’s first purpose-built attack helicopter, developed to escort Hueys and provide devastating fire support.
OH-23 Raven – a light observation helicopter used for scouting, artillery spotting, and command-and-control missions during the early years of the war.
OH-6 Cayuse (“Loach”) – a tiny, agile scout helicopter famous for flying dangerously low in search of enemy forces.
CH-47 Chinook – the Army’s heavy-lift helicopter, capable of carrying troops, artillery, vehicles, and supplies.
CH-54 Skycrane – the giant flying crane used to recover downed aircraft and move heavy equipment.
During World War II, the United States built 2,710 Liberty ships to move the cargo needed to fight a global war. They were plain, inexpensive, and often called “ugly ducklings,” but without them the Allied victory would have been impossible.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club as Glenn Flickinger welcomes award-winning journalist and author Doug Most to discuss his acclaimed new book, Launching Liberty: The Epic Race to Build the Ships That Took America to War.
Doug tells the remarkable story of how Franklin Roosevelt, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, naval architects, welders, engineers, and hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans created one of the greatest industrial achievements in history. In just a few short years, American shipyards transformed shipbuilding from a process measured in months into one measured in weeks—and sometimes even days. Along the way, women, African Americans, migrants from across the country, and first-time shipbuilders became part of an extraordinary workforce that helped supply Allied armies around the globe.
We’ll talk about why Liberty ships mattered so much, how Henry Kaiser’s innovative shipyards changed manufacturing forever, and how America’s race to outproduce German U-boats became one of the great untold stories of World War II. Just as importantly, we’ll remember the hundreds of thousands of workers—many of them building ships for the first time—whose efforts transformed the United States into the Arsenal of Democracy and helped win the war.
The Veterans Breakfast Club creates communities of listening around veterans and their stories to connect, educate, heal, and inspire.
LibertyShips #WorldWarII #WWII #MerchantMarine #HenryKaiser #DougMost #MilitaryHistory #NavalHistory #GreatestGeneration #VeteransBreakfastClub #ArsenalOfDemocracy #HomeFront #History #WW2History
We celebrate the U.S. Coast Guard’s birthday with an Open Conversation with USCG veterans on Monday, August 3 at 7:00pm ET. Join us as we talk with Coast Guard veterans about what makes their service so distinct—and so essential to the nation’s security and safety.
Founded on August 4, 1790, the Coast Guard is the oldest continuous seagoing service in the United States. Unlike other branches, the USCG has a dual mission: military operations during wartime and law enforcement, search and rescue, and maritime safety during peacetime. It is the only military branch that operates under the Department of Homeland Security (except during wartime, when it may transfer to the Department of the Navy).
What sets the Coast Guard apart?
Maritime law enforcement: The Coast Guard has the authority to board, search, seize, and arrest vessels suspected of violating federal law.
Search and rescue operations: From hurricanes to sinking ships, the Coast Guard is the first call in times of maritime crisis.
Icebreaking and navigation aid: Coasties operate in Arctic and Great Lakes regions to maintain critical shipping lanes and place navigational buoys.
Drug and migrant interdiction: They play a front-line role in combating illegal trafficking on the high seas.
In this special birthday celebration, we’ll hear from Coast Guard veterans who served aboard cutters, on coastal patrol, in aviation, and at isolated duty stations. They’ll share stories of adventure, service, and resilience—from intercepting narco-subs in the Caribbean to medevac missions in the Bering Sea.
We’ll explore what it means to be “Always Ready”—Semper Paratus—and why Coast Guard veterans are proud to serve in a branch that blends military rigor with humanitarian urgency.
Help us mark this important anniversary by honoring the stories of those who serve in America’s maritime guardian force.
USCoastGuard #CoastGuardBirthday #SemperParatus #VeteransBreakfastClub #VBCLive #MaritimeService #SearchAndRescue #MilitaryVeterans #CoastGuardStorie
The Holocaust did not begin with Auschwitz. Before the gas chambers became instruments of industrialized murder, mobile SS killing squads known as the Einsatzgruppen followed the German army into Eastern Europe, massacring more than a million Jews, Roma, Soviet prisoners, and civilians in forests, ravines, villages, and fields.
After the war, a young American Army investigator named Benjamin “Ben” Ferencz uncovered the Nazis’ own meticulous records of these mass shootings. At just 27 years old—and having never argued a case in court—Ferencz was appointed Chief Prosecutor in the Einsatzgruppen Trial at Nuremberg, where twenty-two SS commanders were charged with crimes against humanity in what newspapers called “the biggest murder trial in history.”
Join military historian Colin Heaton as he examines the history of the Einsatzgruppen, the evidence that exposed their crimes, and the landmark trial that helped establish modern international criminal law. Along the way, we’ll explore the remarkable life and legacy of Ben Ferencz, whose pursuit of justice shaped the postwar world and influenced generations of war crimes prosecutions.
During the Vietnam War, amid the chaos of Saigon in 1968, a young American actor made an unusual decision. Rather than serve in the U.S. military, 24-year-old Pittsburgh native Richard Hughes traveled to Vietnam on his own, determined to find some way to help civilians caught in the conflict.
What he encountered were homeless street children—boys who survived by shining shoes for American GIs, sleeping in parks and alleys, and regularly being swept up by police. The Vietnamese called them bụi đời—“dust of life.” Hughes rented a modest apartment on Pham Ngu Lao Street and began offering the boys a place to sleep, shower, and eat. What started with eleven children soon grew into something far larger.
Over the next eight years, the Shoeshine Boys Project evolved into a Vietnamese-run network of homes in Saigon and Da Nang that provided shelter, schooling, and job training for hundreds of homeless children. By the end of the war in 1975, the project included eight homes, two farms, and a technical training center serving roughly 300 children at a time. Between 1968 and 1976, an estimated 1,500–2,000 boys and girls passed through the program.
The effort was remarkable not only for its scale but for its spirit. Hughes worked closely with Vietnamese students, teachers, and community leaders who ultimately took charge of the homes and helped return many children to their families and villages. Despite the upheaval of war and its aftermath, the project became one of the few successful Vietnamese-managed, foreign-funded humanitarian initiatives of the era.
Hughes remained in Vietnam for more than a year after the fall of Saigon, finally leaving in August 1976—likely among the last Americans to depart. In the decades since, he has continued to advocate for Vietnamese friends and colleagues, including a successful campaign in the 1990s to secure the release of two former project associates imprisoned in Vietnam. He has also remained involved in efforts to address the lingering human consequences of the war, including work related to Agent Orange.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special conversation with Dick Hughes as he reflects on the Shoeshine Boys Project, the children and Vietnamese colleagues who made it possible, and the complicated legacy of the Vietnam War. His story offers a rare civilian perspective from inside wartime Saigon—and a reminder that even in the midst of conflict, acts of compassion and solidarity can take root in unexpected ways.
As always, we welcome questions and reflections from veterans and others who served in or remember the Vietnam era.
Greatest Generation Live welcomes one of the last surviving Canadian veterans of D-Day, Jim Parks, for a conversation about his extraordinary journey from the beaches of Normandy to the final victory over Nazi Germany.
Jim enlisted in the Canadian Army while still underage and spent nearly three years training in Britain before landing with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles on Juno Beach on June 6, 1944. Assigned to arrive just ahead of the main assault, his landing craft struck an obstacle and he was forced to swim ashore without his rifle. From that chaotic beginning, Jim fought through the brutal Normandy campaign at Putot and Carpiquet, crossed Belgium and the Netherlands, battled at the Leopold Canal and in the Rhineland, and finished the war in Germany as a sergeant.
Jim has a remarkable gift for storytelling. He vividly recalls the confusion and terror of the invasion, the comrades he lost, the small moments of humanity that sustained soldiers in combat, and the challenges of returning home after the war. His reflections remind us that history is made not only by armies and generals, but by ordinary young people asked to do extraordinary things.
Joining Glenn Flickinger as co-hosts are history teacher at Crestwood Preparatory College Scott Masters and author, historian Marc Milner. Marc is a Canadian military and naval historian, author of several books including SECOND FRONT: Anglo-American Rivalry and the Hidden Story of the Normandy Campaign. He is Director of the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society at the University of New Brunswick. Together they will help place Jim’s experiences in the broader story of Canada’s pivotal role on D-Day and the liberation of Northwest Europe by exploring the campaign, Jim’s life before and after the war, and the importance of preserving these firsthand memories for future generations.
For more information about Crestwood’s Oral History Project, visit: https://ohp.crestwood.on.ca/
Bring your questions and join us for out conversation with someone who can tell us what it was like to come ashore on D-Day.
Did one decision in Washington change the course of the Vietnam War?
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a conversation with award-winning historian and former Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Cheevers about his powerful new book, Kennedy’s Coup: A White House Plot, a Saigon Murder, and America’s Descent into Vietnam.
In November 1963, South Vietnamese President Ngô Đình Diệm was overthrown and assassinated by his own generals. For decades, historians have debated the extent of the Kennedy administration’s role in the coup and whether Diệm’s death made America’s deeper involvement in Vietnam inevitable. Drawing on a decade of research, eyewitness interviews, declassified documents, and dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests, Cheevers reconstructs the political intrigue, personal rivalries, and fateful decisions that led to one of the most consequential turning points of the Cold War.
More than a political history, Kennedy’s Coup is a human drama populated by unforgettable characters: President John F. Kennedy and his divided advisers; Ambassador Frederick Nolting, who struggled to preserve the alliance with Diệm; the outspoken Madame Nhu; ambitious South Vietnamese generals plotting in secret; courageous American journalists reporting from Saigon; and CIA operatives caught between diplomacy and covert action. Cheevers argues that the coup—and Diệm’s murder—opened the door to nearly a decade of escalating American involvement in Vietnam.
Cheevers is the author of the award-winning Act of War: Lyndon Johnson, North Korea, and the Capture of the Spy Ship Pueblo, recipient of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval Literature. His meticulous research and compelling storytelling have made him one of today’s leading writers on American military and diplomatic history.
As always, we’ll leave plenty of time for audience questions, comments, and stories. Veterans, family members, students, and all who wish to learn are warmly welcome.
Six Marines raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, became one of the most enduring images in American history. But what about the company behind the flag?
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a conversation with Marine veteran and author Billy Myers, who has spent years researching the remarkable story of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines—the unit whose men climbed Suribachi and whose members raised both the first and second flags over Iwo Jima.
Myers’ forthcoming book tells the story of Easy Company from its formation through the brutal battle for Iwo Jima and beyond. Drawing on letters, diaries, military records, and family accounts, he introduces the ordinary young Americans who became part of one of World War II’s most iconic moments. If Band of Brothers told the story of Easy Company in Europe, Myers aims to tell the story of Easy Company in the Pacific.
A Marine Corps veteran himself, Myers enlisted at seventeen and served four years before earning degrees from Northwestern State University and The Ohio State University. He later spent nearly three decades coaching football and baseball in Louisiana, bringing the same commitment to teamwork, leadership, and perseverance to his historical research.
Our conversation will explore not only the famous flag raising but also the men whose lives have too often been overshadowed by a single photograph. We’ll discuss the savage fighting on Iwo Jima, the bonds forged within Easy Company, the challenges of reconstructing its history eighty years later, and why these Marines still matter today.
As always, we’ll leave plenty of time for audience questions, comments, and stories. Veterans, family members, students, history lovers, and all who wish to learn are warmly welcome.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a conversation with retired Army Colonel Frank Hancock, commander of 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during Operation Desert Storm, about his remarkable new book, Operation Desert Storm: How Two Young Intelligence Analysts and an Infantry Battalion Changed the War in Iraq.
At the heart of the book is an extraordinary story that has remained untold for more than three decades. Just 48 hours before the 101st Airborne launched the largest helicopter air assault in American military history, two young intelligence soldiers—Captain Jose Delgado and Sergeant Jesus Gonzalez—discovered a critical flaw in the division’s battle plan that had escaped every higher headquarters. They identified an Iraqi bunker-and-trench complex directly in the landing zone of the lead assault company. Their discovery forced commanders to revise the plan at the last minute and may well have prevented a devastating disaster.
That dramatic episode opens the door to a much larger story. Hancock takes us inside General Norman Schwarzkopf’s bold “Hail Mary” offensive, which sent the 101st Airborne deep into Iraq to sever the Euphrates Valley in one of the most ambitious operational maneuvers undertaken by the U.S. military since the Inchon landing during the Korean War. He explains how the division planned and executed the largest helicopter air assault in U.S. history, what worked, what nearly went wrong, and why the operation became a defining moment in modern American warfare.
Drawing on recollections from soldiers throughout the battalion—from privates to colonels—Hancock reconstructs the operation from every level of command. Along the way, he also explores a larger question: How did the U.S. Army recover from Vietnam? Desert Storm showcased an Army that had spent nearly two decades studying its failures, rebuilding its doctrine, embracing new technologies, and developing leaders capable of executing extraordinarily complex operations. The campaign’s stunning success did not happen by accident—it was the product of lessons painfully learned after Vietnam.
As always, we’ll leave plenty of time for audience questions, comments, and stories. Veterans, family members, and all who wish to learn are warmly welcome.
Join Glenn Flickinger and the Veterans Breakfast Club for a live conversation with author Gregg Jones about his acclaimed book, Most Honorable Son: A Forgotten Hero’s Fight Against Fascism and Hate During World War II.
Jones tells the remarkable story of Ben Kuroki, a Japanese American farm boy from Nebraska who became one of World War II’s most extraordinary airmen. At a time when more than 100,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated in the United States, Kuroki fought for his country in the skies over Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific, completing 58 combat missions and becoming a powerful voice against prejudice and hate.
This program explores Kuroki’s wartime service, his fight to prove his loyalty, and the larger story of Japanese American patriotism, sacrifice, and resilience during World War II. Gregg Jones brings new attention to a forgotten American hero whose life challenges us to think deeply about courage, citizenship, racism, and what it means to serve.
BenKuroki #WWII #VeteransBreakfastClub
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present. We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share.
This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Shaun Hall at shaun@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
Whether you have something to share or simply want to listen and learn, we welcome you to be part of the conversation!
How has World War II shaped your family? What stories, memories, questions, and mysteries have been passed down through the generations?
Join host Glenn Flickinger for a special Greatest Generation Live conversation exploring the enduring impact of World War II on veterans and the families who inherited their legacies.
We’ll hear from Lee Kikel, whose father, Melvin Goldman, survived the Holocaust and was liberated from the Wöbbelin concentration camp in Germany in May 1945. After surviving years of imprisonment in the Lodz Ghetto, Auschwitz, and other camps, Goldman was among thousands rescued in the final days of the war. His gratitude to the American soldiers who liberated Wöbbelin became a defining part of his life and family story.
We’ll also be joined by Richard Murphy, whose father-in-law, Lawrence McGartland of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, helped liberate Wöbbelin as a soldier in the 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. Drafted at age 30, married and the father of two young children, McGartland landed in France after D-Day and fought through four campaigns—Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, and Central Europe. Wounded twice during 266 days of combat, he was among the American soldiers who encountered the horrors of Wöbbelin on May 2, 1945.
Like many veterans of his generation, McGartland rarely spoke about his wartime experiences. Only years after his death did his children begin to learn what he had endured and accomplished. As they pieced together his military service, they gained new insight into the quiet effects of war that remained throughout his life—from his aversion to loud noises to the flashbacks he experienced in old age. Understanding his service helped his family better understand the man they loved.
Lee and Richard’s stories intersect at a remarkable moment in history: one family descended from a survivor of Wöbbelin, the other from one of its liberators.
Following their presentations, we’ll open the conversation to everyone. We invite you to share stories of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives whose lives were shaped by World War II—whether they served overseas, worked on the home front, survived wartime hardships, or carried the war’s memories long after the fighting ended.
The generation that fought World War II is passing from the scene, but their stories continue to shape families and communities. Join us as we explore how understanding our veterans can help us know—and love—them a little better.
We welcome Naval officer, diplomat, strategist and author Tom Duffy for a conversation about a largely forgotten Cold War–era naval campaign: Operation Earnest Will.
During the final years of the Iran–Iraq War, the Persian Gulf became the scene of a dangerous maritime struggle known as the “Tanker War.” Iran and Iraq attacked oil tankers to cripple each other’s economies and pressure international shipping. In response, the United States launched Operation Earnest Will—the largest naval convoy operation since World War II—escorting Kuwaiti oil tankers through hostile waters and confronting Iranian threats at sea.
The mission began when Kuwaiti tankers were re-flagged under the U.S. flag so they could legally sail under American naval protection. U.S. warships then escorted the tankers through the Gulf while surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and special operations forces hunted for mines and small-boat attackers.
The danger became clear immediately. On the very first escort mission, the reflagged tanker Bridgeton struck an Iranian mine in the Gulf—an early reminder that even a powerful navy could not fully control the narrow and volatile waters of the Persian Gulf. Over the next fourteen months, dozens of U.S. warships rotated through the region while Navy SEALs, special operations aviators, and patrol boat crews conducted night operations to stop Iranian mining and harassment of shipping.
In his book Tanker War in the Gulf, Duffy draws on his experience as a U.S. Navy officer who participated in the operation and later as a Foreign Service officer stationed across the Middle East. He reconstructs the tense months when American warships escorted vulnerable tankers through minefields, missile threats, and political uncertainty—while trying to prevent a regional war from spiraling into a superpower confrontation.
The story includes dramatic moments such as the USS Stark incident, the shadow presence of Soviet naval forces monitoring U.S. movements, and retaliatory clashes between U.S. and Iranian forces that nearly escalated into a wider war.
Though often overlooked in American military history, Operation Earnest Will marked the first sustained U.S. military confrontation with Iran—a precursor to tensions that continue today. The operation also offers timely lessons about limited warfare, maritime security, and the strategic importance of protecting global energy routes—issues that echo in today’s crises in the Red Sea and across the wider Middle East.
Duffy will also reflect on his unusual career path—from naval officer to U.S. diplomat—including postings in Bogotá during the Pablo Escobar era, Saudi Arabia during the early al-Qaeda bombings, and Baghdad during the turbulent early years of the Iraq War. His stories offer a rare view of how military operations, diplomacy, and global politics intersect in real time.
Join us for a fascinating discussion about a little-known naval campaign that still shapes how the United States uses sea power today—and hear firsthand how history, strategy, and lived experience come together in one remarkable career.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special VBC LIVE program on Monday, June 22 at 7pm ET exploring the history and human experience of the Berlin Airlift—one of the defining moments of the early Cold War.
In June 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin, cutting off food, fuel, and supplies to more than two million civilians. Rather than abandon the city or risk war, the United States and its allies launched a massive airlift—flying around the clock to keep Berlin alive. For nearly a year, aircraft landed every few minutes, delivering coal, food, and hope to a city under siege.
This program brings together those who lived this history—and those working to preserve it.
We’re honored to welcome Bibi LeBlanc, a native of West Berlin and founder of Voices of the Berlin Airlift, an oral history project gathering memories from Berliners, veterans, and families connected to the Airlift. Bibi is racing to capture these stories while firsthand voices are still with us—and invites others to contribute.
We’ll also hear from Dagmar Weiss Snodgrass, a Berlin child who lived through the Airlift and paid tribute to famed Airlift pilot Gail Halvorsen, Uncle Wiggly Wings: My Love and Admiration for Berlin’s Candy Bomber.
Also joining us is Ralph Dionne, who served at Rhein-Main Air Base in 1948 as both an aircraft mechanic and later a flight engineer on C-54 transport aircraft. Ralph completed 74 missions into Berlin and logged 300 flight hours, offering a rare, firsthand view of the precision and discipline required to sustain the Airlift from both the ground and the cockpit.
Joining them is Denise Halvorsen Williams, daughter of Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen—the “Candy Bomber” whose small parachutes of sweets brought joy to Berlin’s children. Through her work with the Candy Bomber Foundation, Denise carries forward a legacy of compassion that reminds us how small acts can resonate across generations.
We also invite anyone with personal or family connections to the Berlin Airlift—pilots, ground crew, Berlin civilians, or descendants—to join the conversation and share their stories.
BerlinAirlift #ColdWarHistory #VeteransStories #OralHistory #CandyBomber #BerlinHistory #USAirForceHistory #MilitaryHistory #WWIIAftermath #VBC #VeteransBreakfastClub
Join us for a remarkable story of survival, courage, chance, and resilience as Doug Cervi shares the life of Holocaust survivor David Wisnia (1926–2021), whose experiences spanned some of the darkest and most consequential events of the twentieth century.
Born into a Jewish family in Warsaw, Poland, David was a gifted singer whose voice would help save his life after he was deported to Auschwitz at age sixteen. There, amid unimaginable brutality, he survived by performing for Nazi guards and fellow prisoners. He endured the horrors of Auschwitz, a death march across Europe, and a daring escape before being liberated by soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division. Remarkably, the teenager who emerged from the camps went on to serve as an interpreter with the American Army as it advanced into Germany.
Years later, David built a new life in the United States, becoming a cantor, educator, and tireless witness to history. His story gained international attention through the memoir One Voice, Two Lives, which recounts both his wartime experiences and a long-hidden chapter of love and survival in Auschwitz.
Doug Cervi, who worked closely with David on preserving and sharing his story, returns to the Veterans Breakfast Club to recount David’s extraordinary journey and reflect on the responsibility of keeping eyewitness history alive after the witnesses themselves are gone.
This program offers a powerful firsthand window into the Holocaust, liberation, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
We welcome retired Army General and bestselling author Mark Hertling for a special VBC LIVE conversation about his powerful new memoir, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal. Drawing from a journal he kept during Operation Desert Storm, Hertling reflects on combat, leadership, fear, family, and the deeply personal thoughts he recorded for his young sons in case he never made it home.
More than a war memoir, If I Don’t Return offers a rare window into the mind of a soldier-father confronting uncertainty in wartime while trying to pass on lessons about courage, character, service, and humanity. Join us for a moving discussion about military life, memory, leadership under pressure, and the enduring bond between veterans and their families.
VeteransBreakfastClub #VBCLive #MarkHertling #DesertStorm #MilitaryHistory #Veterans #Army #Leadership #WarMemoir #MilitaryFamilies #EveryVeteranHasAStory
Glenn Flickinger talks with Navy veteran, playwright, and director Harry Kantrovich the acclaimed drama Judgement at Nuremberg, the famous 1961 film starring Spencer Tracy and Burt Lancaster. Harry brings rare expertise to this discussion, having directed Judgement at Nuremberg on stage with the Prince William Little Theatre. His work brings this difficult history to life, challenging audiences to wrestle with the same ethical dilemmas confronted by postwar jurists.
In the aftermath of World War II, the world confronted not only the devastation of battle but the profound challenge of justice. The third Nuremberg trial — officially The United States of America vs. Josef Altstoetter et al., known as The Justice Case — examined the role of judges and legal officials in Nazi Germany. The trail raised a fundamental question: Can legal professionals be held accountable for wielding the law as an instrument of atrocity?
Drawing on both his military background and his deep engagement with dramatic storytelling, Harry offers insight into how Judgement at Nuremberg translates complex legal history into sharp human drama, why the story still matters today, and what the play reveals about law and collective responsibility.
About the Nuremberg Trials: Nuremberg was made up of thirteen separate trials held in the same German courtroom between 1945 and 1949. The first, the famous International Military Tribunal, tried the top Nazi leaders like Göring and Speer and established the principle that individuals could be held responsible for crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. After that came twelve additional trials that looked deeper into the machinery of the Third Reich, putting on trial doctors, jurists, industrialists, and SS commanders who contributed to the wartime horrors of Nazi Germany.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club on Thursday, June 4 at 7:00pm ET for a special livestream conversation with historian Nicholas Evan Sarantakes about his acclaimed new book The Battle of Manila: Poisoned Victory in the Pacific War.
In February 1945, American and Japanese forces fought one of the most brutal urban battles of World War II: the month-long struggle for Manila. Often overshadowed by Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the Battle of Manila became the third-bloodiest city battle of the war, leaving much of the Philippine capital destroyed and more than 100,000 Filipino civilians dead. Sarantakes’ groundbreaking book examines the campaign from American, Japanese, and Filipino perspectives, revealing the chaos of house-to-house fighting, the role of Filipino guerrillas, and the devastating human cost of liberation.
Nicholas Evan Sarantakes is a professor at the U.S. Naval War College and an award-winning historian whose work explores the Pacific War, military strategy, and American foreign policy. His new study sheds light on a pivotal but often overlooked campaign that helped determine the final outcome of World War II in the Pacific.
BattleOfManila #WWII #WorldWarII #PacificWar #Philippines #MilitaryHistory #USArmy #DouglasMacArthur #NicholasSarantakes #VeteransBreakfastClub #WW2History #HistoryLivestream #Manila1945 #PacificTheater #WWIIHistory
On Thursday, May 28 at 7:00pm ET, VBC Greatest Generation Live takes a timely look at one of the most anticipated WWII films of the year: Pressure, the new historical drama about the tense and uncertain 72 hours before D-Day. Joining us live will be the film’s director and co-writer, Anthony Maras, for a conversation with VBC historian Glenn Flickinger about the history behind the movie and the extraordinary real-life decisions that shaped Operation Overlord.
Starring Brendan Fraser as General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Andrew Scott as meteorologist James Stagg, Pressure tells the little-known story of the weather forecast that may have determined the fate of the free world. As storms gathered over the English Channel in June 1944, Allied leaders faced an agonizing choice: launch the invasion or delay it and risk catastrophe. The film explores the immense burden carried by Eisenhower and the forecasters whose predictions helped decide the date of the Normandy landings.
This special Greatest Generation Live program will explore the real history behind the film, the making of Pressure, and why the story still resonates more than eighty years later. Glenn Flickinger, who has led many acclaimed VBC programs on D-Day and Normandy history, will also discuss how the movie compares with the historical record and other famous depictions of the invasion. Select clips and trailers from the film may also be shown during the discussion.
If you’ve ever wondered how weather, timing, leadership, and sheer uncertainty shaped the most important amphibious invasion in history, this program is for you.
DDay #PressureMovie #WWII #OperationOverlord #GreatestGeneration #Normandy #Eisenhower #MilitaryHistory #VeteransBreakfastClub
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special Memorial Day virtual event on Monday, May 25, 2026, at 7:00pm ET. This live, online conversation invites veterans, families, and friends to gather in an open, heartfelt space to honor and remember those who have fallen in service to our nation. The event will take place on Zoom and will also be streamed live to Facebook and YouTube. Join us on Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738
We especially welcome the family of Capt. William Boyd Graves, a Wyoming soldier killed in Vietnam whose voice has unexpectedly returned nearly 50 years later.
After decades of silence, Graves’ family recently discovered a series of audio tapes he recorded during the Vietnam War—an extraordinary time capsule of humor, fear, longing, and daily life from a young American officer serving far from home. The discovery became the subject of a widely read article, “Voice From Vietnam: Nearly 50 Years After Wyoming Man Died, Family Discovers Tapes.”
Joining us live will be Graves’ sister Linda Fabian and other members of the Graves family, who will share memories of William, reflect on hearing his voice again after all these years, and discuss what the tapes have meant to their family. During the program, we will also play selections from the recordings themselves, allowing audiences to hear Capt. Graves in his own words.
This special Memorial Day conversation is about remembrance, family, loss, and the enduring humanity behind military service. It’s also a rare opportunity to encounter the Vietnam War not through history books, but through the preserved voice of one man who lived it.
The Veterans Breakfast Club creates communities of listening where veterans, families, historians, and the public come together to share stories and preserve personal history. Our programs are informal, conversational, and open to all.
MemorialDay #VietnamWar #Veterans #WilliamBoydGraves #VietnamVeteran #MilitaryHistory #POWMIA #VeteransStories #OralHistory #USArmy #Vietnam #MemorialDay2026 #VeteransBreakfastClub
Often remembered as the calm, steady “GI’s General” of World War II, General Omar Bradley commanded more American soldiers in combat than any other officer in U.S. history. Yet compared to Eisenhower, Patton, and MacArthur, Bradley remains a surprisingly enigmatic figure. Was he the humble soldiers’ general of popular memory? A cautious strategist? A political insider? Or something more complicated?
Join Greatest Generation LIVE for a fascinating conversation with military historian Dr. David W. Hogan, Jr., former Director of Histories at the U.S. Army Center of Military History and one of the nation’s leading experts on Bradley. Hogan has spent decades researching the U.S. Army in World War II and is currently completing a major biography of Bradley, Omar Nelson Bradley: The GI’s General.
Drawing on years of archival research, Hogan will explore Bradley’s rise from small-town Missouri to the highest ranks of the American military, his relationships with Eisenhower and Patton, his command during Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, and his postwar role as the nation’s first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the early Cold War.
This program will examine not only Bradley the general, but Bradley the man — modest, disciplined, intensely loyal, and still debated by historians today.
OmarBradley #WWII #GreatestGeneration #MilitaryHistory #WorldWarII #Dday #BattleOfTheBulge #USArmy #Veterans #History #Patton #Eisenhower #KoreanWar #VBC #VeteransBreakfastClub
Who was Omar Bradley? The answer is more elusive than generally understood.
Often remembered as the calm, steady “GI’s General” of World War II, General Omar Bradley commanded more American soldiers in combat than any other officer in U.S. history. Yet compared to Eisenhower, Patton, and MacArthur, Bradley remains a surprisingly enigmatic figure. Was he the humble soldiers’ general of popular memory? A cautious strategist? A political insider? Or something more complicated?
Join Greatest Generation LIVE for a fascinating conversation with military historian Dr. David W. Hogan, Jr., former Director of Histories at the U.S. Army Center of Military History and one of the nation’s leading experts on Bradley. Hogan has spent decades researching the U.S. Army in World War II and is currently completing a major biography of Bradley, Omar Nelson Bradley: The GI’s General.
Drawing on years of archival research, Hogan will explore Bradley’s rise from small-town Missouri to the highest ranks of the American military, his relationships with Eisenhower and Patton, his command during Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge, and his postwar role as the nation’s first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the early Cold War.
This program will examine not only Bradley the general, but Bradley the man — modest, disciplined, intensely loyal, and still debated by historians today.
OmarBradley #WWII #GreatestGeneration #MilitaryHistory #WorldWarII #Dday #BattleOfTheBulge #USArmy #Veterans #History #Patton #Eisenhower #KoreanWar #VBC #VeteransBreakfastClub
In 1969–1970–at the start of “Vietnamization”– a small, exposed rise south of Da Nang became one of the most contested observation posts in I Corps. Known simply as Hill 119, it overlooked the Thu Bon River Basin and Go Noi Island — terrain Marines called “Indian Country.” From this barren patch of ground, rotating platoons of Recon Marines watched, reported, called artillery, and launched patrols into enemy-held territory.
Our guest, Col. Michael O. “Deli” Fallon, USMC (Ret.), served there as a young officer and later set out to reconstruct the full story. In writing Hill 119, Defending a Reconnaissance Marine’ OP, Vietnam, 1969-1970, Fallon interviewed more than one hundred Marines and artillerymen who rotated through the position and analyzed hundreds of debriefing reports and command chronologies to piece together what daily life — and nightly danger — truly looked like.
Hill 119 was an observation post and a patrol base, a radio relay site monitoring Recon frequencies, and even a testing ground for new battlefield technology, including early laser range-finding systems that sharpened artillery accuracy. Yet as President Nixon’s policy of Vietnamization accelerated, fire support diminished and missions continued with fewer resources. Fallon writes candidly about what that shift meant to Marines holding an exposed hill while political decisions were made far away.
We’ll also explore the harder questions: operating among civilians whose loyalties were uncertain, the strain of constant rotation as platoons “flipped” in and out, the reliance on helicopter crews who flew into enemy fire to extract teams — and the court-martial that followed the shooting of a Vietnamese woman outside the perimeter, a case that unfolded in the shadow of My Lai.
Hill 119 could feel like the moon — one Marine joked on the night of the Apollo landing, “You’re already on the Moon.” But it was no abstraction. It was close combat, long watches, and young men navigating the line between aggression and restraint.
Join us for a conversation about small-unit war, memory and documentation, leadership under scrutiny, and what Vietnamization looked like on the ground.
At 104 years old, WWII Army veteran James Wheeler is one of the last surviving American tankers to witness firsthand the brutal Battle of Okinawa. A member of Company C, 193rd Tank Battalion, Wheeler fought in one of the most punishing armored campaigns of the Pacific War, where American Sherman tanks were sent headlong into the deadly defenses of the Japanese Shuri Line.
In April 1945, the 193rd Tank Battalion took part in the disastrous assault on Kakazu Ridge and Kakazu Village—what historians later called the “Death Ride of the Shermans.” Trapped without infantry support, Wheeler’s battalion drove into a maze of mines, hidden anti-tank guns, artillery fire, and suicide attacks. In a single day, the battalion lost 22 tanks, the greatest single combat loss of American tanks in the Pacific Theater.
Join us for a rare and extraordinary conversation with James Wheeler as he reflects on survival, combat inside a Sherman tank, and the savage realities of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Wheeler’s memories offer not just a window into armored warfare in the Pacific, but a living connection to a rapidly vanishing generation.
WWII #WorldWarII #Okinawa #BattleOfOkinawa #TankBattalion #ShermanTank #USArmy #PacificWar #GreatestGeneration #MilitaryHistory #WW2Veteran #TankCrew #Okinawa1945 #Veterans #VeteransBreakfastClub
In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam launched the massive Easter Offensive, a conventional invasion that nearly broke South Vietnam. The response: Operation Linebacker I—a sustained U.S. air campaign that reshaped the battlefield and helped halt the advance.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club (VBC) for a powerful live conversation on this pivotal moment in the Vietnam War.
Our guest, Brian Harrison, served in Vietnam in 1972–1973 with the legendary 1st Cavalry Division’s “Centaurs” (air cavalry)—flying in the thick of the fighting as U.S. airpower supported South Vietnamese forces on the ground. His firsthand perspective brings us closer to the reality of the Easter Offensive and the air war that followed.
We’ll explore what triggered the 1972 Easter Offensive and how Operation Linebacker I differed from earlier bombing campaigns like Rolling Thunder. We’ll look at the role of air cavalry and helicopter operations in the fight, and what it felt like on the ground and in the air during one of the war’s most intense phases. Finally, we’ll consider why 1972 marked a turning point in U.S. strategy in Vietnam.
VietnamWar #LinebackerI #EasterOffensive #MilitaryHistory #AirWar #USAirForce #ArmyAviation #VietnamVeterans #VeteransStories #ColdWarHistory
Join VBC LIVE on Thursday, May 7 at 7PM (ET) for a conversation with World War II Marine veteran Neal McCallum, who fought in the Battle of Okinawa 81 years ago.
At just 18 years old, McCallum landed on Okinawa with Fox Company, 29th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division, part of the massive U.S. invasion force that stormed the island on Easter Sunday April 1, 1945y.
He served as an infantryman in a mortar section and fought through some of the fiercest combat of the war, including the deadly struggle for Sugar Loaf Hill, where Marines suffered staggering losses. On May 19, 1945, McCallum was seriously wounded by enemy fire, just one day after his close friend was killed in action.
The Battle of Okinawa was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater and one of the bloodiest. The battle raged over 82 days. Whenit was over, more 12,000 Americans were dead and another 37,000 wounded. Japanese casualties were many times that number. And, perhaps most tragic, 100,000–200,000 Okinawan civilians were dead.
Fought across ridges, caves, and fortified positions, Okinawa became a war of attrition with kamikaze attacks. The scale of the destruction gave a U.S. forces a yardstick for estimating the cost of invading mainland Japan.
Battle of Okinawa, World War II Pacific, US Marines WWII, Okinawa 1945, Neal McCallum, WWII veteran interview, Sugar Loaf Hill, Pacific War history, VBC Live, Veterans Breakfast Club, WWII stories, military history livestream
WWII #BattleOfOkinawa #USMarines #VeteransStories #MilitaryHistory #VBC #PacificWar #Okinawa #WW2Veteran #HistoryLive
[00:00 - 01:10] Introduction and Welcome
Hosts Shaun, Todd, and Glenn welcome viewers.
Overview of the Veterans Breakfast Club mission: creating communities of listening around veterans and their stories.
Invitation to join live Zoom sessions and watch on Facebook or YouTube.
[01:10 - 06:40] Upcoming Events and Programs
Announcement of Thursday night’s "Greatest Generation Live" focusing on World War II and the 81st anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa.
Introduction of two Okinawa veterans guests: Neil Mallalum (99 years old) and James Wheeler (104 years old).
Discussion of their service, experiences, and upcoming program details.
Mention of in-person breakfasts and the BBC magazine distribution.
[06:40 - 34:00] Why Veterans Wear Black Caps - Open Discussion
Jim Roberts poses the question: Why do veterans wear black caps? (Jim shares his personal experience and reflections on wearing his Vietnam unit hat.)
Discussion about the symbolism of hats for veterans as identifiers and conversation starters.
Mixed feelings about public reactions to hats and "Thank you for your service" comments.
Ben Dawson (Air Force veteran) talks about pride and connection through hats.
Baltimore Ben shares his evolving attitude toward wearing veteran hats and public recognition.
Chris Perolo discusses the military tradition of headgear and its role in identity.
John Per shares his pride in his Army Security Agency hat and its role in connecting with fellow veterans.
Patrick Hughes talks about his separate brigade service and pride in his hat.
Ron comments on the professional look and versatility of black hats.
Al Smith shares mixed feelings about wearing hats and recognition.
Rick Weber tells the story of the "Lobcocks" nickname and its significance.
Mark Spearigio discusses his late adoption of wearing hats due to Vietnam War reception and the healing aspect of acknowledgment.
Sue Watson shares her father's Marine Corps hats and the significance of the Eoima survivor hat.
Discussion about family members wearing veteran hats or apparel.
Civilians working with veterans share their experiences with public recognition.
John Terry and others discuss the importance of hats as conversation starters and symbols of pride.
[34:00 - 55:50] Special Guest: Bill Peters and Army Security Agency Story
Bill Peters joins to share a story about a photo of Army Security Agency veterans in Vietnam.
Description of the photo location (Dong Ba Thin near Cameron Bay) and unit activities.
Discussion about the casual dress in the photo and life in Vietnam.
Bill shares his homecoming experience and current involvement with military honor guards.
Plans for an upcoming Army Security Agency anniversary program.
[55:50 - 01:17:40] Anniversary of the Kent State Shooting - Historical Context and Veteran Memories
Greg Yoast provides a detailed history of the Kent State shooting on May 4, 1970.
Explanation of the political and social climate leading to the incident, including Nixon’s Cambodia incursion.
Todd and veterans share personal memories and reflections on the event.
Don Nemch recalls the impact and significance of Kent State and related protests.
Ben Dawson and others discuss the National Guard’s role and the atmosphere on campuses.
John Terry shares his experience as a ROC instructor during ongoing protests.
Bill Rios shares his story as a two-war veteran and Vietnam War protester, including his draft experience and later service in the National Guard during the Gulf War.
Discussion about the complexity and divisiveness of the Kent State incident and its lasting impact on veterans and the nation.
[01:17:40 - End] Closing Remarks and Upcoming Programs
Thanks to participants and viewers.
Reminder to join the upcoming Battle of Okinawa program.
Encouragement to support the Veterans Breakfast Club through membership and participation.
This breakdown captures the main topics and flow of the conversation, providing viewers with a clear guide to the video content.
Join us for a remarkable evening with World War II veteran Richard “Dick” Inlow, a 101-year-old Navy Seabee who served in the Pacific.
Drafted out of high school and sent to a Seabee battalion, Dick didn’t even know what a Seabee was—just that the Navy put him on a train and sent him where he was needed. Before long, he found himself landing in the first wave at Peleliu, supporting the Marines under fire, carrying ammunition through waist-deep water as bullets struck around him.
“I survived by hiding behind the Marines,” he says with characteristic understatement.
Dick served with the 33rd Naval Construction Battalion, helping repair airstrips under combat conditions and supporting frontline operations in some of the Pacific’s most brutal fighting.
