Podcasts about army reserve

For Easter weekend — and the end of Passover! — stories of people struggling to follow the Ten Commandments. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.Host Ira Glass reads from the Ten Commandments. Not the original Ten Commandments, but some of the newer, lesser-known ones. There's the Miner's Ten Commandments of 1853, the Ten Commandments of Umpiring, and the Ten Commandments for Math Teachers — just to name a few. (4 minutes)Commandments One, Two and Three: As a boy in religious school, Shalom Auslander is informed that his name, Shalom, is one of the names of God, and so he must be very careful not to take his own name in vain. (9 minutes)Commandment Four: Six houses of worship in six different cities, each with its own way of honoring the Sabbath. (3 minutes)Commandment Five: When Jack Hitt was 11, he did the worst thing his father could have imagined. Neither Jack nor his four siblings will ever forget the punishment. (6 minutes)Commandment Six: Alex Blumberg talks to Lt. Col. Lyn Brown, an Army Reserve chaplain who served two tours in Iraq. Brown talks about what "thou shalt not kill" means to soldiers on the battlefield. (6 minutes)Commandment Seven: In the book of Matthew, Jesus says that looking lustfully at a woman is like committing adultery in your heart. Contributor David Dickerson was raised as an evangelical Christian, and for many years tried not to have a single lustful thought. (9 minutes)Commandment Eight: Ira talks to a waiter named Hassan at Liebman's Deli in the Bronx about some audacious thefts he's witnessed in his years in the restaurant business. (3 minutes)Commandment Nine: Chaya Lipschutz wanted to donate one of her kidneys to a stranger. But to save a stranger's life, she had to break the commandment against lying. And the person she had to lie to was her mother. Chaya talked to Sarah Koenig. (8 minutes)Commandment Ten: Ira talks to seventh-graders about the things they covet most. (4 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.orgThis American Life privacy policy.Learn more about sponsor message choices.

Student 2 Student (S2S) is a peer-to-peer student-led program that brings military and civilian students together to welcome new students, create a positive environment for all, support educational opportunities, build connections through service, and ease transitions. Listen as Kiani shares her story, and how S2S became a source of support and comfort beyond her time as a new student.   This podcast is made possible by generous funding from the USAA Foundation.     Audio mixing by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas.   Show Notes:   Resources:   MCEC Student 2 Student https://militarychild.org/programs-and-initiatives/student-2-student/   Military OneSource https://www.militaryonesource.mil/benefits/confidential-counseling/   988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:  https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988     National Center for PTSD https://www.samhsa.gov/resource/dbhis/national-center-ptsd   U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Mental Health https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/index.asp https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/ptsd/next-step.asp https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_veterans.asp   Bio: Kiani is 17, in the 11th grade, and her dad served in the Army.  She has a dog named Daisy and enjoys playing basketball and video games in her free time.  Kiani has moved twice as a military-connected child.  She plans on joining the Army Reserves, participating in ROTC in college, and continuing to play basketball.  

The human performance community often focuses on physical fitness at the expense of other domains. Recent holistic approaches have improved the ways we address other domains, especially nutrition, mental health, and spiritual fitness. A weak area in many of these programs is financial fitness, and Life Skills for Soldiers is working to fix that. Financial fitness is a dedicated domain in the DoD's Total Force Fitness model, but it's often treated as separate from the "performance" focused domains. Our guest on this week's episode is Brendan Duebner, a former artillery officer who served at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and deployed to the Middle East. He served as a headquarters and HIMARS platoon leader and as a liaison officer to the Kuwaiti Artillery forces.During his last year in the Army he started Life Skills for Soldiers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to improve service members lives through life skills education. Through this organization he has led a team of over 25 and raised over $150,000 including donations from companies like Nike and Google.After leaving active duty he completed his MBA at Wharton where he focused on Entrepreneurship and Finance, and he still serves as a member of the Army Reserve's 75th Innovation Command. In the spirit of measuring effectiveness, Brendan's team also publishes impact assessments from their pilot programs.

We sit down with newly selected below-the-zone promotable Colonel, LTC(P) Rebecca Sinclair—a standout 70H Medical Operations Officer and dynamic leader. Join us as LTC(P) Sinclair shares invaluable tips for successful medical operations planning and what it takes to lead a health clinic with purpose, precision, and impact. From strategic thinking to day-to-day leadership, she offers real-world insights into how 70Hs support Army Medicine's mission at every level. Whether you're a junior officer looking to grow in medical operations or a seasoned leader aiming to sharpen your skills, this episode delivers actionable takeaways, leadership wisdom, and a glimpse into what it means to lead with excellence.LTC Rebecca (Lesemann) Sinclair is a native of Madison, Mississippi, and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. She enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2002 as a saxophone player and was commissioned active duty into the Medical Service Corps as a Distinguished Military Graduate from Appalachian State University in 2006. She has served in numerous leadership and staff roles across Army Medicine, including Commander of MEDDAC-HAAF and Director of Tuttle Army Health Clinic and Richmond Hill Medical Home; Chief of Future Medical Operations for ARNORTH; Brigade S3 and Chief of Plans for the 44th MED BDE; Battalion XO and S3 of the 261st MMB; and Commander of the 550th ASMC. Her strategic-level experience includes serving as EA/XO to the OTSG/MEDCOM Chief of Staff and XO to the MEDCOM Director of Communications, as well as a liaison officer to the Army's Office of the Chief of Public Affairs. LTC Sinclair holds a B.S. in Psychology from Appalachian State University and a Master of Public Service and Administration from the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University. She is a graduate of Intermediate Level Education at the Command and General Staff College. Her operational experience includes a deployment to Iraq (2008–2009) and key roles in multiple homeland and defense support missions, including the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada, COVID-19 response, Operation Allies Refuge and Allies Welcome, and hurricane and border response efforts. Her awards include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (4 OLC), Expert Field Medical Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Army Surgeon General's “A” Proficiency Designator. She is also a proud member of the Order of Military Medical Merit.Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are the guests and host's alone and do not reflect the official position of the Medical Service Corps, the Department of Defense, or the US Government. All information discussed is unclassified approved for public release and found on open cleared sources.For more episodes listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube @ Be All You Can Be MSC For more information, suggestions, or questions please contact: beallyoucanbemsc@gmail.com

Sgt. Bret Lee is a Deputy Sheriff in Nebraska and also a member of the Army Reserve. Bret takes us through the pressure of FTO along with his most  memorable calls to date. Great stories from the great state of Nebraska! Support The Sponsors That Support TPS! Black Box Safety - Instagram @blackboxsafety www.blackboxsafety.com sourcewell@blackboxsafety.com ProForce Law Enforcement - Instagram @proforcelawenforcement / 1-800-367-5855 Special Discount Link for TPS listeners!       http://tps.proforceonline.com Contact Steve - steve@thingspolicesee.com Support the show by joining the Patreon community today! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=27353055    

Dr. Dave Weldon is a physician and former member of Congress. He was born in Amityville, New York, on August 31, 1953. After graduating from Stony Brook University in 1978, he earned his M.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine in 1981. Dr. Weldon served in the U.S Army from 1981 to 1987 and in the Army Reserve from 1987 until 1992. After his military service, he practiced medicine in Florida. Dr. Weldon represented Florida's 15th congressional district in Congress from 1995 to 2009. He is a physician at Health First Medical Group in Malabar, Florida. President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Weldon in November 2024 to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); however, his nomination was withdrawn by the White House on March 13, 2025, just hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing. Dr. Weldon is married to Nancy Weldon and they have two children.

A vast program of public works was initiated by the Israeli Government to provide employment opportunities for the refugee immigrants who were mainly unskilled. Likewise, the Jewish National Fund embarked upon a nationwide forestation project that totally transformed the landscape of the country. After figuring out how to absorb the greatest number of immigrants the world has known, Prime Minister Ben Gurion had to deal with other burning issues such as how to deal with the deeply religious residents of Israel referred to as “Haredim.” Critical attention also had to be devoted how to secure Israel's borders when each neighboring country was hostile and sought Israel's destruction. This resulted in the Army Reserves for every able-bodied soldier. Audio Credits: What Happened to Mizrachi Jews of Arab Countries | The Jewish Story |Unpacked Golda Meir – The Matriarch of Israel Documentary | The People Profiles Transforming Israel's Barren Terrain into Green Forests | Greening Israel The Official Documentary | The Israel Guys Hareidim and the IDF | Center for Israel Education | Whiteboard Video IDF Band - Machar i24 News | Insight – IDF Reservists: Citizen Soldiers Why Don't Ultra Orthodox Jews Serve in the IDF | Today Unpacked Learn more at TellerFromJerusalem.com Don't forget to subscribe, like and share! Let all your friends know that that they too can have a new favorite podcast. © 2025 Media Education Trust llc

Doctor Tom Stein recently published his first book, Gratitude Is Not Enough, The True Story of a Belgian Family Forever Changed by a Band of American WWII Soldiers. The book focuses on the Remember Museum ‘39-‘45 in Clermont, Belgium that was opened by Marcel and Mathilde Schmetz, better known as the M&Ms by soldiers in a U.S. Army Company of the First Infantry Division who were briefly quartered on Marcel's family farm in December 1944 before the Battle of the Bulge.  Marcel saved many of the items the soldiers left behind, what he calls “treasure,” and which became the core of this special collection dedicated to the Americans who helped liberate Belgium from four years of Nazi occupation. The Museum, which is adjacent to the M&M's home, contains the requisite "stuff" of a museum, but importantly, tells the soldiers' stories, many of whom became lifelong friends with Marcel and Mathilde.  I've read Gratitude is Not Enough and can tell you it's a powerfully written account of what the people of Clermont endured during World War II and the M&Ms efforts to preserve its history in their museum. I highly recommend this book to you. Dr. Tom Stein is a retired Emergency Physician, as well as a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Darnall Army Community Hospital, Fort Hood, Texas and served thirty-eight years in the Army and Army Reserves. Emergency Medical Services and Disaster Medicine are his sub-specialties.  

Dr Janice Baker, Veteran, Veterinarian, Thespian Dr Janice Lauren Baker has had an amazing career. She started out working with horses with a plan to become an equine veterinarian. She then joined the army and served 22 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, over half of this time in Special Operations assignments.  Special Ops People!!!! She spent the bulk of her military career taking care of working dogs. In addition to having worked over 20 years in emergency practice, she is a board-certified specialist in Veterinary Preventive Medicine with a Master's Degree in Veterinary Forensics. Sarah didn't know that being board-certified in Veterinary Preventative Medicine was a thing either. She is now a part time ER veterinarian and runs a Veterinary Forensics Consulting business, taking care of law enforcement on animal-related cases. Janice started acting professionally in her mid-fifties as a sort of "retirement hobby." This quickly turned into getting work in film, television, and commercials. Not afraid to be typecast, she has played the body on crime shows several times, along with crazy cat ladies, nosy neighbors, and most recently, The President of the United States of America! Janice is known for her comedic, improvisation, and character actor work. I loved everything about talking to Janice. She is fascinating, inspirational and humble!   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/janicetheactor/ Thanks for listening to Comedicine! Send is a text to let us know what you think!Instagram @comedicine_comedyComedicine FacebookYour host, Dr Sarah BostonDr Sarah Boston is a veterinary surgical oncologist (cancer surgeon for dogs and cats), cancer survivor (ironic, right?), bestselling author, actor and stand up comedian. She is a 2023 graduate of the Humber College Comedy Performance and Writing Program. She is the 2023 recipient of the Tim Sims Encouragement Fund Award, which recognizes and supports promising comedic performers in the early stages of their career She is also the recipient of the Award for Academic Excellence from Humber College because she is a nerd in all aspects of her life. Instagram @drsarahboston www.Drsarahboston.com Representation Book Musical Genius Mark Edwards

How much do you really know about what shapes our national security? Is it just about military strategy, or is it something that affects all of us, every day? Tune in for an inspiring discussion with Asha Castleberry on her new book Why National Security Matters: A Memoir. Moments with Marianne airs in the Southern California area on KMET 1490AM & 98.1 FM, an ABC Talk News Radio Affiliate!Asha Castleberry is a national security and foreign policy expert, U.S. Army veteran,   author, and former U.S. Congressional candidate. With over a decade of experience in Middle East policy, she served as a Senior Official in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs under the Biden-Harris Administration and held key roles in Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan. A sought-after speaker, Asha has participated in high-level forums, including the Erbil Security Forum and the Foreign Policy Institute Black Sea Conference. Asha served as a Cyrus Vance Visiting Professor at Mount Holyoke College, she has also taught at Fordham, George Washington, and Baruch College. A Military Officer in the Army Reserves, Asha is a Council on Foreign Relations , founder of the Diversity in National Security Network, and a recipient of numerous honors, including the Middle East Policy Council's 40 Under 40.  A graduate of Hampton University and Columbia University, with studies at Oxford and in China, she is frequently featured in many national and international outlets like CNN, MSNBC, CBS News, Fox News, BBC News, Voices of America, and The Washington Post.  https://www.ashacastleberry.comFor more show information visit: www.MariannePestana.com

David Adams - CEO of The Urban Assembly - Improving the Craft of Teaching with AI. This is episode 750 of Teaching Learning Leading K12, an audio podcast. David is the Chief Executive Officer of The Urban Assembly. He started with the UA in 2014 as the Director of Social-Emotional Learning, where he created the Resilient Scholars Program (RSP), a unique approach to integrating SEL into curriculum and classroom practices across the UA network. RSP has grown into a national program, serving schools and districts in Los Angeles, Houston, Syracuse, and other cities. As the Senior Director of Strategy, David led the expansion of the organization into a model provider of school support, with an emphasis on innovation and equity in public education. In 2022, David was named one of Crain's 40 Under 40 honorees and in 2021 he received the Champion of Equity Award from the American Consortium for Equity in Education. David sits on the board of CASEL and is an author of The Educator's Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence, and a co-author of the textbook Challenges to Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs in Organizations. He is a Civil Affairs Officer in the Army Reserve and holds an M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Fordham University. Our focus today is “How is AI being used to improve the craft of teaching itself and How can AI help teachers become better teachers?” So much to learn! Please share. Thanks for listening! Before you go... You could help support this podcast by Buying Me A Coffee. Not really buying me something to drink but clicking on the link on my home page at https://stevenmiletto.com for Buy Me a Coffee or by going to this link Buy Me a Coffee. This would allow you to donate to help the show address the costs associated with producing the podcast from upgrading gear to the fees associated with producing the show. That would be cool. Thanks for thinking about it.  Hey, I've got another favor...could you share the podcast with one of your friends, colleagues, and family members? Hmmm? What do you think? Thank you! You are AWESOME! Connect & Learn More: https://www.urbanassembly.org/ Length - 42:04

A few weeks ago, Apogy founder Jessica Crow asked her LinkedIn network if they had any examples of companies that went through a major transformational change and did it well. Bill Kirst, an author, poet, podcast host, tech leader, and one of LinkedIn's Top Thought Leadership Voices on Change Management, responded, “I can share that organizations like American AgCredit and Northwest Farm Credit Services did well through transformational change. Kudos to great leaders like Kay Meyer, Emilie Suess, Kenneth Alford for their focus on the people side of change while transforming the organization with technology.” Eager to hear more, Jessica asked Bill if he would share more about his experience. In this special episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Bill Kirst about the impact his engagement with the organizations he mentioned had on him and what made their transformations successful. During the conversation, Jessica and Bill said, “Those two organizations in agricultural lending are made up of really amazing humans, and I think if you start with a place of positive intent, and you have the desire to leave the world better than you found it, I think you can go through any transformation.” Be sure to listen in to hear more about Bill's experiences and tips for achieving success in your change transformations, including authentically connecting with the people you're working with and pivoting plans when needed to meet them where they are. Bill authors the monthly newsletter, “Leading Change in the Era of AI,” posing powerful questions while untangling the complex concerns from the profound promises of this generation's most disruptive innovation - AI. Bill has worked at Adobe, Microsoft, IBM, University of Washington and for nearly two decades has led companies, institutions and government agencies through digital transformation journeys. He sits on the Alumni Board at The Johns Hopkins University and served in the U.S. Army Reserve, finishing his service as a Captain in the Signal Corps. Bill's podcast “Coffee & Change” was selected as one of the 10 Best Military Leadership Podcasts by FeedSpot.

Rodney Manuel Roldan served ten years in the U.S. Navy and later joined the U.S. Army Reserve, becoming a Broadcast Journalist. He is a television, film, and stage actor, with credits in “Imperium,” “Fatal Attraction,” “The Wire,” and more. Rodney holds degrees in Communication and Visual Communication and is pursuing a PhD. He directs documentaries, […]

Rodney Manuel Roldan served ten years in the U.S. Navy and later joined the U.S. Army Reserve, becoming a Broadcast Journalist. He is a television, film, and stage actor, with credits in “Imperium,” “Fatal Attraction,” “The Wire,” and more. Rodney holds degrees in Communication and Visual Communication and is pursuing a PhD. He directs documentaries, […] The post Actor and Director Rodney Roldan appeared first on Business RadioX ®.

