American Warrior Radio: Recent Episodes
Ben Buehler-Garcia
Custom Jacks was founded by Veterans Andy Lynam and Scottie Stephens. Andy served in the US Coast Guard for four years and Scottie served five years with the US Marine Corps. Custom Jacks produces stunning works of art that feature the American Flag and can be customized with a logo or other image. What makes their works unique is they are cut to present a three dimensional product that makes the flag appear to be fluttering in the breeze. The company name was derived from the Union Jacks that fly on the bow of our ships.
Scottie was doing wood working part time and the idea for the Custom Jacks 3-D design literally came to him in a dream one night. Like so many Veteran entrepreneur origin stories, Scottie began crafting them in his garage. Andy lived nearby and when Scottie showed him one of the jacks, Andy immediately asked if he could buy it. Not long thereafter they decided to turn Scottie’s labor of love hobby into a business.
Scottie describes their products a dual patriotic symbol. “The left side of the jack, the American Flag, should be your first passion. The right side of the jack represents your second passion.” Every one of their jacks is custom finished by hand and includes a certificate of authenticity. They have filed patents for some of their processes.
Like many start-ups, the self-funded their start up. The company was founded in January of 2019 and they had a rough period during COVID, when they had to shut production down for five months.
Over 50% of their employees are Veterans or have family members in the military. Andy says this leads to a “mission first” focus and different work ethic.
They have produced Custom Jacks from sports teams, corporations and even a radio host or two. Their products are also featured in all the Buc-ees restaurants across America. They also work with various non-profits to provide Custom Jacks for fundraisers.
TAKEAWAY: “Incorporate all your workers in the process, treat them like family.”
The “Mighty Moo” was the nickname given by the crew to the light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens. At the time carriers were named after battles. While the Battle of Cowpens is a rather obscure revolutionary war battle, a postcard from a local pharmacist convinced President Roosevelt to do so.
The story of this scrappy little aircraft carrier is told in the book “The Mighty Moo; The USS Cowpens and Her Epic Journey from Jinx Ship to the Navy’s First Carrier into Tokyo Bay.” The book was written by professional intelligence analyst Nathan Canestaro as a tribute to his grandfather, who served as a tail gunner on a torpedo bomber flying off of the Mighty Moo. Nathan’s book is a great read and he does a great job in introducing us to many of the characters among the men who served aboard her.
The Cowpens was a ship that the Navy didn’t really want. However, the losses of heavy aircraft carries in the Pacific spurred President Roosevelt to order the Navy to convert a series of light cruisers to aircraft carriers. The “Independence” class of carriers had several disadvantages. As converted cruisers, they were very top heavy, the flight deck was much narrower than a traditional carrier, and the ship had a perpetual list.
Nathan tells us more about the incidents that brought many to believe that the USS Cowpens was a jinxed ship. However, despite participating in almost every major battle in the Pacific, the Mighty Moo was never hit by enemy fire. Japanese ships and planes weren’t the only threat. The USS Cowpens survived sailing through a typhoon that sank three destroyers and damaged 27 other ships.
Following the Japanese surrender, the USS Cowpens was selected to be the only aircraft carrier to sail into Tokyo Bay for the formal surrender ceremonies. Nathan shares his theory on why the Mighty Moo was selected.
The town of Cowpens, South Carolina still hosts an annual “Mighty Moo” Festival to honor the World War II aircraft character and her crew.
Never Home – Rich Sherman
More than 521,000 Americans died fighting against tyranny and oppression during World War I and World War II. About 207,000 of them never made it home – even in death. Their remains rest in 23 cemeteries spread across 8 countries on 3 continents.
Cover of “Never Home: Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned”
Retired Navy Intelligence Officer now professional photographer Rich Sherman traveled to all 23 of these cemeteries over the course of six years. He has documented their final resting place in his book “Never Home; Remembering the Military Heroes Who Never Returned”. The book also tells the stories of select service members whose graves he documented.
Rich believes photos are the perfect medium for sharing the heroism, glory and magnitude of the loses from these wars. “Photography is a language until itself and sometimes it is able to describe things for which we have no words”
The Tun Tavern Legacy Foundation – Pat Dailey
The Tun Tavern was a Philadelphia brew house built in 1685. When the Continental Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas to raise two battalions of Marines on November 10, 1775, he went directly to the Tun Tavern and appointed its proprietor as the Marine Corps’ first recruiter. The Tun fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1781. The original site is now buried under an interstate freeway.
Many of the members of the Continental Congress enjoyed the hospitality of the Tun after their sessions. After being appointed to lead US forces in the Revolutionary War, George Washington held his celebratory dinner there. It was also the very first documented Masonic Lodge in North America, with Benjamin Franklin serving as one of the early Grand Masters and even printing their menus.
Marine Corps Veteran Pat Dailey leads the non-profit Tun Tavern Legacy Foundation. Their mission is to recreate the Tun Tavern as it originally was on a location only a block away from where the first tavern stood. Pat says securing the site was one of the greater challenges of the project. The estimated cost of the project is $20 million.
The Tavern will continue to be operated as a non-profit with all of the revenues over costs benefiting military and Masonic charities. The site will also include a small museum.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) just returned from a momentous nine month deployment in the Middle East during which they were engaged in one of the longest sustained sea combat periods for a US aircraft carrier since World War II. Their commanding officer, Captain Christopher “Chowdah” Hill joins us to share how he maintained motivation and morale in the face of two extended deployment periods.
Chowdah became a social media celebrity for his posts during the deployment. His original intent was just for family members back home to see their sailors. Things really “flexed” when Houthi rebels began posting that they had successful attacked and even sunk the Eisenhower. Chowdah replied by posting photos of his galley baking cookies and life progressing as normal aboard the ship. Of course, he adds that he had to be very careful about what he posted because they were in a threat combat environment.
Chowdah shares some of the ways they maintained morale and motivation during the deployment. This included “Captain Demo”, a dog whose goal and mission was simply to reduce stress. Demo rapidly became part of the crew and was even received requests to visit some of the other ships in the task force. The Eisenhower also had a licensed clinical social worker and five chaplains. The ship’s complement also included both a “Life Boss” and “Talk Boss”, two civilian professionals who helped with stress management. He adds that having Wifi so sailors could reach back home was a game changer.
Captain Hill also shares his philosophy “The Way of the Warrior Sailor”. This twenty page document focuses on how to improve and maintain morale.
TAKEWAY: “Morale will lead to combat success if you do it right. To do it you must love and value everybody. You’ve GOT to show it.”
“Thank you for your service.” Those five words were a point of redemption in Beth Macy’s life.
Beth was teaching math but was looking for something more. Her father was an airline pilot so Beth explored the Air Force. Their quota was full, so she joined the Navy. She enlisted in 1976 while the Vietnam War was still fresh in everyone’s mind and military members were still unduly scorned.
At the time, women in the Military still faced great challenges. A British officer took her aside and warned her that she would have to perform three times better than her male counterparts in order to make it. While still in the service, Beth chose to return to college for her Master’s Degree. One day she was running late and didn’t have time to change out of her uniform. She was shocked at the treatment she received from her fellow students including being called a “baby killer” and having food thrown at her in the cafeteria. Beth chose to leave the Navy in 1980.
Beth could never shake the hostility shown by her fellow graduate students. She also found a degree of apathy toward military service upon entering the private sector. For decades Beth consciously chose to suppress her military service and wrote off that portion of her life.
One thing Beth did do was put Veteran plates on her vehicle. A couple of years ago, she was approached in a store parking lot. Beth says he looked like someone who would have been a Vietnam War protestor and prepared for the worst. Instead, he thanked her for her service. Beth says she broke down and cried on the spot.
Beth feels that many female Veterans from the Cold War era suffered from “imposter syndrome”. But that simple “Thank you for your service” from a stranger spurred her to once again take pride in her service. “I even park in Veteran reserved parking spots now!”
Beth draws upon her experience working on top secret projects for her “Moscow Nights” book series.
Havok Journal owner Charles Faint joins us for an update. Havok Journal is my “go-to” website for all discussion military and first responder.
We do a deep dive into three poignant (and somewhat related) articles by former Army Ranger now law enforcement officer Jake Smith and Mike Warnock, Editor in Chief of the Havok Journal.
In “Half Staff Flags”, Smith discusses his changed perspective on seeing flags flying at half staff. Where he once saw them as symbols of those fallen in war or civil servants lost, as a law enforcement officer he gained a new perspective. What he sees not is a symbol innocents lost to yet another incident of mass violence.
Charles and I discuss the parallels I found in the articles “My Funeral: Let Whatever Pain Caused by My Loss Not Whitewash My Life” by Smith and “The Moment I Knew Why There Were Suicide Bombers” by Mike Warnock. Both articles provide moving insights and a different perspective not often heard by civilians.
We have a little fun with a humorous article “Nonners” by Dave Chamberlain. Chamberlain introduces us to the term for airmen who never fix, load or service aircraft. Apparently this is the Air Force equivalent of the Army’s POGS (persons other than grunts).
We wrap up with Charles sharing his experiences as a volunteer deputy with a local law enforcement agency.
“The Unvanquished” is the latest offering from military historian and multiple bestselling author Patrick K. O’Donnell. He is recognized as a leading expert on America’s elite and special operations units. All of his 13 books are based on this subject matter and his book “We Were One; Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah” is required reading for all Marines.
Patrick says his topics “find him” and his latest is no different. While traveling he found a rusted old sign noting the location of the “Grapewood Farm Engagement”, a battle fought by Mosby’s Rangers. Another encounter was with a marker for the final resting place of Jessie Scout Jack Sterry. These two “discoveries” led him to write this fascinating book.
In “The Unvanquished”, Patrick introduces us to the Special Forces deployed during the US Civil War; The Jessie Scouts, Mosby’s Rangers and the Confederate Secret Service. He states that these groups were 100 years ahead of their time and operated in ways our modern special forces still do.
The Jessie Scouts were union forces that donned Confederate uniforms and conducted commando and deception operations behind enemy lines. Over twenty five percent of Jessie Scouts never made it home. Its members would be awarded seven Medals of Honor.
John Mosby was a lawyer by trade and not a very imposing figure. Jeb Stuart gave Mosby six men to begin with and the Rangers would grow to nearly a thousand by the end of the war. Mosby and his Rangers had many close calls but escaped by employing a strategy of “when all else fails, resort to overwhelming violence.” Mosby was never captured and eventually would become one of the campaign managers for Ulysses Grant.
The Confederate Secret Service had a department dedicated to special gadgets much like James Bond. They also engaged in campaigns to control the press and influence northern elections on behalf of those supporting an armistice. Patrick states that the Confederacy was an insurgency and “insurgencies don’t have to win, they just have to survive.”
Patrick volunteered to be embedded with Marine Rifle Company Lima 3/1 and was with them during the Battle of Falllujah. He pulled a mortally wounded Marine to cover while under fire.
The Distinguished Flying Cross is our nation’s the fourth highest award for heroism and the highest award for extraordinary aerial achievement. The fact that Robert Lifsey was awarded four DFC medals is impressive. Even more amazing is that the awards were presented over the course of only twelve months in Vietnam, along with a Bronze Star, a Republic of Vietnam Silver Star and four Airmen’s Medals with Valor.
After receiving a draft notice, Bob enlisted in the Army. He chose to go to an airborne unit and completed training with the 7th Special Forces (Green Berets). However, orders for flight school came right as he completed Special Forces training so he “Never tucked my trousers in my boots again.”
Bob was assigned to the 191st Helicopter Assault Company in January of 1969. His unit flew UH-1 “Huey” C model gunships. He describes the UH-1’s weapons systems and shares his great respect for the bravery of crew chiefs and door gunners who hung out the side doors attached to the helicopter with only a waist strap.
The 191st Assault Helicopters nickname was “The Boomerangs”, a reference to the fact that they would always come back for their own. A common theme in Bob’s award citations was his unwillingness to leave any troops behind even though he was taking significant enemy fire.
Bob walks us through one particular dangerous mission that still gives him nightmares. His helicopters were called to neutralize enemy bunkers that could not be attacked with artillery because they were too close to a village. Fire from the bunkers was causing significant casualties to Navy units on the river.
Bob climbed to altitude and dove directly at the bunker to fire his rockets. Secondary explosions from the bunker knocked out the copter’s nose bubble turning the aircraft into a wind tunnel. Flying concrete and other bunker fragments killed both his crew chief and door gunner. “I’ve asked the lord many times. I don’t know if I had target fixation or not but if it hadn’t been for those secondary explosions, I may have flown right into that target.”
Bob’s brother was a Naval Academy graduate who flew A-4’s in Vietnam at the same time Bob did.
The mission of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society is to honor, preserve and teach the legacy of heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight for which the DFC is awarded.
MARSOC is an abbreviation for Marine Forces Special Operations Command. While the Marines have fielded special operations forces before, (the “Raiders” conducted amphibious light infantry missions in World War II) there has always been some resistance within the Corps against establishing an elite unit within what many already consider an elite force.
The “Raiders” were disbanded in 1944. However, after the 9/11 attacks, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld directed the Marine Corps to establish a “proof of concept” unit that would report to US Special Operations Command. John A. Dailey was one of four team leaders selected to form the 1st Reconnaissance Company – Det. 1 for short. His Commander only gave him one prerequisite for the 86 men who would form the unit; “They must be tough rugged bastards with strong backs and hard feet”. “Tough Rugged Bastards” would become the title for John’s memoir of life in a Marine Special Operations Unit.
Dailey and his fellow Marines started from scratch, training for unknown missions in unknown locations. When they deployed to Iraq they adopted the name “Task Force Raider” in tribute to their WWII lineage. John shares some of the missions they conducted in Iraq. He emphasizes that their role providing personal security for high profile Iraqi elected officials was probably their most important mission.
Det. 1 quickly won over the naysayers who doubted the Marine’s ability to operate successfully in the fluid and unconventional special operations environment. John says the toughest moment was when Det. 1 was disbanded but recognizes the necessity of that in order for the operations to be “built to scale” and create MARSOC.
John knew he wanted to become a Marine at seven years old when he saw one in his dress blues at a Fourth of July parade. His story of how he came to be a Marine sniper due to a clerical error is quite humorous.
TAKEAWAY: “Leaders should give guidance that is as specific as necessary but as broad as possible. This stirs creativity and engenders ownership of the task.”
Militaryfares.com President Scott Lara was working at the Kmart camera department when his supervisor asked him what he wanted to do with his life. Scott replied that he had no idea. His supervisor said “Well, join the Navy and see the world!”
Scott DID enlist, serving from 1979 to 1988 as a radar man. Scott never traveled much as a young man but the Navy took him to Spain, Italy and France and would infect him with the travel bug.
He says he loved every minute of this time in the Navy but decided to leave because it was really tough on his wife and young children.
When he left the Navy, he took a job as a healthcare industry lobbyist. His boss also owned a travel agency. When the travel agent left Scott said “put me in coach”. He won a flip phone and in the early days of YouTube he began posting videos of cruises he was taking with his family. His channel exploded to over 1.2 million views. Scott also provides “insider” advice through his website Cruisegenius.com
Last year, Scott was hired as President of Militaryfares.com – his “dream job”. Militaryfares.com was founded in 2002 by military members and their families. It is now the leading travel agency for active and retired service members. Military families and Veterans can view domestic and international options at their website. They work with over 650 airlines and 300,000 hotels to secure discount travel for active duty military members and Veterans. Scott says they are also able to help military members who need to book last minute flights due to a change of station or deployment.
His advice to other Veterans making the transition to the civilian world is “Sometimes you have to start at the bottom and work your way up. You HAVE to be a self-promoter.” He also highly recommends taking advantage of LinkedIn’s free one year premium business subscription for Veterans.
The 299th Combat Engineer Battalion was the only combat engineer unit to land on both Omaha and Utah beaches during the D-Day invasion. Some of the engineers landed before any other allied soldiers set foot on the beaches earning them the nickname “First on Omaha”. Chief Warrant Officer James W. Tucker was among them. His daughter Jean joins us to share more about the “Famous 299th”.
James commanded a group of eight armored tractors whose mission was to clear obstacles and open paths off the Normandy beaches. One third of the Combat Engineer Battalion that landed on Omaha beach was killed missing or wounded. For their heroic efforts that day, they would be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
Tucker was also assigned the somber job of creating the first American cemetery in Normandy. There were so many bodies on the beaches that the equipment could not land without driving over the bodies of their fellow soldiers. Tucker used a bulldozer to dig a mass grave while still under fire and he and his comrades “stacked the bodies like cordwood.” These remains were eventually relocated.
Members of the 299th would fight and build their way across Europe to the heart of Germany.
Jean was so inspired by her father’s stories she has become a passionate advocate for their history. She single handedly manages their website and is continuously tracking down photos and stories from the families of members of the 299th Combat Engineers. Family or living members of the Battalion are encouraged to contact Jean through their website.
Jean and I also spend a great deal of time discussing the importance of recording these stories and history of generations that are rapidly passing away. She also regularly interacts with the “descendants” of this famous group – the 299th Brigade Engineer Battalion currently headquartered at Fort Carson, Colorado.
Jean also shares an intriguing story of the “spat” between the Army and the Navy over who should have responsibility for clearing obstacles on the landing beaches. They eventually agreed that any obstacles that were visible at high tide they would be the Army’s responsibility.
“In Strange Company” author Ronald Tiso, Jr. highlights the role played by allied partners in Iraq. Iraq is often thought of as “America’s longest war”, but troops from dozens of other countries made up the coalition forces.
Colonel Tiso served as a war planner at US Central Command, and as Senior Military Advisor of the Arab Peninsula Shield Force and the Polish-led multinational division. He was also Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the Coalition military assistance Training Team tasked with developing the new Iraqi Army.
Col. Tiso documents the challenges of planning the Iraqi campaign and coordinating multi-national forces. “In Strange Company” provides a unique perspective of the way that war was prosecuted.
One of the greatest issues faced by the coalition forces were varying degrees of serviceable equipment and differing rules of engagement as dictated by each nation’s politics. This often led to heated conflicts with commanders who considered their troops as peacekeeping forces.
However, Col. Tiso says that the multi-national forces he directly coordinated with were often “pound for pound some of the best soldiers I ever served with.” He reserved particularly high praise for the Poles and Ukrainians. He described the Ukrainians as “true Spartans”.
The “de-Bathification” program created severe problems. Coalition forces were prohibited from engaging any former Iraqi officer above the rank of Major. Iraqi soldiers who found themselves unemployed naturally sought out other methods of earning a living including smuggling and joining the insurgency.
Colonel Tiso is very frustrated that the number of forces deployed to manage the situation after the initial victory was only a third of what the plans called for. He firmly believes that if the elements of the initial plan had been followed, American forces could have been pulled out of Iraq much sooner.
“Rough men” is a phrase used to describe the brave warriors who volunteer to stand the watch and do what is necessary to protect our nation, freedoms and families. It is drawn from the quote “People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” Sergeant Major Charles Ritter certainly qualifies.
Ritter is preparing to retire after a 26 year career in the military, a majority of it spent with the elite Green Berets. He has had 17 deployments, twelve of which were combat deployments. He has been awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor, the Army Commendation Meal with Valor and three Purple Heart medals. He just completed his thirty first surgery as a result of wounds received in combat.
His first Purple Heart was awarded after a 500 pound IED exploded near his vehicle, tossing it like toy car. It killed two soldiers instantly and caused a third to leave the Army due to his injuries. His second Purple Heart was awarded when Ritter was shot three times will rescuing an allied commando. He would also be awarded the Silver Star for is actions that day.
Ritter walks us through the mission when he was awarded the Bronze Star and another Purple Heart. Three groups of forces were pinned down under heavy enemy fire. Ritter’s team was tasked with flying into the gunfight, which he says “..sounded like a really dumb idea, but we’re Green Berets, that’s what we do.”
We spend a segment discussing the importance of mindset. Ritter shares some great thoughts on how adversity can provide experiences for learning and building resiliency. He says humility is important – there is a fine line between being competent and being cocky.
TAKEAWAY: “If you truly believe in your mind that you are an unstoppable force of nature, then everything is something for you to dominate and conquer. If you aren’t failing you aren’t working hard enough.”
Jeff Nelligan is an Army Veteran that is recognized as one of the foremost commentators in the world of American Parenting. His book “Four Lessons from My Three Sons; How You Can Raise Resilient Kids” spent four months on the Amazon Parenting Best Seller’s List. His works have also been cited in numerous parenting magazines.
In addition to his Army Service, he formerly worked for three members of our US Congress and was twice a Presidential appointee. He currently works as a Senior Public Affairs executive in Washington, DC
Jeff shares a shocking statistic. Seventy five percent of the time you will spend in your children’s lives will take place before the time they reach 12 years old.
He emphasizes that raising resilient children must be an INTENTIONAL strategy. The four elements of his strategy is based upon four eternal military values; courtesy, confidence, ambition & resilience in adversity. We discuss several examples of the techniques and exercises he would conduct on a daily basis with his three sons. He started at a young age and often made the “tests” fun so that they would more easily get engaged. It is important to teach a child the importance of building relationships with the real world early in life. They will then have the “muscle memory” to face challenges that will inevitably arise.
All of Jeff’s sons have now embarked on military careers of their own. They still use “key phrases” they learned from those early life lessons taught by their father.
I cannot recall the last time I found so much value in only 140 pages. I highly recommend “Four Lessons from My Three Sons; How You Can Raise Resilient Kids”. The book would also make an excellent gift for new parents.
TAKEAWAY: “If you don’t have a strategy for raising your kids, society will do it for you – and that may not be something you want.
Code Name Nemo was the name eventually given to one of the most daring and audacious missions of World War II – the effort to capture a German submarine intact. Charles Lachman joins us to share this fascinating and still little known story. The capture of U-505 was the first time since the War of 1812 that an enemy vessel was boarded and captured.
Lachman is the Executive Producer of the nationally syndicated news program “Inside Edition” and the author of four books. In Code Name Nemo, Lachman uses archival documents and taped interviews with actual crewmembers to give the reader a deep familiarity with the sailors involved in this mission.
They include the maverick Navy Captain Daniel Galley, who first dreamed up the plan as well as one of the ill-fated German U-Boat Commander who committed suicide on board during a depth charge attack. Lt. Albert David led the boarding party and would eventually be awarded the Medal of Honor. Also key to the mission was ship’s mechanic Earl Trosino and Ewald Felix, a defecting German crew member who helped keep the U-505 stabilized and afloat so that it could be towed to an allied port.
Critical to Galley’s plan was for his antisubmarine task force to do sufficient damage to the enemy submarine to get her to surface and force the crew to abandon ship without destroying the vessel. Between engaging in a shootout with any German sailors remaining on board the sub sinking from any demolition charges left behind, the brave sailors who comprised the boarding crew knew they were likely on a suicide mission.
The capture of U-505 was an intelligence coup. However, the captured crew would have to be segregated and the submarine disguised so the Nazi’s would never realize it was captured. Renaming the ship “Nemo” in all communications was a key part of this strategy.
We also discuss the sometimes difficult decisions that have to be made in war, including the many violations of the Geneva Conventions that resulted from this secret plan.
The U-505 is on display at the at the Griffin Museum of Science and History in Chicago.
Alex Kershaw is one of the foremost authors writing on World War II subject matter, having written multiple best sellers. He was born in York, England and taught history before becoming a journalist. He has written for various publications including the Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and the New York Times.
His 2002 book “The Bedford Boys” became his first New York Times best seller. It tell the story of Bedford, Virginia, a small town that lost 21 of her sons during World War II, nineteen of them during the first minutes of D-Day. His book “The Liberator” recounts the amazing story of maverick officer Felix Sparks who spent an amazing 500 straight days in combat. “The Liberator” was made into a Netflix four part series.
Approaching the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Kershaw shares the stories of some of the key warriors who landed first on D-Day. (As featured in his book “The First Wave”) Examples include Bill MIllin, the only man to land on D-Day wearing a kilt, playing the bagpipes no less. He emphasizes that there was “no plan B for D-Day”. Kershaw prefers to “write about faces rather than numbers.” His books do a great job of introducing us to individuals and their role in the larger scenario.
Kershaw also gives us a preview of his latest work “Patton’s Prayer”. He believes that General Patton was an extremely complex individual and one of the most underrated officers of World War II. The book focuses on what Kershaw believes were some of Patton’s finest hours during the Battle of the Bulge.
Kershaw also conducts regular guided tours of the Normandy battlefields as part of his role with The Friends of National World War II Memorial.
TAKEAWAY: “Freedom is not free. Democracy is a very precious commodity. It’s messy, it’s conflictual, it’s never going to be perfect but it is the best system we will never have.”
Belleau Wood is the site of one of the most storied battles in US Marine Corps lore. Marine Veteran Jason Angell gathered up his family and made a “pilgrimage” to this famous World War I battlefield. His experience is recounted in the Havok Journal article “A Pilgrimage to Belleau Wood”.
Jason is a ten year Marine Corps Veteran with three deployments to Iraq. He and his wife felt strongly that their teen aged children should be exposed to the sacrifices made by two generations of Americans on their behalf. Following a visit to the American cemeteries in Normandy, they traveled to the Belleau Wood.
Photo Credit: US Marine Corps
The battle took place June 1 – 26, 1918. Germany had just achieved victory on the Eastern Front and shifted a large number of forces to the Western front in hopes of gaining ground before the recently arrived American troops could gain a foothold. The overpowering German advance rolled over French defenders and led to one of the most famous quotes of the war. When retreating French soldiers encountered the newly arrived US troops, they encouraged them to flee for their lives. Marine Captain Lloyd Williams’ response was “Retreat Hell! We just got here!”
On the first day of fighting, the Marines suffered more men killed in combat that in the entire history of the Corps up to that point in time. Belleau Wood proved a hard won battle, often involving hand the hand combat to gain yards at a time. Of the 9,500 Marines who entered the fray, over a thousand were killed and 4,000 wounded. Their victory in the Belleau Wood secured Marines reputation as one of the world’s most fearsome fighting forces.
Jason and his two sons conducted an “unauthorized reconnaissance mission” when a gated fence interrupted their path to the “Iron Mike” Marine Memorial. He describes what it was like walking on the hallowed ground where so many Marines shed their blood. “It was odd how peaceful it seemed but it belied what really happened there over one hundred and five years ago. “
On Memorial Day, he reminds all of us that “There is a hole in somebody’s heart for all these men & women who died. Whether it was at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan or Belleau Wood and it is important to remember them.”
Jason will soon publish “Running Towards Gunfire”, an account of his role with Task Force Dark Eagle and their fight against insurgents in Ramadi.
The Hazard Ground podcast was created by Mark Zinno to allow members of our military to share their stories of combat & survival and deliver inspirational stories about resilience.
Mark was studying communications at Loyola University and joined the ROTC to help pay for his tuition. His original intent was to simply complete his four year commitment to Army and then 9/11 happened. He now has twenty five years of service in both the active duty and the National Guard, and currently holds the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserve. He had two deployments to Iraq. Mark also has over twenty years of experience as both a radio and television sports broadcaster.
While on drill at the local center, Mark noticed paintings that highlighted famous battles. One commemorated the battle of Takur Ghar. He researched it and immediately wondered why more people didn’t know about this epic battle. He connected with a longtime friend who was familiar with the “backend” aspects of podcasting and the Hazard Ground podcast was born.
We discuss that advantage of being a Veteran interviewing other Veterans. Often the conversation can be more in depth because he has “been there, there done that”. He feels HIS job is to “translate” these stories for the civilian population. We also briefly discuss the risks of “stolen valor” guests.
As both a Veteran and a professional in the sports broadcasting industry, Mark has some pretty strong feelings about how sports team sometimes “use” Veterans to make money. “If you walked up to your friend and said I just put five dollars in the Salvation Army bucket, what do you think of me? You would look ridiculous and sound ridiculous.”
Mark is also involved in the Merging Vets and Players organization. MVP is a wonderful organization that connects Veterans and Professional athletes to help each other dealing with the transition “when the uniform comes off.”
TAKEAWAY: Mark is proud that his podcast is chronicling history from a first person perspective. “When the child of one of our guests asks their parent what they did in the war, they can direct them to their Hazard Ground podcast.”
Fueled by the Fallen founder Kevyn Major Howard never served in the military. He has 31 film and television acting credits and is perhaps most recognized for his role as combat photographer “Rafterman” in the iconic Stanley Kubrick Vietnam war film “Full Metal Jacket”.
We spend some time discussing the films production and the experience of working with greats like Kubrick and R. Lee Ermey.
Because of his role in Full Metal Jacket, Kevyn was invited to visit the Twenty Nine Palms Marine Base. During a tour of the base, he was drawn to a memorial for Lance Corporal Torrey L. Gray. Gray threw himself on a grenade to save his fellow Marines. When Kevyn returned home, he felt compelled to do something to assure that he and other Americans never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
He decided to adorn his 1963 Chevy Nova race car with the rank and name of every Marine killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. He then produced additional cars for all the other branches as well. He specifically chose the canvas of automobiles because “With a race car you can attract the attention of a two year old on up to a ninety two year old.”
Kevyn was then moved to create five Camaro “Angel Cars” to memorialize all the victims of the 9/11 attacks. The Angel Cars have done three cross country awareness tours and even been placed at the feet of the Statue of Liberty.
In addition to raising awareness all across the country, his Fueled by the Fallen Foundation also grants scholarships to children of the fallen.
Kevyn is known as the “King of the Hollywood Head Shot” and specializes in producing head shots for aspiring actors when he is not acting himself. He is currently working on producing a television series that will honor various military heroes and tell their stories
TAKEAWAY: “My family does not take lightly what the cost of freedom is.”
“Chamber Divers”, a new book by Rachel Lance, uses recently declassified documents to recount the story of a somewhat ragtag group of scientist who forever changed special operations. Lance is a biological engineer and blast injury specialist who works as a researcher on military diving projects. She spent several years working with the US Navy building specialized diving equipment for our Special Forces.
The need for better methods of scouting enemy beaches was apparent during the disastrous Dieppe Raid in 1942. The mission was intended as a test of the feasibility of large scale amphibious landings in France. However, due much to the inability to conduct accurate scouting of the beach conditions, 3,623 of the 6,086 men who landed were killed, wounded or taken prisoner.
A group of researchers led by JBS Haldane conducted 611 experiments upon themselves, often risking their own lives, to find a solution. One of their greatest nemeses was nitrogen, which Rachel describes as “the boring neighbor in the cul-de-sac who turns out to be a serial killer.” Haldane and his team spent the equivalent of 284 days inside a pressurized dive chamber. They even went so far as “getting stoned” in an effort to find a way to clear pressure in their ears.
Some of the equipment developed to address the challenge left something to be desired. The “diving skirt” used by the British frogmen was the adult equivalent of a child’s “onesie” pajama soaked in grease. While X-Craft mini submarines initially had limited success, all of the D-Day beaches scouted by the early frogmen deployed from X-Craft were hit exactly on target. This saved many lives as the troops landed in between the guns rather than in front of them.
The “rebreather” closed system used by Special Forces, equipment used by scuba divers and escape trunks used on modern day submarines all evolved from the work of these World War II researchers.
TAKEAWAY: In many ways, Rachel is continuing the work of those “Chamber Divers” scientists by developing underwater solutions for our modern day forces.
Air America pilot Neil Graham Hansen’s livelihood began in a manner that might portend what the rest of his career would be like. At age 23 he was the a private pilot for Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa. When I became apparent that Hoffa would be taking a “Federal Vacation”, Neil began looking for a new job.
He responded to a newspaper ad seeking pilots to fly in Southeast Asia. He submitted an application but was told “we’re not hiring”. He was in a Chicago airport when he was paged to the manager’s office for a phone call. The man on the line asked Neil if he was a good pilot and whether he drank a lot. He was hired after that two question interview. His story is recounted in the book “Flight: An Air America Pilot’s Story of Adventure, Descent and Redemption.”
He was asked to report to his new job in two weeks. Neil suspected something might be up when he went to get a passport and was told it would take 30-45 days. When he informed them he was going to fly for Air America, his passport was ready in 4 days.
He would fly for Air America for more than a decade. Neil had his “golden bb” moment when his aircraft was hit and he and his crew had to bail out. The first rescue helicopter damaged their tail rotor and had to land & shut down. The second rescue helicopter landed several hundred meters away because Neil and his crew were standing in a mine field. They took the wounded told Neil he would have to wait for another bird. The third rescue helicopter ran out of fuel and had to crash land. Neil eventually got to safety.
After the fall of Vietnam, Neil was flying out of Cambodia and was sitting on the ramp when he got word that the Khmer Rouge was taking over the country. Neil decided to fly himself and his crew to Bangkok. He later learned he flew the last plane out of Cambodia. The emotion in his voice is apparent when he recalls those who didn’t get out.
TAKEAWAY: The Mel Gibson film “Air America” is based upon Neil’s story.
“Bobbie the Weather Girl” may have been the most popular celebrity of the Vietnam War, eclipsing even Adrian Cronauer of “Good Morning Vietnam” fame. Her real name is Barbara Keith.
Barbara grew up a military “brat”. Her father served in WWII, Korea & Vietnam and her mother was a Navy Nurse during WWII. She believes that “If you don’t do something for your country, don’t call yourself an American.” As an adventurous 19 year old, she was looking for her opportunity to serve. However, military structure did not appeal to her so she joined US AID serving in Vietnam.
She says that US AID’s mission was to “win hearts and minds”. Life in Saigon was surreal, including dining in a rooftop restaurant while tracer fire lit up the skies. One evening she and her co-workers were at a bar when a military officer commented that Barbara looked like a weather girl. At first she thought it to be an awkward pickup line but then learned that the Armed Forces Vietnam Network was indeed looking to recruit a “Weather Girl.” Barbara auditioned and won the part.
Every evening for two years she brought a sense of normalcy to the troops, sharing the weather in their hometowns or popular R&R destinations. She believes part of the reason for her popularity was that she reminded the troops of their kid sister or their girlfriend back home. She made hundreds of visits to troops in the field, sometimes even dodging rocket attacks.
