Fragout Podcast

Incredible Podcast with my friend Brett Schaal. Brett served 8 years in the Marines. He did 2 tours in Iraq and was in the first fight for Fallujah and was there for the Flour Factory incident. He served with 2/7 Marines. He share his upbrining and path into the Marines and transition. Brett and I went to UW- Whitewater together and sat next to each other in English class. Brett is one of the most humble and hard working friends I know. He's not one to boast about his service so I am doing it for him. He also recently bought a Traeger! On December 1, 2005, in Fallujah, Iraq, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines lost ten Marines in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack. The fallen Marines were: Lance Cpl. John M. Holmason, Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Clay, Lance Cpl. David A. Huhn, Lance Cpl. Adam W. Kaiser, Lance Cpl. Robert A. Martinez, Cpl.Anthony T. McElveen, Lance Cpl. Scott T. Modeen, Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Patten, Sgt. Andy A. Stevens, and Lance Cpl. Craig N. Watson

Incredible podcast with My British Family My sister Tanya her kids Ryan and Alexa. We did a nice podcast about the story of finding each other through DNA testing. I've grown up knowning nothing about my father and I've only had 1 picture of him. Tanya has provided 50+ more pictures and tons of stories ans facts about my dad. It's been something I've always wondered about my whole life. We both knew each other exist but didn't have full names or updated information. I've spent the last 11 days with them taking them all over Wisconsin.

Chance Wadsworth- 2 Time World Live Goose Calling Champion. Owner of Quill Creek Calls and Nuclear Chemist. Chance is an avid Goose and Duck Hunter. We shared a great hunt last September. He taught me how to Goose Call and is always helping me. We also spent time together in Salt Lake City Utah at Western Hunt Expo. This was a great episode because we got to talk about waterfowl hunting, work ethic, and mentoring others.

Amazing podcast with my friend Zack Zdroik. Zach is a Marine Corps Veteran/Afghanistan Veteran. Father and Relentless Veteran Advocate. Zach was the Executive Director of Veteran Outreach Of Wisconsin. He has worked for the VFW, Racine County (accredited by the VA), VOW, Cameron firm, and now ceo/co-founder- VetmedQRF Zach and I talked indepth about veteran advocacy and what we've seen and experienced face to face with veterans. We talked about the homeless veteran issue at full spectrum. This was a treat for me since I don't get to have these types of conversations. There's certain things only veteran advocates know about within our community and helping veterans in crisis.    Check out VetMedQRF!    

Greg Russo is a 2x Iraq War veteran and former Linebacker for the Wisconsin Badgers. Greg was a walk on for the Badgers after his second deployment. He shared his incredible story and the genesis of why football and why he joined the Wisconsin Army National Guard. His path from Warzones to the Rose Ball is rare, inspiring, and empowering for everyone.   We also talk about high preforming athletes and teams.   

Greg Brittnacher is a proud Air Force Veteran and served in North Dakota, England and a tour in Iraq. He's highly educated with VA Appeals and disability benefits and is the former CVSO of Calumet County. He's now owner of Freedom Claims Agency as a Registered Claims Agent. He's registered through the VA system so he's verified and not a claims Shark.. he's legit! Greg is also currently in Law School to become a Lawyer.  If you need assistance with VA appeals he's your guy. please check out his  

Travis J. Soletske was Army Combat Medic and currently owner of Zero Dark Thirty Outfitters LLC. Travis and I talked about why he joined the military and then he reenlisted after 9/11. He is an avid outdoorsman and strives to help veteran with the outdoors and hunting. We had a great time together sharing stories and laughs.

Cory served 12 years in the Army. 4 combat deployments 1 to Iraq 3 to Afghanistan as a MEDEVAC Crew Chief on Blackhawks. He has over 2,000 flight hours and 1,000 missions between Iraq and Afghanistan. Cory served with the 101st Airborne out of Fort Campbell. Cory shared his story and why the military saved his life and helped him become a better person. He was in some serious legal troubles and the Army was his only option. Proud to know Cory. We've hunted together and had some great times.