Five lawyers in TDI's Fraud Unit work in district attorney's (DA) offices in Tarrant, Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Travis counties to prosecute insurance fraud.The program's chief prosecutor, Kyson Johnson, helped start the program 20 years ago.What value does TDI bring to DA's offices?TDI's embedded lawyers know about complex insurance issues and can rely on TDI staff to help answer detailed questions. Other assistant district attorneys often lack such expertise and resources.How does an insurance fraud case get to a TDI lawyer?The Fraud Unit employs about 20 investigators statewide who get leads from consumers, law enforcement and insurance companies. They firm up the leads, gather evidence, and conduct interviews to build a case they can give to the Fraud Unit's lawyers in the DA offices. The lawyers present the cases to grand juries and – if there's enough evidence – prosecute the case.How does the Fraud Unit prosecution office help DAs?County DA offices may not have enough resources to devote to prosecuting insurance fraud. They focus on rapes, robberies, murders, as well as financial crimes. TDI provides resources to help prosecute insurance fraud.Are the Fraud Unit investigators TDI employees?Yes, TDI interviews, hires, and pays the embedded prosecutors who work in the DA offices. TDI has a memorandum of understanding with each DA. The prosecutors report to their respective DA and work within their teams.Why is it important to prosecute insurance fraud?Insurance fraud affects everybody. When insurance companies pay fraudulent claims, it drives up the premiums they charge to cover losses. Reducing fraud can help lower premiums.About the TDI Fraud UnitReport Texas insurance fraudFraud Unit chief prosecutor promoted in Army Reserve

In this conversation, Dave Pappas shares his journey from growing up in Riverview, Michigan, to serving in the Army Reserves and becoming a police officer. He discusses the challenges and experiences of working in law enforcement, including the dynamics of patrol versus detective work, the impact of George Floyd on policing, and the importance of mental health resources for officers. Dave reflects on the hardest calls he's responded to, the evolution of his perspective on policing, and the significance of community engagement. He also addresses the role of body cameras and the militarization of police, sharing insights from his deployment in Afghanistan and the lessons learned throughout his career. Dave shares his experiences and insights as a law enforcement officer, discussing the complexities of navigating professional relationships, the challenges faced by police officers, and the importance of community support. He reflects on the love-hate relationship society has with law enforcement, the significance of fitness and mental health in the profession, and the evolving policies and equipment standards in police work. Pappas also emphasizes the need for support systems and coping mechanisms for stress, while sharing his aspirations for the future and advice for younger officers. Takeaways Dave Pappas grew up in Riverview, Michigan, and has a strong connection to his community. He enlisted in the Army National Guard at 17, motivated by a desire to help during Hurricane Katrina. Pappas has experience as both a patrol officer and a detective, emphasizing the importance of both roles. He discusses the challenges of DUI stops and the complexities of dealing with impaired drivers. The impact of George Floyd's death has led to significant changes in policing and community relations. Mental health resources for officers are crucial in coping with the trauma of their work. Pappas shares a harrowing experience involving a child in a DUI incident that deeply affected him. He believes in the importance of community engagement and proactive policing. Body cameras are seen as a positive development in law enforcement, enhancing accountability. Pappas reflects on his deployment in Afghanistan and the lessons learned about responsibility and leadership. Navigating professional relationships is crucial in law enforcement. Society has a complex relationship with law enforcement. Community support plays a vital role in officer morale. Fitness is essential for police officers to perform effectively. Mental health support is necessary for law enforcement personnel. SWAT teams require rigorous selection and training processes. Policy changes often arise from national incidents. The media influences public perception of law enforcement. Coping mechanisms are important for managing stress in the job. Continuous learning and adaptation are key in law enforcement. ----more---- Mountain Tactical Institute Home Check out the MTI Athlete Team Apply to be a Paid MTI Athlete MTI's Daily Programming Streams  

When Cathy's disabled husband loses his Medicaid coverage, she must look for a job to help pay the rent. The retired Army Reserve veteran has impressive work experience, so when she puts her resume online, she almost immediately gets an offer. The job is for a shipping company, receiving, inspecting, and forwarding packages, and it allows her to work from home while caring for her husband. It seems like the perfect job for a while, but when they offer her a promotion to purchasing agent, it could end up putting their home in jeopardy.

Mississippians pride themselves on being patriotic. What what's more patriotic than serving your country in the military? We'll learn about military and veterans' legal rights with today's guests Ira Rushing from Tully Rinckey.In 2020, Black Soldiers comprised approximately 21% of the active-duty Army, 15% of the Army National Guard and 21% of the Army Reserve. Black Americans serve in the Army at a rate that is higher than their representation in the U.S. population. The active-duty percentage of Black Soldiers has remained higher than the representation of Black Americans in the U.S. population since 2002, with peaks in 2002 and 2014. In 2022, 146,793 veterans lived in Mississippi. 39,900 or 27% were Black or African American only. I am thankful for our Mississippians who have chosen to serve our country. https://usafacts.org/topics/veterans/state/mississippi/ https://www.army.mil/blackamericans/index.htmlIf you're interested in learning about the law and your rights in Mississippi, tune in to @Issue, MPB News' Legislative Issues program heard here on MPB Think Radio at 6:30pm each Friday during the session or go to mpbonline.org and click on News to find video interviews from this session and previous broadcasts.What's our timeline having to do with elections in Mississippi?Absentee Ballot Applications are now available in your Municipal Clerk's Office.Beginning the 15th: Municipal Clerks' Offices will send absentee ballots for the first and second Primary Elections to UOCAVA (Uniformed and Overseas Citizens) voters who requested an absentee ballot this calendar year, i.e., since Jan. 1,2025.18th Absentee Ballots Available in the Municipal Clerk's Office in the Primary Election.20th Municipal Clerks' Offices mail absentee ballots to voters on the permanently disabled list.March 3rd is the Primary Election Voter Registration Deadline for the April 1, 2025 Municipal Primary Elections. March 22nd To be eligible to vote in the upcoming Primary Elections, Circuit Clerks or Municipal Clerks' Offices must be in actual receipt of a completed FPCA - federal post card application - from a UOCAVA voter.I'll have link to the Federal Voting Assistance Program and our Secretary of State's websites that talk about voting while serving overseas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building wealth is a financial buzz phrase we hear a lot. We all want a build-up of wealth, but how do we get there, and what does that path look like for service members and their families? In this episode, Jerry Quinn, shares actionable insights for military families looking to build wealth and achieve financial success, what wealth-building means, and practical strategies for saving, investing, and navigating tight budgets. Jerry is a Colonel in the Army Reserve who has spent more than 30 years working in banking and insurance, specifically on military and veteran financial, housing, and career matters in those industries over the last 15 years. He is the Chief Operating Officer of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA). Established in 1879, AAFMAA now has $23 billion of insurance in force. Since 9/11 AAFMAA has provided more than $1 billion to military and veteran families of the fallen. At AAFMAA, Jerry oversees all aspects of AAFMAA Life Operations, including financial education, member benefits, survivor services, and life insurance. https://milmo.co/podcast/building-wealth-for-military-families For more MILMO, follow at: MILMO.co ItsMILMO on YouTube @itsmilmo on X @itsmilmo Instagram @itsmilmo LinkedIn @itsmilmo Facebook

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (01/30/2025): 3:05pm- On Wednesday night, an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas carrying 64 people collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. The collision caused both aircrafts to fall into the Potomac River. 3:15pm- In a press conference to address the deadly collision at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump suggested diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and hiring practices may have played a role in the disaster. When asked by reporters why he believed DEI may have had an impact, Trump responded: “because I have common sense.” 3:20pm- On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, testified before the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. During one exchange, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed that America's healthcare system is broken—Kennedy adroitly noted that members of Congress, including Sanders, have accepted “millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry.” 3:40pm- On Thursday, Donald Trump's nominee to serve as FBI Director, Kash Patel, participated in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 4:00pm- In a press conference to address the deadly collision at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump suggested diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and hiring practices may have played a role in the disaster. When asked by reporters why he believed DEI may have had an impact, Trump responded: “because I have common sense.” 4:30pm- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced Elise Stefanik's confirmation vote to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—she is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate next week. Similarly, Doug Burgum is expected to be confirmed as Secretary of the Interior. Rich says he can't even remember Burgum's confirmation hearing—Matt suggests it's because it was completely uneventful because no one asked about his rattlesnake recipes or his well-kept hair. 4:40pm- On Thursday, Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. In her opening statement, Gabbard—a former Congressmember and currently serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves—said the weaponization of the intelligence community “must end.” She also vociferously denied being a “puppet” for Trump, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad, Narendra Modi, or anyone else as Democrats have baselessly claimed. 5:05pm During her confirmation hearing, Tulsi Gabbard was asked if she believes Edward Snowden is a traitor. In her response, Gabbard laid out four steps she would take to guarantee there is never a similar intelligence leak. Following the hearing, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) said he was “surprised” by Gabbard's answer—noting that it “doesn't seem like a hard question.” According to reports, Lankford is believed to be undecided about voting to confirm Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. 5:30pm- During Robert Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearing, Senator Rand Paul grilled Democrats and explained that people are becoming vaccine hesitant because they don't trust government—noting COVID-19 vaccine mandates for young children despite scientific evidence suggesting it was unnecessary. 5:45pm- On Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services, testified before the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. During one exchange, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claimed that America's healthcare system is broken—Kennedy adroitly noted that members of Congress, including Sanders, have accepted “millions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry.” 6:00pm- Penn State Basketball

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: 4:00pm- In a press conference to address the deadly collision at Reagan National Airport, President Donald Trump suggested diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and hiring practices may have played a role in the disaster. When asked by reporters why he believed DEI may have had an impact, Trump responded: “because I have common sense.” 4:30pm- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced Elise Stefanik's confirmation vote to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—she is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate next week. Similarly, Doug Burgum is expected to be confirmed as Secretary of the Interior. Rich says he can't even remember Burgum's confirmation hearing—Matt suggests it's because it was completely uneventful because no one asked about his rattlesnake recipes or his well-kept hair. 4:40pm- On Thursday, Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as Director of National Intelligence, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. In her opening statement, Gabbard—a former Congressmember and currently serving as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves—said the weaponization of the intelligence community “must end.” She also vociferously denied being a “puppet” for Trump, Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad, Narendra Modi, or anyone else as Democrats have baselessly claimed.

Join Keith McKinley, (Ret.) Colonel of the U.S. Army Reserve and Indiana National Guard, as he shares insights into the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Association's 2025 mission and agenda. Learn about their impactful programs, veteran services, collaborations, and how they support active-duty military, veterans, and their families. Keith highlights key initiatives, partnerships with organizations like VFW, American Legion, and Louisiana's Department of Veterans Affairs, and how the local community, businesses, and nonprofits are coming together to make a difference.

WMAL GUEST: 6:15 AM - INTERVIEW - LT. COL. TONY SHAFFER - former U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and CIA trained intelligence operations officer – Discussed the Reagan Airport plane crash Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile, and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Thursday, January 30, 2025 / 6 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 6 AM Hour: Larry O’Connor and Mercedes Schlapp discussed: WMAL GUEST: 6:05 AM - INTERVIEW - CULLY STIMSON - Senior Legal Fellow at Heritage Foundation and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs SOCIAL MEDIA: https://x.com/cullystimson Trump moves to prepare Guantanamo Bay for 30,000 'criminal illegal aliens' WMAL GUEST: 6:15 AM - INTERVIEW - LT. COL. TONY SHAFFER - former U.S. Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and CIA trained intelligence operations officer – Discussed the Reagan Airport plane crash WMAL GUEST: 6:35 AM - INTERVIEW - REAGAN REESE - Daily Caller White House Correspondent - Discussed President Trump's response to the tragic crash at Reagan airport SOCIAL MEDIA: https://x.com/reaganreese_ RFK Jr., Trump's health secretary pick, grilled about vaccines and abortion Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile, and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Thursday, January 30, 2025 / 6 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darrell Castle talks about the Senate confirmation hearings for Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as the two nominees represent the last line of defense against the Pharmaceutical and permanent war parties and therefore, they will pull out all stops to defeat them. Transcription / Notes PERMANENT WASHINGTON FEARS AND HATES TULSI AND RFK, JR. Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 31st day of January in the year of our Lord 2025. I will be talking about the Senate confirmation hearings for Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. These two nominees represent the last line of defense for the Pharmaceutical and permanent war parties and therefore, they will pull out all stops to defeat them. Once again I will begin this report with a quote from Dennis Kucinich: “Congresswoman Gabbard is uniquely qualified for this role. As a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, she has served our nation with distinction since 2002, earning Top Secret clearance through the trust of the Department of Defense, her executive officers, and peers. There are few individuals as prepared, as experienced, and as committed to the national interest as Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard. Her leadership has consistently demonstrated sound judgment, ethical standards, and an unwavering commitment to the constitution of the United States.” Well, that explains the problem for Tulsi. Not many of those who sit in judgment of her share that commitment to ethical standards, and especially the Constitution that Mr. Kucinich tells us that Tulsi has and none of them are worthy of her. This report had to be recorded before the vote but I watched her opening statement and it was epic. She would be one of the best ever if she could just be allowed to serve. I think Bobbie Kennedy will be able to squeak by all those prostitutes the pharmaceutical industry has sent to block his confirmation, but I am very worried about Tulsi and she is the most important name on the list. I wonder why they hate and fear her more than all the other nominees. What fearful thing does she represent to them and their sponsors, but then the answer came to me. This administration tells us that it is going to be about full transparency and it fulfilled that pledge at least partially by announcing that the classified files on JFK, RFK, and MLK will be declassified and released. In keeping with the idea of transparency, 2025 is the 50th anniversary of what came to be known as the Church Committee. The formal name of the Church Committee was the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities. It was chaired by Senator Frank Church a Democrat from Idaho, thus the name that stuck. Things started coming to light in the early 1970's about what the U.S. intelligence apparatus might be doing to its own citizens. These leaks were at a time of growing dissatisfaction with the Vietnam War and Senator Church was an outspoken critic of the war. The New York Times published an article by Seymour Hersh detailing operations conducted by the C.I.A. including assassinations of foreign leaders as well as operations against citizens of the U.S. based on their political views. Senator Church put his committee together to investigate and 1975 became known in media circles as the year of intelligence. Many things were discovered by the committee and these were things of an extremely embarrassing and disturbing nature. The things that Senator Church and his committee uncovered revealed to the American people that in many ways the elite who ran this country were at least as bad as the elite who ran all the other countries. It would be hard to exaggerate the degree of scum this committee uncovered living in what some have come to refer to as Permanent Washington. They infest the woodwork and live administration aft...