Barbara had to take a several yearlong “sanity sabbatical” to decompress from what she witnessed in Vietnam. Disgusted with the way returning troops were being treated in the US, she took an overseas job with the State Department, beginning a 30 year career. She continues to support Veteran causes to this day.
TAKEAWAY: “If for one second you can bring a touch of home into a grim situation, you’ve done your job. If you wore White Shoulders perfume and that reminded someone of their girlfriend or of home – to be remembered for that is one of the greatest compliments you can receive.”
Barbara is looking to reconnect with some of those she served with or impacted her time in Vietnam. If you are one of those, please send a message to bbg@americanwarriorradio.com and we will put you in touch.
Al “Hollywood” Billings developed a reputation as a Maverick while flying for the Sea Wolves. The Sea Wolves (Helicopter Attack Squadron Light 3) were formed specifically to support Navy Special Warfare and Mobile Riverine Forces during the Vietnam War. They would become the most decorated Navy squadron of the war. We talk to Billings as part of our educational partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society.
He enlisted in the Naval Aviation Cadet program. “If you made it through you got your wings and commission on the same day. If you didn’t you were on a ship in the Pacific somewhere chipping paint.” He flew four tours of duty in Vietnam.
On October 8th 1968 he was approached by the SEALs for support on a mission but only one aircraft was available. The Officer in Charge told him he was not going. Squadron policy was to never send out a single ship on a mission. Billings says he thinks the OIC knew he was going to ignore that order and go anyway.
They received an alert that the SEALs had three wounded and were cut off from their insertion boats. Billings and his crew provided air to ground support, returned to base, refueled & rearmored for another flight. By that time the medevac helicopters were on station and Billings and his crew suppressed the enemy such that they were able to retrieve the SEALs. Before he could be reprimanded for disobeying orders, the SEAL Commander had called his CO. Billings would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for that mission.
Thirty days later on November 8th two river patrol boats on an extraction mission were ambushed. One boat was disabled with several crew members wounded. Because of the intensity of the enemy fire, Billings was ordered to not go in. He once again disobeyed orders – he was NOT going to let anyone to die on his watch. He actually rested his helicopter’s skid on the disabled boat allowing his crew to extract the wounded crew members. He was so close that river water began to collect in the nose of is helicopter. Once again, instead of taking his wings for disobeying orders, he was awarded the Silver Star.
You can find more on Billings’ career here.
TAKEAWAY: “We were the meanest guys in the land and went out looking for trouble sometimes.”
Sam Mackey admits he isn’t always the smartest or strongest guy in the room but he puts in the work. His philosophy is “To find something that I can do better than everybody else and take enough responsibility where I can’t be replaced and do it the best that I can.” Mackey served 20 years in the military including time with the elite Navy SEALs. He never thought he would be an entrepreneur but is now the CEO of Outsider, an outdoor lifestyle brand.
Mackey’s entry into the military was rather un-auspicious. He had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. His parole officer suggested joining the military in order to get off probation.
He was injured during his first BUDS class and failed the timed run. He was rolled back but was placed in the immediate next class. Due to his injury he failed again and washed out. Mackey would not give up. He worked his way through the arduous re-application process and eventually returned and graduated.
Mackey secured a sniper spot with the teams. His “15 minutes of fame” came while deployed with a Lithuanian Special Forces team. During that mission, he NEARLY recorded the longest kill shot on record; at a distance of nearly 1.5 miles. However, review showed that his shot was so close it caused the target to reposition, allowing another sniper to finish him off. He disagreed with the proposition that the days of the sniper are numbered. “There always needs to be a human behind the rifle.”
Mackey met NFL stand out quarterback Jay Cutler when he was asked to come speak to some NFL players. They became friends and discovered that they both shared a love of the outdoors. When Jay offered him a position with Outsider, Mackey jumped in with both feet, eventually rising to the position of CEO. They currently sell drinkware and apparel, including a patented rotating handle cup that fits in any holder.
TAKEAWAY: Mackey believes that because of the adaptability and innovation required while serving in Special Forces, it is the ideal “breeding ground” for entrepreneurs.
“Homefront Stories” is a collection of fictional short stories written by Victoria Kelly inspired by her life as a military spouse. Her 2015 work, “When Men Go Off to War” is a collection of poems written while her husband was deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and captures the hopes, anxieties and intimacies of the military spouse during times of war. “Prayers of an American Wife” is a collection of poems that highlights the displacement women experience when their husbands deploy and the battles fought by those left at home
Victoria graduated Summa Cum Laude from Harvard University and initially planned to attend law school. However, she had always wanted to write and chose that path instead. She met her future husband while attending a conference at the Naval Academy. She says her Ivy League friends expressed some surprise that she became a military spouse, mostly based upon their own misconceptions about the military.
During her husband’s first deployment, Victoria had been working on a novel but became frustrated. She turned to poetry as a way of dealing with the emotions she experienced during that deployment.
Victoria shares her poem “When Men Go off to War” which beautifully captures the lives of military families.
Victoria did not have much exposure to the military growing up. We spend some time discussing her learning curve as a military spouse and some of issues that civilians may not understand. These include learning to read rank and why it is not a good idea to wear high heels on an aircraft carrier. Being the spouse of a Navy officer added extra pressures.
She emphasizes that the all the pieces in “Homefront Stories” are completely fictional and none were inspired by actual events she experienced. You can find Victoria’s works here.
TAKEAWAY: “I loved being a military spouse..all except for the uncertainty about where we might be living.”
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has the principle responsibility to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and our nation. It was created in January of 2015 by merging the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office and the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command along with several functions of the Air Force Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory.
DPAA Media Relation Chief for Outreach and Communications Sean Everette joins us to describe the agency’s functions. We are also joined by Clark Baldwin, the nephew of World War II soldier Clifford Strickland, whose remains were just recently identified and returned to the US.
There are an estimated 81,000 personnel still missing from conflicts between World War II through the present day. These include 72,115 from World War II, 7,482 from Korea, 1,577 in Vietnam, 126 from the Cold War, 5 from the Gulf Wars and 1 in Libya.
DPAA staff is comprised of both members of the various military branches and civilian specialists. One could describe their role and “cold case file” detectives using a variety of resources to accomplish their tasks. Once remains are identified, the recovery themselves can be complicated and dangerous; from 16,000 foot mountain peaks to remote jungle sites.
Clifford Strickland was captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. After surviving the Bataan Death March, he died on July 29, 1942 in the Cabanatuan POW Camp. The dead from this camp were buried as “unknowns” in a common grave. Clark says that although his uncle died before he was born, his family kept his memory alive with stories. Eventually they gave up hope that his remains would ever be found. However, Clark’s cousin began attending DPAA outreach events. In 2015 they received notice that they may be able to identify Clifford’s remains. Clifford’s remains were positively identified on December 20, 2023.
A key element in the process is having family members submit DNA samples for use in final identification. Listeners with family members still missing can find more information about how to start the process by visiting the DPAA website.
TAKEAWAY: “It makes me proud that I am an American and that the DPAA works so hard to fulfill our nation’s promise that we will never leave a man behind.”
Stephen Paul Campos surmised it would be better to volunteer and choose his military specialty rather than be drafted during the Vietnam War. The recruiter asked what he wanted to do and Campos replied “I don’t know what I WANT to do but I know I DON’T want to be infantry.” Based upon his intake evaluations the recruiter told him he could be sent to Germany or Hawaii. Immediately upon graduation he was assigned to the infantry and soon after sent to Vietnam.
Campos shares that the environment was just as much a threat as the enemy. As if the torrential rains weren’t bad enough, there were things slithering in the water that could kill you. Campos survived more than a couple friendly fire incidents and malaria almost killed him. As a radio operator he had the unique experience of relaying his Lieutenant’s refusal to obey orders. That Lt. was replaced the next day and “it was a good thing because that guy was going to get us killed.”
Campos recalled being met by war protestors upon his return stateside and many lifelong friends didn’t want to talk about the war. Campos fell into a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. Upon hitting rock bottom, he had a spiritual awakening that he says literally transformed his life. He now owns and operates “Senor Campos Salsa”, a successful online food service business.
Campos never wanted to talk about his experiences in Vietnam until he was interviewed by a reporter during a visit to the Vietnam War Memorial. His wife suggested he begin writing about his experiences. He has now published several books including “Charlie Doesn’t Live Here Anymore”.
TAKEAWAY: The whole time Campos was in combat he prayed for God to keep him safe. He also prayed that he would not have to kill anyone.
“Service to CEO” podcast creator Kristen Costlow left a promising military career to pursue her dream. She served as an air traffic controller in the Navy and was rising fast in rank. She soon found herself supervising sailors 10 years her senior. The day after she notified her supervisor of her plans to leave the military, she was promoted to Chief Petty Officer – quite the accomplishment for someone of her age.
Kristen joined the Navy right out of high school and says there were no specific issues that caused her to leave mid-way to a full military retirement. She was just experiencing severe burnout and didn’t want to be one of those persons who looked back and had regrets about not pursuing her dreams. She wanted to be a wedding photographer.
Kristen received her business license in March of 2021, in the middle of the COVID pandemic. While many weddings were postponed during the pandemic, she says there was a huge rebound surge in 2022. When a wedding “boom” comparable to the days following World War II came along, K Nicole Photography was ready for them.
The Small Business Administration estimates that the average small business fails in 3-5 years. Although Kristen’s photography business is right in the middle of that window, she says she no longer wakes up terrified. “Every day I just have to wake up and know that I have to do the work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to do so.”
Based upon her transition experiences, Kristen decided to start the Service to CEO Podcast to provide a platform for other women Veteran entrepreneurs to share the story of their journeys. She hopes to inspire other women in their “second lives”. The Service to CEO podcast can be found on all major platforms.
TAKEAWAY: “That one day I might decide to leave early on a Friday is the one day that a client won’t wait until Monday. In my business one bad review can be really damaging.”
Blackwater Security Company developed quite a reputation. Morgan Lerette was a contractor with Blackwater in Iraq for 18 months from 2004-2005. His sometimes funny, sometimes tragic experience is documented in his book “Guns, Girls & Greed: I was a Blackwater Mercenary in Iraq”
Morgan joined the Air National Guard right out of high school in order to escape his small town. He became an Air Force Security Forces member and had been serving for two years when 9/11 happened.
Despite having deployed to Iraq, Morgan says he felt much like other military members at the time – he never really got to experience “his war”. Some friends suggested joining Blackwater shortly after some of their contractors had been hung from a bridge in Fallujah. However, being paid $550 per day and a chance to experience “his war” sounded good to Morgan.
While many may believe that all Blackwater contractors are special operations Veterans, at that time there was a huge demand to fulfill government contracts. Morgan says they were recruiting anyone who could “shoot, move, communicate and get security clearance.” After a brief two week training course, Morgan found himself in Iraq. His say his mission mainly consisted of driving a “very important person from the safe area to the dangerous area and back.”
Morgan’s book unabashedly describes what can happen when highly paid men with no rules and no consequences are deployed to a foreign country. I would describe his book as a modern day version of “Catch 22”. There are numerous examples in his book that highlight the hopeless absurdity of our efforts to rebuild Iraq. It wasn’t long before Morgan lost faith in the idea of helping the Iraqis & just became numb to it all.
Upon his return home, he had trouble finding a “normal life”. There are no support systems for independent contractors. Morgan eventually finished his college degree and returned to Iraq as an Army Intelligence Officer with “half the pay and twice the restrictions”.
It is estimated that as many as 160,000 private military contractors were active in Iraq. We spend some time discussing whether organizations like Blackwater are a necessary evil in modern combat.
TAKEWAY: Morgan describes private military contractors like a disposable Starbucks cup. They use you and then toss you away.
Our first check in of 2024 with Havok Journal owner Charles Faint. Charles is a retired Army Intelligence officer with seven tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We begin by discussing the latest on the Israel/Gaza conflict. Charles expects Iran to continue supporting terrorist proxies but will avoid a direct confrontation with the US. His rationale is twofold; Iran knows they cannot win a direct fight with the US and are not going to risk doing so over an issue like Gaza. They also don’t feel an existential threat to their key interests.
Clearly Israel will be occupying Gaza for some time. As to what comes afterward, we both agree that a “two state” solution is impractical and absorbing millions of persons who have sworn to destroy their country is definitely not a wise move for Israel. Charles notes that in the earliest days of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, most of their leaders were secular.
“A Deck of Many Things” is an article co-authored by Charles and retired Army Major Mike Warnock. It provides a reflection on Colin Powell’s policies in Iraq twenty years later. They compare Powell’s philosophy of “you break it you bought it” in the context of what we did in Japan & Germany following World War II. In those cases, we preserved the administrative infrastructures necessary for each of those cultures to rebuild. While “De-Baathification” was popular among the Iraqi populace, it eliminated those who knew how to keep the lights on and the sewers flowing.
We also discuss Ayman Kafel’s recent article in Havok Journal about the surge of terrorism in South Asia. The implications of jihadist “franchises” in these areas create a real threat to regional stability and security. Civilians are also at risk as these various factions compete for power and territory.
The value of higher education to military officers and the challenges of “going back to school” is the subject of an article Charles wrote about his experiences at Yale University. In general, Charles says his experience was very positive despite having to deal with numerous misconceptions about the military held by some of his fellow students.
Lastly, we have a fun discussion about Taylor Swift – NOT a topic I ever considered would come up on American Warrior Radio.
“Damn the Valley” was written by Will Yeske and describes his deployment to the Arghandab River Valley in Afghanistan. The valley has seen its share of conflict. From Alexander the Great up to the Russians – and now Americans. To US troops it became known as “the meat grinder”. Will was posted there with Bravo Company of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne. During their time there, his unit suffered a 52% casualty rate.
Damn the Valley has an interesting “origin” story. Will was inspired to write it in response to another book by Ben Kesling titled “Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and Its Aftermath.” Many of Will’s comrades who saw conflict in that valley felt that Kesling’s book fell short in telling the full story of their deployment. Kelsing was supportive of Will undertaking the project.
Damn the Valley does an excellent job of communicating the hardships of being stationed in such a remote location over and above the combat. This includes basic issues like staying clean. Sometimes patrols would even be routed through shallow rivers just so the soldiers could rinse off. In addition to the Taliban, wild life like mountain lions and bears also posed a threat.
Will gives credit to our opponents in that valley. He says they were very shrewd about adapting their tactics, including “assembly” line methods of planting improvised explosive devices that took advantage of the US troops’ strict rules of engagement. Helmand province was considered the “silicon valley” of IED manufacturing.
Readers will get a firsthand accounting of the “fog of war”, the brutality of this conflict and the second order effects upon those who fought there. Will says that he experienced real struggles upon returning to civilian life and for a while engaged in high risk behaviors to address the “numbness”.
TAKEAWAY: “If any Freedom was won, it was providing sleep and security to those who had never had it before”
Jana Monroe wanted to be a law enforcement officer ever since she was 13. She would go on to become the first woman to join the FBI’s elite Behavioral Science Unit. She says her motivation is the fact that she loves the freedoms granted by our country and she hates bullies.
Jana began her law enforcement work as a probation officer and then joined the Chino California police department. Women in law enforcement were still rare, and she says she was given a lot of “babysitting” jobs.
It took a class action lawsuit to get FBI to change their policies and allow women to become field agents. When Jana applied, her husband told her it was either him or the FBI. Jana chose the FBI. Her first assignment was in the Albuquerque office and many of her cases were on the reservation. This created some challenges as tribal officials at the time would not accept a woman as being in charge.
When Jana joined the Behavioral Science Unit, there were only 12 agents working those cases. She says BSU’s job is “to search for reason amidst the debris of awful violence”. During her time with the Behavioral Sciences Unit, Jana consulted on more than 850 cases, including those involving some of the worst serial killers. She shares some insights on working with some of these killers. Jana emphasizes that programs like America’s Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries have played a very beneficial role in helping to solve cases.
Jana was selected to consult Jodie Foster on her academy winning role in “The Silence of the Lambs.” She said Jodie was very professional and even suggested changes to the director based upon Jana’s feedback.
Jana chronicled the story of her time with the FBI in the book “Hearts of Darkness: Serial Killers, the Behavioral Science Unit, and My Life as a Woman in the FBI.’
TAKEAWAY: “I did a lot of kicking to break through the glass ceiling but I tried to do the kicking professionally and with my heels on.”
“Dead Man’s Hand” is Brad Taylor’s 18th installment in the Pike Logan series. Brad served more than 21 years in our nation’s military, 8 years as a member of the elite 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, more commonly known at Delta Force. He holds a Master’s of Science in Defense Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School, with a concentration in irregular warfare.
His previous 17 novels have all been ranked on the New York Times best seller list. His latest novel is titled “Dead Man’s Hand”.
He wasn’t intending to write about Ukraine & Russia, but in preparing his research he was reminded of the Russian “Perimeter System”. The Perimeter System was created by the Soviet Union in response to the US ”Star Wars” initiative. It was an early form of artificial intelligence that would automatically launch their nuclear missiles if it was determined that the US had decapitated Soviet leadership with a successful first strike. NATO called the system the “Dead Hand”.
His novel “Ghosts of War”, published in 2014 was about Russian invading Ukraine. “Dead Man’s Hand” centers on a Ukrainian plot to assassinate Putin and the potential for triggering the Dead Hand system.
Brad says it is always a risk to write in a theme that reflects current events. In this case there were three main risks that might happen before publication; the Ukrainian war would be over, Sweden’s NATO membership would be approved, and the potential that Putin would be removed from power before publication.
Brad prides himself in actually exploring the locations that are featured in his book. He says he was not about to get shot at in Ukraine and go traipsing across Russia. However, he did discover some interesting features in Sweden and Denmark that made their way into the book.
During our conversation I also take the opportunity to pick Brad’s brain about the current world events taking place in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza. His informed answers may surprise some listeners.
TAKEAWAY: “One of the best traits for a special operator is someone who is a problem solver.”
The Warrior Surf Foundation uses the calming and spiritually regenerative power of the ocean to help Veteran families deal with the difficult transition to civilian life. The organization was established on Folly Beach, South Carolina in 2015. The Foundation addresses post service transition challenges like PTSD, moral injury, survivor’s guilt and traumatic brain injuries through surf therapy.
Warrior Surf Foundation Executive Director Stephanie Dasher knows the challenges first hand. She was raised by a Veteran, served five years in the Navy and married a Veteran. She was introduced to the Foundation’s programs after her husband had several disturbing episodes. While her husband was initial resistant, she says the change was almost immediate.
Their programming consists of three core elements. The surf program is a 12 week course that provides up to three surf lessons per week. In the words of co-founder Andy Manzey “The ocean pushes people and it keeps you humble. You learn a lot about yourself out in the ocean.” The surf program is reinforced by wellness and yoga coursework.
A professional mental health counselor, Stephanie says it is amazing to see how the ocean immediately breaks down barriers in their clients. Wellness sessions are often conducted on the beach, a significantly less threatening environment than the typical clinical setting. She says the surf sessions also help rebuild the loss of comradery and “tribe” felt by so many transitioning Veterans.
An important element of the Warrior Surf Foundation’s programming is that it integrates the entire family in the healing process. It was this approach that convinced Stephanie to join the staff.
While they can refer clients to other surf therapy programs that are geographically more convenient, their services are provided free of charge to Veterans from anywhere in the country. They also organize overseas surf trips as well.
Jim Lopez flew an amazing one thousand combat missions. For perspective, World War II bomber crews were required to fly 25-35 missions before they rotated out. Even in today’s high paced combat, the 1,000 mission threshold is still rather rare. Jim joins us as part of our educational partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society.
Jim and all six of his brothers served in the military. When one brother was wounded in Korea, Jim decided it was his duty to enlist. He served three years in the Marine Corps but didn’t see any potential to fly so he transferred to the Air Force.
He began his Air Force career in aerial photography. Jim recalls one mission that was classified as top secret at the time. They were ordered to fly out of Iceland and photograph a submarine. It wasn’t until years later when he saw the photo in LIFE Magazine that he realized they had photographed the USS Nautilus submarine on one leg of its historic transit under the North Pole.
Jim says he didn’t even know what a “Loadmaster” was when he was transferred into that duty. He flew C-130’s from 1964 to 1968. He finished his career flying C-5’s.
Jim was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for one of the resupply missions he flew in support of the besieged Marines at the Battle of Khe Sahn. Because any aircraft that landed became a “mortar magnet”, they employed low attitude parachute extraction systems where the pilot flew just above the runway while the supplies were pulled out the back with a drogue parachute. Over 12,400 tons of supplies were delivered in 1,100 missions.
Jim also participated in resupply missions during the Yom Kippur war. They flew tanks directly from California to Tel Aviv. Years later he met an Israel Defense Forces Veteran who said “If it wasn’t for you guys we would have never survived.”
We spend some time talking about the importance of the educational mission. Jim encourages his fellow Veterans to speak at local schools about patriotism as much as possible. “Preserving democracies is our mission. Nobody loves America more than those countries that don’t enjoy the freedoms we do.”
Joe Lowrey was deployed with the 7th Special Forces Group in Afghanistan. In July of 2014 an enemy machine gun round pierced the front of his helmet, traveled across the top of his skull and exited the back of his head. He was given an 11% chance of survival and his Green Beret teammates gathered by his bedside while Joe was administered the Last Rites.
After thirty days in a coma, Joe DID survive with all his mental faculties but paralyzed on the entire left side of his body. Many of us would have given up, but not Joe Lowrey. He set goals, and with the help of several friends, organizations and technologies he is now walking.
Joe says one of the initial challenges was what doctors call “confabulations” where the mind tries to fill gaps with fabricated memories. Because he had been given a tracheotomy he also could not speak, eat or drink. He credits technologies like the exoskeleton and transcranial magnetic stimulation used during rehab with helping learn to walk again.
Given his experiences and all the support he received during recovery, Joe decided he wanted to pay it forward. Along with fellow Veteran Steve West, he founded United Wings of Liberty. Their mission is to link other Veterans with vetted physical recovery, spiritual, recreational, employment and educational opportunities.
Joe admits he was a “dirt bag teenager” without any goals in life. But his father’s philosophy was “if you aren’t in college or working when you turn 18, you are out of the house.” So when the Army recruiter visited, Joe enlisted. While assigned to Fort Carson he crossed paths with a Green Beret recruiter and decided that was the route he wanted to pursue.
He has written a book about his recovery and is currently seeking a publisher. All proceeds from the book will benefit United Wings of Liberty programs.
TAKEAWAY: Joe describes Special Forces as similar to when he was a hockey goalie. “You want to be the first string starter so you get more playing time. Operators also compete for the best missions.”
“Hot Mics and TV Lights: The Armed Forces Vietnam Network” is the latest work from Marc Yablonka. The book provides the first person perspective of thirty seven individuals who served with the Armed Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN).The AFVN was the military broadcast network that served American service personnel during the Vietnam War.
Navy Chief Petty Officer Bryan Arbuckle is considered the “father” of AFVN. He put it together in 1962 over a matter of weeks employing used equipment and borrowed record albums.
Marc says that without collaborator Rick Frederickson it would have been a completely different work. Frederickson was a newsman at AFVN Saigon. He conducted many of the 37 interviews featured in Hot Mics, including Adrian Cronauer whose story inspired the movie “Good Morning Vietnam”. The film was the brainchild of Ben Moses, who worked with Cronauer. Ben said the movie was “Half Adrian, half me, and half made up.” When he first began pitching the idea he had trouble finding purchase. One TV executive even told him “How dare you proposed doing something funny about Vietnam.”
Not all the stories are humorous. During the Tet offensive, nine members of the Hue AFVN station found themselves holding off attackers for five days. Three were killed, five were taken prisoner and one escaped. Another DJ was broadcasting when a rocket attack struck the studios. He may be the only DJ to be awarded a Purple Heart while on the air.
Project Jenny entailed putting TV/Radio broadcasting “stations” into three Lockheed Constellation aircraft. They would fly over the country providing TV broadcasts and psyops. In one incident they were running the wrong soundtrack for a TV program causing South Vietnamese officials to think the plane had been commandeered by the enemy. They sent up jet fighters to shoot them down. Thankfully, the broadcasters were able to straighten things out before that occurred.
TAKEAWAY: “Thinking of them as only in the rear with the gear does not apply to what the AFVN staff members really went through in Vietnam.”
Holiday separations are an unfortunate but necessary part of military service. As civilians we should recognize that the reason we are able to spend our holiday peacefully and safely with friends and family is because members of our military and first responder communities have volunteered to be apart from theirs.
This burden is particularly heavy upon those forces who, by the nature of their work, have a higher than normal deployment tempo. The Air Force Pararescue community falls into this category. Col. Jose Cabrera, Commander of the 563rd Rescue Group, joins us to discuss holiday separations and some suggestions to make it easier on military families.
Col. Cabrera has served our nation for over two decades, most of it with the Pararescue forces. The units under his command include an HJ-130J rescue squadron, two HH-60G rescue squadrons, three Guardian Angel rescue squadrons and an Operations Support squadron. Col. Cabrera shares some details about the nature of the Pararescue mission and the training required to join these elite forces and fulfill their motto “These things we do that others may live.”
Separated families can experience stress, depression, guilt and even anger. Witnessing the realities of war can also cause mental health issues that impact families as well. For this reason, Pararescue forces embed chaplains with all deployed units. Col. Cabrera emphasized that reintegration also presents challenges when military members have been apart from their family for so long and miss important milestones.
We discuss several suggestions for military families. These include pre-recording some of the children’s favorite bedtime stories, establishing new “traditions” that incorporate the separation and getting out of the house for new experiences and socializing as a family. In the tight knit Pararescue community, new spouses are prepared for the challenges of deployment by unit spouses with a bit more experience under their belts.
TAKEAWAY: “The first deployment is probably the toughest deployment for a family. You do get used to it over time but it is NEVER easy.”
Green Beret Foundation Director of Programs and Services Anna Richardson joins us for an update on their programs. The mission of the Green Beret Foundation is to provide Special Forces soldiers and their families with emergency, immediate and ongoing support. Since inception, the GBF has provided support for over 14,000 families.
For Anna, her work with the Green Beret Foundation is “personal”. She served as a mental health and drug and alcohol counselor in the Army and is a Green Beret spouse.
Green Berets sustain one of the highest casualty rates in the Special Forces. Anna emphasizes something unique about their mission in that they could be providing education or building communities on one day and fighting the next.
The GBF takes extra precautions to assure that recipients of their support did indeed serve in the Army Special Forces. Many of their emergency and casualty support requests come directly from US Special Operations Command. Their programs are also available for pre 9/11 Veterans. Anna says that many of the support requests they are currently receiving come from post 9/11 Veterans who need help navigating their benefits. Request for support links may be found at their website.
We also discuss some of their health and wellness support programs including funding for special treatments that are not covered by soldier’s insurance.
Collaboration is one of the core values of the GBF. For example, their emergency support packs include backpacks provided by GORUCK, a company founded by a former Green Beret. Their website also lists numerous “gifts that give back” links.
Anna is also active with the “Steel Mags” support group. The chapters consist of Green Beret mothers, spouses and daughters. They consider themselves the “keepers of the brave.”
TAKEAWAY: “You do not have to know exactly what you need. That’s our job. I know the questions you should be asking even if you don’t.”
Rick Kaiser always had a fascination with the sea, so at the age of 17 he visited the Navy recruiter with the intention of joining the submarine service. However, while sitting in the office, he picked up a pamphlet about the SEALs and decided that was the course he would rather follow. Rick would go on to serve with both SEAL Team 2 and SEAL Team 6. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the National Navy SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce Florida.
He recently published a book titled “Frogmen Stories: Life and Leadership Lessons from the SEAL Teams”. We spend this episode talking about some of his service stories and takeaways from the book.
During this time with SEAL Team 2 he spent a great deal of time in winter combat training. He says it was a training exercise in Greenland that taught him to never make an important decision about your military career until ten days after returning home.
Rick emphasizes that when SEAL’s aren’t fighting they are training to fight. He shares one story of a near miss with a freighter during an underwater training mission in Little Creek Harbor that could have been fatal. Rick fought in the Battle of Mogadishu and was involved in the planning for the Maersk Alabama (“Captain Phillips”) rescue. He also shares a humorous story involving a communication lesson he taught his daughter and her friends during a sleepover.
There are only approximately 2,500 active Navy SEALs at any period of time and only 16,000 Navy SEALs or predecessor units have been commissioned since 1942. Stolen Valor is a common issue with SEALs being perhaps the most common claim among impersonators. Rick says they run into this problem every single day at the Navy SEAL Museum.
The Navy SEAL Museum was established in Ft. Pierce because that is where the original WWII Frogmen were trained. In addition to the museum itself, they provide a number of programs in support of Navy SEAL families.
Wreaths Across America plans to lay more than three million fresh wreaths at the graves of Veterans in more than 4,000 locations this year. Co-Founder and Executive Director Karen Worcester joins us to explain more about the organization and their initiatives. This year’s event will take place December 16.
Karen’s husband Morill visited Arlington National Cemetery as a young man and was taken with scope and solemnity of what he saw. In 1993 the family decided to donate 5,000 wreaths from their Worcester Wreath Company to be placed in an older portion of the cemetery. They continued to do so without fanfare until 2004 when a photo of the snow covered, wreath adorned headstones went viral. Acting upon positive feedback from Gold Star families, the initiative was formalized into a non-profit organization in 2007.
There are three pillars to their mission; remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach the next generation the value of freedom. They have year round programs including a traveling exhibit and museum to support these programs. Families also have the opportunity to place a memorial dog tag on the trees from which the wreaths are harvested.
They also have a wonderful internet radio station that broadcasts a variety of military based programs. American Warrior Radio is proud to be part of their programming.
Karen is grateful to their 3 million volunteers across the country and is proud that about half of them are children. This includes many truckers to donate their services to deliver wreaths to locations all across the country. She jokes that their 700 mile delivery trip from Maine to Arlington is “the longest Veteran’s Day Parade in the nation.”
Listeners may sponsor a wreath for only $17. There is also an opportunity for civic organizations to sell wreath sponsorships as a fundraiser. So far over $22 million has been raised by organizations using this program.
TAKEAWAY: “When people are vested in something they believe in, things happen.”
Electronic Combat crew member Alex Underwood has several achievements during his Air Force career, including being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. We talk with Alex as part of our educational partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society. The mission of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society is to honor, preserve and teach the legacy of heroism or extraordinary achievement in aerial flight for which the DFC is awarded.
Alex’s father was a bugler who served in France during WWI and his high school history teacher was a naval aviator that served in the Pacific during WWII. He honed his love of flying by joining the Civil Air Patrol. The next obvious choice was to join the Air Force right out of high school.
His path from a maintenance crew chief on a B-66 to an electronic combat crewman was somewhat of a fluke. Alex was posted in France during one of the coldest winters on record. The aircraft engines had to be run on a regular basis but the pilots didn’t want to come out in the cold. Alex took it upon himself to how to run engines on the B-66. When his crew chief learned this fact he was soon assigned to the 42nd Electronic combat squadron.
Alex was pretty excited when he was told to pack his bags for temporary duty in a “tropical location”. After a series of secret flights west he finally learned that the assignment was to fly in the Vietnam War. He says he doesn’t remember all the missions he flew but certainly his first mission, a mission where he was called “up front” to fix equipment on the fly, and the first attack mission on Haiphong Harbor. (The is the mission for which he was awarded the DFC.)
He would become the only African-American enlisted man to complete 100 missions over Vietnam. He also took his oath of enlistment in flight during a 1966 mission over Vietnam – the only person to ever do so.
Havok Journal owner Charles Faint joins us for another update from my favorite website for all things military and first responders. Charles served 27 years in the Army, including seven combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan attached to various special operations units.
We being with the article “Give Your Flowers to the Living”. The crux of the article discusses the importance of honoring people and sharing how much you care while they are still living rather than just at their funeral. “It is said that time is the coin of the realm, you can’t earn any more of it, and you never know just how much of it you have left, so spend the coin wisely, with love and joy. Spend it not on flowers for the dead, but rather spend it on the ones you love, that are living.”
Next we move on to an article by Scott Faith titled “Hamas, the Invisible Gorilla and What the Media-Political Complex is Doing to America.” The “Invisible Gorilla” is a metaphor for what the media-political complex’s sleight of hand to keep people from focusing on what is really important. We discuss how quickly misinformation spreads and the negative ramifications of this hyper-environment.
Charles makes an annual trip to Israel as part of the Peace and Dialogue Leadership Initiative, so this situation is deeply personal for him. They had just visited some of the areas that were attacked last May.
“Know Your Role, Seven Rules for Supporting Special Operations” by Michael Kane has a lot of lessons that also apply to our civilians lives. Charles shares his personal experiences with support personnel who wanted to be operators rather than fulfilling their support roles. He emphasizes the importance of mentoring EVERYONE on your team and allowing subordinates to fail.
We wrap up with an article by Ayman Kafel named “The Life of Duality”. Ayman writes about the challenges faced by first responders balancing their “wolf” side and human side. Ayman has also published an excellent book named “The Resolute Path” through the Second Mission Foundation.
I highly recommend regularly visiting The Havok Journal whether you are a Veteran, First Responder or civilian.
USAA recently conducted a poll of Veterans, active duty personnel and the general population. The survey centered on the topic of Veterans Day. The results were surprising. John Bird, USAA’s Senior Vice President of Military Affairs joins us to share more.
Some of the results were disturbing; 28% of the civilian respondents didn’t know or were unsure why we recognize Veteran’s Day. Others shed light on generational disparities between Veteran populations. Seventy percent of younger Veterans said they felt uncomfortable hearing “Thank You for Your Service” whereas only 24% of Veterans sixty five and older felt similar. John says that early on his career he also felt uncomfortable until he realized that people were just expressing their appreciation that he volunteered to serve.