After the war, Dick built a full and accomplished life, becoming a teacher, a mathematician, and a man who never lost his passion for learning.
About VBC LIVE:
Veterans Breakfast Club brings veterans, families, and the public together in “communities of listening”—where stories connect us across generations, experiences, and perspectives.
WWII #Veterans #Seabees #Peleliu #PacificWar #OralHistory #VeteransStories #MilitaryHistory #GreatestGeneration #VBC
What happens between the battlefield and home? Aeromedical, an Emmy Award–winning documentary by Rebecca Abbott and Tim Malloy, takes you inside U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation missions that move wounded service members from combat zones to advanced care—often within hours, and sometimes back to the United States within days.
Filmed in Afghanistan, Germany, and the U.S., the documentary captures a life-saving system nearly a century in the making, from its beginnings in 1918 to today’s flying intensive care units aboard C-17, C-130, and KC-135 aircraft. The result is a survival rate approaching 98%. More than a story of combat, Aeromedical reveals the skill, urgency, and quiet dedication of the doctors, nurses, technicians, and aircrews—many from the National Guard and Reserve—who keep the wounded alive in the air.
Following the 28-minute film, join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a live conversation and Q&A with the filmmakers and aeromedical crew members. This VBC LIVE program offers a different view of war—not the fight itself, but the effort to bring people home.
Aeromedical #USAirForce #Medevac #MilitaryMedicine #Veterans #DocumentaryFilm #VBC #VeteransBreakfastClub #Landstuhl #Ramstein #C17 #C130 #KC135 #WarStories #MilitaryHistory #NationalGuard #Reserves #AfghanistanWar
Retired Navy Captain and author David E. Grogan joins us to discuss his book Learning to Live from Those Willing to Die, a collection of life lessons drawn from the lived experiences of American veterans. Grogan, a former international and operational attorney for the U.S. Navy, has spent years listening closely to those who served. The result is a book that not only describes twenty-six veterans’ personal battlefields, but also digs deeper to discover the enduring life lessons their service teaches.
All royalties from the book are donated to America’s VetDogs, which provides guide and service dogs to veterans and first responders. The project has already raised more than $4,100 for the charity—a reminder that these veterans continue to serve others through their stories.
For this special program, David will be joined by four of the veterans whose lives anchor key chapters in the book. Each represents a different era of service and a different lesson learned.
Specialist Tom Garvey’s service in Vietnam underscores one of the most enduring truths of military life: survival and sanity often hinge on friendship. His chapter reflects on the bonds formed under stress and how loyalty to one another carried young soldiers through war and long afterward.
Specialist Billy Terrell’s story emphasizes his efforts to provide a sanctuary for the most vulnerable victims of the Vietnam War. His service shaped in him a deep commitment to fairness and advocacy, particularly for those without a voice. His chapter explores how efforts military members take to help others often change lives, including their own.
Specialist Eric Ferguson’s experience during the Gulf War era highlights a quieter but powerful trait: attentiveness. Listening—to mentors, to circumstances, to possibilities, even to art—opened doors that might otherwise have remained closed. His story is about recognizing opportunity in unlikely moments and having the discipline to act.
Commander Tom Jones unconventional career as a Navy attorney took him from military courtrooms to capture missions with the SEALs in Iraq. He had an equally unconventional family life growing up, yet his family always remained in the forefront of his military career. His chapter reflects on the sustaining force of family—before, during, and after war—and how service impacts not only the individual but also all those they love.
This evening will not be a book talk but rather a conversation about what military service teaches and how those lessons echo long after the service is over.
On Monday, April 13 at 7pm ET, VBC Live welcomes national leaders of Vietnam Veterans of America for a candid and timely discussion about the organization’s future. Joining us are Thomas Burke, National President; Dominick Yezzo, National General Counsel; and James McCormick, Executive Director for Government Affairs. Nearly five decades after its founding, VVA faces a generational turning point. As Vietnam-era veterans age, the organization must determine how to preserve its identity and mission while ensuring continuity. Should membership remain exclusive to Vietnam-era veterans, or expand to include those who served in later conflicts? What structural or governance changes are under consideration?
These questions surfaced forcefully at last year’s national convention in New Orleans, where debate over the organization’s direction revealed both deep loyalty to its founding purpose and strong differences over how best to move forward. On this program, our guests will explain the options being discussed, reflect on what is at stake, and share their own stories of military service and decades of advocacy. This conversation offers a respectful forum to better understand the choices ahead and the legacy VVA seeks to carry forward.
We invite all Persian Gulf War veterans to join us and share their stories. After our recent VBC Live conversation marking Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990–1991), we heard from many of you: Thank you for doing this. I don’t often get to speak about it. People forget we were there. The First Gulf War often slips between the memory of Vietnam and the long shadow of 9/11.
So on Monday, April 6, we’re offering an Open Mic and Open Conversation focused on Gulf War-era service. We have no agenda or presentation, just casual and focused conversation from those who served in 1990-1991. Please join us to connect, compare notes, swap stories, ask questions, and remember what this moment in history felt like from the inside.
In August 1990, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded Kuwait. The U.S. and a broad international coalition responded first with Operation Desert Shield, which was a massive buildup to defend Saudi Arabia and deter further Iraqi advances. It was followed in January 1991 by Operation Desert Storm, the air campaign and then the ground offensive that liberated Kuwait in just 100 hours.
The war was large and fast. It involved hundreds of thousands of service members fighting the war through logistics, maintenance, intelligence, medical care, transportation, communications, air defense, and a thousand other jobs that made everything else possible.
Some deployed to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Gulf, Turkey, the Red Sea. Others served stateside or in Europe working supply, airlift/sealift, vehicle maintenance, air defense, communications, or medical operations.
Wherever you served, please join us to talk about what you were doing, thinking, and feeling 35 years ago.
We welcome Major Cyla Srna of the Texas State Guard, who will tell us about her Marine Corps service as an Aviation Structural Mechanic and her decision to join Texas’s State Defense Force, where she’s served for the past 12 years. Cyla is also an advocate for women veterans. In 2020, she agreed to enter the Ms. Veteran America competition in order to call attention to the problem of women veterans’ homelessness.
Cyla has a deep understanding of the problem, as she’s experienced it herself. We’ll talk about that and about her unique posts in the Texas State Guard, including Emergency Operations during Hurricane Harvey and COVID-19.
Cyla will educate us about the Texas State Guard, one of twenty examples of a little-known part of America’s military system: the State Defense Forces (SDFs). Authorized under Title 32 of the U.S. Code and grounded in states’ constitutional authority to maintain militias, SDFs exist alongside the National Guard but cannot be federalized. Their mission is strictly state-focused—responding to natural disasters, public health emergencies, border and infrastructure security, logistics, communications, and community support when governors call.
These units are volunteer, uniformed, and trained, often composed of prior-service veterans as well as civilians who want to serve close to home.
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present. We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share.
This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Shaun Hall at shaun@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
This event is free and open to all. To join the conversation live on Zoom, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738.
Or tune in on Facebook or YouTube at 7:00pm ET. Whether you have something to share or simply want to listen and learn, we welcome you to be part of the conversation!
We welcome Army intelligence veteran Bethany Redmond to share her story. She didn’t grow up aiming for the military. She was a language and humanities student from Los Alamos, New Mexico — not the stereotypical path into national security — until an Army recruiter’s call at the end of high school nudged her into service. From there she found herself in Army intelligence, where listening, pattern recognition, and human judgment mattered more than guns or glory.
After her military service, Bethany continued on a path that few Americans ever see up close: counterintelligence. She worked protecting critical research and personnel at Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the nation’s premier science and national security institutions. Today she is a leader in protective intelligence, helping organizations understand how ordinary activities — travel, publication histories, personnel movements — can create vulnerabilities exploited by foreign actors and insider threats.
In this Veterans Breakfast Club conversation we’ll explore the real work behind national security “behind the scenes,” what counterintelligence looks like in the 21st century, and how the habits veterans learn in uniform translate to protecting the nation in new arenas.
In September 2025, we welcomed a group of Army Security Agency (ASA) veterans — including John Peart, Gerry Freed, Brian Harrison, Lonnie Long, Bill Mears, Vernon Greunke, Phil Rutherford, Joe Adams, and several others — to talk about a service many Americans have never heard of but that shaped U.S. intelligence through the early Cold War, Korea, Vietnam, and into the 1970s.
We’re bringing them back and adding more voices for a deeper conversation about who the ASA was, what its mission meant in their lives, and how their work echoes into the present.
Founded on 15 September 1945, the ASA grew out of a long Army lineage of signals intelligence and communications security work that traced back through the World Wars. Its mission was straightforward in purpose, if cryptic in practice: intercept enemy communications, decode them, analyze them, and keep Army communications secure. ASA soldiers didn’t march down Main Street in uniform with medals — they lived at listening posts, in fixed field stations from Turkey to Japan, in remote hilltops in Southeast Asia, and in tactical units alongside fighting forces. The motto Semper Vigiles — Vigilant Always — wasn’t just ceremonial, it was their lived reality.
What made ASA service different was not just the technical intensity of the work — signals intelligence, direction finding, cryptography, electronic warfare — but the culture of compartmented secrecy. ASA soldiers often knew only the fragment of a mission they were assigned; they could not speak about their work, even to fellow veterans outside secure channels, for decades after service. Yet the intelligence they pulled from ether and wire was woven into strategic decisions, operational planning, and battlefield support from Korea to Vietnam.
In Vietnam, ASA personnel served under the cover name Radio Research. The first unit sent — the 3rd Radio Research Unit at Tan Son Nhut in May 1961 — marked the earliest sustained Army presence there, four years before conventional ground forces arrived. Specialist 4 James T. Davis, a direction-finding operator, was killed in an ambush in December 1961 and is remembered as the first American combat casualty recognized by the Department of Defense in that war. The ASA compound at Tan Son Nhut was later named Davis Station in his honor.
Last year’s conversation with Peart and others — veterans whose names and faces many in the audience had never heard before — revealed the depth of this hidden service: long nights at intercept consoles, the strange beauty and loneliness of bivouac hilltop stations, the thrill when a cryptic net “went hot,” and the frustration of having to keep the story locked away long after returning home.
For this follow-up program, Peart and several of his fellow ASA veterans will return to share more of their experiences. They’ll be joined by additional ASA veterans — some you’ve heard before in conversation with VBC and some who are joining this community for the first time — to talk about the human side of intelligence service: the friendships forged under strict secrecy, the challenges of reintegrating into civilian life with stories they couldn’t tell, and the pride they felt in work that, for decades, almost no one outside the classified world understood.
We’ll also trace the ASA’s broader arc: its growth as a SIGINT and COMSEC force during the early Cold War, its expansion through Korea and Vietnam, and its eventual absorption into the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) in 1977, when Army intelligence reorganized into multi-discipline formations. Though the ASA name disappeared, its legacy survives in today’s Army intelligence and electronic warfare units.
Army veterans and military analyst Jim Blackwell marks the 35th anniversary of the launch of the ground offensive in Operation Desert Storm.
The ground war of Desert Storm was short, violent, and decisive. After weeks of air attacks, coalition ground forces surged into southern Iraq and Kuwait in late February 1991. U.S. Army and Marine units executed a sweeping left-hook maneuver across the desert, shattering Iraqi defensive lines, destroying Republican Guard units, and cutting off retreat routes. In just 100 hours, coalition forces liberated Kuwait, overwhelmed a large enemy army, and brought the campaign to a sudden end. For those who were there, the experience was defined by speed, dust, night movement, overwhelming firepower—and the strange, unfinished feeling that followed such a rapid victory.
Jim Blackwell served during this period and has spent decades studying, writing, and thinking critically about modern warfare, the Gulf War, and what Desert Storm revealed—and concealed—about American military power. In this conversation, we’ll talk not only about tactics and outcomes, but about what the ground war felt like to the people who fought it and how its legacy still shapes military thinking today.
If you served in Desert Storm—especially in the ground offensive—we invite you to join us. This is a chance to listen, reflect, and add your own voice to the record. Whether you crossed the berm, supported the advance, or watched it unfold from another role, your experience matters.
Join us for a compelling conversation with award-winning journalist and bestselling writer Wil Haygood (author of The Butler) as he discusses his latest book, The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home (out February 10, 2026).
Haygood reframes the Vietnam War not simply as a foreign conflict, but as a crucible in which the fight for civil rights followed Black Americans from the streets of the United States into the jungles of Southeast Asia. Drawing on deep research and vivid personal stories, he traces the lives of Black soldiers, airmen, doctors, nurses, journalists, and activists who fought simultaneously against enemy forces abroad and systemic racism at home.
In The War Within a War, readers encounter figures both famous and obscure: from an Air Force pilot POW and a frontline surgeon to Marvin Gaye and Martin Luther King, Jr. The goal is to illuminate how this dual struggle reshaped both the war and the American conscience.
This book goes beyond military history to explore how race and war intersected in ways that still echo in American life. Haygood’s narrative brings urgency and humanity to a chapter of the Vietnam era that reshapes our understanding of service, sacrifice, and the unfinished fight for equality.
Join us to hear from one of America’s most insightful chroniclers of Black experience and national history, and to engage with the stories that still reverberate a half-century later.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present.
We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Shaun Hall at shaun@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
This event is free and open to all. To join the conversation live on Zoom, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738. Or tune in on Facebook or YouTube at 7:00pm ET on February 2. Whether you have something to share or simply want to listen and learn, we welcome you to be part of the conversation!
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a powerful livestream conversation with Michael Archer, U.S. Marine Corps veteran and author of A Patch of Ground: Khe Sanh, a firsthand account of one of the most intense and contested battles of the Vietnam War.
Michael Archer is not writing as a distant historian or outside observer. He was a Marine at Khe Sanh. He lived on that patch of ground, endured the siege, and carried its weight with him long after leaving Vietnam. His book is rooted in direct experience—what it meant to be young, scared, exhausted, and determined, holding a remote combat base under constant artillery fire while the world debated whether Khe Sanh would become another Dien Bien Phu.
A Patch of Ground is spare, unsentimental, and deeply personal. Archer writes about daily life under siege: patrols, bunkers, incoming rounds, boredom and terror existing side by side, and the bonds formed among Marines who depended on one another to survive. He also writes about memory—how Khe Sanh stayed with him, how veterans carry places like that inside them, and why telling the story matters decades later.
In this conversation, we’ll focus squarely on Archer’s Marine Corps service and his experience at Khe Sanh: what he remembers, what surprised him looking back, and what gets lost when battles are reduced to maps, timelines, and strategic arguments. We’ll talk about why Khe Sanh became such a symbol during the war, what it felt like on the ground to be part of that symbol, and how writing the book helped Archer make sense of an experience that never really ends.
This is a conversation about combat, memory, and bearing witness—told by a Marine who was there, on that ground, and who has spent years finding the words to describe it.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
In this Veterans Breakfast Club livestream, we sit down with filmmaker Steven Grayhm to talk about Sheepdog, an independent feature film that takes a hard, honest look at combat trauma, recovery, and the long road home. Grayhm not only stars in the film, but also wrote, produced, and directed it—an unusual level of authorship that reflects how personal the project is.
Sheepdog centers on Calvin Cole (Grayhm), a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran who is court-ordered into treatment and placed under the care of a VA trauma therapist-in-training (played by Madsen), who is juggling her clinical work with night shifts at a diner to pay for school. Calvin’s fragile attempt to hold himself together is further tested when his father-in-law, a retired Vietnam veteran (Curtis Hall), appears at his door fresh out of prison. As Calvin’s instinct to run from his past collapses, the film traces how accountability, compassion, and hard-earned trust can open a path toward healing.
Shot on location in Western Massachusetts, Sheepdog aims to lift the veil on post-traumatic stress and the veteran suicide crisis, while also focusing on the often-overlooked idea of post-traumatic growth. Rather than offering easy answers, the film shows the physical and psychological consequences of trauma—and the slow, uneven work of recovery—through grounded performances and lived-in settings. Film critic Tony Toscana called it “one of the best films of the year.”
We’ll ask Grayhm about how Sheepdog came to be: years spent listening to veterans’ stories, studying trauma and VA treatment models, and working closely with veterans and clinicians to get the details right. He’ll reflect on why he felt compelled to tell this story himself, why authenticity matters more than spectacle, and what it takes to bring an independently made, veteran-centered film from script to screen.
This livestream will explore the making of Sheepdog, the responsibilities of telling veterans’ stories on film, and what cinema can—and cannot—do when it comes to understanding trauma, recovery, and the complicated work of coming home.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Before he ever flew gunships in Vietnam or logged 900 combat hours over the Central Highlands, Gil Ferrey had already taken a remarkable detour into the frontlines of the Cold War. In the fall of 1961—just three weeks after construction began on the Berlin Wall—Gil, then a 20-year-old American student studying in East Berlin, attempted to help a young woman escape to the West. He and a friend, Victor Pankey, hid her in the trunk of their car and made a run for the border.
They didn’t make it. East German border guards arrested them at the crossing.
What followed was four months in a state security prison, weeks of solitary confinement, a trial with a predetermined outcome, and an unexpected release reportedly granted as a personal “act of mercy” by Walter Ulbricht. The New York Times covered the case closely in 1962: two young Californians imprisoned for an act they considered morally right, even if East German law judged otherwise. When they emerged, shaggy-haired but unbroken, both said they’d been treated well. But the experience left its mark.
Gil will tell the story of how a semester abroad in a sealed-off city became a collision with Communist state power and a firsthand look at the making of the Cold War’s most visible boundary.
But Ferrey’s story doesn’t end at Checkpoint Charlie. After returning home, finishing his studies at Claremont Men’s College, and earning his commission, he went on to serve as an Army aviator. He trained at Fort Wolters and Fort Rucker, earned his wings in December 1964, and served first in Korea with the 7th Aviation Battalion, then stateside with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
In Vietnam, Gill flew Hueys and Hiller 23G “Raven” scout helicopters, logging 900 combat hours.
This is one of those rare veteran stories that opens a window not just onto a war, but onto an entire era.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present.
We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Shaun Hall at shaun@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
This event is free and open to all. To join the conversation live on Zoom, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738. Or tune in on Facebook or YouTube at 7:00pm ET on June 9. Whether you have something to share or simply want to listen and learn, we welcome you to be part of the conversation!
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
One week before the Tet Offensive of 1968, a small, unarmed Navy intelligence ship called the USS Pueblo was attacked and captured by North Korea. The seizure of the Pueblo became its own crisis running parallel to Tet, trapping 82 American sailors in a struggle for survival that lasted nearly a year.
One of those sailors was 20-year-old Steven Woelk from Kansas. On our upcoming VBC livestream, Steven will join us to share his remarkable firsthand story, now told in full in his soon-to-be-released memoir, Pig Fat Soup: Surviving My Pueblo Prisoner of War Journey.
When cannon rounds started ripping into the lightly armed spy ship, Woelk was below decks with three shipmates, frantically trying to burn classified material before it could be captured. The smoke gave them away. A North Korean round tore through their space, killing Woelk’s friend and leaving Woelk himself gravely wounded.
Because of those wounds, he became the last sailor to leave the Pueblo. Carried off the ship after Commander Lloyd Bucher surrendered to prevent further slaughter, Woelk then went ten full days without medical treatment. When surgery finally came, it was brutal. Shrapnel, bone fragments, and his testicles were removed without anesthesia. He still has no idea how he survived without infection.
Woelk spent forty-four days in a North Korean hospital, which spared him some of the savage beatings his crewmates endured. But nothing shielded him from “hell week,” the torture that followed once the captors discovered the crew’s defiant middle-finger gesture wasn’t, in fact, a friendly Hawaiian greeting. “You pray you’re strong enough to resist,” he later said, “but you never know until you face that reality.” There were long stretches of boredom, hunger, and fear, punctuated by sudden terror, never knowing whether the next moment would bring a beating, execution, or, by some miracle, release.
Release finally came two days before Christmas 1968.
For his wounds and captivity, Woelk received two Purple Hearts and the POW Medal.
The Pueblo remains the only U.S. Navy vessel still held by a foreign nation, displayed by North Korea as a trophy and propaganda exhibit.
Steven Woelk has spent much of his life ensuring that the Pueblo is not forgotten. His memoir, Pig Fat Soup, offers the most detailed and candid account he’s ever shared—one that moves from the chaos of the attack to the freezing bunkrooms of the “Barn,” the POW camp where the crew endured nearly a year of captivity.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Edward Ford and Alan Chiasson came to Afghanistan with long résumés in uniform and out. Ford was a Force Recon Marine with combat tours in the Gulf War, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan before moving into high-end security contracting. Chiasson was a Navy Hospital Corpsman and Texas paramedic who’d spent years providing high-risk medical support on PSD and convoy details in Iraq and Afghanistan. When the private security firm SOC (Special Operations Consulting) expanded its mobile operations in Afghanistan, both men ended up on armored Ford F-550 gun trucks running some of the most dangerous roads in the country.
At first, their teams hauled critical supplies—ammo, fuel, food, equipment—to isolated Special Forces sites and small outposts the regular military couldn’t cover. Then SOC picked up the Department of Defense contract to move something that sounded almost ordinary: the mail. Ford, Chiasson, and their teammates suddenly became the unofficial “Pony Express” of Afghanistan, hauling letters and care packages from Kabul and Bagram along the notorious Ring Road to places like Ghazni, Sharana, Orgun-E, and tiny dirt compounds with nothing but Hesco walls and a few tents. Troops took the mail for granted; few ever thought about the chain of convoys and gun trucks that got a letter from a stateside mailbox to a cot in Kandahar.
Postcards Through Hell tells that story from the inside. The “Pony Express” ran four teams in a three-on, one-off rotation so three could be on the road at any time. One team took the long hauls, another ran the shorter Kabul ring route while standing QRF, and a third trained, refit, and got ready to swap in. A “good” day might mean an 18-hour, thousand-kilometer push with no major incidents—what they jokingly called the “Thousand Kilometer Club.” Most days weren’t like that. They drove flat-bottom F-550s with level-seven armor and twin turrets, strong against small arms but vulnerable to anything placed directly underneath. Once the Taliban figured out that weakness, a well-buried mine or IED under the chassis could flip a truck or tear it in half.
The book is anchored in specific days and events. Ford saved incident reports, op orders, and run paperwork; Chiasson kept a journal. Together they rebuilt a timeline that lets them write, “On April 30 we were here; on May 1 this happened,” instead of “sometime that spring.” Around those convoy stories they layer the wider war: the Camp Chapman suicide bombing; Special Forces “kill teams” at outposts like Ramrod; Italian forces paying the Taliban not to attack them, which meant somebody else—often the Pony Express—became the target. They were there when other contractor convoys got hit, when friends died in F-550s blown apart by stacked anti-tank mines, and when gun trucks limped back into Kabul with wounded men inside and burned-out hulks left behind on the road.
Their daily life was built around a simple idea: keep your brothers alive. When they weren’t running missions, they were on QRF. When they weren’t on QRF, they were working out. When they weren’t working out, they were training. They ate together, lived on top of each other in cramped villas and compounds, and used the long Afghan “fighting season”—April through October—to sort out who really belonged there. The easy-sounding mail run weeded people out fast. Some new hires lasted one fighting season, some one mission, some one week. Others stayed for years, until they hit what Ford calls “the wall”—that private moment when you look at a body on a slab, or feel age and accumulated blast damage catching up with you, and decide it’s time to go home.
Postcards Through Hell doesn’t ignore the business side of contracting. Ford and Chiasson talk frankly about companies weighing the cost of vehicle upgrades against death-benefit payouts, replacing seasoned expatriate drivers with cheaper local nationals, and relying on Afghan “expediters” whose loyalties sometimes ran in more than one direction.
The story doesn’t end when the convoys stop. The contract itself ran, under different companies, into 2016, and Ford and Chiasson had to cut whole chapters from the book because of classified work and units involved.
At heart, Postcards Through Hell is a book about a very unglamorous, absolutely vital piece of America’s longest war.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join us for an evening with Colonel Chuck Bechtel, whose new memoir, Sent to War, Returning for Peace: My Reconciliation with the Vietnam War, traces a long soldier’s journey from the jungles of Vietnam to a quiet reckoning half a century later.
Chuck was drafted in 1966, a kid from Pennsylvania who suddenly found himself leading a 43-man infantry platoon with the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in 1968–69. His book tells that story—training, combat, fear, loss, and the strange return home to a country that didn’t know what to make of its soldiers. But it also reaches beyond the war. Chuck writes about the decades that followed, the invisible weight so many veterans carried, and the hard work of finding peace in the long after.
A centerpiece of the memoir is his return trip to Vietnam in 2022 with his wife and a small group of veterans organized by Mrs. Lei Williams, whose own life was shaped by the war. That journey—walking old ground with former enemies and longtime friends—became a turning point. The book captures the tenderness, the surprises, and the healing that can happen when you’re finally ready to face the past.
Over thirty-five years in uniform, Chuck rose from Private E-1 to full Colonel, commanded at every level from company to brigade, deployed during Desert Storm, and later played a key role in building the Army’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. His record includes the Bronze Star with “V” for valor, Air Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, Combat Infantry Badge, Legion of Merit, and many more. After retiring, he continued serving as a volunteer Ambassador for Veterans’ Outreach of PA, helping launch Veterans Grove, a 24/7 therapeutic community for unhoused veterans. Ten percent of his book royalties support that mission.
Chuck lives in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with his wife Joan. They have two children and three grandchildren.
This livestream will be a conversation not just about a war, but about what it means to come home from one—and how reconciliation can grow, even decades later. We hope you’ll join us.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join us for a special Veterans Breakfast Club Monday Night Livestream on November 24 marking the 58th anniversary of the Battle of Dak To, one of the fiercest and bloodiest engagements of the Vietnam War. We’ll be joined by veterans who fought there—men who endured the steep jungle slopes, relentless artillery, and desperate close-quarters combat of the Central Highlands in November 1967. Their firsthand stories will bring to life the courage, chaos, and sacrifice that defined this pivotal and horrific battle.
The Battle of Dak To took place in Kon Tum Province, near the border with Laos, as U.S. Army units—mainly from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, and 1st Cavalry Division—clashed with well-entrenched North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces. For weeks, paratroopers and infantrymen fought for control of jungle-covered ridges like Hill 875, where heavy bombardment turned the forest to ash and cost hundreds of American lives. By the time the battle ended, over 280 Americans were killed and more than 900 wounded, while NVA losses numbered in the thousands. It was a pyrrhic victory that revealed both the extraordinary valor of U.S. troops and the brutal futility of the wider war.
In this livestream, veterans of Dak To will share their memories of combat, loss, and survival—and reflect on what the battle means today, nearly half a century later. We’ll explore the human dimension behind the headlines: the fear, the brotherhood, and the haunting aftermath carried home. Join us for an evening of remembrance and reflection as we honor those who fought at Dak To and keep their stories alive.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Glenn Flickinger and Todd DePastino discuss the VBC’s WWII Tour of Italy in October 2026, where they will spend 14 days following the path of the Allied forces through one of the most grueling campaigns of World War II. Todd and Glenn will also talk with Italian Campaign expert, 45th Infantry Division Historian Professor David D’Andrea, who will also be joining us on our trip.
We’ll trace the course of the Italian Campaign, beginning with Operation Husky, the massive Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 that opened the road to Europe’s soft underbelly. From the hard-fought landings at Gela and Scoglitti to the urban battles in Palermo and the mountainous defenses near Messina, Sicily tested the courage and coordination of American and British troops.
From there, the campaign moved to mainland Italy, first at Salerno, where American soldiers fought to hold their beachhead against fierce counterattacks, and then up the rugged spine of the Apennines. We’ll visit key battlegrounds of Cassino, where Allied forces waged a costly struggle for control of the ancient Abbey of Monte Cassino, and Anzio, where troops endured months of shelling in a desperate bid to outflank German defenses. The campaign culminated in the liberation of Rome on June 4, 1944, two days before D-Day in Normandy.
Our trip will visit these storied sites—Catania, Syracuse, Agrigento, Palermo, Salerno, Cassino, Anzio, and Rome—accompanied by historians and local guides who will help us connect the landscape to the history that unfolded there. Along the way, we’ll also enjoy the beauty that drew the world to Italy long before and long after the war: the turquoise waters of the Amalfi Coast, the golden temples of Agrigento, and the ancient beauty of Palermo and Rome.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
For the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, the Veterans Breakfast Club goes deep with Marine Corps veteran and classical scholar Dr. Josh Cannon about the ancient truths of war.
Join this conversation with an Iraq veteran, anthropologist, and author, whose new book Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad bridges the 2,600-year-old world of Homer’s Iliad with the modern battlefield of Iraq.
Cannon served as an Arabic cryptologic linguist with the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2005, deploying twice to Iraq—first with the invasion in 2003 and again in 2004. After his service, he pursued graduate studies in linguistics and archaeology at the University of Chicago, earning a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Now a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, Cannon brings both the scholar’s lens and the veteran’s heart to Homer’s tale of rage, loss, and honor.
In Fatal Second Helen, Cannon retells Homer’s epic in clear, vivid prose, weaving in his own combat experiences and reflections on the warrior’s life. It’s a book that asks timeless questions: What draws people to war? What do they bring back from it? And what can ancient heroes like Achilles teach modern warriors about grief, pride, and the search for meaning?
As Cannon writes in his essay “Glorious But Dead—Was It Worth It?”, he has lived the same paradox Homer captured 26 centuries ago: the beauty and the tragedy of battle, the brotherhood and the loss, the impossible attempt to make sense of it all.
This conversation promises to be part literary journey, part war story, and part meditation on how veterans across millennia have wrestled with the same enduring human truths.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present.
We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Shaun Hall at shaun@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
This event is free and open to all. To join the conversation live on Zoom, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738. Or tune in on Facebook or YouTube at 7:00pm ET on June 9. Whether you have something to share or simply want to listen and learn, we welcome you to be part of the conversation!
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special livestream conversation with Elliot Ackerman, decorated Marine, CIA officer, acclaimed novelist, and co-chair of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation. Ackerman served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine Raider and special operations officer, earning the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor, and Purple Heart. His experiences on the front lines, particularly during the Second Battle of Fallujah—profoundly shaped his worldview and continue to inform his writing about war, morality, and memory.
Since leaving the Marines, Ackerman has become one of America’s most distinguished voices on the human cost and complexity of modern warfare. His novels and memoirs—including Green on Blue, Dark at the Crossing (a National Book Award finalist), Waiting for Eden, Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning, The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan, 2034: A Novel of the Next World War (co-authored with Admiral James Stavridis), and Halcyon—explore what it means to serve, to lose, and to come home changed.
In addition to his literary career, Ackerman serves as co-chair of the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation, which is leading the effort to build a national memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring all who served in the post-9/11 wars. He has spoken passionately about ensuring that this memorial reflects not only the valor of service but also the complexity and enduring impact of America’s longest conflict.
This conversation will trace Ackerman’s journey from the Marine Corps to the written page, exploring how combat, conscience, and storytelling intersect in his work. We’ll also discuss his vision for the Global War on Terror Memorial and how remembrance can bridge the gap between those who served and those who did not.
Learn more about Elliot Ackerman at his Penguin Random House Speakers page and read his reflections on the memorial project at the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation.
Legendary journalist and author Elizabeth Becker, who has spent her career bearing witness to the frontlines of history, joins us to talk about her new book, You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War ,a riveting account of three trailblazing female correspondents who shattered gender barriers to cover the Vietnam War.
The book tells the stories of Frances FitzGerald, Kate Webb, and Catherine Leroy, but Elizabeth herself reported from Cambodia and Vietnam in the 1970s. Her courage and insight—captured in You Don’t Belong Here—help redefine how we understand both war and the craft of journalism.
We’ll also explore Becker’s earlier, haunting book, When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution. Drawing on her harrowing reporting in Cambodia, Becker offers an account of the Khmer Rouge’s genocide. She became one of only two Western journalists to meet Pol Pot—an experience that forever shaped her understanding of power, propaganda, and human tragedy.
That historic meeting has now inspired the new feature film Meeting with Pol Pot (2024), directed by acclaimed Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh. The dramatization follows three Western journalists navigating a tightly controlled “Potemkin village” as the regime teeters on the brink of collapse and mass murder is underway behind the scenes.
The film, which premiered at Cannes in 2024, brings Becker’s gripping firsthand account to life and raises questions about truth, memory, and the moral responsibility of journalists. As the character based on Becker—Lise Delbo, played by Irène Jacob—observes, “Genocide is also about silence. You don’t see anything, you don’t hear anything.”
Elizabeth Becker is a pioneering journalist and author. She began her career as a war correspondent for The Washington Post in Cambodia and later served as The New York Times’ Senior Foreign Editor. She has covered politics, economics, and international affairs for decades and is a sought-after commentator and lecturer. Her books—award-winning, deeply reported, and beautifully written—have reshaped how we understand Vietnam, Cambodia, and the role of women in war.
Learn more: elizabethbecker.com/about | Reviews
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
The Veterans Breakfast Club invites you to join us on Thursday, October 16 at 7:00pm Eastern for a special online conversation with author Brenda Partridge-Brown about her new book, Echoes of a Little Brown Soldier Girl. The program will be held on VBC Zoom and livestreamed to our Facebook and YouTube pages.
Brenda’s book tells the story of her mother, Willie Belle Irvin-Partridge, who served in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion during World War II. Known as the “Six Triple Eight,” the 6888th was the only all-female, predominantly Black U.S. Army unit sent overseas. Their task was both monumental and essential: to clear a massive backlog of more than 17 million pieces of undelivered mail and restore the flow of letters that sustained morale for American troops in Europe. With the motto “No Mail, Low Morale,” the women of the 6888th completed in just three months what had been expected to take six, all while facing racism, sexism, and the daily challenges of wartime service.
Through family memories, archival research, and military records, Brenda Partridge-Brown reconstructs her mother’s remarkable story and places it in the broader context of a unit whose achievements remained largely overlooked for decades. She also describes the long struggle to secure public recognition for the 6888th, which culminated in the award of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022.
This program is an opportunity to hear about an extraordinary group of women who made history, and about one daughter’s journey to bring her mother’s service out of the shadows and into the light. Join us on October 16 as we honor the legacy of the 6888th and listen to the echoes of a “little brown soldier girl” whose courage and devotion deserve to be remembered.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join us for a conversation with author Chas Henry, retired Marine Corps captain and award-winning journalist, as he shares the harrowing story behind Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U.S. Marine Corps Tragedy.
On October 19, 1979, a super typhoon struck Camp Fuji, a remote Marine Corps training site on the slopes of Mount Fuji in Japan. Floodwaters from the storm breached a fuel storage area, triggering a gasoline spill that engulfed the camp’s Quonset huts—some of which were heated by open-flame kerosene burners. The resulting inferno killed 13 Marines and injured 73 others, most of them grievously burned. It remains the deadliest peacetime accident in Marine Corps history.
Our program will feature not only Chas Henry but also two Marines who survived the fire:
Mike Cummings, who suffered second- and third-degree burns over 75% of his body. He was medevacked to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio and endured years of grueling treatment and surgeries.
David Luttenberger, who escaped the burning hut but visited friends in the burn ward soon after the tragedy. What he witnessed there left a mark deeper than the fire itself.
This long-overlooked episode is one of the Corps’ most searing stories of sacrifice, resilience, and institutional failure. With deep archival research and firsthand accounts, Fuji Fire uncovers how this “freak accident” happened—and why it was almost forgotten.
FujiFire #MarineCorps #VeteransStories #MilitaryHistory #CampFuji #BurnSurvivor #TyphoonTip #USMC #VBC #ChasHenry #VeteransBreakfastClub #ForgottenHistory
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation about the military experience, past and present.
We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation.
All are also invited to email Shaun Hall at shaun@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
This event is free and open to all. To join the conversation live on Zoom, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6402618738. Or tune in on Facebook or YouTube at 7:00pm ET on October 6. Whether you have something to share or simply want to listen and learn, we welcome you to be part of the conversation!
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an unforgettable evening with Colonel John R. Bates, USMC (Ret.), whose extraordinary 39-year career in the United States Marine Corps (1966–2005) spans three wars, five decades, and a lifetime of service defined by courage, conviction, and grit.
Col. Bates enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1966, dropping out of college to join the fight in Vietnam. There, as a young infantryman with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, he endured some of the most harrowing combat of the war—earning three Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in battle. The first came when he was struck in the chest by machine-gun fire—“like standing over home plate with Mark McGwire swinging for the fences,” he recalls. The second came from a hand grenade explosion that drove searing shrapnel into his leg. The third was the most brutal: he fell into a North Vietnamese punji pit and was impaled through the foot by a three-foot bamboo stake, coated with water buffalo manure to ensure infection.
After spending 23 days in intensive care, Bates defied medical orders, walked out of the hospital in a pair of boots and a hospital gown, caught a ride to the airfield, and returned to his platoon—still spitting up blood. “They needed more trigger-pullers,” he said simply. But the Marine Corps discharged him less than two years into his enlistment due to the severity of his wounds.
He refused to stay out. Over the next seven years, Bates earned a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees while working as a brakeman, heavy equipment operator, and substitute teacher. All the while, he trained daily to prove he still had what it took to wear the uniform. He submitted five applications for readmission to the Corps—finally earning acceptance in 1975, not by sympathy, but by sheer persistence. “Quite honestly, I think I wore them down,” he said.
As an officer, Col. Bates served around the globe, including in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He held numerous command positions, culminating in a dramatic parachute landing into his own retirement ceremony in 2005 at Camp Pendleton. Along the way, he promoted his own son to the rank of Marine captain, honoring a legacy of service that began with his father, Leland Bates, who flew 51 combat missions in World War II.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
We’ve asked 26-year Army and Pennsylvania National Guard veteran Matt P. Cahill to join us to talk about his Green Star Families of America (greenstarfamilies.org) nonprofit. Matt served as a medic in Iraq and later endured his own battles with PTSD, a traumatic brain injury, and the lasting wounds of war. Out of these experiences, Matt founded a nonprofit dedicated to honoring and supporting the families of veterans who have died by suicide. Much like the Gold Star tradition that recognizes families of those killed in action, Green Star Families seeks federal recognition of a Green Star Service Banner as a national symbol of remembrance and dignity for survivors of veteran suicide. Matt, now also an advocate and social worker in training, has made it his mission to reduce stigma, build community, and fight for the visibility of these families who often grieve in silence. His work has already inspired legislative efforts, public awareness campaigns, and partnerships across the veteran community.
We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Todd DePastino at todd@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
We welcome veterans of the now-gone Army Security Agency, which was first created on September 15, 1945, in the immediate aftermath of World War II. ASA veterans John Peart and others will share their stories of service with this shadowy intelligence agency that played a critical role in the Cold War.
The Army Security Agency (ASA) operated under the authority of the National Security Agency (NSA) and was tasked with intercepting, analyzing, and exploiting enemy communications. Its mission included codebreaking, electronic intelligence gathering, direction finding, and secure communications. The ASA played a central role during the early Cold War period, collecting intelligence on the Soviet Union and its allies. ASA units were composed of highly trained personnel, often fluent in foreign languages, skilled in radio operations, cryptography, and electronic surveillance.
The ASA’s role expanded during the Korean War and reached a peak of operational activity during the Vietnam War. ASA personnel were deployed across Southeast Asia, conducting covert and direct support operations for U.S. and allied forces. They established field stations and remote intercept sites near conflict zones and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Using direction-finding equipment and advanced signal processing tools, they intercepted enemy radio traffic, provided early warning of enemy movements, and monitored North Vietnamese and Viet Cong communications. Their intelligence was vital to strategic planning and tactical decision-making.