Last time we spoke about the Mandalay Offensive. In the midst of intense warfare, General Krueger positioned his troops strategically to bolster the assault at Rosario. As the American forces repelled counterattacks and advanced, they faced fierce Japanese resistance, particularly at Binalonan and Hill 600. Despite heavy casualties, the Americans gradually gained ground, clearing key areas and preparing for further offensives. Meanwhile, Japanese defenses were fortified but weakened by shortages. As battles raged, both sides braced for decisive confrontations in the ongoing struggle for control of Luzon. In a fierce battle across the hills of Luzon, the 103rd Regiment aimed to secure key positions but faced heavy resistance, capturing Hill 800 by nightfall. The 172nd Regiment achieved surprise at Hill 900, while other regiments advanced under relentless fire. Meanwhile, in Burma, the British-Indian forces captured Shwebo, pushing deeper against Japanese defenses. The Mars Task Force disrupted supply lines, leading to a Japanese retreat. Amidst the chaos, both sides suffered heavy losses, marking a pivotal moment in the campaign. This episode is the Return to Bataan Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  By the end of January, as previously noted on Luzon, the 43rd Division had secured most of the Rosario region and Route 3 from Pozorrubio to the crucial junction with Route 11. The 25th Division had successfully eliminated the Shigemi Detachment at San Manuel, while the 6th Division had cleared the Cabaruan Hills and established outposts between Balungao and Guimba. Meanwhile, the 14th Corps had advanced to Clark Field, where it was engaged in a fierce battle with the Kembu Group. By January 27, the 40th Division had breached General Tsukada's northern defensive line, and the 37th Division had fortified Mabalacat, Angeles, and Runway No. 1 in preparation for the final push toward Manila. On that same day, General Krueger received significant reinforcements, with the arrival of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 32nd Division, and the 112th Cavalry Regiment at Lingayen Gulf. He planned to gather the cavalry division at Guimba to launch a coordinated advance toward the capital along the eastern side of the Central Plains via Route 5. After returning the reserve 35th Regiment to General Mullins, Krueger intended to deploy the 32nd Division, minus the 126th Regiment in Army Reserve, to the San Manuel-Asingan area. This would allow the 25th and 6th Divisions to narrow their fronts and continue south and southeast toward the Licab-Lupao line with reduced risk of exposing the 1st Corps' flank. Additionally, this strategy would enable the 37th Division to resume its advance toward Manila. However, General Griswold wanted to push Tsukada's forces further into the Zambales Mountains first, directing General Beightler to assault the enemy's southern defensive line centered around Fort Stotsenburg, while only the 148th Regiment and the 37th Reconnaissance Troop moved south along Route 3 to San Fernando. On January 28, the attack commenced as planned, with the 129th Regiment advancing westward through Runway No. 2, but it was quickly halted by the formidable forward defenses of the Eguchi Detachment. Meanwhile, with the assistance of Filipino guerrillas, reconnaissance units from the 37th Division successfully secured the San Fernando bridges intact. To the north of the Bamban River, the 160th Regiment faced unexpectedly light resistance as it moved along its ridge line to capture open-crested Hill 620, although it would later encounter stronger opposition when it reached the main defenses of the Takaya Detachment. At the same time, General Patrick began gathering the 1st and 20th Regiments at Guimba and Victoria, while the 6th Reconnaissance Troop advanced toward Cabanatuan, where they identified a significant Japanese concentration. Further north, the 35th Regiment advanced unopposed to barrio Gonzales, while the 27th Regiment moved overland and successfully dislodged a Japanese outpost from barrio Pemienta. Meanwhile, MacArthur was planning a secondary landing on the Zambales coast of Luzon, assigning Major-General Charles Hall's 11th Corps, which included the 38th Division and the 34th Regiment, to land at San Antonio and quickly advance across the base of Bataan to prevent any significant Japanese retreat into the peninsula. He also aimed to divert the Kembu Group's attention to relieve some pressure on the 14th Corps. However, General Yamashita had no intention of retreating to Bataan and had only dispatched Colonel Nagayoshi Sanenobu's 39th Regiment to defend the peninsula and the Kembu Group's right flank. On January 26, Hall's 11th Corps had departed Leyte Island aboard vessels from Admiral Struble's Task Group 78.3, heading directly to Luzon for the San Antonio landing, codenamed Operation Mike 7. The convoy reached its destination on the morning of January 29. After receiving reports from Filipino guerrillas indicating that there were no Japanese forces in the landing area, Struble decided to cancel the planned pre-assault bombardment. Instead, he ordered Hall's four regiments to land simultaneously across a nearly six-mile stretch of coastline from San Antonio. Upon landing, the 151st Regiment secured San Felipe and San Antonio, while the 149th Regiment quickly moved inland to capture the San Marcelino Airstrip. However, they discovered that guerrillas led by Captain Ramon Magsaysay had already taken control of the airstrip three days prior. Before nightfall, the 34th Regiment and the 24th Reconnaissance Troop advanced south along Route 7 to the northern shore of Subic Bay. To the east, the 160th Regiment made significant progress, advancing nearly two miles southwest and breaching a stronghold at the center of the Takaya Detachment. The 129th Regiment also managed to penetrate enemy defenses into Fort Stotsenburg but was halted at barrio Tacondo by six tanks from the Yanagimoto Detachment. Despite this setback, the inability of the Japanese counterattacks to reclaim lost territory compelled Tsukada to order the Eguchi and Yanagimoto Detachments to retreat to their main line of resistance. Meanwhile, further north, units from the 1st and 20th Regiments successfully captured Licab and Talavera, cutting off the road between Cabanatuan and Muñoz. The 27th Regiment engaged a small tank-artillery force from the 2nd Tank Division that had become trapped along the highway between Gonzales and Pemienta.  With the rapid advances of the 6th and 25th Divisions, the 2nd Tank Division main strength in the Tayug-Triangle Hill area was in danger of being cut off from its sole remaining escape route into the northern bastion via San Jose and Highway 5. To meet the new situation, General Iwanaka was directed to pull back all remaining division strength from the Tayug-Umingan and Triangle Hill sectors with the exception of small outpost forces to be left at Gonzales and Umingan to delay an enemy advance from the northwest. The division was instead to concentrate the bulk of its forces in a triangular-shaped area bounded by Lupao, Muñoz and Rizal. These new dispositions had barely been effected when enemy elements swept around the outpost force at Gonzales and cut its withdrawal route to Umingan, forcing the detachment to withdraw through the hills after destroying most of its tanks and all of its mechanized artillery. From 20:00 on the 29th until 04:30 the next morning the force tried unsuccessfully to break through the Pemienta perimeter, against a sharp enemy. By the time the action had ended the 27th Regiment had killed 125 Japanese and had destroyed 8 tanks, 8 artillery prime movers, 4 tractors, 8 105-mm howitzers and 5 trucks, while only losing about 15 men killed and 45 wounded. Only four tanks succeeded in breaking through the enemy encirclement and escaped along the highway to Umingan. The next day, the 27th Regiment began positioning itself to attack Umingan from the north and northwest, while the 35th Regiment started preparations for a holding attack from the west and southwest. In an effort to avert the mass execution of prisoners of war at Cabanatuan, Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Mucci led a contingent of approximately 233 men, composed of Filipino guerrillas, soldiers from the Alamo Scouts, and Mucci's 6th Ranger Battalion. They traversed 30 miles cross-country between January 28 and 30 to liberate 522 weakened prisoners during the night. Most of the prisoners had vacated the camp by 2010 hours. Rangers and guerrillas had to carry most, piggy-backing them or making hasty litters from rifles and shirts. It was 2 miles to the Pampanga River, where carts waited to take them to Platero to be treated, fed, and organized. Many were still in shock and had not yet fully understood that they were free. At 2040 hours, Capt Prince was at the Pampanga River supervising the loading of stumbling prisoners into 25 carts as Rangers and prisoners trickled in. The rest of the Scouts established an ambush at the crossing site. At 2045 hours, one hour after the raid was launched, Prince fired the third red flare and departed for Balangkare. The loaded carabao carts were ordered on their way to Balangkare at 2145 hours.  Meanwhile Major Robert Lapham's guerrilla forces provided cover for their escape, successfully returning them to Allied lines on January 31. During this operation, around 270 Japanese soldiers were killed at the camp, with an additional 900 casualties along the Cabu River. Over 270 Japanese lay dead or dying in the smoldering camp; most of the wounded dying by dawn as no aid was forthcoming. Japanese bodies were literally stacked at the Cabu bridge and scores more littered the riverside woods. The 359th Battalion had ceased to exist. In the morning, battalion commander Capt Oyanu was still alive, but most of his officers were dead. Only 255 men of 1,200 survived and most were wounded.   In contrast, the Americans suffered only 2 fatalities and 7 wounded, along with 12 wounded Filipinos and 2 dead prisoners. Fortunately, the anticipated retaliation against the Filipino population did not occur, as the Japanese retreated from the area within a day of the raid, while the 20th Regiment secured the road junction barrio of Baloc and began advancing toward Muñoz. On January 30, Griswold continued his vigorous offensive against Clark Field; the 129th Regiment cleared the hills near Dolores and took control of the abandoned Fort Stotsenburg area, while the 160th Regiment made only 500 yards of progress against the determined Takaya Detachment. The 108th Regiment finally captured Hill 5 and Thrall Hill. Further south, patrols from the 37th Division reached within a mile of Calumpit and the Pampanga River, and on Bataan, the 34th Regiment took Olongapo after a fierce skirmish, while the 2nd Battalion of the 151st Regiment captured Grande Island at the entrance to Subic Bay. At the same time, MacArthur was strategizing another secondary landing on Luzon, this time utilizing General Swing's 11th Airborne Division to assault Nasugbu, located 45 miles southwest of Manila. With this operation, MacArthur aimed to initiate a southern advance toward Manila while simultaneously hindering Japanese forces in southern Luzon from moving north to challenge Krueger's main offensive. General Eichelberger intended to deploy the 187th and 188th Glider Regiments and advance them approximately twenty miles along Route 17 to Tagaytay Ridge. There, the 511th Parachute Regiment would conduct an airdrop to secure the ridge for the ground troops and capture adjacent sections of Route 17 before the Japanese could regroup to defend the highway. In opposition, General Yokoyama had assigned only the Fuji Force to defend the area south of Manila. This force, centered around Colonel Fujishige Masatoshi's reinforced 17th Regiment, had only deployed the 3rd Battalion of the 31st Regiment in the Tagaytay Ridge region, with a small outpost at Nasugbu and its main defenses positioned on Mounts Cariliao and Batulao. At this stage, Yokoyama was nearing completion of the organization of the diverse Shimbu Group forces east of Manila into a cohesive combat task force. To the north, near Ipo, he had stationed the Kawashima Force, which was composed of the 82nd Brigade and the 31st Regiment. To the south, the main contingent of the former Manila Defense Force had been relocated from the Philippine capital and renamed the Kobayashi Force, guarding the Wawa-Montalban area. However, the departure of General Tsuda's 105th Division to the northern stronghold had created a significant gap in the Shimbu Group's defenses. Although Yokoyama intended to address this vulnerability with the Noguchi Detachment, Major-General Noguchi Susumu's troops were still in the midst of a lengthy march from the Bicol Peninsula by the end of January. As a temporary solution, the Okita Detachment, a composite force consisting of five battalions centered around the 186th Independent Battalion, and the Kuromiya Detachment, a three-battalion unit based on the 181st Independent Battalion, were deployed in the Bosoboso-Antipolo region. Meanwhile, the Kogure Detachment, organized around the 1st Surface Raiding Base Force, was stationed at Lamon Bay. Manila was entrusted to Rear-Admiral Iwabuchi Sanji's Manila Naval Defense Force, which included approximately 13,700 naval personnel from the 31st Special Base Force responsible for defending the islands of Manila Bay and the capital, along with some Army reinforcements. On January 27, Swing's 11th Airborne Division departed from Leyte Island aboard ships from Admiral Fechteler's Task Group 78.2, heading directly to Nasugbu Bay to carry out Operation Mike 6. Following an uneventful journey and a brief preliminary bombardment on January 31, the 188th Glider Regiment successfully landed with minimal resistance and quickly advanced inland toward the Palico River, aiming for the section of Route 17 that leads to Tagaytay Ridge. Pleased with the initial landing, Swing subsequently deployed the 187th Glider Regiment and the division artillery, which began to relieve the rear elements of the 188th by midday. At the same time, the majority of the 188th secured the Palico bridge and crossed the river to reach Route 17. Further north, under pressure from MacArthur and Krueger, the 148th Regiment successfully crossed the Pampanga River and captured Calumpit, just as Beightler was dispatching the 145th Regiment along Route 3 to assist in the advance toward Manila. At Clark Field, the 108th Regiment was patrolling forward, while the 160th Regiment faced challenges in breaking through enemy defenses. Meanwhile, the 129th Regiment launched an attack on the main positions of the Eguchi Detachment at Top of the World hill, successfully securing its steep, grassy southern and southeastern slopes. On Bataan, General Jones sent the 152nd Regiment to travel through Olongapo and advance east along Route 7, while the 149th Regiment moved east toward Dinalupihan via a challenging trail located about 1,200 yards north of the highway. By the end of January, the 32nd Division had successfully taken control of the recently vacated Tayug area. The 6th and 25th Divisions reorganized in preparation for their final push towards San Jose, and the 1st Cavalry Division gathered at Guimba. The World War II brigade structure of Maj. Gen. Verne D. Mudge's dismounted 1st Cavalry Division differed greatly from that of the triangular infantry division of the period. Instead of three infantry regiments the 1st Cavalry Division had four cavalry regiments--the 5th and 12th in the 1st Cavalry Brigade, the 7th and 8th in the 2d Cavalry Brigade. Each regiment had two cavalry squadrons, each smaller than an infantry battalion, as opposed to the three battalions of an infantry regiment. Each cavalry regiment contained a weapons troop armed with 81-mm. mortars, .30-caliber and .50-caliber machine guns, and bazookas, but there was no heavy weapons troop within each squadron. The cavalry regiments lacked the antitank and cannon companies of an infantry regiment. 1st Cavalry Division Artillery was composed of one 75-mm. howitzer battalion, three 105-mm. howitzer battalions, and, for obvious reasons, an attached 155-mm. howitzer battalion. Reinforcing combat and service attachments brought the division's strength up to nearly 15,000 men, somewhat less than the strength of the reinforced 37th Division at the same time. On paper, each of the four cavalry regiments numbered 1,750 men--in contrast to the 3,000-odd of an infantry regiment--but none of the 1st Cavalry Division's regiments was up to strength. The division had received few replacements since entering combat on Leyte in October, and it had come to Luzon after very little rest from its arduous campaign through Leyte's mountains. The 1st Cavalry division was ready to advance towards Cabanatuan as General Mudge dispatched two reinforced motorized squadrons. On February 1, the Flying Columns, led by General Chase, crossed the Pampanga River and began their southern march with minimal resistance. As a result, Cabanatuan and Gapan were quickly captured, although some opposition was encountered south of the Peñaranda River. Meanwhile, the 188th Glider Regiment continued its advance towards Tagaytay Ridge, facing heavy enemy fire from Mount Cariliao but still managing to secure the important Mount Aiming. The 148th Regiment swiftly moved down Route 3 and captured Malolos with little resistance. However, the 152nd Regiment faced increasingly strong resistance at ZigZag Pass. While more rugged terrain than the ZigZag Pass area is to be found on Luzon, few pieces of ground combine to the same degree both roughness and dense jungle. Route 7 twists violently through the pass, following a line of least terrain resistance that wild pigs must originally have established. The jungle flora in the region is so thick that one can step 5 yards off the highway and not be able to see the road. The Japanese had honeycombed every hill and knoll at the ZigZag with foxholes linked by tunnels or trenches; at particularly advantageous points they had constructed strongpoints centered on log and dirt pillboxes. All the defenses were well camouflaged, for rich jungle foliage covered most positions, indicating that many had been prepared with great care and had been constructed well before Colonel Nagayoshi's 39th Regiment had reached the area in December. Colonel Nagayoshi had plenty of food and ammunition for a prolonged stand, and he also possessed numerous mortars and machine-guns. His artillery, however, was inadequate for the task at hand and he lacked certain types of medical supplies, especially malaria preventatives and cures. He had so scattered his mortars and artillery in order to protect them against American artillery and air strikes that his troops would often have difficulty massing their fires. Finally, his defensive line was scarcely 2000 yards wide northwest to southeast, thus rendering his whole position susceptible to vigorous outflanking maneuvers. On the other hand, he had good troops, well-prepared positions, and excellent defensive terrain. The 129th Regiment secured the summit of Top of the World hill, effectively ensuring Clark Field's protection from all but long-range artillery fire. The 20th Regiment launched its initial attack on Muñoz, which was thwarted by Colonel Ida Kumpei's tanks fortified as pillboxes. Additionally, the 27th Regiment attempted to advance towards Umingan but was unable to break through, while elements of the 35th Regiment bypassed this area and occupied barrio San Roque. February 2 mirrored the previous day in the San Jose sector, as the 20th and 27th Regiments continued their battle against the determined Japanese defenders. Meanwhile, Mullins dispatched the 35th Regiment in a two-pronged maneuver towards Umingan, successfully clearing most of the town by noon. In an effort to recover lost time, Mullins then directed the 35th toward Lupao in the afternoon, but its leading battalion was ultimately halted by intense Japanese artillery, mortar, and machine-gun fire. With their forward units stalled at Muñoz and Lupao, Patrick and Mullins resorted to flanking tactics. Accordingly, Patrick sent the 1st Regiment along the Talavera River to attack San Jose from the southeast, while the 63rd Regiment attempted to bypass Muñoz to the east and rejoin