The survey has inspired a new USAA initiative; the “Go Beyond Thank You” campaign which encourages people to do more than just thank Veterans for their service. John shares examples such as having a deeper conversation with a Veteran, volunteering & contributing to non-profits that support Veterans and helping Veterans make the transition to the civilian workforce.
We also discuss the USAA “Face the Fight Foundation” which seeks to address the scourge of Veteran suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among post 9/11 Veterans. Their aspirational goal is to cut the suicide rate in half by 2030. Their website is a great resource for both Veterans and civilians to engage in addressing this important issue. USAA is also donating new exercise equipment centers in American Legion Posts to address the important connection between physical & mental health.
John is a 1977 graduate of the Naval Academy. He “double volunteered” to serve in the submarine fleet, retiring at the rank of Vice Admiral.
USAA was founded in 1922 by Veterans to serve other Veterans. They offer a variety of services including insurance products and financial services. They employ 37,000 persons across the country and last year donated $47.5 million to military family resilience programs.
TAKEAWAY: “The best thing I ever did, short of my wife and kids, was joining the Navy.”
Brandon Caserta always dreamed of being a Navy SEAL. He was well on his way when a series of tragic events led to him taking his own life. As a legacy to his memory, his parents fought for new rules that will help other military members who are struggling.
By all accounts, Brandon was a happy go lucky young man and always ready to help others. Patrick is a Navy Veteran and he and Teri were not excited about Brandon’s decision to join the Navy. However, they helped by getting him everything he needed to succeed.
While in BUDs training Brandon accused some of the training staff of engaging in illegal behavior. Later, he was injured but was not able to get proper medical attention. While he was initially told he had bad shin splints, an x-ray would show that his leg was broken in three places. When his father told him that he could get rolled back to the next class, Brandon refused to go back because of what he had witnessed.
He transferred to the East Coast and selected to be an air crew rescue swimmer. However, a series of toxic leaders led him into a darker place. Brandon took his own life on June 25, 2018.
Inspired by correspondence Brandon left behind, Teri & Patrick began an arduous campaign to help other military members who might find themselves in a similar situation. They talked to all 535 members of the House and Senate over the course of two years. The Brandon Act allows members of the military to confidentially seek out medical help for any reason, at any time, in any location – without going through their chain of command. It was signed into law on December 27, 2021. It would take another two years before the branches incorporated the new rules into their systems.
His parents have also established the Brandon Caserta Foundation to address the epidemic of suicide in the Armed Forces.
Joe “Peppy” Sciarra was 16 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He was drafted into the Army the day after he graduated high school. He had planned on enlisting anyway.
Sciarra was assigned to an 81 mm mortar squad of the 25th infantry division under General MacArthur. After 9 months training in New Caledonia and a stop for supplies on Guadalcanal, he and 68,000 men landed at Luzon in the Philippines.
He would spend the next five and half months involved in terrible jungle fighting, capturing 47 different ridges from 100,000 Japanese. “My mortar tube was 45 pounds and my pack was 50 pounds, plus my weapon. That made for some difficult climbing.” Despite the fact that he had many comrades killed to the left and right of him, Sciarra says his only injury was nearly knocking out his front teeth when the hit the ground a little too hard during shelling.
After being ordered to venture ahead of the company in order to draw enemy fire, Sciarra vented his anger at the Lieutenant after the patrol. “I didn’t care if he court martialed me, I had to tell him off”. Sciarra and that Lt. would become close friends.
Following the Japanese surrender he was assigned as part of the mainland occupation forces. He says it was surprising how courteously the Japanese people treated him.
Sciarra suffered from the effects of malaria for a long time after returning home and faced numerous challenges securing his Veteran benefits because many of the records had been destroyed. He finally had to personally travel to Hawaii in order to secure proof of his service.
TAKEAWAY: “I want these messages about what our guys went through to be known all across the country. Even though it has been 80 years I still think about all the men in my platoon who didn’t make it.”
Bob Willis may not be a Veteran but his heart beats passionately for those who have served. He has organized ten living history events that allow Veterans to share first hand stories with the rest of us.
The whole endeavor began when Bob and his boys watched the “Band of Brothers” series. His boys asked if it would be possible to meet some of the surviving members of Easy Company. When an opportunity came up to attend an Easy Company reunion in Norfolk, Bob and his boys jumped at the chance. Bob gave gifts to each of the 35 surviving members. When asked how they could return the favor, Willis hosted ten of them for a dinner in his hometown of Kingston, New York. The “God and Country Veterans Living History Event” was born.
This year will be the 10th event that Willis has organized. The event always features an amazing group of Veterans who tell their stories during the daylong conference and closing dinner. This year’s events will feature Veterans from World War II on up to the Afghanistan war. He tries to focus on combat Veterans but occasionally will feature others who have unique stories like Irene Perbal, a member of the Dutch Resistance. All proceeds from the event benefit the Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Integration.
He also emphasizes the importance of sharing these stories with younger generations. Bob takes conference participants also pay visits to the local schools to share their stories.
Bob and I share our thoughts on the importance of documenting these stories so they can be shared and remembered. We all have Veterans in our community that are literally “living history”.
TAKEAWAY: “I had a choice. I didn’t have to go to war. All those men and women who fought wars before me gave me that choice.”
Veteran Powered Films was the brainchild of accomplished actress and Navy Reservist Julia Ling. Julia has starred in over twenty independent films and is best known for her roles in the NBC series “Chuck”, “E.R.”, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House”. The mission of Veteran Powered Films is to empower Veterans and service members to create and tell their stories through film.
2016 was a rough year for Julia. She lost a couple of shipmates and knew several other Veterans who were struggling just like she was. Julia came to the conclusion that doing pushups to raise awareness of Veteran suicides was not sufficiently impactful. She and her partner Micah came up with the idea of helping Veterans get more involved in the film industry. Their first project was “Tango Down” and used Veterans both in front of and behind the camera.
Hiram Murray is a Marine Corps Veteran who has also pursued a career in acting. He recently played a role in the film adaptation of Jack Carr’s “The Terminal List”. Hiram began his career in the television drama “Now and Again”. While attending film school, he worked with NYPD. When the 9/11 attacks occurred “in his back yard” he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. He was recruited by Julia to play a role in “Tango Down”. He describes the support of other Veterans in the film industry as “One Team, One Fight”. Julia adds that having some many Veterans working on a film project is advantageous because the crew automatically gels because of their shared military experience.
Julia emphasizes the organization required for making a film is very similar to military structures. “We all take pride in accomplishing the mission.” She adds that one of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been hearing from Veterans from all around the world telling her that Veteran Powered Films inspired them to make changes in their lives.
Veteran Powered Films latest projects is a film called “Homestead”.
TAKEAWAY: “There is nothing special about me. If I can do it, you can do it too.”
When Andra Kniep entered the US Air Force Academy, women were prohibited from flying in combat. Two months before she graduated, the rules were changed and she became the third woman assigned to fly the A-10 attack fighter. Andra was awarded two Distinguished Flying Cross medals on two consecutive days and joins us as part of our partnership with the Distinguished Service Cross Society.
She chose the A-10 because her brother was a West Point graduate and she appreciated the ground support fighter mission. “When you shoot that 30 millimeter Gatling gun there is nothing like it.”
Andra was trained as an Airborne Forward Air Controller. Their role is to take control of the airspace, de-conflict airborne aircraft, communicate with ground controllers and pair aircraft with targets on the ground.
She was deployed as part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group in Kuwait as part of Operation Southern Watch. On March 5th, 2002 she was assigned to fly into Afghanistan in support of Operation Anaconda. It took her flight four and a half hours and two aerial refueling stops to get to the target area. Upon arriving at night in the target area, she found friendly forces on one side of a steep ravine and enemy on the other side. Because the target was difficult to spot and the proximity to friendly forces, she tucked in right behind her wingman and guided him to make the first drop on the target. She made a second pass to deploy her weapons. Following the attack they landed in in a blacked out airfield in Pakistan.
The very next day she flew to her target area and, despite being only a Captain, was given responsibility for the entire airspace. She took control of eleven different airborne platforms to make sure there were no “blue on blue” accidents and directed all air support during a very violent battle. The mission ended with Andra helping to keep a “lost” convoy from being engaged by friendly forces.
Wingmen are an aviation term used to describe a pilot who is positioned behind and outside a leader in a formation, allowing them to watch for threats to the primary aircraft. It can also refer to a person who helps, guides or supports another. Adam Lazarus’ new release “The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship between John Glenn and Ted Williams” is a book that both military and sports history fans will enjoy. Adam was once told to write about what he is passionate about and is the author of four other books in the sports vein.
Ted Williams is considered by many to be one of the greatest persons to play Major League Baseball. He is the last player to bat over .400 in a season and a nineteen time all-star. John Glenn began his military career as a stand-out pilot during World War II. He became the first American to orbit the earth and would serve as a US Senator. The two men met while flying combat for the Marine Corps in Korea.
Their missions in Korea were principally ground support missions, often referred to as “Blow and Go.” Glenn developed a reputation for coming around after a bombing run and looking for other targets to engage. This made him very unpopular with his wingmen but Williams didn’t seem to mind because he felt he could learn a lot from Glenn. Williams flew 8 missions as Glenn’s wingman.
Adam’s book sheds quite a bit of light on the controversy that seemed to surround the life of Ted Williams. He debunks the myth that Williams was a draft dodger and shows that he was actually quite the patriot. “The Wingmen” also delves quite a bit into the continuing relationship between the two men after their initial careers were over.
“The Pledge to America” author Drago Dzieran grew up under the oppressive socialist/communist government in Poland. The book describes his journey from political prisoner to a Navy SEAL. Drago says that “The Pledge to America” was not intended to be a “SEAL book”. Rather, his reasoning for writing the book was to provide a lens for fellow Americans to recognize how special our country is.
Drago had a rough upbringing in poverty and soon turned to violence as a survival mechanism. He even extorted the children of wealthy party members to bring extra food to school for the children who had nothing to eat. Visits from the secret police were not uncommon.
Drago cites an example of how government controlled everything. When his father deserted his family, his mother sought to move closer to her relatives. She had to get permission from the government to make the move.
After being thrown in prison for his involvement in an underground anti-government newspaper, he was eventually released and applied for political asylum in America. When he finally arrived in the United States, all he had was a bag of clothes and ten cents in his pocket. He has high praise for the church members who took him in and supported his transition. He cites this kindness as the inspiration that made him want to be the best American citizen he could be.
When the U.S. was attacked, Drago felt compelled to join the military as a way of repaying the freedoms that America had granted him. He served 20 years in the Navy and developed new breaching methods that are used to this day. He also founded the Navy SEALS Fund.
The Pledge to America is a great read with the perfect combination of humor, inspiration and cautionary tales.
TAKEAWAY: “My chance to live as a free man is ONLY possible because of the ideals the founding fathers fought for and have been carried forward to this day by Americans. I would like to say thank you to all Americans for my freedom.”
SecureIt Founder and CEO Tom Kubiniec had planned to be a rock star – literally. He started playing guitar at 12 and was performing regularly in local nightclubs by the age of 16. He moved to Hollywood to pursue a music career. Guitar Player Magazine has just done a feature article on Tom when he developed tendonitis, ending his guitar career.
He took a job marketing computer printer supplies and then started his own company. He branched into selling racks to store computer tapes and built the company into one of the largest in the country. In 2002 he got a phone call asking if he could make racks to store MP-5 machine guns. The caller was with the FBI. He did some research and found that armories across the country were failing – they had not kept up with the changes in weapon systems. Tom called his partner that was making the computer racks and found the HE had just received a similar request from the Canadian military.
He became aware of a government solicitation to review the status of their armories so Tom arranged for a meeting with a commander at Fort Bragg. Tom says that even though “None of us knew what we were doing”; he introduced himself as the leading authority in small arms storage and armory design. They won the contract and he spent the next 18 months visiting Special Forces armories all across the country. He launched his open architecture system in 2008 and by 2011 SecureIt was the largest supplier to the US military.
Government budget sequestration hit his company hard and convinced Tom he had to diversify into the consumer market as well. Tom shares some of the most common misconceptions about gun safes and the importance of what he calls “decentralized storage”.
TAKEAWAY: “No matter how good we were, if Congress turned off the faucet, we were dead in the water – we were not in control of our own destiny.”
Artificial Intelligence and the impact it is having on modern combat is the subject of a fascinating new book by Paul Scharre titled “Four Battlegrounds; Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. In his book, Scharre argues that four key elements will define this struggle: data, computing power, talent & institutions.
Scharre is a former Army Ranger who also worked for the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he played a leading role in establishing policies on unmanned and autonomous systems and emerging weapons technologies. He currently serves as Vice President and Director of Studies at the Center for New American Security. His award winning Book “Army of None; Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War” was selected by Bill Gates as one of the top five books of 2018.
Much of Paul’s book deals with the potential dark sides of Artificial Intelligence. One example is the growing sophistication of voice replication technologies that are being used to conduct scams. Another is China’s use of facial recognition technology to subjugate their people. Like any tool, AI can be used for good purposes or evil.
China’s embrace of Artificial Intelligence research and deployment is the subject of much of our discussion. China produces more AI scientists than any country in the world but many come to the US. If China were to move on Taiwan it would significantly disrupt the world economy.
Personally, I always want to have a human being in the command chain somewhere. However, Paul says we are rapidly moving toward completely autonomous weapons systems. AI tools can be powerful, but they are also still very brittle. Paul cites a somewhat humorous example of how several Marines defeated a “battlebot”. He also warns about a “race to the bottom” in regard to safety of AI technology.
TAKEAWAY: One of our greatest disadvantages in this technology race is government bureaucracy. Paul calls it “lethal to innovation.”
Vinnie Montez knew he wanted to be a law enforcement officer from a young age. He grew up watching the Ponch and John characters on the CHIPs TV show and loved the way they were pictured interacting with the public in a respectful way.
Vinnie joined the law enforcement cadets program as soon as he could and became a deputy in 1998. He has now served over two decades as a Deputy Sheriff with the Boulder County Sheriff’s office. Early in his career he says he was very “gung ho” and was warned by his fellow officers about burning the candle at both ends. Like many law enforcement officers he compartmentalized the trauma he encountered because he didn’t want anyone to think he wasn’t capable of performing his duties.
In 2008 he came across a vehicle accident and, despite desperate efforts to save the life of one of the passengers, he failed. That experience “flipped a circuit breaker” and made him re-examine his mental health. Vinnie encourages fellow officers to seek counseling if they need it but emphasizes the importance of speaking to professionals who specialize in working with law enforcement officers.
Vinnie turned to stand-up comedy as a way of dealing with the stress and trauma of his job. He is now a nationally touring comedian and has shared the stage with the likes of Gilbert Gottfried & Paul Rodriguez. His Dry Bar Comedy special “Armed & Hilarious” debuted in 2019. Cop stories and his Mexican heritage underpin much of his routine because “truth can indeed be stranger than fiction.” Many of his performances are fundraisers for law enforcement & military charities.
Vinnie is active with the Humanizing the Badge initiative. His Facebook post “You don’t know me” encourages civilians to get to know their local law enforcement and has received 3.2 million views and 11,000 comments.
TAKEAWAY: “Just like stand-up comedy, if you want to be a good law enforcement officer you have to invest the time and dedicate yourself to the craft.”
Silencer Central owner and CEO Brandon Maddox joins us to address the most common misconceptions about weapon suppressors. He is a nationally recognized thought leader on Class-3 Firearms.
Brandon began his professional career as a pharmacist. A marriage moved him from the Southeastern US to South Dakota and he soon found himself hunting varmints. Because the animals would scatter upon hearing the first shot, Brandon decided to purchase a suppressor. The process was so difficult that it lead him to founding Silencer Central.
While the technical name is suppressor, most persons refer to them as “silencers” so Brandon decided to keep that name for his company. We discuss the most common misconceptions and benefits of using suppressors. They are an important safety device for members of the military and law enforcement who shoot on a regular basis.
Silencer Central sells approximately 100,000 units annually. Many of their first customers were farmers and ranchers. Because suppressors are federally regulated, they have expanded to have locations/representatives in each of the 42 states were suppressors are legal to own. Brandon takes pride in the fact that they make the process as easy as possible for their customers. From start to finish, the process takes about 6 months.
As a pharmacist, Brandon was trained to pay attention to details and he had to be certified both on the state and federal regulations. This experience proved beneficial as he expanded Silencer Central’s footprint to other states. When got to branches in 21 states, he received a “free invitation” to visit with the ATF. During the meetings they added some additional requirements including the need for Brandon to meet personally with ATF representatives in every state which he operates.
All of their products are manufactured in the United States. Silencer Central will also providing barrel threading for their customers in order to facilitate installation of the suppressor. They also support numerous military & law enforcement with charitable donations.
Historical Officer Joe Winslow served 21 years in the US Marine Corps. Part of his duties included a posting in the Marine Corps History Division. The mission of an artifact and historical officer is to accompany assault units in combat zones and record what they are doing. This includes recording first person oral histories and gathering relevant artifacts. For example, if a Marine was awarded a Medal of Honor, it would be Joe’s job to track that Marine and record items like the serial number on their rifle, uniforms, vehicles, etc. At the height of the Global War on Terror there were only 8-9 officers serving in these roles.
Joe brought considerable artistic talent to the Corps. Much of the information he recorded in combat were “old fashioned” charcoal and pencil drawings in accordance with the Marine Corps Combat Art Program’s simple mission; “Go to War, do art”.
Joe fought in Operation Phantom Fury – the second battle of Fallujah. He emphasizes that even though he was there to record history, “every Marine is a rifleman first”. During the 71 straight days of combat, he literally conducted interviews and made sketches under rocket and sniper fire. He witnessed “bravery in the extreme.” He shares his own moment of serenity under fire while serving as a Historical Officer.
During the battle approximately 32,000 individual rooms needed to be cleared, sometimes more than once. Nine Marines were awarded the Navy Cross for their actions in that battle and Army SSgt David Bellavia was awarded the Medal of Honor.
When Joe retired from the Marines, he decided to continue to use his artistic ability to honor heroes. The first itineration was the Tripoli Gift Company which produces inspirational gifts for our nation’s heroes and those who support them. Some of his artwork resides in the White House, the National Cathedral & the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
TAKEAWAY: “We still grow ‘em and we can still put them in field like we did in World War II, Korea and Vietnam as young people who can defend America’s interests and take the bayonet forward.”
ZeroEyes CEO and Co-Founder Mike Lahiff joins us to share the story behind their Artificial Intelligence technology for detecting weapons. ZeroEyes is the only AI-based gun detection analytics platform with a Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act designation. They have contracts with schools, military bases and both government and private sector organizations all across the country.
Mike’s transition out of the SEAL teams was not an easy one. While earning his MBA at Wharton Business School, he would talk with other former SEALs enrolled at the college. They shared a frustration with feeling a “loss of mission”. Following a disturbing conversation with his daughter where she described the active shooter drills at her school, Mike and his comrades decided to do something about it.
When it came to initial funding Mike says “we literally burned the boats”. He and his partners liquidated every asset they had, took out second mortgages and maxed out their credit cards to get the company to the point where they could pitch the concept for additional funding.
His team initially scraped the internet for every image of weapons they could find. However, initial testing proved less than effective. They finally resorted to filming themselves carrying weapons in various locations under different conditions. It took two years to develop a working prototype.
Situational awareness is critical in reducing response times in order to save lives. ZeroEyes monitors existing security camera feeds and can identify/evaluate a threat is as little as three seconds. The alert is then reviewed by ZeroEyes Operational Center staff to eliminate false positives. A notification is then immediately sent to the facility and local law enforcement. Staff continues to monitor the feeds and provides real time updates to responders so they know precisely where to find the active shooter.
ZeroEyes now employs 150 persons, 80 percent of whom are Veterans. They also have grant writers on staff that will help potential clients identify funding to install the system.
TAKEAWAY: "Without risk there is no reward. You have to take that leap and just believe in yourself. If you get knocked down, figure out your lessons learned and apply it to your next venture."
The Hunter Elite; Inside America’s Secret Force Against Terror by Leon Wagener describes the transition of the Secret Service from being a strictly defensive organization to a proactive one. One could be fooled into thinking the book is a work of thriller fiction but it describes real people and situations.
Leon says that getting inside the Secret Service was a difficult task. “They take the secret in the title very seriously.” Finally he found two agents willing to talk as long as their identities remained secret. Their code names are Ranger and Laredo. Laredo is a chemical/biological specialist and shared some very frightening stories.
Our President receives an average of 6-8 threats every day. All these threats are investigated and prioritized. Those deemed to be a sufficient and real threat are assigned to the Hunter Elite.
The origin of the Hawkeye CAT (Counter Assault Team) traces back to Nancy Reagan. After President Reagan was shot by Jonathan Hinckley, she exercised her considerable influence to get the group established. Hawkeye CAT is a heavily armed group that travels with the President everywhere POTUS goes. Their mission is to use overwhelming firepower to neutralize the threat – they are not there to make arrests.
Leon shares a number of stories about incidents I have never heard. They include the time a man broke into the Reagan’s private home seeking to kill them. Another involved a cartel assassin who was tracked down and intercepted by the Hunter Elite just before attacking President Obama on a golf course.
In his book Leon also shares interesting insights into the differences in the relationships between various Presidents and the Secret Service. President Biden even attempted to dissolve the organization but was unsuccessful.
Wagener is the author of bestselling biographies of Neil Armstrong and Jodie Foster. He also contributed to eight political books about the Clintons and Obamas which became New York Times bestsellers.
Special Forces Veteran Rick Lamb is somewhat of a legend in the community. He has led soldiers in operations spanning across 49 countries and 5 continents. He was involved in almost every major battle from Operation Eagle Claw to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Rick is a member of the SOCOM Commando Hall of Honor, the Ranger Hall of Fame and was 2015 recipient of the Bull Simmons Award for soldiers who embody the true spirit, values, and skills of a Special Operations warrior.
One could say that joining the Special Forces was in Rick’s DNA. He says “every man I knew or loved carried a weapon to work, either in the military or law enforcement.” He joined the National Guard right out of high school. College “didn’t take” so his Uncle suggested he make a career of the military.
His “first smell of cordite” was Operation Eagle Claw, the mission to rescue US hostages being held in Iran. Regrettably, an accidental collision resulted in a fire that killed eight service members and cancellation of the mission. However, it led to the birth of joint Special Forces operations.
On November 23, 1984 Rick was part of quick reaction force posted on the Korean border when Soviet defector Vasily Matuzok rushed across the border. This led to North Korean forces crossing the DMZ and a fire fight. The unit commanders were not present so four staff sergeants led the response. Rick’s unit surrounded the North Korean soldiers, killed several and forced them to surrender.
Rick was also involved in the 1993 “Blackhawk Down” action. He says he will never forget the look on soldier’s faces when they were told they had to go back out – but they did their duty. Rick’s vehicle got so shot up they had to abandon it. Rick received shrapnel wound in that battle that is still in his head.
Rick also shares his perspectives on the challenges our military is currently having with recruitment. He remains involved with the Round Canopy Parachuting Team & the Global SOF Foundation. He is one of the warriors featured in the With Them Frontlines video game.
TAKEAWAY: “If you train your troop, and you trust them, then you don’t need to be over their shoulder.”
Havok Journal Owner Charles Faint provides us with an update on some of the issues being reported on their website. The Journal publishes 4-5 new articles daily in addition to reposting some of the “evergreen” content.
Ayman Kafel, an immigrant who served in the Special Forces and is now a police officer, has published “A Resolute Path” through the Second Mission Foundation. Ayman had written so many articles that Charles suggested he compile his stories in a book. The book has already sold 100,000 copies.
Havok has started to receive a great number of article submissions from the Army Sergeants Major Academy. “Social Media and Search Engine’s Impact on Retaining Talent” is a very insightful article written by MSG Eladio Tirado. The internet has created a double edged sword; talent is easier to identify but one bad employee review can severely damage recruitment. We discuss the challenges currently faced by military recruiting in the context of this article. Charles shares an important quote from his time in the military -“People don’t quit jobs, they quit leaders.”
Dave Chamberlain wrote an interesting article about Chat GPT/Artificial Intelligence examining whether this software will eventually replace human writers. Dave proposes that human qualities like empathy, intuition & unique personal perspectives are likely to never be replaced by AI. We discuss the potential dark sides of bad players using AI.
Registered Nurse Wendy Arena published a heart wrenching article a “Combat Stress Control Units: Who Takes Care of the Caregivers”. In the article she shares the challenges faced by her military husband who was a member of a Combat Stress Control Unit in Afghanistan. She shared the toll that PTSD, TBI and other afflictions faced by our military takes on their caregivers & spouses. Often professionals feel like they have to just carry their own burdens rather than seeking help. On average a civilian may experience 3-4 genuinely traumatic experiences in their lifetime. A police officer will experience 700 over the course of a 20 year career.
TAKEAWAY: “My main measure of success for Havok Journal is how many people write in to share how some of our articles have made a difference for the Veteran and first responder communities.”
“Lost At Sea” by author John Wukovits masterfully recounts the amazing story of famous aviator Eddie Rickenbacker and 7 other crewmembers' twenty four days adrift in the Pacific Ocean. Wukovits used survivor’s accounts and other records to create a compelling story of survival, leadership and faith against tremendous odds.
Eddie Rickenbacker developed a reputation for cheating death early on in his life. He dropped out of school in 7th grade to support his family after his father’s death. A job at an automobile company began his life-long love with mechanics. He built his first reputation as a race car driver, once again cheating death several times.
He was initially rejected for the pilot corps in World War I but found a workaround. Despite partial sight in one eye from a childhood accident, he would become America’s “Ace of Aces”, shooting down 26 enemy aircraft. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for one mission where he single handedly took on 7 enemy aircraft.
While head of Eastern Airlines he survived another terrible plane crash.
In the early days of World War II, Rickenbacker was chosen to deliver a top secret message to General Douglas MacArthur. Rickenbacker boarded a B-17 crewed by Capt. William Cherry (Pilot), Lt. James Whittaker (Co-Pilot), Sgt. James Reynolds (Radio Operator), Lt. John De Angelis (Navigator) & Private John Bartkek (Engineer). SSgt Alexander Kaczmarchcyzk, recovering for a long illness was also on board returning to his outfit in Australia. Col. Hans Adamson accompanied Rickenbacker as his aide.
A broken hydraulic line caused the B-17 to veer into a ditch. They immediately loaded into a second aircraft, not allowing time to properly check the navigation equipment. This was one of the factors that led them to become lost at sea and have to ditch in the Pacific Ocean.
For 24 days the 8 men huddled in three small life boats, short of food & water and constantly surrounded by sharks. The harsh sun burned their skin so badly they were never comfortable. Close to starvation, a tern miraculously landed on Rickenbacker’s head. This gave them some food but more importantly, bait they could use to catch fish. After 24 days adrift, SSgt Kazcmarchcyzk, already weak from his illness, was the only one not to survive.
TAKEAWAY: A key element of the book describes the tension between Rickenbacker and Captain Cherry. As the pilot, Cherry should have been in command, but that proved difficult with a national hero sharing the raft. However, it was Cherry’s decision to separate the rafts that led to their eventual rescue.
Independence Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. While I was born a US citizen, my first nine years were spent overseas. This has embedded in me a deep appreciation for how special this country is. Joining me to discuss this topic is Jeff Utsch. He is a constitutional scholar and Senior Faculty Lead Instructor at the Leadership and Freedom Center in Gettysburg. Jeff also founded the Heirs of the Republic. He is a former All-American swimmer and put those skills to work training Special Forces personnel in tactical swimming.
Our conversation centers around an article titled “What Makes America Exceptional”, published in 2019by John Steel Gordon.
Independence Day should remind us that our constitution is truly an exceptional document, created by a group of political amateurs. At that point in time, no other nation had a constitution and Jeff believes its creation was providential. Jeff shares that many Americans early on wanted to address grievances against the crown but were not openly seeking revolution. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense (Which sold 150,000 copies in a matter of a few weeks) was very influential in moving the colonies in that direction.
In Gordon’s article he proposes several providential things that made the unique emergence of our nation possible including geography and the fact that the colonies already had lots of experience with local governance. Jeff proposes that the “colonial mindset” turned into the “American mindset” in March of 1775 when Patrick Henry gave his famous speech. (“Give me liberty or give me death”) He also introduces us to other influential voices like James Otis.
Jeff also points out the dangers of revisionist history and current concerns about branches abdicating their constitutional powers. We agree that average citizens must reengage and exercise their role in government.
TAKEAWAY: “A people are free to the extent their government faithfully operates within the sphere of legitimate powers delegated to it by its citizens".
Military Broadcast Radio principal Joel Hunt is an Army Veteran. The mission of MBR is to provide a forum to help Veterans heal by teaching them to host their own radio programs.
Joel’s path into the military is an ageless one. He had his heart broken. Joel was driving a Humvee that was hit by an improvised explosive device. While he has memory issues his DD-214 states it was not the only time. He still suffers from a traumatic brain injury and partial paralysis of his leg. His physical injuries are healing but he feels his TBI is getting worse. The way he describes it is “I’m forty four years old and I feel like I have the brain of a sixteen year old.”
After being medically retired, he was briefly confined to a wheelchair. His parent lived with him for over a year to help with his rehabilitation. They encouraged Joel to attend a TBI camp in Breckenridge, Colorado where he was introduced to skiing. He would go on to compete in the Sochi 2014 Paralympic games.
Joel met station owner Jim Butler in 2015 and shared his vision for Military Broadcast Radio. Butler loved the idea and when he retired transferred the reins to Joel. Joel sees his role as a teacher and mentor for his Veteran broadcasters, most of who broadcast from home studios. MBR also helps them get their programming on stations. Joel emphasizes that one of the keys to addressing PTSD is staying busy and he likes to think they are helping in that vein.
One of his female DJ’s hosts a show called “Yes I AM a Veteran”. We discuss the challenges that “battle sisters” still face in context of the recent Female Veterans Day June 12th.
Any Veterans who would like to get involved can contact Joel at Manager@mbradio.us
TAKEAWAY: “It’s my dream to have a studio available to Veterans in every town so they can have their voices heard. “
EOD Fudge founder Aaron Hale could have easily given up after losing his sight to an IED blast in 2011. Two years later he lost his hearing. Instead of retreating, Aaron decided if he was going to be blind, he would be “the best blind guy I could be.” Following his injuries he has climbed mountains, gone white water kayaking and run the Boston Marathon – twice.
Aaron joined the Navy as a cook. Following the 9/11 attacks he felt called to use his abilities and intellect to a better use. He volunteered to go to Afghanistan where he cooked for NATO & Army troops. It was there he met some Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) teams and decided he would rather save lives than cook. The Navy did not see a path from culinary specialist to EOD. So when his reenlistment window came up, Aaron left the Navy for the Army and became an EOD specialist.
In 2011 his team successfully defused an IED with their robot but when Aaron went forward to gather evidence, a second hidden bomb detonated. It broke every bone in his face, cracked his skull and took both eyes. Three years later, a bout with Meningitis took his hearing. (He has since regained hearing with the help of a cochlear implant.)
Thanks to the donation of an adaptive home from Building Homes for Heroes, Aaron returned to cooking. His wife noticed him smiling for the first time in years. He was churning out so much fudge his wife began giving it away. It was so good those persons asked if they could buy more and EOD Fudge was born. During the pandemic he also produced a Tik Tok series called “Cookin Without Lookin”.
Aaron also hosts the Point of Impact podcast which focuses on stories of turning tragedy into triumph and can be booked for inspirational presentations through his website.
TAKEAWAY: “Don’t ask why is this happening TO me? The proper mindset is why is this happening FOR me?”
With Them Frontlines will be so much more than just a video game. While featuring actual missions undertaken by actual warriors is pretty cool, merging the game with other technologies to gain insights into PTSD treatment is a REAL game changer. The US video gaming market is a $97.6 billion industry and a technology readily embraced by many Global War on Terror Veterans.
With Them Frontlines is being produced by Austin based ORE System and in this episode we are joined by their Chief Operating Officer Shawn Piatz. Shawn served 28 years in the Army, 23 of those as a Green Beret. Many of the ORE System senior management personnel are also Veterans.
ORE System is integrating technologies to produce “the most advanced gaming experience ever”. Satellite images and topographical maps are being used to recreate mission locations. Shawn says they want it be a game built by Veterans for Veterans & using actual warriors is being done by design. One of the goals is to allow Veterans to reconnect with their “tribe” while helping to create a more informed civilian population.
The game will also feature the ability to synchronize with wearables that will gather data like heartrate, O2 levels, etc. This data will help researchers and healthcare professionals identify triggers and physiological responses. ORE is working with psychologists to incorporate therapeutics into the game as well. Shawn also sees the game as a method of breaking down the stigma often associated with PTSD.
Shawn encourages warriors who might be interested in integrating their stories into the game to contact the company via their website.
With Them Frontlines is currently available for pre-sale with the full software expected to roll out in December. A portion of proceeds will be donated to Veterans charities. Listeners can also support project development through their Indigogo campaign.
Shawn serves as a Board Member of the Special Operations Solutions Fund. Their niche is filling and addressing the immediate needs of Special Operations soldiers.
TAKEAWAY: “Check on your friends, reach out to your tribe. It’s all about taking care of one another and being a good human being.”
Royce Williams kept a huge secret for fifty years. He had been given strict orders. Royce joins us as part of our partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society.
Royce and his brother signed up after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During his career he flew everything from open cockpit biplanes to jets at Mach 2 in three wars.
During the Korean War, Royce was a member of a task force that sailed north to attack “juicy” targets close to the Russian border. On November 18, 1952 his flight flew a morning bombing mission then returned to their aircraft carrier for a quick lunch. Despite a snow storm moving in over the task force, he was ordered to go back out on a combat air patrol.
His four ship flight was immediately notified of incoming aircraft from the North and Royce spotted seven contrails high above. Two planes were ordered back to the task force because of an emergency fuel warning. Royce and his wingman saw seven planes “flying directly at us and all of them were shooting”. After shooting down one, Royce would soon find himself in a desperate 35 minute solo dogfight against six MIG-15’s; consider the preeminent fighter of the era. He shot at least four before turning back to the carrier with his hydraulics shot out and out of ammunition. When he landed, 263 holes were found in his plane.