One of the most significant and symbolic events involving the ASA during the Vietnam War was the death of Specialist 4 James T. Davis on December 22, 1961. Davis, part of the 3rd Radio Research Unit—the ASA cover name in Vietnam—was on a joint operation with South Vietnamese forces near Saigon when his convoy was ambushed. He and ten South Vietnamese soldiers were killed. Davis became the first American battlefield casualty of the Vietnam War recognized by the Department of Defense. His death marked a turning point, highlighting the increasing U.S. involvement in Vietnam and the dangerous nature of ASA missions in the field. The ASA compound at Tan Son Nhut Air Base was later named “Davis Station” in his honor.
Throughout the Vietnam War, ASA personnel worked in close coordination with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Air Force Security Service, and Navy intelligence units. Their work remained classified for decades. Despite the high-risk nature of their missions, ASA soldiers were generally non-combatants operating in a military intelligence capacity, though many saw combat or were exposed to hostile fire due to their proximity to enemy forces.
The ASA continued its global intelligence operations through the 1970s but was eventually dissolved in 1977. Its functions were absorbed into the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), consolidating Army intelligence efforts under a single command structure. Though no longer active, the ASA’s legacy endures in the modern electronic warfare and signals intelligence capabilities of the U.S. Army.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special Open Conversation as we come together to remember the events of September 11, 2001, reflect on their lasting impact, and honor the lives lost and forever changed.
This is not a panel or a presentation—it’s a space for listening and sharing, open to all. Whether you recall exactly where you were that morning or you’ve only known a post-9/11 world, we invite you to bring your memories, your thoughts, and your questions. Veterans, civilians, first responders, military families, and people of all generations are welcome.
Together, we’ll reflect on the moments that shaped a generation—what we saw, what we felt, and what followed in the days, weeks, and years after. This is a chance to mark the day in community, with compassion and honesty, in the spirit of remembrance and connection.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for conversation with M.P. Woodward, Navy veteran and bestselling author of Tom Clancy: Line of Demarcation, the newest installment in the legendary Jack Ryan series. We’ll talk spycraft, storytelling, and how real-world experience in military intelligence shapes his fiction writing.
Before becoming a full-time writer, M.P. Woodward served as a Naval Intelligence Officer with the U.S. Pacific Command, where he scripted war-game scenarios focused on the Middle East and coordinated joint missions with Special Forces, the CIA, and the NSA. He deployed multiple times to the Persian Gulf and Far East and served on a senior admiral’s flag staff, often acting as liaison to foreign military officers. These experiences gave him a deep well of operational and diplomatic knowledge—one he draws from to deliver techno-thrillers that feel one step ahead of the headlines.
In Line of Demarcation, Woodward thrusts President Jack Ryan into the center of an escalating crisis as Russia’s war in Ukraine edges toward global catastrophe. Meanwhile, Jack Ryan Jr. undertakes a covert mission in occupied territory that could determine the fate of nations. With geopolitical intrigue and explosive action, the novel delivers all the hallmarks of classic Clancy—filtered through Woodward’s sharp, informed lens.
Don’t miss this chance to hear from one of today’s most authentic voices in military fiction. We’ll discuss his path from the Navy to the bestseller list, and how his service continues to inform his storytelling today.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an unforgettable conversation with Marine veteran and author Brennan Morton, whose acclaimed memoir Valhalla Boys: Marine Recon Sniper in Iraq is being hailed as one of the most powerful and literary war memoirs of the post-9/11 generation.
Valhalla Boys isn’t your typical “boots-on-the-ground” war story. It’s a raw, reflective, and often poetic meditation on combat, brotherhood, and the darkness that war leaves behind. Drawing comparisons to Tim O’Brien, Kurt Vonnegut, and Joseph Heller, Morton invites readers not just into the battlefield, but into the mind of a Marine Recon sniper struggling to make sense of a war with no clear front lines—and no clear purpose.
In this live conversation, Brennan will share his journey from book-loving kid to Marine, from warfighter to writer, and from battlefield survivor to memoirist. He’ll discuss the emotional toll of his two deployments in Iraq, the bonds forged in training and tested in combat, and the haunting question that echoes through every page of his book: Was it worth it?
We’ll hear the stories behind the stories—what it meant to patrol the streets of Iraq during the height of the insurgency, the grief of losing half his platoon, the moment he nearly pulled the trigger on a four-year-old child, and how writing became a form of healing after returning home.
This program is for anyone seeking to understand what military service can do to the soul—veterans, family members, readers of war literature, and citizens trying to grasp the human cost of conflict.
Valhalla Boys is available now from Casemate Publishers, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.
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VeteransBreakfastClub #ValhallaBoys #BrennanMorton #IraqWarMemoir #MarineRecon #WarLiterature #PTSD #VeteranVoices #MilitaryStorytelling #CasematePublishers #TimOBrien #Vonnegut #JosephHeller #StorytellingHeals #VeteranWriters #VBCEvents
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
The Veterans Breakfast Club is honored to welcome Ross Meador, author of the critically acclaimed memoir Carried Away: A Memoir of Rescue and Survival Among the Orphans of the Viet Nam War, for a 90-minute livestream conversation on Sunday, August 18 at 7:00pm ET.
Ross Meador’s story is not your typical Vietnam War narrative. In 1975, just before the fall of Saigon, 17-year-old Ross was living in Vietnam with his missionary parents. Amid the chaos and collapse of the South Vietnamese government, Ross became swept up in the desperate efforts to evacuate and protect hundreds of orphaned children left behind in the final days of the war.
Carried Away recounts Meador’s personal experience as a teenager witnessing—and helping with—what became known as Operation Babylift, the humanitarian effort to rescue thousands of Vietnamese orphans. But Meador’s account digs deeper. His story is one of survival, identity, moral conflict, and healing, all told with the clarity of a witness who saw the war not from the battlefield, but from the margins—among the displaced, forgotten, and frightened.
This event will explore:
Ross’s unique perspective as a young civilian during the fall of Saigon
His firsthand role in the rescue and evacuation of orphans
The emotional and moral complexities of wartime humanitarianism
How he came to write his memoir decades later—and why it matters today.
As noted in the Novels Alive review, Meador’s memoir “treads unfamiliar territory in Vietnam War literature,” offering “a rare glimpse into a lesser-known front of compassion and courage.”
RossMeador #CarriedAway #VietnamWarMemoir #OperationBabylift #VeteransBreakfastClub #VBCLive #VietnamOrphans #FallOfSaigon #WarAndCompassion #VietnamHistory
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Thirty-five years ago, in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the United States launched Operation Desert Shield, the largest American military deployment since Vietnam. On Monday, August 11 at 7:00pm ET, the Veterans Breakfast Club hosts a special 90-minute livestream conversation with veterans who served during this critical moment in modern military history.
Operation Desert Shield began in August 1990, just days after Saddam Hussein’s forces stormed into Kuwait. As the world watched with rising alarm, President George H. W. Bush ordered a massive mobilization to defend Saudi Arabiaand deter further Iraqi aggression. Over the next six months, more than 500,000 American troops—alongside coalition partners from 34 nations—were deployed to the Persian Gulf, building up a formidable military force in the desert.
Joining us will be Scott C. Stump, a Marine veteran who is President, CEO, and founder of the National Desert Storm Memorial Association. Scott served in eastern Saudi Arabia and Bahrain during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and conceived the memorial idea and has led the charge ever since. He marshaled private fundraising—including critical support from Kuwait—and steered the association through years of design approvals, legislative hurdles, and permit process. The National Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial is now rising near the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. It honors roughly 700,000 Americans who served in the Gulf War of 1990–91, grounded in a concept first envisioned in 2010 and formally authorized by Congress in 2014.
Stump’s determined leadership helped secure the March 6, 2025 construction permit and kick off building work, with a projected dedication in spring 2026—bringing to fruition a memorial born of both personal service and long‑term advocacy
This program will also focus on the Desert Shield buildup itself—the staging, logistics, training, and uncertainty that defined Desert Shield:
What was it like to deploy to Saudi Arabia in the sweltering heat of 1990?
How did troops prepare for a possible war that was still months away?
What do veterans remember about the sense of anticipation, camaraderie, and tension on the ground?
How did Desert Shield set the stage for the lightning-fast Desert Storm offensive that followed in January 1991?
Though Desert Shield is often overshadowed by the brief but intense ground campaign of Desert Storm, it was a vital operation in its own right. It marked a new era of rapid deployment, joint operations, and coalition warfare, and proved that the U.S. military could project overwhelming force across the globe in a matter of weeks.
Join us to commemorate this important anniversary and honor the service of those who stood ready in the desert long before the shooting began.
DesertShield35 #OperationDesertShield #GulfWarVeterans #VeteransBreakfastClub #VBCLive #MilitaryDeployment #GulfWarAnniversary #DesertShieldStories #ModernMilitaryHistory
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
The Veterans Breakfast Club proudly celebrates the U.S. Coast Guard’s 235th birthday with a special 90-minute livestream event on Monday, August 4 at 7:00pm ET. Join us as we talk with Coast Guard veterans about what makes their service so distinct—and so essential to the nation’s security and safety.
Founded on August 4, 1790, the Coast Guard is the oldest continuous seagoing service in the United States. Unlike other branches, the USCG has a dual mission: military operations during wartime and law enforcement, search and rescue, and maritime safety during peacetime. It is the only military branch that operates under the Department of Homeland Security (except during wartime, when it may transfer to the Department of the Navy).
What sets the Coast Guard apart?
Maritime law enforcement: The Coast Guard has the authority to board, search, seize, and arrest vessels suspected of violating federal law.
Search and rescue operations: From hurricanes to sinking ships, the Coast Guard is the first call in times of maritime crisis.
Icebreaking and navigation aid: Coasties operate in Arctic and Great Lakes regions to maintain critical shipping lanes and place navigational buoys.
Drug and migrant interdiction: They play a front-line role in combating illegal trafficking on the high seas.
In this special birthday celebration, we’ll hear from Coast Guard veterans who served aboard cutters, on coastal patrol, in aviation, and at isolated duty stations. They’ll share stories of adventure, service, and resilience—from intercepting narco-subs in the Caribbean to medevac missions in the Bering Sea.
We’ll explore what it means to be “Always Ready”—Semper Paratus—and why Coast Guard veterans are proud to serve in a branch that blends military rigor with humanitarian urgency.
Help us mark this important anniversary by honoring the stories of those who serve in America’s maritime guardian force.
USCoastGuard #CoastGuardBirthday #SemperParatus #VeteransBreakfastClub #VBCLive #MaritimeService #SearchAndRescue #MilitaryVeterans #CoastGuardStories
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club on the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, Monday, July 28, at 7:00pm ET for a special livestream conversation about the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of Father Emil Kapaun, U.S. Army chaplain, Medal of Honor recipient, and Servant of God now on the path to sainthood.
Our guest will be Ray Kapaun, Father Emil’s devoted nephew and family spokesperson, who has spent decades gathering stories, preserving memories, and promoting his uncle’s legacy of faith, sacrifice, and service. With deep personal insight and moving anecdotes, Ray will share not just what made his uncle a great chaplain, but what made him a saintly man—and why his story still resonates powerfully today.
Born in 1916 in the farming community of Pilsen, Kansas, Emil Kapaun grew up working on farm equipment and studying for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1940 and joined the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps during World War II, serving in the Burma-India Theater. But it was in Korea, during the early months of the Korean War, that Father Kapaun’s heroic ministry made him a legend among soldiers and prisoners of war alike.
Assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, Kapaun was known for celebrating Mass from the hood of a jeep, riding his bike from unit to unit under fire, and fearlessly ministering to troops in foxholes. During the Battle of Unsan in November 1950, he repeatedly braved enemy fire to rescue the wounded. When given the opportunity to evacuate, he refused—choosing instead to stay behind with the injured and surrender alongside them.
He was marched to Pyoktong Prison Camp in North Korea, where he spent the last seven months of his life tending to sick and starving fellow POWs. He stole food, built fires in secret, offered prayers, washed clothes, and lifted spirits—risking severe punishment each time. Fellow prisoners credit him with saving hundreds of lives through simple acts of compassion, courage, and faith. He died in captivity on May 23, 1951.
For his heroism, Father Kapaun was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2013. His military decorations also include the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star with “V” Device, and the Legion of Merit, among many others.
In the Catholic Church, Father Kapaun is now known as Venerable Emil Kapaun, a title bestowed by Pope Francis in 2021. This designation—the second step in the four-step canonization process—acknowledges that Father Kapaun offered his life in an act of heroic charity. The Diocese of Wichita continues to investigate reported miracles attributed to his intercession, the next step toward beatification and eventual sainthood.
Ray Kapaun, who will join us for this VBC Live program, was just a boy when he began hearing stories about his uncle. Over the years, he’s met and stayed close with the soldiers who knew Father Emil in life, including the few remaining POWs who spent time in that North Korean prison camp. His efforts helped bring his uncle’s remains home in 2021—70 years after his death—and laid to rest at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita.
Ray sees Father Kapaun as more than a war hero or Catholic martyr. He sees him as a model of human compassion—someone who looked past creed, rank, or politics to serve people simply because they needed help.
“He just always put everybody else ahead of his own needs,” Ray says. “He gives hope… He saw the soul in people.”
This livestream will be a heartfelt exploration of that legacy. It’s a story of service beyond self, faith under fire, and the power of simple kindness in the darkest of places.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
Do you know how many belt loops are on Marine Dress Blues? Or what the Air Force equivalent of the Navy Seabees is called? How about the command used to remove an individual from formation—but not end it?
Then step up and play VBC Jeopardy!, our 90-minute live and interactive trivia night where everyone can be a contestant, and the only requirement is a love for learning and laughter. Join us Monday, July 21 at 7:00pm ET for a special Veterans Breakfast Club livestream hosted on YouTube.
This Jeopardy-style game is unlike any other. There’s no buzzer, no formal sign-up—just hop into the chat and type your answer when a clue appears on the screen. Whether you’re a seasoned vet, a military spouse, a trivia junkie, or just someone who loves good fun with great people, this game is for you.
We play two rounds of Jeopardy with clues based on the military experience, culture, and history. Everyone in our Zoom room can raise their hand and answer a question.
We’ll be testing your knowledge across categories like Military Slang, Branch Traditions, Famous Battles, Rank & Insignia, and more. Expect real questions like:
“THIS FAMOUS STRATEGIC BOMBING CAMPAIGN LASTED FROM 1965-1968.”
“IN THE COAST GUARD, EVERY SHIP LONGER THAN 65 FEET IS CALLED THIS.”
“THE NUMBER OF NAVY ADMIRALS TO BECOME U.S. PRESIDENT.”
If you’ve joined a Veterans Breakfast Club event before, you know it’s about connection, camaraderie, and celebrating the service of those who’ve worn the uniform. VBC Jeopardy! adds a twist of fun and competition to that mix—with a whole lot of trivia you didn’t know you knew.
No registration, no pressure—just bring your best guesses.
VBCLive #MilitaryTrivia #VeteransJeopardy #MilitaryHistory #VeteransBreakfastClub #JeopardyNight #MilitaryFun #LiveTrivia
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
The Veterans Breakfast Club proudly presents a special 90-minute livestream with Wayne Vansant, Navy veteran and renowned illustrator of some of the most historically accurate war comics ever published. The event goes live on Monday, July 14 at 7:00pm ET, and will be hosted on our VBC Online Events platform.
Wayne Vansant is best known for his groundbreaking work on The ‘Nam—Marvel Comics’ landmark series that brought the Vietnam War to life through the eyes of the soldiers who fought it. Launched in 1986 and developed by Vietnam veterans and journalists, The ‘Nam stood apart for its realistic, month-by-month portrayal of a single soldier’s tour of duty. Vansant took over the art after issue #13 and helped turn the book into a cult classic, praised for its authenticity, visual storytelling, and deep respect for those who served.
Wayne brings a unique perspective to his art. He served as a radioman in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1973 during the Vietnam War, and that firsthand experience has shaped his entire career. Unlike most comic book creators, Vansant insists on historical accuracy—studying uniforms, weapons, terrain, and tactics in painstaking detail to ensure his depictions are as true to life as possible.
In addition to The ‘Nam, Vansant has created graphic novels and illustrated histories such as Normandy, Gettysburg, The Vietnam War: A Graphic History, Katusha, Bombing Nazi Germany, and The Red Baron. His work is celebrated for blending action with education, making military history accessible and compelling for all readers.
As this profile on War Is Boring explains, Vansant sees his comics not as entertainment alone, but as a form of remembrance and a visual archive for future generations.
Whether you’re a fan of military history, comics, or just want to hear from a veteran who’s spent a lifetime documenting war in ink and color, you won’t want to miss this conversation.
WayneVansant #TheNam #VietnamWar #MilitaryComics #VeteransBreakfastClub #WarArt #GraphicHistory #VietnamVeteran #VBCOnline
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation on Monday, June 9, 2025, at 7:00pm ET. This online event, part of our ongoing VBC Open Conversation series, invites veterans from all eras of service—as well as families, friends, and supporters—to come together and share stories, memories, and insights about the military experience, past and present. The program will be held on Zoom and streamed live to Facebook and YouTube.
VBC Open Conversations are exactly what they sound like: unscripted, interactive gatherings where the agenda is shaped by those who attend. There are no formal presentations or set topics—just real people sharing real experiences. Whether it’s swapping boot camp stories, discussing combat tours, reflecting on the transition to civilian life, or exploring current issues facing today’s military and veteran communities, these conversations cover it all.
We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Todd DePastino at todd@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
This event is free and open to all. Whether you have something to share or simply want to listen and learn, we welcome you to be part of the conversation!
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
For the first time in our Veterans Breakfast Club history, we’re shining a spotlight on an essential but often invisible force in America’s recent wars: military contractors. Join us for this important livestream conversation with Ron Farina, Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and author of Out of the Shadows, and a panel of former contractors who served alongside U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other combat zones under Department of Defense contracts.
We also welcome Rob Kugler, a Marine Corps veteran, whose brother, Mike, served as a military contractor and was killed in Iraq in 2007. This profound loss propelled Rob into a mission of healing and storytelling. In his memoir, A Dog Named Beautiful, Rob chronicles his cross-country journey with his three-legged chocolate lab, Bella. This heartfelt narrative captures the essence of love, loss, and the road to recovery. Through his travels, Rob found solace and a renewed purpose, connecting with countless individuals and sharing stories that underscore the human cost of war.
Also joining us are Traci Protzenko and Colette Protzenko Sparks, sisters of Paul Protzenko, who was killed in action on July 9, 2011 in Panjshir, Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Paul dedicated his life to the service of his country and its people. He proudly served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne stationed overseas in Vicenza, Italy, retiring with the rank of Sergeant. Upon receiving an honorable discharge, he spent the next 21 years as a State Trooper. He earned the Life Saving Medal twice during his tenure. Immediately upon retirement from the State Police in 2009, he left for Afghanistan to become part of a Police Mentoring Team that trained the Afghan National Police Force. Paul was stationed for the better part of 2 years in the Panjshir Province of Afghanistan. During this time, he was instrumental in bringing the first Crime Scene Investigation Class to the Afghan National Police Force. This innovative class was well received and written up in the Army magazine, “Stars and Stripes.” Paul was killed on July 9, 2011 on the way to the Darah Police Station by an Afghan National Directorate of Security.
This growing reliance on civilian contractors raises fundamental questions:
Are contractors part of the military profession?
Do they share the same code of conduct, sense of duty, and social obligation?
How do they view their roles—and how do traditional military personnel view them?
Research shows that many contractors come from law enforcement or prior military backgrounds, but often operate with different motivations, typically driven more by economic incentives than by the vocational calling traditionally associated with military service. Their training and operational directives are frequently dictated by government contracts, but they exist outside the chain of command and military legal structure. This “securitized management of violence” blurs the line between soldier and mercenary—and challenges long-held notions of military professionalism.
Despite their integral role, contractors often return home to no welcome, no resources, and no community. They lack access to VA services, often receive no formal recognition, and are largely absent from public memory. As Ron Farina emphasizes in his work, these “invisible warriors” bear many of the same wounds as veterans—PTSD, moral injury, survivor’s guilt—but without the support structure uniformed veterans rely on.
This program will feature the voices of those contractors. They’ll speak about their motivations, missions, relationships with military personnel, and the personal struggles they’ve faced in service and upon returning home. We’ll also discuss the broader ethical, legal, and economic implications of America’s unprecedented reliance on private military firms—some of which now rival the defense budgets of small nations.
Let’s give voice to those who served without a uniform but with no less courage, commitment, and consequence.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Seventy-five years ago, on June 25, 1950, North Korean forces launched a surprise invasion across the 38th parallel into South Korea, setting off a brutal and complex conflict that would last three years, claim millions of lives, and shape the Cold War. The Korean War—often called the “Forgotten War”—began with tanks rolling into Seoul at dawn and ended with a hard-fought armistice that still holds today.
To mark this important anniversary, the Veterans Breakfast Club is honored to host a special livestream conversation with Ryan Walkowski, military history researcher and author of the forthcoming Combat in Korea: Eighteen Veterans Remember the War. Joining Ryan will be several Korean War veterans he interviewed for the book—men who fought in the harsh winters and rugged mountains of the Korean Peninsula and who carry vivid memories of that distant, often overlooked war.
Walkowski, whose grandfather served in Korea, has traveled the country collecting stories from veterans of all branches. His mission is simple: to make sure these stories are heard and remembered. The result is a remarkable oral history project that captures the grit, sacrifice, and humanity of those who served in Korea between 1950 and 1953.
This VBC program will bring those voices to life. You’ll hear firsthand accounts of combat, survival, and camaraderie from veterans who were there—at the Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, Chosin Reservoir, and the 38th Parallel. You’ll also hear from Walkowski about why he took on this project and how these veterans’ stories shed new light on a war that deserves far more attention.
As always, we invite viewers to participate, ask questions, and share reflections as we remember the war that began 75 years ago and the veterans who lived it.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join us as we welcome Jeremy D. Baker, former Army counterintelligence agent, Afghanistan combat veteran and author of the novel The Guilty Sleep, a thriller that draws on Jeremy’s personal experiences as a combat veteran struggling to overcome PTSD.
In 2000, after acing his Army entrance exam, 20-year-old college dropout Jeremy was told by his recruiter that he could pick any specialty he wanted. He chose counterintelligence because he thought it sounded cool. A year later, in the wake of 9/11, that choice proved fateful.
As a soldier with the 202nd Military Intelligence Battalion, he was sent to Afghanistan in the first wave of US troops tasked with finding Osama Bin Laden, destroying al-Qaeda, and ousting the Taliban.
Operating in and around Kandahar, he was the CI assigned to the 19th Special Forces Group of Green Berets, a number of whom were older and had served tours in Vietnam. Little did Jeremy know the extent to which his time in Afghanistan would stay with him and shape his life.
With Jeremy as our guide, we’ll learn what ‘counterintelligence’ looked like early on in Afghanistan, what it was like working with Green Berets who’d served in Vietnam, the combat situations they encountered and how our 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan affected him.
Jeremy will also share his experiences overcoming PTSD, utilizing the CERT method, how writing helped him heal and why the fall of Afghanistan moved him to write The Guilty Sleep, the fictional story of Afghanistan veteran Dexter Grant who is broke, reeling from PTSD, and on the verge of divorce when he’s approached by his old Army buddies to help rescue their former interpreter, the man who once saved Dex’s life.
Lee Childs described The Guilty Sleep as being “shot-thru with hard-won authenticity and deep humanity” and USMC veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan Elliot Ackerman praised it as cutting “sharp and deep.”
The Guilty Sleep (Diversion Books) is available online at all major booksellers. To find out more about Jeremy’s work, go to jeremydbaker.com.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Tonight we mark Women Veterans Day, which is observed annually on June 12 to commemorate the signing of the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act into law by President Truman in 1948. This act allowed women to serve permanently in the regular armed forces.
To help us honor this anniversary, we invite playwright Ash Singer, whose recent documentary theater play, In Their Footsteps brings to life the true stories of five American women—two military officers and three civilian volunteers—who served during the Vietnam War. Joining Ash will be Ann Kelsey, whose story is dramatized in the play, along with other women featured.
Developed from in-depth oral histories, the script captures their poignant, humorous, and harrowing experiences, shedding light on the often-overlooked contributions of women in wartime. The performance immerses audiences in the personal narratives of Ann Kelsey, Judy Jenkins Gaudino, Doris “Lucki” Allen, Jeanne “Sam” Christie, and Lily Adams. Through innovative staging and modular set pieces that transform into various wartime settings—such as bunkers, rooftops, and military vehicles—the play delves into themes of service, resilience, and the psychological toll of war, including issues like sexual harassment and PTSD.
Since its initial workshop in New York City in 2017, In Their Footsteps has had an impressive run:
2018: Featured in the East to Edinburgh Festival at 59E59 Theaters in NYC and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
2019: Performed at the BorderLight International Fringe Festival in Cleveland, Ohio, and at the Women’s Overseas Service League annual conference in San Antonio, Texas.
2020–2021: Adapted into a Zoom production and a radio play in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding its reach to schools and veteran organizations.
2021: Presented at the OnStage! Festival in Milan and Rome, Italy.
The production is set to return in Fall 2025 with a new run at the Bronx Music Hall, offering an even more immersive experience. Plans are also underway for a 2025–26 tour of New York City schools and a multi-city U.S. tour, aiming to engage diverse audiences through performances, discussions, and educational workshops.
In 2020, IVP collaborated with WLIW-FM to produce a radio adaptation of In Their Footsteps, which premiered on NPR station 88.3 WLIW-FM Long Island. This adaptation, titled “Revisiting ‘In Their Footsteps’ in Honor of Dr. ‘Lucki’ Allen,” earned a 2025 Gracie Award for Excellence in Radio Programming. The Gracie Awards, presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, honor exemplary programming created by, for, and about women.The radio play features authentic soundscapes and the voices of the original women, providing listeners with an intimate and powerful portrayal of their experiences. It serves as a testament to the enduring impact of these women’s stories and the importance of preserving their legacy through various media.
For more information or to listen to the radio play, visit WLIW-FM’s website.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for an open and wide-ranging virtual conversation on Monday, June 9, 2025, at 7:00pm ET. This online event, part of our ongoing VBC Open Conversation series, invites veterans from all eras of service—as well as families, friends, and supporters—to come together and share stories, memories, and insights about the military experience, past and present.
VBC Open Conversations are exactly what they sound like: unscripted, interactive gatherings where the agenda is shaped by those who attend. There are no formal presentations or set topics—just real people sharing real experiences. Whether it’s swapping boot camp stories, discussing combat tours, reflecting on the transition to civilian life, or exploring current issues facing today’s military and veteran communities, these conversations cover it all.
One of our storytellers on June 9 will be USAF veteran John JC Miller, whom we’ve invited on to share a unique story from Southeast Asia in the 1970s.
John entered the U.S. Air Force Academy in June 1965 and graduated in June 1969. John’s military career was wide-ranging and reflective of the changing cultural and institutional dynamics of the era. He first served 18 months in Manpower (AFSC 7464, management engineering), followed by 10 months in an Information Office role (AFSC 7921), and then 30 months in the Race Relations field (AFSC 7364), where he helped pioneer programs aimed at improving understanding and cohesion among service members.
His final duty station was at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield in Thailand, a major B-52 bomber base during the Vietnam War. There, from 1973 to 1974, John spent 489 days working with flight crews under intense stress and frequent interpersonal conflict. Despite the challenges, he found the experience deeply rewarding. The human relations courses he facilitated earned a 97% effectiveness rating, with participants reporting meaningful improvements in cross-cultural understanding and morale.
After separating from the Air Force, John took a prolonged break from traditional employment, allowing time to process the profound impacts of his service.
We believe every veteran has a story to tell and wisdom to share. This event is a chance to listen, learn, and connect with others who understand the unique bonds and challenges of military service. If you have something on your mind—whether a personal memory, a question, or a topic you think deserves attention—we encourage you to bring it to the conversation. Veterans are also invited to email Todd DePastino at todd@veteransbreakfastclub.org with any specific topics or issues they’d like to discuss.
The Veterans Breakfast Club’s mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, and our Open Conversations are one of the most dynamic ways we do that. These sessions are often wide-ranging, emotional, funny, and thought-provoking, providing a welcoming space where everyone’s voice is valued.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
We talk with members of the famous United States Military Academy at West Point’s Class of 1966, which holds a unique and tragic place in American history. Brian Ashbaugh, Walt Brinker, Rusty Correia, Al Lindseth, and Jerry Cecil all join us to share their memories of that remarkable era.
Rick Atkinson’s book, The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point’s Class of 1966, provides an in-depth and personal account of their collective journey, following a core group of graduates through their cadet years, their deployments to Vietnam, and their lives afterward.
By the time they graduated, the Vietnam War was escalating, and many were sent into the conflict within months of receiving their commissions.
In Vietnam, these young officers faced a brutal baptism by fire. Many became platoon leaders or company commanders, responsible for leading men in deadly jungle warfare against a highly motivated and elusive enemy. The casualties were staggering—of the 579 graduates, at least 30 were killed in action, and many more were wounded.
We look forward to asking our guests how much their experiences align with the story Atkinson tells.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Join the Veterans Breakfast Club for a special Memorial Day virtual event on Monday, May 26, 2025, at 7:00pm ET. This live, online conversation invites veterans, families, and friends to gather in an open, heartfelt space to honor and remember those who have fallen in service to our nation.
Memorial Day is a time of national reflection and remembrance—a day dedicated to honoring the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday began in the aftermath of the Civil War and has grown into a solemn tradition observed across the country with parades, ceremonies, and personal acts of remembrance. At the Veterans Breakfast Club, where our mission is to create communities of listening around veterans and their stories, we see Memorial Day as a powerful opportunity to ensure that the stories of the fallen continue to be shared and remembered.
Our Memorial Day livestream will not be a formal ceremony but a casual, interactive conversation. We invite veterans to speak from the heart about their own experiences, to share memories of comrades who never made it home, and to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in service. Family members, friends, and civilians are also encouraged to participate, whether by sharing a remembrance or simply listening in respect and reflection. We expect the conversation to be deeply moving, as participants express personal stories of sacrifice and loss.
By hosting the event in the evening—after parades and public commemorations have ended—we aim to create a quiet, meaningful space for community connection and shared remembrance. Memorial Day is about more than ceremonies; it’s about keeping alive the legacies of the fallen through the stories we tell.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Vietnam Veterans and writers Bruce “Doc” Norton and Harry Kantrovich join us to talk about their new book and stage production, Voices From Vietnam: Interviews, Letters, Vignettes, and Reflections, 1964–1982. This unique conversation will explore their collaborative journey in bringing the Vietnam War’s deeply personal stories to life—both on the page and on the stage.
Voices From Vietnam is a powerful tribute to those who lived through the Vietnam War, drawing together 67 firsthand accounts from soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen, nurses, prisoners of war, family members, a Vietnamese refugee, and others whose lives were forever changed by the conflict. Originally envisioned as a stage play, the project evolved into a published book and a moving stage production. Through interviews, letters, poems, and vignettes, Norton and Kantrovich offer a wide-ranging, authentic portrait of the war’s human cost and enduring impact.
Their stage adaptation premiered in November 2024 at the Journey Theater in Warrenton, Virginia, earning praise for its raw and emotional storytelling. Performed as a series of intimate monologues and readings, the play draws audiences into the lived experiences of those who served, struggled, and sacrificed during one of America’s most divisive wars.
In this livestream conversation, Doc Norton and Dr. Kantrovich will share behind-the-scenes insights about creating Voices From Vietnam, the process of gathering stories, and the challenges of translating wartime experiences into both written and dramatic form. They will also reflect on their own military careers—Norton’s as a Marine Corps Force Recon veteran and historian, and Kantrovich’s as a Navy Command Master Chief—and how their service shaped their commitment to honoring the voices of Vietnam.
Whether you’re a veteran, a student of military history, or simply interested in the personal narratives of war, this is an opportunity to hear directly from two remarkable storytellers and veterans dedicated to preserving memory and truth.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
We welcome two people who have devoted themselves to educating the nation about the long Korean War and those who served and sacrificed for South Korea’s freedom. The first is Susan Kee whose “Honoring Korean War Veterans” project has documented the stories of over 500 Korean War veterans and advocated for the families of those still MIA since the war.
Joining Susan is Army Korean War veteran Ron Twentey, who served in Korea in 1955-1957. Ron grew up in a small farm community near Frederick, Maryland, and worked on local farms from the age of ten, performing hard labor without modern mechanized equipment. Earning 25 cents an hour, he gained an appreciation for the value of work. A strong childhood memory from 1944 was collecting milkweed pods for the war effort, which were used as a substitute for kapok in life jackets. This initiative made him feel like he was contributing to the war.
During high school, Twentey watched the Korean War unfold. He was awarded a scholarship to the University of Maryland for his track and field abilities but was uncertain about his future. Ultimately, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army for three years, intending to return to school afterward.
His military service began with basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, with the 101st Airborne Division. He then attended the Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, specializing in military drafting. Upon completing his training, Twentey and his entire class of 22 men were assigned to Korea. Departing from Seattle, Washington, on a troop ship, he arrived in Inchon after a 20-day journey. From there, they took an old steam train north toward the DMZ. Unaware of their exact destination, they were dropped off and left alone until a convoy of trucks transported them to a replacement tent compound. That night, local Korean boys raided the camp, stealing Army blankets and supplies—a common occurrence due to poverty and shortages following the war.
The next day, Twentey was assigned to Headquarters, 24th Infantry Division, G-3 Combat Operations, south of Munsan-Ni. The division had recently returned from Japan to safeguard the DMZ following the Korean War armistice. The fragile peace was frequently challenged by North Korean infiltrators. Twentey served as an Infantry Operations Specialist and Platoon Sergeant, maintaining records of minefield locations above the Imjin River, overseeing maps in the bunker and mobile war rooms, and tracking U.S. and UN troop movements within the DMZ. His work was classified, reflecting the sensitive nature of operations at the time.
Additionally, he was tasked with plotting potential nuclear targets throughout North Korea. Using the “Atomic Annie” cannon as a potential delivery method, his job required pinpointing key targets—a task so secretive that he was ordered to forget about it once completed.
Twentey served in Korea for 16 months before returning to the U.S. and becoming an engineering instructor. After leaving the military, he worked as a draftsman, eventually transitioning into marketing and communications. His contributions highlight the intricate and often perilous roles played by soldiers in the Korean War and its aftermath, emphasizing the enduring challenges of peacekeeping in a volatile region.
World War II is the last war America fought that had clearly defined goals: defeating the Nazis and halting Japanese imperialism. Our efforts were supported by a civilian and military leadership that understood what victory looked like and were aligned on how to achieve it. That unity was critical to ensuring the support of the citizenry.
Since then, the U.S. has sent our military off to fight in multiple regional wars – from Korea to Vietnam to Afghanistan – that turned into quagmires, conflicts in which civilian leaders and military advisors often disagreed on goals, how to achieve them and what the end game looked like.
Joining us to discuss what went wrong in these wars and how the Army is changing its approach to avoid repeating the same mistakes is U.S. Army Colonel Anastasia Breslow-Kynaston who is currently completing her master’s in Strategic Studies at the Army War College. This degree has been redesigned to mark the Army’s transition from the ‘down and in thinking’ of organizational leadership, where unit optimization and readiness were the primary focus, to the ‘up and out thinking’ that factors in the global ramifications of American military action and how it unfolds.
She will explain how a new generation of military leaders are being taught to anticipate and navigate the inevitable tension between our national interests and their affect upon the global community by studying the missteps of past conflicts. This includes topics such as strategic empathy (Iraq – understanding our adversaries), theories of victory (North Vietnam – winning by simply continuing to exist), and the importance of civil-military relations (Korea – MacArthur getting relieved during the Korea war).
She will also share how this new approach is meant to develop critical thinkers and strategic problem solvers that understand how the military fits with the non-military instruments of national power to advance U.S. interests and support the rules-based international order.
Colonel Breslow-Kynaston brings significant experience to her work. She served two tours in Afghanistan. The first with the 1/229th Aviation Battalion Attack in 2002-2003, and the second in 2010 as Commander of the Division Signal Company for the 101st Airborne Division. In addition, she served for a year in Ramadi, Iraq with the 1st Engineer Battalion. During that time, as one of the original Lioness soldiers, she was attached to the 2/4 Marines during the 2004 Battle of Ramadi. Colonel Breslow-Kynaston, along with four of her fellow Team Lioness members, were featured in the documentary film Lioness which aired nationally on PBS.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
The Fall of Saigon marked the official end of the Vietnam War. On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, bringing about the unconditional surrender of the South Vietnamese government and reunifying Vietnam under communist rule.
In early 1975, North Vietnam launched the Spring Offensive, a massive military campaign aimed at defeating South Vietnam. U.S. forces had largely withdrawn after the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, which were supposed to ensure peace and political resolution. However, fighting resumed almost immediately, and by March 1975, North Vietnamese forces began sweeping through the Central Highlands with little resistance. City after city fell—Ban Me Thuot, then Hue, then Da Nang. The South Vietnamese military, riddled with corruption, low morale, and logistical failures, crumbled quickly.
By mid-April, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) had surrounded Saigon. Panic gripped the city. Over two million residents—government officials, soldiers, and civilians—feared brutal retribution from communist forces. The U.S., which had drastically reduced its presence in Vietnam, prepared to evacuate remaining American personnel and as many South Vietnamese allies as possible.
The evacuation was codenamed Operation Frequent Wind. It began in earnest on April 29, as NVA shelling closed Tan Son Nhut Airport. Helicopters became the only viable means of escape. U.S. Marine and Air America helicopters shuttled people from the U.S. Embassy and other buildings in Saigon to ships offshore in the South China Sea. Scenes of desperate Vietnamese civilians scaling embassy walls, clinging to departing helicopters, and crowding onto rooftops became iconic images of the war’s chaotic end.
During the final days, U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin remained in denial, delaying evacuation and worsening the chaos. Only about 7,000 Vietnamese were airlifted out in time. Tens of thousands more were left behind.
On the morning of April 30, the last U.S. Marines guarding the embassy were airlifted out under fire. At around 11:30 AM, North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace. President Duong Van Minh, who had been appointed only days earlier in a last-ditch effort to negotiate a peaceful handover, surrendered unconditionally.
The war was over. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, and the South Vietnamese government ceased to exist. Tens of thousands of former South Vietnamese officials, military officers, and intellectuals were sent to reeducation camps. A mass exodus of refugees began—many fled by boat, leading to the “boat people” crisis in the late 1970s and 1980s.
The Fall of Saigon was not just a military collapse but a symbol of the United States’ failure to achieve its objectives in Vietnam despite years of fighting, enormous casualties, and massive financial investment. It left a deep scar on American foreign policy and military planning and redefined how the U.S. approached future conflicts.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Poet Jehanne Dubrow has written much about life in the military community. Her latest poetry collection Civilians delves into the profound transition from military to civilian life, reflecting her personal journey as a Navy spouse alongside her husband, LCDR Jeremy Schaub. This work serves as the concluding volume in her trilogy exploring the military spouse experience, following Stateside (2010) and Dots & Dashes (2017). We welcome Jehanne and Jeremy to talk about their life together with Daria Sommers.
In Civilians, Dubrow examines the complexities that arise when a service member retires after decades of military service. The collection addresses the challenges both partners face as they navigate the shift from structured military roles to the uncharted territory of civilian life. Dubrow’s poems candidly explore questions such as: What becomes of a sailor removed from a world of uniforms and uniformity? How is his language changed? His geography? And what happens to a wife once physical and emotional distances are erased, and she is reunited with her husband, a man made strange and foreign by his contact with war?
Drawing inspiration from classical literature, Dubrow intertwines themes from works like Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Homer’s Odyssey, Euripides’s The Trojan Women, and Sophocles’s Philoctetes. This intertextuality enriches her exploration of transformation, displacement, and the search for identity post-service. For instance, she reflects on Penelope’s role in The Odyssey as a parallel to her own experience, contemplating the challenges of loyalty and autonomy during her husband’s deployments.