Route 5 north of the town. In turn, Mullins ordered the 161st Regiment to move cross-country to positions on Route 99 south of Lupao, then advance to Route 8 between San Isidro and San Jose while the 35th surrounded and cleared Lupao. However, on this day, the 105th Division successfully evacuated San Jose along with its stockpiled ammunition, regrouping north at Puncan and rendering the entire San Jose offensive ineffective. Simultaneously, Chase's Flying Columns passed through Gapan and entered Sabang, fording the Angat River to launch two simultaneous advances to the south and east. The 148th Regiment secured Plaridel after a brief but fierce skirmish, while the 152nd Regiment faced setbacks in the ZigZag Pass due to nighttime Japanese counterattacks and artillery fire. The 149th Regiment became disoriented and had to return to Olongapo, and the 188th Glider Regiment managed to break through to barrio Aga amidst heavy resistance, while the 1st Battalion of the 187th Glider Regiment moved forward to begin the assault toward Tagaytay. On February 3, Swing's glider infantry launched an assault on the western end of Tagaytay, while paratroopers from the 511th Parachute Regiment began to drop along the ridge in a rather scattered manner. The first echelon of the 511th, about 915 in all, had come to Tagaytay Ridge aboard 48 C-47 aircraft of the 317th Troop Carrier Group. The planes had flown north from Mindoro to approach Tagaytay Ridge from the northeast in order to avoid fire from Japanese anti-aircraft weapons west of the drop zone. The first 18 planes, carrying about 345 troops, dropped over the assigned area. At this juncture, planes from succeeding flights were nearly 6 miles and 3 minutes behind the lead aircraft. About 08:20 one of these later planes dumped out a couple of bundles of supplies. Taking this as a signal that they were over the proper drop zone, 'troopers of the succeeding 30 planes began jumping. Aircraft pilots, realizing they had not yet reached the proper point, attempted to halt the jumping, but the 511th's jump-masters continued sending the paratroopers out. Most of them landed almost 5 miles east-northeast of the assigned drop zone. A second group of 51 C-47s began approaching the drop area about 12:10. Some 80 men from the first 5 aircraft of this group landed in the proper place. The rest started out of their planes when they saw on the ground the collapsed chutes of the first misplaced jump. In the end, only 425 men landed on the assigned drop zone; the others, about 1325 in all, made scattered landings 4.5 to 6 miles to the east and northeast. The 11th Airborne Division, blaming the 317th Troop Carrier Group for the premature dropping, reported that the "true reason was the refusal of the Air Force to cooperate in a combined training program for Airborne and Air Force troops." In any event, it appears that some lack of jump discipline within the 511th contributed to the scattered, premature jumping. Fortunately for them, they encountered minimal resistance as they secured the unoccupied ridge. To the north, the 148th Regiment continued its advance southward, facing delays at several tidal streams that were unbridged and unfordable, but managed to reach a point two miles south of Marilao by day's end. At the same time, the 5th Cavalry's Flying Column destroyed a Japanese outpost at Angat and moved through the guerrilla-held Norzagaray before crossing the Santa Maria River to join the 8th Cavalry's Flying Column, which had already progressed to Talipapa and was nearing the outskirts of Manila. Meanwhile, the 27th Regiment successfully eliminated the remaining enemy pockets at Umingan; the 3rd Battalion of the 35th Regiment, advancing over elevated terrain northeast of Lupao, established a position on Route 8 approximately 1500 yards southeast of Lupao, while the rest of the regiment continued to launch unsuccessful frontal assaults on the town. The 20th Regiment managed to overrun a few Japanese strongholds at Muñoz but was unable to break through. On 3 February the 2d Battalion, 20th Infantry, moved in on the northwest, but could not reach Route 99 in its sector. The 3d Battalion pushed across that road at the southwest corner of Muñoz, but gained only half a block into the main section of the town. The 1st Battalion, on the south side of Muñoz, made negligible progress. By dusk, the 20th Infantry had overrun a few Japanese strongpoints, but in order to hold its gains had had to destroy completely and physically occupy every position it had reached so far. Muñoz, General Patrick had begun to realize, was going to be a costly, hard, and time-consuming nut to crack. The 20th Infantry had not yet closed with the main Japanese defenses, but had spent most of the last three days pinned down by Japanese artillery, tank, and machine gun fire. Only by hugging the ground and taking advantage of the little cover even shattered tree stumps afforded had the regiment kept its casualties down to 15 men killed and 90 wounded. Meanwhile the 63rd Regiment successfully bypassed Muñoz and advanced up Route 5 toward Caanawan; and the 1st Regiment similarly advanced along the San Jose-Rizal road, assembling at two points 1000 yards south and 1500 yards east of San Jose. Now, however, it is time to leave Luzon and head toward the Central Pacific. Following the successful capture of the Marianas and the establishment of B-29 Superfortress air bases on these islands, the Allies were finally able to conclude Operation Matterhorn and cease using bases in China and India for conducting raids on the Japanese mainland and other targets in East Asia. Between June 5, 1944, and January 17, 1945, General LeMay's 20th Bomber Command executed a total of 29 combat missions, inflicting significant damage on key military installations in southern Japan, Manchuria, Formosa, and Indochina, with a total loss of 73 B-29s. Meanwhile, General Hansell's 21st Bomber Command, reinforced by the 313th Bombardment Wing, struggled to achieve similar outcomes in both daylight precision bombing and area incendiary bombing, with the first three missions of January yielding the same disappointing results as those in December and November.  On January 3rd, Norstad's incendiary test mission was run on 3 January, when ninety-seven B-29's got off for Nagoya. Each plane carried a mixed load of bombs -14 x 350-pound M18 IB clusters fuzed to open at 8,000 feet and one 420-pound fragmentation cluster fuzed to open 1,000 feet below releasing altitude. What with aborts and planes straying from course, only fifty-seven bombed the urban area designated as primary target, most of them releasing visually though cloud cover was rated as 6/10. Some fires were started but there was no holocaust. Smoke rising to 20,000 feet combined with cloud to make observation of results impossible for the attackers. As a test, then, the mission was inconclusive. To the citizens of Nagoya, who were better informed than intelligence officers of 21st Bomber Command, the damage seemed slight. On January 9th, having satisfied Norstad's requirement, the command returned to its program of precision bombing against aircraft factories. Performance for the most part was of a piece with what had gone before. On 9 January 1945 seventy-two B-29's were sent against Musashino near Tokyo. High winds broke up the formations so that only eighteen planes were able to bomb the target; twenty-four bombs, widely scattered in the plant area, destroyed one warehouse and damaged two others-a slight return for the effort expended and the six B-29's lost. On January 14th, at the Mitsubishi Aircraft Works at Nagoya on the 14th, precision bombing was again less than precise. Seventy-three B-29's were airborne and forty bombed, getting four GP's-one ton-into the No. 5 Works area and damaging three buildings. Frustrated by this, Hansell increasingly blamed his crews for the unsatisfactory outcomes. Remarkably, he would only achieve his first fully successful B-29 attack on his final mission of the war. The target for the January 19 strike was virgin, a plant of the Kawasaki Aircraft Industries Company located 2 miles northwest of Akashi, a village on the Inland Sea some 12 miles west of Kobe. The Akashi works housed Kawasaki's general headquarters and one of the company's two large production units, which built the twin-engine fighters Nick and Randy and engines for Tony, Oscar and Frank fighters. Smaller than Nakajima and Mitsubishi, Kawasaki in 1944 delivered 17% of Japan's combat airframes and 12% of its combat engines. Against Akashi, Hansell sent 77 B-29s, plus 3 others in a diversionary strike. With good weather, 62 bulled it through to the Kawasaki factory, dumped 155 tons of GPs, and then returned with no losses. Interpreting strike photos, intelligence officers estimated that 38% of the roofed area showed major damage. This was an understatement. Every important building in both the engine and airframe branches had been hit and production was cut by 90%. Indeed, the Kawasaki Company liquidated the combined plant and dispersed the machine tools, which had suffered only slightly, to other sites. The Akashi shops were given temporary repairs at the cost of 226 tons of critical materials and over 9000000 yen, but the installation was used thereafter only for limited assembly jobs. It is a pity that the full results of this mission could not have been known to Hansell. His first completely successful B-29 attack, Akashi seemed to epitomize the doctrines of precision bombardment he had championed-and it was his last strike of the war. Unaware of this success, Hansell was replaced the following day as head of the 21st Bomber Command by the determined LeMay, who immediately suggested a shift to firebombing Japan's major cities at low altitude during nighttime, marking a stark departure from Hansell's previous strategies. However, the only obstacle in the flight path was Iwo Jima, which could alert the Japanese to an impending raid and still had operational airfields capable of launching intercepting fighters. These airfields had also been used for sporadic air assaults on the Marianas, although few attacks were actually carried out in January. Capturing Iwo Jima would resolve these issues, and Admiral Nimitz aimed to establish emergency landing facilities for B-29s based in Saipan, as well as a base for their fighter escorts targeting Japan. Consequently, he decided to proceed with the invasion, codenamed Operation Detachment. After this operation, Nimitz planned to invade Okinawa to secure and develop a robust air and naval base for the assault on the Japanese home islands, which we will discuss further later. For the Iwo Jima operation, Admiral Spruance was once again given overall command of the "big blue fleet," which was re-designated as the 5th Fleet. Under his command, Vice-Admiral Richmond Turner led Task Force 51, the Joint Expeditionary Force, responsible for landing Lieutenant-General Holland Smith's Expeditionary Troops. Turner was supported by Rear-Admiral William Blandy's Task Force 52, the Amphibious Support Force, which included ten escort carriers; Rear-Admiral Harry Hill's Task Force 53, comprising all transports and landing craft; Rear-Admiral Bertram Rodgers' Task Force 54, which had six battleships and five cruisers for shore bombardment; and Vice-Admiral Marc Mitscher's Task Force 58, the Fast Carrier Force. For the amphibious invasion, Major-General Harry Schmidt's 5th Amphibious Corps would deploy the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Marine Divisions, planning to land the 4th and 5th Divisions side by side with two regiments each along the two-mile stretch of beach between Mount Suribachi and the East Boat Basin on the island's southeast coast. Smith and Schmidt also decided to limit corps artillery to two battalions of 155mm howitzers, organized as the 1st Provisional Field Artillery Group, due to the limited space available for emplacements on the island. After landing, Major-General Clifton Cates' 4th Marine Division would take control of the Motoyama Plateau and its airfields, while also capturing the O-1 Line on the corps' right flank. Meanwhile, Major-General Keller Rockey's 5th Marine Division would secure the Mount Suribachi region before advancing northeast to capture the O-1 Line on the corps' left flank. They would then push forward across the island until Iwo Jima was fully secured. At the same time, Major-General Graves Erskine's 3rd Marine Division would remain in reserve, with only its 21st Marine Regiment deployed as the corps reserve. To aid in this effort, the 7th Air Force, under Generals Harmon and Hale, had been consistently targeting Iwo Jima's facilities since August 1944. Following intense attacks in December, which included bombardments by Rear-Admiral Allan Smith's 5th Cruiser Division against Iwo Jima, Haha Jima, and Chichi Jima were again struck on January 5, but the next bombardment wouldn't occur until January 25.  A fighter sweep by 28 P-38s opened the attack at 0945; 62 B-29s bombed at 1100 and 102 B-24s at noon; Crudiv 5 (Rear Admiral Allan E. Smith), comprising heavy cruisers Chester, Pensecola and Salt Lake City with six destroyers, arrived off Iwo at 1330 and opened bombardment at 1347. "Hoke" Smith approached the island from the west, rounded Mount Suribachi and then reversed track in a half-circle. Unfortunately the sky was so heavily overcast as to force the planes to bomb by radar and to hamper ships' spotting. Surface visibility was good enough to enable the island to be well covered by a naval bombardment, which lasted for 70 minutes and expended 1500 rounds of 8-inch and 5334 rounds of 5-inch shell. The bombers dropped 814 tons of bombs. Photographs, taken three days later, showed that both airfields on Iwo were wholly or in part operational, but no more enemy air raids hit the Marianas until Christmas Day. The job of keeping Iwo airfields neutralized was now turned over to B-24s of VII A.A.F. Between 8 December 1944 and 15 February 1945 they flew at least one strike daily over the island. The day before Christmas, Rear Admiral Smith's heavy cruisers, together with five destroyers, delivered a second bombardment, coordinated with a B-24 strike. This strike was slightly more eventful than the initial one in December, but even less effective. The bombardment, which expended 1500 rounds of 8-inch, provoked return fire from a 6-inch coast defense battery (designated "Kitty" on the target maps) in the northeast part of the island, but "Kitty's" claws managed to strike no closer than 200 yards. As proof of the slight damage inflicted by this bombardment, the Japanese were able to pay a vicious return visit to Saipan on Christmas Eve, a raid of 25 planes which destroyed one B-29 and damaged three more beyond repair. Crudiv 5 returned 27 December for a repeat performance, lighter than the others; and a fourth bombardment was set up for 5 January 1945. While fighter planes and B-24s hit Iwo Jima the same cruisers and six destroyers bombarded Chichi Jima, 145 northward, and the slightly nearer Haha Jima. Their hope was to catch a convoy bringing Japanese supplies to these islands, whence they were forwarded to Iwo by small craft at night. Destroyer Fanning, steaming ahead of the group as radar picket, encountered at 0206 a surface target, later identified as LSV-102, which she sank. At 0700 Admiral Smith's group opened a one hour and 49 minutes' bombardment of Chichi Jima. During it, destroyer David W. Taylor suffered an underwater explosion, probably from a mine, which flooded her forward magazine. The Haha Jima bombardment by Salt Lake City and two destroyers lasted for an hour. Crudiv 5 then pounded Iwo Jima for another hour and three quarters. The reply was negligible, and a few aircraft which made passes at the cruisers were easily driven off. Starting on the last day of January and continuing for two weeks, 7th Air Force aircraft bombed the island day and night, occasionally joined by LeMay's Superfortresses. For ten weeks, Iwo Jima faced near-daily bombardments from land-based aircraft, with nearly 6,800 tons of bombs dropped. Additionally, there were five naval bombardments that fired 203 rounds of 16-inch shells, 6,472 rounds of 8-inch shells, and 15,251 rounds of 5-inch shells. Under normal circumstances, such a heavy and sustained bombardment would have been more than enough to devastate an island of that size. However, the Japanese managed to restore the airfields on Iwo Jima just hours after each attack and continued to strengthen their defenses on the island. Following the fall of Saipan, the Japanese appointed Lieutenant-General Kuribayashi Tadamichi to oversee the defenses of the Bonin Islands, renaming the Ogasawara District Group as the 109th Division. Kuribayashi stationed Major-General Tachibana Yoshio's 1st Mixed Brigade and most of Colonel Iida Yusuke's 17th Independent Mixed Regiment on Chichi Jima, along with several other units across the islands. He accurately predicted that Iwo Jima would be the target for an Allied landing and took measures to make it virtually indestructible. To this end, he coordinated with Major-General Senda Sadasue's 2nd Mixed Brigade, Colonel Ikeda Masuo's 145th Regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Baron Nishi Takeishi's severely weakened 26th Tank Regiment, which had sustained heavy losses from American submarines at sea. Additionally, Major Fujiwara Tamachi's 3rd Battalion of the 17th Independent Mixed Regiment and a robust artillery unit led by Colonel Kaido Chosaku were included in the defense. Rear-Admiral Ichimaru Toshinosuke also provided a significant naval garrison on the island, centered around the 27th Air Flotilla, bringing Kuribayashi's total forces to approximately 21,060 men, far exceeding the American estimate of 13,000. Aware that the beaches would be vulnerable to enemy naval and air assaults, Kuribayashi opted to strengthen the Mount Suribachi and Motoyama Plateau areas. The Mount Suribachi area was made a semi-independent defense sector, its heavily fortified positions bristling with weapons of all types, ranging from casemated coast-defense guns and artillery to automatic weapons emplaced in mutually supporting pillboxes. The narrow isthmus connecting Suribachi to the rest of the island was lightly held by infantry, but heavily defended by enfilade fire from artillery, rockets, and mortars emplaced on both the high ground in the south (Suribachi area) and the northern portion of the island. The main defense line was a belt of mutually supporting positions organized in depth, running generally northwest-southeast across the island. It stretched from the cliffs north of the western beaches south to include Airfield Number 2; then, turning eastward through Minami, terminated at the rugged coast north of the eastern beaches. Pillboxes, blockhouses, bunkers, and dug-in tanks strengthened the defenses in the naturally formidable terrain everywhere throughout this belt. The second defense line generally bisected the remaining area in the northern portion of the island. It began several hundred yards below Kitano Point on the northwest coast, cut through Airfield Number 3 and the Motoyama area in the center, and terminated between Tachiiwa Point and the East Boat Basin on the eastern coast. Man-made emplacements were not as numerous in this second line, but natural caves and other covered positions afforded by the fantastically rugged terrain were skillfully organized for the defense. The beaches would be lightly defended but would receive fire support from the elevated positions. A substantial reserve force, including tanks, was also prepared to counterattack and push the Americans back into the sea if they managed to establish a foothold. In a shift from traditional Japanese defensive strategies, Kuribayashi moved away from full-scale counterattacks and suicidal banzai charges, instead instructing his troops to hold their mutually supportive positions to the last and to carry out small unit counterattacks at cutoff points. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The Allied forces continued their advance through Luzon, battling Japanese defenses, liberating prisoners, and securing key locations, paving the way for a final push toward Manila. Meanwhile, on Iwo Jima, General Kuribayashi was preparing for a final stand, hoping beyond hope to make the Americans pay so dearly they might end the war.