Due to the political ramifications of publicly acknowledging that the Russians were actively engaged in the war, Royce was quietly awarded a Silver Star and ordered to keep the mission a secret. He did so for 50 years.
After the end of the cold war, Russian records verified that he had shot down three planes and a fourth crashed while trying to land with severe damage. On January 20, 2023 his Silver Star was upgraded to a Navy Cross, the second highest award for Valor. Royce was also award two Distinguished Flying Cross medals for missions in Vietnam.
Kill Cliff founder Todd Ehrlich had no idea that his concept for a “recovery” drink that tasted good could be made so successful. He describes the original idea as an all natural “liquid aspirin”.
Todd felt a calling to serve our nation in a more meaningful way so he dropped out of college to join the Navy SEALs. In the mid-nineties there was “a lot going on” so he left the TEAMS after four years. He regrets not staying in the Navy but says it DID give him an interesting perspective.
A serial entrepreneur, Todd has been involved in the creation and growth of several companies. He prefers working in the early stages and then handing off the company to others. He started Kill Cliff with $100,000 in savings and shares some cautionary tales about venture capital for other aspiring entrepreneurs. It took him nearly four years to go from concept to product, including testing numerous formulas with a beverage manufacturer before he felt the mix was right.
Todd and G.W. Garrison (a friend who supported the cause for sweat equity) spent much of their early days peddling Kill Cliff out of the trunks of their cars. “I’d sell Kill Cliff to a dry cleaner if I could.” Things really began to take off when bar goers in the Atlanta area discovered that the drink made a great mixer. The product also began very popular among the cross fit community and they have remained a very loyal part of the customer base.
An important part of Todd’s motivation for creating Kill Cliff was to provide a sustainable giving platform for the Navy SEAL Foundation. To date, the company has donated over $1 million in proceeds from sales to the Foundation.
Inspired by his own start up struggles, Todd created Rule 1 Ventures Studio in order to give aspiring entrepreneurs the tools to be successful and “compress time” in their journey.
TAKEAWAY: “Everyone is going to have bad days and get discouraged. It is about how you process the discouragement and make it to the next day and remain optimistic.”
National Police Week is an outgrowth of President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officer’s Memorial Day. Each May tens of thousands law enforcement officers gather in Washington D.C. to recognize the sacrifices and valor of those who wear the badge.
In this episode we examine National Police Week through two lenses. Nohemy Hite is a police widow and founder of the Erik Hite Foundation. Dave Bray is a former Navy Corpsman who is now a national recording artist and staunch advocate for the men & women of law enforcement.
When a fan sent Dave a recording of the “last call” for Brad Fox, a Pennsylvania officer killed in an ambush, he could hear the clear emotion in the dispatcher’s voice. Dave himself was so shaken by the recording that he picked up his guitar and wrote the song “Last Call.” He also wrote the song “Survivor” for the families of fallen officers.
Nohemy’s husband Erik had a life of service. He served in the Air Force security forces for 21 years before joining the Tucson Police Department. Erik had been an officer for four and half years when he was ambushed and killed on June 2, 2008. She formed the Erik Hite Foundation the following year as a way to cope with the pain and provide support for other law enforcement families.
Both Nohemy and Dave both describe their experiences participating in National Police Week activities. Nohemy says that even though participation is painful for her, it does help survivor families find hope. Dave participates regularly because he feels more Americans need to know about the sacrifices that law enforcement families make on our behalf.
Dave shares that the average citizen experiences 2-3 truly traumatic events in their life but the average law enforcement officer experiences over 700 traumatic events over a 20 year career. He encourages any first responder that is struggling to connect with the Resilient Minds on the Front Lines organization.
TAKEAWAY: “It’s Painful. Time doesn’t really heal. Time just helps you learn how to deal with your new normal.”
“Ernie & Joe; Crisis Cops” is a multiple Award winning HBO documentary that follows two San Antonio police officers and their work to help persons experiencing a mental health crisis. It is estimated that 20-30% of a patrol officers’ call load involves some sort of mental health crisis. Ernie Stevens joins us to share his journey from a “regular” cop to one of our nation’s leading advocates for crisis intervention training for law enforcement officers. His book “Mental Health and De-escalation: A Guide for Law Enforcement Professionals” has reached #1 on Amazon.
Ernie was initially not excited about the training. His entire attitude changed when a community member shared her story. Her adult son had schizophrenia and she feared calling the police because the police may shoot and kill her son during one of his violent episodes. Her next statement really changed Ernie’s life. “But if you do show up and shoot and kill my son, it’s okay. Because you have a family to go home to and I want you to be safe. You will never understand what it is like for me to live inside my son’s illness.”
Ernie immediately became an advocate for establishing a formal Mental Health Unit. It took five years from the time he took the training before his Chief agreed assign two officers. When Ernie retired, the unit was up to 20 officers and more than 100,000 persons had been diverted. In 12 years with the unit, Ernie never once had to use force.
Ernie says that an internal mental health unit doesn’t only save lives on the streets. Establishing a better mental health understanding throughout departments can also reduce officer suicide rates. Joe Smarro, Ernie’s partner in Crisis Cops is a Marine Veteran and also experience childhood trauma himself.
TAKEAWAY: “Psychological trauma is a real issue for military and first responders. We have to normalize the conversation. If we don’t talk about it we are failing each other. “
“Fly Girls Revolt” by Dr. Eileen Bjorkman tell the stories of the pioneering woman who had to fight in order to allow women to fly in combat. Eileen logged more than 700 hours in 25 different types of military aircraft as a flight test engineer and retired from the Air Force as a Colonel.
Two of the first pioneers were well known aviatrixes Jaqueline Cochran and Nancy Harness Love. Each convinced authorities to create sanctioned groups of female pilots to assist with the war effort in 1942. The two groups would eventually be merged into the Woman Airforce Service Pilots organization. (WASPs)
They principally ferried planes from factories to bases but also performed other roles such as towing air targets. About 38 of these women were killed ferrying aircraft. All these women served as civilians and were not granted Veteran benefit status until the late 1977.
1977 was also the first year women were allowed to undergo Air Force Pilot training. However, there was still a prohibition to women serving in combat roles. As such, these female pilots were assigned to fly cargo, refueling and similar planes. Fly Girls Revolt highlights several examples of situations where this prohibition was shown to be hollow. While planning the 1986 bombing raid against Libya, the commander of the Air Refueling tankers said he would not fly the mission without his female pilots.
In some cases, there were suggestions that female pilots who flew into “hot” zones should not be awarded the same medals as their male counterparts because they were “not supposed to be there”.
It was not until 1993, fifty one years after the WASPs that women were finally officially allowed to fly in combat aircraft. The first three were Capt. Sharon Preszler (F-16), Capt. Martha McSally (A-10) and Lt. Jeannie Flynn (F-15).
Eileen also wrote “Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin”.
TAKEAWAY: “You know you are in a combat plane if you are allowed to shoot back.”
“To The End of the Earth” is the last installment in Professor John McManus’ trilogy about the US Army in the Pacific during World War II. This book chronicles the events beginning with the retaking of the Philippines and takes readers through the final capitulation of the Japanese empire.
McManus is Curator’s Distinguished Professor of military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He is a prolific writer, with 15 published works and is often called upon by national media as a subject matter expert. He previously appeared on American Warrior Radio to discuss some of the more bizarre battles of World War II.
He decided to write this series because even though the Army did most of the ground fighting in the Pacific, much of current literature has focused on the roles of the Navy and Marines.
The lead actor for the Army in the Pacific was General Douglas MacArthur. McManus describes MacArthur as a complex figure. He was certainly vain glorious but also deeply insecure and loyal. We also discuss two other principal commanders who had distinctly different styles; General Walter Krueger and General Robert Eichelberger.
Krueger was an immigrant who began his Army career as a private in the Spanish American War. He was very methodical, often frustrating MacArthur with the pace of his advances. Eichelberger was the exact opposite. A WestPoint classmate of George Patton, he was a “quick dash” commander often “leading from the front with a tommy gun in hand.”
McManus’ books are always excellently researched and “To the End of the Earth” is no exception. He takes pride in the fact that he was able to represent the perspective of the average soldiers on both sides of the conflict. Readers will come to appreciate the tremendous logistical effort that was involved in supporting the island hopping campaign against Japan. The armada being assembled for the invasion of the Japanese homeland would have been the largest fleet ever assembled.
The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes provides support for Veterans severely wounded during the Global War on Terror. Two representatives join us for this broadcast.
Donny Daughenbaugh is the Senior VP for Development and Administration. He was shot in the face when his Marine Squad was engaged south of Baghdad. The bullet lodged at the base of his skull near his spine so doctors chose to leave it in place. Donny suffers tremendous pain to this day.
Mary Jessie Herrera is their Western Field Representative. She joined the Arizona National Guard with plans to make a career out of the Army. Mary was the lead gunner in a convoy ambushed while traveling from Fallujah to Ramadi. She took two AK-47 rounds to her right arm. Thankfully doctors were able to save the appendage but she still has limited use of her right hand.
The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes administers a variety of programs designed to support wounded Veterans. Wounded Veterans can face financial strains during their hospital stay and recoveries. The Coalition’s Emergency Financial Aid program provides assistance with everything from mortgage & rent payments to groceries and utility assistance.
When the Coalition heard about spouses having to leave their jobs to be with their Veteran during recovery, the organization created the “Heroes Thanking Heroes” initiative. This allows spouses to earn money with flexible hours from home making calls to thank program donors. Since inception over 3.5 million calls have been completed.
The Coalition also has programs designed to support children & caregivers we well as all expense paid conferences that allow the Veterans to find hope & healing among those comrades also making the transition. Online education and training courses are also made available.
TAKEAWAY: ” When someone is killed they are fulfilling the commitment they made by writing a blank check to the American people up to and including their lives. When someone is wounded, they are still paying off that check, just more slowly.”
The mission of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations is to identify, exploit and neutralize criminal, intelligence and terrorist threats to the Air Force, Department of Defense and the US Government. OSI was created in 1948 and is patterned after the FBI. They currently have over 2,000 military and civilian agents working across the globe.
“John Smith” (not his real name) served 13 years in the OSI. He originally started in Air Rescue and Recovery supporting the Titan II missile silos at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Smith found himself “without a job” when the Titan II program was discontinued. He had developed a relationship with an OSI Agent who suggested he apply but warned him “We NEVER take first term airmen.” Smith applied and because of linguistic and other skills, was accepted. He made sure to invite that original OSI agent to his ceremony.
As a Spanish speaker, his first overseas assignment was to Panama doing counter-intelligence work. When it was decided that Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega would be charged with drug trafficking, his focus became more concentrated.
One of his best sources, a “little old grandmother” just outside of Panama City had good information that was always corroborated by the Intel personnel from other branches. But soon they learned that they all had the same “source”. Future meetings with the grandmother took place in a group.
Another situation involved a Russian defector. When Smith notified the State Department of what they had, he was given an envelope full of hundred dollar bills for the defector and told to place him on a plane to the United States immediately.
One of his proudest moments of his Special Investigations career was when his intelligence was used in the invasion of Panama. The saddest case was at Nellis Air Force Base when an Airman facing her third deployment in a year took her own life.
TAKEAWAY: “If you look at all the defectors over our history, they all worked pretty cheap.”
A Soldier’s Child Foundation was born from a single photograph. The photo by Aaron Thompson won the Associated Press Managing Editor’s Photo of the Year. The compelling image depicts 8 year old Christian Golczynski being presented a folded American flag at the funeral of his father Marc.
Daryl Mackin was a neighbor of Marc’s parents. For months after Marc’s death, he did everything he could for them. Then one day Marc’s dad said. “Did it really matter and does anyone give a damn?”
While planning his son’s birthday Daryl glanced up at that photo of Christian Golczynski and was struck that this little boy would never again celebrate a birthday with his father.
A Navy Veteran himself, Daryl was spurred to action, creating A Soldier’s Child Foundation. Their first initiative was to honor the children of the fallen on their birthdays. They currently support over 5,000 children in all 50 states. The average expenditure per child is $150 but they also spent more to fulfill special wishes. The Foundation includes children of warriors who have died long after combat from complications of their wounds and even suicide.
The Foundation also conducts various camps around the country where children of the fallen can come together to help each other heal through their common experience. These children learn they are not alone and are helped to develop nurture the skills they will need in life as survivors. “In order to sustain each other you have to be around each other.”
Their third initiative provides educational assistance through the Xavier Martin “Fill in the Gap” memorial scholarship program. This program focuses on children who do not qualify for scholarships from other government or non-profit organizations.
TAKEAWAY: “This is not our government’s debt to pay. It’s every American citizen’s debt that we care for the families of our fallen and the children should be first on our list of giving.”
Colton James has always held a deep love for our country and abiding respect for those who serve in the military and first responder communities. Many of this country western artist’s songs reflect those themes.
“Our family was red, white and blue all the way.” Both of his grandfathers, five of his uncles and his brother served in the military. Colton himself almost signed up to be a fighter pilot but music took him down a different path. He began performing Christian and Gospel music when he was four years old. He always remembers his grandmother’s words; “A painter paints with a brush. A musician paints with his pen.”
His most memorable performance was opening for Jason Aldean at the Norfolk Little Creek Amphibious Base. He performed “Brave Men”, his tribute to troops, before 16,000 fans and received a standing ovation.
Colton is now leading an initiative to give back to those who serve by constructing a 15,000 square foot lodge in Southern Virginia. The Land 4 Heroes Lodge will provide space for military and first responder families to reconnect and relax in the great outdoors.
Land 4 Heroes was inspired as Colton had the opportunity to perform before more military audiences. This led to his participation in a program that took patients at Walter Reed hospital out to camp, hunt and fish.
The Land 4 Heroes Lodge will be the first of four lodges built around the country. Their builder is a 20 year Navy Veteran and disabled Veterans were consulted during the architectural design of the lodge, assuring that every element of the building can best accommodate everyone.
Colton shares the different types of overwhelming support he has received for the project including contractors providing in-kind materials and services. His plans include continued collaboration with other organizations that provide support for military families.
TAKEAWAY: When asked what drives him to complete this project he said “I don’t think Noah argued with God when he told him to build an ark.”
“I Married the War” is a powerful new documentary from husband & wife independent filmmakers Betty & Ken Rodgers. It tells the stories of 11 military wives whose lives were forever changed when their husbands returned from combat. The women span from World War II to present day.
Betty and Ken previously produced another great documentary named “Bravo; Common Men, Uncommon Valor.” That film relates the stories of the Marines that fought at the siege of Khe Sahn. Ken fought there and was awarded a Purple Heart.
The idea of “I Married the War” came when they attended a reunion of Khe Sahn Veterans. One of the Marines told Betty “You are a Vietnam Veteran too.” It was during that reunion that they joined a seminar with 50 other couples and discovered there was a name for some of the actions Ken had been manifesting – PTSD. Ken’s manifestations included being quick to anger, always sitting with his back to a wall and self-medication. He admits he thought at the time “I DIDN’T have PTSD that was someone else’s problem.” However, during a dinner with another couple shortly after the reunion, Ken was triggered resulting in a scary situation. It was then he decided to seek help.
There are more than 5.5 million military caregivers. Many are subjected to “secondary PTSD.” The stories told by the 11 wives in “I Married the War” are both heartbreaking and inspiring as they deal with the conflicts that followed their husband home from war. In helping their husbands, many of the wives developed a new sense of self that made them stronger.
Ken and Betty are happy to partner with any local Veteran’s organization who might be interested in hosting a screening of the documentary as a fundraising event. They also list a variety of support and help organizations at their website.
TAKEAWAY: As searing as this documentary is, it is also a collection of love stories. These women refused to give up on their husbands.
A-10 fighter pilot Kim Campbell picked up many leadership lessons over the course of a 24 year Air Force career. Some came in a “crucible moment” over Baghdad on April 7, 2003. While providing close air support for troops in contact, her aircraft was struck by a surface to air missile, knocking out all of the plane’s hydraulics.
Ejecting over Baghdad was not a preferred option. In a matter of seconds she was able to analyze the situation and switch to “manual reversion”, a procedure that is difficult even under ideal conditions. She described flying an A-10 without hydraulics like driving a dump truck without power steering. Kim was able to nurse her damaged plane 300 miles back to base, landing without brakes. Maintainers counted more than 600 holes in her aircraft. She would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for that mission.
The lessons learned from that experience and her years of leading airmen form the basis for her new book “Flying in the Face of Fear: A Fighter Pilot’s Lessons on Leading With Courage.” There are many great takeaways in the book including the phrase “Aviate, Communicate, Navigate.” In critical situations it is important to address the most important issue first – like keeping your A-10 in the air (Aviate). Navigate – gain situational awareness and communicate – ask for help.
Kim told her father she was going to become an astronaut after witnessing the Challenger shuttle disaster. In an early example of the grit she exhibited during her entire life, Kim wouldn’t take no from the Air Force Academy and would be selected to be the Cadet Wing Commander her senior year.
Kim’s husband Scott was also an A-10 pilot and we spend some time discussing the challenges that arise in a dual military marriage.
TAKEAWAY: “It’s not the fear that matters; it’s all about what you do in that moment. It’s about stepping up to take action in the face of fear and having the courage to respond even when you’re scared.”
Oscar Mike Radio was founded by Marine Veteran Travis Partington when he was personally going through a very rough patch in life. He was also struggling to make sense of why the suicide rate among his fellow Veterans was so high. He created the podcast to give Veterans the opportunity to share their stories as a way of healing and communicating that they ARE special.
Travis has some prior experience in the radio business. However, as he was thinking about how he could best support his fellow Veterans he just so happened to attend a media day event at the local community college. One of the breakout sessions featured a company talking about podcasting. Travis’ reaction was “I’m in! How do I do this?”
“Pod Fade” is a phrase used to describe the tendency among most podcasters to gradually reduce or immediately stop producing content. Of the estimated 2 million podcasts in the US in2021, only 720,000 have published ten or more episodes. The average “fade” comes at the 4-7 episodes mark. Oscar Mike is now approaching 400 published podcasts.
Travis and I speak briefly about the logistics and dedication required to produce a good podcast. One of his most straight forward pieces of advice is to understand the “why” of your podcast. One’s purpose had to be fully aligned with their authenticity. “If you do nothing else you must be consistent with your uploads.”
Most of his guests come from word of mouth. Travis says he focuses on guests that he can learn from or whom add value to the Veteran conversation.
Oscar Mike Radio was a finalist in the 2021 Veteran Podcast awards and was recently featured in a Veterans Administration blog about Veteran podcasts.
TAKEAWAY: “Regardless of whether we get one download or a million, if our broadcast has added value to even ONE listener, I have executed the purpose of Oscar Mike Radio to the best of my ability.”
Navy Week is an outreach program conducted by the Navy Office of Community Outreach. Since 2005, the program has scheduled events in as many as 15 communities anualy with a focus on areas that do not have a significant Navy presence.
In this episode we talk with four sailors participating in the year’s activities. To see if there is a Navy week coming to your community or one nearby, visit the NAVCO website.
Lt. Mike Miller is a public affairs officer with NAVCO. He shares the goal of “deploying to” communities that aren’t “Navy towns” to make them more aware and familiar with this branch. The types of assets participating in a Navy Week event often are determined by whether the city has a “namesake” relationship with a ship. A variety of units such as SEALs, bands, EOD personnel and the Blue Angels aerial demonstration team are featured at these events.
Lt. Commander Bruce Mansfield is the bandmaster for Navy Band Southwest based out of San Diego. The 45 member organization features various ensembles including a ceremonial band, woodwind/brass quintets and even a rock band. They average 600 performances a year. Mansfield encourages young persons to consider that they could have a military career in the as musicians and provide “service through music.”
Engineman Samuel Peirce serves aboard the USS Gabrielle Giffords, a littoral combat ship. It is named after former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who narrowly survived an assassination attempt and only the 13th ship to be named after a living person. Samuel is proud of his critical role maintaining the engines that keeps the ship moving.
Diver 2nd Class Skylar Bokeman grew up in the desert and figured the Navy would be a great opportunity to get near the water. Navy Divers are trained in a diverse set of skills and can dive anywhere in the world and in any environment. They are often paired with Special Forces units. “If it’s lost we’ll find it, if it’s sunk we will bring it up.”
Greg Drobny started writing in the early days of “blogging” as a full time contributor to The Rhino Den, an element of the Ranger Up company. Today he is one of the most prolific contributors to The Havok Journal. His piece “The Sheepdog Analogy Is Deeply Flawed” is the focus of our discussion.
The Sheepdog concept was first formed by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman in his book “On Killing”. His theory is that everyone falls into one of three categories; the majority of the population are “sheep”. Those who prey on the general population are “Wolves” and those who protect the general population are “Sheepdogs” – members of our military and first responder communities.
Greg was inspired to study in the fields of history and psychology after reading Grossman’s book while training to be an Army Ranger. In his article he calls the Sheepdog “harmfully simplistic” because people, like life, are dynamic. He cites the examples of the grandmother who dispatched a “wolf” trying to break into her home. He also discusses how people who attempt to don the mantel of “sheepdogs” but are untrained can cause more harm than good.
Greg was inspired to join the Army at 28 years old following the 9/11 attacks. During boot camp he was teased by his fellow soldiers warning him that because of his age he was going to break his hip. Sure enough, 2 days before completing Ranger training that is precisely what happened. He eventually did earn his tan beret as a member of the Ranger training brigade.
Greg was deployed in Iraq as a psychological operations team chief. After leaving the military he spent some time working in politics, a field he says was very similar to his military psy-ops activities.
Greg currently works as the Student Recruitment Manager for Code Platoon. Code Platoon addresses the issue of Veteran unemployment by providing high intensity “boot camp” training in the field of software engineering.
Space Shuttle Commander Eileen Collins has spent more than 872 hours in space and logged 6,751 hours in the cockpits of 30 different types of aircraft. In 1995 she became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and then in 1999, the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. Eileen joins us as part of our educational partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society.
Eileen’s father used to take the family to the airport to watch airplanes take off and land. This first inspired her love of flying. “I was afraid to sign up for lessons because I thought they wouldn’t want to teach a woman to fly. But they were great.” When she was in pilot training at Vance Air Force Base, the first cadre of women selected to be astronauts were training there at the same time.
She says she was completely accepted in the NASA program and credits the female mission specialists who preceded her. “We were all in it for the mission and to be the best we could be.”
Eileen shares some of the challenges and dangers of space flight. (She says space debris is currently the greatest threat) Eileen was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a 1999 mission on the Columbia shuttle. The 2003 Columbia tragedy hit her particularly hard. She was honored to be selected to command the first “return to flight” mission following the Challenger tragedy.
We spend some time discussing the future of space flight including NASA’s plans to return to the moon in 2024 to start building stations. She strongly believes that the public and private space programs complement each other quite well.
Eileen earned her combat stripes flying a C-141 in the invasion of Grenada.
TAKEAWAY: “We choose to fly despite the risks. Unless we fly these early missions we will never make it safer.”
Buchenwald concentration camp was the worst sight Tim Kiniry has ever seen. That is saying a lot considering he spent World War II as part of the 45th Evacuation Hospital, witnessing the horrors of war up close and personal. Tim says he normally fainted at the sight of blood so working in a hospital would not have been his first choice, but “That is what I was ordered to do so I tried to do the best job I could.”
The 45th landed on Omaha Beach on DDAY plus 10. It took them about a week to gather their equipment and set up their hospital 6 miles inland. Tim was briefly assigned to the 618th Medical Clearing Company – a neuro-psychiatric unit that treated combat fatigue and shell shock. He will never forget one soldier who made all four of the invasion landings up to that point in the war.
The 45th would often set up wherever they could find suitable space. In Eugen, Belgium they set up in a school and treated over 7,000 wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. They had several near misses including when the Germans bombed an ammo dump set up a couple hundred yards from their hospital.
Tim says the weather during the Battle of the Bulge was brutal and many of their cases were for frostbite. They also treated German prisoners and he says overall they were grateful except for one young patient who spat in the doctor’s face. Despite this, Tim says in his entire time deployed he never once touched a weapon.
Tim’s unit was assigned to set up inside Buchenwald to treat 600 critically ill tuberculosis patients. They had to bathe and delouse all the patients. The prisoners were initially afraid to use the showers Tim’s unit set up because entering the German “showers” meant death.
TAKEAWAY: “I don’t have any secret to living to 101 years old. I just lived”
Steven Myers is a two-time Air Force Veteran and a self-described “serial entrepreneur”. He has founded no fewer than four companies and was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
He became the first American to fly an aircraft into the Kamchatka Peninsula since Charles Lindbergh. That adventure and the joint venture set up through that mission is subject of his best-selling book “Crosswinds: Adventure and Entrepreneurship in the Russian Far East”.
Steve experienced a very rough inner-city childhood and he credits the Air Force for giving him the core values necessary for future success in life. His first enlistment in the Air Force was as a computer maintenance technician. He then enrolled at Stanford University where he secured an internship at the Jet Propulsion Labs and fell in love with the space program. He knew the only way that dream could happen was to re-enlist in the Air Force and become a test pilot. Unfortunately, just as he entered pilot training, a lot of very seasoned pilots were coming back from Vietnam and the competition was fierce.
A mountain climbing accident would inspire a mindset he would keep for the rest of his life. Steve fell into a deep crevasse, fracturing his pelvis and arm. His climbing companions could not see him and suspected he had been killed. Because his survival was on the line, Steve eventually extricated himself from the canyon just in time to meet the Rangers coming to collect his body. “The cornerstone of courage is optimism. You can’t be an entrepreneur if you can’t be afraid and still push the button.”
One of his employees had been spending a lot of time in Russia following the end of the Cold War. When he pitched the idea of flying into Kamchatka Steve initially thought the idea was absurd. Both the adventure of the that flight and the challenges of setting up the California-Kamchatka Companies joint venture in Russia are beautifully detailed in Crosswinds – including a very surprising ending.
Pike Logan is the main character in a series of sixteen bestselling thrillers by Army Veteran Brad Taylor. The 17th novel in the series, “The Devil’s Ransom” was just released. The series features asymmetric warfare missions practiced by Pike Logan and the extra-legal “Task Force”.
Brad served 21 years in the US Army, 8 years as a member of Delta Force. He serves as a security consultant on asymmetric threats for various agencies when he is not writing. He never had an interest in the military but when his father warned him he would have to join the military if he flunked out of school, Brad began exploring the Army and liked what he saw.
When Brad was courting his future wife he told her he was going to become a Special Forces operator and write a book. His last posting was as an instructor at The Citadel, which gave him time to pursue the second goal. He shares some of the challenges he experienced trying to get published and advice for other aspiring authors.
The Pike Logan series is extremely well researched. Brad and his wife travel to the locations that will be the settings for his novels. Brad says that “being on the ground” often inspires him to add elements to the story that he originally hadn’t considered. “I can’t describe the culture if I don’t immerse myself in it.” In one case, a hotel charged him $75 for a hamburger and a coke. THAT hotel got blown up in Brad’s next book.
Despite serving at the tip of the spear for so many years, Taylor emphasizes that we must not overlook the contributions of the “average grunt’.
Brad and his wife are ambassadors for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
TAKEAWAY: Brad says one of the greatest challenges in writing a series is character progression. “The human condition is always evolving, my characters must do the same.”
Havok Journal owner Scott Faith joins us for an update on all things military and first responder. Scott begins by announcing the new Havok Journal partnership with Epoch Times called “Battlefields.” Battlefields will include a podcast and five or more articles weekly.
Next we discuss New Year’s resolutions for Veterans. Several of these resolutions parallel the mission of American Warrior Radio; telling their story and engaging members of their community. Other resolutions include not being afraid to ask for help and helping their fellow Veterans. Scott strongly believes that Veterans should not act as if the world owes them something other than a fair shake and the benefits they were promised.
Britta Reque-Dragicevic published an amazing article called “Combat Guilt, Forgiveness and Mercy”. This is one of the best pieces I have read on the subject. Even more so given that Britta is not a Veteran or a trained psychologist. She also has a great blog called “Life After War.”
Scott expounds on the article “What’s Really Keeping You Up At Night” written by Megan Thatford. Her article explores the fact that almost sixty percent of Veterans suffer from insomnia post deployment. Exhaustion can be particularly dangerous for people like military and first responders whose job is to serve and protect other people. “If you are not getting good rest, you are not making good decisions and are putting other people in danger.”
Scott and I share what figuratively keeps US up at night. For Scott it is the long-term unintended consequences of Ukraine, China and their efforts to grow their presence in the world and the fentanyl epidemic. Mine are the economy, the vulnerability of our utility infrastructure and cyber-security.
The Second Mission Foundation helps military and first responders pursue their “second mission” by providing micro-grants and helping them publish books.
TAKEAWAY: “Don’t share your story with anyone unless you absolutely trust them to hold you the way you need to be held throughout your transition.”
Combat Control Foundation founding members Mike Lamonica and Mike West join us to discuss some of our military’s most highly trained warriors. The motto of Combat Controllers is “First There” and is derived from World War II when Pathfinders were inserted in advance of other troops in order to provide weather information and visual guidance for inbound aircraft.
Today’s Combat Control personnel are trained in air traffic control, Joint Terminal Attack Control, parachuting, explosives and combat diving. Their qualification course has one of the highest attrition rates in the military. Not only is the physical training tough but the technical training for things like air traffic control also causes washouts. The first woman to complete the arduous training graduated in April. Five of the eleven Air Force Cross (2nd only to the Medal of Honor) medals awarded during the Global War on Terror went to Combat Controllers.
They often deploy alone, augmenting other Special Forces units such as Green Berets or Navy SEALs. They are also used for domestic tragedies such as natural disasters.
Mike Lamonica served 24 years as a Combat Controller, deploying to Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Angola & Bosnia. He was awarded a Bronze Star and had FOUR combat jumps, a record not seen since World War II.
Mike West wore the scarlet beret for 30 years and was awarded a Silver Star for his actions during Operation Medusa. Operation Medusa involved 15 running battles between Green Beret’s and Taliban forces over several days. Among other things, Mike continuously exposed himself to enemy fire in order to get ordinance on target and guided strafing runs as close as 60 meters to friendly forces.
Mike and Mike chose to create the Combat Control Foundation because they were fielding phone calls every week from people who needed help and they didn’t have the resources. The Foundation provides support for the families of Combat Controllers with a focus in four areas; Resiliency, Health, Education and Heritage.
TAKEAWAY: “Steel sharpens steel. You’ve got ONE person who can change the entire battlefield. One combat controller with 15 Special Forces can literally take on hundreds or thousands of the enemy.”
“Turn and Burn: A Fighter Pilot’s Memories and Confessions” recounts Darrell Ahrens’ exploits as an Air Force fighter pilot. Darrell flew combat in Vietnam and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and 13 air medals.
His children had been asking him to write some notes of his time in the Air Force but he kept putting it off. While visiting his mother on the family farm, he picked up a book about the history of Platte County, Nebraska. The bio pages of one particular individual prominent in development of the County really impressed him. He asked his aunt if anyone knew anything about that man. She replied “Why Darrel, he was your great grandfather.” Darrell wished his great grandfather had left some documentation of HIS life and motivated him to finally write the account of his exploits for his children.
Darrell had dreamed of being a fighter pilot since he was a child, so he joined the Marines because he heard it was easier to get a pilot slot in that branch. When that didn’t pan out, he took an honorable discharge and joined the Air Force.
One of my favorite parts of Turn and Burn is Darrell’s description of his training and what a dangerous business it can be even when someone isn’t shooting at you. I also enjoyed the fact that many of his confessions are quite funny like the time he flew an unauthorized air show.
Darrell flew seven different aircraft during his career and while he says it is difficult to name his favorite, the F-105 was the most impressive and comfortable while the F-4 was the best all-around plane.
TAKEAWAY: Darrell shares the main quality of a good fighter pilot is aggressiveness and a willingness to push the boundaries. However, Turn and Burn is full of instances where this type of attitude nearly got Darrell in trouble or killed.
Wade Hubbard only spent five years in the Air Force. During that time he was awarded FIVE Distinguished Flying Cross medals, Thirty Air Medals and the Purple Heart. “Mother” Hubbard joins us for our regular feature in partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society. The mission of the DFC Society is to honor, preserve and teach the legacy or heroism or extraordinary achievement in aerial flight for which the Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded.
Wade wanted to fly and decided to enlist rather than wait to be drafted. He earned his commission in 1968 and was assigned navigator wings. He flew in Vietnam as a “back seater” in an F-4 Phantom completing 427 ½ combat missions.
Wade participated in both Operation Linebacker and Operation Linebacker 2 – the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the Air Force since World War II. Bombers attacked logistical targets such as transportation infrastructure, marshalling yards and other targets designed to reduce the ability of the North Vietnamese to fight. Both campaigns achieved their objective of getting the North Vietnamese back the negotiation table but at a high cost; 92 B-52 crew members were lost. During the Linebacker campaigns Wade flew missions to protect the bombers from air threats and also provide ground attack.
The Vietnam Peace Accords were signed on January 27, 1972. But the war was not over for Wade Hubbard. President Nixon continued what some called a “personal” war. Six days before he was scheduled to return home, Wade and his pilot were shot down over Cambodia. He ejected at 20,000 feet which tore off his helmet and oxygen mask, broke his shoulder and caused him to pass out until he reached an altitude where he could breathe again.
TAKEAWAY: Wade will always be grateful to the crews that rescued him because the Khmer Rouge did not take prisoners and would have probably shot him on the spot.
The P-51 Mustang changed the course of the air war in Europe, but it almost didn’t make it off the assembly line. The story of the Mustang’s evolution and the pilots that flew it in combat is the subject of a great new book by David & Margaret White titled “ Wings of War; The World War II Fighter Plane That Saved the Allies and the Believers Who Made It Fly.”