Ben Killoy has been on 2 previous times. He's a proud Marine Corps veteran, father of 4, life coach and leadership consultant. Always great to have him share his journeys and valuable insight.

Phenomenal podcast with my friend Felicia Marie. We talked in depth about women in the outdoors and hunting. Overcoming egos, sexisim, and male dominated community. Women have an equal part in hunting. You're either part of the solution or part of the problem. She spoke about her company Women of the Wild. She does so much for women and the hunting community. 

Wayne Hartlich- Navy/Vietnam Veteran served on the last WW2 Submarine 1965-1970 USS Baya 318. Diesel Subs Forever! Wayne shared his humble beginnings, native of Manitowoc, WI. His wife and himself make Fidget Mats for people with dementia and Alzheimer's. He is very active volunteer at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Talked about his passion to serve on a sub and how he got to fulfill his dream! This was a special episode.

Long overdue Podcast with my friend Jim Darling. Jim served proud in the Marine Corps for 6 years, and 1 tour to Iraq in 2008. He's a native of California and is best friends with the creator of Baywatch. He's also a lifeguard for Los Angeles County. Jim lives in the Fox valley with his 2 kids. Jim came to me and ask to help him get into hunting. Our first hunting trip was to Wyoming for Antelope. We talked about all our adventures and funny moments on the podcast.

Our great friend Tom Farley was back for a quick podcast. He shared his new job with Recovery.com. He also talked about the Bio-pic movie about Chris Farley. We caught up and shared some laughs and jokes. Great to see you my friend!

2 months away from podcasting and I called my friend Jesse Cuff. Hes been on many times before and we just talked about everything under the sun. I share some amazing things that happend in my personal life. This was a great time with my friend. 

Incredible virtual podcast tonight with Michael Connor Humphreys. You may recognize him from the movie Forest Gump. He is an Iraq War Veteran served 4 years in the Army and was in Iraq in 2005-2006.  Michael shared his journey about being Forest Gump and the military and all the transitioning from both. Michael is passionate about helping veterans and is a great ambassador/advocate for the veteran community. Michael is currently living in Mississippi.  

Entertaining and educational podcast with my friends Victor Bohm and Eric Jansen from Balanced Veterans Network. Over the pass year they've grown and hammered lobbying for psychedelics and cannabis therapy for veterans on Capitol Hill. BVN wants veterans to find balance in their lives doesn't have to be with cannabis or other psychedelics but with heath, fitness, community, mentally, etc. I consider them experts within the cannabis field and advocacy.

Todd Smits and I met 7 years ago in Appleton. He was one of the many Homeless Veterans I've helped over the last 17+ years. Todd served 7 Years in the NAVY. He was in the Fleet for 2 years, and did 5 years in Naval Special Warfare as a SWCC Boat Operator. Todd shared his incredible life story loosing both parents at a young age, going to jail, deployments, transitioning, and so much more. Todd recently graduated from college and has turned his life around 180 degrees with a lot of hard work! I am so proud of him.

Jessica Lynch OG Iraq War Veteran, Prisoner Of War, Purple Heart recipient. She is the first POW rescue since WW2 and the first ever Female POW rescue. We covered so much ground and many topics. She is a wonderful woman veteran and great ambassador to our veteran community.

Phenomenal Podcast with my new friend Lindsey Lundgaard. Lindsey is the widow of Mitch Lundgaard. Mitch was a firefighter/EMT that was killed in the line of duty May 15, 2019. Lindsey came on to talk about Mitch, children, overcoming grief, moving forward, and giving back. We spoke about how people handle grief is many different ways, she handled a very tragic and complex situation with grace and compassion. She was very honest about how she felt at various moments in the last 5 years. I learned a lot and honored to share this story.   Please check out the foundation

I spoke to some good friends and my aunt Erin on my birthday. We just had some great topics and laughed a lot. My birthday was a lot of fun. I got to talk to an old friend Marty, who I served with in my first infantry unit. That was a great part of my day. We will get him on for a full podcast. 