We describe the structure of David's administration and how he divided Army service among the tribes.

In this episode Brian Hancock talks with Kurt Dykstra and Joshua Weikart to discuss the 38 Golf Program, the Functional Specialty Team Construct, and the recent Functional Specialty Team Symposium. Major Dykstra and Captain Weikert, welcome to the show. Thank you very much. Wonderful to be here. --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in current or former military personnel, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with the people and leadership of a partner nation. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org --- Special thanks to Art Music for a sample from the song "January | Instrumental Background Music." Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0orz_C33I --- Transcript 00:00:03 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the 1CA Podcast. This is your host, Jack Gaines. 1CA is a product of the Civil Affairs Association and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. Our goal is to inspire anyone interested in working the last three feet of foreign relations. To contact the show, email us at capodcasting@gmail.com or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www.civilaffairsassoc.org. I'll have those in the show notes. 00:00:39 BRIAN HANCOCK I'm Lieutenant Colonel Brian Hancock, and I will be your host for this session. Today, we have with us Major Kurt Dykstra and Joshua Weikert  and  Joshua Weikert  and Captain Joshua Weikert to discuss the 38 golf program and the recent Functional Specialty Team Symposium. Major Dykstra and Captain Weikert, welcome to the show. Thanks very much. Wonderful to be here. Thank you, sir. 00:01:26 BRIAN HANCOCK A quick disclaimer while we're here that the remarks of myself and the participants are solely ours. All right, gentlemen, let's jump into it. From the beginning, what attracted you to U.S. Army civil affairs? Well, I can start that answer. So I'm a bit older, as you might have gathered from my bio. 00:01:43 KURT DYKSTRA a bit older, as you might have gathered from my bio. And at various points in my adult life, I had thought about entering into military service. And for one reason or another, It just didn't happen. And it was always a great regret in my life that I had not served and saw it as something that I wish I would have done. And then about four or so years ago, I got a call from a friend of a friend who at the time was a major who was recruiting for this new golf program. And we really didn't know each other, but we sort of had moved in similar circles and knew the same people and those sorts of things. And my wife and I were hiking the Appalachian Trail and I was having breakfast one morning and got a phone call from Colonel Koinga, as he retells the story, I think within an hour or two, I said something like, sounds good to me, let's do it. Of course, I did talk with my wife and those sorts of things, but that's my pathway in and a bit unique perhaps, but I think a story that has some resonance with many of the other gulfs, particularly those who were not prior service, that this was fulfilling an opportunity that they had, that they had wished that they had taken earlier, which was to serve the country through the military. 00:02:51 BRIAN HANCOCK the country through the military. Well, first of all, Kurt, you're not that old. You look very young and healthy to me. And so you're doing something right. So good for you. I'm thrilled that you have chosen to give both the Army and civil affairs a chance. We definitely need the type of skills that you bring to the table. Now, let me turn to you, Captain Weicker. Tell me a little bit about your journey getting here. Well, I was a prior service soldier. 00:03:16 JOSHUA WEIKERT  prior service soldier. Also being the pre -law advisor at my university, I had a pre -law student who was interested in the Army JAG program. And she had asked me to look into direct commissioning programs in the Army in general, knowing that I was a veteran and had some experience in this area. And I stumbled across the 38 Gulf page on the Army Talent Management website. And it was such an immediately obvious fit because I teach politics, but I also do politics. I work for the House of Representatives. And for that matter, when I go out looking for faculty members to hire, I like looking for people who are practitioners as well as being scholars. And this really dovetailed very nicely into that model. And it struck me as something with a very clear need. It also struck me as something that, especially as we think about lessons learned from Iraq and Afghanistan and 20 years of deployments, that this was an area where the Army could really bone up its skills and get more into capacity building both within our formations and also the places where we operate. So it struck me as something that was both important and extremely interesting. 00:04:13 BRIAN HANCOCK Well, very glad that you're here. The background that you both have in politics and helping. do governance on an almost daily basis. It makes me wonder, how would we train something like transitional governance? This is one of our core capabilities. I don't know if the program does things like that. I think there's a big future for us in this area. And both of you have the background to help us move in that direction. Well, in the early 2000s, 00:04:44 JOSHUA WEIKERT  the DOD had... conducted a review of all the civil administration and civil affairs tasks that were out there that the Army engages in. And they came up with a list of something like 1 ,400 different tasks. And they combed through this list and started identifying things that are not currently met. So where are the areas where the Army needs help? And out of that derived these 18 skill identifiers within the 38 Gulf program, covering a broad range of civil skills. And these include things like... finance, education, and border security, and law, regulation, and policy, and this cultural heritage and property protection. And the goal of the program is essentially to enhance a commander's ability to operate in a stable civil environment, to foresee and address any likely challenges that should crop up, so that commanders can focus on accomplishing their primary image. 00:05:33 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Yeah, if I might jump in a little bit on that as well, either read the book or see the movie Monuments Men, then that gives you a little bit of a sense. In World War II, The U .S. were heading across Western Europe. They needed help to identify certain things, whether it's art, whether it's the significance of structures. And those are skills that the Army just didn't have. So the George Clooney's of the world, who at the time were art historians and museum curators, were brought into the Army's orbit to assist in those tasks. And that's kind of the history of the program that goes way back when, and then it was recently restarted in many ways and broadened as Captain Weigert. has been describing. So in some ways, I describe our role as consultants with specific civilian side expertise that the Army simply does not have to assist the Army to be able to do things that it otherwise might not be able to do. So we get called upon to assist in some of those areas that are more specialized than what the Army generally might have. And in other ways, like other civil affairs officers, you know, we're kind of the Army's diplomatic corps. So it's really those combinations, but the Gulf program specifically brings a very specific and in -depth civilian skill set to be used for Army purposes. 00:06:47 BRIAN HANCOCK set to be used for Army purposes. It sounds a little bit similar to some of the specialists we have with surgeons and lawyers, but also different at the same time. When we were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, we definitely could have used these capabilities in all of these special functional areas. The Department of State tries their best to fill that gap, but the reality is that they're a relatively small organization that isn't necessarily equipped to go to non -permissive environments for extended periods of time. So for transitional governments, I think the heavy lift tends to fall on the military, and you really can't rebuild a government without trying to rebuild the economy and those other threads that tie into that tapestry. I'm very excited for the future with you guys on board. One of the initial challenges is that there wasn't necessarily a clear career progression through every rank for these soldiers. They couldn't follow the 38 Alpha career progression. Has that been relooked at? We do have a quasi -path through your military education. 00:07:57 JOSHUA WEIKERT  a quasi -path through your military education. We do not yet have a basic officer leadership course, though we are currently piggybacking on Medical Services Bullock down here at Fort Sam. which is actually where they both are right now. But my understanding is that a 38 golf at CA Bullock course is in development, and I volunteered some of my time doing some of the course materials for that. And of course, we do have the civil affairs captain's course as well as an option. Beyond that, I'm not certain at all. But for Major Dykstra, if he has more information on that. 00:08:26 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Much of this has been like jazz. There's been a certain underlying beat that's there, and there's a lot of improvisation that happens along the way. And Captain Weikert is exactly correct that we do DCC largely with the JAG DCC. And then we sort of peg on BOLIC, either AG or AMED, and AMED seems to be the preferred course right now. And to me, this is an area for improvement. We've gone through two school experiences without having any sort of direct training for what it is that we do. And that feels to me like an area that we can improve upon. And I think that is in process, as Captain Weikert mentioned with. With large organizations, particularly the U.S. Army, all that sort of thing takes time. Yeah, it does. But I do think that as the program matures, as there are more people within it for longer periods of time, a lot of the questions about career path and specifics along those lines, frankly, either be worked out by doctrine or they'll be worked out by the process of having people going through these programs and through the ranks and getting OERs and those kinds of things. So I'm not as concerned about that. A ladder piece is what I think that it would be beneficial for the golf program to have better formal education laid out sooner as we see with most other MOCs. 00:09:37 BRIAN HANCOCK other MOCs. It makes sense to me. It is clever, though, to piggyback on a professional MOS. Many reservists have a similar challenge who aren't 38 golfs because a lot of the professional military education that we funnel through. is geared towards combat arms. And of course, for reserve soldiers, what we do is largely support. But in terms of professional military education, understanding some of these other professions like medicine and pieces of logistics and information operations, professional military education historically has not been geared to advance the tradecraft of those individuals. So I think there's a larger movement within the Army at large, though, to create more specialized training. Unlike the Marine Corps, where they have fewer MOSs and folks have to be a little bit more of a generalist, the fact that we have so many specialty MOSs in the Army, I think, lends itself to the ability to stand up individual branches that can run its own training. And within the functional specialties of the 38 golf program, you might even need an entire course dedicated. to each of those functional areas because they're really quite different. 38 golfs are contained within the functional specialty team construct, like the building where they live within a civil affairs unit. Some folks tend to conflate the 38 golf program with the functional specialty team, not the same. But let's take it a step further. Since the functional specialty team which houses the 38 golf program is a military unit, It, of course, has non -commissioned officers in it as well as officers. Three of us happen to be officers, but non -commissioned officers are very important for us to get things done in the Army. What right now is the role of the non -commissioned officer within functional specialty teams? And gentlemen, where do you see that going? Go ahead, Captain Martin. I think that's exactly right. 00:11:40 JOSHUA WEIKERT  right. And in addition, the just traditional roles that NCOs play in almost any unit in formation in terms of like training plan development and... upward input and things like that. I think the role of NCOs is all the more valuable and important in an FXFB section that includes a significant number of direct commission officers. You need that reinforcing experience even more in that set. And also, as we found out at the symposium in April, many of we had NCOs in attendance, and many of these NCOs are themselves fairly accomplished within their careers on the civilian side. So they have SI. contributions to make as well. So they're an essential part of this formation. 00:12:19 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Yeah. One of our NCOs was a lawyer of 35 plus years, had done really remarkable things in the civilian side. So the idea that I, as a newly commissioned officer, would come in as the experienced person on the civilian side and he was more experienced on the Army side was true on the one hand, but it also was so much more than that because his civilian expertise was also first rate and really quite impressive. 00:12:41 BRIAN HANCOCK first rate and really quite impressive. That's amazing. And I don't know if the functional specialty teams will select for that type of talent. It certainly exists, at least within the Army Reserve. We're very skill -rich. That is exciting to me. Now, prior to the establishment of the 38 golf program, who was manning the functional specialty teams? 00:13:03 JOSHUA WEIKERT  There is great talent in our formations already. So we had, for example, veterinarians. We had public health practitioners. and people that have civil affairs and what we now think of as sort of 38 Gulf skill sets. With the 38 Gulf program, you have subject matter experts who can get a little further into the weeds in areas where we don't have as much expertise. If someone came up to a practicing JAG lawyer and said, look, we need to design a judiciary system because we're about to massively disrupt the civil administration of this country, they're going to be in the ballpark. They understand courts and civil and criminal procedure and things like that. but they might clearly consider things that I would think of in terms of governmental engineering around separation of powers, how those are selected. And that is what I think 38 Gulfs add to that functional specialty. It lets us accomplish a lot more within the same formation. That makes sense to me. 00:13:51 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Yeah, I completely agree with that. And clearly the civil affairs units and the FXSPs in particular were doing tremendous work prior to the visioning of the 38 Gulf program. In many cases, it seems as though it might be because of the particular and unique skill sets of those officers and NCOs. I think the Gulf program is trying to actually more systematically identify and bring into the Army persons who have depth to skill. 00:14:17 BRIAN HANCOCK to skill. What I'm hearing is that 38 Gulfs bring out more capability and apply it to the often very complex civil social problems that we work on in the civil affairs community. I read a fair amount of peer -reviewed literature, and I can tell you from that standpoint, since the 38 Gulfs have entered the community, I've seen a lot more peer -reviewed literature coming out. So I think there definitely is some effect from this program, and I'm really excited to see where it's going to lead. Now, at the end of April, the 304th Civil Affairs Brigade, which is commanded by Colonel Toby Humphries, convened the first -ever functional specialty team symposium. How did that come about? What's the history there? Colonel Daniel Fletcher is the FXSP chief of the drill fourth. 00:15:03 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  chief of the drill fourth. So I was as green as they come. And Colonel Fletcher, he was incredibly helpful and kind to me to help me figure out some things. And through that, he learned that there was an onboarding and utility gap of how are we supposed to use these golfs? And he asked around up and down the chain in other units and found out that lots of people were having the same kind of question. So this, I think, was the impetus that he had then to say, well, let's get some people together to talk about some of these issues and see if we can't find solutions to some of these challenges. And then he and our CEO, Colonel Humphreys, talked. And Colonel Humphreys was, as I'm told, immediately enthusiastically on board for this effort. And then through lots of laboring hours and the work of many good officers and NCOs, we put together this symposium. It was a really rich learning experience, let alone a great networking opportunity. 00:16:01 BRIAN HANCOCK That sounds amazing. I almost wish I had been there. I know one of my mentors, Colonel Bradford Hughes, was there, and probably some of his team as well. What were some of the topics you guys discussed, and did you come to any conclusions or lessons learned that you'd like to share with the community? We had essentially three large chunks. 00:16:19 JOSHUA WEIKERT  three large chunks. One was around organization and operations of 38 golfs and ethics SP sections. One was around training and doctrine. And then we specifically also discussed recruitment and personnel and lengthy discussions around accessions and initial onboarding. And we covered a lot of ground in three days. The white paper that is just about ready to be disseminated details the findings and does make some recommendations. But I think far more important than any particular recommendation that came out of it was the fact that we were able to draw all these discussions into one place and one location at one time. I have to believe, greatly increases the likelihood that they are ultimately acted upon because we were able to draw from everyone's best practices and identify where our collective gaps were. And as we sort of pass this up to USKPOC and the command level, this is something that is going to be a little more valuable simply because we were able to reach consensus on even just our concerns. 00:17:17 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Exactly. It was a tremendously rich experience and a breadth of topics. And you mentioned Colonel Hughes. And he and his team have, I think, sort of set the pace for many of the KCOMs in terms of how they're using gulps in particular. And so I was a bit familiar with him through the literature and through various email types of things, but I'd never really talked with him before. Unfortunately, he couldn't be there in person, so he was presented by a team. But then got the chance to meet him this summer in Madison, Wisconsin, at a training event at the University of Wisconsin. And you want to talk about officers who are... just stellar in terms of their knowledge, but also stellar in terms of character and quality of person. Carl Hughes is right up there as well. So it was just an incredible experience to learn from other KCOMs and to understand history and some of the doctrine issues that arise and to identify road bumps or landmines and avoid them or fix them. But a really great experience that I think was appreciated by all who attended. 00:18:17 JOSHUA WEIKERT  all who attended. One of the things that came out of the symposium for me in terms of like genuinely new things that I learned, is that at one point there was the establishment of this Institute for Military Support to Governance, which was formed specifically to identify and support reservists with civilian acquired skills that were applicable to these functional areas. And it sounds like it was a forerunner in many ways to what we think of as the 38 Gulf program today. And it still exists, at least as far as we can tell, absolutely unclear what current status is. But this is something that came up several times during the symposium, is that that could be something that could function as a vehicle to address some of the coordinating. challenges we face and maybe even some of the accessions on board be challenged. And it will just remain to be seen if that's something we can vitalize or revitalize. I love the way you're thinking. 00:19:01 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  Sir, this is part of the benefit of having an academic like Captain Weikert in the planning team. He thinks institutionally and thinks strategically in terms of the doctrine aspect of things. It's not just operational or tactical. The other thing I would mention is Captain Weikert mentioned The white paper from the symposium is soon to be published, but there was an article in the latest edition of The Shield that gives a more thinner or more popular description of what the symposium did and what it accomplished and who was there. So I would encourage any listener who is at least somewhat curious about the symposium to check out The Shield article and then be able to look out for the upcoming white paper. 00:19:40 BRIAN HANCOCK Let me ask you, gentlemen, a test question now that I've got you both warmed up and unsuspecting here. Field manual, three -tack, five -step, civil affairs operations, our Bible, recently updated. It added this new task of civil network development and engagement, or CNDE, which in itself is pretty complicated because we're talking about mapping and engaging interrelated complex adaptive systems. Okay, so mathematically, at least, it's already very complicated. Now, considering how deep the expertise is, within the 38 Gulf community, I would suspect that those folks with those credentials in those communities are probably in a very good position to advance civil network development engagement within their specialty areas. Now let's talk about that concept within the broader Army concept. We're all professionals at this level of our career. How are we as an institution, in your opinion, measuring the strength of the professional networks that we are bringing with us, which are an asset for both civilian and the military? How could we include the strength of someone's network as, say, part of their promotion or board packages? Do you have any thoughts how the Army as an institution could take a better measure? of our professional networks and ability to leverage them to achieve commander's effects. I can say that it did come up at the symposium among that group of 38 Golfs and FXSP members in attendance that this was an essential part of just understanding what our own capabilities were and how do we track and map where everyone lands in terms of their skill sets. 00:21:13 JOSHUA WEIKERT  that it did come up at the symposium among that group of 38 Golfs and FXSP members in attendance that this was an essential part of just understanding what our own capabilities were and how do we track and map where everyone lands in terms of their skill sets. So it was something of general interest at the symposium, and it also came up in the context of how we developed training. for 38 golfs and for civil affairs units more generally. And those efforts are likely to be ongoing. But in terms of how to do it, I think it should be relatively straightforward because we already have some of these things sort of populated in the soldier talent profile at HRC, for example. And if we simply adapt that and augment it to specifically identify for civil skills and civil networks, it shouldn't be too challenging to at least get that on paper. Now, how you operationalize that and put it to work is a more challenging question, obviously. 00:22:03 KURT DYKSTRA But it does seem to me as though there is a lot of ad hoc -ness to the way this is happening so far. The point and purpose of the Gulf program is to really get into uniform persons with skills that the Army was lacking. And if we simply have them but don't know about them and don't utilize them and leverage them and execute on them, then maybe to put it in a more concrete way, if we're simply relying upon, I know a guy or I know a gal who has that experience and they happen to be over there. in the 352, well, that's better than not having that information. But it's not really how you want to be running a program like this. Better to have a much more institutionalized, formalized means of understanding networks so that we can affect the broad array of a civil society. Because as we all understand, if a civil society breaks down, it's not just one thing that needs to be addressed. It's about 175 things that need to be addressed. in order for civil society to work. So there's still work to be done there, but I am heartened by the fact that the Gulf community is a robust one intrapersonally and continuing to be more so. And these topics of more institutionalizing that kind of knowledge is absolutely on the topic of conversation for many people who are thinking more seriously about how to do that. 00:23:18 BRIAN HANCOCK people who are thinking more seriously about how to do that. I love the fact that this community is actually thinking about these difficult questions that not only affect the army, but... affect the force as a whole and strategically affect our ability to compete and deter, ideally avoiding conflict altogether. And these are things that we have to understand. What networks, how do we invest in them? How do we, if necessary, appropriate them to steer the world away from costly conflict? That is something that needs more attention, 00:23:49 JOSHUA WEIKERT  more attention, is there is a very, very, very robust peace mission for 38 Gulf. And I think it's important to remember, too, as we think about how we exploit these talents. For example, the same way our conservationists and cultural property protection folks have a partnership with the Smithsonian, we would want to see that within every skill identifier, that institutional partner becomes a potential warehouse of understanding what their aside people can do and how they can contribute as well. So I think at present, it is very interpersonal, and it's great that we do have that network of folks. But I also think that that is something that will get augmented once we have everything built out to its fullest expression. Carty, do you have a thought on that? 00:24:26 KURT DYKSTRA  I was just going to say that we want to be in a spot to have those networks built out and an understanding of the places in which we operate before any hostilities break out. These things are happening and they're happening because of the good work of a whole lot of people, but the program is still pretty young. So we're still gaining our legs and still building it out. And with the kind of caliber of people we have in uniform now through this program, I have no doubt that the future is really, 00:24:50 BRIAN HANCOCK have no doubt that the future is really, really bright. That's wonderful to hear. The Army has done conflict for a long time, right? This idea of competition is still somewhat new to us, so we're not going to expect overnight our doctrine and schooling to change to be able to help us secure that win in competition. But I'm seeing encouraging signs, and I know we're going to head in that direction, and I really believe the 38 Golfs are going to have a very big role as we look to maximize our return on investment and competition, ideally avoiding conflict altogether. Now, at the symposium, I imagine maybe behind closed doors, a very professional and upfront group who's not afraid to talk about challenges. Within those conversations, what... at present, do you see as the single greatest challenge that needs to be overcome within the 38 Golf community? And what are your suggestions to do so? I'll say one thing. 00:25:52 KURT DYKSTRA  To a person who was there, yes, there were some frustrations or constructive criticism ideas, but there was not a person in that room who was not enthusiastic about the program and grateful to be a part of it. So I think part of the challenge in a twofold piece, and both of these things have to do with the program being relatively new. The first one I would say is the accession process and the identification process. How does someone go from never having worn a uniform in the history of their life to commissioning? And how does that process work? And how long does it take for that to happen? Part of the challenge that we see, and I think it's getting better, I was maybe second class of Gulfs that came in, is that it was an on -again, off -again process for close to two years. And if we are trying to identify highly skilled, highly talented, highly experienced civilian personnel to come into uniform, a two -year process is problematic. 00:26:51 BRIAN HANCOCK is problematic. It's strange to me because my recruiter had me in boots before I left his office. And that was actually part of the discussion. 00:26:59 KURT DYKSTRA AND  that was actually part of the discussion. In so many other areas, Army recruiting is really, really strong, and there's a clearly established path that you do. And because of the newness and kind of quirkiness of this program, there's less of that, and we're sort of building the ship as we're sailing. Yesterday in the hotel here at Fort Sam, I met a thoracic surgeon who was newly commissioned. And some of those areas that maybe have experience with highly skilled civilian practitioners. coming newly into the Army that have paths that are a bit more developed than what the golf program is. So again, I think it has gotten much better, but it takes time. 00:27:36 JOSHUA WEIKERT  time. I think as the program grows and we sort of meet our staffing benchmarks and as we get more practice and more reps in the process, I do believe a lot of this will hire. I think it will as well. The other thing I would say is having the ability for a civil affairs bullet to come into play. 00:27:49 KURT DYKSTRA  having the ability for a civil affairs bullet to come into play. We latched on with mainly the JAG officers for GCC and there's... a lot that's great about that, especially as a lawyer. It was very strange. So there were about 100 of us in our Bolick class. All but five of us, I think, were JAG officers. But I was the lawyer who wasn't the JAG. And I was the old guy. So it was really, it was a fascinating couple of months and a lot of fun. But we were sort of sitting along the side as they were talking lots of things about JAG school and what happened next for them. And then to be at AMED Bolick, again, it's a similar sort of thing. And there's, especially for someone new to the Army like me, being around people in the Army is invaluable, regardless of whether it's directly related to my MOS or not. But at some point, it would be helpful to get some specialized training about what it is that the Army expects me to do, apart from the civilian experience that I bring to the table. 00:28:45 JOSHUA WEIKERT  In terms of challenges within 38 Gulf, I also find that, organizationally speaking, is how we connect 38 Gulfs with commanders and missions. Because at present, we are relying on these informal networks to pass information along about we need six Delta to go to Poland in two weeks. Who's available? You know, things like that. That's always going to be inefficient, for one thing. We realize a little too much on that ad hoc communications network. And it also means that commanders can't go looking for 38 Gulfs either. So what I think will have to happen sooner or later is having some kind of centralized. repository of mission and or task information that 38 Gulfs can go to and look at ongoing missions or missions in planning. And at the same time, some kind of searchable database where commanders can go find those people. And there are institutions and organizations that have this set up in existence. So it's not something we need to reinvent. It's just something we need to consolidate because it is just very unlikely that every formation in a civil affairs unit will happen to have the right people for their region and their missions. We need to be better to get good information down to every individual 38 golf and up to every commander. And that's just going to take time and awareness to them. 00:29:51 BRIAN HANCOCK time and awareness to them. That makes perfect sense. So that would help you grow in your skill set and mature your capability as well for everyone's benefit. Totally sold on that. And I think in time, as you mentioned, that's probably going to be developed and roll out. We've talked a lot about the 38 golf program today. Very exciting. I think certainly the best thing that's happened to civil affairs in decades. And I believe over time it'll be one of the best things that's ever happened to the Army and to the military at large. Very exciting. Those in the audience who are listening, who are interested in learning more and perhaps going through that application process, which will shrink in time, of course, what are those steps they need to take? If someone raised their hand and says, sign me up to 38 Golf, what do they do? 00:30:44 JOSHUA WEIKERT  the Army and Hound Management website. If you just Google 38 Gulf Army, I believe the first tip that you'll see. And it's been built out over the past three years, adding more context, more information about the steps. But it essentially begins with laying out the basic requirements for the program, which is at least a master's degree in a relevant SI field, and at least professional experience in that as well. Once you've cleared those hurdles, you're then looking at developing your packet, and it does provide good guidance on that. I have already fielded some inquiries from interested NCOs and officers, and there are also some groups that you find on LinkedIn and Signal as well that are very active in discussing this process and how it's going. 00:31:18 BRIAN HANCOCK it's going. Professional football teams don't just recruit from their neighborhood. They go all over the place to get the right specialties, to put them together in the right combination for the right missions and matchups. I love the way you're thinking about putting something together like that. I've honestly felt that... As an institution, one of the things that we should do a little bit better job with in general is knowledge management within the military. If you have deep subject matter expertise, if it's in a very tight area like tech support, they have knowledge bases that you can search. We don't have a lot of tools like that, and we spend a lot of our money on human capital who are producing intellectual property, some of which is lost when a unit rips out or when there isn't a good continuity plan. And of course, the deep knowledge that you're describing, we definitely need a better way to collect, analyze, maintain, and make that accessible. So thinking about 38 Gulfs, and it was described as a consultancy within the Army. 00:32:12 JOSHUA WEIKERT  it was described as a consultancy within the Army. So essentially, a staff officer or commander pauses and says, wait, how do I fill in the blank? That should trigger a call at an RFI down to some kind of 38 Gulf to fill that need. Yeah, and two more comments on that. One, this isn't unique to the Army. 00:32:29 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  to the Army. Any organization of any size will sort of talk about knowledge walking out the door. So this is not a unique situation to the Army, though, of course, it's magnified given the size, scale, and scope of what the U .S. Army does. The second thing I would say is, and this was part of the discussion at the symposium, the Colonel Hughes panel, what the 351st does is they house all of their goals at the KCOM level, as opposed to embedding them in brigades or battalions. And that way... Whether it's the ultimate solution or whether it's a matter of a way to actually get their arms around it, they have a sense as to what their capacity is within the 351st because they're all at the KCOM level and can understand that, oh, we have this issue of an agricultural thing happening in the Philippines. Wonderful. We know who we can send to help out on that mission. As things continue to get better, and they clearly have gotten better. But as this program is longer and more experienced and has more people in it and more knowledge shared through it, I fully expect that the process will get better and the knowledge that we're able to share in social life. 00:33:31 BRIAN HANCOCK I definitely think it will. We're approaching our time for the show. I wanted to give you a few last minutes for each of you. Do you have any final thoughts that you would like to share with the community? First of all, thanks for having us on, 00:33:46 KURT DYKSTRA AND  JOSHUA WEIKERT  on, sir. It's been a real treat to be able to talk with you. In addition to the great resources that Captain Weikert mentioned, feel free to reach out to us if you have questions on the golf program. We may not have all the answers, but we can probably be a good conduit into the network to help get you the answers, or at least the right people who would have the answers. So happy to field any phone calls or emails about the golf program. Awesome. 00:34:07 JOSHUA WEIKERT  And I would just say to anyone who's currently in the pipeline or is thinking about applying or has recently commissioned and is very sort of new to the process, patience is the key. I know it seems like it's taking forever. It has gotten better with every iteration. It seems like the sort of processing time is getting smaller and smaller and all these things. So just hang in there and it does reach a conclusion eventually. 00:34:26 BRIAN HANCOCK a conclusion eventually. Well, thank you both very much, Major Dijkstra and Captain Weikert for coming on the show. That concludes this issue of 1CA Podcast. 00:34:37 Close Thanks for listening. If you get a chance, please like and subscribe and rate the show on your favorite podcast platform. Also, if you're interested in coming on the show or hosting an episode, email us at capodcasting@gmail.com. I'll have the email and CA Association website in the show notes. And now, most importantly, to those currently out in the field, working with a partner nation's people or leadership to forward U.S. relations, thank you all for what you're doing. This is Jack, your host. Stay tuned for more great episodes. One CA Podcast.