The collection also addresses the emotional landscape of reintegration, highlighting the subtle yet profound shifts in marital dynamics. Dubrow’s poetry captures the tension between longing for reunion and the reality of change, as both partners must reconcile their evolved identities within the marriage. Her work offers readers a candid look at the experience of watching a loved one adjust to home life after a career of military service, blending formal and free verse with materials ranging from the historical to the personal.
Through Civilians, Dubrow provides a nuanced perspective on the often-overlooked experiences of military spouses, shedding light on the intricate process of redefining relationships and selfhood beyond the military sphere. Her poetry not only personalizes the broader narrative of military families but also invites readers to empathize with the universal themes of change, resilience, and love amidst uncertainty.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Vietnam Veteran and Catholic priest Fr. Philip Salois joins us with his biographers, Julien Ayotte and Paul F. Caranci, to talk about his experiences during the Vietnam War and his subsequent commitment to spiritual healing, a story told in In the Shadows of Vietnam: The Gallant Life of Fr. Philip Salois.
Salois grew up in a devout Catholic family, which laid the foundation for his deep-rooted faith. In March 1969, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, leading to his deployment to Vietnam in September of the same year. Assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, Salois faced the harsh realities of jungle warfare, a stark contrast to his previous life in Rhode Island.
On February 28, 1970, Salois’s platoon was tasked with locating and neutralizing the 133rd North Vietnamese Army Battalion near the village of Suoi Kiet. The following day, they inadvertently walked into a horseshoe-shaped ambush.Six soldiers were trapped behind enemy lines, their survival hinging on immediate rescue. Demonstrating extraordinary courage, Salois and fellow soldier Herb Klug volunteered to rescue their comrades. Before venturing into the line of fire, Salois prayed, making a solemn promise to God: if he emerged unscathed, he would dedicate his life to divine service. Their brave actions led to the rescue of four soldiers; tragically, Klug was killed during the mission. For his valor, Salois was awarded the Silver Star.
After returning from Vietnam, Salois grappled with the haunting memories of war. In 1974, while attending a Catholic seminary in California, he recalled the promise he had made during the ambush. This realization propelled him toward priesthood, leading to his ordination as Father Philip Salois in 1984. Advocate for Veterans
Father Salois dedicated his priesthood to supporting veterans, particularly those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His firsthand combat experience allowed him to connect deeply with their struggles. As the Chief of Chaplains in the Boston VA Healthcare System, he provided spiritual guidance and organized retreats and conferences nationwide, offering solace and understanding to countless veterans.
Father Salois’s journey from a soldier in the jungles of Vietnam to a priest devoted to healing the invisible wounds of war exemplifies resilience and compassion. His life serves as a testament to the enduring impact of faith and the profound difference one individual can make in the lives of others.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
We welcome back Major General William M. Matz Jr., a distinguished retired U.S. Army officer, whose new book, My Toughest Battle: A Soldier’s Lifelong Struggle with Polio, chronicles his journey of overcoming polio and his distinguished military career.
Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1962, Matz embarked on a military career that spanned over three decades. As an infantryman, he served in Korea and Panama, and as a company commander with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, where he was wounded during the 1968 Tet Offensive. His service extended to multiple tours with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, and he held the position of executive secretary to Secretaries of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Frank Carlucci. Matz also served two years with Navy/Marine Corps amphibious forces in the Pacific during a second tour in Vietnam and deployed with the 7th Infantry Division to Panama during Operation JUST CAUSE in 1989.
Upon retiring from the Army in 1995, Matz transitioned to the defense industry, holding positions such as Vice President of Army Programs at Raytheon Company and General Manager for Vinnell/Northrop Grumman’s Saudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed him to the Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission, where he served until 2008. He also served as President of the National Association for Uniformed Services, advocating for service members, veterans, and their families.
In January 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Matz as the Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), a position he held until March 2021. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and memorials, honoring the service of U.S. armed forces.
Throughout his career, Matz received numerous military awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star for Valor, Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
During the Vietnam War, American civilians played pivotal roles in supporting both military operations and humanitarian efforts, working through government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Thousands of these civilians were women, and we talk with several of them tonight!
Ann Kelsey was a UCLA graduate when she volunteered for the Army Special Services to serve in Vietnam as a civilian librarian. In Vietnam, Kelsey managed the U.S. Army Headquarters Area Command Library in Saigon before overseeing four libraries across Cam Ranh Bay, the Sixth Convalescent Center, Dong Ba Thin, and Nha Trang. These libraries functioned much like small-town public libraries, providing soldiers with access to books, records, and movies. They served as crucial sanctuaries, offering soldiers a respite from the war and a connection to the familiar comforts of home.
Kelsey’s role extended beyond managing library resources; she assisted soldiers with correspondence courses, helping them pursue educational goals amidst the chaos of war. Her dedication to supporting the troops highlighted the importance of intellectual engagement and morale-boosting activities during the conflict.
After her service in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970, Ann continued her career in library science, working in various libraries and specializing in automation planning and system procurement. She remained actively involved in veterans’ organizations and efforts to document the oral histories of veterans, ensuring that the experiences of those who served are preserved for future generations. wliw.org+2oralhistory.rutgers.edu+2news.ucr.edu+2
Ann’s experiences in Vietnam not only exemplify the critical role of civilian support during wartime but also underscore the profound impact such service can have on both the individuals who serve and those they support.
René Johnson similarly felt a compelling need to understand the U.S. involvement in the war firsthand. In 1969, after graduating from Florida State University, she joined the American Red Cross’s Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO) program, becoming one of the esteemed “Donut Dollies.”
René was initially stationed at Chu Lai with the Americal Division and later at Cu Chi with the 25th Infantry Division. Her primary role involved traveling to remote fire support bases via helicopter, where she and her colleagues organized morale-boosting activities for the troops. A typical day entailed boarding a helicopter around six in the morning, visiting one or two firebases, conducting programs for at least five hours, serving lunch, and then returning to base to prepare for the next day’s activities.
The challenges were significant. René recounted that visiting soldiers in hospitals, especially those with severe injuries, was particularly taxing. She grappled with finding the right words to comfort those who had sustained critical wounds, such as lost limbs or disfigured faces, and endeavored to reassure them about their futures.
Despite the hardships, René found her work deeply fulfilling. After completing her one-year tour as a Donut Dollie, she felt a profound connection to Vietnam and its people. This bond led her to return with the U.S. Army Special Services in the Service Club division, further supporting the troops and local communities.
Betty Burris felt it wasn’t fair that our men were subject to the draft and women weren’t. Betty applied to the Air Force but was told she’d have to wait for induction, probably due to a quota that limited the number of women in the military. As a USO volunteer in Philadelphia, she learned of the American Red Cross (ARC) Service in Military Hospitals program. Betty served in the ARC as a Social Worker from 1970 to 1978 in the Portsmouth Naval Regional Medical Center (Virginia), Valley Forge Army Hospital (Pennsylvania), 95th Evacuation Hospital (Vietnam) , Saigon Army Hospital (Vietnam), Wiesbaden Air Force Hospital (Germany), and the Philadelphia Naval Regional Medical Center (Pennsylvania).
We’ll also talk with other women who served in Vietnam with the US Agency for International Development , Non-governmental organizations, and the American Red Cross.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
We invite veterans of Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance (Force Recon) to talk about their service in Vietnam. Bill Barber and Bruce “Doc” Norton both have stories about conducting deep reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, and direct action missions behind enemy lines.
Unlike conventional infantry units, Force Recon operated in small teams, often just six to eight men, inserted by helicopter, boat, or foot deep into enemy-controlled territory. Their primary mission was to locate and observe North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong movements, determine enemy strength, and call in airstrikes or artillery on enemy positions. They also conducted raids, prisoner snatches, ambushes, and battle damage assessments. The nature of their work meant they frequently engaged in brutal, close-quarters combat, often fighting their way out of overwhelming enemy forces.
Force Recon’s training and operational methods set them apart from standard Marine infantry. They were trained in airborne operations, scuba diving, long-range patrolling, and survival in enemy territory. Their missions required a high level of stealth, endurance, and mental toughness, as they could be alone in the jungle for days, surviving on limited rations while avoiding detection. In Vietnam’s dense terrain, Force Recon teams had to move silently, leaving no trace, and blend into the jungle to observe enemy troop movements. They carried suppressed weapons, radios for calling in fire support, and often had to break contact with superior enemy forces using a combination of speed, deception, and well-planned extraction procedures.
Bill Barber served with the First Force Reconnaissance Company, Third Reconnaissance Battalion in I Corps Vietnam in 1965-1966. He stayed in the Marine Corps after returning from Vietnam and went on to serve in Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Panama Invasion.
Bruce “Doc” Norton, a Navy Corpsman who served with Marine Force Recon in Vietnam, later became an author and historian, documenting the experiences of these elite Marines. Norton’s writings provide firsthand insight into the brutal and relentless nature of Force Recon missions. His accounts describe the grueling conditions of operating in triple-canopy jungle, where visibility was limited, and the ever-present danger of ambushes, booby traps, and enemy patrols made every step a potential death trap. He wrote about the intense firefights that would erupt when a recon team was compromised, often requiring rapid extraction by helicopter under heavy enemy fire. In these situations, the ability to call in airstrikes and artillery with precision was the difference between survival and annihilation.
Norton’s experiences also highlight the bond among Force Recon Marines and their dedication to each other. As a corpsman, he was responsible for treating wounded Marines under fire, sometimes having to perform life-saving procedures while rounds cracked through the jungle around them. His books detail moments of heroism, loss, and the sheer physical and mental toll that these missions took on the men who conducted them. Unlike the large-scale battles of conventional Marine units, Force Recon’s war was often fought in the shadows, a relentless cycle of stealth, violence, and survival.
Marine Force Recon’s impact on the Vietnam War was significant. Their intelligence-gathering efforts helped shape Marine operations in I Corps, allowing commanders to anticipate enemy movements and strike before the NVA or Viet Cong could. Their direct action missions disrupted enemy logistics, eliminated key targets, and kept pressure on enemy forces in areas where large Marine units could not operate effectively. Despite their small numbers, Force Recon Marines were a force multiplier, striking fear into the enemy and providing invaluable battlefield intelligence.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
This compelling conversation revolves around the memories of Vietnam veterans regarding the 1969 draft lottery, a pivotal moment in American history. The lottery, televised nationally, replaced the previous system of deferments, particularly the college student deferment, which had shielded many young men, including some of the participants, from immediate conscription. The event was highly anticipated and anxiety-inducing, with participants glued to their radios or televisions to learn their fate. The veterans’ experiences illustrate the emotional weight of this lottery, highlighting how it impacted their lives and future plans.
The veterans describe the lottery’s mechanics: two drums containing birthdates and numbers, respectively, were used to randomly assign draft numbers. Lower numbers meant a higher likelihood of being drafted into the Vietnam War. Several veterans vividly recall the palpable tension and the stark contrast in reactions between those receiving low and high numbers. One veteran, Chad, recounts how his low number didn’t immediately alter his plans but forced him to seriously consider his future and ultimately led him to pursue a commission in the Navy. This illustrates how the Vietnam lottery dramatically altered the trajectory of young men’s lives. Many of them, like the veterans in this discussion, found themselves faced with a difficult decision, and the shadow of Vietnam hung heavy over their futures. Even those who had already enlisted found the lottery to have a significant impact, some using it to justify self-initiated eliminations from training programs.
The discussion underscores the stark differences between volunteering for service and being drafted. Those who volunteered often had more choice regarding their assignment, unlike draftees who were frequently assigned to infantry units and faced a higher probability of combat in Vietnam. This crucial difference highlights the unequal distribution of risk and opportunity inherent in the system. Several veterans described their choice to enlist, highlighting the various reasons, including the opportunity for specialized training and the differing lengths of service compared to the draft. They discuss the logistical complications, particularly concerning the length of service and unexpected early releases, often impacting their financial planning and family life.
The veterans also touch upon the significant number of Americans who fled to Canada to avoid the draft, highlighting the widespread anti-war sentiment and the lengths many went to avoid deployment to Vietnam. While precise numbers remain elusive, estimates range from 30,000 to 60,000. This conversation, however, does not omit the often untold story of Canadians who chose to join the US military to fight in Vietnam, showing that there were many people on both sides of this particular border issue. The participants speak to the emotional and practical challenges faced by those who made these difficult choices, illustrating the deep divisions within the country during this time. The stories shared by those who went to Vietnam remind us that many lives were affected by this war in profound ways. The Donut Dollies, while not explicitly mentioned in their anecdotes, represent a parallel story of civilian involvement in the Vietnam War, providing a stark contrast to the experiences of soldiers who served on the frontlines and felt the ever-present threat of the draft. The women of the Donut Dollies program provided invaluable support to the troops, and their stories are a reminder that civilians, too, were affected by the war effort.
The discussion highlights the complexities of the Vietnam War era and the lasting impact of the draft lottery on the lives of countless American men. The veterans’ candid reflections paint a picture of a generation grappling with profound choices amidst immense social and political upheaval. Their shared experiences underscore the psychological toll of the war, whether they served in Vietnam or dodged the draft, and the collective memory of this tumultuous period. It was a time where even a simple radio announcement about the draft lottery could dramatically change the course of someone’s life and profoundly shape their memories of the Vietnam war, even years after the fact. The emotional weight of those experiences is conveyed with remarkable honesty, and the contrast between the casual television broadcast of the lottery and the very real human consequences is striking. Even the mention of the Donut Dollies, who provided crucial support in Vietnam, serves as a reminder of the broader context of civilian involvement and the widespread impact of the war.
We call upon all former Navy SeaBees to join us for a conversation marking the 83rd anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Navy’s Construction Battalions on March 5, 1942. Formed in response to the urgent need for military construction forces capable of working under combat conditions, the Seabees have since established themselves as an indispensable part of U.S. military operations.
Before World War II, the Navy relied on civilian contractors to build bases and infrastructure. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into the war, it became clear that construction crews needed to be able to defend themselves. The solution was the formation of Naval Construction Battalions—skilled builders trained as combatants. The name “Seabees” comes from the phonetic pronunciation of the initials “CB.”
Seabees undergo rigorous training that combines construction expertise with military readiness. Initial training takes place at the Naval Construction Training Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, and Port Hueneme, California. Recruits learn essential skills like carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, heavy equipment operation, and demolition. In addition, they receive weapons training and instruction in defensive tactics, ensuring they can operate in hostile environments. Their motto, “We Build, We Fight,” reflects their dual purpose.
During World War II, Seabees were deployed to the Pacific and European theaters, constructing airstrips, roads, bridges, and bases under combat conditions. They played a key role in the island-hopping campaigns of the Pacific, building the infrastructure necessary for advancing U.S. forces. In the Battle of Guadalcanal, Seabees constructed Henderson Field, a crucial airstrip that enabled the Allies to gain air superiority. At Iwo Jima, they worked under constant enemy fire, repairing airfields to keep American planes in the fight. By the war’s end, Seabees had built over 400 advanced bases and countless facilities that proved essential to victory.
When the Korean War erupted in 1950, the Seabees were once again called upon to provide critical construction support. They built airstrips, roads, and supply depots in challenging environments. One of their most notable achievements was the rapid construction of an airfield at Wonsan, which played a key role in supporting Marine and Army operations. Seabees also repaired and maintained infrastructure in war-torn areas, showcasing their ability to work in extreme conditions.
In Vietnam, the Seabees operated extensively, constructing bases, airstrips, hospitals, and roads while also engaging in civic action projects. They built schools, hospitals, and bridges to help local communities, winning the support of Vietnamese civilians. One of their most daring projects was the construction of Khe Sanh Combat Base, a strategic stronghold. Seabees worked under enemy fire to complete the base, enabling U.S. forces to hold their ground during the pivotal siege of Khe Sanh in 1968.
Since Vietnam, Seabees have continued to play a crucial role in military and humanitarian missions worldwide. They built infrastructure in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, repaired damage from hurricanes and natural disasters, and provided disaster relief in Haiti and the Philippines. In Iraq and Afghanistan, Seabees built forward operating bases, roads, and medical facilities, ensuring U.S. and allied forces had the support they needed.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Vietnam Marine Corps veteran and author Ron Farina's new book, "Sacrifice: The Final Chapter," tells the stories of American Service Members who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the enduring effects on their loved ones.
We talk with Ron about the book and also with three family members profiled in it.
We hear from Helen Keiser-Pederson whose son Captain Andrew Pedersen-Keel was killed in Afghanistan in 2013, Michael and Pat Parry whose son Brian Bill, Navy SEAL, was killed in Afghanistan in 2011, and Rob Kugler, a Marine himself, whose brother and idol, Mike, was killed in Iraq in 2007.
Ron Farina’s storytelling provides an emotional look into the specific acts of sacrifice, using each person’s unique perspective to tell their stories. His Vietnam War experience enables him to capture the essence of military service and sacrifice, not only by these inspirational men and women warriors but also by the remarkable people left behind. The book is a testament to the resilience and strength of these families, highlighting how they navigate their grief and find ways to honor their loved ones’ memories.
Like the book, this program is a call to remember and honor the service and sacrifice of Service Members and their families long after the news stories fade.
This conversation serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of war, urging readers to acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifices made by Service Members and their families. Through vivid and haunting narratives, Farina ensures that the stories of these heroes and their families are not forgotten, but rather honored and remembered.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
We welcome Major General William M. Matz Jr., a distinguished retired U.S. Army officer, whose new book, My Toughest Battle: A Soldier’s Lifelong Struggle with Polio, chronicles his journey of overcoming polio and his distinguished military career.
In August 1944, at a young age, Matz contracted polio, resulting in paralysis of his right leg. Despite a grim prognosis, he demonstrated remarkable determination, undergoing extensive treatments and rehabilitation. His perseverance enabled him to overcome the physical challenges posed by the disease, setting the stage for his future endeavors.
Matz pursued higher education at Gettysburg College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He furthered his studies with a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of San Diego. His academic achievements were complemented by military training, including graduation from the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Airborne and Ranger Schools, the Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College. Additionally, he completed Harvard University’s Senior Executives in Government/Management Course.
Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1962, Matz embarked on a military career that spanned over three decades. As an infantryman, he served in Korea and Panama, and as a company commander with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, where he was wounded during the 1968 Tet Offensive. His service extended to multiple tours with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, and he held the position of executive secretary to Secretaries of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Frank Carlucci. Matz also served two years with Navy/Marine Corps amphibious forces in the Pacific during a second tour in Vietnam and deployed with the 7th Infantry Division to Panama during Operation JUST CAUSE in 1989.
Upon retiring from the Army in 1995, Matz transitioned to the defense industry, holding positions such as Vice President of Army Programs at Raytheon Company and General Manager for Vinnell/Northrop Grumman’s Saudi Arabian National Guard Modernization Program in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed him to the Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission, where he served until 2008. He also served as President of the National Association for Uniformed Services, advocating for service members, veterans, and their families.
In January 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Matz as the Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), a position he held until March 2021. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and memorials, honoring the service of U.S. armed forces.
Throughout his career, Matz received numerous military awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Cross, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star for Valor, Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
The Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pods System (TARPS) was a significant advancement in reconnaissance technology, particularly for the U.S. Navy during the late 20th century. TARPS, developed and deployed during the Gulf War (1990-1991), was a crucial system designed to enhance real-time intelligence-gathering capabilities for naval aviation, especially for carrier-based aircraft.
The system was integrated into F-14 Tomcat fighter jets, allowing them to conduct high-resolution imagery and reconnaissance missions. TARPS utilized a sophisticated suite of sensors, including high-definition cameras and infrared systems, to capture imagery and data over enemy territory. This made it a valuable asset for targeting and surveillance, providing crucial intelligence during the conflict.
One of the individuals behind the deployment of TARPS was Chris Bacon, a Navy veteran who played a role in the system’s operational success. In August 1998, at 17 years old, Chris Bacon joined the Navy and started basic training in Orlando, Florida. After graduation, he went to Photo School in Pensacola, Florida. Upon graduating, he received orders to report to the VF-103, F-14 Fighter Squadron. VF-103 was part of Carrier Air Wing 17, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Shortly after, he deployed for workups in preparation for a six-month deployment. As scheduled, the airwing deployed on August 7 aboard the USS Saratoga and made a rapid crossing of the Mediterranean as Iraq invaded Kuwait. Ten days after deploying, the US began Operation Desert Shield. On the evening of January 28, the USS Saratoga received orders to initiate Desert Storm. After seven months and 21 days of deployment, with 11,700 arrested landings, 12,700 sorties flown, and 36,382 miles traveled, the USS Saratoga returned to its home port on March 28 with fewer sailors.
The success of TARPS marked a significant milestone in the evolution of naval reconnaissance capabilities, enabling Navy pilots to gather detailed intelligence in real time while remaining out of the enemy’s direct line of fire.
During the Gulf War, the U.S. Navy utilized TARPS extensively for various missions, including target identification, battle damage assessment, and strategic reconnaissance over Iraq and Kuwait. The system’s ability to gather high-quality imagery and intelligence played a vital role in guiding airstrikes and shaping military strategy. The data collected by TARPS provided commanders with timely and actionable intelligence, which greatly enhanced the effectiveness of allied forces during the conflict.
TARPS became a benchmark for future reconnaissance technologies, demonstrating the importance of integrating advanced sensors into military aircraft to improve operational effectiveness. It also highlighted the growing importance of real-time intelligence in modern warfare, a trend that would continue to evolve in subsequent conflicts and military technologies.
In addition to its use in the Gulf War, TARPS continued to serve as a vital tool in the U.S. Navy’s arsenal for many years after the conflict. It contributed to numerous intelligence-gathering operations and was a crucial component of naval reconnaissance efforts in the post-Cold War era. TARPS’ legacy paved the way for future advancements in aerial reconnaissance systems and underscored the importance of technological innovation in military operations.
Overall, the development and deployment of TARPS represented a major leap forward in naval aviation technology. Thanks to the efforts of individuals like Chris Bacon and the broader U.S. Navy team, TARPS played a critical role in the Gulf War, providing essential reconnaissance data that helped shape the outcome of the conflict. Its impact on military reconnaissance continues to be felt today as modern systems build on the foundation laid by TARPS.
January 1, 1994, marked Chris’s final six-month deployment, which coincided perfectly with Operation Deny Flight and Operation Provide Promise, which enforced the UN’s no-fly zone and provided air support over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Upon his return, the USS Saratoga docked in Jacksonville, Florida, and was decommissioned. Her last day at sea was his last day in the Navy.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
Vietnam veteran and author Marc Leepson joins us to talk about his new book, The Unlikely War Hero: A Vietnam War POW’s Story of Courage and Resilience in the Hanoi Hilton.
Doug Hegdahl, a young U.S. Navy sailor, became one of the most unlikely heroes during the Vietnam War. Born in South Dakota in 1946, Hegdahl enlisted in the Navy in 1966. His life took a dramatic turn on April 6, 1967, when he was swept overboard from the USS Canberra in the Gulf of Tonkin. Picked up by a North Vietnamese fishing boat, Hegdahl was handed over to enemy forces and imprisoned at the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, known as the “Hanoi Hilton.”
Initially, Hegdahl’s captors viewed him as a low-value prisoner due to his lack of rank or intelligence-related responsibilities. Exploiting this perception, Hegdahl adopted a persona of naivety and incompetence. He pretended to be illiterate and acted as though he could barely understand the basic circumstances of his imprisonment. This ruse, combined with his youthful appearance and seemingly simple demeanor, led his captors to underestimate him.
Hegdahl’s apparent harmlessness earned him a relatively lenient treatment compared to other POWs, many of whom were subjected to severe torture and harsh interrogation. This freedom allowed him to interact with other prisoners, where he quietly began to collect vital information. Hegdahl’s keen memory became his most powerful tool. By covertly communicating with fellow POWs, he memorized the names, capture dates, and personal details of approximately 256 other American prisoners. He developed mnemonic devices and repeated the information constantly, ensuring he would not forget it.
Hegdahl’s captors sought to use him for propaganda purposes. They compelled him to write statements criticizing the U.S. and attempted to feature him in anti-American broadcasts. Hegdahl feigned compliance but deliberately sabotaged these efforts by inserting errors or delivering performances that were so unconvincing they failed to serve their intended purpose. His ability to walk the fine line between appearing cooperative and undermining his captors’ objectives was critical in maintaining his cover.
In 1969, Hegdahl was released as part of a propaganda initiative by the North Vietnamese. Unlike many POWs who resisted early release to avoid being used as political tools, Hegdahl’s decision to leave was strategic. Senior officers among the prisoners encouraged him to accept release so he could bring his valuable information back to the U.S. government. Upon his return, Hegdahl briefed military officials and intelligence agencies, providing a comprehensive list of POWs still held in Vietnam. His meticulous recall of names and details played a key role in later efforts to account for missing personnel.
Hegdahl’s experience as a POW highlighted the importance of unconventional methods in resisting enemy tactics and supporting fellow prisoners. His ability to exploit his captors’ assumptions about him demonstrated the value of adaptability and ingenuity in adverse conditions. While his story was less widely known than those of higher-ranking officers, his contributions to the broader POW effort were profound.
After the war, Hegdahl’s story became a testament to the resilience and resourcefulness of American POWs. His efforts to document the identities and circumstances of his fellow captives provided crucial support to families and military officials seeking closure. In recounting his experiences, Hegdahl often emphasized the importance of collaboration and the shared commitment among POWs to resist their captors and uphold their duty despite extreme adversity.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
This video features a compelling conversation centered around a documentary in production about the “Donut Dollies” in Vietnam. The filmmaker, Libby, whose mother was a Donut Dolly, discusses her project and its significance in highlighting the often-overlooked contributions of these women during the Vietnam War. Libby’s goal is to bring to light the stories of the 627 women who served as Donut Dollies, part of the American Red Cross’s recreation program in Vietnam. She emphasizes that these women served for a full year, a commitment often minimized or misunderstood, and that they are still not officially recognized as military veterans. This lack of recognition is a driving force behind her documentary.
The conversation opens with Libby explaining her motivation, fueled by her parents’ story – her mother, a Donut Dolly, meeting her father, a helicopter pilot, at Camp Eagle. She notes the consistent surprise and misunderstanding she encounters when mentioning her mother’s service, with people often assuming it was a short-term, superficial role. This misunderstanding underscores the need for a documentary that reveals the true scope and impact of the Donut Dollies’ work in Vietnam.
A significant part of the video focuses on Libby’s quest to gather material for her documentary, titled something like “Donut Dollies: Brave Women in the Vietnam War.” She’s already interviewed seventeen Donut Dollies, but she desperately needs veteran accounts to provide context and perspective. She actively solicits testimonials from Vietnam veterans, emphasizing that even brief recollections of their interactions with the Donut Dollies—positive memories or significant encounters—would greatly enhance the documentary.
Several Vietnam veterans participate in the video call, offering invaluable insights and personal anecdotes. One veteran recounts a poignant story of a Donut Dolly, Jenny Kersch, who died shortly after arriving in Vietnam, highlighting the inherent risks these women faced. Another veteran, Rick Weber, a member of the 101st Airborne Division stationed at Camp Eagle, offers to connect Libby with Susan McLean, another Donut Dolly who served with Libby’s mother. He shares his own positive memories of the Donut Dollies, emphasizing their significant morale-boosting role for enlisted men, a function officers weren’t typically involved in. Other veterans share stories, including one of Donut Dollies asleep in a helicopter after a long day, and another of a Donut Dolly holding a baby at an airport before departing for Vietnam. This underscores the often-unseen human cost of service.
The discussion also tackles the controversial “Donut Dolly” moniker itself. Some find the term demeaning and sexist, while others embrace it as the established term of endearment given by the troops they served. The participants acknowledge the diverse opinions surrounding the name, and that some women preferred “SR American Red Cross girls.” This demonstrates the complexity of the legacy of the Donut Dollies and the varied perspectives on this aspect of their service.
The video concludes with Libby reiterating her urgent need for veterans’ accounts and photos before the March release date, coinciding with Women’s History Month, Red Cross Month, and Vietnam Veterans Day. She makes contact information available, underscoring the importance of sharing these stories to ensure the Donut Dollies’ contributions during the Vietnam War are properly acknowledged and remembered. The conversation reveals not only the Donut Dollies’ significant role in boosting morale in Vietnam but also the lasting impact their service has had on the veterans they supported, as well as their own personal and enduring legacy. The call to action for veterans to share their memories underlines the documentary’s aim: to finally give these brave women in Vietnam the recognition and respect they so richly deserve.
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John Quintrell served in Vietnam as a member of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, known as the “Wolfhounds,” part of the 25th Infantry Division. His service spanned a full year of intense combat in 1968, during the Vietnam War. This was a period of high conflict, marked by the Tet Offensive and fierce engagements against the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong forces.
In his memoir, My 365 Days with the Wolfhounds, Quintrell provides a detailed, firsthand account of his experiences during that year. The book captures the daily realities of a combat soldier in Vietnam, including the challenges of jungle warfare, camaraderie among troops, moments of fear and resilience, and the psychological toll of war. His narrative combines personal anecdotes, vivid descriptions of firefights, and reflections on the broader impact of the conflict on soldiers and civilians.
The memoir serves as a tribute to his fellow soldiers and offers readers a raw and authentic perspective on the Vietnam War from someone who lived through its harrowing realities.
The podcast series Someone Is Killing the Wolfhounds is a dramatic adaptation My 365 Days With The Wolfhounds. It chronicles the intense, true story of a group of soldiers in Vietnam grappling with the horrors of war and their volatile, dangerous lieutenant, Ritter. The series captures their decision to take extreme measures to survive, combining the tension of Training Day with the gritty realism of Platoon.
The podcast is produced by Voyage Media and features vivid storytelling with professional sound design, original music, and a compelling cast. It spans ten episodes, exploring themes of camaraderie, survival, and moral conflict amidst the chaos of the Vietnam War. Quintrell himself served as an executive producer, ensuring authenticity in the portrayal of events from his memoir
You can listen to the podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
We are joined by 100-year young WWII 31st Bomb Squad B-24 "Big Buff" Tail Gunner Art McGann.
We also talk with veterans about their DEROS from the military.
Thank you to our sponsors Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life.
Members of the Vietnam Women Veterans Association, who served in staff and lines positions in Vietnam, share their stories with us.
The vast majority of women in Vietnam, over 10,000, served as nurses. But our guests were some of the 1,000 or so other women in Vietnam who weren’t nurses. Our roster of guests include: Pat Jernigan (Army), Elaine James (Army), Nancy Jurgevich (Army), Audrey Bergstresser (Army), Carmen Adams (Navy), Marti Gallo (Air Force), Jeanne Gourley (Air Force), and Sandra Spatz (Marines).
Apart from nurses, most women in Vietnam were Army WACs. WACs held a range of positions, including administrative roles, clerical work, intelligence, communications, and other support functions. Their work was crucial to the daily operations of the U.S. military in Vietnam, as they handled essential tasks that kept the military machine running smoothly.
Many WACs served in administrative positions, working as secretaries, typists, and clerks. These women were responsible for managing military records, typing reports, handling correspondence, and performing other office duties. Their work was often behind the scenes, but it was vital to maintaining the efficiency and organization of military operations. Administrative WACs ensured that orders were processed, records were kept accurately, and communication lines remained open, allowing the military to function effectively.
Some WACs were assigned to intelligence and communications roles. In these positions, women worked on gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information critical to military operations. They may have been involved in decoding messages, monitoring enemy communications, or assisting in the planning and coordination of missions. These roles required a high level of skill and attention to detail, as mistakes could have serious consequences for military strategy and the safety of troops.
WACs also worked in a variety of support services, including logistics, supply management, and personnel management. They were responsible for ensuring that soldiers had the supplies they needed, managing equipment and resources, and assisting in the coordination of personnel movements. These roles were essential to maintaining the overall effectiveness of the military force in Vietnam, ensuring that soldiers were well-equipped and supported in the field.
WACs in Vietnam faced a number of challenges, both in their professional roles and in their daily lives. The environment was often hostile, with the constant threat of attacks and the difficult conditions of living in a war zone. Additionally, many of these women faced gender-based discrimination and skepticism from their male counterparts, who were not always accustomed to working alongside women in the military.
Despite these challenges, the women of the WAC proved their value through their competence, dedication, and professionalism. They worked long hours, often under stressful conditions, and played a critical role in supporting the war effort. Their presence in Vietnam also marked an important step in the evolution of women’s roles in the military, as they demonstrated that women could perform effectively in a variety of military functions beyond nursing.
The service of WACs in Vietnam helped pave the way for greater integration of women into the U.S. military. The Vietnam War was one of the first conflicts where women served in a combat zone in significant numbers, and their contributions were an important part of the overall war effort. The experience of WACs in Vietnam demonstrated that women could perform a wide range of military duties, leading to increased opportunities for women in the military in the years following the war.
In 1978, five years after the end of the Vietnam War, the Women’s Army Corps was disbanded, and women were fully integrated into the regular Army. The legacy of the WACs, particularly those who served in Vietnam, lives on as an important chapter in the history of women in the military. Their service helped to challenge traditional gender roles and opened the door for future generations of women to serve in more diverse and challenging roles within the armed forces.
Only after decades of protest and court challenges were these discriminatory policies amended. And it wasn’t until 2015 that the Department of Defense ended all restrictions on women’s service.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
We are privileged to welcome Le Ly Hayslip, whose memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, was the first to bring the story of a former Viet Cong and Vietnam refugee to American readers. Oliver Stone later made the book into a major motion picture starring Tommy Lee Jones. Ms. Hayslip is the founder of the East Meets West Foundation, now known as Thrive Networks.
Her story is one of unimaginable trauma somehow matched by powerful resilience and a will to thrive.
She was born in poverty in a village near Da Nang as the First Indochina War neared it height. What Americans call the Vietnam War followed, and her village became a frontline for the conflict between the Viet Cong and South Vietnamese government forces, backed by the United States.
As a teenager, Le Ly joined the Viet Cong, primarily as a result of her village’s political leanings and the influence they held over the area. Her role involved basic support tasks such as cooking and transporting supplies, but she also set booby traps and planted mines. She was arrested and tortured by South Vietnamese forces, who suspected her of espionage for the Viet Cong. This experience was traumatizing, and after her release, she faced suspicion from the Viet Cong as well, who questioned her loyalty. The double scrutiny and resulting abuses left her isolated and vulnerable.
To escape the violence and constant threat of harm, Le Ly left her village and found work in Da Nang, where she encountered new struggles. She took on various jobs to survive–many of them illegal–and became involved with American soldiers, which brought a degree of financial stability but exposed her to new risks.
In the early 1970s, Le Ly met Ed Munro, an American civilian contractor who eventually became her husband. Their relationship offered her a way out of Vietnam, and she emigrated to the United States with him. Upon arrival, Le Ly faced a new set of challenges: culture shock, language barriers, and the struggle to adapt to an entirely different way of life. Although safe from the violence of war, she was haunted by the trauma of her past and had to navigate the demands of her new life as a mother and immigrant.
After settling in the United States, Le Ly worked a variety of jobs to support herself and her children. Though she and Munro eventually divorced, Le Ly persevered, working to provide for her family and find stability. Her journey gave her a unique perspective on both Vietnamese and American cultures, and over time, she began to process her experiences by writing her memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, published in 1989. In it, she shared her personal account of life during the Vietnam War, her family’s struggles, and her journey to America. Her story offered an intimate view of the human cost of war, aiming to bridge understanding between Americans and Vietnamese.
Le Ly’s memoir caught the attention of American film director Oliver Stone, who was moved by her story and its focus on the impact of war on civilians, especially women. Stone had already explored the Vietnam War from an American perspective in Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. With Heaven and Earth, released in 1993, he completed his Vietnam War trilogy, this time focusing on the Vietnamese experience. The film, adapted from Le Ly’s memoirs When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace, follows her journey from Vietnam to America, highlighting her experiences with violence, survival, and resilience.
Beyond her writing, Le Ly became a humanitarian and advocate for peace and reconciliation. In 1988, she founded the East Meets West Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving relations between Vietnam and the United States and aiding Vietnamese communities in need. The foundation has supported various projects, including medical assistance, educational programs, and infrastructure development, helping Vietnamese people affected by the war rebuild their lives. Through her humanitarian work, Le Ly sought to bridge the gap between her two worlds, fostering understanding and healing across cultures.
Le Ly Hayslip’s life story reflects the complexities of war, survival, and adaptation. Her work as an author, film collaborator, and humanitarian has contributed to greater awareness of the Vietnam War’s impact on civilians and helped foster cross-cultural understanding. Through her story and her efforts, she has become a powerful advocate for peace and a testament to resilience amid the devastation of war.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
Veterans Day Open Conversation ranges far and wide settling on this first opening question: is it right and proper to wish a veteran a "Happy Veterans Day." The consensus among our veterans is that it isn't, though Todd offers a tepid dissent.
In the course of the conversation, we also examine the distinctions made between Veterans and "Combat Veterans," "Vietnam Veterans" and "Vietnam Era Veterans," and the propriety of saying "thank you for your service."
Some veterans feel awkward or uncomfortable when people say "Happy Veterans Day" or "Thank you for your service." Younger veterans, in particular, often feel these phrases are too generic. It seems an empty, overused phrase that lacks genuine understanding. Some don’t view their service as extraordinary, but rather as a job they signed up for and completed. For them, the phrase “thank you for your service” can feel impersonal, as if it’s used to satisfy social etiquette rather than express true appreciation. Some even feel it allows civilians to alleviate guilt about not having served themselves, without truly engaging with the challenges veterans face.
For some, the recognition doesn’t align with the pride they take in their service or with the fact that they volunteered for it, unlike those who served in past wars when there was a draft.
Acknowledging a veteran in a way that opens the door to more meaningful interaction can feel more genuine. Instead of only expressing thanks, some veterans suggest engaging more personally: ask about their specific roles, current lives, or goals. For those who wish to show appreciation, actions like volunteering or educating oneself on veterans’ issues are more meaningful ways to honor their sacrifices and uphold the freedoms they served to protect.
The Veterans Breakfast Club isn't just for veterans. It's for everyone who wants to understand the lives of those who served. Whether you’re a veteran seeking camaraderie, a civilian wanting to learn, or simply someone who appreciates the value of service, the VBC welcomes you . Join us online – become part of their mission to honor stories, build bridges, and ensure that every day is Veterans Day.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
VBC Scuttlebutt Open Conversation is a friendly, interactive gathering of veterans, friends of veterans, and history nerds where we discuss whatever aspects of military service, past or present, or the veterans community that are on our minds.
Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new.
We’ve asked Lt. Colonel John J. McBrearty–“Colonel Mack”–to join us to talk about his 32 years Army and Marine Corps service, as well as his voluminous writing about American history, military experience, and other topics.
We’ve also invited Vietnam Navy veterans John Denk and Tracy Garner to come on and talk about the Navy side of Linebacker II, the last major US operation of the Vietnam War in December 1972.
Denk was aboard the USS Floyd B Parks (DD-884) during the operation and saw USS Goldsborough (DDG-20) get hit by NVA counter-battery rounds on December 19, 1972. The last three Navy blue water sailors killed in Vietnam were aboard: the Donald Dix, Robert Dow, and Gary Boyce.
Damage aboard on the Goldsborough, December 19, 1972
We’ll also talk about whatever topics or questions you’d like to bring up!
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
Historian Rona Simmons joins us to talk about a single day in World War II: October 24, 1944. Those 24 hours were the deadliest for U.S. service members during World War II.
This day, however, is not widely known in the same way as events like Pearl Harbor or D-Day. It was an “average” day in the vast scale of the war, yet for the 2,600 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who died, and their families, it was anything but average.
In her book No Average Day: The 24 Hours of October 24, 1944, historian Rona Simmons meticulously chronicles the tragic events of that day, highlighting the personal stories behind the statistics. The title captures her main argument—that no day in war, especially for those who lost their lives, is truly “average.” She recounts how these individuals, from all walks of life and different parts of the country, were ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances. They ranged from cooks to clerks, riflemen to machinists, who all perished in ways as varied as their backgrounds: in hand-to-hand combat, drowning, burning, being shot down in aircraft, or perishing in ship sinkings.