Great podcast with Andy VanHandel, Army Veteran and SkyDiving Instructor. He's been skydiving for 25 years and has 3700 jumps, 2000 are tandems. We had a great conversation about skydiving, his service, and Freedom Freefall coming up for veterans!

Great podcast with Jon Winker founder of Resilience Racing. Jon was on the podcast 4.5 years ago. His organization has seen some great growth. They take amputee veterans and put them in custom race cars, specifically Ford Mustangs. They have special hand controls and other technology. They have great partnership with Road America. We will be working on getting veterans to Road America this summer for “Hot Laps”. 20 min laps, doing 170mph. Veterans are the passenger and get an experience of a lifetime!

I called my friend Ben Killoy and completely surprised him. It was nice to catch up with Ben and hearing what he has going on in his life, including a new baby. Ben is a life coach for Fathers and teaches leadership. He is an excellent podcast host. Proud of him and his achievements. 

Called Dean owner of Tailgate Foodie, one of our sponsors. They make amazing Rubs and seasonings right here in Wisconsin. Dean is an Iraq Veteran. They've seen huge growth since we had Dean on the show. Wanted to follow up and chat with Dean. Please check out Tailgate Foodie.   

I called my friend Danny Z to check in on him and see how his business is doing and dove into his story. He was previously on the podcast but this was before he left Corporate America. He posted a picture on LinkedIn and it went viral. I am beyond proud of Danny and is hardwork. 

Tim La Sage is back!! After 4+ years and 200 episodes he came back on and was the most honest and vulnerable I've ever seen him. We went 3.5 hours. He now holds the record for longest podcast. Tim spent most of his life preparing for war and fighting in combat, but now he's trying to find his peace. This podcast was beautiful, honest, vulnerable, pure, and fun. The conversation we had today is what we all should strive to have with everyone we love. I'm proud of Tim.

I called my friends Curt and Jeff on this 3rd installment of the SITREP.  Jeff and I talked about turkey hunting and how he is motivated to go out and try to get a Tom this year. I gave him some pointers on turkey hunting.  Curt and I have an event on Feb 29th in Madison, WI. So we talked about that and his various other events he has going on. 

Veterans don't miss this chance at small business training, mentors, and cash for your business! Are you a Veteran who owns a small business? Are you a Veteran with an idea for a business? Yes? Then apply to participate in the E-seed Express for Veterans series at the Fox Valley Technical College Venture Center. During this small business and entrepreneur training you will learn the better art of small business management while you grow your network and access resources.  Upon successful completion in the E-seed Express for Veterans series, each Veteran is eligible to receive $1,000.00 towards the launch and/or growth of their small business! The E-seed Express for Veterans series is made possible through a grant from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and kicks off on April first, no fooling, with limited availability for twelve Veterans. Apply NOW.  he course dates will run Mondays, April 1 through June 10. Log on to www.FVTC.edu/VentureCenter or call Amy at 920-735-2594 to apply!

On this episode I called Tom Farley and we caught on all the amazing things he is doing with his full time job. We also talked about his brother Chris and his legacy. We talked about the upcoming even in May in Appleton that Tom will be speaking at twice! This was a fun call. 

On this episode I called my friends Joe Wesner and Dan NewBerry.  Joe is the founder of ultimate Veteran Adventures in Ohio. He takes veterans on various hunts around the country. I called him and checked in on him. He is only 1 bird away from the Waterfowl Grand Slam.  I also called Dan Newberry. He recently opened a boxing gym in Milwaukee called 22 Fitness Boxing. Helping people and veterans become healthy and learn to box.  I am super proud of both these guys. 

Great podcast with Shad Loch founder of Take'Em Outdoors. Shad Founded the org about 18 years ago and has taken many veterans and terminally ill children on hunts all around the state of Wisconsin and the country. We had a great time talking about the impact he has made on the many veterans and children he's met along the way. I was lucky enough to go to Wyoming for an antelope hunt with Shad in 2022.