The genesis of the book is Margaret’s 103 year old father who served as a ground officer with the 20th Fighter Group in England and often regaled her with stories. David was already a published author so the two teamed up to write “Wings of War”.
The Mustang was originally developed for use by the British Royal Air Force but did not inspire interest among US Military leaders. The story of the P-51 might have ended there were it not for Tommy Hitchock, a former WWI pilot who fought the bureaucracy as ferociously as the Mustang fought the Germans. His advocacy for the aircraft was critical. Margaret shares that a certain level of bias against using a British manufactured engine in the Mustang was an issue. Outright corruption by Major General Bennett Myers also played a role in holding the Mustang back. Myers was eventually courts martialed.
When the nimble P-51 was introduced, it was able to outfly anything the Luftwaffe could put in the air. Most importantly, it had the fuel capacity to escort the bombers all the way to the heart of Germany and back.
We also discuss some of the very interesting pilots who flew the Mustang including Don Blakeslee. Blakeslee was such a fan of the Mustang that he told his commander he could have his pilots trained in 24 hours. Many of the pilots learned to fly the P-51 on their way to the target.
TAKEAWAY: Pilot Joe Peterburs said “I’m nineteen years old. They gave me a plane with 2,000 horsepower and six 50 caliber machine guns and they said go have fun. I had fun!”
Nate Boyer is the embodiment of the idea that anything can be achieved with the proper dedication and focused effort.
After high school, Nate decided to give a Hollywood a try but he didn’t feel like he really belonged. When he read about the tragedies associated with the civil war in Sudan, he offered to volunteer. However, without a special skill set, none of the organizations working with refugees wanted him. So Nate bought a ticket anyway and faked his way onto a United Nations flight to Darfur.
He volunteered in the refugee camps for two months when he contracted malaria. While recovering he listened to a lot BBC radio. Upon hearing about what was happening in Iraq, he decided he wanted to help people in a different way. He joined the Army under the 18 X-Ray program, eventually earning the coveted Green Beret.
Nate Boyer was an athlete in high school but never played football. While deployed he decided it was time to address that regret. Despite never having played a down of organized football, he walked on at the University of Texas and earned a starting spot for three years. He transferred to the National Guard, playing football during the school year and deploying with the Green Berets in the summer. He even played one game in the NFL as the oldest rookie in the modern era.
Having worn both cleats and combat boots, Nate recognized the common challenges that military members and high level athletes face when they can no longer practice their craft. He co-founded Merging Vets and Players to bring the two communities together to help each other.
Nate returned to Hollywood, acting in several major motion pictures and even producing and directing the film “MVP” which depicts the founding of Merging Vets and Players.
TAKEAWAY: “I have been in both locker rooms. We both experience that loss of team when we transition out of uniform. It’s tough to transition forward.”
Diane Hight didn’t know why her father had become an alcoholic. It wasn’t until much later in life she realized that he was suffering silently from his experiences in World War II. This discovery and her abiding respect for the generation that fought in WWII and Korea led her to found Forever Young Veterans.
“They are a generation that has never asked for anything. I thought at the very least I could grant some special wishes for them.” Since 2006 Forever Young has honored more than 2500 Veterans 65 years and older with “Trips of Honor” to nine countries and granted more than 300 special wishes. Diane emphasizes that traveling with older Veterans can have some logistical challenges – each trip includes a medical team.
Some of the wishes were small, like a pilot who wanted to sit in the cockpit of a modern aircraft. Some turned into something larger. One WWII soldier was reunited with his first love in a small French town seventy five years later.
While it may seem counterintuitive to return Veterans to the scene of some of their worst days, doing so with their fellow Veterans has a profound healing effect. Family members of some Veterans say they never talked about their war experiences but opened up after a Trip of Honor. The burden of their silent suffering had been lifted. One Veteran said “Who would have ever thought that the best days of my life would be at the very end of my life.”
Diane has compiled 22 of their stories in a new book titled “Forever Young Veterans; Stories of Sacrifice, Healing and Hope.” Proceeds from the book will help fund future trips.
Listeners who are interested in helping grant a wish or be an escort on one of the trips are encouraged to contact Forever Young Veterans.
TAKEAWAY: “It doesn’t take a lot to make a difference in the lives of these guys.”
Central Intelligence Agency covert action officer Joe Goldberg has seen a lot of changes since his time with the agency. The advent of the digital age has made managing “propaganda” a whole new business.
Joe always had a desire to be in public service and the opportunity to interview with the CIA matched his dual degrees in political science and communications. His role with the agency also allowed him to feed his creative side.
During his time with the Central Intelligence Agency, the Soviets were number one on his list. His philosophy was “the truth usually works”. The means may be covert but the information was accurate.
“Back in my day we were using videotape and mailing or otherwise delivering packages to people in a good old fashioned covert intelligence manner. Now you have digital, speed and anonymity. You don’t need a source anymore; the internet is your source. You just have to figure out how to fill it.”
Joe also served Leader of Corporate Intelligence for Motorola where he received meritorious award recognizing one who has made significant contributions to the intelligence profession. He emphasizes that his role was an ethical one. They were not there to steal technology but rather study market trends and forecast technology.
Joe has since moved onto a quieter life as a college professor and self-published author. His first book “Secret Wars” was literally in envelopes ready to be mailed to potential publishers when the 9/11 attacks occurred. He chose instead to follow the arduous path of self-publishing. His third thriller “Rebellious Son” was just released.
Of course, the Central Intelligence Agency has to review all his books before they can be published. He feels like they give him a little more flexibility because he is writing fiction.
TAKEAWAY: “It’s kind of interesting in world where we are connected instantaneously, we are all by ourselves. What is truth – that is the big question.”
Fisher House Chairman & CEO Ken Fisher is carrying on the wonderful program first created by his great uncle Zachary Fisher. To date, the Fisher House has provided support to over 430,000 military and Veteran families in the form of free lodging and travel.
Neither Ken nor Zachary served in the military. But when Zach heard the USS Intrepid was going to be scrapped he led an initiative to have the ship preserved and converted to a museum that hosts over 1 million guests a year.
Shortly thereafter he received a phone call from Pauline Trost, wife of the then Chief of Naval Operations. She witnessed a family arriving at Bethesda Naval Medical Center and, knowing the average cost of hotel rooms in the area, wondered where this family was going to stay while visiting their injured loved one. As a very successful builder, Zach had the solution. He and his wife dedicated more than $20 million to the construction of the first Fisher House. The foundation is now “on the road” to building their 100th home.
The homes provide no cost lodging to families of ill or injured Veterans and are built with easy access to Veterans Administration hospitals. Homes can be as large as 21 suites and provide both privacy and communal spaces. A very powerful element of these homes is that every family understands what the other is going through and provides a natural support system.
Other Fisher House programs include “Hero Miles” which provide free airfare using donated frequent flyer miles and “Hotels for Heroes” which provides free hotel rooms in areas where no Fisher House has been built. Listeners are encouraged to donate their frequent traveler bonuses in support of these families.
TAKEAWAY: “There are sacrifices being made on our behalf and behind every person in uniform there is a family. The American people should never think that just saying thank you is enough.”
The transition from military to civilian life is the principle focus of our regular Havok Journal update with Editor Scott Faith. The transition can be more difficult for some than it is for others. Scott himself is retiring from the Army soon after 28 years in service.
Several articles on the topic have been published on Havok Journal and we discuss highlights of each.
“Observations of a Transitioning Officer – Time to Go” by Josh McKaskill
“A Green Beret Leaves the Service – How to Ruin Your Transition in Five Ways” by Marshall McGurk
“Veteran Nonprofits: The Backbone of Military Transition to Civilian Life” by Megan Thatford
The Havok Journal started the 2nd Mission Foundation specifically to help members of the military or first responder communities to make their transition. “A lot of time Vets think they have to do it alone and that is absolutely not true..there is a lot of support out there.”
We also talk about a recent article by Ayman Kafel called “Fellow Police Officers ..It’s OK to Die in Defense of Others.” May seem controversial but once one gets passed the headline Ayman is really discussing a mindset that is important for police officers. “If you aren’t willing or mentally prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, then find another line of work because people’s lives depend on you.” He proposes that a mission first attitude needs to be adopted by more police agencies.
Anyone interested in potentially writing to Havok Journal is encouraged to contact them through their website.
TAKEAWAY: “A retirement ceremony is the professional equivalent of a funeral because your career is officially dead at that point.”
Traumatic Brain Injuries have been diagnosed in more than 450,000 service members between the years 2000 and 2021. These “invisible wounds” can cause physical, mental and emotional damage. A recent short film titled “Brainstorms” shows the impacts that these wounds can have upon the victims and their families.
Two medical professionals join us to discuss this issue. Dr. Chrisanne Gordon is founder of the Resurrecting Lives Foundation and Dr. Josh Appel is Chief of Emergency Medicine at the Southern Arizona VA and a former Air Force Pararescueman.
The typical IED can cause damage to persons even as far away as three football fields. TBI’s also have a cumulative effect. Dr. Gordon says of the patients she interacts with, the average number of TBI’s is eight.
Traumatic brain injuries do not show up on a normal MRI and both doctors agree that they are significantly under diagnosed. Common symptoms include headaches, photophobia (light sensitivity) and audio sensitivity. Dr. Gordon explained that when one part of the brain goes down, other parts try to step up causing lack of balance. This is why some Veterans are hyper sensitive to sound, large crowds and short tempered.
We also discuss recent developments that have complicated the situation. The pandemic caused many Veterans to become even more isolated and civil unrest added pressures to Veterans who fought for a unified nation. Dr. Appel adds that the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan left many Veterans wondering if it was worthwhile. “For me it was like watching the Twin Towers fall all over again.”
Traumatic Brain Injuries are fixable but we need to do a better job of diagnosing them early. Dr. Gordon recommends that whatever part of your brain is working, overwork that part and it will begin to pull the section that is damaged back.
TAKEAWAY: “The consequences of a malfunctioning brain are greater than the consequences of a malfunctioning arm.” Veterans Crisis Line - Dial 988 and Press 1, Text to 838255
Operation Pineapple Express will likely go down as one of the greatest rescue missions in history. What makes it even more interesting and inspirational is the fact that it was mostly organized by civilians – retired Special Forces operators, Congressional staff, and state department personnel. In the midst of the horror and chaos of our withdrawal from Kabul, Pineapple Express was able to get approximately 1,000 Afghan allies and their families on evacuation flights. It was just one among several operations conducted by volunteer groups.
Lt. Col Scott Mann is a retired Green Beret and was one of the principle organizers of the effort. He describes the events in his book “Operation Pineapple Express”. It all began with a plea Scott received from Nezam, an Afghan Army Special Forces NCO who had served with Scott. Nezam was receiving threatening texts from the Taliban and knew he had to get out of the country, but his application for the special visa he was promised was mired in bureaucracy.
“We didn’t have the resources, we didn’t have the authority, and we didn’t have the means. But we know what a promise is.”
Once they got Nezam to safety, Scott’s phone started blowing up with messages from other operators asking for help with other at risk Afghan partners. Task Force Pineapple would eventually be comprised of over 100 volunteers.
Scott’s book also shares the tremendous stresses placed upon his volunteers. Many had battled to put the war behind them but found themselves managing a new mission from the sanctity of their homes.
Scott discusses the serious long term implications of the way the withdrawal was handled and the moral injury to the Veterans who served in Afghanistan.
Scott and his wife formed Operation Pineapple Express Relief to fund continued efforts to help at risk allies. Operation Recovery is also still helping get allies out.
TAKEAWAY – “We may be done with al-Qaeda and ISIS but they aren’t done with us. The graveyard of empires will follow us home.”
Six words sum up Col. Scott Mills’ philosophy on how he wants all his airmen to be treated and how they should prepare accomplish their mission. Many of these concepts are adaptable to civilian teams as well.
He organizes these six words into two categories of three; Respected, Protected, Connected & Fight, Fit, Family. Scott expands upon the meanings of each of those words for our listeners.
Scott is always asking his airmen “Are you ready?” The correct answer should be a simple “yes”. Scott is motivated to ask this question because of personal experience. In January 2007 he was flying an A-10 over Iraq when he got a call about a downed helicopter. He knew it was likely that more enemies were waiting in ambush. For five minutes he scoured the terrain for hidden ambush sites but was unable to find them before they opened up on the downed crews. “I think about those five minutes all the time. It is a debt that I have to pay forward. YOUR five minutes are coming and you have to be great when those five minutes to find you. Everything you do should be focused upon preparing for those five minutes.”
Scott believes that we all have a responsibility to set a minimum baseline and hold our personnel to that standard. ”If you are having a bad day and only have 50% to give, I want that full fifty percent. I want you to give me everything you have that day.”
Col. Mills is the Commander of the 355th Wing and is responsible for organizing, training and equipping 25 squadrons consisting of 46,000 personnel and $51 billion in assets.
TAKEAWAY: "That is the unifying thing about our nation. We all have skin in this game. We all need to serve and find a way to do so.”
“Black Snow; Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo and the Road to the Atomic Bomb” is author James M. Scott’s latest release. In some ways it is a sequel to his previous book “Rampage” about the battle for Manila. I consider James to be one of the greatest historical writers of our generation.
There are many fascinating historical characters presented in this book but principally focuses on Curtis LeMay – one of the Army Air Corps, later Air Force’s most legendary figures.
LeMay was a “problem solver” and developed many of the bombing techniques successfully used in the campaign against Germany. He personally led some of the most dangerous missions of that theatre. He trained his crews relentlessly and held them to high standards. Some of his crews may not have liked him but they all respected him. One said “If LeMay told me two plus two equaled five I would believe him.”
LeMay was appointed to replace Brigadier Haywood Hansell, whom James describes as “a planner, not a predator” to prosecute the bombing campaign against Japan. They would be using the new B-29 Stratofortress, the most expensive weapon system of World War II.
The strategy of high altitude precision bombing employed in the European theatre was not working in the Pacific. Several factors contributed to this issue including the frequency of cloud cover over the targets and the jet stream which would push bombs dropped from high altitudes far off target.
LeMay stripped the bombers of all defensive weapons and ordered them to attack at low level at night. Understandably, many of his crews thought these would be suicide missions but they caught the Japanese completely by surprise. The missions proved devastating, incinerating 15.8 square miles of Tokyo and 267,171 homes, stores and businesses. The blazes were so intense that many of the bombers returned with soot coating their fuselage.
The description Black Snow was quoted by reporter Robert Guillain as he observed the immediate aftermath of the bombings.
James’ next project will closely examine the three days surrounding the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“The Shot: The Harrowing Journey of a Marine in the War on Terror” tells the story of Sgt. Bill Bee’s narrow brush with death and the challenges he faced post- service. It is co-authored by Sgt. Bee and Daily Mail editor Wills Robinson.
Bill was deployed with his unit in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan when Goran Tomsevic, a Serbian embedded reporter from Reuters joined them. Bill did not have much respect for “embeds” after his first reporter requested to be evacuated after only one day in the field. Goran was different. Bill says Goran had an “operator mentality” and just a touch of insanity.
Photo Credit: Goran Tomsevic
Bill’s unit had been notified there might be a Taliban marksman in the area and a single shot alerted Bill to his presence. Without donning his armor and helmet Bill rushed to check on his men. He had just drawn a bead on where he thought the sniper was positioned when his entire world went dark. Goran was positioned nearby and mistakenly captured The Shot – a series of photos that showed the instant Bill Bee narrowly avoided death. Goran would later tell him “This picture only happen one time before and that guy died.”
An IED in Marjah would wound half of Bill’s squad kill two Marines. A third traumatic brain injury would end his career with the Marines and began a nightmarish experience with the VA. He had trouble scheduling treatment and they had him on a cocktail of 18 pills. Bill attempted to take his own life.
Wills Robinson was shown photos of The Shot and asked to follow up on Bill’s story. Bill had declined previous interview requests but he saw this as an opportunity to help other Veterans. The day after Robinson’s story appeared in the Daily Mail, Bill was contacted by the VA. “It shouldn’t take a news article for someone to get help with something they rated in the first place.”
TAKEAWAY: "You can’t do this by yourself. There is help available but you’ve got to break down and ask for it."
Cobra gunship pilot Lew Jennings flew 726 missions in Vietnam, receiving over 50 combat decorations including three Distinguished Flying Cross citations for Valor and 36 Air Medals. He published a memoir about helicopter combat in Vietnam named “19 Minutes to Live”. He joins us as part of our partnership with the Distinguished Flying Cross Society.
Vietnam was considered the first “helicopter” war. Over 12,000 helicopters flew 5.25 million sorties. Eighty percent of the light observation helicopters, forty seven percent of the Hueys and thirty percent of the Cobra helicopters were lost. Nearly 5,000 helicopter crew members were killed and an untold number wounded.
Lew shares some of the tactics they developed “on the fly” depending on the terrain and mission. Many of his missions involved hunter-killer teams consisting of OH-6 scout helicopters, Cobras and Hueys. Sometimes they would fly in “pink teams” consisting of only a scout helicopter and a Cobra gunship. “It was our job to go out and stir things up.”
Lew describes some of the more heroic and tragic missions of his time in combat. These included one pilot who climbed out of the cockpit while airborne to kick lose a misfired rocket. One of my favorites was a mission with Eddy “Mad Bomber” Joiner. In order to deal with a bridge way deep in a ravine, Eddy filled a five gallon can with napalm and attached a phosphorous grenade. His co-pilot carried the homemade bomb on his lap, pulled the pin and barely got the contraption out of the helicopter before it exploded. They destroyed the bridge and were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for that mission.
His unit was heavily engaged in the A Shau Valley action that came to be known as “Hamburger Hill”.
Lew and several other “grey hairs” came out of retirement to fly hundreds of classified missions in Iraq. Lew was 62 years old at the time and their chief pilot was 72.
TAKEAWAY: Lew says he spent many nights trying to figure out how to best support the guys “with a rifle and rucksack” on the ground.
9/11 survivor & FDNY Veteran Tim Brown lost nearly 100 of his friends in the September 11 terrorist attacks, including his two best friends. He has made it his mission to assure that our nation never forgets. Tim is no stranger to the face of terrorism. He responded to the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing and was dispatched to help with the recovery efforts following the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. But nothing could have prepared him for the events of 9/11. He had been assigned to Mayor Giuliani’s Office of Emergency Management – a role Tim describes as “taking off his helmet and putting on a tie.” He was in his office across the street from One World Trade Center when the first plane hit the North Tower. Tim describes some of the horrible moments he experienced, including last seconds with his fellow firefighters before they climbed the stairs with full knowledge that they may never return. “It was what all the firemen, policemen and EMT’s did that day. They fulfilled the oath they had taken to give their lives for someone they didn’t know.” Tim was 20 feet from the front of the South Tower when it collapsed and sought cover in the Marriott Hotel next door, which was subsequently buried under the rubble. Drawing upon his training, he held on to a vertical column while the wind (later proven to be has high as 185 mph) picked him up. “I was just waiting to be crushed in that moment”. Tim and a few dozen others were able to find their way out of the rubble. We discuss how the number of rescuers dying from 9/11 illness is rapidly approaching the number killed during the attacks. Tim has become a national leader in preserving the memories of those who were murdered on 9/11 at Ground Zero. He feels particularly compelled to share these stories with younger generations who had not been born at that time. Tim volunteers with the National September 11 Memorial Museum and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. He can be reached via Eagle Rise Speaker's Bureau. .fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;margin-top : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {padding-top : 0px !important;padding-right : 0px !important;margin-right : 1.92%;padding-bottom : 0px !important;padding-left : 0px !important;margin-left : 1.92%;}@media only screen and (max-width:1024px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}@media only screen and (max-width:640px) {.fusion-body .fusion-builder-column-0{width:100% !important;}.fusion-builder-column-0 > .fusion-column-wrapper {margin-right : 1.92%;margin-left : 1.92%;}}.fusion-body .fusion-flex-container.fusion-builder-row-1{ padding-top : 0px;margin-top : 0px;padding-right : 0px;padding-bottom : 0px;margin-bottom : 0px;padding-left : 0px;}
Irv Brandt’s evolution from a Navy torpedo man to law enforcement was an awkward transition but it worked out. Irv served with the US Marshal Service for more than 20 years. After leaving the Navy, he went to college to study business. After Black Friday no one was hiring business majors, but there were lots of opportunities in Law Enforcement. “I went into law enforcement and it turns out I was really good at it.”
As a member of the Atlanta Police Department, Irv was assigned to Centennial Park during the Olympics. He was fifty feet away from the bomb detonated in the park by Eric Rudolph. “I’ve been shot at, I’ve been stabbed, but nothing is more terrifying than a bomb. It’s amazing to me that I wasn’t hit”.
Irv tested for a position with all the Federal Agencies and was waiting for a DEA academy class when the Marshal Service called. The Marshal’s academy began earlier so Irv jumped at the chance.
We discuss one of Irv’s cases that was featured on America’s Most Wanted; Jodie Thompson. Thompson escaped from prison and was on the run for more than three months. Victims said Thompson could open a gambling machine quicker with a crowbar than staff could with keys. “He was one of the coolest persons under pressure I have ever seen. I had him at gunpoint and he smiled at me.”
Irv spent much of his career working international cases. The US Marshals conduct ALL international extraditions for local to federal agencies. He used to charter jets and bring home cartel members a dozen at a time. Irv says the most satisfying arrests were sex offenders because they will keep offending and leave a wake of misery if they are not caught.
Since retiring, Irv has become the author of the Jack Solo thriller series.
TAKEAWAY: “Once a warrant is issued, the US Marshal service WILL CONTINUE looking for you until you are arrested or dead."
A “moral injury” can occur in response to witnessing behaviors that go against an individual’s values and moral beliefs. I was first introduced to this concept by Col. Marc Walker of the 12th Air Force and asked him to explain the concept further to our listeners.
Clearly, in war, there are many situations that can cause moral injury. These can include death or harm to civilians, “same team” violence, concealed acts of cowardice, sexual trauma or the inability to prevent death or suffering. These incidents don’t happen only in combat – Marc shares examples he witnessed while maintaining equipment.
While moral injury has been with us since the beginning of time, it wasn’t until recently that it began to be examined through current psychological lenses. It is estimated that there is a 50-65% moral distress rate among service members. While one would think it disproportionally impacts younger persons who have not have as much exposure to the world, Marc says it is more common in senior service members as they take on added responsibilities of command. “Even for those special operators who are trained to compartmentalize and put it in a box, eventually that box can become full and overflow.”
We discuss how moral injury also occurs in civilian life like witnessing a bad auto accident or acts of betrayal in an office environment or personal relationship. While it can be difficult to diagnose, some symptoms include poor self-care, irritability, trouble sleeping and even fatigue and headaches.
Marc currently serves as Director of Logistics, Installations & Mission Support for the 12th Air Force. He is a “Mustang”, having begun his career as an enlisted airman before becoming an officer. He strongly believes that this gives him an added advantage in commanding his personnel as he has walked in their boots.
TAKEAWAY: Like with any mental situation, if one suspects someone is suffering it is better to bring the issue up and be wrong than to overlook it and live with the regret of not taking action. This in itself can cause a moral injury.
“Frogmen” was the nickname given to the members of the newly formed Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) during World War II. Their fellow service members called them “Half Fish, Half Nuts”. They were the predecessors of today’s Navy SEAL teams.
George Morgan
The history of the formation of these special units is the subject of a new book by award winning journalist & author Andrew Dubbins. It is called “Into Enemy Waters; a World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALs”. Much of the book is based upon the personal experiences of one of the last living original Frogmen George Morgan.
Draper Kaufman is credited as the being the “father of the Navy SEALs”. Although the son of a Navy Admiral, Kaufman was denied a commission from the Naval Academy due to poor eyesight. He volunteered with the American Ambulance Corps in France prior to the US entering the war. He then volunteered with the Royal British Navy where he gained valuable experience defusing bombs during the London blitz. When Admiral Nimitz asked Draper why he wasn’t in the US Navy, He replied that our Navy didn’t want him because of his eyesight. Nimitz resolved THAT issue immediately.
The Frogmen of UDT would see action in some of the most famous battles of World War II including D-Day, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and even the waters of Tokyo Bay gathering intelligence for an invasion that never took place. Very often they would swim long distances to the enemy beaches armed with only a knife, their demolition tools and their bravery.
Dubbins shares the creativity Kaufman and the original Frogmen used in developing techniques and tools, versions of which are still in use today. Kaufman insisted on recruiting strong swimmers as he felt it was easier to train a man to use explosives than to swim. Upon reflection, George Morgan jokes that it was probably a mistake he told the recruiter he was a lifeguard. George also shares firsthand accounts of the terror of war and bravery of his fellow UDT Frogmen.
TAKEAWAY: It took a particular type of bravery for George Morgan to help Andrew on this project. It caused him to recall bad memories that he had been trying to forget for decades.
Valor Club is an innovative master planned community specifically designed for transitioning Veterans. The development will be built on 200 acres five miles southeast of San Antonio. At full build out, the $330 million dollar community will include 1,400 residential units on a campus also featuring various support amenities and services. This community will be the first of its kind on this scale.
Michael McDowell is the President & CEO of Valor Club and a Marine Veteran with multiple combat deployments. He has earned four college degrees with his PhD focusing on the effects of stress and military transition to civilian life.
Valor Club will be built around five pinnacles of a successful transition with the residential piece just one part of the equation. The other pinnacles include an educational component, extensive social service support, recreation & fitness and career selection & placement. The mortar that will hold all these elements together will be the fact that ALL the community residents will be Veterans who understand the struggles of transition and are willing to step up and support their neighbors.
Valor Club is working with both private and public partners to keep the lease rates affordable and below the local market rate price. Once the San Antonio project proves itself, Mike would like to see the concept scaled to other markets. San Antonio was chosen not only because it is “Military City, USA” but also because of the extensive & diverse corporate presence that will provide apprenticeship and career options.
Failure to assimilate is one of the biggest impediments for Veterans making the transition to civilian life. Mike discusses the potential lack of “civilian cultural competency” among Veterans. “From day one of boot camp, we put these individuals into a socialized system where everything is taken care for them. It is a phenomenal system for winning wars but sets them up for potential failure when they leave the military.
TAKEAWAY: “ Our ideal prospect is a year from leaving service in order to create an option for them and reduce stress.”
Hometown Heroes Radio creator and host Paul Loeffler has done some amazing work assuring that the stories of World War II and Korean era Veterans are not lost to history. Since 2005 Paul has interviewed an average of one World War II Veteran per week.
Much of Paul’s inspiration came from an early moment in his life when he accidentally came across a framed newspaper article hidden away in his grandfather’s closet. It described how Dr. Robert Loeffler pulled 26 men out of burning tanks and half tracks while under fire in a German ambush. Those actions earned his grandfather a Silver Star commendation and he would be awarded a Bronze Star at the Battle of the Bulge.
While a television broadcaster, Paul pitched the idea of adding short feature segments with World War II Veterans to their regular broadcasts. His boss discounted the idea saying “Nobody wants to hear a bunch of old guys talking.” Paul did it anyway and the series won awards. He founded Hometown Heroes Radio in 2007 and began syndication in 2013. The program is currently airing on 13 stations. His job as a radio sports announcer allows him to travel all across the country and he seeks out Veterans to interview in all those communities. Listeners can hear over 740 archived shows and even suggest potential guests via Paul’s website.
Paul shares some of the more interesting stories he has helped tell. While the stories are all different, he says one common theme is the humility that all these Veterans display. We share the fact that we both feel a sense of urgency to make sure these stories are told. It is estimated that only 174,000 of the 16 million persons who served in World War II are still alive today.
TAKEAWAY: “No matter where you live in this country of ours, no matter how big or small your hometown may be – there are stories that should not go untold.”
Landing craft and the men who sailed them were often unheralded. But they were a critical part of our victory in World War II. They were especially important to the island hopping campaign in the Pacific theater. Like many of his generation, Steven Ganzberger enlisted as soon as he turned 18 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. His grandson Zach Morris has always been an avid World War II historian. He was visiting town on May 18, 2011 and decided to conduct a 2 hour interview with his grandfather. Two days later, Steven passed away. This put Zach on a 10 year odyssey to learn more about the landing craft that his grandfather and his comrades sailed. The result is a wonderful book called “When the Beaches Trembled.”
Three types of landing craft were used during the second world war; Landing Craft Infantry (LCI), Landing Craft Tank (LCT) & Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM). Service aboard these craft was miserable. All were designed with flat bottoms that allowed them to get close to shore and beach themselves in order to deploy their troops or equipment. This meant that sea sickness was a regular curse for their crews. There was only one restroom for a crew of up to 60 men and fresh water was at a premium.
After a disastrous experience at the Battle of Tarawa, the Navy converted some landing craft to gunboats in order to provide better fire support for the troops landing on the beaches. In addition to providing fire support against opponents on land, they also served as anti-aircraft platforms. One of Steven’s best friends was killed by a Kamikaze pilot at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Steven participated in seven campaigns in the Pacific. He and his fellow crew members were in constant combat for two years.
TAKEAWAY: Most “old Navy” officers weren’t keen on the idea of beaching their ships. LCI command was NOT a preferred assignment.
The Distinguished Flying Cross is our nation’s fourth highest award for heroism and the highest award for extraordinary aerial achievement. Three time DFC recipient Ross Detwiler and his fellow “Misty” pilots volunteered to fly some of the most dangerous missions of the Vietnam War. Twenty two percent of the forward air controllers were shot down. Ross was among them.
The original Forward Air Control missions were flown in much slower, propeller driven aircraft. However, because the loss rates of pilots and aircraft were so high, the mission was renamed Fast Forward Air control and transitioned to F-100 and F-4 aircraft. Ross flew both. He says that their mission was basically to go out and get shot at so they could discover where the enemy was. The lives of the pilots who flew “Misty” missions are detailed in his book “The Great Muckrack and Rosie”.
In his book Ross recounts the sometimes tragic and often heroic stories of some of the men he flew with. There are also more light hearted anecdotes of the adventures of the pilots who lived day to day and developed a rather morbid sense of humor. Ross shares his recollections of the day his aircraft was hit by multiple rounds and caught fire. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion but the equipment worked precisely the way it was supposed to. He is everlastingly grateful to the crew of the “Jolly Green” helicopter rescuers who pulled him out the jungle and lists each by name in his book.
Ross has also written a second book; “Pacific Musick” that describe the life of Captain Ed Musick, chief pilot of the Pan American Airways China Clipper.
The Distinguished Flying Cross Society is a membership organization consisting of DFC recipients and their family members. Their mission is to honor the legacy of the men & women who have received the award, preserve their rich legacy & historical narratives and educate the public on the values of courage, patriotism and character.
Havok Journal editor Scott Faith joins us for a regular update. Scott is currently an active duty officer with half a dozen combat deployments. He writes under a pseudonym.
We begin with one of the first articles he published for Havok Journal, “What Veterans Are (Still) Owed on 4th of July”. The article caused quite a stir because in Scott’s opinion his fellow citizens don’t owe him anything. He doesn’t expect free drinks or store discounts and is perfectly okay with fireworks. He finds THOSE yard signs particularly vexing because they feed into the dysfunctional Veteran subculture. We agree that our government DOES owe Veterans fulfillment of the contract they signed including functional healthcare and full payment of their pensions.
Military recruiting shortfalls are an issue that should concern us all. Some are even questioning the sustainability of the all-volunteer force concept. The numbers are startling. Of the pool of 31.8 million age appropriate persons, only approximately 465,000 meet academic/fitness requirements and have clean drug/criminal records. Most concerning to Scott is the increasing politicization of the military. Scott has loved his time in the Army but he is seeing more of his brothers in arms recommending against enlistment. The “Afghanistan exit debacle” motivated Scott himself to submit his retirement papers.
Scott believes that, in general, members of the military are compensated pretty fairly. “Making a career out the military is a ticket to the upper middle class if you play your cards right.” He feels that addressing the issue of toxic leadership is key to retention. Recent changes that allow for “blended retirement” have also helped.
We wrap up the show discussing the potential benefits and downsides idea of compulsory conscription and Byron Chen’s article on Veteran transition.
TAKEAWAY: “Veterans need to get out there and be our own best representatives. Being successful in the community and continuing to serve pays off more in the long run than any temporary recruiting boost.”
Shadow Tier author Steve Snyder served in the White House Communications Office, worked with the Secret Service and earned his Green Beret. Much of that experience is reflected in the pages of his first published book.
While in Army basic training at Fort Ord, a group of men wearing suits and sporting non-regulation hair addressed his class asking for volunteers for a special assignment. Steve figured wearing suits sure beat crawling around in the mud. He would become a member of the White House Communications Agency. This is a multi-service unit that provides communications support for the White House staff both in Washington and around the world.
His experience made for a natural transition to becoming a technical support member for the US Secret Service. One year he was on the road for 300 days. Steve entered the private sector as a contractor and then decided to earn his Green Beret as a member of a National Guard Special Forces Unit. The Guard operates two Special Forces units – the 19th & 20th in Utah and Alabama. Much of his time in the Guard was spent conducting special training with Latin American Forces. This is the reason Steve made the characters in Shadow Tier members of the National Guard Special Forces.
The antagonists in Shadow Tier are members of the Sinaloa drug cartel. The main protagonist is a Native American character named Lance Bearwolf. Looking at the protagonists in other military thrillers, Steve decided a Native American character would provide a different take with that kind of cultural background.
In his “day job”, Steve developed cyber security products that support the war fighter and intelligence communities. We spend some time discussing how the drug cartels are rapidly expanding into the use of cyber capability.
Steve is currently working on two more books that will be a continuation of the Shadow Tier series.
“Shot Down” tells the story of the crew of the “Susan Ruth”, a WWII B-17 shot down on Feb. 8, 1944 over the French/Belgium Border. The name was given to the aircraft by Pilot Howard Snyder in honor of his young daughter.