One of the most notable tragedies of that day was the sinking of the Japanese “hellship” Arisan Maru, which was transporting American POWs. It accounted for two-thirds of the deaths, as hundreds of prisoners died when the ship was torpedoed by a U.S. submarine, unaware it was carrying Americans.
The narrative of No Average Day emphasizes the forgotten or overlooked moments of war—those skirmishes and lesser-known incidents in which many perished, whose names and stories often didn’t make headlines. Simmons underscores the human cost of these “small” deaths, which were part of the larger machinery of war but equally important in understanding its human toll.
The personal stories, like those of Paul Miller, who died in a Japanese POW camp, and Wanza Matthews, killed in a submarine attack, are framed against a chaotic global war, yet these soldiers’ final moments are intimately told, adding depth to their sacrifice. Simmons’ account, through thorough research and personal artifacts, seeks to give voice to the individuals behind the numbers, reflecting on how each death rippled through their families and communities.
Ultimately, Simmons argues that while October 24, 1944, might seem like just another day in the vast timeline of World War II, it was anything but average for the thousands who gave their lives. The title No Average Day captures this essence, illustrating how the personal costs of war transcend the statistics.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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Our monthly Open Conversation with military veterans focuses on Navy veterans in recognition of the the US Navy’s 249th birthday celebrated on October 13. We'll have Navy veterans sharing stories, answering questions, and describing why their branch is the best.
We'll also hear from Beverly, Massachusetts, and Navy history expert Rich Pescatore on the real origins of the US Navy.
Vietnam Veteran Walt Brinker, USMA Class of 1966, tells us why his men in the 173rd Airborne and 1st Cav in 1966-1967 never used bandoliers for the M-60 ammunition.
Ralph and Eric Grabowsky give us an update on their research on "Little John," the largest calibre gun in history.
The origins of the United States Navy lie in the siege of Boston and the city’s occupation by the British Army in 1775. After the Battle of Bunker Hill, when the Continentals sensed British vulnerability, newly commissioned General George Washington called for a ship that could patrol off shore to prevent the British from being resupplied by sea. Naval support could also obtain resources for the Continental forces.
The Continental Congress wasn’t so keen on a Navy. Ships were expensive and the British fleet’s power was overwhelming.
Washington, then, acted on his own. On September 2, 1775, he ordered the schooner Hannah be commissioned as the first authorized patriot warship. The Hannah was a small vessel, crewed by civilians and captained by Nicholas Broughton, tasked with raiding British supply ships off the coast of Massachusetts. While not an official navy vessel, the Hannah set an important precedent by showing that naval warfare could complement the land-based efforts of the Continental Army.
Following the success of the Hannah, Washington commissioned other vessels to harass British ships, but these early efforts were ad hoc, operating under the authority of the Continental Army rather than an organized navy.
On October 13, 1775, the Continental Congress took decisive action, officially authorizing the creation of a Continental Navy. The Congress passed a resolution to outfit two ships, tasked with intercepting British supply vessels. This date is now celebrated as the official birthday of the United States Navy. Over the next several months, the Continental Congress expanded the fleet, commissioning additional ships and appointing officers to lead them.
Its early successes included raids on British ships and supply lines, which weakened the enemy's war effort and boosted American morale. Constantly underfunded and undersupplied, the Continental Navy nonetheless helped secure international alliances, especially with France, which joined the war on the side of the American colonies in 1778.
With the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783, formally ending the American Revolution, the newly independent United States dismantled the Navy, and its ships were sold off.
Without a navy, the U.S. government had little means of protecting its commercial interests abroad, and the constant harassment of American ships by pirates and European powers underscored the need for a naval revival.
Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794, which authorized the construction of six frigates, marking the formal revival of the U.S. Navy. These ships, which would become known as the "Original Six Frigates", included the USS Constitution, USS United States, USS President, USS Congress, USS Chesapeake, and USS Constellation.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
VBC Scuttlebutt welcomes bestselling author Tony Swofford to talk about his iconic memoir, Jarhead: A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles.
The book is a raw and unflinching memoir that delves into the experiences of a Marine sniper during the First Gulf War. Swofford, who enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at a young age, offers a gritty, firsthand account of the psychological and emotional challenges faced by soldiers both on and off the battlefield.
The book begins with Swofford’s grueling training as a Marine, where he is shaped into a skilled sniper. The narrative is filled with vivid descriptions of the dehumanizing aspects of military life, where individuality is stripped away, and soldiers are conditioned to kill. Swofford doesn’t shy away from depicting the harsh realities of military culture, including the intense physical and mental pressures that lead to a profound sense of alienation and existential angst.
When Swofford and his unit are deployed to the Saudi Arabian desert during Operation Desert Storm, the anticipation of combat weighs heavily on the soldiers. However, much of their time is spent in a state of frustrating inactivity, enduring the boredom and psychological strain of waiting for a battle that never comes. The memoir captures the paradox of modern warfare, where the soldiers’ most significant battles are often fought within themselves rather than against the enemy.
Swofford’s account is deeply introspective, exploring his inner turmoil and disillusionment with the war. He reflects on the violence and destruction inherent in his role as a sniper, the moral ambiguity of war, and the impact of his service on his sense of identity. The book is not just a war memoir but also a meditation on the personal costs of being a soldier—the loss of innocence, the struggle with post-traumatic stress, and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian life after experiencing the horrors of war.
Jarhead is notable for its stark, unromanticized portrayal of military life. Swofford’s writing is direct and honest, offering a sobering view of the emotional toll that war takes on those who fight it. His account challenges the glorified image of war often seen in popular culture, revealing the deep psychological scars left on soldiers.
In 2005, Jarhead was adapted into a Hollywood movie directed by Sam Mendes and starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Anthony “Swoff” Swofford. The film stays true to the tone and themes of the book, focusing on the boredom, frustration, and internal conflicts faced by Marines during the Gulf War. While the movie captures the desolate landscapes and the tension of waiting for combat, it also highlights the camaraderie and dark humor that soldiers use to cope with the psychological stress of war.
The film was well-received for its performances and cinematography, though some critics noted that it, like the book, is more of a character study than a traditional war movie. It emphasizes the psychological effects of war over action, making it a unique entry in the war film genre. Both the book and the movie offer a compelling look at the complexities of military life and the lasting impact of war on those who serve.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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VBC Scuttlebutt welcomes bestselling author Kristin Hannah to talk about her wildy popular and well-reviewed novel The Women.
The book tells the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a young woman from a privileged California family who defies societal expectations to serve as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War. Frankie’s decision to enlist is driven by a sense of duty and a desire to prove herself, but she quickly learns that war is far more brutal and complex than she imagined.
In Vietnam, Frankie is thrust into a world of chaos, tending to wounded soldiers and witnessing the devastating effects of combat. The novel vividly portrays the harsh realities of war, including the physical and emotional toll it takes on both soldiers and those who care for them. Hannah doesn’t shy away from the trauma and loss that define Frankie’s experience, capturing the fear, exhaustion, and helplessness that pervade her days in the field.
Frankie’s return to the United States is marked by a profound sense of disillusionment. She comes home to a country that is deeply divided over the war, and instead of receiving recognition for her service, she faces indifference and hostility. The novel explores the stark contrast between the hero’s welcome expected by returning soldiers and the cold reception many Vietnam veterans actually received, particularly women. Frankie’s struggles with post-traumatic stress, guilt, and the overwhelming sense of isolation highlight the emotional burden carried by those who served.
As she tries to reintegrate into civilian life, Frankie finds herself alienated not only by society but also by her own family, who cannot understand what she has been through. The novel examines the psychological impact of war, particularly the way it haunts veterans long after they leave the battlefield. Frankie’s internal battle is as harrowing as the war itself, as she grapples with the memories of those she couldn’t save and the moral complexities of her actions.
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We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
Ralph Galati shares the story of his harrowing experience as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War.
Galati’s capture occurred during Operation Linebacker, an air campaign aimed at disrupting North Vietnamese supply lines and military infrastructure. On February 16, 1972, while on a mission, Galati’s F-4 Phantom II was struck by enemy fire. Ejecting from the aircraft, he and his fellow pilot, Bill Hill, were quickly captured by North Vietnamese forces. They were then transported to the infamous “Hanoi Hilton,” nickname of the Hoa Lo Prison.
The conditions at the Hanoi Hilton were severe, with prisoners subjected to physical and psychological torture, malnutrition, and isolation. Despite these conditions, Galati, like many of his fellow POWs, displayed remarkable resilience. The camaraderie among the prisoners was crucial to their survival, as they developed a covert communication system using taps and codes to maintain morale and share information. This support network helped them endure the harsh treatment and isolation imposed by their captors.
Galati’s faith and determination played a significant role in his ability to withstand the hardships of captivity. He has often spoken about how his belief in God and his love for his family gave him the strength to persevere. His experience as a POW also deepened his sense of duty and commitment to his fellow servicemen, inspiring him to become a strong advocate for veterans’ issues after his release.
After spending nearly 14 months in captivity, Ralph Galati was released on March 28, 1973, as part of Operation Homecoming, the repatriation of American POWs following the Paris Peace Accords. Upon returning to the United States, he transitioned from active duty to a role in the Air Force Reserves and later pursued a civilian career in business and education.
Galati has been an active voice in veteran communities, sharing his story to inspire and educate others about the realities of war and the resilience of the human spirit. He has worked extensively with organizations that support veterans and their families, emphasizing the importance of remembering the sacrifices made by servicemen and women. His story is not just one of survival but also of leadership and service, as he continues to dedicate his life to helping others, particularly those who have served in the military.
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We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
In his award-winning book of short stories, Surrender, Brian O’Hare delves into the complexities of the American hero myth and its impact on his own life. As the son of a larger-than-life Marine officer, O’Hare was drawn to the allure of military service, seeking to emulate his father’s legacy.
However, after witnessing the devastating effects of war on his father’s health, O’Hare began to question the validity of the hero myth. He realized that the idealized image of the American hero, often portrayed in Hollywood films and popular culture, was far removed from the realities of combat.
Brian O’Hare is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, former Marine Corps officer and Persian Gulf War veteran. Currently, he’s an award-winning writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in War, Literature and the Arts; Hobart,Electric Literature and others, and has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes. Most recently, National Book Award winner Phil Klay awarded Brian Syracuse University Press’ 2021 Veterans Writing Award for Surrender.
Through his writing, O’Hare deconstructs the myth of the team captain and the Marine, exposing the flaws and vulnerabilities that lie beneath the surface. He explores the psychological toll that war takes on individuals, the sacrifices they make, and the lasting scars they bear.
O’Hare’s journey is a personal one, but it also resonates with a broader cultural shift. As society evolves, so too does our understanding of heroism. The traditional notions of masculinity and military prowess are being challenged, and new definitions of heroism are emerging.
In Surrender, O’Hare invites us to question our own assumptions about what it means to be a hero. He suggests that true heroism lies not in physical strength or military glory, but in the courage to face our own mortality, to embrace our imperfections, and to strive for a more just and compassionate world.
As O’Hare reflects on his father’s legacy and his own experiences, he grapples with the question of what he will pass on to his son. He recognizes that the American hero myth is a powerful force, but he also believes that it is essential to challenge its limitations and to create a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of heroism.
Through his writing, O’Hare hopes to inspire others to embark on their own journeys of self-discovery and to question the myths that shape our society. By demythologizing the American hero myth, he opens up the possibility for a more authentic and meaningful definition of heroism to emerge.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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VBC Scuttlebutt Open Conversation poses the question: does the term “combat veteran” demean the service of “rear echelon” soldiers, sailors, and Marines?
Author and Vietnam veteran Marc Leepson thinks it does.
We discuss this question.
Leepson published an article in Vietnam magazine in 2019, recently reprinted on Vietnam War website cherrieswriter.com, titled “What Did You Do in Vietnam?”
Leepson writes:
I admire and respect every Vietnam veteran who served in the combat arms. . . . . But using “combat veteran” obliquely demeans the service of all of us clerks, cooks, truck drivers and other rear-echelon types. I realize that most people who use that term don’t intend to minimize or mock the wartime service of hundreds of thousands of other veterans, but that’s exactly what it does.
I was astonished to see British journalist Max Hastings go out of his way in his recent, big history of the war, Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy 1945-1975, to deride the service of anyone who wasn’t humping the boonies in Vietnam. How else to interpret this snarky, condescending sentence in which he sums up all rear echeloners’ war service:
“Maybe two-thirds of the men who came home calling themselves veterans—entitled to wear the medal and talk about their PTSD troubles—had been exposed to no greater risk than a man might incur from ill-judged sex or ‘bad shit’ drugs.”
I understand that infantrymen could have negative feelings about us rear echeloners, but we were doing the jobs the military asked us to. And in Vietnam, contrary to Hastings’ ridiculous generalization, you were in danger no matter where you were.
Although there are no official statistics, the best estimate is that 75 to 90 percent of those who served in Vietnam were in support units. That’s more than 2 million men and women who came home without the label “combat veteran.”
My suggestion to fellow veterans and those who never put on the uniform: Please consider dropping “combat veteran” from your vocabulary and replace it with “war veteran.” Or “Vietnam War veteran.” Or “Iraq War veteran” or “Afghanistan War veteran.”
We’re curious to know how many in our Veterans Breakfast Club group feel similarly. We’d also like to hear from those who think that distinguishing between comabt and non-combat service is a reasonable and even necessary way of acknowledging the different kinds of Armed Forces service.
The VBC has a strong and long track record of serious and civil conversations that divide the veterans and military community, and this conversation will be no different.
And, of course, we’ll also talk about any other subjects you might like to bring up.
So, join our friendly, interactive gathering of veterans, friends of veterans, and history nerds discussing whatever aspects of military service, past or present, or the veterans community that are on your minds.
Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new. At the VBC, veterans from every era and branch are drawn together by the warm glow of shared purpose.
These stories aren’t just for veterans; they’re for everyone who wants to understand the lives of those who served. Whether you’re a veteran seeking camaraderie, a civilian wanting to learn, or simply someone who appreciates the value of service, the VBC welcomes you with open arms. Join us online – become part of their mission to honor stories, build bridges, and ensure that every day is Veterans Day.
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We welcome journalist Jeanne McKinney to shine a light on a little-known episode of the war in Afghanistan that illuminates the larger political, social, and military landscape of our longest war.
Jeanne’s book, Triumph Over the Taliban: The Untold Story of US Marines’ Courageous Fight to Save Camp Bastion, tells the story of September 12, 2012, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan when an attack on Camp Bastion, a critical forward operating base, showcased the resilience, bravery, and strategic acumen of the US Marines.
Camp Bastion was a massive military base established by the British and later expanded to include US Marines and Afghan forces. Spanning 40 square miles with a 25-mile fence line, the base was situated in one of the most volatile regions of Afghanistan. The base’s sheer size and strategic importance made it a prime target for the Taliban, who were deeply entrenched in the surrounding poppy fields, a key source of their funding.
The Taliban meticulously planned their assault on Camp Bastion for over a year. Originally scheduled for July 2012, the attack was postponed due to an accidental explosion during training. The final assault was executed on a particularly dark night, leveraging the element of surprise. Fifteen Taliban fighters infiltrated the base, aiming to destroy aircraft and kill as many Marines as possible.
What made this attack unique was the Taliban’s approach. Unlike their usual tactics of using suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), this was a ground assault. The fighters carried rifles and RPGs, prepared for direct combat—a rare and bold move for the Taliban.
The Marines stationed at Camp Bastion demonstrated exceptional valor and quick thinking. Upon hearing the initial explosions, they initially assumed it was a controlled detonation. However, they quickly realized the gravity of the situation and sprang into action. Despite the chaos and darkness, the Marines mobilized, formed defensive positions, and protected civilians on the base.
One of the most remarkable aspects of their response was the transition of Aviation Marines into infantry roles. Trained to handle crises, they put down their wrenches and picked up rifles, showcasing the versatility and preparedness ingrained in Marine training. Their swift and coordinated actions prevented what could have been a catastrophic loss of life and equipment.
The attack on Camp Bastion occurred three days after the Benghazi attack, which dominated the news cycle. As a result, this significant event did not receive the attention it deserved. Media reports often focused on the blame game, targeting two Marine generals for security lapses. This narrative overshadowed the heroism displayed by the Marines on the ground.
At the time, there was a push to downsize the military presence in Afghanistan, leading to reduced security measures at bases like Camp Bastion. The generals on the ground, aware of the vulnerabilities, requested additional resources and security enhancements, but these were denied due to political considerations.
This incident underscores the broader issue of how military decisions are often influenced by political agendas, sometimes at the expense of on-ground safety and effectiveness. The attack on Camp Bastion serves as a stark reminder of the need for robust security measures and the importance of listening to military leaders who understand the complexities of the battlefield.
The attack on Camp Bastion is a powerful example of military courage and the complexities of modern warfare. It highlights the importance of readiness, the impact of political decisions on military operations, and the need to honor and recognize the sacrifices of those who serve. As we reflect on this event, it serves as a reminder of the bravery of the US Marines and the enduring spirit of those who stand on the front lines to protect our freedoms.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and Afghanistan War veteran Mikael Cook joins us to talk about the August 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan. Mikael was a part of the #DigitalDunkirk team that saved thousands of Afghan allies who had been left behind. He was personally responsible for the evacuation of 20 of our allies.
“Life and Death at Abbey Gate” by Mikael Cook provides a harrowing account of the chaotic final days of the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan in August 2021. The book centers on the efforts of an ad-hoc group of American veterans and other personnel who mobilized to help evacuate Afghan allies and civilians amid the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Kabul.
The narrative begins with the formation of the #DigitalDunkirk initiative, a civilian-led effort named after the World War II evacuation of Dunkirk, which saw thousands of people working tirelessly to coordinate evacuations using encrypted messaging apps and real-time intelligence. These individuals included CIA and NSA agents, military veterans, and legislative aides, who collectively formed a formidable network aimed at rescuing those left behind.
Cook’s story is told through multiple perspectives, including his own and that of his Afghan friend Abdul, as well as members of the 2/1 Marines stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA). The Marines at Abbey Gate faced intense conditions, working under immense pressure and witnessing scenes that brought many to tears. Their work culminated in the tragic suicide bombing by an ISIS-K attacker, which killed 13 U.S. service members and numerous Afghan civilians.
The book highlights the logistical and tactical challenges of the evacuation, criticizing the decision to abandon Bagram Airfield, which left HKIA as the sole evacuation point. This move is depicted as a strategic blunder, complicating the already perilous operation.
Throughout “Life and Death at Abbey Gate,” Cook emphasizes the dedication and bravery of those involved in the evacuation, portraying their efforts as a testament to the U.S. military’s commitment to its allies. The book underscores the emotional and physical toll on everyone involved and serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of war and the complexities of military withdrawal .
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Tonight, we share the story of the last plane to leave Saigon, a C-130, which departed Tan Son Nhut Air Base just before North Vietnamese forces took over on April 29, 1975.
The C-130, missing its cargo door, was filled with hundreds of Vietnamese refugees, including the Nguyen family. Among them was three-year-old Truc Nguyen. Her father, Chau Tan Nguyen, a 40-year-old lieutenant colonel and C-130 pilot in the South Vietnamese Air Force, was determined to fly his family and others to safety. Despite the chaos and rockets firing past the aircraft, the plane took off successfully. Tragically, Chau Tan Nguyen was not on board, as his seat was notably empty.
Truc–now called Eva– joins us to talk about her new book Uncommon Cargo: Sacrifice. Survival. Hope., written with Jason Nulton, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force.
The book details the Nguyen family’s harrowing escape and their gratitude towards the United States for providing refuge and assistance during their desperate time of need. Nulton, moved by Eva’s story, emphasized the family’s incredible journey against overwhelming odds and their fight for freedom.
Uncommon Cargo dramatizes the real events leading to Saigon’s fall and Chau Tan Nguyen’s plan to evacuate his family. The narrative begins on April 29, 1975, detailing the frantic preparations of the Nguyen family as North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon.
The book also recounts the broader context of the Fall of Saigon, including the North Vietnamese offensive in Quang Tri province, the resignation of South Vietnam’s President Nguyen Van Thieu, and the surrounding of Saigon by 100,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. The Nguyen family had long rented their home to Americans, assumed to be CIA agents, placing them in immediate danger when the communists took over. Many who had collaborated with the Americans faced execution or re-education camps.
Following their escape, the Nguyen family settled in Northern Virginia, sponsored by a member of the Falls Church Presbyterian Church. They lived next to the church, where Eva learned to ride a bike. Hong Van Nguyen, the family patriarch, stayed behind in Vietnam to salvage his business but eventually escaped as one of the first boat people, reuniting with his family in 1977. He passed away in 1990.
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We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
VBC Scuttlebutt Open Conversation is a friendly, interactive gathering of veterans, friends of veterans, and history nerds where we discuss whatever aspects of military service, past or present, or the veterans community that are on our minds.
Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new.
Tonight we talk about Camp LeJeune water contamination and the deadline to file a claim. We also discuss "Words of Veterans," a project by USMC veteran Alex Sebby. We cover the debate over who is a Gold Star Family, as examined by a recent Pentagon working group. And, along the way, we discuss the best and worst chow you had in the military and the passing of Lt. William Calley, infamously convicted in the My Lai Massacre of 1968.
These stories aren’t just for veterans; they’re for everyone who wants to understand the lives of those who served. Whether you’re a veteran seeking camaraderie, a civilian wanting to learn, or simply someone who appreciates the value of service, the VBC welcomes you with open arms. Join us online – become part of their mission to honor stories, build bridges, and ensure that every day is Veterans Day.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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Brian Morra joins us again to talk about his followup to his successful thriller The Able Archers. Brian’s new book, The Righteous Arrows, takes the story to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, an event that previewed the wars following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Brian is a highly decorated former American intelligence officer and a retired aerospace executive. He is the author of the award-winning Able Archers series of historical thrillers. Brian bases his book’s characters on himself and on people he encountered as an intelligence officer. He also brings into play countries and places that he knows firsthand in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His books are based on real events but read like page-turning thrillers.
Brian has written numerous articles for national publications and is an on-air expert in the new Netflix series on the Cold War called Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War. He also contributed his extensive expertise to the newly released CNN/BBC documentary called Secrets and Spies: A Nuclear Game.
After collaborating to thwart nuclear war in The Able Archers, Kevin Cattani and his Soviet counterpart, Ivan Levchenko, developed a deep mutual respect—but in The Righteous Arrows they are working against each other. Cattani, despite serious misgivings, conducts a perilous covert mission inside a Soviet bunker and barely escapes with his life, putting himself on a collision course with Levchenko. Their ultimate confrontation comes on a battlefield during the brutal Soviet war in Afghanistan, where Levchenko issues the American an ominous warning that will echo for decades.
Foreshadowing the global war on terror, former Air Force Intelligence officer Brian Morra illuminates the stubbornly persistent rivalry between the US and Russia in this heart-stopping story of international espionage and war.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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Combat veterans may not tell their children about their experiences, but they transmit them invisibly, almost imperceptibly, through deep channels of influence in the mind, body, and psyche. Author, artist, and son of Vietnam veteran Carl Sciacchitano joins us to talk about his family story as captured in his new graphic memoir, The Heart That Fed: A Father, A Son, and the Long Shadow of War.
Also joining the conversation is internationally recognized neuroscientist Dr. Nadia Rupniak, whose father served in the Polish Army in World War II and received his country’s highest military decoration for heroism.
The stories we hear from Carl and Nadia inform a broader discussion on transgenerational trauma—how the traumatic experience of war can echo across generations.
Violence, uncertainty, and tension can bring heightened caution and fear to children and family members, long after the real danger has passed.
This phenomenon, where trauma impacts individuals beyond those directly affected, can effect descendants who may not have had any direct exposure to the traumatic events themselves.
As Dr. Kimberly Copeland, Military Behavioral Health Psychologist at the Center for Deployment Psychology at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, outlines, transgenerational trauma can be understood through three main mechanisms: nature, nurture, and narrative.
Nature: Trauma impacts the whole person—mind, body, and psyche. Research in epigenetics, such as studies on cortisol levels, suggests that the physiological impacts of trauma can be passed down from parents to children. Variations in cortisol levels, influenced by trauma, can predispose individuals to PTSD and other stress-related disorders.
Nurture: Socio-psychological impacts of trauma, such as stress, low self-esteem, and impaired functioning, can be transmitted through learned behaviors and psychological symptoms. Studies highlight the transmission of these effects from combat veterans to their children, indicating a pattern of secondary trauma that could lead to intergenerational impacts.
Narrative: Even when trauma survivors do not explicitly share their experiences, their behaviors and the silence around these topics can influence future generations. Cultural and communal stories, as seen in Holocaust survivor families, can perpetuate a latent form of trauma, influencing descendants through the collective memory and narratives of the community.
The narrative stresses the importance of recognizing and understanding transgenerational trauma to facilitate healing. Healing should focus on identifying risk and resiliency factors, adopting holistic approaches, and utilizing culturally and spiritually congruent practices. The author reflects on the growth and bonding experienced with their sister, Trinh, suggesting that understanding and shared experiences can aid in healing from transgenerational trauma.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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When one half of a couple joins the military, the other does also, in a sense, by default. There can be a sense of abandonment, as well as a troubling intimation that the military will always come first.
Military spouse Simone Gorrindo joins us to talk about her experience as captured in The Wives: A Memoir. Her book is an intimate and evocative account of the challenges that come with her husband’s deployment.
Initially resistant to the idea of military life, Gorrindo stuck with her boyfriend, Andrew, when he decided to join the Army.
That meant leaving a vibrant life in Manhattan to a rented house near Fort Benning. In time, Andrew left with a special operations unit in Afghanistan.
Gorrindo, who holds a master’s degree in journalism and has a background in editing, felt the constraints of her new role. She found military culture to be one of dependency which, along with the oppressive heat of Georgia, the mundane routine of her days, and the abandonment of her professional life in New York City surrounded her in a curtain of isolation.
Her company consisted primarily of other military wives, each dealing with the challenges of their husbands’ deployments. These women, thrown together by circumstance, navigated a life filled with uncertainty, emotional strain, and the need for resilience.
The uncertainty, anxiety, dependency all recalled Simone’s childhood, one dominated by her mother’s alcoholism. The sense of longing and stability, the desire for connection, pervades her account. Her own background flooded the foreground as she progresses in her pregnancy.
Each deployment felt like a betrayal. The adrenaline and purpose that guided Andrew’s life were absent in hers. As an Army wife, Simone was expected to be compliant and accommodating. The gulf between her and Andrew widened.
Yet, Simone knew her job was to maintain the household and construct a sort of family stability, even as the Army spun plans of its own, of which she was left entirely unaware.
When Andrew returned from a deployment, he had changed. But, she had changed also.
In detailing her story with courageous candor, Simone Gorrindo gives us a opportunity to talk about the dilemmas and difficulties faced by military spouses. It sheds light on the emotional labor, the sense of isolation, and the resilience required to navigate life in the shadow of military deployment.
Through her personal narrative, Gorrindo gives voice to the collective experiences of military wives, arguing for the recognition of their strength and the importance of their own transformations.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
militaryhistory #veteran #interview #veterans #vet #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #virtualevents #virtual #zoom #zoomevents #liveevent #webinar #military #army #usarmy #navy #usnavy #marinecorps #marines #airforce #pilot #aviators #coastguard #nonprofit #501c3 #history #militaryveterans #veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteraninterview #veteranshistoryproject #veteransoralhistory #veteranowned #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #vietnam #vietnamwar #vietnamveterans #koreanwar #coldwar #greatestgeneration #wwii #ww2 #worldwarii #worldwar2 #war #americanhistory #oralhistory #podcast #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #roundtable #breakfast #generation911 #happyhour
VBC Scuttlebutt is a virtual watering hole where camaraderie and connection flow as freely as laughter and shared stories.
Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new. At the VBC, veterans from every era and branch are drawn together by the warm glow of shared purpose.
Here are a few of the things we plan to discuss tonight: medical breakthroughs that came from the military: painkillers, antibiotics, blood-clotting, prosthetics, plasma, not to mention TBI and PTSD.
Combat veterans and fireworks. What do you do on July 4th?Says one, "It sounded just like the howitzers from Vietnam.”
We remember Nancy Smoyer's beloved brother, 2LT Billy Smoyer, KIA in Vietnam July 28, 1968.
We discuss the variety of head covers in Vietnam: boonie cap, baseball hat?
Norm Phillips from SCORE talks about mentoring Veteran Entrepreneurs and score.org
We follow up with a question posed last week: "were you more or less patriotic after returning from Vietnam?"
We also ask about those who served in Bosnia and/or Kosovo in 1994-1999 and beyond.
These stories aren’t just for veterans; they’re for everyone who wants to understand the lives of those who served. Whether you’re a veteran seeking camaraderie, a civilian wanting to learn, or simply someone who appreciates the value of service, the VBC welcomes you with open arms. Join us online – become part of their mission to honor stories, build bridges, and ensure that every day is Veterans Day.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
militaryhistory #veteran #interview #veterans #vet #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #virtualevents #virtual #zoom #zoomevents #liveevent #webinar #military #army #usarmy #navy #usnavy #marinecorps #marines #airforce #pilot #aviators #coastguard #nonprofit #501c3 #history #militaryveterans #veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteraninterview #veteranshistoryproject #veteransoralhistory #veteranowned #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #vietnam #vietnamwar #vietnamveterans #koreanwar #coldwar #greatestgeneration #wwii #ww2 #worldwarii #worldwar2 #war #americanhistory #oralhistory #podcast #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #roundtable #breakfast #generation911 #happyhour
Jack McLean joins us again to talk about his new book, Found: A Veteran Story which tells how he healed from Vietnam.
Last year, Jack recounted the history behind his best-selling memoir of 2009, Loon: A Marine Story. Jack served in Vietnam in 1967-68 tour with Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. He survived a lot of combat, including a harrowing three-day fight at LZ Loon near the Laotian border in I Corps.
Jack’s homecoming was both unique and typical of the Vietnam generation of veterans. On the one hand, he went straight to Harvard University, the first Vietnam veteran to attend.
On the other hand, he found it difficult to connect with fellow veterans or with anyone who was interested in his service. In 1968, he walked into a VFW hall and received only the chilliest of cold shoulders from the older veterans there. “Nobody offered me a beer,” he writes. “Nobody invited me to join the card game. Nobody waved me over to the pool table. Nobody welcomed me home.”
Coupled with survivor guilt and un-processed trauma of combat, such neglect and isolation only fed his sense that something was wrong.
Jack found healing as he tracks down fellow Marines and the Gold Star family members who never made it home.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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Brian Ahearn is the son of a Vietnam Marine veteran and author of a memoir, His Story, My Story, Our Story, a heartrending tale that illuminates the stark realities of war, from the battlegrounds of Vietnam to the emotional frontlines at home.
Following a Marine veteran, the narrative intricately unravels his grapple with PTSD and the profound ripple effect it has on his family, particularly his son. Crafted from the personal wartime accounts of Brian Ahearn Sr. and juxtaposed with his son’s, Brian Ahearn Jr., candid reflections on growing up under the shadow of trauma, this story bridges two generations marked by war’s enduring scars.
The dual lens through which His Story, My Story, Our Story is told provides a first-hand account of war and its aftershock within a family setting. Through raw storytelling, it seeks to guide Marines in evading service-related pitfalls, fortify understanding between Marine families, and mend the delicate fabric of father-son relationships.
Addressing the often unspoken emotional challenges faced by military families, this profound and insightful work serves as a healing blueprint for those navigating the intricate dance of love, duty, trauma and legacy, standing as a beacon of hope and resilience.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
militaryhistory #veteran #interview #veterans #vet #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #virtualevents #virtual #zoom #zoomevents #liveevent #webinar #military #army #usarmy #navy #usnavy #marinecorps #marines #airforce #pilot #aviators #coastguard #nonprofit #501c3 #history #militaryveterans #veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteraninterview #veteranshistoryproject #veteransoralhistory #veteranowned #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #vietnam #vietnamwar #vietnamveterans #koreanwar #coldwar #greatestgeneration #wwii #ww2 #worldwarii #worldwar2 #war #americanhistory #oralhistory #podcast #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #roundtable #breakfast #generation911 #happyhour
We welcome husband and wife duo, Randy and Jackie Kluj, who share their extraordinary journeys from Army helicopter cockpits to their work with Creek and Timber Legacy nonprofit. The Klujs bring a unique perspective on service, resilience, and the healing power of nature.
Randy Kluj, a native of northern Maine, grew up with a profound love for the outdoors, spending his childhood hunting, fishing, and exploring the wilderness. His passion for aviation led him to Norwich University, and upon graduation, he joined the U.S. Army to pursue flight school. Randy’s military career saw him piloting the AH-64D Apache Longbow. Over a decade of service, Randy distinguished himself as an instructor pilot and completed multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Today, Randy continues to fly as a civilian medevac pilot in Western Pennsylvania, where he lives with Jackie.
Jackie Bechdel Kluj’s roots are firmly planted in western Pennsylvania. She enlisted in the Army Reserves through ROTC in 2001. By 2003, she had earned her commission as a 2LT and was on her way to flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Graduating with honors in 2005, Jackie specialized in flying the UH-60 Black Hawk. Her career highlights include serving as a platoon leader and battle captain during her deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, KFOR8 in Kosovo. Jackie’s leadership and innovative training exercises were recognized in the Army Times, showcasing her dedication and skill. She was honorably discharged in 2011, but her commitment to service never wavered.
In 2019, Randy and Jackie channeled their shared love for the outdoors and their dedication to helping others into founding Creek and Timber Legacy. This nonprofit organization aims to enrich the lives of veterans, first responders, and children with serious illnesses through immersive outdoor experiences. By partnering with various organizations and individuals, Creek and Timber Legacy provides hunting, firearm therapy, and outdoor learning opportunities, promoting emotional well-being and a renewed sense of energy.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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VBC Scuttlebutt is a virtual watering hole where camaraderie and connection flow as freely as laughter and shared stories.
Join us to swap stories, good and bad, at home and overseas, old and new. At the VBC, veterans from every era and branch are drawn together by the warm glow of shared purpose.
The stories bridge the gap and the years with veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, late Cold War, Iraq and Afghanistan, and other eras and deployments. Non-veterans also join the circle, eager to understand, to listen, to learn.
They ask questions with genuine respect and a desire to honor the sacrifices made. This intergenerational dialogue, forged in the crucible of shared experience, builds bridges of empathy and understanding.
These stories aren’t just for veterans; they’re for everyone who wants to understand the lives of those who served. Whether you’re a veteran seeking camaraderie, a civilian wanting to learn, or simply someone who appreciates the value of service, the VBC welcomes you with open arms. Join us online – become part of their mission to honor stories, build bridges, and ensure that every day is Veterans Day.
Special Guests: Jon Molik from the Headlines and History Podcast and Clint Jordan from Mil-Estate Planning.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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We mark Memorial Day with the PFC Lawrence Gordon Foundation's Jed Henry (https://www.pfclawrencegordonfoundati...) who, along with Operation Benjamin (https://www.operationbenjamin.org/nat..., recently recovered the remains of 1st Lt. Nathan Baskind, who was killed in Normandy near Utah Beach in 1944.
In June 1944, Baskind was assigned to Company C, 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion, as a platoon commander of four M-10 tank destroyers. According to historical war records, 1st Lt. Baskind and another man from his company were scouting ahead of their tank destroyers when enemy forces descended upon them in an ambush. The other soldier, heavily wounded, escaped the firefight and made his way back to the main U.S. force, believing Baskind was killed in the attack. Several attempts were made to retrieve Baskind’s body from the ambush point, but they could not locate his remains.
Following the end of the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) was tasked with investigating and recovering missing American personnel in Europe. Investigators discovered a death and burial report for 1st Lt. Baskind among the foreign records recovered from the Germans, evidently filed after the war on May 29, 1945, in Meiningen, Germany. The record revealed 1st Lt. Baskind was captured and later died at a hospital for German air force personnel near Cherbourg on June 23, 1944. German forces then buried him in the military cemetery in the city. In early 1948, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sent the U.S. Army one of 1st Lt. Baskind’s identification tags. It is believed the German government likely submitted the tag to the ICRC, along with a death and burial report, following the war.
In November 1957, the Volksbund, the German War Grave Commission, contacted the U.S. Army regarding 1st Lt. Baskind. While disinterring a mass grave of what were believed to be 24 Germans buried in the Cherbourg cemetery, a Volksbund team discovered one of 1st Lt. Baskind’s identification tags and remnants of an American-type shirt with a first lieutenant rank and tank destroyer insignia. The remains in the mass grave were commingled, and the German team was unable to separate them into individual sets. The German investigators therefore placed the remains in seven burial pouches and then re-interred them in the Marigny German War Cemetery, 40 miles south of Cherbourg. Subsequent attempts to identify the remains of 1st Lt. Baskind by U.S. and German investigators were not successful.
In 2023, the Volksbund and other interested private research organizations exhumed the commingled remains from Marigny War Cemetery for analysis. By February 2024, these researchers contacted DPAA to inform the agency that 1st Lt. Baskind’s remains had been analyzed by a private U.S. laboratory and sought DPAA’s concurrence. To verify Baskind’s remains, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System reviewed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y chromosome DNA (Y-STR), and autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis previously performed.
1st Lt. Baskind’s name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with the others still missing from World War II. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
We also talk with veterans about whom they remember on Memorial Day.
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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Marine Stew Blackwell joins us to talk about his new book, Savages: Infantry Culture in the Global War on Terror. In his debut book, Blackwell explores the complex culture, complete with its own value system, of the American warrior serving during the Global War on Terror, known as “GWOT.” The GWOT began after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and includes the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed.
“My hope is to immerse the reader in a vastly different society that values hardship, suffering, and deep, life-altering personal development over comfort and self-preservation,” said Blackwell, who served in the Marine Corps for 9 years and deployed 6 times to Afghanistan, Yemen, Guantanamo Bay, and with multiple Marine Expeditionary Units. “Understanding infantry culture, and its values, is the key to establishing our legacy during the War on Terror as men who dared for more out of life. We sought challenge and adventure to gain critical knowledge of ourselves and became better because of it.”
“In his book, Savages: Infantry Culture in the Global War on Terror, ST pulls the curtain back to give readers an uncensored, no-holds-barred depiction of the life of a GWOT infantryman,” said Chris Schafer, CEO at Tactical 16 Publishing. “His story is one that is sure to change your way of thinking and understanding of true American warriors and why this unique culture is critical to our country’s survival.”
We’re grateful to UPMC for Life and Tobacco Free Adagio Health for sponsoring this event!
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“We had Japanese faces but American hearts.”
So says our special guest Yoshio Nakamura, a Japanese-American born in California. Yoshio experienced first-hand the upheaval of World War II when Japanese-Americans were classified as enemy aliens.
He endured internment at Tulare Racetrack and Gila River Camp, facing humiliation and loss of freedom. Despite the injustice, he demonstrated loyalty to the U.S. by joining the Army, serving in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Nakamura participated in key battles in Europe, contributing to the unit’s status as the most decorated in U.S. military history.
After the war, he pursued education and became an art teacher. Despite hardships, Nakamura maintains a positive outlook on life.
Also joining us is Dr. Mitchell T. Maki is the President and CEO of the Go For Broke National Education Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy and lessons of the Nisei (a person born in the US whose parents were immigrants from Japan) World War II veterans.
The mission of GO FOR BROKE is to educate and inspire character and equality through the virtue and valor of our World War II American veterans of Japanese ancestry.
Dr. Maki is also the lead author of the award-winning book, Achieving the Impossible Dream: How Japanese Americans Obtained Redress, a detailed case study of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act.
Nearly fifty years after being incarcerated by their own government, Japanese American concentration camp survivors succeeded in obtaining redress for the personal humiliation, family dislocation, and economic ruin caused by their ordeal.