Very fun podcast with Air Force Veteran Jeff Bowers. Jeff served for 8 years, 1 deployment to Iraq in 2005/2006 at Camp Bucca. We spoke about this humble beginnings and post military life. We both shared a lot of personal feelings, thoughts, and emotions on this episode. We also had some cocktails while recording. We agreed veterans need to do a better job of taking care of themselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We laughed a lot on this one.

Jesse Frewerd served in the Army, and he's an OG Iraq war veteran he served in Iraq in 2003. Jesse is a singer/songwriter. He shared the highs and lows about his service, transition, and his new life purpose of singing and writing songs. This was a very fun podcast. He even sang on the podcast, it was awesome!

Excellent podcast with my friends, business partners, and primary podcast sponsors Mike Cox and Brian Hofmann owners of MortgageNerds.com. We did a deep dive into the VA Home Loan, VA Construction Loan, VA Renovation Loan, Why Brokers Are Better, Asking the Right Questions, and so much more. Mike and Brian travel the state and educate veterans and service members on the VA Home Loan daily! They are at Fort McCoy monthly and we have built a healthy relationship with the CVSOs of Wisconsin. The VA Home Loan is super confusing and robust, the family at Mortgage Nerds is here to help you. This was a very fun and educational podcast.

Jesse Cuff joined me for his 4th podcast here at the studio. Jesse is an Army/Afghanistan veteran and currently the CVSO of Waupaca County Veterans Service Office. We talked about current events, politics, veteran community, and his conspiracy theories. I don't usually talk about some of these topics but I save it for Jesse because we have fun with it, and he's also very level headed. It was fun to catch up and share some healthy laughs. Jesse still holds the record for the longest podcast which is 3 hours 10 mins and now he's the only guest with 4 separate episodes

 Keegan served in the Marine Corps and deployed to South American and Iraq. He's an Appleton Firefighter/Paramedic. Keegan has also fought and beat stage 4 Lung cancer. Keegan's story is hard to quantify in words. He changed his diet, workout, and lifestyle to beat cancer. There's many people who look up to him and respect him. One of the strongest and bravest men I know. I want to thank him for spending 2.5 hours with me just sharing stories and his journey.  Happy 248th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps

Exciting podcast with Steve Kofron. Steve is one of the 12 Horse Soldiers from Special Forces ODA 595 that fought the Taliban on horseback just 40 days after 9/11. His 12 man team lived in some very brutal conditions and fought alongside the Northern Alliance with General Dostum. Currently Steve works for Horse Soldier Bourbon. It was a pleasure to have him and Kody on to talk about the company, his military service, and giving back to our Veteran community. The Movie 12 Strong depicts their mission.

Powerful podcast today with Shannon Hough. Shannon is a proud Navy Veteran and Founder of Shield of Sisters nonprofit that helps Women veterans that were Raped/ and or Sexually assaulted while in service. 1 in 3 women that served have either been raped or assaulted. Shannon shared her service and story. This topic is very sensitive but the MIL/Vet community isn't really talking about it. We have to use our voices. 

Dave Tellefsen the new county Veteran service officer of Fond du Lac County. Dave served 22 years in the Marine Corps with 8+ trips around the world and a deployment to Iraq. Dave shared his service, deployment stories, transition, and the importance of seeing your CVSO.

Powerful podcast today with Chris Gromowski. Chris is a proud Marine Corps veteran and co-founder of Vyper Energy. Chris came on the show to talk about his incredible journey just getting into the military. Chris grew up in the Foster Care System with different families until he was adapted by an amazing family. Chris's journey is inspiring and they type of stories we should be sharing and promoting. We both grew up in southeastern, WI. This podcast will be live next week! 

Major General (Ret) Don Dunbar.  Don served 37 years in the Air Force. He was the TAG (The Adjutant General) of the Wisconsin National Guard for 13 years, served under 3 Governors. He served on various councils and committees. Don came on the podcast to talk about path into the military, the legacy his father and uncles establish during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. I've known Don since I was a senior in High School so it was an honor to have Don on the podcast as equals. We covered a lot of ground and topics. He's been retired now for just over 3 years now.