Anna Cherepnina fulfilled a long-held dream of serving in the military when she enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2009. But a string of personal tragedies brought her to the darkest moment of her life. At StoryCorps, she reflected on how an encounter with an insolent fox and a trip to the base of Mount Everest helped her see the light again.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, or email us at podcast@storycorps.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Kentucky is not a state that Pearl Jam has frequented often, so when the 2016 tour schedule released with Lexington as one of the announced dates, folks from the Bluegrass State were overjoyed that the band would be returning for the first time in 13 years. That's the focal point for this this episode. This is a show that is somehow approaching it's 9th year anniversary in April, and just like many of those Spring 2016 shows, it's full of deep cuts and talking points that are rarely broached on this podcast. This show is a good show with an A+ crowd, but certainly not without some hiccups. While the song Lightning Bolt was utilized in the opener role for the first time ever, the band struggled a bit out the gate with the first six songs. However, that storyline doesn't last throughout the entire show. The rabid crowd picked this band up and gave them the energy they needed to blaze through excellent performances of Corduroy, Army Reserve, 1/2 Full, Rearviewmirror, Thumbing My Way, Comfortably Numb and the ultra rare addition of Education. A big thank you goes out to Simon and Dawn Mortimer for the Patreon episode request! Visit the Concertpedia - http://liveon4legs.com Contact the Show - liveon4legspodcast@gmail.com Donate to the Show - http://patreon.com/liveon4legs

Welcome back to UNBIASED. In today's episode: LA Fire Update; How Are CA Inmates Helping Fight the Fires? And Was the LAFD Budget CUT or INCREASED?? Here's the Context You Need. (1:35) Multiple Suspects Steal Weapons and Equipment from US Army Reserve in CA (7:47) President-Elect Trump's Inauguration Schedule Released. Here's What You Can Expect. (9:17) House Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Allow Trump to Start Greenland Acquisition Talks (11:20) Supreme Court Hears TikTok Case. What You Need to Know About the Arguments and the Concerns From the Justices (13:20) Quick Hitters: Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Meta that Could Expose the Company to a Multi-Billion Dollar Loss, Texas Sues AllState for Secretly Acquiring User Data and Using it for Gain, Judge Allows Special Counsel Report on Trump to be Released, Biden Forgives More Student Debt, and Senate Confirmation Hearings Begin Tomorrow (24:56) Listen/Watch this episode AD-FREE on Patreon. Watch this episode on YouTube. Follow Jordan on Instagram and TikTok. All sources for this episode can be found here.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recently, Major Kate Rubins became the first Army Reserve officer to receive the Basic Aviation Badge with Astronaut Device and Space Badge. Just tack it on as another accomplishment for her. As a microbiologist and NASA astronaut who also serves in the Army Reserve, I thought I would use this show as a good excuse to get the chance to meet her and hear her story, and that's just what I did. My first question, what do you consider your official job? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin Meet the over-achieving and high-flying Army Reserve major Coming to a contract protest near you loser pays legal fees CD's the ones made of money aren't what they used to be Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last time we spoke about the Aitape-Wewak Campaign. General Dunckel's task force successfully invaded Mindoro, establishing airfields to support operations on Luzon. With General Eichelberger's 8th Army and General Krueger's 6th Army poised to capture Lingayen Gulf, guerrilla forces on Luzon provided crucial intelligence. As plans for the Luzon invasion solidified, General Yamashita prepared defenses, predicting an assault between January 10 and 20. Despite dwindling resources, he aimed to delay the enemy's advance. Meanwhile, Allied forces readied for a swift amphibious attack to secure Manila and restore the Philippine government. In December, Australian forces established outposts at Yasile and Yambes, successfully repelling Japanese attacks. After fierce clashes, they advanced 40 miles along the coast. Meanwhile, the U.S. military bolstered defenses in Saipan and launched bombing raids on Japanese facilities, achieving mixed results. Despite heavy losses, they began to impact Japanese production capabilities. As the month ended, the Japanese launched a final assault on the Marianas, but the Allies continued their strategic advances, setting the stage for future operations. This episode is the Invasion of Luzon Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945.  We last left off with the plans for Operation Mike 1 being finished. General Swift's 1st Corps was ready to land on the eastern beaches of Lingayen Gulf, while General Griswold's 14th Corps prepared to go ashore on the western beaches. Additionally, successful diversionary operations had been conducted on Mindoro, and Admiral McCain's Task Force 38 executed several moderately successful strikes against Formosa and the Ryukyu Islands in early January. Meanwhile, the 14th Corps elements staging at New Britain completed loading on 10 December; those mounting at Bougainville finished two days later. On the 17th all groups of the III Amphibious Force rendezvoused at Huon Gulf, eastern New Guinea, to rehearse the Lingayen assault. General Griswold felt that the 37th Division's rehearsal was satisfactory but had much fault to find with the 40th Division, remarking upon a "general failure to observe the spirit of the rehearsal." As a result, further training was conducted at Manus Island in the Admiralties, where the convoy reassembled on 22 December. On December 27, Admiral Wilkinson dispatched his LSTs and LSMs, followed by the remainder of Task Force 79 four days later. On the same day, Admiral Barbey's convoy, which included Major-General Leonard Wing's 43rd Division, loaded at Aitape before proceeding to Sansapor to load Major-General Edwin Patrick's 6th Division. Task Force 78 departed Sansapor on December 30, heading to a rendezvous point with other elements of Admiral Kinkaid's Luzon Attack Force. By January 4, all components of Task Force 77 had successfully gathered at Leyte Gulf, with MacArthur personally boarding the light cruiser Boise. Kinkaid's minesweepers, Admiral Oldendorf's Bombardment and Fire Support Group, and most of Admiral Durgin's escort carriers had already left the gulf on January 2 to conduct preliminary operations off Luzon. By January 6, the rest of the Luzon Attack Force began moving toward Lingayen Gulf, led by Admiral Berkey's light cruisers. As Mindoro-based aircraft significantly increased the intensity of their assaults during the last week of December—sinking seven transports and two escorts, and destroying over 140 aircraft. General Yamashita's tense and expectant forces were still racing against time to complete,their battle preparations when the first warnings came that the enemy was again on the move. At 1322 on 2 January, a naval lookout post on Surigao Strait reported that a long train of about 80 enemy ships, screened by destroyers, was moving through the strait into the Mindanao Sea. Other reports which followed immediately warned that large numbers of invasion craft were gathered in the Leyte, Palau and Marianas areas, and that enemy submarines had appeared in force off the west coast of Luzon. At first it was thought that the enemy convoy was merely a reinforcement and resupply group destined for Mindoro. On 3 January, however, developments began to point more conclusively toward a full-scale amphibious operation against Luzon. In the afternoon, just as the initially sighted enemy group passed into the Sulu Sea, a large enemy naval task force, including 12 escort carriers, four battleships and eight cruisers, was reported following in its wake through Surigao Strait. Another delayed report stated that an enemy transport convoy of 90 ships, under strong naval escort, had been spotted the previous day northwest of Palau, heading in the direction of Leyte Gulf. General Yamashita grew concerned that a large-scale amphibious operation against Luzon was imminent. Consequently, he decided to relocate his headquarters to Baguio. These concerns were validated in early January when Japanese lookouts spotted Kinkaid's warships and transports approaching the island. In response, General Tominaga ordered aggressive kamikaze attacks on the Allied vessels, with a major assault on January 4 causing severe damage to the escort carrier Ommaney Bay, which ultimately had to be scuttled. The following day, Japanese attacks persisted, damaging two escort carriers, two cruisers, and three destroyers, among other ships. In retaliation, Durgin's carrier aircraft launched strikes on Manila Bay, successfully sinking the destroyer Momi and damaging the Hinoki. On January 6, McCain's carriers joined the effort, with American pilots tasked with targeting air facilities at Manila and Clark Field. Despite adverse weather conditions limiting the effectiveness of the strike, they succeeded in sinking one transport and six oilers, as well as destroying 32 Japanese aircraft. Meanwhile, as Oldendorf's warships commenced their bombardment and minesweeping operations, kamikaze attacks continued. The destroyer minesweeper USS Long (DD-209/DMS-12) missed the attack on Pearl Harbor by about two days, but then immediately started anti-submarine patrols and escort missions. Its long trajectory in the Pacific War saw it make escort runs to Midway, Palmyra and Canton; participate in the invasions of Amchitka, Attu and Kiska in Alaskan waters; escort reinforcements to Roi and Namur in the Marshalls; participate in the invasions of the Admiralties, Hollandia, Saipan and Palau; and be one of the first vessels to enter into Leyte Gulf back in October. During the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Long began mine sweeps on January 6, evading and firing upon Japanese aircraft as she carried out her intricate mission. Shortly after noon, beginning her second run, Long spotted two Zeros heading for her. Long went to 25 knots and opened fire, but a kamikaze crashed into her portside below the bridge about 1 foot above the waterline. With fires and explosions amidships, Long lost power and internal communications, and was unable to fight fires forward. Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Stanley Caplan, fearing an explosion in the forward magazine, gave permission for men trapped on the forecastle to leave the ship; but through a misunderstanding the crew abandoned ship. Later that afternoon a second plane attacked Long and exploded at the same spot, destroying the bridge and breaking the ship's back. Long finally capsized and sank the following morning. Alongside the Long, battleships California and New Mexico, along with the cruisers Columbia, Australia, and Louisville, five destroyers, another minesweeper, and one transport were damaged. Admiral Oldendorf was worried with good reason. Previously, kamikaze operations against his ships and those of other naval commands, though dangerous, had generally been executed by relatively untrained pilots who had taken few precautions to avoid detection and anti-aircraft fire and who often appeared to be flying partially damaged, lightly armored planes carrying little ordnance. In January the kamikazes had been operating in a far different manner. There was now a definite program of kamikaze operations, for the vast majority of the perhaps 100 Japanese aircraft that had attacked the forces under Admiral Oldendorf's command since January 2 had at least attempted kamikaze crashes. In addition, the pilots seemed to be more skilled. They took every advantage of radar-blanketing terrain, especially in the Lingayen Gulf area, and flew toward target ships at extremely low altitudes, thus helping to avoid both radar and visual detection. Flight tactics included radical maneuvering designed not only to avoid anti-aircraft fire and Allied planes but also to confuse observers as to which ship was the actual target. Finally, many of the kamikaze planes were heavily armored and armed. The Allies had expected great results from the relatively new proximity fuze for shipboard 5-inch antiaircraft weapons, but the Japanese planes usually appeared so suddenly and took such violent evasive action that 5-inch batteries could seldom track properly. The employment of the expensive special ammunition was, therefore, generally useless, and was sometimes even dangerous to friendly ships. Having missed approaching kamikazes by such distances that fuzes were not activated, shells sometimes sailed on to explode on or near Allied vessels, thereby causing some damage and many casualties.  Concerned about the effectiveness of the kamikaze attacks and recognizing that achieving air superiority did not prevent the enemy's suicide planes, Oldendorf opted for a psychological strategy. He ordered the minesweeper and bombardment groups to persist with their operations, even while sustaining damage, to convince the Japanese that their suicide missions were failing. Kinkaid shared these concerns and requested the cessation of all diversionary air operations to concentrate the main air offensive on Luzon. As a result, Admiral Halsey's carrier-based aircraft and General Kenney's ground forces were tasked with neutralizing all Japanese airfields in Luzon, supported by Durgin's escort carriers. On January 7, McCain's strikes on Luzon and Oldendorf's bombardment of the Lingayen beaches continued, while underwater demolition teams entered the gulf to undertake the dangerous mission of dismantling beach obstacles. Again contrary to expectations, no beach obstacles were found. The "frog men" encountered only a little rifle and machine gun fire, and the few beach defenses they observed appeared to be unoccupied. Their tasks and those of hydrographic ships were completed on the 8th. In retaliation, 20 to 25 kamikazes targeted various segments of the Luzon Attack Force, managing to sink two minesweepers and damage one LST. That night, Kinkaid's destroyers successfully sank the Hinoki off Manila Bay. However, on January 8, the 3rd Fleet units began advancing towards Formosa, as MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz suspected that the kamikazes were launching from there. Without Halsey's additional air support, the Japanese suicide planes once again attacked the Luzon Attack Force, this time damaging the cruiser Australia and the escort carriers Kitkun Bay and Kardashan Bay, as well as inflicting damage on an LSI, an LST, and an APA. Due to significant losses, by the end of the day, the 2nd Air Fleet and the 1st Combined Base Air Force headquarters were disbanded. The 1st Air Fleet received orders to withdraw to Formosa for reorganization, while the severely weakened units of the 4th Air Army were set to continue limited attack operations for a short time until a final evacuation could be carried out. Returning on the morning of the 8th to resume bombardment about 08:00, one section again hit the Lingayen area. About ten minutes later a destroyer standing close inshore and a spotting plane from a battleship reported that Filipinos were forming a parade, complete with United States and Philippine flags, in the town of Lingayen. The fire was shifted to more westerly targets while leaflets were quickly prepared instructing the Filipinos to clear the area. A spotting plane dropped the leaflets and the paraders dispersed. Bombardment started again as soon as the area seemed vacated. The reasons for resuming the bombardment of Lingayen and its environs in the face of this friendly demonstration ashore are unknown, especially since neither underwater demolition teams nor spotting planes had discovered any signs of Japanese activity in the area. The town, at least, seemed safely in the hands of the Filipinos. The most obvious explanation is that erroneous intelligence, having indicated that strong defenses would be encountered in the area, made it incumbent upon Admiral Oldendorf to continue the bombardment whether he wanted to or not. Too much was at stake to take a chance. The Filipinos in the Lingayen area could hardly have been pleased as they saw their homes and public buildings damaged or destroyed by what to them must have seemed an unnecessary bombardment. It seems a tribute both to the Filipinos and to the prewar administration of the United States in the islands--as well as a severe and obvious indictment of Japanese occupation policies--that the people of the Philippines took such adversities in their stride, not permitting personal resentments to overcome judgment and loyalty. Throughout the rest of 8 January, bombardment of the landing beach areas continued without incident. Practically no military installations or targets were found in the Lingayen town and airstrip area, and relatively few were discovered in the San Fabian region. The San Fabian bombardment vessels ran out of targets by 1530 and moved back up the gulf to strike the San Fernando area for another forty-five minutes, completing the task that the Japanese kamikazes had interrupted on the 6th. The Lingayen area ships had long since ceased their firing for the day. Thus ended preliminary bombardment operations. The heavy bombardment of the San Fernando sector on the 6th aroused great anxiety in General Yamashita's headquarters. An enemy landing in that sector would fall north of the main positions of the 58th Independent Mixed Brigade and create serious danger of a thrust toward Baguio over the Bauang-Naguilian Highway. The only means of meeting this potential threat was to change the planned employment of the 19th Division. The division was still in the San Fernando-Naguilian area due to postponement of its scheduled movement inland, and intense enemy air activity over the whole Lingayen area made it improbable that it could move in any case. Consequently, on 7 January, the Area Army ordered the division to assume responsibility for the defense of the sector north of a line running through Santiago, Magungunay, Mt. Bilbil, and Asin. Its main strength was to be concentrated between Naguilian and Baguio. With preliminary operations finished, Kinkaid's amphibious attack convoys arrived at the entrance to Lingayen Gulf around 04:00 on January 9. As the amphibious ships began landing operations, the fire support vessels of Admirals Barbey and Wilkinson positioned themselves for final pre-assault bombardment. In support of these efforts, McCain struck Formosa, destroying 47 Japanese aircraft, sinking seven ships, and damaging eleven others. Throughout the week, the fast carriers conducted a total of 3,030 offensive sorties, dropping approximately 700 tons of bombs at the cost of 86 aircraft. Pleased with the results of the anti-kamikaze operation, Nimitz finally permitted Halsey to launch a major raid into the South China Sea, codenamed Operation Gratitude. Meanwhile, back in Luzon, the pre-assault bombardment commenced at 07:00, gradually shifting fire from the landing beaches to the flanks of the assault area. At 09:00, the first amphibious vehicles began their approach from a departure line about 4,500 yards offshore, while rocket-armed landing craft and aircraft bombarded the beaches. The landing beaches of the 14th Corps were located across the middle of Lingayen Gulf's southern shores and centered on Lingayen airstrip and the nearby grounds of the capitol of Pangasinan Province. In peacetime one would have considered the shore line a beautiful swimming beach, a magnificent strand of firm sand stretching eastward almost 9 miles from the mouth of the Calmay River to the mouth of the Dagupan. The east bank of the Dagupan, which enters the gulf midway between Lingayen and San Fabian, delineated the boundary between the 14th and the 1st Corps, and bridges over the Dagupan were expected to provide the first easy means of contact between the two corps. Since there was a gap of over 6 miles between the 1st Corps' westernmost beaches and the 14th Corps' easternmost, it was imperative that the Dagupan crossings be seized without delay. Planners anticipated that inasmuch as 1st Corps troops would be a mile or so closer to the river at the moment of landing they would be the first to reach the bridges, but it was 14th Corps' responsibility to relieve 1st Corps at the crossings as soon as possible. The 37th Division was to drive toward the Dagupan, while the 40th Division would make a quick thrust west and northwest to Port Sual and Alaminos. Port Sual, located at the southwestern corner of Lingayen Gulf, and at the western extremity of the Army Beachhead Line, possessed some importance as the site of minor port facilities. Alaminos, about twelve miles northwest of Port Sual, lay inland on the Bolinao Peninsula. Early capture of road junctions at Alaminos would help forestall Japanese attempts to organize counterattacks against the 6th Army's right flank. In contrast, the beaches assigned to the 1st Corps were more widely spaced. The units of the 6th Division were scheduled to land on the Blue Beaches, located midway between the Dagupan River mouth and that of the Bued River. The 103rd Regiment was to land on White Beach 3 at San Fabian, while the 169th Regiment would land on White Beach 2, nearly two miles to the northeast. Additionally, the 2nd Battalion of the 172nd Regiment was set to land on the nearby White Beach 3. Fortunately for the American forces, they encountered minimal resistance as the initial waves approached the shore, facing only some challenges from the ebb tide. Shortly after 09:30, the 1st and 20th Regiments landed on the Blue Beaches, with the 1st Regiment quickly securing the mouth of the Bued River and advancing three miles inland to Mangaldan, while the 20th Regiment moved toward Dagupan. Meanwhile, Wing's regiments landed on their designated beaches to the northeast but faced harassment from snipers, artillery, and mortar fire from Lieutenant General Nishiyama Fukutaro's 23rd Division. However, the assault waves of the 14th Corps moved more slowly than expected, reaching the western beaches only by 09:40. The 185th Regiment captured Orange Beach, the 160th Regiment took Green Beach, the 148th Regiment secured Yellow Beach, and the 129th Regiment landed unopposed on Crimson Beach. After landing on the beaches, the 1st Battalion of the 185th Regiment marched to the Agno River's mouth. Meanwhile, the 40th Reconnaissance Troop established a roadblock on the main road, just three miles east of Port Sual. The 2nd Battalion of the 185th Regiment advanced directly inland through Lingayen, successfully crossing the Calmay River and an east-west segment of the Agno River. Similarly, the 160th Regiment crossed the Calmay and assembled nearly four miles inland. The reserve 2nd Battalion of the 108th Regiment landed at Lingayen, while the 148th Regiment moved straight inland, crossing both the Calmay and Dagupan Rivers toward San Carlos. The 129th Regiment entered Dagupan and crossed the Patan River to reach Calasiao, with its 3rd Battalion eventually extending the line to connect with the 148th. By the end of the day, Griswold had established a beachhead stretching northwestward from Calasiao for nearly twenty miles to the outpost near Port Sual. At the same time, Wing's units encountered the most significant resistance from three tiers of ridges that overlooked the 43rd Division's beaches from the north, northeast, and east.  The 43rd Division had the most hazardous and difficult S-day tasks. On the division's left low hills lay scarcely three-quarters of a mile inland from WHITE Beaches 1 and 2. Stretching northward, and coming still closer to Lingayen Gulfs eastern shore, a first line of low, grass-covered hills formed a somewhat broken ridge line, the seaward slopes of which grew steeper as the hills proceeded north along the coast. Beyond this first range, which averaged less than 250 feet in height, lay another, more irregular north-south ridge that rose to 350 feet. Still further east--a little over three miles inland--was yet a third steep-sided, grass-covered ridge line, this one averaging around 600 feet high. The three tiers of ridges overlooked the 43rd Division's beaches from the north, northeast, and east. They provided the Japanese with natural defensive terrain, excellent observation, good positions from which to deliver direct fire on the beaches, and cover behind which there was protection from the essentially flat trajectory of naval support fires. Moreover, the ridges were close to assembly areas further inland that could provide large Japanese forces with cover and concealment. In a single night the Japanese could move considerable strength from these assembly points into the tiers of hills to launch a counterattack against the 6th Army's left. While the 2nd Battalion of the 172nd Regiment advanced toward Hill 247, the 169th Regiment moved eastward, successfully reaching Binday and extending its lines north along the gentle slopes leading to Hill 470. Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion of the 172nd Regiment quickly secured the barrios of Mabilao and Alacan, ultimately capturing Hill 247 despite scattered resistance. As small arms and mortar fire intensified, combat patrols advanced toward Hill 385, coinciding with the remainder of the 172nd coming ashore. Finally, the 103rd Regiment took control of San Fabian without facing any opposition and then advanced generally south and southeast toward Hill 200, halting just north of San Jacinto by the end of the day. While the assault units of the 1st Corps successfully landed by dusk on January 9, Swift's advance was not as deep as Griswold's, leaving several dangerous gaps between his units. Throughout the day, the Japanese launched sporadic kamikaze attacks on the Luzon Attack Force, causing significant damage to the battleship Mississippi, hitting the cruisers Columbia and Australia again, and damaging one destroyer escort. Meanwhile, friendly anti-aircraft fire resulted in numerous casualties aboard the battleship Colorado. In response to the enemy landings, Yamashita decided to deploy the 2nd Tank Division to the Agno River line near Tayug, where the armored units were to execute a counterattack from the northern flank if the enemy overextended. He also sent five battalions under Lieutenant-General Tsuda Yoshitake to secure the Cabanatuan area, ordered Lieutenant-General Okamoto Yasuyuki's 10th Division to position elements in the Triangle Hill and Tayug sectors to counter a potential enemy advance from Lingayen toward San Jose, stationed the majority of the 11th Independent Regiment at Bongabong, and directed the Noguchi Detachment to move from Bicol to the Manila area. During the night, the 12th Surface Raiding Regiment, based at Port Sual, attempted to disrupt further enemy landings with a full-scale suicide boat attack on ships near the beachhead. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, the small explosive-laden boats approached undetected but only succeeded in sinking one LCI and damaging eight other vessels. In other areas, increased guerrilla activities and Allied airstrikes in northern Luzon had nearly stopped the Japanese from collecting and transporting vital food supplies to the critical defense zones within the Baguio-Mankayan-Bambang triangle. This disruption would hinder the 14th Area Army's capacity to conduct a prolonged defensive campaign. Although plans for a desperate, full-scale counteroffensive were developed, Yamashita decisively rejected this strategy, instead ordering the 2nd Tank Division to cancel its intended counterattack and regroup at Lupao, approximately eight miles northwest of San Jose. Meanwhile, on January 10, Griswold's forces continued their advance inland: the 185th Regiment moved west toward Port Sual; the 160th Regiment progressed southward about eight miles; the 148th Regiment quickly advanced to San Carlos; and the 129th Regiment pushed forward to Malasiqui, where the 14th Corps faced enemy resistance for the first time since the landing. Additionally, the reserve 108th and 145th Regiments successfully landed on the Lingayen beaches. To the north, the 6th Division shifted generally south and southeast, covering about four miles across flat, dry, open farmland, and by nightfall, it secured a front of approximately seven miles from west to east. As they continued northeast, the 103rd Regiment expanded its front, with its 2nd Battalion advancing toward Manaoag while the other two battalions moved to the area northwest of Hill 200. Lastly, the 169th and 172nd Regiments encountered the most intense resistance thus far, providing an early glimpse of the challenges that would impede the 43rd Division for the upcoming month. The 1st Battalion, 169th Regiment, supported by close artillery and mortar fire, engaged in combat along the steep, grassy slopes of Hill 470, ultimately capturing the summit by nightfall. Meanwhile, the rest of the regiment advanced across the Bued River toward Hills 355 and 318, but halted near the river due to heavy artillery, mortar, and machine-gun fire. To the north, the 172nd Regiment cleared Hill 385 and then moved toward Hills 351 and 580, gradually advancing along the southern section of the third ridge line, which was located inland from the beaches. Additionally, its 1st Battalion progressed two miles along the graveled coastal road and conducted patrols along the ridge crest. By nightfall, Krueger had determined that the 6th Army Reserve should be deployed in the 1st Corps' area, as outlined in the pre-assault plans, due to the significant resistance faced by the 43rd Division. He suspected that the apparent lack of enemy resistance to the west was a trap, designed to lure the 6th Army into overextending its lines, making its flanks susceptible to a counterattack from the east. Fortunately for the Americans, Tominaga's kamikaze attacks began to diminish in the days following the landing, with an attack on January 10 resulting in damage only to the destroyer escort LeRay Wilson and one transport ship. The next day, the 43rd Division continued to face challenges in Luzon. The Japanese mortar and artillery fire along the 172nd's eastern front was so severe that Wing decided to shift the regiment's attack direction from east to north, resulting in minimal progress as they redeployed to strike toward Hills 351 and 580 from Hill 470. Additionally, the reserve 158th Regiment was landed to relieve the 1st Battalion, 172nd Regiment, on the coastal road. Looking southeast, the 169th Regiment nearly encircled Hill 318. However, despite receiving maximum support from Durgin's carrier aircraft, naval gunfire, and division artillery, they were unable to dislodge the Japanese forces, who had entrenched themselves in the hillside. Meanwhile, Griswold's advance inland to secure the Army Beachhead Line continued to progress well on January 11. On the 11th the 185th Infantry patrolled and consolidated its positions on the west flank, suffered no casualties, killed 5 Japanese, and captured another. Early in the morning a Chevrolet sedan of 1940 or 1941 vintage, occupied by two Japanese, came calmly down the coast road from the direction of Port Sual. Obviously unaware that Company C, 185th Infantry, maintained a roadblock on the highway, the Japanese practically ran into the American outpost before they realized their situation. Before they could recover from their surprise and consternation, both Japanese were dead, and Company C had acquired some luxurious transportation. Meanwhile the 160th Regiment reached Aguilar, a road junction already held by Filipino guerrillas. The 108th Regiment closely followed the 160th, and the 148th Regiment established a line from Dumpay westward for four miles to Bacnar, with patrols extending further south to Urbiztondo and Bayambang. By the end of the day, the 14th Corps had either occupied or outposted nearly all the territory within the Army Beachhead Line in its sector. However, with Swift's units unable to keep up with the advance southward, Griswold faced the risk of exposing his eastern flank if he continued to push forward. Therefore, the 1st Corps needed reinforcement to prevent widening the gap along the corps boundary. As a result, the reserve 63rd Regiment and the 13th Armored Group were deployed in the San Fabian area, while the 6th Ranger Battalion, which had landed at Blue Beaches the previous day, moved to the Dagupan area. Additionally, Major-General Charles Mullins' 25th Division began to assemble between the Agoi and Patalan Rivers. Despite these developments, casualties had been significantly lower than expected, with 55 men killed and around 185 wounded, primarily from the 43rd Division. Japanese casualties in ground operations were also relatively low, with American estimates suggesting between 150 and 200 Japanese killed. Meanwhile, Task Force 38 made its way into the South China Sea via the Luzon Strait on January 10, accompanied by the refueling group. Although poor weather conditions thwarted a scheduled refueling on that day, Task Force 38 was completely fueled by noon on January 11 and prepared to carry out Halsey's ambitious raid. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. As Allied forces prepared for a major assault on Luzon, kamikaze attacks intensified, leading to fierce battles and unexpected challenges, but Filipino resilience shone through despite devastation. On the shores of Lingayen Gulf, American forces launched a strategic landing, facing minimal resistance, but soon encountered fierce Japanese counterattacks as they advanced inland.