An inspiring story of wrongs made right as well as a practical guide to getting legislation through Congress, Achieving the Impossible Dream documents the redress movement from its earliest roots during World War II, the formal introduction of the idea in the 1970s, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, the judicial battles during the 1980s, and the lobbying of the legislative and executive branches in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 2000, the book received the Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award which is given to books addressing bigotry and human rights in North America.
Dr. Maki has held the positions of acting Provost and Vice president of Academic Affairs, Vice Provost of Student Academic Success, dean of the Colleges of Professional Studies and Health and Human Services (CSUDH), acting dean of the College of Health and Human Services at CSU Los Angeles and assistant professor in the Department of Social Welfare at UCLA.
As acting Provost, Dr. Maki provided academic and strategic leadership for CSUDH’s five academic colleges which served over fifteen thousand students.
Go For Broke – https://goforbroke.org/
Achieving the Impossible Dream – https://bit.ly/3H36KIm
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
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We have another fast-moving, free-for-all Open Conversation with the Veterans Breakfast Club.
This is National Nurses Week, in honor of Florence Nightengale's birthday on May 12, so we discuss military nursing and ask our nurses about their service. We also ask veterans who were treated--and perhaps lives were saved--by nurses in battle zones around the world.
Nancy Smoyer asks what Vietnam War movies are the best and worthy of screening for a course on the war. We'll discuss the relative merits of Hamburger Hilll, Coming Home, We Were Soldiers, and The Ugly American.
Vietnam Marine veteran Ron Farina wonders what movies and books fed his generation's ideas of war before they headed off to Southeast Asia to liberate the land from Communism.
Marilyn Pignataro from PALS Skyhope non-profit will tell us about her remarkable organization, which uses a network of planes and pilots to provide free medical and compassion flights for patients and veterans.
Nadia Rupniak's father was a hero. But she never knew his story until after he was gone. She'll talk about Marcin Rupniak's service in World War II, which included the Polish War Order of Virtuti Militari. The award is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war.
U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran Bob Connor gives us an update to his long work identifying and recovering Vietnamese and American remains from the Vietnam War. He has news about a probably identification and US POW MIA remains, including a witness who saw the burial of a POW who died after a forced march.
Bob works with the Vietnamese government and US Department of Defense Prisoner of War Accounting Agency to search for more than 1,200 US service members who are still missing from the Vietnam War.
Thank you to our sponsors Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life
Vietnam Veteran Chuck Theusch discusses his transformative journey from the battlegrounds of Vietnam to the peaceful mission of building libraries in Vietnam and Cambodia.
In 1969-70, Chuck served in the 4/3 Infantry, 11th Infantry Brigade, Americal Division in Vietnam. Like many others, he experienced the harsh realities of combat, witnessing the devastation of war and its profound impact on both the land and its people. These experiences left an indelible mark on him.
After his military service concluded, Theusch returned to civilian life in Wisconsin. However, the memories of Vietnam continued to weigh heavily on him. In 1999, after a return trip to Vietnam, he founded the Children’s Library International.
Theusch recognized the power of education in shaping the future of nations recovering from conflict. He understood that libraries could serve as beacons of hope, offering access to knowledge and fostering a love for learning among children and communities. With this vision in mind, he set out to build libraries in Vietnam and Cambodia, countries deeply scarred by war but resilient in their pursuit of progress.
The task was daunting, fraught with logistical challenges and bureaucratic hurdles. Yet, Theusch remained undeterred and gradually turned his vision into reality, one library at a time.
The impact of Theusch’s work extended far beyond the mere construction of physical structures. Each library became a symbol of reconciliation, bridging divides and fostering understanding between former adversaries. By providing access to books and educational resources, these libraries empowered children and communities to break the cycle of poverty and ignorance.
In Vietnam, Theusch’s efforts were met with gratitude and appreciation from local communities. The libraries he built became cherished landmarks, offering a safe haven for children to explore the world of literature and expand their horizons. In Cambodia, a nation still grappling with the legacy of genocide, his work brought hope to marginalized communities, offering a pathway to a brighter future.
Theusch’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of service and compassion.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event.
A large group of Veterans gathered to discuss their military service for a Veterans Breakfast Club Open Conversation. We talked about the 4/9 24th Infantry Division "Manchus," the experience of PTSD, and the use of buttons vs. brass zippers on Army fatigues. But the most robust, disturbing, and important aspect of the conversation was a discussion of drug use among US Servicemembers during the Vietnam War, especially 1970-1973.
During the Vietnam War, drug use was much more prevalent than in previous wars. Soldiers consumed a variety of substances, including marijuana, psychedelics like LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin mushrooms, as well as hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin. The military also issued stimulants like amphetamines to enhance endurance during missions and sedatives to manage anxiety and prevent mental breakdowns, which were notably successful with a low rate of mental breakdowns compared to previous conflicts.
The ease of access to drugs, breakdown in morale, and influence of counterculture back home contributed to widespread drug use among troops. Marijuana was initially tolerated and easily obtained from local villages. However, media attention following reports like John Steinbeck IV's article led to crackdowns by the military, pushing many soldiers towards heroin, which became more available due to its odorless nature and influx from neighboring countries like Cambodia.
Most soldiers used drugs casually as a means of escape from the harsh realities of war rather than being addicted. Efforts to curb drug use included initiatives like "Operation Golden Flow," which required servicemen to undergo drug testing before returning home. Contrary to fears of widespread addiction post-service, rates of drug use and addiction among veterans returned to pre-war levels.
The role of drugs in the brutality witnessed in Vietnam remains debated. Overall, the Vietnam War reflected broader societal shifts in drug culture during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
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Beth Reuschel is a professional military records researcher who helps families discover their legacies of service. She conducts research for people and also coaches them to do their own detective work. Through her expertise and guidance, dozens of people have tracked down service records of veteran parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, as well as brothers and sisters.
Beth joins The Scuttlebutt to give us “Military Records Research 101” briefing. She’ll offer tips and tricks to guide family history seekers through their own research journeys. If you’ve ever been curious about your veteran ancestors or family members, you’ll want to join us to talk with Beth and ask questions about how to start or get past the obstacles in your way.
Beth’s own path to archives began with a search for her grandfather, Jack Perz, who died before Beth was born.
An airman in Europe, Jack spoke little of the war. He even threw away his uniform in 1945. It was a black hole in her family history.
By asking questions and digging into archives, she discovered a picture of his crew, his original Certificate of Discharge (DD-214), his ribbon bar, even his Individual Flight Record. She eventually traced him a B-24 tailgun position in the 766th squadron, the 461st Bomb Group, 15th Army Air Force in Italy.
Researching his unit both online and at the National Archives II, she was able to compile a complete list of every single combat mission he flew—all 36 of them– including the target, mission number, accuracy rating, and, for some, the number of the aircraft the crew flew that day.
With a little more work, Beth then discovered the Holy Grail for any military researcher: the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). The OMPF is the official administrative records of a service member’s military career. It tracks where they trained, what they qualified to do, where they went, how they performed, what trouble they got into, and most other highlights and lowlights along the way.
She requested Jack Perz’s OMPF through the National Archives website. She was prepared to be disappointed. Up to 80% of all Army OMPFs were destroyed in the NPRC 1973 fire.
It turned out, Beth’s grandfather’s records were scorched, to be sure, but not totally destroyed. She received 60 pages of his file. And the stories she learned about her grandfather’s service provided her relatives, including her grandmother, a source of pride and love for a long lost family member.
This first experience taught Beth her biggest lesson in military records research:
Don’t give up.
There will be obstacles and seeming dead-ends. They can seem insurmountable. But the paths to discovery are many, and there’s almost always a workaround.
Even brick walls can be climbed.
Join us to share your questions and our research story! And learn more about Beth’s work at reuschelresearch.com.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
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In November and December last year, 21 of us—including five veterans who had served in-country during the war—traveled to Vietnam, from Hanoi and Halong Bay in the North to Saigon and the Mekong Delta in the South. Vietnam is a beautiful and often bewildering place, ancient in history and now yoked to American culture and memory. The country presents to the traveler more than can be absorbed. Tonight, we’ll talk with those who traveled with us and gather their impressions of the country, the people, and what they’ve learned from the trip.
One of our travelers was Vietnam veteran Jerry Augustine who remembers almost every aspect of his harrowing service. Jerry captured his story in his memoir, Vietnam Beyond. Jerry served in 1966-1967 with B Company, 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade in Vietnam. We’ll hear from Jerry what he thought of Vietnam and how it may have changed his view and understanding of his service.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
Ray Mabus served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy, the longest to serve as leader of the Navy and Marine Corps since World War I. Secretary Mabus is a Navy veteran himself, having served two years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer from 1970 to 1972 aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock (CLG-4), achieving the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade.
Ray Mabus has been Secretary of the US Navy, Governor, Ambassador and CEO.
As Secretary during President Obama’s Administration, he revolutionized the Navy and Marine Corps, opening all jobs to women, aggressively moving to alternative energy as a warfighting measure, building more than twice as many ships during his term than in the preceding eight years and developing the Gulf Coast Restoration Plan after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It was during his watch that Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden. Among many awards, he received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Social Responsibility Award and was chosen as one of the top fifty CEOs in America by GlassDoor, the only government person picked.
From 1988 to 1992, Mabus served as Governor of Mississippi, the youngest elected to that office in more than 150 years. Mississippi experienced record growth in jobs, education, tourism and exports.
Mabus was United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1994-1996. He was CEO of a public company from 2006-2007 leading it out of bankruptcy in less than a year while paying all creditors in full and saving equity.
Today, Mabus is on the board of two public companies, Hilton and Virgin Galactic, where he is Chair. In addition, he is a board member of InStride, a public benefit education company, the founder of Mabus Group, a consulting organization, and a board member or advisor to several other companies. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Explorers Club, and the Screen Actors Guild. He serves on the boards of the Environmental Defense Fund and Jose Andreas’ World Central Kitchen and the advisory board for the National Medal of Honor Museum. He has thrown out the first pitch at all 30 major league ballparks. He has stood on both poles and, during his life, has traveled to more than 190 countries and territories.
Secretary Mabus is a native of Ackerman, Mississippi, and received a Bachelor’s Degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Mississippi, a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a Law Degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. Mabus served in the Navy as an officer aboard the cruiser USS Little Rock.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
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Author and Vietnam veteran Bob Orkand discusses what he calls the “tragic failure” of the M16 rifle in Vietnam, a story captured in his book, Misfire.
The M16 rifle in the Vietnam War was marred by a series of critical problems that severely undermined its effectiveness and tarnished its reputation among soldiers. Initially introduced as a replacement for the M14, the M16 faced immediate challenges in the harsh and demanding conditions of the Vietnamese jungles.
One of the primary issues stemmed from insufficient training and maintenance procedures. Soldiers were often ill-prepared to properly care for the M16, with some even being misled into believing that the rifle was “self-cleaning.” Lack of cleaning supplies and instructions further compounded this problem, leading to increased vulnerability in combat situations.
The intricate components of the rifle required meticulous maintenance, a task many soldiers found themselves untrained for.
Thank you to Tobacco Free Adagio Health and UPMC for Life for sponsoring this event!
War Movie is a five-part documentary series that examines not only the history of war in American cinema but how this medium has shaped our country's perspective on conflict, foreign policy, race, masculinity, and national identity.
Cinematic depictions of military conflict have been common since the first crank of a shutter. From early films like The Birth of a Nation to recent entries The Hurt Locker and Dunkirk, the atrocities of war have never strayed far from the silver screen. Whether praised by critics or criticized by veterans who were there, war films play an integral part of our cultural understanding. War Movie looks at the history of these films and attempts to understand why we're compelled to experience and re-imagine our own violence on screen. Rather than a simple survey, War Movie examines our complex psychological relationship with the genre. By interviewing cinema studies scholars, creatives that bring these films to life and veteran perspectives, War Movie unpacks the over one-hundred-year history of military conflict on screen.
Join Shaun Hall, Documentarian Evan Mulgrave, and WAR MOVIE Director, Producer, Editor, Cinematographer, and Writer Steve Summers as we discuss his incredible series.
IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28633748/
War Movie on Amazon Prime – https://bit.ly/3P59DNi
Purchase on Blu-ray - https://www.amazon.com/War-Movie-American-Battle-Blu-Ray/dp/B0CNKT9CVC
Thank you to our sponsors:
UPMC for Life: http://upmchealthplan.com/medicare
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Dogs for Our Brave’s mission is to provide professionally trained service dogs at no cost to veterans who have suffered debilitating injury or illness while in service to our country. Their goal is to use rescue dogs at every opportunity, thus saving two lives at once. In order to fully realize their mission without adding financial burden, they also provide a continuum of free support that covers all food, veterinary care, and pharmaceuticals for the life of the dog.
Bryan Pieschel has joined the DFOB Team as the first Director of Veteran Services. Bryan served as an active-duty US Army medic from 2004-2009. During his time in service, Bryan served as both a lead company medic and lead battalion medic attached to a mechanized engineer unit. His unit deployed to Iraq in October 2005 with the purpose of conducting and training Route Clearance missions (IED hunters). The battalion saw significant action in combat which led to multiple KIA’s and numerous significantly injured soldiers. Bryan was one of the injured, during a night mission in Sept 2006 his vehicle was struck by an EFP (explosively formed projectile) that threw him into the back of the vehicle rendering him unconscious for several minutes, which resulted in him being awarded a Purple Heart. Upon returning to the states in Nov 2006, Bryan began to experience significant symptoms of PTSD and despite receiving great care, the symptoms would ultimately lead to him being medically retired in 2009. Despite his Retirement from active duty, the mission to serve his brothers and sisters in arms remains.
After being medically retired from the Army, Bryan returned to St. Louis and began working with his other passion in life, coaching kids, and teenagers in the sport of volleyball.
Listen to the Scuttlebutt this week to hear Bryan’s story firsthand and how Dogs for Our Brave is serving veterans in need.
Dogs for Our Brave - https://www.dfob.org/about/our-story/
Bryan Pieschel - https://www.dfob.org/team/bryan-pieschel/
Thank you to our sponsors:
UPMC for Life: http://upmchealthplan.com/medicare
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Victoria Kelly is the author of Homefront, Mrs. Houdini, and When the Men Go Off to War.
Victoria graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard University. She received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and her M.Phil. in Creative Writing from Trinity College Dublin, where she was a U.S. Mitchell Scholar.
Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Best American Poetry, The Autumn House Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry, Prairie Schooner, Southwest Review and dozens of other journals and anthologies. Her novel Mrs. Houdini was a People Magazine Best New Book, a USA Today New and Noteworthy Book, a Jeopardy Pick and a Publishers Weekly Starred Debut.
Her new book HOMEFRONT is inspired by her experiences as the wife of a fighter pilot during three wartime deployments, this collection follows women whose lives have been impacted by war and military service as they struggle with their fragile ideas of home.
In “Prayers of an American Wife,” a Navy wife grapples with loneliness when she discovers that her neighbor, also a Navy wife, is having an affair while their husbands are deployed on the same aircraft carrier. Tensions rise in “The Strangers of Dubai” as a soldier on leave tries to buy his wife a souvenir from an Afghan vendor. After attending eight funerals with fellow military wives whose husbands died in the Iraq war, the protagonist in “Finding the Good Light” divorces her Navy husband and tries to start a new life as a movie star. These, along with the eleven other stories in this collection, explore the emotional landscape of the resilient women who remain on the homefront.
Kelly’s stories offer readers an intimate, eye-opening look into the sacrifices and steadfastness of military family members.
https://www.victoria-kelly.com/
Homefront - https://bit.ly/49im7cD
Thank you to our sponsors:
UPMC for Life: http://upmchealthplan.com/medicare
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Charles Warner is a veteran and social anthropologist studying at the University of Leuven, Belgium.
His research interests primarily revolve around war veterans (a.k.a. the emerging field of “Veterans Studies”), strategic peacebuilding, and post-conflict dialogue/resolution in Southeast Europe. Within this research, he incorporates or centers visual art and poetry/prose-poetry/narrative nonfiction to express ethnographic engagements, research insights, temporality and polyvocal (re)presentation. His PhD project, tentatively titled "The Veterans Eclectic: Engaging voices of past war & visions of future peace in Former Yugoslavia," is guided by two research questions:
1) Do former combatants embrace the identity of "veteran," maintain veteran-oriented organizations, and connect internationally after the battlefields have gone silent? If yes, how?
2) How might mapping and understanding cross-border veteran relationships influence current or new approaches to peace and stability between former battlefield foes?
In pursuit of these questions, Charlie conducted two+ years of relational ethnographic fieldwork and participant observation alongside war veterans in Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Kosovo. This fieldwork has generated new insights into veteran culture and relations, their social visibility (or lack thereof), transnational relations, performative materiality, and veteran considerations of the future. Speaking more broadly, this research seeks to strengthen collaborations between social anthropology and the political sciences while contributing to Veterans Studies (thus challenging North Atlantic-centric narratives and hegemony within an emerging field) and informing new paradigms of peacebuilding in former Yugoslavia and beyond.
The research shared by Charlie Warner with the Scuttlebutt podcast is supported by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the University of Leuven, Belgium.
The Veterans Eclectic - https://theveteranseclectic.wordpress.com/
Ku Leuven - https://soc.kuleuven.be/anthropology/staff/00122596
Thank you to our sponsors:
UPMC for Life: http://upmchealthplan.com/medicare
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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This week on The Scuttlebutt we talk with the Chair of the Military Chess Committee and Navy veteran, Rob Getty about the upcoming 65th Annual US Armed Forces Chess Championship.
Rob talks about his service, how chess launched his military career, beginner tips, and lessons learned.
https://www.facebook.com/usafochess/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces_Chess_Championship
Thank you to our sponsors:
UPMC for Life: http://upmchealthplan.com/medicare
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Dr. Mitchell T. Maki is the President and CEO of the Go For Broke National Education Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy and lessons of the Nisei (a person born in the US whose parents were immigrants from Japan) World War II veterans. The mission of GO FOR BROKE is to educate and inspire character and equality through the virtue and valor of our World War II American veterans of Japanese ancestry.
Dr. Maki is also the lead author of the award-winning book, Achieving the Impossible Dream: How Japanese Americans Obtained Redress, a detailed case study of the 1988 Civil Liberties Act. Nearly fifty years after being incarcerated by their own government, Japanese American concentration camp survivors succeeded in obtaining redress for the personal humiliation, family dislocation, and economic ruin caused by their ordeal. An inspiring story of wrongs made right as well as a practical guide to getting legislation through Congress, Achieving the Impossible Dream documents the redress movement from its earliest roots during World War II, the formal introduction of the idea in the 1970s, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, the judicial battles during the 1980s, and the lobbying of the legislative and executive branches in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2000, the book received the Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award which is given to books addressing bigotry and human rights in North America.
Dr. Maki has held the positions of acting Provost and Vice president of Academic Affairs, Vice Provost of Student Academic Success, dean of the Colleges of Professional Studies and Health and Human Services (CSUDH), acting dean of the College of Health and Human Services at CSU Los Angeles and assistant professor in the Department of Social Welfare at UCLA. As acting Provost, Dr. Maki provided academic and strategic leadership for CSUDH's five academic colleges which served over fifteen thousand students.
Go For Broke - https://goforbroke.org/
Achieving the Impossible Dream - https://bit.ly/3H36KIm
Thank you to our sponsors:
UPMC for Life: http://upmchealthplan.com/medicare
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/ T
o find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Have you ever received a challenge coin and thought about its history? Who started this tradition? What is the etiquette of keeping them on hand? How are they made? Who designs them?
The Scuttlebutt attempts to answer these questions and more with Vietnam Navy Veteran Donn Nemchick and longtime VBC member Henry Schoepke. We dive into the history and hear stories of the challenge coins Henry and Donn have received over the years.
Henry also dives into his vast collection of signatures and stories he’s received from WWII veterans.
Henry’s letter in VBC Magazine - https://bit.ly/421Tw8v
Henry’s appearance on 15WMTV - https://bit.ly/48WZKbS
Challenge Coins Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenge_coin
44-year veteran creates challenge coins to honor military members - https://youtu.be/Na2-PPT5xXI?si=R0VKPUAtUWGuaqr_
Thrift Store Finds Military Challenge Coins Large Lot Any Good Ones? - https://youtu.be/N-5mKIkZNms?si=-cmxEew4UvS2HNF5
How to Practice Military Challenge Coin Etiquette - https://youtu.be/zc6_9TqmOfA?si=Hgx2JUEdcXzGZZRY
Order your own Challenge Coin from a Veteran-owned Business - Www.medalsofamerica.com
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Al Smith was an Infantry Platoon Officer during the Vietnam War. He believes that his military service taught him how to work well with people from all backgrounds regardless of race, gender, or political beliefs.
Today, he is a member of the Military & Veterans Group within the organization Braver Angels. The MV Group's mission is to bring together veterans whose military service has instilled them with the importance of unity, teamwork, and a country-first mentality in order to promote working together.
Braver Angels believes that the military’s core values of service-before-self, behavior of acceptance of others, and teamwork can help our nation reduce effective polarization. They are leading the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the political divide. Through community gatherings, real debates, and grassroots leaders working together, they’re offering America what it needs to overcome the bitterness of our partisan divide.
Citizenship is the common thread that connects all Americans and Braver Angels believes we are a nation bound not by race or religion, but by the shared values of freedom, liberty, and equality. When Reds, Blues and Others work together, the entire country benefits. Their movement is the guiding force that's helping Americans work together again.
To get involved visit their website at www.BraverAngels.org.
Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org/
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Joining me on The Scuttlebutt this week to kick off our ninth season is Navy SEAL Veteran Rick Kaiser.
Born and raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Rick Kaiser joined the U.S. Navy at age 17. He attended Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) training Class 109 in Coronado, CA. Rick was assigned to SEAL Team TWO in Little Creek, VA in 1980. He served at SEAL Team TWO from 1980 until 1985, specializing in winter warfare, combat diving, and sniping until he was selected for duty at SEAL Team SIX in 1985.
In 1993, Rick received the Silver Star Medal for Valor during the Battle of Mogadishu (Black Hawk Down). He served at ST-6 from 1985 through October of 2012. During his time at ST-6, Rick acted as sniper, explosives expert, lead training Chief, sniper team leader, and Deputy Operations Officer.
Rick continues to serve his country and fellow SEALs by helping to educate others about this unique special operations force and further the Frogman heritage as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum.
Rick talks about his service, what challenged him in BUD/S, the leaders he looked up to, the missions he was assigned, and when the history of the SEALs started to mean something to him. Hint: It’s not when you think!
For more information about Rick’s book FROGMAN STORIES and to check on the goings-on at the Navy SEAL Museum check out the links below.
Frogman Stories: https://www.amazon.com/Frogman-Stories-Leadership-Lessons-Teams/dp/1636243517
Navy SEAL Museum: https://www.navysealmuseum.org/
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Emily Bleeker is the best-selling author of seven novels. Combined, her books have reached over 2 million readers. She is a two-time Whitney Award finalist, a Wall Street Journal bestseller, Amazon charts bestseller and was recently listed as one of the top 100 Kindle authors “of all time.”
Emily lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her four kids and a growing menagerie of animals. Between writing and being a mom, she attempts to learn guitar, sings along to the radio (loudly), performs with a local improv troupe, and embraces her newfound addiction to running.
Her newest historical fiction novel, WHEN WE WERE ENEMIES tells the story of camera-shy Elise Branson. Elise is different from the other women in her maternal line. Her mother is an award-winning actress. Her late grandmother, Vivian Snow, is a beloved Hollywood icon. But when Elise’s upcoming wedding coincides with a documentary being made about Vivian, Elise can’t escape the camera’s gaze. And neither can her grandmother, even in death.
It’s 1943 when Vivian, a small-town Indiana girl, lends her home front support to the war effort. As a translator in the nearby Italian POW camp, she’s invaluable. As a celebrated singer for the USO, she lifts men’s spirits and falls in love with a soldier. But behind this all-American love story is a shocking secret—one that is vital to keep buried if Vivian is to achieve the fame and fortune she covets.
For Elise and Vivian, what’s hidden—and what’s exposed—threatens to unravel their lives. The heart-wrenching choices they must make will change them both forever.
Emily Bleeker’s Website: https://emilybleeker.com/
WHEN WE WERE ENEMIES - https://bit.ly/3tjrAjl
WRECKAGE - https://bit.ly/48grojX
WHAT’S LEFT UNSAID - https://bit.ly/3t9PbDf
WHEN I’M GONE - https://bit.ly/46V3itY
THE WAITING ROOM - https://bit.ly/3v14m1T
WORKING FIRE - https://bit.ly/489BJ0W
WHAT IT SEEMS - https://amzn.to/3NmcLmV
The Body Keeps the Score by Sean Pratt - https://bit.ly/4a9BzbP
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Pat D’Amico, is a Corporate Adviser to Fortune 500 Executives and the CEO of About-Face Development, LLC.
From the explosive front lines of the battlefield to the high-stakes world of Fortune 500 companies, Pat D'Amico has mastered the art of leadership under fire. His story begins as a mere teenager, enlisting in the U.S. Army and, against all odds, rising through the ranks to Captain. In the harshest conditions imaginable, Pat led global deployments leaving an indelible mark on the Army’s legacy.
The battlefield morphed into the corporate arena, where Pat stood against the tides of business uncertainty for over 25 years. He claimed leadership positions, even at the VP level, in mammoth corporations and feisty start-ups, leading teams to victory in the global corporate landscape.
In a remarkable twist, Pat didn't just lead departments – he pioneered them. Embracing newly created roles, he transformed nascent departments within established organizations into thriving and effective entities.
Pat wields his diverse experiences like a two-edged sword, delivering sharp, real-world insights that trigger commercial success for his clients.
From the Army to the corporate world and coaching arena, his leadership journey is packed with tales of triumph, transformation, and unwavering pursuit of excellence.
About-Face Development - https://aboutfacedevelopment.com/
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Paul Woodadge is a battlefield guide, historian, and YouTuber. He hosts the popular YouTube channel WW2TV which has nearly 900 videos. With 59,000 subscribers, he is one of YouTubes most popular historians.
Growing up in Great Britain with a grandfather who was proud to discuss his time in service, Paul developed a passion for history. Eventually settling in Normandy, Paul spends his time leading groups and producing his YouTube channel. WW2TV brings you the world's best military historians, authors and experts - battlefield explanations, presentations, lectures, discussions and analysis.
Paul is intoxicating with his extreme devotion for storytelling and encyclopedic knowledge of the history of D-Day and beyond.
WW2TV YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/WW2TV
WW2TV Website: https://www.ww2tv.com/
Paul’s Books:
Angels of Mercy - https://bit.ly/3QHQGjC
World War II Battlefields - https://bit.ly/3MJ8EkP
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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When Ian Fritz joined the Air Force at eighteen, he did so out of necessity. He hadn’t been accepted into college thanks to an indifferent high school career. He’d too often slept through his classes as he worked long hours at a Chinese restaurant to help pay the bills for his trailer-dwelling family in Lake City, Florida.
But the Air Force recognized his potential and sent him to the elite Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, to learn Dari and Pashto, the main languages of Afghanistan. By 2011, Fritz was an airborne cryptologic linguist and one of only a tiny number of people in the world trained to do this job on low-flying gunships. He monitored communications on the ground and determined in real time which Afghans are Taliban and which are innocent civilians. This eavesdropping was critical to supporting Special Forces units on the ground, but there is no training to counter the emotional complexity that develops as you listen to people’s most intimate conversations. Over the course of two tours, Fritz listened to the Taliban for hundreds of hours, all over the country night and day, in moments of peace and in the middle of battle. What he heard taught him about the people of Afghanistan—Taliban and otherwise—the war, and himself. Fritz’s fluency is his greatest asset to the military, yet it becomes the greatest liability to his own commitment to the cause.
Both proud of his service and in despair that he is instrumental in destroying the voices that he hears, What the Taliban Told Me is a brilliant, intimate coming-of-age memoir and a reckoning with our twenty years of war in Afghanistan.
https://www.ianlfritz.com/
What the Taliban Told Me - https://bit.ly/49pTYR9
What I Learned While Eavesdropping on the Taliban (Atlantic Article) - https://bit.ly/3u2O34p
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Adam F. Jones is a former U.S. Army Captain, Black Hawk helicopter pilot, author of "Weapons of Mass Deception: Detect and Defeat the Four Weapons Destroying Your Peace, Purpose, and Power," host of the Leadership Accelerator Podcast, and founder of Kingdom Operatives.
With 10 years of military experience and chosen for diverse roles such as serving as a criminal analyst for Interpol and strategic consultant for the Under Secretary of Defense, Adam is trained to build resilient teams for high-stakes environments.
As the commander of Delta Company, he transformed a toxic culture and improved retention among a specialized team of 50+ aviation professionals. Adam is the recipient of the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. Now, as the founder of Kingdom Operatives, Adam shares his leadership principles to help CEOs build powerful and efficient teams who thrive through adversity.
He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with continued experience building powerful teams that effectively operate in high-stakes environments. Adam resides in Pittsburgh, PA, and is a devoted husband and father of two powerful girls.
On The Scuttlebutt we dive into Adam’s unique military history. How he overcame adversity and disappointment to become a proficient and talented Black Hawk pilot and what drives him to help those around him succeed.
https://www.adamfjones.com/
https://www.adamfjones.com/kingdom-operatives
Weapons of Mass Deception - https://amzn.to/3SH7s5l
Weapons of Mass Deception Workbook - https://bit.ly/40iRd01
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Julia Ling is an accomplished actress, dancer, producer, and a veteran. Hiram Murray is an accomplished actor and also a Marine Corps veteran. Together they are unstoppable! Their recent project is Veteran Powered Films a production company whose mission is to empower veterans and servicemembers to create and tell their stories through film.
When military servicemen and women leave the service, they can experience a difficult transition back to civilian life. They leave behind a community and brother/sisterhood that supported them through difficult times. Veteran Powered Films aims to provide a sense of purpose and community through films made by veterans for everyone!
One thing every veteran can agree on is that Hollywood usually gets it wrong when telling stories about veterans. Hiram and Julia are driven to provide the most authentic portrayal of veterans on film because they both feel responsible for the image of what a veteran is.
After their successful short-film TANGO DOWN, they’ve started work on a full-length feature film Homestead. A new trailer of which is linked below.
To support Veteran Powered Films, visit their website https://veteranpoweredfilms.com/
Julia Ling: https://bit.ly/3ZTy8kD
Hiram A. Murray: https://bit.ly/3Qc1qba
Veteran Powered Films: https://veteranpoweredfilms.com/
Tango Down Trailer: https://bit.ly/46oB1MU
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Where Matt Louis’s previous book MISSION TRANSITION focused on transitioning servicemen and women by giving them an essential career-change guide for avoiding false starts and making optimal career choices following active duty.
Matt’s new book HIRING VETERANS flips to the other side of the same coin and focuses on the organizations and companies hiring said veterans.
Every year, about a quarter of a million veterans leave the military - most of whom are unprepared for the transition. These service members have developed incredible leadership, problem-solving, and practical skills that are underutilized once they reach the civilian world, a detriment to both themselves and society.
HIRING VETERANS makes the clear case for the value of employing members of today's military community. Veterans represent a real-time talent pool of experienced, trained, and dedicated professionals that, when properly harnessed, comprise an instant means of improving a company’s competitiveness and productivity. Case studies of organizations both large and small clearly demonstrate how leveraging a veteran talent-based strategy is a business imperative resulting in organizational growth.
Matt is also the President of Purepost, a next-generation staffing solution and public benefits corporation whose goal is to level the playing field in the nation's talent market.
Purepost - https://www.purepost.co/
Matthew Louis - https://matthewjlouis.com/
Hiring Veterans - https://matthewjlouis.com/hiring-veterans/
Mission Transition - https://matthewjlouis.com/mission-transition/
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Matthew Landis served in the Air Force but when he transitioned to civilian life, he lost his direction and purpose. Falling heavily into addiction and finding himself homeless, Matthew flatlined from an overdose. Having been saved by the slimmest of margins, he knew he needed to change his life.
It has not been easy but Matthew clawed his way back to life. His story of redemption is an inspirational one. Seeking holistic healing, Matthew found the Pacific Rim Trail and walked the entire length of the United States North to South not once – but twice.
Now Matthew is a fierce advocate for veterans using the great outdoors to heal trauma and find purpose.
He lives in an apartment now with his loyal service dog and plans walks that will challenge his mind, body, and spirit.
You can view Matthew’s photos on his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.landis/?ref=shop_looks
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Robin’s Home provides a full continuum of care for homeless, unstably housed and low-income female veterans and their children. Robin’s Home is located in Butler, PA but serves women veterans in seven counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Erie, Lawrence, and Mercer counties.
Robin’s Home is named after a women veteran who served in the Army and was deployed in support of Desert Storm. After discharge, Robin had been receiving treatment for sexual trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when she also required surgery for a medical condition. Unfortunately, due to complications from the surgery, Robin passed away January 27, 2017. In her honor, Robin’s Home provides supportive housing to women veterans and their children in need.
No other agency provides supportive housing to homeless women veterans and their children. Sadly, there is a growing need for women veterans who need housing stabilization and supportive services. Women Veterans are the fastest growing segment of the military and homeless population. Women Veterans are also twice as likely to experience homelessness than non women veterans.
Executive Director and Founder Mary Chitwood along with President of the Board of Directors at Robin’s Home discuss the history of Robin’s Home and how women can seek assistance.
Robin’s Home - https://robinshome.us/
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is actor and host of American Homecoming Jack Maxwell. Jack has appeared on television in
Lost, 24, House, Without a Trace, Beverly Hills 90210, General Hospital, and All My Children. He hosted all four seasons of Travel Channel’s Booze Traveler and has now turned his attention to helping spread the word about disabled veterans.
It is an unfortunate fact that many of our veterans return from serving our country disabled, to a house that no longer serves them. What was once an easy walk up a couple of steps to the front door now requires a ramp. Hardwood floors are not a luxury but a necessity.
Navigating the house now becomes a difficult, time-consuming, often-aggravating chore.
In American Homecoming, a veteran and their family, will be sent away for one week on a surprise vacation. Meanwhile, the expert team of carpenters and designers, along with an army of volunteers, mobilizes with military precision to renovate and remodel the house.
Each episode concludes with the unsuspecting family returning to a yard filled with an army of volunteers waiting to introduce them to their new home. One that is more welcoming, livable, and easier to navigate, with greater accessibility. As an added bonus, the house is updated with new furniture, appliances, decor, and household goods.
You can watch the first episode for free now at https://americanhomecoming.tv/
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Pat Hubbell started the non-profit Candorful with Army Veteran Peter Sukits when they realized transitioning military personnel needed help with the interview process.
Candorful’s mission is to connect transitioning military service members and career transitioners with experienced interview coaches for live personal practice job interviews – so they can Nail That Interview.
Pat has over 17 years of experience coaching soldiers, veterans and young professionals with career transitions at Cornell, PRTM (now PwC) and Keystone Strategy. She has an SM/MBA from MIT Sloan and a BSME from the University of Rhode Island. Before Candorful, she was VP of Development at Keystone Strategy, Senior Assoc. Director at Cornell, Management Consultant for PRTM and an Engineer.
Best of all is this service is 100% free for service members, military spouses, and Guard and Reservists.
Join The Scuttlebutt this week for tips and tricks and hear how Candorful can help you!
Candorful: https://candorful.org/
Sign up FOR FREE now: https://candorful.org/transitioning-military/
Disciplined Entrepreneurship by Bill Aulet: https://bit.ly/3ODZmaT
The 2-Hour Job Search by Steve Dalton: https://bit.ly/3Kqyedc
Top Gun’s Top 10 by Guy Snodgrass: https://bit.ly/3KqzzjY
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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The Leader Transition Institute prepares and walks beside people who are making pivots in their lives, with a special emphasis on service members, veterans, and their spouses who are transitioning from active military service to the civilian sector.
LTI was launched in 2018 after the first session of what has become its flagship program, Changing Focus: Moving From We to Me. The program, designed for service members, veterans, and their spouses who are within 24 months of transitioning from active duty to the civilian sector, fills the gaps left by the DoD-mandated transition programs. Focusing on a holistic approach to establishing goals and renewing passions, Changing Focus helps service members take the next step in their careers.
Since 2018, LTE has crisscrossed the United States bringing the program to North Carolina, Florida, the District of Columbia and California. In 2020, the team moved into the virtual arena because of COVID-19. More than 300 Service members, veterans, and their spouses in over 33 states, in six countries, across three continents have now participated in 34 cohorts of the program.
Joining Shaun to talk about their individual service, the inception of LTI, and the programs on offer are President and CEO Annie Brock and Director Jose Velazquez.
Leader Transition Institute: https://www.leadertransitioninstitute.org/
Information Page: https://www.leadertransitioninstitute.org/changing-focus-registration
Registration Page: https://bit.ly/3O84y6G
bit.ly/CF-registration
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Milo Speranzo didn’t like coffee before enlisting in the Air Force. But during his time deployed in Columbia and the military’s penchant for long hours, Milo developed a taste for a good cup-a-joe. Add to that a passion for entrepreneurialism and a love of his hometown of Pitcairn, PA and you have a recipe for success!
Joining Milo to talk about veteran-owned businesses is Navy veteran Donn Nemchick. Donn worked with the Small Business Administration for 16 years. During that time, he worked in conjunction with the Small Business Development Center at the University of Pitt. Needless to say, Donn knows a thing or two about helping small businesses find success.
If you are a veteran and you’re looking to start a business – you’ve come to the right podcast!
Not only do we get a history lesson on coffee in the military but we also get a crash course in what it takes to run a small business.
Milo Speranzo – The Incline - https://bit.ly/3CWXcwH
Vault Coffeehouse - https://www.coffeeinthevault.com/
University of Pittsburgh Small Business Development Center - https://entrepreneur.pitt.edu/centers/small-business-development-center-sbdc/
Schedule a Consultation - https://pasbdc.ecenterdirect.com/signup
Or Call – 412-648-1542
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans #veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteranshistoryproject #veteranstravel #veteranstrips #veteranshistoricaltours #veteransoralhistory #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #airforce #vietnamwar #veteraninterview
Joining Shaun on The Scuttlebutt is Army Veteran, career coach, and entrepreneur Ahmad Burse. Following in the footsteps of his parents Ahmad served in the Military (Army). During his service, he learned many things about himself while becoming a skilled communicator. These skills were crucial as he made his transition to civilian life. Ahmad worked in HR with the Army Corps of Engineers and it was here that he found his new passion for assisting Engineers and veterans with career coaching.
Passionate about empowering veterans transitioning from military service to rewarding civilian careers, Ahmad brings a wealth of expertise in the corporate and federal sectors to his role as a Veterans Corporate & Federal Career Coach. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges veterans face and a commitment to turning these into opportunities, he helps his clients chart their career paths, align their skills with their interests, and achieve their professional goals.
He provides personalized coaching that includes personal branding, resume and interview preparation, job search strategies, and networking assistance. Additionally, he helps his clients navigate the unique aspects of the federal job application process USAJOBS, a service that sets him apart from traditional career coaches.
As a seasoned professional with a proven track record of success, his mission is to equip veterans with the tools and confidence they need to advance in their current roles in the corporate or federal sectors.
Specializing in one-on-one coaching and group workshops, Ahmad provides personalized guidance and robust support systems to navigate the job market, identify opportunities, and achieve career advancement.
Ahmad Burse LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/burseconsulting/
Connect with Ahmad – ahmad@burseconsulting.com or 301-659-7899
Veteran Success Story: Ahmad Burse - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJgInyNLBTQ
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Tara Fields is a licensed behavioral health provider, Army combat veteran, and passionate advocate for the improvement of mental health care for all service members. Tara is part investigator, author, clinician, politician, and is on a mission to change the damning course our military continues down which is proving deadly. What she shares in Tracer Patient is a sobering account of her own personal journey and captures just how deeply flawed the current system is.