Steve Snyder, Howard’s son, has written a meticulously researched and detailed book that describes the lives of the crew members and their harrowing months in hiding from German forces. The book also tells the stories of the brave Belgian citizens who risked all to keep the American crew members safe.
Steve had a great deal of material to work with in putting together Shot Down. He had diaries and correspondence from the crew members as well as interviews with his father Howard before he died. There were also some surprises. He was able to get in contact with the German aviator who was one of the pilots that shot down his father’s plane. (Both German fighters were also shot down by the B-17 in that action.) A random Facebook message also put him in touch with the granddaughter of one of the Belgian rescuers.
Howard Snyder eventually got tired of hiding all the time and not being able to make the arduous escape journey through Spain. Because he had some infantry training before going to pilot school he decided to join The Maquis – a resistance fighter group. This was very unusual in the history of WWII.
Of the 10 member crew of the Susan Ruth, only five were eventually able to return home. Two crewmembers were killed in the attack and three were captured and executed by the Germans – a war crime. Many of the other five families only knew that their loved ones were missing in action until they received telegrams that they were safe.
TAKEAWAY: It was particularly impactful to talk with Steve while sitting a mere 20 feet away from the B-17 “I’ll Be Around” on display at the 390th Memorial Museum in Tucson, AZ.
Sentinels of Freedom began as a way of honoring young people choosing to join the military out of high school. Following the 9/11 attacks, Mike Conklin and his group realized that some of these young people would be coming home severely injured and would likely need extra help. Their first “Sentinel” had been run over by a tank. Mike’s group arranged for a donated four year apartment lease, a car, furniture and everything he would need to start his life over.
Since formally incorporating as a non-profit in 2007, Sentinels of Freedom has provided individually tailored assistance to 678 severely injured Veterans, mostly through their “Bridge for Education” program. This program fills gaps in funding not covered by the VA programs. Average investment per Veteran is $55,163. Mike chuckles when he recalls the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff telling him if the government ran a similar program it would probably cost $500,000 per Veteran.
Mike says they are seeking young men & women who have attitude, aptitude and drive. “We are NOT a charity. We are an investment company - we are investing in their futures.” Applicants must have a disability rating of 50% or higher and have been injured in combat or training. They must also express a sincere commitment to furthering their education through either college or vocational training. Veterans seeking assistance are encouraged to apply during the two rounds of scholarship awards each year.
Mike personally meets with each applicant and case managers design a customized plan for each client, including assignment of a mentor that works with them during their entire four year journey toward graduation. They are currently supporting Sentinels in 40 states and have also built six Veteran student resource centers on college campuses.
Many Sentinels have said that, although the financial support is important, the best thing about the organization is the network of high level contacts they can bring to bear.
TAKEAWAY: “The fun part is watching them grow, overcome their injuries and flourish.”
D-Day was the greatest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare and one that that Harper Coleman will never forget. A member of the 4th Infantry Division, he landed in the first wave at Utah beach carrying a 30 pound machine gun over his head. Harper just celebrated his 100th birthday and joins us to share his memories of D-Day and the other major battles he was part of as his unit moved across Europe.
Suzanne Ryan is an avid historian. She regularly takes Veterans and their families back for tours of the Normandy landing areas. This past August Suzanne took Harper back to Utah Beach for the first time since the war.
French armor divisions were assigned to take the lead in liberating Paris but the 4th was attached. Harper recalls that the French troops may have begun celebrating a bit early and US soldiers were tasked with clearing the remaining Nazi forces.
His unit fought in both the Battle of Hurtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. Hurtgen was the longest battle fought on German soil during the war and our troops’ first introduction to German artillery “tree bursts”. Fragments of a tree wounded Harper in the arm and put him out of commission for a couple of weeks. Harper was brought out of the Battle of the Bulge with frozen feet and narrowly avoided amputation.
Harper and Suzanne share the amazingly warm welcome they received from French citizens during his return visit. The Mayor of Saint Marie de Mont made Harper an honorary citizen. Suzanne booked what was supposed to be a private boat tour of the beaches for Harper but when word got out that there would be a WWII Veteran aboard, the boat was packed with French citizens who wanted to ride along. She also shares an encounter with a “big burly tattooed guy” who, upon seeing Harper wearing the French Legion of Honor medal, snapped to attention and rendered Harper a salute – tears streaming down his face.
TAKEAWAY: If you would like to support Suzanne's efforts to take WWII Veterans back to Normandy, please fill out the contact form on our website.
Veteran Jennifer Marshall attended high school in a “one stoplight” town so it didn’t take much convincing from the Navy recruiter to get her to join. She never imagined that someday she would appear in several Hollywood productions, host a television series and own her own private investigations firm.
Jennifer started as a logistics specialist and also served on the fire and ship security defense support teams aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. She had planned on making a career of the Navy but adverse reactions to vaccines on a Gulf War deployment forced her to leave at the five year mark. She decided to join the Los Angeles police department but was injured in the 14th week at the academy. At that point she decided to pursue acting. Some of her roles include the TV series General Hospital, Hawaii Five-O, Jack Reacher and Stranger Things.
We discuss some of the challenges she faced breaking into Hollywood including the odd remark “You don’t LOOK like a Veteran.” Jennifer says she has no problem playing military roles because Veteran actors bring something extra to those characters. “To a random actor the uniform is just a costume. A Veteran has a higher understanding.” Her best advice to other Veterans; “Know your own worth.”
Though she never made in into the ranks of LAPD, she was always interested in detective work. Jennifer founded Deep Source Investigations in 2014. Producers of the CW series “Mysteries Decoded” called her their “purple magical uniform” because she is female private investigator who has worked in television.
Jennifer Marshall is passionate about helping others. She funded the expansion of an orphanage in Uganda and two of her children are adopted from South America and Uganda. She also loves being part of the Pin-Ups for Vets organization.
TAKEAWAY: “I am here today because of the generosity of many people and am very thankful for that. That is why I try to give back as much as possible.”
Folds of Honor Executive Vice President of Operations and Relationships Col. James “Nick” Nichols joins us to share their story and how all of us can support this honorable cause. Folds of Honor provides scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members. To date they have granted 35,000 scholarships with an educational impact in excess of $160 million.
The idea for Folds of Honor came to Founder Lt. Col. Dan Rooney through an experience on an airline flight after returning from his second deployment. As he boarded, he noticed a Corporal in Army dress greens sitting in first class. Upon landing, the pilot announced that they were carrying the remains of a fallen service member, Corporal Brock Bucklin. The soldier in first class was his twin brother Corporal Brad Bucklin, bringing his brother’s remains home. Dan witnessed Brock’s wife and young son greeting the flag draped coffin. Dan knew that that young man would have a huge gap in his life going forward and the rest of us should not leave that family behind. Jacob Bucklin would become the first Folds of Honor scholarship recipient in 2007.
Patriot Golf Days is one of their major initiatives. People all around the country are encouraged to make a donation and then go out and play a round of golf on Memorial Day weekend at their local golf course. People can join their “squadron” with a monthly donation of $13 per month. (The number of folds in the flags placed upon military coffins.)
Nick is a third generation fighter pilot. His father was killed when Nick was only fifteen. He knows firsthand the challenges faced by the Gold Star families that his organization supports.
Scholarship applications may be submitted via their website February 1 – March 31 of every year.
TAKEAWAY: “Leaving the military was a difficult transition but Folds of Honor allows me to continue to serve.”
Carry the Load co-founders Stephen Holley and Clint Bruce are both Navy SEAL Veterans. The idea for their initiative was born out of anger and frustration, feeling that Americans were drifting away from the original purpose of Memorial Day. On Memorial Day 2010 Clint decided to undergo physical pain as an emotional purge. He loaded his pack with one pound for every comrade he had lost. During that walk he encountered a WWII Veteran who asked him; “Who are you carrying son?” Stephen joins us to share more information about their organization.
Stephen and Clint organized their first Carry the Load walk in 2011. The event raised $100,000. Their intent was to just organize a Memorial Day event but it has since grown to a year round series of activities across 48 states. Carry the Load has raised over $33 million for Veteran and First Responder charities. Interestingly, their grassroots growth has principally been driven by the 99% or our population who never served.
Their goal this Memorial Day is to raise $2 million dollars. They have five national relays traveling 24 hours a day, seven days a week following different paths across the US. Those relays will cover a total of 20,000 miles during the month of May. There are also rallies schedule in many cities.
If there is not an event near you, Stephen encourages you to form a team and conduct your own. There is no cost to register – YOU can make a donation or register to walk at their website. Veteran and First Responder organizations who would like to apply to be a beneficiary can do so in September of each year.
Carry the Load has three principal focus areas; Raising awareness, funding continuum of care programs and inspiring patriotism in our nation’s youth.
TAKEAWAY: A critical element of each event is facilitating participants to share their “why” with each other. They walk because “you can’t run and talk.”
Coffee or Die Executive Editor Marty Skovlund, Jr. had two aspirations in High School; play for the NBA and become an Army Ranger. The Los Angeles Lakers never called but he did earn a Ranger tab. The idea that someday he would be doing “classic Ernie Pyle” journalism never crossed his mind.
Marty founded The Havok Journal to give a voice to the Veteran community. Later, he approached Evan Hafer (a fellow soldier and Founder/CEO of Black Rifle Coffee Company) about starting a media arm of Black Rifle. Coffee of Die launched in June of 2018. Their website receives 2 million visits per month and their YouTube channel has generated 13 million views so far this year.
Marty says he left Afghanistan with a rifle and returned with a camera. His reporting for Coffee or Die has also taken him to Iraq and he recently returned from Ukraine. He shares what he witnessed in that conflict. “In Ukraine they are fighting for their very existence. Even common citizens have taken up arms.” One of his most compelling series actually was domestic coverage – the Standing Rock protest in North Dakota.
Marty’s current project is a book about special forces legend Chief Petty Officer Shannon Kent, a woman operating “outside the wire” with Special Operations at a time when it was almost unheard of. She was killed by an ISIS suicide bomber in 2019.
I strongly encourage listeners to read his first book: “Violence of Action; The Untold Stories of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the War on Terror.” Also, look into The Darby Project.
We also discuss Marty’s evolution into being a “real journalist”, an issue he struggled with for a long time. He drew from his experience as the “new guy” in Ranger training. “You can’t expect others to take you seriously if you won’t take yourself seriously.”
TAKEAWAY: They idea that long form journalism has died is not accurate. People just have more competition for their time and if the product is compelling they WILL read it.
“Richard Eager: A Pilot’s Story From Tennessee Eagle Scout to General Montgomery’s Flying Fortress” is the product of a 13 year long collaboration between a World War II B-17 pilot and his family. Because Richard Evans was such a gung-ho air cadet and an Eagle Scout at heart, one of his fellow cadets began calling him Richard “Eager” and the nickname stuck.
Unlike many World War II Veterans, Richard often regaled his family with stories of his time in the service. At their urging he sat down, and over the course of three years penned a 21 chapter manuscript. However, he was never able to get it published. Upon Richard’s death in 2006 his daughter Barbara Evans Kinnear made it her personal mission to get her father’s story into print. 100% of the proceeds from book sales benefit the Air Force Aid Society.
One of the more interesting aspects of Richard’s service included being selected to fly a B-17 that was “won” by British General Bernard Montgomery in a “bet” with General Eisenhower. Captain Richard “Eager” was ordered to pick his crew, load into an assigned B-17 and report to General Montgomery. The book relates some little known insights into General Montgomery and the Eagle Scout from Tennessee even got to meet the King of England.
Richard left the service after World War II but was called back to serve during the Korean War and the Cold War. His career put him into the cockpits of many bombers more advanced than the B-17 including the B-47, B-52 and B-58. Richard’s last project was the XB-70, only two of which were ever produced.
TAKEAWAY: Richard’s story might have been lost forever when Barbara and her family lost their home to a wildfire in 2008. Miraculously, she discovered some of the original draft chapters along with a treasure trove of her father’s letters and photographs while cleaning out his storage shed.
Pin-Ups for Vets founder Gina Elise began to hear news stories about Iraq war Veterans needing medical care and she wanted to do something creative to help. Her grandfather served in WWII and Gina had always been a fan of that era’s pin-up art. So in 2006 she decided to create a classy, 1940’s style pin-up calendar to raise money for Veterans.
After donating $5,000 in proceeds from the first calendar to a local Veteran’s hospital, she began to get inquiries about the next calendar. Gina also heard from female veterans looking to volunteer. She saw this as an opportunity to empower them and shift perspectives about what a Veteran is. In the words of one model; “There’s nothing that says I can’t be a hard charging Marine AND a lipstick wearing pin-up. So I choose to be both.” Pin-Ups for Vets just released their 17th calendar and have donated over $100,000 to purchase rehab equipment for Veterans hospitals.
In addition to shipping the calendars to troops deployed overseas, Gina and her Ambassadors embarked on a 50 state tour visiting Veteran hospitals/homes and military bases. She says it is very powerful to see the instant connection between these female Veterans and those they are visiting. In one case, after she had a conversation with a wounded soldier, the hospital staff told Gina he was suffering from a traumatic brain injury and that was the first time he had spoken in a month. To date, they have visited over 15,000 Veterans nationwide and overseas.
Listeners can help by making a direct donation or purchasing the calendar & branded merchandise through the website. Advertising opportunities within the calendar are also available. Casting notices for the calendar are posted on the website each spring.
TAKEAWAY: “I came for the service but I stayed for the sisterhood."
Today, John “Lucky” Luckadoo is the last surviving member of the 100th Bomb Group from World War II. Most of the bomber crews of the 100th only survived 5 missions, earning the group the unenviable nickname “The Bloody Hundredth". It not until 50 years after the end of the war that John began to talk about his time at war because “those were not the happiest days of our lives and recalling them was not a happy experience.”
Lucky relates that bestselling author Kevin Maurer called him “out of the blue” and said he had heard some of his stories and wanted to read his book. John replied “Well, I don’t have a book’ and that began a collaboration that resulted in “Damn Lucky; One Man’s Courage during the Bloodiest Campaign in Aviation History.
Lucky and his high school friend Sully both wanted to fly and tried to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Sully got permission but Lucky had to wait until the US entered the war. Later in the war Lucky flew to a nearby base to visit Sully and saw a crashed aircraft. Tragically, that had been Sully’s plane.
Kevin does an excellent job of translating Lucky’s war experiences including the Bremen mission when German pilots crashed their planes directly into the bombers. Of the 18 aircraft that began that mission, only six returned to base.
Kevin has written books that span from the Second World War to the present day. He says there are some universal truths regardless of the generation. Most soldiers are fighting for the person next to them and leave the politics for home. He says one shouldn’t give the military a mission unless you are sure of what you want them to achieve because they will sacrifice their lives trying to accomplish that mission.
TAKEAWAY: Lucky says he was fortunate to have an author sufficiently talented to put the reader in the cockpit.
DCM Consulting Founder Christopher “Dutch” Moyer served 31 years in the Army – 26 of those in Special Operations. He has taken part in over 1,000 successful combat assaults in classified & unclassified missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Even as a child he wanted to be a soldier and at the first opportunity enlisted in the tank corps. However, he found that the Army in the 1980’s was not what he had hoped. After a five year break, he returned. This time he “Wanted to be in the worst possible places with the best possible people.” He became an Army Ranger and spent the last 14 years of his career with the elite Joint Special Operations Command. JSOC was created after the disastrous “Desert One” mission.
After retiring Dutch tried his hand at various careers but in 2014 decided to return to his strengths. “I’m much better off training men to survive battle.”
DCM Consulting provides advanced training to both military and law enforcement units across the country. Part of his “why” for starting his company stemmed from the fact that many local law enforcement agencies don’t provide the specialized training necessary for their officers to survive high intensity situations. (Dutch shared a recent situation where his fee was paid by a private citizen because their local police department did not have the funding.) In addition to close quarter battle, his training includes rifle/pistol proficiency and stress inoculation.
His trademarked phrase “My Sword is Your Shield” is a concept that not only applies to military/law enforcement situations but also applies to what can be achieve by working as a team in almost any context.
Dutch also pays homage his Combat Assault Dog Valco who sacrificed his life saving Dutch and his comrades on a mission.
TAKEAWAY: “I can’t be the agent of correction any longer but maybe I can help someone who is.”
“Bridging The Gap”, a new book authored by 26 year law enforcement veteran Glen Williams might be directed at his police comrades but holds learning lessons for all of us. Over the course of his career, Glen suffered through two divorces, numerous traumatic events and developed severe PTSD.
"My objective in writing this book was to help others not do the same stupid things that I did. If I can help one person avoid a divorce or PTSD or suicide then I win.”
He recounts a briefing held for police academy graduates and their spouses. The couples were told the divorce rate among law enforcement couples was high. There would be things they saw on the job that officers would not want to or couldn’t talk about with their spouse. “They told us open communication was important but they didn’t tell us HOW to do it.”
His law enforcement career got off to a rough start when he was rejected by the postal inspector’s service because of his diabetes. His evolution to a “regular beat cop” was fraught with other challenges including supervisors who misconstrued his lack of communication as arrogance. Glen says he later realized he would give off that vibe as a way of covering his own insecurities. “Subconsciously I was protecting myself. Basically..Realistically I was destroying the thing I cared most about – my marriage.”
In Bridging the Gap he recounts several scenarios from the ridiculous to the extremely traumatic. One of my favorites was the stormy night when he almost shot Ronald McDonald.
He strongly recommends journaling as a healthy method of dealing with trauma. Blue Help and the CODE 9 Project also provide support resources for those in the law enforcement community.
TAKEAWAY: Glen provides an eight hour course in communication to police departments around the country. He also encourages anyone who needs to talk to contact him directly.
American Warrior Garage was inspired by a chance encounter in a department store parking lot. Scott Jones and his friend Vince Gibson had been restoring cars together for about 20 years. One day they noticed a Veteran who had lost both legs to an IED blast “wheeling around” Vince’s 1969 El Camino. A conversation about classic cars ensued with the Veteran saying “Man, I’d like to be able to drive one of those.” Both Scott and Vince are Navy Veterans and realized they had found a new mission for their auto restoration talents.
They incorporated American Warrior Garage as a non-profit with the mission of “Restoring Heroes’ Lives One Hot Rod at a Time.” They offer their programs to first responders and EMS personnel as well. Their first restore was a 1970 Chevelle for a double amputee Marine Corps Veteran. They are currently working on a ’68 Torino for a Veteran with five tours of duty. Scott admits that in the early days of the organization they were “just winging it” and the organization was funded out of their own pockets.
Scott tells the story of a 1962 Thunderbird owned by a Korean War Veteran and donated by the Veteran’s family. The car was pristine so they cleaned it up and raffled the car as a fundraiser. They also do repairs on “normal” cars for donation to Veterans.
American Warrior Radio Garage was featured on two episodes of the “Garage Rehab” television program. As part of their mission to help reintegrate Veterans back into civilian life they are also trying to help Veterans get to the first level of Automotive Service Excellence certification.
TAKEAWAY: If you or someone you know has a vehicle sitting around, please consider donating it to American Warrior Garage. Any garage owners around the country who might be interested in joining the effort with a “satellite” program are also encouraged to contact Scott as well.
Whistleblower Paula Pedene thought she had found her dream job. But her commitment to honesty and integrity led to a nightmare – one that should infuriate every one of us. Her story is chronicled in the book “A Sacred Duty; How a Whistleblower Took on the VA and Won.”
Paula enlisted in 1978 and became a Navy journalist. She re-enlisted for the Gulf War but a hereditary eye disease eventually ended her military career. In 1994 she was appointed the first full time Public Affairs officer for the Phoenix Veterans Administration Health Center. She led the Phoenix VA to national recognition and awards.
However, a new administrator who was inclined to his own betterment rather than putting the Veterans first led to her first conflict. He delayed and denied care in order to secure additional equipment. Dr. Sam Foote was the original whistleblower in this situation and approached Paula about reporting the conditions and she agreed to step up. An internal investigation found $ 11 million in shortfalls but Paula was branded.
Incoming administrators sought out minor infractions to punish Paula, literally exiling her to the basement. What was supposed to be a 30 day investigation turned into two years in limbo. But she would not give up. The new administrators were “gaming the system” in order to secure performance bonuses. They were literally keeping two sets of appointment books. Testimony and later investigations revealed that as many as 3.500 Veterans were stranded on these “alternate” lists and 1,800 could not secure primary care appointments. Some died while waiting for appointments.
Eventually, thanks to many allied whistleblowers within the VA, Congress and the media, the Phoenix VA state of affairs (and similar situations around the country) was finally brought to light. Of the 156 VA hospitals nationwide, similar wait list situations were occurring at 111 of them. Paula received redemption.
TAKEAWAY: “The Veterans Administration is an agency with a very noble mission. But the bureaucracy sometimes lets bad actors maneuver and it needs a culture change.”
Project Sapient Co-Founder Ayman Kafel became a witness to war from his first days on earth. His father was working in Liberia when Ayman was born, but the Liberian civil war forced his family back to their native Lebanon. The Lebanese civil war made them seek a more peaceful life in America.
Like many immigrants, Ayman has a deep and abiding love for the US and what this country stands for. So when we were attacked on 9/11 he immediately enlisted. “Our family felt that those evils we had escaped had followed us here.” He experienced several combat deployments and planned to pursue a career in Special Forces. A forced medical discharge would cut those plans short. He pursued a “second mission” protecting his fellow citizens as a law enforcement officer.
Ayman has served 15 years with the Attleboro Police Department and currently commands their “Problem-Oriented Policing Unit.” We spend some time exploring this rather unique community policing concept.
Ayman created The Project Sapient podcast to engage his law enforcement/military brothers and sisters in conversations that need to take place. In a recent Havok Journal article, he expands upon the “sheepdog” concept by proposing that within that group there is a sub-set he calls “Hybrid-Wolves”. These are the “truest practitioners” of the warrior mindset; they have tuned their instincts to proactively seeking out evil. We both agree that law enforcement officers need to be allowed to act upon their gut instincts.
Ayman emphasizes the importance of continual training for our police officers. Many officers are forced to pay for additional training out of their own pockets.
TAKEAWAY: “My experience as an immigrant in the military was enlightening. No matter where we came from, our language or religion, we saw each other as brothers and sisters. One people – we were American Soldiers.”
Community support of our military is the focus of this episode. American Warrior Radio is “deployed” at the ColoGaurd PGA Classic. The PGA is very supportive of our military.
We spend the first half of the show with Jay Bickley, Vice President of the Davis-Monthan 50, and all volunteer group of over 100 community leaders that advocates for Davis-Monthan Air Force base and their airmen. Jay also spent 27 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as Vice Commander of the 12th Air Force.
Jay and I discuss the various components of the DM-50 mission. We agree that any community with even a small military presence should establish an organized support group if they don’t currently have one. Jay emphasizes that these sorts of relationships can prove very enlightening for civilians in addition to being beneficial for the military families they support. He is happy to provide advice and mentoring to any community thinking of creating or reviving a support organization.
We spend the second half of the show with two sailors from the USS Tucson submarine. LTJG Anthony Schlitt and FT2 Jose Lopez. They were part of a four sailor contingent from the USS Tucson making a “namesake city” visit to Tucson, Arizona. The USS Tucson is a Los Angeles Class submarine based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Both sailors were making their first namesake visit. Both emphasize they were surprised and impressed with the level of community support that civilian members of their namesake city provide for the crew and their families. LTJG Schlitt comments that he had heard this namesake relationship was one of the best in the Navy and this visit confirmed that belief. FT2 Lopez says it is very important to know that there are people outside of the military who are so supportive and it definitely raises morale.
TAKEAWAY: “If we don’t have a good namesake relationship on my next boat, I would 100 percent push for establishing one.”
Red Burning Sky is the latest work by Air National Guard Veteran Thomas Young. The novel was inspired by the real mission that is considered by many to be the greatest airborne rescue in history. Operation Halyard took place from August to late December 1944. Halyard successfully rescued 432 US aircrews and 80 allied troops from behind enemy lines.
Thomas had over 5,000 hours as a flight engineer in C-130 and C-5 aircraft. During his career he deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo and the Horn of Africa. He is currently a commercial airline pilot.
As part of the strategic war effort, the allies conducted bombing raids designed to shut down Germany’s oil production. Many of these refineries were located in Romania. From October of 1943 to October of 1944 the 15th Air Force conducted 20,000 bombing sorties out of Italy. The cost was high, losing over 50% of their aircraft. However, they only lost 10% of their aircrews, many bailing out over the Serbian regions of Yugoslavia.
Thomas describes the logistical challenges involved in these rescues including the fact that this region was “involved in a civil war in the middle of a World War.” He incorporated many of the real elements of this story into Red Burning Sky including the challenges of keeping so many rescued airmen off the radar of Nazi patrols, the ingenious code developed by the crews to confuse the Germans and the labor involved in carving landing strips using nothing but hand tools.
While the characters in Red Burning Sky are fictitious, some were based upon real mission participants such as George Musulin, a former professional football player turned OSS Agent. General Draza Mihailovic, leader of the Chetnik detachments of the Yogoslav Army also plays a prominent role. MIhailovic refused offers of evacuation, choosing instead to stay and fight for his country. Tito’s socialists won the civil war and Mihailovic was executed in July of 1946.
Much of this operation remained classified for many years. Operation Halyard’s story is preserved and advanced by the Halyard Mission Foundation.
Veteran’s Repertory Theater President and Artistic Director Christopher Paul Meyer had acting in his blood. He comes from three generations of theater performers. But the 9/11 attacks created a long detour from the performance arts.
Chris found some success acting, including a small role in a television soap opera. He chose to focus his energies on stand-up comedy because that allowed him to be more entrepreneurial. His directorial debut was a one act “off-off Broadway” comedy. Opening weekend went well, the theater was closed on the following Monday and the 9/11 attacks happened on Tuesday. Chris was scheduled for jury duty that morning at a courthouse near the World Trade Center towers. He described his experience as curiosity evolved into panic and the reality of the scene unfolded.
While Chris didn’t immediately enlist following the attacks, he joined the National Guard several years later when it became apparent this would be a long war and recruiting numbers were lagging. He spent 33 months in combat zones and earned a Bronze Star in Afghanistan.
After 20 years of “wanderlust” he would return to found the Veteran’s Repertory Theater to allow those who have experienced danger to tell their stories through theater, poetry and writing. Their programs also include family members who also have borne the burden. They have multiple programs available, many of them online. These include the Savage Wonder Podcast, Savage Wonder Literary Blog and Write Loud. While they are located in upstate New York, his goal is to make them a national brand.
Chris also shares his experiences working with a group helping to get our allies out of Afghanistan. His team focused upon Afghan commando allies. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done without being deployed.” Chris was managing 11 families and it was a 24 hour job. All of them have been removed from danger.
TAKEAWAY: The Afghan commandos that fought shoulder to shoulder with us would be great Americans in a heartbeat.
John Gilstrap always wanted to write. He penned short stories as a young child and was editor of his high school newspaper. But he was also an adrenaline junky. He regularly watched the television series “Emergency” and took an advanced first aid course in college. The class required a ride along and he was hooked. Upon graduating from college he received his EMT certification and joined the Burke Volunteer Fire Department – the busiest firehouse in Virginia.
He says that as a firefighter/EMT you are often interacting with people on their worst day. “It’s THEIR bad day but I needed to keep it together and bring order to chaos.” While years of seeing these horrible scenarios can take a toll on one’s psyche, he relates that he twice delivered babies and those were joyous occasions.
Gilstrap never dropped his love of writing and has become a prolific bestselling writer of several thriller series. "Blue Fire is his latest release and he is currently working on his 25th book. One of his non-fiction books (“Six Minutes To Freedom”) tells the amazing story of Kurt Muse, an American civilian jailed in Panama under the Noriega regime. Extricating Muse from the notorious La Modelo prison was a priority mission during Operation Just Cause and one of the rare occurrences when Delta Force was sent in to rescue a civilian.
His first published book “Nathan’s Run” became a worldwide bestseller but also one of the most banned books in America because it had a lot of bad language. This taught Gilstrap some valuable lessons and he shares advice for aspiring writers on his website. We discuss when it is appropriate to include sex, violence and bad language. “Sometimes a sex scene stops the plot.” An example includes the experience he had with a director who insisted on a sex scene in the middle of a forest fire. He also shares the importance of being able to deal with rejection. Gilstrap was rejected by 27 agents before he got his first offer.
TAKEAWAY: “In THIS business the only way to lose is to quit.”
Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent Fred Burton spent most of his career focused on counter terrorism. Among his more notable cases, he investigated the assassination of Israeli Prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. He was part of the investigation of the FIRST World Trade Center Bombing and was involved in the arrest of Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind behind that attack. He was also part of a special team set up to locate and free western hostages in Beirut.
He is recognized as one of the foremost experts in the country and last year was named among the most influential people in the security field. Fred currently serves as the Executive Director for the ONTIC Center for Protective Intelligence where he also hosts a great podcast. He has also written several bestselling books drawn from his time in the DSS.
The Diplomatic Security Service traces its history back to 1916 when the State Department established the Office of the Chief Special Agent. The DSS has the largest global reach of any US Federal Law Enforcement Agency.
We discuss the emergence of modern day terrorism in the 1970’s with a particular focus upon the Iranian revolution in 1979 and their affiliation with Hezbollah. Fred’s book “Beirut Rules” tells the story of the kidnapping and murder of CIA Station Chief William Buckley. He sees the attacks in Beirut and the 2012 assaults in Benghazi as both out of the "same playbook". Fred emphasizes that when you have a lack of human intelligence combined with lack of tactical analysis it usually leads to disaster.
TAKEAWAY: Fred’s father was a military policeman and played a role in the Nuremberg trials following World War II. Fred will never forget his father’s words: “Son, there is evil in this world. There always has been and there always will be.”
Havok Journal editor Scott Faith joins us for a discussion of timely topics leading into 2022. Havok Journal is one of my regular visits on the web for stories and editorial written by members of our Veteran and First Responder communities. Scott is a Veteran of half a dozen combat deployments and has served with several different Special Operations units. Due to the nature of his work, “Scott” writes under a pseudonym.
COVID
Despite being fully vaccinated, Scott and several of his family members contracted COVID. His children had minor symptoms, Scott was on his back for two weeks and his former Special Forces father was hospitalized but has recovered. His experience led him to pen an article about “Blaming the Unvaxxed”. We also discuss the impact of both the disease and vaccines upon our military readiness.
VETERAN SUICIDE
In the third quarter of last year, more service members died from suicide (126) than the entirety of COVID deaths (86) since the pandemic began. Scott says that SUICIDE, not COVID, is the real epidemic for Veterans. The military culture of stoicism and silent suffering further complicates the issue.
He urges every to read “The Morning After I Killed Myself" and reach out for help.
UKRAINE
We discuss the evolving issues in Ukraine. Scott shares the international security issues that would arise from a war and his conflicted feelings on the role the US should play.
MILITARY QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES
The US military is having trouble meeting retention and recruitment goals. This Havok Journal article points out one of the problems. Mold is prevalent and brown water is coming out of the taps of the barracks at one of our premier Army posts. Scott points out that this highlights some real leadership failures and is not limited to a single branch.
VETERANS PURSUING ELECTED OFFICE
Currently, only 91 Veterans serve in the US Congress, the lowest number since World War II. However, this election season has seen a significant uptick in the number seeking public office. Scott and I agree this is an encouraging development.
Development Group Five was founded by Glen Burton to use military approaches, themes and training techniques to help empower people to be the best that they can be.
Following ten years with the British Army, Burton began a career in executive close protection and has built a reputation as one of the most highly sought after consultants in the industry. His client list includes well-known names within the entertainment and business world as well as international royalty. He has led and managed protective operations in over 120 countries. Perhaps his most infamous moment came when he transported a young African boy adopted by Madonna back to London. The tabloids claimed he had “kidnapped” the child.
The inspiration for Development Group Five first came in 2011 when Glen was hired to accompany the son of a high net worth family who was about to take a several month long adventure-training trip in South America. The young man had lost his father the previous year and Glen developed a natural mentorship relationship with him.
The Development Group Five curriculum and training is built upon five pillars; Performance, Motivation, Mindset, Vision and Execution. Team members include coaches and business leaders in addition to individuals with a military background. In addition to personal development coaching for individuals and workshop type sessions, Dev Group Five also offers a course called “Mission Control” where teams are tested in high pressure, “real world” scenarios.
We first had Glen on American Warrior Radio to discuss his book “In Harm’s Way”. He has now released a second book titled “The Fortitude Warrior”. He says fortitude is a trait he found common among both the military and business leaders with whom he interacted over his career. We spend much of the program talking about the concepts and inspiration put forward in the book.
TAKEAWAY: “You’ve got to want to be better than you are. If you are not doing something you love, then why are you doing it at all?”
"Walking In Mud: A Navy SEAL's 10 Rules for Surviving the New Normal" was inspired by Steve Giblin’s observations of what is happening with his fellow citizens during the pandemic.
Steve served 28 years as a Navy SEAL and another nine as a civilian contractor. Much of his career was spent with the Tier One Navy Special Warfare Development Group. While cleaning out his new office, he came across a single page typewritten document titled “The Ten Essential Qualities of an Underwater Demolitions Man.” The document was written by Lt. CDR F.R. Kaine, one of the original World War II “Frogmen”, as a list of basic things he expected from those under his command. These ten qualities (Pride, Loyalty, Sincerity, Responsibility, Leadership, Example, Forethought, Fairness, Seamanship & Common Sense) form the structure for the chapters in “Walking in Mud”.
Steve initially met “Walking in Mud” co-author Jon Land through the Home Base Veteran and Family Care organization. Jon was looking to interview Veterans for a book he was writing. After he and Steve corresponded they decided to write a book of their own.
We explore how these ten qualities translate into simple rules for living life in general and dealing with the stresses of our “new normal” in particular. One great example of resiliency is the story of “Michelle”, a sailor who was reassigned from supply duties and received a “crash course” in Special Forces training in order to join a cell assembled for Operation Just Cause. When the operation was complete the Navy sent her back to supply but instead she “crossed the street” and joined Army special operations.