Your sister gave you permission to spank her son. Now she's calling you a child abuser and diving deep into conspiracy theories. Welcome to Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: You spanked your nephew once after he kicked your daughter, with your sister's prior permission. Now she's calling you a child abuser, your mother's caught in the middle, and there's a fascinating twist involving QAnon, church expulsions, and a high-profile abuse case. How does one find the way through this labyrinth of family dysfunction? Picture teaching 100 ESL students daily in a crowded hallway (yes, a hallway!) with no walls, while six precious years stand between you and a cushy pension. Your Etsy side hustle brings joy, but those morning tears on the commute tell a different story. What's the escape route from this educational pressure cooker? As a pastor and Army Reserve high-ranker, you counsel others through their darkest hours. But your 16-year-old daughter's bipolar diagnosis, self-harm history, and manipulative behaviors are testing your limits in ways no pastoral training could prepare you for. How do you help someone who refuses to be helped? Recommendation of the Week: Use AI in your everyday life. For 16 years, you lived in the shadow of narcissistic manipulation, watching your self-esteem erode like a sand castle in rising tide. Now that you've escaped, your ex-wife is spinning tales that would make Scheherazade blush, and you're left wondering: how do you rebuild your truth when someone else has been writing your story? Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com! Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger. Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi and Instagram @gabrielmizrahi. Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1098 And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider including...

On this episode of “The Federalist Radio Hour,” Tim Hale, an Army Reserve veteran who spent nearly three years incarcerated for nonviolent offenses related to Jan. 6, joins The Federalist’s Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to discuss his time as a political prisoner. Hale describes in detail how he was subjected to solitary confinement, what […]

On this WPN Call 404, Dr. Jim Garlow is joined by Larry Pegram, a financial planner, former police officer and captain in the Army Reserves, and a political activist. He discusses an amazing (and horrific) story about a San Jose, CA City Council Member who fought hard against parents having the right to “opt out” their children from graphic and sinful sex education classes, and what has been discovered thereafter.      Dr. Jim Garlow has partnered with Pastor Mario Bramnick and Adam Schindler to bring you World Prayer Network (WPN), which seeks out Holy Spirit given strategies for how to be an effective and contagious Christ-follower in our present national situations. WPN hosts weekly prayer calls to seek out strategies for the transformation of nations, including our own. During these live calls, we share briefings from key leaders and then pray into what we see and hear from the Lord.     Follow us on social media:  facebook.com/wellversedworld twitter: @wellversedworld instagram: @wellversedworld www.wellversedworld.org

Tim Little has been investing in real estate since 2008. After years of generating cash flow through single-family and small multifamily ventures, he transitioned to apartment syndication to scale his own profits and deliver great returns to investors. Tim holds an MBA in International Business and an MA in Global Trade from the University of Denver. A combat veteran with over 25 years of military service, he continues to serve in the Army Reserves as Commander of a Public Affairs Battalion. His leadership experience helps him excel in real estate, identifying challenges, developing solutions, and managing teams efficiently.   Here's some of the topics we covered: Tim's Military Experience Single Family vs. Multifamily Showdown The Game Changer Lessons from Rod's Multifamily Bootcamp How To Build a Winning Real Estate Team Multifamily Bridge Debt & Mastering Rate Caps Unlocking Better Deals Through Strategic Partnerships When Real Estate Plans Go Off the Rails Interest Rates & The Economy   To find out more about partnering or investing in a multifamily deal: Text Partner to 72345 or email Partner@RodKhleif.com    For more about Rod and his real estate investing journey go to www.rodkhleif.com   Please Review and Subscribe  

TO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.livewww.flyover.liveTrey TrainorTrey TrainorTWITTER: www.x.com/txelectionlaw TWITTER: www.x.com/txelectionlawwww.x.com/txelectionlaw James E. “Trey” Trainor III, a nationally recognized expert in election law, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Election Commission in May 2020. With over two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, and ethics, Trey has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State, advised two presidential campaigns, and represented the Texas Republican Party. Before his FEC appointment, he practiced law as a partner at Akerman LLP and ran his own successful private firm. A proud Texas A&M graduate and Corps of Cadets member, Trey also served honorably in the U.S. Army Reserves and earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Known for his commitment to constitutional principles and electoral integrity, Trey Trainor continues to be a respected authority in safeguarding America's democratic process.James E. “Trey” Trainor III, a nationally recognized expert in election law, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Election Commission in May 2020. With over two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, and ethics, Trey has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State, advised two presidential campaigns, and represented the Texas Republican Party. Before his FEC appointment, he practiced law as a partner at Akerman LLP and ran his own successful private firm. A proud Texas A&M graduate and Corps of Cadets member, Trey also served honorably in the U.S. Army Reserves and earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Known for his commitment to constitutional principles and electoral integrity, Trey Trainor continues to be a respected authority in safeguarding America's democratic process.Send us a message... we can't reply, but we read them all!Support the show► ReAwaken America- text the word FLYOVER to 918-851-0102 (Message and data rates may apply. Terms/privacy: 40509-info.com) ► Kirk Elliott PHD - http://FlyoverGold.com ► My Pillow - https://MyPillow.com/Flyover ► ALL LINKS: https://sociatap.com/FlyoverConservatives