Through Tara’s story and other service members and their families’ stories, we learn that everyone must balance the demands of the system with the art of caring for oneself. During her service, Tara would learn that she was disregarding the fact that her own mental health was being overwhelmed and overstimulated. She nearly became a casualty herself. She would transition from the role of the mental health provider to the patient in a way she never saw coming. As a trained psychotherapist and seasoned Army Officer, she was motivated more than ever to expose the harsh realities plaguing our military today with respect to failed policies, toxic command climates, and a grossly negligent and failing military mental health system.
Tara speaks hard truths to power and refuses to quit until suicide rates decrease and until we fix an epically broken mental health system. She addresses the problem and provides impactful solutions.
Tracer Patient aims to bring insight, then spark action and to motivate the reader, regardless of what system you may find yourself, to stand up to these things that are happening and to do your part to bring about systemic changes affecting us all.
Tracer Patient - https://www.writersrepublic.com/bookshop/tracer-patient
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteranshistoryproject #veteranstravel #veteranstrips #veteranshistoricaltours #veteransoralhistory #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #airforce #vietnamwar #veteraninterview
Yinz Are Good celebrates the GOOD STUFF going on in Pittsburgh and the GOOD PEOPLE who remind us that kindness, compassion and sincerity exist, even in these precarious times.
Episodes include interviews with groups, organizations or individuals in the Pittsburgh, PA area who are helping those in need in our communities.
Host Tressa Glover also asks listeners to share their stories about times when someone changed their lives for the better. Could have been a friend, a colleague, even a stranger...It could be a story that changed the course of their life or simply the course of their day. Sharing our stories is one of the best ways to connect with, learn from, and help each other -- and couldn't we all use that right about now?
We flip the script this week as Tressa joins The Scuttlebutt to talk about her podcast and her family’s military history.
Our shared passion for storytelling and creating communities of listening to connect, educate, heal, and inspire shines through for an uplifting episode about what it means to be a good neighbor, friend, and advocate for those around us.
Yinz Are Good Website - https://www.yinzaregood.com/
Listen to Yinz Are Good - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yinz-are-good/id1525439114
Yinz Are Good Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yinzaregood/?hl=en
Yinz Are Good Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p/Yinz-Are-Good-100064210926306/
Pittsburgh Press Article about the Glover Brothers - https://www.newspapers.com/article/112929065/pgh-press-july-18-1945/
Socks with a Mission - https://www.sockswithamission.org/
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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An Honest Conversation about the Military Civilian Divide
I’ve heard it stated equally from both veterans and non-veterans that it is their own responsibility to help bridge the military/civilian divide. Civilians need to do more to understand what veterans have been through and take a more active role in learning about the wars we are fighting. While veterans need to be more open to sharing their experiences while contributing to their communities. I’ve learned over the course of The Scuttlebutt that the truth lies somewhere in the middle and have found that we are more alike than different.
Where do we start?
I believe it begins with curiosity, the willingness to ask questions, and listening. Lots of listening.
Sitting down with me this week to ask some hard questions is Post 9/11 Vet and Marine Corps Infantryman Stew Blackwell. Stew is a podcast host, author, and passionately believes that diving deeper will ultimately bring us closer together. With his brutal honesty and fresh perspective, he hosts the Warrior Legacy Podcast.
Our conversation covers Stew’s service, his thoughts about the civ/mil divide and ultimately Stew gets to ask me some questions about my civilian perspective of his generation and the War on Terror. It’s an honest conversation that not to be missed.
Warrior Legacy Podcast - https://bit.ly/3NgqlsE
Scales on War - https://bit.ly/43oxdd6
Gates of Fire - https://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/0553580531
Support this podcast:
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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OBTT – Off-Base Transition Training offers free workshops for Vets, Guard, Reservists, and Spouses to find employment
The Off-Base Transition Training (OBTT) pilot program is an opportunity earned through service for veterans, veterans currently serving in the National Guard and Reserve, and their spouses to take control of their career through workshops to help meet their employment goals.
The ten, two-hour workshops are in-person, virtual and built to fit your schedule. These workshops are offered to you at no cost based on your service. You can mix and match workshops to meet your employment goals and attend workshops at your own pace.
The Workshops cover everything from developing your resume to nurturing interview skills and negotiating a salary. There is something for everyone!
Joining The Scuttlebutt to talk about OBTT are veterans Pam Langley and Marlene Ciesielski. Between them they have 55 years of combined service in the armed forces and have committed themselves to serving veterans by helping them find gainful employment.
Don’t wait – register for a workshop today!
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Former Navy Intelligence Officer, MP Woodward, talks about his Espionage Drama Series The Handler and Dead Drop
MP Woodward is a former Naval Intelligence Officer and now a critically acclaimed author of The Handler Series. His new book DEAD DROP, released last week and continues the story of CIA case officers John and Meredith Dale. A divorced couple forced to work together in the world of espionage.
When nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran have reached a crisis point, the American Administration is determined to move ahead, but there are several stumbling blocks, not the least of which is the Iranian intelligence operative the CIA has hidden away in one of its safe houses. John and Meredith find themselves caught in the middle between Mossad, the CIA, and an Iranian hit squad!
In a genre known for strong leads, high stakes, political drama, and tense interpersonal relationships – how does MP stand out from the crowd? What real world event sparked The Handler series? And how does he mine his near-decade long service in the Navy for characters, plot, and true-to-life war games?
Find out this and more by joining Shaun (a professed geek of the thriller genre) as we dig into what makes John and Meredith tick and what techniques MP uses to overcome writers block.
MP Woodward - https://www.mpwoodward.com/
THE HANDLER - https://www.amazon.com/Handler-M-P-Woodward/dp/059344163X
DEAD DROP - https://bit.ly/3MxuM0o
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteranshistoryproject #veteranstravel #veteranstrips #veteranshistoricaltours #veteransoralhistory #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #airforce #vietnamwar #veteraninterview
Military Spouses Use Theater to tell Their Story
When servicemen and women join the military, it creates a ripple effect. One that includes everyone in their family and it can be argued that that ripple effect is felt most acutely by their spouse and children.
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week to share their stories are Amy Uptgraft and Lea Johnson.
In July 2015, as Amy learned to cope with her husband’s deployments, loneliness at home, and distance from loved ones she established connections with other military spouses who shared similar experiences. This led Amy to write the play I WILL WAIT after interviewing countless spouses about the challenges of life in the military. The play impacted the military and civilian community and began a conversation about military spouses’ lives, their individual stories and journeys, and the support that was needed.
In 2017, Amy connected with two other military spouses in Alaska; Lea Johnson and Wendy Caldwell. Together, they took Amy’s inspiration and desire to serve military spouses to the next level. A year later, in March 2018, Veteran’s Spouse Project was formed.
Now, Veteran’s Spouse Project is dedicated to sharing the stories of generations of military spouses, uniting the military and civilian communities in friendship and understanding, and creating a beautiful space rooted in the values we hold dear.
Join The Scuttlebutt this week to hear about Amy and Lea’s passion for storytelling, the sacrifices they’ve had to make and their personal stories of triumph and strength.
Veterans Spouse Project - https://veteransspouseproject.org/
I WILL WAIT - https://veteransspouseproject.org/i-will-wait/
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
The Scuttlebutt is now on Wreaths Across America Radio. You listen in any time with this live link: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio
To find out more information about the Veterans Breakfast Club and view our upcoming schedule of online and in-person events, visit our website at: http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Veteran Business Owner Jeremy Mock of Glass City Cafe
Jeremy Mock is a Marine Corps veteran and current Navy Reservist with a passion for business. After his time in the Marine Corps, Jeremy visited his hometown of Jeanette, PA and was struck by how the downtown area had deteriorated. He decided to help revitalize the town and decided to open Glass City Café.
Jeremy isn’t alone in his personal mission, according to a Census Bureau report in 2021, Veteran-owned businesses made up about 5.9% (337,934) of all businesses, with an estimated $947.7 billion in receipts, approximately 3.9 million employees, and about $177.7 billion in annual payroll.
What’s more valuable than the numbers are veterans are contributing to bridging the military/civilian divide by being present in their communities as well as supporting other veteran-owned businesses to help each other thrive.
Glass City Café prides itself on partnering with Veteran owned businesses to provide premier roasted coffee and tea. They work with local dairies and bakeries to source the freshest and tastiest additions to the coffee they serve and in doing so are helping to revitalize a small town.
Join The Scuttlebutt this week to hear about Jeremy’s success story and how he took the many lessons he learned from the military and uses them to overcome the challenges of owning a business.
Glass City Café – https://glasscitycafe.com/
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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Filmmaker Frederick Marx – Veterans Journey Home
Frederick Marx is an internationally acclaimed, Oscar and Emmy nominated director/writer with 45 years in the film business. He was named a Chicago Tribune Artist of the Year, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Special Achievement Award.
Frederick is the founder of Warrior Films, a non-profit production company whose mission is to inspire needed social change by telling compelling stories highlighting transformational solutions.
To support this mission, Warrior Films recently put the finishing touches on Veterans Journey Home. This five-film series tells a different kind of “Hero’s Journey” than the one the public is used to. Not the tales of heroism and valor on the battlefield but the story of Veterans willing to fight the battle of the demons within – to find emotional and psychological peace with the ghosts of past decisions and actions. This hero’s journey requires a different kind of bravery, not facing bullets and IEDs, but facing tears of anguish and loss, facing acceptance of extreme fear, facing rage at betrayal, facing paralyzing self-doubt and shame, facing judgments of self-hatred.
The Veterans in the films, different across race, class, and culture – men and women, African Americans and Latinos, gay and straight…flesh out the different storylines. Their differing backgrounds and experiences express the full range of combat soldiery. Challenged by unemployment, rape, child abuse, homelessness, suicidal ideation, drug and alcohol addiction and more, what we witness through them is an emotional hurricane. Though at times terrifying, shocking, and emotionally wrenching, their stories of transformation ultimately prove tremendously uplifting, filled with humor and spirit, buoyed all the more by the expansive hearts of the men and women who serve them.
(Credit: WarriorFilms.org)
Warrior Films - https://warriorfilms.org/
Veterans Journey Home:
Veterans Journey Home - https://warriorfilms.org/veterans-journey-home/
Solutions Trailer – https://bit.ly/3Z6ul1B
On Black Mountain Trailer – http://bit.ly/3FEw6vQ
Kalani’s Story Trailer – http://bit.ly/3ndocDy
Ben’s Story Trailer – http://bit.ly/3ndo0nO
Leaving it on The Land Trailer - http://bit.ly/3TzkO1z
Other Films by Frederick Marx:
Hoop Dreams Trailer - https://bit.ly/3JwJJyw
The Unspoken Trailer - https://bit.ly/3ltLqVg
Books by Frederick Marx:
Rites to a Good Life - https://bit.ly/3LXbkf9
At Death do Us Part - https://bit.ly/3lp6TyN
Thank you to our sponsor: Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteranshistoryproject #veteranstravel #veteranstrips #veteranshistoricaltours #veteransoralhistory #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #airforce #vietnamwar #veteraninterview
Letters from Vietnam
To connect with family, friends, and loved ones back home today’s servicemen and women utilize email and live-video calls. That wasn’t always the case. In Vietnam, our brave men and women deployed overseas had to rely on written letters. These letters could contain good news, bad news, or no news at all. “Mail Call” was either a respite from the stressors of war or a depressing event. But what specifically did these letters contain? And how did our troops respond? What details did they omit to protect their loved ones? Did they fear a Dear John or Dear Jane letter?
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week to talk about the history of letter writing in the military including their personal letters home are Vietnam Veterans Donn Nemchick (Navy) and Jim Roberts (Army). Their wars couldn’t have been more different. Donn served on a ship while Jim served in the bush. How did they each receive their mail? And what did they write about when it came time to respond? Was Mail Call always a happy time? And what of our boys that fought in WWII? What was V-mail?
We also discuss the books, museums, and online exhibits that catalogue and preserve the stories of our servicemen and women for future generations.
For a brief history of the US Military Mail Services visit dvidshub.net
Operation Meatball - V-Mail: America's Secret Morale Booster in WW2 - http://bit.ly/3JfxINt
You Have V-Mail – Smithsonian Magazine - https://bit.ly/3yw8wxw
Mashable – V-Mail - https://mashable.com/feature/v-mail
Chapman University – The Center for American War Letters - http://bit.ly/3Trohzz
Boot Camp – What is Mail Call? - https://bit.ly/3TfJnki
Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam - https://bit.ly/3Tandjc
Dear America - Letters Home from Vietnam - https://bit.ly/3ZGHzDl
Letters from Vietnam: Voices of War by Bill Adler - https://bit.ly/3mPlZxR
Letters from Vietnam by Dennis Hoy - https://bit.ly/425BjXc
The American Soldier | The Scuttlebutt | Season 7 Episode 1 - https://bit.ly/426miED
VBC Happy Hour with LOON author Jack McLean - https://bit.ly/3ZLjJpV
Loon by Jack McLean - https://bit.ly/3TgC0sz
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
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What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?
According to a recent report by the National Center for PTSD (2023) at some point in their life, 7 out of every 100 Veterans (or 7%) will have PTSD. In the general population, 6 out of every 100 adults (or 6%) will have PTSD in their lifetime. PTSD is also more common among female Veterans (13 out of 100, or 13%) versus male Veterans (6 out of 100, or 6%).
With the advent of new technologies, veterans have a wealth of options as they seek treatment as opposed to years past. On The Scuttlebutt we’ve attempted to demystify PTSD and provide information on available treatments; including Stellate Ganglion Block, Psychedelics, Writing, and even Grappling Martial Arts.
This week we highlight a new non-invasive treatment called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or TMS. Worn on the top of the head, TMS devices stimulate a user’s brain waves using powerful magnets as a way to ‘rewire’ their brain activity. Currently approved by the FDA for headaches and anxiety, veterans have seen overwhelmingly positive results when using TMS to treat PTSD. They have reported healthier sleep patterns, less headaches, relief from suicidal ideations, and more relaxed responses to outside stimulation.
Joining The Scuttlebutt to talk about TMS and their personal results from treatment are Post 9/11 Army veteran Dirk Harkins, (and the point-of-contact in Ohio for TMS – Contact info below), and Marine Corps veterans Terry Wildman (Vietnam era) and Brian Majewski (Granada, Iraq, Afghanistan). Also joining me is frequent Scuttlebutt co-host and mastermind behind this episode, WTRF News Anchor/Reporter, Kathryn Ghion.
If you are interested in receiving TMS treatments, you can contact Dirk Harkins through email at dirkharkins68@gmail.com or by phone at 740-491-7125.
WTRF Reporting on TMS 1 – http://bit.ly/3ZjH95v
WTRF Reporting on TMS 2 - http://bit.ly/3F2ZjAm
Mayo Clinic - http://bit.ly/3yh6eSy
Harvard Health Publishing - http://bit.ly/3ygdwpM
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3 #veterans #veteran #vet #militaryhistory #usarmy #army #vietnam #usnavy #navy #pilot #airforce #veteranowned #coastguard #aviators #militaryveterans #Iraq #vietnamveterans
veteransstories #veteranshistory #veteranshistoryproject #veteranstravel #veteranstrips #veteranshistoricaltours #veteransoralhistory #militaryretirees #armyretirees #navyretirees #warstories #airforce #vietnamwar #veteraninterview
Pan Am Museum Foundation
The Pan Am Museum Foundation’s mission is to educate, celebrate, and inspire present and future generations by preserving historical and diverse personal stories of Pan American World Airways. Pan Am’s relationship with the military goes back decades and here to talk about that history are Museum Chair Linda Freire, Director of Curation And Historian John Luetich, and veteran and Director of Flight Operations Outreach Capt. John Marshall.
VBC Happy Hour with Pan Am Flight Attendants - https://bit.ly/3wdicvN
VBC Happy Hour with Pan Am Museum Foundation - https://bit.ly/3J58OSB
Pan Am Museum Foundation - https://www.thepanammuseum.org/about/
Wings of Freedom by Al Topping - https://bit.ly/3R6foKB
Last Flight Out - https://bit.ly/3iQiIN8
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Should I join the Navy?
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week to talk about enlisting in the Navy are NTAG Officer Programs Officer & Outreach Coordinator LT Jade L. L. "Cool J" Reaves and Master at Arms, Coral Rodriguez. We talk with each of them about their service, how the Navy Talent Acquisition Group performs outreach to find the next generation of Navy recruits, and common questions they get about the Navy. For more information about joining the Navy see the links below:
Navy – https://www.navy.mil/
Are you looking to join the Navy? - http://bit.ly/3QY91sE
NTAG - https://www.navycs.com/districts.html
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Mission Transition with Veteran Author Matt Louis
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week to continue our series on transitioning from the military to civilian life is Matthew Louis. Matt is an Army veteran and one of the nation’s leading experts in career transition for veterans and public service professionals. He coaches individuals on their transition efforts and advises employers on hiring programs designed to successfully assimilate veterans into their organization. He is the author of the award-winning HarperCollins book Mission Transition, a practical guide for veterans in career transition, their families, and their employers.
Matthew Louis Website - https://matthewjlouis.com/
Mission Transition - https://matthewjlouis.com/books/
Purepost - https://www.purepost.co/
What Color is Your Parachute - https://bit.ly/3XhDqnX
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Military Movie Reviews
Army veteran Ryan Ahl, News Anchor Kathryn Ghion, and Filmmaker Evan Mulgrave join The Scuttlebutt this week to talk Military Movies. Spoilers ahead! This time, Ryan chose two World War II movies that couldn’t be more different in style and story. Up for critique are the 2018 zombie flick, OVERLORD starring Wyatt Russell and the 2014 big-budget, tank warfare film, FURY starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf. What did we like? What drove us nuts? Join us for hilarity, ranting and raving, and Nazi Zombies.
Overlord – https://bit.ly/3Xcu8cB
Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USPd0vX2sdc
Fury - https://bit.ly/3vGBJEv
Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNHuK1rteF4
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Career Skills Program with Ryan Skinner
Ryan Skinner is an active-duty Army serviceman who recently decided to transition out of the military. He joins The Scuttlebutt this week to talk about his service and his experience with the Army Emergency Relief’s Career Skills Program. Created in 2015, the Career Skills Program allows retiring and separating Soldiers to participate in skills training during their transitional period to improve their civilian employment options. The program’s focus is on pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeships, on-the-job training, internships, job shadowing and other types of employment skills training during Soldiers’ last 180 days of service.
Career Skills Program - https://bit.ly/3Q9uzSy
Is the CSP for you? - https://bit.ly/3vvzZhn
AFN Humphries highlights the CSP - https://bit.ly/3CgHmwY
The Scuttlebutt TAP Program - https://bit.ly/3ClTVXH
The Scuttlebutt Army Emergency Relief - https://bit.ly/3jOkO03
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Seth the Speaker
Seth Miller is a 20-year Air Force veteran, author, podcast host, and motivational speaker. He recently joined VBC for our 12-hour Vet-a-Thon to talk about his service and what led him to write The Black Collar Mindset, a book which offers a powerful and inspirational plan to help people overcome any obstacle in their lives and attain whatever they want.
Seth The Speaker - https://www.seththespeaker.com/
The Black Collar Mindset - https://www.theblackcollarmindset.com/
Seth The Speaker Podcast - https://bit.ly/3VcHaoV
To watch the VBC Vet-a-Thon in its entirety - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fk8FTUEn2g
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
The Warrior Next Door Podcast
Ryan Fairfield and Tony Lupo join The Scuttlebutt this week to talk about their shared passion for veterans’ stories. After completing more than 200 veteran interviews for the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project, they decided share their experiences by creating The Warrior Next Door Podcast. In this podcast, Ryan and Tony explore their extensive library of oral histories of World War II veterans while adding compelling commentary and historical context. Beyond the podcast, you can view each veteran interview in its entirety by visiting The Warrior Next Door YouTube channel HERE!
Library of Congress - https://bit.ly/3BLzHGH
Warrior Next Door Podcast - https://bit.ly/3Wrb89N
YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@thewarriornextdoorpodcast721
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/WarriorNextDoor/
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Tobacco Free Adagio Health
A recent report by the CDC found that more than 1 in 5 veterans reported being current cigarette smokers. Are you a smoker? Do you want to quit? Tobacco Free Adagio Health is here to help! They are dedicated to preventing and reducing tobacco use and increasing education about tobacco hazards and secondhand smoke. Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is Program Manager Diana Mihalcik. She joins us to talk about the programs TFAH has to offer including classes, nicotine replacement therapies, and a popular quit line – 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
Tobacco Free Adagio Health https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
American Warrior Festival – Dan Clor
Dan Clor doesn’t have your average Marine Corps story. His first stint in the Corps didn’t go as planned but what it did was light a fire in him to make things right. Dan joins The Scuttlebutt this week to tell his story of redemption and how if your fire burns hot enough you can overcome adversity. And that’s before he started the American Warrior Festival whose mission is to provide travel and entertainment for the brave men and women who have served and are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces, and to give them access to Veteran support resources through their non-profit partners.
American Warrior Festival - https://americanwarriorfestival.com/
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
DoD Overseas Shows – RG Smith
We’ve all heard of USO shows, but there’s another far-more intrepid group of entertainers that produces over 1,200 shows around the world each year, reaching over 500,000 personnel at 355 military installations. It’s called Armed Forces Entertainment, and it’s the Department of Defense’s agency for reaching US servicemembers at the most remote, isolated, and dangerous locations, from ships at sea to landlocked battlezones.
Join The Scuttlebutt this week to hear PART 1 of RG’s story. His service as a Navy combat photographer and public affairs officer for riverine units in Vietnam then his tours with the Nancy Wiles Band in the Persian Gulf, Panama, Bosnia, and Somalia.
Then join us on VBC Happy Hour tonight (December 5th, 2022) for PART 2 to hear about RG’s “Final Act!” – What caused him to ask the DoD to “Never call me again.”?
Learn more about Armed Forces Entertainment: https://armedforcesentertainment.com/
USO: https://www.uso.org/entertainment
USOs Across the Country are Shutting Down: http://bit.ly/3VxrMUH
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Peggy Simpson – Author of Mental Camouflage
Peggy Simpson is not a veteran. She doesn’t come from a military family. She admits that she’s not even an author. However, Peggy befriended James, a former Corporal in the Ulster Defense Regiment in Ireland. James is a veteran of the Troubles, a Northern Ireland conflict between Protestants and Catholics that occurred between 1968 and 1998. Through Peggy, James wishes to get his story of recovery out. From an early age he experienced a series of traumatic events which has led to him developing Complex PTSD. But James hasn’t let that destroy his life. Listen to The Scuttlebutt this week to hear James’ inspirational message.
Mental Camouflage - http://bit.ly/3Es3zs5
James’ story in The American Institute of Stress - https://www.stress.org/mental-camouflage
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Scott Mann – Author of Operation Pineapple Express
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Scott Mann is a former U.S. Army Green Beret with tours all over the world including Colombia, Iraq, and multiple tours in Afghanistan. He is a warrior storyteller and the founder of Rooftop Leadership. Scott is the Author of several books, including, Game Changers, Mission America, Leading Through Chaos, and Operation Pineapple Express as well as two children’s books. Scott is also a playwright and actor in his recent play brought to film about the Afghan War and the unforeseen cost of war on our Veterans called “Last Out,” which is available on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, AppleTV, and VUDU. Additionally, he has spoken on three TEDx stages. Join The Scuttlebutt this week to hear some of his amazing story!
Operation Pineapple Express: http://bit.ly/3UDQvXt
Game Changers: http://bit.ly/3O7xpq6
Mission America: https://amzn.to/3E9W9cS
Leading Through Chaos: http://bit.ly/3THsFsq
LAST OUT: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Out-Scott-Mann/dp/B09X94Q5CS
TEDx Talk – The Generosity of Scars: https://youtu.be/_szAosvdWdM
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
At Ease! Veterans Magazine
AT EASE! Veterans Magazine began as a vision of entrepreneur, Christine Walker, a Desert Storm Veteran, having served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman at Camp Lejeune, MCB. With her background in publishing & design, she wanted to create a print magazine that would give a voice to veterans to share the stories that forged them in the fire and have made them who they are today. It is a magazine “by veterans for veterans!” Join The Scuttlebutt this week for more of Christine’s story and all the content AT EASE provides!
Subscribe to At Ease! - https://www.theateasemagazine.com/subscribe
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Can Grappling Martial Arts Heal Trauma?
Army veteran Timothy Kim is the founder of The Knifehand Company a non-profit whose mission is to build connections between Grappling Martial Arts studios and veterans. Tim believes that the physical and intimate one-on-one exchange of energy that occurs in training in Judo and Jiu Jitsu can help to heal trauma. Join The Scuttlebutt this week to find out more!
The KnifeHand Company - https://www.theknifehand.org/
Judo Caught on Tape in NYC Subway - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RATGlApLtms
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
How Can I Continue to Serve?
Marine Corps veteran Dwight Boddorf and Army Veteran Ray Kerr have a passion for serving their country and their community. Join The Scuttlebutt this week to hear them talk about the benefits of public service and why it’s more important than ever for veterans to lend their experience and expertise to the community in which they live.
International County Management Association - https://icma.org/
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Team Foster – Nick Liermann is the founder and Executive Director of Team Foster, a non-profit whose mission is to fight for the unmet needs of injured and disabled Veterans by bringing together civilians, Veterans and highly trained service dogs. They accomplish this through a variety of programs – not least of which is the marriage of Nick’s passion for cycling and his desire to honor his late battle buddy, Erick Foster. Check out The Scuttlebutt this week to hear Nick and Erick’s story.
Team Foster – www.teamfoster.org
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Tips for Going Back to School? – Combat to College
John H. Davis is an Army veteran, Military Author, Advocate, Educator, and “the most tattooed person with a Harvard degree.” To help his fellow veterans, John authored Combat to College: Applying the Military Mentality as a Student Veteran. His book serves as a guide for student veterans who want to win the college battle. Utilize the unique skills and discipline they gained in the military to succeed in higher education. In ten straightforward lessons designed by a veteran for veterans, you will learn how to navigate the transition to civilian life, build your team and resume, deal with political professors, and endure to graduation.
Combat to College Website - https://www.johnhdaviswriter.com/
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Can Psychedelics heal PTSD?
Adam Zaffuto (Army veteran, Iraq and Afghanistan wars) rejoins The Scuttlebutt to talk about his healing journey over the last year with the use of psychedelics. The last time we talked with Adam was after the fall of Kabul. After that episode, Adam sought out a method of healing his trauma through psychedelics. Join us this week to hear Adam’s honest, personal, and raw story.
How to Change your Mind on Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/title/80229847
Rick Doblin Ted Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9XD8yRPxc8
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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THE AMERICAN SOLDIER - A One-man Play About Veterans For Everyone
Season 7 of The Scuttlebutt kicks off with non-veteran actor and producer Douglas Taurel. Inspired by his experience in NYC during 9/11, Douglas wrote a play titled The American Soldier to give a sincere thank you to all of our veterans and their families for their incredible sacrifice throughout American History. From Scotland to across the United States, The American Soldier has garnered praise from both veterans and non-veterans alike. Join us to hear more of Douglas’s story.
The American Soldier website: https://www.theamericansoldiersoloshow.com/
The American Soldier Off-Broadway:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnP-sU9pnd8
Douglas Taurel Reel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmDMEd7xkIA
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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The PACT Act On a recent VBC Happy Hour, retired VA Veterans Service Representative and retired Air Force veteran, Ron Gionta broke down The PACT Act. Along with his presentation (presented here in full), we speak with Post 9/11 Army veteran Ryan Ahl about his thoughts on The PACT Act.
To read more on The PACT Act and/or file a disability claim - https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/
5 Ways PACT Act Helps Veterans: https://youtu.be/KGo3nwVechc
PACT Act and Vietnam Veterans: https://youtu.be/8qNkMWTmOc8
PACT Act and Gulf War & Iraq Veterans: https://youtu.be/YyfRSPU084M
PACT Act and Post 9/11 Veterans: https://youtu.be/28zohbpwod4
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Top Gun and Psychedelics
Top Gun Maverick continues to perform well at the box office! To celebrate, The Scuttlebutt welcomes real life Top Gun graduate, James “Bart” Bartelloni to the show. Bart flew F-14 Tomcats in the 90’s and gives us the rundown on his service and training. That’s not all! Bart is also an avid SUP surfer and proponent of psychedelic treatment for spiritual awakening and trauma. Join us this week for an educational and inspirational conversation.
The SUP Vets non-profit – www.thesupvets.org
No Fallen Heroes Documentary – www.nofallenheroes.com
No Fallen Heroes Trailer - https://bit.ly/3R4W0My
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Need Cash Fast? - Army Emergency Relief is here to help! Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is retired Col. Sean Ryan. Sean is the Director of Communications for Army Emergency Relief, the official non-profit of the U.S. Army. Their mission is to relieve undue financial stress on the force through financial assistance, scholarships, and zero-interest loans. They cover everything from car repairs to emergency travel or mortgage or rent initial deposits. Sean talks about his service and why AER is essential for servicemen and women. Army Emergency Relief – https://www.armyemergencyrelief.org/
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
For more about AER, check out our previous episode with former Spouse Ambassador of AER and Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson - https://bit.ly/3AekNIB
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Nationwide Veterans Day Poster Contest – WINNER!
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is non-veteran, Briana Cummings. Briana comes from a military family and works at the Erie VA Medical Center. On a whim she entered the annual Nationwide Veterans Day Poster Contest with an inspirational design and WON! She joins us to talk about her family, her passion for veterans and what drives her as a photographer.
National Veterans Day Poster Contest – https://bit.ly/3zp0fvi
Winner Announced - https://bit.ly/3bvtxAs
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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The Deed is All – Not the Glory
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is former Navy SEAL, Commander Grant Mann (Ret). Grant is now the Executive Director of the Navy SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce, Florida where he oversees the legacy of the U.S. Navy SEALs. We discuss why Navy SEALs have taken on a seemingly legendary status in the public perception and how the museum humanizes the brave men who volunteered for this highly selective group. Join us to hear Grant’s story and find out more about the museum’s legacy of giving through its Trident House Charities.
Navy Seal Museum – www.navysealmuseum.org
First Female Completes SEAL training: https://bit.ly/3zGCbFm
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Love and Family – Lita & Jean Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is the dynamic mother/daughter combo of Lita and Jean. Together they have authored the book Lita & Jean: Memoirs of Two Generations of Military Women. The stories told within speak to a military struggling to accept women into its ranks and the incredible bond these women share through their service and support of one another. A story not to be missed!
Link to purchase Hardcover: https://bit.ly/3OjZ1Xq
Link to purchase ebook: https://amzn.to/3ckekSN
Link to Master Wings’ website: https://masterwingspublishing.com/
Link to the Lita & Jean landing page on MW’s website: https://masterwingspublishing.com/lita-and-jean/
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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TAP – Transition Assistance Program (Army)
When should a soldier start thinking about their transition? What is the process? To answer these questions and more, The Scuttlebutt welcomes retired Army veteran and Director of the National TAP program for the Army, Col. Walter Herd on to discuss how soldiers transition to civilian life after service.
Walter Herd’s Book – Unconventional Warrior - https://amzn.to/3Rzjz0X
To read more about the TAP programs across the military – Military.com - https://bit.ly/3O7DMrK
The Army’s TAP website: https://bit.ly/3uNFyHL
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Wisconsin Veterans Museum
The Scuttlebutt highlights the Wisconsin Veterans Museum this week with Director Chris Kolakowski and Education Specialist Erik Wright. The mission of the WVM is to acknowledge, commemorate, and affirm the role of Wisconsin veterans in the United States of America's military past and present. You can find out more about the WVM on their website: www.wisvetsmuseum.com
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Scuttlebutt Movie Reviews
The Scuttlebutt goes back to the movies this week to review two Post 9/11 war films. Join Shaun, Kathryn, Ryan, and Evan as we break down THE 15:17 TO PARIS, a 2018 film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring the real-life veterans who foiled a terrorist attack in France. And the biggest sensation to hit cinemas this year – TOP GUN: MAVERICK. For a list of other Post 9/11 war movies check out Military.com
Military.com Film Article: https://bit.ly/3a7T6XF
Critic gives Top Gun Maverick ½ a star: https://bit.ly/3nuMzta
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Marine Corps Veteran and Military Times Journalist – Rachel Nostrant
Rachel Nostrant didn’t have your run-of-the-mill childhood. She grew up with three parents in the military. But enlisting was the furthest thing from her mind as she neared High School graduation. So what lead Rachel to join the Marine Corps? And why does she aspire to be a war correspondent? Join The Scuttlebutt this week to hear Rachel’s story and be sure to check out her articles in New York Magazine and Military Times below.
New York Magazine Article: https://nym.ag/3I4GTjb
Military Times Article List: https://bit.ly/3xQYqGK
Military Times Article: https://bit.ly/3PdsUun
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Army Veteran Walks Across America
Kenny Mintz spent 30 years in the Army but that hasn’t slowed him down. Kenny is currently walking across America to raise funds for specific charities and to honor his late mother who lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. Join The Scuttlebutt this week to hear the story of Kenny’s service and what drives him to walk over 3,000+ miles to see the country he served.
https://www.facebook.com/KennywalksacrossAmerica/
Kenny’s Instagram: https://bit.ly/3b4BhbW
To donate to Kenny’s causes follow this link: https://linktr.ee/kennywalks
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
We are Penn State! Office of Veterans Programs
As a veteran, it’s easy to feel lost when looking to further your education. That’s where resources like the Office of Veterans Programs at Penn State University come in. Their mission is to provide accurate and expedient certification of veterans’ education benefits as well as comprehensive counseling, programming, advocacy and support to all military affiliated students. To learn more about the holistic approach the OVP takes, watch this week’s episode.
Office of Veterans Programs - http://equity.psu.edu/veterans
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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GI Film Festival San Diego
The GI Film Festival San Diego is a multi-day showcase that celebrates the successes and sacrifices of service members through the medium of film. Each film selected for the festival presents a different perspective of the military experience from World War II to the present. Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is Producer of MY HAPPY PLACE (Winner of Best Local Film) and Army Veteran, Jeanne Scott and USMC Veteran and GIFF Advisory Committee Member, Keshia Javis-Jones.
GI FILM FESTIVAL - https://gifilmfestivalsd.org/2022/
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Military News of the Weird
There’s good news. There’s bad news. Then there’s News of the Weird! Ryan and Shaun break down some recent military headlines that will make you laugh and shake your head. UFOs, PSYOPS, Mr. Rogers - military sniper, and a Nature Documentary of a Russian Tank that you can’t miss! WATCH this episode on YouTube!
First Female Two-star in command of Horn of Africa
UFO debate flies into Capitol Hill
23 things veterans may carry for life
Myth Buster: Was Mr. Rogers a military sniper?
Air Force recruiting fans of Top Gun: Maverick
China surveying Top Gun: Maverick prop plane
PSYOPS releases disturbing video
‘All species of Russian tank die’
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
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http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Taps Across America
In honor of Memorial Day, Air Force veteran and Director of Taps for Veterans & Taps Across America, Juri Villanueva joins The Scuttlebutt. Juri spent 23 years as the Air Force bugler, among his many duties, he was tasked with playing Taps at Arlington National Cemetery for the Fallen. We discuss the history of Taps and how his organization brings together Americans from across the country to play Taps on Memorial Day.
https://www.tapsacrossamerica.org/
https://www.tapsforveterans.org/
https://www.facebook.com/tapsacrossamerica
https://www.facebook.com/TapsForVeterans
https://twitter.com/TapsAmerica
https://twitter.com/TapsForVeterans
https://www.fleetfarm.com/
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Crazy is spelled EOD
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week to talk about Explosive Ordnance Disposal is active duty Army Captain and Company Commander, David Winne. David reveals why anyone in their right mind would volunteer to dispose of dangerous explosives, his rebuttal of Ryan's thoughts on the 2008 EOD movie, The Hurt Locker and why the Army's new Combat Fitness Test is a good thing!
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
https://danddautosalvage.com/
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http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Non-Profit Spotlight: Kids Rank
Kids Rank is a Chicago-based non-profit whose mission is to provide stability and support for military-connected children by nurturing social and emotional growth through connection, leadership, and community service. Joining The Scuttlebutt to talk about the organization and their inspirational programs that support children and military families are Founder and Executive Director, Kelcey Liverpool and Programs Manager, Moki Tantoco.
https://www.kidsrank.org/
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
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http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Tobacco Free Adagio Health is dedicated to preventing and reducing tobacco use and increasing education about tobacco hazards and secondhand smoke. They've also been a primary sponsor of The Scuttlebutt and in this Season 5 Bonus episode we welcome Program Manager Diana Mihalcik onto the podcast to talk about the programs that Adagio provides. Joining her is Vietnam Navy veteran (and former smoker) Donn Nemchick to talk about his history and the history of smoking in the military.
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
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https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org/
http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/
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Shakespeare on Veterans
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) will play the title role in National Theatre's upcoming revival of Shakespeare's HENRY V. Considered by many to be Shakespeare's greatest play about the military. But how many characters in the Shakespearean canon are veterans and how did he have the insight to write them? The Bardcast hosts Lisa Ann Goldsmith and Owen Thompson are joined by Marine Corps veteran and actor Billy Jenkins to answer these questions and more in Season 5's finale of The Scuttlebutt.
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
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Can a single shot ease the symptoms of PTSD?
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week to talk about a revolutionary new treatment for PTSD are Army veteran Sean Messett from For the Love of a Veteran and Valerie Groth of The Stella Center. Showcased in Forbes and on 60 minutes, the Stellate Ganglion Block is an injection of a local anesthetic into the stellate ganglion, a nerve bundle in the neck connected to the fight or flight system. For more information, hear what these patients had to say. www.stellacenter.com
www.fortheloveofaveteran.org
Forbes Article: https://bit.ly/3uEJAS8
60 Minutes Segment: https://bit.ly/3NHLgTJ
Stellate Ganglion Block Series (Part 1): https://bit.ly/3wN2Tv9
To contact Valerie Groth: valerie@stellacenter.com
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
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podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Two Female Veterans Tell Their Story Recently on VBC's Monday Night Happy Hour we welcomed Phyllis Wilson (Army Ret. - 37 Years) and Elizabeth Anne Helm-Frazier (Army Ret. - 25 years) onto the program to share their stories and honor Women's History Month - what we got was a evening of incredible storytelling, education, and inspiration. Both are inductees into the Army Women's Foundation Hall of Fame and you will see why. If you missed it - enjoy this super cut.
Military Headlines with The Scuttlebutt: Women's History Month & Ukraine Join Kathryn, Ryan, and Shaun this week as we dive into the headlines to highlight some incredible trailblazers for Women's History Month. We also share some resources to keep you up to date with developments in Ukraine as well as discuss President Zelenskyy's call for an International League of Foreign Fighters. Why are American veterans answering the call and what can they expect when they get there? Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt.
https://www.facebook.com/pghdanddsalv...
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http://www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/...
DoD Women's History Month: https://bit.ly/37HdflQ 100 Women Graduate Army Ranger School: https://bit.ly/3qgy1zf Task and Purpose Chris Cappy Ukraine Coverage: https://bit.ly/3iA6Pat Military Times: https://bit.ly/3KS8tQL NYTimes: https://nyti.ms/3CQ3xce Military Times: https://bit.ly/3tkAgDi Time Magazine: https://bit.ly/3JpUfGl Politico: https://politi.co/3u5e937 Task and Purpose: https://bit.ly/3IgjGZL Task and Purpose: https://bit.ly/3N0tn1S
podcast #zoom #scuttlebutt #thescuttlebutt #humor #storytelling #headlines #news #oralhistory #militaryhistory #roundtable #navy #army #airforce #marinecorps #marines #military #coastguard #veteran #veterans #veteransbreakfastclub #vbc #nonprofit #501c3
Military Headlines with Ryan and Shaun Not up-to-date on your recent military headlines? The Scuttlebutt has you covered. Join Ryan and Shaun for a new series breaking down news headlines from the local to the national. This week we cover veterans sailing in the desert, the on-going saga of the Bonhomme Richard, the difficult trials of Post 9/11 veterans, and what anime and the military have in common.
