Hanging Up The Boots

Abby Seitz is an active duty Marine and currently serves as an Officer Selection Assistant, recruiting future USMC officer candidates. She is married to Scot Seitz, who has also been on the show. In this episode, we discussed the USMC recruitment apparatus in an attempt to demystify it and answer some common questions about military recruitment.

Justin Minger was a Levantine linguist at 1st Radio Battalion with me. He is currently working in logistics management and is moving into a sales position, and in our conversation he detailed growing up patriotic, the importance of discipline, and the fact that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Scot Seitz is an active duty Marine and was my team leader for most of the workup leading up to the 13th MEU deployment. He is currently at The Basic School as he was recently commissioned to 2nd Lieutenant through the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program.

Brittaney Barts is a former Marine and the wife of my best friend, Cam Barts (Episode 10, check it out). She is from Virginia, served with MALS 39 at Camp Pendleton, and was medically separated after a severe, enduring hip injury. We talked about her time in the military and her experiences with her command, her injury, her ongoing mental health and raising a baby during the military transition.

Tracy Wein was a SIGINT operator and linguist from my battalion and did two consecutive deployments to Afghanistan. After the Marine Corps he worked as a chef and is now pursuing a career in IT. In this episode we got a chance to drink some beers and talk about our former battalion, publicly pooping while under fire, and being lucky to live in the USA. Part 2 coming soon!

Cameron is my best friend and deployed on the 13th MEU with me. He is a talented programmer, video game aficionado and father. In this episode we discussed his military career, his path toward discovering his talents and the struggle with trying to address emotional turmoil with logic.

Part 2 with Nick Crash, a former Law Enforcement Marine who deployed on the 13th MEU with me. In this episode we talked about the aftermath of the deployment, finding yourself within a relationship and how finding or rediscovering your faith can impact your worldview.

Nick Crash is a Marine who deployed on the USS Boxer during the 13th MEU. He was a field MP attached to the command element, and has had a wild and tumultuous life before, during, and after his service. He is a trans individual from an Evangelical Christian family and in this episode we discussed his journey of self realization, the duties that accompany manhood, and the beauty of karma.

Cooper Westerman deployed with me and was a talented, versatile Marine and SIGINT operator. He had an unusual and difficult route through our battalion, and has now turned his creative passion from music to the visual arts and is an exhibited photographer.

Phil Rios is one of my best friends and has been since we attended DLI together. He is currently studying jazz trombone at the Melbourne Conservatory of Music in Australia. We talked about coffee, the pros and cons of being in a small unit, and how sometimes a change of scenery is all you need.

This is the second half of my interview with Brandon, where we go over the deployment and everything that he's been up to after the Marine Corps. We discuss ocean trash, careers, introspection and the importance of following your passion.

Brandon Kell was a member of my deployment's Radio Recon Team. He's currently a creative writer and an aspiring comic in the Tampa area. In this episode, Brandon tells about his strange and winding path through 1st Radio Battalion leading up to our deployment.

Micah Johnsrud deployed with Kyle and I and is a single-mindedly disciplined person. He was part of the Radio Reconnaissance Team on our detachment and now leads a pool-based fitness and mentorship program in Montana.

Kyle Restemayer, "Rusty", is a good friend of mine and a former Marine. We deployed together, which we get into a bit in our interview. We also talked about community, fitness, and Rusty's new career as a police officer with the Fontana, California Police Department.

This episode is just me and my story. A little of how I got into the military, a little of what I did while I was in, and a little more about what it was like getting out. What I felt, what I did and wished I had done. Going forward I won't have to talk about myself too much and can focus on my guests!