TAKEAWAY: One of the famous aspects of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training is the brass bell that candidates can ring three times to “volunteer out”. Many of us face a similar metaphorical brass bell in our lives. Steve shares that one cannot “un-ring” the brass bell at BUDS but we can often can go back on quitting decisions we have made in our lives.
Justin Nassiri experienced a leadership crucible moment unlike many entrepreneurs. At the age of 23 he found himself responsible for a $2 Billion submarine and the lives of 180 sailors. One might say it was the perfect preparation for someone who would go on to the rough and tumble world of Silicon Valley technology.
Jason followed his brother to the US Naval Academy and was still a midshipman when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Nassiri says the “nature of my proximity to war changed at that point.” He volunteered for submarines and served on the USS Alaska (SSBN 732) and the USS Chicago (SSN 721). One of the leadership lessons he learned aboard submarines was “You’ve got the team you’ve got and you have to make it work and make due with the resources you’ve got.”
While his degree from the Naval Academy was in Electrical Engineering, he found himself more intrigued with management and enrolled at the prestigious Stanford Business School. Nassiri says that while the MBA experience helped him “decompress” from the military, the transition to the civilian world was still not an easy one. Based upon his experience and transition stories he heard from other Veterans, he started the “Beyond the Uniform” podcast. He has interviewed over 415 Veterans about their transition stories.
While completing his MBA degree he regularly met with other students to discuss problems that needed to be solved and how they might be addressed. This planted the seed for the company that would become “StoryBox". Jason pursued the venture capitalist route to fund his first endeavor, an exercise he described as “tap-dancing to feed my baby.” His client base grew to include giants like Disney, Levis & Bud Light before he sold the company. His latest venture is a marketing technology company named “Captivate.”
What he found hardest about Silicon Valley was the psychological component. “You are working hard night and day and then the person in the office next door to you becomes – literally - a billion dollar company.”
TAKEAWAY: "Entrepreneurship is non-stop experimentation."
Charitable organizations supporting Veterans & first responders is the topic of today’s show. Attacks on law enforcement personnel are on a record pace and the withdrawal from Afghanistan does not mean Veteran support needs are reduced. In fact, the opposite may be true. We talk with representatives of four charitable organizations that deserve your support during this season of giving.
SPIKES K9 FUND – Founder & President James Hatch
Military working dogs regularly spared the life of Navy SEAL Jimmy Hatch. Now he is giving back by enhancing the training, care and preservation of working dogs. They provide vital equipment such as protective vests, heat alarms, GPS collars in addition to training for agencies all across the country. They have helped over 1600 dogs in 49 states.
CONCERNS OF POLICE SURVIVORS – Executive Director Diane Bernhard
Diane served in law enforcement for 23 years before assuming the lead role at COPS. She first learned of the organization when a colleague was shot and killed on duty. Their mission is to rebuild the shattered lives of survivors and co-workers affected by line of duty deaths. In many cases they are able to contact families anywhere in the country within 24 hours.
THE GREEN BERET FOUNDATION – Lead Ambassador Travis Wilson
Travis wore our nation’s uniform for 21 years including 13 years as an elite Green Beret. The Green Beret Foundation was created in 2009 to provide Special Forces soldiers and their families with emergency, immediate and ongoing support. They have helped over 13,000 families and this coming year they will be expanding their services to Green Berets who served prior to 9/11.
BOULDER CREST FOUNDATION – Founder & Chairman Ken Falke
Ken is a 21 year combat Veteran of the Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal community. He and his wife donated 37 acres of their family farm to build a retreat center to help Veterans struggling with PTSD. They added a second facility in Arizona and expanded the availability of their programs to the first responder community. They recently partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation to establish 10 Traumatic Brain Injury centers and partner with other non-profits across the country to deliver their Warrior PATHH programs. Their programs have a tremendous success rate.
The sacrifice and gratitude experienced by those who serve is the topic of our conversation with Lt. Col. Charles Faint, Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. Faint has published several insightful articles in the Havok Journal.
The theme of today’s conversation was inspired by a self-obituary written by West Point graduate John Alexander Hottell III when he was 26 years old. Capt. Hottell would lose his life in Vietnam at the age of 27. A plaque featuring his obituary is posted in one of the barracks at West Point. He wrote about what he LIVED for rather than what he died for and the opportunities that service in the Army provided him. Faint requires his student to write a self-obituary or a consolation letter to the family of a fallen soldier. This teaches to cadets to recognize the value of what they have and how inherently dangerous their profession is.
Faint has served 27 years in the Army and was deployed seven times to Iraq and Afghanistan attached to special operations units. We discuss the perception challenges he faced when entering a Master’s program at Yale as a 40 year old Veteran. Along with fellow Veteran students, he started an “Army 101” to help his civilian counterparts better understand military members. His time a Yale also inspired him to write his own version of the original poem penned by historian Margaret Atwood.
The way Afghanistan ended was a significant factor in his decision to retire from the Army next year. We spend some time discussing how this ending may be impacting other Veterans of that war. “It’s another rock in the rucksack that they now have to carry around.”
TAKEAWAY: I am constantly amazed at the sacrifice made on our behalf by military families like the Faints and encourage every to express gratitude every day. Both of Lt. Col Faint’s grandfathers served in the Second World War, both his father and wife served in the Army and his daughter is applying to West Point.
When Authentically American Founder & CEO Dean Wegner graduated from West Point over 50 percent of the apparel worn in America was made in the US. That figure is now 3 percent. Authentically American was founded to help reverse that trend. He asks every American – “Where is YOURS made?”
He chose aviation upon graduation and became a helicopter pilot. Dean is unique in that he is an aviator authorized to wear the Ranger tab. He says the incredible stress and sleepless nights of the 72 day Ranger course was the perfect preparation for someone looking to start a company.
Dean worked with Proctor & Gamble and Mars, Inc. before partnering to purchase Omega Apparel, a company manufacturing uniforms for the US military. This was his first foray into the apparel industry and inspiration to make the intentional choice to start a company with products “made in the USA with no exceptions.” Five minutes into an investor pitch, NASCAR legend Darrel Waltrip said “I’m in” because he felt the vision of Authentically American reflected his personal values.
One of their core missions is creating American jobs and they also believe in giving back. Authentically American donates 10% of their profits to the Folded Flag Foundation and Reboot Recovery. They also produce products at cost for non-profits working in a variety of sectors.
Dean intentionally chose to start off in the Business to Business market because corporations, charities and organizations spend $8 billion annually on apparel alone. His company then expanded into their own consumer brand and the collegiate market.
Dean’s advice to other entrepreneurs:
Find what you love and are passionate about. Starting your own business is an incredible amount of work but if you are pursuing your passion it doesn’t feel like work. Don’t go it alone, enlist friends and colleagues in the journey. Don’t try to be all things to all people.
The issues exposed by the global pandemic reinforced Dean’s belief in the mission of Authentically American. While he sees a trend toward re-shoring, he cautions that many industries don’t have the infrastructure and workforce to make it happen right away. It will be a generational effort.
Don Bentley read his first Tom Clancy novel when he was 13 years old. This Army Veteran is now writing for the “Tom Clancy universe” with his first novel achieving best seller status.
Both Don’s grandfather and father served in the military. He was awarded an Army ROTC scholarship to Ohio State University and went on to fly Apache gunships. Don flew as part of the Quick Reaction Force on Operation Red Wings. Following his Army career, Don briefly tried the corporate world but found he wasn’t quite ready for the cubicle life. He joined the FBI, serving on the Dallas office SWAT team. He then accepted an offer from some Army friends who founded a company that developed technologies for the special operations community.
Don started his first novel in high school and his teacher told him he shouldn’t give up on that dream. Enrolling in the Seton Hill writing popular fiction master’s program proved to be a defining moment in his career. A contact he made at the Thrillerfest Conference told him “not this book but go home and write a better book.” Don took her suggestion and it became his first book sale.
Don Bentley was finding success with his Matt Drake series when he was approached to join the Tom Clancy team to write “Target Acquired”, the latest novel in their Jack Ryan Jr. series. He says the closest equivalent would be a science fiction writer being asked to write the next Star Wars book.
We also discuss Don’s perspective on the withdrawal from Afghanistan and his opinion piece published in the National Review “Afghanistan – Was It Worth It?” While he believes our initial entry into Afghanistan was justified, he also emphasizes that democracy is not something that can be imposed and exported. “By God, if we would have just summoned the national will to do that, executing a noncombatant evacuation operation in Afghanistan is far from an unsurmountable task.”
TAKEAWAY: “If you discount the 17 years and three books that didn’t sell, I am an overnight success!”
Veteran’s Day is a very important day for American Warrior Radio. Three Veterans joins us to share their thoughts.
Frank Antenori served as a Green Beret. He trained Mujahedeen fighters to fight the Soviets, served in Desert Storm and returned to Afghanistan in 2002, participating in Operation Anaconda among other actions. His book Rough Neck 91 describes his A-Team’s battle against a numerically superior force in Iraq. Frank’s uncle Gino Merli was awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II.
A member of Stacy Pearsall’s family served in the armed forces all the way back to the Revolutionary War. Stacy served as an Air Force Combat Photographer until injuries from several IED blasts forced her into a medical retirement. She is founder of the Veteran’s Portrait Project and has photographed over 8.500 Veterans all across the USA.
Chris Kilgore was “born into the Army” at Fort Bragg. He flew helicopters in Vietnam and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He also flew for the US Coast Guard. Chris is one of the Vietnam Purple Heart pilots whose stories are told in the book “Mended Wings”.
Our guests share their perspectives on several topics including the false stereotype of the “broken Veteran” and things civilians should think about on Veteran’s Day.
Stacy: “Show support through your actions. There are so many opportunities in every community to do so. If you reach out somebody is going to reach back.”
Chris: “We should take advantage of every chance we have to talk to, learn from and thank our Veterans for their patriotism.”
Frank: “Sometimes members of our military are only treated as the break glass in case of war crowd. Lives at home go on as usual because of the sacrifices that Veterans are making overseas.”
TAKEAWAY: Just because a war is over doesn’t mean it has ended for those who fought it.
COMCAST/NBC Universal Senior Vice President of Military and Veteran Affairs Carol Eggert says that when she was recruited by the company she “..wasn’t looking for a job but found a purpose.” She had already compiled an impressive military career rising from the enlisted ranks to Brigadier General.
When Carol first joined the Army, the service was still gender segregated; not all positions were open to women. The irony was not lost upon her while leading Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq working to better integrate women into their government. She witnessed many changes over more than three decades of service but perception challenges remain. While out in the community, people still make the assumption that it was Carol’s husband who served. She emphasizes that female Veterans need to tell their stories and establish their rightful place as warriors. (Carol herself is a Purple Heart recipient.)
COMCAST was founded by Navy Veteran Ralph Roberts and has been recognized as one of our nation’s most Veteran friendly employers. In 2017 the company was presented with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve “Freedom Award” – the highest honor presented by the Department of Defense to employers for their support of National Guard and Reservists.
Since 2011 COMCAST has supported hundreds of military serving organizations with more than $184 million in cash & in-kind contributions. We discuss several of their initiatives including Veteran employment programs and their initiative to help build digital equity. Their contributions often become a “force multiplier” for other organizations. Carol also shares some other innovative projects like the Concussion Legacy Foundation and the I Was There film program founded by General George Patton's grandson Ben.
TAKEAWAY: While attending the wedding of a female soldier wounded alongside her in Iraq, Carol was approached by the soldiers mother. She said "I am so glad there was a mother on the battlefield with her."
Mended Wings: The Vietnam War Experience through the Eyes of Ten American Purple Heart Pilots is a compelling collection of stories of heroism. Author Colin P. Cahoon served as an Army helicopter pilot himself and the book is his homage to the generation that came before.
Colin didn’t set out to be a helicopter pilot, but started in Air Assault School. After being dropped off in the woods and having to trudge back to base, he realized that the helicopter pilots were already back at base and probably enjoying the officer’s club. He decided to go to flight school instead.
Both his trainers and the aircraft that they flew were Vietnam era Veterans. Many of the aircraft still had patches covering the bullet holes they received from incoming fire. The bond between these pilots and the helicopters they flew was obvious to Colin and he always looked up to them.
Vietnam was the first “Helicopter War” and the Huey became the iconic image representing that war. About 40,000 Americans served as helicopter pilots in Vietnam. Most of them were shot down or crash landed at least ONCE during their tour. About half of the helicopters flown never made it back to base.
The book is organized in chronological order by the date each soldier was injured allowing readers to see the entire arc of the war through the eyes of those ten pilots. Each of the ten stories demonstrates the courage and bravery of these pilots and their commitment to never leaving a man behind. Many of the pilots treated their own wounds so as not to be removed from flight status.
Colin and I also talk about the issues faced by these Vietnam Veterans where they returned stateside and their lives after the war.
TAKEAWAY: “At the end of the day these are stories of triumph.”
Apex Gear Company co-founders Nick Wyatt (Marine Corps) and Drew Everett (Army) have been friends since childhood. They first partnered on an e-commerce site for Nick’s family owned company Foot Medic Insoles. One day they had a great idea – a one stop marketplace for Veteran owned retailers and Veteran brands. They assumed someone else had already filled that market gap but extensive research showed they were wrong. Apex Gear Company debuted to the public on September 11th.
There are numerous books on how military strategies and philosophies can transfer to the business world. Many business executives refer to the “The Art of War”, a tome written by Chinese General Sun Tzu in the 6th century BC. In this Veteran Entrepreneur episode Nick and Drew discuss their experiences in the context of Sun Tzu’s writings.
They describe Apex Gear Company as “an Amazon for Veteran brands” and their target customers are those who are looking for unique products they won’t find in other places. The site features a very diverse set of products including apparel, tactical gear, food/beverage and beauty/health products. They focus on diversity and breadth of catalogue when selecting partners for their website. To qualify for their website partners must be Veteran owned and actively selling online. Nick and Drew also look at sales data to assure it is a product in demand. They are constantly looking for other Veteran produced products to build out their catalogue, especially those smaller companies who don’t have the expertise or budget for extensive on-line marketing.
One of their values is to be a better marketplace and create a unique sales channel for their partners. They do not charge any upfront or registration fees and simply retain a percentage of sales lower than the industry average.
TAKEAWAY: “The response and support we have received from the Veteran network has been the most humbling part of this experience.”
The Office of Special Investigations is an Air Force unit whose mission includes investigating felony level crimes and conducting counter intelligence operations. They are highly trained and this show discusses a rather unique training exercise implemented by the Commander of OSI Detachment 217.
While assigned duties at Davis-Monthan Air Force base, Lt. Colonel John J. Hoffman and his wife visited Tombstone, Arizona and took in a gunfight re-enactment. It struck him that it would be interesting to do crime scene training on a movie set. He ran the idea up the chain of command and before long was undertaking Operation “Lights, Camera, Training”.
The Mescal movie site is located outside of Benson, Arizona and has been the filming location for over 80 movies including the 1993 version of Tombstone starring Kurt Russel. OSI Agents, Security Forces Investigators and members of the Judge Advocate General’s Office were dispatched to the remote site for the day. “Crime scenes” recreating the murders of Morgan Earp and Tombstone Town Marshal Fred White were staged at the same locations used in the film. Authentic old west props, fake blood and “victims” provided by the fire department added to the “authenticity”.
Participants then undertook crime scene investigations. The purpose of the training exercise was to help agents identify what elements are important and to collect the evidence and document the scene in a manner that would be presentable in court.
John is a patrol supervisor for the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department and is also a member of the Air Force Reserves. OSI Reservists are usually Individual Mobilization Augmentees and are assigned to fill slots as needed. Over his career, John has been assigned to seven different OSI Detachments.
TAKEAWAY: Given the average age of the participants, many had to watch the film Tombstone for the first time before participating in the exercise.
The Battle of Castle Itter was one of the most bizarre actions of World War II and just one of the interesting events we discuss with noted historian and author Professor John C. McManus. John is often called upon as a subject matter expert for numerous television programs and has authored 14 books on military history.
Battle of Castle Itter began on May 5, 1945 during the last days of war in the European theatre and five days after Hitler committed suicide. While some German soldiers were committed to a fight to the death, others were more pragmatic. SS officer Kurt Siegfried-Schrader approached US Captain Jack Lee to tell him that about a group of high level French prisoners being held in Castle Itter and his concern they might be slaughtered by Nazi fanatics. What ensued was something strait out of a movie plot; German soldiers, a French tennis star and a pair of World War I French Generals fighting side by side with American Soldiers defending a medieval castle against overwhelming odds.
Maintaining the “Castle Theme” we also discuss the fight to capture Fort Montbarey. The Fort was constructed in the 1700’s but proved exceptionally resistant to modern weaponry. The Fort was finally captured when combat engineers used a very medieval tactic; tunneling under the castle walls and placing explosives.
John’s latest book “Island Infernos” is the latest in a series of books he has written about the Army’s role in the Pacific War. John began the series because he believes the Army’s role in that theatre is often overshadowed by the Marines and Navy. The book exposes several interesting details. These include the capture of a key communications code book that allowed the allies to unlock Japanese communications for nine months and General MacArthur’s “cult of personality.”
September 11 survivors Matt Rosenberg and James Gagliano share their thoughts 20 years after the attacks. Matt was an Army Medic at the Pentagon and Jimmy was an FBI agent in lower Manhattan.
Matt was assigned the position of Mass Casualty NCO at the Pentagon about two weeks before September 11. His primary duty was as a medic in the minor surgery clinic and emergency response teams. Because the plane that hit the Pentagon impacted a section recently been renovated to include bomb resistant designs, it was not initially apparent to Matt that they had been hit also.
When Matt received permission to enter the burning section of the building he recalls “To this day I will never forget the look my supervisor gave me – it was one of those I don’t expect to see you again looks.” Someone gave him a shirt soaked in what they thought was water to help deal with the heavy smoke. He would later learn it was water mixed with jet fuel.
Jimmy was on his way to a dental appointment when he heard the news over the radio and turned around to rush into lower Manhattan. He says the fact that he was in a soft cast from recent ACL surgery - moving slower than normal may have saved his life. Jimmy arrived just as the first tower came down and spent months “working the pile” looking for survivors and remains. One of his most vivid memories of September 11 was the image of those souls who chose to jump to their deaths rather than die in the flames.
Both Matt and Jimmy agree that they would like to see a return the visceral feeling of resolve, connectivity and sense of unity that our nation felt shortly after the attacks.
We reflect on concepts of passing the torch to subsequent generations. Young people joining the military and emergency services today know that the September 11 attacks set a new standard for what our nation and communities expect from them and they join anyway.
“Eagle Down; The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War” is a powerful book by Jessica Donati that is receiving high praise from many including Sebastian Junger. Jessica currently covers foreign affairs for the Wall Street Journal. She was the bureau chief in Kabul in 2015 and lived four years in Afghanistan.
Eagle Down tells the personal stories of several Green Berets posted to Afghanistan conducting “training operations” following the official declaration that the “longest war in American history was over”. The book covers many of their missions in detail both heroic and heartbreaking. Jessica was motivated to write this book because the messaging that the government was sending out did not align with the reality on the ground. These Green Beret "advisors" were often at the tip of the spear in combat operations.
She covers several missions where Green Berets were sent in to recapture positions taken over by the Taliban, often without proper equipment or air support due to the restrictive rules of engagement. This created very real tensions between the soldiers and command leadership.
Jessica was embedded with Afghan commandos and says they are great fighters and very impressive. However, their own leadership could not always get them air support or even paychecks. She says that the average Afghan simply wants peace.
We are also joined by journalist Jessica Stone who is part of a group of humanitarian aid professionals involved with the Afghanistan Transit Initiative. They are working to help get at risk Afghans to safer locations so they can be evacuated. They have 375 individuals in their first wave to move to safer locations. Funds will be used for transportation and life support services while their permissions and paperwork are processed. You can help by making a donation here.
TAKEAWAY: “I don’t know if there was a way to win but there were certainly several different ways to lose.”
Mount Elbert is the second highest peak in the contiguous United States, rising to 14,440 feet above sea level. On September 15, Shannon vonDriska will be part of a Challenge America team of four severely injured Veterans climbing the mountain. Their mission is to inspire Veterans and others struggling to overcome their physical and psychological scars.
Shannon had hoped to become an Army medic. However, on a nighttime march she fell and immediately knew something serious was wrong. She continued because she wanted to graduate with her team, finishing the last 10 miles on a broken leg. Multiple surgeries would lead to Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome, a debilitating neurological disease. Very little is known about CRPS so proper diagnosis and effective standardized treatment is difficult to find. “One day I got sick and I never got better.”
Shannon is very thankful for the Challenge America programs that have not only helped with her physical pain but also the psychological scars of Military Sexual Trauma. Shannon is one of the estimated 1 in 3 women and 1 in 50 men who have experienced MST. Challenge American’s Military Sisterhood Initiative has helped Shannon deal with those scars and also move toward healing by helping others. She says getting over the anger and resentment has been an added challenge to the physical pain.
Other members of the Mount Elbert challenge include Assaf Dory (amputee and CRPS sufferer), Dash Wong (Navy SEAL with only one lung) and Steve Fotion (Army Reservist). Both Shannon and Assaf will be making the 10 mile climb on crutches. The team is raising funds for Challenge America programs and pledges may be made here.
TAKEAWAY: “If you love someone with PTSD just try to be patient. I know it’s hard but it is also very hard for the person suffering. Please be patient.”
GORUCK co-founder and CEO Jason McCarthy says his path from leaving the Special Forces to building a $100 million company is a “cautionary tale”. He even wrote a book titled “How Not to Start a Backpack Company.”
Jason served with the Green Berets and his wife Emily was a CIA Case Officer deployed to West Africa. Jason put together a “go-ruck” for Emily to carry in her vehicle and home. This planted the seeds for GORUCK, but it was a long journey fraught with many ups and downs.
“You go from having a super high speed job to doing nothing that is cool anymore. Reconciling that can be a difficult thing to do.” Jason’s marriage was falling apart and he found himself sleeping on a friend’s couch. His Green Beret training taught him that doing something is better than doing nothing. So Jason loaded some of his backpacks and drove the contiguous 48 states with his dog Java, pitching his product to potential retailers. No one bought any.
A transformational moment for GORUCK came when Jason and a team joined a rucking competition to “field test” their gear & take some photos. He saw how many people were enjoying the activity. GORUCK would expand from a gear company to a people first company. They have now hosted over 7,000 rucking events with 150,000 participants all across the country. They range from simple team events to the brutal GORUCK Selection Course featured in the documentary “The Standard”.
GORUCK also supports various Veteran & First Responder charities including The Green Beret Foundation.
P.S – The story has a happy ending. Jason and Emily are back together and their "back of a napkin" idea is hugely successful.
TAKEAWAY: “Failure is central to the human experience. I failed so many times in the Q-Course and in the early days of GORUCK. It’s all about what you do when you fail.”
Bone Frog Cellars and Bone Frog Coffee Founder and CEO Tim Cruickshank says “giving is the reason we exist as a company.” I bet you won’t find that mission statement on many company websites.
Tim served with SEAL teams on both coasts. In addition to being the team corpsman he was also the primarily responsible for demolitions. “My kids knew nothing but me being at war the entire time. I was gone for half my son’s life at one time.”
Tim retired in 2016 and was inspired to start the Bone Frog Companies while speaking at his retirement ceremony. “We had been at war sixteen years and it was still continuing. I wanted to find a way to give back. They say we die twice; once when we stop breathing and once again when someone says our name for the last time. I wanted to create a way to keep reminding people about these heroes.”
Tim knew nothing about roasting coffee or making wine. So he engaged subject matter experts including Dave Stewart, one of the Founders of Seattle’s Best Coffee. His partner Dave Johnson also plays a critical role in keeping him aware of his left and right boundaries.
A portion of the proceeds from both Bone Frog businesses are donated to military charities including the Navy SEAL Foundation. This Foundation helped Tim his family while he was deployed
The Bone Frog symbol was first drawn by a Navy SEAL Keith Kimura and became a sacred symbol upon his death. SEALS use the symbol to commemorate a fallen teammate. Tim redrew the symbol out of respect for Keith and integrated the SEAL Trident and Navy anchor into his company’s logo.
TAKEAWAY: "For everyone who is thinking of starting a new business; find something with purpose that you are passionate about. For Veterans - there is a huge community out here ready to help you."
“Bone Rattle” author Marc Cameron is quite familiar with some of the scenarios presented in his latest thriller. He lived them during his long career with the US Marshals Service. Bone Rattle is the latest addition to his “Arliss Cutter” series and joins Marc’s bestselling Jericho Quinn thriller collection. Marc was also chosen to continue the very popular Tom Clancy books.
Much of Marc’s career was in judicial protection but he most enjoyed his time in fugitive apprehension units. He draws his story ideas both from his experiences and travels as well as current world events like the John Clark (Tom Clancy series) character’s exposure to the world of child trafficking. Marc is a trained tracker and we spend some time discussing how technology like social media has augmented the toolkit of man hunters.
Marc was always interested writing, telling his wife he wanted to be a novelist even before they were married and then confessing he also wanted to be a police officer. She bought him a ballistic vest and a typewriter. His first published short story paid a month’s rent and his wife said “Now go write us a couch!”
He begins much of writing with basic pen and paper. While working on three different series simultaneously may seem challenging, he says they are all so different it has not been a problem.
We spend a little time “talking shop” and the importance of situational awareness in today’s dangerous world. Marc believes one of the biggest threats is people becoming so attached to their cell phones that they walk around unaware. He also shares his take on the status of the current relationships between law enforcement and the civilian community.
TAKEAWAY: Marc says he is fortunate to have developed a very successful career as a novelist but it is still “the SECOND best job in the world”. He very much misses his time in the Marshals service.
CIA Case Officer Barry Broman recruited 41 agents during his 26 year career with the agency. He recounts some of the most interesting moments in his book “Risk Taker, Spy Maker”
He first fell in love with East Asia when his Air Force officer father invited him along on an assignment with the Thai Air Force. A caveat was that Barry would find a job so he secured a position with the Associated Press, becoming the youngest AP photographer in the world. His first assignment to Vietnam would be the first time he was shot at but wouldn’t be the last.
After receiving his college degree on a Navy ROTC scholarship he would spend seven months in Vietnam with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. Before he deployed to Vietnam, one of his professors asked if Barry had ever considered joining the CIA. Barry planned to go back to the AP after the military but chose to talk to the recruiter just for fun. When he notified the recruiter that he was deploying to Vietnam the recruiter gave him a business card and said “If you live, give me a call six months before you leave the Corps.” Barry did and 2 weeks later he joined the agency.
Barry emphasizes that he wasn’t a spy, he recruited spies. "We were in the business of making dreams come true." He shares insights into the life of a case officer. The job is usually not a family affair, but he never approached a target until his wife approved.
He shares some interesting stories including the recruit who would only take assignments that were extremely dangerous and worked on a form of commission. A watershed moment of his career involved working with MI-6 on recruiting a hard target.
TAKEAWAY: “Only about ten percent of case officers make successful recruitments. It’s not baseball. You don’t want to have a 41-5 record, you want a 41-0 record. Approaching a recruit and failing has consequences.”
Volition is a powerful concept first introduced to John Sapiente by Air Force pilot Dan Rooney. Rooney advocates; “It’s the most empowering force in the world. Volition is the POWER of choice. Every day we wake up we have a choice; we can be positive, we can be negative. We can choose to love, we can choose to hate. We can choose to pursue our dreams and our passions in life. But understand, our choices will culminate to write the legacy of our lives.”
As a busy manufacturing executive responsible for two companies, John Sapiente never really thought about or appreciated the sacrifices that military families make to protect our freedoms. An avid golfer, he purchased an opportunity to play with PGA legend Craig Stadler at a Folds of Honor tournament. It was there that John says Dan Rooney gave him a “Patriotic Awakening”.
Dan proposed the concept of starting a business called Volition America that would allow people to choose America and raise funds for Folds of Honor. John leveraged his decades of business experience and the help of fellow entrepreneurs to make the concept a reality. A minimum of thirteen percent of Volition’s revenue is returned to Folds of Honor. (There are 13 folds in the American flag.)
Volition America first partnered with Puma in 2017, then added Wilson Sports and Revo Sunglasses. They just signed an agreement with Luminox Watches. They are selective in their collaborators, only talking with premium product lines and like minded people. John would also like add special events that bring audiences and brands together. “We don’t want this to be just a holiday brand. We want it to be a 365 days a year brand.”
TAKEAWAY: “Every one of us benefits from what these people do. How are we ALL not rallying around this? I feel like it was my job to help get the word out.”
Declan James Watch Company founder Brian Dougherty is applying the attitude and mental toughness he was taught as a Navy SEAL to help with his career as an entrepreneur.
Excerpts from the SEAL’s creed give credence to his belief. Examples include; “We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me – my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.”
Brian thinks he may have been just as happy in the Army Special Forces but as a young man he began applying SEAL exercise techniques and built a particular fascination with the Navy teams. At the age of 28 he was lacking motivation and a supervisor suggested that maybe he should join the SEALs before he regretted not doing so. He made two deployments with SEAL Team 7 as an intelligence specialist and served one tour as a BUDS instructor.
He founded the company with the idea that a fine watch is rooted in legacy and tradition. He wanted Declan James Watch to teach his sons the keys to success in entrepreneurship. The company is named after his first son. “Running a business is very much like looking to the guy the right and left of me at BUDS. Rolex started out as a small company too.”
Brian was referred to American Warrior by successful Veteran authors Andrews & Wilson. They practice a collaborative philosophy of doing whatever they can to lift up other Veteran entrepreneurs.
”When I left active duty it was the second time I fell in love with America. The Veteran community has opened their arms to me and offered to help me in so many ways. This represents the core values of what America and the military are all about.” The SEAL Future Foundation has also been a phenomenal help to Brian.
TAKEAWAY: “I want YOUR child to call MY son up someday and ask him about the watch he received from his father.”
Independence Day should hold a special place in the hearts of all U.S. citizens. This special show features four guests sharing their perspective on freedom and liberty.
British born actor Matthew Marsden met a young Army Ranger at Fort Benning while filming the movie Blackhawk Down. The experience changed his life. He shares how the US mindset is different even from our closest “cousins” in England. “There’s nowhere else to go Ben. America is the last place, the last bastion of freedom on the planet.”
Col. Lee Ellis has a special perspective on freedom – he had his taken away while a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five and a half years. “People have come to take freedom for granted and that’s a good thing but it’s not so good to take that for granted.” As a POW Lee most missed the simple things like not being able view the night sky and the fact that he had very few choices in his daily life. He hated the daily propaganda the most.
Actor and philanthropist Gary Sinise shares a powerful example of the palpable difference between freedom and tyranny; his experience on the DMZ between South and North Korea. “We should value those freedom providers each and every day. Realize that they will be called upon to do something dangerous and we’re lucky we have people willing to put the uniform on and defend us.”
Paul Loeffler, host of the Hometown Heroes Radio Show has learned a lot from interviewing over 1,000 Veterans. His “day job” as a sportscaster takes him all across the country and he tries to schedule an interview in all the communities he visits. “The only way for us to understand the price of freedom is to hear the stories of those who sacrificed so much to preserve it for the rest of us.”
Thank you for spending some of your Independence Day weekend with us.
Old Guys and Their Airplanes Founder John Mollison started drawing at a young age. His father built model airplanes and John’s mother would encourage him to draw the scenes depicted on the boxes. He has created thousands of works of art that are on display in fourteen countries. What makes his images extra special is that he also interviews the pilots who flew the aircraft he depicts.
This “aha” moment came when John had already achieved success in his restaurant career but felt he was lacking skills in leading his teams. Triple World War II ace Bud Anderson agreed to mentor John and suggested he tape their conversations about leadership. One day Bud suggested “If you want to interview other older guys I will open up my rolodex.”
This show broadcasts from the 390th Memorial Museum in conjunction with a special ceremony presented by the Distinguished Flying Cross Society to honor Col. Richard Bushong. Col. Bushong is a B-17 pilot that was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bringing his crew and badly damaged aircraft safely home after a particularly dangerous bombing mission to Berlin. We give John the microphone to practice his craft by interviewing Col. Bushong.
John is committed to his Old Guys and Their Airplanes project because he believes that “history is nutritious”. Learning history also teaches us the virtues of faith and hope. He also believes that by introducing these heroes in a way that defines them as normal people it creates a touchstone that average civilians can understand.
John created a special drawing of Colonel Bushong’s aircraft for this event. Thirty numbered copies autographed by John and Col. Bushong are available as a fundraiser for the 390th Memorial Museum and may be purchased at their online store.
TAKEAWAY: Both John & I feel compelled to record as many of these stories as possible because “When an old man dies, a library burns.”
“Sacrifice: A Gold Star Widow’s Fight for the Truth” by Michelle Black is a powerful read. News that her Green Beret husband had been killed in action was just the beginning of a nightmare for Michelle and her family. Sacrifice is not a “grief” but rather emphasizes why it is important for our military families to be told the complete truth.
Staff Sergeant Bryan Black was a Green Beret medical specialist killed October 4th, 2017 in Niger. Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright and Sergeant La David Johnson also lost their lives. Michelle recounts that Bryan was truly a Renaissance man and quite brilliant. He became a national chess champion at a young age, spoke four languages (two of them self- taught) and even built a stock trading algorithm.
Michelle and the families of the other soldiers killed on that day received briefings from Army officials that began with few details and evolved into a series of “squishy” narratives. Michelle herself had very little exposure to the military but with the help of her retired Marine father-in-law she began to identify several inconsistencies in the story they were being told. The ultimate insult came when Bryan and his team were accused of “going rogue” and Bryan’s team “was not indicative of what special operators do.”
As part of her quest for the truth, Michelle interviewed all the survivors of the action and Sacrifice includes a VERY detailed account of transpired that day. Readers will rapidly become aware the death of Bryan and his colleagues had been avoidable and the mistakes made went beyond the typical fog of war.