My first Live Podcast with Bad Batch CrossFit this morning. Raising money for Lift for the 22. Incredible show of support in Kaukauna, WI.  Dan Newberry has been on twice previously. We did a quick Live on Site podcast while other worked out. We spoke about the importance of working out and getting veterans back in the gym and becoming healthy. 

My friend Alex DV came on the podcast today. Alex is a Marine Corps Veteran and is Pro Staff with The Fallen Outdoors. Alex shared his amazing story a lot was very personal and some he's never shared before. Alex is an avid fisherman and loves to get veterans either on the water or the ice catching fish. Alex is a great veteran advocate and his work ethic to encourage veterans to be outdoors is top notch!

Insightful and powerful podcast with Andy Brigham Assistant State Captain of the Patriot Guard Riders - Wisconsin. Andy has spent decades assisting, supporting, fundraising for service members, veterans, and families throughout Wisconsin. Andy shared his personal story about a freak electrocution accident that prevented him from fulfilling his dream of serving in the US Navy. Andy has been a massive supporter of the podcast since day 1. It was an honor to have him on and share so much his family, himself, and the PGR!

Victor Bohm (Left) Air Force Veteran former Senior Director of Communications for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Graduated from Columbia- Ivy League. Eric Jansen (Right) Marine Corps Veteran/ 2 Tours Afghanistan. Merchandise Coordinator and volunteer for Balanced Veterans Network which is a national nonprofit focused on getting veterans into various type of therapy. They have different pillars. To include psychedelics. Eric and Victor both shared their personal experiences using psychedelics to treat their PTS, anxiety, depression, etc. Eric shared his story and trip to Mexico to be apart of an Ayahuasca ceromony. Very powerful podcast!

Cory Asimus Marine Corps/ Afghanistan Veteran and current Appleton Firefighter. Cory is the unofficial Guinness World Record Holder for the fastest Half Marathon with a 100 lb Ruck with a time of 2:10:38. Cory came on the podcast today to talk about his humble beginnings growing up in Colorado, playing hockey, Enlisting in the Marines, his transition, etc. Cory is also training currently for the Fox Cities Marathon where he will attempt to set a new world record for a Full Marathon with a 100 lb Ruck. He's raising money for Vaspire316! Cory has a great story and support surrounding him.

Part 2 Jake Dekeyser- Air Force Veteran. Jake and I met 2 years ago at an archery event. He was only 6 days out of the Air Force and already having a rough transition for the last 2 years I've been mentoring him. He shared his journey and story today. We did a 2.5 hour podcast and covered a lot of important topics surrounding our MIL/Vet community. Jake's growth has been incredible but the knowledge and wisdom he's gained is even more valuable.

Jake Dekesyer- Air Force Veteran. Jake and I met 2 years ago at an archery event. He was only 6 days out of the Air Force and already having a rough transition for the last 2 years I've been mentoring him. He shared his journey and story today. We did a 2.5 hour podcast and covered a lot of important topics surrounding our MIL/Vet community. Jake's growth has been incredible but the knowledge and wisdom he's gained is even more valuable. He now works for Synergy Sports Performance.

Bill Leahy- West Point Grad- Infantryman. Bill is the owner/Founder of Renaissance Reliability, LLC. Manufacturing consultancy and Skillbridge program partner transitioning service members into manufacturing and helping manufactures. American manufacturing is making a comeback and they are filming a documentary about the entire journey. Bills brother Shawn is the genesis behind all this. Shawn had a rough transition and took his life in December of 2022.  We will post the link for the upcoming documentary in the notes in the near future! 

Jason Flores owner of Moonbeem Brands and he's a proud Marine Corps/Afghanistan veteran. Jason and dove into his humble beginnings and his obsession with outer space. Jason did want anything to do with the veteran community for years cause he felt he didn't do enough. But he is slowly coming back and wants to help other vets.

Brent Eisberner came up for a phenomenal podcast today. Served in Kuwait, Haiti, and Afghanistan.Brent was an Artillery officer. He is also a great attorney. Brent shared his journey through the Marines, around the world and law school. He is a great veteran, community leader, and story teller.