Tonight at 8:30 pm CST, on the Flyover Conservatives show we are tackling the most important things going on RIGHT NOW from a Conservative Christian perspective!  Tonight at 8:30 pm CST, on the Flyover Conservatives show we are tackling the most important things going on RIGHT NOW from a Conservative Christian perspective!  TO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONSERVATIVES SHOWS - https://flyover.live/show/flyoverTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONSERVATIVES SHOWS - https://flyover.live/show/flyoverTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTO WATCH ALL FLYOVER CONTENT: www.flyover.liveTo Schedule A Time To Talk To Dr. Dr. Kirk Elliott Go To To Schedule A Time To Talk To Dr. Dr. Kirk Elliott Go To ▶ https://flyovergold.com▶ https://flyovergold.comOr Call 720-605-3900 Or Call 720-605-3900 Trey TrainorTrey TrainorTWITTER: www.x.com/txelectionlaw TWITTER: www.x.com/txelectionlawwww.x.com/txelectionlaw James E. “Trey” Trainor III, a nationally recognized expert in election law, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Election Commission in May 2020. With over two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, and ethics, Trey has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State, advised two presidential campaigns, and represented the Texas Republican Party. Before his FEC appointment, he practiced law as a partner at Akerman LLP and ran his own successful private firm. A proud Texas A&M graduate and Corps of Cadets member, Trey also served honorably in the U.S. Army Reserves and earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Known for his commitment to constitutional principles and electoral integrity, Trey Trainor continues to be a respected authority in safeguarding America's democratic process.James E. “Trey” Trainor III, a nationally recognized expert in election law, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Election Commission in May 2020. With over two decades of experience in election law, campaign finance, and ethics, Trey has served as General Counsel to the Texas Secretary of State, advised two presidential campaigns, and represented the Texas Republican Party. Before his FEC appointment, he praSend us a message... we can't reply, but we read them all!Support the show► ReAwaken America- text the word FLYOVER to 918-851-0102 (Message and data rates may apply. Terms/privacy: 40509-info.com) ► Kirk Elliott PHD - http://FlyoverGold.com ► My Pillow - https://MyPillow.com/Flyover ► ALL LINKS: https://sociatap.com/FlyoverConservatives

In the bustling world of the spirits industry, one brand stands out as a true beacon of patriotism and purpose – Heroes Vodka. Founded by Travis McVeigh, a Marine Corps veteran, this unique vodka brand is more than just a delicious spirit; it's a testament to the sacrifices and service of those who have dedicated their lives to protecting our nation. Travis shared his remarkable journey, from growing up in a small town in Indiana to becoming a decorated Marine and ultimately, an entrepreneur driven by a deep sense of duty and camaraderie. Travis' story is one of resilience and determination. Facing the challenges of his parents' divorce at a young age, he found solace and discipline in the military, joining the Army Reserves at just 16 and later transitioning to the Marine Corps. It was during his time at the prestigious Marine Barracks 8th and I in Washington, D.C., that Travis forged unbreakable bonds with two fellow Marines, Richard and Tommy, who would later become the inspiration behind Heroes Vodka. Tragically, both Richard and Tommy lost their lives in the line of duty – Richard as an Indiana state trooper and Tommy in Afghanistan. It was in the wake of these devastating losses that Travis found his true calling, determined to honor their memory and the sacrifices of all service members through his entrepreneurial endeavor. With a passion for service and a drive to succeed, Travis set out to create a vodka brand that would not only be a high-quality spirit but also a vehicle for giving back to the veteran community. The journey was not without its challenges, as Travis navigated the complexities of the spirits industry as a newcomer. However, through perseverance and a willingness to learn, Travis partnered with industry veteran Robert Lippmann. Together, they leveraged the buying power and expertise of industry giants like Buffalo Trace to create a product that could compete with established brands while maintaining an affordable price point. What sets Heroes Vodka apart is not just its exceptional taste, but the ethos that underpins the brand. Crafted from 100% American corn and free of gluten and glycerin, the vodka is a pure, high-quality spirit that can be enjoyed straight or in a variety of cocktails. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Heroes Vodka has continued to grow, expanding its distribution to several states and garnering recognition for its quality, with the brand winning multiple gold and silver medals. As the brand prepares to unveil a fresh, new look in the new year, Travis encourages supporters to reach out to their local retailers and request Heroes Vodka. Throughout the interview, Travis' resilience and compassion shone through. His message of "post-traumatic growth" – the idea that we can emerge from tragedy as better, more empathetic individuals – is a powerful testament to the human spirit. Travis' willingness to be vulnerable and share his own struggles serves as an inspiration to others who may be facing their own challenges, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, there is the potential for growth and triumph. The story of Heroes Vodka is one that transcends the boundaries of the spirits industry. It is a tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the unwavering determination of a veteran-turned-entrepreneur who is committed to honoring those who have served. Through his brand, Travis McVeigh is not only creating a high-quality product but also building a community that celebrates the unsung heroes of our nation. As we raise a glass to Heroes Vodka, we are also raising a glass to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedom. It is a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of community, and the transformative potential of turning tragedy into triumph. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wakeupwithpattikatter/support

S5E7: Analyzing the Lewiston Shooting - Military Links and Missed Signals In this gripping conclusion to our two-part series on the Lewiston Shooting, Katherine and Sarah dive back into the tragic events of October 25, 2023, with Robert Conlin, author of The Lewiston Shooting: An All-American Tragedy. In Part One, we examined the immediate impact of the shooting on the small, close-knit community of Lewiston, Maine. If you haven't listened to Part One, be sure to start there for a complete understanding of this complex story. Episode Highlights: Military Connections: Robert shares insights into the shooter's Army Reserve background, his access to firearms, and the complex jurisdictional boundaries that affected his mental health evaluations and firearm restrictions. Missed Signals and Red Flags: We discuss the communication breakdowns between military and local law enforcement and how these gaps, along with Maine's “yellow flag” law, complicated efforts to restrict the shooter's access to firearms. The Human Toll: Robert highlights the profound impact on Lewiston families, including the stories of specific victims, and the devastating ripple effect on the community. Systemic Challenges: From Maine's yellow flag law to national challenges in coordinating responses across agencies, the episode explores systemic issues that hinder effective preventive measures. Join us as we unpack how missed opportunities and systemic obstacles contributed to this tragedy, offering insights into potential reforms for improved community safety. Relevant Resources and Links: Robert Conlin's book: The Lewiston Shooting: An All-American Tragedy Support us on Patreon for exclusive content and early access to episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. More insights from Katherine Schweit: Katherine Schweit Website: Sarah Ferris Media Email: conningthecon@yahoo.com SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS, SUPPORTS THE PODCAST CRIMECON UK TICKETS HERE CRIMECON US TICKETS HERE DON'T forget to use DISCOUNT CODE “FERRIS” RESOURCES Stop the Bleed training FBI RUN, HIDE, FIGHT This is a Sarah Ferris Media production on the Killer Podcasts Network. Check out more Sarah Ferris Media productions: CONNING THE CON KLOOGHLESS - THE LONG CON GUILTY GREENIE THE BRAVERY ACADEMY WATCHING TWO DETECTIVES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the greatest strength you could show wasn't pushing through the pain, but learning to pause, slow down, and seek support? In this impactful episode of “Leading with Heart”, I sit down with entrepreneur, Army Reserve officer, yoga teacher, and mother of four, Roshonda Thomas. She's a living testament that “doing it all” doesn't have to mean running on empty. Instead, it can mean caring for your mental health, setting priorities, and giving yourself permission to recalibrate—even when it feels like the world expects otherwise.Roshonda opens up about her journey in the military, her family life, and her entrepreneurial ventures—all while managing a demanding schedule and a spouse with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Through it all, she's learned the art of honest self-evaluation, boundary setting, and prioritization. She shares her strategies for making white space on a packed calendar, the importance of shifting out of “superwoman” mode, and why it's okay to seek help, rest, and stillness.If you've ever felt like you should be able to handle it all on your own, or if the idea of taking time for yourself feels like an indulgence you can't afford, this conversation will challenge those beliefs and offer tools to guide you toward a more sustainable, balanced, and fulfilling path.RESOURCES:Connect with Roshonda Thomas:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Diva_becomethedifferenceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/royoga7Linktree: https://linktr.ee/youmatterauthor?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaa6eEKLqfc_05cQQPrJ1CDZ_Rwbk-gJeeBCOV1If7QilC_G8YBpDIkjyDE_aem_l2tbBCYKgS7XKMMZVeqAYwAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ARoshonda+Thomas&s=relevancerank&text=Roshonda+Thomas&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1Join the Strong and Resilient Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/336774597179247SHOW NOTES: https://www.christinamattisonyoga.com/bConnect with me in the Strong and Resilient Woman Community on Facebook HERE (https://www.facebook.com/groups/yogaformilitarywomen), or on Instagram @themilitaryyogiMore about Christina Mattison and the Leading with Heart PodcastHey there! I'm Christina Mattison, an Air Force Officer, yoga teacher, dedicated wife, and proud mother of two. But most importantly, I'm here as a wellness and leadership coach for women in the military. I want you to know something: It doesn't have to be this way.I've walked in your combat boots, and I understand the chaos that often accompanies military life. But I'm here to share a powerful truth with you: You have the innate ability to transform your own life. I've personally experienced this transformation, and I've witnessed it in the lives of countless clients I've had the privilege to guide.Welcome to the Leading With Heart podcast — your ultimate resource for discovering how to infuse joy, peace, and true success into every facet of military life.**The views and opinions expressed within this podcast episode are those of the individual, and do not necessarily represent those of the Department of Defense or its components.

S5E6: ANALYZING THE LEWISTON SHOOTING - TRAGEDY STRIKES MAINE (Part 1) In this powerful episode, Katherine and Sarah dive into Part One of the Lewiston Shooting tragedy with special guest Robert Conlin, author of The Lewiston Shooting: An All-American Tragedy. Together, they explore the tragic events of October 25, 2023, when an Army Reserve soldier with a history of erratic behavior took the lives of 18 people across two locations in Lewiston, Maine. The shooting sparked a 46-hour manhunt that paralyzed the entire state. Episode Highlights: Anatomy of the Incident: Robert details the sequence of events, from the initial attack at a bowling alley to the shooter's escape and subsequent violence at a sports bar. Missed Red Flags: Robert sheds light on the shooter's troubling behavior over the past year, raising questions about missed opportunities by both the Army and law enforcement to intervene. Impact on the Community: With Maine experiencing historically low crime rates, this tragedy sent shockwaves through the tight-knit community and raised difficult questions about gun violence and community safety. A Personal Account: Robert shares insights from his experience covering the event and the critical themes addressed in his book. Listen in to understand the complexities surrounding this tragic event, and make sure to join us for Part Two as we delve into the legal and systemic barriers that surfaced in the wake of this incident. Links and Resources: Robert Conlin's Book: The Lewiston Shooting: An All-American Tragedy Support us on Patreon for exclusive content and early access to episodes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. More insights from Katherine Schweit: Katherine Schweit Instagram: @stopthekillingstories | @conmunitypodcast Website: Sarah Ferris Media Email: conningthecon@yahoo.com SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS, SUPPORTS THE PODCAST CRIMECON UK TICKETS HERE CRIMECON US TICKETS HERE DON'T forget to use DISCOUNT CODE “FERRIS” RESOURCES Stop the Bleed training FBI RUN, HIDE, FIGHT This is a Sarah Ferris Media production on the Killer Podcasts Network. Check out more Sarah Ferris Media productions: CONNING THE CON KLOOGHLESS - THE LONG CON GUILTY GREENIE THE BRAVERY ACADEMY WATCHING TWO DETECTIVES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump recently appointed Tulsi Gabbard to be the next Director of National Intelligence. In this role, Gabbard would sit atop the nation's spy agencies and act as the president's top intelligence adviser. Gabbard has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades and deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. Savage called for Trump to include Gabbard in his campaign, and even declared that she would have been an excellent Vice President. Gabbard tells Savage why the Democrat party has abandoned the little guy and is now an elitist cabal of warmongers. Gabbard, a veteran and current Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, shares why we must protect our nation from tyranny. Learn how Gabbard and her parents have been longtime listeners of the Savage Nation; even calling into the show! Then, listen as they discuss their shared connection to Hawaii and indigenous culture. Listen to this remarkable interview with two independent voices fighting for America's future!

The FRONTLINE Dispatch presents: Breakdown (from Maine Public Radio, The Portland Press Herald, and FRONTLINE).How did leaders of the Army Reserve respond to the many, clear warning signs about the Lewiston shooter, a part-time soldier who was in a dangerous, downward spiral? And why didn't they take further action?The Army has acknowledged some failures but also cast blame elsewhere. In Episode 3, we look at questionable medical decisions, missed communication and lack of follow up by the Army.Finally, we'll learn why the shooter's family believes the military could do more to prevent brain injuries in troops.To hear the rest of the series, subscribe to Breakdown on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or stay tuned for more episodes on The FRONTLINE Dispatch. 

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (11/18/2024): 3:05pm- According to reports, the Department of Defense has failed its seventh consecutive audit—and is unable to fully account for its $824 billion budget. Last week, Donald Trump appointed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency which will seek to find and eliminate wasteful spending practices throughout the federal government. 3:10pm- In an interview with Fox News, Donald Trump vowed to work with members of the press regardless of ideology—and on Monday, the president-elect even met with far-left MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. 3:15pm- Recapping their Mar-a-Lago meeting with Donald Trump, MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski said: “We didn't see eye-to-eye on a lot of issues, and we told him so" but the president-elect was eager to find common ground. 3:30pm- Michael Whatley—Republican National Committee Chairman—joins The Rich Zeoli Show with BREAKING NEWS: the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has affirmed that PA county election officials cannot count misdated and undated ballots in violation of the law. The Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race recount will continue as Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) has refused to concede despite the Associated Press declaring Republican challenger Dave McCormick the race's winner. 4:05pm- While appearing on CNN with Jake Tapper, Senator John Fetterman defended Pennsylvania county election officials counting misdated and undated ballots in violation of the law. 4:15pm- The Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight on Netflix proved to be a bit underwhelming—and to make matters worse, during a pre-fight interview Netflix cameras caught Tyson walking around the locker room with his bare butt exposed. Rich, Matt, Justin, and 65 million other viewers all wish they hadn't seen it. 4:30pm- The Trump Dance Goes Viral. UFC fighters, NFL football players, college football players, and celebrities are all doing the Donald Trump fist bump dance. Rich notes that it's only a matter of time before woke brides and grooms ban the moves from their wedding dance floors. 4:40pm- I'd Take Tulsi's Record in Syria over the CIA's. Michael Brendan Dougherty of National Review writes: “I sometimes wonder what ‘liberalism' the defenders of the liberal world order have in mind when the subject comes to Tulsi Gabbard. Appalled by radical Islam after 9/11, Gabbard volunteered to serve in the Hawaii National Guard, deploying to Iraq in 2004 and 2005 in a medical unit. She completed officer training at Alabama Military Academy, then served overseas in Kuwait. In 2020, she transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. You might think that people who claim to respect the troops so much might hesitate before calling someone with this kind of record a foreign asset or even accusing her of being a foreign agent. You would be wrong.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/id-take-tulsis-record-in-syria-over-the-cias/ 5:00pm- While speaking with Jake Tapper on CNN, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said of Donald Trump's cabinet appointees: "They are persons who will shake up the status quo.” 5:10pm- Rich takes calls: one person wants to talk about Donald Trump dismantling the deep state—while another wants to randomly discuss Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito starting for the New York Giants. 5:20pm- Disney has canceled plans for their next Star Wars film which was scheduled to be released in December of 2026. Star of Disney's new live-action Snow White film, Rachel Zeigler, attacked Donald Trump supporters on social media…again. And actress Justine Bateman says she has lost friends for speaking out against censorship and woke Hollywood. 5:40pm- David Urban— Political Commentator for CNN & Volunteer Senior Advisor to Donald Trump—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to react to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirming that PA county election officials cannot coun ...

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: 4:05pm- While appearing on CNN with Jake Tapper, Senator John Fetterman defended Pennsylvania county election officials counting misdated and undated ballots in violation of the law. 4:15pm- The Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight on Netflix proved to be a bit underwhelming—and to make matters worse, during a pre-fight interview Netflix cameras caught Tyson walking around the locker room with his bare butt exposed. Rich, Matt, Justin, and 65 million other viewers all wish they hadn't seen it. 4:30pm- The Trump Dance Goes Viral. UFC fighters, NFL football players, college football players, and celebrities are all doing the Donald Trump fist bump dance. Rich notes that it's only a matter of time before woke brides and grooms ban the moves from their wedding dance floors. 4:40pm- I'd Take Tulsi's Record in Syria over the CIA's. Michael Brendan Dougherty of National Review writes: “I sometimes wonder what ‘liberalism' the defenders of the liberal world order have in mind when the subject comes to Tulsi Gabbard. Appalled by radical Islam after 9/11, Gabbard volunteered to serve in the Hawaii National Guard, deploying to Iraq in 2004 and 2005 in a medical unit. She completed officer training at Alabama Military Academy, then served overseas in Kuwait. In 2020, she transferred to the U.S. Army Reserve and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. You might think that people who claim to respect the troops so much might hesitate before calling someone with this kind of record a foreign asset or even accusing her of being a foreign agent. You would be wrong.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/id-take-tulsis-record-in-syria-over-the-cias/

The FRONTLINE Dispatch presents: Breakdown (from Maine Public Radio, The Portland Press Herald, and FRONTLINE).Months before the mass shooting in Lewiston that claimed 18 lives, the gunman's family and friends were desperately trying to get him help.His mental health was deteriorating. He was experiencing auditory delusions. And there were multiple warnings about his potential for violence, his access to guns and his threats to do harm.Six weeks before the attacks, his best friend warned the Army Reserve that he might snap and commit a mass shooting.Episode 2 begins a two-part examination into the numerous opportunities for intervention that could have changed everything.To hear the rest of the series, subscribe to Breakdown on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or stay tuned for more episodes on The FRONTLINE Dispatch. 

Join U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant First Class Veteran Stephanie Kalota, the Founder and Creator of the Veteran Legislative Voice Podcast, as she discusses critical issues around the upcoming election, military voting rights, and the challenges veterans face at the polls. In this episode, Stephanie delves into voter registration concerns, absentee ballot controversies, and the legal challenges surrounding military and overseas voters. Stay informed on how recent changes could affect military personnel and veterans and how you can ensure your voice is heard in the upcoming election.#StephanieKalota #VeteranLegislativeVoice #MilitaryVoting #AbsenteeBallots #VeteranVotingRights #Election2024 #VoterRegistration #MilitaryAbsenteeVoting #VeteranAdvocacy #VoterSuppression #VeteransVoices