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt.
50 years ago, Richard Nixon stepped off a plane in China and the world was watching. A lot has happened since that fateful week and joining The Scuttlebutt to talk about China, it's history, economy, and US/Sino relations is China specialist, author, vlogger, and host of the podcast, China Unraveled, Jason Szeftel. Jason's mission is to help civilians understand China, how it is different, and where it is headed. With war ships continuing to steam through the Taiwan Strait and with US/Sino relations locked in a stalemate, how likely is it that conflict could erupt? Join us this week for an educational and introspective look at our near peer rival.
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt.
The Scuttlebutt goes to the movies this week to review two Post 9/11 war films. Join Shaun, Kathryn, Ryan, and Evan as we break down THE OUTPOST. A 2020 film based on the book The Outpost by Jake Tapper and chronicles the Battle of Kamdesh in Nuristan, Afghanistan when a COP (Command Observation Post) was overrun by Taliban fighters and produced two Medals of Honor. And KILO TWO BRAVO, a 2014 British docu-drama (originally titled KAJAKI) that gives an unflinching look at the true story behind the Kajaki Dam Incident in which a unit of British soldiers were trapped in a minefield.
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt.
The Cohen Veterans Network is a not-for-profit philanthropic organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for post-9/11 veterans and their families, including those from the National Guard and Reserves, regardless of role or discharge status. To serve this mission, nineteen Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics are strategically positioned across the United States to provide high-quality, evidence-based mental health care at no cost. Joining The Scuttlebutt to talk about the clinics, the services they provide, and how veterans can sign up are Clinic Director and Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Leah Blain, PhD and Outreach Manager and retired Army Veteran (Ret.) Pete Whitney. If you need assistance or know someone who does, you can reach out to the SAC Military Family Clinic at 844-573-3146.
Thank you to our sponsors: D and D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
To watch this episode, please visit our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt.
Did you know that The Red Cross has been serving the military for more than 140 years and has deployed alongside military personnel in every U.S. conflict since the Spanish-American War? Joining Shaun this week to talk about this history, disaster relief, and the many services provided by the Red Cross and its volunteers is Regional Manager of the Greater Pennsylvania region, Pauline Duncan. Pauline's long career with the Red Cross includes managing the Service to the Armed Forces and International Services programs by helping members of the military, veterans and their families prepare for, cope with, and respond to, the challenges of military service.
Watch the video version and listen to previous episodes at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/
Thank you to our sponsors:
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org
D&D Auto Salvage: https://danddautosalvage.com
Did you know you could enlist in the Marine Corps and serve as a Combat Artist?! I sure didn't. Then I came across this interview with Marine Corps veteran and Combat Artist, Elize McKelvey. Elize joins The Scuttlebutt this week with fellow Combat Artist and Artist in Residence at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, Kristopher Battles to talk about their service, what drives them as artists and storytellers, and how they find moments in everyday life while deployed to eternalize with a paint brush. A conversation not to be missed on YouTube as we showcase their incredible art on screen. Don't miss this one!
Watch the video version, listen to previous episodes and find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/
More on the artists:
Elize McKelvey:
https://lesley.edu/stories/sgt-elize-mckelvey
https://www.militarytimes.com/video/2021/11/15/how-do-you-become-a-combat-artist-marine-veterans-unlikely-path-military-times-reports/
https://www.usmcmuseum.com/elize-mckelvey.html
https://www.instagram.com/inkstickart/?hl=en
Kristopher Battles
https://www.outono.net/elentir/2019/08/23/the-painting-of-kristopher-battles-the-last-combat-artist-of-the-us-marines/
https://mca-marines.org/wp-content/uploads/Kristopher-Battles.pdf
https://www.pinterest.com/krisbattles1/_saved/
Thank you to our sponsors:
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org
D&D Auto Salvage: https://danddautosalvage.com
The Veterans Breakfast Club avoids partisan politics, but when is it appropriate to talk about Veteran Advocacy? The Scuttlebutt welcomes Marine Corps veterans, Dwight Boddorf (Township Manager) and Jessica King (VFW Commander of District 29) to talk about the state of Veteran Advocacy at the community, local, state, and national level. We define what veteran advocacy is, why it matters, some of the legislation that is currently being debated, and why there are so few veterans in Congress. "The Scuttlebutt is the perfect platform to talk about these issues in an intelligent, non-partisan way."
Resources:
VFW Action Corps Weekly: https://www.vfw.org/advocacy/grassroots-efforts/vfw-action-corps-weekly
Thank you to our sponsors:
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org
D&D Auto Salvage: https://danddautosalvage.com
Recently, the Veterans Breakfast Club was joined by author and historian Sir Max Hastings on Greatest Generation Live. We’ve brought his fascinating conversation with Glenn Flickinger to the Scuttlebutt. Sir Max helps us understand the importance of learning about world history and talks about his process of writing about war. He also discusses what went into writing his most recent book, Operation Pedestal: The Fleet That Battled to Malta, 1942. “What can I tell people that will surprise them?” he says. “Where is the ‘Gee Whiz’ factor?” Our “Gee Whiz Factor”? Having a knight on the program!
Listen to previous episodes, find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/
Thank you to our sponsors:
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org
D&D Auto Salvage: https://danddautosalvage.com
“For the Brothers, By the Brothers, Forged in Arms.” Mu Beta Phi is a Greek letter military fraternity founded in 2017 by three Active Duty and Retired military men, across three branches of service. Their aspirations to serve, support, and defend the men and women in the local and veteran communities amplified their passion to give back. Built off the principle of Mission, Brotherhood, and Professionalism, the brothers of Mu Beta Phi, have taken a sworn oath to STRENGTHEN the veteran community, restore FAITH in the community, and broaden KNOWLEDGE to our Veterans. Join us on The Scuttlebutt this week to hear from Co-Founder and retired Navy veteran, Gary Ammons and MBP National Media Coordinator and Army veteran, Gregory Williams. And be sure to listen to their podcast the PHIner Life Show.
Watch the video version, listen to previous episodes and find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/
Thank you to our sponsors:
Tobacco Free Adagio Health: https://tobaccofree.adagiohealth.org
D&D Auto Salvage: https://danddautosalvage.com
One of these things is not like the other but somehow they have been intertwined throughout history. This week's Scuttlebutt episode welcomes three Air Force Veterans who are also ordained ministers. Eric Fenton, Ben Wright, and Michael Wurschmidt join us to talk about their service and where along their path they felt called to serve a higher purpose. But when it comes to the military , how do these two worlds co-exist? What is the responsibility of the chaplains on base? Is a veteran's faith any different than a civilians? And do chaplains carry weapons? All this and more in this week's episode. And be sure to check out Military Times for a report on the number of Catholics versus Protestants in the Army.
A big thank you to our sponsors, D&D Auto Salvage and Tobacco Free Adagio Health!
Joining the Scuttlebutt for a short and sweet Christmas special are Air Force Veteran Ben Wright to talk about the 70th Anniversary of Operation Christmas Drop and the one and only SANTA CLAUS! What is the correlation between Santa and the Military? Only Chris Kringle knows. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Follow this link if you are interested in donating to Toys for Tots
Subscribe to the Veterans Breakfast Club on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRWUeRU670VYK1skn4Azz5A?sub_confirmation=1
Listen to previous episodes, find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0buguqfl1jpRdSvCdwZZDw?si=jIK0iswcT-m77WTHWr-SNQ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-scuttlebutt-understanding-military-culture/id1530694578
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpYS5yc3MuY29tL3RoZXNjdXR0bGVidXR0L2ZlZWQueG1s?sa=X&ved=0CAIQ4aUDahcKEwjggpTAtfPrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBA
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger recently released his 2030 Talent Management Plan and needless to say it has raised some eyebrows. One of the takeaways is how for the past 36 years the Marine Corp has been happy to let roughly 75% of first-term Marines walk out the door after their initial four years are up. The plan proposes shifting from a "recruit and replace" model to a "invest and retain" model - a significant break from tradition. But will this shift be beneficial for future conflicts? And how do Marines feel about it? Joining Ryan and Shaun to talk about it are Retired Marine Corp veterans Brad Washabaugh and Todd Kemper. You can read more about the TMP at Task and Purpose. Watch the video version at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/.
Season Five of The Scuttlebutt kicks off with freelance photojournalist, Justin Merriman. Merriman’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Time, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and publications across the globe. Join us to hear Justin talk about how he got his start in a small community newspaper in Western PA and eventually found himself embedded with the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan. For our audio listeners, be sure to check out the video version as we showcase several of Justin's images and ask him to break down how he has grown his talent to find the quiet moments in chaos.
http://www.justinmerriman.com/biography
https://americanreportage.com/
The Scuttlebutt was created to serve the mission of the Veterans Breakfast Club by creating communities of listening around veterans and their stories to connect, educate, heal, and inspire. Recently, VBC held a 24-hour Zoom marathon to honor veterans on Veterans Day called VET-A-THON! If you were unable to join us on Veterans Day, this week's episode of The Scuttlebutt is a highlight reel of stories from veterans Mike Cherock, Chris Hutchins, Robbie Stock, James Brundage, Mittie Smith, and Scuttlebutt co-host Ryan Ahl. To find out more information about Veterans Breakfast Club - visit us on our website at www.veteransbreakfastclub.org.
Joining The Scuttlebutt for our season four finale is Gold Star Wife, Krista Anderson. After losing her husband, Green Beret, Staff Sgt. Michael Simpson in 2013, Krista committed herself to helping military families fill their "life binders" and prepare for anything. One of her many roles is as a Military Spouse Ambassador for Army Emergency Relief. AER, the official non-profit of the U.S. Army recently teamed up with the National Military Family Association to provide funding for child care for military families through their joint Child Care Fee Relief Program. Krista joins us to tell her story, honor Michael, and talk about the incredible work being done by AER and NMFA. An inspiring story not to be missed.
To read more about Michael's service visit GreenBeretFoundation.org and to read Krista's story visit We Are The Mighty.
Subscribe to the Veterans Breakfast Club on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRWUeRU670VYK1skn4Azz5A?sub_confirmation=1
Listen to previous episodes, find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0buguqfl1jpRdSvCdwZZDw?si=jIK0iswcT-m77WTHWr-SNQ
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-scuttlebutt-understanding-military-culture/id1530694578
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpYS5yc3MuY29tL3RoZXNjdXR0bGVidXR0L2ZlZWQueG1s?sa=X&ved=0CAIQ4aUDahcKEwjggpTAtfPrAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBA
Due to the popularity of our first JROTC field trip, The Scuttlebutt travels to Pine Richland High School (Pennsylvania) to talk with Air Force JROTC instructor and Air Force veteran, Michael Gasparetto about his service and what awaits students in JROTC. He is joined by Cadet/Colonel Caitlin Howard and Cadet/Staff Sgt Connor McHugh who offer insightful first hand accounts of their time in Junior ROTC and how it has prepared them for successful careers after high school. You can find out more about JROTC at Air University or if you are interested in joining a Junior ROTC program, you can read more at Mefa.org. Watch the full episode at veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt. Thank you to Millerstown Pic-A-Part for sponsoring this episode!
Join The Scuttlebutt this week as we wrap up our series on the Forever Wars with Afghan interpreter, Murtaza Honarpoor. After the US ousted the Taliban in 2001, Murtaza applied to be an interpreter and worked on an American Military base in Kandahar. Eventually Murtaza decided to leave Afghanistan and was granted admission to the US through the SIV program. Now he joins The Scuttlebutt to tell his story. Many interpreters and refugees are still attempting to leave Afghanistan safely and both Task and Purpose and Military Times are great resources to hear stories like Murtaza's. And for more details about how American citizens are donating flight miles to help Afghan refugees visit Military Times.
An Iraq Interpreter Tells His Story
Joining The Scuttlebutt this week is former Iraqi Interpreter Ehab Al Akrawi. Ehab was born in Nasiriyah in 1986 and clearly remembers watching cruise missiles cross the sky during Desert Storm. But it wasn't until the 2003 invasion of Iraq that he saw his first American soldier. Mesmerized by their appearance and stature, Ehab got up the courage to speak to one and soon after began interpreting for a unit --- at the age of 15! With all the news regarding Afghan interpreters, it's easy to forget that there are still Iraqi interpreters making their way through the SIV program to gain admittance to the US. Ehab was one of the lucky ones. For more information about our duty to Iraq and Afghan interpreters see Modern War Institute. To understand more about the SIV program visit Travel.State.gov and WashingtonPost.com.
Last week Army Veteran Adam Zaffuto opened up on The Scuttlebutt about his time serving in Afghanistan. For the full effect of this week's episode, please be sure to check out Part 1 by CLICKING HERE. This week, Adam talks about the end of the war and how we as Americans can come to the aid of the refugees and interpreters finding themselves in a new country after having lost their home forever. Listener discretion is advised.
Thank you for listening and if you would be so kind, please leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to like, share, subscribe, and ring the bell on YouTube.
Adam Zaffuto served in the Army during The Global War on Terror. He was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan and joins the Scuttlebutt this week to talk about his service. Specifically his experiences in Afghanistan. His story is equal parts heartwrenching and frustrating. Many Afghanistan veterans have expressed their discontent with the decisions made and question the reasons we were there. Adam is no different. His story is frank and unedited. A trigger warning is provided for the content of this episode due to the graphic nature of our discussion as we speak of the brutality and ugliness of war and of some of the atrocities committed by the Taliban.
The Scuttlebutt honors National Suicide Prevention Month and Gold Star Mothers and Family Day by welcoming Gold Star Wife, Sara Wilkinson to the program. Sara's husband, Chad Wilkinson, served for 21 years, was a Navy SEAL, and Silver Star recipient. Chad unfortunately died by suicide in 2018 due to the effects of numerous deployments, several TBIs, blast wave injuries and PTSD. With all the love Sara still carries for Chad she partnered with GORUCK to create Chad 1000x, a crossfit inspired step-up workout Chad himself used to train for climbing mountains. The workout is now used to celebrate his life and honor his memory with all proceeds going to support Veteran Mental Health Initiatives. For more information about the new report on Veteran suicide check out MilitaryTimes.com.
Veterans experiencing a mental health emergency can contact the Veteran Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and select option 1 for a VA staffer. Veterans, troops or their family members can also text 838255 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for assistance.
The Scuttlebutt welcomes Reid Ahl (co-host, Ryan Ahl's dad!) to the program to talk about his recent firsthand account of being evacuated from Afghanistan. Reid is an Air Force veteran and Personal Services Contractor (USPSC) with a civilian U.S. government agency (not associated with DoD or Military) who was at the US embassy in Kabul as the evacuations picked up in August. For more information about what it was like at the US Embassy check out FastCompany.com and NYPost.com. And watch the video version at veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt. Thank you to Millerstown Pic-A-Part for sponsoring this episode!
The Scuttlebutt welcomes veteran, educator, and writer, Ben Abel to the program to talk about his recent op-ed in Task & Purpose, ‘You either went to war or you didn’t’ — How deployments divide the vet community. Ben and Shaun talk about his service, his family's extensive military history, the military/civilian divide, and the language divide that exists in the veteran community between those who saw combat and those who didn't. For more information as to why veterans who didn't see combat may feel guilty or cheated, check out this Military.com article. And as always, please like, share, subscribe, and ring the bell on YouTube.
Ben's article
Jim LaPorta's article
The Scuttlebutt teams up with WTRF's Veterans Voices host Kathryn Ghion for a conversation with two special guests working with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Jim Bell is an Army veteran and Identification Specialist and Sgt. First Class Sean Everette is a Spokesman for the DPAA. The DPAA is a government agency whose mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. Recently, Kathryn reported on the returned remains of WWII veteran, Army Private First Class John. J. Sitarz to his family in Weirton, WV. To find out more about how remains are recovered you can visit the DPAA website. For those interested in the Army's DNA testing visit Wired.com. Head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this episode. Thank you to Millerstown Pic-A-Part for sponsoring this episode!
This week on The Scuttlebutt we begin our trek through Post-9/11 war movies by welcoming back Ryan Ahl, Kathryn Ghion, and filmmaker Evan Mulgrave to review BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK and SAND CASTLE. Each movie covers the warrior's journey but in very different ways. One's a hero, the other breaks his own hand to get out. Neither film fared well on Rotten Tomatoes (BILLY LYNN - 44%, SAND CASTLE - 47%) but did they deserve the bad reviews? We'll answer that and other questions: Did they accurately portray life in the military? Did Ryan catch any inaccuracies? And most importantly - did either movie give us something to rant about? You betcha! Check out the new episode to see what all the fuss is about at veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt. Thank you to Millerstown Pic-A-Part for sponsoring this episode!
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUULFJ_I048
Sandcastle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hq28cZ938E
The Scuttlebutt takes a field trip this week to North Allegheny High School (Pennsylvania) to talk with Air Force JROTC instructors, Terry Speer, CMSgt (Ret. Air Force) and Don Accamando, Lt. Col. (Ret. Air Force) about the benefits, challenges, and successes that await you in the Junior ROTC. They are joined by Cadet 2nd Lieutenant Josephine "Josie" Olmstead and Cadet Major Makenzie "Kenna" Shannon who offer insightful first hand accounts of their time in Junior ROTC and how it has prepared them for successful careers after high school. You can find out more about JROTC at USarmyjrotc.com or if you are interested in joining a Junior ROTC program, you can read more at Mefa.org. Watch the full episode at veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt. Thank you to Millerstown Pic-A-Part for sponsoring this episode!
The Scuttlebutt goes medieval this week with special guest Zack Knight. Zack started his leadership journey working in the metro-Atlanta area as a police officer and SWAT Operator. After seven years serving his local community, he transitioned to the role of an Infantry Leader in the U.S. Army and continued to serve during a combat deployment to Afghanistan and locally with the Georgia National Guard. His desire to become an influential leader has led him to start six businesses including a security consulting firm, a domestic violence awareness non-profit, and an international dance competition. Zack's podcast, Be A Tactical Leader, provides a platform for industry leaders from around the world to discuss their own journey of self-mastery and define the art of true leadership. Watch the video version at veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt! Thank you to Millerstown Pic-A-Part for sponsoring this episode! http://picapartyard.com/
Join us this week on The Scuttlebutt as we cover recent military headlines in our returning segment, "Nothing but the Scuttlebutt." There have been some interesting developments since we last reported the news and Kathryn Ghion, Ryan Ahl, and Shaun are here to break it all down for you. We have everything: The Bonhomme Richard, Gulf War Illness & Burn Pit claims, new technology - including a non-lethal device that can weaponize your voice against you, the Army's new RipSaw tank, and did the Russians discover warp speed? All that and a Large Scale Exercise so big it covers 17 time zones. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more.
The Scuttlebutt kicks off its fourth season with special guest Lori Huertas. When Lori's son told her he was joining the Army, her entire world changed. Not only is Lori now a Blue Star Mom, she is a Doctoral Student with a dissertation on improving student services for military students, families and veterans at Barry University as well as a trainer for USO, an ambassador volunteer for Blue Star Families, volunteer with Camaraderie Foundation, collaborator with Wounded Warrior and FAVOB, the Program Director of a Military Children Virtual Reading Club as well as the Florida Delegate for the National Veterans Chamber of Commerce. Oh - and did we mention Lori just published her first children's book, Papa's Scooter, A Legacy of Love. Join The Scuttlebutt crew of Kathryn Ghion, Ryan Ahl, and Shaun Hall as we learn about Lori's many ventures, online reading with Caribu, and discuss our favorite kids book. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more.
It's that time again - time for another episode of Ryan Rants! If you enjoyed Ryan ranting about The Hurt Locker and the viral 10th Mountain Shoothouse Training Fail - do we have a treat for you! Join us for some laughs as Army Reservist, Ryan Ahl, breaks down his recent experience with the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). Not to be confused with the now out-of-date, Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). To read more about the ACFT visit Army.mil and ArmyTimes.com. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more.
S3 BONUS EPISODE: War Music Volume 2
Recently, The Scuttlebutt episode, "War Music" lit up the charts and quickly became our most talked about episode of the series thus far. This is in no small part thanks to participants, Vietnam vet, Donn Nemchick (Navy), Post 9/11 vet, Ryan Ahl (Army), and non-vet/"music dork," Kevin Koch. So excited were we by the outpouring of comments that we felt it deserved a "bonus track." Join us this week as we get the band back together and read viewers' responses to our conversation on the music from the Vietnam era.
Haven't seen the original episode? Click Here.
For our YouTube channel featuring the music of the era: Click Here.
For a super cut of the episode (and to check out Ellie's TikTok skills): Click Here.
For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more.
The Scuttlebutt celebrates the end of Season Three with special guest, William M. Arkin. Mr. Arkin is one of America’s premier military experts. His investigative work has appeared on the front pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, and has won many awards. He served as an NBC News analyst and reporter for thirty years and is the bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including TOP SECRET AMERICA and HISTORY IN ONE ACT: A NOVEL OF 9/11. He served in Army intelligence in West Berlin during the Cold War and has been a consultant to wide-ranging organizations, including the US Air Force, the United Nations Secretary General, Human Rights Watch, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Mr. Arkin joins us to talk about his recent book THE GENERALS HAVE NO CLOTHES in which he outlines a path for America to exit our Forever Wars. You can read an excerpt at Newsweek.com.
A big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
Nothing sparks a trip down memory lane quite like music. This week on The Scuttlebutt we are joined by Vietnam veteran, Donn Nemchick (Navy), Post 9/11 veteran, Ryan Ahl (Army), and special guest, music historian and self-proclaimed "music dork", Kevin Koch to discuss the unforgettable music of the Vietnam era. Including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimmy Hendrix, Dolly Parton, The Players, The Monitors, Phil Ochs, Marvin Gaye, Jackson Brown, The Impressions, The Shirelles, The Youngbloods, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and many more! Links will be provided on our YouTube page for many of the songs we discuss! To read more about the music of Vietnam visit: WBUR.org. Check out this Spotify playlist of several handpicked top hits from the episode. Or watch our YouTube playlist. A big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
If you enjoyed the hit Netflix series, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT, boy do we have a program for you! This week on The Scuttlebutt we talk with the Chair of the Military Chess Committee and Army veteran, Jim Hollingsworth about the upcoming 62nd Annual US Armed Forces Chess Championship. Jim talks about the history of the tournament, what chess means to him, and - for those who join us on YouTube - Jim gives host, Shaun Hall, a fascinating chess lesson.
To learn more about the Championship and last year's standings visit New.USChess.org and VAChess.org. To read about why the Marines are obsessed with chess visit Military.com.
Fancy a game? You can play host, Shaun Hall by visiting Chess.com, creating a free account and searching for Valhalla360. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. A big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
This week on the Scuttlebutt, we talk about the VFW to Veterans Housing Services Coordinator with the Veterans Leadership Program AND District 29 Commander Jessica King, District 28 Commander and Department of PA Legislation Chairman Jim Brown, and Brian Armstrong of Post 8427 Herminie. The VFW has been around since the late 1800s. As of 2020, it has grown to include 1.6 million members and Auxiliary members, forming 6,000 local Posts, grouped into 52 Departments covering the 50 states, the Asia-Pacific area, and Europe. Over the years, the VFW has influenced government policy and created a space for veterans and community members to come together. Join us on The Scuttlebutt as we learn more about the VFW of today and how it will evolve in the future. You can learn more about the VFW at Encyclopedia.com and VFW.org. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. A big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
Join us on The Scuttlebutt for an inspiring and educational conversation with Lt.Col. (Ret) Kathy Lowrey Gallowitz of Vanguard Veteran and author of Beyond "Thank You For Your Service" along with Neferteri Strickland, veteran and host of the podcast The Third Lieutenant. Neferteri serves her community by supporting education initiatives in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Agriculture, and Math, (STEAAM) education and post PreK-12 career readiness. If you ever thought, "What can I do for the veterans in my community," this is the conversation for you. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. A big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
Join us this week on The Scuttlebutt for Part 2 of our conversation with poet and performer Jenny Pacanowski from Women Veterans Empowered and Thriving, Executive Artistic Director James Edward Becton from The Becton, and triple threat Mary Jo "MJ" McConnell to discuss how military service inspires them as artists. In this episode, we hear more about the work they’re doing today and take a look at their moving performances. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. A big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
This Memorial Day, the Scuttlebutt teams up with WTRF's Veterans Voices host Kathryn Ghion for a special conversation with President and CEO of the Woody Williams Foundation, Chad Graham. The Woody Williams Foundation is a charitable 501c(3) nonprofit organization that pursues specific endeavors and goals through the vision of Medal of Honor recipient Hershel "Woody" Williams. The Foundation encourages, with the assistance of the American public and community leaders, establishing permanent Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments in communities throughout the United States. To see other interviews by Kathryn in her hometown of Wheeling, WV, visit WTRF.com For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. And a big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
oin us this week on The Scuttlebutt as we talk with three US Army veterans who, after their service, entered the performing arts. We go Lights, Camera, Action with poet and performer Jenny Pacanowski from Women Veterans Empowered and Thriving, Executive Artistic Director James Edward Becton from The Becton, and triple threat Mary Jo "MJ" McConnell to discuss how military service inspires them as artists. We also discuss the important work that veterans organizations do to ease the transition out of the service and to ensure that veterans not only survive, but thrive. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. And a big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
Join us for a not-to-be-missed episode of The Scuttlebutt. For years, The Pech was the most kinetic spot on the planet - so why would a college student risk his life by spending a semester abroad embedded with our military? To answer this question and many more is special guest, Wesley Morgan, author of THE HARDEST PLACE: THE AMERICAN MILITARY ADRIFT IN AFGHANISTAN'S PECH VALLEY. Also joining us is Army and Afghan War veteran, John Hawes. Both gentlemen bring a deep and personal knowledge of the military's struggles and sparse successes in the Pech to The Scuttlebutt. Did we mention this isn't to be missed? For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. And a big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
This week, The Scuttlebutt gets a jumpstart on PTSD Awareness Month. Co-host and Army veteran, Ryan Ahl, takes the reins in a special episode of The Scuttlebutt where we attempt to demystify PTSD by asking important questions and providing some answers on available research, symptoms, and types of treatment available. There's plenty of information available online but recent articles in Task & Purpose, USNews.com, and PTSD.VA.gov, are excellent resources for those looking to learn more about this very important topic.
For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. And a big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
This week’s episode of the Scuttlebutt is a bonus episode! We’re talking with Army & Iraq War vets Ryan Ahl and Eric Smith about the new video game Six Days in Fallujah. There’s some controversy surrounding this game, as critics say it sensationalizes the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War—one that killed over 100 US and British trips and over 800 Iraqi civilians. Ryan, Eric, and Shaun talk: is this controversy deserved? What makes “Six Days” worse than other war games, like Call of Duty? Can video games tell the stories of veterans who served—or more importantly, should they? Tune in for this fascinating discussion! For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. And a big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
We’re back this week with Part 2 of our discussion of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Once again joining us is Dr. Roksana Korchynsky, Phd, Clinical Psychologist, and MST Program Coordinator with the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System; Navy Veteran and MST Survivor Timothy Jones; and Army Veteran Ryan Ahl. We talk a bit more about what the VA is doing to treat MST survivors and help with their recovery. We also ask the tough questions: is there something about military culture that encourages or promotes sexual assault? A note that this episode contains subjects that may be triggering. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more. And a big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
Tune into The Scuttlebutt for part one of our two-part series on Military Sexual Trauma (MST) in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Joining us is Dr. Roksana Korchynsky, Phd, Clinical Psychologist, and MST Program Coordinator with the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System; Navy Veteran and MST Survivor Timothy Jones; and Army Veteran Ryan Ahl. We break down terminology, recent headlines, reporting structure, myths and much more. A note that this episode contains subjects that may be triggering. For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more of the resources shared in this episode. And a big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
The term "military brat" is a badge of pride worn by generations of kids who traveled the world with their parents, moving into adulthood with the knowledge that they have the strength to handle anything. Military children deal with separations, deployments, frequent moves and even their parents' injuries as part of the life they were born into or entered with their families. Join us this week on The Scuttlebutt as we talk with two military brats (1 veteran and 1 non-veteran) about their early childhood and how they coped with life in the military. You can also read more about military families at USO.org and Army.mil. And a big thank you to D&D Metal Recycling and Auto Salvage for sponsoring the Scuttlebutt! https://danddautosalvage.com/
For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode.
This week’s episode of the Scuttlebutt is a bonus episode. We’re talking to Air Force vets Ben Wright and Larry Googins and getting their reactions to planes flying into the Star Wars Canyon out in Death Valley. They walk us through the air speeds and altitudes these guys must be flying at and why flying through the canyon is so challenging. Plus they teach us the “Grunt Maneuver,” in case you ever find yourself passing out while pulling G’s. Yeesh! Fasten your seatbelts for this one! For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode.
Attention dog-lovers! This week on the Scuttlebutt, we’re talking all about MWDs. No, not WMDs. Military Working Dogs! Tune into our conversation with two Marines who have had experience training and working with military working dogs. Andrew Kowtko worked as a K-9 dog handler for 8 years and joins us from Okinawa, Japan, where he is currently stationed. Bill Jeffcoat talks to us about his nonprofit, Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans, as well as his experience as a dog handler in Vietnam. Kathryn and Shaun offer their perspectives as civilians and dog-lovers. And we all gasp in awe at some of the “ruff” training military dogs have to go through! Don’t miss this episode! For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more about this service. To learn more about Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans, visit www.padogsforvets.org.
This week on the Scuttlebutt, we’re talking all about an oft-forgotten service: the Merchant Marine. We talk to two Merchant Mariners, Sal Mercogliano and Bridget Cooney, about their work. We ask, how do the Merchant Marines differ from the US Marines (turns out—a lot!)? What does their day-to-day on ship look like? And why do we need them. We also go into the history of the Merchant Marine, the Jones Act, and refer to, of course, the Tom Hanks movie Captain Phillips. Tune in for this fascinating discussion! For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode and read more about this service.
We’ve got a different kind of episode for you this week on the Scuttlebutt. We’re reacting to the infamous 10th Mountain Division shoothouse video. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a room-clearing fail. But what exactly is so horrifically wrong with it? Ryan Ahl walks us through the minute-long video and all of the mistakes that were made along the way. In his words, “You think you’re some kind of operator? Only thing you should be operating is a broom, mop, bucket, and floor buffer.”
For our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt to watch the video version of this week’s episode.
This week on the Scuttlebutt, we’re talking about some of the most iconic Post-9/11 War Movies. Ryan, Kathryn, and Evan come to discuss some must-sees, some passes, and some of the most laughable scenes (looking at you, Hurt Locker). We also ask: Should war movies be accurate? Do we owe it to veterans to retell true stories as accurately as possible? And how could Jeremy Renner just start shooting a sniper like it’s no big deal? Plus, we talk where in the world is the US military, Our phrase-of-the-week, and a cadence call that’s popping up all over the internet. Tune in for our conversation! And head to our YouTube channel to find a playlist of trailers for nearly every movie we discuss.
For our audio listeners: head to youtube.com/veteransbreakfastclub to watch the video version of this week’s episode.
This week on the Scuttlebutt, we’re revisiting the topic of the military-civilian divide and talking to active duty Air Force fighter pilot Mitch Fossum about his op-ed for the Military Times. We’re asking questions like: What does the military-civilian divide look like in our communities? Why should civilians care about it? Can the military help bridge this divide? Or is it something we, as a community, have to work to fix? Join us for this fascinating discussion! And read Mitch’s op-ed here.
For our audio listeners: head to youtube.com/veteransbreakfastclub to watch the video version of this week’s episode.
This week on the Scuttlebutt, we’re talking about the Vet Center and the role it plays in servicemen and women’s transition back to civilian life. We sit down with Army vet Ryan Ahl and Marines Eric Lundblom and Lee Wagner, who all work at the Vet Center, and discuss how the center came to be, the work they do for veterans who are reintegrating, and more. And of course, our usual segments: Where in the world is the US Military, recent headlines, phrase-of-the-week, and some Scuttlebutt. Stick around at the end for a bonus segment where we talk more about the military-civilian divide. Don’t miss it!
To find your local Vet Center, head to https://www.va.gov/find-locations. Or call 1-877-927-8387.
For our audio listeners: head to youtube.com/veteransbreakfastclub to watch the video version of this week’s episode.
Listen to previous episodes, find show notes and additional reading at https://veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt/ .
On this week’s episode of the Scuttlebutt, we ask the question: How do we bridge the military-civilian divide? Listen to our discussion of this topic with Marine Corps veteran Haya Eason, Army veteran Ryan Ahl, and Gold Star Wife Becky Nyren. We also look at US military involvement in Tunisia, talk about the latest military headlines, enjoy some scuttlebutt, and of course, discuss who we want to win Super Bowl LV (get ready for some unpopular opinions…).
If you’re listening to the audio version of this week’s episode we suggest tuning into the video version for the full effect at veteransbreakfastclub.org.
The Scuttlebutt is back, and our boots are hitting the ground for our second season! This week, we talk about 9/11, 20 years later. Listen to our conversation with Army vet Ryan Ahl and Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Karen Sudkamp. We remember where we were that day, how US involvement in the Middle East has changed since, and how the military has changed since. Plus, our usual segments of headlines and scuttlebutt. We’re glad to be back, and we hope you’ll tune in! A note to our audio listeners: head to veteransbreakfastclub.org to watch the video version and get the full Scuttlebutt experience!
This week, we have for you our Season 1 Finale: Just the Scuttlebutt! We’ve had such a great time sharing military headlines, fascinating stories, and bits of scuttlebutt with you over the past few months that we figured, why not dedicate our last episode to just Scuttlebutt! We’re joined by the folks we’re calling our “All-Star Cast,” Marine Corps vet James Martin, Army vet Ryan Ahl, and Gold Star Wife Becky Nyren. Tune in as we check back on stories we’ve been following since Episode 1 and introduce new pieces of Scuttlebutt we just can’t help but share. Make sure to listen through the end, as we wrap up with our reflections on Season 1. We thank you for watching and listening to this season’s episodes, and we can’t wait to talk with you all again in Season 2!
This week on the Scuttlebutt, we’re talking all about the Coast Guard! It may be less than one tenth of the size of the US Army, but it’s an important service with missions unlike those of any other branch. Listen to our conversation with Jacob Niehaus and Mike Evanish as we talk about their service with the Coast Guard, what makes this branch unique, and whether all Coasties are good swimmers. Plus, our weekly phrases-of-the-week, military headlines, and Scuttlebutt. You won’t want to miss it! If you’re listening to the audio only version, be sure to head to @veteransbreakfastclub on YouTube to see the video clips we discuss!
This week on the Scuttlebutt, we’re talking all about the Army. We’re joined by Army vets Ryan Ahl and Amber Spells, and Gold Star Army Wife Becky Nyren. Join us for a conversation about what makes the largest branch of service special. Tune in for our phrase of the week, headlines, and Scuttlebutt round!
This week we have a special episode for you— part two of our OORAH! Inside the Marine Corps conversation. We found that last week’s conversation with Josh, Haya, and James was filled with so many rich and interesting stories, that we couldn’t cram it all into one episode. So we’re back this week with a continuation of our discussion about what makes the Marine Corps special. First you’ll hear some memories from Josh and James about just how brutal it can get serving in the desert. Then we hear more from Haya about her experience being a woman in the Marine Corps and the racism she faced, especially down South. Finally we’ll wrap up with our Scuttlebutt segment this week, as James and Shaun take a look at a video of from Marines with Fox Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment firing the M777 155mm Howitzer. You won’t want to miss it! Video of Marines with Fox Battery: US Marines Firing the M777 155mm Howitzer, May 23, 2014, AiirSource Military
On this week’s episode of the Scuttlebutt, we’re talking all about the Marine Corps! Join Marine Corps vets Haya Eason, Josh Cannon, and James Martin with host Shaun Hall for a discussion about why they chose the Marines, what makes the Marine Corps special, and what exactly is behind OORAH! And don’t miss our usual military headlines, phrase of the week, and bit of Scuttlebutt. Tune in!
On the Scuttlebutt this week, we're talking all about the Navy. Whether you’re a Pollywog or a Centurion, tune in to listen to Navy vet Kim Mitchell and recruiter Ricky Hoechstetter discuss why they chose the Navy, what their service means to them, and their funny memories from their duty sections. Plus our weekly Mail Call, Phrase of the Week, headlines from around the military, and a Scuttlebutt you won’t want to miss. Listen today!
On this week’s episode of the Scuttlebutt, we’re going inside the Air Force. We talk to retired Air Force veteran Ben Wright about his service and his perspective on how the Air Force has changed over time. We’re also joined by Gold Star Wife Becky Nyren and Marine Corps vet James Martin, who offer their perspectives. Tune in for this week’s military headlines, our conversation about the Air Force, and some Scuttlebutt, including the upcoming 35 year anniversary of Top Gun and Iron Eagle!
You’ve most likely heard of Call of Duty or Halo, even if you’ve never played them. What’s behind these military style video games, and why do many veterans enjoy them? Today on the Scuttlebutt, we talk to Marine Corps veterans and gamers James Martin (@Ryuknights0848) and Gabriel Beltrez (@AnubisAbadabupi) about military video games. We’re also joined by Army veteran and CEO of Operation Strong Mind Tom Stokes, who offers his insight into the effect of games on mental health and the veteran community. Join us for a fascinating conversation about the uniting power of military style video games and just what they’re all about. Tune in!
Join us this week on the Scuttlebutt as we discuss the 19-year-old War in Afghanistan with Marine Corps vet James Martin and Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Karen Sudkamp. We’ll also talk about recent military headlines, pranks, Magawa the award-winning rat, and whether the F-22 Raptor needs a software update. Tune in!
This week on the Scuttlebutt, we ask the question, "Should You Join the Military?" Shaun, James, Danny, and Ryan discuss the benefits to service, as well as some drawbacks. We also discuss the potential closing of Parris Island and San Diego, what "gedunk" is, and the age-old question: how many Ripits is too many Ripits? Tune in! Futher reading and shownotes can be found at veteransbreakfastclub.org/scuttlebutt
This week on The Scuttlebutt, we challenge some of the most common assumptions made about veterans and examine the truth behind these stereotypes. Do all veterans know how to fire a weapon? Do all Navy vets know how to swim? Are all Marine veterans tattooed? Tune in as we debunk some common myths, as well as review this week's military headlines and finish with some scuttlebutt. "Shark Attack" audio clip featured in this week's episode via "Army Drill Sergeants Launch Shark Attack On New Recruits," Gung Ho Videos, YouTube.com, October 26, 2016.
It is common nowadays to say to a veteran or service member, “thank you for your service”. This is a far cry from the way returning Vietnam vets were treated. Even so, some veterans bristle at this well-intended phrase. But if saying, “thank you” isn’t quite right, how should civilians show gratitude to veterans who sacrifice for our country? Tune in this week!
This week on The Scuttlebutt, we are taking a closer look at the people who serve and asking the question: why would a civilian risk making the ultimate sacrifice by joining the military? We'll also take a look at some headlines from the Atlantic articles on the President's alleged statement on U.S. troops, as well as recent polling regarding military's view of the President. We'll wrap up with some fun Scuttlebutt! Visit www.veteransbreakfastclub.org for more on this week's episode.
Welcome to The Scuttlebutt, a weekly pre-recorded program presented by The Veterans Breakfast Club. “Scuttlebutt” is a military term (specifically Navy) for talk or gossip around the watercooler below decks. And this is what our program is all about: we have informed conversations about the military experience, past and present. We want to bridge the divide between those who serve and those who don’t. We look at headlines, we tackle important topics, and we ask questions. This week, we ask the question, "Who Serves?" We take a look at this question both geographically and demographically. Join us on this journey of spreading the Scuttlebutt!