Michelle also shares how her perspective about Memorial Day has shifted since Bryan was killed.
TAKEAWAY: Michelle emphasizes that her experience was a campaign against injustice and has not turned her against the military. She would still support her sons if they chose to join.
Darden Smith has been called one of the most respected American musicians working today. As a songwriter, he has spent most of his life thinking “There’s a song here somewhere.” His motto is “Write Songs. Tell Stories. Move People.”
As a typical civilian, Darden Smith had a lot of misperceptions about what it meant to serve in the military. That was before he was booked to perform at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for a group of service members just returned from Iraq. He says the concert didn’t go very well but it changed his life. It was there he met a guitar playing Marine who shared some wisdom; “We ALL wear uniforms. YOU look like a musician and I could judge you based on that. But beneath every uniform is a human being.”
Darden had previously done collaborative song writing with various groups. He wondered what it would happen if he, as a civilian, sat down and collaborated with Veterans. While visiting with the Texas Air National Guard in his hometown he first heard the term Angel Flight and immediately knew THAT was a song title. When he asked a pilot why he did it, the response became the first verse of a new song. While visiting his friend Radney Foster, Darden was experiencing writers block. He and Radney sat down and finished “Angel Flight” in thirty minutes.
He was asked to do a collaborative writing workshop with some soldiers in Colorado Springs and “it blew his mind.” That experience led him to work with Mary Judd to create “Songwriting With Soldiers”.
TAKEAWAY: “Go..go..just go. Sometimes your dream isn’t how you make a living. If it makes you happy do it because life is finite, time is finite. Do your thing because the world actually needs what you have.”
Lt. Col. Charles Faint joins us to further explore a couple of his recent military life related articles. His stories are often humorous but always insightful. (Disclaimer: Charles currently serves in the US Army. His opinions are his own and do not represent the policies or opinions of the US Army or West Point Academy.)
Most of his stories usually begin with his two young daughters “ratting him out”. It happens so often he has taken to calling them OPSEC Violator #1 and OPSEC Violator #2. This particular scenario occurred in December when his daughter told grandmother that “Dad pulled a gun on Santa Claus”.
It began as a normal day but soon abnormalities began to pile up. The first was a campus wide alert of a “credible threat” of potential violence directed against the Academy. That was soon followed by an announcement that a woman had been stopped coming in the gate with a semi-automatic rifle in the trunk. Charles then heard explosions and what sounded like gunfire followed by sirens that made it seem like every first responder at West Point was headed to his neighborhood. After texting his wife to avoid the area, he removed his pistol from the gun safe and prepared for the “Battle of Stoney Lonesome”. Rest assured Santa Claus was NOT assaulted. Listen to hear the full story.
We follow up with a discussion of his most recent Havok Journal article “All of the Veterans Who Said Don’t Thank Me for my Service Are About to Get Their Wish”. Charles discussed a recent Reagan Foundation poll that showed trust in our military has declined 14% in the last three years. We discuss the potential reasons behind this shift and the ramifications for our nation and the Veteran community.
TAKEAWAY: Referring to the West Point incident he says “It’s amazing what you think about in the moment.”
Sons of Valor is the latest release from internationally best-selling Navy Veteran authors Jeffrey Wilson and Brian Andrews. Jeffrey served as a combat surgeon operating with SEAL teams and a Joint Special Operations Task Force. Brian served as an officer on fast attack submarines. They both join us to shed some insights into their new book. We also discuss how the military concepts of teamwork and mission before self have been transferred over to their writing and promotional models.
Sons of Valor releases to the public June 8th and raises to prominence a minor, but very popular character in some of their previous books. The co-authors begin the process of writing each book with a “what if?” proposition. In the case of Sons of Valor, this involves a terrorist organization that gains access to technologies that eliminate the asymmetric nature of battle.
We spend a great deal of time talking about transitions following military service and both Jeffrey & Brian share their thoughts and challenges they personally faced. Both guests emphasize that Veterans should realize they are not alone. There is a whole community their fellows who have successfully made the transition and are willing to provide mentoring or other support.
Their team philosophy extends to their promotional strategies as well. They believe that Veterans can lift each other up. Some examples of this creative cross promotion include using Bottle Breacher products on their merchandise page and a Bone Frog Coffee line specifically named after their new series. They also often review books written by fellow Veteran authors like Jack Carr.
TAKEAWAY: “Regardless of what business you want to go into, if you are going to be cowed at the first roadblock that’s a shame. This is how the world works – there are a lot of gatekeepers whose job is to slam the door in your face and see what you do.”
This year it was an honor to be asked by Nevada & Arizona Hall of Fame broadcaster Bill Buckmaster to put together a Memorial Day show for his program.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded every minute of every day since 1937. Ruth Robinson is one of only five female soldiers to be selected for this duty. Only 20% of the soldiers that volunteer are selected for training and even fewer ultimately selected. Ruth also serves as the Education Committee Chairwoman for the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Ruth was awarded badge number 643. The Sentinel Badge is the third least awarded Army Badge and the only one that can be revoked. Ruth shares some of the traditions and ceremony involved with being a Sentinel. Examples include the fact that Sentinels do not wear rank while “walking the mat” so as to never outrank the unknown soldiers.
Ken Rodgers is a Vietnam Combat Veteran who was involved in the Siege of Khe Sahn. That epic battle pitted 6,000 Marines and Vietnamese allies against 20,000 or more communist North Vietnamese troops. 274 of his comrades did not survive. Ken and his wife produced a very powerful documentary about that battle called “Bravo! Common Men, Uncommon Valor.” They have also produced a new documentary called “I Married the War.”
There is a great diversity of opinions among Veterans about how to observe Memorial Day. Ken shares his perspective including the fact that he chooses to not attend funerals because he would rather remember his comrades as they were in life.
TAKEWAY: There are 525,600 minutes in a year. The least each of us can do is sacrifice a minute for those who sacrificed their lives.
“Freedom” is the latest release from multiple New York Times bestselling author Sebastian Junger. He has also produced several documentaries including the Academy Award nominated documentary “Restrepo”. In my opinion, Sebastian is one of the most insightful translators of the nature of the human condition I have ever read.
Photo Credit: Peter Foley
He chose the topic because “Freedom is one of the few things that people are willing to die for. It’s a core human value.” “Freedom” is a short but powerful read. Sebastian says that in today’s world people are busy so he wanted to communicate the core of his message as efficiently as possible.
Freedom is organized into three basic chapters. He chose the three elements that have historically allowed people to retain autonomy in the face of a greater power; Run, Fight & Think. Each chapter examines the concept of freedom through a diverse set of examples ranging from historical peoples to certain animal groups. A particularly fascinating point he makes involves the Gini Coefficient, a measure of the income gap in a country. Empires who have really dominated human history have moderate Gini Coefficients.
We spend some time talking about the concept that societies who are sufficiently organized to defend themselves against others are also organized enough to oppress their own. Democracy is an attempt to balance the two. Sebastian proposes that Democracy is like a marriage. Couples can disagree but when contempt creeps into a marriage it is over.
Sebastian is co-founder of the Vets Town Hall. The special events allow Veterans of all eras to stand before their communities and speak. Dozens of these town hall events have been held across the country.
TAKEWAY: “Anything that distracts you and takes you further from your conscious self is a form of entanglement and a reduction of your freedom.”
DELTA Force is one of the world’s premier Tier One military units – and Mike Vining was an original member.
As a teen, Mike was always fascinated with science. He responded to an advertisement in the back of Popular Science Magazine and sent a dollar for “101 Explosives & Pyrotechnic Formulas”. The career of an explosive ordnance disposal technician was born.
Mike volunteered for service in Vietnam and participated in the demolition of largest cache of enemy ammunition & explosives during that war. Discovered in Cambodia, the massive stockpile of weapons was nicknamed "Rock Island East". The 79 ton cache required 300 cases of C4 explosives and 12 cases of detonation cord. Of course the enemy wanted those munitions back and Mike describes that rather “sporty” mission.
When he learned the Army was forming a new unit that needed EOD Technicians with combat experience he threw his name in the hat. Of the 130 candidates in the first selection course only Mike and 8 others passed. He would become one of the first members of DELTA Force. DELTA was declared fully mission capable in the fall of 1979. Their first mission was Operation Eagle Claw, the ill-fated mission to rescue the U.S. hostages being held in Tehran. Mike describes that mission in great detail and how he barely made it out alive. Following the mission Joint Special Operations Command and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. (“Nightstalkers”) were established.
He was also involved in Operation Urgent Fury (the invasion of Grenada). While some of their missions failed to achieve their objective, some good did come out of failure. Among these are the creation of US Special Operations Command.
Mike shares some other missions, including one in Atlanta that required the President to waive the Posse Comitatus Act.
He currently serves as the historian for the Vietnam Veterans Chapter of the National EOD Association (NATEODA) and the assistant historian for NATEODA. Mike also conducts historical EOD research for the EOD Warrior Foundation. He is also a member of the Board seeking to create an EOD Heritage Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida.
TAKEAWAY: Colonel Charles Beckwith (Founder of DELTA Force) was difficult to work with but was the perfect man for the job.
D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history and the beginning of Irv Locker’s World War II journey to Berlin. Along the way he survived the Battle of the Bulge and witnessed the horrors of Nazi concentration camps – a powerful moment for a Jewish kid from New Jersey.
Irv was assigned to the 116th AAA Gun Battalion and landed at Utah Beach on D-Day. He says that a constant refrain on June 6th, 1944 was “You’re a victim if you’re on the beach – get off the beach so you can become a warrior!”
His unit was moved into the Ardennes when the Battle of the Bulge began and found themselves cut off from supply. Due to the nature of their AAA guns they would have to set up in open fields and the cold was a constant threat. Irv would regularly send his supply Sergeant to take clothing and boots off of dead soldiers. To this day he still takes medication for frostbite he received during that battle.
In the spring of 1945 Irv’s unit moved west of Berlin and came across the Gardelegen Camp where 1,000 prisoners were burned alive. “I’m Jewish and the first thing I did was throw up and I sat down and cried at man’s inhumanity to man.” He took photos because he feared people on the home front would not believe him.
Irv was honored by President Trump at the State of the Union address but it was the words of a French youngster that gave him a greater honor. At a 75th Anniversary event in France he saw children wearing shirts emblazoned with “I am a child of freedom, Merci dear Veteran.” When he asked where he could buy one a child said he couldn’t and then took the shirt off his back and gave it to Irv.
TAKEAWAY: “They called that Operation Overlord. We called it Overweight. We had a 3 pound helmet on our head, a 27 pound pack on our back, a rifle, and ammunition across our chest and our waist... everything we owned jumping into the water.”
Dr. Jason Piccolo spent 20+ years as a federal law enforcement officer and was also assigned to the prestigious White House Security Council’s Human Smuggling cell. He is a subject matter expert often called upon by national media. Jason joins us to discuss the current situation on our nation’s Southern border and the scourge of human trafficking.
Jason always wanted to be in the military and serve as a police officer. After leaving the Army he was considering becoming a police officer when he became aware of careers in the Border Patrol through his best friend. It was nothing like he expected it to be and shares what a “day in the life of a Border Patrol agent” is like.
The US Southern Border stretches 1,954 miles. That is the equivalent of driving from Washington DC to Salt Lake City. The US Customs & Border Protection units have had 550,410 encounters on our southern border so far this fiscal year. There are hundreds of thousands of asylum cases still pending in our system.
Human trafficking is an issue important to Jason. We have both had representatives of The Deliver Fund on our programs. They estimate that nearly 150,000 victims are held as commercial sex slaves in the US. While most of these are US citizens trafficked by other citizens, Jason is concerned that the huge influx of unaccompanied minors at the southern border creates a scary opportunity for criminals. This issue was the central topic of his whistleblower book “Out of the Shadows”.
Jason hosts a podcast called “The Protectors”. He prefers “Protectors” to “Sheepdog” because it seems more relevant to the broad sectors of those out there helping people.
TAKEAWAY: “I REALLY want the audience to realize that evil DOES exist. There are very evil people out there that look at human beings as commerce. ”
The Battle of Fallujah tested Dr. Donnelly Wilkes in many ways. It refined his medical skills AND his faith. He tells his story in the autobiography
Wilkes had accepted a Navy scholarship and was in his fourth year of medical school when the September 11th attacks occurred. At that moment he realized his career as a Navy doctor was likely to take a different turn. He chose to embed with the Marines in order to stay closer to his wife.
Responsible for the health of 1,000 Marines, it was he job to go where they go. In 2004 this would mean setting up a field aid station in support of the First Battle of Fallujah, one of the most violent events of the Iraq War.
Field medicine is vastly different from hospital medicine. While major innovations have occurred in combat medicine, most apply at the “secondary” level of treatment, not the front line areas where Dr. Wilkes was operating. He says in many ways those techniques are not much changed from previous wars.
Dr. Wilkes and his corpsmen also had to deal with the added pressure of regular mortar and rocket attacks. “Indirect fire may not wound you directly but the mental torment is intense.” He describes his first combat casualty, an event that was recorded in a Pulitzer Prize winning photograph.
We also discuss the juxtaposition of being a “Warrior-Healer”. “All your training up until you go to combat is to do no harm. And then you are put into an environment where you are trained to use your weapon.”
Dr. Wilkes shares how combat transformed his faith and lessons he learned and can be applied to anyone’s life; get your heart and mind balanced, get your body fit, grab a fistful of courage and go after it.”
TAKEAWAY: “You are the most important person you will ever meet. DON’T be late to that meeting.”
The Devil’s Hand is the fourth book by bestselling author and former Navy SEAL Jack Carr. It follows on his three other wildly successful novels “The Terminal List”, “True Believer” and “Savage Son”.
Jack served 20 years at the tip of the spear, beginning as an enlisted Navy SEAL sniper and rising to the rank of Lt. Commander. When it became apparent that further promotion would mean he would no longer be in the field “kicking in doors”, he decided to close that chapter of his life and move on the other aspiration he had since he was a child; becoming a writer.
His mother was a librarian so Jack grew up with a love of reading. Looking back he realizes he was giving himself an education in good storytelling. He began writing The Terminal List during his months transitioning out of the Navy and it became a New York Times bestseller. The book is currently being made into an Amazon television series starring Chris Pratt.
One reviewer said Jack “..lived the life he writes about” and his first novel proved to be very therapeutic. While not his original intention, he realized he was releasing some frustrations resulting from his personal experience with senior level leaders whose decisions had dire consequences for men and women on the battlefield.
Jack had just begun outlining The Devil’s Hand when the pandemic hit. His experiences with adversaries watching us on the battlefield and adjusting their battle plans accordingly caused Jack to weave elements of what he was observing during the pandemic into his new novel.
One hundred percent of the proceeds from sales of his Jack Carr Collection merchandise go to Veteran related charities including the amazing Rescue 22 Foundation.
TAKEAWAY: “The great thing about writing is you are solving problems on the written page, kind of the same way I did on the battlefield. But if I mess it up in a thriller I can go back and edit it the next day so the consequences aren’t nearly as dire.”
Sheriff Mark Lamb has twice been elected Sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona. Pinal County covers 5,374 square miles and is larger than the States of Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island. As elected, rather than appointed law enforcement officials, the office of Sheriff is rather unique.
His agency was one of the jurisdictions featured on the Arts and Entertainment channel program “Live PD”. Sheriff Lamb was approached about co-hosting a spin off series called “Live PD: Wanted”. He says he agreed to appear on the program because “There are so few opportunities to showcase the good men and women who put on the badge every day.” While Sheriff Lamb does not know if the Live PD shows will return, he is working on putting together a show of his own.
Sheriff Lamb believes that support for law enforcement remains high nationwide but the actions of one bad officer can negatively impact agencies across the country. This is why he emphasizes regular community engagement as a high priority for his department. His agency has lots of volunteer opportunities including a Citizen’s Posse and helping on cold case files. He also takes pride in an initiative that provides early diversion opportunities for youth offenders.
Sheriff Lamb regularly patrols with his deputies because they need to know that leaderships stands shoulder to shoulder with them during these times, particularly in a media environment quick to judge. “We are at a disadvantage because it is our responsibility to be respectful of the law and work toward securing a conviction. “ He says that COVID has also created more public safety issues as well as public health issues.
TAKEAWAY: “I view positive community engagement like a bank account; you have to constantly build your community trust accounts because when a withdrawal comes, it is going to be heavy. If you haven’t built enough trust, that check is going to bounce.”
Veteran advocacy is a passion for Joshua Hosler. That is why he and his fellow Veteran Anthony Archer founded Veteran Sheepdogs of America. As disabled Veterans, they both have personal experiences within the VA system and recognized a gap that needed to be filled.
Joshua served as an assistant platoon leader and bomb dog handler in the Marines. While he never had plans to enter the political arena, some of the things he saw overseas inspired him to get more involved when he left the Corps. “Seeing what the Afghani people felt after voting for the first time in their life, it was very hard not to be moved by that.” He worked on a couple of political campaigns and briefly worked as District Director for Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn before founding Veteran Sheepdogs of America.
We discuss some of the advocacy areas they are focusing on including the 352,000 Veterans whose compensation and benefits exams are backlogged due to COVID. Other examples include the case of Richard Stayskal, a Veteran with Stage IV cancer who would have a strong malpractice case in the civilian world but was prevented from seeking compensation due to the Feres Doctrine.
Veteran Sheepdogs of America is a membership based organization. This is by design as Joshua knows from experience that elected officials have higher respect for organizations whose members have financial skin in the game. Membership is also open to civilians and is only $10.
Lastly, Joshua and I share our thoughts about the importance of having more Veterans seek public office. In 1973 nearly 3 out of 4 members of Congress had some type of military service. Currently that number is closer to one in six.
The concept of using the term “Sheepdogs” to describe our military and first responders was first referenced by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman in his book “On Killing”.
TAKEAWAY: “Anyone who supports our mission and supports Veterans is welcome.”
The Warrior Tradition is a PBS documentary that features more than a dozen Native American Veterans from all branches of the service. Per capita, more Native Americans serve our nation in greater numbers than any other ethnic group. Over 12,000 served in the First World War, even though many were not granted US Citizenship until 1924.
Lanny Asepermy served 24 years in the Army and saw combat in Vietnam. He is Comanche/Kiowa, both tribes with a strong warrior tradition. However he says “When we were put on the reservation we were no longer warriors.” He then recounts how military service allowed them to be warriors for a while but when the wars were over “We were no longer warriors again.” The Comanche Indian Veteran’s Association has documented 1,259 known Comanches that have served our military with honor tracing all the way back to the Indian scouts.
Following on a theme presented by combat journalist Sebastian Junger, we discuss the “cleansing traditions’ practiced by many tribes to prepare their warriors for battle. The Warrior Tradition documentary features a powerful scene where non-native members of the deploying unit were invited to participate in the ceremony. Lanny credits his grandmother’s blessing for carrying him safely through his Vietnam service.
Lanny shares some lighthearted insight into assumptions made about Native Americans in uniform. When he was a lead tank commander in Vietnam, his fellow soldiers assumed he always knew where he was. He says “Yes, I knew where we were at and where we were going…but because I had a compass and a map!”
He shares that it is a point of pride for him that the Army names many of their aircraft after Native American tribes.
TAKEAWAY: When I asked Lanny why he enlisted he replied “We lost our land once..we’re not going to lose it again.”
“The League of Wives; The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home” is Heath Hardage Lee’s homage to this very inspirational group of women. Heath has worked in the women’s history space for twenty years and was horrified that this narrative had never been told.
In addition to the tragedy of having their husbands as prisoners of war or missing in action, perhaps the most heartbreaking aspect of this story is how family members were treated by our government and military institutions. Navy Commander Bob Boroughs was an exception, risking his own career to “color outside of the lines” and even recruiting some of the wives in a surreptitious campaign to place coded messages in their correspondence with their husbands.
The societal context of the era is an important underlying theme, taking place during a time of intense change in our country. Most of these military wives considered themselves “by the book” but the reticence of our government to provide them any information or support eventually caused them to lose patience and take matters into their own hands.
Sybil Stockdale, wife of Admiral James Stockdale, the highest ranking officer held prisoner in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, played a foremost leadership role in the effort. Her husband was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor and Sybil was awarded the Navy Ombudsman Award.
President Richard Nixon, himself a Navy Veteran, ushered in a significant departure from the Johnson administration policy of “just stay quiet”. He or his staff personally answered every single telegram from POW’s wives and publicly thanked the League of Wives upon the conclusion of the war.
Heath also shares the “uneasy” relationship the wives developed with radical peace activists due to the fact that they were the only organizations in control of communication in and out of the POW camps.
The League of Wives has been optioned by Reese Witherspoon’s production company and Sony pictures so we may soon see it on the big screen.
TAKEAWAY: “As an individual you may not be heard. But when these wives banded together they became empowered and an unstoppable force.”
Submarine Veteran Kevin Loewe admits his initial motivation for joining the Navy did not spring from patriotism or high ideals; he just needed a job. But he came to love submarine service, spending most of his 20 active duty career in the “silent service”. Kevin served on several submarines including fast attack boats and ballistic missile submarines.
On his very first deployment, the relief sub was delayed and they ended up spending 91 days submerged. “The only thing we had left on that sub was sardines, crackers and peanut butter.” There were some exciting times too – much of his time on the USS Queenfish involved secret missions.
One mission put Kevin into one of the most exclusive clubs in history. On a visit to the North Pole, a scientist reminded Kevin that in recorded human history, fewer than 5,000 persons had stood where he was at that moment.
We also discuss the term “shipmate” and why it is so important. Part of qualifying for the submarine warfare pin in convincing your fellow crew members they can trust you with their life. Crew cross training is critical so that anyone can “at least keep a band aid on a problem” until the experts arrived. EVERY submarine sailor is trained in firefighting as that is one of their greatest threats. One of his boats even had a fire in the engine compartment when their were moored to the pier.
Reflecting back on his career he only has one regret. When offered his choice of next duty stations he chose the USS Queenfish over the USS Darter, the last diesel submarine in commission. He later learned that because the Darter was so old they were no longer allowed to submerge and spent most of their time just traveling from port to port. (And bar to bar!)
Merchant Marine Veteran Dave Yoho falsified his birth certificate so he could join the effort during World War II. He was fifteen years old when he joined the branch that would experience the highest casualty ratio of the war; 1 in 26 Merchant Marines would give their lives.
Dave joined the crew aboard the SS Great Meadows, a T2 refueling tanker operating in the Pacific Theatre. He worked in the engine room, thirty eight below the water line. When he asked his “salty old” 22 year old officer how they would get out if hit, he was told “Kid..if we take a hit you ain’t gonna get out of here.”
The sacrifice made by the WWII Merchant Marine is exhibited by one particular convoy on the “Murmansk Run”, a critical supply line for the Russian allies. Of the 33 ships that began PQ 17, only 11 made it safely.
The war ended four days before Dave’s 17th birthday. When he returned home he was a Veteran but not able to vote or buy a drink. Merchant Marines were not recognized as Veterans and therefore received no benefits. “We call it an oversight because it eases the pain. If we thought it was anything else it would break our hearts.” That “oversight” was not corrected until 1988.
Another initiative to recognize their service came about in 2020 when bi-partisan legislation to award all WWII Merchant Marines with the Congressional Gold Medal was signed into law. This came about thanks to advocates like Rita Cosby and Congressman John Garamendi.
“Life is a series of new beginnings and most of us made a choice.” Dave completed his GED, spend three years in “night school” and founded his own business at the age of 28. Today his company Dave Yoho Associates is one of the leaders in his industry & Dave is recognized as one of the most accomplished public speakers in the country.
Only approximately 2,000 WWII Merchant Marines remain. If you would like to support their cause please visit American Merchant Marine Veterans.
TAKEAWAY: “I’m not bitter. I only ask. Can you…will you..ever understand? We gave up our youth to serve. “
International Spy Museum Executive Director Christopher Costa may not have had experience in the museum business but he has decades of experience in the world of espionage and covert action.
He spent two decades as an Army counter-intelligence specialist working with special forces before moving on to the Navy Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU). Chris also served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counter Terrorism at the White House. He has been inducted into the United States Special Operations Commando Hall of Honor.
The International Spy Museum moved into new Washington, DC facilities in 2019, allowing for better display of the thousands of espionage artifacts they have in their collection – the largest collection on public display in the entire world. In addition to the fascinating objects on display, visitors can even undertake a “secret mission” complete with a cover identity and a debriefing that evaluates their skills.
They even offer virtual educational programs like “Spy Chat” and the “Spy Cast” podcast. “We responsibly educate the public on a topic that otherwise remains hidden. In some ways I am an unofficial ambassador and that is a privilege.”
As a young officer, Chris learned an important lesson about the emotional toll of betrayal while working on a spy penetration at NATO headquarters. The infiltrator was code named “Topaz” (an ode to the classic Alfred Hitchcock Cold War film) and they discovered that the spy’s wife worked in the NATO Office of Security.
We spend some time talking about his take on the vulnerabilities of a polarized nation and foreign actors’ exploitation of social media. This issue was masterfully explored in an article by Dr. Alice Atalanta.
The Spy Museum is a non-profit organization and listeners can support them by making a donation or buying some of their cool merchandise.
TAKEAWAY: Good spy craft is really personal. It’s building a deep relationship and then accepting that there will be a leap of faith at some time.
“Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin; A Story of the US Military’s Commitment to Leave No One Behind” is a superbly researched book. “We will leave no person behind” is an ethos of our military dating as far back as before the Revolutionary War. Author Eileen Bjorkman served 30 years in the Air Force, much of it as a flight test engineer. She has experience with more than 25 different military aircraft.
Flight Test Engineers are behind the scenes personnel who work in the backseat of aircraft and control rooms to design tests in order to gather data. They then make recommendations for improvements and changes. “That’s why we test. So our warfighters can be their best.”
While Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin revolves around the specific story of Navy pilot Willie Sharpe who was shot down over Vietnam in 1965, it is best described as a broader examination of the evolution of Combat Search and Rescue. Eileen chose to feature Sharpe because his case featured many historic firsts. These included forward staged rescue helicopters and orbiting amphibious aircraft that were literally put into place a few days before he was shot down. Radio traffic of the entire rescue was tape recorded and a copy was presented to Sharpe.
In the book Eileen shares some amazing stories of combat rescues ranging from World War I to the first use of a helicopter way back in World War II. The story of one particular Catalina amphibious aircraft rescue of the crews of three different bombers while under fire is especially compelling.
We also spend some time talking about specific technologies (like the ejection seat) that improved survivability. The Department of Defense is even soliciting design proposals for Autonomous Personnel Recovery vehicles that would allow downed pilots to “phone for an taxi”.
“Three Wise Men” tells the story of one family’s extreme sacrifice during the longest sustained period of conflict in our nation’s history. All three Wise brothers enlisted. Jeremy became a Navy SEAL, Ben a Green Beret and Beau a Marine. Together they would spend 1,600 days deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both Jeremy and Ben would be killed in action, triggering the Department of Defense “Sole Survivor” designation for youngest brother Beau.
The Fog of War is a recurring theme in Three Wise Men, including the situation that led to Jeremy losing his life. The December 30, 2009 suicide bombing at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost, Afghanistan would become the CIA’s second highest single day casualty event in the agency’s history. Jeremy would be awarded the CIA Intelligence Star.
Returning to combat following Jeremy’s funeral, brother Ben would pray “Lord please keep us safe. Not for me but for the people who care about me. What happened to Jeremy can never happen to my family again.” But tragedy would call upon the Wise family one more time.
While pursing high value targets in Afghanistan’s Balk Province on January 9th, 2012 Ben would sustain serious wounds. He died Jan. 15 at the military hospital in Landstuhl.
At Ben’s funeral, Marine Corps Commandant General James F. Amos told their grieving mother “Mrs. Wise, you have my word that Beau is not going anywhere for a long, long time.”
While Beau says that in retrospect the Corps’ decision was the right one, it became apparent over time that his career as a Marine was effectively over because he was prohibited from going into combat. Beau found himself wondering how he would deal with the loss of two brothers without his own Marine brotherhood.
TAKEAWAY: “People will see the title of the book and think the third Wise Man is me, but it’s not, it’s my Dad.”
Rita Cosby is one of the most respected broadcasters in America and an ardent advocate for our military and Veterans. She has practiced her craft as both a radio and television host and has been recognized with THREE Emmy Awards – the highest recognition for excellence in the broadcast industry.
While she has interviewed over twenty world leaders, entertainment icons and even a serial killer, her greatest interview may have been with her own father. As a child she noticed that her father Richard had scars “etched like cracks in dried mud.” Her mother simply said “we don’t talk about it.” Cleaning out possessions after her mothers’ passing, she discovered a tattered suitcase that contained a bloody red & white Polish armband and an ex-POW card. Rita says this started the greatest story of her life.
As a teenager her father was part of the World War II Polish resistance that fought for their freedom against overwhelming odds. He fought in the Warsaw Uprising and endured the horrors of a German POW camp. Rita tells his incredible story in her book “Quiet Hero: Secrets From My Father’s Past”.
Rita was recently named Chair of the Global Service Institute. This innovative initiative seeks to create “generations of greater good” by inspiring people to serve in their communities. The institute has a free app that directly connects volunteers with charities in their area. Rita encourages both non-profits and volunteers to register for the app and explore their virtual speaker series featuring leaders from around the globe.
Rita was also recently involved in a campaign to finally secure recognition for the unsung heroes of the Merchant Marines.
TAKEAWAY: “There are millions of people around the globe who everyday are praying that they come to a riverbed with GIs on the other side. This beacon on the hill..this incredible thing that IS America.”
Firefighter cancer was the leading cause of career line of duty deaths between 2002 and 2017. Deputy Chief Darin Wallentine of the Tucson Fire Department joins us to share more information during National Firefighter Cancer Awareness month.
Firefighters have a 9% greater chance of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14% greater chance of dying from cancer than the general U.S. population. A contributing factor is new building materials that can create a toxic soup when aflame.
While the Personal Protective Equipment worn by our firefighters is state of the art, it does not completely eliminate the risk. Inhalation exposure is the greatest risk, but dermal exposure and ingestion are also factors. One of the goals of National Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month is to deliver targeted education about best practices and resources to reduce the impact of cancer on our firefighters.
Darin provides examples of some of the simple procedures that can reduce risk. One of which is the very “low tech” post fire decontamination technique consisting of a five gallon bucket of water with Dawn dish soap added. Using wet wipes at the fire scene and a “shower within an hour” after returning to the station are also recommended procedures. Some departments have the ability to provide their crews with a second set of turnouts so firefighters always have a fresh and clean set.
Listeners are asked to engage with their local governments to makes sure that their local departments have the funding to make sure their public safety personnel always have the funds necessary to supply the best equipment.
TAKEAWAY: “I look at Firefighting as a blessing and a curse. It’s the greatest job in the world but on the flip side of the coin it can be a curse when you are sitting in a doctor’s office getting that diagnosis you weren’t expecting.”
Hearing loss is the number one service related issue among Veterans. Dr. Christi Moore has been practicing audiology for over two decades and was inspired to enter the field after growing up with family members who suffered from hearing loss. Veterans make up about ten to fifteen percent of her patient base.
Dr. Moore provides us a basic primer on the biology of hearing loss and how continued exposure to noises in excess of 90 decibels can cause hair cells to weaken. While repeated exposure to gunfire, explosions and loud engines is an obvious exposure risk for members of our military and first responders, she explains that there are devices in civilian’s daily lives that can also contribute; power tools, the increased use of headsets/ear buds for music and even a shop vacuum cleaner.
I grew up regularly using firearms and chain saws and now suffer from Tinnitus. Damaged hair cells can sometimes get confused and create a “phantom sound” that the brain interprets as a noise. Other health conditions like cardiovascular issues, medications or infections can also cause Tinnitus. While there is no cure for Tinnitus, there are therapies that can reduced the intensity of the affliction.
We discuss the issue of denial and how hearing aids are no longer perceived in our society as simply a sign of “old age”. Dr. Moore encourages Veterans to explore treatment options and funding through the VA health system.
Dr. Moore emphasizes protective measures and highly recommends properly rated “shuttering earmuffs” for persons who enjoy shooting or are regularly exposed to loud noises.
TAKEAWAY: “It’s never easy to admit that something isn’t working right in your body system. Even if you don’t think your hearing problem is bad right now, don’t wait until it gets bad before you do something about it.”
Havok Journal Editor Scott Faith joins us for the first show of the New Year; a retrospective on 2020. Havok Journal is my “go to” website for all things Veteran and Military.
Scott and I discuss the messages shared in several of their articles published over the last year, beginning with “Resolutions for Veterans”. The piece is based upon a poll of all their writers.
The number one resolution on the list reinforces the mission of both the Journal and American Warrior Radio; encouraging Veterans to tell their story. Several of the resolutions touch on the theme of helping fellow Veterans and their families and seeking help when needed.
Havok Journal’s “biggest” article of 2020 was “We Are the Useful Idiots; How Our Nation Divided is Playing Strait into the Hands of our Greatest Enemies” written by Dr. Alice Atalanta. Alice builds upon comments from a 34 year Intelligence Officer who calls out the vulnerability of a polarized nation. She also provides tips on how each of us can take responsibility for not spreading disinformation on social media and putting out the “flame wars.”
We wrap up with a piece written by Kevin Wilson about the biggest “cyber blue on blue” event of the year: “Cancel Culture; Black Rifle Coffee Company vs 2A Bro Vets”. Black Rifle was founded by Green Beret Evan Hafer in 2014 and has become one of our nation’s most successful Veteran owned companies. They have millions of social media followers and generated revenues of $80 million 2019. An ill-advised link to the Kyle Rittenhouse incident by one of their affiliates created quite a kerfuffle in the Veteran community.
TAKEAWAY: “Perhaps more than some others, we as Vets know yesterday is done, today is a gift, and there is no guarantee of tomorrow. The coming year is yours – what will YOU do with it?”